June 23, 2011 A Thought Provoking Experience

Family,

 

Oh Wow! I read that article about "The Southern Boys!" That's insane!!! You'll have to keep me posted on who wins the competition!

Feel free to send me names I can take to  session. I could get about 5 or 6 done each time I go at the least. If you want to send me more.

 

Well, this week has been a week of learning. The Lord is testing me and building me at each step. The first test is 110 degree heat. It is incredibly hot here. But luckily we have a car. We had three baptisms this weekend. Paloma, BD, and Luis. Its wonderful to see our hard work and obedience pay off. We have three more people set for baptism and many more I'm sure are waiting to talk to us.

 

OH MY GOODNESS! I almost forgot to tell you all about the most incredible experience of this week! So here it goes. You might want to grab a seat!

 

So after e-mails last Thursday our zone went hiking on Sunrise Mountain. One other compaionship, Elder Mora and Elder Bodhaine (A 5'5" Chileno and a 6'7" White boy, respectively) and our companionship arrived at the base of the hike before the other 4 who were going to join us. So we spent the time hiking a reletively small incline on the other side of the road. As we reached the summit we peered over a 20 foot drop and about 70 feet away from us was a dead body! We called the police and spent the next 3 hours helping them get to the body and do what they needed to do. Needless to say we did not get to hike the big mountain but it seemed that we were not there that day for that purpose. As it turned out the man had committed suicide. It was a very sad sight to see. Especially since day in and day out we teach others of the joys of life and what it has to offer throught the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And to see a gift that God has given one of His children, life, to be taken away by any means adds some reality to the message that we share.

 

I thank God for life. Expereinces. Triumphs. Trials. And Pain. I can honestly say that there is not one thing so bad about my life, nor could there ever be, that would lead me to play God and end my existence here. Cherish your life, no matter how hard, no matter how painful. It is a gift from your Heavenly Father. And I was reminded of that in a very unique way last Thursday.

 

My mission has offered me so many priceless moments. I cherish each and every experience. I am even learning to accept and learn from the trials. I have come to this conclusion. That is that trials are like sinus infections. We feel like our nose has been stuffy and painful forever, and will stay that way for eternity. We cannot remember a time our nose was not running. However, with faith and patience, and a little Ny-Quil at times, we return to our healthy selves. Trials are no different. However, instead of Ny-Quil we have a much more potent perscription we can take, Our Savior's Love. It comes in all shapes and forms and dosages. Scriptures, tesitimony, prayer, companionship, the Sacrament, and the list goes on. I know that no trial is too tough. And that with each trail we can become stronger and better. I share that with you all as my sincere testimony in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Love,

Elder Cronin

June 9, 2011

Family!

 

This week went by so fast!! It was so much fun! There was one sad part though. We had our last training from President Christensen this past week before he is released from his mission. The topic of the training was "Mission President Transistion." They shared some great insight about our new president and how the mission should accomidate. The craziest part of it all is that the new mission president only get 2 hours with President Christensen before he leaves! 2 hours to know the ups and downs of this mission!!!! The Lord will provide!.

 

Elder Shields is coming back to MS at the end of this transfer!! I'll be the lone Mississipian. He was and is a great missionary I really loved serving around him.

 

So this week has been full of exciting adventures. First of all, a recent convert gave one of the companionships in the district a $50 gift card to McDonalds. Between the four of us we spent $50 at McDonalds. A feat I did not think was possible. Picture included. Also one thing we do for fun as missionaries as we traverse the city is take pictures of random couches that are outside. A few pictures have been attached.

 

To explain the subject of this e-mail: Uh hummm...."Un chile en mi Taco" means as you might have guessed, a chile in my taco. So we were eating dinner the other night at a members home, Mante Ray tacos. The were so good!!! And the member placed a small green pepper on each of our plates. Since coming out here I have tried to develop a tolerance for spicy food. So I took a bite of my chile thinking I could handle it. Immedieatley I realized that the small ones are the ones that pack the most heat. Whew I was sweating worse than a sinner on Sunday. I emmediatly gulped down some juice and ate a tortilla. The pain faded. My companion handed me another taco and said it would help curve the burn. He was so nice to have made this taco for me and show his concern for my well being. At least that is what I thought until the second bite into my taco when I bit the better half of another chile!!!!! He got me good. We all had a good laugh and my stomoach burned for the next two days.

 

I want you all to know that the mission is so much fun! It is full of a different adventure each day. However, the greatest reward is when we have the opportunity to invite. First we invite the Spirit to testify of our message and then we invite others to come utno Christ. The feeling and happiness that are present when we share this message of love and peace are irreplicable and divine. This is the Lord's church, His people, and our duty to gather. This is my testimony that I leave with you today, in the name of our Savior, even Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Love,

Elder Cronin

 

P.S. Happy Father's Day Dad!!!! Did you get your ties?

June 9, 2011

Family,

 

This week has been one that I will remember for the rest of my life. What better way to start off this last week than with a story about food. Friday is a day that I will remember for a long time and one that I have not easily forgotten as of now. This was the day that my companion and I had 3 dinners in one night! The first meal was planned and so was the last but the one in the middle was a last minute invitaiton that we could not pass up. The first meal was our regular memebr meal at 5pm. We ate with a recent convert who fed us chicken wings. They were delicious! She had four pans of oil on the stove frying them all up. At the end of the dinner I had a pile high of chicken bones. We left that meal and I was still hungry. We then recieved our unplanned invitation to eat with Christian at 6pm. He is the member from El Paso that asked us to speak at the memorial service of his Aunt's funeral and to dedicate her grave. We spoke and sang earlier Friday so he called and invited us to come over to his house to meet the 60 relatives that would be there and to grab a bite to eat. That bite turned into a plateful of pasta and meat. After that meal I was well full. Then we left Christian's to our 7pm appointment with our recent convert, Lorenzo, which was a Family Home Evening. Hispanic tradition is to have a mea with FHE. SO we chowed down on a Hispanic style stew called pasole. It is one of my favorite dishes. But by the time I finished that meal my companion and I could barely think straight we were so full. As we left we laughed about how much we had eaten that day, you know the scripture, "Eat, Drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die." Well this is exaclty how we felt. Although my companion seemed to show it more than I. I had to stop the car 3 times before we got home that night so that he could soak the curbs of Las Vegas with Lorenzo's pasole. And even today I feel full from those meals. And I'm pretty sure I am 5 pounds heavier too.

 

So that was a wonderful start to our week. The other amazing thing that happened was the opportunity to participate in this funeral. Tia Maria was the Aunt to Christian Vargas, an eccentric entertainment lover from El Paso who is a bilingual member of the church. Friday when we spoke at the memorial service 3 of us spoke to a pakced room of about 120 non-eglish speaking relatives of Tia Maria. The spirit was very strong once we got there and as we spoke. Many in the congregation were nodding their heads in agreement as we shared thoughts of comfort and answered the question of were are we going after this life. The family was grateful for our participation and expressed their thanks at dinner that night. Saturday we woke up early and picked up two other memebers of our district and practiced a hymn to sing at the burial service. We arrived at the cemetery and were invited to conduct the service. We stepped into the tent that was over the casket and four of us sang "Conmigo Quedate Senor (Abide with Me Tis Eventide)," in a three part harmony. The spirit came rushing in. And its presence was evident because after the song I knelt down to dedicate the grave and not only did the other missionaries kneel but everyone else around the coffin knelt as well. After I finished the dedication which I had only practiced a few hours before it was aparent even more so that the HOly Ghost was present. I was able to say the dedication correctly in Spanish and when it came time to give a blessing as directed by the Spirit I could feel myself speaking but not thinking, the words jsut came. When we opened our eyes the others around us came form off their knees along with us and a sense of peace filled the air that was not necessarily there before. I will never forget that experience and I can only hope that those who were there do not either and allow the SPirit to testify to them the truth of the authority by which we were able to dedicate that grave.

 

The rest of the week was filled with interesting street contacts, closed minded husbands, and my final interview with President Christensen. He will be released at the beginning of  July and President Neider will take his spot. He and I grew very close and I pray that relationship remains.

 

I love you all.

Love,

Elder Cronin

 

Elder Cronin debuts on Mormon.org!!!

http://mormon.org/me/4GJY/Todd

June 2, 2011 - Que tal!!!!

Family!

 

To start, the book-ends are for Olivia. Happy Birthday! I hope they made it there in one piece. A member in the English Ward form Elko made them herself. Everything that was used to make them was found out in a small ghost town near Elko called Tuscaroura. Her name is Sister Simonee. I am so glad to hear you got to see the Neagles too! Let them know I said hello and I am forever grateful for their example and love.

 

So I have to tell you all abouot my testimony of patience. Almost 2 years ago I set out in Jackson MS looking for a pair of Nike HyperDunks size 14. I had exauhsted my search on the internet so it was time to hit the streets. I drove around Jackson and the outskirts of Clinton searching for these brand new shoes that held the promise of insane dunks and agility. Okay, I knew those skills did not come with the shoes, however, these were what I really wanted. After a few hours, a dozen phone calls, and no size 14 in any style anywhere I finally found a decent pair of low-end Nikes. I bought them and gave up on my search. Two weeks ago I walked into a Ross in Central Las Vegas. And to my surprise were the exact size HyperDunks I needed and at a fraction of what they would have cost me almost two years ago. Today my patience paid off and I am now the proud owner of some Nike HyperDunks. Patience is a virtue.

 

Okay, so how does that relate to me being a missionary. Really it does not. But it did add some excitement to my day today. You all have asked a few times about what it is like to serve around Hispanics in America. So let me clue you in:

 

The first thing I notcied is that there are people from all over here. I have met Mexicans from every region of Mexico, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, El Salvadoreans, Brazilians, African Americans, Caucasians, Asians, Indians, American Indians, Canadians, Germans, Islanders, English, Irish, Meanish and Nice-ish. And out of all of these cultures I have grown to love the HIspanic culture deeply. They are deeply rooted in the family and in the Catholic Church. We are working on the later. The Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles play a huge part in raising the kids. They are always willing to feed you and are more likely to talk to you than most others. They are still just as stand-off-ish as any other culture but they don't mind listening to you, for the most part. Most all the members of our ward are converts. Their stories are amazing. I have heard everything from someone being in the right place at the right time to them getting their heads bashed to the floor by a priest telling them to "Recieve the Spirit" before they found the church. They adore the missionaries. And the kids are adorable! They all speak English and Spanish and are so friendly. All the yound boys play soccer in the streets when they're not at school so sometimes we play with them. The sad thing about Las Vegas however is the education. It is one of the worst in the country. I don't know if it correlates directly but along with this there are many, too many, young girls 14 and up with kids already and no fathers. It is sad to see this over and over again. Kids Callie and Olivia's age with one and two children already. And unfortunalty they were those kids once too, having very young parents. And it seems the cycle just continues without any education about the importance of the Law of Chastity. But despite some struggles they are an amazing people. Always willing to work and to help and to be with their family.

 

The food we have been fed is awesome. I have gained a good 10 lbs since I got here. My Spanish is improving. But I still have so far to go. My goal is to not only be fluent in listening and speaking, but writing and reading as well. I am on 2 Nephi 28 and I am reading in Spanish. We will be finished with the Book of Mormon on September 27th. Can you believe that is just around the corner! I will have been out more than a year when that day comes. Ahhh! time is flying by so fast!

 

We will be coducting a fudneral tomorrow for one of our investigators and I will be dedicating the grave as well. I am excited for the opportunity because only a few of the family members are members of the church. We will have an opportunity to teach a very important principle about life and death to many who need to hear it tomorrow.

 

Callie- I love the picture from prom! That is priceless. Its good to see you setting a good example at the dances ;)

 

Olivia- I don't recognize you anymore. What happened to little cute Olivia, you're all grownup and gorgeous now!

 

Samuel- You are a beast! Nuff said.

 

I love you all and thank you so much for the package! I needed all those things!

 

Love

Elder Cronin