MERRY CHRISTMAS. HAPPY NEW YEARS.

2014 was a super hard year for me. But I feel so happy. From Mexico, to Paterson, to Freehold to Caldwell. Each area I have met the people that matter a lot to me. I felt more love for the people I truly care about, and that is what made 2014 successful! What an awesome year to be serving in New Jersey :) 

This next year is going to be awesome as well.

Thank you for all the Christmas gifts. It was a great Christmas in Jersey because of all the love I felt from my mission family and my family and friends at home. Thank you for your support!

This last week was loco. We organized a party for all of our missionaries on Thursday and made breakfast for them. It was a great activity. We went caroling to a few people with the missionaries serving in Caldwell (Sisters Harvey and Taylor, Elder Gossner and Clow, Me and my companion). We went caroling to a nursing home and it reminded me of the times we went caroling at that place next to the high school. It was a good reminder to do service as a missionary.

I loved talking to you family. I love you all so much. That was the best present ever. I will be counting down the days til we skype again! You are all so stinking funny and awesome. I miss you...

But I am over my trunkiness. We have a huge baptism this week so I dont have time to be trunky. The family Vaca is going to get baptized and Diana Carranza is going to get baptized as well (her family will get baptized soon too). I have the privilege to baptize little Emily Vaca and Abuelita Nancy. I am super excited because it is my first time actually doing a convert baptism! It is so exciting :) This family has been changed by the gospel. They get to go to the temple to be sealed for forever in one year! They are so focused on that. I am super grateful for this experience that God has given me.

I am grateful for Jesus Christ and the support he gives me. His story gives me hope and his teachings make me happy. I love to share his gospel.

Life is good in the gospel

Jersey Strong til the end

Waz good

Love you

Tyboy

Pictures: Temple, Zone Conference, etc.

temple trip

Elder palmer and I at all mission conference

exchange with Elder Clow. I love this elder. He goes home soon but I am grateful for him.

My little christmas set up and thank you for the pixie gift! Haven't opened it yet. And traditions with the Taggarts.

Singing at the Zone Conference

Merry Christmas

I cannot wait to talk to my family. I love you all so much.

I am getting used to the area. Its different. The members are different and we haven't quite established a relationship yet. Me and my companion have some disagreements, but we will get into the flow soon. That's why I am excited to talk to you all. It will be a nice recharge of energy to serve. 

Our area is doing pretty good. We are going to have 2 families get baptized soon. They are ready and are solid. We had our Christmas party on Saturday for the ward and our investigators were more involved and did more service than the members did. They are awesome!

We also had the all mission conference this last week. It was fun to get all together and sing songs and hear from our President and his wife. I spent most of the day with Elder Palmer. We are such good friends. I miss him so much.

We went to the temple this week. It was a mess trying to get everyone there, taking the right subway and boarding the right train. We had it all planned out but then the train we were gonna take got cancelled so we were late to our session, waited two hours for the next one, then had to get home finding a different route. It was like a bunch of chickens running around with their heads chopped off. BUT. I enjoyed the temple so stinking much. I felt a lot of peace and happiness there. And one of the best parts was that I got to go with E Muro again. We enjoyed ourselves. 

Today we had Traditions with the Taggarts. It was definitely fun. I love the Taggarts. They make this mission feel like home. I feel like I am part of their family. 

I love the Christmas story. And I believe that Jesus Christ is always there to help us as we remember Him.

Jersey Strong

Waz good

I love you all. Merry Christmas

spanish activity
mijo and our friend hermana ivie

Crazy Caldwell

I am now in zone 2 serving in Caldwell! We are a branch that started in February last. I am super close to Paterson. We actually had to deliver some medicine to a sister in Paterson so we drove all around Paterson. I got to see my old apartment building, crazy broadway... practically everything except the people. IT was awesome.

We are super blessed here in Caldwell. We have 2 families that are going to be baptized here in January. Super exciting! Our branch is super good. They give us referrals, invite us over for food, and come out with us! They are awesome.

Pretty much everything in zone 2 is Huge. We have a huge area. It is driving, and I feel that we have to drive for hours. Our zone goes into part of New York. It is a huge zone! But hugest of all is our testimonies and our love. This zone has a lot of powerful missionaries. S Woodland and S Hindman are two sisters that I started out with in Paterson. They are companions here and are killing it! E Muro (one of my bestest friends) is here. We were together in Paterson/Passaic, Freehold/RedBank, and now New City/Caldwell. We have a lot of leaders here. Pretty much my zone is full of my bestest friends in the mission. We had to do zone meeting on Wednesday. I wasn't nervous at all because all of them are my friends. It was like having an awesome spiritual conversation with a bunch of your friends! 

So... we don't get p-day today. Why? We get to go to the temple tomorrow! So stoked. We are emailing, running to the store, and then teaching! So excuse me if I don't respond to your emails.

So far, being a zone leader is super different. I spent most of last week driving to meetings and helping other missionaries. Its a great part of the work. It is just different to what I am used to. I am adjusted pretty well. My companion is awesome. Elder Gonzalez Esquivel lived in Mexico City (DF) til he was 14, moved to U.S., got baptized, and now is serving a mission. He goes home next May. He is super good. He works hard and effectively. He exercises like an animal and is helping me learn how to be a good missionary. 

Friday I went to a meeting with all the new leaders. We were there for 8 hours. IT was good... but I got drained. Then Saturday we drove down to New City, New York to do a baptismal interview. They forgot and their phone had died so they had me stay over night in New York. We did the interview and the girl did get baptized! The interview was awesome. She is 9 years old and totally cute. I felt a lot of God's love for her. It was awesome, but that also drained me. I feel tired so I am not too sure how much sense this email makes. Sorry if some of it doesn't.   

So this week we have the temple tomorrow, district meeting wednesday, zone conference friday, and 2 of our investigators should be getting baptized in Ohio this Sunday. Lets see how this all plays out. Super stoked! Love NJMM. 

Jersey Strong

was good

I love you

Goodbye Freehold

It has been the best 4 transfers. I loved being with Elder Sam Blanco and then training mijo. I love Freehold. My friends are here. They have become my Freehold Family and I love them a lot. I am sad to go. 

I was called to be a zone leader last Thursday. All proselyting went down the drain because I had to go to a meeting, clean our apartment, plan this week, and party at our wards christmas party, and then we had church and also a play that we put on for all of the hispanics in NJ. We had little parts and for a little part of the play I was Joseph. I sang tenor in a trio with Mijo and Hermana Caetano. It is amazing how much more comfortable I am with singing in front of people. We did a good job. I will see if I can get the video sent home. 

So we hardly got to say bye to everyone, so today is all about running around saying bye to everyone. It is super sad. Super depressing, but I love these people and will be coming back to visit them. 

Felix gave me the coolest shirt ever. It is from mexico, handstitched, and he gave it to me. He has changed my life. I want to be the kind of father he is to his two sweet children. His daughter threw a fit when she figured out I was leaving. It feels good to feel their love. It feels good to know that they have been changed by the missionaries and the Spirit. I love them so much.

Yesterday we had Antonia and Felix and Antonia and Juan attend church! It was so good to see everyone I loved in that building. Nelvin wasn't there, but I will get to say bye to him tonight.

Something President Mitchell said has stuck with me throughout my mission. And I find that it is more true as I go throughout my mission. I want to set it as one of my mottos. He said, "life is good in the gospel." Even if you are being transferred, and you are going to miss your friends and family, life is good. Even if your wife cheats and leaves you, life is good in the gospel. Even if you lose your first child in the first couple days of birth, life is good. No matter what comes. Whatever it is, life is still good in the gospel. It always will be. 

I love Freehold. I love the people and experiences 

Still Jersey Strong.
Was good.

Love you.

Pictures with my Freehold Family

This is the Turkey Bowl we did in Princeton Stadium! 

Go us. It was so fun! Zones 10-12

Freehold Main St

These corn thingies are called Alotes. They are super good and make for some great jokes about Nacho Libre. The hermana is Hermana Grande. She is awesome. She has been coming to church almost every week since September. She has a little store on Main St that is so pack full of awesome stuff. She gives us practically whatever we want. We don't take advantage of it though. Love them!

Christmas Party! Misioneras are Sis Rigby and Rogers. They are getting doubled out. They have done some awesome less-active work. 3 of them are returning less actives and one of them is going to the temple today! The not missionary sisters are the Bravo Family. The mom is Flor, Erandi is the eldest daughter, and geegee (Juliana) is the youngest. Love my Freehold Ward!

Christmas party with Felix and the shirt he gave me from Mexico. And then the two white guys are the Scottos. the older is Bro Scotto who is the high priest group leader, and the other is David Scotto. He served his mission in Utah I believe. They are pretty cool.

Bravos <3

Alex is the boy.

Erandi is the teenage daughter (red lipstick)

Flor is the mom and gee gee is the baby

Yanes family! I have worked with them a lot. They are returning less actives. Super cool. Gave us the soup with crab! (yum... she makes really good food) and they are from Honduras!

Esperanza, Veronica, Lindsey, Ximena

left back row: Palmer, Ullyses and his wife Erica, Ashley (their daughter), me and Judit.

front row: Chris, Dustin, Joshua.

kneeling:Ausencia Grandma Poblano and little Antony

 Judit is awesome! She is not part of this family, but she is part of our ward family. She is a new investigator and has come to church twice. Seriously... she is going to be a miracle baptism

Antonia (Felix's wife)

she looks unhappy but she wanted this picture with me. She is awesome!! Hispanics just dont want to smile sometimes

Juan and Antonia and their family minus the 2 girls

Chocolate! She is Felix daughter and she is the best! Love her so much

Persads <3

This is the Gonsalez family. They were in Paterson. They moved to NY. But they were at the thingy last night and came up to me and talked to me. It was so good to see them and talk to them. It was really nice of them to remember me.

Pat Pattan. She is an awesome english member.

She helped Nelvin get baptized.

Sister Duke and I