Feliz Ano Nueve

Well guys i must say talking to you all on Christmas was by far the best Christmas  present i could have gotten. i loved the little time i got to see you guys and hear your voices! And i STILL can't believe grant's voice is so low! what the heck?!? and sorry the video quality was so low and you couldn't really see me. i was kinda bummed about that, i got my hairs cut and everything! Haha, but either way it was so awesome to talk to you guys:)  

I must admit, it was a little weird to be away from home for Christmas, but it was still a good Christmas! We went to eat with 2 families that invited us all over, but i was kinda disappointed because i didn't get any Christmas tamales like i was hoping for! We got hamburgers twice instead... haha weird right? But the members treated us super well on christmas so it was a good day:)

Well as is the mission life, the rest of the week was work work work! Which is fine, because it probably helped us from becoming too home sick. Haha, but this week we had a couple really cool experiences with a couple we're teaching. They're an older couple and the husband was recently diagnosed with cancer, i think I've already mentioned them before, but we were able to visit them various times throughout the week with a familiy in my ward. And almost the whole week we were focusing on the restauracion. Because they're christians but don't see the point really in religion. But we had a really really powerful lesson with them and the spirit testified to them the truth of the Book of Mormon and of Joseph Smith, and he told us he believed the entire thing and is excited to read the Book of Mormon. Unfortunately, his wife got sick so they weren't able to go to church this week but they already said they would go next week! We also have been teaching Anabel, who is the girlfriend of a SUPER less active member in our ward. But we had never met the member until this week. And it turns out he's just kind of a bum! He sits at home all day and plays PS3 and watches Netflix while Anabel is out working all day. So we've been trying to help Ramiro (the boyfriend) out and motivate him to actually do something with his life. But he is just super lazy and it's kind of frustrating. But we'll keep working with him. Well most of the other investigators that we have had have been out of town but this week they are going to return so we'll be able to see everyone again! so that'll be sweet!

Well yesterday in sacrament meeting our bishop gave a really cool talk about facing the new year. He talked about the story of lot's wife, and how the only commandment she was given when they were told to flee their city was to not look back and to run to the mountain. And he related this to facing the new year. But it really applies to every aspect in our life. Starting the new year i invite you guys to leave all the bad things or mistakes from this last year behind, and to strive to reach a higher place this year. Because we all make mistakes, all the times. But let's learn from these mistakes and use them to make us stronger this time around so we can end up in a higher place next year, because what's important to God isn't the mistakes we've made in the past, but instead what we are doing in this instant to become better, and where we are willing to go to become better. I know for me this past year has had its ups and downs, but i can proudly say i feel like a much better and stronger person now than where i was a year ago, and i know my last year in my mission will make me even better, but it will only come by leaving the mistakes behind and striving to be better!!

I love you guys and i hope you have a great last few days of vacations!! LOVE YOU!!!:))

... and i still can't believe Grant's voice is low.

con mucho amor,

Elder Bird:)

Christmas Conference - From December 11

Hey guys!!!!! I feel like it's been forever since i talked to you! Well this week has been CRAZYYY. We changed P-day this week because tomorrow is our Christmas Conference in the mission so we've been doing all the preperations for it and getting everything ready, our zone is going to do a sketch thing in the conference and it's going to be awesome!!! I'm going to try to get someone to record it so i can send it to you guys, but yeah i'm excited for the Conference tomorrow. It should be great!! Well that's super crazy all the snow and ice that has fallen! I'm a little jealous you guys went hookeybobbing without me but i loved all the videos you guys sent me! And it must have been really thick the ice if they cancelled church even! Crazy stuff. It's also way awesome of Grandma to come down for the concert! Gotta love that:)

Well apart from all the preparations for the conference, we've been working really really hard in our area to have more people to teach. But like i've said there are almost no members in our area and we had to start from scratch. But we met Anabel, who is the wife of a less active member, and she went to church this sunday and she liked it! So that was way cool. We also found an older couple who is struggling because the señor was recently diagnosed with cancer, but because of this he has a strong desire to get closer to God. So we have been starting to work with them as well, but they seem very excited and willing to learn and accept the Gospel. We also have been planning activities in the ward for Christmas and we were put in charge of it again, haha. So this Friday we are going to have a ward Christmas activity but we have to prepare everything so it's going to be kind of tough to get all ready with the conference tomorrow, but we can do it:)

Well we were able to have a really cool experience with a family this week. As district leader i get to go on divisions with all the elders in my district, so on monday i went with Elder Knight to his area and we had a family home evening night with a less active family, and we taught about Joseph Smith and the restoracion. She had a couple of kids that were running around and screaming the whole time so it seemed like the hermana was a little distracted the whole time. But finishing the lesson and bearing our testimonies about the book of mormon, i shared Alma 5:26, that talks about having a change of heart, and we asked her if really she has been able to feel a change of heart in her life having the gospel, and she started to cry and tell us all of the challenges she was passing through, and that in this lesson she was able to remember why she got baptized in the first place and remember that God really does love her and watches out for her. And it was just a really really cool lesson! I feel like i don't share a lot of these experiences with you but i'll try to get better at it! Because really it's these type of experiences that makes the mission the greatest thing ever!! 

So im SUPERRR excited to talk to you guys in 2 weeks!!!! I'm not exactly sure at what time or anything the call will be yet, but i will be letting you guys know soon. I love oyu guys! and i hope you all have a great week!:)

Also i thought you guys might think it would be funny to hear that today i ripped my 3rd pair of pants... and it happened in front of the whole zone. haha, so that was kind of embarassing. I gotta learn how to sow!

con mucho amor,

Elder Pajarito 

Feliz Navidad

Hey guys!!!! So guess what... I get to talk to you in 2 days!!!! I'm SOOO excited!!! We had planned to do it at around 4, 4:30ish, but let me know soon if that isn't going to work for you guys and we can move our plans!!! But yeah i'm super super super excited to talk to you guys:) Also happy Birthday Grandpa!!!! Hope you had a great day and ate lots of cake!!

well this week we have found a ton of new people to teach, because we went to a neighborhood that i think the other missionaries didn't even know existed. Haha, there aren't any members or anything there but now almost all of our investigators live there. Which is cool! But we found Armando, who has about 50 years, he is passing through  a really really hard time. His foot was amputated last week and his diabetes has caused him to go almost completely blind. So we have been visiting him to try and give him some hope, but what has impressed us so much about him is his faith, and even though everything seems to be going wrong he continues to thank God for everything He has given him. We've been able to have some really powerful lessons with him, but because of his foot he still hasn't been able to go to church yet. We also have been teaching Jorge and Esperanza, a couple who are about 80 years old. But it was really cool because we had a really awesome lesson about the restauración, and at first Jorge wanted to argue with everything we said but by the end of the lesson they were both kinda quiet. And when we said the last prayer and got up to leave, they told us that they saw a light in us and said they could feel something different when we were teaching them, and we were like, umm.... it's because this is all true! Haha, but we had some really cool lessons with them this week! The only problem is that they are going out of town until the beginning of January so we won't be able to see them for awhile. Also we got a reference from the 1st counselor in the bishopric of a couple who is pssing through a hard time because the husband was just diagnosed with cancer. So we have been teaching them along ith the first counselor and his wife, and it's been really awesome! Their only thing is that they don't believe that religion is necessary, like they have a TON of faith, but they don't feel like their is jut one true religion. But we are orking on that with them!!! 

Also today is going to be awesome because the Stake president invited all of the missionaries in the stake to a Christmas dinner! So we are going to eat Carne Asada i think he told us and do a bunch of christmas sketches and songs and stuff, so it should be really awesome!!!

Well, there's sooo much more to tell you guys but i ill be able to tell you all about it in 2 days, so i'll save the rest of the good stuff for then.:) And although this time of year has made me miss you guys a ton, and i'm not really looking forward to a christmas away from home, i just want you guys to know how much i love you!!! And even though i miss you guys a ton, i wouldn't trade this time as a missionary for anything. It's the most amazing thing i've ever done and i want you guys to kno that i am happy here:)  And I can't wait to talk to you guys!!! And i hope you guys have a GREATTTT christmas! Remember that it' for our savior Jesus Christ that we celebrate this time of year. I love you guys and can't wait to talk to you:) But please write back ASAP so we can set a time to talk!! 

con mucho amor,

Elder Pajarito