Apr 2, 2013

Okay real quick, sorry I didn't email yesterday my comp is in the hospital he had a pretty bad accident on the highway with a car, he is alive but hurt pretty bad. Last night when the doctor came out he was looking over the x-rays and said to me, "April Fools.". I am kidding  my comp is fine, what really happened is that we are in an area so close to Mexico in southern Texas and yesterday was Cesar Chavez day and because he did stuff for mexican field workers or something they shut down libraries and such so don't think I forgot to email. Also, I haven't heard any updates on the package I requested I am asking only because I am curious as to whether it will be here before transfers or not, they are on the 23rd so there is still time. Since the increase of temperature and humidity out here the messenger bag has moved up from want to borderline need. I have never sweat so much in my life, it is actually really gross and unpleasant. My back is always soaked due to the backpack so I am just curious.

Other than that things here are going pretty well, the new District Leader is changing lots of stuff and has been a much bigger stickler on the things that we do. For example the other day at 8:59 I got a text saying that we needed to remember the mission rules and be home at 9 or else we will turn into pumpkins like in Cinderella and her coming home after midnight I guess. The rulebook says it a little differently than that but I have been doing my best not to question my leaders and follow their counsel because they truly are called of God to be there. I won't lie though the other day when he and his companion weren't home by 9:30 I did send them a text that said "bippity boppity boo" which I personally thought was hilarious. I don't think he appreciated that very much and so i apologized, I should be better than that. But it was still funny.

Things here are going pretty well still Frank and Kayla got confirmed and are doing so good, they are so strong in the Gospel and it is so wonderful to see and hear their testimonies and their desires to share the Gospel. Their friends Felipe and Beatriz that we met have also come to church and love our lessons, they are  super cool, but they are "Co-habitating" which is our ward mission leaders way of saying breaking the law of Chastity and so we will have to get them married I may have mentioned that, I forget sometimes. If so that will be our 3rd successful marriage in Mercedes since I got here, other companionships have asked us what our secret is, we don't have one the Lord has done it all.

Our teaching pool is a little smaller than we like right now but we are working on that, we have a few good potentials we just have to find them at home because no one here has a phone (or a car). Also, Juan renounced his other church I guess so we should be seeing more of him soon and then we will baptize him which will be amazing. He just needs to stop being a tiny dancer. We did accidentally knock into a guy this last week named Jose. He lives in an apartment complex in an apartment that we have gone by like a million times looking for a less active named Jose. Just so happens that less active Jose has moved and new and ready to receive the Gospel Jose has moved in, Coincidence? They don't exist. Hopefully we can help him and his "Wife" Brenda come to know the Gospel what a blessing that would be for us.

This last weekend was Easter as you all know and here a tradition they have is hollow egg shells full of confetti and you smash them on eachothers heads on Easter. When I told a girl that we don't do that where we are from she asked us, "Wait, you guys don't have Easter where you are from?" So I guess Easter and egg smashing need to go hand in hand just like Tequila and Mariachi (That we also learned here in Mercedes). But seriously, what a wonderful time of year Easter is, a time for us to remember our Savior and the miracle that was his ressurrection. That glorious transformation from mortal to immortal and exalted marked the end of our Lords Atonement. As a result of that we get to be partakers of the ressurrection just because we were born. The latter portion, of the Exaltation is all conditional. Although Christ has made it possible for us all to receive that gift it can only come through our own desires and works. A woman in the ward gave a talk on the Atonement this week where she compared the Atonement to a college class she had. Basically she said this, we get a C just for showing up, in other words we get to be ressurrected just for coming to Earth. We get a B for doing our weekly assignments, or in other words we can have the Holy Ghost by reading praying and attending Sacrament meeting. But, we can get an A only if we do our semester project, enduring to the end, keeping the commandments, doing all we can to live the gospel. Then she asked, "Which Atonement do you want?" My question is the same for you all. Make the decision now and I promise the Lord will show you the way that he has already prepared.

One way we can do that is this heeding the Prophets counsel. This week is conference and what a blessing that is. I want all of you to write down a question, at least one and then to sit and truly listen to conference. I promise as you do this the Lord will answer it through his Prophet, or the Apostles or another leader of the church.

As we do these things we will be able to partake of the "A" Atonement and we will be able to be with our Father in Heaven as well as our Families forever. I know that one day I will get the opportunity to see my Older Brother again and that is only because of our Savior Jesus Christ. That is what I want and so that is what I am going to work towards my desire is that you all join me in that. I love you all and miss you. And yes mom it has indeed been almost 6 months. I hope to hear from you all soon.

Elder Bassett