Conference #3

Hey family!

It’s good to hear you guys had a good weekend and got to see Hermana Iza! Don’t worry about the dictionary I will find one here. Hope everyone is doing good in school and work. I haven’t heard from the kids in a while...

Well I loved conference. Time is flying by; I can’t believe I only have one left in the mission. I hope to be able to apply lots of things that I learned, to me and my teaching. We were able to do that yesterday. They talked a lot about families, our gender, and passing through trials. I particularly liked the talks by Elder Scott and President Monson on trials and the atonement.

Well I don’t have a lot of things to say about this week. But I do want to share an experience we had yesterday. We are teaching a man named Pedro and he is rather old and has a lot of problems in his life. He left his family to live with his current girlfriend I guess you could say. He feels bad about that decision, but he says he wants to be with this person. And they have a kid together as well. He is old enough that he can’t do much as far as work or even reading goes. His girlfriend or wife as he calls her suffered an accident and has to be helped out of bed, her vision was damaged and she can’t read or work either. They have one kid together, and the wife has a 16 year old girl. They don’t have money and are at the point of being kicked out of their apartment for not paying the rent. Basically his life is really, really hard. And he feels like he is not loved by anyone. His kids do not act like they love him even if they do. His wife is too worried about her own health and problems she has. He feels really alone, and is kind of mad at the world. Yesterday we found him alone in his house. We started to teach a little, but he really didn’t want to listen. He is just depressed and it seemed like he didn’t want help. In the middle of the lesson my comp realized this and remembered something from the conference. He then stood up and said I want to give you a hug. Pedro then stood up and they embraced for about 30 seconds. I was put to tears; it had to have been one of the most special moments of my mission. A million lessons on love couldn’t have taught me what my comp taught me in that moment. What that man needed was a hug; he needed to know by action that someone loved him. We had told him, but my comp showed him. I then proceeded to stand up and give him a hug. We didn’t take away any of his problems, but I am absolutely sure his life was better when we left. That he felt just a little uplifted and loved and like everything would be okay. I learned a lot in that moment. And my comp followed the impression of the Spirit that was the most important part. The Spirit told him what he really needed.

We had another experience with following the Spirit this week as well. We went to visit one of our investigators and she was there but hid from us and I was kind of bummed or mad. But we were walking and I felt like I really wanted to go see one of the families that supports us a lot. We didn’t have them planned so my comp thought it was weird but we went. We got there and sat down and talked to the sister and her son. She was upset and kind of vented to us, but then indirectly said things, she said she was talking about someone else but she was talking about herself. Then we shared a scripture. I had one come into my mind that we don’t use a lot. We got done and she almost started crying and said that was exactly what she needed. She told us not 5 minutes before she had been praying that God would help her and she was really upset. And then we knocked on her door. It was a really special experience as well. I learned a little about how the Spirit works. I didn’t know that was an impression to go visit her. The thought just popped into my head. But it was also something I wanted to do, I was kind of bummed that our investigator didn’t answer and I wanted to go see that family cause I knew that they always accept us. But I realized after that that was the Spirit telling me I needed to go see that family. I had been able to recognize impressions as thoughts that come into our minds before, but that is one of the first ones I have recognized as a feeling.

Well that’s about it. I challenge you guys to take one talk from the conference and really study it, and more than anything apply in your lives. You will see miracles and feel God’s love for you. 

I love you all and miss your all

Elder Utley

Letter 9/30/13

Hey family!

Hope everyone had a great week! I’m glad Coop is feeling better. Sounds like mom really enjoyed the talk from the seminary teacher, I enjoyed her notes. I really miss seminary and institute. I didn’t ever realize how cool it was in Utah until I got here and seminary is in one of the member’s houses and it’s just an ordinary member that teaches it, and they just read out of their manual for an hour. And in Utah the teachers are awesome, they study a lot to be able to teach, and consequently know a ton! And it is during school not at 5 in the morning. And we never read out of the seminary manual, I didn’t even know it existed to be honest.

I’m glad dad had a good birthday, even though he was a little sick. And that he got to go fishing with Randy. I am looking forward to going fishing again when I get home. Dad your picture didn’t come through this week (last week it did) so if you could send it again that would be awesome.

So this week okay. My comp got the flu I think, or a really bad cold, and after a few days he passed it to me. So we were kind of sick the whole week, we ended up resting 2 morning, and two other morning we had meetings, and Saturday we helped the sister missionaries with their baptism so we ended up working about half day every day, which was a bummer. The good news is that I feel better and my comp still feels a little sick but a lot better. And we are ready to work hard this week. He even said he would go running with me, I guess that’s the benefit of having a comp that is about to go home, he starts caring when he looks like and wants to do exercise. He says he has gained 10 kilos or like 20 ish pounds in the mission.

In spite of all the things we had this week it was still pretty good. We contacted a reference that is really interested and her daughter as well. Her son is actually a member and lives in our area but goes to a different ward, and he gave us the reference. I hope we can work with them and get them into the church as well.

We also had a ward activity that went really well, we had some investigators go and got another reference and we have an appointment with her tomorrow. It’s actually the friend of the sister you guys are going to meet.

And the sisters had a baptism, they were supposed to have 2 but one fell through. And the one that fell through was the one I was going to baptize. But I think next week or the next they will have it. And the one they had, her dad was going to baptize her but he works on call, I guess you could say, so he got called into work and the day of they called me and asked me to do the ordnance because she didn’t want to wait to get baptized. It was a really good experience. She and her family are actually the first people I taught in Celaya, before the sister missionaries got here. And the spirit was really strong. They were really nice after and thanked me a lot, they said when the dad couldn’t do it I was the first person they thought of.

This week we talked a lot about seeing people and what they can become, and looking for the good in people. I think a lot of times people, especially family, looks at all the faults in everyone and forgets to look at the good things in them, and see them for who they really are.

One of the people we taught gave me an example that I really liked. He said that a lot of the time we are like a brand new white shirt, it looks really nice and we are excited to wear it, we look good in it. But we put it on and spill one drop of coffee on the shirt. He said the whole day instead of people noticing how nice the shirt is they are going to notice that one little stain and focus on it. Lots of time we judge people like that, they have so many good qualities, but we take one little mistake and focus on it and can’t let it go. So instead of seeing people for their faults, let’s see them for their strengths.

I love and miss you all

Elder Utley

Letters from the past month!

Hey Family!

Sounds like you all had a good week! Busy but good. I got the pictures from mom, the office looks really good! Looks like you are all finally settled in the new house. Tell Coop congrats for all his hard work and that he is captain on his team, and that he needs to whoop on the other teams, and help his teammates a lot. I think it’s going to be a good year for him to get in the habit of scoring goals and learning how to lead a team. When he starts playing harder teams he will already have the habit of having the ball a lot, scoring and leading. And tell Mary congrats on getting up the wake board! That sounds like fun. Good luck with all your school stuff mom, and dad with your new employee!

Well this week was a bummer. The baptism of Lucy fell through... and 3 other baptismal dates. The dad of Lucy won’t give his permission to get baptized. It was really sad we had it planned for a ward activity and basically the whole ward was going to be there. But that’s how it worked. The good news is that we put an appointment with Luz, Lucy, and the dad for this week. Maybe it will be a blessing and it’s an opportunity for her dad to listen and accept the gospel. As of now he hasn’t wanted anything to do with us. So we will watch and see. Both Luz and Lucy have some pretty ugly stories about him. But I hope the gospel can help him change his life.

The other baptismal dates we had didn’t go to church. So we were a little bummed. We have tons of work but nobody wants to progress right now. But we learned in a zone conference this week about how our time is not the Lord’s time, and how we should be more patient with ourselves and with the investigators. So we are trying to apply that this week.

We did have one person go to church, Laura. Laura is an investigator that we found at a members house while eating. She is really nice and loves to listen. Her kids are all older; I think her youngest is 24. And they are all in different religions. So that is her big doubt. Anyway we convinced her to go to church this week. The talks were awesome and centered on Christ and his atonement and on the priesthood. Exactly what she needed. I hope she starts learning little by little.

Yesterday we had a meeting with the stake leaders about missionary work. It was really cool. One of them talked about worthiness. He compared it to school. He said he tells his kids that anyone can get an A, anyone can get 90 or even 95 percent. But he said what really shows if you’re working hard is if you get 95 to 100 percent. He said it’s the same thing with worthiness. The 95 percent is established by our bishop or by the temple recommend interviews. And that is good, it accomplishes what we need. But what really counts is that extra 5 percent. He gave an example of the law of chastity, in an interview the bishop simply asks if we are living the law of chastity. But Jesus taught that any man that looketh on a women to covet her has committed adultery in his heart. That 5 percent is between us and the Lord. But it’s that 5 percent that will bring the greatest blessings and even miracles into our lives. I thought that was a really cool thought. I hope we can all think a little of what that 5 percent consists of for us and how we can reach it.

I also got a letter from Sydney this week and she asked me a really great question. She talked about how the mutual theme is “stand in holy places and be not moved”. And how a lot of times that those holy places are not so much a place on this earth, but a moment in our lives. She asked: what was the holiest place I had been in on my mission. I would like to share my response to that question.

Wow that is a great question, my mind just flashed back to about 10 different moments in my mission. I thought of the Houston, Provo, and Monterrey temples. I thought of a conference that we had with an apostle Elder Christopherson. A few other conferences we have had with our mission president, and 70’s. I remember of an experience where an investigator just changed completely, and the time he told me without doubt he knew the Book of Mormon was true. Another that left her boyfriend and father of her child that she had been with for about 10 years to get baptized, and the moment that she decided that. I thought of my desk with all of my study materials where I have had some amazing experiences.

But I can say that the holiest place I have been in over the course of my mission is the baptismal font. Remembering the change in the countenance in every single investigator that has taken that choice. Symbolizing a change of life style here and a spiritual birth. Being dressed in all white clothing, and seeing someone that I love purified and sanctified. Nothing else in this world compares to that.

I would like to change you all to live the mutual theme and stand in holy places. At all times, and in all situations.

I love you and miss you. Hasta la proxima semana

Elder Utley

8/19/13

Hey Family!

Sounds like it was a good week for everyone. And a crazy one to come, I hope you guys have a great time in Kentucky, I’m sure there will be some fun things to do. I haven’t heard from the kids in a while, you should tell them to write me this week, I want to know how school is going.

Well this week was a little tuff here. We thought we had a lot of work, we put a ton of appointments but almost every single one fell though... It’s a bummer when that happens in a day but in almost a full week, it’s frustrating. It gets us thinking what are we doing wrong, but we are doing everything the best that we know how. So we just have to pray harder and trust more in the Lord. I have had weeks like that before in the mission, and the good news is we always get out of it, but it sucks until then.

In spite of the tuff week, we had a cool experience on Saturday. It was also a day where a lot of appointments fell through. But at 8 we got a call from some other elders who had passed us a referral but we had never been able to teach him. He would put an appointment and then never be there. But they said he was excited and we should got teach him. We got there and he was really eager to learn. And he accepted a baptismal date that night! For the 7th of September. He really wants to learn and wants to believe it. His prayer was really cool, he said help be become more convinced that this is the truth and to be ready to be baptized that day. His name is Mauro. And I think as he listens his wife will also start going to church and being interested.

We did get to talk with Lucy’s dad, he is really hard hearted but we got him to agree to support Lucy in the decision. He said if that’s what she decides, and he wants to talk to her without us there, because evidently we are pressuring her. I think he will try and talk her out of it but I also think she is sure enough of what she is doing that it will go through. When? I don’t know but it will happen. He definitively denied listening to us, but who knows, he also denied talking to us in the beginning. And he is seeing big changes in his family.

Well that was pretty much my week. I am working hard and just enjoying this time that the Lord has given me to serve him and to serve others. I realize day with day how fast it is going... and it kind of scares me. We got a call from one of the secretaries this week, my going home date is July 7th 2014. That somehow doesn’t seem like much time, especially the way the mission is flying by. So I will take advantage of everyday. I love the Lord, I love this work and I love the people. So like the apostle Joseph B. Worthlin said, “Come what may and love it!”

I love and miss you all

Elder Utley

8/26/13

Hey Family!

Sounds like mom and dad have had a good time so far in Nashville, and wherever they are in Kentucky. Nashville sounds like it is a really cool city. That would be really cool to go the country hall of fame. I hope everything is going well with the orientation for mom’s school; you guys will have to let me know how it went. I still haven’t heard from the kids but I hope all is well in school, I imagine they are very buys. I realized Mary is in her junior year of high school, that’s kind of crazy. 

Well this week was fine, we put a ton of appointments just like last week, and most of them fell through again, but that’s how it goes. We did get to teach Mauro’s wife one time this week, it was good, she seems really open to what we have to say, but not super interested. I think as she listens and sees a change in her husband she will want to listen more. We kind of trapped her into a lesson because her husband was on his way home from work and she invited us to wait until he got there. So we started teaching. Mauro we also taught this week and is very excited and interested in what we have to teach him. His parents and sister are members and he likes what he has seen. He is excited to be baptized but the only problem is his time. He is really busy with work right now, he works about 12 or 13 hours a day and for that reason he wasn’t able to go to church this Sunday. But he said he is going to open a time up to go next Sunday. I sure hope so.

We taught Lucy as well. She seemed like she was doing well, she is 11 years old and is half way through the Book of Mormon (her mom finished this week!). But her mom told us on Sunday that she didn’t want to come to church. So we are going to have to see what happened. 

Other than that we are trying to help our investigators that we have progress, but we are also looking for new people to teach because the ones we have still won’t go to church. 

We did a service project this week for a former investigator. It went really well, but I am super, super sore, and we did it on Saturday. Basically she had a giant pile of dirt and gravel (that they use to construct here, I think it goes in the cement but I’m not really sure how they do it.) and it was in her front yard, and we moved it all to the backyard. The catch is there wasn’t a wheel barrel or anything like that. We had 1 shovel and 2 buckets. And it was 2 solid hours of moving as fast as we could to finish that part. Then we took out all the grass she had in the front yard. But again we had one shovel to do it, and it wasn’t like sod, it was seeded into the ground. And it took us an hour to get all of that out. (Lucky the yards are really small.) 

I hope she will have her heart softened a little by that and start listening to us again. She was doing really well but someone said something to her about how she shouldn’t investigate the church, and she started hiding every time we went to her house. 

Last week I talked with the Relief Society president in our ward, she had just gotten back from the immigration offices to get her visa. She is going to go to general conference in October. I might have offered grandma and grandpas house to stay in, so I will have to see if she takes me up on that. But if you could ask them if that would be okay I would appreciate it. I imagine that they would be excited to have her there, and 1 or 2 other sisters from the ward. But she said I could send things with her for you guys, and if you want to send something that she will bring it back for me. So that will be really cool. I will talk to her again and give you guys her number in the next few weeks or give her yours, depending on what you guys tell me. The only thing is I don’t think she or the other sister speak English. So dad you might get a chance to practice your Spanish! :)

I hope you guys have a fantastic week,

Love you

Elder Utley 

9/1/13

Hey Family!

How is everybody? Sounds like mom and dad had a great time in Kentucky! I got a ton of pictures from you guys. It is so green there! I remember thinking how beautiful Ohio and Indiana were when we went out there for sectionals. Everything was so green and the rive we saw was gorgeous. I kind of doubt dad was bored those days; I know I wouldn’t have been. And the place you guys stayed in looked cool too. How did the kids do for a week and a half without you guys? Hope everyone is doing well.

Well this week was fine; we are still working really hard. We are still struggling to have results, I don’t understand that, a lot of the time we are doing things the right ways and working hard but nothing comes. I guess there is something I need to learn. But we did get to teach some of the investigators this week. We talked to Mauro and he said he was for sure going to church but didn’t show. Lucy should get baptized this week, I am 90 percent sure of it, but we will have to see. We taught the lady we did service for last week; it’s amazing how that little act of service changed her whole attitude. The only bummer is, is that her husband had a surgery and we haven’t seen her too much and she couldn’t go to church.

We also had splits with the zone leaders this week. It was actually really, really nice. I worked with Elder Sanchez, he is from California. I learned a lot from him and we had a good time.

Other than that it’s been a good week. I am excited for the baptism this weekend. It’s been a while. I am hoping we can get some references this week. We actually have a really good plan to work this week and we are going to do a ton of short visits to the members and ask for references. Because we have lots of people to teach but none of them are progressing.

What else? I heard from Syd and from Grandma and Grandpa Barker this week. Sounds like they are doing really good. Grandparents had a good time in St. George. And Syd is having some really amazing experiences in China.

Tonight we invited the bishop and his family and the ward mission leader to our house to have dinner: that we are going to prepare for them. I hope we gain some more confidence from them. And that the food turns out good, we are making a Mexican meal...(I suggested to my comp that we prepare something typical from one of our countries, and to a few other people that we were talking to about it, and everyone else loved it, but because it was my idea he thought it was complete garbage...) But I think I have learned sufficient to make it. Its rather simple. Its meat, rice and a salad.

I hope everyone has a great week

Love you

Elder Utley

Happy Birthday Brooklyn!

Hey family!

Well first of all wish a happy birthday to Brooklyn for me! Sounds like you guys had a great week. I am jealous of all the outdoor stuff you guys are doing, but I will make up for it when I get back! I’m glad you got to see the Barkers. I got a letter from Syd, it sounds like she is doing really well; and stoked to go to China.

                             

To answer a few of your questions, I did see President and Sister Mejorado this week. They did interviews throughout the whole mission. They were very nice. Presidente tells you how it is, he got on everyone because the baptisms have been low on the mission. But he also told me that my comp and I are one of the greatest companionships he has seen, and whatever we are doing to keep it up. That was really nice. But he did humble me quite a bit and give me even more motivation to keep working hard. Actually obtain results. He told me he doesn't like when people say they are working hard because that gives them excuses. He told me he doesn't want us to work hard, he wants results. It was direct, but what I needed. He is a really good mission president, with a lot of good advice. I am glad for the chance to work with him.

Also we did have our baptism last week, it was a really good experience and I think that it got one of his Uncles interested in the church. So that’s always good.

Luz will be baptized this Saturday but her daughter Lucy will not. Her daughter didn't go to church again, but she will be baptized within the next few weeks I am sure of it. They are both really excited and content to be part of the church.

This week was also really good. We bettered our numbers again. We have been teaching like crazy. This transfer is going to end this week, I think it’s been the longest and quickest transfer I have ever had. Time is flying. But, I am loving it! We should have quite a few baptisms for August.

Have a wonderful week! Love you

Elder Utley

20

Hey family!

Sounds like you all have had an amazing week. Me too! Tell the kids thanks for the letters. And mom and dad thank you for the letters as well, they were especially good this week.

Well I got toms last later, it really affected me. I still can’t see the mission ending. But it has been the hardest, most rewarding, best experience of my life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. And his letter put everything in perspective again. It does end, so I will take advantage of every moment while I am here. It sounds like he has grown a ton, and I am happy for him. Tell him congrats for me. He reminded me of a motto I have tried to live in my life. No regrets.

Well this week was awesome! Numbers wise it was the best in my mission. We found 7 new investigators. Including a young man that will be baptized this Saturday. He is active in the church but was never confirmed; he got baptized 4 years ago. So we are going to do the ordinance again. We have been working with his family since I got here, they are really awesome. We are actually going to teach them tonight and then have cake and celebrate a little for my birthday. We taught a ton of lessons this week. We are seeing little miracles daily. Even when some of our plans fall through. I am as happy as I have been in my mission and possibly as happy as I have been in my life.

We also found Luz this week and she went to church. She is excited to be baptized on the 3rd of August. She is doing really well. Her daughter is a little confused but we will work with her this week and hopefully she can be baptized with her mom.

Today was a fun day, the sisters in our district made a cake and we had a little get together with everyone in the district this morning. And then we rented what looked like Flintstone cars, but they were pedal powered, and had races. It was really fun.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. I will be excited to celebrate the next one at home with all of you guys! But I am really discovering the joy of losing myself in the work, and today there is no place I would rather be than in good old Celaya Mexico!

I know the church is true. Christ lives and loves us, and is willing and anxious to bless us, but we have to do our part. For every commandment there is a blessing, the more we obey the more blessings we get.

I love and miss you all

Elder Utley

Bajo del cuchillo and Recovery Week

Hey Family

Sounds like you guys have had a buys week and a busy summer. That’s really exciting that Mary got her license, it seems like I just barely got mine. And Coop started acceleration, tell him to work hard, that really helped me. He also told me they might drain sand hollow? What’s that all about? Anyway, good luck at girl’s camp this week. Hope you guys get some good fishing in too.

Well I don’t have a whole lot to tell you guys this week. Surgery went well, it was kind of freaky to have it done here, not to mention it’s the first surgery I have ever had. But everything turned out okay.

The president came on Friday but it wasn’t really to visit me, we had a special zone conference to get to know our new president. And he definitely knows who I am ha ha. He was super nice, and his family too, they were all very concerned. He seems like a really good mission president, and a good guy. I was very impressed. I learned a lot at the conference and the spirit was really strong.

Anyway we got back from the hospital on Wednesday and just slept and rested. Then we slept most of Thursday morning. Then we went in a taxi to an appointment and again in taxi to the food with the members. And we actually had another appointment that night, and as we stopped a taxi a member offered us a ride. So that was nice. And on Friday we got up normal and studied and went to a few appointments, I got brave and started taking buses cause taxis are expensive, and in the afternoon we had our zone conference and I got to rest during that. And starting Saturday we started working like normal again. It’s been rather amazing how fast I have recovered. But I guess we get some special blessing as missionaries to be able to do what we do.

Luz and her daughter didn’t go to church and we couldn’t see them this week. We are super bummed because her husband prohibited her from going and listening this week. But her friend that gave us the reference is going to talk to her and her husband and see what they can do, because she and her daughter really want to listen and change.

On Sunday we had kind of a cool experience. One of the young men in our ward got his appendix taken out. And I was able to share a little of my experience with him and some of the thoughts I had. And I think it really helped him and his family.

I talked to them about a scripture in 2nd Nephi that talks about how it’s necessary that there is opposition in all things, and that we have to experience pain and trials to know good health and happiness. And a quote from Elder Eyring that talks about when everything is going good in his life he prays to the Lord and says give me mountains. All trials happen so that we can learn something, and are the best way to learn in this life. That’s why the Lord allows them.

I have been grateful for this experience, it has allowed me to exercise my faith and realize the testimony I have of the gospel and of this work. It would have been really easy to just go home, take time to recover, it would have been comfortable and I would have had my family to help me. I could have gotten back into swimming to lose the weight I need to so that this doesn’t happen again, and gone back to normal life. But I realized my work here isn’t done yet, and I don’t even have the desire to go home. I want to share what I know, and I still have a lot to learn in my mission. And I have actually been more excited to work and share the gospel since all that happened. It helped me realize my purpose here and testimony and I am grateful for it.

But we should not wait for a trail to come to be humbled like that. Like Alma taught in Alma 32, the people were blessed because they were humble. But they were poor and cast out and that’s why they were humble. He said even more blessed are those that done have to be compelled to be humble.

Well I love and miss you guys, have fun with all the activities these next few weeks
Elder Utley

Hey family!

Well I am sorry you didn’t get my messages for a while last week. The place where we usually write was closed and we had to go to another but it wasn’t very nice and me and my companion both had problems with messages not sending. But the good thing is it got there. Sounds like you guys have had a buys couple of weeks. But, lots of fun. Before you know it the summer will be over and everyone will be back to normal schedules!

So mom told me she got into nurse practitioner school! Congratulations!!! When do you start? What are the hours like? Where is it?

Well my week was good. I have been feeling good. I got my stiches out this Thursday, I was going to do it Saturday but the skin started healing over the stitches and it was really hurting. And its healing really nicely, it doesn’t look too bad even though the scars are big. The bummer is that there is a ton of scar tissue underneath and it all hard and feels kind of funny. But the doctor told me that will mostly go away with time.

As far as the work goes, we had a decent week. I still took it kind of easy but we worked like normal. We had problems with all of our appointments falling through this week, at least with investigators, but we visited a ton of less actives and new converts. We had a goal for 40 total lessons this week, but we ended up having some activities of service and district activities, which took up a lot of time. But we still had 30, and I am content with that because the mission standard of excellence is 25. My comp has been awesome. He had the same surgery so he can really relate and that experience really helped us become friends really fast. We have been working really hard. Bummer is that he will probably get transferred in the next transfer the first week of August...

Anyway we got to teach a few new investigators, and we taught one lesson to Luz and Lucy and it went really well, we put a new baptismal date with them, and they were really excited but they didn’t show up to church, so we will have to go see what happened there. We were kind of bummed this week, we had 10 investigators commit to go to church and not one of them went... but they have their agency we can only invite. Apart from that we invited like 5 or 6 less actives who committed to come as well, and only one showed up. So in the sacrament meeting I was kind of bummed and thinking of what we can do better to get people to church, and how I could be better as a missionary. And I was just supper bummed that those people didn’t come. But about halfway in a family of 3 walked into the church and just sat down. I looked at my companion and he said they weren’t members. They ended up being a family that one of the members had invited about a month or two ago and today they just showed up. That is huge! And they are going to go again next week. We have an appointment Wednesday with them. It was cool to see that if we work hard the lord is willing to bless us even if the people we teach use their agency and don’t act according to what they know.

Well that’s about it for this week. I hope everything goes well with coops soccer camp and Mary’s EFY, and all the activities. The youth in our ward went to EFY last week and came back completely changed people it was cool to hear all of their experiences. (They do EFY for stakes and they have all the stakes in the mission go to one EFY together)

I love and miss you all
Elder Utley

First week in Celaya

Hey family!

First of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!! I hope it has been a great day! It is super cool that I get to write you on your birthday. What are you guys going to do? Hope everything goes well and have a great day!

Also I got a few pictures from the surprise party you threw for Mary, looked like a lot of fun! Tell her I want to hear from her on what it’s like when 2 worlds collide ha ha (I might know a little about that, but it was voluntary on my part.). How did coop like scout camp? It’s kind of a bummer it wasn’t a stake or scout camp for his first one, but I am sure it was fun none the less.

I hear you guys are trying to kill the family tradition of Escalante this year, again. I hope you get to go this weekend, tell Mary and Brooke that we go to Salt Lake all the time and Escalante only comes once a year.

Well this week went really well for us. I really like my companion he is a super hard worker and excited to have a new companion as well. This week we put 2 baptismal dates for Luz and her daughter Lucy. They found them 2 days before I got here, and we taught them 3 or 4 times this week, but even in a week I can see a huge change in them. The mom didn’t think that repentance was possible, but she is now super excited to get baptized and change her life. She has some things to change but is really excited. We also worked with a lot of members and had some good lessons, today and yesterday we received 3 or 4 references that we are going to work to contact this week. We taught 30 lessons and that was with a lot of time restraint, the mission goal is 25. Its super exciting to be here where there is so much work if we want it.

The ward is one of the biggest in the mission, the chapel was completely full and there were about 170 people there. I really like Celaya. I comparison to the other cities I have been in it is bigger. I think Irapuato is about two thirds of the size and Matehuala is about a tenth of the size. There are 2 zones here but just one stake.

Well that’s about it for this week, I just want to testify that this is Christ’s work, and his church. Because of his atonement we can repent, and receive help and guidance in difficult times, consolation in others, and be able to overcome weaknesses and make them strong points in our lives. (Ether 12 27) I know Christ lives and loves us and watches out for us. And that prayer is the basic for us to communicate with him, and that scriptures and church attendance are the basic forms to receive answers.

I love and miss you all. Again happy birthday mom,

Elder Utley