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 52: WORK

Hello everyone!!


Well thank you for your letters and your kind words that really help me in the week. Each Monday is like the time to re-energize my spirits by reading your letters and emails. Things sound like they are going good. Are you thinking about wanting to move mom? I hope things keep going well in your lives and I know that the Lord is blessing you all. I only got like 9 1/2 months left in the mission and the time is just flying by. Before we know it I will be home and my life will have started. Meanwhile its on to WORK in the field of our Savior.


Well things have been getting better here in Loma Florida. We had a decent week this past week. It's been hard but I know that the Lord and the Mission President trust me alot when they send me to the hardest areas in the mission to get the work started (or maybe it's just punishment) hahahaha just kidding. This past week we really focused on teaching a family of 5 that we found. We had a great family night with a member family and we watched the movie of the Restoration. The dad in the family had a lot of questions about Joseph Smith and what he did so we felt it appropriate to watch the movie with them. It was a neat experience and the Spirit was very strong. This family always has alot of questions about the gospel and it really means that they are learning and wanting to know more. The other night we had a great lesson with them. They started talking about Baptism and wanted to know more about it. We started talking about the Priesthood and Baptism. It was a great lesson. We also felt impressed to talk about the Temple and we did. It was a great lesson and every time we talk with them the Spirit really guides the conversation and lesson. That night they accepted Baptism!! Now we just need to help the brother stop smoking and drinking because he does a little bit. It will be another family in the presence of God :) I cant wait!!


We have been contacting alot lately. Hey Alex, how many did you and your comp have to contact each week in Utah? Hahahaha the contacting is what has been hard for us. We will start up talks in the street and get an appointment but then we go by their house and they are not there, or it doesn't exist, and it's really hard because we have a ton of pueblos in our area!! So we are always taking buses and then they aren't home for the appointment. That is what has been hard for us right now. We keep working though. I have learned alot lately that WORK is what makes us happy. If we can learn how to do WORK we will have success in life, love our family and friends more, the Spirit will guide us, and we will feel the love of God in our lives. WORK is not fun all the time but it's what brings us satasfaction in our lives.


I have also learned a lot about Prayer. Every time we pray...we should receive revelation and guidance from the Lord. He really talks to us especially as we pray. Have you ever listened to what the Spirit has to say as you are praying?? He tells you what you need to say. Every prayer = Revelation. If we don't get it...it's because we don't know how to pray...because the Lord always answers. He loves us too much no to hahaha.


I love the mission and really the blessings of serving will come. I must be more humble to see them right now in my life, but I know that as we WORK the Lord always helps, guides, and bless us. If we give Him a crumb...He gives us the whole piece of bread!! I love you all and miss you all tons! Hope you all have a great and wonderful week!!


Love,
Elder Brady Lester

I uploaded more pictures!! Take a look at them!!

Mexico Week 41: Changes and Miracles

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you for all your wonderful letters. I love reading your letters each week because they always make me happy and ready for the week. Just want to let you know that I love you all even though I dont write much to each of you. I know that some of you are concerned about that, but I have 1 1/2 hours to write and I try to write everyone but never have the chance to. I am always busy writting letters to my converts as well, but please know that I love you all and hope that you all understand that you are in my prayers always.

Well this next Monday we might have transfers. I kinda feel like I am going but I hope not. I do have 6 months in this area but I would like 3 more. I have really fallen in love with this area. We are having alot of success and I just know that we will have more here pretty soon. I have grown to love Elder Escamilla like a brother, and really he is a great example and is the best Missionary in the Mission. I would love to continue working with him but we will see what the Lord wants from me. Some of my converts are sad and really don't want me to go. Hahahaha, Hermano Euloterio said that he doesn't want to go to Church and not see me, so he doesn't want to go, but I had to talk to him and let him know that I would see him again in one year and that he needs to stay strong in the Church. Hermana Cony opened up a hair cutting place and she wanted me to pick out the name (Cony`s Great Clips), and she dedicated the place to me hahahaha. So sweet. It made me cry.  

Well this past week on Wednesday, Elder Escamilla and I had the great opportunity of working with the Mission President in our area all day, hahaha!! How crazy!! It was a great experience and we learned alot. It was kinda scary at first but I loved the experience and the things that we learned. He really taught us the importance of working with the members. It really inspired me to keep working hard and with the members because that is how the investigators will progress more. Also we talked about how we could split the Ward and the importance of having Priesthood in the Ward. We took that to thought and we really want to start reactivating Priesthood and Baptizing men, hahaha so we are going to try and focus on that.

One lesson we taught with him was to one of our investigators, Hna Gabriela, and her family. We knocked on the door and the mom, Hna Gabriela, and her sister were all crying, yelling, and fighting. Well we started to just listen and it was about money and financial problems. We listened and listened and finally I opened my mouth and started talking about the Atonement and the importance of that in their lives. My companion testified of what I said, but Hna Gabriela said that she didn't want God in her life anymore and that He can't help her with her problems. Well when she said that the President spoked with power and really loud and testified as a Representative of Jesus Christ that they needed the Atonement, and that no one should put down that importance of Christ`s suffering in our lives. He started talking about happiness and the blessings that one can receive as they live according to the Atonement. When he spoke the Spirit was so strong. They all stopped crying, yelling, and fighting, and started listening. We ended with a prayer. The next day we talked with Hna Gabriela and she accepted a Baptism date. It was a great lesson. Today we have another lesson with her and we hope that all goes well with her and her family. 

This past week on Saturday, my companion started having stomach pains in the morning. In the afternoon we went and ate with a member and the pain was worse and he was screaming almost. He called the mission doctor and he told him to take medicine and only drink water and gatorade. Well he did that, and later the sister with whom we ate asked for a blessing. We gave her a blessing and when we left the house, my comp could hardly walk, so we walked quickly to a members house, Familia Ferrusca, because the sister is a nurse. We got there and he was screaming and crying with this pain, and so she sent him to a doctor in the pharmacy. They took us there in their car and the doctor said that it was really bad and gave him an oil shot in the butt, hahaha, and said that we needed to go to the hospital. I called the President and he told us which hospital to go. The good thing was that it was close to us. The members took us in their car and as we were driving I gave my companion a blessing and it was a wonderful experience. I knew that for his Faith, he would be alright. I also had a little mini vision of what he is going to do in the Mission. The Lord gave me that opportunity. Elder Escamilla really is going to do alot of good and work miracles here in Puebla. I just know it. Well we got to the hospital and we were there for 5 hours, and they would not let me in so I was all alone for 5 hours, hahaha. It was a little weird. I had to keep calling the President and my Bishop to let them know how things were. The doctors told me that we would have to spend the night and I was really worried for my comp and was crying for a bit for reals. I said a prayer and one hour later he walked out. I was so happy when I saw him and know that God really showed His hand in our lives.

I love my companion and really don't want anything to happen to him. After, we started walking around for a bit because my comp wanted to walk and I saw a Krispy Kreme!!!!!! In Puebla!!!!! I went running and bought myself 6 donuts and ate them all!!!! Hahahaha I love Krispy Kreme. 

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