Mexico Week 81: Baptims of David Andres and Miranda

Hey Family!

Well it’s been raining a lot as of late!  We are getting wet, wet, and more wet!!  It’s hard to work in the rain but we are having success. It has been fun!  I really love my companion.  He is a great missionary.  I love being with the missionaries who teach me. He has taught me and he is a great friend. Today we are in Chignahuapan, hahahaha! We asked permission from the President and he said yes, hahahaha.  It has been fun visiting places and people that I knew here. I have heard that the branch fell hard a few weeks after I left. I feel sad for that. I hope things get better.  My comp and I will be going soon.  Elder Rojas is doing good here but he just is having a hard time with his comp. He is a great missionary Elder Rojas, I love him as well.

Thanks for all writing me hahaha.  Well I only got 3 months left but I plan to work hard and finish strong.  I have plans to keep working after the Mission as well. It has been great so far. The Zone that I am in is a Blessed Zone.  We have been working hard and really we have the best Missionaries in the Mission in our Zone.  I am happy for that.   

On Saturday Elder Lopez and I Baptized 2! Hahahaha, David Andres and Miranda. It was awesome!  We pretty much stayed all day in the Church building because it was Stake conference as well. We Baptized David at 1:00 pm and Miranda at 8:00 pm. It was a great service and a ton of people came!!

We have been working hard and this week we will have another Baptism, Jaime Santacruz is his name. He is like 30 and he is a great investigator! We plan to have at least 2 on the 25th of August. The work has been flourishing in our area.  We are really happy and I love working.  We have been working well with the members as well. We have had alot of success with them. The Family Minor came back from vacation finally so we are planning to work hard with them so that we can get them to go to Church and also have a Baptism date. The Mission has been going great so far. I only hope that we will have success for the rest of my time here.

Well I gotta go. We have to get back to our area and it’s about 2 hours away. I love you all.  I want to wish a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Braxley. I hope you are doing great Brax, I love ya!  I also want to send a late HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Brennan.  I hope you are doing just as well.  Sounds like work, school, and Church are doing great!!  I hope that you all have a great week!!  Love you all!!

Love,

Elder Brady Lester

 

Mexico Week 79: For the Temple is a House of God

Hola Familia!! 

Thank you for writing me :) I always love to read your letters. That stinks about your leg Kasey. Hope that it heals up soon!  Sounds like everything has just been going great.  I am doing great!!  My new comp is Awesome!  His name is Elder Lopez and is from Ecuador. He is a great worker and sooooo cool hahahahaha. I hope that everything goes great in this change. I feel like we will have alot of success. That is awesome that the boys are going to get some merit badges this weekend! I hope that they have a great time. I hope that you are all ready for school and stuff hahaha.  

Well I will just get to the point of my email...and why I put down that subject for the email. On Saturday, a family that I Baptized in Haulcaltzingo went to the Mexico City Temple and got Sealed.  The sister, Lorena got her Endowment. It was great news!!! Even better news is that my comp and I got to go!!!! Hahahahahahha it was so sweet! We got permission to go to Mexcio City and go to the Temple to see my converts get married and Sealed to each other and their little baby boy. It was such an experience. I wanted to send pics but of course there is not a place to put in my memory card so I can’t :(  I don’t like the internet here hahaha. It was so awesome!! The Spirit was so strong and I felt like I recharged myself spiritually!  It was the best day of the Mission.  I could not help but cry as I saw Hermana Lorena and Hermano Pedro get Sealed and especially to their little son. I was so happy.  

 Baptism of Lorena & Pedro in Haulcaltzingo

 México City México Temple

 After we left the Temple...around 5ish we went to eat tortas. After we ate we went in a bus to the station and I counted my money and we did not have enough to get home. We were a little worried but I said a prayer in my heart as well as my companion and we felt so sure that we were going to get home. We got to the bus station and we checked our mission credit cards...nothing. I checked my card from home....nothing hahaha. We started walking...more worried and we heard a man yell behind us "Mormones" hahahahahaha. We turned around and it was a brother from here in Tlaxcala in our stake and we know him. He asked us about why we were in Mexico and we told him that we went to the Temple. He was walking with a bag carrier and told us to contact him hahaha, and as we contacted him the brother left to buy his ticket, but our prayers were answered and he bought us tickets as well!!  We got back to Puebla and he bought us pizza as well and him and his wife drove us all the way home. My comp and I were so surprised and we gave so much thanks in our prayers to Heavenly Father. It was amazing.

I don’t know how in the world we found a brother in the biggest city in the world, from the smallest state in Mexico, from our stake who knew us and who has money.  All I can say is that God loves us and watches out for us. I know that He answers every prayer. I am so grateful to Him. 

Our investigators are doing great.  The Familia Minor is just doing great. They still have not gone to Church but they have the desire to be Baptized and pray and read to know. We have been visiting alot of people and doing alot of teaching. We are having alot of progress and we hope to Baptize soon again. Everything has been going just great. This week we have to go to Puebla for the Zone Leader Council. That is going to be sweet like always. I am excited for the work.

It’s going to be hard to go home but I know that God will help me to be able to keep working in His work as long as I am faithful. This is a Church of workers not a museum of Saints who just go on Sundays.  We have alot of work to do...in our wards, stakes, and in the Temple to be able to help God finish His work and glory. The most important work we do is with our families.  I am dedicated to love and cherish my future family so that God can work miracles through us. 

I hope you all have a great week!! I love and miss you tons!! 

Love, 

Elder Lester

 

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

Mexico Week 65: Branch and Missionary Work

Hey Family!!

Thank you for all your lovely letters of support and love. I love reading your letters each Monday. They inspire me and help me keep up with my English, hahahahaha.  Happy Birthday to Baliee...how old are you now?  Hahahaha, Grandma,  just to let you know you are allowed to send me pictures and I would love that very much!  

Things have been crazy here in Puebla...well I am far away from Puebla, but still. The volcano, Mom, is actually a volcano in Puebla.  My son, Elder Escamilla is actually working right under it hahahaha, and also Castillotla is about an hour and a half from it. It has been a little angry that volcano I have heard, but I am a good 3-4 hours away from that thing, so things here are tranquilo, hahaha.  Things are also crazy because in July Mexico will be voting for another president just like us in November.  By the way how is Mitt doing?  Is he winning?  The weather here is very nice. It’s a little warm but not too much...it’s like Utah summer, the sun just burns a lot, hahaha. Things are going great other than that. I hope that the Suns make the playoffs...we must pray for them, hahaha.


Well this past week we were able to get a lot done...well more than usual.  Elder Cano and I now have 3 Baptism dates for the 4th of May which is really awesome because it’s hard to Baptize here and usually the best Missionaries only Baptize like 1-2 in 3-4 months.  We have some great things going with some investigators. We don’t have a lot, only 10, but we are working with them and I believe that the majority of them will be Baptized.

This is the last week of the change though and I think next Tuesday I will have another companion. I love Elder Cano, but he has some time here and I think he will be going.  In this change we are going to have some weird things happening because the Mission will be splitting on the 1st of July.  The President is going to call 4 assistants next week in the changes so that they can start working and helping with the division. There are going to be 4-6 secretaries as well for the division. We still don’t know where we will be but if I stay here another 2 changes I will be in the North Mission...which means I would be with President Christensen.  Hahahahaha, if that happens, I will have 5 Mission Presidents in my Mission!! (counting the MTC).  I don’t think that happens a lot to many Missionaries.


Things are going great in the branch so far. We are really trying to get our auxiliary presidents working because we really are working to build up the assistance and strengthen the Faith of the members. We have called some Sunday school teachers and we started Mutual last Saturday :)  We have called a family history consultant (which I am really excited for) and we have called 1 leader of young single adults, and we will be calling another.  We are doing all of this to help the members understand how the Church really is and how much of a Blessing it is to be a member.  It’s also really going to help us have a plan to reactivate members who are inactive.  I am really excited for what is going on here in Chignahuapan, it’s just really hard to do, hahaha.  I have my respects for all the Bishops in the world. Their job is hard and they are really blessed for it.


One of my responsibilities is taking care of the branch budget and the tithing....basically all of the money.  If I steal or lose one peso I am done for, hahahaha.  Yesterday I had to deal with $20,000 pesos of Tithing!! It was a lot of cash, hahahaha.  I also had to make a 3 month budget for the branch. We decided to put in a lot of money in the new program of the young single adults.  Not a lot go and the program is new, but we are really expecting a lot.


Well things are going good. Hahaha, if I get a new comp the first thing we are going to do is clean our house because Elder Cano and his last comp were pigs, hahaha.  I am happy and time is just flying by.  It would be nice to get an extension on my Mission but I really doubt that will happen because they want me home for Christmas, hahaha.  I love the Mission and the things that I have learned.  It’s quite the experience.  It’s not how they say it is in Primary or the MTC, but it’s great.

Repentance is a lovely thing that I have learned about in the Mission. That has been my favorite part so far. Seeing how the Atonement of Christ works in the lives of my investigators and especially in my life. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ and what He did for us.  It’s something that really is beautiful. I help members every week go through the process of Repentance and although it’s hard...it’s worth it. I know from experience as well. I have made mistakes in the Mission...but I have seen how beautiful this Gospel really is.  Forgiveness really is a miracle.

I hope everything is going great.  Just to answer questions...I am in the middle of nowhere, hahaha. You guys can look this place up online...it’s famous.  We don’t shop and we have to eat a lot in the street because the members are really poor here so they don’t give us much food.  As President, I have to give them money for food and transport, and after I ask for a refund of my money.  It’s a beautiful thing to help the poor...even though I am poor as well, hahahaha.  The mountains are really pretty here. There are a lot of places to go camping and fishing and stuff.  I will send pictures very soon.  I love you all and hope that you have a great week!!

With Love,
Elder Brady Lester

Mexico Week 58: Apostle!

Hello everyone!

Well I have some great news!! On the 1st of July you guys already know that the mission will be splitting into two missions. We just got news today that Presidente Ralph N. Christensen will lead the Puebla North Mission and President Reeves in the Puebla South Mission. I would really love to be with Presidente Reeves but I feel that I will be in the North Mission with President Christensen. We still don't know who will be where. Because of this great thing that is happening on the 14th of April Elder David A. Bednar will be coming to talk to us!!! An Apostle!! Its going to be awesome! I cant wait. We have to prepare ourselves for this and repent so that we can learn from the Spirit.  Also some other good news is that Loma Florida is going to get a church building this year!! Which means they wont have a House of Prayer anymore!! I am so happy that the work of the Lord is growing here in Mexico.

Thank you for all writing me. I loved your letters :) Dad if you could send me your address again so that I can write you please? Mom and Brinkley I will be sending your letters this week. Thank you dad and Mom for giving me some money. That always helps so that I can eat dinner hahaha. It's just usually breakfast and lunch with the members.  I only have one package request mom....shoelaces. I have my last pair and they are about to break. My Rockport shoes broke again hahaha.  They are crappy shoes so we shouldn't buy those for Kasey when he goes on the Mission hahaha.

Well this week we worked hard. We taught a lot of lessons and we found 9 new investigators! We also invited the Fosado family to be Baptized on the 18th of March and they accepted! Things are going pretty good here. We need to help our investigators progress more towards Baptism and we must find new investigators, but I am very happy with the work right now in Loma Florida. I have almost 16 months in the mission and I feel like I am barely understanding how to do the work here, hahahaha. I pray that the Lord continues to bless us!! 

Thank you all for your love, support, and prayers :) I love you all and hope you have a great week!!

Love,

Elder Brady Lester

Mexico Week 39: Working Hard & Baptisms of Euloterio and Rene

Hey everyone!!

Well I want to thank Mom and the kids for writing me, hahahaha and grandma too :) I felt a little sad when I opened up my email today because I usually have like 15 emails, but today only 4 hahaha. Kids I am glad that things are going great for you guys!! Sounds like you had fun last weekend with dad. Brinkley, your life seems really exciting and busy right now with school and work!! I am glad that you are busy hahaha....that way you don't get married before I get home, hahaha jk jk jk. I hear school is good and you are doing well. Keep it up!! And save your money!! That is how the Lord will bless you. I have learned something....5 dollar income 6 dollar expense...misery. 5 dollar income 4 dollar expense...eternal happiness. Keep that in mind everyone! I know that I wasn't the great example of that, hahaha and I will pay for my mistakes after the mission :(  Mom I heard from the kids that you had a great bday! They bought you a bike!! That's awesome!! I hope all your wishes come true :)

Well this past week things went really good. First off we had 2 more Baptisms on Saturday!! Hermano Euloterio, the husband of Hermana Cony, and Hna Rene, her daughter got Baptized!!! It was a great service!! The spirit was felt and they were even crying hahaha :) I promised them that in 1 year after my mission I am going to come back and go through the Temple with them to see them get Sealed as a family :) I really can't wait for that!! They are such a great family!

This past week Elder Escamilla and I had to drop alot of investigators that just were not progressing. We are trying to find new investigators in this week and we pray that we will be able to find more chosen people. This past week we actually found a new investigator named Gabriela. We decided to knock doors for an hour in a specific street in our area. Well we knocked her door and we started talking. She told us that she was Christan and that she knew a little bit about us. She said "you Mormons do weird things." Hahaha my comp and I laughed and we started to talk about some things but she didn't have much time, so we got an appointment with her. We went back for the appointment and we started talking...outside of her house hahaha about the Restoration. The whole time I felt uncomfortable and didn't know why. As we started talking about Joseph Smith and the BoM, she just looked at us weird and said that it was a crazy story hahaha. In that moment the Spirit told me to talk about the Plan of Salvation. I had no idea why, and I rejected it!! I kept talking about the BoM and the Spirit kept telling me to do it, so finally I just put down the BoM and said, "I feel like I need to tell you something." That is how I started talking about the Plan of Salvation. It was an ugly transition of things but it worked and it was because the Spirit was with us. My comp and I explained a little bit of the lesson. She completely changed and said that she wanted all of it to be true and that she might get Baptized if it's true, but she still has problems with the BoM and Joseph Smith. We challenged her to read and to pray. Today we have another appointment with her and I am excited to talk with her. I know that the Spirit helped us a ton in that lesson and really hope that we can continue to work with her and that she can accept all of this as the truth.

This past week my comp and I also worked really hard reactivating families hahaha. We really want to split the ward and start up another ward and a branch. In this ward there are over 650 members but only about 180 go. Well after a hard working week of visiting less active families, yesterday 216 members showed up!! We were really happy! Things are going great for us and I have never felt so happy in my mission. I really pray that I stay here for a while longer and that the Lord keeps blessing us.

Thank you for all your support and I love you all!! Hope you all have a great week!!

Love,

Elder Brady Lester