Quick Email (29 October 2014)

Hello all. I really want to talk about all the amazing birthday wishes you sent me but I don't have time this week. (Insert from letter to Mom referring to all the birthday wishes a lot of you sent: “I can't wait to talk about my birthday present. It was unreal. UNREAL!!!! Thank you so much!”). This week has been full of events. I don't really have time to write a large email today because we are going winter shopping here because it's starting to get cold. Next week you will have an email containing the stories of this week (and there are many) and next week’s. This week has been the best week in the mission for sure and also the most interesting. There is so much to tell you all, but I truly don't have time. I hope you all have a great week.

I just want to share a quick thought that Elder Dakota Pierce also shared in this email this week. We only have one chance at this life. Why not just go for it? Give it all you have!

"This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now. Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future." -Thomas S. Monson

I love you all. Expect an email full of events next week!

- Elder Austin Celaya

Me doing a puzzle.

Straight From Manhattan (3 months) (21 October 2014)

Hi family!

This week has been great. I bet you are wondering why I am emailing you on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. Well this week our preparation day (the day we email, do laundry, shop for food, etc.) got switched to Tuesday because we have interviews with President on Wednesday. Not a whole lot has happened here because I have still been recovering from my sickness. I am pretty much all the way better now, but my sore throat kind of came back -- I am hoping it goes away soon. My goal this week was to eat as healthy, and as much as I possibly could, considering how much weight I lost being sick. I have gained 7 pounds back so far of the 20 pounds lost.

This week my roommates and I are starting a training schedule. In the mornings, we are going to go running, or go play basketball on one of the courts here in Yonkers, and then at night we are going to do weight training and what we call the "Feliz Challenge". We have a deck of cards. We do inclined pushups. The way we pick how many reps we do in between sets is you pick the top four cards off the deck, and that's how many pushups you are doing until you get to rest. You then get a 20 second rest, and then take four more cards off the deck until you go through the entire deck. Mr. Feliz (the guy we are teaching who taught us this workout) was at a point where he was going through 15-20 decks of cards in one workout. One is super hard. I can't imagine 15-20!  I have been eating as much as I possibly can. I'm excited to get my strength back!

I had one of the most fun night's of my mission this week. In one of the wards we neighbor with, they had a talent show night (or what they call "Noche De Talentos") for a few of the wards here. It was absolutely amazing! It was the Spanish wards, and wow do they know how to throw a party! They went all out. There were five acts, and then they had intermission, and then it was eating time. There were taquitos, chicken, salad, empañadas, tamales, and a lot of Spanish dishes. There were Guatemalans, Puerto Ricans, Peruvians, Dominicans, and people from Chile, etc, so there was a whole group of different kinds of foods from all different countries. The food was so good! Then the show resumed. It was so fun. It was the first time I have been truly hopeful here in New York. It was a great morale booster.

It was great to get to bond with some of the members too. I met a guy who performed who actually is a music producer and surprisingly was pretty good! It was fun. Him, Elder Smith (the elder I went on splits with who is a music producer) and I, all chatted it up about music and producing. It was a cool experience. 

On Sunday - There is a member in our ward named Veronica, and she got her mission call and we went to the church Sunday night to watch her open it. Veronica is pretty awesome! She is the girlfriend of the guy (Brandon) we are going to start teaching (who is absolutely the coolest guy in the world). A note on Brandon: He already understands the Gospel and sees the eternal happiness it can bring him, and has a desire to listen to the Spirit and act to first learn, and then do more to be as happy he can possibly be. He knows this happiness comes from the gospel, because he says he truly feels it. That's one thing I have learned here in Yonkers. Our church location is in a ghetto part of Yonkers. There are drug deals going on outside, and people are always fighting, and I've heard gun shots outside of our church, but the amazing thing is, every time I open that back door and walk in, I completely feel the contrast of a dark, uneasy, and panicked feeling to a heavenly peace that feels as if God has lifted my troubles and lets me be at rest, dwelling in hope. Back at home, this feeling was harder to feel, but now since outside is such a bad place, going into the church feels so nice. You can truly feel the comforting feeling of the Spirit in the church, and that feeling is something Brandon can recognize. You can see it in him. There is one scene in the movie Inception where there are people who are dreaming in the chemist's basement. They come to him to be drugged to be put into a dream state. They then say that they don't do this to be put to sleep, they do it to wake up. Their dream is their reality. Every time I walk into that church, it feels like my soul is waking up...to reality - to eternal reality, to God's reality. There oftentimes is a facade that we all face that perverts the way we view and feel life, or rather our existence, truly is. Almost everything in our lives and the things in the world are meant to make us feel as if we will never die, and as if we do not need others to help us in this journey on this earth. A lot of the times it truly feels like dying is just a dream and will never happen. A lot of times, because we know in the back of our heads that we die, we make up hopes and wishes of a good life to come based upon exactly what we want in the next life, without actually knowing if it will factually come to pass the way we wish. When I say this Gospel "wakes me up," it wakes me up so I truly see what will come in the next life, the true nature of God our father, and how I and we can obtain the blessings our Father in heaven has in store for those who follow his words. Think about it. It is extremely easy. God sent us here to be in a state of probation...a state of testing to see what we will do with our lives, and what kind of people we will become. He has provided council to us and promises if we listen to his council, we will have many blessings including Eternal Life on the other side. He has also provided a way to know if these words are from man, or from Himself (and he promises that when we ask Him, having true faith, doubting nothing, we can know for ourselves by the power of the Holy Spirit [sometimes described as an eternal peace, or extreme heavenly love]), and then all we have to do is simply follow his words and the rest is promised to us. The greatest gift He can give us is promised to us, simply if we follow his words. That very gift of Eternal Life. Not just immortality -- for all beings will receive that -- but eternal life, where we get to live with God again and with our families forever in a state of happiness. It is as if a rich man came to us and told us that we can be the richest people in the world if we simply follow these few steps. The plan is completely laid out for us, all we have to do is follow that plan, and then spread the good news (the Gospel) to others and help them do the same. That's the very point of being a missionary!

Anyways, back to Veronica. The ward all got in a room and we watched as she opened her mission call. You can truly feel the divine calling of the Lord every time someone opens their mission call. It truly is a very peaceful feeling. I know that as I opened my call, I have never felt like God has known me personally more than I have at that moment, and every time I have watched someone else open their mission call since, I can truly feel that God knows them just the same. Everyone guessed she was going to California (including me...have to rep the home state) but she is actually going to Argentina! 

Today we are in the city! We are going to China Town and Elder Nelson (The new roommate in our apartment) is going to show us all around south Manhattan. He knows the area like the back of his hand because he served their in his last area. We are going to go to times square, the temple, ground zero, China Town, and just experience New York City on a beautiful day like today. I am excited. I should have some good pictures next week, along with some more exciting stories. Things have been kind of dry lately just because I have been sick. Yesterday was the first day we have gone out and done work since I was well. This week we are back on our grind.

I love you all. Try to be a little kinder. Try to do a little better. And don't ask God for what you are not willing to do. Think about that one =)

Love,

-- Elder Austin Celaya

P.S. I hit my three month mark tomorrow! Good bday present! Have a great week!

"These N****s Ain't From Here - They Goin The One Way!!!" (15 October 2014)

Hi =}

I assume many of you are wondering about the title of this email. And I hope none of you take it offensive because that was not the intention at all. I will explain it later in the email.

So last week, I wasn't able to really send out an email because of transfers and I apologize for that. I will give you an update on everything now. So last week, like I said, I was very sick. They put me on an antibiotic but it wasn't working. I was on the floor almost in tears because of how bad my throat hurt and I was there for around three hours in the apartment. The elders that we live with walked in and found me on the floor, called the mission presidents wife, and she said to go into urgent care the next morning. I went in and they put me on a heavier antibiotic called augmentin. I started to take it, and it killed my system. It really felt like I was on some form of Chemo and everyone was telling me that it was normal because it was also killing the good in my body, but little did I know I was allergic to the medication. I felt like I was dying taking it. I woke up (day 4 of taking the antibiotics) and my entire body was covered from head to toe in the biggest rash, and everything was swollen. I took a picture, but I am saving it until I go home to show anyone because I really don't want you all to worry more than you need too. It looks funny now. So we went upstairs to the Senior Couple who used to be a nurse and she told me to immediately call Sister Morgan. I did, and she said to go to urgent care again right now. So, I went to urgent care again, and they said it was an allergic reaction to the penicillin in the antibiotic. Which kind of makes me frustrated because I told the mission doctor that I was allergic to penicillin and he claimed that I wasn't allergic but I just was sensitive to it. Every 3 to 4 hours I would get these terrible itch attacks where my entire body would swell up and started to itch and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I would take Benadryl and it would not work. My body was so done with taking pills. Haha. I have been on two antibiotics, I was taking advil like I've never taken it, Tums, and Benadryl. My body was dead.

So It's day 6 since I had the allergic reaction and the rash is just barely now going away. I'm so happy though because I am finally feeling better, physically, mentally and emotionally. I lost now 25 pounds being sick. I lost so much weight. I had my first meal yesterday where I could actually eat. It was complete heaven. I am so thankful now just to be able to swallow and to breathe and to enjoy the little things in life we ignore sometimes. Anyways, I am finally feeling better, and I plan to get all the weight back. My roommates and I put together a workout plan and an eating plan. Monday we start!

So transfers were last Wednesday. We got a new elder in our apartment. It was much needed. He is lively and likes to talk a lot and is so much more fun. The vibe in our apartment has totally changed for the better. On transfer day, I also was really drugged, and one of the side effects was that I would be really drowsy and forget things. Well, I ended up losing my iPad and I couldn't even remember losing it. I was totally out of it and I felt so bad. I was able to get a new one last night thankfully because it is literally impossible to do missionary work here without one. We do everything from our iPads. This week I haven't been able to go out much at all. I've been in bed for over two weeks now and I am so done with it. I'm hoping the rash will be all gone by Monday so we can start to go to work Monday.

On Friday, we were all able to see the movie "Meet The Mormons" which is in theaters as I write this. It was such an amazing movie. It really put clear to the public what and who we are as the world calls us "Mormons" and as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have never been more proud to be in this church. I loved the movie because it really put clear and destroyed a lot of the rumors you hear about us that many people believe. We watched it as a mission and there is a part in there where you see a story about a missionary leaving his family. Now all 280 of us missionaries have gone through that exact experience, and as he was saying goodbye to his family in the airport for two years, everyone was tearing up. I know as I watched that, it automatically switched me back to walking into security as I said goodbye to my family, as I kept looking back trying to take one last mental shot of the people I love most. Overall, it was great. Mormon, or not, go see it! It is a great movie. I challenge you to take some of your friends to go see it. You will see why we are the way we truly are and why we love what we call "The Gospel."

I want to talk of a miracle that happened this week. My dad always tells me, you have to find the one diamond buried in the dirt. Well, this week as we were at church, a man walked in, and we had no idea who he was. Nobody did. Turns out he wanted to talk to the bishop because he wanted to figure out how to turn his life around. We ended up talking to him and he said that his aunt is a member of the church in Honduras, and she told him that if he wants to change his life, that he needs to go to our church, so she looked up the churches in his area in yonkers and it happened to be our chapel, so he showed up this past Sunday. He is in the military and works as a construction worker. He gets sent on two year missions around the world. He hasn't seen his kids in seven years because his wife won't let him and he really is just finished with the way he was living. He needed something more. He really told us he wanted to change his life and was willing to do whatever to be truly happy. It was so awesome to see someone who was so humbled and prepared by God, and I was able to stand there and testify to him that I can promise him if he truly wants to change his life, there is no other way, and I told him from my experience, that out of anything in the world, this is what would make him the most happy. He wanted to know more, so we exchanged numbers and we will be teaching him next week hopefully. God truly does prepare people. It's in their own time too. At one day, we will all be in a humble state where we realize we need Christ, and his atonement, because He did something for us, that we or anyone else could never do. Be patient with those who want nothing to do with the Gospel right now. With time, everyone will know. I love this gospel. There literally is no better way to find one's self. I know many of you have been praying for me to be able to find the Lords elect and I have been praying for the same, and this truly was a direct answer to that prayer - someone walking in, begging to help him change his life. God truly is mindful of all of his children.

One thing I've also realized is how much I have not truly appreciated my parents and what my Mom and Dad have done for me to raise me. Nobody here has mothers or fathers that stick around, and being sick this week, I have felt so alone. My companion is such a great guy, but he is extremely quiet and won't do anything unless you ask him to, so I had to take care of myself alone this week and I had a lot of time to think about what everyone has ever done to help me in my life, especially the character of my mom and many of you and your mothers.

My whole life my mom has always put others in front of her own wants and desires. In a way that is extremely Christlike. Christ always put others in front of himself. He put all of us first, while he asked God to take away the pain he was going through as He suffered for all of our mistakes. I want to share this video. This video is of a mother who sacrificed what she wanted to do, to help others throughout her day. Notice while her little son is praying at the end of the day, what he thanks God for, and especially focus on what he says about what God wanted. This truly made me appreciate my family and all of you, and truly also inspired me to put off my desires and to become lost in helping others with what they need. Just imagine if we all focused on what others needed. We would never be worried about what we needed, because everyone else would be. We would be a united family, always caring for one another. Unfortunately we don't live in a world like that, but in this church, that's truly how it is. Enjoy this video.

You Never Know

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n-DOKBffuU

I love you all, and I truly appreciate all your prayers. I have felt them more than I ever have this week. God puts us in situations we don't want to be put in so he can shape us into what he wants us to become - and that is perfect. Nothing less. He doesn't want less. It's a beautiful thing. I don't think this is a normal mission. Many have told me how this is one of the most difficult missions, but I think it's good for me. No matter where I go from this point in life after the mission, I will be grateful for anything. I feel like we are CIA agents and we plan where we are going to teach, we figure out how to safely get in the house, teach the lesson, and get out as fast as possible. When I look at it kind of like a game, it helps to relieve the stress.

So now about the subject of this message. Last night, we were driving home from getting a new ipad and we turned down a "wrong street." It was filled with black people and we were driving our very white roommate elders home and they had their windows down. Elder Paiz was driving and he drives sometimes really hesitantly, and he slowly rolled up to a stop sign. Now picture it. A car rolling up really slowly, with its windows down, filled with white people in shirts and ties, rolling up in an all-black drug dealing area. One of the Elders nodded his head at one of the guys and that was a mistake. The street apparently was a one way, and we turned down the wrong way. Right as we turned down the wrong way, a couple of the guys on the street started yelling, "These N*****S AIN'T FROM HERE!!! These N******S GOING THE ONE WAY!!!!!" Right as he said that, literally around 30-50 black guys popped up off the curb and started yelling at us saying it was a one way and they acted like it was the end of the world! My companion wanted to turn around, but that would have been a terrible idea. There were NO street lights and the street was filled with black people really upset because we were going the one way! Haha. I just thought it was hilarious because they knew we weren't from there because we were going the one way. It was the highlight of my night. Scary, but hilarious because they were so upset about us going the one way. haha. There is never a dull day here. Every day is an extreme, but it's very interesting. Literally, the mission can only get better from here and I'm looking at it with a positive attitude.

One last thing. We were able to go into a hospital this week and were able to give a blessing to a homeless lady who had a stroke and the spirit was so strong as we gave the blessing. She was not in the church, but her friend mentioned about blessings, and she wanted one, so we gave one to her and she was crying the whole time and kept saying how thankful she was. At that moment I felt very humbled to be able to have the opportunity to be a representative of Jesus Christ. The good moments here are few, but they are golden when they happen. I live for those moments.

I love you all so much. Do something nice for someone today. Be happy. Why be sad? If you are, change something in your life to make you happy. One thing I have learned is that if I want to be happy, I need to forget myself and help others. Have a great week! =}

- Elder Celaya

I don't really have any pictures because I just got a new ipad, but

here is a picture of me right now as I write my emails next to a

picture of Jesus. I will take some pictures this coming week for 

sure. Expect them next week!

Transfers!

Hello everyone! 

I don't have really any time this week because we had transfers today! I'm staying here in YONKERS with Elder Paiz because he's training me for 12 weeks. I've been really sick this week and had to go to urgent care...they
put me on antibiotics and I'm finally getting better. I'm very sorry I really just don't have time to write much.  I will recap everything that happened in my email next week.  I hope you all have a good week and I love you all. 

Here is a picture of everyone in my zone with President and Sister Morgan. All of these people are like my best friends! Even the elderly couple. She was a nurse and she would check up on me.

With love,

Elder Celaya

My first Zone in Yonkers!  I'm in the back - middle.

with Elder Paize