Mexico Week 68: Blessed

Hi Family,

Well this will be a short one since I don’t have much time and plus we talked yesterday. Things are going great here and I am excited to Baptize this week!  It’s a huge blessing from the Lord because usually the best Elders only Baptize 1-2 here in 3-4 months.  I am very blessed and I love this place.  It’s a shame that it might be my last change :(

I loved talking to you all yesterday and I am so happy that everything is going well.  I am so happy that you are all fine and having fun.  Thank you Mom for the pictures.  Everyone has gotten huge!!!  I still think I am taller and prettier, but we will see in about 6 months :)  I love you all and hope that you have a great week!!

Love,
Elder Lester

Mexico Week 67: BP Responsibilities and Growth, and It's Fun...

Feliz Cinco de May Familia! 

Thank you for all your great and amazing letters. I love you all so very much and I am glad to see that everything is going great back at home and that you are all busy and working. Working is what really makes us happy and I am happy to be able to work for the Lord in Puebla. It’s hard but it’s worth it. Thank you Brink for sharing that quote and it’s so very true. The food that you guys made dad sounded delicious. Sadly, because I am not in the city, I did not see nor celebrate Cinco de Mayo. I heard that it was great but in my 2 years here I have not been able to see it for being in pueblos hahahaha. Don’t worry Mom, I will go to Puebla when my package comes because I have to go get a bunch of materials for the branch that I bought. We go in bus :)  

 Well I have my new companion...just don’t freak out. It’s Elder Rojas and he is from Peru...but he is not the same Elder Rojas hahahaha. He is a little taller, way cooler, and a very hard worker. I really love him alot. The Presidente sent him here with me for 2 reasons. First, he will help me be ready to accept more responsibility very soon. I don’t know what that means because I don’t know what would be more than Branch President. Second, I am training him so that he can be ready to be the next Branch President. That is a great privilege for me and him. Hahahaha, they never trained me...just threw me in hahaha. But I am learning alot more about how I am supposed to do my job as I teach him. I believe that I only have a little time left and that I have almost done what the Lord wanted me to do. I am so happy with what is going on in the branch. I have seen so much progress. The members have said that they haven’t seen the branch like this for the 13 years that it has. Yesterday 34 people went!!! I was so happy because usually there are only like 19 but 34!! We also have 3 Baptisms for this Sunday and a little girl will be Baptized this week. She has 8 years :)

I am loving the work and it’s just fun to do what is right and live the Gospel. It’s fun to be obediente and keep the rules. It’s fun to study and learn. It’s fun to help people and teach the Gospel. I can really see what President Reeves wants each Missionary to experience as Missionaries. It’s also fun to clean the house, hahahaha. My comp and I got a start on that today and we will finish at night.

Yesterday I received some very sad news. A sister in my branch was beaten by her husband so hard that she is in a coma. When I heard that it was after hearing a few members confess to me about some things that they did that were very wrong. I went upstairs to my office and cried. I started feeling like Alma and Nephi, seeing so much wickedness. I knew that her husband had been hitting her for about 3 weeks now because we have been visiting her alot. We have been trying to help her with that but apparently it’s been a problem for 5 years. She has three sweet girls and two of them are our investigators. The dad is not a member...he is now in jail. Last night we went to the hospital to visit her and give her a blessing but the doctor would not let us see her for her condition. Today we will go again and we will visit her each day as well. I pray that everything will be better. When she wakes up, I will also have to help her, as her President, do the right thing and send in an abuse report so that this freaking guy stays in jail.

We have planned a trip to go to the Temple as a branch!!!!!! It will be the 26 of May and I really hope that we can get permission to go as Missionaries because it’s in Mexico City, but I think that we will because we are the leaders. But still I am happy that the members will have this blessing to go because they don’t get to go alot.

 

Well I gotta go!! On Sunday we can talk but it will be very short for the things that I have to do. The number that you can call is 797 100 7476. That is the normal number but I know that you will have to add numbers because it’s long distance. Mom and the kids...if you could call me at 5:00 my time, and Dad I will need you to call me at 6:00 my time. We will have about 40-60 minutes to talk. I am sorry that it will be short but I have meetings and tithing to deposit and interviews. If you want to call tomorrow night to see if it works that will be fine :) 

I love you so very much!!!



Love,
Elder Lester

Mexico Week 15: Puebla-La Ciudad de Angeles‏

Hey there everyone!!

It was so good to talk to everyone last night and was so good to hear all your voices!! Kolby, your voice is so so deep what happened?! Dad, sorry I think I talked to you in the usted form the one time we talked in Spanish. Hahaha, yes Mom you are right that I got a little emotional but it was all Grandma´s fault, she cried first and made me cry!! Thank you everyone for your comments and encouragement. I left you all with homework and expect you to complete it! All read in the BOM everyday, Dad in Spanish, and you kids and Mom study Chapter 2 of PMG and apply it to Gospel, school, and yes, work studies :) I have homework for Grandma :) I would like to invite you to attend Church every Sunday with the family :) Think you have time? I know it will bless your life :)

So I don't have much to write again because we talked a ton yesterday, haha but this week and for now on in the Mission, I am challenging myself to be more direct with our investigators especially with the commitments that we leave with them. I have been studying alot on the importance of them keeping their commitments. It's Eternal Life and if they don't read or pray, it's important to let them know that this is your Salvation and the only way to do it. I feel sometimes us Missionaries are too casual in all this. We need to help them because we have their Eternal Life in our hands and no one else. If they don't know the importance they won't do it so it's our responsibility to show them.

This week we will be focusing on three investigators that we have so they can accept and be Baptized in the change, the remaining three weeks that we have. We also are making a plan with the Branch and look forward to working with the members more. We need to find more people to teach because we almost have nobody, so we will also focus on that this week.

So today I am in Puebla again :) I love the city haha. We played soccer and I scored three goals haha!! We also ate at KFC and it was so good to put some familiar American food in my mouth :) I ate a ton for like nothing haha!!

Well I hope this week I will have stories for you guys. I will make some!! I have had like two weeks without stories!! I love and miss you all!! Stay safe and you are all in my prayers always!

Love,

Elder Lester