Hey my mans!

Not much has been going on lately honestly. We're working our butts off in our area trying to find people to baptize but everything is just falling apart. hahahah We had like 5 people that were really close to getting baptized and this week they all just said that they changed their mind and everything just died! One of the jovens Lupita even had her interview done and she passed and everything.  She wanted to get baptized  today but then noooooope! We went with her to eat cake with her family for her cousins bday, her name is Valeria. We're reactivating her and her family and they're all super cool lol.  When we were there Lupita to us she doesn't want to change religion y no sé que y un chorro de porquería. Well, I mean we're jumpign back on the horse! We went and visited a few jovenes who are members that we hadn't seen in a while and the first thing that happens is one of their brothers runs up to us and says," Hey I have 8 years now can I get baptized?" It was the cutest thing ever! hahaha So that will be soon and hopefully we can get some more but it's a little tough right now in the area with the people we are teaching. BUT the members LOVE us so that makes it all worth it! hahaha We were really busy this week and couldn't go to the ward activity and a bunch of people called us all sad that we didn't go. hahaha I mean, what can I say, we're the life of the party! It's a really an awesome ward honestly.  I love it, just a little hard to work but I'm enjoying my time! It's all good because I had my interview with Presidente this week and he told me that I'm not going to leave until at least November soooo I better like it here! No manches I'm gonna be here for like 8 months hahaha That's so dang long but it's all good!

This last week we went to a museum/zoo/ ruinas called La Venta which was so freaking cool! There they have all of the big giant olmeca heads that have been dug up here in tabasco and all of the carvings and stuff. It was really something else. I look kinda weird in all of the pictures but I mean what can you expect I'm a weird looking guy. hahaha

Well, I completed 13 months today. Just another one checked of the list! Weird to think of how fast the time is going. I'm just here chillin and loving it though.

I love you all!!

Adioooo
Elder Cutie Pie

 Hello my Dudes!.

My baby bro Hunt is now a married man. Good job and good luck to you guys! 

It was a dope week here in my winter wonderland of Villahermosa. A ton of crazy stuff going on this week! First off, we got a visit from Elder Pino from the area presidency of Mexico!!! It was so dang cool. We had conferencias with him and you could feel some big game autoridad from him hahaha. He talked to us about how our calls to be a missionary, like literally the calls we received and the responsibilities that we have como misioneros! Holy it was amazing. He explained the process of how we arrived here and what has to happen and that every single one of our calls is the same yet intimate and personal for every missionary. He reminded us about the commitment we make when me accept our calls and how we need to do everything we can to keep this commitment. It was a super awesome conferencia. I loved it! 

We found some great people this week walking around in the heat! So we were going to contact this neighbor of some of the members here and when we walked into the apartment place we found one of the people who we were teaching a couple months ago but she had moved! Her name is Jovanna, super cool. Her aunt moved into her old apartment and we met her! She's Sara and she lives her there with her kids Pedro and Camila. We started talking to her and she told us that her husband just left her and how she's trying to find something that can help and that about 5 years ago she had met the missionaries and everything. Actually her son Pedro got baptized!!! So she is super willing to talk and really wants to see if she can get moving on the right camino. All in all she and her family are super cool people and we're gonna see whats goin on with them tomorrow! 

We learned how to make empanaditas in the ward this week!!! Super fun and honestly so freaking easy to make. The bishop taught us and they're soooo good. It was so sick, our converts who are super cool showed up and learned how to make them on Thursday and then Friday night we were walking back to our house at like 9ish and we passed by their house. We saw that there was a covered plate sitting outside and we thought what the heck? what is that for? Hahaha but we started talking to them and turns out they went home and made empanada's and then they were selling them in front of their house!!! Hahaha it was so dope hahaha. 

Well, I hope you all have a great week, I love you all machin. No vemo pue!
​Adiooo
Elmer Simonsen

Good day earthlings!

What's good in the hood? I had an awesome week as usual down here in the boonies of Mexico. We have been visiting a ton of people and the fruits are showing! Something really awesome is that we are visiting that one chubby kid named Alan, suuuuper good kid hahaha probably like the cutest little fat kid I've ever seen in my life. So we went with Alan this week and we have it all planned for him to get baptized next week! It was awesome. He asked us, "So what do I have to do to enter into the kingdom of God?" hahahaha It's like you've gotta be kidding me! So we read with him John 3:5 and showed him that baptism is the only way. When we told him that he could get baptized next week his face just lit up! It was so cool hahaha Really a good kid. I forgot to take a picture with him but what can you do? lol. 

Yesterday was a jam packed day. We were sitting here in the offices in the morning and we get a call from the hermana who we were going to eat with and she asks us "Hey elders when can i come pick you up?" So we were like what the heck?  Why is she gonna pick us up? hahah So she comes and picks us up for the food and takes us to this seafood place. Holy sack! It was amazing! They ordered us sooo much freaking food haha A nice giant shrimp cocktail, empanadas de queso y shrimp, and a tortilla rellena de queso y a fish called peje-lagarto which is so good!  We were a little spoiled if you know what I'm talking about?

Then last night we had the opportunity to do a noche de hogar with one of the familias that we are trying to reactivate and with some people we are teaching. By the beard of Zeus it was the best one ever! So, what we did was we read about the dream of Lehi and the tree of life and holding to the iron rod. Good Gandhi they loved it! We explained all of the symbolism and then after they had to draw their own version of the dream and it was so awesome! Three of them had never even heard of the Book of Mormon and they pretty much drew perfectly the dream of Lehi hahaha. Such a good night honestly. Then to top it all off, they invited us for tacos! hahaha You know it's a good night if you finish it off eating tacos.

Such a good week and we're hoping we see some good things come from it! Well, that's about all I've got this week. hahaha Oh, and also I ate a Krispy Kreme donut today that Presidente and Hermana Whitworth brought back from Mexico City! It was dope!!!!

Love you all!!!  Adiooo

 Yikes scoob, it's been a craazzzy time our here in the hood!

We been cookin up some goodies!  Y'all know how it is cuz.? What up all to all of my 6 followers out there? All has been goin dandy here in the sunny south of Mexico. I'm just chuggin along and trying to pull some stuff together hahaha. This week was pretty cheel but it was honestly a really good week for us! We've been working really hard to teach this joven named Lupita who seems pretty interested! She is family of this inactive family  and the family freaking loves us. hahaha We took the girls to the ward activity this week and they loved it and then they're all going to go to church this week! They are honestly really cool people hahah. Just an example: So Elder Rasmussen and I have a ritual when all of our citas fall and we don't really have anything to do, we run to the Oxxo (like a 7-11) and we get a little chocolate milk and this thing called a mazapán. We told that to the hermana at the beginning of the week when we met with them and then yesterday we showed up to the cita and she had milk and mazapan waiting for us!!! We were pumped! hahaha I was so happy la neta. Also, this week we also found that little fat kid named Alan again hahah He left for vacaciones a few weeks ago and we started teaching him again. He's just a little chubby kid happy as ever. hahaha I'll try to get a pic of him this week. 
We kind of took a change of course this week in our motivation. Before we have just been trying to find people to baptize and nada mas that. It's a little tough though because we only have about half the hours to work, so thats why we really need help from the members. PERO, our ward has mission leader has really been struggling with getting to church and going to the activities and visiting people, so we asked Presidente Whitworth about it. He told us we need to refocus our energy. He told us if we focus on aumenting the asistencia then the baptisms will come. So that's what we did. We started visiting a bunch of menos active people and we have gotten a lot of people to commit to going to church. Through that we have found some really awesome people.  Just gotta trust in the Lord because it will be how he wants it to be. 

Well my dudes. I have officially completed 1 ano (lol). Honestly, I cant believe it. 'Ive just been trying to work and teach and everything and I've been loving the heck out of it. It is honestly the most amazing thing I could be doing right now. It's something indescribable when you help someone realize the importance of the gospel and the joy that it can bring them. Loving it and can't wait for more!!! Only one more ano (lol). Also Elder Rasdaddy was a total G on my year day and got me a nice DQ blizzard and a nice halo desk toy hahaha. Well, hope you're all having a good time out there. Love you long time.!!!

Adioooo
Elder Jose de la Cruz

'Hey all you people, hey all you people, hey all you people won't you listen to meeeee!

If you understand what that is from, I love you. Well, how's it goin out there people of society? Got some big news, so ! complete a year this Wednesday! lol Isn't that crazy? Hard to believe that I've been in this dang country for a whole freaking year hahaha. It's ok though because I'm lovin it!!!!! I have been thinking a lot lately and am really excited for what is to come both in the mish and despues. I've got big things planned so lets just wait and see what happens!

A couple really cool things have happened this week with the people we're teaching and with people we're trying to bring back to church! So first off, we found a couple really awesome people, they're jovenes of like 17, 19, and 23 years and they are super cool! What happened was we went to visit this inactive family who are all suuupper cool, they gave us chips and coke and everything. It was the whole enchilada (and that's something a lot bigger down here lol). But one of them is a 18 year old girl who is super dope, but she introduced us to her cousins!! So we started teaching them this week and it's going really good honestly. Their names are Lupita, Jesus, Maria and Jose. hahahah You can tell they come from a catholic family am I right?  They really are super awesome! This week we had a cita with them, which got canceled because Lupita was sick but we sent her a message and told her that we're able to give blessing for the sick and we just got one word back, "Si". Hahaha so we went over and gave that girl a blessing! It was a really good experience for her and and she said she could really feel it. So then her mom shows up and gives us dinner and everything (yeehaw) and she starts going off about how she was reading and how she is going to go to church on Sunday with her inactive cousin. It was so exciting and everything made us so pumped!!!!! Let's see if we can get her in the water here soon hahah. 

This Friday we had a family home evening with our converts and it was super cool because they planned it and everything,  Obviously we taught still but whats new hahaha. They really are some awesome kids and their mom is really amazing too! She is just going through some things and isn't able to be baptized right now but sometime soon.  It's coming hahaha. It's always nice to see the change in people out here. When we met these people they were doing everything but thinking about church, and now they are starting to get active in the ward and are really loving it!

I would say it was a pretty dang good week1 hahaha. Other than Monday when it rained a freak ton and all the power went out all night and the house flooded hahahaha. Pero allí vamos!!! It's going good and it's only going to get better.

I love you all and i wish you all a Merry Christmas in July!.
Adiooo
Elder Scooby

Good day to my buddies around the globe!
Que tal? So it's been a pretty dang busy time here la neta. We've just been walking, teaching, doing conferences, and sweating. hahaha It has been an awesome week though! A bunch of things have been going on but it keeps me busy and it makes the time fly by!  First of all, it's HUMP WEEK!!!!  I should be home 1 year from today and I'm stoked about it.  I have to say that this past year has flown by and I have had some great times.  This week we had the consejo de liderazgo and the training for the new missionaries. Which is something that I always really enjoy. It was crazy because it was the first one of Presidente Whitworth! During his first week he came to me and asked, "Do we have new missionaries arriving on Monday?"  I said yes hahaha.  We have one.  Then he said to me "What do I do?"  He did awesome and some of the things he taught really put a new perspective on things for my missions and life. One of my favorite things that he taught in the consejo was that about teaching by the spirit and how we need to listen for his impressions. He taught with the story of Nephi when he is going back to get the planchas from Laban. He says," 6 And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do."   When he found him drunk in the street and was faced with the decision to kill him or spare his life. At first he thinks no I can't do it because it's against the teaching of the Lord but when then he heard a voice that said to him," Behold the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands. Yea, and I also knew that he had sought to take away mine own life; yea, and he would not hearken unto the commandments of the Lord; and he also had taken away our property. 12 And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me again: Slay him, for the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands;"  We don't always know when it's time to do something or what is the correct decision, but when we little to the murmurs of the spirit we can know with seguridad. He's always there to guide us but we just need to be willing and ready to take his hand and follow. 

We found a few really good people this last week too! We found this kid named Alan and his mom Aroceli out of nowhere hahaha. One day we were sitting in the park taking a juice break and this little chubby kid comes up to us on his bike and just started talking to us! He's 11 years old and was just wanting to hear us speak hahaha.  So we met his mom and now we're working on the their baptism  in a couple weeks! They've been reading and honestly have been loving the teachings, just need to get them to church! 

Today has been super relaxing honestly. We just went and destroyed a bunch of frijoleros in basketball and ate some nice tacos al pastor hahaha. Just trying to get the work going and baptize some people here soon! Well I love you all and I hope you can have a super chida semana<3 lol 
 
Elder Simon

Ps I started going to the gym so get ready, Chris Hemsworth coming here soon.

Aijaaa!!!

What up "squad"?  How's it been rollin in the hood? It has been goin good here, livin it big. Y'all know how it is. Lol It was a crazy week for sure!! We were getting a ton of stuff prepared because we got a new mission Presidente!!!! Yup Presidente y Hermana Haws hauled out of here yesterday and we received Presidente y Hermana Whitworth!!! They're from Centerville which is pretty dang close to home and it's even a smaller world because they know Uncle Jeffy! It was a super crazy experience this week honestly. hahaha. 

This week we went around buying materials, cleaning, preparing EVERYTHING for the new Presidente. It was super fun to spend a little last time with Presidente y Hermana Haws but dang it was a lot hahaha. We got into our area to work a grand total of 2 hours this week hahaha. Super busy but you got to do what you got to do! We took a little time to enjoy it though. One day before leaving Presidente Haws brought in all of his ties and gifted us all a few of them! They're a little wide for my taste but still how dope is that! It really was rough saying goodbye to them. Especially Hermana Haws because when she came to say goodbye she started crying super hard and it made me want to die. We have a nice new road ahead of us though!! Presidente Whitworth is super excited to step into the the spot and honestly is a really cool guy. hahah He was telling us about how he ran into Presidente Monson one time at a Jazz game when they were going through their special entrance hahahah. Being in the offices for the Presidente transition really is something else. Just seeing the change of keys is amazing and we're going to have the opportunity to get to know the new Presidente really well before everyone else! 

This week a few of my best friends in the mish went home. Elder Stewart, one of my buddies from the ccm has been super sick for his whole mission. He got typhoid and salmonella when he was in this super tiny pueblito called Benemerito. So he's been having health problems ever since and this week had to go home a bit early! But I remember something that my boy Hunt said when he came back from his mission when he said "God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers." He's a super cool guy and I'm gonna miss him a freak ton but he did what he was called to do! Also some of my other friends went home like Werner and Schwab. hahaha Cool guys and I'm gonna miss them. Schwabs parents came down to pick him up and they took us out to dinner one night! They took us to eat barbecue and I ate some nice tender brisket. hahahah Best thing I've eaten in a whole year!!!

Super cool week and can't wait for what the next one has to bring!

Love you all.
Adiooo
Elder Ricardo 

​What up y'all?

How has it been going? I didn't write last week because I'll be honest writing emails isn't my favorite thing but that's what you gotta do when you're out here in the wilderne, am I right? hahah It has been a super busy couple weeks here getting ready for the new presidente to get here! There have been people nonstop walking through the office, painting, moving stuff, hammering for some odd reason that has made me want to kill someone! But it's going good and we're just trying to make sure that everything is prepared! It's crazy to think that Presidente Haws is leaving. He's going to be here for less than a week and then Presidente Whitworth will get here! The Whitworth's sound like awesome people. I'm super excited to meet them. Also I am so excited because they're die hard Jazz fans!!! Maybe he'll give us permission to watch some games with him next season hahaha. 

It has been a little tough finding AND teaching people lately here in barrio espejo. We've found some good people and people that I really think could progress, but we have had zero time to meet with any of them or they aren't home when we go. hahaha I can't tell you how many citas have fallen in the last little bit because people haven't opened the door or weren't there. It's ok though because this next week we're going to kill it! A few cool things that have happened though honestly. One day this week we had been trying to meet with people all day but everything was falling. We got to our last set cita of the day at about 8ish and you'll never guess what happened!!! He wasn't there hahaha but we were thinking and my comp said, "You know what, lets say a prayer." So we're standing there on the sidewalk and he says a prayer asking for someone who we could talk to and boy oh boy did somethin happen!!! La neta 15 seconds. So many things happened in the span of 15 minutes hahaha 1- the guy's sister in-law shows up with her family 2-some random guy starts talking to us and thought it was awesome that we come out here on pure faith and we're gonna go meet with him 3- these inactivo kids passed and we're going to go visit them tomorrow and they are going to come to church with us!!!! The day went from having nothing to being overwhelmed in the blink of an eye! So dope honestly. 

Today we went to the temple!!!! First time since the CCM in Ciudad de Mexico that we got to go to the temple! I honestly forgot the feeling that you get when you're in the temple. I was sitting there and reading the scriptures and read something really cool in Mormon 9: 6-13 which is a little long to put right here but it really was amazing! Just yet another reminder that we can become puros through Christ and that we can see miracles in our every day lives. If we have enough faith and act upon our faith.  Just something that I really liked and that you can think about.

Well the only other thing that happened is that Presidente Haws gave me and Elder Rasmussen some of his old hats that he doesn't want so now we're gonna be looking like G's walking around the ghetto of Villa, shooting from the hip and keeping it real.

I love you all and cuídense mucho, les amo machín. <3 

Elder Jones..... Indiana Jones

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there!!!  

Something really funny that happened this week.  My comp and I had left the the office and we were walking in the getto of Villa.  There were these drunk guys on the side of the street.  I looked down and one of them was wearing a Davis High School football shirt.  I was laughing so hard.  I asked him if I could take a pic with him. Sorry I don't have time for a letter but have a great week!

​Adioooooo!

Yeehaw!!!

Emelyn, Darlyn and Martin got baptized!!!!! Holy, we just barely got finished with the service and I'm not going to lie, it was the most spiritual baptism I've ever been too. This family is honestly amazing. They have been going through a really hard time and they told us that finding them has completely changed everything. So, this is the family that we contacted when Martin jumped out and scared us with the nerf guns on our way home one night. hahaha We have been working with them a lot lately and they really are incredible people. They accepted the gospel so well and have been waiting for this day their entire lives honestly. A couple days ago we went with them for their baptismal interviews. At the end I asked if I could take a picture with them. They were so excited to take the picture and then after their mom, Reina, says to them "Someday you're going to look back at this picture and think ´these people changed my life´". When she said that I didn't think i could ever be so happy. To know that i could have done something so small but that made such a big change in the lives of this family. They have been waiting for this opportunity their entire lives and today they were able to take that step. We were getting changed for the baptism today when Martin ran out of the changing room and he ran up and hugged us and yelled "I'm so happy!!!!" Oh my it was honestly the coolest experience ever today. I got to baptize Martin and Emelyn and then Rasmussen baptized Darlyn. It was such an awesome service and it's something I will never forget!!! Hermana Reina was talking to us after and said that she had never felt anything like that ever before and that she had just put her kids on a bus to salvation. Holy Moses, that was so cool!!!!!! I'm so happy right now I can't even describe it. Something amazing happened today and I"m just lucky enough to witness it. 

Other than that, being with them all wee, the only other thing that happened was that we had the last conferencia with Presidente Haws! He taught us about the importance of the temple and how we always need to be worthy and remember the convenios that we make there. He is such an awesome guy.  How he teaches is different than anyone I've ever seen. hahaha He is so animated and is just all over the place. It's the best! He told us how we need to really think about how cool it is that this is the only time we are going to live the law of consecration in our whole lives for most and we need to take advantage of it. It's something that I always new but it really made me think about how remarkable the mission is. To be able to be our here for 2 years searching for people like Reina, Emelyn, Darlyn, and Martin and introducing them to something that can change absolutely everything.  Loving the mish and loving the feeling that I have right now!!!!

Hope you all have a good week and I also love you folks!

​Adioooo
Elder Simón