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 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 25: Rain, Ward Mission Plan, Showering from a Bucket, Companion Lessons

Dear Family and other people who get this letter,


Well I officially have 8 months in the mission and wow has time passed so fast. I really feel like I am still a new Missionary and just left the MTC. Well this past week things were really interesting. For the past like 15 days it has rained which has been awesome! Thursday it was raining so so hard from like 3-9 in the afternoon and night! We got soaked!! My shoes are still wet hahaha!! My pants got covered in muddy water because some car drove by me fast and all the water in the street just drenched me hahaha! It was fun :) I love the rain!

Well in the past week we didn't get alot of lessons in. We have been working really hard on a mission plan for the ward. Tuesday evening after our meeting with our ward mission leader in the church, the Bishop called us into his office and said he had something really important for us to talk about. After he told us that he wanted us to make a mission plan for the ward because he wants us to work with the members more. I was so happy to hear that from him! So this past week we made a plan for the ward! It includes goals and plans to FIND, TEACH, and REACTIVATE. We really want to improve our numbers and feel also that we can have more success with the members working with us. I really am excited to put this plan into action.


Well also in the past week we got kicked out of the house on Thursday. The owner sold the house and said we needed to be out by today, Monday. So also last week we had to find a house really fast and there was only one that we found and its kinda gross hahaha. We moved in all of our stuff on Saturday when we found the house and cleaned out the other one, but since the toilet, sink, and shower don't work in the new house, we stayed in our other house for the past couple of nights on the floor so that we could have a place to shower and go to the bathroom. Well now we don't live there anymore and the owner of the new house is installing the new toilet, sink, and shower tomorrow and Wednesday, so I will be showering from a bucket for the next two days :) Hahahaha I am excited lol ;) In the next month when we have money we are going to buy some cheap paint to paint the place lol because the walls are ugly and gross.


Well this past Saturday Hermana Karla could not get Baptized because we still have some stuff to teach her, so it looks like this Saturday she will get Baptized :) We also have been working with a young lady, Hermana Ana, who really wants to get Baptized but wants to wait a bit. She is not religous and knows nothing about God and Jesus Christ so we had to start with the basics, but she wants to be religous and be closer to God, so she has accepted Baptism but with no date. She came to Church yesterday which was awesome!! So we are going to be helping her to get ready by the 30th of July so that she gets Baptized then :)


Well this past week Elder Rojas changed very little. He is still doing his normal things but President Reeves called us to see what he could do to help. I told President my feelings and he listened. He talked to my comp but I don't know what was said. I know we are together for this change still but I am going to be different in this change. I am going to be patient. I am going to pray for more guidance because maybe I am with him for another reason, and to help him out in another way besides just working. It's going to be hard but I feel like it's the right thing to do. One thing I will be hard on him though, and that is his money. I have taken so much out of the home account because he spends all of his money the day he gets it. He has nothing again for this month like last month and I am having to pay for things for him. I really need him to be smarter next month with his money because I have almost nothing and don't want to keep taking out tons of money from the house just to pay for him and me to live hahaha. I just need to be the example and be obedient.


Well I gotta go! I want reports next week on how you all have been sharing the gospel with your friends and everyone!! I love and miss you all! I can't wait for your next letters!


Love,
Elder Brady Lester


PS: Tell Eric Trott thank you for the email. It really helped me out and I will take his advice. I just don't have time to write him :(


Tell Sister McCarthur that she is awesome and that I love her so much!! I have had no time to write her but I am thankful for all of her support and know that the Lord is blessing her :)