Monday, June 29, 2009

Testimony

Well, it has been another week with a lot of crazy tiring work. It seems that time moves so fast. I hit 6 months tomorrow and it only feels like I’ve been here for two. I feel like time is slipping away from me. Like I’m over judging how much time I really have here. I have to study hard every day to make sure that I can keep up with this broken space-time continuum. The spirit is such an amazing thing. I am so glad to have the spirit with me as a guide every day of my life. I am so glad to have my friends and family who support me here. I am so grateful for the sacrifices made by Joseph Smith so that we could have the Book of Mormon and the gospel in our life. I love the words of the scriptures and the prophets and apostles that we have to listen to in our day and all the help that we can get from them if we heed to their words. Most of all I love the Lord and all that he is willing to put us through because he loves us.

I don’t have anything to talk about today. Tell dad that he needs to enjoy life and go places. I can’t send any pictures today again. Sorry. Remember to bless the people you love in your prayers. My companion might be here for a while so if I think of something else Ill write another E-mail.

Elder Whetten

Monday, June 22, 2009

Bedar's visit & a baptisim

Mom here - it seems that Jay's Spanish must be getting better, because his English seems to be suffering. I didn't change anything, just corrected spelling. Have fun trying to decipher his message...

Well when Bednar came he started off by reading to us a scripture And said that when an apostle reads a scripture he does so with the same power and authority to the people he is reading it to as the original prophet or apostle who wrote it. Before he came he asked us to read two talks that he wrote. We started off by discussing them with him. Then he asked us how we could apply how we were going about this meeting in our teachings. We discussed that a little bit and then he invited us to ask him questions about anything. After that he invited us again to observe how we could apply this manner of discussing to our teachings. Then he asked us how many of us had a question they didn’t ask. Almost all of us raised our hands. Then he asked us how many of us received an answer to our questions even though we didn’t ask it and nobody else did. All of us kept our hands up. He read that scripture again and said ¨Elders and sisters, you have just witnessed a miracle.¨ we were talking to him for three hours so we talked about a lot of interesting things. About faith and stuff. It was really great.

Well we moved into our new house and the lady really screwed us over. She was supposed to have the boiler fixed and it wasn’t. She took everything in the house so it was just a shoe box. The blinds, the shower curtain. She didn’t tell us that the switch for the water is inside the neighbors house. So every morning we have to go to her house and wake her up for water so we can shower. And part of the roof is gone!! But it’s a house. And I don’t really care that much.

We had a baptism on Saturday for a family of three in which the font was freezing cold. The next day the wife got an infection from the font and they weren’t coming to church to get confirmed. We were going to go over and bless her and confirm her after sacrament meeting because I was speaking in church for someone who didn’t show up. But at the end I was bearing my testimony and I looked up and the family was sitting in the congregation. It made me really happy and we confirmed them after my talk. We gave the wife a blessing and she felt better when she got home the infection was gone and the family said that with the spirit they all felt at one again.

I don’t have anything else to report on. Just working really hard and doing my best. Tell dad happy fathers day.

Elder Whetten

Sorry I forgot the scripture, it was in D&C 88 somewhere. I forgot to bring my planner; I have it written down in there. But basically it said that when the Elders and Sisters assemble themselves together in the purpose of the Lord, the Lord will pour out his spirit upon them.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Pictures







New House

Ok well Bednar is actually coming on the 19th. Not the 16th. I typed it wrong.

We found a new house and we are moving in today. When we looked at the house, it was really nice. It had cabinets and an oven and stove. The whole house was really nice. But when the lady started moving out she took all the cabinets and the oven, stove, curtains, shelves, the bars to hang your clothes on, everything!!. The house looks like crap now. Especially the kitchen, because the cabinets were made for it. And half of them were the counters too. Me and my companion were pretty mad. He said that that is just what it’s like in Mexico. But we do have a stone wood oven on our roof. We are never going to use it though. I would be too scared to try.

Nothing much happened this week. We had a lot of investigators to take to the church this week. And It looks like we are going to break 300 baptisms again. There is a rumor going around that Monson is going to visit if we keep it up. I don’t believe it though.

I don’t know if you have heard but the most correct bible in Spanish was translated in 1960 and that’s the one we have been using. But they have just released a new King James Version in Spanish with cross references to the BOM, PGP, and the D&C. And the rumor is that the first presidency wants us to have it for free. (You hear a lot of rumors when your so close to the offices.)

Oh and in our new house we don’t have hot water at the moment. But that’s ok. I have taken a shower with cold water for a month before this change.

Elder Gonzalez sends his love. I really don’t know what else to talk about. Imagine visiting 25 people every day in the hot sun of Mexico. That’s what I’m doing. Enjoy life.

Elder Whetten

Monday, June 8, 2009

Bednar is coming!

Well we finished off the month with 355 baptisms. With another month of hard work ahead of us. Bednar is coming on the 16th and the best part of it is the building that he is going to speak to us at is in my companion and my area. So we don’t have to travel far and we will have more time to work with the spirit that he gives us. This area is a lot different. You have some popsicle stick houses on the outside of our area but when we knock those, they aren’t as humble as the people living in the rich houses. It’s very confusing because I would think it would be the opposite.

I think that was Bednar that said that the first principle of the gospel is faith in Jesus Christ. And I totally agree. We can have faith but faith in what? We can have it in many things but probably the most important is Jesus Christ; for if we have faith in him, we are doing the works necessary that we need to help us spiritually and eternally. Such as reading the scriptures, praying, going to church, and enduring to the end.

I taught my companion how to play rummy last night. It was kind of hard to remember how to play it but after a little while we got it and were having fun. He also taught me a game called Con Quen. Its kind of like rummy but a lot more cut throat and shorter. Too bad we can only play one day a week.

About my hair cut. I think it makes me look older because it shows off where I’m balding. Ha ha!!

Spanish is coming along a lot easier now. I’m feeling like I’m using a lot of my own words and I really don’t have to think that much at all anymore. Just speak.

I got your package and everything got here fine. But you forgot to send me my photo card! It would be nice if you could send it. And the insoles are working great and so are my feet.

Well I have to go. Tell Galen happy birthday!! I’m writing in my journal. Praying, working hard. Having a good time here. Be safe and enjoy life.

Elder Whetten

Monday, June 1, 2009

In a New City (Leon)

Well I’m in my new area. My new companions name is Elder Gonzalez and he is a good Elder. Very spiritual and nice. A lot different from all the other native missionaries here. He jokes around a lot and he is from Puebla. He has been learning English since he was ten so he knows pretty good English and prefers to speak it. But we only speak English at home. And Puebla isn’t as bad as you made it sound like.

Here in Leon, my area has all the best parts of Leon in it. It has centeral, where the governor is, all the old catholic cathedrals. It’s pretty sweet. The people are a lot richer here. And all the houses are bigger. Which makes it a little harder to teach to people because there is a little more pride. But it’s all good! Believe it or not I’m experiencing a lot more culture here. One member has and plays a bunch of instruments from Mexico and Southern America and he is making me a type of bamboo flute from Bolivia right now.

Well those stamps have been working so I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to use them. And for my package, They usually take four weeks to get here because the president takes the packages to our areas when he comes to visit. But since I live so close to the offices I can just drop by to pick it up.

Yah so I’m not living in the offices, We have our own house. The houses are a little more expensive here. In Aguascalientes they run around 120-150 dollars a month, but here there about 200-220 a month. And we are having problems with our land lady right now so we are looking for a new house yet again. Transportation is a little more expensive here too.

Salmon tacos with mango salsa sound good right now. You can’t find many fish tacos here. They have them more around the border of Mexico. And speaking of food, the members serve us better food here. Most of them cook American too!

Well I didn’t bring your letter of how to write a good email with me today to give me ideas so this is the best I can do for now. Love you all. Read the scriptures and pray every day. It really helps.

Elder Whetten



Elder Toutai and I on the way to the bus station. :(



Elder Gonzalez and I. :)