June 20, 2016 - New Comp Elder Jiminez

New Comp Elder Jiminez from Mexico City

Hanging in the City

Hey everyone! Another amazing week here in Mission Chihuahua Mexico!

There are a lot of changes going on down here in Mexico now that we got a new President of the Mission coming this next week!   I'm excited to see a lot of these new changes, however I'm going to miss Presidente Chavez a ton!!!!

I've had this mission president for almost 2 years now.  He's been with me, and has helped me through many of the most difficult challenges that I've gone through in this short amount of time.  He's taught me a lot, helped me become a better teacher, and a better representative of Jesus Christ.  He's a great man, who's going to go on to many more great things.

Last week, I forgot to explain the other pic I sent!  We had a baptism that was going to happen in my district in 15 minutes, and when I got there, my zone leader said that there was absolutely no water in the Church.  Even the well right by the font window was completely dry!  So we had a member come by and check to see what was going on, and well, somebody had turned off the water key outside.  So we turned it back on, however until the well fills up, there's no water in the church.  So what I did was I hopped into the well, and would fill these buckets up with water and pass it up so they could fill up the font.  I got soaked!  But it was all good. My comp baptized the dude for the Hermanas, (I didn't get a pic cause I was in the well...) and everybody was happy!

One thing that I've learned a lot out here in Mexico is a lot about hard work, and tenacity.   Tenacity means to keep on going, determined, until you finish.  There will always be problems that come, and a lot of these problems will seem like grande mountains in front of you.  However, if you keep pushing forward diligently, always searching for solution after solution, you will conquer that mountain, and conquer that problem.

There is nothing better than the satisfying feeling of having overcome every obstacle.  So keep on going, or in the words of Dory the Fish. ´Just keep Swimming, just Keep swimming.....´

I love you guys, and I want you to know that everything is getting better and better here in Mexico.

Elder Pettingill

June 13, 2016 - Thank you Plum Creek YW!

Down a well trying to get water for a baptism!

Thank you Plum Creek Ward YW for the awesome package!

I've got a new comp whose name is Elder Jimenez!!!! He's from the city of Mexico, and he has 6 months in the mission!  Sorry that I haven't really sent a long email in a while, I'll make sure to tell you guys more next week!  I just want to give a shoutout to the Young Womens in the Plum Creek Ward who sent a bunch of inspirational notes and candy!!!!!!

Love you guys, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is undeniably true.  I have millions of testimonies of all the Saints throughout the world who support this wonderful fact of mine.  Eneñar Arrepentimiento y Bautizar CONVERSOS!

Elder Pettingill

June 6, 2016 - Changes!

Another week come and gone!  We had a lot more baptisms!  

Also there's going to be cambios! Changes are coming, Elder Loftus (my comp) is heading up to the Sierra now! I'm getting a new comp, still have no idea how it is.  Also two of the Hermanas in my district are getting replaced by two other Elders.  Going to miss them a lot, however I'm also super excited for this next cycle!!!!!  I have almost 6 months here in Cuauhtemoc now!

Elder Pettingill

A MOTHER'S FOOTNOTE :)

In the words of the great apostle John, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth" (3 John 1:4).

I think this might be my favorite picture from his mission. My son has worn through the soles of his shoes in service to the Lord. It doesn't get better than this as a parent, does it? Maybe it does, but I truly can't contain my joy in this moment.

May 30, 2016 - Service project and the path to baptism

This week flew by!!!!!!!   We got some more baptisms this week, also the Hermanas baptized this week as well!

This week we did a service project as well. We had to bring down a huge cement wall, about 20 feet in width, and 13 feet high!  It was a ton of fun, I basically just got to use a 15 pound sledgehammer, and a lever to bring this thing down!!! What we would do is put a couple of weak spots in it, start rocking it back and forth, and then pull certain sections down.  I made sure to always jump out of the way so no need to worry!  After all this time of only reading and writing, my hands have gone super soft!  Its no fun!  By the end of the project had a ton of calluses that had burst on my hands.......

The Hermanas in my district are finally all healthy again, and none of them are sick! So that makes everyone a whole lot happier.  They also have a lot of people lined up for this next month!  We're going into June now! The last month before we get a new president......
  

Hope all is well back at home!  Hope you guys are steadily coming unto Christ.  I promise you, you cant find any other path that will bring you greater happiness than the path that He has laid down for us.  There is only one path that can bring us back home to the Heavens.  Only one door that can allow you into this path. That door, is the door of baptism by Immersion, for the Remission of sins.

There is only one proper way to be baptized.  If you do not choose to be baptized by immersion, by someone who has the Proper Authority of God, you can not into our Celestial Home.  There is only one Lord, One Faith, and One Baptism.  I am always here to answer your questions, if you have anything that you have had difficulty trying to understand, or have no idea what something about God is, ask me.  I would love to help you find your answers.

Love,

Elder Pettingill

May 23, 2016 - Questions for you...

Hey guys!!!

Another week has passed and gone, and this month is almost over......  Only got one more week to finish our goals for this month, so we all got to step it up a notch!

This past week was pretty good, we had two baptisms this past week in my district, one from my area!!!  Shes a lady from the Reservation, the Aunt of one of the kids who recently baptized! Hoping her sisters are coming pretty soon!

So its still pretty hot out here.  Like super hot!  However there's a nice breeze always blowing, and it helps cool things down a lot when we're walking everywhere, except for when we're sitting in a smelly, super hot bus.  

Learning a lot out here about goal setting and having a vision for where your going!  We're working a lot with the ward in re-activation, and the ward is starting to get more excited for Missionary work!

  

Ok, so I want to ask you guys some questions, and yes, I do expect you to answer them! :D  For the members out there.... What are you doing to help build Gods Kingdom?  How many converts are you going to bring to God this next month?  Which Non-Active members are you visiting with consistantly?

Now for those who still need to Baptize......  Why havent you baptized yet?!?!?!  What is of greatest worth here in this world?  What are you doing to to prepare for the future? Why aren't you talking with the missionaries over there in the states?!?

I love you all back at home.  Want you all to know that there is nothing that brings me greater joy than to see my friends come unto Christ, here in Mexico, and back there in the States.  

Love you all,

Elder Pettingill (o mi nombre en español......  Elder Acariciando Escamas)

May 16, 2016 - Testimony

Baptism of 'his kids'

Ok, I'm going to be very direct in this email.  As we learn in Ephesians 4:5, there is only One Lord, One Faith, and One Baptism.

There is only one God, who holds the truth of all things.  He only has one truth, and it is His.  It does not change, it has always been the same, and always will be same.  He will tell this same truth to every single prophet and person that has or will live on Earth.  

 

Because he is the same God for every single person here on Earth, there is only One Faith.  There should only be ONE faith.  Because God tells this same truth, to every prophet that has preached of him throughout the ages, there is only One religion throughout all the Earth, that has the knowledge on how we can return to our home in Heaven.  The fact that there are thousands of different religions in the world is Gods fault, its the fault of Man.  Just because man has changed what God has said, doesnt mean that God conforms to the image that man has portrayed of him, He continues being the same.  

Hebrews 13:8- God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He has always taught of the same path that leads to Heaven. There is no other path, there will never be another path that leads to Heaven then the one that He has given to every one of his children throughout all of time.  There is only one true religion throughout all the earth.  Only one path leads directly to our Father in Heaven, and he has shown that path through His Son, Jesus Christ, and through all of the prophets.  They all taught the exact same thing, which is that to enter into Heaven, you have to be baptized by His proper Authority.  If you are not baptized by someone that has His Authority, you have never been baptized.  It is as simple as that.  

 

There is only one church here on Earth that has His proper Authority to baptize in his name.  My invitation to you is to make sure that you find that Church, so that you can be enter into His path that He has set for us.  Only on this path can you find true happiness. Only on this path can you find ever-lasting Happiness.  It is possible to find this path out of the thousands of inviting false paths in our world. ´Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you´´If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men Liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.´

 

If you have not found this path of which I speak, search for it.  Ask God for help in finding it, and you will eventually find it.  If you have strayed from this path, diligently strive to come back unto God.  I wish for everyone one of you to have the same fullness of joy that I have here in the Gospel.  Diligently strive to fulfil Gods Will, and you will see that your life will have so much more meaning than it had before. I know for a fact that these things that I have said are true. I have seen it bless many lives here in Mexico, and I continue to see it bless even more.  I love you all, and wish you the best, and I share these things in the sacred name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

May 9, 2016 - Tauramarens

I feel like I'm melting out here in Mexico..... and the worst part is that its only going to get hotter!  Thankfully this will be the last summer that I will have to endure out here in Mexico!!!

This week went really great!  Mis niños se bautizaron!!!!  My kids baptized!!!  Not all of them, only the ones who really wanted to, there were 6 of them (sorry forgot my camera today) and they are all really cool!  All these kids are from an Indian reservation here in Cuauhtemoc, and the circumstances that they live in is really humbling.  Its  just super simple apartments with a futbal field and a place to wash your clothes outside.  These kids are basically growing up in the ghetto of the ghettos, but they're enjoying church more and more every time they go!  Yes we still pile them all into a truck or mini van every time we go to church, its really crazy (and really smelly... Did I forget to mention that tauramarens bathe like 1 a month?)  We are still working on the parents in this small reservation, but its coming along great and everyone seems to love us!!!!!!  We had a huge water fight like 2 weeks ago with all the kids, me and my comp got SOAKED, but it was absolutely worth it.  The kids are opening doors for us to the parents, and its really awesome!

Before I go on, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to my Wonderful Mother!!!!!!!  She's the best mom any son could ask for, and thank you so much for everything you have done for me mom!!! 

It was great talking with the family over skype yesterday, my sisters are growing up so much!  Mom and Dad still look as young as ever, y mi chiko perrito is still as crazy as ever!!!!  I'm happy with all that's going on here in the mission, and I'm going to keep pressing forward diligently and being the missionary God wants me to be!!!!!!!

Siempre Fuerte, 

Elder Pettingill

May 2, 2016 - Super Hot!

Hanging with Elder Larsen again :)

This past week went super awesome!   The only problems that we're having is that the misionaras in our district are having trouble getting investigators to church!  We're working with them on that, and this next week should be a whole lot better!

In other news, Its SUPER HOT!  And I'm dying out here, but its all good!!!!!!!  Me and my comp are working great with each other, we're a really good team. and we should have a TON of baptisms this week, I hope. We'll see!

Love you all, 

Elder Pettingill