Week 82

I am totally caught up on letters and I will try really hard to keep it that way for the last few months. Here is Jacob's latest letter along with a couple of pictures.

"Hey everyone! I thought Erica would be headed to Canada, but I guess it will be even colder than I thought!  Elder Gunther, my former companion, has a brother that served there and I hear it gets pretty chilly; and we thought we had it bad in Wisconsin...  Haha, that wonderful news, I believe Erica will be in the MTC for quite a while, maybe I'll be able to write them.  I'm doing fantastic here and I'm really set on working hard to help out the mission and the Lord.  This week we found a number of new people and although everything wasn't perfect, we ended very well.  On Saturday we were blessed to enter the temple with one of the converts from my first area (my companion had met her too) and I did the work for her late husband in the initiatories and the endowment.  She was then sealed to him in a very brillant and spiritual ceremony.  I love this Work and I am amazed at the mercy and the love the Lord has for us.  On Sunday we ended the week with a baptismal service of a young boy named Gabriel.  It has been a week of pure miracles.  I hope you share these experiences with Mitch and Erica and I will certainly let them know too.  Thanks for sacrificing so much for me and I love you all. 
 
-Elder Butterfield

Week 81

Here is the latest letter from Jacob.

"Hey there everyone, Happy Birthday to Stryder too!  We had a very busy week with activities, divisions, training meetings and a lot of tracting.  The whole country is on vacations and I think they all go to Veracruz, haha, it was the hottest it's been down here, and I got a little sunburnt the other day even with the sunscreen I put on (I now am certain to reapply every few hours).  The beach is packed and there are quite a few people the left for the week.  We had an activity with the young men from one of the stakes, and we went on divisions for a few days.  The young man that was with me was very shy, but willing to share his testimony.  We've been experiencing tough times here, but we're not losing the faith.  We just found out that we're getting about 30 new missionaries in the mission and I'm sure some will end up in our zone.  It's time to prepare for the big division of the mission and we have to lead it.  The leadership is essentially the same out here, but I would say that the Mission President is more active here.  The missionaries have to do a great deal of things for each branch and ward, but it's basically the same.  Before I close we went to the acquarium today and it was quite spectacular, we'll come visit it sometime in the future.  Well the time is going by fast and I love it!  Talk to you next week!

-Elder Butterfield

Week 80

I can't believe we are at week 80 and only 5 months to go. The time moves along so quickly. Jacob included two pictures this week so here is his latest letter along with a couple of pictures.

"Hey there!  It's certainly a busy time here and I really enjoyed it, we set goals with the other zone leaders for the entire mission on Tuesday and then had splits with another companionship this week.  Here are some fun pictures, one is from a ranch, it's of two trees intergrowing, the other...  well look closely.  Conference was quite enjoyable although I was a little sick this week, I'm pretty sure it's the new, much hotter, climate that's trying to confuse my body.  Mikkal would certainly enjoy it here, and the city is actually full of tourists for ''Holy Week'' vacations. The Conference was a delight, I especially enjoyed the common themes interwoven into the talks, themes such as conversion, the Atonement and the family.  We watched it from the stake center, which is on temple grounds, so it was a very calm and peaceful experience.  Next week I may be blessed with the opportunity to enter into the temple with a convert from my first area (if you still have my letters her name is Carmen and I'm sure I wrote about her).  I certainly love this area and I'm learning more every day about how I can be a better leader, teacher, friend and family member.  I must say that President Monson is certainly a Prophet of God and that this is the only true and living Church on the face of the earth.  We experienced a great deal of adversity here, but it's all for our good.  5 months left, it's time, more than ever to work in the lord's vineard.  I invite you all to help out in this great cause, after all, I feel that we as a Church can double the number of converts we have each year.

 Thanks again and I love you all!

-Elder Butterfield

Week 79

I can't believe how fast the time is going. Almost to week 80 it just doesn't seem possible. Well here is Jacob's latest letter.

"Hey there!  Thanks for the letter, sounds like things are going well for you all up there.  On Tuesday I arrived here in Veracruz, there was actually an earthquake (just a shake) that the whole city felt just before I arrived.  My new area is very different from my old area, but I think I'm going to like it.  We have two wards, one is actually the chapel that's right in front of the temple and the other one is a little smaller.  The wards are probably the strongest I've had in my mission, with a number of return missionaries and solid members.  My companion is Elder Sanchez, from central Mexico, he's younger but has a lot of experience, we're the Zone Leaders and our zone consists of 11 companionships.   We work a lot with the members and every Sunday we have to go on divisions.  It's a great opportunity to learn and serve and it's going to cost a lot with so many companionships, but I'm looking forward to working with everyone.  Veracruz is very, very hot, and it's pretty croweded because we're right next to the beach and vacations are starting.  I'm very excited and although I don't have much time left, we're going to really work hard to baptize every week.  Conference is a wonderful experience and we hope to bring a number of investigators to hear the Prophet's words.  All I can ask is that you keep on praying for me so that I can help and serve these other missionaries as I strive to help the Lord in His great Work.  Thanks for your prayers and I love you all very much.  Can't wait to hear from you all next week!

-Elder Butterfield  

Week 78

Here is this weeks letter.

"]Hey there! We had a wonderful week and now it's actually my time to head on out and go to a new area.  I've been here in Gutierrez Zamora for over 5 months, longer than anywhere else, and I will certainly miss it.  This week was very special for a number of reasons.  First, we had a very well planned baptismal service with two true converts entering the water and making a covenant with our Heavenly Father.  Alberto, an architect, who is the ex-husband of a member was a true miracle.  I actually met him in December, but I had trouble seeing a future member in him.  But with humility and patience on his part and the part of his family, he accepted the Lord's commandments and His restored Church.  The other person that was baptized was a young girl named Guadalupe.  Her neighbors are inactive but they gave us the referral.  Lupe (nickname) is the only member of her family, her two younger siblings haven't even gone to Church.  After she was baptized, we invited her to bear testimony, although nervous, she showed a strong conviction of the Lord's love in her life.  Later that evening, the Bishop invited her to be confirmed and attend the temple the following morning (the temple is about 5 hours away and they have to take a bus to attend).  It was a very spiritual event, and really one of the sweetest moments I have experienced on my mission.  On top of all this, the Bishop received the order to start having Sacrament meeting in Tecolultla (a neighboring village) so that the members there would be able to attend (it's sometimes difficult because of travel costs or distance).  We had had the goal of starting up large family home evenings to maybe someday start a branch, but we didn't know that the Stake President would plan it too.  Monday night, we held a family home evening with a few members from Tecolutla and it was there that the Bishop announced that we were going to start having Sacrament meeting in Tecolutla.  About 35 people came to the meeting (held in a member's house) and the Bishop was very pleased.  Now it will be a new missionary's opportunity to start up a branch in such a pretty place.  The Work is going forth, it's time to rescue the inactives and those that do not know God.  I love this Work and I thanks you all again for giving me this opportunity.  I love you all and next week I will be writing you from Veracruz!
 
-Elder Butterfield

Week 77

I am way behind but I must admit that this week we didn't receive a letter and I had to wait until the next week and then we got two letters. So here is the letter for week 77.

"Hey there!  Another great week came to a close and the work is continuing very quickly.  If anyone asks, I'm doing wonderfully and enjoying my time here.  We had a nice baptismal service after Church (which was interesting because it was a fast Sunday) of an 8 year-old girl named Nancy.  Her parents still aren't ready to get baptized, but they allowed her to do it.  The pictures I'm sending are of some really delicious quesadillas that we ate with a member, also of the casero, that is, homemade, guacamole that went along with the cheese filled delights.  Also, I included a picture of the young girl we baptized last week after Stake Conference and one of the young lady that got married with a member and in the same week was baptized.  We're experiencing a great deal of success and it's all been blessings from the Lord.  Hopefully I'll be able to send a letter home these days, anyone else you want me to write?  Is anyone else getting ready to serve a mission?  Well, I'll I can say is that I'm happy that the Lord has blessed you all so much.  In all parts of the world the Work is improving, remember what President Hinkley said, ''great will be the day when the members not only pray for the missionaries, but are active in the work themselves'' (paraphrased).  One day (not too far down the road) we should have an Oregon branch, it's very possible and it would be a great experience.  Well, I love you all, I can't thank you all enough for the letters and support, this is truly where I should be.  I love this Church and my mission.  I'm not going to return the same, but you're going to like the different person a lot more.
-Elder Butterfield