Sweet Frijoles

I'm about half-way finished with my first transfer in the mission field!!!!!! It's going by really fast now. Definitely faster than the MTC. Wow. I got a few e-mails from people this week, THANK YOU MUCH!!!! But I still haven't heard from Alesha!!! AHHH!!!! HAHAHA I just received a particularly hilarious e-mail from Cory Seitz (the bass), and it was really really really really funny!!!! I thoroughly thoroughly thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, dad, I got those pictures of great-grandpa. He was a sharp lookin' fella. What happened to you??? Haha I joke, I joke. Dad, I am very happy to hear about your arm wrestling competition with Andrew. Be prepared for an even greater challenge when I come home.
Today we had crepes for a p-day activity. WOW I LOVE CREPES!!! THEY ARE THE BEST!!! It reminded me of when we would eat them each General Conference. I am not gaining a single pound out here, and I don't know why. I look fatter, I feel fatter. I think my huge muscles are turning into mush. That's a shame.
The mission field is a HUGE growing experience. This is definitely the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. It is a very good thing too. We just had ZONE CONFERENCE this past week and it was very awesome. Our President is such an awesome man!!!!! Definitely a man of God. There are going to be some changes made in this mission pretty soon. They are changing it from a bilingual mission, and they will be splitting it up between Spanish and English Elders. But we won't find out about how that will work out until we get our new mission president in June or July. They are also demolishing the mission home, and they are going to finish up the visitor's center, and the mission offices will be in the bottom of the visitor's center. NEXT WEEK WE GET TO GO TO THE TEMPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited to go to this Temple. It is so HUGE!!!! It doesn't look very big in the pictures, but it is a monster. We have a baptism coming up this week!!!!! But we might have to push it back to next week so we can have more time to finish teaching the lessons. He is from Guatamala. He hardlly knows any English. He has been going to church with his friend, and he wanted to get baptized even before we met him!!!! WOW!!!!!! We have another sister who we are preparing for baptism within the next month. We just need to get her to church and help her keep her committments!!!!! The work is going forth.
There are a TON of churches here in L.A. Down the road there is an Ethiopian church, and there is a really big Korean church too. And there are a million other little churches along the road. My area is full of religious people. And a lot of them know a lot about the Bible. And some of them just want to bash. But bashing doesn't get you anywhere. I have never seen so many churches in one place. Most people we talk to are religious. Tons of them are Catholic. I have started a list of the different countries of people I have met out here so far: Liberia, Belize, Egypt, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Mexico, Chile, Tonga (my companion haha) Guatamala, Nigeria, Australia, Argentina, and Iran. There are probably lots of others too.
I know this church is true. There is no doubt about that. If this church weren't true, I would come home and do something else. I think it's First Nephi chapter 15 or 14 that talks about our church and the great and abominable church. It talks about how the Lord's church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) will be small, but that it will cover the entire world. While the great and abominable church will be great and all over the world as well. And that the Lord's church will be persecuted by the church of the devil. We see this happening in the world today. It is amazing to me that Nephi was allowed to see so much of the future. And the fact that we have this information in the Book of Mormon is tangible proof that the church is true. I love this gospel, and I'm glad I get to serve the Lord for 2 years. I feel so lucky to be here on Earth with the gospel, and the ability to serve a mission. We are truly a blessed people. I am grateful for all that Joseph Smith did for this church. He was a strong man of God. I am grateful for the Plan of Salvation, and for my family. I am grateful for the ability to make choices and become a better person, and to have the opportunity to become like God someday. That's what it's all about. To become like, and live with God with our families. I'll bet eternal life is pretty great. I know these things are true, and I say them in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Good luck with everything you do. Have fun finishing school for this year!!!! Keep working hard. Thank you for the letters and encouragement. You are all GREAT! Always remember to keep doing the little things each day that keep us close to God, without them we are weak. I love you all so much!!!! Nos vemos! Hasta luego! Adios! Cuidense! Buena suerte con todas cosas! Voy a la obra de Dios! And keep smiling!