Elder Fackler's Adventure In Mexico

Last E-Mail 2-28-11

2011-03-03T07:57:00.000-08:00

Dear family

So it is finally over ahhhhh hahaha! I’m so excited lol yet sad ha-ha but more excited. Thanks so much for the money I want to go eat some tacos cuz I am going to miss them ha-ha. So this week was good we have 5 people to baptize this Sunday so that will be good I will leave baptizing 5 and I’ll tell you all about them on Monday when I SEE YOU again.

I’m scared to come home because I speak half Spanish half English it is all just a jumbled mess in my head. I tried to pray in English hahahahahah ya not good! I’m probably just going to keep praying in Spanish lol. Mom on Friday just make sure you put in 150 dollars I’m not even going to take it out I don’t think but just in case there is an emergence while I’m traveling I’ll have it to be able to take it out ok. Wow mom it’s like finally really hitting me that I’m coming home. It has not hit me really hard till today. I’m coming home!

I just got dads letter and I guess he is right, I shouldn’t be scared but Mom and Dad I want to tell you guys thanks, thank you for pushing us to go on missions because this has changed my life. I have found my testimony, I have grown in so many ways, I have learned the gospel and love to share it with other people. I can honestly say I have my own testimony and that I know this is Gods church and I’m just so grateful my Heavenly Father and my earthly parents gave me the chance to be a representative of my Savior for 2 years and that I was able to help people realize the love of God for them. Thank you guys for all you have done for me.

I don’t have much else to say I’m going to go right now and see some people I baptized so I’m not writing to much but I love you all so much and am so excited to see you all in a week! Love you all see you on Monday!!!

Love,
Elder Fackler

E-mail 9-27-10

2010-09-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

Hey family

So I had the most spiritual experience of my mission! On Tue. a family I baptized last year called me and told me they had been trying to get a hold of me because they were going to get sealed in the temple on Sat. So I got to go on Saturday to the temple and watch a family I baptized get sealed in the temple! Yup better than any baptism!!! It was so cool, we got there and the dad walked up and hugged me and all the family hugged me then we went in to the sealing room and sat down. They did the marriage and the mom and dad were crying then they brought in the 2 sons who are 17 and 20 and sealed them as a family forever! Then they let them all stand up and look at their family in the mirrors and they all hugged. It was the strongest I have felt the spirit on my mission! They just hugged as a family and started to cry then the whole room did and it was just so amazing. We all got to tell them congratulations and the dad hugged me and just started to cry and said “Thank you for knocking on my door and giving me an eternal family!” Ya I lost it, I started crying and just hugged him for a few min. Best experience of my life, it makes a baptism feel like nothing to see your converts get sealed in the temple!

I have been doing good, my comp is really good and I really like him. He is from Kansas and is just super cool, I think I might ask president to leave me here for 2 changes with him not just one. My zone was the best zone, we baptized the most in the mission… well my zone and another tied so we won! My zone gets to go to the temple as a reward. My zone completed its goal and me and my comp did too. I’m way happy I’m doing so good, I love it! I just have to stay humble so God will keep blessing me and my zone cuz we really are being so blessed by God.

I am pretty excited about this change, we took 8 people to church and have 10 that can get baptized this month so we should have a good month. I just want to keep it going, I want to baptize 1 a week for my last six months. I have been doing it so I just want to keep going and working hard. I want to be the best I can. I have baptized 12 in the last 12 weeks so I just want to keep it going and baptize one for every week I’m here till I finish.

I’m not sure what I want to do when I get home. I still want to be a pediatrician when I get home and play football but I don’t know if I want to go to Dixie or to SUU. I’ll have to see what I feel with fasting and praying when I get home. It will all workout, God will take care of me if I take care of him so I’ll figure it all out when I get home. That is about it for this week, I love you guys tons and hope all is well! I’ll write next week, love you all!

Love, Elder Fackler

E-mail 9-20-10

2010-09-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

Dear family

Sorry I’m writing so late I had a very lovely day ha-ha!!! I got picked up by the border patrol ha-ha ya lol! Today we were waiting at the bus station for my companion and all the new people who were coming to the zone and the border patrol showed up. They asked us for copies of our visas and passports but we don’t have that stuff so we couldn’t show them we were legal…not good!!! There were two guys asking us for the papers and I was sitting down, they stated being rude SO……I stood up! All of a sudden there were 20 of them, ha-ha I scared them! So we didn’t have papers so they took us out to their police van. It was me and one other missionary and it was way funny. I just started joking with them I was like “Can we take pics this will be a cool story ha-ha!” and just started joking with them. By the time they all got back from finishing looking for more people they wanted to let us go cuz we were there friends but the boss said no. All the other missionaries got smuggled out so they wouldn’t get taken. Then they wanted to check other places so they took us with them to finish. So all day we were with the border patrol, crammed in their little police van and by the end they were our friends. They let us get out at stops and let me use the bathroom and joked with us. We helped them look for people and they bought us food!!! Finally after 7 hours of looking for people they took us to their office and the mission sent are papers and they let us go. But by the end all of them were telling us how cool we were and that we could visit and whatever we needed, they were there for us. They gave us hugs bye ha-ha! So ya at first I got picked up by the border patrol and finished the day helping them look for people. I kept telling them they had to pay us for our help. Cool story no??? We even taught them lesson one lol!

My new comps name is Elder Hull, he is from Kansas. He seems really cool and I really like him. I think we will get along good. My zone is doing good, we are going to complete our goals for the month. My zone is doing better and things are going good. Also this week we had a funny experience, we were knocking doors and we got in this lady’s house and she started saying that she had never had catholic missionaries visit before. Most of the time she doesn’t let people in cuz they are always like “o sister, o sister,” ha-ha. We started busting up laughing and my comp was like “sister we are not catholic,” and she got way embarrassed and was like “o crap.” so we taught her and stuff and she went to church and is way cool it was just funny she was making fun of us to are faces ha-ha.

this week was like the 4th of July here, we went up on our roof and watched fireworks and we ate cool food and had a little party! My comp was way in to it and made me laugh. It’s so cool Ross is going to have a boy is he happy? I’m excited for Madi, I hope she wins she is so funny!!! Darby’s hair looks good she looks allot different though ha-ha she grew up. I’m glad Bridger is feeling better and going again that’s got to be nice

We had another baptism this week. It’s a guy named Oscar, he is 27 he is so cool. He had been talking to the missionaries and going to church forever and we just taught him and he said he wanted to get baptized so we baptized him. He wanted me to do it but I let my comp do it since he was going home.

That is about it for this week, I don’t have too much time cuz the police took us ha-ha and I almost got deported lol!!! Ya I’m fine and it’s a funny story and I made new friends lol!!! I love you guys, I’ll talk to you next week. Hope all is well and thanks so much for your letter mom.

Love Elder Fackler

One of those WOW E-Mails 9-13-10

2010-09-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

Dear family

So I have to write tonight because my comp is going to go visit all of his converts from his mission tomorrow so we will not have time to write. But ya this is the last week we will be busy all Monday cuz this Saturday he is going and going home. Next Monday will be normal again thank heaven, I’m ready to have my p-day back and do what I want. It’s just hard cuz he is finishing his mission so we are doing all of the stuff he has to do, like go to sites he never saw and have finishing meetings and go visit people he baptized. The last 3 p-days have been nuts but next week it will be normal cuz I’m really sick of missing your letters and I want to write you when you right me oh well this is the last week.

As for my week it was good. A member took us to Carl’s Junior, it was way cool. It was the first time I have eaten it in a year and a half! I was so excited! I missed American hamburgers! I got a double bacon cheeseburger which was way good with fries and a milk shake!!! Ha-ha best milk shake of my life!!! How sad when the high light of my week is a hamburger from Carl’s Junior I have been gone a very long time haha!

This week I face planted in mud, ya terrible haha. We were walking in this part of town called Ranchos De San Martir and it had been raining all night so it was all mud. We were walking along and my front foot started to slip out and I started falling backwards but I tried to stay up. So trying to stay up I made myself go forward and when that happened…I face planted in mud!!! Ya I fell right on my stomach in the mud and I tried to put my hands out to catch me and they just slid out and ya I fell right on my face. My comp busted up laughing. Then I got up and was covered from my neck to my knees in mud. It was so bad so my comp started taking tons of pics and stuff. Then we had to walk home which was like a 20 min walk and had to pass everybody on the main road. Ya it was pretty cool, white shirt, tie and covered in mud lol so ya I ate mud this week!

Not too much has happened other than that we had 5 confirmations today so that was way good and we are going to baptize again this week. A guy named Oscar, he is way cool. He is a guy who came to church alone and he just walked in. He moved here from England and had been talking to the missionaries there and came here and saw the church and went in. So we have been teaching him and he is going to get baptized this Saturday which will be cool so ya we will have another baptism. It’s so cool to see the change in peoples life’s when they get baptized and be a part of it. I love feeling like I’m helping God’s children come back to him, I love to feel like I’m making a difference in people’s life’s and helping them and changing there life’s forever.

I have been really stressed. I feel like I have so much more I want to change about me and want to complete before I come home. I feel like I have such little time to do it so ya I’m kind of stressed I’m getting more grey hair haha! It’s just that I only have a few months left to change alot more stuff but sometimes it feels like there won’t be enough time. It’s just, I want to be my best convert from my mission! I want to change my life completely here and I have. I just feel like I still have got a long way to go to have the testimony I want. I feel like God needs more of me so I can equal up to what he has planned. But I don’t know what to change to be where God needs me, I have got to pray harder and fast more to get answers but it’s good. I just want to be all I can for my last 6 months and live the dream I have had since I was little about my mission.

But ya that is it for this week. I’ll print your letters off tomorrow. I love you all so much and hope all is well.

Love you,
Elder Fackler

E-Mail 9-9-10

2010-09-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hey family,
How are you guys? I have to write early today because we are going to visit all of the people my companion baptized on his mission so we are getting ready to go do that so I’m writing early. This week was super good, we had 5 baptisms. A family of four whose names are Nelly the mom, Vanessa the 15 year old daughter, Diego the 11 year old son, and Yesinia the 8 year old daughter. They are such a cool family and are so strong in the church they rock. Then we baptized a girl named Yetzabell who is 20 that we have been teaching, so it was cool! 5 in one week not to bad. It was way funny, the water didn’t work in the font so me and my comp had to work for an hour to get it going. A sensor went out but God helped us and we figured it out and got it to fill ha-ha.

I’m getting a little scared 6 months left!!! Its going so fast (the second year ha-ha) Oh freak I’m getting scared, I love it now, I just feel like I’m learning so much and now that I feel comfortable with my Spanish it’s going really good. My Spanish has gotten way better the last few months so life is good.

Ya I felt TERRIBLE when you told me that LIE about Bridger’s wind pipe. I felt like the biggest jerk, worst big brother in the whole world ha-ha! Yup guilt, I hit my little brother to hard sometimes. Also freaking Madi kissed a boy! Yup got to come home and kill him!!! Even more cuz he is a jerk! Yup going to rip his head off in 6 months!!!

The pyramids were so, so cool. There are two huge ones and a bunch of little ones. It took us like 30 min just to walk up one. They were huge and I bought some cool stuff to bring home. I’ve got to start getting stuff for all of you guys now for when I come home so I can find stuff I really like. I was going to send pics today but my camera is dead and I don’t have the cables to charge it so I’ll have to send them all next week. It’s crazy my comp goes home in a week and a half ha-ha crazy. He has been way cool and I have learned alot from him for real. His name is Elder Magallon and he has helped me alot. He bore his testimony this week and tons of people were crying it was cool the spirit was way strong.

There is this family that is way cool in are ward, it is a sister that has 5 sons. Well her second son is way cool and the 15 year old girl Vanessa we baptized wanted him to baptize her. We went and asked him and he was like “I got to talk to the bishop first for something.” So we thought oh crap it’s going to be something big cuz he is 17. So Sunday he came up and was like “I talked to the bishop and he said it’s fine if I baptize her. I only stole 10 pesos from my mom.” We about died laughing, he felt so bad and unworthy because he took a dollar from his mom without asking. It was funny but how cool that something so little and he felt so bad he is such a good kid!

At our baptism we sang. It was so cool, we got a lady who plays a violin to play for us and two sisters in the ward to sing with us and it all came out so cool. The spirit was so strong and the whole room was crying. We sang and now that I am baptized from the kids hymn book. It was so cool cuz the two sisters sang the first part then me and my comp the second then all 4 of us at the same time it was way cool lol. The baptism was so special with the family of four. We had them all wait on the edges in the water to watch their family get baptized and at the end they were all together in the water and the spirit was way strong! It just went in my head that we just gave that family there salvation and helped them to become an eternal family!!! It was amazing, I love this!!!

I got to go we got to get going. I love you all so much I’ll write next week.

Love Elder Fackler

E-Mail 8-30-10

2010-09-13T11:49:00.001-07:00

Hey family how are you guys doing? I’m doing good. I’m writing right now from the mission offices, we are here because tomorrow we are going to go to the big pyramids that are here. My companion is leaving to go home in two weeks so president said we could come in and go to them. So we have to write tonight, so my letter won’t be too long and next week I’ll write good and send pics ok.

My week was good we had 3 baptisms which was good. They were three girls named Anna Karin, Sofia, and Daniela. It was good, also we are going to baptize again this week and then we have 6 for the 12 of Sept. The work is really starting to get going which is way good. As for me I’m doing good. The kid we were in a trio with got a companion so it’s just me and my comp again which is nice so things are going really, really good for us.

Tuesday morning our doorbell rang and we answered the door to see president there ha-ha Ya fun! He came and worked with us all day on Tue. it was so cool. He went to our appointments with us and our meeting with us it was so cool! In the appointments he wins the confidence of people so fast and helps people feel comfortable so fast and he teaches so cool and simple. It helped me so much, I learned so much from him while he was with us. He was really happy with us, at the end of the day he told me in my interview, “Elder Fackler one thing I noticed about you is that you always teach with the spirit which is more important than anything else.” Ya it was way cool. So we worked a day with President Nancollas, best day ever!!! But I was way nervous when he showed up, but it was way good!

Mom I’m way tired and want to sleep. I’m sorry I’ll get your letters tomorrow in the night and read them and I’ll write you guys next week. Love you all and I’m doing great!

Love you guys!
Elder Fackler

E-Mail 8-16-10

2010-08-23T13:28:00.001-07:00

Dear family

This week was pretty much crap! ha-ha Ya bad week! First of all I hurt a baby, I feel so bad it was a little kid in church and he came running over to us so I grabbed his arms to pick him up and carry him…and his arm came out of socket!!! YES came out! I feel terrible. So then I went to the sisters house to say sorry and took the kid a bag of candy and she told me he has always had that problem and it happens all the time. His arm just comes out of socket alot and don’t worry cuz she just takes him to the doctor and he puts it back in and it’s not a big deal! Ya I felt terrible, I still feel bad and she was joking and was like “some white shirts size 14 to 14 and a half would make up for it just joking” her son is getting ready to go on a mission. I’m not sure if it was joking cuz then they started talking about how white shirts here are crappy and really bad quality and all this stuff so if you and dad can and only if you can, could you just get like 2 or 3 of the CTR shirts and mail them and I’ll give them to them cuz I feel so freaking bad.

So also the person we were going to baptize this week didn’t get baptized. She is a 17 year old girl named Tania and we have been teaching her and everything was going way good. We had permission from her mom to baptize her and she loved church. It was all going perfect then her dad got back…he leaves for months for work and he got back the day of her interview. She started telling him everything that was going on and how happy she was to get baptized and he got mad and freaked out and said she couldn’t! We went over to talk to him and he started to come out and saw us and ran back in. I think I scared him, we asked for him and he wouldn’t come out and the wife came out and was just like “he said no and that he doesn’t want to talk to you guys.” She can’t get baptized till she is 18 in March, crap I hate that freaking guy!

Now for the good stuff, we had a meeting with Elder Johnson from the quorum of the 70. It was so cool, we learned so much. He showed us that it is impossible to have faith in things that are not real (such as the Virgin, Buddha and all that stuff.) There is a scripture that says “faith is believing in things which are not seen but are true” so he showed us you can’t have faith in stuff that is not real. Then he asked us “Who can show these people where salvation is? We started saying the members and prophets and all this stuff and he was just like, “Nope just you guys can. The members don’t have time and were not called to do it. The apostles have other stuff to do, and the prophet is way too busy. YOU are the only ones who can give them salvation!” Then he asked us “Do you realize that? and if so do you realize how big your responsibility is???” It was way cool!

I love you guys hope all is well and Darby gets better. I pray for you guys always love you!

Love Elder Fackler

E-mail 8-9-10

2010-08-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

Hey family

This week has been good. We had alot of success, we took 8 people to church and we baptized again. It was a kid named Alfonzo, we got his family active again and we got him baptized so it was cool. We should baptize again this week, a girl named Tania. She is way cool, she is a 17 year old girl and she plays this game called Roller Derby, where they are on skates and whichever team goes around the track the most wins. But they hit each other and smash each other and punch and everything! It’s like hockey just crazier and for girls ha-ha!!! Ya she kinda scares me.

I did get my box so you know and are not worried. Everything was in it and works great thanks a ton. My comp is getting mad at me for the peanut butter cuz we have been working out like crazy trying to get buff ha-ha. He just says “you are just going to lose it all with that stuff it is pure fat.” It reminds me of Jordan ha-ha I’ll just have to eat a little at a time for a long time. But it’s funny cuz I always catch him eating it, which makes me laugh.

This week we had a meeting as a mission to learn to teach better cuz the church put out all this stuff to help us teach better. We had meetings to learn the new stuff. I learned so much it really was so cool and helped me so much. My comp and I had to teach a section, all the Zone Leaders had to get a part ready and present it. We did and ours was how to begin teaching, I thought we did a good job. It’s funny I don’t get nervous anymore in front of alot of people, I’m fine. Everyone else was way worried cuz the whole mission was there but I was fine so it was just kinda funny.

This week we have a meeting with the area president, a guy from the 70’s. He is coming to talk to our mission, with just the Zone Leaders which will be so cool.

The day we went to the meeting we had everyone sleep in one house and we started having wrestling matches. It was so funny no one wanted to wrestle me they were all scared. I think since I lost weight I look stronger now lol.

I’m doing good and am happy and loving it! OK I love you guys!

Love Elder Fackler

E-mail 8-2-10

2010-08-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

Dear family,
This week was good, as for the work we took 8 people to church this week and we are going to baptize again this week so that’s good! The area is starting to get going and we are starting to see some results for all our work, which really makes me happy and my companion.

My health is great, we have started doing tons of exercise so I’m loosing more weight and getting kind of buff ha-ha! I like it, I feel good and I feel like I look good which is good cuz I don’t have a girl waiting. I have got to come home sexy ha-ha. I want to come home weighing like 265 so I’ll look good lol so I can find my future wife lol.

So a funny story, we have been drinking tons of water cuz it is so hot now. So anyways my comp drank a ton on Thursday and had to pee way bad. We were way far away from anyone’s house we knew so he found a bottle and shoved it down his pant leg to go. He started going and some people came by so he took his hand out of his pants and when he did that the bottle dropped a little. He didn’t feel it and he peed all down his leg and in his pants! It was so freaking funny I really just about died laughing. He was so funny about it, he was just like “well that’s a big problem!” and made jokes about it. We took pics and ya it was way funny.

I’m dying tired ha-ha. We did a service project all morning helping a guy put cement in his drive way. We didn’t have a mixer so we had to mix it all by hand with shovels. Then we had to carry it with buckets and poor it and flatten it and get buckets of dirt and rocks to mix it. Ya it was just not fun! My body hurts ha-ha but the family is cool. They went to church on Sunday so we helped them. That’s a real compromise lol if they go to church we put a drive way in ha-ha!!!

Man I can count my changes on one hand, 5 left that is going to go so fast it scares me. Maybe I’ll extend hahahaha just kidding mom. I signed up for 2 years THATS IT. Lol I love it and am learning tons but 2 years is good no more lol.

I’m excited to be an uncle but if you and Big Kev are being Nonie and Papa I am being a Tio ok ha-ha. I hope it’s a boy that will be so cool. What does Ross want?

Oh ya, last Tuesday I got mad at my district. They were so disrespectful and had the worst attitude again in my meeting on Tue. so I lost it. Some of the elders were teaching and they taught so bad. I was like “what are you guys doing?” and they were like “we don’t teach like this for real just these practices are dumb!” So I got mad!!! I was like “I hope you don’t teach like that cuz I almost fell asleep. If that is how you do it in practices it’s the same in the field and that was terrible. You and your comp should go back to the MTC and start again.” Then I was just like “elders I am not going to be rude to you guys cuz you represent Jesus Christ, but if you don’t try to teach good in the practices we can’t tell you what to do to get better and you won’t progress. That’s why we do these, and then you get frustrated cuz we tell you to fix something you say you already do, just not in practices. Well if you don’t want to get stupid advice from us that you already know then teach like you know it! Not like 2 handicap kids!!!” and a bunch more stuff. Ya I was a little upset for their disrespect, I just told them 100 percent honestly what they were doing that was bugging me (with love) and ya it was funny. We went out and I felt bad cuz you know how I am about stuff like that and my comp was like “Dude that rocked! You let them have it with the spirit!” ha-ha. It made me laugh but they have been better and more respectful cuz I just told them I had had it. I talked to the president about it and he was just like “Good they needed it.” So ya I felt good.

But mom that is it for this week. I love you tons! I’ll talk to you next week, love you!

Your son, Elder Fackler

E-mail 7-26-10

2010-08-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

Dear family

This week was ok, we had to lay the law down with are zone ha-ha they were not being very respectful. We had a meeting and had a talk with them and it seems like it helped. We didn’t yell or anything just said the stuff that was bugging us and said “We didn’t ask to get put here as there Zone Leaders, President got revelation from God and put us here and that God put them here so we could help them!” We told them that we can’t help them when they have attitudes and stuff. I think it helped, which is good and if not I’ll just kill them hahaha.

As for me and my comp, we are doing good! We baptized 2 people, ones name is Lidia she is cool. She has been talking to the missionaries for a year and never got baptized. We went and had a way spiritual lesson with her and she agreed to be baptized and went through with it which is cool. Then another lady named Marie. She was cool at first, she hated us but we won her over. She prayed and got a way cool experience and got baptized. I was pretty stoked lol!

Ok cool story, well we saved a dog ha-ha. It has been raining like crazy here so there is water everywhere. There are these huge canals that are full of water, so anyways we were walking along the edge of one of the canals and we heard a bark and looked down and in the canal there was this little white dog on an island. So we decided to save her ha-ha. It is like a brick wall canal, so I got my comp and lowered him in (about 10 feet to the bottom) and he walked across in thigh deep water. He got the dog and came back, handed it out to me and then I pulled him out ha-ha! The dog was way happy we saved it. I think it had been in there for awhile, it was our Christ-like deed for the day.

I’m so sick of being wet! It has rained here the whole week, the whole freaking time. I’m so sick of being wet and muddy but it is my last rainy season ha-ha thank heavens!!! Oh, also we were walking home at night and it was dark and we were walking in a grass field. Anyway we are walking along in this field and my comp is in front of me and all of the sudden he steps and it is a huge hole full of water and he just falls in!!! It was so funny cuz we were already soaked. Ya he was just going along in front and all the sudden he was gone ha-ha!!! I looked down and he is just buried in water, it was way funny. I’m glad he fell in not me!

I’m excited to know if Ross will have a boy or a girl that will be way cool. I can’t believe school is about to start again, it is going so fast. I’m so glad I’m here mom, really you have no idea! I’m so glad I had you and dad or I really would not have made it. I’m so glad you and dad were always in my life and watched over me. Thank you so much, I have really learned so much since I have been here. Most of all I have learned how blessed I was by God to get you and dad. I love you guys!

Love, Elder Fackler

E-Mail 7-19-10

2010-07-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

Life here is going pretty good, God is really blessing us. We have 3 people that could get baptized this week and if they do they will save mine and my comps butts. We have not baptized yet this month cuz the area had no one when I got here. We have got to get these 3 people to get baptized or it is going to be a bad day in the neighborhood ha-ha!!! So pray for me and for them lol. I can’t believe Matt Jones is getting home, that’s scary. That means I'll be getting home soon ahhhh!!!

As for my health, I am doing alot better and feeling better. I have not really been sick at all in 3 weeks which is very good!!! I think my pets finally died which is so good. As for my zone we are doing ok. I took dads advice and had a cool meeting last week on teaching skills. It was cool I talked about teaching to people’s needs not just like robots. I had a tape recorder with a lesson on it and it was so funny. The tape would be teaching and ask a question like what is a prophet? The person would answer way wrong then I would turn the tape back on and it would be like “exactly!” then teach more! It was cool cuz it helped them see the importance of listening and then teaching to people’s needs. All the missionaries loved it. Then we just did a bunch of practices to help them fix their teaching so ya hope it works!

Also this week we had a way cool lesson. We are teaching this lady whose name is Lillian and she has gone to church alot and stuff but was scared to get baptized. My comp said he had tried but she didn’t want to, so I said I wanted to try. I went and started teaching her and I felt the spirit way strong, I just told her she knows the church is true and she is putting off an answer from God. I told her how much God loved her and all this stuff. The spirit was so strong, I just told her she had to show her faith to God and get baptized this Sat. and she was like “OK, I’ll do it!” It was so cool and so ya she is one of our baptisms. Let’s just hope she does it, lol but the lesson was so cool.

Today we went to the center of town and looked at the old Catholic churches. There is one on every block, so we went and looked at them. We went in and took pics and stuff but they are way crazy. There are huge statues of the saints and the Virgin and all this crap. I’m serious you can feel the spirit of the devil inside! It is so crazy and just weird, it felt weird inside, like bad. But I got cool pics lol! I’m just glad we have the truth!!!

As for my comp he is way cool, we are getting along good. It is freaking hot here ha-ha!!! It has not rained the last few days so it has not been too humid which is really good!!! Tell Madi I said “Happy Birthday!” I can’t believe she is such an old granny now lol! Love you guys tons! I’ll talk to you next week ok!

Love, Elder Fackler

Email 7-12-10

2010-07-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

Hey Mom,

I’m doing ok. This week has been a little crazy but it’s ok. I really have no time to write today. Did you get the pics I sent last week? I’m not sick any more so don’t stress. Will you send pepto-bismal and whatever candy is good ok, thanks!!!

This week was ok, we were in a trio with a kid named Elder Hunsaker so it made the week a little ruff. Other than that it was ok. We didn’t have alot of success in church which stresses me out cuz we have to do good. I’m just kinda stressed, my zone is not doing good which stresses me out. I loved what Elder Christensen’s mom said, he is for sure going down as my favorite comp!!! He is so freaking cool!!!

I just wanted to tell you I love you mom, thanks for being my mom. I know I say it alot but I really mean it, there is no way I would be here without you and dad. You have always shown me the right way and the things to do. Thanks so much for being the mom you are and teaching me the right. I hope I will be as good of a parent as you and dad and if not… I’ll just drop my kids off to visit alot ok lol!!! Thanks mom and I’m sorry that in some points in my life I didn’t listen to yours and dad’s advice cuz really, you guys were always right. I love you with all my heart. I’ll talk to you next week.

Love you,

Elder Fackler

Note from Elder Christensen Mom

Cindy,

I just wanted to write you an e-mail and let you know that Westley reported in church yesterday.
It was very sweet and faith promoting.
I needed to let you know that Elder Fackler was mentioned in his talk on Faith.
Westley said that out of all his companions, Elder Fackler demonstrated the most faith serving in Mexico. And that he wished for more time with him.
He was very sincere and I am grateful that your son was part of Westley's mission.
We hope he is doing well and continued success.
I am sure our boys will find each other when your son returns.

Sincerely,
Bernice Christensen

E-mail 7-5-10

2010-07-08T10:29:00.001-07:00

Dear mom
Life is going good. It’s a little crazy but my comp is really good! I really like him and I think we are going to do great! We worked so freaking hard this week and we had alot of success. We took 5 people for the first time to church! We are working out butts off, I love him! It’s my new personal mission to get this area exploding so that we are baptizing tons! Pray for us, we have to really step up and have this area explode.

As for being a Zone Leader, it’s ok. Just more pressure but that is ok cuz we grow under pressure and we learn haha! It’s really just about the same just I give meetings and stuff to other missionaries. I spend alot of time trying to help them which is good for me because it’s teaching me to be the best I can. I have to be a good example for the others because if I don’t they will not listen to me. I’m just working hard, trying to be a good example and teach by my actions not by words.

As for me I’m doing really good, we have to change houses today which is going to suck but other than that life is good. We got kicked out of our house because the land lord needs it back. We have to move but we found a new house on the same street so it should be good and not too hard to move. We got some youth to help us so ya it should go fast.

So stories…ok so this week we were walking on this canal, ditch thing full of water and we see this drunk guy on his bike swerving all over. My comp is like “He is going to fall in” I was like “No!” and he was like “Ya!!!” and yup my comp was right. He was so drunk he drove right off the edge rolled almost to the water but got lucky and stopped right before the water. It was so funny yet so sad. So we ran over, climbed down the hill and drug him and his bike out. He was so drunk he could not get out so I pretty much carried him out. So we got him out finally and he was so drunk he just looked at us and was like “Thanks guys, maybe I should walk.” So we cleaned him up and sent him on his way but it was just funny, stupid drunk!

Did I tell you it is the rainy season and I hate it!!! Hot, humid and nasty all day every day, yup it sucks! There is so much freaking MUD yuck!!! I can’t wait to get home to hot DRY desert haha! Oh did you have fire works on the 4 since it was Sunday I didn’t know think about it being the 4th lol!

That is it for this week, we have to change houses so there is not alot of time but I’ll send pics next week promise ok! I love you all with all my heart!

Love Elder Fackler

E-mail 6-28-10

2010-06-28T13:58:00.001-07:00

Dear Mom,
So ya I’m officially a Zone Leader, ha-ha crazy huh! My companions name is Elder Magallon, he is from Jalisco Mexico. I still don’t know too much about him, it’s just funny cuz he was my Zone Leader when I was starting so it should be cool. He seems cool and like we will have alot of success so ya I’m excited, it should go good.

So my new area is in Querétaro, but on the other side from where I was before. It’s like 45 min from my old area. I’m in the other zone of Querétaro which is fine because I really liked Querétaro so I’m excited to be here again. The bus ride was ok, it was a long way and the other elders just take us and drop us off. We just go to our new area on the bus where are comps are waiting. Normally we go on Monday for changes but since I went up to Zone Leader I have to be here today to help all of the other missionaries get there comps and get a zone meeting ready. That is why I had to come yesterday but thanks for the money and stuff I love you ha-ha.

OK as for being sick, I just got the flu really bad. I had been sick with worms then got better but then my immune system was down and I visited a sick family and gave them a blessing…well they gave me something to! ha-ha the freaking flu!!! I got it Fri. and was better Sun. morning. I just had to get Gatorade and stuff cuz I could not eat or I’d throw up, that’s why I used my money. That stuff is really expensive here and hard to find. Mom, don’t be worried I’m really ok. I think it’s just my last area was really poor so the food we got was not good quality and people drank the water. That is why I got sick. My new area is way rich, like Querétaro is a way, way, way rich. Part of it’s like the U.S. so I should get over all this crap here, so don’t worry ok I’ll be ok I promise.

So story time now that you got all the info lol. I was teaching this American lady in my last area and she is way cool and like everything was way cool. Then we found out that her husband has killed all of these people here and is a hard core leader of a huge drug gang. He has been shot 5 times and stabbed and all of this crazy stuff. She went to leave him once and he went to her mom’s house and put a gun to her moms head and said to come back or he would kill her mom. It was so sad I felt so bad for the lady but she told us all this stuff then she is just like “Oh, ya and he thinks I’m having an affair with you!!!” So ya I got way scared!!! Some crazy drug dealer, killer guy, thought I was having an affair with his wife! Good thing I got changed lol or I might have been shot lol (jk) but for real possibly.

That is it for this week, there is not much time. Next week I’ll send pics home and everything, cross my heart, hope NOT to die, and no way I’d stab a needle in my eye!!! lol I love you mom, sorry but I’m really feeling better health wise. I’m loving my mission!!! I’ll write lots next week and tell you all the cool details about my new area ok. Love you and DONT WORRY I’m ok I promise!!! I feel better today ok. Love you with all my heart, thank you for being my mom and helping me come on a mission, this is the best experience of my life!!! I’m learning so much and have really found my own testimony about my Savior and our church. Love you.

Love (a Zone Leader) hahahahah jk love you bye,
Love your little birdie,
Elder Fackler

E-mail 6/21/10

2010-06-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

Dear family

So that’s way cool that the kids pulled together and got you and dad a grill. That’s way good cuz I missed grilled food ha-ha. My stomach is totally better mom I told you I would be fine. Now I just have an eye infection hahaha, ya my body pretty much just hates me lol and Mexico. But I got drops and its getting better which is good so I should be fine lol.

There is a fight in the mission over who I am going with this next change. All of the other Zone Leaders keep calling me and telling me to tell president Nancollas to put me with them ha-ha I’m just not going to say anything I know president gets revelation and I’m just going to leave it all in his hands ha-ha.

As for funny stories, this week we took some youth we are teaching to the ward activity like young men’s. We took them and we were all playing basketball and we stayed to be there with them cuz it started at 8 so we had our ward mission leader meeting, then played basketball with them. At the end a group of young men put a team together and everyone was losing and the stake president’s team had just lost but it was like 9:20 so we were leaving. I told the stake president we were leaving and bye and he was like “no you are not leaving you are going to come play and be on my team!” and I was like “I want to but we got to go” and he was like “if you go I’ll tell your president you were here.” I just laughed and was like “it’s ok we brought investigators he won’t get mad” and he is just like “I’ll tell him you were kissing a young women!” So we both started to laugh and I was like “ok wow chill ok lets go!” So I played and we won 5 to 0 cuz we just played to five but guess what??? I dunked it! ha-ha for the first time in my life!!! I have just lost so much weight that I have become alot more athletic. It was just funny my stake president was just joking but it made me laugh I’ll tell him you were kissing a young women if you don’t stay and play lol but ya it was fun and I dunked it for the first time ever and I was home by 9:33 so only 3 min late ha-ha but ya it made me laugh!

So let’s see what else, my district did a little better but still not great. I’m just going to kill them all ha-ha jk. I love them they all just lost the fire and I don’t really know what to do to help them get it back. All I can do is just keep doing all I can to go with them and help them and be a good example. I think I need to work on taking control in their areas cuz I go work with them and just kind of let them do whatever and don’t tell them what to do. I need to take charge and tell them what to fix and what is a waste of time.

So Bridger is accident prone again, that’s not good at all. Poor guy I feel bad for him. What is he saying about a service mission and what is the church saying about all of it? What do they want him to do?
But that really is about it, after a year the mission is just kind of repetitive lol. I love you mom, tons!

Love, Elder Fackler

Email 6-14-10

2010-06-16T09:08:00.000-07:00

Dear family, so this week has been ok, kind of long. I’m still sick but I talked to the doctor and they gave me hard core, kill everything de-worming pills. We will have to see if that gets rid of whatever this is cuz I’m really sick of being sick. They think I have worms cuz I get sick for 3 or 4 days then better for 2 or 3 then sick again. It has been a cycle like that for the last 6 weeks so ya I just want to be better. I’m taking some hard core pills now that they said should kill everything. It just sucks cuz I have lost more weight and I lost it all in my face around my eyes so my eyes look sunk in and black around them like I got hit, so ya I just want to not feel sick anymore. It’s not like I feel super terrible, I just feel a little sick all the time for the last 6 weeks and it’s hard to eat and stuff. I’m ready for it to be over ha-ha and these pills should do it, they are made to kill worms and parasites so ya whatever it is should die. Maybe I will bring home my little pets!!! Now that my whine fest is over don’t stress mom! The mission presidents wife is very good at taking care of us and I’m sure she will help me get rid of this. She just didn’t know and finally I told her, now she is on top of it and helping me tons. I think these pills should do the trick!

As for my district sucked, sucked, sucked, I don’t know what else to do to help them. I have tried so much and it is just all going to crap. So ya today my meeting is going to be a little wild, ha-ha we have got to fix whatever is going on and get them excited about missionary work again!!! My meeting should be good I hope lol.

I’m so stressed, my district is doing bad, my comp is driving me nuts, and best of all I had to walk up a giant poop river yesterday…YES! A POOP RIVER!!! My area is a huge hill and it poured rain yesterday. We had been working at the bottom of the hill so we were coming home and there is only one street that goes to my house and area. All of the water was coming down that street and the drains were plugged with trash so water couldn’t drain. That street was a river that was knee deep for me (ok so it is not so bad being a giant) and about mid-thigh for my comp! The drains suck here and were full and so the rain couldn’t go in so it made a river and we got to hike up it! Ha-ha CRAPPY day but funny story lol!!!

Other than that life is going good, I’m learning and God is having me have these experiences to grow! I love you guys.

Love Elder Fackler

E-mail 6-7-10

2010-06-10T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hey family,

Sorry, I didn’t write earlier it just has been a crazy day. This morning a family we baptized took us up to these mountain in our area and took us to this little nature park thing. There were Buffalo and Deer and Havalena. They really wanted to take us and were super excited about it so we went with them. It just ended up taking forever to get done and get back so that’s why I didn’t write earlier sorry. The little zoo thing was fun and the family is just super cool so we had fun.

So this week was bad for my district. They just let everything fall apart so ya it was not good at all. Today we had a zone meeting so I really have not had any time to talk to them about what is going on. Last week we had a zone meeting too and I have not been able to talk to them at all. Even worse was it was a way bad week for me! We only took one person to church for the first time and 3 in total so ya!!! I’m getting stressed about what is going to happen in June.

OK, so something funny that happened is…alot of apartments here have one bathroom that all the people in the apartment complex share. Ya gross, but anyway we were with an investigator and my comp went out to use the bathroom and all of the sudden we hear this lady scream bloody murder!!! My comp comes running back in. It was so funny my comp walked in on one of the neighbors using the bathroom! I about died laughing and he was so embarrassed he wanted to die! The lady was super nice it was just so, so, so funny!

Other than that not much has happened. I’m excited to come home and have Aunt Kari there. I think it will be so fun to be close to her and her kids I’m excited. Also I’m so stoked to be an Uncle, how is Ross about it? How are you feeling about being a grandma? How old hahaha! Grandma just kidding! I’m excited and I’m glad I’ll get home right after the baby is born to be part of it!!! I got to go before it gets to late here. I love you guys so much and am doing good, don’t stress about me ok! I love you so much and pray for you guys every night. Thanks for all you guys do for me.

Your son,
Elder Austin King Fackler

E-mail 5-31-10

2010-06-01T08:23:00.001-07:00

Hey what’s up family?

This week has been ok. My district fell apart which is not good. We had a great week last week then this week it all just fell apart again. So today we are going to have a wonderful talk about diligence and help them see the importance of it. I’m going to read them a lovely scripture that says “He who is a slothful servant will not be counted worthy to stand at the last day!!!” Hahah lets see how they like that! It’s just dumb they went from way good to complete crap in one week so it’s time to take the gloves off and role up the sleeves!

As for me my week was good. I put 2 new baptismal dates on the calendar and I had 5 people in church, so not too bad. I just wish my district would do that. My bishop loves me, we have gotten church attendance way up. When I got here every week the attendance was like 60 or 70 people, we have been activating families like crazy and this week we had over 150 people in church so we doubled the activity rate. Our bishop and members love us so much and think we are the greatest. We counted yesterday we have activated 9 whole families and baptized 5 new ones! Ya they love us.

So stories, not too much has happened this week. OK I have one, so my companion had to go to the bathroom way bad so we went to this really poor member’s house so he could poop… so he asks to use the bathroom and the guy was like ya its out back so we go out back to this out house thing. The guy opens up the wood door and we see the bathroom it is so gross you cannot even imagine!!! Like you see in the movies when you see gross bathrooms, the toilet is black, the floor is dirt, there are flies everywhere, and there is a trash can full of poop toilet paper because they didn’t have water pressure to flush toilet paper so they throw it in a can next to the toilet!!! So ya it was gross and I about to die trying not to laugh! So my comp goes in to use it (poor guy) and I go in the house. So then the guy gives me water and there is a giant hair in it and ya… it was just not a good place. So my comp finally comes out and we run away and he is just freaking out and so was I. It was just funny but so gross at the same time ha!

I have not been sick anymore so don’t stress, I’m doing good health wise and life is going good. Sorry I’m writing so late, we have just been at a meeting all morning. I love you and I am doing good. That’s cool Bridger walked for graduation, I’m proud of him. Everything is going good, love you guys! Tell everyone I said “HI” ok.

Love Elder Fackler

E-mail 5-24-10

2010-06-01T07:59:00.001-07:00

Hey family,

What’s up? I’m doing so freaking good, MY DISTRICT DID AMAZING THIS WEEK! Last week on Monday we had this huge talk and I just got them fired up hard core and we just exploded! I took 5 people for the first time and 8 in total to church, one of my elders took 6 for the first time and 10 in total and the other took 4 for the first time and 7 in total yayayayaya and the sisters took 2 in total and no one for the first time. As a district we took 27 people to church in total, that is more then alot of zones take ha-ha! I am so happy, now we just have to keep it up we can’t let down and we will tear it up in June. I feel good that we are doing so much better.

I have been kind of sick, I ate rabbit and my body didn’t like it to much!!! The night I ate it I pretty much spent with my head in a bucket throwing up, cool! From about 11 at night till 4 in the morning I didn’t leave the bathroom! Yup great night ha-ha! Freaking rabbit I hate it!!!!!!!

As for my new camera I really like it. It works super good and takes good pics. I’ll send pics next week ok I just don’t have much time. Me and my district are going to eat with the bishops wife because we did so good she said she would make us all hamburgers, so ya we are going to have a little fiesta!

As for me I’m doing good. Some girl is trying to molest me. It is a 15 year old girl and we baptized her little sister, we were there and she started asking me what happens if a missionary kisses some one and all this stuff. I was like “ok we got to go!” As we were leaving I went to shake her hand and she was like “No I’m walking you guys outside” and she didn’t let go of my hand and tried to put it over her shoulder to walk me out. I was just like “what the freak” and yanked my hand away and smacked her in the head hahaha. Then she turns around and she said “you are so tall, if you kissed a short girl like me how would you do it?” I said “that doesn’t matter, I’m a missionary and don’t kiss girls!” and we ran out the door!!! When we got out I looked at my comp and at the same time we both said “Yup never going back there again!!!” ha-ha freaking stupid girl.

But ya that’s really about it for this week. I’ll write next week ok. I love you guys tons and hope you are doing good!

Elder Fackler

E-Mail 4-26-10

2010-05-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hey guys what’s up? I’m doing good but my district is having a hard time still. I feel like I do all the work for all of us. I didn’t work a whole day this week in my area cuz I was helping my district with all of their stuff. It was just a long week and all of the new baptismal dates my Elders have, I put up for them and I still was able to put 5 new ones up in my area. I feel frustrated with my district cuz I had to do their work for them. But it’s all good, I’m doing good I should baptize 4 people this week which will be good. I just want to do really good and baptize every week so I’m working like crazy.

I have been sick this week which has not been good at all! My stomach just hurts but I am starting to feel a little better, I was bad yesterday cuz I had not had food or water in 3 days cuz when I would I threw up. I did eat and I drank Gatorade last night and I feel better today a little. I ate this morning and didn’t throw up so I think I’m getting better now which is good!

Oh, some guy told me he was going to shoot me (hahahaha!) I was on a bus with a missionary in my district and we were talking in English and some gangster guy said “Shut the f-word up!” in English. I looked over at him and he looked away super fast cuz I don’t think he wanted us to hear. I was just like “ok whatever,” but then the other Elder was like, “He’s so tuff.” So the guy started saying all this stuff about us in Spanish so finally I just told him to shut his mouth! He said “You want to go, I’ll pull out my gun and kill you both right now!!!” and then he pulled his back pack up! I was like “OH, freak he is going to get a gun out!” I was up towards the front of the bus so I started to walk back there to get to him before he killed us and he got scared and jumped up and out of the bus. I don’t think he really had a gun, I think he just wanted to scare us but it was a little crazy!!! We were in another area to so I’m sure we will never see him again but it was crazy ha-ha!

So how is it to have Bridger home? I’m so proud of him. I wonder how he felt, I can’t even think about coming home I just get scared ha-ha. I’m almost down to 10 months this 2 year thing is really going so fast it is blowing my mind. I’m going to be home before I know it, scary.

That is it for this week not to much happened I love you guys!

Elder Fackler

E-Mail 4-19-10

2010-04-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

Hey what’s up? I’m doing good but my district…not so good. I baptized this week, I found a 9 year old kid that was not baptized so we got her to get baptized and activated her family. So ya I had a good week and I completed all of my goals in my area so I really had a great week. But my district was not good. One person didn’t baptize like they said they would. Then as a district we only took 6 people to church for the first time and I took 3 of the 6 and there are 4 companionships in my district. They didn’t put any new baptism dates up so ya it was a bad week. I put 3 new baptismal dates up and that was all my district completed so ya I had a way good week but my district did not and the zone leaders were so mad it was not a good day yesterday! I have got to figure out what to do to help my district. I taught them how to do it last week and they didn’t so now I think I’m going to go to their areas in exchanges and help them do it. It’s just alot more stress to be a leader in the mission but whatever, I’m just going to do my best and keep being a good example. So that’s what’s up with the work as for my week.

I have a funny story, we were knocking doors on Wed and a little kid comes up to the door and tells a missionary that was with us “Hey I know who you are, you are John Cena” (a famous wrestler) and the missionary was like “Yup that’s right!” Then the kid looked at me and was like “I know who you are to you are, The Big Show!” (another famous wrestler) and I was just like ”Ya that’s right!” then he looked at my comp and was like “Hey I know who you are, you are a piece of crap!” It was so funny we just about died laughing it was so funny and my comp was just like “shut up.” but ya it was funny.

So also this week we found this lady and we were waiting outside to go in and teach her and this huge rat ran out in front of us!!! My comp said “Look at that cat” so we looked and then we figured out it was a rat and it was huge LIKE GIANT!!! We thought it was a cat at first. No one else even cared but I didn’t want to go in and it was just bad. I don’t know why I’m so scared of them. I think it’s from dad and his fear, I think it’s his fault I’m scared of them!!!

That was really about it for this week. I’m doing ok, a little stressed but growing a ton! Life is ok, my area is ok and I’m losing weight again fast from the hills here. I dropped 10 more pounds so by the time I leave here I’ll be skinnier but whatever, that just means I worked right! My comp is so funny he is just like a little kid, he looks like he is 12 and it is just funny. He is crazy but I like him, he reminds me of Bridger and keeps me from getting too stressed.

But ya that’s it for this week. I love you guys! I’ll talk to you next week.
Love you all!!!
Elder Fackler

E-mail 4-12-10

2010-04-14T13:49:00.001-07:00

Hey guys how are you? I am doing ok, it has been a long week and think it’s going to be a long month but it’s ok. My area had no one on the teaching list when I got here. We only have 4 now which still is not good but it’s better than before. I only had 1 person in church for the first time which really sucks! That is the worst I have done since I have been a Sr. comp so I’m really stressed. My district is not doing so hot either so I have got alot of work to do. We had a meeting today as a district and we had a big talk about May. We made a goal for 25 baptisms as a district and everyone was super fired up after so I hope it works. One of the sister missionaries said she has never had a leader get her as excited about the work as I did and that I am her favorite leader she has ever had. It made me feel good that they liked my meeting I have just got to help them see that we can do it, cuz April we are going to finish really bad. Just no one is excited about the work so we talked about it today and I just asked how they want to remember their mission and gave a big pep-talk and everyone left super excited. Now let’s just hope it sticks and we tear it up in May! It’s just bad cuz our Zone Leaders were acting like my missionaries are not good and we won’t have success! But I am going to change that, they have the potential I have just got to get them to see it!!! I think I did it in the meeting today, it was like the talk the coach gives before the big game so now I have just got to wait and see if they do it, and I need to be an example.

So my new area sucks!!! It is built on a freaking mountain! I spend my whole day walking up and down hills which sucks but hey maybe I will lose more weight. I just feel like I’m going to die though cuz my area is on a mountain and my house is at the top so every night after working all day I have to climb all the way up which really sucks and ya I just miss flat ground ha-ha!!!

As for my ward it needs alot of help. The stake president is in my ward and is just so cool, our services started at 8 in the morning and it was hard to get people to go this Sunday cuz it was so early. I talked to the stake president and got him to change the time of Sacrament to 9 so that should help us to get more people to church.

I feel like such a freak here. Everyone on Sunday was just staring at me and saying I’m a giant and just all this stuff. It makes me feel like a freak for real ha-ha I forget how big I am then I go to a new area where no one knows me and they all just go off about how big I am and it makes me feel like a freak!

I have an assistant working with me to help me learn how to be a good District Leader he is really helping me his name is Elder Molynoex I’ll have him for one more week. He is from Utah and is just such a cool guy and has taught me alot.

This week I saw a dog get hit by a car, it was super sad. There was this dog sleeping in the middle of the road and a truck came by and hit it and the dog like went spinning under the car and got up and was bleeding all over it was super sad. I felt bad for the dog, people here are just a little crazy. I had a big gas tank fall on my foot. We found this gas truck and asked them to go to our house and they said ok and for us to just jump in back so we did. As we were going we hit a speed bump and all the gas tanks went flying and one landed on my foot. It hurt so bad, I’m just glad they didn’t blow up though ha-ha!!!

That is it for this week. I love you all so much and hope everything is ok. I miss you all and am doing ok, but learning tons!
Love you,
Elder Fackler

New District Leader (4-5-10)

2010-04-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

Hey family how are you guys? I don’t have alot of time today, I got transferred to a new area it’s called Villa de Tulas it’s really close to the city. It’s going to be hard cuz me and my companion are going to open this area which is going to be hard cuz neither of us no anyone or the area. So I’m really stressed out! I was made District Leader so I am even more stressed out!!! So ya I am a District Leader for good now and I’m going to open a new area with a new companion! A little crazy ha-ha pray for me! My new area is super ghetto, they stole our gas and turned our power off so who knows what is going to happen… ya that’s what’s going on, I’m really stressed out. But I’ll just do my best I guess.

It was really hard to leave my last area, everyone was super sad and people were even crying as they said bye. It was really hard for me, I didn’t like it to be honest ha-ha. The worst was a family of 5 we have been teaching, the dad came to our house last night and started to cry and was just like “please don’t go!” We had to explain that it is not our choice and all this stuff. It just sucked, he kept telling me I had to come back and baptize him all this stuff. It sucked but its ok… we learn from change???

As for this week in my old area, it was good. We took 8 people to church for the first time and we had alot of people for the new missionary to baptize, so I feel good cuz I left the area better then how I found it. My new comp is Elder Tipian he is from Peru, so he is not American or Mexican lol but he is funny. He has a kids attitude and is super excited to work, so I am excited. I think the first 2 or 3 weeks are going to be long, to learn my area alone and to be a district leader but I’m just going to do my best. It’s just hard cuz I never started in an area with 0 everything I’ll just fast a lot ha-ha.

My new area seems ok it is just all hills so I think I’ll lose more weight. Who knows, I just want to do good. I can’t believe I got made a District Leader!!! I only have had one change as a Sr. Comp and now I’m a District Leader. I have sisters in my district I hope they are not whinny! But ya I’m just stressed, I’m sure by next week it will all be normal and I’ll be fine (I hope!) The cool thing is I’ve got a cell phone hahaha so that will be good. It feels weird to have it but I like it, I feel kind of normal again.

I baptized on Sunday, a little girl in the ward named Fernanda. She asked me if I would baptize her so I did. She is our neighbor and is just such a cool little girl and her family is just super cool too and always helps us. It was just a way special baptism and it was really cool cuz we sang to her and it was just really special I really liked it.

I don’t have alot of time this week, next week my letter will be good. I will tell you all the new stuff, I just don’t know much now cuz I haven’t had any time here, sorry it’s so short love you all!

Elder Fackler

E-Mail 3-22-10

2010-03-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

Hey family,

I am doing ok. This week didn’t go to good our baptism didn’t work out. We went to get him and his wife just freaked out and told us they were Catholic and he didn’t want to get baptized and all this crap! So ya his stupid wife ruined everything, she is just super dumb. Then everyone we had for church fell threw and we only had 2 for the first time so it was a long week. I’m not a district leader anymore cuz our regular one is back so that is good. It was a long week but it’s ok, all I can do is learn from it and grow. It has been a bad week but it’s all good

I got the box and the camera was in it. I really like it thanks a lot. The shirts fit good too. I’m glad you sent other ones cuz mine are just super big and no one could take them in. I just wear them big, but now I have a few more smaller and they fit good. All of my other clothes are still good, I was wondering if you could send me a few more pants in other colors besides black and blue. Maybe pin striped, brown or green. All I have is black and blue and it is getting old lol! If you could send some striped or other colors that would be good. I think the same size will be good cuz I like them big they don’t wear out as fast.

As for the work, we still have alot of people to baptize, they all just have stupid little problems like smoking or not being married or just dumb little stuff. So we are trying to get all of the little problems worked out so that we can have more success. I just hope we can figure it out.

I hope you guys like the pics they are from the Attlantas those are the big statue things the other ones are just of me and ya boring lol but I know you guys wanted them so I sent them.

But that is it for this week. I love you guys, talk to you next week.

Love Elder Fackler

E-Mail 3-15-10

2010-03-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

I’m writing a little bit earlier today because we have a district leader meeting I’m invited to tomorrow so I am leaving today at 2 to go to the offices of the mission for the meeting.

This week was ok, kind of long and frustrating. We baptized a guy named Anibal he is super cool. His family is all members and they are supper strong and good in the church which is cool. When his family got baptized he didn’t want to so we have been visiting him and teaching him and he got baptized yesterday, he is just an awesome guy, him and his family are going to be so good in the church and go to the temple in a year I’m so stoked.

What was bad was 2 of the people we had to confirm this week didn’t get confirmed. They left and went to visit there mom cuz she is sick so they went to help her and see how she is doing so they couldn’t get confirmed which was super frustrating. I feel bad cuz like I have been doing really good and everyone was super happy with me then this week that happened but it’s ok all I can do is do my best and keep working hard it was just frustrating.

This week we started teaching this guy named George we found knocking doors, he is super cool and is a clown for his work ha-ha-ha! We are teaching him, his family are Christians so it’s super funny with them and their music but he really is a super cool guy.

This week I had to talk in church again it went all right. I didn’t have much time to get it ready because I have been working like crazy getting everything ready and trying to help the other missionaries in the district. One of them has been having a hard time getting people to church so I went with him on Sat. and worked with him in his area and on Sunday he had 7 people for the first time and 11 in total! I was super happy when he called to tell me cuz he needed to have a good week so I’m glad he did.

So it has been a stressful week. I feel like I have so much to do and no time to do it all. But it’s good I’m learning so much, in the last few weeks since I have been a Sr. comp my Spanish has gotten way better and how I teach has gotten alot better too. I’m just glad God is blessing me. That is it for this week, I love you all and I’ll write next week.

Love, Elder Fackler

E-Mail 3-8-10

2010-03-16T09:39:00.001-07:00

Hey family what’s up?

This week has been very crazy ha-ha. First off on Sunday I baptized 3 people, it was cool but their baptisms were crazy I’ll explain why in a sec lol!

Last Monday I told you our district leader had a hernia, well he had to have surgery on it so from Tue. to Friday night I was in the hospital with him. Longest days of my life!!! It was good to be able to help him but I really wanted to be here in my area working. I spent the week with him then Friday morning in the hospital president called us and told me I was going to be the District Leader till he gets back… so ya I’m so stressed!!! I was stressed as a Sr. comp, now I am a District Leader too for a few weeks. My stress level is like a 9 out of 10 ha-ha. But I really love it I feel like I’m learning so much and becoming a better missionary which is really cool lol! I have a cell phone now for a few weeks, so that’s cool!!! I’m just the District Leader while he is getting better but its cool president trusted me. I don’t want to let him down.

So the whole week I was at the hospital and that’s why my baptisms were crazy! I had to do it all on Sat. Two of them I had to get ready on Sat. for the next day. They had to be interviewed and everything on Sat. to get baptized on Sunday and it was just crazy. Then Sunday the baptismal font was locked and we didn’t have keys, so in the middle of the baptism service I had to go back in to the service and jump the front wall into the font to open the door from the other side (in front of everyone) and the water was so cold!!! One of the girls I baptized, when she touched the water said a swear word cuz it was so cold and everyone heard!!! Ya it was just a crazy baptism but we had all three and that is what is important! I have another baptism this week so that is good. I’m starting to see alot of success let’s just hope I can keep it up.

Yesterday I ate some way gross stuff. I ate the bacteria that causes athletes foot!!!!!! Here they grow it on corn then serve it in tacos, they are called Ungos but its still bacteria so ya it was kind of gross. I also ate cow blood! They take it and put stuff in the cow blood to make it thick and then role it up in a piece of fat and serve it. I ate cow blood gross huh!!!

I had to give a talk today in front of the whole zone, 24 missionaries. I had to talk about how to get people to church for the first time. They had the 3 District Leaders talk about something and mine was “getting people to church for the first time.” I hope I did good and helped them, I was kind of nervous but I think I did good.

That is it for this week I’ll write next week ok. I love you all with all my heart. I hope it all works out for TJ and the baby. Tell everyone I said “hi” and tell Grandma I thought about her alot this week!

Love Elder Fackler

E-Mail 3-1-10

2010-03-02T08:42:00.000-08:00

Hey family,

This week has been super good! First off I had 6 people in church for the first time and I had 10 in total, which is the most I think I have had in my mission so it was good. Also I have a baptism this week, her name is Nancy and I have two more possible, Laura and her son, pray for them so I can baptize all 3 of them cuz that will be sweet. So this week in the work was good we had a good week!!!

As for me and my comps as in 2 now ha-ha, ya I am in a 3-some cuz one of the missionaries didn’t get his companion. He works in the afternoon with a youth and in the morning with us so there is 3 of us, his name is Elder Carrillo from Monterey he is a really cool guy! He has helped me a lot, I have learned so much from the bible from him. I can teach way good with the bible now, he is a cool guy. My actual comp Elder Rivera is really cool too. He is from Veracruz and is just a super cool guy, he has helped me alot and is just super chill and cool. So as for my comps that’s going good, just one problem… we went to the doctor today cuz Elder Carrillo was hurting in his stomach and they found out he has a hernia!!! He has to have surgery, I feel so bad for him. We have to go to the surgeon tomorrow so ya things are a little complicated with all that, we will just have to see what happens. I will send pics home next week for you, sorry I have not in a long time. There just never is much time anymore, I’m always so busy.

So the story of the week… there is this little 12 year old girl in my ward and the other two elders kept telling me she was in love with me but I didn’t believe them. Her and her mom always say how handsome I am and I figured they are just joking but then she started saying other stuff and then on Sunday she just ran up and gave me a hug! I didn’t know what to do so I pushed her away and just avoided her. Then she ran by and I think went to hit my back to say “bye” but because I am so tall she hit my butt!!! So now my comps just talk crap about how she is in love with me, she is just a little 12 year old girl but it was just kinda funny!

I checked how much I weigh and it was 285lbs. I have lost again, 15 more pounds. I think it’s cuz I’m so stressed about my area. When I went to get my new comp I saw my bishop from my first area and he was just like “holy cow! You look so skinny. What happened?” He was just freaking out!!! It was cool cuz he could understand me now and I could understand him. He remembered me as a fat missionary who didn’t know Spanish lol. Now I’m skinnier and understand so it was cool to see him. He went off about how much better I look and how good my Spanish is so I felt good. I like being skinnier I feel better lol.

I can’t believe I am about to make 1 year! It feels like it went by so fast, but when I think about the last time I saw you guys it feels like a long time. I have learned so much this year and I know this is getting me ready for my future. I think that is it for this week, we don’t have much time since we had to go to the doctor and stuff. I’ll write next week ok, I love you all so much, thanks for all you do for me!!! See ya in a year hahahahahahaha!

Love you all,
Elder Fackler

E-Mail 2-22-10

2010-02-23T12:51:00.000-08:00

Hey family

This week my camera broke... I don’t know what to do. A different missionary was taking a pic. with it and when he went to give it back it just slipped in between us. The lens inside broke. I don’t know what to do cuz I need a camera. I can’t take pics. of my baptisms or anything. I was so sad when it broke, I took it to an electronics guy here and he said it’s broken really bad so I have to buy a new one. They are alot here, my same camera would be like $200 here and in the US it was only $120. I feel so bad it broke. I have never dropped it or anything, it didn’t even have a scratch and now it is ruined!

This last week has been super good! I committed 5 people to get baptized in March and I took 4 to church for the first time, so that was 7 total. I did really good, it has really helped me to be with a youth. I have learned more these last 2 weeks than ever before. I’m really stressed and I’m losing weight again cuz I’m so stressed I think. But it’s all good I’ll just be even more handsome when I get home LOL.

I had a cool experience on Friday. I had 5 people who said they were going to go to church for the 1st time so I was feeling good! Then on Sat. the family of 3 I had couldn’t come cuz the dad got in a crash and was in the hospital. I only had 2 people so I got way stressed cuz my goal was 4. I didn’t know what to do so all afternoon we went by every investigator I could think of but still couldn’t find any one to come. At 6pm I was at the breaking point and I said “let’s say a prayer,” so we did. I prayed with all my heart and when we finished we just started walking. We were walking along and I saw a house and it popped into my head “knock there!” We were walking to a different appointment so I was just like “No,” then the youth that I was with said “Hey lets knock that house.” It was in the middle of a street with houses all around but he pointed at the same one I had felt, so I was like “OK.” So we went and knocked and they let us in and loved the message!!! They both came to church on Sunday, it was a way cool experience for me and the youth I was with!

This week I made a deal with a lady I’m teaching, I was telling her she had to stop smoking. She said “it’s so hard, I can’t.” Then she said it would be like if I just stopped drinking soda. So I just told her “OK I’ll stop drinking soda and you stop smoking!” So we drew up this agreement, it was just so funny. So I’m not drinking soda anymore, I haven’t since Tue. It’s hard but I’m doing it and she has not smoked, but ya it’s hard.

So as for me and my youth comp. it has been going good. I have had good youth and they all loved me. Two of the boys I worked with talked in church this week with me about missionary work and they said how cool their experience with me was. It was really cool, they both said they learned alot and want to do it again. So maybe I helped them or maybe they are just BIG butt kissers!!! LOL

My comp is cool, his name is Elder Rivera. He is from the north part of Mexico. He has more time in the mission then me by a few months but I am the senior comp. I’m excited for this change

That is it for this week.

I love you all!
Love Elder Fackler

E-Mail 2-15-10

2010-02-18T09:24:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone

How are you guys? I am doing good. It has been a long week. I started out on Tue. with a missionary that got home a week ago, working in my area. On Tue. night we saw a pregnant lady and her daughter moving these huge buckets of dirt so we decided we should help. Well it ended up being an hour and a half of carrying buckets of dirt to fill in her yard!!! It was not fun! I carried so much dirt I have bruises on my arms. I would carry 4 buckets at a time to look tough (ha-ha) 2 in my hands and 2 on my arms. I really just wanted to get done, it was a long hour and a half. So after the service my comp was just like “I got to go home” then he didn’t work with me all week. He just kept making stuff up so that he wouldn’t have to go. I think the service killed him! So all week I have been working with whoever I can during the day and some of it I couldn’t even find a comp. I only got to work like 2 and a half days of the week. I have been sleeping on the tile floor at the other missionary’s house so it has been a long week. One more week and then I’ll have a regular comp. again

OK, it is so much more stressful to be the Sr. comp, I don’t really like it ha-ha!!! If stuff goes wrong it’s all your fault, that is the only difference. I had a good week. I put 4 baptism dates up this week, had 3 in church for the 1st time and 2 for the second and I only got to work 2 and a half days!!! God really helped me cuz I had been so stressed. But it all worked out in the end.

The guy I baptized last week got the Holy Ghost this week. He is so amazing!!! He is going to be a bishop for real someday. I took money out so I could buy him a book of Mormon with the D and C and with the Pearl of Grand Price or however you say it in English. I took some money out because I have to buy everything for my young men I work with.

This week we had interviews with president, they were good. He told me he knew the next 2 weeks were going to be hard but that he knew I could do it and that I was going to grow so much. It really is so true, my Spanish has gotten way better and my teaching and everything have improved. You just learn alot when you have to do it all by yourself I have learned a ton this week!

When I get my new comp I’ll still be here in this area. I like it here, the members love me and take care of us really well. There is even a lady here that washes my cloths so I don’t have to and she washes them way good. It’s so cool our next door neighbors just got baptized and they love me so they always bring stuff to me at night like cake or tamales or tortas just way good food, they are so cool. I really like this area and this ward. I think it helps cuz I know what I’m supposed to do and I know Spanish and so I can use my personality here!

So I am a freak for sure now!!! We had a baptism on Sunday but we have to go to the other ward to baptize them cuz are prayer house doesn’t have a font. Anyway all the members in the other ward wanted pics and all this stuff cuz I’m so tall. The other missionaries there told me they always talk about me, they always say the giant missionary with beautiful eyes. I don’t know why everyone here likes my eyes. I think they changed colors or something cuz before it was not very common people would say stuff but now it is like every day. I really think the color changed, they are like orange on the inside then greenish blue now. I don’t know it’s probably just cuz they are not brown like everyone else’s.

So that is it for this week. I love you all and hope you are all doing good! Tell Bridger I said HI and he can do this! I love you guys!

Love Elder Fackler

E-Mail 2-8-10

2010-02-09T09:04:00.001-08:00

Hey family,

So how are you guys? This week has been ok. My comp got transferred to be a zone leader and I went up to a senior companion. I have a youth from the ward not a companion for the next 2 weeks. Transfers are not for 2 weeks, my comp just left early to get trained so for 2 weeks I am with a youth. This makes me really nervous cuz I am in charge of our area as the senior comp and I don’t even have a regular comp to help me remember everything. It’s all good I guess, let’s just see how I do on this crash course. The other thing is my area is really good and always baptizes and helps our zone alot so if I fall apart it all falls apart, so pray that I can baptize 3 more this month! Now the area is my responsibility completely.

They are taking part of our mission in July and making a new mission that will just be Mexico City. They are taking missionaries from our mission to fill in the new mission. We don’t know who will go or anything yet but I hope I don’t have to, I love my pres to much! If they ask me to go to the other mission I will, I just hope I don’t have to but it is still far away.

I baptized a guy named Daniel this week, he is so cool. We found him knocking doors 3 weeks ago and his family is Christian. He started listening and prayed and had a super sick (awesome) prayer and got an answer and got baptized. He really is just so cool, I think he will be one of the best people I have baptized. He is going to be a bishop someday. He just wants to know everything about the church and just accepts everything we teach with no question, he is just so cool!!!

So I have a reputation here now, it’s just people here are stupid. The teenagers are so dumb and were always yelling at us and swearing at us in English and they are all half my size! So this week I had had it… everyone who yelled at me I went back to and asked what their problem was! I just scared the crap out of them, I would walk up and start talking to them in English then they would just look at me super lost. So I would tell them in Spanish “What’s up dude? 2 min ago you were yelling at me in English, what’s wrong now dude?” I am never mean or said anything mean I just make them feel kind of dumb and scare them cuz I’m about 5 times as big as any of them!!! So ya, I’m not taking crap now and people are starting to not yell at us. Some of them after it is all said and done are cool to us and are our friends. I just needed to help them learn you don’t scream bad things at GIANT WHITE people or they will come scare the crap out of you!!! Ha-ha-ha-ha, who knows maybe they won’t yell at missionaries in general now.

I have been kind of sick, I just had a really bad head cold and just felt like my head was going to blow off. It has been raining like crazy so we work all day in the rain then by the time we get home it is freezing and I think that’s why I got a head cold. I’m better now so doing worry (ha-ha) it was just a head cold.

So I can’t believe Madi got in a crash what a smart girl. Its good no one got hurt though. I’m so glad dad got that job, I fasted twice this week and during both of them I was fasting for that so I’m glad it worked out. Special K needed that job lol!!! That’s so funny Sandi calls him Special K lol. That’s her name right? How sad I don’t even know my sister-in-laws name, what a pile I am! That is about it this week, not too much more happened. Pray that I’ll be able to do this senior comp thing ok! I love you all!

Love Elder Fackler

E-mail 2-1-10

2010-02-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

Hey guys how are you all? I’m doing pretty good, me and my comp are starting to have success again here we have a baptism and the guy is so good his name is Daniel. He is a Christian guy but he came to church and loved it and now this week he is going to get baptized. He is such a cool guy and he loves us so much he is good with whatever we say and is just so amazing.

Also today we went to these old ruins. It was so cool they were these huge statues, and big Aztec ruins they are up on top of this pyramid. It was so cool they were giant and there were like 10 of them so I’ll send pics of that home. The only thing that sucked is it was raining the whole time but it was still fun. They have all of these stores that sell souvenirs and it was so funny they all thought we didn’t know Spanish and were just dumb white boys. So they would start out the prices so high and we would talk them down so fast just cuz we knew Spanish. If we ever visit my mission we will go there for sure cuz it really was so cool.

So how was taking Bridger? Was it as bad as you thought? Wed. night I prayed for him like crazy cuz I know how that first night is. It really is terrible but Bridger will be fine. He is a little stud muffin ha-ha. I’m starting to lose weight again. Me and my comp work so hard. He is so cool I just love him!

I had a bad experience this week. I was on splits with our Zone Leaders and we went to teach one of our investigators. We were going to give her a baptism date, so the other missionary gave her one and she was just like “I’m not ready” so he just kept pushing her and pushing her and finally she got mad and was just like “You want an answer now, NO, stop pushing me!” and just got super mad. So I took over and like told her how sorry we were she felt that way and that I’m sure he had just been pushing cuz he knew the blessings the church held for her and just all this super cool stuff and like it was just so cool cuz I could feel the spirit talking threw me. At the end she was happy again and said she would pray about being baptized and stuff and it turned out way cool so ya it was just awesome.

I’m sorry to hear about dads job and Madi but don’t stress everything happens for a reason and when we do our part god always does his. Mom call and check on Angela I’m worried about her I don’t know if you know or not but her grandma died this week so check on her ok. I love you all so much hope all is well.

Love Elder Fackler

E-mail 1-25-10

2010-02-02T09:52:00.000-08:00

Hey guys sorry I took so long to write. This week has been really good. The name of my area is Santa Teresa it’s in the Estado de Mexico. The work here has been going really good. We are working really hard and have found alot of people. If things go good we should baptize about 8 in Feb. which will be super cool. We have had alot of success this week, we found a guy named Daniel who is just so cool. He went to church and is asking us about baptism and really is just super cool. Also this week we found this cool family who told us how they had talked to the missionaries before. They want to get baptized and they want to go to the temple, they are just super cool.

I have been progressing so much, I have been trying to study alot more and I have been trying to pray better. I have been working on being more humble and rely on the lord for everything. It has just been so cool. I have been trying really hard to not say anything negative about anything cuz it has been raining here alot and before I would always be like, it’s so cold it sucks! But this week I just decided I wanted to be better and not be negative so now when it rains I just say it is freezing cold just the way I like it lol! I’m just trying to be more positive and be more humble and it is going good.

So also it’s so funny there are so many people that have been yelling at us and swearing and stuff so we finally just said ok we are not going to take it anymore! So now when people yell we just go talk to them and it’s so funny cuz we are not mean, we just act lost. We go over and are like what’s up guys, were you calling us? It is so funny cuz they all get super scared cuz I am so big. They just say oh we didn’t say anything. It’s so funny cuz they think we will just walk away but we don’t, we just go over and are like what’s up, what did you say, and they get so scared.

My companion is so cool, he is helping me so much. I am doing so much better as a missionary and I am learning so much from him. I think I will only be with him this transfer but I’m just trying to learn all I can and be the best missionary I can. He really is helping me so much and I’m so glad cuz I needed a good comp and my comp is amazing!

I can’t believe Bridger is really going that is so crazy. He will do so good and change so many people’s lives. He just has such a love for everyone that he really will be great. I am so proud of him he is amazing. Tell him I said just tell people how it is be direct yet loving and never be afraid to just tell people they are wrong and you are there to help them come unto Christ, but say that in a loving way lol.

That is about it for this week sorry its short, we just had so much going on today. We had meetings as a zone and we played soccer after and then helped the zone leaders. Next week will be better and longer I promise. I love you guys I’ll write next week. Tell Bridger I said be great!!! Love you all!

Love Elder Austin King Fackler

Our Favorit Christmas Picture

2010-01-11T09:28:00.000-08:00

2010-01-11T09:23:00.000-08:00

This is a missionary Christmas tree. We made it at thanksgiving and had all of his friends and cousins write on the ornaments then we sent it all ready for him to put up and decorate. (We included a roll of tape.) We made it 5 feet tall but it looks so little next to him!!!LOL

E-mail 12-14-09

2009-12-17T13:05:00.000-08:00

Hey family
What's up? How are you guys doing?
My week it has been OK, kinda frustrating. Our baptism fell threw again. The lady just said she is to busy so call her next week please, which sucked! We will just have to see what happens with her. Then we tried to get a family we are teaching to get baptized and they were "like we don't know." The thing is, the mom wants to get baptized but the husband doesn't because his dad is a leader in the Catholic church and is hard core Catholic. I think he is scared of his dad so he is scared to get baptized. Yesterday he didn't come to church and we went to visit there family after and it was super awkward. We felt like the dad was way bugged with us cuz his wife and kids came to church but he sat at home alone. We don't know what to do about that family now. so its just been a frustrating week.

I just got yelled at by a bus driver cuz the buses here have a bell and you push it to get them to stop. So I pushed it and he didn't stop so I pushed it again and he still didn't stop. So I said, "bahan por favor." which means stop please. So he did, then he said "that's what the bell is for" i said "I rang it twice." He said "no you didn't" in a jerk way. I just got off cuz I'm a good missionary and don't want people to think bad about the church. But I really just wanted to punch him in the head cuz of his attitude. So this week has just been really crappy, I feel a little on edge haha! Going to the temple tomorrow will help.

The day of the virgin of Guadalupe was this week too. It is nuts, everyone throws party's and gets drunk and shoots fire works. They all build shrines in front of there houses to the virgin of Guadalupe. It's just huge day of getting drunk and partying in honer of her hahahaha. It's really bad. I feel bad for people, it's kinda sad, they have TV shows about her where people act like she gave them a miracle and all kinds of stuff. Freaking apostasy!!!

I'm so excited for Bridger, that will be so good. Tell him to put his head down and work his hardest and he will be great! 3 months in Salt Lake City and he doesn't have to go to the MTC, that is so cool. Tell him to get Preach My Gospel and read chapter 3. It's all the lessons we teach and then tell him once he reads them to practice with Ross. One thing I did is as you read the lesson write down what you want the people to learn from it then make an outline of what to teach. Teach those points with questions to help him know they understood like after teaching about prophets ask a question like, "So do you think it would benefit you to have a prophet on the earth today?" or "How do you think a prophet would be able to help us in our day?" Make an outline like that with questions and answers of the things he wants the people to learn and he won't need the MTC cuz that's what they teach you there. Tell him how proud I am of him and that I know he will do great!

That's about it this week. I love you all so much and hope everything is going good. Have a good week!
I love you all!
Love Elder Fackler

E-Mail 11-30-09

2009-12-01T07:40:00.000-08:00

Hey how is everyone?

This week has been good. We had alot of people in church, well 7. 4 came for the second time and we have a baptism this week. The work it is starting to go again, I feel really happy about that. We have people progressing to so that is good. If the same people keep progressing we should baptize 5 people this transfer which will be really good!

So Thanksgiving here sucked because it doesn't exist haha! They don't have it here but it's OK. I like when holidays pass cuz it means I only have to miss one more and then I'll be home and we can party and have crazy Thanksgivings again not boring ones with out me hahaha!!!

Today was transfers but I didn't get transferred and neither did my companion so we will be together for 6 more weeks. That is fine, we get along good and don't have any problems. Our district leader got transferred so now we have Elder Huchim. He was my second companion, the one I loved so much and that helped me so much. It was cool to see him again, we went to get him at the bus station which was cool.

I am still losing weight, I'm going to send you some pics in regular cloths today so you guys can tell me if I look skinnier.

I don't have alot to say, this week was kinda slow and nothing cool happened. Oh, I'm such a freak here I swear!!! We walked by some kids and they were talking about how big I am and one of them said "I think he is bigger then big foot!" I felt like such a freak. I have not gotten taller I have just lost weight and look a little stronger now. But those freaking kids said I'm bigger then big foot! My comp thought it was so funny and keeps saying he is going to start a circus and have me in it. He said he will charge 5 pesos for a picture and 15 pesos to touch me. He acts like an announcer and says all this stuff about how big I am. It's funny, I just kinda feel like a freak. It's because the people here are way shorter, Ross is average or tall here so think what I am.

I'm excited to have 9 months behind me this week. It's kinda cool to think I have the same time on my mission as it takes to have a baby hahaha! I don't know why that's cool, I guess it's just something to compare time to.

This week really nothing cool has happened its been boring so no cool story's. I guess that is it. Love you all, hope your all doing good.

Love Elder Fackler

E-Mail 11-16-09

2009-11-20T12:37:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

I still have not gotten the box but I think I'll get it this week. We have interviews so I'll see president this week and that is when we get packages. It should be here this week I hope. I have been praying for it to get here safe.

I can't believe Ross broke his leg, that is SO crappy! OH, seven screws and a plate, he broke it really good!!! How is he feeling? Tell him I'm so sorry, I feel his pain. OH that sucks so bad!!! Did he cry like a little girl or was he tuffer then me? I hope he cried like a little girl so I don't feel as bad about being a baby when I broke my leg.

OK, cool story OK... so me and my companion are teaching this super cool family. It's a mom and dad and 3 little girls. There cousins live next door and they are a family I baptized a month ago. We always teach them together so we were teaching them lesson 1. The spirit was strong and the family was bearing testimony, it was super good. Then all of a sudden a big FAT mouse runs under the door (the houses here are small so we are all by this door where the mouse ran under) so there are about 10 people in this room trying to stomp on this mouse. I mean everyone in the house jumped up and tried to step on it, the moms, the little girls, my companion, everyone!.....EVERYONE except me! I was standing on the sofa screaming "Kill It!!!" scared to death of this little mouse. (I'm like dad, I hate them. His fear is in me now.) So anyway, finally one of the mom steps on it and smashes it after about 10 seconds with 10 people trying to kill it. (It looked like a ho-down). After it was dead everyone looks at me standing up on the sofa scared to death screaming like a little girl (I think I might have even peed a little.) and everyone just starts making fun of me. There were 5 year old little girls trying to stomp on the mouse and me this big 6 foot 8 football player is standing on the sofa screaming. So ya they all made fun of me all night and every time I see them now they talk about it first thing. They even told our ward so everyone knows I'm just a big chicken now.

This week my comp got upset with me because he is kinda little and I am really big and we were walking down the street when some little kids saw us and one of them said "Wow its Big Show and Ray Mysterioso." This is important because "Big Show and Ray Mysterioso are wrestlers for the WWE like hulk Hogan wrestling. Big Show, is this huge giant white guy wrestler and Ray Mysterioso is this super little Mexican wrestler. So my comp was upset cuz now that I'm his comp. people think he is a little wrestler. I always call him that now and he just laughs.

Our area is starting to do better. We had 10 people come to church which made me feel super happy. We were having a way hard time getting people to church but we had 10 this week so God really blessed us alot. We fasted on Wed and a bunch of people came so God is blessing us.

That is about it this week. I love you guys. Tell Ross I said sorry and I feel his pain!!! That's not good!

I love you all, hope life is going good!

Love Elder Fackler

2009-11-10T14:33:00.000-08:00

Hey family
Hey what's up? So First off the thing we climbed was a volcano I think. I'm not totally sure cuz no one knows the word in English. They were all Mexicans that went with me.

Mom for Christmas I need new shoes. Mine are OK for now but are starting to come apart. I think they will be fine till like Feb or March but not after that. The problem is the others you sent me have already started coming apart and they hurt my feet to walk in. So I still use the Rockports everyday cuz they are super comfortable and have been holding up good till this week. They started wearing threw the rubber on the heel.

It is starting to get cold here and I'm wishing I had got one of those weird V neck sweaters. Mexico does get cold I have figured out in the last 2 weeks. My big coat is to hot and no coat is to cold. Anyways it is true, Mexico does get cold.

I haven't got my birthday box yet. I think I'll get it on the 19th cuz that is when we have the next interview with president and that is when we get our boxes. I have been praying for it to get here so I'm sure it will get here safe if I have faith!

This week has been OK. We found a cool family but they have a lot of problems. It is a family of 6 and they are all baptized but inactive. The problem is the 2 oldest sons have girlfriends and the girlfriends are both pregnant. They live with the sons in the families house. The girlfriends wanna get baptized the problem is we have got to get them married first and one of them divorced from her last husband. We have got some work to do but they are very cool people. They have been reading and praying and got answers and everything so that part of it is good. One of the girls said after she read 3 Nephi 11 she had a dream that she was in the scriptures when Christ visited the Americas and got to see him, it was super cool!

My birthday party didn't happen. The family forgot about it but oh well its OK. Halloween here is so much different. The kids trick-or-treat for 3 days and everyone goes to there families graves and sleeps there and has parties in the grave yard. They sell food and all kinds of stuff. It is was way cool here. It's weird to remember how scared I was to come here and how crazy I felt at first. Now it's all just normal stuff that would blow your minds and it is just normal for me! Mexico kinda feels like home. I want you and Dad and Angela to come visit once with me, after my mission to see what my life has been like. We will go in combies, eat tacos at the street vender's, visit the cool Catholic churches and eat tamales. It will be way fun OK.

I got a new shirt it is an Abercrombie and Fitch shirt and its a large. I look super good in it!!! Ill send you guys a picture next week. I got it in the tanges for 3 dollars. It's a large or an X large, it says large but I'm not sure, It fits good and I like it cuz I could never wear those clothes before!!!

That is about it family. Bridger looked super good in his pics with Brecken. RJ looks good too, I am proud of both of them. I love you all tons! Can't wait to talk to you all.
Hope Bridger's call comes this week cuz I wanna talk to you all!
I love you guys!
Love Elder Fackler

E-Mail 11-2-09

2009-11-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

How are you all doing? I am doing OK. This week has been a good week to learn haha. We worked like crazy and didn't have much success which is crappy!!! But oh well all I can do is keep working.

My first birthday away from home and it's really crappy to be honest! It doesn't really feel like my birthday. It was weird to not have you guys come in and sing to me, I missed it this morning. But I'm glad it's my birthday cuz that means I only have to miss 1 more!!! That's how I look at holidays, everyone that passes is just one less I have to miss. Tomorrow will be better, a member is having a birthday party for me and is making a cake and everything so that will be fun. We couldn't do it today because after I finish emailing we have to go to the other part of the mission for zone conference so I won't be in my house or area all night. So we are going to do it tomorrow night when I get back so that will be cool.

I found some cool scriptures for you guys, one is D & C 118:3 and the other is in Ephesians 6:11-12. Read them, they are way cool! I know it's weird that I'm asking you to read scriptures I just liked them a lot.

So I got the pics of Ross and Sandi's wedding, they looked so good. I liked them a lot. It is hard to have not been able to be there but I know I am where I need to be.

So I am starting to lose weight again. I stopped the last transfer but I have lost again in the last 2 weeks cuz I started running in the mornings. I have lost 9 pounds in the last two weeks so I'm skinnier then the last photos, cool huh hahaha!!! I think I'm going to get my cloths taken in cuz they are just so huge. I look like I robbed a big fat homeless bum!!! So ya, I need to get them taken in a little in the next few weeks. No one in my ward can do it, I asked. They all just said they are not good at fixing cloths the same size as bed spreads!!! So ya I think I'll take them to a bedding store to have them made smaller cuz they are HUGE on me!!!

So I got bit by a dog! Ya, a little dog bit my shoe. I was going to kick it all the way to the United States (cuz I can't kick it to Mexico cuz that is where I am LOL) but the family was outside trying to get it. So I didn't do it, but ya... it bit my shoe. Stupid Dog!!!

OH! I know what I was going to tell you...I made little kids cry! Terrible huh! What happened was, on Halloween night we went to a members to warm up cuz it was way cold. While we were there kids were knocking on the door for candy, so the member had me put on a wrestlers mask. Kind of like a Hulk Hogan mask and answer the door for little kids. (To kids in the United States I am very big, but to kids here I am what you would call a Scary Giant) so the first kids to knock were a 5 year old girl and a 6 year old boy. So I opened the door wide and stepped up into the door way. (Here I am bigger then the door ways so I filled it and then some. You have to know this to get a picture of what happened) and asked these little kids in the scariest tuff voice I could "What Do You Want?" They just sat and looked straight up at me with their mouths wide open and I think peeing in there pants for like 5 seconds, not saying anything. Just staring straight up at me with there mouths wide open and eyes as big as softballs. So I bent down to give them candy and they both screamed as loud as they could. Then the brother grabbed his little sister and yelled "Run!!! Before he breaks all of your bones!" and they ran to their dad screaming and crying. I felt kinda bad but it was way funny. I think the dad was a little upset but didn't know what to do, cuz he just stared at me with his mouth wide open too! I think he might have peed a little too. So it was way funny but I felt bad. After, I took off the mask and we gave them lots of candy and told them I was sorry I scared them to death. It was funny!!!

Well family that is about it for this week. It's OK my birthday package will be late. I don't mind, as long as I get one! Or I'll come home and scare you guys with a wrestling mask!!!

Love you all tons!
Hope everything is good!
Love you all!

Elder Fackler

E-Mail 10-19-09

2009-10-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone
What's up? This week has been OK. First off I got a new comp, his name is Elder Haro. He seems cool.

Next, I baptized again this week so that was good!!! It was kinda crazy. The other elders didn't drain the font from their baptism the week before. So when we got there to fill it, it was full of old water with dead AND alive bugs in it. YA it smelled bad and was just gross. So then we tried to drain it but the drain was not working and we needed to use it the next day. So guess what??? I had to take my shoes off put on my gym shorts and climb down in the nasty dirty gross water with a bucket. I had to hand out buckets of this water to my comp then he carried them outside. It took over an hour and a half. I bucketed out old, nasty, gross water barefoot!!! Fun huh, hahahaha ya nasty!!! So then after all that we turned the water on to fill the font and left. But when we came back the water was not really working so we left it on all night to fill. But it never filled it very much. So the next morning when we got there to check the font it was only a 4th of the way full, about 6 inches below my knees. So we had to baptize this guy but didn't have much water so I had him sit on his butt in the water and I knelt down and baptized him. Ya I had my first sitting baptism!!! Cool huh hahahah ya it was a good experience.

So lets see what else, this week has been boring no other cool experiences. So Ross had a good wedding? I'm glad it was good and everyone loved it. It was really hard not to be there and be able to be a part of it but it's OK. I wore the tie and took pics so I'll send them next week OK.

That is about it for this week. I got a new companion, he seems cool but I have only been with him for an hour so I'm not really sure yet but we will see. I am doing good.
I love you all!
Love
Elder Fackler

E-mail 10-5-09

2009-10-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

Como Esta
Hey family,
Whats up? So how has your week been? Mine has been OK. Mom my eye is fine now. I put some cool Mexico drugs in it and it's all better. I have been wearing my contacts and everything so don't stress.

I didn't have my baptism this week because of conference. Next week I have 2 which means I'll finish the transfer with 6. That's an average of one a week! Sweet!!! Pray for them OK, there names are Alejandra and Carlos.

My cool experiences this week are I ate chicken neck and cow intestines, pretty cool huh!!! I'm a Mexican now. I ate a whole chili plain and it didn't taste to hot so that makes me a Mexican now.

On Tuesday I worked with one of the youth from our ward. We were knocking doors and we found a crazy lady. First she tried to hit on me, then she started telling us how bad her life was and how she would cut her self before she found Jesus. (ya crazy) But then after all this she said at one point in her life she was so mad at life that she ATE HER FINGER!!! (yes ate her finger.) Then she held up her hand and you got it... NO FINGER. I about threw up, told her thanks for her time and we RAN away as fast as possible!!! CRAZY

I didn't get to watch much of conference and what I did watch was in Spanish and was a little hard to understand. TV is hard to understand so I didn't really watch it. It made me home sick on Sunday to think about all of you guys eating waffles and hanging out. It's OK I ate eggs and chicken yum huh, hahahahah.

The weather here is killer. It is only 75 or 80 but it is so humid I just feel gross and sweaty all the time. I shower with cold water alot cuz if you use hot you are sweaty when you get out. Cold doesn't help to much cuz you still just get sweaty fast but it could be worse I guess.

So how are you guys feeling about the wedding? How is Ross feeling? I can't believe we are all getting so old. Ross is getting married and I'm going to be 20, no freaking way 20!!! I need a walker that's so old. You asked what I would like for my birthday, I would like an electric shaver. One with the 3 little circle things cuz they work better. I have to shave everyday now and I hate it, so an electric shaver please, and peanut butter M&M's and American candy, I miss it lots.

Stuff with my comp is going OK. I have just got to get through 2 more weeks I think. Pray for his safety cuz I am a very BIG person and he is Not hahahahahah!!! Just kidding.
I love you all so much and hope life is going good!
Love you all!
Love Elder Fackler

E-mail 9-28-09

2009-09-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-31T13:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Fam, what's happening?

I got the box with everything in it. Thanks so much, the shoes fit good and I have been using them all week thanks a ton! The candy was so good!!! I missed rice crispy treats. They don't have them here. My comp ate one out of my box and it was the first one he ever ate in his life. Now it's all he wants hahaha it's so funny, he loves them now. The ties are super good too.
The red one for the wedding is so, so, so cool. I love it, I don't know if I can wait to wear it till the 16 of October. That is a long time and it is very cool haha. I got Angela's stuff in the box too, thanks a ton for everything, the letters and everything, I needed them so thanks!!!

I baptized again, it was good. It was a 10 year old kid named Martin, he is super funny and cool. We baptized him on Sunday. His family was inactive and we found them and started teaching them. We invited them to church and for Martin to be baptized and they did it. It was so funny, all the kids didn't wanna go to church so I just acted crazy like I would at home. I had everyone laughing and having fun the whole time so the kids loved church and wanna go next week. The family has 3 daughters, one is 18 the other 16 and one is 7. There are 3 sons, one is 22 one is 10 (Martin the kid we baptized) and one is 2. It was so fun to just have them all go in the church just laughing having fun cuz i was being a spaz. They said they loved it and they will go again next week if I sit with them again hahaha!!! So ya that's good.

We had interviews this week too. I think I'm going to get transferred next week which is good and bad. I love my comp with all my heart, he has taught me so much but I'm kinda ready for a new area, a new adventure hahah. So ya next Monday I think I'll be moving to a new area in the mission. In my interview president said he doesn't know where I will go or who I will be with but he knows I'll do great cuz I'm a good missionary, it made me feel way good! I love our president so much, he has helped me to grow as a missionary. He is just such a good loving guy.

I was sick this whole week again, it was really bad. I had a way bad fever, the chills, throwing up and all those wonderful things. It got so bad Sister Nancollas the mission presidents wife had me call the doctor. That is why I took money out, it was to go buy medicine to try and get better cuz I really thought I was going to die! The worst part was I had to drink this nasty stuff to put electrolytes in my body cuz all my muscles were spazzing and cramping. So I had to drink nasty water stuff then the bishops wife gave me hot milk with fresh garlic in it, you wanna play Fear Factor drink that crap yuk!!! I am better now, the medicine I got helped. It sucked, I got food poisoning last week then this week the flu, what a crappy 2 weeks. I'm good now so other then that not much else is new.

I lost more weight I think. I had to move my CTR ring to my middle finger cuz it was going to fall off. I don't have fat little round fingers anymore, they look long now.

But that is about it. Tell everyone I love them and pray for you guys every night and morning and at lunch and some times at dinner to hahah!!!

I love you all,
Love Elder Fackattack (aka Austin)

2009-08-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Hey Family,

So how is everyone doing? I'm doing good and bad, we had a super crappy week. No one came to church and I just felt super frustrated. Last night me and my comp were talking about it and he said "Just think of the peoples lives you have helped since you have been here." It made me feel good and really helped me out. He also said "Think about your family at home, to them you are the best missionary in the world. So from now on think like the best missionary in the world and next week lets get people to church!" He is so cool and helped me so much and made me feel way better and motivated. I don't know why we had such a hard time this week, we worked super hard. One day this week we couldn't work cuz we both were super, super sick and throwing up. It was really bad, it was the most sick I have been on my mission so far. We were at this investigators house helping them. I was standing talking to the mom and all of a sudden everything started spinning and I had to sit down. I almost passed out so we went home for the day and tried to get better. I feel better now but not perfect. It's just like everyone said, you will have times you feel so sick you will wanna die. That was this week!!!

I didn't get my box yet. I won't get it till we see president cuz all of the boxes go to the office. We get them at zone conference and interviews. We have interviews on Friday so I should get it then.

Not to much more has happened. Oh this little kid threw a firework at my head cuz his dad told him to. It blew up right by my ear, I thought I was deaf. I wanted to beat the little punk and his dad to death, stinkin kid!!! We have been helping a lady in the word who has been having family problems and she told us the other night that she never could have done this without us. We were the perfect missionaries for her and God had us here to help her. It made me feel so good and helped me have a better week.

I had to talk in church this week for 10 min. it sucked!!! I thought my head was going to blow up from thinking so much in Spanish. I talked on being humble and not letting anyone offend you. It was good I thought but ten min later we had to give a blessing to a lady who was offended in the ward (hahaha she didn't listen.)

Not much else is going on. I have to go, we have a service project today and have to paint.

Love you all! Hope all is well! Tell Jorden to whip some people in football for me and I love him!!!

Love
Elder Fackler

E-Mail 8-17-09

2009-08-18T09:13:00.000-07:00

Hey Family
I can't believe Bridger got hit by a car on the scooter that is so crazy, poor kid. It's good it is nothing super, super bad. Trestay( Spanish for freaking) old people, the lord really did protect him though and that is so good.

I baptized again, a lady named Martha. It was really good but I had to push her under kinda hard cuz she didn't wanna go under. I didn't wanna say the prayer twice so I pushed her under. She is so funny, she is a little old lady and just has the best attitude. We baptized her in 3 weeks so it was super fast. She was really ready.

Yesterday we knocked doors with the district and I had to knock with the elder with no excitement. We found 8 news in 30 min. It was so cool, I always find the most news it's a pride thing. I hate to lose so I work super hard and just use my personality and people let us in and listen. Yesterday I just kept asking people if we could sing for them and they would be like "no" and I would say "Come on have you ever heard a giant white American sing in Spanish? This is a once in a life time chance!" and they would laugh and let us in. We would sing a song about the plan of salvation and then talk about being with your family forever and they all said we could come back which was good. We found 8 people in thirty min. The next best missionaries found 2 in forty five min. So ya we rocked it hahaha!!!

So Spanish is starting to come along really fast. People understand me and my comp is helping me a ton. He is such a good missionary and has taught me so much. I'm loving it right now and we are working so hard. I feel like I am growing alot again as a missionary. With my last comp I didn't feel like I progressed at all but now I feel like I am getting better which is super good.

I don't need more money Mom, it's good to have it in there though. I took money out to buy a scripture case. There is a guy here who makes them for us but it is only in the zone I am in now. I bought one to have to remember my mission with. It is leather and has a pic of the Mexico City Temple on the front and my favorite scripture on the back and it has my name on it. It's all burned in the leather so I got it to remember my mission.

I don't have any more time, we have an appointment.
I love you all so much!
Tell Bridger I am sorry the old person used him for target practice!!!

All my love,
your son
Elder Fackler

I'll let you know asap when I get the package ok.
Tell Dad thanks for the letter it really helped me and Bishop Chenny too!!!

8-10-09 E-Mail

2009-08-12T09:57:00.000-07:00

Hey family,
What's up? How is everyone. I am doing good! We worked super, super hard again this week. I washed my cloths with my hands again, it is kinda fun and good exercise lol.

I'm working so hard you guys would be so proud of me. My feet have blisters though which sucks but it's ok. I think I'm losing weight again just cuz I'm walking so much and so fast. I'm not like looking skinny nasty just look more buff haha, which is good. Maybe I'll be cute when I get home. My face has got way thin. My companion and the lady I live with looked at pics of me when I started and they both told me how fat I was hahaha (jerks!) lol.

We have a baptism next week which will be cool. Time is going so fast with Elder Huchim, he is super cool and has helped me so much. My Spanish is getting better fast. On Thursday I dreamed Angela came to Mexico and was talking to everyone Spanish and I just kept saying "Babe you don't know Spanish." But she just keep talking to everyone. It was weird and I understood it all which was cool. My first bilingual dream and I understood hahahah.

My Comp has also helped me with contacting people. I have gotten good at it. Today we have a deal though, we have got to sing a "himno" on the bus for everyone to hear. I am excited, we will see if I really have the guts. He really is just so cool, he is super obedient and fun and easy going, he is perfect! I have loved the last two weeks and time is flying.

We got some cool ponchos cuz it is always raining here, so we got ponchos to use which is cool. We got the ward to start working with us more too, which is good. Our ward is not very good at helping the missionaries but we are working hard to get them to like us.

That is about it I have got to go we have a zone meeting today. I love you all!

Te amo familia yo estrenia ustedes mucho yo orar por ustedes cada dia dios bendiga me familia y me novia mucho amor o tambien habla graceas con madison y angela y la familia por todo la cartas

Elder Fackler
Practice some spanish hahahahah!

E-Mail 8-3-09

2009-08-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

Hey Fam,
So how are you all doing? I am doing good. This week has been the best of my mission so far. My new comp is super amazing. He is from Quintana Roo, it is in Mexico too. He doesn't speak any English which has helped me with Spanish a ton. My Spanish is getting better super fast and he just has the best attitude about everything. It is unreal, he is always happy and super obedient. He has helped me so much it is crazy! He helped me with my street contacts and this week we found 18 new investigators. I think we will baptize alot. He is super laid back and amazing I'm so glad I have him.

Yesterday we knocked doors with the district to see who could find the most new people. I went with a missionary who is super shy and has a hard time talking to people. We went to knock together but I wanted to win so I was super out going and used my personality a ton. With my old comp I never really talked but my new comp Elder Huchim always has me talk and contact people, so in a week I have really improved. Anyway so we started knocking and I was the only one talking. By myself I found 6 new investigators in 30 min!!! Everyone was freaking out, saying how good I am. The missionary I was with just kept saying "he is freaking crazy!" But it was so cool. 3 of the people we found were talking outside and one of the guys was a Jehovah Witness and was teaching them. I just started joking with the guy and we sang for them right there on the street and prayed with them. All 3 of them gave us the address to there houses. It was super cool, we found 6 people in 30 min. the others found 2 and the others 1 so we smoked them and I did it all alone!!! I was proud of my Spanish, it has come really fast in this week. My new comp is just awesome and helps me with everything, he studies with me too which has helped me so much. He really is amazing!!!

I looked for shoes here there is nothing bigger then a 12 and I need a 14, so I need you to send them, sorry.

Oh, so today I washed my cloths by hand, it was super cool and they get way cleaner using your hands. I like it better and it is good exercise hahah!!! I love it! Don't stress about me, sorry last weeks letter was so bad I was just scared cuz it was my first transfer in the mission. I was way scared. I am doing better now then ever, my comp is so cool!!! You know how I am I stress my self out over little stuff.

Not much else has happened, we are just working hard. I have blisters and it kills to walk but I love it!!! I am being very obedient. My comp is perfectly obedient so its super good.

Oh I ate chicken heart and feet yum huh, hahah.

I love you all thanks for everything.
Love,
Elder Fackler

E-mail 7-27-09

2009-07-31T09:27:00.000-07:00

Hey family

Hey everyone how are you? I am doing good. I don't have much time cuz we had transfers today. I got a new comp, he seems pretty cool. I think I will really like him. It will be hard though cuz he doesn't speak English at all. It will be really good for my Spanish to be with him. It was hard to say by to Elder Arrieta, I thought I wouldn't care cuz he drove me freaking crazy but last night he wrote in my journal. He started to cry and said the last three months were the favorite of his mission. It made it really hard, I think it's cuz I worked so hard to love him. When we had to say good-by it was so hard. My new comp seems really good though and seems like he will wanna work which is good so I'm excited for that. So nothing cool happened this week it was really boring.

The assistants to the president came and worked with us which was cool. I like them a lot, they went home today. Elder Pratt, the kid that was in my room in the MTC had to go home. He had a really bad heart problem. I felt so bad for him, that would be so crappy but I guess God has other things in mind for him now.

So nothing else has happened besides my new comp. I have only been with him for an hour so I don't know much about him yet. Getting all the stuff done for transfers was super stress full.

Yesterday we went to see the lady I baptized and she was smoking again so ya that made it a way bad, stressful week.

When we worked with the assistants one of them has an issue and has to be in the front so we spent the day racing, it was so funny. Elder Arrieta was just running behind trying to keep up, it made me laugh.

Well that is about it. It has been a super slow yet stressful week. I'll write more next week I promise.

Tell everyone I love them and hope life is good!!!
Love Elder Fackler

E-mail 7-20-09

2009-07-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

Hey family,
So how are you guys this week? I am doing good, I have been kinda home sick but its ok.

I baptized again so that was good, his name is Felix. He is a really cool guy but it was "The Impossible Baptism." We had to work so hard to get him ready to be baptized and then yesterday when we got to the church to fill up the baptismal font the water didn't work at all!!! We had to go out side to the church water tank (here every one has under ground water tanks kind of like wells) and get a bucket with a hose tied to it as a rope and lower it into the water tank and pull water out then dump it into other buckets and then kids carried them to the font and threw the water in. It took 3 hours of none stop work to get it done. It was such a pain I hated! Today my arms hurt so bad I can't move them cuz most of the time I was the one pulling the water up out of the well! I bet it took 2000 buckets of water to fill the font but it was worth it. The water was freezing cuz we couldn't warm it up at all, so when I dunked Felix he came out of the water and squealed. It was a super long yet cool day. I will always remember it that's for sure. We did all that work in are white shirts and ties so afterwords we were so dirty.

This week we had interviews with president, they were really good. I'm getting a new comp next week which will be good. I asked president for a native comp who can't speak English so I have to use Spanish. So I am going to learn Spanish fast now I hope cuz I won't be able to use English at all so that will be good for me.

Not much else cool has happened. The family we were supposed to baptize this week won't even talk to us now so I don't really know what to do about that, I'll just keep trying I guess.

I weighed myself and I have lost 35 pounds, I don't think I will lose anymore though cuz I am able to eat the food here now.

That's about it, thanks for everything.

Love you all,
Elder Fackler

E-Mail 7-13-09

2009-07-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hey Family
So how is everyone? How is life? Things here have been good. The weather is not bad, it's not very hot and it didn't rain everyday this week which is super good.

This week has been good. I baptized this lady named Angelica. It was such a cool feeling after I baptized her, I felt like I had been baptized again. It felt like God had forgiven me for all the times in my life I have fallen short. It was cool too cuz she picked me to baptize her which made me feel really good. She was so funny, she had a problem with smoking so we had her stop over a 2 week period. She had 3cigarettes for 4 days, 2 for 4 days then 1 for 4 days. When she was down to one she took the cigarette and divided it in to 3rds so she smoked a third in the morning a third after lunch and a third after dinner. It was so cool to see her trying so hard. I loved baptizing her, there really is no feeling like that!

So our turtles...I gave them all away. We are not supposed to have them and I'm trying so hard to be obedient, so I gave them all away. So ya my turtle adventure is over, I figure I have my whole life to have turtles and only 19 and a half months left to serve God so I need to serve the very best I can so the turtles had to go.

Next week I get to baptize again, it is a guy named Felix he is a super cool guy and I'm way excited to baptize him on Sunday, it will be cool. I've got the prayer down in Spanish, it was super hard but I memorized it. My Spanish is really starting to get better. People are starting to understand me and I understand almost everything they say which is good so I'm super happy!!!

I think my weight is starting to balance out which is good cuz my baptism pants are huge. They were falling off when I was in the water which is very bad.

We were supposes to baptize three other people on Sunday. It is a family but the dad drank so we couldn't and the wife and daughter want to get baptized at the same time as him so we have to wait till the 26th to baptize them. But it's OK that will mean I baptized 3 weeks in a row which will be good.

OK so there are these kids here and their a gang and they were staring at us. I thought we were going to get killed so I decided to go make friends with them, so we went and talked to them and were super nice. Well now they love us. They always talk to us and ask us if we want to drink and smoke weed with them, it's so funny. We took pics with them, it's all these guys smoking weed and drinking and two missionaries. We call them our hood!!! They are super cool to us now so I'm glad we decided to be brave and just go talk to them cuz now we don't have to be scared they will rob us or anything which is good.

That's about all that's new here.

I love you guys tons thanks for everything!!!
Elder Fackler

E-Mail 6-29-09

2009-06-30T15:00:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone how are you?

I am doing pretty good. Mom don't stress, my stomach has been fine. I have not been sick for awhile and I'm starting to get use to the food. Some of it is so good, like Tortas. They are Mexican hamburgers OH I LOVE THEM!!! I am still losing weight cuz I only eat once a day and work out every night. I think I'm about where I was during football. I'm going to be skinny and tan when I get home.

I like Mexico more and more all the time. It feels normal now living here. My one bedroom house just feels normal. The donkey pulled trailer that comes to get our trash is normal now too. I'm going to have to let Angela pick our house cuz after living here I could probably live in anything in the U.S. and be happy. It's crazy how humble the people live here. It makes me feel like such a spoiled brat. I always felt like our house was so small and always wanted to have more. I was not happy with what I had. Now that I live here I see how blessed and lucky we really are. We have so much it's not even funny. I wish you guys could see some of the houses here. All I know is when I get home I'm going to be so grateful for what we have. We are so lucky!!!

The work is going good. We worked are butts off this week but I still have not baptized yet. I think we'll have one soon. We are teaching some super cool people. I learned this song in Spanish but changed the tune to the tune of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" and my comp and I sang it to some investigators. At the end the dad was crying super hard which was crazy cuz he has never been very emotional before, he was crying like crazy, I couldn't believe it. The song is super cool, I'll try to record it and send it home.

OK the turtles well um ........................ we have 6 now Pedro, Juan and Santiago (Peter, James and John in Spanish) Moto Moto, Tietsy and Tony the Tiger. Ya I'm terrible I know. They have got a pretty pimpin house by the way. They live better then us and they eat live fish. It's cool cuz there are these things here called Tanges which are huge sales where they block off the street and tons of vendors come. You can find anything there super cheap. That's where we get the turtles, but we are done with are turtle adventure now. We are only going to keep them till transfers in 4 weeks.

My comp is great and has taught me a ton, I love him tons. I think my feet grew, my shoes that are 13 hurt my feet so bad. I'm wearing the same pair everyday but I don't want them to wear out and get ruined. I think I'm growing again too cuz my knees have been hurting really bad and my shoes are to small.

My comp said I can't be the Jr. Companion any more cuz I'm to big. He gets mad at me and asks if he can be the Sr. Companion just once cuz he is my District Leader, Sr. Companion and Trainer so I should let him be the boss but then he tells me I am just to big and that I don't let him hahahah.

I can't believe how much a missions help you. I always thought I was such a good person but a mission shows you all of the areas you suck at. It helps you be willing to swallow your pride and just do what you have to do to make things better. I know I'll be a better husband and dad from this. It teaches you so much and helps you so much!!!

You asked about the bugs here, they are not to bad. I get bit a ton but I'm use to it now.

That's about it here I have got to go. I love you all so much, thanks for all you do! I miss you all.

Tons of Love,
Elder Fackler

E-mail 6-22-09

2009-06-22T15:19:00.001-07:00

Wow!!! No wonder they call him the GIANT!!!

Hey Fam,

Lets see, this week was kinda boring. I have not had to shower with a bucket at all!!! I just use cold water and hot only if I can but that doesn't happen to much it's mostly cold.

So we had a talent show this week in our ward and my comp wrote this "Dear John" song. He sang it and I acted it out. It was super funny! I took pics of Angela and letters she has sent me and stuff and acted it all out. Everyone in the ward thought it was super funny, then we sang a hymn in Spanish and it was super spiritual so that was good. Everyone says the "Dear John" song was karma and I'm going to get dear Johned. I told them "Ya right hahahah I'm way to good lookin to get dear Johned."

My clothes are getting so big I don't know what to do. My shirts look like sheets around me. Spanish is stating to come, I'll hit you up with some... hole como esta nosotros somos missioneros y nosotros tenga buen mensajhe por usted y su familia es muy espesual es sobre cuando usted veva su familia para siempre. That is a door contact in Espaniol. It gets better and better everyday it just is taking longer then I want it to.

The super cool family ditched us for church and now said don't come by till Thursday so that sucks. The other lady went out of town this week so she didn't come either. We had one new investigator in church this week. This week we have to buckle down and bust are butts and find new people cuz I freaking want to baptize already!!! My comp and I had a way good talk and figured out what we need to do so we are going to get on it this week.

So other then that it has been kinda boring. Oh Happy Birthday Mom and happy Fathers Day Dad, I love you both. I miss all of you but it's OK, this will all be so worth it in the end. I am growing so much as a person and learning new stuff all the time. By the end I'll be a better dad and husband and just all around better. I can't believe Madi is going to be 16 ahhhhh stay off the road. We have 2 more turtles, Moto Moto and Tetsy so now we have three. I think we are going to give them away cuz we kinda are not supposed to have pets and I want to be super obedient, I need the blessings.

I better go, love you all so so so so so much!

Love Elder Fackler

E-Mail 6-15-09

2009-06-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

Hey family,

This week has been so amazing! First off this week I was in this taxi and he was flying down the road cuz they rush everywhere here, all of a sudden there was a huge dip and we freaking ramped it. It was so crazy and cool lol.

Next thing, transfers were this week and I didn't get transferred I still have the same comp which is good I really like him (most the time) hahah. He is really cool. I had to go with our district leader and get evaluated to see if I was a good missionary. I rocked it!!! I did super good, he said I was amazing. My Spanish is getting better, I can talk now with a mixture of Spanish and sign language.

I got a turtle, hahaha it's name is Juan... since it's a Mexican turtle.

So on Friday my companion and I went to check on an inactive family. They were not there so I said we should knock the doors on the way down cuz it was at the top of an apartment complex. We did and on the third floor we found this church member who went inactive and started worshiping Santa Muerte which means St. Death. They think death is a spirit and it is the only sure thing in life. Because death was the only thing strong enough to kill Jesus they think it is the best power and worship it like a god, it's nuts!!! Anyway she had been worshiping that way for a while. But she said she was in the middle of a prayer asking our God what she needed to do with her life, she asked for a sign...and we knocked on her door!!! She had us take all of the death worshiping stuff out of her house. It was so cool to think God used me to answer someones prayers. She came to church and everything, it was super cool!

So next, on Sunday we fasted for a family we are teaching, their name is Familia Alejandro, to come to church. Church started and they were not there so I was super upset. Half way through sacrament meeting I was saying a prayer cuz I was so upset and then I looked up and Alejandro and his whole family were walking in and they stayed the whole time. It was so amazing, I saw our fast work. It really was so cool mom!!!

We have 5 people with a baptism dates, cool huh!!! I'm super excited and we should have 2 more tomorrow, so 7 all together. I feel like I am finally stating to see all my hard work pay off, I love it. I just wanna keep working hard.

Our house flooded, hahahah. One of the missionaries used our sink but no water came out so he just left it on thinking it didn't work. When we got home we had a flood, it sucked haha we had Noah's ark in are house.

OK about my comp cuz I always forget to tell you. He has been out for 15 months. He lives in Chihuahua. He is super fun and I love him. He knows so much about the church he reminds me of dad.

A few nights ago my comp got up to go to the bath room at like 12 and all of the sudden he just started screaming like a big fat girl. I got way scared, I thought someone had come out of the shower to kill him so I jumped up and went to see what was happening. All it was, was a cockroach. It was so funny I about died laughing!!!

So that's about it here, gotta go.

Love you all so much!
Elder Austin Fackler

Austin and his Pres. and wife

2009-06-10T21:15:00.001-07:00

E-Mail 6-8-09

2009-06-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

Hey family,
So here are the answers to your questions. My interview with Pres. was really good. I really like him he is super cool. I have not been sick at all this week which is super good and I think my weight is OK. The women in our ward are upset with me cuz I don't eat all of the vegetables they give me but its so hard. Some of them are just so sick and I just can't do it. I try so, so, so hard and I just can't cuz some I don't even know what they are. They just turn into slime.

The lady we live with is mad cuz I have been using the water pump to shower. That is the only way we have water presser. This morning she got mad and told me to stop using it. I am going to have to start showering with a bucket which I am not looking forward to at all. I guess I just need to humble my self, suck it up and just do it. I just really really don't want to.

So we have a pretty good group of people to teach right now. We have two families and then two single women with kids and some others. It's just hard cuz they all act so good but then getting them to go to church is like moving a mountain which sucks. All we can do is our best.

This week we had kids throw rocks at us again but they missed so its OK. I saw all of my friends from the MTC on Tue. We all went to get are visas finished which was super cool. I really miss them so much it was good to see them all again. They all have been having a ruff time too. It's just so different. It's super hard to adjust and now I get to shower with a bucket, hahaha!!! Oh well I just need to keep working threw it, I'm sure I'll deal with worse stuff.

So Ross is getting married, crazy! That was super fast. I'm glad he and Sandi go together. I can't wait to get home and get married and start school. I kinda miss being normal. I'm kinda homesick this week, cuz of my ward being mad at me and the lady we live with. You know me, I don't do good when people are upset with me.

This week the assistants brought me a new mattress which was super good cuz mine sucked, and a fridge so that's nice. I didn't have one my apartment. It is so small it's hard to fit it all in. It's probably as big as our living room at home and has a bathroom. Ya it's very little but its OK. I know I needed to come to Mexico to be more grateful for what I have cuz we are very lucky! I promise.

So people here have been screaming at me a ton, greengo and stuff. It's kinda funny I learned to just ignore it.

Other then that not much has happened. We are teaching some way cool families and trying hard. I think president really likes me, at least I hope so. I am trying so hard to be good and do my best. It's hard cuz we still have not baptized and the ward is mad at me, and I have to shower with a bucket!!! I'll be OK, it will get better I hope, I know it could be worse hahaha. Mom don't stress about me, I'm OK I promise. I love you so much, thanks for all of your prayers.

I love you all with all my heart.
Write next week. Hope life is good and I'm OK,
I promise.
Love,
Elder Fackler

2009-06-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Family,

Here is what's going on here. I have been sick all week but I just go work anyway. My cloths are falling off, I can't stop losing weight. I'm kinda home sick, our baptism fell threw. But we have a lot of really good new investigators. and all of them have a lot of potential. Nothing really exciting has happened except a drunk women came up screaming grandote at me which is giant in Spanish she was crazy. We went bowling today it was super cool, the mall is like the US I love it.

This week I have not really eaten anything gross except cow intestine tacos, but they actually tasted good. I have not really taken very many pics, I don't like to carry my camera around cuz I don't wanna get robbed I have not had anything like that happen too me yet I think I scare people cuz I'm huge here. I'm getting skinnier and doing push ups sit ups and curls everyday to stay in shape so I can play football when I get back.

I don't really see my president very much we have are first interviews since the first day on Fri. His letters are always super nice, just like he is proud of what I am doing for my comp and stuff and to just keep working. So i got some cool dollar ties I was pretty excited. I did street contacts alone in Spanish on Sat. which was super cool. I will be an 8th of the way done on Thur. that's so crazy. I hope it all goes this fast. Some days I just want it to be over, but I know it's right and I am where I need to be. It's just hard when we have weeks like this one. We couldn't get in a door to save are lives and our baptism fell threw. I have been really sick all week, I am so worn out physically cuz I can't really keep food down but I'll be OK. I got a blessing this morning and didn't throw up breakfast so that's a good start lol. Ya this week has been hard but all I can do is just keep working and try to be better and work harder. Mom I know how you are don't stress cuz I promise I am OK and will be fine.

So I have been teaching my comp wrestling hahahaha. It's so funny, he always tells everyone I try to kill him but I really don't we just have fun which is good. Oh are bishops son is nuts he stabbed his mom's pet bird with a stick and almost killed it. He is crazy, I was freaking out, I wanted to stab him with a stick... freaking psycho. I ate cucumbers mom you would be so proud of me!!! I'm getting so grown up I can eat cucumbers. I have seen a lot of like half run over dogs, It grosses me out I hate it. They drag their broken half around it is sick.

So girls here this week are just crazy! They just try to hit on me cuz I am the only white person they have ever seen which is dumb. On Tues my comp went to a meeting and I was with this other white elder, it was really bad but good. We knocked doors in his area and out of 7 doors we got into 5 and they were all girls and 4 tried to hit on us so we got up and left. But it's OK.

I have almost finished the Book of Mormon again, I love it. My comp told pres to make me a Sr. companion next transfer! I hope not I'm not ready for that yet!

That's about it I have to get going. I'll write again next week.
Love you guys I'll pray for you, you pray for me K!!!

Love
Elder Fackler

E-mail 5-25-09

2009-05-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

Hey Family,
So this week has been amazing, we found this mom and her son last Sunday morning and now on Sat. they are both getting baptized! So that's good, I have my first 2 baptisms. My companion is really good, he is keeping all of the rules with me and is working really hard.

OK lets see, I got rocks thrown at me. We were walking and someone threw a huge rock at us but it missed so it's all good. I get hit on by girls a lot. It's weird, just because I'm white they hit on me. It's stupid and weird but it doesn't matter cuz I can't understand them. My comp just tells me about it, like the other night we were walking home and these girls were walking behind us talking loud so my comp had me walk past the apartment and go around the block till they stopped following us and he said they were asking me if I wanted to hook up and all this nasty stuff. And this 70 year old lady told me how handsome I was it's creepy. I need Angela to come protect me. I got hit on by a gay guy, so she really needs to come protect me. I have not seen white people at all so that's why they hit on me cuz I'm white.

I have had some of the best food of my life. There is a hamburger stand that OH my gosh, AMAZING!!! The members food has all been way good this week and I'm feeling better. I was super sick Wed. and Thur. with the flu. I found out the last missionary to have my bed had Swine Flu so I think I might have had it, but I'm good now.

I am really starting to love it here, we are working super hard and trying to get people to church. Church here is crazy there are 350 members and 47 go to church. We have got some work to do but it's good. A drunk guy came up and kept touching me wanting me to speak English but we are not supposed to cuz our area is way ghetto and we will get robbed. Finally my comp told him I was going to lay him out if he didn't stop so he did.

So I have lost more weight. I took my suit pants in to be taken in because they are just falling off. My face has gotten thinner. I don't really have fat cheeks anymore but I think since I am starting to get used to the food and my mouth being ON FIRE I will start to steady out. I am getting super tan. The weather is super nice it's 80 with clouds but still sunny. It just rains everyday at about 7 which sucks but the rest of the day is great.
Mom can you send me a hymn book in English ASAP please. They ask me to sing in English all the time so please send me one.

So about my size... I am a giant. Everyone says stuff but I can't understand so ya I am huge here. Oh there are these kids in this apartment complex that always follow me saying washu, washu, washu, they are trying to speak English but they can't so they follow me. They are my parade ha ha! Now they think I don't speak English cuz I talked to them in Spanish and said I didn't know English.

OK so my bed sucks!!! It was John Taylor's mattress on his mission. But it's all good, I have learned so much about the church, I love it. I love my study time, it's my favorite time of the day, I have learned so much.

I had cow head and upper legs and intestine tacos yum! They really were not to bad I just pretend it is Fear Factor ha ha.

So Jorden's Court of Honor was good, I'm glad.

I didn't know till I got hear what a mission would do for me but this is teaching me so much. How to work threw my own feelings about the gospel, to love people I have just met, to help people and to get my own testimony of the church. I am also learning how to work threw problems. I am just learning so much everyday, I love it!

I love you guys, I am doing so much better and Spanish is coming a day at a time. Pretty soon I'll be Mexican I promise. I love all of you so much, I can't believe I am an 8th of the way done.

Later!
Love,
Elder Fackler

First E-mail from Mexico

2009-05-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

Hey Fam,
So my area lets start there: haha I live in the most ghetto part of my mission, it is super poor and there is graffiti everywhere. There are dogs everywhere, like on the roof and everywhere else. They put them on the roof cuz no one has yards. There are tons of little apartments. It's just crazy my apartment roof is my height. I have to duck. It's one room maybe the size of our front room it has no fridge and is super small. It was so nasty when I got here I cleaned every morning for like an hour so now it is not to bad. We have to clean in the morning cuz we only have running water in the morning. That is the only time you can shower is in the morning but at least it has a shower. It's so different here, like the trash man is a guy in a wagon being pulled by donkeys. Ya me and Ross got the wrong mission calls, this is his kind of place, and like people walk around smoking pot and stuff. I cantt wear my watch or carry money cuz my area is way bad and they don't want me to get robed. So ya that's my area the ghetto of Mexico City.

OK the food: I ate an earth worm, I have pics haha. They were deep fried earth worms to so they were kinda like earth worm chips they don't really taste they just stick in your teeth. I'm not kidding other then that the food is just FIRE HOT and it's really hard for me to eat. I am going to look like Uncle Blaine by the end of this. I have been a little sick the whole time since i got here I am pretty sure I drank tap water. But I'll be OK the food is just so different, there is no in the middle it is either way, way good or so, so, so sick. They eat alot of soup which is hard for me cuz it is weird soup but I'll get used to it. I'm glad you have been praying for me, I have been pretty homesick here. It's hard to only email once a week. I would like letters in the pouch too. Just send me as much as you can.

OK my comp: he is a way good teacher and a super cool guy. He had problems with the rules before me but I just told him we are going to be obedient and we have been. So that is good, he is from Chiwawa Mexico. He has had me sing "Be Still My Soul" in English like 5 times to different families cuz they don't have it in Spanish. So I sing it to people alot which is cool. They didn't really have much success before I got here. We had 0 on everything. Now we have 8 new investigators and one with a baptismal date. So ya we worked hard this week and we will keep working hard.

That's about it here it's just all so different, dirty and crowded but it is good. Everyday gets better and I'm starting to feel happy again. Tell everyone I love them. All of you are the best I couldn't do this without you. I love you all so, so, so much keep me in your prayers k. I'll write next week
Love
Elder Fackler

Leaving

2009-05-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

Austin was able to call us yesterday and tell us his new flight plans. He will be flying out on Monday May 11th for Mexico City. He is so excited and ready to go even though there are some nerves involved. He was able to talk a little longer this time so we had a chance to really visit. He has grown so much it is amazing it has only been 2 months. I asked if he was scared about going down there and he said they have really been teaching them all week how to keep from getting sick. They have water purifying systems they take with them and tons of hand sanitizer too. I am really not worried at all. I have been talking to several mothers that have sons down there already and they said all of there sons are doing great. Many of the Elders even said they felt like it was a big deal over nothing. They are still not shaking hands and are very careful about closed places but it seems they are doing great. So I feel very confident that he will be fine. I am excited to get his call on Monday and see how he is doing. I will post as soon as I hear.

Swine Flu

2009-05-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

Many of our friends and family have called wondering if Austin will be flying to Mexico City on Monday May 4th as scheduled. He was able to call us Wed. the 29th to tell us that his departure has been delayed until at least the 6th and maybe longer depending on what happens with the flu in Mexico. He sounded GREAT!!! He was upbeat and excited and actually a little disappointed that he was not getting to leave as planned. He said he already had one bag packed and weighed. He also bore his testimony to me in Spanish and even though I didn't understand many of the words he said his amazing spirit filled my heart and I FELT every word! He is excited and ready to get out into the world and share the great message he has in his heart. He made me laugh when he told me he had just finished the Book of Mormon and he said "Mom that is an awesome book it has everything, action, adventure, wars, and most important the spirit of Christ, what took me so long to get into it. It was just so amazing." Isn't it so cool what the spirit can help you find. We are just so proud of him.
I will keep you all posted as to what is happening.

From The MTC

2009-04-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

Something about this picture just touches my heart.

It just looks like a missionary picture to me.

This is Austin and the other Elders in his room.

They have a really good time together as you can see from this picture.

The Growth Of Our Elder!

2009-03-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share a little bit of the letter we got from Austin today...
I always thought my personality would bring people to God and our church but everyday I figure out more and more how it doesn't matter how cool or good I am, it's the spirit and how much God helps. Without God it's just a cool story. You have to have the spirit with you to be a good teacher. So I am doing everything I can to keep it with me.

WOW! What more could a mom ask for then that statement in her own son's handwriting. I feel very blessed today!

E-Mail, March 25,09

2009-03-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

Hey Mommy so how is every one I am good. Ya I’m glad I am going to be a zone leader its really scary to. We have to help home sick missionaries and interview all the time and meet with the branch pres every Sunday it’s a lot of stuff and its weird cuz we are still the youngest Elders in the zone by far and we are the zone leaders. I think we get new missionaries in our zone today so that’s good. We had the best fireside last night it was from one of the guys in the 70. He talked about forgetting yourself, he used an analogy. He said you can use a stumbling block as a stepping stone. Only you can decide what it is. So I guess I’ll surmount my stumbling blocks all I’ve got to do is use them as stepping stones right. I just really liked it a lot. He also said that if you are home sick it is cuz you are to worried about yourself. So I need to work on it cuz I am still struggling with missing you guys way bad. Its weird here time goes so slow yet so fast. The days feel like weeks but the weeks feel like days. I am learning a lot my scriptures are getting so marked up (lol) but in a good way. Spanish is starting to come. I can follow and get what they are saying I just can’t respond but they said you will learn how to talk in the field. Here we just learn grammar so we have a foundation. Oh I benched my companion last night it was so funny (lol) we always play around in the dorms so we don’t go crazy cuz we focus so much all day. Its so funny like we will sing songs so loud and have church song dance parties (lol) by the end of the night everyone is in are room. We even put a sign above the door saying “Elevangelio Club” which means gospel club in Spanish haha! Ya I know its weird but things are always the same here so we mix it up in our room. I love all of you so much thanks for everything.

All my loveYour son,
Elder Fackler

New Zone Leaders

2009-03-24T20:43:00.001-07:00

The last two letters we have received from Austin have been amazing. The last one said "I am still struggling with homesickness sometimes but I never feel alone. I know that the Savior is always with me because he said he would always be with his servants and I am his servant." As I read that it just all hit home again why we want our sons to serve missions.

Then today we got another letter tell us that last Sunday Austin and his companion Elder Glade had been called to be Zone Leaders. I can tell he is excited and humbled by this calling especially since he has only been out just about 3 weeks. I am so excited for him and all the growth that just seems to be filling him. As much as I miss him I wouldn't want him anywhere else!

A Companion For Austin

2009-03-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

I was not shocked at all to get this picture from Austin. This is so typical of him. This is his companion Elder Glade from Highland UT. I am afraid to think what the MTC is having to endure with Austin and a companion that might be anything like him

I call this

"Lifting Up The Work"

That is not my kid!

Mexico City Here He Comes

2009-03-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it was about this moment but it about tore my heart out. I think it was the little boy look on his face and that he looked like he was pulling his wagon full of belongings so he could run away from home (pillow and all.)