E-Mail 4-26-10

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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