4/22/14

Querido Familia, This week was pretty good. We din't have a whole lot of lessons, but we did get a lot of referrals and we contacted them all. Unfortunately we did not get any lessons out of it, but they all set return appointments so that is good! One lesson that we did teach this week though was with a really old lady in a nursing home. It was really weird at first, but it was a really good and humbling experience! Well, I hope you are all doing good! I just saw the picture of Kyle with his Go-tee and I didn't even realize it was him at first! Anyway, thats about it for me. I love you all! Elder Lee

4/15/14

Querido Familia! This week has been fantastic! I did get the bike tubes and they work miracles! I haven't had to patch or repair my tires at all since installing them! I am extremely grateful for that! So I found out this week that I will be getting a New Mexico Driver's License! I had Elder Cottle call the DMV and he had trouble so he finally had me call and I found out the reason I have to go in person for the tests is because of the ticket that I got in 2012. So that cleared up everything. So Elder Cottle will be sending me the stuff I need to fill out so I can get a license here! Ok, so as far as the work goes. It has been a pretty good week, nothing super exciting, but we were able to find one new investigator, who is the wife of one of our other investigators. They have been meeting with missionaries for a while and they seem solid at first but then they kind of start to argue a little bit, so we will keep working with them but they are not our first priority. We have been looking for other people to teach too, and we have a good list of solid potentials that we are going to stop by this week, so we will see how that goes! Anyway, I love you all!! Elder Lee

4/8/14

Querido Familia, So a bit of news, We got a phone call from the AP's on Monday around six and told my companion that he would be getting transferred the next day. He was pretty upset, but he is where he needs to be. So I still only have 1 companion, but we are doing awesome! We are Killing the area now! My new companion has almost been out for six months. His name is Elder Caleb Smith! He is my second companion with the name of Smith, but he is not the same one. So this week we have been walking since I don't have bike tubes and patches have stopped working! But we were able to find a few new investigators and a lot of potentials that we are going to stop by sometime this week! We were also able to get quite a few lessons in with less actives which were really awesome. So this last weekend we watched general conference and that was super awesome! Maybe its because I actually listen to general conference now, but the talks have been way better these last two conferences than they ever have been before! Anyway, not much else for me this week! I love you all!!! Elder Lee

3/31/14

Querido Familia, So this week was pretty good, We had another lesson with one of our investigators, and this time we got to teach her husband too! The lesson itself wasn't the best, we were kinda all over the place, but it was hard, because they know the Bible really well and kept switching topics! But next time we are going to be a little more prepared and try to keep it focused! So not much else happened, but I will give you all the News that you've been so anxious to receive! So, I will be staying in this area with my current companion for the next 6 weeks when my companion leaves to go home! The catch though, is that we will be receiving a third companion! So I am super stoked for that! Trios are the best! Also there is one other catch! Our area has been changed from a car share area to a full bike area! So hopefully I will lose a little bit more weight! I have already lost 5 pounds! can you believe that? So that being said, These last few weeks I have had to repair my tire at least once every day if not twice! And a member bought me new tubes and I bought plastic liners that go between the tube and the tire! The plastic things helped a little bit! But what I really need are good quality tubes! So I was wondering if Dad could order me some extra thick tubes with self-sealant slime already inside with the Presta valves! The size is 700c x 28/38c! So that is about it for me and you can send those to my current address, not the mission office! And the sooner I get them the better! Muchisimas gracias!! I love you all!! Elder Lee P.S. If dad thinks he can find better tubes than that I trust his judgement, I just Need something better than walmart tubes!

3/25/14

Querido Familia, So this week was pretty good, We had another lesson with one of our investigators, and this time we got to teach her husband too! The lesson itself wasn't the best, we were kinda all over the place, but it was hard, because they know the Bible really well and kept switching topics! But next time we are going to be a little more prepared and try to keep it focused! So not much else happened, but I will give you all the News that you've been so anxious to receive! So, I will be staying in this area with my current companion for the next 6 weeks when my companion leaves to go home! The catch though, is that we will be receiving a third companion! So I am super stoked for that! Trios are the best! Also there is one other catch! Our area has been changed from a car share area to a full bike area! So hopefully I will lose a little bit more weight! I have already lost 5 pounds! can you believe that? So that being said, These last few weeks I have had to repair my tire at least once every day if not twice! And a member bought me new tubes and I bought plastic liners that go between the tube and the tire! The plastic things helped a little bit! But what I really need are good quality tubes! So I was wondering if Dad could order me some extra thick tubes with self-sealant slime already inside with the Presta valves! The size is 700c x 28/38c! So that is about it for me and you can send those to my current address, not the mission office! And the sooner I get them the better! Muchisimas gracias!! I love you all!! Elder Lee

3/25/14

Querido Familia, This week has been a lot better, we finally found a few people to teach and we will hopefully be finding more people this week too! So that time has come again... Transfers... It is crazy how fast this Transfer went by, I feel like I just got to this area! We will find out on Saturday if one of us leaves. And since Transfers is next Tuesday, we will be having our P-day on Monday. So I love El Paso, it is great! I haven't fallen and gotten covered in Gas yet, but I look forward to the day that I do! That's cool that you all got to see Uncle Spencer! I hope he and his family are doing well! So, my district is good, we do exchanges, usually once per transfer, but my current district leader wants to go with both companions so I think we will be having a short exchange this week sometime, but I am not sure. I can't think of anything I need right now! Something I want for my birthday...? I am not really sure about that either. I will try to think of some thing this week and let you know! Anyway, I love you all!!! Elder Lee (The gas thing has to do with a story I told of my experience in El Paso, if you really want to know, just ask Me)

3/18/14

Querido Familia, This week has been better, we have still been struggling a lot, but we were out looking for a less active and we knocked into this lady, who is a Christian, and she started asking us questions about our Church, which is awesome because most people just politely say they aren't interested. So we asked her if she would be interested in hearing about our message, and she said she would ask her husband! So we are going to stop by this week to follow up with that. She was super sincere in her interest and she seems really promising. At this point I am just praying that they want to hear more! Other than that not much has happened. I got a few letters from seminary students, one from Josh and one from Either Nicole Bosch or her younger sister, whoever is the right age to be in seminary, It said The Bosch Family. But then as you know I also got an email from Bishop, last week! I marvel at how the Lord on 3 different occasions from 3 different sources in the same week, can tell me, Exactly what I needed to hear! It amazes me how the Lord uses each and every one of his children for his purposes, even if it is a simple letter to a missionary who is having a hard time. The thing that amazes me most though is that the people who wrote these letters didn't even know how much of an impact of what they were writing would have. I hope you can feel the spirit of what I am saying! and I hope that each and every one of you are doing well! I love you all!! Elder Lee

3/11/14

Querido familia, This week was pretty good, we have been going through our ward list and visiting all the people in our area and trying to find who is active and less active. So far we have only come across a few active members, which means a lot of the ones we have gone by are less-active. We set up an appointment with a less active family and they seem super awesome, I only met one of them but she said to come back on Wednesday, and she would tell her family, but they seem really promising, so I am super excited to meet the rest of their family! We are still struggling to find investigators to teach, we have been through about all the ones in our area book, and there are just a lot of excuses or no one answers the door. I have been trying to get out to go finding but my companion really wants to go by all the less actives, which is important, but our main priority should be investigators. So we will see how things go this next week. Entonces, mi espanol esta mejor. Todavia tengo desafios con entendimiento, pero lo esta mejor. Puedo entender mas que mi ultimo area. Me encanta esta area mucho, hay muchas personas buenas. Hay muchas personas que estan listo por el evangelio, pero necesitamos buscar por las personas, y les enconraremos.Ok well That's about it for me I love you all and hope all is going well! Elder Lee

3/4/14

Querido Familia, This week was pretty good. We were able to get out and try by a few potentials and some referrals. A few people said to come back a different day, but when we did they weren't there, but we will keep trying! We had our zone conference yesterday, which was really good! It was mostly about improving our teaching skills and there is a self evaluation sheet that we got and we are supposed to fill it out after each lesson we have and it will be reported at the end of the week with all our other Key Indicators. There is one other big change, and that is regarding our Dinners. We are to only have 2 dinners each week with active members of the ward. We are to strongly encourage those members to invite an investigator or less active member or be prepared to give us a referral. The rest of our meals we are to set up with either investigators or less active members. Another thing is, there are 3 sets of missionaries in our ward so we would leave our area to have dinner with a member that lives in another set's area. President Miller told us that this is no longer allowed, we can only have dinner with people that live in our area, even though it is the same ward. Also members would choose to feed 2 or all 3 sets of missionaries. Since we can no longer leave our area to have dinner this has been done away with as well. So there are a lot of changes, but we have been promised that as we do these things and follow these guidelines we will be blessed with more lessons and ultimately more baptisms. And I know that by following these guidelines that we will be blessed and we will see much more success in our areas. Anyway That is about it for me. I love you all! Elder Lee

2/25/14

Querido Familia, This week has been pretty stressful, but it is getting better! I have been working with my companion a lot and I am expecting things to get a lot better! We have a car this week, which is good, since I am still waiting for my bike to get here! It should be coming this weekend, my Mission President is coming down for Zone Conference and he is bringing it down with him! So our area has struggled this last week, but like I said I am expecting things to get a lot better, there is so much potential in this area! Once we get into the swing of things, we will be seeing miracles! Anyway, not much else to report on, not much change since Thursday. But I am glad to hear that you all are doing well. I love you all!! Elder Lee

Random Photos

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2/20/14

Querido familia, Last week was really good. I spent this last Sunday and Monday saying goodbye to people, because I got Transferred! That is why it has taken so long to write this week. I am in El Paso zone. I am reopening an area in the Montana Vista Ward. It is the Vista Del Sol area! My companion is a nice guy. As of right now we are in a car share area so we only get a car half the time so I will be using my bike a lot!!! But while I am waiting for my bike and my companions bike to get here, hopefully when we get bikes it will be a little easier! Anyway, So far the area is really good, Leaving my last area was bittersweet. It was really hard to leave all the people from the branch and area, and to come somewhere I don't even know. But I was ready for a change in area and to come here where my Spanish will improve. Anyway I really like this area and I can see great things happening here! Well that's about it for me I love you all!!! Elder Lee

2/11/14

Querido Familia, So this week was really good! We were finally able to get some members with us to lessons, not as many as we hoped, but it was still more than previous weeks! Not too many things to report, but this week definitely felt a lot better than the last few! We also heard that there is a new program for Spanish missionaries in our mission! It is a language proficiency program. I do not know the details of since I just heard about it Yesterday. But I do know that each month someone will come and kind of "test" us on our language and they will give feedback on what we can do to improve! So I am really excited for this to start up and to learn more about it because I think there is more to it than that. But my Mission President said that it should greatly improve the Spanish proficiency in our mission! Anyway glad to hear that every one is doing well!! Dad, I am glad you guys were able to beat the Centreville team at basketball! My basketball skills have improved greatly since I started my mission! Its a little sad though because most the people I play with have said their skill has gone down and they are still better than I am! Oh well its fun either way!! So its really cool to hear that I am related to Charlamagne and other kings!! Anyway that's about it for me. I love you all!! Elder Lee

2/4/14

Querido Familia, This week was pretty good! It felt like it went by slowly. We are really struggling to get members out with us, we are hoping this week and month will be better, since we have a calendar and it is almost full. But we will see how well that works out. We have still been teaching quite a few less actives, but we are also struggling with teaching investigators. It seems that whenever we go by or set an appointment something always comes up and they don't have time. But we will keep trying by and we have decided that for this week if we have any spare time or an appointment falls through we are going to focus on finding so that we will have more people to try by and hopefully be able to teach more! Other than that this week has been good. The lessons that we do teach are really good. So we did have snow, just last night, I was not super stoked about that, because I don't really like the snow, and we had a nice streak of warm weather, but it is what it is. So its good to hear that you all had a pretty good week! The movie you all saw sounds like it was really interesting. It is amazing what some missionaries go through and the impact it has on their lives. It is also amazing how many blessings we receive as missionaries and how our experiences impact not only us but everyone around us and in this case more than that. Anyway, I am glad you are all doing well! I love you all!! Elder Lee (The movie was Saratov Approach)

1/28/14

Querido Familia! This week was really good, we finally got our 15 name list from our branch mission leader! It only took him 7 months, but its okay because now we can better focus on the Less actives in our ward! If you don't know what the 15 name list is, it is a list of 15 less active families in our branch and it is made to help get the members involved in missionary work! The members go out and invite these 15 families to take the missionary discussions again! After they are invited we go teach them and we take the home teachers or other branch members with us to invite them to do something depending on the family, but it could be to come to church or read or pray or something even more specific to that particular family. So far 12 of the 15 families have been invited and this last week we were able to go and teach these families, and it was really good! We have been really struggling to get anyone to progress and our only investigator with a baptismal date dropped us this week. But all is well, because we are trying to sift our investigators and find the one's that will and want to progress, so that we can go out and find more! Anyway, that is about it for me. I am glad to hear that everyone is doing well I am sorry to hear that Dad was sick, but it's good to hear he is getting better now! Grandma, thanks for the story! The weather here is getting warmer it's in the high 50's low 60's now so nothing too extreme! Anyway, I love you all!! Elder Lee

1/21/14

Querido Familia, This week was really good, we have been trying really hard to talk with people we see! It is a number we have to record and report at the end of the week and this week we hit our record of 91 people talked to! We are going to try to beat that record this week! We are able to teach so many more lessons too since we have a third, I feel that members are more willing to come out with us now so it seems that we have made some progress in the branch with the members! That's about it regarding the work but today for P-Day we are going to Deseret Book because it is closing and everything is 50% off!!! Anyway Its good to hear that all is going well, I hope grandpa is doing well with his heart. I love you all!!! Elder Lee

1/14/14

Querido Familia, It is good to hear that your weeks all went good! I had a good week! My new companions name is Elder Schuyler (Skyler) Bradley, he is from Brigham City and Knows some of Brittany's family, At least Alyssa and her cousin Charly. But he is really funny, and is a good companion! It is awesome being in a trio because we are able to get so much more done, we have really been throwing down on members coming out with us so we can do splits more often! So we do not have anyone super close to baptism yet, but we do have quite a few that would be willing, they just have to keep appointments so we can set a date with them! Anyway thats about it for me, but Grandma the cookies were still fantastic! Dad, I hope thing start to calm down a bit for you but it sounds like you are handling things well! Mom, I am sorry to hear about your foot, I wish it would just heal already! Anyway I don't have much time today but I love you all and hope all goes well!! Elder Lee

1/6/14

Querido Familia, This week was pretty good. We got transfer news and I will be staying in the same area and I will have the same companion. The only catch is we will be receiving another companion, so we will be in a trio! We will get our new companion tomorrow so I will tell you about him next week! So this last week one of our zone leaders got sick so since we live with them they did emergency exchanges with us so they could prep Zone training. Then the other one got sick so it was kind of a rough week. They are better now though! So since we did some emergency exchanges a few times we were not able to teach as many lessons as we had hoped, so hopefully this week will be better! Anyway that's about it for me but I hope you all had a good week!! I love you all!!! The guy being baptized was the investigator that had been in jail in Brandon's previous email Elder Lee

12/31/13

Querido Familia, This week has been pretty good! I took pictures of Christmas but again I forgot to bring my camera to upload them. But Christmas day was pretty good, but my companion got sick after facetiming. We still went to dinner though, but My companion didn't eat since he was sick. We had Menudo again. I still don't like it! But I still ate it! Other than that Christmas was great! The rest of the week was pretty good too! We were able to teach quite a few people, and see how Christmas went. People seemed more willing to talk to us because it is the Christmas season. Hopefully that doesn't wear off soon! Anyway that's all that is new with me, and I would assume you all are still doing well since I talked to you last week! Although I did not get to hear from Grandma and Grandpa, so I hope your Christmas was good! I hope you all have a Happy New Year!! I love you all!! Elder Lee

12/24/13

Querido Familia, So due to Christmas tomorrow this email will be short, but I had a pretty god week this week. I recieved the package from Grandma and Grampa yesterday and I am assuming I should open it on Christmas so I will open it tomorrow. I will be getting my package from the mission office today. so I will have it! I have not sent christmas packages yet, because it is really hard to do shopping in the time that I have, and I have not found something for everyone yet. That being said maybe it would be best if I get Ryan and Brittany's address in arizona so I can send it there when they get back, because I don't know if I can get it home in time. But I will let you know when I send them so you can be expecting them! And I will be using an Ipad to contact you so I can do facetime or maybe google hangout! whichever one is better for you all!! so maybe let me know :) Elder Lee

12/17/13

Querido Familia, This week was pretty slow, we taught a few less actives. We didn't get to teach many investigators though, but on Sunday when the evening was coming to a close and things were kinda slow we were trying to think of someone to go visit, so we decided to go contact a referral, and we had a great lesson! We taught an old lady and her son, who takes care of her, we gave him a Book of Mormon and he said he would read it. She said she did not have the strength to read so we are going to read with her the next time we go by. But it is awesome because at first she did not want to learn about Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon, she just wanted to learn more from the bible. So that was our last lesson for the week, which we felt was a good way to end the week. So I have only gotten the package with the ties so far, but I do like the ties I am actually wearing one right now. I also appreciated the post card in it, I told my companion and the Zone leaders about that museum because I was excited about it. Mom, So we are not having a mission party or anything, Christmas is a normal work day, except for skyping or facetiming or whatever. We eat with members every night and yes we have dinner scheduled for Christmas and Christmas Eve. So we are planning on calling around 11 or 12 here so like 1 or 2 your time. However, I am still not 100% sure so I will let you know next week, I might facetime, because my branch president has Ipads. But we will see. Anyway its good to hear that all is well. I love you all! Elder Lee

12/10/13

Querido Familia, This week was pretty good. Along with just about everyone else besides Ryan and Brittany, We got snow too. We got a few Inches. I took pictures of the Christmas Tree farm right outside our house with the snow on it but I forgot my camera so I will send the pictures next week. So we have spent the last week going and visiting former investigators, We had lessons with three of them and more made return appointments. Both mine and my companion's Spanish has been improving quite a bit. So, fun fact about my companion, he played for the Highland Rugby team, so If any of you have seen the movie Forever Strong, It is the same team. So Mom, We don't have a zone Christmas Party, we have a branch Christmas Party this Saturday though. And as far as I know we don't get to watch any movies. But that's just fine with me, it gives us more time to teach people. Christmas for us is still a work day. But if anything special happens for Christmas we will find out this Saturday at Zone Conference. Although, we do know that we will get to Skype or google chat or whatever you guys want to use, so I will probably give your phone number to, probably my branch president and have him set that up with you guys. So our next transfers will not be affected by holidays, they will be on the 7th of January. So that's about it for me, I am glad to hear that everyone is doing well, and I will let you know when I get the packages! I Love You All!! Elder Lee

12/3/13

Querido Familia, This week has been awesome!! I got a new companion! I am still in the same area! My companions name is Elder Westover. He is an awesome missionary! He came into the field the transfer after me, which is really rare since we are both still greenies technically. But neither of us have super great spanish yet, so we are really buckling down on that one this transfer! I am actually understanding a lot more spanish, in just this one week. I can understand a lot of what people are saying now. But my new companion, Elder Westover, is not at all like him, this last week has probably been the best week of my mission so far, because we have just been doing non-stop work. It is so nice to have a good companion and to actually feel like I am fulfilling my purpose. We had quite a few lessons this past week and we invite a few people to be baptized. So we had a good thanksgiving! We had three meals and by the time the third meal started I was already full, so I managed to force the meal down. But that took up most of our day but we were also able to visit a few people, which was good. So thats about it for me, I love you all!! Elder Lee

11/25/13

Querido Familia, So I was unaware of this until this morning, but today is our Pday since we have transfers tomorrow. I found out that I will be staying in this area and my companion will be leaving! So I do not know who my new companion will be, but I will let you know next week. But this week was pretty good, yesterday was pretty slow because my companion was packing, but thats how those things work. But we were able to see our investigator L at church yesterday which was awesome. He is the one that was in prison. Anyway, not much else happened this week, but I will let you know about transfers and stuff next week! But it is good to hear that Moms foot is getting better! And about the restaurants... So there are a few places that I have never heard of until I came here, but are really good. Dion's is a pizza place that makes really good pizza. Twisters does good burritos and twister fries (hence the name). Church's Chicken is kinda like KFC and has good chicken! Other than that there are not really many places that I want to eat that I havent, at least in my area. Anyway, thats all i've got! I love you all!! Good Luck!!

11/19/13

Querido Familia, This week was really good, we were able to visit a less active man, whose family is not members and we scheduled a time on Friday to teach him and his family. Also we went to visit another less active member, who had previously kicked out her boyfriend who was our investigator. We had also found out previously that he was in prison, and she was not going to bail him out anytime soon. So when we visited, we were shocked to find that HE answered the door. before he was kicked out and in prison he was a really promising investigator, but when he answered the door, he told us that after seeing the people in prison and how lost one man was who was getting out in a few days after 15 years, he decided that he does not want that to happen to him. He told us that he is changing his life, and it wasn't "I WANT to change my life" it was "I AM changing my life." He has quit smoking and swearing, and he asked us what he had to do to get married ASAP. So we told him we would talk to the branch president and we scheduled an appointment for Friday. We also had a lesson with our one progressing investigator. Her baptismal date was scheduled for this weekend, but we had to push it back a little bit, because of her smoking problem, but I am really excited for her, because I really do think that she will get baptized. The sad news in all of this though, is that we will have transfers next week, and there are high chances that I will be getting transferred. So I am super stoked that the work has picked up a little bit here again, but I am sad that I may not get to see any of these great things happen. But it sounds like things are going well at home and that everyone has had a pretty good week. Grandma, Its good to hear that things are going well there. I really enjoy reading the short stories you send me and would love to receive more. Dad, I really enjoyed those pictures you sent and am glad that you had fun there. I have not done anymore Spanish only weeks so far, but I do plan to in the future. But I am trying hard to learn and understand the language. Ryan and Brittany, I really enjoyed the pictures. It looks like you will have your basketball team after all! Haha! Its good to hear that you guys are doing well and working hard. Anyway, thats about all I have. I will be sending pictures today!!!!!!!! I love you all!! Elder Lee

Random Photos

11/12/13

Hola Familia, So this week was pretty good, I am still working hard on learning Spanish! I still have trouble understanding anything people say, but I am trying hard to work on it! We were able to teach quite a few lessons this week, most of them were to less actives. We are still struggling to find new investigators. We also have some changes throughout the mission! Our P-day is now on Tuesday, permanently, and we now have weekly planning on Monday instead of Thursday! So those are the biggest changes in the mission but there are other minor ones. So as you know the Christmas Season is coming up, and as you may know we can listen to Christmas Music, so I was wondering if in the package with the sweaters, if I could get a copy of the Elvis Christmas CD that we have?? So I don't really remember Sister Rees, but it is sad to hear about her. But its good to hear that Mom's foot is finally healing and that she can start weening herself off of the boot. So yesterday we had a member who was a veteran take us to Golden Corral for dinner, because he got a free meal and got a discount on us, so that was awesome. He also took us to get a car wash for our car, because he got it for free!! He was telling us about all the other sorts of free and discounted thing he got, I thought it was weird because I never noticed any big discounts or anything for veterans while I was in Virginia. So I don't know if they do any of that around there?? Anyway Its cool to hear that the house will be different when I get home! Well that's about all I've got. I love you all!! Elder Lee

11/4/13

Hola Familia, This week was pretty good, We have decided to drop a lot of our investigators this last week, because none of them were progressing and a lot of them stopped letting us in. But we have been trying to find more people to teach this last week. We knocked a lot of doors, but none of the doors we knocked showed much desire. We were also contacting people on the streets, but still not much interest. So on Sunday we were one person away from our weekly goal for contacting, so we came home from church to do our studies, and there was this car in our driveway and we saw a ladder leading up to our roof, so I grabbed a mormon.org card and went upstairs and climbed out our window and started talking to this guy who was on our roof. It turns out the manager called him and told him that we had leaks that needed fixing but I gave him the mormon.org card. I don't think he will try to have missionaries come visit him, but I learned an important lesson from that. I learned that when you set a goal and have a true desire to achieve it, and you do everything you can to achieve it, the Lord will provide a way for you to achieve it. So even though no one we found this week is super interested, when we continue to find New people to teach, the Lord will provide us with those people in his own time. Anyway, that was pretty much our whole week. But it's good that Mom's foot is doing pretty good now and that it is actually healing. Its good to hear that Halloween was pretty good there. We didn't do much for Halloween, it was pretty much like any other day. Did any kids get scared of Oliver? Thats pretty funny that you had him out front. Anyway that's about it for me. Good Luck, I love you all. Elder Lee

10/28/13

Querido Familia, This week was really good, we were able to have quite a few lessons and we also found a new investigator. She came to church on Sunday which was awesome. She had actually been to church two times before that, we just had not been able to teach her until this last week. We set a baptismal date with her for the 23 of November. I really believe she will be baptized, but she first has to quit smoking, but I think she can do it. She really seemed interested in the church and had a true desire to learn more and follow Jesus Christ. Anyway, the rest of the week was pretty good too. One night we got a phone call from our Mission President and he asked if he could sit in on our companionship study, so that was an awesome experience. Its awesome to feel the spirit that our Mission President brings with him. So, that was pretty much all that happened this week. It sounds like you all are doing well. I am glad that Mom's surgery went well. And its good to hear that Dad has started going out with the missionaries. They will keep asking you to go out with them so I hope you are prepared for that. It sounds like the lesson you all taught to the Worth's neighbor was not super good, but I would say it is possible to find success with him. The key thing in Missionary work is to work through the spirit and to discern the needs of those you teach, so when they find a need or concern it may not be best to prove them wrong or us right. The main thing we are trying to do is to build people's faith in Jesus Christ by inviting them to receive the restored gospel. And we can only do this by listening to the spirit. And when they have enough faith in Jesus Christ, they will come to the understanding that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet called by God through his son Jesus Christ. I also have found that people cannot argue with a testimony, and when you show them that you know those things are true they will want to learn more. Anyway It was good to hear from Grandma and Grandpa and to hear that they are doing well. So there are a few things that I would like and its fine to get them electronically, but the tings are: a picture of Oliver and a copy of my Call letter (so maybe just scan it in and I can print it out here). Anyway I think that's about everything. Good Luck! I love you all! Elder Lee

10/21/13

Hola Familia, This week has been pretty good, we were able to teach quite a few lessons this week which was really good because everyone has been sick and wouldn't let us in. None of our investigators are really progressing though which is really sad, this week though we are going to do a lot of finding so that we can get people that will progress. Yesterday was pretty awesome, because we got to go to watch one of the members of the branch open his mission call. It was awesome his name is Tony and he is going to the New Mexico Farmington Mission and he reports on November 19 and he does not go to the MTC. So that was a really cool experience watching him open his call because he comes out with us a lot so we have got to know him pretty well. Other than that not much has happened this week. Its good to hear that things are going pretty well and that you all seem to be getting prepared pretty well for Mom's surgery. Dad, thanks for that list of things to see, I will try to check some of those things out. I have already been up to Sandia Peak and it was pretty cool up there, I have some pictures of it but I keep forgetting my camera to send pictures home. Anyway, That's about it for me, I love you all. Elder Lee

10/15/13

Hola Familia, This week was pretty good. A lot of our investigators were sick so they wouldn't let us in, but we did have a few good lessons this week. I was also sick this last week, it was just a cold and it wasn't too bad, especially after taking medicine, the main thing that bothered me was my sinuses, but they are clearing up pretty well now. There are a few places I would like to visit here in Albuquerque, but they are not in our zone, so we need to get permission from the APs before we can go, but we plan on doing that this transfer. And that place is just Old Town Albuquerque, so as far as places to go like cultural, there is not much, we already went to the mountain and other than that there are just Native American shops in Old Town and around our area, we have been to a few so far and plan to go to more in the future. But as of yesterday for P-day all we did was shopping for most of the day, then we took the brand new missionaries Greenie knocking so that was pretty fun. Which reminds me, we had transfers today, I am in the same area with the same companion, so no change for me, but we got a lot of new people in our zone so I am excited to meet them. We got a new zone leader who I met already because we live with them. So I am still getting along with my companion, but we still have our problems like all companionships do, but we are working through them, and I know that there is a reason for each companion that I get, so I try to find that reason and focus on it. So anyway, my branch is not very good with missionary work, but they are trying to fix that, the leaders of the branch have a strong desire to get the ward involved, so we are doing our best to help get them involved. Anyway, the weather here is still pretty nice, It is more normal now, it is starting to gradually get cooler (not cold at all though). Ok so Mom, something that I really like to get fed on my mission is... Mexican Food... shocker right?! haha, but really Mexican food is super delicious. So that is my suggestion for dinner. And I can't think of anything else that I need right now. Gram and Grandpa, I am glad to hear that you really enjoyed your trip, it was nice to see the pictures you sent. Anyway That's all I have, I love you all. Elder Lee

10/8/13

Hola Familia, Ok so this week was awesome, I had so many great experiences. It is good to hear you all are making it through life, even if it is hard at times. I know that when we bear our afflictions with patience the Lord will bless us. First off, I am sorry to hear about all of Mom's appointments and stuff, it sounds like its turning into a big deal, so I hope all goes well with that. Next, I am not sure why dad said "of course" in his email, I had no idea the government was shutdown, I had heard it might have been but that is it, but it is good to hear that he is back in work. It is good to hear from Ryan and Brittany, and sounds like they are doing really well. I enjoyed all the pictures from everyone, and I liked the faces that Easton was making in the pictures, they put a smile on my face. And it is good to hear from Grandma and Grandpa, sounds like their trip was good and I look forward to hearing more about it. So I have alot of pictures to send home but I might have to do that next week. I recieved my package this week, It was awesome, and I was super excited because we are now officially in suit season, when we have to wear our suits, but the same day I got my package with sweaters, we learned that our Mission President said we can wear sweaters and sweater vests in place of a suit jacket, so that was perfect timing. I also loved everything else in the package. And I don't know why Sis. Close and Katie were asking, but Elder Lee likes pretty much any candy as long as it doesn't have coconut or almonds (Almond Joy) and it is probably a safe bet to stay away from most nuts unless it is Snickers. Ok so now I will tell about my awesome week. On Monday after Emailing we went up to the top of Sandia Peak and got some awesome photos. It was really cool up there, the elevation was only 10,000 something feet but it was still really cool. Ok so on Thursday I got my package which was awesome. Then Friday we had Zone training, which was very helpful. Then on Saturday and Sunday we had General Conference and we did Exchanges on Saturday. I went with an Elder from Canada whose name is Elder Snow. He is a really good teacher. General Conference was amazing, My favorite talk was in the first session, President Uchtdorf's talk. So on Monday we had our temple trip, which was awesome, we got to see the new video and it was way cool. We also had a devotional after in one of the sealing rooms where President and Sister Miller talked to us and also the Temple President, so that was really awesome. So after that we went to Deseret Book and looked around for a little bit. Then we went back to the temple, because our temple cleaning got rescheduled from Saturday to Monday, so we cleaned the temple and afterward got to have a tour of the temple, so we got to see any part of the temple that we wanted which was awesome, They took us to the Bride's room and the Groom's room (the handicap changing stall) and also the youth waiting room, which I remember being in one when I was a child. They also took us to the bottom of the baptismal font where the oxen are, and it wasn't like the D.C. temple where there is just a staircase down, we had to go through all the electrical rooms and what not so that was super cool. One of the coolest parts though was walking around with just a small group of people and no one else being there. Well that brings us to today, which is our Pday for this week because of the temple trip yesterday. Oh and by the way, My P-day is on Monday and ALWAYS will be, sometimes we don't have time to do everything because we have to give rides to elders on bikes, so we have been given permission by our mission president to Email on Tuesdays for a limited amount of time, if we don't have time on Monday, so It is safe to ASSUME I will be emailing on Mondays, so Sundays are the best time to send your emails. Anyway that was my week, Have Fun, Good Luck, and Do Great Things. I Love You All Elder Lee

9/30/13

Querido Familia, This week has been good, The weather here is just the most ridiculous weather in the world, we went from summer to fall in the course of one...night! one day it was in the high 80s low 90s and the next it didn't even reach 60, since then it has been in the 70s, so that's the weather here for you! We went on exchanges this last week and I finally got to ride my bike, I was so excited, and everyone knew it. It was awesome. My bike works great, I had to make a few adjustments, mainly tightening the seat but after that, it worked beautifully! Unfortunately the day I rode my bike was the day it was in the 50s all day and I didn't have a jacket or sweater with me! but riding kept me pretty warm so that was good. So I found out that this Saturday I will be helping clean the temple, then on Monday, we have our temple day, so I am super excited for that! Also this past Saturday, we were privileged to hear from a member of the seventy, Elder H.B. Richards, who is actually the grand father of one of our APs, Elder Turnbow, So that was a really special experience. Elder Richards was on the committee for Preach My Gospel, so he talked to us about the importance of following the principles in Preach My Gospel, and how it can help us become better missionaries. It was really inspiring to hear from him and hear how much better of a missionary I can be. Anyway It's good to hear you all are doing well, and I am sorry to hear about mom's foot, I hope it gets better, and I hope the surgery goes well if that's what has to be done. One thing that I know will help though, is faith and a priesthood blessing. When we rely on God and his power that he has given us, we can do all things. Anyway, How are things going with Easton and Ryan and Brittany? Have a good week, Do awesome things, I love you all, and Good Luck! Elder Lee

9/24/13

Querido Familia, Esta Semana fue muy bien. We had our Zone conference, which included my zone (Albuquerque East) and the Albuquerque zone. It was really good, we talked a lot about Personal ministry, and how Important it is, especially in the work of the Lord. And what Personal Ministry is, the easiest way to describe it is, How we act or what we do, when nobody is looking. If we are not doing the things the Lord has asked us to do, then How can we expect the Lord to bless us and help us? We can't! Anyway, We were also able to give service for an investigator of some missionaries in our district. We cleaned her front yard of weeds. And she is awesome because she made us lunch because she felt bad about not paying us for the service. Other than that not much happened, we did not find any new investigators this week, but we hope to this week. We also have our temple trip coming up on the 7th of October, and four companionships from our Zone get to go clean the temple the Saturday before, but the Zone leaders don't know how to choose yet so we may or may not get to go help with that, but I think it would be an awesome experience. Anyway, About the package, the vests would be awesome and the ties too. And there is only one other thing that I can think of to put in the package and that is my basketball shoes, which should be in one of the bins in my closet I think. And I would like them because we play basketball every P-Day. Dad, Mi habilidad de idioma esta bien y puedo hablar mas pero no mucho, pero no puedo entender mucho todavia, pero yo se que lo venira con tiempo y muchos estudios. Anyway, I am glad to hear that everything is going well back home, I love you all, and remember The Lord can't rely on us, if we can't rely on him! Elder Lee

9/17/13

Querido Familia, This week has been good, we have been focusing on getting more member present lessons and this last week we were able to get 100% member presents which is really good. we have also been trying to visit more less-actives and we have been doing pretty good there to. We have also been dealing with some thunderstorms that came up from Chihuahua, Mexico, I believe Ryan and Brittany have been getting those same storms too, but I don't know. And Grandma emailed me and said they were getting a lot of rain this week too, so I am guessing it is all the same storm. Anyway Its weird to think that Kyle is up at BYUI now, I don't know if he will ever see this email, but if he does he should keep an eye out for my friends up there, mainly Joe Pearce, who probably lives in Bunkhouse and his cousin Witt Pearce who is not a student but visits a lot. They are awesome people. And also maybe someone could get onto my facebook and send a message to my friend Dan Hulse telling him that I still expect a wedding Invitation, even if he is already married, because I don't know when their date was and they promised to send me one, And maybe give him the mission office address to send it to, And please anything you send, send it to the mission office because I don't trust the mail coming to our house, and since I am so close to the office we get mail frequently throughout the month. Anyway I am sorry to say that I have not ridden my bike yet because my current companion doesn't have a bike, but I plan to ride it when I go on exchanges with the bike riding Elders. And Dad, we have transfers every six weeks, the average time for missionaries to stay in one area is 3-6 months, but some stay longer and others stay shorter, it just depends. At the End of this transfer I will have been here for 3 months, but I expect to stay longer, maybe one or two more transfers. and I am on my second transfer in this area. And I would still like an answer from kyle to my question that I asked him. Anyway I'll let you guys go now, I love you all and keep up the Good work! Elder Lee

9/9/13

Querido Familia, This week has been good. I realized I forgot to answer some questions last week. So I pick green. Green Chile is the state vegetable of new mexico, and I havn't had much Red Chile. My no English week was good, It really helped a lot, but I am really glad it is over. Ok now on to this week. Things are going good with my new companion, I really like him. The weather is still pretty hot but it is definitely cooling down. So that is good. So how are things going at home? Is Kyle ever going to send me the answer to my question? (which was how is home treating you?) Is it weird having some New Zealand kid there? I hope I need to get glasses!! Just kidding, but I have thought about getting some zeroes to keep the dust out of my eyes but I'll probably wait until next summer if I do. Anyway That's all so I'll talk to you all next week!! Love you all!!! Elder Lee

9//3/13

Querido Familia, This week has been crazy, mostly the last few days. We found out that my trainer would be getting transferred and I would be taking over the area and getting a new trainer. We'll see how well that works out. So we spent Sunday and Monday evenings letting my trainer say bye to people. But we actually had transfers today and I don't know who my new companion is yet, because he is coming up from down south. I am with another elder who is also waiting for his companion from down south. But I will be back tonight to let my new companion email so I will send another quick email saying who it is. And I am not sure if kyle still checks his myldsmail, but please let him know that I still expect an answer to my previous question. Ryan and Brittany, Holy Cow Easton is getting so big, he is going to be taller than me before I get home! I Am so excited to see him! It is crazy that he is almost 3 months old, it doesn't feel like I have been gone that long. I feel like time is flying by! anyway I really enjoy the pictures and I am glad to hear that all is well! Dad, I feel terrible! I still have not used the Bike. I asked my companion everyday if we could ride bikes the next day, and he usually said maybe but I think we always planned to when we would be in areas that we had a lot of walking to do, but we happened to be like 300 miles under on miles this month so we kind of got a little use to driving because we could. And we have 5 baptismal dates set but I think only one will make it. Grandma, Thank you for the letter and the story, I am sorry to hear about grandpa's feet, but it sounds like it is getting better. Its good to hear that other than that you are doing pretty good. Anyway, I have to go now, but I love you all! Elder Lee Ok so I didn't get an email from you guys so I'm assuming what I gave you worked, and also my mission has a facebook page called NMAM Lds, so if you want to check that out you are welcome to. I also got my new companion whose name is Elder Lawrence. He is great, I really like him. Anyway I can't take too much time since I emailed yesterday, but I just wanted to let you know of those things. Love you all. Elder Lee

8/26/13

Querido Familia, So first I will answer Dad's questions since he is the only one besides Grandpa who took the time to write me, and grandpa didn't ask me any questions. So the weather here is the most ridiculous weather in the entire world. I apparently just missed the hottest part of the summer, but it still gets pretty hot. And it rains a ton, but it's weird because it will be super hot without a cloud in the sky and within 5 minutes it will be pouring down rain. Then it will rain for anywhere between 20 minutes to an hour. then the sky will be clear and it will be blazing hot again without a sign that it just rained. then it will do that every few days. And so, I actually just got my lock and stuff today, because we didn't have time last week, so I will be able to use it from now on so I'll let you know how it is next week. This week was kind of slow, but we got 5 new investigators which is the standard of excellence. Four of those investigators we got yesterday, which is the last day of the week. so with them we hope to be pretty busy this week. And my Spanish is getting better. Actually this whole week I am not speaking English to anyone. even people who don't speak Spanish, my companion is going to translate for those people what I say. Anyway, I think that about covers everything. How is Mom's foot doing? How is Easton doing? How are Ryan and Brittany doing? How is home treating you Kyle? (I know he is not back yet but he will be before next Monday). Anyway, I love you all! Keep up the good work!! Con Carino, Elder Lee

8/19/13

Querido Familia, My week has been pretty good. We had an investigator come to church and a less active family. So that was awesome. They weren't on time though, so when we started we were kind of disappointed that no one came, but they came in like 5 minutes after it started so as they were all coming in, it put a smile on my face. we had our meeting for trainers and trainees which was really good. I also got my bike that day. And it is awesome. The elders I was with were really jealous of it especially since it was so light. I haven't ridden it yet, because I don't have a lock yet so I didn't want to take it anywhere. But I should hopefully get a lock today. We do not have any sweet plans for P-day because there really is not much to do in Albuquerque, or even around Albuquerque. But I do look forward to another wonderful week. Oh and we also had exchanges this last week. So that day was really long and really slow, because I was with an English greenie (came out the same day as me). In a Spanish area (mine). So that day was really hard, but we made it through, and even with a little bit of success. Anyway that is pretty much it. Be safe. I love you all. Con Todo Lo Que Soy, Elder Lee