This is a picture of some people that Jacob and his companion baptized
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Week 25
I can't believe that is it week 25 already. Jacob's mission is 1/4 of the way done. It truly has gone by pretty fast so far. Here is his latest email and a picture also.
" Well this week was phenominal, we basically spent the whole week looking for people to teach. In the end, we were left with very few people, but still a successful week. Two teenagers, who we met through service, got baptized this week. Their parents couldn't get baptized because they're not married (it might take up to a year for them to get married), but it was still a great experience. We really were unsure if they were going to get permission from their parents, so we brought an ex-missionary to the lesson before their baptism. With his help, we showed them how much they'd changed in two weeks, and that they were ready for baptism. We laid it all out, and most importantly, believed and prayed for them. In the end, the ex-missionary asked the boy (Josè Luis) if he wanted to get baptized, he said, ''sì'' and his dad said ''adelante'' (forward). Later his sister, Diana decided to enter into this covenant with God. We baptized them on Saturday, and they were confirmed on Sunday. Really, this story is a testament to the value of service. All we did was help their mom put in a brick in the walkway to their house, and two weeks later, two teenagers in white. What a great experience, in my mission, it's become appearent that helping people is what we do. I really love being out here, and it doesn't matter what happens anywhere else. My mission has changed, and really saved my life and my salvation. I love you all, but I can wait until I see you all again, for now, people are depending on us!
con amor,
Elder Butterfield
" Well this week was phenominal, we basically spent the whole week looking for people to teach. In the end, we were left with very few people, but still a successful week. Two teenagers, who we met through service, got baptized this week. Their parents couldn't get baptized because they're not married (it might take up to a year for them to get married), but it was still a great experience. We really were unsure if they were going to get permission from their parents, so we brought an ex-missionary to the lesson before their baptism. With his help, we showed them how much they'd changed in two weeks, and that they were ready for baptism. We laid it all out, and most importantly, believed and prayed for them. In the end, the ex-missionary asked the boy (Josè Luis) if he wanted to get baptized, he said, ''sì'' and his dad said ''adelante'' (forward). Later his sister, Diana decided to enter into this covenant with God. We baptized them on Saturday, and they were confirmed on Sunday. Really, this story is a testament to the value of service. All we did was help their mom put in a brick in the walkway to their house, and two weeks later, two teenagers in white. What a great experience, in my mission, it's become appearent that helping people is what we do. I really love being out here, and it doesn't matter what happens anywhere else. My mission has changed, and really saved my life and my salvation. I love you all, but I can wait until I see you all again, for now, people are depending on us!
con amor,
Elder Butterfield
Monday, February 21, 2011
Week 24
It is hard to believe that next week I will be writing week 25. Jacob will be a quarter of the way done with his mission. It is hard to believe. This week past week would be a week that Jacob would have loved. Madison has been in the national news because the governor of the state is trying to make cuts to the budget and do away with collective bargaining. There have been protests on both sides. This is something that Jacob would just eat up. Well I am sure he will give me his opinion in his next email. Here is his latest email.
"Happy Valentine's Day! Or as they say it here: feliz dìa del amor y amistad! It's pretty funny today, everyone has balloons and letters from their ''novios.'' Well, life is going great, the mission is really looking up and I'm glad to be a part of it. Our companionship is really strong. Don't worry about me, I have a coat and a lot of blankets, it's really been fine. Some pretty cool stuff happened this week, I got the package you sent me and a bunch of other letters too! Thanks so much for all the letters and support! I'm actually looking forward to writing back to all of them, including to Jalea. Also, my friends from SigEp mailed me a t-shirt and letters, and my buddy Mike (serving his mission in Japan) sent me a letter too! It's been a great week, and we're really going to do all we can to baptize this week! It's such a blessing to hear from you all every week. Even though I have so many things to work on and fix, Heavenly Father pours out blessings in His infinite mercy. Thanks for supporting me in all of my trials and teaching me what it really means to have a happy family. I love you all, and I know how much I need to work to really deserve a family like you all.
Con amor,
Elder Butterfield
"Happy Valentine's Day! Or as they say it here: feliz dìa del amor y amistad! It's pretty funny today, everyone has balloons and letters from their ''novios.'' Well, life is going great, the mission is really looking up and I'm glad to be a part of it. Our companionship is really strong. Don't worry about me, I have a coat and a lot of blankets, it's really been fine. Some pretty cool stuff happened this week, I got the package you sent me and a bunch of other letters too! Thanks so much for all the letters and support! I'm actually looking forward to writing back to all of them, including to Jalea. Also, my friends from SigEp mailed me a t-shirt and letters, and my buddy Mike (serving his mission in Japan) sent me a letter too! It's been a great week, and we're really going to do all we can to baptize this week! It's such a blessing to hear from you all every week. Even though I have so many things to work on and fix, Heavenly Father pours out blessings in His infinite mercy. Thanks for supporting me in all of my trials and teaching me what it really means to have a happy family. I love you all, and I know how much I need to work to really deserve a family like you all.
Con amor,
Elder Butterfield
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Week 23
This last email was a little hard for me to read. I don't like the fact that Jacob doesn't have warm water and then he had to sleep in his coat because he was so cold. I know this is what mothers worry about. Here is his latest email. Read it and then tell me you don't feel just a little bad.
"Hahaha, thanks for the update. We went to a few houses last night, and all thought that the ''gringo'' would like to watch it. There was about 7 minutes left in the game when we had to go, I did all I could not to watch it! We actually went to the New Beginnings for about 20 minutes last week. Glad to hear you're able to attend the temple more regularly, it's great the service you're doing. A lot of members have commented on the snow all over the US this week. It seems to be something else. This week was actually freezing here in Poza Rica. On top of that, it was a very difficult week for the work. I'm starting to get used to the new area. We walked more this week than I've ever walked in my life. Our housing is pretty basic, the shower doesn't have hot water, so we fill up a bucket, put a hot iron rod in it, then bathe with a little bowl of water. Like I said, this week was something else down here. I could see my breath from the cold, and I slept in a coat. On top of that was the wet mist all over the city. We tried really hard to find people and bring them to church, but no one showed up. When church was about over, we found out that three of our investigators were waiting outside of the church. Moreover, one resently released missionary brought an investigator friend with him. It literally was a miracle! Probably one of the hardest weeks of my life, let alone my mission, but our Heavenly Father saw our struggles and provided us with answers to our prayers. Literally every piece fell into place this Sunday, and everything is looking up. I can't thank you all enough for your prayers and support. Don't worry about anything when it comes to me, I know I'm in the Lord's hands and nothing else matters. It's been an amazing week, and this week will be even better. Love you all, and God bless. Talk to you in one week!
-Elder Butterfield
PS: GO PACK GO!
"Hahaha, thanks for the update. We went to a few houses last night, and all thought that the ''gringo'' would like to watch it. There was about 7 minutes left in the game when we had to go, I did all I could not to watch it! We actually went to the New Beginnings for about 20 minutes last week. Glad to hear you're able to attend the temple more regularly, it's great the service you're doing. A lot of members have commented on the snow all over the US this week. It seems to be something else. This week was actually freezing here in Poza Rica. On top of that, it was a very difficult week for the work. I'm starting to get used to the new area. We walked more this week than I've ever walked in my life. Our housing is pretty basic, the shower doesn't have hot water, so we fill up a bucket, put a hot iron rod in it, then bathe with a little bowl of water. Like I said, this week was something else down here. I could see my breath from the cold, and I slept in a coat. On top of that was the wet mist all over the city. We tried really hard to find people and bring them to church, but no one showed up. When church was about over, we found out that three of our investigators were waiting outside of the church. Moreover, one resently released missionary brought an investigator friend with him. It literally was a miracle! Probably one of the hardest weeks of my life, let alone my mission, but our Heavenly Father saw our struggles and provided us with answers to our prayers. Literally every piece fell into place this Sunday, and everything is looking up. I can't thank you all enough for your prayers and support. Don't worry about anything when it comes to me, I know I'm in the Lord's hands and nothing else matters. It's been an amazing week, and this week will be even better. Love you all, and God bless. Talk to you in one week!
-Elder Butterfield
PS: GO PACK GO!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Week 22
Whoa it is week 22 I can't believe it. Jacob has been out 5 months already and has had his first transfer. Here is his latest letter.
"Hello everyone! I'm writing you from sunny Poza Rica, Veracruz, Mexico. On Tuesday morning, I boarded a bus to Veracruz, then from Veracruz to Poza Rica. It was a long trip (about 7 hours total), but it's great to be here! My companion is Elder Ramirez, he's only been out for 7 months in his mission, but we teach really well together. I'm blessed to have such a humble and obedient companion. The area I'm in is absolutely enormous, and we certainly haven't been able to cover all of it in these 6 days. The city of Poza Rica is a big oil city, and a lot of the people work for the Mexican oil company Pemex. The environment is somewhat smelly, but the city is nicer. The church is really nice, and we have big plans for baptizing in ths area. Thanks for all of the updates, it's hard to believe that I've already been out for 5 months! It was pretty tough leaving my last area, especially when I was starting to get used to everything, and say good bye to out converts. I hear it's the hardest thing in the mission, and I know why they say that. Interesting news from the sports world, and unfortunately, I won't be able to watch the Packers win this Sunday! Surprisingly, quite a few people are interested in American Football down here, but soccer reigns supreme. There are some interesting celebrations and interests, but for the most part, people want a family. It's been a great week in my mission and an incredible month in the Veracruz mission. This month, the mission baptized 282 people, which is just something else. I'm working hard to do my part and I know the Lord will continue to bless us for it. Sometimes it's difficult to express myself here, especially in Spanish, but even then, I know I'm doing what I should be. I love you all unbelievably much, and I love our Heavenly Father for blessing us so ubundantly. Keep up the good work on your end, and I will on mine.
Con amor,
Elder Butterfield
P.S. GO PACK GO!
"Hello everyone! I'm writing you from sunny Poza Rica, Veracruz, Mexico. On Tuesday morning, I boarded a bus to Veracruz, then from Veracruz to Poza Rica. It was a long trip (about 7 hours total), but it's great to be here! My companion is Elder Ramirez, he's only been out for 7 months in his mission, but we teach really well together. I'm blessed to have such a humble and obedient companion. The area I'm in is absolutely enormous, and we certainly haven't been able to cover all of it in these 6 days. The city of Poza Rica is a big oil city, and a lot of the people work for the Mexican oil company Pemex. The environment is somewhat smelly, but the city is nicer. The church is really nice, and we have big plans for baptizing in ths area. Thanks for all of the updates, it's hard to believe that I've already been out for 5 months! It was pretty tough leaving my last area, especially when I was starting to get used to everything, and say good bye to out converts. I hear it's the hardest thing in the mission, and I know why they say that. Interesting news from the sports world, and unfortunately, I won't be able to watch the Packers win this Sunday! Surprisingly, quite a few people are interested in American Football down here, but soccer reigns supreme. There are some interesting celebrations and interests, but for the most part, people want a family. It's been a great week in my mission and an incredible month in the Veracruz mission. This month, the mission baptized 282 people, which is just something else. I'm working hard to do my part and I know the Lord will continue to bless us for it. Sometimes it's difficult to express myself here, especially in Spanish, but even then, I know I'm doing what I should be. I love you all unbelievably much, and I love our Heavenly Father for blessing us so ubundantly. Keep up the good work on your end, and I will on mine.
Con amor,
Elder Butterfield
P.S. GO PACK GO!
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