Beach Bois 🏄♂️🌊
From: Seth Gifford
Date: Mon, Oct 18, 2021, 4:07 PM
Subject: Beach Bois 🏄♂️🌊
Hey everyone, soooo….I was transferred to another area called Progreso by the beach.
This email was written by Elder Hughes as Elder Gifford, and approved by Elder Gifford 
Enjoy.
As a missionary, you go through so many areas through the course of your mission. And I guess in my case, a couple countries even. Each area brings a different experience, a different challenge, and a different way to grow. But through it all, it’s not very often you arrive and say, “Can I please die here?” (die in the mission, haha, not like actually die… XD). Seriously, my new area, Progreso, is so sweet. I’m already making plans to come back after the mission 
And what’s so great about it?
Well we can literally walk to the beach whenever we walk (just a 10 minute walk from the house). The food here is aight! There’s a lot more seafood than I’m used to, but it’s more fresh because the ocean is like 2 seconds away. Everything is so touristy which is kind of neat too. And then there’s our house. We live on the second floor of this two story house. There’s a way nice balcony that is nice for just relaxing and hanging out. There’s all sorts of palm trees which makes it look pretty. I think the best part is waking up to see the sunrise every morning. So beautiful!
Haha, but enough about the area. My new companion, Elder Hughes, is one chill dude. I know it’s early in our companionship, but I can already tell he’s going to be one of my favorite companions from my whole mission. We work so well together and we’ve really been working hard this last week as we open up this new area in Progreso. For those of you who didn’t hear last week, they’re splitting Progreso in half. The whole left half will be left with the other companionship and the right half will rightfully go to my new companion and me. We didn’t have a whole lot to work with at the beginning of the week, but we’ve been working with what we’ve had and God has given us so many miracles.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how this really is God’s work and how He lets us be the instruments to get the work done. As we’ve acted in faith, God has continued to bring choice people to us or help different investigators progress more than they were before. For example, there are two investigators in the branch we’re in: Ligia and Alberto. Ligia has been investigating the Church for 16 years! Alberto has been exposed to the Church for the last 16 years as well and recently has taken a greater interest in it. They’re not married yet, but recently both now have desires to work toward baptism. Yesterday, we were able to put them on date! How cool is that?? Elder Hughes was literally freezing all night (not actually true XD).
I know that as we act in faith, then God will work miracles in our lives. There’s a verse I really like that says, “For [God] worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever” (Moroni 10:7). There is power in acting in faith. And so, I invite you all to reflect on a hope or desire you’ve had for a long time that you haven’t been able to achieve despite your best efforts. And now act in faith. I know that as you do so, God will bless you, He will help you, He will remove obstacles or give you the strength to overcome them, and He will help you to achieve your goals.
I love you all (moreso my Mom 
)! Have a great week!
-Elder Gifford
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