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

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

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

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

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

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

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