Mexico Week 18: Cambios - Castillotla!

Hola Todos!

Well today we had transfers and I left Huacaltzingo.

 District Meeting

Special Family in Huacaltzingo

 It was a great time I had there and was extremely tough, but all that I learned I know will really really help me in the future in my mission. I also hope and pray for the best there in Huacaltzingo. Today, and for the next 6 weeks at least, I am in Castillotla, hahaha. It's half city and half village. My companion, Elder Rojas, has one year in the mission and is from Peru!! Sweet eh haha?

Elder Rojas

Well I will tell you about today and my new area first and then about the week. Well this area is huge and my comp tells me it's tough and the members don't really help us out. Sounds familiar haha :)  My house, well is tiny, we don't have a working toilet, we will shower in cold water, and there are cockroaches hahaha :) Sounds fun eh hahaha!! Well I will be fine don't worry about it. I am just excited to be here. My comp seems a little lazy and President Rex told me personally to take care of him hahaha, so we will see what happens, lol. I am just ready to work and am excited :)

This is Brady's apartment in Castillotla

Well in the past week we didn't have much success. It was another tough week in Huacaltzingo, but we did have some interesting experiences. Tuesday was a good day. We were out working and stuff and I had the impression to visit a specific Hermano and Hermana to ask them for a reference. Well my comp and I went and when we arrived the Hermano told us that his wife was really really sick and couldn't move or get up. Well we ended up giving him and her blessings. The spirit really directed our words and you could feel it's presence there. Well two days later she was up and walking :) It was sweet :) Well yesterday was a very strange day in the mission for me. We got up and headed for church and nobody was there. Everyone showed up late hahaha everyone! We finally found out why...apparently at 3 in the morning two young men killed a woman of 30 years with rocks not too far from the church on a hill. She happened to be an investigator that Elder Villalba and I taught. She was loved much by the members so it shook them up too. Yesterday we only had Sacrament meeting and I gave a talk on the Atonement and how Christ suffers with us and is always there calling, we just need to accept the call and come unto Him. I really hope that it helped.


Well thats all the news for this week. Brinkley CONGRATS on your graduation :) How do you feel? :)


Well I am excited to see what is going to happen in this change. I really think we will have success :) I am excited and ready to work! I hope the Lord blesses us :) I love you all and are all in my prayers everyday!


Love,
Elder Brady Lester

February Package

This was the first package that was sent to Brady in Mexico - February 2011

I had written this inside the book

So climb any mountain...climb up to the sky! My love will find you. My love can fly!

 Make a big splash! Go out on a limb! My love will find you. My love can swim!

 It never gets lost, never fades, never ends...

 if you're working...

  or playing...

  or sitting with friends.

 You can dance 'til you're dizzy...

 paint 'til you're blue...There's no place, not one, that my love can't find you.

 And if someday you're lonely, or someday you're sad, or you strike out at baseball, or think you've been bad...just life up your face, feel the wind in your hair. That's me, my sweet baby, my love is right there.

 In the green of the grass...in the smell of the sea...in the clouds floating by...at the top of a tree...in the sound crickets make at the end of the day..."You are loved. You are loved. You are loved," they all say.

 My love is so high, and so wide and so deep, it's always right there, even when you're asleep.

 So hold your head hight and don't be afraid to march to the front of your own parade. If you're still my small babe or you're all the way grown, my promise to you is you're never alone.

 You are my angel, my darling, my star...and my love will find you, wherever you are.

Inside the package was that great book, and some of Brady's favorite Lindt Chocolate. He likes the good chocolate. Hot fries - his favorite. And I wanted to put some American type food in there that he likes and would be easy for him to prepare by just sdding water - Stove Top Stuffing, Rice-a-Roni. And then some graham crackers, nutella and cream cheese frosting - he loves to stick his fingers in! Gatorade and lemonade packets, combos, and some chocolate coconut fiber bars.

Kolby sent this quote for Brady...

March Packages

Elder Lester received his first package that was sent February 2nd in three weeks time. I was so excited to know that it arrived safely and that the pictures of Mary that I put on the seams of the box was not cut open. Yay! 

At the beginning of March we sent his Easter Package:  Two Easter boxes full of jelly beans for him and his companion, Chocolate, Beef Jerkey, Hot Fries, Crystal Light Lemonade, Life Saver Mints, Starbursts, Coconut M&M's, Almond Joys, Jolly Ranchers, Moose Munch, Hand Sanitizer, Chapstick, Toothbrush, Tide to go, Easter book, and Socks.

Brady had been having a lot of problems with his feet from all the walking - athletes feet and blisters that were bleeding.  So I found these great Gold Toe brand socks normally $8.00 for $1.99 each. I think we sent 8-10 of those and three pair of P-day socks.

 Feed My Sheep

Chocolate bars from the bunnies - Daisy and Honey

March Package #2

About a week after we sent the first March package, Brady had requested some insoles for his shoes and shoe polish. So I went right out and purchased about $100 on several different styles of insoles, not knowing which ones would be the best for him. I also inclued some athletes foot cream, more socks, shoe polish, a couple of shirts, chocolate/coconut fiber bars and hot fries.

April Package

This package was fun to put together!  We had visited a cute store in Phoenix called Smeeks and so we picked up some of Brady's favorite Lemon Heads, and some cute packages of gum that say, "You are my Sunshine," I Love You," some daily affirmation gum, licorice, and Icee Lemonade Popping Candy. I took a picture of what we were sending, but after trying to pack in all in the box, I wasn't able to pack the bag of popcorn. I was bummed because this is a new yummy real popcorn and Brady loves popcorn so much! I don't think he's had any since he's been gone. 

Brady also needed some more Razor blades. He can't find the razor he uses at the stores Mexico. The one that seems to work the best on his face is the Gillette Power Glide. This is $75 in razor blades!

There's also some Boston Creme Rolls, Lindt Chocolate and Vanilla Dream Chocolate, Q-tips, Beef Jerkey, Shoe Insoles, Breath mints and two new Ties.

Hot Fries, Cream Cheese Frosting, Jolly Ranchers, Mentos, Blistex, Coconut and Buttered Popcorn Jelly Bellies, a card with a letter and uplifting thoughts from Jeanne McArthur, and a letter from Brian Bay in the ward.

May Packages

After seeing some of Brady's pictures and how tan and red he is from the sun and even seeing the peeling on his face that almost looks like his face is scraped up, I went right out and bought some sunscreen that's non-oily for him to put on his face. He is in the sun all day and really needs this. Brady also requested a memory stick so he could save things he needs. He and his companion Elder Lumbreras requested some jelly beans and tootsie rolls.  There is also some mints, some healthy drink powder, a rain poncho and some mink oil for his shoes.

I got this quote for Brady because he learned this, memorized, and recited this daily while he was at Hill Cumorah for the last two summers. He even used this quote in his farewell talk. It's very powerful.

The prints of our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, Temples, Christ and Joseph Smith were sent because Brady requested I send him another print of the Prophet and the Temple because he had given the ones he had in his wallet to an investigator.  I sent him several pictures that he could give out during his mission.

May #2 Package

Brady needed a camelpack for water because the cost of purchasing water bottles everyday really adds up. A new pair of Rockport shoes needed to be sent because the other ones were splitting on the bottom already.  We also sent some beef jerky, gatorade powder, nutella, pistachios, socks and chap stick.

Service

Elder Lester has provided some great service in Huacaltzingo from painting a house, picking the fruit off of the cactus, and he has some other pictures of service he has sent, but I don't recall reading about it. Elder Lester and Elder Lumbreras look like they are helping with the gardening/greenhouse of either a member or an investigator. Wonderful.