June 10, 2019 (Week 88)

Another wild run!

Well, this week was a spiritual roller coaster!  It stared off with ending a run of bad luck we had with finding new people, not that we were lacking a ton of people to teach, just a bit of rejection.  But this week started off with a very spiritual zone conference, the last that Presidente and Hermana Hernandez will be in!  They left us with great impressions and specific instructions on how to follow the Lord´s will; one interesting note that we learned was that we are usually the ones who inhibit our own faith, even before we have left the house, or left for the mission field!

But with that great spiritual powerhouse day, our luck began to change!  During exchanges I had three lessons in a row where people had read and all committed to baptism, and in another city my companion contacted a family that actually lives in our area!  Great miracles!  Anyways, just a few hours ago the assistants called to tell me that I´ll be training the next transfer, still don´t know where, but no matter what it´ll be an amazing way to finish the last two transfers of the mission!

Love you all, each and every one of you!  Take care till next week!

-Elder Varney

Elder Varney's last picture with his Mission President, Pres Hernandez

Sunrise in his area

June 3, 2019 (Week 87)

Wet´n´wild!

Well, this week was actually pretty dry up until today, when it rained all night long!  Then exactly at 6:30 in the morning it stopped!  Oh well, that´s pretty nice, except that now its very, very humid!  Oh well, the climate here is quite similar to salt lake, high and dry, so I guess I just got used to that.  This week we also had our stake conference and the visiting seventy is the best friend of my companion´s dad!  He had a little meeting with us, explaining how the missionaries can have a tremendous effect on the energy of a ward, which is very true!  We are following his councils and will surely see the blessings coming soon.

Another pretty good miracle was that the familia martinez came to the conference!  They are an awesome less active family that has two teenagers that we want to baptize very soon!  And they came to two sessions all on their own, we were able to get them set up with come, follow me and self-sufficiency classes, so the should be doing pretty well!  I´m so grateful for all these great programs that the church has to help us magnify our abilities, but mostly I´m grateful for all the great people that all work together to get the Lord´s work done!

Anyways, love each and every one of you, take care!

-Elder Varney

May 27, 2019 (Week 86)

Up in the clouds!

All this week the clouds have been getting lower and lower, but it has only been getting hotter and hotter and no rain!  But today finally rain and the temperature has dropped, so that is a blessing!  Speaking of blessings, this last week was very nice, we´ve had a ton of super spiritual lessons!
Literally after almost every lesson we left feeling super hot, not from the heat but from the spirit!

Also we were walking up one hill (as usual) when we saw a lady cleaning up the trash and dirt from the street so we got a rare service opportunity and helped her.  It was actually nice to be able to a little yardwork for once!  But in the end we were able to have a great lesson with Silvia and her husband, they have an autistic son and have really learned of the tender mercies of the lord and how to really pray all on their own, we hope to be able to continue on having spiritual experiences with them!

Anyways, lots of fun stuff this week, thanks for all your prayers and help in so many ways, talk to y´all soon!

-Elder Varney

Two Families that Ethan got to know in San Luis Potosi 

Dawn in Zacatecas 

View across Zacatecas

May 20, 2019 (Week 85)

Another blurry and windy week!

This last week was quite rewarding, in the beginning we were making very extensive plans to find people with potential and yet almost no one answered the door!  After a few days we still felt we were doing the Lord´s will, but we just didn´t know what that was yet.  Then we decided to climb the highest hill in our area and offer a prayer dedicating our work in this ward for this transfer.

Later that same day we found two new part member families that each have teenagers eager to learn more about baptism!  It was such an immediately rewarding experience, a great testimony builder!  This next week shouldn´t involve lots of traveling, just lots of meetings.  But we are still excited to help the great people here in Zacatecas be able to consecrate themselves to the Lord, so many great people here!

Anyways, the adventure continues!

Love you all, have a great week!

-Elder Varney

May 13, 2019 (Week 84)

Is the air thinner up there?

Yep, no matter where you are in the world, the people will still always make the same tall jokes to you, no matter where you're at!  But that still doesn't make them funny...  Oh well anyways we are actually higher here in Zacatecas, its really mountainous and literally every building is built on a hill.  Its a constant hike up or down streets, but it just reminds me of hiking out in Utah, so no complaints!
Anyways seeing lots of miracles that come when you open an area, I'm here with elder Loyola from my generation and we've seen lots of people that the Lord has given to us out of nowhere.  One interesting thing is that most of our own efforts to find people didn't amount to much success, but at the last minute we received two references of people that had already gone to church (just in different wards) but who belong to our area and are very enthusiastic!  Lots of blessings coming out here!

Anyways, love you all, talk to you soon!

-Elder Varney

Elder Varney and his new Comp in his new area of Zacatecas (wait, is that a statue of Joseph Smith in the background?)

May 6, 2019 (Week 83)

Changes and constants...
Well, this week was full of lots of strong witnesses of the Lord's hand in the lives of others and in our experiences.  First off we had some previously unknown old investigators call us (which nearly never happens)  and they are excited to learn and participate more in church!  Also there was a huge ward primary activity this week, and we were invited to help in case any investigator children who were invited came.  And as it turns out, we had two awesome families show up!  Each one was unknown to us, but were references from the ward; one family has already read nearly half the Book of Mormon and say they need to come to church!  What great miracle it is to have member-missionary work in our ward!  It truly does bring about miracles in the lives of those who we share the gospel with, and in their lives as well!

Well, on that note we also received the transfers later that same day, and I cam finally leaving industrias.  Its sad but good at the same time; sad because I will miss the converts and members in this ward a lot, but good because change is always necessary to improve.  I'm heading to Zacatecas, to the capital city; which is basically built on the mountains and is full of super steep streets! Oh boy!  My knees can't wait!  Well anyways, thanks for sustaining me with all your prayers and faith, I love you all!

Talk to ya soon!

-Elder Varney

Elder Varney's companion getting tortured by a dentist in their Ward

Ethan's former district (last week before transfers)

The Familia Chavez (one of Elder Varney's first baptisms)

Ruth's Baptism!

Bro and Sis Rosalinda

April 29, 2019 (Week 82)

What a rambunctious week!  (sorry now I'm just trying to come up with unique words to say basically the same thing over and over again...)

This week stared off pretty crazy with intercambios and the zone conference, and a missionary fireside that I had to run at the last minute...  Lots of fun!  Anyways after that great and tiring experience we were able to have the baptism of Ruth this week!  She was someone who was super prepared form the beginning and made a ton of sacrifices to be able to come to church and now she is seeing so many blessings of working to follow the commandments!

What great blessings there are for those who are willing to follow the guidelines of the Lord!  Lots of blessings, thanks for all of your love, I can feel it from each and every one of you!

Love,

Elder Varney