One Year!!!

BUEEENNNAASSS!!! sorry for the long wait, but i do it with much love!!

BOY do i just feel amazing! these past 2 weeks have been amazing an amazing 2 weeks! the zone leaders in our mission did divisions with every companionship in their zones for 3 days! it was our turn 2 weeks ago! worked in my area with Elder Rumsey and it was such an amazing experience. hes another gringo or white boy, and during these 3 days, we did talk a little english in which i am horribly failing in. i just hope i wont have to take an english class when i return home! haha. the last day on our transfers, we went out to this other neighborhood kind of the farthest away from the middle of our area. its called San Camilo,in this area its kind of the outskirts of merida, and it kind of like the villages with dirt roads and a lot of vegetation! it is also the most dangerous part in our area because people always rob people there, like 20 guys gang up and no joke rob people. we have been blessed and protected from that happening to us! but it was night time when we were there, really dark and we were waiting for the bus by a store to take us back to the other area to go back home. and we went in to buy something to drink and 2 children came up to us in excitement and greeted us, we had no clue who they were,but it was normal because many kids stare and think we are high class and special because we walk around in shirts and ties. when we couldnt find anything we started walking out of the store to wait again. and the young mom at the counter asked us we we were looking for something, and we said no. as we waited outside for 2 minutes, we both had the feeling to buy something, didnt matter what, just had to buy something! so we entered again, i saw a package of oats and i bought it. we started talking to the young mom at the counter and we found out that she was a less active who lives a couple streets down! right by our investigator named Lucely, and on the other side of her are some other members in our ward she is such an amazing person! and 2 kids who greeted us were her children so that explained a lot! haha. she alsogave us free drinks. it was so great for that experience. these past weeks we have been going over there, it is just her and her 2 kids ages 7 and 9. she started coming to church again and we are teaching and prepping her daughter for baptism possibly this week. all because of a little impression of the holy ghost to buy some oats! and i found out why the oats, becasue i learned you can make an amazing drink with oats! hmmmn!!! 

for a month, our investigator lucely hasnt been going to the church, so 3 weeks ago my comp and i went over there and taught her the sabbath day again, told her the blessings and consiquences and trying to help her feel the desire and know the importance of going with the help of the spirit! and more about the comandments and sacrament. i wont get into details of the personal stuff we talked after, but because of this one lesson, she has been going to the church every week.this past week we interviewed her 2 children. this week we baptized her children christian and ezekiel! it was a great experience for them! and for my comp because he is new in the mission still. Luceli´s pair daniel, is a professional boxer, and one time we met him and he told us that he was going to teach us how to box! and he is also going to buy us pastor pizza which is the best pizza here in the whole world, only made in mexico! but we went early one morning and we boxed with him! you could say i won! jaja

this week we also had a big activity for all the youth in the stake, called A Day In the Mission! in the morning at like 7 we talked to all the youth in the stake center and after had breakfast with them.we shared stories of what its like to be a missionary and of the life of a missionary and we also taught them and trained them on how to share the gospel! until 11am, then we all left and the youth did divisions with all the missionaries. out companionship got split up and we every missionary had about 3 youth with them! it was a neat experience, to teach with the youth, and help them get to know of what its like to be a missionary.when we returned everyone shared their testimonies and it just touched my heart to hear just how these 5 hours with them changed them soo much and that they were able to feel the spirit! shortly after we had all the baptisms in our zone, it was what we called a noche blanca, or white night. with a lot of baptisms! it was soo amazing. all us missionaries from the zone sang for everyone in the chapel after all the baptisms. 

And one more thing! how come nobody told us about the time change that happened this week! hahaha, nobody tells us missionaries. we woke up the morning for church and we went to the church and noone was there and it was about 8:50am right before it started. and we say no one. so we called the bishop and asked if they went on strike, or if it was another general conference or something like that! bishop just laughed and told us, you didnt change your clocks didnt you! and thats how were learned about the time change! 

well i dont really have much time left, but i know that our savior and redeemerJesus Christ LIVES!! thats right... HE LIVES!!! even though he died, he resureccted and lived and is always there to help us in every momont only if we let him!! The book of mormon if a testament true of Jesus Christ and Thomas S Monson is a living testimony of this gospel of Jesus Christ! What a blessing it is we ahve to share it with all our lost brothers and sisters!! I love my maker, i love Jesus Christ, I love the Gospel, i love the book of mormon, and i love you all! thankyou for helping me all throughout my life, even though sometimes,i couldve been a rebel child! hahaha.

Les Amo a todos y nos vemos o hasta la proxima semana!!

ELDER WASDEN 

Divisions with my youth!! Day in the Mission activity

Testigo for a day!! 

we carved pumkins as a zone this morning!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN

dont ask, just accept it!!

Elder Landin ZL

THEY HAVE WALMART HERE!!!

The Boxing Crew! (like my boxer face)

The Boxing Champ.... and my investigator daniel :P

The Real Deal, in the ring!! 

Christian and Ezekiel

Investigator Luceli and ker kids, (good thing i charged my camera before this baptism!)

or my new pet, i should say

WILSON!!!!!!!

Walkin around in San Camilo with the compie!!

Thats right, thats the real strength we have as missionaries!! 

its only october and they are already preppin for Christmas!! 

Elder Reyes! one of my best mexican friends in the mission. hes from Chiuahua, like the dog!

my selfies with my little Tousa mafousa!!

They have a real hospital here!! we went in to help another elder and other sister that were sick!

its my little kitty i found! it may be diseased or something like that but it has a heart too and its cute!!

Our AWESOME zone of Brisas!! 

P,S, Note from Kacey, I'm having a problem with downloading the pictures Elder Wasden sent, I think my computer is too full!! I'll try to fix it and post them all here ASAP!!

Selfies and Swings

     selfie sunday

                             just swinging by

why dig for gold here when you can dig for more in the book of mormon

Conference!!!

FAM!!! whats crackalakin!! im sorry again, but i wont have much time to write. today we have to go to another pueblo called Tixkokob! but whats happenen! did you like conference! because i just about LOVED it!! i loved the talk from elder Bednar and also from Allan D Haynie! we didnt get to see much of the saturdaysession, because we had to do a ton of service our investigator so that he would be able to go see conference! we built a house! you could say im a contractor now! haha. this week was the first week of this change or transfer! that means this coming week we have meetings! this week we also did a huge family home evening with all the bakery workers of the family Mena, less actives, and we watched the video of the testaments! they all enjoyed it! we then talked a little about the book of mormon hoping to pass some out in which we did! the they invited us to eat late night dinner with them before we had to go home! bakery workers sure know how to eat and party! haha. but we sure did have a lot of fun! im sorry for the short email but i love you guys and until next week!

lots of hugs and kisses and a slap on the back, but not too hard because that would hurt,

ELDER WASDEN

HAMBURGERS!!! a member made for us. they have their own hamburger stand and they alwasy bless and spoil us with food. i hope i dont become fat!

FIRST TASTE!!! I win!

Just cooking some meat!! it smelt soo good!

BEHOLD!! Theres mac and cheese here in mexico!! i had to buy it!!

dinner with the workers in the bakery!! i just love these guys!!

Finally an Email!!!

WHATS GOING ON FAM!! i just want to apologize for the past week, we had transfers! but here i am! and boy doi have tons to say! i just hope i can fit it all! and just to let you know mom! I did not forget your birthday!! and i know im a little late but... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! i promise next week ill be more on time!! hahaha.just give me a hint on whos birthdays next in the family...! :P i have much to say, but my pictures will help out too. i did forget to send the pics from the last email i sent.but ill send them. these past 2 weeks, have been soobusy!! we did have another baptism, of heberto! :D this week, we met 2 less actives! one we were outside of a bakery of another less active one night and this girl walks up to us and told us she needs to talk to us,and asked where the church was. and she wanted to start going again with her husband and kid in which arent members! i am excited to work with them! wedid find 10 new people to teach this week that are absolutley amazing! day after pday, we had no choice but my comp had to cut his hair, we went to a members house who owns a haircut place, but they werent there, so we went next door to another haircut place and got his haircut there. we contacted the lady, her names Lucely! but shes a young mother of 3! she is absolutly amazing. she is really smart to! 

Also this week!! i thought i learned how tomake Arroz con Leche!! which is the best in the whole entire world! but i ended up attempting to make is in the house one night! i did forget that i was cooking it, lets just say, when i blessed the food, i had to double bless it so that it would taste good! hahaha. ill just leave it to the members to make it for me! haha. 

i thought rain season was almost over, but We have been getting a ton of rain lately here! and boy do i love it! but the problem of it here, is that it just floods the streets! one night,we were leaving a less actives house from the bakery,and i notice this old man with a stroller struggling to make it through this street that was completely shin deep in water.so i took off my shoes and walked barefoot through the water to help him. i did learn one thing to never walk barefoot in the streets of mexico because there are a lot of things one the ground! but i ended up carrying him through the water so he wouldnt get wet! he told me a little bout his life in the military. he did also thing i was crazy for getting my nice clothes wet! i kind of felt like a pioneer crossing a river, it was a amazing experiene and really softened the heart of the old man.plus it was a great way to finally go swimming again after a long time! hahaha. 

Let me just tell you how much i love the members here in this area!!.... I LOVETHE MEMBERS IN THIS AREA!! one family bought mea ukulele, and last friday we had a big fiesta for the mexican independence day.and we had dinner and also my comp and I sang some bomb hymns for everyone with the ukulele and our awesome voices, the young woman, primary,and relief society all sang and danced! it was an amamzing activity!! everyone had a ton of fun, including the investigators we invited. Jose luis and jeis! also this week, we got invited to a birthday party of one of out investigator who turn 9 years old. and also to a baby shower of another investigator! hahaha. never been to a baby shower, and have no clue what they do! hahaha. this week one night at like 8:45, we were heading home and we were already really close to our house,but i had a feeling to go see this family of less actives like 13 blocks away. i had no clue why, my comp just wanted to go home, but i didnt tell him until after, but we did end up going there, and we found out that that her 14 yearold grand daughter joanna who lives around the corner was sick with Chingconcuya which is a strong sickness here from the mosquitos that is just about everywhere here, luckily i havent got it yet, but she needed a blessing, we did give a blessing and we got to know her family a little bit better,because the dad is less active. but he gave us a ride home and we got home just about on time! and she got better the next day! so everything worked out well! i know im not the best at telling stories, but i know that the lord guides us through the holy ghost and we should always be ready and listening to the impressions of the HG because its really easy to not hear it sometimes. when you get it, dont think twice, but just do it! we may not know why, but the lord knows why. (Words of Mormon 1:7) READ IT!! i know our heavenly father loves us,and wants to guide us so that we can return to live with him! i know the gospels true and boy do i just want to share it with EVERYONE!! i love you all, and i send you big bear hugs and sloppy kisses to everyone! hahaha. Challenge of the week: hug a random child of god that you dont know. 

Con mucho cariño del todo el mundo,

ELDER WASDEN

definition of my bishop!! hahaha

I found my arizona!!!!

selfies!

made pancakes with my nutella!

us singing in the ward activity

riding in the bus!

GRASS IN MEXICO!!

dulce drew a picture of me! hahaha

SPIDER MAN!!

the pinata we bought for the little girls bithdays! its from frozen

doing homework and helping Yucelmy with math and english! its so hard to explain math in spanish!!

my comp fell asleep

She loved it!°!

you can call me a nephite!

learning self defense from a member

we did dance a little before we gave her away

A Temple for Mexico City

Bix´a beel ex!! ill let you guys try to translate that! hahaha. that sounds soo crazy to hear all the things that are going back at home! im just scared to think about when i come back, and thats exactly why i dont! haha. but thats amazing to hear everthing thats going on! i love all the letter and emails and pics! this week has been a pretty big busy week! as always! we had training meetings all week called 8 principles that we do very 3 months! they are soo awesome and spiritual and the practices are my favorite part! oh remember about the amazing investigators we found last week named Oscar and Angle! we figured out that they arent in our area, they are literally 3 houses away from the boundaries of our area! i was soo sad! but this week we introduced them to the sister missionaries in that area who are absolute best friends of mine because theyre in my district! this week we also had this family, who are less active but has been years since the last time they went to church or any other activity of the church. this week we got up at 4:00am everyday for 4 days to help him out in his bakery and cleaned everything. i shouldve took a pic, but its not like a normal bakery with industial ovens, the oven are made of cement, and inside you build a fire, they are pretty legit! but on morning he started to open up more, and friday he accompanied us to a church activity, and this week he is going to teach the relief society how  to do bread! bread down here is sooo much better! its like this sweet bread they make that is soo amazing! but i might just have to go to that to learn too! haha. we also are teaching this little girl named Dulce (which means candy or sweet in english) but she is the most adorable 9 year old! he family are less actives but we got to know then last week and they are so amazing! she are slowly activating too! OHHH!! and this week was the dedication of the Temple in Mexico City, so we got to see through broadcast, all the 3 dedication sessions and the temple celebrations! it was such an amazing experience spiritual in which i will never forget! it was my first temple dedication i saw! but that was such an amazing way to end my week! right now i have to go, but boy do i love this work! i have had to great opportunity to see the lords hand in my life everyday and have been growing closer and closer to my heavenly father each day! i love you all, friends and fam. you have been such amazing examples to me in my life! Until next week.

Ek alik bie! cala'nte'bey

ELDER WASDEN

"Babosos" aka slimy slugs

Tu'ux ka bin! (whats going on)! i love being in the yucatan again! i get to continue to learn maya! and mom about the cat Jazzy that you guys pretty much adopted in our family, of course i was there and of course i remember it! it wouldnt stop meowing outside my window in the middle of the night when i was trying to sleep until i went outside and put it on our neighbors porch so i wouldnt have to hear it! i know, the neighbors porch, it was pretty genius huh. but when i went back to bed it came back and started meowing again! and look now its our pet! hahaha. also, i wanted to tell you, the day after i told you i havent receive the package yet... i received it that day! and boy did you make me sooo happy!!! i almost cried! thank you soo much mommy! haha. i loved it soo much! and it was soo worth the 9 month wait, hahaha ;)  other then that, this week has been such an amazing week! i also recieved ALL my ties that i left in my last area in the other state, campeche! and mom, you were right, in every single one of my areas i have forgotten or left something behind! its soo weird how you moms know everything!!

Also, last sunday, was the 5 sunday of the month so we were all combined the 3 hour of church, and bishop asked me to teach or lead a part in this hour. and so i talked about the importance of family home evenings and missionary work. my mission leader, Reyes Brito (returned missionary as of 1 month and is super awesome) was asked to help too. as i was talking in front of all the priesthood, relief society, and youth. i even warned everyone, that my spanish was a little rusty because i was in Campeche for 4 months, because there are many jokes here of campeche, but as i was teaching, i dont rememebr what i was trying to say, but i called everyone and  told everyone they needed to be "babosos" which means slimy slugs in spanish, hahaha. you can just imagine how that went after that. everyone still remembers it and makes jokes! lol boy do i love the members here, they are pretty much family to me already! after church that day we ate with a family named the Matu Canto family. family full of energy of who i love! they also bought me a mexican flag as a present! i was super happy!  this week i also did divisions with another elder named Elder Mcdonald, the same elder from my first area in Tekax.  but one night we were walking home this week at the end of the day at night. and i saw this truck with 2 guys in an avenue that was stuck in the middle of the street because it ran out of gas. so i told my comp to come with me and i helped them by starting pushing the truck. we pushed this truck 7 blocks to a gas station. it was a great workout, it felt exactly like one of my football drills in high school. but when we got to the gas station i we all rested on the truck of tiredness and began to talk to them. they were so thankful and saw that we really were representative of jesus christ and they invited us both over to visit them, they wanted to hear more about what we do. when they told us where they lived, i then realized that we contacted this family our first day here in our new area and they werent that interested in hearing us! but now look, when we went to there house later that week, we had an amazing lesson and they even accepted a baptism date, even their grandma! its amazing how the lord prepares his children to hear us! we have been also working with this less active family, and one of their sons is married and has 3 kids,  but he is the only member, his wife and 2 sons and daughter are not. but we visited them the first time and met them all. and i hugged the dad and his son, and i got to the daughter and she tried to hug me, but i stuck out my hand, and it was one of those awkward denial hugs and she was confused and i just felt sooo awful! it happens to a lot of missionaries! hahaha. we had a ward activity this week too and it turned out to be super fun!! i had to excited some of the young men that were outside playing soccer, but they all came in and it was a blast and we all just loved it! we also did a lot of service for many members this week! i got to use a lawn mower again almost after 1 year! i never see lawn mowers down here! haha. so that was pretty much an experience for me! lol.  we are growing a lot closer to the members here, i am now helping the bishop on his english every monday night. because he is an english teacher, he likes to tell me stuff in english during meetings and stuff! haha. well that was pretty much my week, and now i have to go, but i love you all and ill send some pics!

hope you didnt go too crazy this labor day weekend, but i love you all lots and hasta saama!

ELDER WASDEN

THANK YOU FOR THE PACKAGE FAM!!!

Preppin for the relay races!

little blurry, but here's some of us during the activity!

comp fell asleep after a lesson! haha

Don't worry because I gotta couple of pics!

whats happening fam! another week here and sorry to say but i dont have much time this time again! i have divisions with the zone leaders! but this week has been another amazing week. transfers did come 2 weeks ago and i am now in merida yucantan! the big city! and boy do i absolutely love it here! the members of the ward is awesome, and our ward mission leader is reyes brito, he just returned from his mission about a month ago and he and his family i love soo dang much! these past 2 weeks have been pure finding and getting to know the members, looking for all the investigators that the missionaries had before us, and contacting! we walking lots for the first week but week 3 is now here and we can pretty much find our way around! what really pushes us is when we have meetings outside our area in which we have to try to find our way around the whole city of merida hoping we are taking the right buses! :P we also have a girl in our ward named milady and she leaves on her mission tomorrow! last Friday we had a big ward karaoke activity which was super fun and hilarious because we all found out nobody can sing!! we brought one of our investigators he sure enjoyed it! especially when everyone made me sing. ill just let you ponder that in your minds. this week we also found these people on this one street we passed and we began to talk to them. some of the guys names are brian, martin, efran, ana, and daniel. they have more family there but we have been going over there for about a week now. now this family isnt really your perfect utah family, they drink,smoke, fight. (one of them fought this random guy right in front of us) but they are amazingly superly nice to us. i already feel like they are my family for the love we show each other. one of there friends we talked to over there told us, that people that were raised like this, from the hood, its hard to change. yes maybe he is right, but we have been with them for a week and i can already see the interests they have to learn, the changes in them. its amazing what the gospel can do! well right now i have to go but i dont worry because i gotta couple of pics! love you all!

ELDER WASDEN

FIRST FOOT BLISTER OF THE MISSION!!!

my comp and I

yeah thats right, the flowers were my idea!

i had to take a picture with this!

HAHAHA,this is why i love mexico! this is right by our house... its pretty much saying that littering is prohibited!

this is our friend miguel angel. he is a really nice old man we are teaching! he even made us these scorpion key chains!