October 25th 2010

HOLLLAAAA MI FAMILIA!!!!!!

Sounds like veryone is doing awesome, like always, because we are just an all around awesome family. Well, I´m going to try something new. I took a video on super low settings, and the other Elders said I could send it like that. We´ll see if it´s true.

Mexico is good at a lot of things. Tacos, chili, ceramics, getting conquered by the spaniards, but one thing they can´t beat, is Dad´s salsa. I miss that so much. They don´t really have that type of salsa here in Mexico. It just plain doesn´t exist. That info about the hole is DEFINITELY useful. There are a lot of random holes in the dirt here, and it would be very good to know if it is an ant hole, tarantula, or scorpion. We got all three down here.

Effie´s so amazingly creative. I´ve always been super jealous of her ability to just think of new things. CONGRATZ EM! Sounds like you´re really helping people out over there that have no other place to go. Wow, the only place!? That´s crazy! Way to go Em.

Congratz Dad on the book! Stop being so humble and admit that you´re a writing genius! I knew everybody took your class for a reason. By the way, Elder Moberg, one of the assistants in the mission, says he wants to take your class.

Well, it sounds like everyone is having success, congratulations to everybody. Hooray!

Here in Tonala we have been having some fun times. We get to marry 2 couples, and talk to a crazy old husband that hates the Church! WOOOH! This should be a super fun week with a lot of stories :)

One of the couples we need to marry is honestly a miracle. We were talking tot ons of people, but nobody wanted to hear. We went to a nearby hill, and prayed to God, where do we need to go? We instantly felt....nothing. We stayed there for about 10-15 minutes and just had no idea what we needed to do. I told Elder Fuentes, Well, the Lord can´t guide us if we aren´t doing anything. We started going down the hill, and talked to the first person we saw. A young women and she said we could go by on Saturdays to her nearby house. We decided to check if it was a real house or not, and found it was a complex of 4 houses in the same building. We knocked the door for the heck of it, and a lady came out, Ooh! Hold on, I´ll be right out! In about 2 minutes she came out and we started talking. She committed to baptism this next week in the first lesson. She has 5 kids, and a husband. The husband works all the time, but she tells us he is super interested too. They came to church this week, and LOVED it. Even the kids loved Sacrament meeting. It´s probably because I talked :p. We were honestly completely lost, but the Lord guided us to a family that is completely chosen. I LOVE this work! I have never felt more alone in my life, but never so SURROUNDED by love from my Heavenly Father! Never faced so many trials, and never been so strengthened by the Lord. Never so prideful, and never sooooooo humbeled.

I hope everything stays good with you all. I´m praying for your success, and that you might all find happiness. Let me know how things are going! I know a lot is happening that merits an email/letter.

Alright, I had to help out my comp and it cancelled out the video I am sending...it´´ll have to wait till next week. Sorry.

I LOVE YOU ALL!

ADIOS MI FAMILIA!

BYYEEEE!!!

October 18th 2010

¡HOLA MI FAMILIA!

Thank you so much for just getting on all of this. But I was afraid when I read the title, "rotting skin" and thought that the orthodonist said my skin was rotting away...I will definitely be talking to sister jersperson about all this.

Hey, so, I have no time this week.

This week was very good for the zone. We were 5 of the 11 companionships that completed the goal for lessons and contacts in the mission, so we are super happy. We bought pizza for everyone for being so awesome, and the assistants came by and congratulated us. Elder Fuentes and I were the only Zone Leaders to do so. We´re super happy for Reforma. Sorry, I hope all is going well, that everything stays good!

BYEEEEEE!

Elder Newell

PS: I forgot my camera this week...soooooooory :(

October 11th 2010

¡HOLA MI FAMILIA!

The City is definitely a city of ceramics. And the people certainly speak English...at least some words in English...rude words mostly, but hey, their trying. And ya, Tonala is the most northern part of the mission I think, but it`s only like 20 minutes outside of Guadalajara proper. I`m super happy to hear that the house is doing well, sounds like I`ll be coming back to something that is really cozy :)

I`m not surprised at all to hear that Dad`s book is doing well. Way to go Dad!

Can`t wait to get pictures next week, I`m sending some this week too, I hope they all get there.

Ya, dogs = bad, I have learned this lesson a looooong time ago. I haven`t been bitten yet, but some close calls. Rocks seem to do the trick. I hate to do anything against them, but I hate having a big ol hole in my leg even worse.

Sounds like everyone is doing good, many congratulations on Ben`s project working out! Good to hear that Than and Chi are happy. The building is next to UCAS? Where? There was just fields and an elementary school last time I was there. That is something I`ve always admired about Jen, she is always ready to take on a challenge! Like Ben! Hahaha, just kidding, I love you all. How`s Rowan with her hair? Still red? The sisters in the ward are really jealous.

As a Zone Leader I`ve learned a lot about how the mission functions. Like, apparently packages almost never get lost in the mail. Unless they have dollars. Also that my letters arrived super late because I left them behind to be sent, and the Elders were really slow getting them out. And that Dear Elder apparently still works. Go figure.

Life is certainly an adventure here. I almost don`t really have time working in my area. We are going around to all the other Elders, seeing how they are doing, checking their houses, doing interviews, seeing if there is anything we can do to help them, etc. We had changes last night. That night is super fun for us. We were reporting our numbers for the week until about 11:30, and got to bed. At 1:30 we recieved a call from the assistants, and till 3:00 we were recieving and transmitting about where the Elders were going for their new areas, how they were to arrive, everything. It was pretty intense. We slept instead of going somewhere for P-Day.

But we found this new investigator this week, by the name of Mayra. We contacted her in the street, and she was carrying her 3 kids, one that`s 8, one that`s 6, and one that`s 4. The one that`s 6 has some type of Down Syndrome, and is super white with blonde hair. She`s my favorite person in the world. Whenever we are in a lesson she is always doing some crazy thing and just laughing her head off. But Mayra has a lot of problems with her husband. He arrives every night completely drunk, without money to buy food for the family, and screams at them until he falls asleep. It`s amazing to see the peace that has come into Mayras life since she has learned of the Book of Mormon, and that Jesus has paid to help her through her times through the Atonement. She told us, "We all have really hard trials. Mine are especially hard in this moment. Dealing with my husband, taking care of 3 kids, one of them being VERY special. But I know now we just have to move on. And do so with a smile." God is truly working a miracle in her.

EFFIE! I just remembered, I found a recipe for you, and everyone else who wants to try it!

MEXICAN PIZZA:
OK, so you have your pizza crust, and you put on butter, get it all melted and crispy, then you put on refried beans instead of tomato sauce. Cheese, veggies, if you can find it, chorizo, or other assorted meats follow. It actually tastes really good. They eat beans with everything here, seriously. One of my new favorites, is eggs with american cheese melted into them with hotdogs chopped up and mixed in, placed in a small taco-tortilla with beans and hot sauce. It`s sooooooo good.

Well I think that`s all family,

¡ADIOS MI FAMILIA!

Elder Newell

1. Just before leaving Uruapan
2. With my 2 sons
3. HEY! Remember that guy!? Yep, I`m the Zone Leader of Elder Aguilar from the MTC again. We played soccer.
4. The Zone

October 4th 2010

¡HOLA MI FAMILIA!

HEYYYYYY!!!!! Ya, the changes delaid me a bit. BUT! We`re not where you all thought I was!

I went to the bus station at 6 in the morning, got into a city called Morelia, met up with Elder Tibbits from the MTC, then we went to Guadalajara. There, I was met by Elder Fuentes and Elder Moberg, two Zone Leaders in the best zone in the mission. They said, "Hey Elder Newell! Ready to be our new companion!?" "What? No, I`m going to Chapala..." "They didn`t tell you? You`re coming with us now! You`re a Zone Leader!" "......" "Ya!" "No. Nonononononononononono." But they eventually dragged me over here. So. I`m now in Guadalajara. A municipalitie called Tonala. The zone is called Reforma. I don`t have much time this week either, being a Zone Leader is craaaaazy! We almost don`t have time to do anything. But it was excellent to hear that everything is going so well back home! CONGRATS DAD! I HAVE to read it when I get back! I`ll definitely be praying for it`s success.

Yes, we watched conference in English. WHAT!? Can you believe it`s already been 6 MONTHS since last conference when I was in Morelia with Elder Tyler!? WHAT!? My companion Elder Moberg is leaving today to become an assistant in the offices, so soon it`ll be just me and Elder Fuentes. There`s a lot of new challenges here, and I`m super excited to get started. By the way, I really wanted to write last week, but we got in on monday at like, 11, and all through the week we just had absolutely no time. Really sorry. From here on out, better.

BYE!

Elder Newell