October 25, 2017 (Week 4)

How quickly the weeks pass in the CCM! 

It does not feel like it has been a week, but the time flies when you are caught up in the gospel!  This week was another interesting one, during one of our progressing investigator lessons in Spanish I used the wrong word for story when explaining the book of Mormon; so instead of saying the history of the people of the America's I said the "fairy tale" of the people of the Americas, ahhh! 

However, it didn't end there, as during the same lesson instead of saying the prophets were killed, my companion accidentally said the prophets killed themselves!  The look on our investigators face was priceless.  Despite that little folly, Español has been coming along well, the more I use it the more I come to love the language. 

The routine of the CCM is starting to wear on me a bit now, but our district tries to buoy up our spirits by coming up with new jokes in Spanish.  We are starting to get anxious to get to the mission field now, as one of our teachers has a referral for her cousins who live in Aguascalientes, which is very exciting! 

The more time I spend here the more I love the people of Mexico, even if they do party very loudly until two in the morning outside our apartment windows.   Today we have the opportunity to go to the temple again, I'm sure it will be another experience to remember!

Elder Varney

October 18, 2017 - (Week 3)

Well, almost another week has gone on by in the CCM...There is a saying here that the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days, and I feel like that is more and more true for me every day!  It is so amazing to feel the gift of tongues work in my life, it is such an amazing thing to be able to have a conversation with someone who speaks a whole different language.  My teachers here are so amazing, they teach with the spirit and make us laugh so hard, all in another language!  We currently have two investigators that we teach in the CCM, they are real people played by our teachers.  It is almost as hard to simplify the lessons as it is to teach them in Spanish.  But, every time we successfully invite someone to read, come to church, or be baptized, it is a testament to me of how the Lord assists us each personally.

This week the most profound impression came to me while we went to the temple.  It is a truly unique opportunity to learn all the amazing things in the temple that we are familiar with while in another country speaking in a totally foreign tongue.  It was a testament to me of the fullness and current revelation of the gospel that we enjoy today.

This week we will be teaching with the Latinos a real investigator from the outside world!  I'm excited to try me best to teach in the lesson, and then listen as my Latino companions reteach the principle that I just butchered in Spanish.  Oh well!  This place is truly a blessed place set aside by the Lord, with great leaders that have been called to teach and guide us. 

I could not ask for a kinder, more generous people to teach the gospel to!  Thank you for all your blessings and prayers for me and all the missionaries here, I can personally guarantee each and every one of them individually receive your spiritual support.

Elder Varney

Ethan in his new "Tri" Companionship

The "Crazy" streets driving to the Mexico City Temple

The Mexico City Temple

October 13, 2017 - Mexico MTC (Week 2)

Wow, what a crazy time in Mexico!  Learning Spanish is very challenging, but also very rewarding. 

You tend to learn very fast when you have to give a lesson in a foreign language every day!  Anyways, I feel like Spanish has been coming to me well, I know enough to be able to carry on a conversation with the Latinos in the CCM (Mexico MTC) pretty well, they are all so hilarious!

Also on my first week I met Tanner Erickson in the CCM, it was his fifth week here.  It was very good so see another Murray kid here in Mexico.  Anyways, the Latinos that live around the CCM love to crank up their music and party it up at night, especially on the weekends. 

The food down here is very good, perhaps too good, because the doctor here said it is typical for missionaries to gain 10 to 15 pounds.  Speaking of the doctor, it seems like that is where my whole district has been for the last week.  On the general conference weekend I got a bad sore throat, but for me the cold passed after two days.  However, our district leader got the same sickness and lost his voice for three days!  And this past week my companion has been in and out of the enfermaria (mission hospital) with an infection in his bronchi.  Even though our bodies may slow us down, nothing can slow down our districts' spirits!

The CCM down here used to be a LDS school for people in Mexico and it's name started with a B.  Now it is the CCM and the mission president says the B stands for Baptism!  It is lots of fun down here, even though we don't really get a taste of what the real Mexico is like yet.  All of our teachers are so knowledgeable and awesome.  Today we went into the city to get our long-term visas, and it was a wild ride!  There are endless houses for miles and miles, and when we get out of the bus everyone stares at the gringos in suits who don't know what they are doing.

Well, the CCM is a pretty good place, even with the super tight schedule.  Next week we will be teaching real people from outside the CCM in español for the first time, I pray it will be well! 

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers,

Love, Elder Varney

The first thing that you see when you enter the Mexico City MTC
Matthew 28:19 - Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost

Ethan pointing to his building on the Mexico City MTC Campus

The "super clean" MTC room of Ethan's with his two companions

The remnants of the "B" on the hill for the old school

What a crazy time!  It was a whirl to get here so quickly and meet everyone so quickly! 

My companion is Elder Lingenbrink from Seattle Washington, and everyone in our room is going to Aguascalientes!  It was pretty intimidating to go into a lesson completely in Spanish on the second day, but I can slowly feel the gift of tongues growing on me.  The food down here in the Mexico MTC is very good, perhaps too good because of how much I am eating it! 

Anyways, we have lots of challenges down here with the language, but I am thankful for all your prayers, and for the revelation from general conference!  I am running out of time now, but I will have more stories soon.

Ethan's MTC District

Ethan and his Companion, Elder Lingenbrink

On the ground in Mexico City MTC

Ethan made it from SLC to the Mexico City MTC last Tuesday! 

Here it is straight from his e-mail:

..It´s great down here, this place (the MTC) has an awesome spirit with it.  Mexico city seems like a pretty crazy place but the people seem great here.  My P-Day in the MTC is on Wednesday, but I will not be able to email you guys tomorrow since its the first day orientation for our new group.

 Anyways my companion is also going to Aguascalientes, and there are four other missionaries in this group going to Aguascalientes.  I´ll get you guys more stories next week, I can really tell that this place is going to be great!

--Elder Ethan Varney