Semana 11 - Sweating in Spanish

Mis queridos amigos y Familia!

Como están? Espero que ustedes estén bien y felices!

Well this week was pretty stinking awesome. Although, I will admit, that it is so hot here right now. Like we are talking high 90s and good amount of humidity because we live like 4 miles from a large freshwater source called Lake Michigan. I dunno if y'all have heard of it.  So Elder garcia and I literslly sweat frkm when we leave our house at about 1, to when we arrive back again at 9 o clock. But it's been really fun.

So On last PDay, we rode our bikes into Downtown. It was about a good 15 mile ride round trip through traffic and narrow streets and pedestrians. It was super fun! We rode to the BEAN and I got to take some jem photos of me being super sweaty from the ride (since we didn't get to see the BEAN when we came with the Seven Lakes Orchestra in 2016) (my orchestra friends remember the pain we endured) we went to the same mall we went to in 2016, the Water Tower Mall, and did some window shopping and stopped in the Lego store and got to fight with lightsabers (super lit)

We had Zone Conference on Tuesday and it was pouring rain. So Elder garcia and I rode the 20 minutes through the rain and literally got soaked to the bone. My shoes were literally sloshing with every step I took. Needless to say, we didn't wear shoes or socks for this entire meeting. With President Bingham. And sister Bingham. And about some 60 missionaries. It was pretty funny. The Hermanas in our district demanded to take a picture.  Oh yeah to further the fun, our mission is one of 12 missions that is piloting a new idea. Each companionship now has a SMARTPHONE. We have a smart phone so we can use Facebook for online proselyting and it's pretty weird. It's really effective I think. We are able to communicate with our investigators better and more regularly. I think it's defi lately interesting. #twiceapilotprogram

We have been really hard at work I think. We have been out contacting people in the streets and knocking doors and we have had some good times. Like the electricity went out in one neighborhood while we were walking past and everyone was out on the street bedcause it was super hot in their houses (I mean come on, God is helping us out here. If I couldn't see blessings before, I can now) and we got a bunch of contacts and it was amazing. God is really watching out for us, his servants, called to gather his sheep.

My Spanish is really improving day by day. I am beginning to understand the people a little better. I can understand the general idea of what is occurring around me. And I can sometimes respond to a direct question in a coherent and understandable manner the first time! #progress We are getting there.

Oh yeah and this coming weekend is what I'm most excited about! We have the wonderful opportunity to watch General Conference and hear from gods called servants and prophets and apostles! I'm so super excited!

But, friends and family, I love y'all. Truly and sincerely. I miss y'all and hope that everything is going well for you. The Lord is on thy side. I hope that God may bless you and your family.

As always,

Elder Tracy

Photos!
Me and my trusty steed of a bike with the shiny BEAN of a BEAN that is the BEAN.
The shiny BEAN of a BEAN that is the BEAN
On last p day we also walked past this really nice car store so we stopped by and so here is me and my newest bughatti and lambo

Semana 10 - An Apostle and Independence Day

Buenos días mis amigos y Familia!

This week was amazing. So many great things happened and I'll try and tell it briefly because I know that you're all busy in life especially on a Monday!

So On Thrusday, we got to go the Chicago Temple! And it was awesome. Usually, President Bingham is super strict for temple attendance. His rule is if you are serving in the Willmette area (where the temple is) and you have a specific reason to go you may request his permission. But since an APOSTLE OF THE QUROUM OF THE 12  was coming this week, he authorized the entire mission to go before he got there! We we went with the Chicago Zone Spanish speaking missionaries. There were about 30 of us. It was amazing though and I don't know when I'll get the opportunity to go again. But I'm super grateful fornthe opportunity to go and visit the Lords House for a day.

And on Friday, Elder Dale Renlund, of the 12, came and spoke to the entire mission! It was amazing. He gave us some really helpful and spiritually charged advice and it was amazing to be in the presence of a living breathing, called apostle of the Lord our God. I got to shake his hand and the three members of the 70 that he had brought with him and their respective wives. But yeah it was pretty cool to meet an APOSTLE up close and personal.

On Tuesday, we visited this family, the Trejos. They are this super nice Elderly Couple and they love missionaries. After lunch, we were sharing a message after we finished, all the sudden, hermano Trejo bursts into song and he makes me stand up and start singing with him. And me, this awkward white kid from Texas, had no clue what was happening. He was trying to teach me the words to this Spanish song (which is apparently the equivalent of Can't Help Falling In love by Elvis but in spanish) called Cielito Lindo. And I had no clue what was happening. It was really funny. He then made me promise to sing this song at the Ward party on Friday. I said maybe. So Friday comes around and Elder Garcia has been coaching the missionaries in the Ward and me and on Friday, we celebrated Mexican Independence Day. There was a ward party with food and music and we all sang Cielito Lindo. I had a solo because I mean let's be real. Everyone afterward was like that white boy can sing-- wow.

Oh yeah and all the members here call me "guerito" which literally translates to little white boy. I love this place and these people.

But yeah everything is awesome. The people are pretty nice, the food is awesome, the work is hard but the blessings are apparent and well, blessings. I love this Gospel and the Lord. I know the Church is true. Hope you all have a great week!

As always,

Elder Tracy


Photos:
Sometimes I like to Chill
Chicago Temple

Semana 9 - Oh Está Todo Bien

Hola mis amigos y querido familia, cómo están?

I'm so very grateful for all the love and support that y'all all send my way. I heart still goes out to all those in Houston affected by the flooding and the rains. Every time someone here asks me where I'm from and I say Houston, their faces change and they always ask me how my friends and family are doing. Everyone here is praying for your safety and well being. I know I am at least!

Well this week was really another awesome week. So much has happened this week and I really can't explain all that has happened so I will just share a couple of highlights with y'all! 

On Monday, we had the opportunity to give priesthood blessings to the four children of this part member family in our ward. They were so appreciative and haply and we were so glad tk be able tk help. I love being able and worthy to hold and use the priesthood authority of God which I hold to bless and help all of God's children. 

On Tuesday, we went tracking and contacting for a solid 5 hours. It was awesome but super hard work. We made some really good contacts and also some bad ones. But it's okay really, we are trying and showing our faith to God. As we were about to finish, this lady in her car calls out to us in English and asks what church we belong to. We respond the Mormon Church and she says she is having doubts about the Catholic church and wanted to stop us to see if we could help her. We got her info so who knows? I also got my first Blister of the mission on my heel! When Elder Garcia saw it the next day he was blown away how I had managed to get one of that magnitude haha.

I also LOVE riding my bike here. I'll admit that the fist week or so it was super scary because cars and 18 wheelers will fly past you about a foot or two away from you and it's a little nerve racking but it's so much fun now. My bike is so awesome and I love riding it's so freeing and efficient here in the city. Whatley Family, you'll be happy to know that the bike light you gave me is in good use and has helped me not die from a car! 

My mom wanted to know about my apartment and so here we go. It's awesome simply put. We have a front room where we have two tables and a couch set up for studies and lounging. We then continue through the home to see the bathroom, and our bedroom and our other room for storage etc. We have a kitchenette with a stove and a sink and some cabinets. We have a dinner table and some chairs as one would expect from an apartment. There's then a back door and there's a small mud room where we put our bikes in. It's a good little place and it also has Wi-Fi so we can use our Gospel Library and LDS.ORG resources. Which is really nice for studies. 

Oh yeah, and do you guys remember that family I told you about that was looking for a church? We taught them the restoration on Friday and Adam, the husband, ate it all up and was super interested and his wife, Lilia was a little apprehensive but interested none the less. So we invited them to church on Sunday, and they showed up! I was actually jumping in the Foyer when I say them pull up! I think Adam really enjoyed his time there and was fascinated at him much we focus on the family. We didn't get to see much of Lilia because she was helping her two special needs sons feel comfortable and safe in primary and then she was in relief society, so we don't know that much... But I'm super excited for them! We have another appointment on Friday so we will see! 

There's a beloved hymn in our church entitled "Come, Come Ye Saints" which has been a great comfort to me in my struggles. And in Spanish, it is entitled, "Oh Está Todo Bien" which translated, means literally, oh, everything is well. And nothing seems more fitting for my life right now. Yeah it's hard work, I miss home sometimes, but I'm more excited to share the happiness of the Gospel with others. I'm here and glad to be here. I love it here and more importantly, I love our God and his plan for us all. That's why I'm here. 

I love all of you and I pray for you all everyday and I hope you're all doing well.

As always, 

Elder Tracy 

Here is our book shelf that I re organized. I think it looks good.

My desk for studies and other stuff!

For all of my Elf fans out there, there is a street a few blocks away from our house and it has a name that's "fun to say" 

Semana 8 - The Week of Blessings (and water) Falling from Heaven

Hey everyone! I'm so glad that you've taken the time out of your day to read my email here!

So much has happened here in Chicago in these short two weeks. (I wonder what will happen in two years) but I have loved every minute of my time here. Let's see what's been happening here.

Monday was Preparation Day, so we did our laundry (it cost us $5.50 to do a single load of laundry like what the heck) and then we went to the store and bought some food and then we headed into Downtown. I bought this super nice backpack and a Chicago flag and also I got this super nice bike for a really good price! The backpack is part of the Spanksh Missionary tradition and experience. They are these bags called Chrome Backpacks. Suler high quality and water proof which is important for rainy chicago! It was awesome to finally start to get the things I've needed for a while now! Elder Garcia and I had set some pretty lofty goals for this week and we tried our best to achieve them and on some days we did! Our goal was to contact at least 15 people a day and try and tell them about the Happiness of the Gospel. On Monday, we did just that! We contacted 17 people and we found this family who saidnthat they had been looking for a church for a while because they can't feel the same spirit they used to there! So we have an appointment with them this coming week! That was a major blessing a for me I feel. On Tuesday, we set out to do the same thing, but as soon as we arrived at the spot we contact in, one of the local crazy ladies approached us. She asked us what we do exactly. Since she asked us in English, Elder Garcia gave me this look that meant I had to respond. I told her that we teach people about Jesus. She then asked what else we do. I told her that that was it. Only teaching about Jesus. She said that she believed in Jesus and since he taught us about brotherly love that she should get a hug. I declined. She then took her beer can in her other hand and side hugged me. She then proceeded to ask me for a kiss. I again, politely declined and asked her to please stop touching me. Her friend said that I had asked kindly so she should let me go. So she did and walked off. I was literally so scared out of my mind haha but after walking around the neighborhood for about 20 minutes I felt better. But it was freaking weird. We then decided to try a different area in hopes that she would leave us be. We rode our bikes over to another street and as we begin to lock up our bikes, Elder Garcia looks up and starts shoving his lock back in his bag. I turn around and lo and behold, crazy lady is back. So I literally shoved my lock in my bag and got on my bike and we booked it away amid laughter and catcalls from this crazy lady and her friends. And when i asked Elder Garcia about it a few days later, he said oh yeah she was once a man. I asked him in bewilderment if he was serious. He confirmed his statement that yes indeed she was once a man. These kinda things could only haplen to me in my infinite luck. hahaha so eventful day.

The members of the Ward here are honestly the best. We are fed almost every night and my Zone Leader, Elder Bradford warned me to be careful and not to get fat. So that's always a good goal. But I really enjoy all the real, authentic Mexican food. It's so rich and flavorful and amazing. Everyone here has a plate of food and then they get a tortilla and just load it up will all the food. It doesn't matter what the food is, meat, beans, rice, salad, you name it, it's in the tortilla. Its actually awesome.

I went on exchanges with Elder Bradford this week on Saturday. As we were in a dinner appointment wiht a member family, it suddenly starts POURING rain. And elder Bradford and I look at each other and think crap. We had ridden our bikes there. So after we shared a brief message with them, we ran out to our bikes, unlocked them from the stop sign and then we rode. Through the cold rain. For about 15 minutes. It. Was. Awesome. It was so much fun. I was literally drenched but it was SO MUCH fun! So that was a major blessing to have some fun. (I also almost got hit by a car but that's beside the point)

But really, I am having the time of my life out here. We work hard and do almost everything we can to give people the opportunity to have the platitude of the Gospel in their lives. One of my greatest joys out here is to see how willing people are to discuss their beliefs and joys in their lives with us: A tall white kid who can speak broken Spanish, and a kid from Mexico who can speak Spanish much better. It give me great joy to know that everyone we meet is a beloved child of God. And that nothing would give God greater joy than to have them return to him after this life. The only way we can truly give God this happiness and joy is through the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that the message I share with them is true. I know that Jesus Christ is at the head of this church. I know that he has called a prophet today to lead and guide us all. I know that I am here to help the people of Chicago come unto Christ and be eternally happy. The church is so true. I know it. With every fiber of my being. I know you all can too.

I love all of you so much. Les extraño mucho. I hope that my email finds all of you well and happy.

As always,

Elder Tracy

PHOTOS
One of the members sons told me to say cheese so I said queso and then busted up laughing and he captured that moment
Gotta take what Texas i can find out here.
Elder Bradford and I after the rainy bike ride so much fun
My new bike and backpack that are actually the bomb
Oh and in the MTC, Elder Moser and I had a gravity fight.