So, a funny thing happened this Monday... Wed 8/23, 10:39 AM

Some of the members of our zone playing futbol on p-day

Dear friends and family,

So, we went to go write everyone in the ciber down the street from our house, and the internet was down. And we haven't had time to come write everyone for the past few days. How awesome is that?

Zacatecas is super awesome. I get to hike a mountain everyday, and the members really love having the missionaries here. 

I don't have a lot of time, but I would like to tell you all that this is the church of Jesus Christ restored here in the earth. He guides this church through modern prophets and we can be protected if we listen to them. 

I love you guys, and hopefully I'll get to write you next Monday. I guess we'll see.

Love,

Elder DuBose

p.s. it rained a lot this week

Behind us, just a small hill in Zacatecas

Just an itsy bitsy spider.

Egg drop soup, made Elder Kline DuBose style.

On last miracle before I leave... Mon 8/14, 4:34 PM

Dear friends, family, and anyone else who might be reading this,

This week, we had transfers. I got pulled out of Matehuala and sent about five hours away to the city of Zacatecas in the state Zacatecas. It's really beautiful. I love it here already!

So, the miracle is this. The friday before we left, we got a call from one of our investigators who had a baptismal date. She told us that she couldn't be baptized this Saturday, and then the zone leaders called us to tell us that they are closing our area. Yup. That was a bummer. We had to do divisions, so I taught an english class and Elder Cornejo went to go see what he could to. Long story short, we had a baptism Sunday morning before church! It was really cool. 

And we went to go visit our investigators before we left to tell them good-bye. One of them has a baptismal date for this next Saturday, the 19th. We walked in, and she told us, "Don't worry. I don't care who the missionaries are. I'm going to be baptized in your church. I'll send you the pictures too. Know that all your work wasn't in vain." She then told us about the conversion she had had over the past couple weeks. It was one of the most powerful things I have ever heard. 

But, I know that those people are in really good hands. I know that it is God who sends us to our areas, even if we don't quite understand why, He knows what He is doing. 

Well, that's about it for this week. Love you guys!

Love,

Elder DuBose

p.s. Our baptism

 some investigators

my worn out shoes,

one last selfie with Elder Cornejo

the first of many with Elder Barragon

our house,

and the best pictures I have of Zacatecas so far!

The long grind... Mon 8/7, 5:57 PM

This morning with my District

Dear friends and family,

We got a little bit of an adventure this week. This last week, the landlord of the other elders in our branch said, "Well, my wife is going to have surgery, and I need your house, so get out." To make a long story less interesting, we've got for elders living in our house right now, and things are cramped and loud. 

But, I have to say, it is really fun. It gets really hard sometimes, but really fun.

I was reading an article in an old liahona by Elder Quintin L. Cook called "Looking beyond the Mark" and what he said has really stuck with me for the past couple of days. In the article, he talks about how we tend to think to much, or how we tend to put our attention where it doesn't always need to be. In this article, he shares a poem and the lines I can remember go, "But harder is the daily drag, To smile at trials which fret and fag, and not to murmmer nor to lag," and then it says something like, and you'll have made it!

The truth is, there is a lot I don't understand, but I feel like I can trust God and the plan He has for me. It might be hard to see that final picture, but I know that keeping his comandments will bring blessings. It might seem like one long grind, but in the end we are so much the better for it. 

Love you guys!

Love,

Elder DuBose

p.s. I don't have a lot of pictures, but here is one of a birthday card I thought was pretty funny.

I should really just stop telling you guys about the weather...Mon 7/31, 4:36 PM

The House across the street, when the rain came down really hard...again.

Dear friends and family,

So, I think I've figured out why the weather gets so weird here. Whenever I write to y'all about the weather, it changes to the furthest thing from what it was.

But, to make a long story less long, it rained cats and dogs this week. Elder Cornejo and I got to work, and it was one of the hottest days that we have had in a long while. After lunch, we were walking back to our area (it is usually about a thirty minute walk) and out of the blue, somone dumped a lake on us. I would have taken out my camera to take a picture, but I know that cameras don't hold up so well in lakes. 

Other than that, it was a really good week. We found a few new people, and got some work done. 

I love you guys a lot, and I want to thank you for all the prayers. 

The church is TRUE!

Love,

Elder DuBose

p.s. my soaked shirt (you can't really tell, but trust me),

 and I hope you can tell what this is. Haha

It got really hot this week... - Mon July 24, 2017 4:22 PM

 Monopoly was on sell for 200 pesos this week at Walmart. Awesome, right?

Dear friends and family,

After all of the rain the past two weeks, I thought we would keep getting a break from the heat, but... it got really hot this week. 

The good news is, we have been finding a ton of awesome people. One of our new investigators is super amazing. We gave her a pamphlet of the Restauration, and we went back and she said, "I read it. Like twice. It's interesting. I want to learn a lot more!" We gave her a Book of Mormon, and when we went back to ask her how it was, she looked at us and said, "I couldn't really understand it. I had to read it twice, but this is what I understood." (I won't put what happens in the Book of Mormon, I would want to spoil anything for you guys when you want to read it) and proceeded to tell us happened in the first twelve chapters of first nephi.

It made me kind of think for  a little bit. I mean, I think we can understand the Book of Mormon without really understanding what we need to. Sometimes, we need to go back and read something again in order to understand what is happening better. Or even just to get a little bit of help out when we need. Reading the Book of Mormon is a life long challenge, and it is awesome! It really is the keystone of our religion, and, when studied with all the words of the sacred prophets in the Bible or those of the Latter-Days, it will bring you closer to God. I know that is true. 

I love you guys, and hope you have a week as wonderful as you are!

Love,

Elder DuBose

We had an activity as a branch to get the young kids to invite their friends to the church. It was a futbol tournament and it was followed by a basketball and volleyball tournament. 

The jersies we bought for the tournament

And

more Monopoly.

And the rain rain rain came down down down... - Mon July 17, 2017 5:05 PM

Dear friends and family,

This week it rained and rained and rained. I never knew that it could rain so much in one week. The best part was that we couldn't find anyone to teach for a few hours in one of those days. 

But, I would definatly do all of that again. We had one investigator come to church this week. And what happened next made all of that worth the wet shoes and the wetter Elder DuBose. Elder Cornejo was talking to her after all the meetings, and she told us that she would like to get baptised. We had only taught her one lesson. 

Miracles are real, but they often come after you have done all that you can and think that you are at the point of giving up.

I love you guys. Keep on keeping on.

Love,

Elder DuBose

  Elder Cornejo in rain gear

  I think it's me eating a tuna.(that fruit you get from cactus. It was so good.)

 Celebrating an elder's year mark

 Our district

and 

Elder Cornejo's drawing of me.

Yeah, I'm not going to do that - Mon July 10, 2017 4:25 PM

 Just a selfie of me and my comp.

Dear friends, family, and anyone else on this list,

We went to go pick up one of our golden investigators this week. Umm... that was kind of a let down. She lives behind the Walmart that we have here in Matehuala and a pack of semi wild dogs kind of gaurd her door. To make a long story less interesting, we almost got attacked by a pack of semi wild dogs this sunday! And... she wasn't home. Her brother has been struggling with a few things, and she had to go to the hospital with him this Sunday. 

It's kind of a bummer that when good things start to happen that all kinds of bad things start to happen too. Really, it makes me kind of sad to think about that, but then I think of the plan of Salvation. This life is a series of tests to prepare us more fully for the eternities. It won't be easy, but it definatly won't get easier if you stop doing the simple things. Just like in math, you need to know and do the basics in order to answer the haredest questions. And, in life, the basics are prayer, scripture study, going to church, and keeping the commandments. The more we do that, the easier the test will be come. I've seen that a lot in my life and I can testify of that. 

Love you guys, and have the best week ever!

Love,

Elder DuBose

p.s. my collection of cool things I've got, 

Elder Cornejo drawing my plan of salvation

The same moon

 that you all see every night.

 Another selfie of Elder Cornejo and me.