News from Mexico

Hey everybody!!! 

So I only have a little time because we have been going everywhere trying to find internet that works and we have an appointment in 30min. Anyways, I am in Huacaltzingo Puebla. It is two hours away from the city of Puebla. It's a farming town. Everybody here is so loving and so humble even though they have nothing!!!! I am about 2 hours away from the city of Puebla, and only every Wednesday do we go into Puebla for meetings. Life here is good though! I don´t understand a thing which is sad because I really want to help the people here. Hopefully soon I will be able to :)

The first night here, when we arrived, we all went to the mission home and ate sloppy joes and potato chips that Sister Rex made. They were yummy!! Anyways we just ate and went straight to bed that night. That was the last night with the Elders I have been with for 2 months, haha.

Anyways the next day we got up had pancakes and went to the mission offices. We received some training and President Rex interviewed us :) He and his wife are great people!!

First look at Puebla Mexico - January 29, 2011

So we got our JP Morgan Chase cards and learned about that. Today we went to the bank and I got my first pesos!!! Cool looking money, haha. Anyways that day we got our trainers. My trainer is Elder Villalba and he is from Chihuahua Mexico. He is way cool!! He speaks a little bit of English which is nice. He is a hard worker, so loving, very patient, and just fun!!

Elder Villalba - Trainer Companion

So the first night we went to our house and then left to go talk to people! We went to Hermana Dolores house and I met her and we ate. She is the Relief Society president in the branch here. Here in Huacaltzingo 600 people live here and about 250 are members, but only about 70 are active. I hope we can change that soon!! Anyways my first meal was some spinach in some tomato broth, then we had this soup with chicken in it. I could not eat it. It was so HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!! They felt bad but I tried saying it was ok :) Anyways I just ate beans and the best tortillas in the world!!! So good!! After that we just went around talking to other members and inviting them to church. 

Yesterday was Sunday and we went to Church after our studies. I have church at 10:00 AM but we leave at 9:00 AM because it takes about 20 minutes to walk there, haha. We walk far!!!!!!! When we go really far we take a bus (which is a charter bus). One time the bus driver stopped, got out, and bought a coke on the side of the street, and then kept going. Hahaha it was weird but funny!

Anyways church was nice! President Rex and his wife came which was a surprise to all. After Church we went and ate with the ward mission leaders family Hermano Guadalupe. Great food! Best rice ever, and the tortillas here are great! We had some soup with chicken again, but it wasn´t as hot, but still hot. At least I could eat it. After that we taught some investigators the Plan of Salvation and they seemed very receptive. So far we have three Baptism dates for February 12th, but they need to come to church before they can be Baptized. Hopefully this week we work hard with them.

Last night we went to Fernando´s house, a member, and role played with him on how to invite his friends to hear a message from us. I was his friend and I understood almost everything he said which is a miracle because I can´t understand anyone here. They all speak so fast!!! Anyways some of the members, including Fernando, want to learn English so they are happy an American is here. I helped Fernando for about 30 min last night and he is very good. When we go to Puebla tomorrow I am going to get him an English Book of Mormon. 

Anyways, yeah life is good here...I am home sick though. I don´t understand a thing and everything is so dirty and nasty. I feel bad for these people. All they have are a couch, table, tv, stove, and beds. Which is pretty much the same that I have, haha. I do have a shower...concrete wall with a shower head. Sometimes the gas doesn´t work so like this morning when that happens we can´t take a shower, hahaha. Today we went shopping after our studies. We got some food and supplies.

We do wash laundry at a members home who has a washing machine, but after the cycle we have to ring out the water and hang dry our clothes. Yes we do have purified water. The members all give us good water or soda, hahaha. They feed us really good. We always have food in our bellies. The houses here are pretty much a square brick/concrete house with a concrete floor. There are tons of bugs and spiders in the houses and it always smells. I am really really glad we live in America and I am missing it right now. Hopefully once I understand a little of what they say I will be fine, haha. Some people here don´t like me as much since I am from Arizona and we passed a law that they all hate here. Hopefully I don´t get in trouble with that, haha. 

Anyways I think I answered all the questions? Can't wait to hear from you and I miss and love you all!!!!! :)

First Home in Haucaltzingo, Puebla Mexico

Elder Lester's Desk

Elder Lester's bed has the tan blanket

Love, 

Elder Brady Lester

Mission President Arrival Letter

Dear Sister Lester,

It has been a great pleasure for Sister Rex and me to have met your missionary son, Elder Lester, on his arrival here in Puebla, Mexico.  We had a good opportunity to get to know him and feel his enthusiasm and eagerness to serve our Father in Heaven.  Elder Lester has been assigned, with his companion, Elder Villalba, to labor in the Huacaltzingo area.

Missionary work is very difficult and challenging.  We have asked Elder Lester to write to you each week, and ask that you write your missionary each week as well.  Please make sure that all of your letters are encouraging and uplifting.  Plan on receiving two phone calls each year; one at Christmas time and another on Mother’s Day.

We are vitally interested in his success and will do our best to assist in his training as a missionary.  We look forward to watching his progress over the next two years as he serves diligently and obediently.

We know that you will be richly blessed because of the sacrifices and service of your son.

Thank you again.

Respectfully,

Steven G. Rex, President

Mexico Addresses

Elder Lester will be in Puebla Mexico on January 28th! These are his addresses for Letters and Packages in Mexico. You can also click on the Missionary Tag on the sidebar for the address.

LETTERS (Pouch Mail):

Elder Brady Scott Lester

Mexico Puebla Mission
P.O. Box 30150
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150


LETTERS & PACKAGES:
Elder Brady Scott Lester
Mexico Puebla Mission
Calle 25 Sur #907
Colonia La Paz
71260 Puebla, Puebla
Mexico

Mission Week 11: Mexico Bound!

Elder Lester called today to inform us that he would be departing the MTC tomorrow, January 28th, and flying to Mexico!

He met with the Consolate this week and recieved his Visa! Yay! His Mission call had him originally scheduled to go to Mexico on January 24th, so four days late isn't too bad at all, considering he might have had a temporary reassignment, which he was fine with, so he could have some more practice using Spanish. But now he will be in Mexico by 8:15 PM tomorrow night! He's so thrilled!

Elders Cummock, Lester, Walker and Hammond

He and his companion, Elder Walker, along with their roommates, Elder Cummock and Hammond, and seven other Elders going to Mexico are all traveling together. What a blessing for Puebla Mexico!

Goodbye MTC, District and Zone - Last Temple Trip

Elder Lester and Elder Hammond

Elder Lester and Elder Cummock

The Missionary Tag

MTC Week 10: Nearing the End, but Not Wasting Any Time

Hey everyone!!

Wow....it's week Ten! This week has been slightly disappointing because everyone in our district received their travel plans to leave Monday and Tuesday of next week, except us Mexican elders :(  I really want to get out and start teaching!! I love the MTC and the Spirit, and opportunity to learn lots, but I really want to get to Mexico. Hopefully the consalant in Salt Lake will get ready to see us soon!! It's all up to him.

Anyways this week has been just like every week. Its hard to write about stuff because its all the same everyday haha. Elder Walker and I are doing great!!  Spanish is coming along great! Kasey...no I am not fluent, hahaha, but I am at a very low level of fluency I never thought I would be at now. Sweet!! We are not teaching as much but our studies are great and we aren't wasting anytime!!

Elder Cummock (the one Elder in my room who hasn't done all he's suppose to) and I finally talked and figured out our differences :) I am so glad that we did that before we leave. We are like best friends now! I love him so much! I can't wait for us to get to Mexico!!!

I Just want to say thank you real quick for all the goodies everyone sent me! I am so happy and grateful when I get letters and packages!! :)

I love you all and hope you have a great week!! I pray for you everyday and hope everything is going great!! I hope the blessings are flowing into your lives!!

Something I have been doing this week and what I would like each of you to do is study Chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel and study it in depth and see how you can improve those Christlike Attributes in your life. Take the test on the back of the chapter and then after you study take it again and see how you improved :)

How is it going with my last invitation? Has everyone talked with a friend or person and invited them to Come Unto Christ? :) I want to hear your experiences!! Let me know how its going?

Also I was wondering if you could all share your favorite scripture in your readings every week with me? Mine this week is 3 Nephi 5:13 :)

 Love and miss you all!!!

 Elder Brady Lester :)

MTC Week 9: Permiso, Blessing, Elder Holland and Member Missionaries

Hey Family!!

So it is week #9 here at the MTC. Let me update you on some things about my Visa. So yesterday I got my Permiso :)  I will officially be going to Mexico and can Preach the Gospel there :)  So what they told us is that we won't get re-assigned. They will keep us here and hopefully next Wednesday, we will go down to Salt Lake and talk to the Mexican Consalant. Which means we could leave the 22nd 23rd or 24th!! The four missionaries going to Bolivia just got their travel plans and they leave the 24th at 4:00 am, haha. Hopefully we get ours soon!

So this week was one of the hardest weeks, but yet the most rewarding. I still have problems with the two elders in my room. I try hard to keep the peace and love them but it's so hard when they don't do anything they are supposed to do. It's hard to get along with them. But I still love them, and Elder Walker and I are trying to keep pushing on :)  I asked my District Leader Elder Bell to give me a blessing and it was an amazing experience. In the blessing he said that God has put angels not just around me, but with me, and as he said that I felt something on my back and it was so warm. It was amazing and it is still giving me strength to this day.

So this week is teaching week for Elder Walker and I. We are teaching around 20 times this week!!! It's insane but way cool!! And also very tiring. We are getting so much better Teaching with the Spirit and focusing on our investigators, not our Spanish, and when we do this our Spanish is great!

So Elder Walker and I had this cool experience talking to a fake investigator the other day. He came up and asked if we were the Mormons. We said yes, and he asked where we were going. We told him and he asked when we were going, and we told him we don't know because we don't have our Visas yet. Anyways, he is Mexican and said he was from Puebla, and he said that God didn't want us to get our Visas because he's protecting the people in Mexico from us. It turned into a legit lesson in the hall and we asked great questions and got him to open up. It was a cool REAL experience of teaching someone we don't know! We loved it!

Elder Holland came again on Tuesday!! Great powerful talk! He talked about the materials we have as Missionaries like Preach My Gospel. He said it is written for the conversion of Missionaries not investigators. We first need to get it into our hearts then we can help them Come unto Christ :) It got me thinking alot about Missionary work, especially with members. I have been thinking about how hard Missionary work is for Missionaries and members. Missionary work is hard because Salvation is not a cheap experience and it will never be. We are the Church of Jesus Christ. We are the truth. Why would we believe or think it will be easy for us when it was never easy for Him.


I want to encourage each of you to find friends and invite them to Come Unto Christ. You are what starts up Missionary Work. Find them and don't be ashamed to testify the truth to them. Help them through what we know is true. Love them and you will see how it can help them. When you do this, and it will be tough, I testify you will be shoulder to shoulder with the best missionaries and life this world has ever seen!! Christ commands us to feed His sheep so lets all do it!

I love you all and can't wait to hear from you :)

Love,

Elder Brady Lester

P.S.

Mom and Dad thank you for all the packages and goodies. It was very yummy :)

MTC District and Teachers

Hermano Cleek

Hermana Truman

MTC Week 8: Teaching and Learning

Hey!!

Week 8 here at the MTC!! So I got some news the other day from my Branch President and the travel office here at the MTC. Our Visa's have not come yet, but they are working on them. They said we should have them between now and two months. So we will probably stay here until the 24th or the 30th of January, then get reassigned to Boise, Vegas, Seattle, and anywhere in Utah or Arizona. Crazy!! I really want to get to Mexico but I wouldn't mind going somewhere else for a bit in the states. I think it would be good practice for spanish and teaching :) I just want to go out and get started!! I am so excited!!

This week was another good week at the MTC. Elder Walker and I keep working harder everyday! We are trying really hard to speak Spanish all day but it is difficult. We can do better, and I have Faith that this week we will do great!


This week we got to be hosts for the new Missionaries again which was fun!! :)


So this week Elder Walker and I have been teaching, teaching, teaching, and teaching some more!! We keep teaching and we are getting better each time and learning so much everytime we teach!! It's amazing how much we learn. My favorite is when we have personal and companionship study. We learn so much and it helps us a ton with our teaching. This week Elder Walker and I had some really hard investigators. We had one who was gay, one who was 60 years old, and a 15 year old who has a  chastity problem, and a evil spirit problem. They were all true stories that our teachers had on their missions and they role played for us. It was insane!! Apparently in Mexico they have word of wisdom problems, chastity problems, and evil spirit problems often. It made me nervous but I am ready to help any of those people out!!

So today I had the most amazing experience in the temple today. I learned so much more and felt the spirit so much more than I ever have in the temple. 

So let me tell you about Elder Walker, my companion. He is from Pleasent Grove, Utah. He used to be in a band and used to do drugs and had that kind of life style. But he wanted to serve a mission. So for the past two years he has fixed his life up and repented for all his sins. He has had some wonderful experiences the past two years that have helped him get here today. I am so grateful for that because he is the best example of a man who knows his Savior Jesus Christ, and how He can help him. He knows what it is like to be at the lowest of lows and get back on top. He is the best example of a man who knows and uses the atonement effectively everyday. I hope I can take his example and be like him someday. :)

So let my tell you about my p-day schedule!! Every Friday I have p-day! We wake up at 6:30 AM and have personal study from 7-8:15. Then we have breakfast until 9:00, and from 9-10:00 we have companionship study. Then at 10:00 we go to the Temple until 1:00. Then from 1-3:30 we have prep time where we write letters and do whatever we need to do for the up coming week. Then at 3:30 we do laundry until 5:15ish, and the we e-mail home :)  That's how Elder Walker and I do things :)  We then have dinner from 6-6:45, and class from 7-9:00 and that's pretty much it!!

Well I love you all and miss you!! I love hearing from you and hope I can everyday if possible :)

Love, (Amor)

Elder Lester

Visa Update

Elder Lester hasn't received his Visa yet. In fact, the whole group going to Mexico hasn't received what is called a "Permission Letter" from the Mexican Government to proselyte in Mexico. That letter needs to be received BEFORE the Visa is granted. The Mexico Area offices are closed until January 15th, so the Missionary Department can't even find out anything until that time.  Elder Lester's departure date is scheduled for the 24th of January, but if the letter and Visa doesn't come in time for him and the other Elders going to Mexico, then by the end of January we should know where he would be sent somewhere to serve temporarily. We knew this could happen.  The Missionary Department said that 30-60% of foreign Missionaries can be sent somewhere temporarily while waiting for a Visa. He could be sent to places such as Idaho, Seattle, Utah, Vegas...anywhere close, so he can fly back to UT when the Visa comes, and then meet with the "Consolate" in UT. That same day he would fly to Mexico. Also, if he was sent somewhere like Idaho - winter weather, the opposite of what he packed for Mexico, the mission president will make sure he gets the winter clothing he needs. So we pray...and wait.  He is so anxious to get to Mexico!