The Awesome Mejilla Family

Interesting week this one. Definitely going to be a long change too. Right now there are four Elders in this ward. Well one of these Elders finished his mission so Thursday he goes home and the other Elder has changes and so for a change we're going to be alone once again. So yeah that's what`s going on here. I don't have changes and will be here for Christmas and New Years. Crazy how fast that is coming. 

I hope everything is alright up there in Oregon. Considering I don't know anything about your week maybe there was a nuclear war or something so you can`t write me. If this is the case you probably won't get this either so well.....good luck. 

I really hope you guys are ok. I'm doing pretty good and definitely happy to not have changes. We should have some success in this area this change. We've been teaching a couple new families and it has been going really well with them. The Mejilla family is awesome. We found her when we were knocking on doors and she told us that she had seen us about three days before and wondered why we didn't come to her house. This week we had the first lesson with her and the whole family joined us. They all loved the message and have always wondered why there are so many churches and just never have known what they can do to find Christ's true church. They understand the importance of praying and the all promised to pray to know if the message is true. We also go there with some members that live really close and so that`s always really good.

Let`s see what else has happened this week. Well yesterday the other Elders had a baptism and we are going to confirm her on Sunday. Also the parents of this girl are really close to being baptized and this month it should happen. They are familia Morales. I actually don't really know them to tell you the truth but we have to start working with them this week.

Really I got nothing else. I hope you guys are all ok and had a good week. Have a happy December and enjoy the beautiful snow for me. Talk to you guys next week. Bye.

Ready for Navidad

HELLO!!!!!!

Once again I am here writing you guys. That`s awesome that you are going to send out my package this week. I`m soooo ready for Navidad again and more Tamales. Seriously for a week before Christmas that`s all we eat. Oh well I like them. I do miss Mom`s food a bit though but whatever I`ll be there next time with you guys.

Let`s see here what has happened this week. We`re having a good time and it`s crazy how fast the changes go. The next week I`ll be able to tell you guys if I have changes or not. I sure hope not but I guess we`ll see what the Lord says. This week we have continued working with those people we found but none of them could come to church. We only had three people in church but they aren`t really progressing. The Bishop`s father in law isn`t a member and has drinking problems but he has stopped drinking and so we`re trying to get him baptized. It`s tough though cause he`s already been baptized in another church so he doesn`t want to do it again in another church. But hey we`re working so I`ll keep you guys updated. 

Once again I`m having a tough time thinking about what happened this week cause nothing super special happened. It was interesting though because yesterday we saw a weird parade. It was just a bunch of catholic people dressed up as monsters and they would just go to a street and just start dancing. They had some guys playing the Marimba and so they would just stop and start dancing. If someone wanted to dance with them they had to pay 5 quetsales but seriously it was really weird. I`ll have to show you the video I took. You can see it in 10 months. 

Also good to here Briana is going to be able to go to Salt Lake to do that there. Should be fun. Oh and with that my time is gone. I already bought shoes that I was finally able to find and so Mom 25 would be enough but I would never complain if you wanted to accedetily put in more. Ok Goodbye. I shall tell you if I have changes the next week.

Bye

Paz

Felicidad

Mucho Chicharron

I Am Starting to Love This Work and Every Day My Testimony Grows So Much

 Hey family!!

Awesome week once again. I`m still enjoying my time here just so you guys know. Oh and also just to tell you guys I wasn't able to send pictures last week so sorry but I will this week. They`re already uploading. So anyways let`s see what has happened.

First of all we have recently found two very positive families. The España family and the Martinez Family. They love the messages and definitely want to know if it`s the truth. They haven`t been able to come to church yet though so I've been praying for that. They could be such good members so I really want to see that happen.

This week was really good because we were able to find some good people. We have a high goal for the contacts we do every day and we were able to do them all this week and I definitely saw the blessing that come from it. I am starting to love this work and every day my testimony grows so much. And also when we teach these people that we have found I can see them changing every day.

Let`s see what else happened this week. We had an interesting experience with a lot of fire, an avocado tree, and a metal house. I`ll leave the rest of the details up to your imagination. But don`t worry, no Elders were permanently harmed in the doing of this service project. It was actually quite fun. 

The only other thing that happened this week is I ate cow stomach again. Man it`s so gross...I really never want to do it again. It`s like eating a tire that tastes much worse than a tire. I don`t know why people here eat some parts of the cow that they do. I don`t know if that`s legal in the states haha. 

The last thing before I have no time is that as District leader I just have to do the District meeting. Thursdays and Sundays I have to take the numbers of the District, and the last thing is divisions with my District. Really there is only 2 other areas in my district though cause the assistants are in it but they never can do divisions or anything so yeah. Ok there`s all my time and I hope you guys have a good week...have a good week.

It All Makes Me So Happy

Well here I am once again. 

I`m glad you guys have liked my last couple e mails so I`ll try to figure out what I did different...I think I just had better weeks. This week was also good though so we`ll see how this letter turns out. I also liked your pumpkins. Why didn`t we ever do cool things like that when I was home? Oh well I`m having fun also preparing for Halloween. I get to do stuff like hide a lot of money so people don`t rob it...hmmm oh wear my cheapest ties and....stay inside. Haha ok I`m just kidding but yeah it gets just a little bit more dangerous here during halloween cause all the kids go crazy. But don`t worry about it or anything cause it`s really not that bad. Nothing ever happens to us. The people respect us here and they know we never have money on us so they leave us a lone. 

Let`s see. This was an interesting week. We got a few funny questions this week. I contacted someone in the street and he told me he had a question for me. "Joesph Smith was killed in his thirties right? If he really was a prophet of God why didn`t God protect him?" He thought it was the smartest question too. I almost started laughing too cause he was so determined it was going to stump me. I just help him realize that Jesus as well died in his thirties. Also almost every other Prophet or Apostle in the scriptures was actually killed. Well there`s a lot. But yes I thanked him for pointing out that Satan always works the same way and that all the Persecution against Joesph Smith actually proves he was a Prophet of God. He just kinda stood their quietly. Needless to say we didn`t put an appointment to go to house. He apparently never "se mantiene en la casa". Experiences like that always just make me laugh and make me realize how blessed I am to actually understand these things. Really everything about this church is so based on the scriptures and it all makes me so happy. (Not saying that it makes me happy that all the Prophets and Apostles have died.)

Let`s see what else happened this week. We found a new investigator and the first appointment I invited him to be baptized and he accepted. He loved the message and just couldn`t come to church cause he has to travel a lot with his work. We`ll see where that goes. 

Other than that.....oh yeah another funny experience. We contacted a lady and I promised her that God answers prayers. I shared James 1:5. She kinda got mad at me cause she understood it that I was saying she lacked wisdom and that we think people from our church are the only people who understand scriptures. After me and my comp were kinda laughing about that. The people in my area are funny. I`m really enjoying it here. I should be here for Christmas too which makes me happy.

Ok I love you guys and have a good week.

Elder Layton

PAZ