March 21st 2011

¡HOLA MI FAMILIA!

Once again it sounds like things are going well. Yes, I`ve been getting my levothyroxine just fune. I have been getting really, really tired again though, so Sister Jesperson told me to go get some blood tests done. The only problem is that today is a holiday here and the clinic was closed. Oh well, until next time. The retainer is also doing just great. When the Orthodontist made another, I am pretty sure there was a BYU simbol on it, so he put a picture of a martian in a UFO.

It has been a good week though. I had some stomach sickness, but my comp was able to keep me going. Life as a missionary is such a bizzare thing. You`re thrown into sooooo many situations that are sooooo unfamiliar, especially if you`re someone like me, and you`re really just flying by the seat of your pants all the time. One day you`ll meet someone that has a major drug problem that wants to quit, another day a guy with a slight drug problem that doesn`t want to quit, another day a young couple that try and do what`s right but have no idea how to guide their newborn baby girl in a good direction, another day someone who killed somebody in self defense, another day another, and another, and another. I feel so amazingly priviliged to be someone who has the amazing opportunity to show them a light in their lifes. A light that completely changes how we view God, the world, and ourselves. The transformative process of Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, Recieving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End is something more powerful than words of mine can describe. Even more so when we apply that cycle in our own lives.

I have seen people change their lives, leave behind the world, and decide to follow their Savior in this great work, but the greatest thing I have seen happen, is the change in myself! I can be a personal witness to those that desire to know if these things are true. A living proof of the Word. And yet, despite any sort of strength or temporal independence I might have attained, it is only the Spirit of the Lord that penetrates to the heart of the people that has any power to change or save. To see someone truly accept that saving influence has been the great privilege of my life. I know and understand this time draws to a close in the future, but while I AM here, I hope to always strengthen my faith in my Saviour to have some hope of bringing just one soul truly back to the presence of God.

It is my prayer and my hope that the Spirit of the Lord always strives with each and every one of you my beloved family, and that you will be strengthened as well, and that you might grow firmer and firmer in your faith, and stronger and stronger in your humility. May the blessings of the Lord always abound upon us, and I know that they will if we are obedient to His commandments, and protect us in these days that are so difficult.

I love you all so much. Thank you all for the sustaining and powerful influence you have all had in my life. I would not be who I am right now without my incredible family always guiding me in a firm and safe path. I know I could not have progressed to where I am now without each and every single one of you. Know that I love you. Know that I am so grateful for you. And please know that the Spirit testifies to me that He is always watching over you.

¡ADIOS MI FAMILIA!

Elder Newell

March 14th 2011

¡HOLA MI FAMILIA Y STORYTELLER ARIANE!

Hahaha, that`s a great poster, congratulations Mom! Can`t believe that picture from Effies wedding...wow, that was a while ago wasn`t it?

I haven`t heard much about the Japan thing, just bits and pieces from people in the street. It reminds me of a quote from President Hinckley, While the church has resources, it will always extend them to the poor and needy. We are actually teaching a lady named Maria de Los Angeles. She reminds me a lot of Mom. She has a huuuuuuge garden in her house, something extremely unnatural here, and of course worries a lot about her son. She is amazing. She really inspires me with her faith and desire to serve God.

So sorry to be a little rushed today, it was one of those late p-days. We got together and played soccer with the other zones in Guadalajara and I got to meet up with Elder Tah and the zone of Reforma again, so that was fun. I didn`t take my camera though, so next week I will have gathered all the photos I need.

Anyways, I hope all is going well back home, because things are going amazingly over here. It has been a week where the Holy Ghost is the true senior companion, and it has been a week of miracles.

¡ADIOS MI FAMILIA!

Love you all,
Elder Newell

March 7th 2011

¡HOLA MI FAMILIA!

Actually I didn`t cook anything...everybody in the ward has found out I cooked Chilis rellenos con queso and have then been astonished when I tell them I haven`t been able to cook anything in the mission. Like Alex says, just no time. But wow, sounds like things are still going excellently at home! Love the shirt Em. Way to go Uncle Rog on remembering your sister. Sounds like all are doing really well. Way to go John! You`re way smarter than I was when I was your age!

Well this week was excellent! Another week of crazy growth. I feel like the Lord is trying to teach me as much as he possibly can in this next year so that I don`t come back home and fail miserably. Anyways, it was a great week in the end. We got 5 people in church! That`s five more than our tiny ward has had in a month! The ward was very excited to recieve new people. And the best part is, they`re two families! The ward is in desperate need of a lot of stuff, but more especially priesthood! EXCLAMATION POINTS! We had about 8 potential priesthood holders planned out for church, but only two arrived. It`s so great to see how people become closer to each other through church worship.

For example: We are teaching this family by the names of Maria Elena (mom), Daniel (son), and Natali (granddaughter) that came to church this week. They have always been kind of luke warm in regards ot the church, weren`t very consistent in keeping their commitments, etc. But we got them to church yesterday, and went and visited them in the day. They said they felt good, but very generally speaking. They almost never participate. We talked and read about Moroni 7 and how he tells us how we can judge if something is good or not. They realized church is what helps them grow their faith in Christ, and it is something that God has placed to help them as individuals. We then talked about the ultimate goal of all this, eternal families. They started to really reflect on what we had been saying, and committed to baptism. Their such a cool family.

We also talked to this guy Alfredo yesterday. He lived in the US for 28 years and came back to Mexico about 8 years ago. He`s got a

buuunch of tatoos. He said he dedicated his life to Christ 12 years ago and since that his whole life is better. He said he is in worse shape financially and all that, doesn`t have chairs, never anything to eat, etc., but he thanks God every day for what he has. He mentioned he wanted to keep growing his faith, and leave behind some things he has in his life, and we told him he could do that through the gospel of Jesus Christ. He had lots of objections to baptism, saying he was already baptized in the United States. He didn`t really want to listen to that, and just wanted us to help him get out of the stuff hes in. We knew that this really is the only way he can do that, and so we kept talking about it. Eventually we got to the Holy Ghost and how it helps us to overcome trials, comforts us, purifies us, and is necessary for our salvation. He said that in his baptism he was expecting to feel something powerful and strong, some type of peace, but he didn`t really feel anything. He said he didn`t feel like he had the gift of the Holy Ghost. We read Acts 19 where Paul rebaptizes a group of people that were baptized but did not recieve the Holy Ghost, and when he left he was very excited for his baptism! He is such a precious soul that has been "kept from the truth only because (he) knows not where to find it."

The mission is amazing. I know I say it every week but it`s really true. I was reflecting on who I was before, and seeing how the Lord has helped me to grow. To still be the same person let`s say, but magnified. The good traits improved, and the bad ones diminished. Truly the Lord has many ways of preparing us, every one. I hope and pray the Holy Ghost accompanies you all in the week, and that God guides and protects you. I love you all and know you are truly sons and daughters of God.

¡ADIOS MI FAMILIA!

Elder Newell

1 - 2. A special needs daughter of some members. She gave me a "hat" and we looked through the gospel art book.

February 21st 2011

¡HOLA MI FAMILIA!

Wow, sounds like everyone is doing good still, and at least the only true constant, change, hasn`t changed with crazy government business. Good job Grandma for venturing into relatively unknown territory! Well it sounds like everything is going great still for everybody. Please keep sending me information on even the mundane things in life, it`s always great to hear about home.

Well, this week, I learned how people start to not like going to church. The missionaries before us got here in Tapatio and had baptized the kids of a family, a 10, 9, and 8 year old. Their parents can`t get baptized, or practically go to church. We had to bring them so they could get confirmed. They were good for the first bit of the program, but afterwards in the talks and all that, they started getting restless. Then some members started saying, shhh! "Sorry." A couple minutes later, SHHH!! "Sorry, I`m giving the art book, letting them draw on my agenda, I`m trying to get them to calm down more." Then a couple minutes later, SSSSSHHHUUUUUUSSSSHHHH!!!! "SO SORRY, THEY`RE NOT MY KIDS, THEY`RE THE NEW MEMBERS OF THE WARD! YOU CALM THEM DOWN!" So that was a fun growing experience for me. At the end of Sacrament I thought, Yes! Now they`re off to Primary! I have so much more respect for those teachers. Anyone that goes to the Primary gains their ticket to the Celestial Kingdom in my book.

But anyways, times are good here in Tapatio. We are working hard trying to get the area memorized the both of us. It`s not quite as large as my last area. It`s really weird to have...limits...to the area. We`re working really hard though, really excited the both of us. Elder Winegar is from Sandy, Utah, and I got with him when he had 3 weeks in Mexico. We`ve been striving really hard, and the Lord is blessing us amazingly with people to teach and baptize in a few weeks.

Now, I was filling out the forms of baptism/confirmation yesterday and I needed the full name of Elder Selee, who is the companion of Elder Tah in Tonala now. I called them up and talked to Elder Tah, and he told me that Elena got baptized yesterday! OK, so, remember Marcela? And how I mentioned we contacted her aunt? That`s Elena. Pretty sure I mentioned her before. She is amazing. The most prepared person I have met on my mission, and she didn`t even need some kind of tragedy in her life or anything to prepare her. She is just amazingly humble, and with immense desires to serve the Lord. She faced sooooooo much opposition, but took it all in stride. She knew this was true, and did everything she needed to in order to get baptized, and embark in the path that ensures us "that (we) will not be cast off forever." Also, her and Marcela got confirmed yesterday at the same time, and the both are very, very happy. It`s amazing the joy that comes from seeing people truly accept the gospel of Christ. It is surely that joy and peace that Christ promised to His Apostles that would not be peace of the world, but the peace that only He could give. I see the Lord`s hand working here. Quicker than any man can keep up with. He truly loves His children, and desires them to return to His presence.

I`m so amazed by the strength of the women here of Mexico. So many times I have heard men say that they only joined the church because their wife was the strength they needed. They are the pulling force behind everything that happens here. If all the women were taken away, Mexico would be destroyed in the matter of a week. Pretty sure we could declare that as a global constant, but I`m only here in Tlaquepaque for right now, we`ll need correspondence from Alex Peacock and Newell to be sure.

I hope all stays well there, let me know what happens througout the week! I love you all so much, and I will talk to you all next week!

¡ADIOS MI FAMILIA!

1. We had a conference with all the missionaries in Guadalajara, and guess who I found in the buffet line!

2. Some kids of recent converts playing with my camera. I like how Elder Winegar came out especially.

Februrary 14th, 2011

Hey, like I said, sorry, I actually did send a letter last week, the mail just had a problem. Don`t worry about the news too much, President Jersperson told us that if we had been watching the news we would probably think nobody livedin Michoacan anymore. We hadn`t even noticed. Even still we use every precaucion, and the airport is in the other mission.

Sorry, don`t have much time to write today, kind of long story, I`m in the area Tapatio in the Municipal Tlaquepaque, still in Guadalajara, and I`m training. Probably will be training the rest of my mission. Baptized a young girl by the name of Marcela, think I mentioned her before. Her mom is listening to the missionaries in Florida and will be baptized as well when she gets married. Blergh, no time, more next week!

LOVE YOU ALL!

Elder Newell

February 7th, 2011

¡HOLA MI FAMILIA!

So happy to hear all is well. I´ll be sure to send something off to Ben. Wow, 4 months. I honestly can´t believe it. I´m super happy for them but...still...wow. It´s just really weird to think Than is getting married.

Yes, I´m healthy, thanks. I´ve just been having to take a fair amount of money out of the card. We have been traveling to all the areas in the zone to inspect their houses and do interviews, but it´s almost all in reimbursments. I also put in an order to finish replacing all the stuff that was robbed. Alex is such a good missionary. He´s going to be so awesome in these last months, and also for all his life in the Church. I´m so proud of him. His analogy of the boat applies alot to what we are seeing in the zone right now. Every missionary enters thinking they will baptize many here in Mexico, they get out into the waters, and then comes the times without sight of the island. They get tired, which leads to discouragement for not seeing the fruits of their labors, and that weakens their faith. It´s what has happened in the zone, and even a bit in me as well. Alright, a lot. But wow, his letter really inspired me to start working even harder. To trust more in God and develop my faith. That is the focus in the mission right now. Faith. Right before reading his letter, I had been talking with Elder Tah about how we can help the zone start functioning, and we decided it all comes back to faith. We decided we need to teach them that, but we need it in ourselves first. Then I read his letter. Everything started to click. I´m super excited now to get to work.

In terms of the area, we have a baptismal date for this Sunday, a young women by the name of Marcela. She is 19, and her Mom is recieving the missionaries in Florida with her soon to be husband. We found her contacting a woman in the street, and she told us her niece was looking for missionaries. We went by about a month ago and started teaching her. The only problem is that she is starting to go to school to be a nurse, and her grandma hates that we go to her house, and we haven´t been able to find her. We found her recently and started talking about her Mom, who is getting married so she can get baptized, and has gone to church every single week since the missionaries found her. Marsela also committed to getting baptized this sunday. She is super cool. The bells for misa started ringing yesterday while we were talking outside of her house and everyone was running to church, and she looked a little uncomfortable, but didn´t shut off at all, or say that she had to go. She stayed outside even while all these people passing by looked at her badly. It really impressed me.

Also, we have a new investigator that I don´t even know his name. We just call him, CAMPEON! Campeon is a guy that I always saw on the corner of the church really, really drunk. Every day. One day we were walking down a back road and he starts talking to us, and comments he wants to change his life, enter our church, and get with his family again. We told him we would see him tuesday, but sober! We left not thinking much. We went back on Sunday to try and bring his wife and family to church, as they showed interest, but we only found him, fresh out of a hangover. He was depressed. He had a huge fight with his family I guess the night before and he looked like he was at the bottom of the barrel so to say. We told him the only way he could overcome this problem he has is by following the gospel of Jesus Christ. (he had mentioned before he has gone to rehab centers, but they didn´t help at all. They´re really honestly awful over here.) We started going to church and he started saying, I´m just going to drink a little bit, I have a hidden bottle and I´m just going to drink a little bit to calm down. He ran over to a semi truck and started pulling out a bottle from the hubcap of the car, and we told him that that wouldn´t help him. I just put my arm around him and started walking to church, explaining to him and promising him that God is the only one that is able to help him overcome this addiction that he wants to get rid of. He said, Ya, ya you´re right! We kept walking and he started saying things like, ESTA BIEN! Estoy bien! Hahahaha, esta biiiieeeeennnnn! I told him, now aren´t you so much happier that you didn´t drink? Ya! I could do it! I could not drink! We entered the church and it was fast and testimony meeting, we explained the sacrament quickly, and entered. When we left, we explained how the only way he could overcome all this is to be baptized in the church of Jesus Christ, recieve the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end, and he accepted a baptismal date for the 20th of this month. He was a man I saw every day for the past 3 months, and never talked to him. I assumed, eh, he´s drunk, he doesn´t want anything. How very wrong I was. I am so sad that I had to wait until his life became so much worse to talk with him about the gospel. But how happy I am now that he is starting to recieve the blessings of the gospel of Christ. We didn´t see him in his drinking store all day yesterday, or today.

The world is amazing. God has everything planned out so well. He knows exactly what we need and has placed his chosen servants, the prophets, to help us to understand what that thing is. I have seen that so much in my mission up until now. I love you all, I hope all stays well and that everyone is healthy.

¡ADIOS MI FAMILIA!

Elder NEwell

January 31st 2011

¡HOLA MI FAMILIA!


So happy to hear about everything back home! Hahaha, I can`t even believe you made it to a party. Good work! Sounds like we`re all taking steps, haha! CONGRATULATIONS ALEX! Remember! Be obedient, follow the Spirit, and do all you can to learn from everything that happens! Everything! This is a RULE! If you do it you will be able to become exactly what Heavenly Father wants for you!

Way to go Em, sounds like you`re putting a lot of effort into school! Learning is another rule that applies to all of us! I love to learn, and love to see others learn as well. It`s such an amazing thing to see someone start to really understand something. To change what was in their heads before, and see them grow, increase their capabilities to do, and become more than they thought they were. Or less. Depends on how we thought I suppose. Even Moses had that situation when he saw God. He said that now he knew that Man was nothing, which he had never before supposed. Learning is such a fascinating process.

Holy cow Laurel is growing up. I thought that picture was Andrea. It`s amazing what only one year can do.

As far as us here in Tonala, we finally saw some fruits of our labors! Alma and Abel were baptized yesterday! They are such an amazing family. Abel can`t read, we had to teach with pure pictures, but it really showed me how we need to give the Lord every opportunity we can to make a miracle. We were showing him pictures of Christ, because they didn`t really have any true faith in Christ as far as who he is, etc. Abel mentioned to us afterwards that one of those pictures hit him really hard, and that he wanted to cry during the lesson, but held it back. When he knelt down to ask God if this was true, he felt the same feelings, and knew it was true. His wife as well was always asleep with the kids when we arrived, so we went early in the morning Thursday, taught her the Restoration, came back the next day and she had prayed, and knew it was true. We taught the rest in two days, and they were baptized after an interview with the District Leader Elder Perry, and assisting church once more. They are so special. They have testimonies so strong, and I know the Lord loves them so much. I love them as well. They are like my other family here. A new light has entered into their lives. They are...I don`t know how to describe it. Happier.

We also found Elena. We contacted her and she gave us a referrence of her niece who`s Mom is listening to the missionaries in Florida. We taught her for a bit, but went looking for Elena last week. We found out where she lived, and started to teach. She has such strong desires to follow God. We came back the second time and we asked her how her prayer went, and she said, I feel like I need to go on Sunday to know this is true. Tears started to well into her eyes, and I knew that God had answered her prayers in giving her the desires to attend and see for herself. We explained more about what happened on Sunday, and she arrived without us even going for her in the morning with her husband, daughter, and niece. She is such an amazing person. She loved Church, and is for sure going to be baptized in another week or two.

After the trials we have had the last three weeks, the Lord is blessing us so much. He has wrought mighty changes in our hearts, and we have seen Him do the same in others. I love this church. I love our God and His blessings. I love these people, and love how they accept the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I hope all stays well this week, you will all be in my prayers.

¡ADIOS MI FAMILIA!

Elder Newell