Mexico Week 64: Elder Bednar

Hi Family!!

Well this past week was a joyful week. Thank you for all writing me. I love you all so very much and I appreciate your love and support towards me. I have a testimony that an Elder in the Mission sees many blessings in the Mission just for the love and support of a family. I am grateful to have a loving family and I pray that you will always support me in my decisions, especially in the future because I will be staring my life very soon. Grandma, I send my love and prayers and congrats to Kelly!! That is wonderful!!! That is sweet that the Suns and Dbacks are all doing great. Kasey, congrats on wearing a suit!!!!!!! And for blessing the sacrament. It is such a blessing.

As you all know Elder Bednar came on Saturday to Puebla. It was a great learning and spiritual experience. I was able to feel such a Spirit as he and his wife, as well as other General Authorities talked to us. It was a SWEET conference. He didn’t talk to us, but rather it was a conversation between him and us. It was awesome. I also got to shake his hand and look him into the eyes. Hahahahaha, the first thing that he told us was "I hope that you don’t take notes of what I say. I have given up on adults. The rising generation is the hope of this world. Adults writing notes in conferences is so silly." Hahahahaha, when he said that I couldn’t help but laugh. I loved it! He also taught us something so true about agency. Agency is the will to choose but not right from wrong. Agency is choosing God. We don’t have the option he told us. We MUST choose God and nothing else. When we rebel and don’t choose God, we lose our agency because we can’t choose our consequences. When we choose God we choose our consequences. It is so true and it really taught me alot.

We stayed 3 days in Puebla which was sweet and we stayed with Elder Riggin!!!! It was a blast! Hahahaha, we didn’t sleep much because we talked a ton, but it was fun. After the conference with Elder Bednar, my comp and I went with Elder Escamilla and his comp to Applebees. It was soooooooooo good, hahahahha. Just to let you know, I forgot my camera so I will have to send photos next week sorry.

I love you all and I am grateful to be a Missionary and to have a Testimony of the Gospel. I love this Church with all my heart.

Love,

Elder Lester

Mexico Week 17: Zone Conference with Elder Rasband, Service, Hamburgers and a New Food...Goat Brains

Hey there everyone!!

Well this week was a great and a rough one. It started off bad and good hahaha. First the bad was that one of our investigators, Alejandra, wanted to get Baptized in Puebla where her cousin and friend lives so she got Baptized there by other missionaries which was sad not to see that Baptism haha but I still count it haha. Monday through Wednesday we spent in Puebla with Elder Johnson and Elder Monjaras. Monday was p-day and we just played soccer again haha.

Tuesday Elder Johnson and I worked together all day and we had a lot of success. We taught 3 lessons and found 4 new investigators. One door we contacted didn't answer for like 3 minutes so we knocked the apartment right next to it and then the other door that we were waiting at opened and the door that we at this time were just knocking (sorry my English is bad). So I contacted one and Elder Johnson the other, and it was weird testifying alone haha, but the lady that I contacted accepted our invitation and we taught her. It was cool haha. Later in the day we also contacted a naked guy who opened the door....very weird.

Wednesday was awesome!! Elder Rasband from the 70 came and he taught us about how the Twelve call missionaries. It was the same talk he gave in conference. Later he taught us that we must be balanced missionaries, and if we are here just to baptize we are here for too shallow and pathetic of a reason. We also must help the inactive return. That is a huge priority in missionary work! It was great and the influence of the Spirit was there. After we ate at a chinese buffet which made me sick hahaha. 

Thursday we returned to our area and we taught an investigator Jesus Santos and helped him cut pityas, the cactus fruit haha, and it was fun. That lesson was good too! He was making up so many excuses that an eternal life does not interest him. Well I pretty much told him, with straight up power and authority, that it's going to happen whether you like it or not. So you can choose to accept our message and ge Baptized and be happy forever or not, and not be happy. At the end of the lesson he accepted Baptism :) It was sweet!! 

 Elder Lester and Elder Lumbreras with Jesus Santos

Friday not much happend so my companion and I returned to our house a little early and made a fire and cooked hamburgers. It was a blast haha :)

Saturday was terrible. Three of our Baptisms that we lined up for next week fell through and we won't Baptize Alan, Fernanda, and Trinidad until next change. I cried it was so sad. 

I am still great though and can't wait to get changed!!! Hahaha I also can't wait for the new president to come :) 

New foods this week: 

Rice with banana

Goat brains :) 

Pig skin 

Banana sandwich 

Well I love and miss you all!! :) Stay safe!! I added more pictures!! Check them out!

Love,

Elder Lester