Thursday, September 16, 2010

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

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

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

Monday, September 13, 2010

E-Mail 8-30-10

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

Monday, August 23, 2010

E-Mail 8-16-10

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

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

E-mail 8-9-10

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

Thursday, August 5, 2010

E-mail 8-2-10

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

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