August 23, 2014

My flights from Mexico City to Chile is Monday at 11:55pm (Mexico time) and it is on Aeromexico flight 10 to the Santiago Arturo Merino Benitez airport and I land at 9:25 am.  My flight reference number is 435224 and we are on a Boeing 767.   It also says I will have a hot meal on the flight. :) Probably nothing great but hey I am okay with food. haha also... all the guys in my district think Heather is gorgeous.  I hear about it at least once every day.  A few of them joke that "oh she is a junior? Perfect! Well when I get home she will be done with high school and we can get married!" haha.... maybe I will scratch her out of the pics so I don’t hear about it. Just kidding.  But yeah everything is great.  We started packing today and it gets me so pumped.  Elder Lecheminant flies out at 6 am on Monday morning so he has to leave the CCM at 2 am. haha so I probably won’t get much sleep.  But yeah I can’t wait to go.  I have like 300 Mexican pesos and I think I might give it to this house service guy who spent some time talking to me and two other of the elders for like 15 minutes and gave us advice as a RM and wished us luck.. He is a great guy so that is what I am planning on.

The diarrhea is gone.  The pills of mine and Elder Edwards helped

The Español is good but I definitely will struggle with how fast I’ve heard the Chileans speak.  I am not too worried though because we are SO far ahead of the other districts at the CCM with our language.  Both our teachers think we are the best they have had.  Our teacher who has been here for a year cried today in her last lesson with us and told us how much she would miss us.  She bore her testimony and man it was powerful.  We got her a water bottle (she constantly stole our other teachers water bottle so kind of an inside joke) and said "you quenched our thirst for knowledge so we thought we would repay the favor" then had notes and candy inside of it.  It was really good and she definitely helped us so much.

I am so excited.  I know that Christ is my Savior now more than ever.  I can’t wait to help my fellow brothers and sisters in Chile to come unto Christ.  This is going to be great.  I know that it is going to be hard.  But when things get hard, I will remember the Savior and how He endured his trials.  If my growth needs to have 1/231423534657645745674534 the suffering of Christ to grow, then bring it on.  I can’t wait to work with the members.  Here comes 18 years of waiting.  Wish me luck!!!

Hey gotta go! I will let you know how everything goes.  There is a full district of Viña del Mar Chile missionaries but they were all in the beginner Spanish so we weren’t together a lot.  But we have a good size group going.  It should be a lot of fun! Some really sharp elders going that I know and also some iffy ones that I am not so sure about.... hopefully they are all great.  I love you all and thanks for everything!!!!

Love,

Elder Crofts

Our amazing teacher with our district.  She is the one in the middle. 

As ushers, we get tight with the nativos

Our note to our teacher

And you said the way of asking to dances was a waste.  Look at how the creativity is helping me.  Haha.

The final gift for our teacher.

August 19, 2014

UNA SEMANA MAS!!!!!

HOLA! 

The spirit here at the CCM is still great.  I am learning a lot but I am really ready to go to Chile and do what I have been called to do.  So this week, our teacher was saying how certain accents in English are hard for him to understand.  So we asked what was the hardest to understand for Spanish.  And wouldn’t you know it....CHILE.  haha  So that should be a great time.  I guess they just talk crazy fast.  On the bright side, that will probably mean I will be able to talk faster than all my other Spanish speaking friends ;) haha I understand most everything that people say here in the CCM.  But the other day, we watched a video of someone from Bolivia....I was lucky to pick up 20 percent. haha Wish me luck.

So yesterday for gym we played soccer.  Every time a team scores a goal the losers go off for the next team.  We played for an hour and were completely undefeated.  I think I heard some people say President Pratt was going to have some futbol scouts come try and recruit us to the Mexico National team.  But sorry, we got work to do.

So the other night during my companionship prayer with Elder Lechemenant, Elder Bryan said something that was hilarious to Elder Edwards and I held in my laugh for a second then fell over on the ground laughing... haha Never have I laughed so hard that I cried....until that night.  I couldn’t even talk and it turned into like a sob instead of a laugh....haha it was hilarious.  I guess it must have been a long day.

I read both of Amy & Kristy’s emails!!! I have been praying a lot for them, especially Amy.  I sent Amy an email just a second ago. If you diagnosed me with Celiac I would probably just say you know what.... not worth it and deal with the rashes and diarrhea or find some way to put myself out of my misery.  haha I will pray for the sake of all of us that the same doesn’t happen to me.

Everything else is great! I was able to help a guy in my district who was having a rough time but I don’t have time to tell the whole story but I definitely received guidance.  Not that I like when people have problems... but I love being able to help people so I am really excited to get into the field so I can do that constantly.

So the "plague" has died down and no one is sick with it anymore I think.  But I have had diarrhea for about the past week.  I took those one pills the 2nd or 3rd day in and I think I just needed to take more later.  Elder Edwards gave me some of his medicine that really helped him so my last episode was at like 8:30 this morning.  It is not that I am constantly needing to go but when I do go it definitely aint the same as back in Utah. haha The food is good. It just sucks about the diarrhea you get from it.  But it is better than I expected it to be.  Also I think I have lost 1-4 pounds... don’t know because it is in kilos.  But I think I have trimmed down in fat especially on my stomach.  Each day while we have gym, I hurry and get ready before the others and do about 5 minutes of jump rope then I do other just body weight lifts.  So I am staying in pretty good shape.

We got to watch another Elder Holland talk. He talked about the importance of preparing.  He said something like "when you are face to face, knee to knee with your investigator,  you HAVE TO come through"  I have been trying hard so I will be ready both spiritually and with a knowledge of the gospel.  

I can’t wait for my red eye flight to Chile!!! I think I fly straight to Chile.  I know some missionaries have called home at the airport but I don’t think we are supposed to and really everything is good so don’t count on anything in that regard.  I think my flight will be like 8:40pm to 5:50 am or something like that.  Yeah I really just get stoked every day when I think about leaving in just a few days.

I don’t know my exact flight number because I have not picked it up yet from the reception but Elder Bryan and Edwards who are both going to Chile are Monday at like 8:40 pm.  I will find out for sure though.  I think we can email you on Saturday night from 6:45 to 7:45 but I am not positive on that so don’t take my word for it.  

So right now I have 800 pesos left.  I am planning on having maybe 200- 300 for the airport just to pig out on some good restaurants.  We are going to get our teachers a gift so I am anticipating having maybe 300 left over if I get some snacks or something at the tienda during the rest of the week.  I think I might ponder about giving it to someone who is deserving and needs it like you said.  But we will see.  

I love this gospel and I know that this message is going to change so many people’s lives for the better.  Can’t wait! But gotta go! Love you!!

Love,

Elder Crofts

My study spot each day

August 12, 2014

HOLA! 

The weeks just fly by!!!  I can’t believe I am down to two weeks.  I am glad though... I don’t think I could take not being out in the field much longer. haha

So there is some sort of epidemic going around the CCM. haha there are districts where everyone but two elders are so sick that they can’t leave their house.  No one in my district has gotten it yet but keepin the fingers crossed.  There is a no handshaking policy so we just give each other a nice little elbow bumb. haha 

I got to talk to Drake for like 15 minutes the other day at lunch which was really good.  He is doing great! 

(oh...and Amy got mad at me for the whole diablos comment from last week.... haha I rephrase that.... we love the hermanas and treat them great!  We just think it is hilarious when we see some elders and hermanas flirting....haha they got their purpose a little mixed up....)

On Sunday I was reading the fourth missionary (thanks Jace Dalton for that) and it was life changing.  We also had a great devotional where we listened to a talk by Elder Bednar that he gave in 2011 at the MTC on Christmas.  He talked about the importance of "turning out" like the Savior instead of turning in.  Our purpose in this life is to prepare to become like the Savior.  But we can’t do that if we don’t turn ourselves over to him.  In the fourth missionary, it talks about a total surrender.  Because in reality... God can make a whole lot more of ourselves than we can.  We are sons and daughters of God and need to realize who we can become.  One thing Elder Bednar said that I really like was "Just get over yourself.....who cares if it is hard....I know the NATURAL MAN.  Turn yourself over to the Lord and forget about yourself"  Elder Lechemenant loves quotes like that and gave a little fist pump after that was said... haha he is a great companion.

Today, we got to go to the temple.  I was bummed we couldn’t go in though. It is closed for renovation.  It was really pretty though.  We got to do a tour through the visitor center that was really powerful.  On the way back from the temple, we saw probably a million little taco stands.  We yelled up to the bus driver and said "¿podemos ir a comer tacos?" (Can we go to eat tacos?) He was saying no no no.... then we all were chanting "Si se puede! si se puede! si se puede!!" (You can do it) He was laughing really hard but we still didn’t get tacos... we might just have to break out of the CCM to get some.

I know that this church is true.  I know that Christ is our Savior and he suffered for every trial and heartache in our lives.  If we will rely on him, this life can be a whole lot easier and happier.  I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God and helps us in our daily lives.  I am so grateful for you guys.  I love knowing that no matter what, we are a family forever.  I’ll keep Amy in my prayers.  Thanks for everything. 

Love,

Elder Crofts

Elder Lechemenant & I at the Temple.  I love this guy!

Our district at the Mexico City Temple

Nothing wrong with a little selfie on the way to the temple

Home Sweet Home. Mexico CCM.

Elder Bryan & I have a special bond

We were begging the bus driver to stop and let us get tacos.  No luck.

The fence we'll have to jump to get our tacos...but hey....when in Mexico.

August 5, 2014

Thanks for all the stuff you sent with Drake.  It was perfect.  I would not send anything else to the MTC because I think it takes 2-3 weeks for stuff to get here so it would probably be better to start sending it to Chile if anything.

This week was great!  It FLEW by.  I can’t believe we are half way there.  It will definitely be good to go and start doing the work and not just preparing for it.  We had a devotional that was really good the other day where the speaker gave an analogy of a man who was told if he walked through a cornfield, when he came out, he would have the largest ear of corn. There was only one rule HE COULDNT GO BACK.  He walked through and a little ways in he saw some small ears of corn, deciding the corn would be better at the end he pressed on.  He did this two more times, each time the corn was larger and larger.  When he came out the other side, he wondered why he was empty handed and he soon realized that what was meant by the promise was that he was supposed to gather as he went.  This applies to us so much.  There is grace and the Savior will make up for what we can’t do, but we have to do ALL that we can first (2 Nephi 25:26).   As we go through this cornfield of life (or for me a mission),  we need to gather as much as we can.  There will be times when our arms are full and we drop a little bit of what we have gathered.  But we can always carry more than we think because the Savior is behind us picking up what we could not hold on to. But we MUST do our OWN PART FIRST. 

So our teacher said that of all the districts that she has taught in the past year, we are definitely the most advanced with the language.  She said "I told my other class how awesome you guys were and they were all really jealous.  I am proud of you guys for working on your Spanish."  Our branch president said that in our 1st week we are at the level of most of the people who are leaving.  We are now doing ten pushups each night for all of the times we talk in English.  The other night I did 110!!!!  They all pick on me since I am the DL.  I talk just as much Spanish as anybody but one slip and “DIEZ!!!!"  Oh well... a little work out never killed anybody.

So there is an elder in our district that is very stubborn named Elder Hall.  He loves being in control and doesn’t give his companion (Elder Thomas) any say.  He also doesn’t study what he is supposed to when assigned.  Elder Thomas is an angel.  He is so patient and Christ-like.  I have a lot of respect for him.  I had been praying for a few days for how I could help them.  It was Friday (two days before fast Sunday), when I was studying when all of a sudden I felt like I knew what I should do.  I kneeled down and offered my plan to the Lord to see if it was what I should do.  As soon as I was done with the prayer, I sat down and saw Elder Thomas walking up to me; he had a question about our language assignment.  I knew immediately that this was an answer to my prayers.  I answered his question then talked to him about how I had been praying and I felt that we should fast to know what to do to help Elder Hall.  Elder Hall then came up a few minutes later and we talked to him for about 30 minutes about the importance of studying the things we have been assigned because people who have been called of the Lord have been inspired to give us them.  He is really stubborn but eventually I think the spirit softened his heart enough because now he is doing better.  He is still very controlling in the companionship but I have more confidence that his language will be better prepared for the mission field.  There is still work to be done but the Lord definitely answered the prayers of Elder Thomas and me.  

I know that God answers prayers and wants to help us.  We just have to work to receive that help. I love this Gospel.  My mission means everything to me.  I can’t wait for Chile.  I feel the blessings pouring out.  I love you guys and pray for you often.

Con amor,

 Elder Crofts

Great to have Drake here. Thanks for the sweet ties Liz & Trent

Fast Sunday tie.

This pose has been taken for every football picture since these two were in junior high.

 "Too cool...It's against the rule."

District 17A

My place of study each night

This place is beautiful

My boy Drake's body is still adjusting to Mexico. "Bless You!"

Great kickball game last P-Day