Week 10 - Well! It's been about 2 & 1/2 months!

Time has passed by pretty quickly! And it seems like there's a couple questions my mom told me that you would all like to know more about!

1) Do you get dinners with members?
A: Yes, in fact, people feed us whether we like it or not here. It's just how the Hispanic culture is haha! It actually reminds me a lot about my best friend's mom every time I was over! (Victor's mom) 

2) How's the Spanish coming?
A: The Spanish is coming well! I learn more and more every day! When my companion would go to the bathroom and leave me in the room alone with the people we were teaching, I normally wouldn't have said anything (that was in the beginning of the transfer) but now I can hold excellent broken conversations! hahaha I try to spit out as much Spanish as I can everywhere I go! 

3) Are you biking?
A: Yes, we are either biking or walking every day! We do have a car but we only use it to go to far away places like for shopping or going to the church building and we share this van with 5 other Elders!

4) How is the cold?
A: I love the weather up here! However, I am not a fan of 45 mph winds and the wind doesn't go in one direction. It always comes in every direction, from all sides, right at you! But am I cold? No, absolutely not, the wind is just a little pesky!

5) How is the family I helped with the tree debris?
A: Quite annoying actually. We try to see them as much as we can but even though they know what we said was true and committed to baptism, they still make no effort to come to church or read from the Book of Mormon.

6) How is Olga and her little innocent son Alexander?
A: Well, once again Elder Bardalez and I cannot make anyone keep their commitments, whether or not they know it's true. So we try to see Olga as much as we can and teach her and help her but if she doesn't sacrifice some of the things that waste time and keep her from keeping commitments, then, while we will still care for her, there is someone else out there who will, and that's the person we need to be finding and teaching!

But now on to the letter! Lately I've gotten several emails about concerns about what I want for Christmas and my 19th Birthday, well let me tell you! Nothing! I don't want anything! The only thing I want from those who love me is to send me an email of a picture of you! I miss seeing all the faces of my friends and family! But really I don't NEED anything else! But something you could do for me for Christmas is to let the missionaries help YOU in YOUR SACRED CALLING as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! As missionaries, we are called to ASSIST the unit in which we serve in. We, as missionaries, are supposed to teach and aide the members around us! And the work cannot progress the way it needs to if the members of His church don't hasten it! So if the work isn't going to take off here, send it to the sky down in Arizona!

Just on a side note, I have found that they're are few things as beautiful as a PB&J on my mission. It's cheap, the supplies last forever, and it's delicious!

But now quickly to sum up this week! As we were tracking and not having too much success, a tall, skinny, African American man of about 24 years of age came up to us and asked us if we had anything to read and Elder Bardalez said, "Oh ya I do!". At this point and time I was struggling to close this gate between me and the largest pitbull I have ever seen in all of Detroit! and that's saying something!! It had rather beautiful blue eyes! I am so sorry I will finish my letter next week, I ran out of time.... But I love you all so much!!!
Elder Alger

Graffiti pic of the week!

Cool Houses!

Cool architecture 

More cool architecture 

The cold air was making my eyes water so I took advantage of an epic tear drop picture!

This is my favorite picture I've taken yet on my mission! It's a definite keeper!!

More cool architecture 

If you know the right places you can get ANYTHING cheap! I got a bunch of goodies for only about $3! Freshly baked and all!

Just some good sunset pictures!

Even MORE cool architecture!

Week 9 - It's the Holiday Season!

Well, I'm pretty sure I am the only man on earth that could possibly be sweating during snow and 45 mph winds! I think I can cause my own hypothermia with all my sweat. It's not fair man. ha ha 

Thank you all for the letters and emails I promise I do my best to reply as quickly as I can! They really help me and I feel the love and encouragement from home! I've really learned a lot up here, probably one of the biggest would be that all we need to do for those who stray is not to pressure them but to just love them. 

It has come to my attention that I haven't really explained what my day to day normal schedule is like! From 6:30 - 7:00 am we exercise, from 7:00 - 8:00 am we get ready for the day (shower, get dress, etc.), 8:00 - 9:00 am is personal scripture study, 9:00 -10:00 am is companion study, 10:00-11:00 am is in field training, 11:00 am-12:00 pm is language study (so Spanish study for me). Then from 12:00 pm to 9:00 or 9:30 pm is when we go proselyting! From 9:00 or 9:30 pm we have planning and unwinding time till 10:30 when we go to bed and do it all over again! Obviously not every day is the same and scheduling can get rather hectic but that's the general scheduling of things!   

Sooooo, in the last two weeks we have done a ton of teaching, had a lot of meetings and all that good stuff, but I want to share some more recent experiences. Anyways, I've been pretty ticked at my companion these last few weeks, he kind reminds me of Gavin (my uncle) in his teenage days (no offense Gavin, I love you so much! <3 ). But I have really learned EXTREME patience, and have truly been able to put things aside and not linger on them. BUT! I have learned that even with that things are miserable! Don't worry, there are no holes in the wall and I haven't floored him or anything but things really turned around earlier this week. One morning Elder Bardalez could tell that I really just couldn't hide at this point that I had a problem and so we had a long good talk. I told him that I love missionary work, just when I do it with other elders. But after a good and humane conversation we work everything out and I have never been happier to work with him. The key to a relationship is patience AND openness. Because of our better relationship we have seen the spirit work miracles!

One day we were walking down the steps of someone's house and I saw a teenage boy and girl walking on the sidewalk heading in our direction. The Spirit told me that some how Elder Bardalez knew the boy. Sadly and regretfully I didn't immediately act on that impression, but Elder Bardalez didn't hesitate to start talking to him. I'm not saying I ignored the prompting, I just wished I had acted quicker. Anyways, the boy and the girl turned out to be brother and sister and they were just going on a walk. Elder Bardalez said, "Hey, think I know you!", and the boy agreed. How crazy is that I knew they knew each other before they even started talking! So we walked with them and taught them about the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the lesson wasn't anything too special, but we did get the boy to say a prayer at the end (and it was awesome!) and we got their address and phone number! 

Another night, after that experience, all of our appointments were falling apart and we decided to go and see Jazziel (who was the boy who said the prayer the other night). So that's what we did. When we got there we started to talk to him and his step brother Hector walked up and he joined right in to the conversation. So we went in and talked about the restoration and Joseph Smith. We asked Hector to say a prayer at the end of the lesson and to ask if our message was true and if Joseph Smith was and is a true prophet called of God in these days. He said the prayer, and at the end he paused before saying amen and my first thought was to help him remember but the Spirit told me to just be quiet because God was telling Hector through a confirmation of the Holy Ghost that our message was true and that the same church Christ established in His earthy ministry is on the Earth again! When Hector said amen he said, "Whoa, what is this? Wow, I've never felt this feeling before, feel my heart! Feel my heart! It's beating so fast!" He then grabbed all our hands and had us feel his heart. We told him that this undeniable feeling of love, peace and happiness is a feeling from God given through the Holy Ghost. 

We now see Hector and Jazziel every day and they have come to church and had dinner with us at another member's home and keep all their commitments! They are amazing and have a true love for the things we are sharing with them. At one lesson Hector was at the edge of tears because his sister didn't want to come hear the message we were sharing and said "She doesn't know what she's missing!" They are amazing and truly elect. They are already talking about going out with us to teach and going on missions. Hector really reminds me of my best bud Victor when he went through the conversion process. 

I love you all and I love this gospel! Adios!

Elder Alger

Graffiti of the week!

Here's a second graffiti of the week pic since I missed last week!

They dry the whole fruit up here, the orange was peel and all! they were both great, just a little too sweet for my taste!

Downtown Detroit!

It's getting cold!

Making a whole lotta chicken!

A visit to the Detroit Temple

A life is worth $7500 in Detroit????

A random couch 

This is a small shower I had to use on an exchange to another apartment .

This is my new favorite cheap hot sauce! Go Valentina!

I chopped off my hair! It hasn't been this short since 3rd grade!

Week 8

no time for email this week sorry

Week 7 It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Well, let me tell you all that this mission business is not easy at all. In fact it's probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. But it is the most worthwhile thing I have ever participated in! Snow is beginning to cover every part of the ground up here and the average temperature right now is around freezing. But I absolutely love it!

This last week has been an interesting one. There have been many ups and downs. The mission field has been discouraging for me because I don't feel like I do enough. There are so many things I want to say but I am bound by my limited Spanish, and being in a English speaking country doesn't help. But things began to to change when I met little Alexander. Late at night we were tracting and we were welcomed in by a lady named Olga. Soon there after I met her son Alexander, after a long and discouraging night for me internally, I instantly was filled with an abundant love for this little 7 year old boy. He is one of the most innocent things I have ever seen in my life. He could speak in English and Spanish, and was so anxious to read and participate in the lesson we were teaching. I just personally felt so protective of him because I knew how rare it is to find something so pure in the city and how quickly it can be destroyed. After our lesson I squatted down in front of him and told him how much God loved him and that if he did his best to always choose the right that he would have unlimited potential. I continued to tell him that he had a good heart and that he should never lose it because I could see and feel how much God loved him. I love that kid. It was because of him that He  sent us to that specific house that I was reminded once again of why I am here. I am here to love the people of Detroit as Christ does.

We have such a great branch! Sister Ferreira (who is a recent convert and feeds us almost ever day) goes tracting with us all the time, she calls me her "guero" which essentially means white guy haha. She enjoys making fun of me and I try to do the best I can back, but man! She is such a great force for good! She is so daring and helps us to get into houses and be able to share the gospel! So if you're not doing what you can to help the missionaries shame on you! We need your help!

I love you all!
Elder Alger

P.S. Last winter up here got down to at least -41 degrees F, which beat Russia in coldness, and this winter is supposed to be colder!

P.P.S. Vincent (the literally crazy guy that attends to our branch said as he was pointing to his papers of weird numbers and scribbles that "You better learn sum Tai Kwon Do or Karate or somethin cuz China is gunna take over the whole world! That evidence is right here!" or and he said he knows the next winning lottery ticket so if you need that just let me know haha

The people up here can't afford to pay people to decorate their businesses so they do it themselves! This will be a fun one for the kids!

I'm going to try to do a "graffiti of the week" pic, so here's this weeks!

Week 6 DETROIT!

So much has happened, I don't feel like this email will do it justice, but I will do my best.

The first night here we stayed at the mission home, I was one of two Spanish elders coming into Detroit, and we are two of five in the mission, its a little crazy. So let me tell you all a little about Detroit. THIS. IS. THE. HOOD. There are madmen roaming the streets screaming in languages unknown to man, and one of them (his name is Vincent attends to the church every Sunday). Vincent bore testimony on how he is going to save all the kids from shooting themselves in their legs with his "Da Vinci Code Theory" as he waved a bunch of papers with numbers all over them in the air. Apparently, he bore testimony last week about how Adam and Eve went to go "kill that apple" as he said. So pretty much he's insane and sometimes it's really hard not to laugh because I have never been in a situation like this before! But I can tell he loves God he's just..... a little conflicted internally you could say.

Detroit is covered in tags and gang signs and there's at least two houses burnt down on each street. (In fact apparently every Halloween here people set fire to as many houses as they can and my companion Elder Bardalez was surprised that not that many were burnt down this last Halloween) The people here live in basically the frames of what once were homes and the "high end homes" in Downtown Detroit could be comparable to some of the crappier houses in Old Town El Mirage in AZ. However outside of Detroit you can find multi-million dollar houses quite easily. Being here really makes you know what the REAL essentials are in life.

I couldn't be happier though! To be able to be here and share the gospel and see the change it can bring into there lives is amazing! I've really learned to fear no man because God is no respecter of persons and because I am sharing His true gospel restored onto the earth there is NOTHING more important these people could be doing other than to listen to what we have to share. But of course that is for them to decide and if they choose not to listen, there is always someone who will!

One specific experience I want to share is about an old man named Tomas. As Elder Bardalez and I were going down the street, we came by an old man in his 80's trying to clean up this huge mess of debris in the street from a tree, and so obviously we helped him. After about an hour of work he welcomed us into his home where we then shared the message of the restoration. Suddenly I felt impressed to share my testimony but then I also took the time to inquire if there was anything else the Lord wanted me to do and He told me to commit Tomas, his wife, their daughter and her three kids to baptism. By this time Tomas's daughter Teresa was in tears and she and her mother accepted the invitation.

The Lord knows how to go about His work! I love Him!
Elder Alger

Before leaving the MTC, I got to see one of my best friends, ELDER KLIPPEL!

The flight to Detroit

My and Elder Bardalez apartment

The first two pics are of my street (we have one of the nicer streets) The next few are to give ya a better idea of what Detroit looks like!

Not really something to smile about.

More Detroit!

Week 5

It has been a nice last week at the MTC. I have learned so much being here. I was told that if I thought the MTC was fast just wait until I am out on the field! The Lord has really tied the knot for me this last week in having my prayers and concerns answered.

This last Wednesday I was particularly tired during my morning and afternoon classes. In my afternoon class I had Hermano Wolfe and in the middle it he had the other missionaries in my district do some acting out of situations that could happen in the mission field while we are teaching and he had me come with him into another room. He sat me down and asked how I was doing and I said I was fine. But then he stopped to say that he felt that something felt "off" about me today, and I quickly and honestly replied that I was only tired. What I didn't know is that God was giving Hermano Wolfe the ability of discernment which allowed him to see that there really was something wrong with me and even though I didn't know it, this moment was the time for me to get some insight from the Lord. Suddenly, to my confusion,  I start tearing up without even knowing why and all these feelings that I had somewhere in the back of my mind came out. I talked with him about my fear of this "scale of righteousness" I had created in my mind. This scale came in the form of a ruler and on the lowest part of the ruler was wickedness, in the middle was mediocrity, and at the greatest part of the ruler was righteousness. The reason for my fear was because when I am wicked, or not doing what the Lord would want me to do, I know exactly what steps to take to get back to mediocrity. However, after I get back to mediocrity I am clueless as how to get to complete righteousness. I feel like a toddler trying to walk to the path of righteousness, and it is a damning feeling to not be progressing in some way. Hermano Wolfe said that he knows exactly how I feel. I then told him that I don't want to teach my investigators with the skill comparable to a newly walking toddler, and I don't want to not be able to bare all the testimonies I have within me because of my imperfect Spanish. I don't want to teach with the skill of a Level 1 missionary, I want to teach at Level 1000. I want to teach like Christ, but I'm not Christ. I then told him that at home I knew exactly how to help all the ones I loved and that I was in some ways considered a "spiritual giant" and that here on my mission I have no idea what to do.

Hermano Wolfe said that I am too dependent upon myself to do all the things I am required to do as a missionary, and that I need to remember that it is Christ that does the teaching. And that Christ loves me and knows my afflictions. He said that he too felt like a "spiritual giant" and that he learned that he, like I, was too dependent on the compliments of man and not God. Hermano Wolfe opened my eyes to a lot of things. I know now that my motives for love need to change, and that I was only loving people because I should, not because I want to see them grow closer to Christ. It is weird to me that you can be selfish about righteous things, but you can.

At the end of our talk Hermano Wolfe asked if I would like a blessing and I quickly replied yes. He blessed me that I would be able to forget thoughts of home and that I may be able to recognize the Lord in all things and depend on Him. He blessed me that I would seek the Lord's praise and not mans. That I will be humble and have True Love for those around me, and for me to know that there are no coincidences.

The power of the priesthood is real.

The natural man cares only about what he wants. If our  conversion is in Christ, nothing will be able to shake us to doubt and despair. He turns out when the rest of us would turn in. This is not my mission, it's the Lord's.

I believe in Christ, He is my King. For who's mercy I am undeserving, who's pain I do not know and who's love I can never fully show. He has shattered the chains of hell which bound me, and He did it that I may endure to the end and in that exalting day I will fall to my face and there proclaim, my God How Great Thou Art. But until that day I will stand and submit my will to His, that he may spread His love through me, a vessel, imperfect but perfected through Him and His Atonement. How Great be our God!

We are not called to be missionaries. We are called to be vessels of the Lord's light and love. It is because of that, that He will put us through trials and sufferings that we may be humbled and have our cavities within us be deepened, that we may be able to greater hold His light. This calling is given to all. Forget yourself, for when there are others suffering around you, it mattereth not if you  are going through the very gates of hell, we must take care of His sheep. And in the end we will receive our reward.

I am eternally grateful for my Lord and my Shepherd!
Love,
Elder Alger

Me and Hermano Wolfe

This is Hermano Wolfe with my district.

I was trying to do my dad's velociraptor impersonation.  

Not quite as good as my dad's, more like a baby raptor.  Ha!