The Gift to Speak Spanish

Dear family,

 

       Things here in Fresno are going well!  We have 2 really solid baptismal canidates for October 23rd and I am very excited for them.  One of them is named Sixto and he is truly a miracle in how prepared he was by the Lord.  The Lord knows who is sheep are and will bring them home; we need to just be worthy enough to be the means that He brings them back to His fold.  We had known this man for 2 days and it was our second lesson and he was just like "I need to be a member of you church" and he came to church and wants to give money and all this stuff to the churhc and we have been explaining that it is not quite like that but it has been almost kind of funny how much he wants to do all at once so we are just trying to prepare him as fast as we can for his baptism.  I love this work!!  I do miss you all a ton and love your support and letters and prayers.  I am also glad to hear that the pictures are on the way because I know it will be a huge help to this work as I keep using my testimony about our family and the blessings of the temple.  I am also happy to hear that all the family is getting a chance to get together and see each other and do stuff together like that marathon.  Also the vacation plans sound great to me haha but I probably won't think on them too much since I still have almost 2 years to go haha!

       The language is coming along really good because of the help of the Lord and becasue of my native companion Elder Moreno, who leaves this friday for Mexico City.  I still have my other companion Elder Wright so we will just be moving along after that.  But I feel like I can just about understand everything that native speakers are saying and it is really cool to see and to understand and realize that the Lord has given me this gift to speak spanish.

       I am glad to hear that the football team is doing so well and I hope that they keep it up and I hope they know I am rooting for them.  Also tell Eleanor that I said congratulations on making the front page but that she shouldn't get too big of a head haha.  Tell everyone else too that I say hi and that the work is good and the way the time is going I feel like I will be home before I know it.

       I am so greatful for you examples to me in this gospel and know that you are making a difference in the missionary work around you and certainly have make a difference in my work out here in Fresno.  I love you all so much and love all the emails and the updates.  Congratulations to Marie for her 2nd baby and to Brad for getting his job!  I love to hear that our family are visiting each other a lot and active and doing fun stuff.  I hope all is well and pray for you daily and appreciate all that you do for me.  Love you!!!!   and PS thank you Sarah for the address, I will be sending Andrea and Rex's letter today or tomorrow.

 

    -Love your son/brother/grandson/nephew/cousin/uncle/friend Elder Neeley

Awesome Week

Dear family,

     This week has been awesome!  We read a talk as a companionship called "the challenging and testifying missionary" by Alvin A Dyer which talks about how our whole mission is helping others to recieve the blessings of the Restored Gospel through Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Recieving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End.  In this talk, he says that we must testify always and challenge too.  He talks about how some Elders wait til the family is perfectly ready and set to get baptized to challenge them.  Then he goes on to say that if they are perfectly ready, then it is not a challenge.  We must challenge them and allow the Holy Ghost to testify to them that this is Christ's church and that he wants them in it.  Then they can take that step and we can continue to prepare them for their baptism.  So with this advice we have been testifying to all we come in contact with and challenging them to keep commitments and making sure that we atleast invite one person every day to be baptized if not more.  

Angency is one of God's greatest gifts to us and one of the most important.  If we don't share the gospel we are in fact taking away the agency of the people around us to choose if they want to accept the gospel or not.  It is our responsibility but really our privilege to share this great message.  We should want to share out of love for our friends and family and not for fear or guilt that we are not.  Love is the real motivator of change, where as fear or guiltt are feelings that are of the devil and cause only momentary change if any.  It is funny how there is a constant theme between the things that the devil offer and the things that God offer.  All good things that God offers has and eternal effect and promise for us and only momentary pain or difficulty, where as the "good" things Satan offers are always momentary and give us eternal pain and sorrow.  I know this Church is true and that Christ is our Savior and that we can and will live together forever as a family. This work is difficult but I already have seen myself grow and become blessed through it and I have seen in bless others' lives.

To keep in shape I have been exercising every day except sunday and I do 225 push ups, 3 sets of planks, 32 pull ups 3 days a week and the other 3 days I do150 crunches and 90 leg raises and 3 sets of bicycles and jump ropes.  All accompanied by riding a bike on different days through out the week. 

I am glad to hear you are taking care of the missionaries at home, as always and the members here take really good care of me.  They are very kind and helpful and love to see a white kid learning spanish so that is good.  They feed me well and go on team ups and help out the work a lot.  We are really working right now to get more members involved because we want every member to have the blessings of coming with us and sharing the gospel.

It sounds like it is busy as always and lots of fun at home.  I am glad to hear that the team is doing so well and that they haven't let up one point yet.  That is very impressive.  I hope they keep it up and please tell them I say hi and I miss them and wish them luck.  That is way cool too that mom got to do a marathon because I am sure she did awesome because she is an iron woman.  I am happy that all is going well in family sports and that Ruthe scored a goal!  That must have been awesome.  It is still smoking hot here and I am just loving it haha.  But I have been getting lots of letters and support and Mom and Sarah, I am going to respond to your letters and I am sorry it takes so long but there are a lot of Preparation Days that I don't even get to write so am I sorry.  But I am greatful for the letters and love to hear what is going on at home.  I hope you all keep strengthening your testimonies and always keeping Christ first.  I love you all a ton and am greatful for your prayers and pray for you too.  Love you so much!!!!

-Love your son/brother/grandson/nephew/cousin/uncle/friend
Elder Neeley

First Transfer

Dear family,

  

        I am done with my first transfer and I will be staying here in Fresno in the Echo ward and I love it.  I will get my new companion tomorrow and his name is Elder Wright and he has been out only for 3 transfers so we will hopefully just have a lot of enthusiam for the work and to be obedient in all things.  My trainer, Elder Moreno, will stay around another 3 weeks to be in a triplet with us to really focus in on our spanish and then he will go home.  We still haven't had any baptisms since I have been here but we have had some interesting circumstances with other Elder's that some times slows the work a little but I really think that we will start seeing our investigators start to enter the waters of baptism as we stay obedient and diligent.  I love this work a ton and I just pray that I truly am affecting people's lives.   I know this church is true down to my very core and I love to share it with others.

          The mission is way different than I thought it would be and harder than I thought it would be but I am so greatful for it.  I feel personal growth and also see change and hope in others as we share this message.  There are people that truly feel a second chance in life through this gospel and there is nothing more I could ask to do than to share this wonderful message with everyone.

       The language is coming along super well but I still have a long way to go.  I love the spanish language and the people and the food.  I have been learning how to cook different things from members when they feed us dinner and I love it!

      I miss you all a ton but I am very greatful for all your letters and  emails.  Sarah I got your letters the other day and I just got Mom's today so I will be writing back to both of you soon.  Also I have a whole hour to email here in the field so if you want to email that is fine but the letters will be more personal obviously.  Also I don't think these computers will let me send pictures cause we are at the library so I will just send the card home and when ever you send it back is great Sarah:)  Really don't feel bad about last time cause it is not a big deal.  Also Uncle Keith I will try that challenge that you told me.  Also that is exciting that everyone is doing well at home and you get to spend so much time with your grand daughter.

        Dad, let me know how the Tennessee was and Uncle Keith told me that BYU won so that is awesome.  I bet you and mom had a great time.  I love you both so much and am more and more greatful every day for your examples for me and as a family I am so greatful for each of your examples.  I think of you and pray for you everyday and I talk about you all the time and use our family as an example in our lessons all the time.  I am so greatful that our family was sealed in the temple and that we will be together for ever.  I bear testimony and gratitude to all our investigators of this great blessing we have in our lives.  I love you so much and thank you for all you have done in raising me because you have truly shaped me to be the person I am today.

       I love you all and will stay in close contact and try to send some pictures back quickly.  The Church is true, make sure to pray and read daily, personally and as a family.  I love you all a ton.

 

-Love your son/brother/grandson/nephew/cousin/uncle/friend Elder Neeley

Giving 100%

Dear Family

    The field is wonderful and I love the mission life.  It is super hard but I know that I am here for a reason and that the great joy I get to experience comes with a price.  I love you all so much and am glad the reunion went so well.  I adressed this email to everyone so I hope you all get it.  I thought Dad was forwarding them and I forgot to tag on everyone else so that is my fault.  I will be sending more pictures soon and I found I can email them so I will probably do that next week.  Spanish is coming a long very well and I get to speak it all the time with my companion which is SO helpful.  Sarah get the agua fresca next time and tell Doug I said congrats!!!  I am striving so hard every day to be exactly obedient so that I can be the best missionary I can be.  All through life I always tried to give my best in sports and school but less than 100% was often enough to get by and even do really well but I have realized that anything less than 100% effort 100% of the time is not going to be good enough and will just be a waste if time and money for me to be here. I know that as I am striving to be better and overcome these difficulties the Lord is helping as I reach out to Him. I am so greatful for prayer and know that when we do all we can no matter how much or how little that is, the Lord will make up the rest. 

I hope all is going well at home and I would love to get a family reunion shirt sent out to me some time if you have one for me but if not it is ok and please also I talked to mom about sending me a picture of our family outside the temple at DC after we were sealed.  So if I could get the picture soon for sure and the shirt too if possible that would be great.  I love you all so much and keep you in my prayers all the time.  I miss you all a ton but I am very focused on the work.  Please don't mistake that for a lack of care.  I am trying very hard to contact everyone that is emailing me but if I don't right a away I am sorry.  I love you all soooo much.  Pray daily, read the scriptures and listen to Mom and Dad.  I love my mission and California and my companion so much and am so greatful for all you support, love, letters and prayers.

    -Love your son/brother/grandson/nephew/cousin/uncle/friend Elder Neeley

August 15th, 2011: Two Baptism Dates Set

Dear Family,

   I love you all so much and am so greatful for you all and you support.  Dad the reason why I wrote last week on Tuesday is because we went to the temple on Tuesday so when we get to go to the temple (which is every 4 and a half months) we have Prepartation Day on the temple day which was Tuesday last week.  But It sounds like everyone is busy at home and I am glad to hear everyone is getting back into sports and getting ready for school.  Also I bet going to go see BYU play will be so much fun and a great trip back to Tennessee.

    The field is awesome and we have two baptismal dates right now for August 28th and these  people are so wonderful and I have truly come to love them so quickly and I know it is because of the service being done for them.  The language is going pretty well.  I can teach and conversate some what and all in spanish but I have a long way to go with understanding, pronunciation and just knowing the language better but it is going well though.  I love the spanish and my companion is awesome.  He is from Mexico so he helps me a ton and as well as the language he works hard and teaches well.  We are both on the same page with being exactly obedient and working hard and we get along pretty well.  This is his last transfer so he is working hard and not trunky at all which is a blessing for me.  I am just trying to make sure that he has no regrets when he leaves by us working the hardest we can.

     The mission is awesome!  I am constantly tired and constantly working and it is such a blessing.  We see miracles everyday in the field and sometimes they are bigger than others but I know this is the work of the Lord because He is guiding us in it.  I invite you to look for the miracles in you life because even though some times small we have them in all of our lives every day and we need to recognize them and give thanks to the Lord for them.  Always try to share the gospel and help out the missionaries in our ward when ever you can.  I have come to realize that we teach as the missionaries and the Holy Ghost testifies but it is the members that really transition the investigators to members or retain them.  Even when people know it is true it is so hard for them to change there life and take this step but when they feel that love from the members and really truly have friends in the ward to rely on they are so much more ready to take these major steps and be baptized and change their lives.  The members are so important.  I know that you already do so much for the missionaries but I just wanted you all to know just how important you really are.  I love you so much and I am so greatful for you examples and support you give to me.  I know this Church is true with all my heart and I love you all so much.  Be good and always keep praying.  You are always in my prayers.  I love you.

-Love your son/brother/grandson/cousin/nephew/uncle/friend  Elder Neeley

August 9th, 2011: Hooray for Agua Fresca!

Dear Dad, Mom and family

   Things are going great.  There are very difficult times and this is the hardest I have worked and the most tired I have been every day consecutively and I'm sure it won't let up for the next two years.  I love this work though and love my area and the ward I serve in.   I am right in the actual city of Fresno and the ward I am in all speaks spanish and they know how to really feed the missionaries.  We get real mexican food for just about every single meal and I love it to death.  They make this water called agua fresca and they blend up a little fruit with water and sugar and put it with ice and it is so good!  Every single person makes it and I love it so much.  My compainion and this ward and my studies are really helping my spanish and I am understanding more and more every day as well and becoming better at speaking.  Also my spiritual studies are really awesome.  I love the Book of Mormon more than I ever have and sharing this message is the best thing ever as I keep increaing my love for these people and my testimony that this is the true church with the authority of God and that we will live together as a family forever after this.  I love it and don't have a lot of time to email today but tell everyone I love them and I will send pictures and stuff and I love you all a ton.  Give everyone a hug and kiss for me.  LOVE YOU ALL!!

-Love your son/brother/cousin/nephew/grandson/uncle/friend Elder Neeley

August 1st, 2011: First Letter "in the Mission Field"

Hey Family!

    So the mission is the best thing in the world!!!!!!!  I love this so much and am working so stinking hard and I love it.  We are doing a ton of work and teaching a ton of lessons.  I am in a Spanish area and my trainer is straight out of Mexico City and he is the best.  He teaches me so much with spanish obviously but he is so patient and wise.  He channels my blind excitement in to powerful lessons and I am so greatful for him.  I am speaking only spanish and am able to understand enough when people talk that I can teach and actually answer questions rather than just bear testimony when my companion gives me the cue.  I still have a LONG way to go but I know that it is not a sprint and that I need to work this hard all the time and I knew that spanish would not come over night.  I love this work so much.  I have already seen it change my life.  I get worried about if I am in bed exactly at 10 30 and that is a concern for me.  It is a big deal because I need to be exactly obedient in order to really carry out the work of the Lord, but it is tiny when I think about whether I am watching good movies or listening to good music.  I never really swore but now it's like any offensive language is just out of the question.  I am not trying to boast or anyting because I am sure it comes of that way but I really am not.  I just feel as Ammon felt  when he said "I do not boast of myself but I boast in my God" becuase I know that these changes are only through His power.  


So it is not even the changes in my I want you to take notice of but I want you to see how mighty the power of God is in that He can change souls and refine His disciples in to instraments of power to execute His work and His glory.  I LOVE THIS WORK.  I know that souls will be saved because of the missionary forces and actually because of the Holy Ghost which we carry with us.  He is the teacher.  I know this Church is true and I bear a strong witness to every one that listens to us because I live it.  I don't have to hear some one else tell me or read it but I see and live this great gospel and it has changed my life in this short time and I see it working on the lives of those we teach.  The Lord lives.  He feels our pains and suffered for them.  We NEVER have to suffer because He paid the price already for our sins and sorrows we must simply call upon his grace and mercy and he will always, 100%, for certain, 10/10 times be there with open arms and mercy to spare.  This gift have been given and now we only need to recieve, and how easy is that.  Well it can't get any simpler.  I love this gospel and I love my family and I know we will be together forever through the power of the temple and the priesthood.  There is no greater blessing in my life than knowing I will be with all of you forever.  Not a day goes by that I don't think about this great blessing and testify of it to others.  


I love you all so much and appreciate all that every single one of you have taught me and the examples you all are to me.  I hope the family reunion was good and that you all enjoyed.  My Preparation Day is every monday by the way.  Uncle Keith I think email is the best way to go about mail now like you said and I am thankful for you email.  Mom and Dad I love you both so much and think about each of you as well as the rest of our family and pray for you daily.  I too will miss the times of football camp with you and will think of you but now you can build those memories with Alex as he becomes the star haha.  This is the best and I know you and mom and the rest of the family are so proud and I promis to keep it up.  I love you all so much.  We are on the Lord's team and because of that we cannot lose.

       -Love your son/brother/cousin/nephew/grandson/uncle/friend Elder Neeley