Break-dancing and Clip-on ties

Oct. 1st, 2012

Dear family,

               I know that you love pictures so I will start by describing them.  The little mexican boy is named Johnny Ochoa and he break dances for us when we come over and dresses like a "little brother" on sundays with his clip on tie.  He wants to be a missionary but his family still has not decided to get baptized.  The other two mexican boy are Victor (the chubbier one) and Luis, they are Johnny's brothers.  Then there is the picture in front of the river with me and the whole family.  Then there is our "sandlot" picture of me and a ton of Tongan boys.  We played rugby and football and it was a ton of fun being with all them.  The baptism picture is the Piza family and the little boy is Agustin who got baptized 3 weeks earlier and the girl is his older sister, Yaniri, and the man is there recently reactivated father who should be getting the Melchezidek Priesthood this Stake Conference.  The picture with all the missionaries is our zone right before transfers and then there is the one with me and one of my very favorite missionaries in the mission, Elder Grange from Bountiful Utah and he sweats a lot as you can see haha.

              I teach about 20-25 lesson per week and I would say that 70% are spanish.  It is about the same as Fresno but probably more hispanic here.  Everyone here is from the Mexican state of Michoacan.  This last week we taught 24 lessons and we had our baptism.  Things in our zone are going great and me and my companion are getting along well.  We get most of our work from referals and recent convert family.

             I hope all is well and I want you to know that I am praying for you each every single night.  I love my mission and I love the Gospel and I have changed because of it.  I know it is true.  I hope that you all will find that joy and knowledge and grow in it and SHARE it.  I challenge each of you to bring someone to the waters of baptism before I get home.  I KNOW that you can and that there are people ready to hear it if you are willing to take the Lord's challenge and find them and invite them to church and introduce them to the missionaries and baptize them.  I love you all so much and pray you will accept and do all you can to find these brothers and sisters of ours.  LOVE YOU!!!!!!!

ps Grandma thanks for the family history stuff.  It is SUPER interesting!! I can't wait to read it all when I am home.  LOVE YOU!

-Love Elder Neeley