Letter #26 Sorry I'm A Little Late

Hola Familia,

Sorry I am a little late in writing you this week. Yesterday was a crazy day. I had to go to the Center of Immigration to sign for my visa and it took forever. We left at 7:45 in the morning and I didn´t get back to my area until after 5. So I didn´t get the chance to have a p'day yesterday, but we got permission to write our emails today. I am so thankful that I am able to write and don´t have to miss a week.

I am glad to here that everyone is doing well. It sounds like you all had a fun thanksgiving with all the company. I missed it so much! Mom, I even missed the good ol thanksgiving dinner. I know, I can´t believe it either!?!? But we had a good thanksgiving day. Lots of work, but a good day. And I glad to here that Ryan and Erin enjoyed thier cruise. What a blast!!!!!!! I like the idea of going to Barcelona.

Oh, and about the phone card. Don´t send me one. It will take to long and I don´t want to have to worry about getting it late. I don´t have a Wal'Mart in my area, but I have something called Bodega Aurrea, and I am pretty sure it is owned by Wal Mart. I will look around to see if I can find a card. But also, the week before I email, I could email you the phone number of the house we are going to talk in and what time to call me. I have talked to some more people and this is what the elders do. It just easier they have said. And don´t worry about the payphones. They are every where!!! And they are reliable. We use em all the time. But I will look. Oh and I still haven´t recieved the package. But I will see the office elderes again this Friday and again the 16th. Sometimes it takes 7 days to get here, other times it takes 1 month and a half. Just all depends. But the mail is reliable and you don´t need to put pics of the virgin mary on it either. Its a hoax. So you cand send a package this week. It´ll get here. And the pouch is really good. I have gotten all the Dear Elders. Its also a good way to write me letters through Dear Elder. It´s just like getting a normal letter. So Dear Elder and the Pouch are really good!!!

But this week has been a really good week for Elder Irigoyen and I. We finally saw some fruits of our labors this week. At church, we had 6 investigators!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was so awesome to finally have investigators at the church so they could feel of the Spirit there. 2 of them, Fermin and Cristina are two people that we have been working with for awhile. They had a fecha bautismal last week, but didn´t come to church so they fell off date. But this week they came!!!!!!!! We are going by to see them today and hope set a fecha bautismal again. It was awesome to see them at church. And then 3 of the 4 others that came just showed up. They were antiguo investigadores that we haven´t taught, but we are this week. Needless to say, it has been a good week. From having investigators at church, to progressing in the language, to seeing Elders from my generation, it has been a good week. Oh and something a little funny. One of the Elders I saw yesterday, Elder Gardner, told me I have lost weight. And it is TRUE. I have lost all that weight that I had gained and a little more. I weigh 144 now. Haha Something to laugh about.

Well, I love you guys. Thanks for everything!!!!! I look forward to writing yall on lunes!!!! Love yall

Con Amor,
Elder Glover

Letter #25 It's Been A Good Week

¡Hola Familia!

Well it has been a good week down here in Mexico. I forgot to tell you, but yeah I have hot water now. It was only for the first couple of days that I didnt have it. So I am a-ok! But it is definately one of the things that I am very greatful for. And a dryer. I never knew how much I would miss a dryer! But yeah, things are going really well down here. We had a good week finding people and teaching lessons. Unfortunately, domingo we had no one in sacrament meeting again. It was pretty depressing because we had 4 investigators and their families say that they´d come. Hopefully this week we will have some. Oh yeah, on domingo I spoke in Sacrament Meeting. It was all about missionary work. A guy who is preparing to go on his mission spoke. I spoke. And then our líder misional spoke. It was really good and the ward is excited about missionary work. It is the first time that this ward has had its own set of missionaries. Pretty exciting!!! I also had the chance to eat my first wierd thing this week. I had tuna (cactus). It actually wasn´t too bad. Really, really slimey. But with some onions and cilantro and a tortilla, not bad at all. Oh yeah I also had chicharon which is basically like a pork rien I think. But it wasn´t bad either. Just fried pig skin. So yeah, kinda cool.

But I am doing good. I feel like my spanish is improving a little. I have to keep telling myself that I have only been here for 3 weeks. It is going to take time and A LOT of studying, but eventually it will come. I was talking to Sister Nancollas this week because we had interviews, and she said to just be patient and it will come. She said by 6 months in the field most missionaries are feeling pretty comfortable with the language. Hopefully it comes a little before that, but it will come. Also, we are doing something really cool in our mission. Every missionary got a blank BOM and in PMG there is an activity in Ch 5 at the very end. We are reading the BOM and in one color we are marking all the names and pronouns of Christ, all his words, and His Atributes. It has been very cool to read the BOM this way. It really helps you to see that the BOM is another Testament of Jesus Christ. The goal for the mission is to finish it by the end of the year. All though I started a couple weeks ago, I am really trying to finish it by the end of the year. I am already in Alma 9. It has been really cool. TO read in a blank book and see how much it talks about Christ. You are always highlighting.

I also sent some pictures. THe first one is for you mom. We were walking and I saw your name graffitied on a wall and it made me think of you. So i took a picture. THe second one is of Elder Irigoyen. We were walking and there was this HUGE imagen of the Virgín María. I couldn´t help myself, I had to take a picture.

Oh Mom, I checked to see if I got the package today, but I haven´t. I will be able to check next Monday too because I have to go to the offices to do some stuff for my visa. Oh and when you send me another package, could you send me a couple things. First is a talk. It´s called ´´The Challenging and Testifying Missionary´´. Also, could you send me my iPod nano with Church/Missionary music on it. And could you put The Nashville Tribute to Joseph Smith on it as well. THere is really a differnece in an apt when their is music. And if you could find little speakers, that´d be great too. Music is something that definately invites the Spirit.

Oh and I talked about calling home with another missionary. He said that he would call his parents from a pay phone and tell them what number to call back on. This way you could just call me on the card from home and wouldn´t have to send it to me. But you could also send me an international calling card too. That works also. THink about it and let me know what you think and want to do.

Well, I love you guys. Thanks for the prayers, letters, thoughts, and everything. Cory, keep growing your beard!!!! You look very manly! I love yall!!!!!!

Love

Elder Glover

Letter #24 Week #2

Hola Familia,

Okay so I attatched two pictures for ya. THe first one is a picture of me in a part of our area. Can you believe all the house!?!?!?!?! THere are so many house just right on top of each other. It is pretty crazy. And then the second picture of me and Elder Eads. He is a really good friend of Elder Koffords from back home. I met him today. He is HUGE, if you couldn´t tell! BUt he is a really nice kid. He came into the mission a transfer before I did.

But any way, I am doing good. THis Sunday we had Stake conference, but it was one of those regional conferences. Elder Christansen (the 70 that came and toured the Spokane mission), Elder Bednar, President Eyring, and I forget the ladys name all spoke. It was really cool to be there and watch and listen to General Authorities. THis week has been good. The first part of the week was definately better than the end part though. ELder Irigoyen and I are working so hard in our area. THere is so much to learn about it. SO many people to find. So many members to meet. THere is just a lot to do between the ward, conversos reciente, menos activos, and finding people to teach and baptize. It is a big growing experience for me to be with a hispanic elder and to open up a new area. It´s just been a little hard because numbers are so important here. Our goals have to be the standards of excellence or higher. And if we don´t meet the standards of excellence, it looks like we haven´t been working hard. I just got frustrated with it. Because we are working so hard to achieve ouur goals, but we aren´t finding the success or people that will keep compromisos. But I also know that the Lord will bless us as we continue to work hard. Our goal this week is to find the people that are prepared. THere are people prepared, but we just need to look and find them. I am doing my best to folow the Spirit and let my steps be guided. It is a growing and learning experience everyday in the mission. I always try to keep things in perspective and not get down. YOu always have to keep your faith high and maintain and excitement for the work. It´s hard, but I have seen that as I keep my perspective, stay strong in my faith, and not get discouraged by the things that go wrong or the things that can weigh you down, that I have a lot more excitement for the work and that I am a better, happier missionary. The only good missionaries are the happy, obedient, hard working missionaries.

Thanks for the package. I have interviews on the 17th, so maybe I will get it then. I am also going to send you guys a letter to ee how long it takes. It probably won´t be till next week because the oficina de correo is prety far away. Oh, will you tell Cassie happy birthday for me this week. I have a letter written, but I havn´t been able to send it.}

Well I love you guys!!!!!!!!!! Thanks so much for all the prayers, letters, thoughts. Enjoy growing out the beards!!!!!! COry good luck in the musical!!!! And tell gma and gpa Dear Elders are free, but I only get them and all other mail once a month at interviews or zone conferences. I love you all!!!!!!!!!!

COn Amor

Elder GLover

Letter #23 My First Week in Mexico

Hola familia,

Whoa, what a week it has been. From the MTC to Mexico, it has been eventful to say the least. But, I am glad that you liked the pictures that we sent from Pres. place. THat was a good night and it was good to get know president nancollas and his wife. President Nancollas is a very strict mission pres but he has done a really good job with the mission. As long as you are obedient and work hard, youre fine. He is all about numbers. THey are very important. Every cmopanionship shoud have at least baptisms a month. It is pretty intense, but it is good because I think it helps us missionaries work hard.

So my companion is Elder Irigoyen. Like I said he is from Uruguay. I am learning a lot from him. We are both really young in the mission. He has been out for 6 months, but only has 2 months here in Mexico because of visa issues. Kinda crazy that someone is training me at 2 months in this mission. But I like him. It is good because he speaks spanish so thats all we speak. Its hard, and sometimes discouraging, but I know that it will pay off and really help me. He is very pacient with me and extremely helpful.

Our area is sweet. We are in Tepalcapa. We covers. S a ward called Lomas. Its huge. THere are just houses everywhere and we have a lot of work to do. We opened up this area, so we are both new here. And the last elders here left us absolutely nothing. Just former investigators so we have our work cut out for us. BUt it is pretty cool. The ward was very nice to us and glad that we are there. and People everywhere on the streets. ANd there are houses on houses. Very different than the US. Look up the city Cuatitlan Izcalli. That´s prety much where i am serving.

And our house. Holy cow, it is crazy. I attached some pictures. Its two rooms, one toliet, one bathroom sink, and its freezing. It is usually about 50-53 degrees where we live. And the broiler to heat up the water hasn´t worked so I haven´t had a warm shower yet. All part of the adventure.

Okay, so here is the address you can send mail to.

Apartado Postal 98
Cuatitlán Izcalli, Edo. de México 54740

It´s very relyable they told us. And they said that it only takes about a week or a week and a half to get here. BUt only send stuff through the US Postal Service. So you may want to try that. And I get mail once a month, either at zone conferences or interviews, whatever we have. And dear elders are free for this mission, so you can send letters in those, but i only get em once a month. And when you send a package could you throw some of the peanut granola bars and some delicious american candy in with it. THanks

Well I love you guys. THanks so much for all the prayers. I really need em. It has just been a shock to me. From the language to everything. A new experience that I will have to get used to. BUt I love you guys and look forward to hearing from you.

Con Amor,
Elder Glover

Letter #22 I'm In Mexico

Hola familia!!!

Well, I made it to Mexico safely today! It has been a long day, but a good one. THere are so many people here in MExico City. THe city just keeps going and going forever. BUt I will right ya more on MOnday. But I will be serving in an area called Tepalcapa whic is in the city. My companion is Elder Irigoyen. He is from Uraguay, so my spanish should just explode!!! Well, I love ya and I will talk to you guys more on Monday!!!!

Love,

Elder Glover