102nd Email

Well well well....this is the final one huh. CRAAAZY hah I cant believe I will see you guys in a week!!!  Why'd you have all the parties BEFORE I got home though.  I thought we were going to do them WITH me, hah wellllllllllllllll  that's alright I guess.

This week was totally awesome, we found this elect knocking doors, had the final zone leader consejo of the mission Mexico Puebla (because in a month it won't exist... it will be 2 missions, North and South) and I went on some sweet interchanges with Elder Ortiz and it was super fun. It was just a fantastic week. BUT THIS WEEK WILL BE THE BEST. I'm going to make it the best week EVER! And I ate these famous hamburgers that they make here at this place called the Parilla and they were huge...but like Mexican huge so they were a little bit smaller but it was still pretty big and SUPER good and now I eat hamburgers with everything---mmmmhmmmm big surprise huh. My taste buds have basically been burned off by hot and spicy foods for the last 2 years so pretty much I'm an eat-everything-guy now. I made some sick zone shirts too a couple weeks ago and we passed them out today...they are siiiiiiik. I put Nelson Mandela on the back because of our bus-bonding experience together in ADO on the way to Puebla. And Father.... I have been writing in my journal every night....so all the good stuff from the week is in there. OH, and I ate  ice cream bars that were avocado flavored and mole flavored. Mole flavored was totally disgusting, obviously, and was spicy...it was sick. They are super famous though in this one area because you won't find them anywhere else in the world. sweet huh.

Well, I thought of something super cool this week. The mission is totally a mini life. Everything that happens, all our experiences, opportunities and challenges as missionaries give us life experience and help us prepare for greater and more important things which we will more than likely encounter in life, whether they be good or bad. Every challenge has its reward. The challenge of a mission reward. The challenge of a mission rewards you with a better understanding of life and its purpose and how, through divine help and similar experiences, we can take on like without a speck of fear and go wherever we want with it taking into accounting the will of the lord obviously. :) the mission teaches the fundamental principles on which we should base our life. marriage, kids, work ethic, religion, faith, and the majority of all aspects of the human life are dealt with, molded, and strengthened  while one is in the mission if one fully puts forth all possible effort. The self exertion and application of learned spiritual and temporal concepts, and the development of ones self-sufficiency by the end of ones mission really prepares an elder spiritually and mentally to take on the world and life as it is quickly thrown back at them after 2 fast years. I thought about my mission, and how it is so closely related to our life, the past, present and what it will be like in the future.

We are all born, I was born into the mission. We all start, it's hard and maybe we don't understand what's going on, but our Heavenly Father is conscious of that, and we are given our parents to guide us. A missionary is given his leaders, trainer, or mission president. They both provide constant support for their missionary/child, teaching him how to walk correctly on the path of life/mission. They give correction, which probably could be considered the most important part of the role of a mission president/parent so that the child/missionary doesn't waver to far from the path. The guidance is constant, and sometimes the child may make mistakes and the guide may correct him or it maybe that the guide is aware what was going to happen, but the guide wants us to learn from our own mistakes and learn how to correct them. The mission president expects his elders develop early on their own conscience of what is right and wrong. So does the loving parent who might teach their child NOT to touch the stove and the child then, being disobedient, does. They learn from experience. I'll go back just a little because it would be better to relate the parents to a missionaries first companion, his trainer. The parents ARE the "trainers" on the mission. They are our guides. What does a trainer in the mission do? They take a new elder and for the first 12 weeks of his 104 weeks in the mission life, and they make him into what he can be, and what he probably will be, if, like I said before, he applies the correct principles he is taught. The trainer plays a critical role and teaches the new elder those correct principles and sets and example of how the mission life is to be lead. He puts a pattern of study, work, repent, work, obey, work harder  just like the parents teach their children in the first few years, learn to talk (learn to teach) walk (walk in the correct mission path) study, school, church, read, pray etc. With some small variations a trainer basically teaches a new missionary like a parent teaches their young child, but  the difference being that this "life" is only two years. But just as life, that missionary gets one shot, one 2 year period of time to "live." And so the training starts. Talk to everyone, be nice to everyone, go to school/study the scriptures, learn to teach. Everything can be related.

When your training years are up, you are "let loose" a little, a bit more freedom you could say---like the teenage years. You are on your own a little, you don't always have your trainer right next to you. You make mistakes, suffer the consequences, repent and come back. It happens with many elders as does with many teenagers. I think there are 3 basic types of teenagers that can be compared to three types of missionaries. Those who through the teenage years keep strong and apply and listen to the guidance of their parents and take the straight road, not wavering too much (because nobody is perfect) but being good kids. Those who make mistakes and suffer the consequences, repent and correct their errors and come back and finish these earlier years well, and those that lose it all their teenage years, don't make the right decisions, are disobedience, fall to the world's influence, and don't return to the straight path that they were shown.  They start their early adulthood on a declined slope based upon the loose and uneven foundation that they will undoubtedly regret. I see it  in the mission as well. sadly. Some start out good and are ready to take on responsibly and freedom and stay on the path, every day trying to develop more Christlike attributes and strengthening their talents like teaching the gospel. Some start out well, fall, repent, and end well, and then sadly there are some, and I have seen more than a few, that let go of the rod just for a second and loose it all and don't decide to come back.  It's the saddest thing. 

So after the teenage years in the mission...you're probably like 19 or 20ish in human time, you have a few problems and maybe you have a mid-mish crisis and you think it's the end of the world. GREAT EXAMPLE---bahah a great friend of mine on the mission, had been dating a girl for 5 years, WAS engaged before the mish but last second went on a mission, gets a dear john midway though, she gets married 2 months later, and whaaaaatdoyaknow she pregnant now.. must suck huh. I'm sure it would. It's hard, frustrating, and maybe the language isn't coming along as fast as you would like, but you stick it out and endure to the end, and it all comes out good. (good life principle) Then maybe you get married and have a kid---or you TRAIN. Yes. Best part of life. Haven't done it in real life yet, but I'm almost positive it will be awesome. Just as the missionary teaches his new missionary, you teach your kid what you've learned, what to do and what not to do, ENTERTAIN them, enjoy life with them, and it's just the best of times. I can only imagine how it will be, because when I got to train here in the mission I had the best 3 months of my mission. You really push your personal limits to give them everything and a little more of the best you have so that your child can be even better than you were. You might even have problems with your kid but you work through them. In the end, you really realize that you have learned WAY more than you thought from the whole experience and how  much your kid, in my case Elder Ameida, had really helped me be a better and stronger person. 

yup. Then you just live life and love it. I love life. Benefit from every experience, have challenges, develop a true desire to cherish every second you have in life and desire to learn more while you are in it. You follow the commandments, and strive to better yourself. Maybe in these moment you also look back and realize and are more aware of what you could have done better as a child, so you strive to serve and help others understand the important of basic principles you wish for them to attain. It's never to late to change. You  apply everything to your life/mission. You now know what not to do.  You live in the given pattern of life, in the case of a missionary, you live the rules and do what you should. You love the challenges that God puts in front of you, you pray, read, go to church and the temple and spiritually edify yourself and strive to find more peace in the everyday madness you find yourself in. It's the best. I imagine that these times will be the best of times in my life, because they were in my mission. I'll find myself with (oh but this is not in the mission hah) my wonderful gorgeous future wife, maybe with grand kids or maybe on a mission who knows. I'll be just loving what and who surrounds me. President Reeves said, in my interview on Friday...by the way, best interview of my life...that marriage is the most beautiful and wonderful part of life that will bring you more peace and happiness than any other thing possibly could. I don't know if I could really relate that kind of wonderfulness to anything that could happen on the mission because it seems a bit out of mission world, but if I had to maybe make some comparison it would probably be baptizing someone. But not just baptizing them but really taking part in a strangers personal CONVERSION of  the Gospel of Jesus Christ that it has been restored. A true conversion I would put it, one that you are certain will never be forgotten and that the person will not fall away from the church but strive to live the gospel and progress spiritually until they have made eternal convents with the lord in his house. That type of experience would probably allow me to experience CLOSE to the amount of joy I will feel when I am married and have my own family. Those are they types of experiences and most powerful miracles I have been able to take part in here in the mission. 

Well, life goes on and you keep holding to the rod, set an example for the world (1 Tim 4:12 --great scripture)  by the way you live your life. You thank God for your blessings, acquire all possible testimony and knowledge, and you share it with the younger ones in life and on the mission. you do every possible thing you can so that you can leave this life, or the two short year mission, satisfied with your work, repentant, and not scared to face the Lord or life and say that you gave it your all and endured to the end. The mission is a mini life. Its like a preview to the best movie ever...like...the preview to Italian Job.

The mission has been my LIFE for the last two years, and will be for this last most wonderful week. If you want to think what it would be like to leave the mission, you can just pretend you're 80 years old and are going to die in a week. What would you do? What would you want people to know? How would you want them to see you? Think about it, times it by like ten, and there you have it---that's how I feel right now. I have one week left to be that totally dedicated servant and an example of our Lord Jesus Christ. You can't image how it would feel if you have never had the chance to dedicate 2 full years to the God that created you. I'm so incredibly grateful for the blessing and privilege that God has given me to serve under his command and the command of his servants here on this earth and in this mission life. It has prepared me to face earthly life. It has prepared me to feel ready to take on the next step. I feel prepared and anxious...ready to take on what is thrown at me, spiritually and temporally. I  have been able to construct a foundation based on pure testimony here and a witness of Gods love or me, his miracles, his power, his prophets, and that the church that he has created and restored for us through a living prophet. I know the gospel that I have taught and lived for the last 2 years, a restored and perfect gospel, is the true and living gospel of Jesus Christ, and contain everything we must know to gain our salvation.

The mission was an entire life smashed into two years. A two year course on lessons that deal with experiences that will come in the future. It has given me experience to confront similar future life problems and has taught me how to depend on the Lord for a solution. I have learn and grown and have learned the importance of obedience. I have learned that all callings int the church are like assighnemts in the mission, and we need to take each one of them seriously. We learn responsibility and how to trust in the lord in every one. I have learned that we must always face consequences for our actions, be they good or bad. I have learned that as we show love towards out Savior through our diligence, miracles are rewarded and shown to us to others, as well as numerous blessings with our obedience and our dedicated service.  I have learned rejection of all types, and how from rejection, as funny as it seems, I have learned that you can feel a peace and satisfaction from it, maybe a little sad SOMETIMES, but never discouraged if you really keep your focus on the Lord.  Your desire and faith move you to find the elect. If we endure in the work, God will always bless us, and the endurance and diligence in the work is the key to overcoming rejection. I personally believe that rejection and the reaction to rejection are of the most important lessons a missionary learns in his 2 years. You are pretty much FORCED to learn how to overcome discouragement and deep discouraging thoughts out of your head. It sometimes is obviously difficult, but if you learn to overcome it, it changes everything in the mission, and makes it THAT MUCH better. 

I've really learned that my Heavenly Father loves me and that he is my biggest support and is always on my side, and that he will never leave us if we are are obedient and always listen to his council. I have leaned to be sensitive to spiritual impressions, go where I am prompted to go and avoid where I am prompted to avoid, and most importantly contact those who I should contact. I have seen many miracles from such promptings. The spiritual sensitivity is something that I always want to have with me in life. I have learned to see people how God sees them. It's a long process that I have yet to finish learning, so I could say I'm still being taught hah but I know I will never master it. It is a goal that is playing strongly in my life right now, at the end of my mission. I have learned that every single chapter and verse in the scriptures is important and can be applied in our own lives to find answers to questions and bring us happiness and most importantly find direction on the path of to eternal life. I have realized the support of a family is next to the support of God and it means everything. God really has blessed me with with the most wonderful family. I love you family. I know that they were specifically chosen to fit ME and I have the best one. All these things that I have learned and mentioned are really such a small part of the entirety of the knowledge I have attained out here on the mission. It's just like 2 years PACKED every day full of new learning experiences and opportunities to grow. It's truly the most treasured experience I have had in my entire life ad something that can not and will not every be forgotten in my life. 

I just want to add my testimony. This life is our one shot to show our Heavenly Father that we will put all our faith in him and his son, trust in him, obey his commandments and show him that we are worthy and faithful to him, and really DESERVE to inherit all that he has. If we cannot live the laws he has given us here on this earth, we will not be able to live celestial ones and will not be able to live with our Father and Savior. Our eternal progression will be greatly impeded, and what we could have achieved in our short time on this earth will now take us "myriads of years before (we) can receive the like blessing", mentioned Joseph smith in one of his talks about eternal progression. I've learned a lot about this type of stuff. We CAN progress after this life if we want---and now we dip a little into some legit doctrine--Why would you want to wait "myriads of years" to live with your heavenly father and savior again when you can just show him your obedience and willingness now in this life and return right after? Good question huh...everyone should think about that. I have an example that I just thought up ...I see it like this-- Let's say we can walk 500 miles in this life though a desert to reach God, granted it will obviously be hard, but it will be worth it right? I mean, we can even cut out backpacks and water and all that stuff...it's just walking, it's easy. So compare that, being our earthly life to this---and I'm sure you'll get my point. OK so imagine that you have to walk those same 500 miles to get to God, but this time it's a little different. The first time you could do it walking, this time you have to do it walking too, but in thick mud up to your chest.  The progression is slower, you will suffer more, and it takes a lot more self exertion on your part to get to where you COULD HAVE GOTTEN to if you just would have seen the signs and walked while you had the chance. It's obviously a lot more physically and mentally straining, and it makes it worse knowing that you could have just walked those 500 miles normally andeasily gotten to your goal. Yup. So don't be a mud-walker. That would be the worst. So that is how I see our eternal progression after this life, after judgement and all that. That it will take longer, it will be harder, and those who are in that chest deep journey for delayed exaltation will suffer more then they EVER would have if they were to just be obedient and do what was clearly asked of them in their earthly life.

This is why it is important to pray and find out NOW which of all the churches leads you back to the Father because, as the scriptures say--- there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. ONLY one, not one thousand. There is only one living prophet that has ALL the keys of the earthly kingdom. For those that don't know where this church is, don't base your beliefs off your family, what your friends think, or tradition, ask God. He knows everything. It's HIS doctrine that he taught HIS son. Ask and ye shall receive. Its a promise and when God makes a promise with us, he keeps it. If we don't ask...well...we know we could have asked so we will be held guilty for not asking....and then there's the chest deep mud for ya. lovely.

The earthly test is big, we need to prepare and arm ourselves daily. We need to live the gospel, study it, and develop a way of life based on that of Jesus Christ. We need to implement daily repentance in our lives. We have repentance thanks to the atonement of Jesus Christ. It is our only hope if we plan on living with our Father in heaven again. We need to study this selfless act and apply it to our lives. I feel like I see with clear eyes now the importance of our life, the way we live it, and our purpose. God is wonderful, he loves us so much. the plan he created is a perfect one and his love is clearly shown in every aspect of it. I know God lives and I know that his greatest desire is that all of his children come home to Him and feast upon all of his awaiting blessings and inherit ALL that he has and all that he is. My dad is the greatest example to me of this all giving desire that our father in heaven has and has helped me comprehend how much my heavenly father really loves me. He would give anything for me, and always has my entire life. Constantly sharing everything from aweosme t-shirts and stories to fatherly knowledge.  To me, he has always been willing to share it ALL with me. I image the love and desire of our father in heaven is the same.  He wants to give us all his knowledge and everything he has and his internal intention is the same as that of my fathers but on a bigger and eternal scale. I know that my dad loves me so much, and that is why it's really hard to even image the love that my heavenly father has for me. It is our goal though here in this life to "know god," So that's what I'm working at, to "know" his love. This is our purpose, like it says in the scripture, and the way to achieve this is to follow the example of his only begotten son, the straight path he showed us, learn the process of revelation, and constantly strive to attain more spiritual knowledge. He showed us the way and suffered from every pore so that the burdens and sins that drag us down in this life could be made light. He suffered on the cross as well and gave his own life so that we could live again. After all that, he still continues to council us and help us through his living prophets. It's a constant support, and he sends us the Holy Ghost to comfort us. After all that he has done for us, and continues to do, we all need to reflect upon and ponder how we are going to thank him. Will we repent of our sins that he has suffered for us? or will we just make him suffer more to not see us use his great sacrifice, and to see us spiritually alienate ourselves in this life and not follow that perfect plan that God has simply drawn out for us and asked us to follow. It is in the Book of Mormon, in the Bible, in the words of the prophets, can be received by personal revelation...its everywhere. We just have to lose our ignorance sometimes and open our eyes and hearts to the things that are plainly set before us. 

I testify that if one truly knows and understands the bible, they will know the truth of the Book of Mormon as well. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know it was written by ancient American prophets and I know that God has given us this sacred ancient record in these last days to help us prepare ourselves for  the second coming so that we can learn of the fullness of the gospel.  I know the Book of Mormon was translated by the power of God through his prophet Joseph Smith. I know that prayer is a vital connection between us and our Father in Heaven, and without it, we could be lost. I have a testimony of specific prayers...they work. I know that whatever we ask the Father in faith it will be given unto us if it is a just request. I know that prayers work miracles, and I have seen them. I know that the priesthood power has been restored to the earth in these latter days and by it's divine power the heavens are opened and miracles happen and people are healed, and testimonies are strengthened. I have been healed and seen the miracles of this divine power. I know that the only true and living church on this earth today, with all power and glory of our Savior Jesus Christ and the church which he himself came down to the earth to establish, is RESTORED to this earth. I know that that church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I know that the name of the church today was a direct revelation directly from Jesus Christ to the prophet Joseph Smith. I know that this church is true and has the full of the everlasting gospel and everything we could possible need for our salvation. I know Thomas S. Monson is our living prophet today. I know that the missions we serve in the church are one of God's greatest blessings to us. It has been the greatest blessing and influence in my entire life. I have loved every moment and it has challenged and molded me into the person I am now. The greatest council I could ever give a young man would be to go on a mission. It is the most exciting adventure you will ever go on and it will edify your person in every way. It will prepare you for life so that you can live life to the fullest extent and be able to see the love of God in your life and find the happiness and peace that only He can bring. You will really be able to enjoy life and LOVE it. I LOVED MY MISSION. It's absolutely crazy it has come to an end...it hasn't hit me yet. Know that I love you all and pray for every single person that gets these emails. Your love, support, and prayers were felt my entire mission. Thank you for everything. The biggest thanks ever to mom and dad, thanks for everything, all the packages, letters, EVERYTHING. You are amazing and were the trainers and most wonderful parents in my life. I love you. I can't wait to be with you guys again in a week. 

Well I'm going to go kill it out there this week and have just the most spiritually edifying and most fantastic last week in the service of the Lord. Have a wonderful week. Pray.

Amen.

Elder Bertha.

PS Those blueberries better be in season because I am looking forward to blueberry pancakes and fruit smoothies when I get back. yesssssss. aaaaaand swimming :)

101st Email

Well....I totally think that you are having a gigantic party at the house right now for Memorial Day. That's cool, I guessssss. Hey, guess what, this week I pulled a Peter Johnson and ate some ants. They were totally gross, they were huge and we ate them with lemon and salt...obviously because everything in Mexico is eaten with lemon and salt...and coke but they weren't drinking coke UNFORTUNATELY because it would have made my ant experience even THAT much more Mexican. Supposedly the ants only come out twice a year at around 4 in the morning and you have to catch them and throw them into buckets of water so they will drown and not escape...who thought of that. just because there are tons of animal that God created all over the earth, doesn't mean that he wanted us to eat every single one of them, like the ant for example. you just----don't. And while i{m on the subject of food i ate one of those ridiculously delicious tortas in tecamachalco this week...with pina asada, milanesa, mayonesa, quesillo, aguacate y cebolla. Those are a gift from heaven I think....seriously there is nothing better that has ever entered my mouth. It is just a beautiful looking sandwich too, its a 10. 

The entire week was just packed, super packed. I worked in my area for a DAY and that was it...THAT'S how packed it was. We had the leader council and also the news and trainers meeting in Puebla, it was just long. WAY long. TOO long, but the practices were hilarious and super fun because it was elder mares from Tijuana and I  and it was pretty much locura because we had to practice how to do a comp inventory so pretty much you can use your wildest imagination and then tell your comp he needs to change...needless to say it was ridiculously awesome and what made it even better is that Williams, one of the new assistants that's goign to be in north was watching us hahaha it was totally fantastic. The assistants are super sick actually, BIG change from the last couple. We got back that night at like 10, bad movies on the bus. This movie called like peace eat love or something with Julia Roberts...it was decent but I could only catch every other word because the volume was so low and I didn't even get to finish it...it probably got better in the end though. 

The next day we had interviews in the morning starting at 11 and we were there the whole day for about 5 more hours of capacitacion...my comp and I didn't get interviewed because we had to rush back to Puebla at 4 with the Pres. and the assistants because I had a doctors appointment at 6 at hospital Puebla for my eyes.  They gave me more artificial tears...great help. thanks. waste of time. Then we headed back to Tehuacan. The next day, Thursday, we went to help the elders in Tecamachalco (1.5 hrs away) find a house in this other city in their area called Clacalotepc because president wanted them to move before the end of the month. We were SO blessed and God totally blessed us with a miracle. We studied with the elders in the morning because the Elder Goodsell is training so we were there to see how they were doing and then went to the Clacalotepec. On the bus, the elders found some members in their rama and we ended up going to their house and they showed us some houses and the hermano walked around with us until we found one...first, it's a miracle we found the members on the bus, second, it's truly a miracle we found a house there, a cheap super awesome one that is pretty much perfect. It usually takes about 2 weeks to find a house looking around a lot but in the morning when my comp and I were about to leave I asked SPECIFICALLY to find a house THAT day and for it to be just as we wanted it. It was truly perfect, took about 4 hours to find, great location, the dueno is totally awesome too. He says that if they ever have problems to say they live with Don Carlos and they won't have problems any more. Sweet. He owns this huge carneceria, cool guy. Then we went back to Tehuacan and went to our appointment at night with hermana Rosana. She is totally a GREAT convert, probably the best I have had the entire mission. She is studying and praying and going to church...it's wonderful. Her husband Iban comes to church too, and slowly we are seeing the changes in him. I know that in these next couple months he will get baptized. He stays all 3 hours and loves the classes and everything.....except for this Sunday because this old guy just wouldn't stop talking and it was extremely boring, not gonna lie. BUT he is totally cool too and we talked about baseball. 

The next day we had to go on some "special" divisions with some elders from orders of the pres. ANOTHER miracle.  Elder Torres came with me, well that's what president wanted, but still it was a total miracle because without him this day would have just been horrible. So we went to go do some service at 10 that day, putting on a roof for Hermana Elena, one of our investigators. Obviously she tried to tell us she didn't need our help but we convinced her into letting us help her because her roof was a total piece and the rain here has been terrible and her roof is falling off...so we volunteered to do it. Kinda like that jump into the dark with faith thing and God will help you because we really had no idea how to do it bahhaha. It was with laminas, like those tin aluminum things and nails with bottle caps and wood boards on the second story. Super sketchy actually. Well, we took all the boards off, ohhhh and some other elders came and helped us, Neubert and his comp came and some elders form Centinario---but they left early and didn't finish the job....hmmmmmm....anyways we reorganized all the boards and took them all off because some were super wet and just totally rotten and then put them all back and started the roof...Elder Torres is from chiapas and totally knew how to do everything, Neubert did too, but didn't know AS MUCH as Torres and he really lead us though the whole thing. It was sweet though, we ran into a ton of problems though...obviously.  The whole thing took a good 7 hours, and we ate for like 20 minutes and it was only because they kept nagging us to eat because we wanted to finish first. It was a crazy day, totally thought it was going to take like 2 hours or something. it was like that service project in Atexcac..."oh ya lets just go pic some fruit off a tehocote tree in the middle of a cornfield for an hour or two and ya"...but no...TEN HOURS LATER...it was like that. I GOT SO BURNED. Usually I don't put sun screen on my neck because the shirt always covers me up....but I put on a t-shirt to do it...I got destrooooooyed. I sent some pictures. Oh and the night before with elder Torres our house flooded because it rained so hard and it was totally hectic.

Funniest thing of the week. Saturday, our only great day of working in our area, we were over in some part contacting and walking to a cita and this dog comes up and is about to attack me and is barking and growling and everything and my comp just flips out, but in this hilarious way and pretends to pic up rocks and moves closer to the dog and then chases the dog and the dog was SOOO scared and my comp starts running for a good 30 meters after the dog around this house bahaha I couldn't stop laughing, seriously it was the greatest thing I have ever seen. 

Sandra AND Rosana AND Iban came to church this week and also our investigators so it was just a fantastic Sunday. I had to teach gospel principles all by myself this week because my comp says it doesn't work if we do it in a pair...that's a lie...I think it works FINE...when we do it together, we pretty much wing it and I think it's hilarious---I don't think he thinks it is though haha. whatever. It was great. 

Well, I actually learned a TON this week, alot from the President and his wife on the way back from interviews. Sister Reeves, President Reeves and I were in the back of the mini van and Pres talked to me a little about the final interview and gave me the most wonderful council on life. I asked him some great marriage and dating questions too and he had some wonderful answers. The council that I want to share though is something that we call ALL apply or keep living in our lives. President Reeves gave me his word that if I were to do these 5 things for the rest of my life, I would never fall away from the church and would keep progressing and growing as my life goes on. I also think personally that these five things will help us be greater tools in the Lord's hands in terms of missionary work also. They are so simple, but many put them to the side and give other worldly things priority. We must do ALL of them. 

Numero Uno: Pray MORNING and NIGHT every day.

Numero Dos: Read your Book of Mormon EVERY DAY no matter what, even if it is a little. (and I add---apply it to your life)

Numero Tres: Go to church every week and partake of the sacrament

Numero Cuatro: SERVE OTHERS 

Numero Cinco: Go to the temple and renew your covenants on a regular basis.

Five simple things, obvious things that everyone knows, but some don't apply. Coming from President Reeves, a man called of God to preside and be president over a huge area of the Lord's children and so many of his elders, I know that his word is true and that the promise he made to me, if kept, will help me develop and stay strong in the church my entire life. It's truly a blessing to serve under him and I love his councils. I love the mission and it's super sad it's being split, but I know that President Reeves will make the south mission amazing and that it will have a ton of success. It hasn't really hit me yet that I only have 2 weeks left. I'll let it hit me on the plane coming home or something. As of right now I really don't even have time to think about it because we are so busy. I absolutely love it though. This week will be super nice though because we will be in our area the whole week if nothing comes up. I love my area, my bishop is awesome and we ate with him yesterday and I got the best horchata recipe....we'll have to do it in a couple weeks. Tehuacan is totally sweet too, google it. We went to Peñafiel today and went thought the caves under it...SUPER aweosme. They didn't let us take pictures though. I bought some gingerale...YES I LOVE GINGERALE. Anyways, I love being on a mission. 

In the small amount of study time I had this week, I was totally spiritually enlightened and had like BOMB studies about deep doctrine stuff.  I was reading a little of the manual for teaching the Pearl of Great Price...greatest book ever... and Moses. I like reading Moses. Learned a lot of stuff, like a TONNNN, don't have time to tell you every little bit, and it would ruin it for you guys anyways so study it for yourselves :) One of the most interesting and one of my favorite passages I read though this week was when we were waiting at the interviews. Moses 6:53-68. Read it and receive your own revelation. Its a wonderful passage of scripture. 

Also...did you know...because I DID but I DIDN'T at the same time because it's a little confusing. I knew that our intelligences have existed forever and are without start or end, but what's an "intelligence", right? And does that mean we as spirits have existed forever? Well I finally found my answer after SEARCHING AND SEARCHING.  Finally it fell into my hands and I'm satisfied :) Well....more of like a clearer explanation of what I thought, or a confirmation on what I had been thinking. God organized our intelligences into spirits. So he took our intelligences, and I imagine it as how the earth was created, took intelligences and formed us into individual spirits. Yup that's the clear answer. AND IF you already knew that I don't care, I'm just a little slower alright, and it actually goes way deeper than that so that's not all of it. I just cant explain it in words.  But read Moses 6:53-68..and actually don't just read it but study it and read it slow so that you get every little mystery out of it that's in there. :)

Les amo mucho.

Elder Bertha.

100th Email

WELLLLLLLLLLLLLL this week flew by. I'm in the middle of Puebla city right now...pretty fun stuff. This week I saw like 8 different movies on the buses because I had to go to Puebla soooooooooo much...ohhhhhhhh my gosh I am sick of traveling and buses.

99th Email

Well this week was AWESOME!!! My district leader is just the best, so good that he even took the liberty of baptizing our investigator that he had never even met before. Just awesome, really hyped up the whole spiritual experience of the baptism for us. Oh and that was probably the best thing of the entire week, you wouldn't believe the other great things that went on.

98th Email

When Alex talks about "his kid" "new Child" "two grandchildren" etc... he is talking about the length of time the missionaries have been in the field.  When he refers to "my generation", he is talking about missionaries that came out at the same time that he did. Dying means - ending his mission

97th Email

I have been majorly slacking in the photo department this week....lo siento mucho. This week was pretty hectic...one of the most---buuuuut aren't they all.... well I'll just start out with the best and the worst of the craziness.

96th Email

This week was going pretty calm and then on Saturday they call us and tell us that they need a house for the missionaries  by FRIDAY because they are going to putting new missionaries in this place called TECAMACHALCO next change....do you know hoooooooow long it takes to find a house? 

95th Email

For the people reading this who are not members of our church, Elder Bednar is one of our 12 apostles which we also refer to as one of our general authorities, a special witness of Jesus Christ.  He is an amazing man and truly a man of God.  When Alex refers to BRANCHES, those are the small congregations of the church. A larger congregation is a WARD and several WARDS make up a STAKE.  Also an ENDOWED member is worthy member who has gone through the temple.  Preach My Gospel is the book the missionaries study to help them with their teaching - Sandy 

94th Email

First of all...I counted incorrectly...there were actually 8 priesthood blessing miracles...I forgot the lady, inbetween sessions, that came into the church. A member found her and brought her to us. She wanted a blessing....I couldn't even believe that she knew what a blessing was, and just her asking, a non-member with a problem from the street and we're the only ones that happen to be in the church...the biggest miracle of the day.

93rd Email

Alrighty Alrighty... Is it just me being in Mexico for the last year and a half or were there an oddly large number of totally gorgeous sister missionaries singing at the second Saturday session of conference. They totally just zoomed in on them too....don't know if you realized that...I totally did. NOT LIKE I WAS looking for it, but they totally got close ups of them all. Anyway, conference was totally epic and I loved every second of it. I think this is the first conference where I actually GET it and get tons out of every single message and really "get" what they are trying to say...because sometimes they like to throw subliminal messages in there and I think I didn't catch them before, but with the spirit working and the poquito bit mas of knowledge I have now, I think I got way wayyyyy more out of it. I took tons of notes, but really of only the things that impacted me the most...but I would absolutely love to share my favorite parts with you----so I will.

92nd Email

Well, here I am in Tehuacan, the most wonderful place of my entire life. Seriously, it has always been my dream to come here. My companion is Elder Zuñiga, he's from Tampico, Tamaulipas. Tehuacan is AWESOME...but way better than awesome it's like the mas perron place I've ever been in the mish....not because my area is super cool or anything, but the atmosphere here is just totally different than puebla.

91st Email

Well changes are tomorrow...but I know where I'm going because when we wrote president it told us..hahhahaha nobody caught that in the offices. ANYWAYS, IT'S GOING TO BE SOOOOOOO SICK!!! I'm going to the area Insurgentes in Tehuacan!!! SOOOOO SICK!!!

90th Email

OK, so my first picture...of me with the buildings...that is my REAL mission picture. I always take pictures in these cool  weird places I find but it hit me this week....I was like...wow, I need to take a real mission picture of the places I go every day...yup...a bunch of 4 story cement buildings....isn't it just FANTASTIC!!!!

89th Email

We had a talent show in the church on Saturday night, and it went great. At the beginning, nobody wanted to do anything, obviously, and the DJ guy that was an hermano was trying to make jokes and stuff to liven up the crowd but it didn't help. THEN I raised my hand and told everyone that I was going to play my Christmas song on the piano and it was FANTASTIC! bahhaha it was so funny. 

88th Email

OK, Sister Cornwell sent me a valentine and said that Sean and Sandra are doing great....WHEN DID SEAN GET MARRIED!!! NOBODY ever tells me these things!! And now Joelito is getting married too, it's a Christmas miracle. I love the Cornwells.

87th Email

Crazy week. WE HAD A BAPTISM!!!! That was definitely the highlight! We baptized a 79 year old man we have been working with for a little over a week. He's the one who has never wanted to get baptized and then this impression came to me while we went to eat with them twice in one week that now was his time...and it was.

86th Email

Well, I have tons and tons of stuff to tell you because we have been working like the children in those Nike factories but I'm pretty sure I won't have time to...sooo I'm going to throw in the best of the best and my fun facts of the week.

85th Email

Well it got crazier. Everything. My comp had changes. He's the new assistant. He TOTALLY didn't want to be assistant and that's why he probably is. He wanted to train again, but hey, life throws ya weird ways.

84th Email

Book of Mormon. Doughnut. Machete. Baseball bat. Chile. Llama. Hot dog. Hamburger. Little foot from Land Before Time. Shotgun. Long sleeve shirt. Snail. Camera. Noahs Arc. House. Rose. Wedding ring. Foot. Face.

83rd Email

First best thing ever. I took this epic lurk picture in the huge cathedral today. heeeeeheheh it was totally awesome. 

82nd Email

This week was definitely up there in the top 3 FUNNEST weeks ever in the mish. Stressful, late nights and a SUPER late night with other missionaries.  It's a gran pachangota. So anyways, I went on divisions with Elder Kimball.  We talked to some crazy who is just one of those people with a billion excuses about the Book of Mormon and why he won't come to church.

81st Email

FIRST OFF. CONGRATULATIONS ERICA HAWKINS! MOSCOW, RUSSIA!   I will miss you.

 

This week was the best week hands down of my entire mission!! I cannot even express to you in words how amazing it all was. We found 10 new investigators, at least one every day, pure miracles. We are being extremely obedient and praying about 20 times a day, ALWAYS on our knees, and you can really see the blessings that God is just dumping on our heads.

80th Email

Happy new year everyone. How does it feel that this will be the LAST year on earth....for anyone. So legit huh. I have just had the most wonderful time this week. Except my comp told me I shouldn't bring my camera with me everywhere we go...so I won't have that many pics now I don't think----but I'll sneak it so don't worry. I have SO much to tell you though.

79th Email

So, I did something way cooler this week and instead of taking time to write a big email I just took pictures of my journal pages that I ESPECIALLY made and drew JUST FOR YOU guys. So they are named with days. It was super fun and I'll probably keep doing it because it will be way fun to look back on and it makes me want to write in my journal more.

78th Email

Hey family. Crazy day today, I had changes. BUT I'M STILL IN THE SAME FREAKING STAKE!! I just moved to Valsequillo where my ornament was put a little higher on the Christmas tree and now I'm a zone leader in PUEBLA SUR...soon to be the best zone around. Lots of probs to figure out, obvi, missionaries are crazy here, but we'll be working on it.

77th Email

Mom: I"m sending this now because some hermana died yesterday and we had to visit the family THEN we didn't get back until super late from the Zone activity and had a family home evening. But don't worry...I would never not write you guys.

76th Email

A lot happened this week. It was quite wonderful. Its freezing in the mornings now...Bucket showers in the morning = not cool. death. Trumpos = super cool. I saw some grown men playing some FIELD HOCKEY a couple days ago, quite "feminine" if you ask me. I had to stand there for like 30 seconds because I was so shocked.

75th Email

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Our district, the assistants, Elder Wennerholm, and the secretaries all ate over at the mission home. It was ridiculously awesome, even though everyone was super awkward the entire time, which I commented to Wennerholm. We were talking though. It's wonderful that he's here still getting over his whole appendix ordeal.

74th Email

Hello Familia. This week was fantastic. Armando got confirmed on Sunday. We taught TONS of lessons to a variety of people. I ate 4 HUGE waffles one morning this week with Hermana Parra. I talked to Elder Stevens for an hour and a half last night about how sweet Tetela is and how he has to go exploring because he has never even been to Cuautempan or Taxco....because Almeida didn't show him.  

73rd Email

Well. I write this from Valle Del Sol, Puebla, Mexico. Yes. I am still here. But I had a change of heart...I'm actually way excited to be here for Christmas because the members that ARE cool...are super cool and it will be tons of fun. Also because Kenzcka is still in the zone so we shall FESTEJAR all navidad.

72nd Email

First of all. THANK YOU to the few (3) that wrote me back after I sent out my last email.

Dia de los Muertos pretty much destroyed the week. The children here don't want candy---they want MONEY.  One family took over the entire testimony meeting and retold the same story. It was really touching the first time....but the 6th time after the daughter, son, mom, moms mom, other daughter, then the father...it didn't have the same effect.

71st Email - in rhyme!

I was in the MTC this same exact time last year

I think how "awesome" those 2 weeks were was pretty darn clear

Now again, I think of all those fun Halloweens

As I sit here in Mexico, with a plate full of black beans

70th Email

Well. Another week down. Time is flying. We had 5 at church yesterday. Miracle. Biggest miracle was that ALFONZO came. I probably talked about him the first week I was in this area. We found him contacting in the market and he's prob like 75 or 80 something years old and rides a bike and helps people out at the market...i think. I haven't seen him in about a month and a half and Saturday we went into the market and we went over to see if he was there. That morning we had prayed for the "elect" to be in red shirts. Well, we found Alfonzo, or Adelfo, its something like that, anyway, he had a bright red shirt on. Coincidence? I think not. Miracle.

Alex's 69th Email

Alrighty. This week. Beginning. Terrible. But, I got some SICK letters from some SICK people so that made it ALL better. My hair is kind of long, and I love it, and I think I'm like Sampson so I don't think I can cut it.  And the Mexicans dig the long, flowy locks of golden.  I walk by the hair cut place every day and he's always like HEY GUERRO, no tengo oro en el piso. It's cause he hasn't cut my hair in a while. He wants me for the gold. Anyway, Wingington talked to him while he was cutting HIS hair and he said that he talked about me whole time. I just love bragging about myself, but I'll stop now. 

68th Email

Well, I spent every night this week just crying because Steve Jobs died. He was truly the most amazing genius man in the world, like even up from Einstein. Seriously, I was SO bummed to hear about his death. Week one with my neighbor (companion), we only live an hour away. Weird. We practice our soccer juggling skills in the morning and I'm a champion at trompos now. A CHAMPION. I took this sick video for your guys that will come with my card I will send---when I fill up the card. Its super legit though, I totally did this SWEEEEEEEEEEEET super hard trick for the camera. 

67th Email

OH my goodness gracious great GRINGO.... Joel is home. I got that sexy picture of him at the airport, but those two GORGEOUS girls on either side kinda made the pic....sorry bud. Go play some tennis. Then like.....send me a package or something :) ahhhh so crazy how time flies. Did he grow? I have to know.

66th Email

This week I had the most EPIC PILLOW FIGHT OF MY LIFE!!!! That was the highlight. Sorry, but this week the highlight was not being rejected over 100 times like usual. It was the pillow fight. We went to visit these members, and we were just talking with she and her kids, 13 yr old girl and 11 year old boy and  their cousin or friend ...then all of a sudden...actually it started pretty slow, a couple wacks. Then one came flying across the room. THEN IT BROKE LOOSE.

65th Email

I'm just gonna give brief summaries of what happened this week cause a lot of things happened. It was one of those month long weeks.

64th Email

Went on divisions with Rodriguez this week. Went to GALAXIA--where one of the streets is named "CANCER" street. Thats kinda weird. Visited this cop and he showed us all the bullets that narcos use that they can't use. Would be terrible to be a police here, but I learned a lot about Chapo Guzman....interesting story.

63rd Email

"Elder." Fun fact: is from the Netherlands, or at least it is to the people here. Pima County Public Library card came in handy for the first time this week. Been carrying it around forever. I gave it to the security guard at the bishops house and told him it was JUST AS SPECIAL as my drivers license and I couldn't live without it.