We had a Great Pioneer Day Celebration here in Mexico!

Hey Everyone, How has your week been? I hope all of you are doing well. My week was a good and very busy week, and the following week will probably be busy too! This week we had companion exchanges for two days and we also had to go to Guadalajara today for an Eye Appointment that I had. I am kind of tired, but I don't think we will get to rest much this week because we are supposed to have our Interviews with President and our Zone Meeting as well. Our exchanges were good we started on Tuesday and returned to our own area on Thursday. I went to Chapala with Elder Lavery one of our zone leaders who was actually my first District Leader and Elder Benitez (yes my old companion) our other zone leader went with Elder Menchu to our area. They finally found some new investigators, but unfortunately when we tried to return to visit them someone told us that they didn't actually live where they visited the first time and so now we don't have their actual address. Hopefully we will be able to find them again because I don't even know who they are! Ha!Ha! Our work here continues to be trying to actually find someone to teach. Beforehand we didn't have permission to knock on people's doors unless we had first talked with them in the street, but I asked President for permission to knock on peoples' doors and he told me yes. He just said that we need to be selective with where we go and to not knock on a whole neighborhood at a time, and to not systematically work the area. Hopefully as we carefully work to know where to go and to follow the Spirit we can find some new investigators that way. Because really not very many people that we talk to in the street want to receive our visits. Our Pioneer Day was very wonderful. We had a great activity at the church and I really enjoyed participating in it. It was a simple activity but it was fun and the Spirit was present. We had a short little 'Trek' and a lot of the members came dressed as pioneers. We didn't have a handcart or anything but we walked from "city to city" from Kirtland to Nauvoo and to Salt Lake. At each city we listened to someone share a little bit of what the pioneers went through. After we arrived in Salt Lake City we sang Come, Come Ye Saints and the Spirit was very strong. Afterwards we had dinner in the church and talked among ourselves for awhile. I had been reading about the pioneers in the book "Our Heritage" that morning and I asked if I could share something as people were finishing eating. I didn't share anything that I had read in the book, but I decided to share one of our family history stories that comes from the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies. I shared with them about our 4x Great Grandmother Mary Ann Mellor, whose story is featured in the movie 17 Miracles. She is the one who felt she could go no further and sat down on a boulder and cried. She told her family to go on without her because she could not do it. Her husband resolved to come back for her that night after helping their family reach camp, but her daughter would not leave her. Her daughter stayed behind with her mother as the rest continued onward. Her daughter decided to go a little way off and offer a prayer. As she prayed for guidance and comfort she cried not knowing what to do. As she stood up and headed back towards her mother she found in the path in front of her a pie; it was manna sent from heaven to help them have the strength to move forward. She took the pie to her mother and together they ate and gave thanks unto God for His mercy. She then said afterward, everytime she felt she could not go further she remembered that miracle and the goodness of God and then had the faith enough to continue. As I shared that story in our activity and my testimony of the pioneers the Spirit was incredibly strong. I could feel Him touch everyone's heart and I felt very grateful that I could share that story with those who came to that activity. The best part about the activity is that two sisters arrived there who are not members. They recently moved back here from the State of Mexico and were listening to the missionaries there. We tried to visit them the other day but they weren't home, but they still showed up to Sacrament Meeting yesterday and tonight we are going to try to visit them again. I hope they become progressing investigators who can be baptized. That would be another miracle to add to my family history. I know that God lives and that He loves us. I know that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ on the Earth and that He is at the head. I am strengthened by my pioneer ancestors and all that they suffered so that I may have the Gospel in my life today. I love those stories and to be able to see the faith they had. I too am striving to have Faith in Every Footstep. I love each and every one of you and hope you all have a wonderful week! Take Care! Love, Elder Mitchell J Condie