Mexico Week 43: Baptism of Alicia and Mastering the Language

Dear family and friends,

Thank you very much for all your letters and sweet words :) First of all I would like to wish a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Grandma :) I love you tons!! I love you all! Kolby you are awesome!! Even though you didn't make the team you are staying positive and know that there is something that you need to work on. Find out what it is and work on it!! Ask your Father in Heaven to help you prepare and fix what you need to fix so that you make the team. We are taught in 2 Nephi 32:9 that we must pray before everything that we do. I think that includes basketball too :) Kasey are you going to try out for the high school team? Brinkley sounds like you are a busy bee!! Keep it up! Braxley, hahaha well you just like to read...keep reading but I hope that you are reading in the BOM too :) Mom I love you so much! You are the best Mom in the world. Thank you for sending the packages.  

Papá te felicito por cumplir con tu proceso en el arrepentimiento. Es dificil pero hay muchas bendiciones y es algo bonito. Sigue asi y haz lo bueno y acuerdate lo que el Señor hizo por ti. Él te ama y tu familia. Utiliza la expiacion en tu vida cada dia. 

Well this past week I have really understood and realized that it's not easy for me to talk or write in English hahaha. I have to really think about the words and sometimes I forget words in English so I have to look online or in the dictionary to be able to talk...and I only have 1 year!!! My goal actually is to go home speaking very little English hahaha. I really want to master this language. I really would like to learn more languages after the mission and continue studying Spanish. Hopefully Travis will help me with my Portugese hahaha. Oh just so that you know Alex Helvig is almost done with his mission!! It went by fast! He goes home on the 20th of December. His president is sending him home a little early so that he can be home for Christmas cool huh! Well just to let you all know...they don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in Mexico :( But on Thursday the sister told us that she was going to make us mole with turkey so I guess you could say that I will still be a little connected with the turkey and all :) 

Well in this past week we got a ton of references from the members!! It was awesome!! We got 8 and usually here we only get like 1-2 each week hahaha. We taught and got alot of new investigators which is what we were needing because they are all getting Baptized hahaha!! This past week Hna Alicia talked with a counselor of the Mission President (I love President Reeves) and she was considered repentative for what she did in her past and she got Baptized on Saturday!!!! The Bishop Baptized her and it was a sweet service. She was so happy after and is just loving being a member of the Church. On Sunday she got Confirmed. She is a great lady and has so much in store for her. Also yesterday in Church I taught the future missionaries in our ward with a former missionary and it was sweet. The Bishop wants me to teach that class and my companion to teach the class with the investigators. It's really cool. I have alot of sweet plans for the class. I want to invite members to be investigators so that they can teach. I want to go out and knock doors with them instead of being in the class. I am really excited. I love this area and ward. I really want to stay here for a long time hahahaaha. 

Well things with the Baptisms that fell through look alright. The crazy girl is never home during the week only really late at night and on the weekends so we don't have much time to meet with them. The other Baptisms will happen, it's just a matter of time. They will progress :) I know that they will.  

I would like to give my Testimony in Spanish. Se que la obra misional es la obra del Señor. Él nos ayuda a los misioneros todos los dias por medio de Su espiritu. La guia es maravillosa. Se que el Libro de Mormon es verdadero y no solo es la clave de nuestra religion pero la clave de la obra misional. Ninguna persona puede conocer a Jesucristo a menos que lea en el Libro de Mormon. Testifica de Su divinidad en cada hoja. El Libro de Mormon es el fudamento de nuestro testimonio. Se que Jesucristo murío por nosotros. Es nuestro Salvador y Redentor. Pero como representante de Él...testifico que Él vive y que nos ama. 

I gotta go but I love you all and can't wait to talk with you on Christmas Eve :) Have a great week!! 

Elder Brady Lester

Missionary Week 42: 1 AÑO‏ this Week!

Hello Everyone!!


Thank you everyone for your letters and kind uplifting words. I always love reading your emails. Well this week was a very interesting week and I was thinking alot about what was going to happen today with me hahaha. I cried alot yesterday in church because I really love the members in Castillotla and wanted to stay really bad. I have prayed like crazy so that I would stay....and God answered my prayers hahaha. I stayed in Castillotla with Elder Escamilla!!! Hahahaha we are together again for another 6 weeks so we have changes on Christmas! I am so happy hahaha and shocked! I had no idea that I was staying. My district leader called me and told me that I had changes and I was expecting that so all I said was ok. After he told me that it was a joke and that we were both staying, my comp and I. Really Elder Escamilla and I jumped for joy!! I really think we are going to keep doing good here :)


Well not alot happened this past week. We had 6 baptisms planned and they all fell!! All of them!! One investigator, Hna Alicia, had her interview and didn't pass. Apparently she did something really bad in her life so she couldn't get Baptized and has to wait to talk with President or his counselors. Well this week she has an interview with them and so we really hope that she can get Baptized. She is a sweet spirit and really wants to get Baptized. Another Baptism, Hna Maria who is 12 years old, fell. She wants to get Baptized but her mom wants to listen to us first so that she knows what we do and teach, so we planned her Baptism, and Baptism for her mom in 15 days hahaha. It kinda turned out better. Our other investigator, Hna Gabriela who is 18 and wants to get Baptized, went to the doctors and they told her that she was crazy and that she needed help haha so she had no time this past week to talk and so we had to cancel her Baptism. Another family that we have been teaching for about a week just moved to a new house and has not had time to go to church so we had to cancel their Baptism for a while but they will get Baptized :) We think we could Baptize 7 in this month even though our goal is 5. We are really working hard and things are going good.


This past week we have been trying to find ways to improve the work here in Castillotla. We have been thinking of ideas of contacting and finding more people and we have been trying to work with the priests in our ward and want to put up a stand on a corner with a bunch of pamphlets and Book of Mormons. The young men's president in our ward really wants us to start working tons with the young men so we are trying to find ways to work with them. We are also getting really close to opening up a branch in this little village that we have in our area hahaha and we have permision and everything. We are just wanting to wait a bit more so that we can get the work started up really good. I feel that things will take more than one change and I might not be here but I will try my hardest to keep the work going here. I really want to see my vision that I had when I got here come to life.


Well honestly I have nothing else going on so I will just have to wrap up hahaha. I am grateful for all your love and support and I hope things are going well for you all!! I will be completing 1 year in the mission this week and the time has just passed by flying!!!


Love,
Elder Brady Lester

Mexico Week 23: Teaching Baptism, Learning Promptings of the Spirit

Hey there everyone!!

Well this week has been a pretty good one!! We worked really really hard and got alot done! In this week we lost one of our investigators, Oscar, because he didn't do good in school so he is grounded the whole summer, so he is not allowed to get Baptized now, which stinks hahaha. This past week it has rained alot because apparently there was a hurricane in Vera Cruz and also a cold front. It has gotten really cold here really fast!! I hear that the rain will just get worse starting in a couple of weeks hahaha so I cant wait :)


So this past week was an interesting one with this investigator Hermana Juana. She is the one who has listened to the lessons before but 15 years ago! She loves the lessons but does not want to get Baptized. Well my comp and I really thought it was because she had no testimony of the BOM. We really worked hard on her getting to read and pray about the BOM. Well she did it, and the last time that I went to visit her we were on divisions with other Elders, and she said that she knew it was true but she still turned down Baptism!!  Well I gave an example about how to enter into the door to heaven...we need a key. That key is Baptism. If you are Baptized without the proper authority or in the wrong form, you have a key but the wrong one. She still turned it down. I ask if she loved her husband and wanted to live with him forever, she said yes! But she turned it down again. Then I asked "If God Himself was here right now and commanded you to be Baptized, would you do it?" She said yes! Then I told her that He is here in the form of two young boys and that He called us by a Prophet to help people take upon themselves this Covenent. Well she turned it down again. It was depressing after that lesson but I feel that she will get Baptized at some point. She only wants to learn but nothing else. Well I just want her to get Baptized and nothing else, so we shall see who wins hahaha ;) JK JK! We have a lesson with her tomorrrow so we will see what happens.

Well with Hermana Imelda, well she came to church yesterday and liked it. She asks alot of questions and really understands everything and reads and prays but she still doesn't know it its true. Well we ask her if she feels different when she reads and prays, and she says that she really feels peaceful and wants to keep reading. Well we keep telling her that that is her answer. Well she wants something a little stronger and more sure before she changes. She is willing to change but only with an answer because she is really Catholic haha. We also have an appt with her tomorrow.

Well this past week I have really studied alot about how I can better understand the promptings of the Spirit so that I can follow them. I have learned that personal revelation is a process. The Lord teaches us here a little and there a little. Line upon line. He just asks that we are worthy, prayerful, and diligent in following, not trying, but following the promptings AND looking for them. This past week I have learned alot from the Spirit and look forward to feeling it more in my life so that I may help the people who need this message. Hahaha and I have been having constant dreams about me being district leader in the next change. I don't know if that is revelation, but we shall see next Monday when we have changes hahaha!

This past Friday we had a ward activity which was fun! It was a night of talents and dancing, but not for us. It was a night of teaching and contacting all the visitors who came and we got some appts so I am really excited about that!! Speaking of that I want to know how you guys are doing on your Missionary work? Do you guys talk to friends and neighbors about the gospel and then give these references to the Missionaries? If not then DO IT! It is a commandment from the Lord (D&C 18:29) Without members, Missionaries can't do a thing. I urge you to do your Missionary work. In the past month we have gotten 18 references from the members. What do you guys think about that? I think it is not sufficient in the work of the Lord. WE NEED MORE! So I hope you guys are doing better than this ward! SHARE THE GOSPEL! Christ did not just teach by example but He opened His mouth and testified! DO THE SAME! But you must talk to your friends. A reference is someone who WANTS to listen, not someone you THINK wants to listen. There is a difference in the word reference and suggestion. I would like to check on this homework every 2 weeks so let me know :) And yes, I meant to be direct in that topic :)

Well I love and miss you all!! I hope all is well! Remember the Lord loves you all and is blessing you for all that you do! :)

Love,
Elder Brady Lester

Mexico Week 4: Promptings from the Spirit

Hey there everyone!!

Thank you for all your loving letters!! Grandma, I heard about your illness last week. I am worried about you and hope you are getting better :) Braxley, I am impressed that you can do a smiley face now :) :) I can wink though ;) haha =) or a heart <3 haha!! Keep it up in b-ball and don't get down. Kolby, that is awesome that you won the game for your team way to go!! Brinkley, where did you go, haha? Thanks for all the sports updates Kasey.  I love them :) How's your scripture reading going? You studying Preach my Gospel?

So to answer your questions. Our house is very nice I think especially compared to the houses we have been in. There is no heat in our house, only for the shower thank goodness!! You are right grandma about the tv thing. Alot of people dont have running water, so sometimes when we ask if we could use the restroom you see their stuff from the day in the toilet still :( Kinda gross. Everyone does have a tv though and they treasure it, lol. My area has about 600 people who live in it all spread out! We can only work in about 2 sometimes a 3rd town in our area because our area is huge and it's too expensive to take a bus to the other towns in our area. We really need bikes. I did give my tie to Elder Christofferson, but we traded so I have one of his :) I also traded a tie with Elder Ferrell and gave him another one since its his uncles business, haha. Those last pictures are of my district and zone at our last temple walk at the MTC...wow I miss that place so much right now and all the friends too! I do wear my shower sandals but I still have athletes foot. That town we did our shopping in is about an hour away from us but I dont know if it is in our area? I think I got all the questions answered right? If not let me know.

So this week was not successful at all!! Tuesday was not so great. All of our appointments fell through and so we spent the morning and afternoon trying to receive referrals from members, but no success. Same with service...no success. So we took a cumbi (small crowded van) to Dolores. A town in our area about 15 minute drive away. We have an investigator there named Lorena. Her husband Pedro is a fabulous faithful member who has served a mission. They are soooooooo poor. They live in a one room hut and have no stove, shower, or toilet. They cook over the fire like camping. Pedro spends alot of the money he makes in the week just to take a bus to church EACH Sunday. Sometimes when he can't afford it, he will walk the hour walk to get to church. I pray the Lord blesses him with whatever he needs in this life or with treasures and mansions in the next. He is a great man and he always puts a smile on my face. Anyways we taught Lorena, and how when we live the gospel our families will be blessed. She was receptive and we gave her a Book of Mormon :) That evening I taught Luis Daniel the piano. We have lessons twice a week :)

Wednesday we had our district meeting so we traveled to Puebla. After the meeting we had divisions so I went with Elder Nielson in his area, while Elder Villalba went with his comp Elder Borrego. I thought it would be fun with Elder Nielson since he is an American, but all he talked about was cars. haha. He loves his cars. Anyways after we ate with a member we switched and I was with Elder Borrego from Sorona, Mexico. Apparently he has had some bad experiences with American Elders so he doesn't like Americans. Hahaha, that was fun to walk and not talk the whole time, lol. Anyways at 6:00 Elder Villalba and I traveled back to Puebla and that night we taught the mother of Fernando. She is the only one in her family not a member. As we taught, the father who is a member, started going off about something that I didn't understand. I felt impressed by the Spirit though to share two scriptures and testify about them. Ether 12:6 and Mosiah 2:41. I don't know if they helped but I did it.

Thursday and Friday we worked with Luis Daniel, the young man I am teaching the piano. He is 18 and is wanting to serve a mission so he worked with us. Absolutely no success. We even knocked on doors which we never do because it doesn't work here all that well. That shows you how deperate we were.

Saturday morning we knocked on doors again because we had no appts set up. We got two people for appts!! One is tomorrow and the other is tonight at 6pm! The one tonight is a family, sweet family :) The dad took the lessons 10 years ago when the area was open and still has the Book of Mormon today!! He never got baptized for reasons I dont know. I hope we have success with him :) That afternoon we visited Luis Daniel and asked if he would help us out with our activity for the night. He agreed but he started crying. Elder Villalba talked to him and I tried listening but didnt really understand. I found out that his girlfirend broke up with him because he has been trying to share the gospel with her. Also he misses his dad who has lived in New York for the past 7 years for better work for his family. I couldn't do much because I didn't understand, but after Elder Villalba talked to him again the Spirit urged me to tell him to go into his room by himself and read D&C 121:1-9. He did so and came back feeling much better. That night the activity was awesome and he shared that experience with the members and testified that us missionaries are here for a reason and the members need to help us with the work! He is going to be a great missionary!! I hope the activity was a success. I felt it was. I hope the members see their value in the work. The work progresses faster with the members. More people are baptized and stay active. Our calling is to teach, teach, and teach. The members calling is to find, find, find. This is how missionary work should work!!

Sunday was great too! Bertha came and received the Holy Ghost. We had Branch Conference and that was great too :) I also taught Fernando English :)

So anyways, I hope for better success this week! Especially with the people. This week I have had to put up with alot of trash about being from the US, especially Arizona. Also for not knowing the language, including members of the Branch. The language is getting better. I can understand more but not really talk much more, hahahaha. I having been feeling alright though. I got way home sick on Friday but things are fine and I am trying to move forward. I am almost finished reading Our Search for Happiness by Elder Ballard. Great book!! I reccommend you guys read it!  Especially Grandma! :)

I love and miss you all!! I cant wait to hear from you!!

Love,

Elder Brady Lester 

Mexico Week 3: Baptism of Bertha and Feed My Sheep

Hey there everyone!

Thank you for all your emails and kind words. Hahaha, that is crazy about the bunnies and I hope that they are doing good. Hahahahahaha, Brinkley that was a great way to ask Trey to Morp!! I bet he loved it. Little boys, I love your updates and sweet words...keep them coming!!

So this past week has been a better week for me feeling wise. I still get homesick every once and a while but I enjoy your letters and the time I have to see American Missionaries. Today for P-day we had our Zone activity and it was a blast!! We hiked up this big hill and played American Flag Football....finally something besides soccer hahaha. Believe it or not, but I was the QB for my team and I dominated!! We don't keep score but you know me and my competitive side, so really I kept score in my head and we totally won haha. After that we had a stick pull tournament and I beat everyone!!! I guess I am the strongest in the zone hahaha. After we went back to the church and played soccer of course, and we ate some food. We got every kind of meat in the world and cooked it together and made tacos with flour tortillas. It was yummy but I am sure we will have to pay for it later.

So this past week has been kind of not so successful. We have like 7 or 8 investigators but only one progressing investigator. We can't get anyone to come to Church, it stinks. So pretty much all this week we just went around trying to get references, service, and trying to strengthen less actives and investigators. So there is not much to write about the week. Saturday we came here to Puebla and met all the Elders in our District and helped them with an activity that they had, and also had some Baptism interviews that my companion had to do since he is the District Leader. It was fun!! My companion and another in our District acted as investigators, and the members didn't know about it. We played Pictionary about stories in the Scriptures, and after my companion and the other Elder got dressed as Missionaries and told them how they felt as investigators...bad hahaha. The point was to help the members get involved in Missionary Work. It was good as we all taught and bore Testimony of the importance of members and their work and love for the investigators.

This coming Saturday we have an activity of our own. We were trying to plan something but nothing was coming. The other night I had a dream about what we should do. So we are going to do it!! In John 21, it's after Christ is Resurrected and His Apostles don't know what to do so they go back to fishing. Well Christ made them breakfast on the beach and then when they got to the beach, Christ asked Peter three times, do you love me? Peter says yes of course, and then Christ says, then Feed My Sheep. So we are going to act that out. I will be the narrator and my companion will be Jesus Christ. Then some youth as the Apostles. After we act it out we will take a picture of Christ to each member and ask them do you love me (Him)...then Feed My Sheep. Afterwards we are going to teach them the meaning of it and then have everyone go out and invite the inactive, less active, and non member friends to come, and then we are going to play games and eat food. I cant wait!! I think it is going to be a blast.

So yesterday I had my first Baptism. Elder Villalba performed the Ordinance and it was very special. Bertha is her name and she was so ready and the Spirit was so strong!! I also had to give a talk...so I talked about Humility. I hope they understood me hahaha.

Elder Villalba, Bertha, Elder Lester

Nothing else really happened this past week. But foods I ate:

Charizo--sausage

Chicken

Tortillas

Pork and mashed potatoes :)

Dried pork

Torta--it is like a mexican sandwich so so good

Tacos

To answer your question...I really love and enjoy American food hahaha, but yes the food is pretty good here. :) Well i gotta go!! I love you all and can't wait to hear from you again!!! No, I haven't gotten your package yet but I am sure I will soon. Love and miss you all!!

Love

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 Week 6: Love, Member Missionaries, and Joseph Smith

Hey!!

So it's been 5 1/2 weeks here at the MTC and everything is going great!! Thank you for all your letters and goodies. I did receive all your packages :) Anyways this week went by so fast!! It seems like each week just flys even faster! If I'm right I only have 23 days left until I should be in Mexico!! It's going to be here faster than I know it! I can't wait though!

So this week Elder Walker and I have been studying way way hard!! We have been teaching alot and continue to get better every time. We learn so much!! I really do love working with him and can't imagine working with anyone else for two years. We work really well together off our strengths and weakness's. This week we have worked on teaching members so we can help them be great missionaries. It is so important for members to find the people. Us Missionaries are called to teach and baptize... that's it really. Missionary work is a church wide thing that everyone helps with. I encourage each of you to help the Missionaries teach a friend that you can refer to them :)  It's a great time because it's Christmas :)

On our Tuesday devotional we had a member of the seventy come. Elder Shayne M. Bowen. He talked about the decisions right now in our lives and what we need to decide right now as a Missionary. Like decide right now to love everyone. He also talked about the birth of the Savior and testified of Him. It was beautiful :)

The fireside we had on Sunday was very unique. An institute teacher came and acted out a man who knew Joseph Smith, and was there when he was killed. It was way way cool. In our District Meeting we also talked about Joseph Smith, and each Elder in our district taught something about him. It was cool as the DL as I prayed about the meeting over the week trying to find out what should we teach about. I felt that it was important that each Elder should have the chance to teach and bear testimony of his life. It was special and the spirit was so strong. You could sense that Joseph was in the room with us - it was amazing :) I love our district :)

Tonight we have a special devotional!! I think Elder Russell M. Nelson might be coming but I am not sure. That is just the word on the street, haha. I hope he does!! Tomorrow we have a long but eventful day here!! Everyone is hoping the prophet is going to come :)

So Elder Alston did leave on this past Tuesday, so he is enjoying Christmas in Portugal right now :) Lucky dog!!

Well, I am almost out of time so I will wrap things up!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Amor (Love)

Elder Brady Lester :)