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 61: Work as a Missionary Branch President

Hey Everyone,

Well I want to wish a very happy birthday to my brother Kasey!! I can’t believe you are going to be 16 tomorrow, that’s crazy!!! I hope you don’t keep growing, hahaha. I would also like to congratulate Maggie and Dad on their wedding. Hahahaha, I love the cardboard Elder Lester and the letter to the President. Hahahaha, did you really send that to him?

Thank you all for writing me :) Thank you for the money Mom. You could send me a package and I could get it. I will go to Puebla more with this calling.

Well, as you all know, I am a Branch President.  I am actually the only Branch President in the entire Mission. It’s a hard calling and I have so much respect for Bishop´s now. It’s pretty much the same calling just with less members. We have 83 members on the list and about 40 come each Sunday. This week I have had to interview for giving the Priesthood, Patriarchal Blessings, callings, worthiness, needing money from the church, and helping a sister go through a divorce. IT’S ONLY MY FIRST WEEK!!! 

Hahahaha, I don’t know how long I will be here but I will be here for at least 12 weeks and maybe more. I feel like we are starting up the Branch. One of my goals is to start up the Young Women’s and Young Men’s program. There is youth but there is not any program, so I called a Young Women’s President and a Deacon’s Quorum President named Jesus Huerta. He is great. We are going to start mutual pretty soon and get them working on their Duty to God and Personal Progress. I would also love to start a Boy Scouts program.

I am also in the process of helping some brothers be worthy to receive the Higher Priesthood. One brother, Hno Hector, helps us out a ton and he is really working hard to be ready and worthy. I am going to call him to be my second counselor but Pres. Reeves needs to interview him first. I would like to be the last Missionary Branch President and I would like to have Hector be the branch president in about 12-18 weeks. That is another goal of mine. I am very excited but also I have never been so tired and stressed out. I have a lot of things in mind and we are going to start making some changes in the Branch so that the members work, and so that we can work hard in the field.

We don’t work everyday as Missionaries. There are some days that I have interviews or my comp, who is my first counselor, and days where we have to travel to a bank to manage the Tithing and Fast Offerings. Hahahaha, I have a lot on my plate.

Well today we went to a waterfall place and it was beautiful. Next week I will send you pics. I love the area. It’s really pretty. I am in the mountains, hahaha, and it’s freezing at night. I am really liking it here. My companion is Elder Cano. He is from Sinaloa. I thought I was going to get an American because I have not had one yet, but it will probably be later in the Mission. He is really cool. He kinda does the work a little different so I will have to get used to that but he is really great.

Well I gotta go. I love you all and hope you have a great week!!


Love,
Elder Brady Lester