Last Message From Quetzaltenango 7/8/2013

"And now I seal up these records... and I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God.  Until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you..." (Moroni 10:2,34)

Thanks everyone for everything, it's been great. Thanks for all the support and love, it means more than y'all can know.  I'll see you all on Thursday.  LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

For the last time,

Elder Westenskow

I Am So Grateful 7/1/2013

Hey There Familiares,

How's it all going? Super good I hope! I've included a few epic pictures from the heights of San Andres, the pueblo in the back is my area.

So, just because mom asked, I do have a couple ideas for when I get home. That night, I figure that I will be getting home fairly late but what I would like to do is just get some dinner, something to go if we can and just go home and talk for a little and then go to bed. Then after that all the normal festivities will begin but that first night I kinda want to try to maintain still the missionary spirit. That weekend, I do want to have a Rock Band and pizza party with the crew (I need to meet all the new members ha ha) and apart from that I just want to eat at all the super good restaurants (Red Robin, BWW, In and Out, Five Guys, etc.) So that's pretty much all the plans that I have. Hope we can work it out. Also, I need to buy new like, everything!

Now, on to the not baggy stuff. This week was good, a little slow on the finding end which was our focus but it turned out good because PEDRO IS BEING BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY!!!!!!! YOU HEARD IT RIGHT FAMILY, I AM NOT LEAVING THIS AREA EMPTY!!!!! PEDRO IS BEING BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And he's really excited about it. Best way ever to leave the mission I think. We have some other progressing investigators as well. A guy named Erick who we were able to put a fecha for the 20th of this month.  Really a prepared person, he came to church all 3 hours yesterday and went to a Stake YSA activity in the afternoon so that's super cool!  

So this week we'll be finding new investigators and working hard! I love you all! Sorry this is short but I think mom was right, there's really not a whole ton more to say. I am so grateful for all that has happened in the last 2 years, that I was called to the mission I was called to, that I had the companions that I had, that I had the opportunity to be a leader in the ways that were permitted, that I was able to meet all the people that I have met. The good days, the bad days, everything in between.  It has all been so guided by the Lord, by revelation in such a way that the person who has most benefited by my service is me. I love this work, I love this gospel, I love the Lord. All I have, I owe to him, his work, his church, and his gospel. I cannot wait to see you all but I am going to absolutely kill myself this week working, have to make it count.

LOVE YOU ALL!!!! 

Elder Westenskow

Things Are Going Well 6/24/2013

Dear Family!

Pics for this week, just a fun aldea that we went to that sold Walters juice, had to buy it ha ha. Also I don't remember what one of them is so y'all can guess!

But yeah, sounds like y'all have had a pretty exciting life lately, especially dad. Totally jealous of the whole DC thing. One of my goals is to at one point take trips to both NYC and DC. Two places I really, really want to get to know. So, who knows when but I hope one day to do it. Also, cool that y'all could go to the campout! Wish I could have been there, it's always a truly... unique experience. From the photo I can tell that this year was no different.  

Also, I dunno if this is like super selfish but I might not write a ton of people this week or the next couple until I come home. It's nothing against anyone but I just...figure that I can just talk to y'all soon, sorry for the inconvenience and for all those that are so faithful in writing, thank you so much, the effort and love is not lost on me. Y'all rock!!!!!!!!

So now on to me, this week was good, we were working very very hard and we have a few investigators that are progressing. Pedro was in church as always but for some reason just doesn't want to accept a fecha but we're working hard with that. We have a couple young men that came to church as well so that's good. Things are going well. I love you all, sorry this is so short but I'll see you all soon.  

LOVE YA!

Elder Westenskow

Happy Fathers Day! 6/17/2013

BEFORE ANYTHING, HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO THE BESTEST DAD IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE YA DUDE! HOPE IT WAS GREAT!!!

 

How is it going there? Hope things are going well. Glad that y'all are making a few preparations for my homecoming, I have a few ideas of things I want to do when I get home. If you want, I'll share, if not, they'll be secrets until I get back.  ;-)

Also, I GOT THE PACKAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That marks 3 perfect years of package sending to Guatemala, the Lord does bless us in the little things. AND THE PACKAGE IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ha ha. Love it. Thank you so much and the gift was AWESOME as well!! I included a few pics of the fun stuff inside!  LOVE YOU ALL!!!

 

 

As for our week it was really good. Bacilio has kinda disappeared, we can't find him and he hasn't been to church in two weeks now so we really don't know what to think there, seems like he might have gotten spooked or something, I dunno. We'll go this week but honestly, I don't know what will happen. 

We do have Pedro however, he's still doing good. He almost didn't come to church because his brother invited him to go to an evangelical church this week and he was like "it's all the same so maybe I won't go to San Cristobal anymore" so we were like "it's not the same" and he was like, "okay, I guess I'll go then" So that turned out alright. We're going tomorrow with President Bautista tomorrow to hopefully put the fecha. So he's going well. The fecha would be for the 29th which is also my 2 year mark which is also less than 2 weeks away. Weird. But I love it :)

Also things are going great with Brayan, our less active, we're also going tomorrow with them with President, that's actually the reason that he wanted to come out so that'll be fun, hopefully he can exercize a good influence there :)  They are just super cool with us, but there's a difference between being super cool and going to church ha ha. We want to clear that gap.  

We also have a few other positive investigators but they're progressing slowly. But we do have a lot of hope for the area, things are always slow at the beginning so it's actually going pretty well :) We're stoked.  I love the mission, I love my area, love my comp, it's all going great. A great way to finish I think, I think.  Not sure if I'm ready to finish but I'm stoked to see all of you.  

 

LOVE YOU ALL AN ENGLISH TONNE!!!!!!!

Elder Westenskow

Working Hard and Seeing the Blessings 6/10/2013

Hey there everybody!

First off, glad that everyone was able to have an enjoyable week either in Texas or at home, sounds like a lot of fun! Wish I could have been there but that's how things happen sometimes ha ha. As for me, I'm super stoked, I told mom but I'll let y'all know, about my sacrament meeting talk topic! It's about the covenants we make. I'm sure that nobody but the Lord really knows how much I have studied covenants in the last few months and I have gained a love and sincere appreciation for these sacred promises that we make, I'm very very excited to be able to share a little about what I have learned. Seriously, there could not have been a better topic for me.

Anyways, as for my week, it was actually really, really good. We were really able to get down to work with one of our 2 less actives. His wife and daughter are not members and he has had almost no contact with the church for 10 years. But he got really stoked about family history, so we took him to the chapel this week so that he could get started on his family history and we showed them the church and all that good stuff so that was fun :) The only problem there is that he works on Sundays, he works in a tienda type thing right in front of the Catholic church so people walk out of mass and just buy a ton of food and stuff so is the best day sales wise. But we're working hard.  

Progressing are basically the same people, Pedro came to church again, that's 3 times in a row, he even beat us there yesterday! We hope to put a fecha with him this week, I think he definitely could be baptized this month, it's just a matter of helping him understand the doctrine, even on a very basic level. But we're working hard with him. He has a desire to follow God, we couldn't even teach him this week because he wasn't home all week but he still showed up to church. Pretty cool.

Bacilio didn't come to church, we have to figure out what's going on there, he said he'd go last week. He just is having such a hard time with Joseph Smith and all that stuff, we got him to ask God in prayer at the end of our last cita and I could feel the spirit really well but we're just praying that he can recognize it.  

Also, there is another investigator that we've had on and off, it's really hard to find him. But he's now going through a difficult time in his life and he's really looking for help. He also came to church yesterday, he only stayed for Sacrament meeting but he came, by himself so that was super cool. He also knows a member.  The problem is his wife, she's Catholic so we're really praying for a miracle there! But I have seen many miracles and many people change so we're just being faithful!  

As for everyone else, there's a couple people but those would be the most positive. This week was really good, we had more member lessons than another area in my district. So that made us feel good. But yeah, things are going good, I know I'm going to leave this area strong with a good pool of investigators, officially one month from tomorrow I walk through the door of the house, kinda weird to think about, like, I am excited but I also just don't really believe it... I keep expecting President to call me and be like "PSYCH! You'll be here another year" but I don't think that will happen ha ha. But I'm feeling good. We're working VERY hard and starting to see fruit.

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!

Elder Westenskow