Trainer!!! Letter# 18

For starters, the group will be breaking up. Elder Fraser is going to Tula, Elder Mendez will stay and train again and be district leader, Elder Candelario will be zone leader in Prados, and I will stay here and train a greenie even though I just finished training. I'm nervous to do it, but if God has trust in me to do it, obviously I can. I will really need some prayers though. I won't meet my companion until tomorrow morning.

Juan Manuel died on Tuesday. Alejandra and her family left to Mechoacan a state in Mexico for his funeral so we haven't seen them. (I asked if he was ever able to receive a blessing.)No we asked 2 people to go and give a blessing and nobody went. We couldn't because of the security issue. I don't know why they didn't go. We finally taught Gerrardo yesterday, but they cancel on us a lot and don't get back til late. Daniel we taught again and he accepted a baptismal date, but he doesn't have the desire to stop smoking so we`ll see what happens. Ward problems haven`t gotten better. Our new Mission leader is better (our old one went inactive). I havent got a picture of the boys. The dog was a pet. ( The one that kept jumping on him and ruined his tie.)

I really love the Christmas music. We eat with members for "lunch" everyday except Monday. For breakfast we eat cereal almost everyday. We made eggs like 3 times though.

 The amount of people writing me changes every week. I receive letters from both grandparents and you guys.

Well this week we sang 3 songs at the baptism for the son of the stake president. We sang Child's Prayer, and two others songs I don't remember. Juan Manuel died. We as missionaries are going around with the youth usually 3 times a week now. Because we had some this week we were able to have 4 more lessons than we would have! Work missionaries and members and you're much more effective. I joined the group of young leaders in the ward. Elders Quorum President-21, Young Men's President- 19 and working on mission papers, and me, young white kid in Mexico who will be training...

This week I have been studying the "questions of the soul"-preach my gospel, chapters in the Book of Mormon. I have really enjoyed this. If you read with a focus in mind you can get so much more out of the scriptures. I challenge you guys to do that. Every time you read the scriptures, have a focus or a question and look for an answer. God answers through the scriptures.

Thats all for me,

Love you,

Elder Finlinson

                                    Last picture of this District, they are separation tomorrow.

Christmas decorations in Mexico.

P.S. Layne shared a talk on missionary work with Andrew and this is what his reply was: I have really seen how the whole mission thing is work. But you have to stretch yourself to grow sometimes to the very limit. Just like these coming months. I'm in the hardest area of the mission and I will be training. It will teach me a lot about seeking the spirit and trusting in God because I sure can`t do this without divine help.