Hey everyone! Wow, what a change!! It is so weird being in the outside world! It is crazy!! But Guadalajara isn't quite as insane as Mexico City. I am now in Ocotlan, Jalisco. My companion and I just got to our apartment this morning, and it is pretty nice. I didn’t get any pictures of that, but I will next week!!

It was so great to be able to call home at the airport! It was so awesome, even though I cried like a baby, it was great. I didn't have a whole ton of time though (April: 4 minutes actually). We got to the airport about an hour and a half before boarding, but it took forever to get to the gate. So my calling time was cut super short.

The CCM was great, and it really helped me prepared for this. Especially the language! It’s incredible! I can’t understand everything, but I can have basic conversation with about anyone. But the CCM was great to me. I'm going to miss my old district, but I'm sure I’ll have more than enough fun here!! 

My mission president is super cool! He's very nice, and loves to talk. Not quite as strict and demanding as I expected, but he's awesome! My companion is on his last three months of his mission, so as he helps me through my beginning, I help him through the end. hahaha! But he is so cool, and everyone says that he is one of the best missionaries here. He's like a celebrity with all the other missionaries, especially the Mission secretaries. Our apartment is definitely a fixer-upper, but it will be great! 

Oh man, how crazy overwhelming though! I’m actually out doing this... what in the world happened! So much has changed in just these last two days. It's crazy! But I know it will all be for the better. Oh and did I mention that Elder Taveras doesn't speak English? But that’s ok, he’s great, and has tons of patience for me. I'm stoked to be out here. Thanks for your prayers, and I'll give you a better description of things next week when I actually know what I'm doing. Haha, Love you all, have a great week!

My p-day will be on Mondays, But because my companion didn't have his yesterday because of travel, the Pres told us we could write home today.

Love,

Elder Kaden Quinn

These are the last Bingham kids I'll see for a while. The steak was finally broken after Elder Halls came. It was 11 weeks with a Bingham kid in the CCM. 

The next one is the two districts in my zone from the same generation (April: meaning, they came and are leaving at the same time). 

It is now the final week before I enter into the field. Holy cow, I'm so nervous and excited. I got my travel information yesterday, I leave the CCM Monday morning at 3am and my flight leaves the airport at 7. I've been told its only like a 30-45 minute flight. I can't wait to get out, and I've already consented to the fact that I will be totally lost and confused. But although I'm ready to leave the CCM, I'm so glad that I've had the chance to be here. I'm sorry, but this is quite a long email.

I just want to talk about the CCM here for a minute. This is such a wonderful place. I feel like your first week here it’s the worst place in the world, but now, I love it. The food sometimes isn't quite edible, we sit down all day long, but it is so incredible. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to come here and prepare before heading to the field. Not only to prepare to teach the gospel, or even try to learn the language, but mostly to prepare your mind and heart for the work. The stages of self-reflection that I've experienced here have been incredible. I'm streets ahead of where I was before I left. I am so much more ready and willing to serve in Guadalajara.

I want to share some things that I've learned this week, and things that I've been thinking about. I've had quite a few spiritual experiences. We had two district Book of Mormon sessions. Me and Elder Spencer were given Moroni  9 to teach. That was one of the hardest chapters I've ever had to read, especially because I was trying to read it really in depth so that I could teach it. It really shows how important the Spirit is. And we also related it to having love between companions, and how that can give us strength and hope in rough times. The next day, Elder Anderson and Elder Andriese taught from Alma 26. That chapter is so amazing! It is when Ammon is talking to the sons of Mosiah after they have returned from their missions with the Lamanites. It hit me so strong in these verses. "10 And it came to pass that when Ammon had said these words, his brother Aaron rebuked him, saying: Ammon, I fear that thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting. 11 But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. 12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever. 13 Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice? 14 Yea, we have reason to praise him forever, for he is the Most High God, and has loosed our brethren from the chains of hell." How inspiring!

Some other things. I would give any day for a Sunday. Sundays are the most edifying and refreshing days, even more than P-days. This last Sunday we watched a devotional from Elder Holland. He talked a lot about the era of Preach My Gospel. He talked about how before PMG, the church had a real problem with missionaries, that they were missing some step in the missionary process. Too many missionaries were coming home and not doing what they had preached for 2 years. So when PMG was developed, there were two main purposes. One was to get away from the memorized, rehearsed lessons, and move to being able to apply lessons to the lives of investigators through the Spirit. But the biggest reason it was developed, according to Elder Holland, was to convert the missionaries. He said that they were skipping a very crucial step. Before, they were taking the lessons from church headquarters, straight to the investigator. They completely skipped the missionaries. He related it to the story of the apostle Peter. And the way he says it is so much better than I ever could, so look up Elder Holland’s Oct 2012 Conference talk and watch it!

Well he talks about Peter after the death of Christ. He describes what the conversation must have been like. Peter, talking to the rest of the apostles, must have said something along the lines of, "Well, it’s been a great time. We have seen many miracles, and felt the most wonderful Spirit. We have walked with Christ and witnessed many acts of love."  And now, Peter trying his best, based only on his 3 years of experience, says, "Now, let's go fishing."  He goes on to explain the part where Christ calls out to them on the Sea of Tiberias. And when they realized that it was Christ, Peter jumped off the boat. "You can all row in, but I'm heading to shore now," Elder Holland narrates. Later, Christ asks Peter, "Do you love me?" To this Peter replies, yeah Lord, thou knowest that I love thee." This question is repeated two more times. "At this point, Peter must have been very aware of the number 3," states Elder Holland. And it was at this point, when he replies that he loves Christ, and when he is told to "Feed my sheep," Peter finally becomes the Great Apostle. At this point, Peter finally realizes that this work is not one to forget, but that it is a lifelong work. We are not here on missions, changing our lives and helping others, just to "return" to our old lives. This is real life. This is the life we are to live, continually furthering the work.

I am so blessed to be here at the CCM. I have had to ask myself the same exact question that Christ asked Peter. I have been able to think and ponder, pray and rethink. I've been able to actually ask myself, “where am I”? And I can now say, truly and honestly, that I want to serve a mission. I know that Christ lives, and that God truly loves and wants the best for me. I know that the Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and that the BoM is true and contains precious principles that were written for my life. I know that I need to be on my mission. And I hope with all my heart that I can share this life of love and joy with someone else. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

I love you all, and I'm so thankful for every one for you! Sorry for such the long letter, but this week has been so significant. Thank you for all your prayers. Thank you for how you've all affected me up to this point! Until next P-day I guess! And I'm not exactly sure when that will be. But I'm looking forward to it!

Love,

Elder Kaden Quinn

The first one was this morning. Most mornings have an amazing sunrise!

Most every gym time, we spend playing volley ball. I am not good at it, but it is so much fun!!

This is my wonderful district. I have been so privileged to be their district leader. They are all so amazing. It is going to be hard to say goodbye to them on Monday.

Hey everyone! Holy cow, it’s already week 5! I only have one more week in the CCM!! That is crazy! Half of me wants to go out now, but the other half (the smarter, more practical side) knows I still need more time. My Spanish is getting a little better. All the grammar rules are crazy and super confusing because you change one letter to mean something completely different. It’s still super frustrating though. We're starting to teach more and more, and less of learning, which is a little scary because I feel like I need to know a lot more in order to teach. But hopefully it will all be ok.

We've had a lot of cool opportunities this week. On Sunday, the Mexico City Temple was rededicated. We got to watch the first session of the rededication Sunday morning in our big auditorium. Presidents Eyering and Holland presided at the meeting and both of them spoke. They were both very good talks. The night before, we watched the cultural celebration. It was a big production telling a lot of the stories from the Book of Mormon. They also acted some stories of the first BoM in Mexico, and the first convert. They were pretty good. It was all in Spanish, but I was still able to tell the basic ideas of stuff. But a lot of it went over my head. Also today, we were actually able to go through the temple. It was cool. Luckily we were able to have the English translation headset thingys. The Mexico temple is beautiful. I liked it a lot, but it was also the longest session I've ever had to sit through. It was totally worth the experience. Another thing that is happening today is Mexican Independence day! It started yesterday but is actually today. A few of the buildings are all decked out in Mexican decorations, and they made this weird sandwich with mashed potatoes for dinner. Supposedly it was good, but I must not share the same taste buds as the natives. At least not yet! Also, there are fireworks almost all day long. And at night, they never stop. They were going off when I fell asleep and they were still going when I woke up. Also, some of the fireworks aren't fireworks at all. Apparently the natives just pull out their pistols and shoot them into the air, you know, just for fun. The grounds crew here has a collection of bullets they've found on the rooftops and stuff. So that's…. cool.

I want to say thank you to all of you that wished me a Happy Birthday! It was awesome! The people here are great and made it a wonderful day. And receiving all of your letters just topped it off! I shared the chocolate cake and orange soda with my district, and we had a nice 30 minute fiesta. Sadly, I didn’t have my camera at the time, nor did I even think about it, so I don't have any pictures of the actual birthday party, sorryL

Here are some of my favorite spiritual things this week. On Sunday, we always have a devotional. Either it’s a local 70, one of the MTC people, or a recording of an earlier devotional given in Provo. This week we watched one by Elder Bednar at the Provo MTC. It was phenomenal! The MTC devotionals are so awesome! If there is a way to somehow watch them, I encourage you to do so! This week, Elder Bednar talked about being truly converted, and the difference between testimony and conversion. It was incredible, and I don't have a lot of time to tell you guys all about it, but in general it was about how having a testimony isn't enough by itself. We need to be converted unto the Lord, which means be consistently be living and applying what you know and believe to your life. Also that we need to turn away from the natural man, that we need to look outward instead of inward when times get rough. Testimony is the gateway to the straight and narrow path, but conversion is how we stay on the path. It was a really awesome talk, and I know it helped me and a lot of the other missionaries in my zone.

My zone does this really awesome thing. Sunday and Tuesday nights, after devotionals, we are supposed to have a district discussion about the devotional. But in our district, it’s a tradition to do something else. We all get together and have our "Scripture Roulette". One of the district leaders starts off with a general topic and a brief insight or scripture, and then the time is turned to everyone else to say whatever they feel inspired to do. It is so awesome! This last Sunday I was able to lead the discussion and I brought up the topic of becoming better missionaries. This is after Elder Bednar's talk and many other things on the same subject, so I felt like this was pretty relevant. I started off with a letter I was given by the Ehningers (mom please correct this spelling if it’s wrong (so I did)). It is a copy of a letter from Eric to his brother Tyler and I was fortunate enough to get a copy. In it, he talks about the difference between the law of sacrifice and the law of consecration. It's really awesome, and I encourage you all to look into this, because it is very important, whether you're a missionary or not. But I shared this thought with my zone, and the following hour and a half were some of the most spiritual and motivational minutes of my life! The Elders and Hermanas in my zone are incredible. Their words hit me so hard and deep, every one of them. The spirit was almost tangible in that room!

And that is the reason I can handle being here at the CCM, or Mexico in general. The Spirit is so amazing and incredible, that is makes everything worth it. It makes you happy, makes the trials possible, and comforts when you feel down, sad, or homesick. Without the Spirit, I would have told my parents I was coming home four weeks ago. It’s a hard work, and I'm still only in the CCM, but the Spirit makes it possible. And that truth right there, the thing I've realize the most here in the CCM, has strengthened my testimony so much, and has helped me get on the path to true conversion. The Spirit makes all things possible. You may not realize it then, nor may you realize it for three weeks or more, but it's always there for you. It always pulls through, just when you need it. It will never abandon you, so don't abandon it. Because nothing is more precious, at least in my eyes, than the gift of the Spirit. Nothing will make you want to love more, serve others, or enjoy life than the Spirit. This I know, because I'm living off it right now. And it's not just for missionaries, or bishops, or general authorities. It's for all the children of God. I know the Church is true. And I know that Christ lives, and that he bore all our sins, tribulations, anguish, and pain. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to know the joy he knows, and he knows the best way to help us, because he's been were we've been. He's seen what we've seen. And he loves us more than anything or anyone else could every love us. If only I could have you all here with me now, so that I could tell you personally. Thank you all so much for your support in me. Thank you for your prayers and your love. I've felt them. I love you all, and I can't wait till next week when I get to write again! Have an amazing week! Goodnight!!!!!

Love,

Elder Kaden Scott Quinn

The second one is Elder Eslava and Elder Gamboa. They were our Latin roommates that left on Monday.

 And the first one is the remnants of our party haha!

WEEK 4

So technically I've only been here at the CCM for about 3 weeks, but as far as our schedule goes, its week 4, so I'm going to call it that! What a week! Class after class after lesson after class haha! Nothing but learning Spanish, attempting to teach in Spanish, a meal, and more Spanish. At first when I got here, I hated the system here. Where they start to teach you a little bit of Spanish, and then the third day you have to teach... I hated that! Why couldn't we just learn to speak it and then apply it. But now i realize how much better it is, being thrown into the deep end of the pool, because you learn so much faster!

Most of our devotionals here are in English. As far as devotionals and CCM-wide meetings, we are usually segregated. But when Elder Christofferson and some other local Area 70s talk, they have everyone together. Elder Christofferson talked in English with a live Spanish translator. But this week we heard from Elder Gauna, and Area 70, and he had a live English translator. The whole CCM presidency and most all of the staff speak very decent English. And every Sunday night we watch some movie. This week we watched Meet the Mormons. I hadn't seen that before, but it was pretty good. As usual the food is not too bad. Obviously, the food here isn't the same as out there, but hopefully it will be streets ahead of this stuff! I usually end up eating a bowl of cereal every meal as well, so that prepping me for the field too haha! We've been playing a lot of basketball and volleyball this week. All the Latinos took over the futsol court so its no fun anymore because they are too good! But everything here is great. WE also found out that there are playgrounds hidden through out the CCM because it used to be a school. That made for some fun gym times as well. Overall, its pretty great here. As long as you want to have a good time and you're doing the right things.

I know this is a bit of a transition but here goes.This last week was a little bit of a struggle, especially the first half. The Spanish was just getting to a new level of frustration. I wanted to teach people, and I can understand them, and I know what I wanted to say, but I just couldn't because I had to do it in Spanish. And on top of that, me and my companion, Elder Spencer, could not get along. All day long I would just think, holy crap, this kid is so annoying. He just has to tell everyone he can find everything he knows. That is one of my biggest pet-peeves. There are multiple times throughout a day where I'd just want to punch him, tell him to shut up, and leave him in the dust. It got to a point where I could not feel the Spirit, whether it was in class or in lessons. It is so miserable being unhappy, and especially having the one person you'd want to spend the least amount of time with, with you 25/7.

The end of last week was really terrible. I was missing home, feeling down on myself for not being able to teach well, and I did not have any love for my companion. But Saturday night, during our Sunday fast, I had an amazing experience. We had a personal/companionship study time, but our teacher was also pulling everyone aside to have a one on one talk thing. I don't know how we got on the topic, but me, the Hermanas, and a couple Elders from my district were talking about things we thought were cool about the church and Priesthood stuff. It was awesome, and I got to talk about space for a little bit so I was actually feeling pretty good at the time. I miss talking with my friends about all the amazing things in the universe. But being able to talk again just put me in a good mood. When my teacher called me back, he asked how my experience had been so far. I told him how I was missing home and all my other things I was having trouble with. Then he told me about when he left on his mission. Before he left, he dad never spent a single day outside of his home. Not one night! He told me how terrible it was, but then he told me something, something that I've heard I don't know how many times. He told me that to make the difference, just have love. Just have love. It was like I've never heard the words before. Because from that moment, I felt so much better. I tried having love for everything. Every time my companion has said or done something something stupid to get attention, I just try to have love for him. And what a change it made. I still have times where he gets on my nerves (every single day) but i can handle it a lot better now. When I get frustrated with the Spanish, I just try to have love for the work, and somehow i can focus more. When I start missing home, I just have love for my Savior and I get fire hosed with the Spirit. The difference is so night and day. The blessing of feeling the Spirit, and thus feeling love, is so amazing.

I just want to say thank you all so much for you love and prayers. I could not be here without your support. It is incredible what the power of prayer can do. Before I came here, I would pray and all, but it was just a routine. When I prayed for things, I never looked sincerely for answers. But it has seemed like every week I've been here, I have a big challenge to overcome. And every time, I've prayed about it. But then later in the week, I don't remember my prayer. It isn't until after the fact that I've realized every time I've sincerely prayed for something, I gotten an answer. Seriously, the church is true. And the Spirit that fuels the church is very real and better than anything else. What an amazing blessing I have to be able to feel it, and to be able to share that feeling with others. I hope you all the best, whether you're at home, away from home, or out in the field as well. I love you all, and I'm always praying for you! Talk to you next week!

Love,

Elder Kaden Quinn

Hey everyone! I made it to week two, which is actually week 3 here at the CCM. Where to begin... It is so great here. The Spanish is hard and frustrating at times, but it is coming along well. I can actually have conversations with our Latino roommates. Speaking of roommates, we actually just got a new set. The Latinos are on a two week cycle. Our old roommates were awesome; we would just sit and talk with them at night. We would teach them English and they would help us with Spanish. Our new roommates seem pretty cool as well. 

So some other things. We've already had to give 2 blessing to people in my district because of a stomach virus going around, but nothing too serious. One of the things that kinda bugs me about the CCM is that we can’t listen to music. Super lame but I'll live. I've found myself missing music so much. Serious withdraws. Also, I broke the screen to my camera like the second day I was here haha. It was in my shoulder bag, and I pulled it out to take a picture and the screen was cracked and just white. But it still takes pictures! I just have to point and shoot haha. So if some of my pictures come out a little skewed, know you know why!

Now to answer some questions. Me and Elder Spencer are going to Guadalajara. Elder Andriese and Anderson are going to Monterrey West, and Elder Drew and Walch are going to Cancun. There is also a trio of Hermanas in my district, one going to each of our missions. Hermana Allen, Yerkes, and Falk respectively. Sleep is ok. The beds aren’t all that bad, it’s just the cars, dogs, and "fireworks" going on outside that make it a little hard to fall asleep. For our gym time, me and my companion usually play soccer in the fenced in basketball court outside. I suck very much, but it is a blast. The food here is pretty good. Usually they have a native dish and an American dish for every meal. But most of the food here is good. Sometimes you don’t want to know what it is, but mostly good stuff. Occasionally, like this week, the food gets the better of you and you end up having study session in the bathroom because some of the elders can’t leave it... But it is great here!

So we've had a few awesome experiences this last week. Last Wednesday, Elder Christofferson came and talked to us. But I'll talk about that in a little bit. Yesterday, we heard a live broadcasting from the Provo MTC by Elder Oaks. Two Apostles in one week; what a blessing. Elder Oaks message was good. He talked much about the need of the Spirit in teaching, and living in general. It was very good. We also heard from The CCM Director. He is this super young guy, probably only like 28. But he talked about missionary work, and a lot of his own mission. He also talked of the Spirit and relying on God. He retold a short story that one of the apostles told in one of the last general conferences. It really connected with me. It goes "Come to the edge, he said. I cannot, I'll fall. Come to the edge, he said. I cannot, I'll fall. Come to the edge, he said. I came to the edge. He pushed me and I flew." This is so true, because with the Spirit, we can do so much more than we could ever realize. I've realized that many times here.

So on to Elder Christofferson. He talked about missionary work most of the time, but my favorite part was at the end when he opened it up to question and answers. One Hermana stood and asked him about the scripture when Jesus was on the cross. This is when he is finishing the Atonement at Calvary. He says "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Elder Christofferson then proceeded to give the most amazing testimony of Christ. It was as though he was best friends with Jesus, and I knew that he was a special witness of Christ. The things he said and the way he said them, made me feel the most amount of gratitude and love I've ever felt for Christ. I especially loved one thing he said. It was the reason that Christ uttered the words "Why hast thou forsaken me?" When he was in the Garden of Gethsemane, he asked if there was any other way to do what he was about to do, that was how great the trial was that he would have to endure. Christ, the man who was perfect, the closest person to God to have ever lived on this earth, asked for another way. How great was his suffering. In the Garden he was even visited by an angel to strengthen him. But the real punch comes later on the cross. He had not yet finished. When on the cross, he still had to suffer for us, but this time, at the end, had had to do it alone. He had no angels to strengthen him. So much that he did not have the Spirit of God with him. He was utterly and completely alone. He experienced our pains and sins alone. When Elder Christofferson paused at this point to catch his composure, I'm pretty sure I was crying. I've never felt so terrible for the things I've done in my life. But then he commented this. Christ had to suffer completely alone. But we will never have to. We will always have help. Whether that be friends, family, or the Spirit, we will never be alone to bear our trials. Christ suffered so that we could always have the Spirit with us. I have never felt more gratitude for something or someone before. Simply writing this is making me tear up. I better understand now why we'll never be able to be fully grateful for Christ. It was amazing to hear Christofferson say it, because it seemed like Christ had told him about it personally. The Spirit that can be felt here is amazing.

I’m loving it here. It is soo hard, trying to do everything that needs to be done, but it is so worth it here. My district is amazing. I have the coolest teachers ever. I have the opportunity to learn about and teach the most amazing message that has ever been comprehended on this earth. What a blessing to bring the knowledge , peace, hope, happiness to others. Writing this sounds so cheesy because it’s a total missionary message, but it’s true. This is the most amazing thing ever. The feeling of the Spirit is unlike anything I've ever been able to feel. I love it so much. And I'm surrounded by the best examples I've ever met.

I just want to take a moment to thank you all. Family and Friend. Thank you for taking the time to hear about me, but also thank you for your prayers and blessings. I have definitely felt them. I could not be here with the attitude I do and the amount I've learned without all of you. I love you all so much, and I hope you all are feeling as wonderful as I have been. I love you all so much! Untill next week.

Apparently there is a stomach virus going around, but I'm surviving haha!

Well since I've been sick, I’m trying to take it easy. But the enchiladas and stuff are pretty good. Tuesday nights are Costco pizza night, so that’s nice haha. Every once in a while we get Tyson Peppered Chicken. That’s a real great one! The weather is pretty good. Not too hot, and the temp is perfect at night. It doesn’t vary at all here. It’s about the same every day. The last two days have rained quite a bit. It rains most days, but sometimes it doesn't.

Getting letters is one of my favorite things in the world. The actual physical letter is so much better than having to wait till pday to read something I'll only get to read once. I love you guys so much!!!!!

Elder Kaden Quinn

 Picture 1- These are my old roommates. Elder Villelas on the right, and Elder Ruiz on the left. They left Monday night.

 Picture 2 - These are my old Zone leaders. These are the coolest guys I've ever met. They left Tuesday night. Elder Toews (pronounced Taves, I don't get it either) is on the left, and Elder Keys on the right. They were awesome guys.

 Picture 3 - This is Elder Lyons. He was the District Leader of 6D, the district with the zone leaders. he gave me a lot of great insight. he is in my top 5 favorite people I've met here. We have a weird relation. Remember that one time I went to Temple Square with the Kossins for their Cousin date thing? I went with one of their cousins from Logan. It turns out that she, Miranda, is Elder Lyons' girlfriend haha. Crazy! and he knows the Kossins too, so that was cool to talk about.

 Picture 4 - These are our Hermanas. From left to right, Hermana Allen (Guadalajara), Hermana Falk (Cancun), Hermana Yerkes (Monterrey).

 Picture 5 - This is the main square of the CCM. It’s beautiful! That building on the left is our building, with our class room.

Picture 6 - And this is a moth some elders found on their window. it was huge, but it’s not the biggest we've seen.  They get huge!!! Make sure Jared Yates sees this picture please :)