10/15/2012 Letter Home

Hey family how is everyone?

This week has been kind of crazy, super-fast!

Dad had a lot of questions I will go ahead and answer them right now.  I have felt a little sick this week but not too bad.  Saturday I had really bad headaches but I feel a lot better today.  Our apartment does have a kitchen; we have a sink, a refrigerator, and a stove top type thing.  Really it’s like one of the camping stoves but it works to cook on, we use it all the time.  They do eat a lot of rice here, but it’s not the kind we have in the United States, it’s more of an orange color, it has a bit of a different taste, but I really like it.  We have not found a new apartment yet, it’s kind of frustrating.  But I took photos of our current one, I will try and send them but it is not working right now for some reason.  I love personal study time, I learn a lot and I get to study stuff that I want to learn, although admittedly a lot of time is spent trying to figure out the Spanish.  And at times it can be hard to stay awake; it is one of my favorite times of the day.

That is a bummer you guys didn't get to go to Hawaii, I hope dad starts feeling better!  But maybe you will get some good family time in, and hopefully some fishing!  Mom I am glad you are recovering from the marathons, I think you’re crazy!  I am glad that Mary decided to swim! She won’t regret it when she finishes.  Sounds like Coop’s team is kicking butt in soccer!  That’s super exciting; tell him good luck for me and to work hard.  And tell Brooke good luck in her singing - that sounds really fun.

This week has been kind of crazy, we traveled to Abasolo again.  There is a lot of work to do there. There are a lot of members, but not many have been showing up.  We are also teaching the sister of a family of members there, so that’s kind of exciting.  I went on splits this Sunday with a young man in our ward out there as well.  It was kind of weird; they don’t have a chapel, it’s called a prayer house.  And only like 15 people were there.  I gave a talk... they told me 5 minutes before.  I talked about repentance and the atonement.  I don’t know how much people understood but I thought it was okay.  The language has been really frustrating this week, I don’t know what is going on a lot of the time, and it’s hard to help people when I don’t understand what they need.  Especially when I cannot hold a normal conversation, but I am learning, I understand a lot more than when I started.

We had interviews with the president.  He is great.  I really like him.  I found out I will probably be in Irapuato for another 5 months.  That’s a long time but I will really get to know the people and the ward so I am excited.  Elder Valdez will probably be my companion for this transfer and next.  Then he will train one more time in a new area and then he will go home.  Crazy.  So that puts me here for 6 months total.  It’s crazy I have already been out on my mission for almost 3 months!

This week we have the baptism of Patricia and her children!  I am super excited!  It will be my first baptism(s) on the mission.  And our ward mission leader wants me to baptize two of the four of them!  I don’t know for sure because I wasn’t here when they started teaching them and they might want Elder Valdez to do it, and ultimately it’s up to them.  But the kids really like me so maybe I will be able to.  The other two are to be baptized by Hermano Lopez.  He and his family have helped a lot and offered their home for lessons with Patricia and her family.  I really love the Lopez family they are so kind and loving and always want to help.  I will let you all know how it goes!

We also found a bunch of new investigators this week.  Four that we think will be baptized within a month or so. That’s pretty exciting.  I will get to see it through all the way and see how the gospel blesses their lives start to finish.

We had splits with other missionaries this week because my companion is district leader and had to interview their investigators for baptism.  They put me with Elder Allen who is from the United States as well; he has been here almost 3 months (he is in the photo of my desk).  So we looked really funny walking around, just 2 white boys.  He knows a lot more Spanish than me, but is not fluent... so it was a really long day.  But one good thing did come out of it.  We taught a less active family, and in this lesson we were able to understand almost everything and talk and teach to their needs, it was really cool.  The part that was even cooler is a friend of one of the daughters just happened to be there, and just happened to be very interested in our message.  We taught her the plan of salvation, challenged her to read the Book of Mormon and to pray about it, and also to go to church.  Well I don’t know about the reading, but she actually went to church!  I think she will be baptized fairly quickly; she is really receptive and has all the right kinds of questions.  Her name is Lupita.  The cool part about that story is we had a really rough day but somehow the Lord put us in that house on that day at the right time!  I know that the Lord looks out for us.  When we are striving to do what is right he will guide our paths.  This is also shows how much God loves us.  Had we not been there this girl may have never had the chance to receive the gospel.  Maybe she would have,  but it’s something she really needs in her life right now.  I am not sure yet but I know he loves her, and he loves us, his missionaries, because even the two white boys in the middle of Mexico (and lost because we didn't know the area very well), who don’t speak the language could find someone to teach and have success.  If we do what is right, keep the commandments and strive to have spiritual experiences the Lord will guide our paths!

I love and miss you all,

Elder Utley

P.S. If you do send a package, I don’t know what but I need something to clean my white shirts. They are getting destroyed!  Mexico is a dirty place and I cannot keep my shirts white. So, some sort of stain remover, but it can’t depend of a washing machine because we won’t always have one.  Right now we do which is nice but it doesn't work all that well. Thanks!