Mexico Week 91: Busy Life Teaching and Training

Hey Family!

Well again I have been busier than ever! I actually have not been here for this week. We left Monday, my companion and I, to Tlaxcala and we have been working with various missionaries and just got back today, hahaha. We have been working hard trying to teach and train the Missionaries in the Mission. It has been a very great but also tiring experience. We have also been working on some problems with some Elders who have not been working as they should. 

The other day I was working with a couple ZL´s and we were contacting in the street and and one of the ZL´s started to contact a family of three that was walking in the street. This Elder started to ask a lot of inspired questions about the family and it was a very good contact. I watched an observed and the man was very stubborn about listening to the Missionaries and accepting an appointment. He kept saying that he had to work from 5am to 10pm everday, and that he spent his off day with his family shopping and stuff like that. I then asked him "why do you spend that only off day with your family and not somewhere else?" He told us that he does it because he loves his family and that he only has that one day to spend with them. So then I asked him "Then how about you let us come buy next week to teach you how to be with your family forever and not just one day of the week?" He then really started to think and he said..."shoot you guys are right. How about you come by next week?" Hahaha it was a great contact and the Spirit really helped us out. 

We have a lot to plan. We are starting to work now in reactivating in the Mission, and with the President we are creating a plan for the Stakes in the Mission to be able to work with the Missionaries to be able to reactivate the less active. We are also planning the changes for this transfer since my generation is going home a week early. We are planning a few training meetings that we are going to have in the Mission. We are planning who is going to take my spot, hahaha. Things are really rolling and it's getting done and the time just flies. 

Great to hear that you are all doing good. I hope that you all have a great week. Love and miss ya tons!! 

Con Amor,
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 39: Working Hard & Baptisms of Euloterio and Rene

Hey everyone!!

Well I want to thank Mom and the kids for writing me, hahahaha and grandma too :) I felt a little sad when I opened up my email today because I usually have like 15 emails, but today only 4 hahaha. Kids I am glad that things are going great for you guys!! Sounds like you had fun last weekend with dad. Brinkley, your life seems really exciting and busy right now with school and work!! I am glad that you are busy hahaha....that way you don't get married before I get home, hahaha jk jk jk. I hear school is good and you are doing well. Keep it up!! And save your money!! That is how the Lord will bless you. I have learned something....5 dollar income 6 dollar expense...misery. 5 dollar income 4 dollar expense...eternal happiness. Keep that in mind everyone! I know that I wasn't the great example of that, hahaha and I will pay for my mistakes after the mission :(  Mom I heard from the kids that you had a great bday! They bought you a bike!! That's awesome!! I hope all your wishes come true :)

Well this past week things went really good. First off we had 2 more Baptisms on Saturday!! Hermano Euloterio, the husband of Hermana Cony, and Hna Rene, her daughter got Baptized!!! It was a great service!! The spirit was felt and they were even crying hahaha :) I promised them that in 1 year after my mission I am going to come back and go through the Temple with them to see them get Sealed as a family :) I really can't wait for that!! They are such a great family!

This past week Elder Escamilla and I had to drop alot of investigators that just were not progressing. We are trying to find new investigators in this week and we pray that we will be able to find more chosen people. This past week we actually found a new investigator named Gabriela. We decided to knock doors for an hour in a specific street in our area. Well we knocked her door and we started talking. She told us that she was Christan and that she knew a little bit about us. She said "you Mormons do weird things." Hahaha my comp and I laughed and we started to talk about some things but she didn't have much time, so we got an appointment with her. We went back for the appointment and we started talking...outside of her house hahaha about the Restoration. The whole time I felt uncomfortable and didn't know why. As we started talking about Joseph Smith and the BoM, she just looked at us weird and said that it was a crazy story hahaha. In that moment the Spirit told me to talk about the Plan of Salvation. I had no idea why, and I rejected it!! I kept talking about the BoM and the Spirit kept telling me to do it, so finally I just put down the BoM and said, "I feel like I need to tell you something." That is how I started talking about the Plan of Salvation. It was an ugly transition of things but it worked and it was because the Spirit was with us. My comp and I explained a little bit of the lesson. She completely changed and said that she wanted all of it to be true and that she might get Baptized if it's true, but she still has problems with the BoM and Joseph Smith. We challenged her to read and to pray. Today we have another appointment with her and I am excited to talk with her. I know that the Spirit helped us a ton in that lesson and really hope that we can continue to work with her and that she can accept all of this as the truth.

This past week my comp and I also worked really hard reactivating families hahaha. We really want to split the ward and start up another ward and a branch. In this ward there are over 650 members but only about 180 go. Well after a hard working week of visiting less active families, yesterday 216 members showed up!! We were really happy! Things are going great for us and I have never felt so happy in my mission. I really pray that I stay here for a while longer and that the Lord keeps blessing us.

Thank you for all your support and I love you all!! Hope you all have a great week!!

Love,

Elder Brady Lester

Mexico Week 37: Straight up Missionary Work

Hey everyone!!


Well this past week we got alot done as a companionship! We have been working really hard and we are seeing alot of success. This past week we got 5 Baptism dates for 5 investigators. We have been working really hard to help our investigators feel the need to accept Baptism. This past week Hna Reina and her sister in law accepted Baptism and they are getting Baptized on the 16th of this month!! I can't wait for it! They have been progressing like crazy!! In the past week we had a very sweet experience with them. On Tuesday we taught both of them in a members house and the lesson was going very well as we were reading 2 Nephi 31 in the Book of Mormon. After, we talked for a bit and read, and the Spirit really hit me hard and told me to invite them to be Baptized on the 16th of October. Well I did it and Hermana Carina said of course, and she kinda shared her testimony of why and how she felt as she started to learn and know all of this. After, I invited Hermana Reina and she said no. We talked for a bit and after I invited her to pray with us in that moment to receive an answer. She was hesitant but my companion promised her that she would receive an answer to her prayer if she prayed right then with faith. She did it, and in the prayer the Spirit was so strong. She started crying and so did Hna Carina. I even started crying, and after her prayer we all sat in silence for awhile. After about a minute or two she said that this is all true and she later accepted Baptism on the 16th. It was a great miracle that God did that day. My comp and I were so happy!


The next day we went and talked to the husband of Hna Coni - Euloterio. He was very different as we started to talk that evening. We started talking and he said that he had a dream that he wanted to share after he read the Book of Mormon and prayed. He started describing a place, a beautiful building with palm trees and water and flowers, and said that it was a gorgeous place. In his dream he wanted to go but someone told him that he had to get Baptized so he was not able to go. Well we started talking about the Temple and what goes on there. I had a picture of the Arizona Temple in my pocket and I showed it to him and he said that that was the place in his dream. He started saying that that is his goal, to go to the Temple so he accepted Baptism and just said that he would do anything to be sealed with his family in the Temple. That day him and one of his daughter accepted Baptism for the 22nd of October. We are working hard with his other daughter but she is tough because she is older. We are praying that she will accept.


This past week my comp and I led the disctrict in everything! We are having so much success!! Eight investigators showed up yesterday to church and it was just a wonderful day. I testified about Mothers. I believe that the calling of Mother is the most important calling in this world, more important than the Prophet. They have the responsibility of raising the children of God. That's not a small task. Without women the Plan of Salvation does not work. After I gave my testimony, I swear every single sister thanked me, hahaha. It was just a great day yesterday!


Well I gotta go now but love you all and hope you all have a great week. You are in my prayers!


Elder Lester

Mexico Week 30: A Joke and a Trainer/Senior Companion!

Hey there everyone!!

Well I have a lot to tell you all from the past week but I am going to start with some news that came from our district leader this past district meeting on Wednesday. So we had our normal district meeting but after he had an anouncement for us from the First Presidency. China just opened up!! It opened and all new Missionaries and future Missionaries are being called to go there! So for us the the First Presidency has given us the invitation to extend our Missions. We have four choices...go home after 2 years, extend 6 months, extend 1 year, or extend 2 years. Well we had to give our decisiones that same day. I was overwhelmed and really wanted some time to think and pray. I had the chance to do that and the Spirit just came over me that I should serve longer. Well I decided to serve two years more mom and dad which would make me have 4 years in the Mission. Well this ended up just being a joke from our district leader to get us to understand the importance of our calling, but I want to let you guys know...I have my answer hahaha and if I have the oportunity to extend my Mission...I will be staying for as long as the Lord will let me. But we will just see here in a year :)

Well now I will get on with the other stuff. I had transfers today!!! I am with an Elder from Sonora.  Elder Escamilla is my companion and he seems just great :) The news is that today is his first day in the Mission, so I got the calling last night to be a Trainer in the Mission hahaha! I am a dad!! This morning I had to go to the Mission offices and be trained with other Elders who were going to be trainers too. It was a 5 hour training!! I learned alot, but the cool thing was that when I first saw the new missionaries I looked at him and just new that he was going to be my companion. It was cool :)  It has been a good 2 hours with him so far. He really seems excited about the work and just obedient. He is going to whip me into shape I think hahaha!! I am only here to help him out because he his prepared!! It's going to be a great 2 changes with him :) I just know that we will have success!!

Well this past week Elder Rojas did not want to go work again so pretty much we had divisions all week with Elder Lamb and Elder Riggin. I went with Lamb one day and Riggin two days. Elder Riggin and I on Friday had a great day and lived some great experiences. The first one was when we taught Hna Sandra. It had been about 2 weeks since the last time we taught her so we passed by her house and she let us in. We started talking about the Book of Mormon and she said that she had not been reading it so I taught the importance of reading and how the BOM teaches us what to do. Well after Elder Riggin taught about Baptism and how that is what the book teaches us. After, I invited her to be Baptized on the 27th of August and after 3 months of denying a date she finally accepted it!! It was great but when she accpeted I really was filled with the Spirit and it told me to tell her that she would find a job and that one day she will she her husband and son sealed to her in the Temple. It was a cool experience!

The other one was with Hna Alejandra and her two sons. She has two cute little boys who are not Baptized and that want to get Baptized. Hna Alejandra wants that too. The thing is, she is inactive and doesn't want to come back to Church because she has a sickness and can't be in a building with alot of people. Well Elder Riggin and I were teaching about the importance of coming to Church and having Faith. It was going really well but she didn't accept to come to Church with us this past week. Well her 9 year old son started to pray quietly during the lesson, so after a while I asked him if he had anything to say, and he told his mom that he prayed that everytime that she touched the BOM she would feel better and be healed. It was so sweet and she started to cry. Well she didn't touch the book so Elder Riggin told her to touch it and when she did the Spirit was so strong and she even said that she felt better. She accepted to come to church. It was a great experience!! What killed it though is that she didn't come on Sunday!! So tomorrow we are going to figure out what happened.

That was it for the week. We did have a zone conference Thursday with Elder de Hoyos from the 70 but he told us that we can't tell anyone, including our families, what happened during that conference. Lets just say that angeles litterally came down and ministered to us. It was a great experience and I am glad that I was there to live it.

I miss and love you all!! I got my Birthday package this week and thank you so much!! My favorite thing is the T-shirt and the pillow case :) Well until next week!!

Love,
Elder Brady Lester

Mexico Week 28: Listening to the Spirit and Testimony of the Temple

Hi everyone!!


Well this week really passed by fast! I almost have 9 months in the mission now hahaha and boy has it passed by. That is great news for Ethan Pike and Mark (Scanlan)!! Why does his companion remind him of me lol? Do you have his mission email, Mom? Oh and it's Aogosto in Spanish, hahaha :) That is crazy that you guys sold the Wii, but I am glad you bought the hoop :) Just dont dunk on it!! I would like to play on it when I get home.


Well in this past week I got a little lazy with my studies and working. I have been trying so hard with Elder Rojas but I am really disappointed that I have not been able to help him out. We do have transfers in 2 weeks and I really hope I stay in this area. This area has so much potential and I know that we could Baptize every week, but this area just needs 2 missionaries with the same purpose...help people come unto Christ. I really hope the President and the Lord keep me here. I really need to get back on my studies again though.


Speaking of President Reeves, he has been changing alot here in the mission. Every house now in the mission has a portable DVD player and the Preach My Gospel videos so that we can watch them as comps and study and practice. I love that he did that. I just hope Missionaries don't abuse that privilege. He has also come out and said that we must not eat with or teach a woman unless there is a man present. I have been waiting for someone to give out that rule and finally he did it! He has also given the commandment that we must contact at least 10 people a day in the street so that we can find new investigators. That will be hard for Rojas because he hates contacting. Whenever I want to contact I do it by myslef as he stands off in the distance, lol but its all good. So little by little the President is changing the Mission :)


Well this past week I had a sweet experience with Hermana Sandra. She still has not accepted a date for Baptism so we have been thinking about dropping her, but we just love her too much. The other day she brought us pancakes to our house! She also signed up on the member food list....where we go and eat for the day...and we ate with her. She is amazing and really loves listening to the lessons. She wants to get Baptized but wants to wait a little longer because she doesn't know if she is ready to make a big committment with God yet. Well anyways my experience was cool. We had splits again with some young men in the ward and I went to teach Hna Sandra and the plan was to watch the movie "The Testaments" with her, but something told me to bring the movie "The Moutain of the Lord", and so I did. Well it kept coming into my mind to watch that movie with her so we did it. After the movie she got excited and asked...When can I go into the temple? Hahahaha I told her that she has to get Baptized first and then wait a year but she got to thinking and later told us that she wants to get Baptized but she is going to pray for a date. Well we have not been there since, but tomorrow we have an appt with her and we hope that she has a date. The experience was sweet as I learned again of the importance of listening to the Spirit. I don't know what will happen because we watched that movie and it was neat as I got to bear my testimony about the Temple and the blessings that she can receive if she enters.


Other than that, the week was normal. We did not have much success and I got sick with diarreha again hahaha. Also the other day it rained really hard and I left my window open next to my desk so all my books got a little wet and my Preach My Gospel in Spanish, with all my notes from my studies, got destroyed and soaked! I just bought a new one from the mission but I won't see it for 2 weeks hahaha. Also, our water got clogged so it comes out really slow now. The pipe needs to be cleaned or changed. Tomorrow we have the owner coming to fix that out.

Well I hope you all have a great week! You are all in my prayers and I love you all very much! I love Missionary work!! I hope things get really good soon here! Thank you mom and kids for the package!! I loved it!


Love,
Elder Brady Lester


PS: Dad....Hace 2 semanas por escribirme una carta o correo. ¿Estas bien? ¿Que paso?

Mexico Week 26: The Lord Preparing Me for Something Harder and Bigger

Hey there everyone!!

Well this letter is going to be a short one because I have like 40 minutes to read everything from you guys and write. No Mom I still haven't gotten your June package and thank you for your letter. Get more sleep!! That was cool what Bishop Alston said in your blessing and I hope it will happen :) Thank you for all your letters kids :) Dad thanks for your letter I really enjoyed it. Seems like you guys had alot of fun this past month.

Well this past week was yet another hard week with Elder Rojas. Sometimes things look like they are getting better and we are good friends but then he gets really lazy. He needs to change really but there is nothing I can do. I really just need to lock down and keep working my patience. It's been a really hard 8 weeks with this guy hahaha! I know that the Lord is preparing me for something harder and bigger in my future though :)

This past week the work got a little better with the members. We attempted to make a ward mission plan but the meeting was postponed until tomorrow. I really hope we start working hard with the members of the ward because maybe its the way to build more unity between my comp and I.

So in the past week we had a boy and his dad come to Church to learn about it and they ended up accepting an appointment with us. Only the 17 year old son came, Enrique, and we taught him the Restoration and invited him to be Baptized and he accepted! He has been really in with the activities and stuff with the youth in our ward, and he came to play soccer with us today, so we are going to try to put a Baptismal date for the 6th of August.

Also this past week, as my comp and I were planning in the evening, I felt that we should go to visit a certain inactive member, who was a reference from another member. Her name is Hermana Alejandra Leon and it's been about a year since she has been to Church. Well we went to visit her and she was a little shy at first but then after we talked and shared a lesson, and she really opened up and shared her feelings. We found out that her husband works every now and then in the US and really loves the NBA basketball. She also has two young boys who are not Baptized and want to get Baptized. The Lord really poured out His blessings that day :) We really feel that they will accept Baptism and be Baptized soon :)

Well that is about all :(  Later today we are going to play baseball with some other Elders!!! I can't wait for that :) I really miss baseball! Well I miss all of you and love each of you a ton! You are in my prayers and please keep me in yours :)

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 22: Closing of Haucaltzingo, The Role of the Spirit, Farming and Love

Hola everyone!!


Well things are doing great in my area! My comp has changed a ton and we are finally starting to work hard! We still need to work harder but things are going great! He will have changes though for sure in 2 weeks and he will go and I will stay with my new comp. I am really excited because there is alot of work to do! Everyone is saying that I will be senior comp and I only have 8 months hahaha but I really think I will have more time as junior. We shall see!!


So some sad news....they closed the area of Hualcaltzingo this past week. Apparently when I left the work just fell like a rock and then the missionaries were having a ton of problems so they closed the area! Kinda sad because I really thought that that branch was going to be a ward within a year but not now :(


Well in this past week alot of good things happened. We found a golden investigator!! She was a reference from a member in Hualcaltzingo imagine that!! It's cool because she comes to all the lessons with this lady. Hermana Imelda is her name and she is really really catholic but accepted Baptism when she gets an answer to her prayers. The first lesson we taught was great and was about the Restoration. In the second lesson we answered all her questions about the chapter that she read in the BOM and Baptism and things that we do in our Church. While we were talking about it I had the strongest impression to teach about how we can know that this is true. I taught about the role of the Spirit and how that is how we know. I testified that I knew everything was true and so did my comp. It was awesome!! She really is smart and is willing to change! She wants a sign but I told her that us missionaries are the sign that God wants you to change your life. The answer of your own testimony though must come from the Spirit. This Wednesday we have an appt and will check how her homework went :)


This past week I also learned how to farm hahaha! I totally learned how to plant corn and it was sweet! We did it the old fashion way with the plow and the horse! It was sweet! While I farmed with the hermano, my comp learned how to make tortillas from the hermana, hahaha :) Apparently they don't eat tortillas in Peru, only rice hahaha!!


This past week we also found an inactive member who has not been to church for 20 years!! And his wife, who is not a member, we are teaching!! The brother promised to come to Church this upcoming week so this will be excting to follow with!!


So things are really great!! We are really close with 3 people and believe that they will get baptized in 2-3 weeks! :) We are really close to other Elders which I love hahahaha :) It has been raining the past week and one night all the streets were like rivers, hahaha but this week we will have sun :(


Well this past week I have really learned alot about the importance of love and charity. I believe that success is really brought to us depending on our attitude. I have learned that there is no reason to be down and not to love people in the work of the Lord. We are striving to be more like Him and if we don't love we are nobody! We can't do anything! With developing this love for others I have really felt more of the love my Father in Heaven has for me and my family and the people that I work with. Life is to love!!

Well I love all of you and really miss you all! I thank all of you for your support and prayers! You are all in my prayers too and hope you are all receiving the blessings from heaven!!


Love,
Elder Brady Lester

 

Mexico Week 18: Cambios - Castillotla!

Hola Todos!

Well today we had transfers and I left Huacaltzingo.

 District Meeting

Special Family in Huacaltzingo

 It was a great time I had there and was extremely tough, but all that I learned I know will really really help me in the future in my mission. I also hope and pray for the best there in Huacaltzingo. Today, and for the next 6 weeks at least, I am in Castillotla, hahaha. It's half city and half village. My companion, Elder Rojas, has one year in the mission and is from Peru!! Sweet eh haha?

Elder Rojas

Well I will tell you about today and my new area first and then about the week. Well this area is huge and my comp tells me it's tough and the members don't really help us out. Sounds familiar haha :)  My house, well is tiny, we don't have a working toilet, we will shower in cold water, and there are cockroaches hahaha :) Sounds fun eh hahaha!! Well I will be fine don't worry about it. I am just excited to be here. My comp seems a little lazy and President Rex told me personally to take care of him hahaha, so we will see what happens, lol. I am just ready to work and am excited :)

This is Brady's apartment in Castillotla

Well in the past week we didn't have much success. It was another tough week in Huacaltzingo, but we did have some interesting experiences. Tuesday was a good day. We were out working and stuff and I had the impression to visit a specific Hermano and Hermana to ask them for a reference. Well my comp and I went and when we arrived the Hermano told us that his wife was really really sick and couldn't move or get up. Well we ended up giving him and her blessings. The spirit really directed our words and you could feel it's presence there. Well two days later she was up and walking :) It was sweet :) Well yesterday was a very strange day in the mission for me. We got up and headed for church and nobody was there. Everyone showed up late hahaha everyone! We finally found out why...apparently at 3 in the morning two young men killed a woman of 30 years with rocks not too far from the church on a hill. She happened to be an investigator that Elder Villalba and I taught. She was loved much by the members so it shook them up too. Yesterday we only had Sacrament meeting and I gave a talk on the Atonement and how Christ suffers with us and is always there calling, we just need to accept the call and come unto Him. I really hope that it helped.


Well thats all the news for this week. Brinkley CONGRATS on your graduation :) How do you feel? :)


Well I am excited to see what is going to happen in this change. I really think we will have success :) I am excited and ready to work! I hope the Lord blesses us :) I love you all and are all in my prayers everyday!


Love,
Elder Brady Lester

Mexico Week 9: The Spirit and Singing!

¿Que tal todos?

Bueno, muchas felicidades a mi hermano Kasey. Holy cow I can't believe you are 15! You taller than me yet lol? Braxley, your letters make me laugh a ton, hahaha. And to give you my opinion...the Lakers will win again and you know why, number 24 is not human in the postseason, so I rest my case :) Brinkley, congrats with your prom invitation I hope things are going good with Trey. Tell him I say hello. As for your talk, good luck! Just remember Obedience is the first law in Heaven so that shows you how important it is. Kolby, how is everything? I love and miss all of you! Grandma, thank you so so much for your contribution. I know that the Lord has a great blessing for you soon in your life. As for BYU....I heard :( I also heard Duke lost too :( So both my teams are gone :( But hey baseball has started up!! :)  Go Dbacks!

Well this week was definately an interesting one. Things are better with my companion only because I am just really really being patient with him, hahahaha, although today and yesterday I was not. Tomorrow we have a zone conference at 8:30 in the morning and I told him we should stay with our leaders in Puebla tonight because we are here in Puebla today anyways. Well he said no because he wants to sleep in is own bed. Well today our leaders told us we need to stay here. I was right again haha so we are going to return to get changed and then come back here to spend the night hahaha. Ugh!!!!!!!!!!! We have changes in 2 weeks so hopefully we will be changed. If not...well it will be good for me, hahaha, and my patience. Did I spell that right? Lol! I am at a point where when I type and write in English I have to think about some words before I write them down because I am thinking the word in Spanish. The language is getting better. I have more confidence which allows me to speak more. I hope by Mother's Day...which is soon...I will be able to understand 100%, right now its about 85-90%.

Well this week we had divisions a couple days with some young men in our branch. It was good working with them. Anyways this week a man, 20 years old, found us and said that he likes how the mormons live and wants to learn more about our religion. Well we set up an appointment with him and taught Tuesday. He agreed to meet again and we gave a Book of Mormon. Thursday we taught him again, but me and Luis Daniel taught him since we were in divisions. I asked him how his reading was in the Book of Mormon and he explained very well the chapter we left him. Then I asked if he prayed and he did and described how he felt peacful and just happy. Well in that moment I testified how that is the Spirit testifying to him that this is true. Then I invited him to be Baptized on April 9th and he accepted!!! I was smiling so much that day, hahahaha. I cant wait for that day!

Lorena this week decided she wants to get Baptized the last week of April which is after this change. We asked her to think about the 16th or 17th of April since it's the last day of this transfer. I hope she says yes because I have been working with her since the begining with Elder Villalba and it would stink to miss her Baptism. Alan our other investigator will be Baptized on the 29th of May so I will miss that one too unless I stay in Huacalzingo once more haha.

Nothing else really happened this week, hahaha. We have been trying to find more people to teach because the others we have found have turned us away. Actually one family still is with us. Hermano Casto, his wife Josefina, and son Napolion. They are hard core Catholic and know the Bible really well. Well last night I was with Fernando a boy in our branch on divisions and we taught them the Book of Mormon and the Bible and how they work together. Well we read 3 Nephi 11 with him, and he asked how we know Nephi didnt just write that and Christ didn't come here to the Americas. Well I asked him how do you know that the Bible wasn't written by these men and there really is not a Christ. He answered that he didn't know. So I told him that this is our invitation, read, meditate, and pray to know if it is true. I then told him that we know the Bible is not complete because how many Apostles did Christ have...12...how many gospels does the Bible have...only 4. He understood that and then I felt like I should testify about families and then sing "Families can be Together Forever." The Spirit was so strong and I will tell you all that was purely through the Spirit, haha it was a good feeling.

This week I hope we get more people to teach haha! We are also looking to serve alot. Saturday we painted a members house blue haha and it was really good!! I have pictures that I will upload when I have time. Right now I have some uploading.

Oh this week I bought two soccer jerseys haha. One of the Puebla team and another from Argentina. I want to buy a Mexico and Chivas one when I have money hahaha.

Well for General Conference we just watch it in our stake center here in Puebla which means in Spanish hahaha. I hope I will understand everything hahaha.

Last week I got your package Mom......wow thank you so much. It's like I am walking on clouds, hahaha.

Oh two other quick stories. One lady thinks we are Apostles, and a drunk man hugged me this week and asked what our profession was because we dress nice. Well we told him and he got mad because he thought that we didn't believe Mexicans believe in Christ, hahahaha funny.

Well I got to go! Love and miss you all!!!

Love,

Elder Brady Lester

Mexico Week 5: Listen and ACT on the Promptings of the Spirit

Hey there everyone!!


Well I have to be honest, I am surprised I am still alive here after 5 weeks. The traffic is crazy in the city and they don't really care about the pedestrians, haha. Also my comp and I always have to carry rocks with us since we have dogs always chasing us down the street, hahaha. It is kinda funny actually, especially when the little dogs try and chase us.


Anyways, thank you everyone for your kind words and letters!! I always enjoy your letters and hearing about normal life, haha. Brinkley, this week sounds like its going to be fun!! I hope you have fun at Morp!! Kolby, good luck with baseball tryouts this week!! I will be praying for you. Kasey and Braxley, thank you for the sports updates. Why did the Jazz trade Willams?? Kasey, I hope you have fun with your campout, and Braxley with basketball. Work everyday on defense. That is the most important. You know what they say...Defense wins championships!! Hey, keep me updated on how BYU basketball is doing in the tournament!


Well, for this week it was a little more successfull. Elder Villalba and I have been trying hard to find more people to teach, but they just are not coming. Plus the members are not helping us out at all! The other day we went knocking on doors on this one street and no one was interested, and so we had two more houses left and Elder Villalba wanted to quit because we had no success. But I told him no because I felt an impression that we should knock one of the houses. So we did and ending up getting an appointment. The other day they accepted to learn more, and now we have 4 more investigators, a nice beautiful family :) Always listen and ACT on the promptings of the Spirit!! They come softly and sometimes only once, but through the Spirit we can know all things, and why wouldn't we want to know all things?


Wednesday we had our distict meeting and we talked about how we can become a more successful Missionaries! Afterwards we had divisions again so I went with Elder Bravo in his area. We had great success. He is a great missionary and is from Cancun Mexico, haha!


Thursday we had our weekly planning session. We hope to have a Baptism this coming Sunday with Lorena. She is improving and has accepted everything she just has not prayed and is scared to change her beliefs. We have been promising her great blessings though. She is great! Daniel our other investigator wants to join but has not gotten permission from his parents, who are really catholic. We might be talking with them this week.


We had to drop an investigator this week. Erica. We found out that her husband has another wife. We have told her that she needs to marry him leagally, which means he leaves his other wife, which he won't, or break up with him. She won't because she loves him too much so we had to drop her :(  I wish the best for her.


Well some sweet things happened this week. I got my first haircut in Mexico haha! I had mole finally and it was good!!! Also on Saturday I got to kill a goat!! Yesterday we ate it with some members :) I have pictures that I will upload :) So how the goat worked out was that we hung it upside down from its legs and put a bucket under its head, then I stabbed it in the neck and all the blood came out, haha. It was fun!! And we ate it yesterday and it was way good, hahaha.

Nothing else much happened this week. Oh!! So President Rex last week sent an email to the whole mission that we must read the entire Book of Mormon by May 30th, 100 days. So I stopped my reading in Alma and started over again. Right now I am in 1 Nephi Chapter 17 when they build the ship. Something I learned this week I want to share. In 1 Nephi 13:37 we learn that those who take this Gospel will be blessed with so many blessings, this includes everyone, not Missionaries alone. This work the Lord tell us is marvelous in 1 Nephi 14:7. This work is Missionary work and Temple work. These two works are the same work!!! It is taking the Gospel to those in this life or in the next. We must do this work together and see it as ONE marvelous work and a wonder. I have pondered on how we can better this work and make it more successful. The first thing, which is the first law in Heaven of course, is to be Obedient! We can't have the Spirit if we don't exercise obedience. Second, the answer is in 1 Nephi 10:19. We must search and ponder the things of God which are the scriptures. I have learned that if you want to be inspired, read the Book of Mormon everyday and PONDER and ASK yourself how these words apply to me right now. When we do that, through the Holy Ghost, ALL of the mysteries of God will be unfolded to us. Then we must act on the things that we learn. This is how the Lord works and teaches. We work at it, He helps us understand through His spirit, and then we must Act! It's kind of like learning how to drive. You can't learn how to drive unless you study the laws, get help from your parents or an experienced driver, and then you drive! You don't learn unless you do. You don't progress unless you act.


Well I gotta go but I love and miss you all! Thank you for all your kind words and letters and the package!!


Love,
Elder Brady Lester

P.S. I have transfers next week and I will tell you how they work then because I don't know now, haha.

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