ROSIO'S BIRTHDAY

This is a big metal Puerto Rican flag near Humboldt Park.
  We were near there because we gave a blessing to someone down there with a member in our Ward.

You guys are going on so many fun vacations! It sounds like you had a blast in Vancouver! But to answer your questions I am not sure if I will get transferred or not! I want to say no but at the same time I feel I might leave. I have only been here for 3 transfers so it would make sense that I would stay but I feel like I might go! And we have a washing machine and dryer down stairs that we use but it costs money!

This week it has been great just to be a missionary! So for Rocio Vasquez this week it was her birthday on Wednesday and so we wrapped up a present for her. My companion was a little weirded out about how good at wrapping I was but all I could say was that's one of the things you learn when you're the only boy and the youngest! The present was perfectly wrapped if I may say so myself! So for her we got a Proclamation to the World and we put it in a frame for her! She loved it and so it made me happy! I love their family so much!  It's hard on me though just because I want them to want it so bad but they are still going at their own pace.

This week I have just been a little discouraged with everything because we are working so hard but just nothing is coming out of it.  I also got my flap stollen off my bike so I need to buy a new one now. The flap is just a part that makes it so water on the ground doesn't flip up on your back.  But I truly do love it! I know I was sent here for a reason because I have gotten super lucky with school, baseball, family, and Spanish, it all just came naturally but now The Lord is making me work for the things that I want so I feel like I am progressing more than ever right now! I truly love being a missionary and it scares me of how little time I have left! I know that God loves each one of us specifically and he has planned individually for all of his children! I love you and hope you all have a great week! 

Oh and also thanks for the JJs card! Honestly it was perfect and Elder Lee said thank you too! It works perfectly because his birthday is on July 2! Oh and for pday today we are all going to Cheesecake Factory to celebrate a bunch of bdays and there is member who is leaving for his mission in the 3rd ward this week so we are going to celebrate with them! Love you tons

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

FATHER'S DAY SHOTS (GOT THE TIE ON MATCHING DAD'S)

FAMILIA PUENTES' TEMPLE DAY

Buenas tardes Mami,

Yeah so today we are going through the temple with the most amazing family! I am so excited for them and they are so pumped! I have seen this biggest change in this family over the course of my few transfers here and it is truly amazing! So their name is la familia Puentes. The husband is a recent convert of 3 years and the mom has been a member for a long time and actually served a mission! They have a little boy named Abraham and they are the sweetest family! They are the family that we go to for everything because they are so kind and generous! So when I first got here they were borderline active-less active and whenever they would go to church they would just sit in the back and didn't know too many people. But one day when I was with Elder Martinez we had one of the strongest lessons I have ever had and we finally found out what was holding them back from the temple! We got it all cleared up and after that day they have completely changed 100 percent! Their testimonies are literally on fire and they are inviting people to church, they are calling up our investigators, the blessings for them are just pouring in through the roof! They now know everyone in our ward and all of the missionaries are super close with them! They may be one of the happiest families on Earth right now, they are so strong and I love love love them! This is one of the biggest miracles of my mission! But they are going through the Salt Lake City temple on August 11 to be sealed and I told them if they have anything there that you could do for them that you would and they said to invite you guys to go! They want you to be there because they only have the wife's sister and cousin there and their families who are going to be there! So please please please take time and go with them! It would mean the world to me if you guys would do that! You will love them, and the husband speaks some English too!

You love golfing though so much! I remember when you got the hole in 1 in Hawaii and we heard about it forever! I'm sorry about grandpa though, maybe I will send him a card soon just to let him know that I love him! I will just send it home and then you can give it to him!

Well I love you all so much and I hope you have a great day!

BEST BASEBALL FIELD VIEW

I found the best baseball field the other day, it may have a better view than Brighton!

NICASIO'S BAPTISM

Mamamia,

Sorry that this email has taken forever to get to you, I had one that was all typed up this morning but my ipad reset itself because we just updated everything the other day so it has been kind of weird.  But I will for sure wear the tie on Sunday! I haven’t done those pictures in a while though because I don’t want to count the months!

But this week has been alright.  I ended up baptizing one of the hermanas’ investigators. His name is Nicasio! The person who was going to baptize him got sick that day so the hermanas called me up a few hours before and were like you have white clothes right? Any ways I ended up baptizing him and it was a great opportunity! This man has such a strong testimony and he was so ready to make this promise with The Lord. I interviewed him the day before and I had always seen him at church so I knew who he was but I was just so excited for the opportunity to serve.  He just loves the church because all of his family still lives back in Mexico and he was saying how he feels something different here and he feels like the ward is his family! So the week was great.  I have been pretty stressed out this week -- I just want the people to want it so bad but I know The Lord respects agency so much!

Today the Field museum downtown was free so we went there, to the navy pier, and also to the big fountain here. So it has been a super busy but one of the most productive pdays of my mission!

But for my birthday I don't need anything! I already have everything I could ever want here in Chicago.  The people here are so amazing so just enjoying time with them and having you guys for eternity is all that I could ever want! And plus that amazing family that we have said that we could have a birthday party for me and the mom so I am super excited for that! And another member offered to make me a cake! Maybe just a small gift card to like Jimmy Johns or something simple because I still haven't used the other gift cards just because we never go to those restaurants! Honestly I don't need anything, I already have everything I could ever want! I love you all though and I hope you have a great day!

Oh and also my pday next week will be on Saturday this week because we are going through with the most amazing family so you can expect an email on that day! I will explain a little bit more about everything that is happening! Sorry the letter this week is short but always remember how much I love you! Have a great day mom, you are absolutely amazing!

Oh and something we have been doing this week is sharing pictures of our families with the members to build trust.  So always remember how much I love you guys!

Oh and by the way, in the baptism picture, the sister all the way to the left is Hermana Michael, the one that Erin Aste knows.

[These are Garrett's sandals given to him by Elder Rob Moffitt]

BEST HAIR CUT EVER

Sounds like you are all having so much fun down in St. George! That is amazing that Sam just pulled out a mini triathalon! Tell them sorry that I haven't been able to write back to them but I am going to get it to them as soon as possible or maybe for Steph for her Bday. That is going to be sad though if you sell the St. George house! The best part of it is that it is so small and quaint! We already have Midway that is huge--we should just keep the old one! That is something that I have noticed here is that we can enjoy the little houses and things. Everyone here lives so simply and I love it like this! Thank you for the package by the way too! I love it especially the joe joes! It was great hearing about all of the other missionaries too! One thing it said though is I am serving in Belmont Cragin suburb, but saying that is like saying you live in Mill Hollow. It is more of a name of the neighborhood not a suburb.   (Some people call it brickyard because there is that mall next to us that is called that!) 

Everything is going great here this week though! We had a huge miracle today! So the last few weeks I have been trying to get my haircut and everything but we never have time for it! We have just been pushing it off and off! I asked another Elder the other day to cut it for me but he said that his clippers are broken so he couldn't. Anyways, today we were going back and forth trying to find the best place to get our hair cut and all of the places were either super expensive or they brought me back to memories of getting my hair cut in the MTC, so finally we decided on going into this place and we go in and I just started talking to the lady cutting my hair! She was so kind and honestly we are best friends now!! She is from Mexico City and we just started talking about that and tons of stuff. The whole time she was just so kind and I was just loving it! She kept telling me my spanish was amazing and then we were talking a little bit more about what missionaries do and more about the Gospel! I felt like I was just talking to you Mom because that is how comfortable I felt, it felt like we have known each other forever.  It was the best hair cut I have ever gotten! I just loved it and we were just talking up a storm about everything! After, she ended up giving me my hair cut free and she gave us all of her information so that one day we can come and visit her! She is so legit and we are honestly best friends! Before I was a way sad because it is the first time I have had to pay for a hair cut on my mission but it ended up great! I told that other missionary that his clippers will probably start working soon because we found the reason why we needed to go somewhere else! I could care less about the money though, I am just so happy I got to meet her and that we will get to start to teach her. I texted her just barely to tell her thanks again and how she made my day and she just responded and told me about how she did it out of her heart and she knows that we have a hard job. She is in the Hermanas area though. It amazes me how many miracles that we have here in Chicago! My heart is so full of joy today and I am so happy to be a missionary! 

This week though I tried this new food though! It was this Ecuadorian dish that the meat in it was made out of cow stomach.  You can imagine the texture of it if you get one of those little squishy covers on a pencil that make it so your hands don't hurt and stick that in your mouth. It actually tasted pretty good, it was just awkward to eat. One side of the meat was like a honey comb looking thing so it was weird to eat, but hey that is what makes the mission great! 

Honestly, I am so happy to be serving as a missionary! Sometimes I overlook all of the blessings but there are days like today that I am just overwhelmed by the Lord’s love! That lady that we met today is one of the biggest miracles of my mission, it may sound like nothing but she means the world to me!  I love this gospel and the Happiness that it brings! I know that we are all Children of God. I love you so much and have a great day mom!

The best hair cut ever and wearing his tie with an embroidered heart on the back.

"God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there."

—Thomas S. Monson, "We Never Walk Alone"

Topics: Prophetic Messages, God's Love

          Just like the love of our family, Gods love is unconditional,
there are so many little reminders of this love too!
Every day may not be perfect but there is always a reason to smile!