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 77: Summer Rain

Hey there everyone! 

Well this past week was a great week! Not alot happened hahaha, but it was a great week. We worked real hard and we had alot of success. This is the last week of the transfer so we will have to see next week if I will still be with my companion.  I really hope so. He has been my best comp so far. I love him, he is a great friend. 

Thanks for all writing me haha!  Sounds like you are all having a great time back at home.  I hope that it continues to be a blessing for you all.  I pray for you each day and hope that you are all happy. I hope that you all have blessings. Just to let you know...I will leave Thanksgiving plans up to you guys. Just let me all know how it’s going to work out.  I really would love to be with everyone and have a good, fun, happy, and peaceful time with all. 

We have been working really hard.  I love the mission.  I am a little scared for what is to come in the future but I am happy.  We are teaching a new family that we found last week. The Familia Minor Hernandez.  They are really great.  They are really Catholic too, but we have been able to teach with the Spirit and it seems like they know that it’s true.  It’s amazing to see how the Spirit really works with us to help people receive testimonies. We have another lesson with them on Tuesday so we will see how that goes. 

It continues to rain real hard here. It’s crazy!  I have gotten so wet and muddy hahahahaha!  It’s part of the work! 

I love you all and hope that you all have a great week.  Thank you so much for your support and love. I hope that you all have fun. I pray for you each day and hope that the blessings come in your lives.

Love,

Elder Lester

Mexico Week 64: Elder Bednar

Hi Family!!

Well this past week was a joyful week. Thank you for all writing me. I love you all so very much and I appreciate your love and support towards me. I have a testimony that an Elder in the Mission sees many blessings in the Mission just for the love and support of a family. I am grateful to have a loving family and I pray that you will always support me in my decisions, especially in the future because I will be staring my life very soon. Grandma, I send my love and prayers and congrats to Kelly!! That is wonderful!!! That is sweet that the Suns and Dbacks are all doing great. Kasey, congrats on wearing a suit!!!!!!! And for blessing the sacrament. It is such a blessing.

As you all know Elder Bednar came on Saturday to Puebla. It was a great learning and spiritual experience. I was able to feel such a Spirit as he and his wife, as well as other General Authorities talked to us. It was a SWEET conference. He didn’t talk to us, but rather it was a conversation between him and us. It was awesome. I also got to shake his hand and look him into the eyes. Hahahahaha, the first thing that he told us was "I hope that you don’t take notes of what I say. I have given up on adults. The rising generation is the hope of this world. Adults writing notes in conferences is so silly." Hahahahaha, when he said that I couldn’t help but laugh. I loved it! He also taught us something so true about agency. Agency is the will to choose but not right from wrong. Agency is choosing God. We don’t have the option he told us. We MUST choose God and nothing else. When we rebel and don’t choose God, we lose our agency because we can’t choose our consequences. When we choose God we choose our consequences. It is so true and it really taught me alot.

We stayed 3 days in Puebla which was sweet and we stayed with Elder Riggin!!!! It was a blast! Hahahaha, we didn’t sleep much because we talked a ton, but it was fun. After the conference with Elder Bednar, my comp and I went with Elder Escamilla and his comp to Applebees. It was soooooooooo good, hahahahha. Just to let you know, I forgot my camera so I will have to send photos next week sorry.

I love you all and I am grateful to be a Missionary and to have a Testimony of the Gospel. I love this Church with all my heart.

Love,

Elder Lester

Mexico Week 38: 11 Months and Baptisms of Reina and Karina

Hey there everyone!!

Well first off I want to wish a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful Mother!! I really hope you have a great special day today ma and I love you tons!! Thank you everyone for you letters and emails :) I always love Mondays to be able to read them and write :) Well this past week was just a great week and I have been having alot of fun and the Lord really is blessing me. This past week we had a zone conference and I learned alot! I really learned how to listen to the Spirit and help our investigators feel it as well. I also saw Elder Rojas hahahaha, and he looks the same poor dude. I really hope that he gets things done! I have pictures to upload but forgot my camera to upload them so we will just have to wait till next week :(

Well yesterday two more daughters of God entered into His presence as they were Baptized yesterday! Hermana Reina and Hna Karina both got Baptized!! It was a wonderful day. In the morning when I woke up yesterday I had this feeling that I should give my chance to Baptize Hna Reina to someone else hahaha. Crazy I thought and I just shrugged it off. But all morning it was bugging me. Well I got to the church and I saw a young man, Jasiel, who is in our ward and again the impression came to me. Well I talked to Hna Reina and told her my feelings and asked her if it was alright that this young man Baptized her. She hesitated because really wanted me to do it but she finally said yes, so Jasiel Baptized her and my comp Baptized Hna Karina. It was a wonderful service and the Spirit was so strong. I almost cried hahaha because I really love them. I really love my investigators. They are like best friends or family.  This upcoming Saturday the husband of Cony and her daughter are going to be Baptized too!! I am so happy that finally they are going to be a united family in the church. Hermano Euloterio is his name, and all he wants to do is be sealed in the Temple with his family. He has told us that that is his goal and nobody is going to stop him!! Right now we are just working with our other investigators and we want to see some weddings here soon!! 

I am really loving the work here and we are so busy. I need to finish this letter because we have appointments but the work is great. I love missionary work. I love being here in Mexico serving the people and children of God. I know that this is the true church. The Book of Mormon is true and nobody can tell me other wise. I have such a testimony of that book. President Reeves just challenged us to read it by Christmas so if you want to join me that would be awesome! I know that we can learn so much from that book :) It is a blessing that we have it. I gotta go but I love you all. I am thankful for your support and I pray that the Lord will always bless you as long as you are obedient :) 

Love, 

Elder Brady Lester 

Mexico Week 36: The Spirit and Happy in the Mission

Hey there everyone!

Well this week was just a great week! I am just happy here in the mission. Things are going great with Elder Escamilla and I. We are really working hard. In the last week we lead the mission in lessons taught to investigators! Things are going great and it looks like soon we will be Baptizing again. I feel like in my first change with him we pretty much opened the area again because Rojas and I got nothing done, but now that we are in the second change together, we feel like we are going to see the fruits of our labors. Things are smoothly going along. We finally have the support of the Bishop. and the leaders of the ward. I have always said that if we have a Ward Mission Leader and Ward Missionaries in this ward, we could Baptize every week, so hopefully the Bishop will get on that hahaha. I feel like finally it's an answer to a prayer that I have been praying for, for the past 4 months in this area. I always ask my Father in Heaven that one day the leaders will help us and He answered me!!

Well in this past week things got a little tougher with Hna Monica and Alicia. They want to get Baptized so bad but they won't not work on Sundays. They make most of their money Sundays because they sell things in the street, and people go out and buy on Saturday's and Sunday's here, so it's hard for them to drop it. I really don't want to Baptize just to Baptize. My goal is that they go to the Temple, and they need to go to Church to be able to go to the Temple. The last lesson we had with them we talked about Faith and putting the things of God first so that He can bless us, and they really liked it and said that they would commit to come to Church so we are working with them. Something that I have learned here in the mission is that as Missionaries we need to help them develop their Faith in Christ so that they are drawn to Baptism by the Spirit. There are alot of Missionaries who just drag them to Baptism. The thing is they don't stay active. I want my converts to be active!

In Missionary work finding by the Spirit is just as important as teaching by the Spirit. If we don't find somebody by the Spirit we don't have anyone to teach who is willing to make Convenants with the Lord. Elder Escamilla and I last week really focused on finding in our comp studies, and what we could do to find more people to teach but not just people...prepared people who are ready to listen to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This past week we found 4 new investigators which is not alot, but all 4 we found through the Spirit and they are all ready to make Convenants with God. They all accepted Baptism and we just need to teach them. We have found 3 great sisters, Hna Reina, Carina, and Erica who have all accepted Baptism right after the first lesson. They all said in their lessons, I want to get Baptized right now hahaha. They still need to learn a bit more, but it was awesome to hear that after teaching them. We also started talking with Hna Coni´s husband. We started getting impressions that he is ready to listen and we went with it. He accepted and wants to follow Christ so that he has a better marriage with Coni :) I am grateful to be worthy to work through the Spirit as we are obedient and study each day. We are learning tons.

Well General Conference was awesome!! I have to say that my 3 favorite talks in order were, Elder Holland, Elder Packer, and Elder Christofferson. I really learned a ton and felt the spirit. I learned from Holland the importance of just being worthy Priesthood holders. It is true what he said. No missionary can teach the Law of Chastity and testify of it, and the blessings of it, if he doesn't live it himself, or repent for any action that he has commited. With Christofferson I really learned about the blessings of repenting. It's hard sometimes but the blessings are amazing! I have learned alot about the Sacrament in the mission. We take it for granted all the time. If we take it worthily and understanding why we can receive the full blessings. I learned alot about the importance of listening and acting on the Promptings of the Spirit from the talk of Packer. It is so true. If we don't listen to it, and make a little mistake, it could change the course of our lives. It's a commandment that we seek, listen, and follow. I watched all that in Spanish, hahaha which was cool. I understood everything and thought it would be a bit tougher because the Apostles always talk so perfectly and use big words, but the Spirit really helped me understand as it always does everyday.

Thank you for all your love and support! I hope you all have the best week!

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

MTC Week 5: Growth

Hey everyone!!

One month in the MTC!!! It has gone by so fast! I can't believe it. Somedays feel like I have been here forever and others like I got here yesterday. Probably because we are learning so much so fast! Anyways thank you everyone for your letters this week! Getting letters is like Christmas :)

This week was really good! Elder Walker and I are getting along great and are working hard. The best part is we feel like we can work harder so we are going to be stepping it up here soon. This week Elder Walker and I have been outlining our lesson plans for lesson 1 in Spanish!! We have been teaching in Spanish this week it's crazy!! I feel like I go into a lesson so nervous then I walk out thinking "what did I just say?!" It's amazing how fast you learn by the spirit here at the MTC.  It's here all the time that it's hard to know that it is here. But the peace, happiness, and joy we feel is because of the spirit. Monday we will be teaching lesson 1 in Spanish to an investigator which will be way cool! I hope I can only learn faster and hope the spirit will remain with me so I can learn lots before I get to Mexico! Speaking of Mexico I can't wait to go! As much as I love this place I want to go teach real people and have amazing experiences. I want to put my hard work in the mission!

This week Elder Paletta went home because he needed sugery on his hand, but he will be back tomorrow we hope. He is still set apart. Elder Clarke, my best missionary in the district, almost went home for certain issues. Both him and I prayed and prayed and prayed and even fasted for him to stay. His heart is really in the right spot and he wants to be here so bad!!! When I interviewed him and was informed of his situation, I broke down and couldn't take it anymore. As district leader I have had so many challenges with Elders it surprises me! The work crew boys at Cumorah are 100 times more focused and dedicated and it makes me feel out of place. I feel sometimes people hate me because I follow all the rules and encourage them to do as well. Anyways thats the hard part about being district leader. It's frustrating to see these things and some don't care whatsoever. I have an Elder in my room who is the most disrespectful person I have ever met. He is even in the army!! He just doesn't care about anything but himself. President Lloyd, my Branch President, has even said that this Elder doesn't know his purpose yet. It is sad. In the end, Elder Clarke was found worthy to stay and I leaped for joy!

The great thing about being a leader is the opportunity to see everyone grow! Because of the responsibilities I have I get to see each elder grow. The Elder who I believe who has grown the most is Elder Walker my companion. He came from a rough background of drugs, music, and girls, but he knows why he is here and he has taught me a ton!! I am so happy for him. Although he gets upset for no reason sometimes, he still works hard and wants to do his best. He is going to be a great missionary!! :)  I probably get released on Sunday as DL though since it's been 4-5 weeks. I really want to because it is way hard. I have heard rumors that I won't because our district is so fragile and I keep them together real well...but we will see.

So about my schedule...it is different everyday. My teachers come at different times through out the day everyday but Sunday. It all depends on their school schedule at BYU. When we don't have teachers we have what is called MDT time. Which is missionary directed time. This is where we have time for our personal, companion, and language studies. It's really a great time to learn! Everyday except for P-day and Sunday we have gym. They are at different times though so it's kinda hard to lay out my schedule. I can send my planner in the mail though for you to see maybe when I have filled it up. And yes, we do have LGMs every Tuesday at 11:40 (large group meetings).

Our teachers, Hermano Cleek and Hermana Truman, get new school schedules next semester which means they won't be our teachers come January. Our whole district loves them and we are going to miss them a ton!!

A little bit about my district. It is a district of 12 which happens to be the biggest district here. Four of us, me, Elders Walker, Hammond, and Cummock are going to Puebla Mexico. They are the crazy ones and don't really obey the rules much and it's hard because I am in their room. I always have to keep an eye on them. Elders Christoffersen (my best friend here), Paletta, Nielson, and Justesen are going to Santa Cruz Bolivia. They are all awesome and I love Elder Christoffersen. He lives in Herriman Utah and we plan to write each other after the MTC :) Elders Framton and Sheffield are going to Tempe Arizona. Elders Bell and Clarke are going to Spokan Washington. All Spanish speaking of course! There is also an Elder in my zone who just got here and he is going to Mesa Spanish speaking. Elder Santos is his name.

Anyways my time is almost up! I love you all and miss you all and can't wait to hear from you this week! Keep the letters coming!!

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 3: Obedience, Spanish, and the Spirit

Hey there fam!!

It's been another great week in the MTC :) I have enjoyed all your letters and goodies! So I got my first letters from Elder Helvig and Corrinn which was exciting to see!! :) I can't wait to write them back later today! Also I will be sending my memory card in the mail this week so look for that :)

Anyways, the week has been tough but great! Once again Elder Walker and I are doing great and working hard! We have taught at least 3 lessons everyday and try and contact and testify to people in spanish. It's way cool! We learn something new everytime :) It was a tough week as a DL though. I have a boy in my district, Elder Justensen, who has been way homesick and has alot of anxiety. He's been to urgent care twice and he is having a tough time. He really wants to go home. President Lloyd and I and the whole district have been helping him out a ton! He has a fabulous companion though and I know the Lord put them together for this reason. Unfortunately his companion leaves Dec 15th to the Peru MTC and same with another companionship, but Elder Justensen has to stay here cuz it's better for him.  I hope he gets put with Walker and I cuz I know we can encourage, love, and help him. It's also been a hard week for obedience in my district, so I felt impressed to teach a lesson on obedience. I had my lessons prepared for Faith but I felt like teaching something else. I was nervous, but once I got up there I was very bold, and just started talking and the Spirit was there. The scripture I used was John 14:21. I asked them to keep it in their minds as I was giving the lesson and at the end, I asked if we don't keep His commandments is it fair to say that we don't love Him? I think it really hit everyone and our obedience issue is gone!!

I have been able to learn so much so fast here! Elder Walker and I teach each other so much and each time we teach lessons we learn a tremendous amount. This week though we really focused on teaching a person, not a lesson, and using the spirit. We were able to focus on our purpose and let people know what they needed to hear, and then we really focused on baptism. It was amazing and I can't wait to get to Mexico to share my testimony for reals!

With spanish its been tough, but I am getting through it. I have memorized a ton of new vocab and now can conjugate in the present, past, imperfect, and future tenses. Now it's just learning vocab and a bit more grammer! I hope our whole district can pick up the language well!!

Yesterday in class, Hermano Cleek taught each of us how to polish our shoes. Haha it was awesome!! Now I have shiny black shoes to show off to the cute sisters, lol jk ;) Also today Elder Walker and I bought Spanish scripture cases for the other set of scriptures they gave us. They are way cool and you'll see them in a picture :)

Anyways, things are fabulous!! I am really having a blast even though its hard work! The spirit here is amazing and it helps us learn so much so fast. The things we learn are not just for those we go seek and find, but they are for our whole lives! I am just trying to focus, work hard, and soak up the spirit! I've been really learning how to be a better person by fullfilling my purpose. The Lord shapes each of His missionaries into strong, focused, diligent, obedient, loving men of God. It shows as each Elder diligently wants to learn and can't wait to help those in Mexico, Bolivia, Arizona, or wherever they are going. Its awesome!!

Anyways, I love hearing from you every week and can't wait to hear from you again! Please share what's going on and how everything is! I want to leave you with a challenge to read D&C 121 and Alma 32, and apply what's in there in your lives. I know that it will bless you. I know that you are being blessed and that the Lord loves each one of us :)

Thanks! I love you all!

Led by the Spirit

I shared this with Elder Lester in the letter I sent him today:

While I was reading last night I read this great scripture in 1st Nephi 9:6 - Nephi testifies, "But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words. And thus it is. Amen."  I thought about you and the great work you are doing as a Missionary and learning the Spanish language. The Lord will help you accomplish what is needed in this great work!

This morning for scripture study we were reading about how Nephi was led by the Spirit to Laban so he could get the brass plates. It was a new insight into how exactly Nephi was so successful at following the Spirit.  Nephi was willing to try time and again, using his best efforts. He expressed faith that he would be helped. He refused to be discouraged. But because he acted, had confidence in the Lord, was obedient, and properly used his agency, he received guidance. He was inspired step after step to success, and in his mother's words was "given...power to accomplish the things which the Lord hath commanded." (1 Nephi 5:8)

Nephi knew he was required to confide in God, to exercise faith, and to act so that he could receive help, step by step. He did not murmur nor ask for full explanation. He did not wait passively for help. He acted! By following spiritual law, he was inspired and given power to act.

I believe that lesson is perfect for Missionary work and would be a great lesson to share with your District and throughout your Mission. Let me know what you think about it. :)

I just love learning and I believe that the Lord is Blessing our Family. I saw President Peterson last week and I told him that I feel a deep reverence and gratitude for your service. I'm sure I already told you that, but it is truly felt throughout our home and within us individually.