Wesley's Letter July 2, 2012

Sup FAM and Friends,

Another week, another bunch of miracles, pretty legit. This week we didn’t baptize, but tomorrow were going to baptize a newly wed couple named Patricia and Ernesto and believe it or not were going to marry them the same day. They’re getting married in the morning and then baptized at like 4:00 in the afternoon. That’ll be a sweet baptism.

Here are some more picks of Yadira’s baptism and she got confirmed yesterday.

Everything was nuts this last week. Yesterday was election-day here. On election-day the entire city shuts down and no one goes outside and here’s the reason why. The high interest groups here pay guys to go around in trucks and destroy stuff from the other parties. It was pretty sketch. They throw rocks through windows. Yesterday as we were walking around and were literally the only people outside. Except for the people who would go to the voting office real fast, vote, and go home and lock their doors. I totally did see some of the gangs that everyone was talking about. They were in big ol’ trucks with about 12 guys in the bed with ski masks on. They didn’t do anything to us but it was still sketch.

The other pics are from Escarsega, and some from when we married Maria and Jerardo.

Sorry once again I’m all out of time but write me tons. Love you all.

Tell brain and Alec I think their cards got lost in the super efficient Mexican mailing system. So, I’m sorry.

Miss and love you all,
E. Smith


Wesley's shoes that have a 2 year warranty. They didn't quite make it to a year with all of the walking he has done!




Worn out socks.

Wesley's Letter 6-25-12

Sup Fam and Friends,

Guess what? I officially have 1 year in the mission HOLY GUACAMOLE! Time sure does fly by when you’re having fun! Honestly I’m super psyched! Guess what? I’m also going to be buying another hammock today in like 2 hours, so Mom, if you notice that I’m missing $ from my account today, just know that’s the reason.

Well, other fantastic news is that we baptized someone named Yadira on Saturday. What makes her so cool is that about a month and a half ago her son was super sick and she needed help. The missionaries got called over to give her son a blessing, and he got better, so she started listening to us and now she’s got a super strong testimony. She’s the first of her family to get baptized. And the change I’ve seen in her since the first day I saw her is pretty incredible.

Just this whole week we’ve been seeing a ton of miracles and this next month we should be baptizing at least once every week. Exciting stuff!

This week has also been pretty hectic. We went up to Escarsega for the district meeting on Monday, then came back the next morning. Then that same afternoon we went to Campeche for a zone conference. The next day we slept there and had the conference. At like 7:00 we drove back to Champoton with the DL (district leader) so he could do Yadira’s baptismal interview on Thursday. So we did divisions him. My companion stayed in Champoton. The other elder and I went back down to Escarsega to work all day. The next morning my comp and the DL came down. The DL got dropped off, then my comp and I went back to Champoton to finally work in our own area. The next day (Saturday) we had Yadira’s baptism. On Sunday we went back to Campeche to stake conference...

Yeah, crazy week and every one of those trips was a 2-hour bus ride. Escarsega is a little bit further than Campeche but they are both about 2 hours by bus.

Ya and I’m sorry, I would send all of the awesome picks I’ve got but the internet is littlerally being a big ol jerk face, so you’ll just have to wait till next time.

All right whelp those are just some of the highlights this week. I’d write more but I’m outta timeskis.

Later,
Smith out

(Below is Wes' response to Chelsea's email telling him about her daughter Liesl's circus birthday party that is coming up this weekend.)

Whelp tell her that I love her and happy birthday. There are always circuses coming through here. The funny part is when I was in Cancun a Portuguese circus came through. It was weird, the population of street dogs was going down and no one knew why until after about a week. They found out that the circus had been rounding up street mutts and feeding them to the lions and tigers... there’s the only circus experience I’ve ever had.

Wesley's Letter 6-18-12

Sup Fam and friends,

It looks like it will have been year since the last time I saw you this Friday, CRAZY. I miss you guys tons and every day it goes through my mind at least once a day of when I’m going to see you all again.

So any way this week’s been pretty sweet! We’ve been working crazy hard preachen and all that good stuff.

We’ve been doing work here. We baptized a girl named Maria this week but the even better part is that we got to help her and her husband get married. I’ll send you a pic of them. It was a pretty funny service because a lot of people here look at getting married more as a "something on the to do list” than a once and a life time experience. For their wedding we just all went to the civil register’s office and they got married right there, with some of the witnesses from church, that we brought.

Ya, so that was exciting! Other news about things this week is that there is really too much!

I really do love and miss you all and just know I’m trying my hardest here.

You are all in my prayers.

Elder Smith

Wesley's Letter 6-11-12

Sup Fam and friends,

Just kicken it old school here in Campeche right now. I am really in the city of Campeche. I haven’t been transferred yet but I’m here waiting for my new comp. Elder Gonzalez got moved to Playa del Carmen. So my new comp is going to be an American named Elder Babit. Right now he’s on a bus from Chetumal to here.

So this week was pretty cool. We didn’t baptize but if we are lucky we should baptize 4 this week WHHOOP!

All right, well tell Eric Kennedy congrats on the mission call!

A cool story this week is that while we were sitting in Sacrament meeting waiting for it to start, out of nowhere the local Seventy shows up, Elder Vialobos. When he came up to talk he told us it was his first time passing through Champoton and he didn’t know why he was there he just felt like he needed to come.

So later that day after the second hour we were in the hall when he came over to us and invited us outside where he introduced us to an investigator that we hadn’t even noticed, that had shown up. We actually just thought he was a regular member. Anyway, Elder Vialobos found him and taught him the blessings of an eternal family and he actually helped him to not only know that he should get baptized, but he also promised that he would go personally to this man’s sealing with his family. So Elder Vialobos basically told us that we had to help him keep his promise, so now were going to teach this man everything. Cool eh?

All right so now I’m going to explain these pics. The pics of the epic sunsets are what it looks like here when a storm front moves in at dusk. There’s a pic of us with the Seventy, Elder Vialobos. A few pics of the cool fruit here. The big green one is a papaya and the other alienish pink one is a Pitajaya. Wow the mangos are in season right now and man are they just ridiculously big. Honestly most of them here are bigger than grapefruit. There’s a pic of me with a family at night, their actually named La familia Pacheco and they are super funny! I don’t know if you noticed the grandma but man is she about one of the shortest people I’ve ever met. She’s actually taller sitting on a chair! They’re all hilarious!

Whelp I’m all outta time.

Much love,
Smith out