I forgot it was 4th of July

Hey everyone, so a lot happened since I've written.  Please forgive me!

First things first, transfers came last week and I am no longer in Tuxpan but am back in Poza Rica!!!!! Woaaaah so I'm pretty stoked because I was here the same time last year and I've already seen a lot of familiar faces.  I'm in a different stake however so I have gotten to seen and experience new things. :) My new companion is Elder Morillo, he's the closest thing I've had to a gringo (non-native) companion but he's from Ecuador. He's cool and we are already working great together! We are teaching a lot of people and it looks like we will be having a lot of success here in the near future!

My last week in Tuxpan was super exciting, we got rained on.  It sucked because we got drenched but I ended the transfer with the baptism of the Fonseca family!!!!! I have not felt so much love for a family as I have for them.  It was really sad saying goodbye to them but the mish be like that sometimes. (Sorry the pic didn't come out.)

Well I have to go now.  I'm sorry I'm short on time.   Just a quick spiritual experience from church.  It was fast and testimony meeting and I love have the opportunity to share my testimony with others and hearing testimonies.  In church I was touched by the testimony of a little boy named IAN who shared, "I know that God lives and I know that He loves me, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."  I don't know why but that small testimony just touched my heart it was so pure and extremely genuine.  I felt the Spirit extremely strongly and coming from Ian it made the gospel seem so simple to me.   Like Ian, I also know that God lives and that He loves each and every one of us. I've seen the love for His children numberless times on my mission and in my life.

This week I'd like to challenge each and everyone of you to write at least one thing down in your journal or agenda or somewhere every single day of how the hand of God has blessed your life.  You will begin to see how the Lord doesn't work miracles in our lives in the big things in life, but in the small details of our life.  I love you all so much take care!

No Pain No Gain

Hello my fellow Americans! Life is good and chugging along as usual. And well this week was a little more painful and a little bit out of the norm, but it was still full of miracles and good tidings.

First and foremost, I had another ingrown taken out and it was more or less infected.... so that was just GREAT.  Best part, in order for more toe to heal and the infection to go way I had to walk with a sandal on one foot most of the week.  Long story short there were many heads turned and finger pointing....  so that was that.

But that didn't stop me from giving my all to the Lord.  And so my companion and I went out and worked like nothing happened.  We went and visited one of our investigators that we hadn't seen in a while.  We got to the house and it didn't look like they were there, so we went to check the side of the house to see if we had any luck there because that's usually where they received us.  While looking around our investigators giant rottweiler comes out of nowhere and bit me on the finger!!!  We quickly ran to the nearest members house and they put alcohol and hydrogen peroxide and the whole deal on it.  Luckily it was tied up and could only reach my finger and not my arm or leg because that would have been super chafa.

So yeah this week was a little more painful than the rest.  We are teaching this golden investigator named Margarita who is progressing super well.  She knew a ton about the gospel before we even met her, even most of the missionary rules.  Her boyfriend is a member return-missionary and basically all of her coworkers are faithful members of the church and they help us out a lot.  She already knows the church is true but she doesn't know what day she wants to get baptized. But my companion and I are praying and fasting that she'll stay strong for her goal.

This is the last week of the transfer and I'm really nervous about leaving my area next transfer. I really love it here in Poza Rica, everyone is super nice and I've gotten to know every member in my area on a personal basis.  But I'll do what the Lord wants me to do always. Whether it be in here in Poza Rica or somewhere else. Well Christmas is in 5 weeks and that's crazy to think about. Haha it's crazy how fast time passes. I love this time of the year when we can celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.  He is truly the reason I do what I do and Christmas is a time filled with so much love, music and gladness and most of families.  It's what the Gospel is all about, families. It's where the Gospel of Jesus Christ truly thrives.  I love you all and I consider you all my family. Until next time!

Miracles of the Work

Hello everyone! It's been a while I'm sorry, last Monday was Dia de los Muertos  (Day of the Dead) and there weren't any servers open so I couldn't send many pictures. But get ready because this email is about to be loaded.  I have a new companion and I are getting along super well!  We have been working extremely hard everyday to the point that we get home just complete exhausted at the end of the day.  Giving your all to the Lord is not an easy thing but it renders an incredible amount of blessings.  We baptized back to back these last 2 Sundays! Woooooooooaaaaaaaahhhhh!

The first was the mother of Yunuet and Jose who are the 2 kids that got baptized at the end of August.  Before Yunuet and Jose got baptized we had to get the permission of their mother, and at first she was reluctant to give her permission.  And it was a miracle that she let her kids get baptized.  But when she attended her kids baptism in August she felt the Spirit strongly and knew that this was something good.  She kept going to church with her kids and reading and praying  and slowly her heart began to change and began to desire this for herself.  We began teaching her the lessons and when we committed her to be baptized the 1st of November she burst into tears.  At first my companion and I were confused and thought we had said something wrong.  Until she told us that on the 1st she had vacations and that she had been hoping and praying it would be that day as it was the only day she could. (She normally comes to the church the first 2 hours and then goes to work.)  She asked me if I knew and I honestly had no idea.  Miracle.  She was smiling the whole day of her baptism and invited all of her friends and family to the services so they could feel the same Spirit as she did.  I guess she's a better missionary than we are hahahahah! Truly an amazing experience.

This week we had the opportunity to baptize another one of my favorite people I've met on mission, named Gloria. She's the investigator I mentioned earlier that we would teach and eat sushi at her moms sushi restaurant. Hahah.  She is super awesome and has an incredible testimony of the church. She came to all 4 sessions of general conference, reads and underlines everything we give her.  (Including the Book of Mormon), and is just golden in every definition.  However her mom is an ex-member and it was a long and extremely laborious journey to get her mom's permission and took weeks of praying and fasting. Because of our faith the Lord softened the heart of Gloria's mom and let her daughter be baptized.  Miracle.  The services were absolutely beautiful and there was not a single dry eye in the room, even in the eyes of Gloria's mother. 

God is good, all the time.  My heart has truly been filled with joy and thanks to the Lord for the opportunity he's given me to help change these peoples lives.  My testimony of this Gospel has grown tremendously these last few weeks and I truly know without a doubt that this is His work and His glory.  These events were in no way coincidence, but miracles and the Lord has truly blessed me and those around me.  I love you all and I love my Savior.  The Lord works miracles every day in your lives too.  Look for them and you will see how the Lord's blessings are round about. Until next time!

PS random pictures of every day life:

Poza Rica Skyline

$200 of Mexican Pesos

Didier!

New Transfer

Hi everyone! Sorry it's been a while since my last update. Haha lots been going on but all good things! To start off transfers were last week and my old companion Elder Lopez finished his mission and went home to Mexico City! He was a super funny guy and we got along super well and it seemed we were always laughing! We drank a martinellis on his last day to celebrate. :)

His last Sunday we also had a baptism and it was a lovely ceremony! Her name is Sullivan and she has an awesome testimony of the Book of Mormon and is part of a less active family we are reactivating. :) She looks like she's 13 but is actually 11 and she's extremely smart and mature for her age.  In the photo is a little image of the Mexico City temple. We have been focusing a lot on the Temple when we teach her and her family so they can be sealed together as a family for time and all eternity! 

My new companion is Elder Hernandez! He's super awesome and is my first companion that has less time than me. Woooooohhh! Hahah.  He just finished his training so he has 3 months and he's super awesome! He's from the state of Hidalgo Mexico, which is south of Mexico City, which is only like 3 hours from where we are. Haha.  We get along super well and we are learning a lot of things together every day! 

A lot of you probably don't know this but I've been starting to teach English classes every week as an act of service and because there are a lot of people in Poza Rica who want to learn English.  About 2 weeks ago Elder Lopz and I were walking the streets of Mexico as usual.  All of a sudden this guy stops his truck right in front of us and starts speaking in broken English. "Hey my friend. Hey hey!" At first I was a little weirded out because normally the only people who come and talk to us like that are drunks or crazy people.  So I thought in my mind, "Aww man here we go again."  But he came up and asked me how to pronounce a word in English.  So we talked for a bit and then I told him I offer English classes in our church and he could come if he liked.  Then I gave him my number and we went our separate ways.  I didn't think he would call to be honest, but he did.  Hahah.  About a week later he called and came to class. Haha.  He's a super funny guy named Carlos and he actually lived in Oklahoma for a while but then got deported because he helped people cross the border. Hahahahahahahahahahhahaha. Anyways he told me he wants to change his life around and come to church so now we're teaching him. Hahah.  Little miracles like that makes my love grow for the Lord everyday. :)

Thank you so much everyone for your emails, comments, and for being interested in my adventures here in Mexico. Being a missionary is the greatest thing in the world! I don't have much else for this week but next week I promise to write a lot more! :) God is good!  He loves us and I get to see His love touch the hearts of men every day!  The Book of Mormon is the truest book on the face of the Earth! Christ lives! This is His gospel and his church!

Love you all! 

October

Conference was super good, but I had to watch in Spanish and it was not as satisfying as it would have been in English. Hearing a translator talk over the speaker made it really hard to concentrate. Haha. Plus hearing Spanish and watching someone speak it are completely different things. Hahah. So I had to really concentrate to understand the message. So yeah, this next Liahona you can be sure I'll study the heck out of it. Hahah.

(Twice a year there is a world wide church conferences where leaders of the church speak. This happened the first weekend in October. You can read what the Prophet and apostles said here. The Liahona is a church magazine that publishes stories from members, lessons to share, and uplifting thoughts. Twice a year it publishes a transcript of the General Conference addresses.)

Hope all is well at home! Everything is as good as the Coke here in Mexico! (The Coke is super good!)

I won't do an update this week because I didn't bring the cable for the camera, but we baptized this last Sunday! I  also had a ingrown toe nails taken out last week. It was super painful. That's all here. Tell everyone I love them.

Mexican Independence Day

De cierto de cierto os digo, este semana fue bien chido.  (Most assuredly I tell you, this week was well cool.)

Hahaha what a week and man did it go by fast! Its probably because a lot happened.  On Tuesday it was Mexican Independence Day.  I must say Mexicans go pretty crazy about their independence. Hahaha so crazy that our mission president told us we had to be inside our house with the doors locked at 6 pm.  Hahaha.  But it's all good Elder Lopez took advantage of the opportunity and cooked up some huevos rancheros and drank a coke. Twas tranquil but very nice. :)

The next day on Wednesday we had a conference with our Mission President who shared with us as a mission how we can have more success in our areas and retain investigators.  It was such an inspiried and uplifting experience.  I received so much revelation for me and for my investigators.  I love receiving guidance and direction from my leaders.  I'm always looking for ways I can improve wether it be in teaching, leadership, or Spanish.

This week we've been teaching una joven (a youth) whose name is Gloria and she is sooooooooo awesome! One half of her family is Christian and the other Jehovahs Witness and so she came to us very confused and wanting to finding the truth. We taught her the message of the Restoration and she felt right away that it was true. She loves to read so she reads everything we give her and underlines the important parts. She's already almost done with first Nefi (Nephi) in the Book of Mormon. Hahah She went to church this last Sunday for the first time and really really enjoyed it! Also her mom owns a bunch of restaurants including one that's a sushi shop. So every time we teach her its in her moms sushi restaurant and she offers us free food every lesson every time without fail and its quite delicioso (delicious.) :)

This Sunday we also had a baptism and I had the amazing opportunity to baptize one of my favorite people I have met in the mission. His name is Didier and he's nine years old and he is so funny! He loves playing Minecraft and other video games but he's also super intelligent and leaves a lot of people dumbfounded by how much he knows. Hahaha. Elder Lopez and I always leave our lessons with him cracking up by some of the things he says and does.  At his baptism after the ordinance and the primary president gave him a CTR ring which means choose the right. Afterwards the bishop got up to welcome him to the ward and as he was getting up Didier says "Hey bishop, remember to choose the right" and the bishop said "thank you so much Didier for reminding me." It was so funny I was dying! 

Well that's all for this week. More to come next week:) I'll leave like always with my testimony that I know Christ lives. Here on my mission my love for the Savior and for what he did has grown immensely.  The fact I can represent Him in all things that I do and say is truly an honor.  Something that my mission president said this week truly touched me.  He said God loves every single one of us more than we can imagine, however He only trusts a chosen few. The few that are willing and desirous to do His will, to seek Him diligently and to follow the example He lead. I try to go out every day inviting and teaching and doing everything possible so I can have the trust of the Lord on my side. Some times I mess up and fall short however when I repent and start over again that is truly when my love for Him grows and the joy and thanks that come for the saving atonement.

I invite everyone who reads this email to search, to question and query.  What are you doing to earn the Lord's trust?  What are you doing everyday to draw closer to Him?  How have you strengthened your relationship with Him?

I love every single one of you and I love this gospel. Take care till next time!

September?

Hey everyone around the world that reads this email!  Hope all is going well with school and work and life.  Work here in Mexico doesn't seem to hold up but being busy is a good thing.

Some updates: transfers came last week and I'm still here in my area in Poza Rica with makes me super happy!  I have a new companion named Elder Lopez who is a champ and also going to finish his mission in October.  He's from Mexico City and loves eating just as much as I do haha. :) I don't know why but all of my companions in the mission have had more than 22 months in the mission, but I'm learning a lot from their experience.

Oh, I also got moved up to district leader which is a change.  Hahaha.  Everyone in my district has more than 18 months in the mission so at times its intimidating but they trust me and I trust the Lord and His ways and He truly helps me in the areas where I lack.

Last Sunday the 30th of October we had a baptism! Woooooooh their names are Yunuet and Jose and they are golden!  They have such strong testimonies and love the church.  The gospel has changed their lives so much that their mother who at first had no interest in church, is now attending and wants to take lessons because of the difference she's seen in her children.  It's so amazing to see whole families be blessed by the gospel. :)

A lot of people have asked what my area is like here in Poza Rica and or what my favorite food is, so here's a little break down for you: its small, old, and really fancy.  It is not like other areas here in Veracruz to be honest. The majority of people here are well off and so its sometimes hard to find people willing and humble enough to listen.  We work a lot with the members and they help a lot by passing references or inviting friends to activities. The ward is very big and a lot of people go each Sunday.  There's actually a handful of people here who speak English which is at times pretty nice. My favorite foods that I've eaten here are bocoles with eggs and ham and tacos al pastor. Yummy. :)

Thank you all for your love, prayers and support each week!  I love being a missionary of the Lord and serving others each day.  I'm so grateful to represent my Savior and help Him in progressing His work and His glory.  My prayers go out to all of you.  This gospel is the only way to true and everlasting happiness!  Love you all!

PS here's a picture of me and a baby armadillo.  Everybody say, "awwww."

PPS quick shout out to the Gorby family and their letters that finally came the other month. Thank you so much for everything! 

Elder Christofferson

Yesterday I had the amazing opportunity to hear from an Apostle and it was such an amazing experience!  We had to take a bus from Posa Rica to Xalapa at 3:00 in the morning, so we were all pretty tired and exhausted by the time we got there. But it was worth it for sure!  Being in the presence of an Apostle of the Lord is such a powerful experience.  From the moment he stepped out of his car you could feel the Spirit and authority the man had.  Everyone was super anxious and nervous and I was super happy.  I couldn't stop smiling:)  He talked to us about the importance of the Spirit in the conversion of an investigator and how we can use it to find their needs.  I learned a lot and received loads of personal revelation.

This week is going to be a good week!  We're going to baptize hopefully 3 people this Sunday.  I hope everyone is doing well and adjusting back to school and what not. I am so grateful for the opportunity our Father in heaven has given us to learn, grow, and change everyday. I see it happen all the time. Oh how the gospel changes lives and hearts. The Atonement is incredible and imperative in our journey back to our Heavenly Father. It is the message I share every day with others that no mistake is permanent or lasting but can be made clean and new through the sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  I am so grateful for Him and what He did.  He lives so that I may live again. I love you all and hope you have a great week. :)

Work, Work, Work

These past couple of weeks have flown by!  My companion Elder Maimo and I have been working super hard finding and teaching some of the most wonderful people.  We're teaching this guy named Alan who's super awesome and also going through some rough times in life right now.  He loves coming to church and learning about the gospel.  He has a date to get baptized next Sunday and he's super pumped!

Last Wednesday we had an Area Conference with our Mission President where all of the missionaries in Posa Rica came.  President Greer talked about how we as a mission need to focus on getting our investigators to the temple, not just baptism.  It made me think about all the blessings that come from the temple and how blessed we are to have temples all around the world.

These last couple of weeks we've been teaching this couple named Armando and Dani who are accepting the gospel super well!  After our lesson my companion and I saw they had 2 raccoons tied up in the back of the house, like a pet dog. Hahahahhah.  So we went and played with them and took pictures.  It was pretty funny! 

Being a missionary is no walk in the park but my Heavenly Father has truly blessed me so much and everyday I am truly overwhelmed with gratefulness.  On Thursday my companion and I got to go to the hospital and give a blessing to a member recovering from surgery.  It was one of the first times I had given a blessing in Spanish and it was such a powerful and touching experience.  At the end I could feel how much the Savior loved this man.  I know the Savior loves each and every one of us the same and that he knows us personally.  Being a tool in His hands to bless the lives of others is truly a privilege and a blessing.

I love you all so much and I know without a doubt this is the Lord's church!  Until next week!

PS P-day is on Tuesday next week.  We're having an all mission conference on Monday. Not sure why.  Something about an Apostle named Elder Christofferson coming to visit. ;) Anyways until next Tuesday.

Time is flying by

Wow this week came and went like a flash.  I guess that's how life is when you're working hard. I have a new companion named Elder Maimo and he's super cool and also super crazy sometimes haha. He's from Argentina but in the Patagonia, which is like almost the end of the world. Antarctica is a 2 hour flight from his house.  He has 2 months left and so he knows a lot. I learn more and more every day how to be a better teacher. He also jokes around that he'll have 3 kids in primary by the time I get home. Hahahaha probably true.

My companion and I found more new investigators this week than all of last transfer and this sunday we had 5 at church and we could have 10 this Sunday. Woooooo!  Life is moving so fast I have no time to sit and look around and take it all in sometimes! It's already August 2015, soon it'll be August 2016 (that makes my head hurt.)

This week I decided  to put all my English books in my suitcase and just go all out Spanish and it's been helping a lot!  Sometimes I just feel weird speaking English and other times I miss speaking it. Hahaha it's a real love hate relationship. I'm getting roasted out here in the sun. I'm thinking about buying a sombrero so I don't die. They say that it's going to be like this for the rest of the month (so just a heads up I may look Mexican when it comes September.) 

More next week and pictures also! love you all! I love this gospel and I love the work! It's truely a blessing to be a servant of the Lord and bless people's lives.

Cuidense todos les amo y dios les bendiga (Take care all I love, and God bless)

Summer Solstice

Well this week was extremely and incredibly hot.  I can't put into words the heat that my companion and I are walking in.  My companion and I were out walking Saturday afternoon between visits and we realized we were the only people crazy enough to be outside at that hour.  Hahaha. The streets were empty and everyone was inside as they should have been. Hahaha. 

I have a new companion named Elder Maimo from Argentina. He's medio (half) cool and also medio (half) loco haha. He's another missionary with not that much time left, but we are working hard everyday. Time is flying by!  We are working off the ward inactive list and helping people to get back to church and also teaching the references they give us. YAY! 

We are teaching this guy named Marco Antonio and his family and things are going great, but it's almost impossible to find and teach his whole family at the same time.  So we have not taught them in a while.  This week we were looking for a street (and as it happened we were no where near it) and I saw Marco Antonio and his wife outside (miracle) and they invited us in.  We taught them and committed them to be baptized.  Just another little experience where I see the Lord's hand at work :)

This week we also had a baptism. WOOOOOOOOOOO! Guadalupe is super awesome and super humble and has a strong desire to follow Christ.  I was very honored that she asked me to perform the ordinance.

I love all of you and I am so glad to be out here serving a mission, even when its a billion degrees outside, it is always worth it!  The gospel is true and Christ lives! Take care everyone!

PS There's a street here named Fresno street #representin

4 Months and Changes

My companion Elder Barrera is going home tomorrow and I'm super sad because he's an awesome guy and an amazing Elder.  I learned so much from him.  We had a baptism and her name is Vicky. She has amazing faith and desire to learn the gospel!

I'm out of time but I love you all and I love this gospel and this work.  I put my heart, might, mind and sweat into this work and the Lord has truly blessed me in so many ways. Till next week!

Happy Fourth!

Happy fourth of July my fellow Americans! I hope you all ate a lot of bbq,  pie, and bacon for me because that's what Americans do! Hahaha to no surprise people do not celebrate that here, but I woke up Saturday and sang God bless America the whole morning. Hahahaha 

This week was super hot and also kinds stressed filled. It rains here almost everyday and when I first arrived I was happy it rained because I thought it would make things cooler, but it JUST MADE IT MORE HUMID! Gah its the worst.  Sometimes steam literally comes off the streets!  My companion and I are having a hard time finding people and that's one of the reasons I was stressed this week.  

I think the second week I got here we were contacting a house and their neighbor walked out and caught my eye.  I got the impression that we needed to go talk to him and I almost let the impression slip away and thought nothing of it.  But it was firm and I knew I had to, so I walked up and contacted him.  His name is Juan Carlos and he's a super nice guy and actually really wants to learn English, which is one reason he accepted us so quickly.  He invited us in and we actually taught him how to pray in English believe it or not and then taught him part of lesson one.  He now comes to our semi-weekly English classes and wants to read the Book of Mormon in English!  We're teaching him right now and its going super good!  We just need to get him to church!

Hey I'm out of time but I love every one of you and I hope your testimony grows every day!  The church is true.  The Book of Mormon is true.  We are beloved children of our Father in heaven!
Until next week!

Recap

This week went by so fast I'm going to do my best to try and remember. In the area I'm it is really hard to find people and so at the moment we only have a few investigators. (We had to drop one yesterday, really sad.) But it's definitely been a test of faith and I'm learning more day by day how to trust in the Lord.

One investigator that is progressing pretty well is a kid named Hugo.  He's a 17 year old joven (youth) who's really cool and accepting the gospel really well.  But this week we weren't able to get a hold of him until Saturday.  And we didn't teach him but we helped him with his house and invited him to church as per usual.  We went by to go pick him up and he wasn't at his house and Elder Barrera and I were so bummed.  We walked to church wondering what we were going to do and whether we would drop him or not.  We get to church and start to greet people at the door and we see Hugo come walking in!!!!  I was so so so so sooooooo happy to see him I literally leaped for joy!  He stayed for all 3 hours and told me he had a great experience. (It also helped he knew a lot of people already.) I hope he keeps progressing.

We also have this sister name Guadalupe who's very nice but also very shy and timid.  Sometimes it's hard to explain things to her because she won't understand you unless you talk really simply to her. Our first and second lesson were a little difficult because she couldn't remember anything, but this last lesson was really good.  She answered most of the questions we asked her in the way we wanted. She loves reading the Book of Mormon and has come to church twice, so we are hoping she can be ready to be baptized the Sunday before Elder Barrera leaves for home. (After this transfer)
Oh yeah, yesterday in church I gave my first talk in Spanish. :)  The topic was family history which is not a topic I teach about a lot, but it went well and I learned a lot. :)

Many of you have been asking how my Spanish is coming along and to be honest I couldn't tell you. Hahahaha.  Some days I feel the language comes easy and other day it frustrates the living heck out of me.  I am starting to mix the two languages up though. Haha and sometimes I feel like I can't speak English or Spanish very well.  Hahaha

This morning our house got flooded and that was a mess and a lot of my stuff got wet. Hahaha but that's the life of a missionary. Elder Barrera and I are praying for miracles this week because we need them!  I'll let you know what is to follow.

The church is true! Christ lives! And the Book of Mormon is the truest book on the face of the earth! I love each and every one of you that reads this email! Thank you for your prayers and support!

Posa Rica Successes and Struggles

Mis queridos amigos, admiradores, y familia! perdóname por favor que no les escribí la semana pasada no tuve bastante tiempo. (My dear friends, fans, and family! Please forgive me for not writing last week I didn't have enough time.)

Life here in Posa Rica is nothing like how it was in Tlapacoyan in fact its the exact opposite. In Tlapacoyan there were so many humble and poor people. They were more willing to listen and be taught so we had a lot of investigators and perspective investigators. Even a half functioning ward and so forth.  But the area in Posa Rica I'm staying in is very fancy and the people are well off middle class people. Which is making it hard for us to find people.

The ward is very functioning and active and full of people who love to feed us. Hahah. So all the weight I lost in Tlapacoyan is coming back.  The area is also not as big and so we don't walk nearly as much because a lot of things are close by.  My new companions name is Elder Barrera and he's super smart and also finishes his mission at the end of this transfer.  We work well together and I've learned a lot from him. He was born in Mexico but went to high school in the US and so he knows Spanish and English perfectly. Which is a good and bad thing.  At times I get used to talking to him in English and that effects my Spanish. But I use him to translate a lot.  I'm out of time but I love you and I will send some cool pictures of us at some ruins close by! We went today and it was super cool!

Love you!

My first transfer

Mi querido amigos y familia, que bonita es la vida! (My beloved friends and family. How lovely is the life!)

I finally made through my first transfer wooo! Elder Lopez and I worked like dogs this week and it definitely paid off. We had 6 of our 8 investigators at church last week! For those of you who don't know an investigator (in Mexico) has to come to church at least 5 times before they can be baptized. So when one of them or more comes it's such an amazing feeling because they're one step closer to baptism.

This last week was also the last week of the transfer and I thought I would stay here in Tlapacoyan, but that turned out to not be the case hahaha.  Our president is a very inspired man and when the phone call came I thought I had nothing to worry about.  But I am leaving tomorrow for Posa Rica, which is known very well as the hottest place in the mission and it's the beginning of summer. Yeah. But I know it's for a reason or at least I hope. Hahaha.  I was actually kinda bummed when I found out because I really like Tlapacoyan.  And last transfer we only had one baptism but we have 6 solid dates for this month, (including 1 this Thursday.) All investigators I had prayed, fasted, and worked so diligently for. But that's part of the job I guess and I know there's more work to be done in Posa Rica.

 I went on divisions this week with Elder Nielsen again, and we got rained on pretty hard but we made the best of it and found 2 more investigators! Woo!

I love everyone of you all so much and I think about you all the time.  Have fun this summer for me. Hahahah.

For all my family in Texas, I miss y'all a lot and wish I could be with you this week! I'll visit as soon as I get back :) Have fun and hook em horns.

God be with you until I write next week! I'm so grateful for the gospel in my life and the happiness it brings.  I am so extremely grateful for my Savior and Redeemer and the sacrifice He made for us.  He lives and guides this church.  This is His work. His glory. And I'm so blessed to be apart of it.