E-mail 9-28-09

Hey family,

This week has been OK I have had alot of chances to grow. First of all on Wed. I had to go into the middle of the city to see the doctor cuz my eye infection would not go away. It was all good except for the metro those stupid under ground trains. Here in Mexico they pack those metros so tight you can't move at all. When you are as big as me they pack you in even tighter. I have never been so violated in all my life!!! I got touched every where!!! Not fun!!! Then when we had to get off I kept saying "Excuse me!" and every one just ignored me. Finally the doors were getting ready to close again so the missionary I was with who was behind me just started to shove. So I did too. I just kind of played football again and shoved my way threw. Everyone was very upset with me since I am 6ft. 8in and they were all 5 ft Mexicans. I threw about 10 of them. We got out but they were not to happy!

We baptized again this week. He is a 17 year old kid named Jorge. He is really cool but his baptism was nuts. The pila wouldn't fill with water so we had to go to the stake center to have his baptism. So we ran to the stake center then me and one of the youth ran to pick up the three ladies we were confirming then we ran back to the church. It was just crazy but it all worked out in the end. I baptized again which is good and we have 1 for this week too!

Sat. I was feeling super down. Me and my comp had been fighting, I had a really bad head cold and I had not slept much because of going to the doctor. We had been knocking doors and contacting people in the street for 3 and a half hours. I was just starting to think this was the worst thing on earth and why the crap am I here! We were knocking on the last door in an apartment complex and at this last door a 21 year old guy answered. I started talking to him about are message, figuring he was going to slam the door in my face like every one else. Then in the middle of me talking he said, "I always see you guys and wanted to ask you some questions but I never do. Please come in." So we went in and he asked us things like, who pays for our missions? How long is a mission? Do we talk to are families? Were we normal before? We answered him and then taught him the first lesson. He paid such close attention and had such good questions and answered all are questions. He is just so ready to receive the gospel it is amazing. I was with a different missionary who has only been out 3 weeks so I talked alot. I could feel the spirit teaching threw me. It was so cool.

I am so glad that when we feel the very most lost and down and start to wonder why, God gives us experiences to pull us up and get our focus back again. I just wanted to tell you about it cuz it really helped me!

The houses here are so small I am always hitting my head on everything. It's OK, I'll learning to have better reflex's or I'm going to be brain dead by the end from hitting my head!

So Bridger whats up with taking my girl on a date??? First you take my room all to your self, then you take my scooter and crash it... now your trying to steal my girl!!! Watch it man, I will get home some day and kill you! Come on, taking Angela on a date... you just went to far this time (hahahahhahaha) just kiddin! But for real, watch it bub!!!

I love you all so much. I'll write next week.

Love you all!

Love Elder Fackler

PS: I weighed at the Dr. and am down to 294, I haven't weighed that since I was 15. I may be skinny but I am still HANDSOME!!!

Great Story e-mail from 9-21-09

Hey Family,
So everyone, what's up? How is life? I'm doing good, I baptized 3 more people this week!!!They were three ladies who all live together and we baptized all of them. I baptized 2 and my comp. Baptized the other 1. I'm struggling with my comp. right now. We are having alot of problems. He doesn't wanna work and he wastes so much time doing really dumb stuff, like checking out girls all the time. He is disobedient and lazy so I'm having a hard time right now. I'm trying to figure out the best thing to do for the situation but its to the point that it has got to change or I'm going to break all the bones in his body! (Kind of LOL) I'm act like the Sr. comp. which is good cuz I'm learning alot and the wards love me. I hope I'm only with him for one transfer or I'm pretty sure I'll just kill him!!! (then I'll get a new comp.) It's hard cuz even when I push him he just goes at his own pace and I wanna work so hard!!!

My eye infection won't go away, if it's not gone by Wed. I have to go to an eye doctor. I'm still wearing my glasses and look like a freak hahaha. I hate it but oh well.

So this week I had a little kid open the door and I asked to talk to his Mom and Dad. So he yelled "MOM THERE IS A GIANT AND HIS FRIEND HERE FOR YOU!!!" it was so funny. All the youth in my ward have bets on how tall I am, it was so funny. Everyone just thinks I am the coolest giant in the world!

I had to give a talk for 10 min. in church on Sunday and they told us Sat. night at 10pm so I had like 5 min to get it ready. Anyway I was giving my talk and it was only about 6 min. long and they get mad if you go short. I didn't know what to do so I just sang...to my whole ward, by myself! It was so funny cuz I was talking about helping the missionaries with the work, so I just said "Your friends and family need Christ just as much as you do. So I want you all to close your eyes and I'm going to sing for you. I want you all to think about the people you know who need Christ. After the meeting give me there names and address so we can go teach them about Christ!" Then I sang I Need Thee Every Hour, in Spanish! A solo, with no piano! NO nothing! And ya after... I got 7 referrals and everyone told me how good I sing. Ha, so I guess it was good I sang at random.

That's about it, I love you all so much. I'll be OK don't stress cuz I have a crappy comp. You learn the most when life is crappy right!!!
Love you all so much!
Love Elder Fackler

E-mail 9-14-09

Hey family,

What's up everyone? How is life going? I'm doing OK. My new area is very different, I have mixed emotions about it and my comp. First I'll start with my area. It is so big I have to take buses everywhere which sucks cuz I am using so much time to get anywhere and I feel like I never have any time to teach people. In this area if you have 5 or 6 lessons a day you are flying threw the day cuz you use so much time to get anywhere. I feel like all I do is walk and take buses. In my old area I could cross the whole thing in 20 min. walking. Here to walk across the area would take 2 hours at least. The area its self is cool. It's a big city and a rich part of Mexico. Every one has cars and my house is way bigger. I fixed the boiler cuz you know how I am, I didn't wanna shower with a bucket. I had a guy in the ward come help me fix it, so now it works good! My house is good, I cleaned it so that helped. The wards here are really nice. They work with the missionaries alot more and that helps! They have malls here so that's cool. This area is the closest to the states you can get so that's cool.

My comp is OK. He is not really lazy, he just has an "I don't care" attitude, which is hard for me cuz I feel like I care so much. We have a deal, I bought this super cool green tie in my last area and he wants it so bad. He has tried to give me stuff and buy it from me, so we made a deal...if we baptize 10 people in this transfer I'll give it to him! So that's our little deal. He knows how to baptize, for two months he had the most baptisms in the mission. One month he baptized 21 people!!! So we made the deal, we baptize 10 in the next 5 weeks, he gets the tie. He is working again. His last comp was super serious so I just make it fun and act like I used to at home. We are having fun and working. As for my ward, they think I am so cool. They all love me!!! I just acted like I act at home in all their houses but spiritual at the same time and they all like me. I just look ugly cuz I have a freaking eye infection and have had to use my glasses all week. My first week here and I look like a big nerd! I called the doctor finally yesterday and got some drops to kill it but the drops were 25 dollars. I wanted to cry!!!
The food here is good. I had spaghetti and mashed potatoes, it was soooooo good. My weight is balancing out I think but I'm still working out, sit ups and push-ups cuz its my new goal to be super sexy when I get home. I'm learning love songs in Spanish so when I get home I'll be hot and sing love songs in Spanish. I will use them on Angela so she won't think I'm a weird missionary like when Ross got home!!! hahaha (Don't tell him I used him as an example of a weird missionary!!!)

I love it here, I feel like I am learning to be like Bishop Cheney, super cool yet spiritual at the same time. I joke with everyone like when I was at home but at the same time I teach people about the church and show my spiritual side too.

I have been studying really hard this week about Christs attributes. Yesterday I made a list of all the things I need to change to be more like Christ and to be the best missionary I can be. I only told you this so I can ask you to pray for me, I have got alot of work to do... it was a looooooong list!!! hahahahahahah

That's all the time I've got. Don't stress about me, I'll be ok, I always am and always will be!!!

I love you!

Elder Fackler

E-mail 9-7-09

Hey family,
I got transfered to Quaretaro. It is the rich part of the mission so that's cool. My comp only has a few more months on a mission and everyone said he is dead and doesn't wanna work so I'm a little stressed. I'll just do my best and help him all I can. I feel bad I didn't wanna change, I loved Elder Huchim so much. He helped me so much and was just such a good missionary. But change in our life is what makes us grow right? I'm excited for my new area, it has Mt. Dew! hahahah cool huh.

So other then that lets see, I have not been sick at all. I weighed my self last Monday and I was 306 but I don't know if it was right. I hope not, that's 50 pounds lost since the MTC. I look healthy not sick.

I'm kinda home sick, I always feel crappy after changes. I hate it but I'm sure in 3 days I'll be fine and it will all be normal here. I traveled by bus for 3 hours to get here, it sucked and was scary.

My comp is Elder Tolentino he has been out 21 months and every one keeps telling me he doesn't like to work but I'll help him out with that. I'm so glad you and dad taught me how to work hard cuz you need it as a missionary. Hard work is everything! My new area is cool, I have not seen much of it but it is huge and has huge hills I will have to climb up so maybe I'll get skinnier haha! Our shower doesn't work which really sucks. I'm going to be using a bucket for awhile I think. It's OK, it will make me happier with the USA when I get home right!!! We have a washing machine in are house which is cool. I'm excited for that it will be nice, but the shower with a bucket will suck. Oh well it's just for awhile then it will be over and ill be home again and be normal.

It was so hard to pack all my stuff. It really sucked bad saying good-by to all the people I baptized. All of them almost started crying when I told them. It's OK though cuz change helps us grow (I hope.) I really hate transfers. I always feel so home sick in them, it's the worst. I'm sure in a few days it will all be fine again though. My comp seems cool just a little lazy.

I can't believe Bridger is finishing his papers soon. How is he from the wreck? What's going on with the scooter. It's really green here but super humid and hot too and it rains like every day which stinks. I always feel wet, it's super crappy.

That is it here I've got to go.
Love you and pray for you always!
Love
Elder Fackler