A lot of water this week...in many ways.

Hi mom!

I guess you're so busy with your new name tag that you don't have time to write :( just kidding hahaha love you, super poderosa en the pic sis Velazquez sent! 

How goes the mish mom? Do you wear your tag everywhere? How's the health of the family? 

I didn't notice myself gaining much but the other day I saw a photo of myself when I got here and it's true haha, I was tiny. Most people guess I'm about 24 years old which is cool or they say like 16. Also love making people try to guess where I am from, normally they guess USA, then Russia, then another country in Europe and then they ask if I'm Mexican hahaha never know to guess Canada. 

This week was pretty good, our zone baptised the most people of all the zones in the mission for this month which is big news! This week we are gonna have a multi-zone conference too, so we have been preparing a lot for that, we are gonna teach about how to use the book of Mormon to resolve questions and doubts. I get pretty nervous right now haha because 2 of the 3 district leaders in the zone have 23 months in the mission and know their stuff haha so when we go on splits with them I feel like a 6 year old telling his big brother what to do haha. The weird part though is that I now have more time in the mission than like half the elders here because nobody came for like 7 months before me, just one elder and a lot of sisters. 

Idk (I don't know) honestly not much happened this week, kinda slow week because we were in other areas a lot, the elders in Teotlaltzingo are getting bikes now a month after I left :( They're doing good and changed their house a lot. 

Love being a missionary though, even in the days when its raining super hard (it started again this week) and you're cold and tired, I still feel so good knowing that I am on the Lord's service. I feel the Spirit every day and even though we don't always see huge changes or miracles, I know they are happening and I am growing and changing so much. I love my ward, companion, investigators and the Lord!

Love you

Elder Lethaby

Questions Answered:

You mentioned the theme of “ Why do you believe?" in the fireside you conducted last week. Why do you believe?

I believe because I have felt the spirit so many times, confirming me of the truth. We have an investigator who always talks about hidden scrolls they found with more of the bible and monks who are writing scripture and stuff that he believes in and he always analyze in so much detail every little thing, but what I learned from him is that you can read as much as you want and learn facts and information, but in the end it's all about the spirit :)

Favourite scripture this week?

We were reading in JSH yesterday with an investigator who wants to get baptised but him mom is gonna stop paying for his schooling if he does it, about how in verse 15 and 16 he was tempted to give up, that even a prophet had to face so many trials before receiving his answer and it was a super spiritual lesson. }

Favourite family this week?

The family of the brother we baptised last week, the 13 year old son went to work with us this week and now his daughter is listening and has a baptismal date and they're just super humble and it's a fam of just those 3 now but they are super real 

Did you see the pic of my badge?!

Yeeeeeee te entiendo :) 

Do you use (or have you used) any of that “medical” stuff we sent with you on your mission? (Note for other missionaries going out!)

One time pepto bismol and some Tylenol 

More tacos and a message for Bishop Harker

Hi!

This week was pretty cool because we got to baptise again! Super grateful to be harvesting instead of planting for a change and for the great missionaries that were here before us who really changed peoples lives and with the permission from the first presidency we got to baptise him and the other elders and President Nelson came too! His name is Jose and he has honestly given me the vision of the kind of converts I want to have in my mission. He reads the Book of Mormon and understands it more than us! He and his 13 year old son live alone just the two of them and both received the priesthood this Sunday. So cool. Wish I had been able to be here sooner to see his progress. 

This week we are going to baptise again! A 9 year old boy named E! His family is less active but have now gone to church with him two weeks in a row, before he was going with his aunt. He's super excited and even though he's that young he really gets it. 

This week we both spoke in church, my companion spoke about real intent, and I spoke about humility, I used the example in Alma 18: 8-9 when Ammon is there and he's super powerful and the king asks where he is and they say oh ya he's over there feeding your horses. We should learn from that. We should pray like everything depends on Heavenly Father and then go to work like everything depends on us. If we do this, we will be able to have lots of success like Ammon, but then once we have success we should just go serve more humbly like he did in that story. Pretty awesome. We also had a fireside with the Stake president and mission president that they asked me to conduct which I was pretty nervous to do honestly haha because the fireside was themed "Porque creo" of "Why I believe" and all the missionaries from our zone and the other zone invited their investigators, so I really wanted them all to have a good experience. But it was honestly super powerful. The leaders of the church here are super awesome.

Great news about everyone getting married! Also super hyped for you mom with the work you are doing. This week we ate with a couple that recently got home from their mission and met with President Nelson and a couple that is going to enter this mission in the summer to answer their questions, so I have been thinking a lot about other missions I want to serve one day!

All is well here!

Elder Lethaby


Questions Answered:

Are you doing something about those bedbugs?!
Ya we put the mattress on the roof and sprayed it with bug killer and I was sleeping on air mattresses that deflated at 3 in the morning (slept a few hours on pure metal) for two nights but then we realised we have another mattress in the house so now I'm using that and I don't think its got too many bed bugs. 

Will you ever get sick of tacos?! You sure did eat a lot last week!
No, we ate them again today

My mission rules are a little different than yours. But I do have them. I cannot believe that my son the missionary asked his mom the missionary if she was being obedient! Of course I am. Are you!?
ya :) what rules do you have specifically? Just curious. 

Are all the hills like the one you showed us in that photo last week? That is crazy! Also like the little shaggy dog off to the right!
Yup! We climb hills like that all day every day haha and I think I'm getting stronger but also more tired as a result

What could you suggest to the members in Tuscany ward to help the missionaries here? Do we come right out and ask if they need any mending done? Do you think we could let them have family home evening in our home?!
Ya that's something we have been doing with the members, Family Home Evening where the investigators and a few other families are in the home of members, and it works really well. I think dad would be down. Invite more members though. And talk to the bishop about giving the missionaries an hour in church one day to train the ward, they have done that here and it works well

Is your primary (the children's organisation of the church) growing because of your missionary work? Just being funny!
yes hahah, I'm not being funny, it really is!!!

Didn't believe in bed bugs! See pics...ewwww!

This week we ate a lot of tacos, like 3 kilos. I have also gained about 10 pounds in the mission. I checked on Saturday for the first time in 6 months. I have bed bugs too which is cool, they´re a lot bigger than I was expecting honestly, but that explains why the bite marks are so big. Super itchy. I didn't really believe in them before.

So mad!

Hey we baptised this week! A is a 9 year old whose family was less active but now they started going again and he is so funny, wish I was there for more of the teaching with him. It is honestly amazing to see how much easier the work is in a ward the supports us this much. Last week a recent rm went and bought our groceries for us because he knew we didn't have time. The members organise FHEs for the investigators to go to, right now a sister is washing our clothes for us and she hemmed my pants for me, SO AWESOME! Loving Totolac. 

A y su fam, bien guapo, also kinda cool cuz the mom looks like a kid but she's awesome. 

Mom.... ¡FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS! Aun estas super joven. :) Question: do you have mission rules to live now? They´re super important. Once a 70 said that if a missionary baptises and isn't being obedient, it's like taking the Lord´s name in vain, so hope that doesn't happen. 

This week we have been talking a lot about real intent. I think I have realised that up to this point in the mission I have been doing just about everything for numbers and not for actual love. It's so hard and it's part of humility. Yes I felt love for them but at some point I always had the idea of what are others going to think about me if I baptise lots or teach lots, and that's not why we are here. It's a hard balance because if we love them, we will push them a bit because everyone is afraid of change, but if we push them for the wrong reason, it's not ok. I think this applies to everything we do in the church. Do we keep the commandments because we love God? Or because we are scared of what our parents of friends will think if we sin? It´s something I am trying hard to change because I know if I love people the way God loves us, they will feel it and we will baptise more. The mission is not about the number of baptisms but it IS about baptism. Faith, repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end are not separate things, it's all part of one cycle, and to say the mission isn't about baptism, is to say that the mission isn't about calling people to repentance. Idk - cool thought I guess. 

Loving the zone leader life honestly because we get to do lots of intercambios and meetings and stuff where I learn SO much. I am so grateful for the opportunities I have been given to serve in different assignments because I learn way faster that way I think. Honestly loving life right now, my companion is a lot of fun, super repentant but sometimes I feel like I'm with Scott or Caleb with him but mas Honduranian and he doesn't speak English. Sometimes he surprises me with a few words though. 

Overall doing good, Loving life,

Love you all,

Elder Lethaby

The steep hills he was talking about last week...legs are getting stronger...no kidding!

Questions Answered:

Tell us about a tender mercy you witnessed this week:

That the first presidency gave us permision for a baptism thats gonna go down next week, stay tuned. 

Do you want us to try to send shoes, or will you buy some there?

No I can buy some here, ustedes tranquilos :) 

Did you get pictures of the crazy parades last week? Did you get kissed?? Or manage to stay away from that!?

No we tried to stay away, but Im sure we will see more and I will get pics. Didnt get kissed :)

Favourite hymn?

Con Valor Marchemos or Onward Christian Soldiers 

Do you buy bottled water or use a filter at the tap? Or go native?

Bottled

2 Missionaries in the Family and 4am Parades

February 27, 2017 (Just spreading the news when I missed so much while we were away. All caught up now.)
WOW HERMANA LETHABY! (I am now a Sister Lethaby serving in the World Wide Family History mission!)So cool mom proud of you! I did get a package this week btw! THANKS!
This area is so funny haha, we run from so many dogs! I feel super classic narry here. The hills are so steep and my legs are getting really strong. The members are super strong here too, la Hermana G just drove us (with a man present) like an hour so I could buy pants. There aren't that many investigators honestly but what we do have went to church and have baptismal dates. Tomorrow we are going to a baptismal interview with our blind investigator from Teotlaltzingo! Bother P. My companion is super, super powerful, we get along really, really well. He is like Caleb and Sam V mixed. Body of Caleb, sense of humour of Sam. We trained two zones this week on how to teach and present the Book of Mormon using only questions. When we do it like that they learn to search the scriptures with you there in the lesson and then after they will be able to do it on their own. SELF Sufficiency is what I'm into. Love the responsibility honestly, it motivates me. Someones once told me, the missionaries in your zone are never going to work harder than their leaders, or be more obedient than their leaders. I had the chance to go on splits with a new elder from Idaho this week who is struggling a lot with the language but he was hyped after and told me when I asked him what he learned today, "I learned that I can do a lot more than I thought I could." That's what its all about!

March 6, 2017
Hello! (You can tell Elder Lethaby was speed typing! Haircut took longer than expected!)This week was pretty funny. Theres a tradition here where once a year they wear these masks the are suposed to look like the Spanish when they invaded and they dance to the same song for like a full day but the girls dont where masks cuz their mexicans still, and its suposed to be like the spanish stealing their girls. Look it up, their called the wuewes and they had a parade at 4 in the morning for 2 hours back and forth outside of our house the other day which was anoying but its kinda funny. Today I think they are planning to dress up as girls and the members told us they might try to kiss us, like seriously haha so we are gonna stick with members tonight. Pretty messed up haha.
This week was awesome, I think we are turning into the primary because we keep finding 9 year olds whos parents went inactive for a year but now they want to get baptized so we teach them because its a baptism of the mission now. I think we will have 3 baptisms of 9 year olds in less than a month haha.
The rest of the investigators are super awesome though, one brother, JL is going through a process of repentance but has shown me what repentance really is, because he is so sicere with everything. He has given me the vision of how I want to change lives.
Not much to tell you this week and also not much time, but Im hyped and everything is going good.
Love you,
Love being a missionary,

Elder Lethaby



Questions answered:
Found my new favourite Mexican candy…Pepitoria! Tried it?Haven't :( I bet its all rich Mexican candy, we out here in the slums. 

Weird to think of the whole family in Mexico at one point? It will happen again I’m sure.Ya were gonna come back, my mission is way too funny

Personal goal for this week?
Use more Book of Mormon stories in my teaching

Companionship goal for this week?
Focus a lot in unity in our companionship, like we switch role every minute in teaching, and also get to know the area real quick.

What is your new apartment like?
Really, really cold but bigger and brick walls, very cool, will send pics next week. We have to shower at night because its solar heated water

What are some ways that you turn towards Christ?
Obedience with exactness which can be hard when I have a super obedient companion already with more time than me in the mission, but still remind him of even the little thing. Obedience is so important.


Did you ever receive my letter? It’s been about 2 months now! Not sure I want to mail you things that are that old when you get them!
YES it got here but I still havent had time to read it hahaha we are busy.

Getting into the groove of being a Zone leader? Kinks worked out?!Hahaha I dont think its posible to get into the groove of being a zone leader. Elder N has like 8 months being a zone leader and hes still super stressed all the time, but Its a good stress

Do you find some of the missionaries have culture shock? Did you?Not that much honestly, not sure about others but I think travelling did help a lot


Are your shoes holding up?The brown ones are super handsome still, the black ones have a hole coming in, Elder N predicts 4 months more with them

Is your companion a convert?No, but he was less active for a while.

Have you ever been a part of “Mormon Helping Hands”, complete with yellow vests?Nunca 

What lesson have you learned this week…big or small? Spiritual or physical?If we believe in the Book of Mormon, we should put all of our faith in it. In my last area we would usually give them a book of mormon after like 4 lessons, but now we are giving them out in the first or second lesson, lots of times before the pamphlets and using stories to read with them, not just verses, and it brings the spirit so much.


How do you get around for the most part?Kombis, the little van bus things. 

All 4 Lethaby's were Over the Wall This week!

February 13, 2017

HEEYY ESO NO ES ESPAÑOL! (Just because we were in Mexico at the same time does not mean we can speak the language!)

No te preocupes  :P

We had stake conference this week too! A member of the 70 came and he came and greeted J and M and gave them a shoutout from the pulpit. J moved out and still asks us every day when he can get baptized and now - I think it can be soon! In conference one thing that stuck out-  we should be adapting our lives to the  gospel, not the gospel to our lives. It is not "a priority", it is "THE priority". The  patriach in our ward is an example of this way of living the law of consecration. R was a reference from him, and this week he brought a friend who he met this week to conference, and told us his friend had already read the folleto (not even sure where he got it) and that he really liked the conference. We're gonna start teaching him tomorrow! I also found out about 80% of the ward is references from him (the Patriarch). So what does he do? He makes and sells brick for a living, and invited EVERY client to church. Almost all don't accept, but because he is consistant, the Teotlaltzingo ward exists.

Every one of us that has been baptized or gone through the temple has made a promise with God to live like that, so why don't we do it?! I learned this week who I want to be after the mission. Our ward (Tuscany) is so strong from the inside but isn't growing fast because we don't live like that. 

So awesome how Ben got home! Great guy.

Enjoy your time here in my country! It's super catholic! 

I'm gonna have 6 months this week. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! I can't.

Love you, so does God, 

Elder Lethaby

February 20, 2017

Here we are in San Juan Totolac my new area with my new comp Elder N!

This week on Wednesday we had splits with the zone leader and I was working in their area with Elder N and then on Saturday President called me and said "Elder Lethaby, on Monday you're gonna have emergency changes and go be a zone leader with Elder N". So here I am, Elder S is now with his other dad to finish his training for 3 more weeks. I guess one of the other zone leaders got sick or something so the comp of Elder N got transferred with him and I got called as zone leader. Pretty crazy and I am gonna learn really, really fast (I hope). As a zone leader we call all of the district leaders to make sure they're on top of things, we have intercambios with the district leaders and we are basically the example for 20 missionaries. This Thursday in the zone conference we will give training and I will conduct the conference. On Wednesday we have intercambios (exchanges) with one of the district leaders who has like 20 months in the mission and was zone leader for 6 months already and his American son who doesn't speak Spanish, 2 extremes, both will be interesting. I'm very excited and nervous and hyped because we are gonna be working really hard here. It's one of the best areas in the mission. The members help a ton, we meet in the stake centre, the area is known for its bread and hills, and this area baptises a ton. Elder N is like 6 foot 4 and from Honduras and is a very, very good missionary. When I was a district leader he called me every night to check how my district was doing so I already know him pretty well and we get along well. Everyone thinks we are both American. Elder S is now with Elder C who got here with me and is also very good. Overall super hyped. I was pretty ready for a change - haha. Still don't know what's happening in this area cuz I just got here but I have heard good things. 

Will be trusting a lot in Heavenly Father to help me fulfil this responsibility because it's a big one, but I know he won't give me something I can't handle :)

Love you

Elder Lethaby

Questions Answered:

Favourite scripture this week?

Mosiah 18, read it and think about what our family ward and church should be like.

Forgot to tell you in other email-Elder Stones is also a district leader and finding it a lot of work. You have something in common! Do you stay in touch?

Ya I saw him at  our district leader training meeting this week, he is hyped! Great great guy, so humble. Elder Allen is too, and he's training an American.

Has anyone hurt you while on your mission? Physically or emotionally? How did you handle it?

Mmm not much honestly, one sister was pretty sarcastic with me this week, but I'm getting into not being easily offended.

Any new favourite foods?

Hahaha no we eat the same stuff but its all good, always tacos

Had churros for dessert last night-but no chocolate to dip it into. :(

I have only had churros once here :( 

Do you ever have tosdadas? Shane's new favourite!

Ya all the time haha me gustan tambien 

How does the atonement strengthen you to do things in your daily life that you couldn't do on your own? Remember the atonement isn't just about going from bad to good. It's also to help the good be better!

Honestly it's something I have been thinking a lot about, this week specifically I was praying for help to develop humility and you really get experiences to learn about humility if you ask for them, or whatever tribute.

Favourite thing you taught this week?

Teaching a lot more from the Book of Mormon even with the basics like Nephi 3:7, to teach about obedience and faith, I feel my testimony grow a lot when I focus on the Book of Mormon.

Favourite companion moment?

When we had splits in his area and then I got emergency transferred to the same area 4 days after. Great guy. So far we haven't had too many moments but I would say just now with my new bishop and his family teaching us all about deep doctrine for pday :)

"Son, plant the seed and I will follow you." ~a non-member dad

This week I was thinking a lot about service. In our testimony meeting this week almost every member who shared their testimony said "Se que estamos en la iglesia verdadera." or "I know we are in the true church." But it got me thinking a lot. Are we just physically in the true church on Sundays? Or are we actually an active part of it, helping us grow? I feel like there are a lot of people who go to church if they have time to take the sacrement, hear a few talks and then leave. I am convinced that even if you have all the saving ordinances and you go to the true church, that will not do you any good at the end if you haven´t developed the attitude of service. There are people who serve in the church, and people who get served, but in our gospel principles class this week I felt the need to explain this as we talked about the millennium. The work we are doing right now is preparing the way for the second coming, for a time when we will live in a state of Zion, but for me Zion means every single member is living their baptismal covenants and serving with all they have. I know that this is the true source of happiness, the attitude of service. Like Scott said in his letter, there are not many times when we have the authority and responsibility to be this bold. We teach people straight up that they have made a promise with God and they aren't keeping it. The baptismal covenant. I challenge everyone to think about what they are honestly sacrificing for the church; are you in the true church or are you a part of it? 

Anyway we had an awesome super stressful week. R got baptized! He is so powerful in his testimony even when he just says things like "I feel better now, I feel peace." His mom called us 4 times this week to give us other reasons why he couldn't be baptized and every time we dropped what we were doing and ran to their house to explain things to her and help her feel the spirit. It's hard because she has issues and really just loves her son a lot and in a way feels like she's losing him. His mom ended up signing his baptismal cedula (not sure what its called in english) and she was at his baptism. 

He is a priesthood holder now and he will magnify it, I am sure. I was stressed a lot that something would happen to stop this baptism. Satan was fighting so hard, but we prayed nonstop this week for him, and we had a really powerful lesson with his dad there for the second time and his dad got really emotional about how much he loves his kids and all he has sacrificed for them. I felt so good promising him as a representative of Jesus Christ that all that he has done for his son is about to be paid back 100 times over through the blessings Raul will bring his family. His dad said "Son, plant the seed and I will follow you."

This week was incredible, I know this family will be an eternal family.

Elder Lethaby

Questions answered:

How is your camera holding up?

Good, I'm gonna send pics hold up

Do you ever explore on P-days? Visit old churches? Iglesia del pueblo de San Andres Hueyacatitla if you like the colour red!

No but san andreas is in my area :) we should probably get over there but we don't have members or investigators

Can you see the volcano from where you are?

yes

What’s the weather like right now?

nice, 20ish everyday and no rain and in the morning and night like 10 degrees

Spiritual thought to share with your fans?

stay tuned for the big email

Are there indigenous peoples in your area? Shane said there were mountain people in his mission that only came down from the mountains - but rarely.

Honestly not too sure, probably but I haven't heard much about that

Favourite study this week? What did you learn?

Studying the 6 letters I got :) Mmmm but also lots of PMG (Preach My Gospel), page 8 is the assignment for my district meeting this week if you wanna read it. (Help people qualify for baptism and confirmation by teaching them true doctrine and inviting them to repent and change their lives through making and keeping commitments that build their faith in Jesus Christ. These commitments prepare people to make and keep sacred covenants.)

Satan hates baptism so much....

Ya haha it's hard to get people baptized, even in Mexico, there's a lot of people who want to but something always comes up at the last minute to stop it - Satan hates baptism so much. R passed his baptismal interview though yesterday so he might get baptized this week but now his moms saying they might go out of town so we will see. She has gone from wanting to be baptized herself, not wanting anything to do with the church, to giving her son permision to be baptized all in one week. This has been hard haha because he is so golden and I'm pretty sure will serve a mission if his health and parents let him. But if his parents say no we can't do much, but for now they are saying yes. Also J and M are thinking they're gonna split up now which is really sad but also kinda good so they will be living the law of chastity. We stopped by this week and J says he still wants to be baptized so if he moves out like he says he's going to, we might see another baptism! Thanks for praying for them. 

The changes in the mission rules are crazy! Super happy that the Lord trusts us to use His time in the best way possible, I think we will see a lot more success with these changes. Also with the key indicators it will help a lot. Our mission had 13 before and now we will only focus in baptism and confirmation, baptismal dates, new investigators and investigators in sacrement meeting. That really is all that matters, the rest of the numbers just show how we are getting people to that point but the Lord also trusts us to know how we can best find them, get them to church, and get them to make this promise with God of Baptism. The broadcast when they announced all of this was awesome, I loved how they talk about strengthening the church, not just numbers. I feel excited to start this change with that in mind, teach people not lessons. 

We had a good week overall with some more good stories that you can all wait to hear - sorry. 

LOVE BEING A NARRY

Elder Lethaby

Questions answered:

So what will you do differently in your daily schedule with the new change in “hours”? Agency will be a big part in this!!President still hasn't announced everything but we will study less and teach more! Plan in the morning, sleep more (probably not really because district leaders don't sleep), and have'more pday. 

Have you ever done any magic tricks for the kids? Your companions?

Never but I should probably get into it

How are you at budgeting? Getting better?

We are honestly really bad, we just spend it and it has always worked out kinda. 

Where does most of your money go towards? Would it go further if you ate less fast food? I saw the subway pic!!

Hahaha ya subway was dumb, we could buy twice as much food for half the price in another place but I wanted him to try it but he didn't even like it. That was a day when a member gave us money to buy food because her husband wasn't home.

Best thing you heard from the World Wide Missionary Broadcast that you have applied to your labours….Someone said that you know you are teaching by the spirit when you learn from your own words, I learned from my own words this week which was pretty cool, like sometimes you don't plan on testifying of something because you don't have that strong of a testimony of that thing and then you open your mouth and the spirit gives you a testimoiny of that thing. 

2nd best thing!

The environment of the teaching situation starts being created at 6:30 am

Favourite learning from the scriptures this week?

Alma 26 It will be given!

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/26?lang=eng

Favourite new thing you love about your companion?

Loves to make "Hot cáke" and loves to burn them every single time hahah