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!

MEMORIAL DAY

Mom! This has straight up been the best week of my entire mission!! First of all, me and Elder Lee are going to be staying together again! We are working so much better together now and we are lovig being together! But the reason why this week was so amazing was because the Familia Vasquez came to church this week! They are the family that is getting the wedding stuff done! But every week they always have stuff that causes them to not be able to come to church and every week they always say that maybe they will come but they can never promise! Then this week they promised they would come! I was stoked on life that they were going to be coming! So we get to church and one of our other investigators was already there, we were so excited! So we started waiting for this family out in the foyer (however you spell that) and the meeting starts. We were like oh they will be here in a few minutes. Then the Sacrament is starting so we decide to go in. I am not going to lie I was super bummed. I just felt terrible and then after the Sacrament they open the doors back up and tons of people walk in. I was just searching for them to see if they would come in but they didn't. So I was just happy to be in church but I was so butthurt.  Then 5 minutes later they walked in and sat behind us! I honestly almost started crying because I was sooooo soooo sooooo sooo happy!!!!!!!!!!! My companion after was like you completely changed when they got there! I don't think I have ever been happier in my entire life! So this family fit in perfectly too! Everyone was so nice to them and their son just loved primary and being with the kids too! The primary teacher said that he asked for the articles of faith and was practicing them and he was singing the whole time! Then during our classes the wife was answering so many questions! In our gospel principals class they were talking about the Holy Ghost and she stands up and she was like oh talking about that guidance, when we were driving here we were in the general area but we didn't know exactly where to go and then I got this feeling that we needed to come this way and we saw the sign and now we are here! All of the other missionaries after were like Heck yeah you followed the Holy Ghost and she is so ready to be baptized she just has to figure out the marriage stuff! I honetly feel like they are the reason why I am in this area. Some times I get sucked into just thinking in numbers but I feel like with them I just want to have that eternal family and to be happy for forever! They are the most amazing family and I am the LUCKIEST missionary on Earth to be here with them! I love love love them and would do anything for them! Then during relief society the hermanas said she just loved it! I honestly think the Relief Society is the best program of the church because it is always what the investigators love! Relief society = Baptisms! The other day too we were teaching them and they were talking about how old we are because they have a 14 year old son and I told them my birthday was coming up soon! She was like oh mine is on the 18th we will have to throw a party for both of us! I was so happy and I would do anything for their family! They are so amazing!

The temple this week was amazing though too! I loved it! I didn't realize how small the temple is here but it feels like I am right at home when I go! We have one of the members in our area preparing to go through too so I will be able to go there soon again! Honestly, I am having the best time of my life out here!

Oh and this week we went to this persons house and they let us right in and they were like oh we just got done with our bible class come in. So we start explaining stuff and they were arguing with us before we even said anything! They asked what the gospel was for us and we said faith, repentance and then they cut us off and started yelling about baptism and the Holy Ghost. They went off on us. I was just thinking if you let us finish before yelling you would know those come next! They were just so disrespectful and the whole time we were just like don't fight with us we are just explaining and you can choose to pray or not, they didn't realize we were basically teaching the same stuff as them we just have the proper authority and the Book of Mormon.  We stayed in there because there was one lady who was truly interested but after a while we finally just got up and were like we have to go. They said okay just let us finish with a prayer. We are like okay so they get us in a circle and they grab our hands and they started singing a song! I just started laughing because it was just so weird. then they were saying this prayer and I was on exchanges and the kid I was with was like let go of us before we call the cops because they wouldn't let us go! I was just laughing because the people were crazy and they were trying to convert us! I walked out with the strongest testimony of the Book of Mormon than I have ever felt before!

But everything is great here and I am truly happy! Oh and I don't know if I will have time to respond to Grandma or anyone else really because we have a picnic today for Memorial Day so we are going to be playing sports and everything with the members at the park! But I love you all and have a great week!

All of the zone/district leaders in our zone.  And my swag in glasses.
Ps in the picture with Bringhurst, those aren't my glasses, just used them for the pic.

This is our zone. 

This is Elder Bringhurst!  He is one of my best friends out here!

MARIA'S MIRACLE

Everything here this week was great! Pretty basic week though! One day we had a pretty huge miracle though! It was like 7 one day and our appointment canceled on us. We were pretty bumbed and we were debating if we should go up to that persons house and just check how they were doing because the reason they canceled was the husband was going to get home late from work but I was going through a list of formers and there were some people that I saw that I felt like we should go visit! I asked Elder Lee where we should go, to the appointment that canceled on us or to one of these formers and we ended up going to the former who said the reason why they were dropped because the son was to into science. But we went back and we knocked on the door and we said we were looking for a Maria and Jorge and she was just amazed that I knew her name (even though there is probably a Maria in every house here). I told her all that we knew was there is a Maria and Jorge that lived there and she thought we were magicians basically but anyways she let us in and we taught her 3 times last week, twice with members! It was a huge miracle for us! I feel like any way we would have gone that night would have been a good choice but we took the one that The Lord specifically needed us to do!

The hermanas in our district last night felt like there was something bad in their house so last night they went and slept at the mission home. So today we went over with the zls and we said a prayer in their house and so hopefully everything will go away soon! I have faith that the Lord’s power is much stronger than the adversaries! 

Pretty basic week though! Everything is going great! Tell the baseball team that they have my support all the way from over here and that I love them all! I love you though and have a great day!

[Attached is a picture posted by Elder Eichers’ companion, Elder Lee, on Facebook ]

SERVICE

Everything is great here!  Not too much to tell you because you heard it all yesterday. But I am still loving everything here.    Today I will just send more pictures!  These are at Linda's house (she is less active).  She is probably the funniest little lady on Earth! 

Elder Eichers and Elder Martinez

 

 This is Linda and Matias.  Matias is her friend.

Elder Eichers and Elder Kevin Lee

MOTHER'S DAY

BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!

Benihana Mom! Everything here is going great! For the call I am not sure at what time it will be at. I am thinking like 5 here about but I am not completely sure yet! But that is great that you loved China, I am sorry you got sick though.  I loved the picture of Spencer though! I miss him so much and I am glad he is liking everything out in Japan! I hope I get to see him before he goes out on his mission! But the Garrett's Popcorn looks great, I have only had little bits of it I still have never gone to the store, but maybe today will be the day with everything! I was looking at Dad’s email and I did not realize how much missionary work there was in our ward! I honestly didn't remember one baptism over the age of eight since I had been there!

Everything is going great out here though! I am loving everything so much! We had one of the biggest miracles of my whole mission this week, it was probably one of the best days of my life! So we have this family who we have been working with who really wants to get baptized but there is some issues with being married and everything but this week everything lined up perfectly! The mom of this family wanted me to call her mom back in Mexico to talk so that she would help her get the divorce done! I talked to her and just talked a little about who we were and about how much The Lord and we love her! After the mom agreed to help her daughter out and I have never been so happy in my entire life! The reason the mom wouldn't help her before is the father is super catholic and so he didn't want her to be divorced because of tradition and they also thought that she was going to leave the Catholic Church just to kind of do nothing! But now their family is doing amazing and in time we are going to help her get married to the man she lives with right now and we are working on everything so they can progress forward from baptism! There family is amazing and we know in time she will get baptized with her "new husband" and they will be able to go through the temple! I love their family so so so much! It was by far the biggest miracle of my mission! 

A funny story that happened this week was that we got hit on by some 16 year olds. Being the missionaries we are though they were just being classic high school girls and we were just like no but telling them all about the church! We were laughing so hard after because it was so awkward! I love you so much Mom and I hope you have a great day!