Mexico Week 43: Baptism of Alicia and Mastering the Language

Dear family and friends,

Thank you very much for all your letters and sweet words :) First of all I would like to wish a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Grandma :) I love you tons!! I love you all! Kolby you are awesome!! Even though you didn't make the team you are staying positive and know that there is something that you need to work on. Find out what it is and work on it!! Ask your Father in Heaven to help you prepare and fix what you need to fix so that you make the team. We are taught in 2 Nephi 32:9 that we must pray before everything that we do. I think that includes basketball too :) Kasey are you going to try out for the high school team? Brinkley sounds like you are a busy bee!! Keep it up! Braxley, hahaha well you just like to read...keep reading but I hope that you are reading in the BOM too :) Mom I love you so much! You are the best Mom in the world. Thank you for sending the packages.  

Papá te felicito por cumplir con tu proceso en el arrepentimiento. Es dificil pero hay muchas bendiciones y es algo bonito. Sigue asi y haz lo bueno y acuerdate lo que el Señor hizo por ti. Él te ama y tu familia. Utiliza la expiacion en tu vida cada dia. 

Well this past week I have really understood and realized that it's not easy for me to talk or write in English hahaha. I have to really think about the words and sometimes I forget words in English so I have to look online or in the dictionary to be able to talk...and I only have 1 year!!! My goal actually is to go home speaking very little English hahaha. I really want to master this language. I really would like to learn more languages after the mission and continue studying Spanish. Hopefully Travis will help me with my Portugese hahaha. Oh just so that you know Alex Helvig is almost done with his mission!! It went by fast! He goes home on the 20th of December. His president is sending him home a little early so that he can be home for Christmas cool huh! Well just to let you all know...they don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in Mexico :( But on Thursday the sister told us that she was going to make us mole with turkey so I guess you could say that I will still be a little connected with the turkey and all :) 

Well in this past week we got a ton of references from the members!! It was awesome!! We got 8 and usually here we only get like 1-2 each week hahaha. We taught and got alot of new investigators which is what we were needing because they are all getting Baptized hahaha!! This past week Hna Alicia talked with a counselor of the Mission President (I love President Reeves) and she was considered repentative for what she did in her past and she got Baptized on Saturday!!!! The Bishop Baptized her and it was a sweet service. She was so happy after and is just loving being a member of the Church. On Sunday she got Confirmed. She is a great lady and has so much in store for her. Also yesterday in Church I taught the future missionaries in our ward with a former missionary and it was sweet. The Bishop wants me to teach that class and my companion to teach the class with the investigators. It's really cool. I have alot of sweet plans for the class. I want to invite members to be investigators so that they can teach. I want to go out and knock doors with them instead of being in the class. I am really excited. I love this area and ward. I really want to stay here for a long time hahahaaha. 

Well things with the Baptisms that fell through look alright. The crazy girl is never home during the week only really late at night and on the weekends so we don't have much time to meet with them. The other Baptisms will happen, it's just a matter of time. They will progress :) I know that they will.  

I would like to give my Testimony in Spanish. Se que la obra misional es la obra del Señor. Él nos ayuda a los misioneros todos los dias por medio de Su espiritu. La guia es maravillosa. Se que el Libro de Mormon es verdadero y no solo es la clave de nuestra religion pero la clave de la obra misional. Ninguna persona puede conocer a Jesucristo a menos que lea en el Libro de Mormon. Testifica de Su divinidad en cada hoja. El Libro de Mormon es el fudamento de nuestro testimonio. Se que Jesucristo murío por nosotros. Es nuestro Salvador y Redentor. Pero como representante de Él...testifico que Él vive y que nos ama. 

I gotta go but I love you all and can't wait to talk with you on Christmas Eve :) Have a great week!! 

Elder Brady Lester

Mexico Week 33: Marriages and Baptism plans and Baptism of Coni

Hey everyone!


Well this past week was a pretty good one!! Elder Escamilla and I worked really hard and we had a lot of success!! Thank you for your letters and it sounds like the week was a decent week for you all. I am jealous that you got to go to the Dbacks game but I loved the pictures that you sent Mom :) I hope you guys had fun. That is great boys that you are getting things done with your Eagle Project.


Well in this past week some interesting things happened. Slowly we are still working with Hna Sandra so that she gets married here soon, so that she gets Baptized. It looks like this week she will be taking her blood tests so that her husband and her can get married. I really hope that happens soon so that she gets married and Baptized next week. Also in the past week Hno Yazzer told us that now him and his wife want to get married, so it looks like this week that will happen or the next. Hno Yazzer is an investigator who has two years with the Elders and wants to get Baptized so bad but his wife, who is a member, didn't want to get married for some reason. Now they do!! So we will be helping them with that as well. I am getting really excited for them because it's been a long time teaching them.


On Tuesday, my Birthday hahaha, we had a crazy day! It started off really bad. We were walking to Hna Coni´s house to teach her and make sure she was ready for Baptism and stuff, and as we were walking a ton of members saw us in the street and started freaking out at us for no reason and wanted a ton of help. I had to tell them another day because it was a packed day! Well as we were walking we saw Hna Coni in her car with her daughter and she told us that she was coming back in 1 hour and that she wanted to talk to us about her Baptism. It made us worry a ton and so we changed plans and worked for awhile in her neighborhood for about an hour. Well we went to her house after and she still was not there so we went to wait with a sister in the ward at her house. She was worried too for Coni because she is her best friend. Well we waited and she made us some quesadillas for breakfast which was yummy! Later a brother from the ward that is right next to ours called us and asked if we could go to the hospital and give him a blessing. I was freaking out at this point because the members were wanting our help, Coni wants to talk about her being Baptized, we still had to fill up the Baptismal font which takes about 2 hours, and now a blessing in a hospital that is forever away. I was just thinking to myself, why is all this happening on my Bday?!! Hahaha well I called Elder Lamb and told him to give the brother a blessing because he is from his ward anyways and we still had to fill up the font. After all of that, Hna Coni still did not show up so we went to the church to fill up the font. As it was filling up, we went and studied in the church, and later on went to eat close to the church. We went to some tiny little restaurant close by and I got myself soup, rice, a salad, beans, salsa (really good salsa!), and breaded chicken breast and a dessert for only 35 pesos!! Three bucks for all of that!!! Plus tortillas of course hahaha! It was delicious! After we went back to the church and started to study again because the font was still filling up, and then the same sister who gave us breakfast called and said to come to see Hna Coni fast because it was an emergency! After settling down a bit I started to stress again hahahaha and we went almost running to her house. We got there and she started to explain a story that is really long but basically her husband got drunk at a party and flirted with another girl. She got upset and wanted to talk to him but he got mad and hit her. For that she drank 3 beers and smoked a cigarrete!! I was so sad and frustrating that she didn't call us and was telling all this on the day of her Baptism!! It was terrible. We were thinking that we were not going to Baptize! After listening to her for a while we talked about Repentence and later felt, after talking with our leaders, that she was Repentant and could get Baptized!! I was so happy. So we went to the church to finish things and then had her Baptismal service as planned. It was a sweet service and I felt the Spirit so strong but when I went to Baptize her she kept lifting her foot out of the water hahaha, and so we had to do it 4 times!! The 4th time I just shoved her under the water hard hahaha! It was fun! After a sister bought me a cake and they all sang Happy Birthday to me in Spanish hahaha, and then after they wanted me to bite the cake, so I went for it and guess what...Hna Coni shoved my face in the cake hahaha!! It was so funny and I was so grateful for the members and that day. It ended up being great and my testimony was strengthened about the power of the Atonement and how God will forgive anyone who is willing to "come and see." It was a great day!

 Baptism of Coni

The rest of the week went good! We have two Baptisms on Sunday so I can't wait for that and I really feel that we are going to have alot of success Elder Escamilla and I, as long as we are obedient. We gotta keep working hard! I am just really excited! Well I gotta go, but thank you for all your support! I love you all, especially my Family :)


Love,
Elder Brady Lester

P.S. Yes Mom, I am pretty much fluent in Spanish hahaha. I can understand 95% of what's being said and I talk a ton hahaha, but I still have a ton of words to learn :) 

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

MTC Week 8: Teaching and Learning

Hey!!

Week 8 here at the MTC!! So I got some news the other day from my Branch President and the travel office here at the MTC. Our Visa's have not come yet, but they are working on them. They said we should have them between now and two months. So we will probably stay here until the 24th or the 30th of January, then get reassigned to Boise, Vegas, Seattle, and anywhere in Utah or Arizona. Crazy!! I really want to get to Mexico but I wouldn't mind going somewhere else for a bit in the states. I think it would be good practice for spanish and teaching :) I just want to go out and get started!! I am so excited!!

This week was another good week at the MTC. Elder Walker and I keep working harder everyday! We are trying really hard to speak Spanish all day but it is difficult. We can do better, and I have Faith that this week we will do great!


This week we got to be hosts for the new Missionaries again which was fun!! :)


So this week Elder Walker and I have been teaching, teaching, teaching, and teaching some more!! We keep teaching and we are getting better each time and learning so much everytime we teach!! It's amazing how much we learn. My favorite is when we have personal and companionship study. We learn so much and it helps us a ton with our teaching. This week Elder Walker and I had some really hard investigators. We had one who was gay, one who was 60 years old, and a 15 year old who has a  chastity problem, and a evil spirit problem. They were all true stories that our teachers had on their missions and they role played for us. It was insane!! Apparently in Mexico they have word of wisdom problems, chastity problems, and evil spirit problems often. It made me nervous but I am ready to help any of those people out!!

So today I had the most amazing experience in the temple today. I learned so much more and felt the spirit so much more than I ever have in the temple. 

So let me tell you about Elder Walker, my companion. He is from Pleasent Grove, Utah. He used to be in a band and used to do drugs and had that kind of life style. But he wanted to serve a mission. So for the past two years he has fixed his life up and repented for all his sins. He has had some wonderful experiences the past two years that have helped him get here today. I am so grateful for that because he is the best example of a man who knows his Savior Jesus Christ, and how He can help him. He knows what it is like to be at the lowest of lows and get back on top. He is the best example of a man who knows and uses the atonement effectively everyday. I hope I can take his example and be like him someday. :)

So let my tell you about my p-day schedule!! Every Friday I have p-day! We wake up at 6:30 AM and have personal study from 7-8:15. Then we have breakfast until 9:00, and from 9-10:00 we have companionship study. Then at 10:00 we go to the Temple until 1:00. Then from 1-3:30 we have prep time where we write letters and do whatever we need to do for the up coming week. Then at 3:30 we do laundry until 5:15ish, and the we e-mail home :)  That's how Elder Walker and I do things :)  We then have dinner from 6-6:45, and class from 7-9:00 and that's pretty much it!!

Well I love you all and miss you!! I love hearing from you and hope I can everyday if possible :)

Love, (Amor)

Elder Lester

MTC Week 4: Love and Humility

Hey there!!

It's my third week here in the MTC and things are going great!! Thank you for the goodies and treats :)  And Grandma, if I find anyone who knows French I will let you know. Thank you each for all your letters. Kolby though, you gotta write me man!!! Only two lines each letter?? I'm glad everyone is having fun and loving the holidays so far :) Just want to let you know that I am sending a letter to Kasey today and inside it are some pictures which are Elder Walker and I's Christmas card :)  If you could hand some out to friends that would be awesome! There aren't alot but some :)

Anyways, this week has been a hard but rewarding week. On Monday Elder Justesen had all his appointments all day and Elder Walker and I stayed with him and drove all around Provo...which was weird...and we wanted to show him how much we loved him and cared for him. I explained more in the letter to Kasey, so when you get that you can read everything that happened. In the end he decided to STAY!!!!!! Elder Walker and I literally were crying for joy :)  This week has also been hard on Elder Walker and I. We haven't gotten along to well but we just had a nice talk and we are looking forward to stepping it up and getting to work and loving each other! :)  We also just got back from the Temple today where we did an endowment session. It was beautiful :)  I love going to the Temple and am going to miss it when I get to Mexico.

So things that I need to answer are in that letter I sent Kasey so you can read that :) But yes, I can pop popcorn here if you sent some...the floor has a microwave :)  But anyways, this week has been good. I have learned how to conjugate verbs in all the tenses and I am continuing to learn words. I have also memorized D&C 4 in Spanish and am working on the First Vision in Spanish :)  It's hard but it's coming along. I've learned alot in the scriptures this week as Elder Walker and I read from the BOM in spanish everyday. It's really helping us out!! In my personal study I read different things in the scriptures in English and one of my favorites this week was D&C 84:88 :)

In about a week and a half we will start teaching in Spanish...which is going to be way hard and insane but I am looking forward to it. I know that the Lord is really helping us here at the MTC. This work really is much bigger than us and we can't do it by ourselves. I have faith that if we roll up our socks and get to work that the Lord will help us and strengthen our faith. One of the most amazing things here at the MTC is the Spirit of Love. Amazingly, this love helps us do everything!! We have to love the Lord, the work, our companion, as a leader- love the district, and most importantly we have to love our investigators. Love is how we fulfill our purpose, to invite others to come unto Christ (Invitar a las personas a venir a Cristo). I have learned alot about charity and love while being here and it has helped me out a ton.

Something I need to work on this week is humility. I feel like I know a ton about the gospel and about principles and I find myself teaching just a lesson not a person. I need to work on using the spirit to help me teach simply and share my feelings about how I know things are true. I need to use the Doctrine of Conversion (study that this week if you want, Chapter 4 of Preach My Gospel). The best way I need to do this is to be humble and also learn from others.

In the past 3 weeks I have really seen myself grow, but my greatest treasure is to see each and everyone in my district grow. That is why I love being a DL. I love seeing how everyone grows in unity, love, and spirit. It's amazing!! I really do love each one of them. I can't wait to hear from them in the field. As much as I want to be in Mexico now, it's going to be hard to leave these wonderful Elders.

So anyways tell me more about home?! How's Ryan...I hope he is ok. Give him my best and let him know I am praying for him and want to see him back out here :)  Did you get my sd-card? I love all your letters and can't wait to get more. I save all of them in my desk drawer :) Tell Jacob Handy to write me!! Hahaha. Anyways love you all!! :)

Amor (love),

Elder Brady Lester

   

P.S. I love you Mom :) You are the best!

MTC Week 1: Elder Lester's 1st Letter from the MTC

Hey there everyone!!


This letter is going to be short because I had trouble getting into my account so I only have 18 minutes haha! Anyways what a week I have had so far! It has been a blast! I am in a district of 12 Elders. Four of us, who are all in my room, are going to the Mexico Puebla Mission. Elder Hammond and Elder Cummeck are comps and Elder Walker is my companion. I am the senior companion for the first four weeks. We are getting along great! Elder Walker is from Pleasent Grove, UT. The other Elders in my district are Elder Christoferson, Elder Justenson, Elder Palleta, and Elder Nielson, who are going to the Bolivia Santa Cruz Mission, Elder Framton and Elder Shefield, who are going to the Tempe Arizona Mission, and Elder Bell and Elder Clarke, who are going to the Spocan Washinton Mission. They are all so cool!

The other day we met with our Branch Presidency and met President Lloyd, our Branch President. They talked to us and interviewed each of us Elders. After...I got called to be the District Leader. Hahaha imagine that! I am very grateful and humbled for this calling. I am ready to serve my distict and hope to set the example for them.

My teachers are Hermana (sister) Truman and Hermano (brother) Cleek. They are wonderful! They help out so much and am looking forward to learning from them. In the first few days here I can bear my testimony, meet people, and pray...fluently in Spanish. It is so amazing!! The Lord's hand is definately in this work. We have also started to outline lesson 1 in Preach My Gospel and on Monday we get to teach it to people!! I am so excited!

So I have seen everyone here!! Elder Alston and I have the same P-day, gym, and pretty much same schedule which is awesome. I have seen Elder Dustin Johnson, Elder John Sumpter, Elder Jacob Palfreyman here too! It was way cool to see them!! :)

The food here in the MTC is pretty good but is not good for the bowels haha. It makes us smell and make funny noises in class. The past few days we have had alot of workshops on our purpose as missionaries and other great tools as missionaries. The schedule starting next week will be our normal schedule so look forward to my emails on Fridays which is my normal P-day. I am excited to serve the Lord and can't wait to get to Mexico Puebla!!

I gotta go know since my time is running out but I will write more next week! Thank you for all the letters and goodies everyone and your prayers. I love you all and can't wait to hear from you!

Yo se que el Libro de Mormon es verdad y es el otro testamento de Jesucristo. Soy Elder Lester y soy un misionero y reprensentate de La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santo de los Ultimos Dias.

Love,