Elder Waddell 6-25-12

Man that all sounds pretty cool. That's awesome that there are so many
Spanish people in the stake and you are all already getting
integrated. That's what's so good about youth conference, you're
getting taught in the moment you're feeling the spirit so it's easier
to recognize when you're feeling the spirit later. I'm doing well. This
week wasn't too eventful. Just a bunch of not being able to find
people at home that said they would be at home. Oh yeah before I
forget, my debit card is expiring this month.... so I'm not sure
what's supposed to be done about that since I’m in Alaska. You guys
can renew it right? I got my uke and the cd's thank you very much, ha
they work and the music is fine. Yeah I haven't used that card since I
was in Ketchikan. I told you I’ve been meaning to send it for a while.                                                           Do you like the cd's that were in the box? That was all done by
missionaries in this mission. Oh and did the girls like their
envelopes? haha if you listen to song 8 or 9 in the cd that says Elder
Calk, Stephens and Durfee you'll get where I got it from. haha ummm
let's see. So this Sunday we started church with 11 people in the
room including us. So that was exciting, but more people ended up
showing up so that was good. oh and next week Pres. Chavez and his
counselor aren't going to be here and the elders quorum pres might not
be here so the counselor in the elders quorum will probably preside
next week and we won't have a piano player. There's a big LDS scout
encampment up here this week and for a couple of the days we're going
to go and train the scouts on PMG Christ like attributes so that's
pretty exciting. Hopefully I'll see somebody from Ketchikan. We chose
to train on patience because that's what we think the Lord has been
training us on for the past few months, hope and patience. The hope
that all the promises he has made will be fulfilled and the patience
it takes to deserve those blessings. Every day we're faced with tons
of times when we have to be patient with people or situations or we
would start to lose hope, then faith, then we would be useless
missionaries. So hopefully training the scouts with this will help us
as well. Oh yesterday we found a member who we're pretty sure Elder
Samuelson didn't even know so that's a big step for us .But,
things are going all right. We're going to have to start working on
the fireside that we're going to have in the branch sometime next
month. Hopefully that'll be good.  I think that's about it
that's happening over here. I hope the summer continues to go well.
Love you guys. All is well in Zion.

Elder Waddell 6-18-12

Nauvoo. That's a sweet youth conference. I hope you guys have fun.
Sweet, I can't wait for that package. I've been meaning to send a
package for over 3 transfers now.... sorry I'm a failure. But it'll be
off tomorrow I promise.  Sister Chavez said Bro. Escobar
facebooked them haha small world huh? Things have been okay this week.
Doing the normal stuff and the normal amount of people we can't seem
to get in contact with. We've been finding new people steadily so
that's a good thing. I'm trying to think of anything particularly
exciting that happened. We had Zone conference and Elder Koelliker
came and taught us stuff. It was a strangely short Zone conference but
really good. We met a guy that lives in our apartments who lived in
Humble. Oh the elders in the Tongan ward live in the same building as
us so we get to see them pretty often. When we have a stressful day we
go up to their room at the end of the night to get some "tongan love"
haha One of them is named Elder Tonga and he's from Tonga ha he's
quite a guy. Oh yeah before I forget could you get addresses for me of
people like... Kenton Mccrae, Justin Nickel, Vincent Guerrera, Clark
Vial. people like that. hmmm This Sunday a lot of people came to
church. Our little institute room was pretty full. It helps that one
guy just brought his entire family up from Utah and another family
came and a few people who don't normally come to the branch. But it
was nice. Oh I think I saw a lightning strike yesterday. Lightning
doesn't really happen in Alaska, but I think I saw a tiny one between a
really low cloud and the top of a mountain, so it was really short.
But yeah, so things haven't been too bad, not too easy but not too bad.
There's some promise in the work. That’s about all. I hope your
summer is going well. Love you guys. All is well in Zion.

Email from Elder Tellez 6-18-12

Hello again. About the pictures of the Summerwood building, haha: Gramma, you said that mama might send it and mama, you said that gramma probably sent it. No one sent it, haha. It would be ok if you both send it. Gracias, I love you!! Elder Lee is cool, he is from Idaho like Elder Barnes. He has 6 months on the mission. Wow!!!! in 2 weeks or so, I will complete 10 months. About the stomach problems, I have always had them even when I was home. I haven't gotten the package yet nor the letter from Megan or anybody else for that matter, haha. I don't even know what I have spent the money on, but I still have some. I haven't bought any shoes or socks. I did strike gold, however. Elder Ramirez left one of his luggages (on purpose) full of clothes and other useful things. So I now have a bunch of socks and things. We baptized a girl named Ana Isabel yesterday. We will be baptizing the kid next to me in the photo and the woman next to him (brother and mother of the girl) this coming week. That boy, Memo, has made so many changes in this week and a half that I have known him. Last sunday, he went to church in a torn-up shirt, a full-on beard, ripped blue jeans, and drunk. As you can tell in the baptismal picture, he wore a tie, shirt, dark jeans and black shoes. I gave him the shirt, tie, and shoes. The shoes, I just found in the house and they were brand spanking new. He hasn't drunken in one week. He can't read or think right, but he is still a child of God and wants to enter through the door (baptism) that will lead him to his Father in Heaven. Elder Lee says that he isn't related to President Harold B. Lee. I am going to have Domino's this Saturday, yaya. It was raining nonstop this weekend and I loved every minute of it. "The rains came down and the floods came up" it is so true, all of the streets were rivers!!!!!! I love it!!!! We moved the couch that we have downstairs, now we can study with it, ahhhhhh relaxation. Josh!!!!!!!!! enjoy Nauvoo!!!!!!! Time to go. I love you all!!!!!!!!!

Elder Waddell 6-11-12

Well this week was kind of slow but not toooo bad. It's still really
hard to get in contact with the people we're teaching and with the
branch about lessons and stuff. But this area seems to be an area that
tries your patience and diligence I think sooooo we move forward. ummm
yeah I don't think there's anything really new. It's just another
transfer another week another day you know. We've got a few people we
have high hopes for but it's hard to fulfill those hopes when you
can't talk meet with them. I'm sending a package home soon with just stuff I don't
really need to carry around for the rest of my mission. and the memory
card I've been meaning to send for months...sorry ha. Oh we might get
to go through the temple in Spanish tomorrow. but we're not
completely sure if we'll be allowed to. We're already
interested in what's going to happen next transfer (which probably
isn't good) because most companionships don't stay together for more
than 2 transfers and definitely not for 4 But we'll see. I still want
to go to Sitka.  But that doesn't really matter very much. We're
going to be holding some activities in the branch soon that will
hopefully excite things and we can see some miracles in the work. The
Lord wants to show us the miracles we just have to act. So we're
acting. Now it's just the prayer of patience. So I hope all is going
well back home. love you guys All is well in Zion

Elder Waddell 6-4-12

We still have Pres. Banks? Sweet, ha I hope that doesn't change so he can release me as well. Just so you know when I come back I'll definitely be visiting the Spanish branches a lot. But yeah, so this week has been interesting I guess.  We met a couple of new people and lost a couple. We're going to Wasilla once a week to work with Spanish people so that's pretty nice. The other two Spanish elders got sent to Juneau to try and get stuff going there. We’re going to have a fireside in a couple of weeks to excite the branch then another one a couple of weeks later to bring their friends to and there will be food!!  Elder Dean is finally coming back from "the bush" He'll be a Zone leader in Wasilla so we'll be going on exchanges with them to do the Spanish stuff. So that's pretty cool. I decided I'm going to read the Book of Mormon in Spanish before I hit my year mark. So I only have 46 days and the Spanish version is 100 pgs longer than the English but I think I can do it. It should help with my Spanish too. I think I've got the majority of the "being a missionary" logistics down now I just need to be able to do it all in Spanish and hopefully Pres. will be able to trust me enough to send me to places to try to get Spanish work rolling. Kind of like what we're doing in Wasilla part-time. But right now my biggest struggle is trying to do what I need to make Pres. Banks words that "I’ll be fluent" come to pass. I guess the term fluent is relative so we'll see. So we're just keeping on. Oh, Elder Christensen has finally left "the bowl" he's in the Soldotna zone as a zone leader, pretty exciting for him.
                                                                                            Love you guys. All is well in Zion.

Elder Everett Escobar  5/30/2012

Hi,

So on the topic of my debit card, I had to use it because my support card was not working properly. No I have not used my gift card. Seminary Teacher, ew! Well don't you have a load to carry?! Big church meeting, excuse me, humungous explosive church meeting! Sounds legit, but a little sad, and to think that we just split from a stake not too long ago. Poor Aaron, oh well. Travis is moving on up! So this week is transfer week, trust me I wouldn't forget to write you. Oh Witerland came to church and still wants to get baptized, however, I have some news:

So this transfer almost everyone got hit with a curve ball, there were a lot of changes made in the mission. So believe it or not the Weston 1st Ward is getting shotgunned and it is the new 'Office Elder' area. So since it is now the 'Office Elder' area, there won't be as much missionary work going on, which is sad but the Lord knows best. 

So Elder White is going to Hartford, Connecticut and I am going to..............................................Newport, Rhode Island. Everyone has told me that Newport is beautiful, that I will be knocking on the doors of mansions, and that there is a pretty strong ward there. So I am excited. However, it has been hard to say goodbye/farewell to people, including our current investigators. It's sad because the missionary work was just picking up in this area. So we have been making our farewell runs throughout the week. So we have just been scrambling to see everybody these past three days. And I will be in my new area tomorrow. So I have pictures and I will probably have a little bit more to write about next week.

Love you guys,
Elder Everett Alan Escobar

Elder Waddell 5-29-12

Hey well as you can tell I couldn't email yesterday. Holidays are the  

worst as a missionary. The mail is closed so you know you won't get

any. Everybody is out doing stuff and nobody wants the Mormons to stop

by their house ha. And everything else is closed so you can't do

anything if it's pday. It's not that bad, but it's definitely not a

"holiday" 2 years without seminary Ummm let's

see I'll go through the week backwards. pday (yesterday) we played

bball with the elders quorom in the Branch then we went with our

mission leader and his family to "the flats" we ate lunch on the beach

with them. We were there on high tide but during low tide there's

supposedly just tons of mud because of the tide change being so big

it goes way out. So it was a good day even though it was a holiday ha.

Oh Sunday we went to Wasilla to work with some Spanish people up

there. That was the closest to a road trip I've been on for a while.

40 miles ha. So that was pretty cool. Elder Thorne taught someone from

Spain and I taught someone from Guatemala. Oh yeah we're trying to

pick up little phrases from different countries so our Spanish would

be like a muts ha. We teach people from The Dominican Republic, Puerto

Rico, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Peru, Colombia, El Salvador,

Mexico (of course) and Spain ha we've met others from other places but

yeah it's pretty cool hearing the differences in the way they speak.

Even if I have no idea what it means ha. We found a lot of new people

this week. Including a couple different ones that seem really willing

to act and learn but don't live here for more than the summer. But

yeah, the works going pretty well this week. With some people

we're having a real tough time getting in contact and having lessons

but we have enough people now that we're always busy. Oh transfer

calls are this Saturday. We already pretty much know we'll be staying

here for at least another transfer. It's weird that elder Thorne and I

are the same age on the mission. We're working on our eleventh month

now. We're almost real missionaries! Oh somebody that we just met told

me I had good Spanish the other day. I got pretty excited. Of course

this is before he had very much time to judge how well I speak but

still I'm progressing! ha So yeah the weeks been good. And this one

should be as well. We're going back to Wasilla and already have a few

lessons set. Oh and we're organizing a fireside for the Branch trying

to get them really into the work. It's hard since there are only like

6 or 7 people that can come with us to lessons and stuff. But we're

really trying to work with them and their missionary efforts. So yeah

I hope things keep being exciting for you guys back in the lone star

state. I feel weird saying this but I kind of miss the heat. But

anyways Alaska is beautiful the people are awesome the work is great

the gospel is true. All is well in Zion.

5-28-12 Email from Elder Tellez

Hello, How is life up there in the freezing cold? It is amazingly hot here. Well abpve 100 degrees. On the positive side, I am so tired at night that I sleep like a baby. I recieved the money and it was just 100 dollars. I haven't recieved the package yet but it is way too soon. Have I already told you that my white pants are in Isla? Well, they are, haha. For that, I am wearing those nasty zip up things. I really want to buy new pants, but I'm sure they are really expensive and then byebye money. I'm good with the nasty zipper ones. We have a baptism tomorrow, haha, pure children. Tomorrow we will be baptizing a girl. She wants to do it tomorrow because it is her 9th birthday. So, Bianca will be living above the garage, cool. That means that means that both garages are ours, ok, one is Bianca's but yeah. I haven't recieved an email from her.....I'm sitting here with many questions unanswered. I had some Little Caesar pizza this past week, ahhhhhhhhhh I felt like crying, haha. Good stuff I tell ya. I feel so much better with my hair cut. Wow, I'm about to complete 9 months. I want pics of Bianca's new room when she moves in. Haha, that means that she has her own grass to cut. She could buy a machete and do it like we do it here, haha. I am enjoying the blessings of being a missionary, I really am, but I sweat sooo much, it is like it is raining on me all of the time. My shirts have changed from off-white to yellow. Not much to talk about today, sorry. Thank you for the quotes and scriptures gramma. I love you all. Oh, mama, I don't remember the elder you are talking about, like before, may I see a photo. That is all. I love you all.

Elder Waddell 5/23/12

Hey! I'm doing well. How're you guys? last monday ever huh? that's
pretty exciting i guess. Graduation here was like a week or two ago.
But that's probably because winter starts in September here ha. They
got to make the best of the summer. Man I miss the month of May back
home. Everybody running around and you always have somewhere to be.
But I guess as a missionary you always have somewhere to be as well
ha. Oh random thought. sooo as a missionary i'm realizing how
disgustingly unhealthy sweets are. I'm about to make an oath to never
eat them except at members houses. so If you send me a package please
help me prevent myself from fattening up ha. so just a thought ha Man
I bet the girls are excited to get out of school. They complained
about it enough growing up ha. I remember when I realized I kind of
missed the structure of going to school all day with at least a few
friends and not having to worry about anything other than homework. ha
But I would never go back to high school. I'm surprised I made it out
of there without messing up more than i did. I was pretty dumb ha Yeah
Megan needs to stay in BYUH at least for a year after I'm back there.
But she needs to do dance stuff. Well this week just like normal was
fast but looking back it seems like everything was so long ago. So
there were 4 Spanish elders in the Branch but president decided to
close the west side. So now Elder Thorne (Espina) and I cover all of
Anchorage. So the rest of this transfer will be interesting. There
will be a lot more driving now. We're having a hard time trying to
figure out how to get the Branch here really excited about the work so
we can start getting people that they know. Because right now it's not
even like a realy branch. They don't have their own primary or youth
programs. It's pretty much just sacrament in spanish with everybody
who's not an adult going to the ward next door for sunday school.
We're looking for some miracles here. We had stake conference and the
day before missionary training with an area authority and member of
the 70 and it was Awesome....but none of the branch was there. so
there's a good chance it won't help us at all. Because it was a bishop
and ward mission leader training. But things are looking better with
the people we're teaching and that's a good sign. That might even help
excite the Branch. Hopefully the other area closing will be a little
of a wake-up call for some of them. But it's hard because I feel like
they're all trying but they all seem to work sooooo much. The majority
of the people we work with have at least 2 jobs. That doesn't help too
much with the coming to church thing. But we've been getting a lot of
good training from people recently and I think that's helping us
become more effective with the time we do have with them so eventually
we will have done our jobs and it's all up to agency from there. One
of the trainings helped us focus our work and our purpose. All of this
work is about helping people gain access to the Atonement. Without the
ordinances they can't. Plain and simple. So that's the message we're
trying to get accross to everyone. members included. and I guess
ourselves included as well. Yeah so that's about what's going on.
Things are looking up here. I hope things are exciting there. I love
you all. All is well in Zion.

Elder Waddell

Email from Elder Tellez in Coatzintla 5-14-12

We had a wonderful Skype session with him Sunday night for Mother's Day. He talked about his A/C, so I decided to include the pic he sent of it...lol...

HI again, How is everybody doing? I hope good. We went to Walmart today. It looks the same as an american Walmart, but it looks alot nicer or newer and it is inside of a mall. Also, there are a bunch of things that you wouldn't find in one in America and they are missing alot of things that you would normally find in America, but it's all good. 7 more months and we will talk again, I hope the Mission president of Xalapa will let us skype. Oh, his name is President Lopez I think. He is only 45 more or less, really young. Well President Treviño is pretty young too. I am incredibly hungry, haha. So, about the Dr Martins, they are perfectly fine and they will last my whole mission it is just that the inside tears up my heel. Did Nyah color her hair or is it just naturally changing, if so than I'm jealous, haha. So, I'm thinking that I will be training a new missionary this next transfer (in June) which means that I will have to be with him for 2 transfers which will mean that I will be in Coatzintla still when I celebrate my 1 year mark. I'm sorry, I found it hard to talk yesterday. I don't know if it was the fact that I was speaking english for a change or what, but I just really couldn't talk.