Mexico Week 74: Rain & Clothing

Hey Everyone,

Well things are going great here and I am just loving the Mission. Hahahaha, I have not been much in my area this past week since I have been in exchanges with all of the District Leaders in the Zone, and today I am in a place called San Martin where I will be working for the next two days. Things are going great. I will be honest, I miss being a Branch President or even a District Leader. Hahahaha, it’s very different being a Zone Leader and I am not sure what I think about it yet.

That stinks that the Heat won the championship. I was routing for the Thunder, haha!
 
Well it’s raining again over here in the Mission. I am lucky to have one of those areas where the streets look live rivers, hahaha. My other pair of shoes are just thrashed and so I think I am going to be working alot more in my "Sunday" ones to finish off the Mission. While we are talking about clothes I will just let you all know how my clothing is hahaha. Like I said, I am pretty much down to one pair of shoes. I have one good belt, hahaha. I am also loving my garments, hahaha. They are grey and with holes, and sometimes it’s hard to get those stains out from behind, hahaha, it’s awesome. I think that my shirts are yellowish now. They seem white but when I am with other Missionaries who have less time in the Mission their shirts are way white, hahaha.  My pants are just different colors. My grey ones look like some ugly brown and my blue ones look like they are turning colors like if I was washing with bleach.  My socks are just...well let’s just say bad.  Thank you for the socks Mom!  Hahaha I think that is the best present a Missionary could get....and hot fries hahaha.  My blue suit is just a sad mess. I think that I am going to leave it behind when it’s time for me to go home, hahaha.  I really won’t use it after.  My ties....wow my ties. Let’s just say I need to learn how to eat better, hahahaha.  I am just looking back at all the money that we spent and it’s just going all down the drain, hahaha.  I love it.  The good thing is that I still have one good suit, that I will have to tailor again to my size. My hush puppies are still good.  And I have one good belt and a pair of good jeans that I bought here because I got paint all over my other ones, hahaha.
 
Just to let you know Mom, I think that it would be better to save up the money to come as a family here next year instead of coming for me in November.  The Church does pay for the ticket so don’t worry about that.  They will probably buy my ticket soon. I think I am going to ask the President if they could fly me out of Mexico City instead of Puebla so that I could go to the Temple before I go home.
 
Things are just great!  I really love my companion and we are getting alot done.  We are trying to help the Zone be more obedient because we have had problems in that, so we are trying to be the best examples.  We are teaching a bit but we need to find new investigators because we are dropping some and are we are hoping to Baptize soon.  We put the goal to go eat seafood if we Baptize, hahaha.  It’s rare to eat that here. I am going to work hard so that I can buy myself some shrimp.

The other day I ordered some leather scripture cases from a brother in Castillotla.  He is going to make them and I am going to pay and get them in like a week or two when I go to Puebla. We are getting ready for our Zone Conference this Friday. The new President is going to be here so it’s going to be exciting.
 
Well I hope that all continues to go well back at home. I feel sorry for Brink and her wisdom teeth. Hope that you feel better soon. You are all in my prayers I and love you all tons!

 

Love,
Elder Brady Lester

Mexico Week 73: Zona Tlaxcala‏

Hey Everyone! 

I hope everything is going great back at home!! Well I am now in Tlaxcala as a Zone Leader. My comp is Elder Nuncio, Mexican, and he is really awesome!!  I love him and am so happy to be with him. We are the Zone Leaders here and we are going to have a lot of work to do with the Mission splitting and stuff. We are going to be traveling a ton!!  I am way excited and ready to get to work.

Thanks for your letters. Just to let you know Grandma, there are not any taco bells here. Hahahaha, actually I think that I will never go to taco bell again after the Mission.  They are not tacos at all!!  Congrats Kasey and Kolby for getting your Eagle Scout awards!!  That’s awesome! Keep it up! I hope that you all have a great summer. Just to let you know Mom, I got your package and thank you tons!!  My comp and I already ate all the food hahahaha :)  Brink, I wrote Sean and he is doing good. He is going to be a great Missionary.

Well I don’t have much time to write. Things have been going great.  I am trying to get back into the routine of being a Missionary again hahaha, and not a Branch President.  I am back on track teaching and getting ready to Baptize alot.  It’s fun just being a normal Missionary working hard.  I have made the goal to be 100% obedient these last 5 months that I have in the Mission. It’s hard but it is so worth it. I am so glad to be in the Mission. I have learned alot.

I am grateful for the Atonement of Christ and am so grateful that here in the Mission I have really learned how to use it each day of my life.  I am so happy that He paid the price so that we can return to His house. He really really wants us just to work hard and do our best because He loves us. If we do our best we will return home again with Him.  He never leaves us alone if we fulfill what He has commanded us to do.

This week we have been teaching a sister, Elbia, and she is great.  We put a Baptism date for her for the 7th of July.  She didn’t want to accept so we were praying real hard so that she would feel that it is the right thing to do. On Sunday our prayers were answered.  The second counselor in the Stake Presidency gave a talk about receiving revelation and the importance to make goals and accept dates so that the adversary doesn’t tempt us hahaha.  It was exactly what Elbia needed and my comp and I just looked at each other like WOW!  Hahahaha, God answers prayers hahaha!!  I know He does.

Well I gotta go. I love you all and hope that you have a wonderful week!!

Love,
Elder Brady Lester

3 Nefi 5:13

Mission Safety

I received the following email from Brady. This is the first time I've received anything pertaining to his safety in Mexico. He's pretty down South in Mexico away from the Mexican drug cartels, I thought, and his new area of Tlaxcala is actually 1 1/2 hours South of his last area of Chignahuapan, so something definitely has changed for the Area Presidency to send these safety guidelines. I pray for his continued safety:

The Area Presidency has sent us safety guidelines for all the Missions in Mexico. Due to recent actions taken by the USA against certain Mexican drug cartels, there exists a believable risk that members of said drug cartels retaliate against individuals and/or businesses seen as North American. Therefore, we recommend that all the missionaries maintain a low profile during the next 2 to 3 weeks. Follow strictly the following safety guidelines from the Area Presidency:

• Do not visit institutions associated with North American, such as McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, Wal-Mart, etc. 
• Return to the apartment at 9:00 at the very latest. 
• Do not respond to unknown calls or invitations. 
• Obey the mission rules with exactness. 
• Be sensitive to and obey the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. 
• Advise the mission president of any out of the ordinary situation that could result dangerous for missionaries. 
• Maintain daily contact with the District Leader, the District Leaders with the Zone Leaders, and the Zone Leaders with the Assistants. 
• Avoid being in or near groups of people in the street, peaceful or violent. 
• Pray every day to receive the protection of God in your daily activities and give thanks every day for the protection received.

We ask you to follow with exactness these safety guidelines. These guidelines apply to all missionaries, North American or not. The Lord with watch over and protect us as we obey these instructions.

Muchas Gracias,

La Oficina

Misión México Puebla

Mexico Week 72: Transfers

Hey there Everyone!

Thanks for writng me. I loved your letters. Brink I have written Sean but it seems to me that it didn't get to him because I got an email telling me that the address was wrong, so if you could send it to me again that would be awesome. Hahaha, well Kolby, I think that the Heat will win, but I want the Thunder to win. Shame that Boston lost. Things sound great at home! Grandma you should tell your boss to start a school in Mexico or Panama. He would make alot of money especially for the English. Brasil will be a cool place though.

Well just to let everyone know because I know that you are all anxious to know hahaha, I do have transfers. I am happy about it. I would like to stay one more transfer but I am willing to follow the Lord. I am happy for my companion Elder Rojas because he will be the next president and he is going to do great. He has been a blessing to the branch and will help even more.  Exciting things are happening in the branch and I really love this place. I think that it's my favorite area hahaha, more than Castillotla even though Elder Escamilla and I had alot of success there. There is just something about Chignahuapan that I love. Who knows where I will go and who will be my comp but tomorrow I will find out! There are 3 places, Tlaxcala, Amalucan (which is my first zone and I could visit Hualcatzingo, and if he doesn't have changes Elder Walker would be my comp, hahaha) or Angelopolis, which is like the US hahaha, because everyone has money. It's kinda like Gilbert. I have to send the pics still but Elder Escamilla, Elder Cano, and I went to eat at Applebees there :) Hahaha there is a Mac store and everything is just like at home. That would be a sweet area but who knows. I would just love an American comp now hahaha. But its possible that my next area is my last but who knows.

Elder Riggin is going home today and Elder Rojas, the lazy one. Hahaha I talked to Elder Riggin. He is going to find you on Facebook Mom so that you guys plan out the day when I get home, he wants to be there and loves you all so much. He is really a great friend. I think that he will stay in Washington for a while and study and work because one of his comps that is from Ecuador is going to live with him up there for a year. Hahaha he does have a girl who is studying though, Elder Riggin, at UoA in Tucson. Apparently she is a Mexican and speaks Spanish hahaha. He is excited about it but is really wanting to go to AZ.

Well things are going great. I love the Mission and really am Happy. I am happy to know be able to work as a normal missionary. I am really excited to get back out to teaching and contacting all the time and working with the leaders of the wards and not being one hahaha. I have alot of respect for them, like Bishop Turner. They really are called of God and everything that they do is by revelation. It's been a great learning experience to be here. It will help me be a great leader in the church and help me raise my family in the future.

Well I hope that you have a great week. I love you all so much and miss you tons!! I will let you know next week where I am and who is my comp :)

Love,
Elder Brady Lester

Mexico Week 71: Learning alot as Branch President

Hey there!

Wow its June!! It’s crazy how the time flies. I totally forgot to tell you guys last Monday that a dog totally bit my finger and tore it up pretty bad hahaha. Everything is alright now. I cleaned it up and put a band aid on it hahaha. 

Just to let you know Mom I still haven’t gotten the package you sent. I hope that I will go to Puebla soon for it.
 
Thanks for your awesome emails. I love reading the funny ones from Brax hahaha. It sounds like you boys had a great time on the trek! I am so happy that you all had a great spiritual experience. I remember when Brink and I went on the trek. It was so awesome!! Sounds like everything is going great back at home. Wow I can’t believe that it’s so hot!! How is the weather in Puerto Rico dad? That’s awesome that you are getting some missionary work done over there! Hahaha the weather here has been pretty warm as of late but now we have been getting some rain :)
 
Well this week is the last week of this transfer. I asked President to leave me here hahaha, and he told me that he would think about it. I really hope that I stay here more time. We are starting a library in the branch!! It’s going to be awesome! I asked for a tons of stuff!! Scriptures, markers, manuals, books. It’s so sweet what we are doing. We also started up the single adults program. We planned activities for each week for the rest of the year. Activities like dances, games, sports, cooking, FHE, service, and camping!! It’s going to be a blast to see these members have tons a fun. They have never seen these things before. Hahahaha, you can say that I am changing this Mexican branch into an American ward, hahaha :)
 
Well nothing else much has happened. We are getting alot done in the branch. We were not able to go to the Temple on the 26th of May because the other branch canceled, and they rented the bus so it was lame, but now we are going to do it with just our branch on the 16th of June. Also the young women are going to have a campout on the 22-23 of June! These things are so new and so awesome!! Hahahahaha, it makes me Happy! But we have been struggling in the Missionary work. Everybody just says no and we have not been able to teach alot. I have learned alot here as Branch President, more than any other area, but I think that my teaching skills are going away, hahaha.
 
Well I gotta go. I love you all!! I heard that David Archuleta has made 2 CDs during my mission, one that just came out?? Hahaha, I wrote Sean just to let you know Brink. I love you tons everyone!! Grandma, I know it’s hot but you gotta get out!! Mom and you should go to lunch one day, hehehe.

Love,
Elder Brady Lester