e-mail 11.29.2010

i am so tired of crappy mexico computers that dont let me attatch files. uuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRR


finally got a few from this last month to upload.

happy rhanksgiving and more importantly HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD:

the big 29

haha.

this week was an interesting one. started out normal and then oneof the other elders working here in comalcalco got pulled from his area and his companion got put with us. so now i am training in a trio and we are two gringos and a mexican. haha. its a blast because elder gutierrez is a great guy and a hard worker. i can really see progress in the area and i am a happy camper. my kid is growing up fast just like Bruin. He learns a lot and his accent makes me laugh at times but he is a dedicated missionary and he helps me focus. this week we did divisions and because i am senior comp i went with the junior comp of the district leader in their area and worked a couple days, i went to a little pueblo called Cunduacan and had a fun time. he hardly knew the area but we got a lot of exercise. hah. that tough part is that here in my area everything went down. we all lost focus and coming back we had noooo momentum. when sunday came none of our investigators came to church and all of the baptismal dates fell. i felt horrible. i feel like i didnt do my part and that they are paying the price for my kinda off week. when it comes down to it it is all their choice to go to church but we could have done more. we are gonna get ourselves back on track and get back in touch with them hopefully today so that we can continue progressing.


after a more or less work week today we ahad our Zone activity and it was as usual pretty fun. started our normal waiting and waiting for people to show up. then when the zone got together we went to the BEACH by paraiso tabasco and played volleyball and checked out some of the sites. the only thing ro see around there is sand water and oil platforms. haha. i got toooooaaaasted like always and even my feet are sunburned. haha. it was alright but we didnt have time to even wash our clothes. and we havent eaten anything.


haha.

the mission is a goood time and i am so happy to be here. sharing the one true restored gospel of Jesus Christ with a lot of lost souls.

the church has blessed me immensely and i hope to help it bless the lives of others before my time is up here.

this week i complete 10 months out of Tucson.

feels like a night of good sleep.

i love you all with a pure and true love.

Elder ELREY

IF YOU ARE GOING TO SEND PACKAGES MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE YOUR FULL NAME AND RETURN ADDRESS ON THE BOX.


and please send me packages.


haha.

e-mail 11.22.2010

Subject: Life with a newborn..

is tough cookies. haha. he just doenst know yet, haha

but he his a hard worker and a good kid. he is learning fast and we are gonna baptise. i think he is happy. i hope so.

his name is Elder Eberle and is from Pennsylvania. he speaks veeeeery amercian and claims to be a pirate because of they way he pronounces his RRRRRRR´s haha. we are getting along good and i think with are gonna have at least 2 changees together so i am glad that we are doing alright together. it is fun to be a teacher and to help him find the way through the first month.

its been an interesting week because we got white washed into an area and he being new had no idea what to do left it all on me. so i have almost memorized the map of Comalcalco this week. haha. they told me i would be opening an area but there were missionaries in the area part time before so i have some ancient investigators and references to work off of. we also live in the house of other elders and they are alright. two mexicans. one is super duper prideful and i have strange desires to bash his head into the wall but we get along alright and the other is fun. i really pacient mellow cat. our house is nice but now even close to being big enough for 4. our beds are just matresses placed on the floor and there is no room for more. haha. they told me i was going to Morelos and that is just the name of the ward here. we are in a city named Comalcalco, Tabasco. iiiii like it. its pretty mellow and there are a lot of nice people here. the members like to work with us and support us in almost anything we need. also like 5 miles from the center there are ancient ruins. i am pumped for that but the guy that promised to take us didnt sshow this morning so we didnt go. perhaps next week. today we havent done anything. pretty boring but most of you know how i am with boring... i dont stand for it, i feel like as i am getting close to the 10 months and then the year mark that parts of me are dying. or going into hibernation... i have found myself dreaming at night of going home after the mission and not having any idea of where to go what to do and who to see. IDENTITY CRISIS! haha. naaa. but my craziness is wearing away. i dont want it to go because life just isnt that fuun without it.. i am hoping that it will be put on pause no erased completely.

i dont know.

if any of you are thinking about sending me a package for christmas dont hesitate. i would love to hear from you all in letters and boxes of joy.

Elder Jeffree Dell Burnett Elrey
Mision Mexico Villahermosa
calle Via 2 #104 dept 302 y 303
colonia Tabasco 2000 c.p.86036
Villahermosa,Tabasco, Mexico

i need the love. so send it.

i lve you all sooooo much and i m happy things are going well over there. congrats Hans for tying the knot and stuff. also to Jonathon and Alyssa. two of my best buds. i know that the eternal covenant of marriage is one of the most important we can make in this life and i hope you will all cherish what you have.

i know the church is true and that the only way into the kingdom of God is to be born of Water and of the spirit through a true baptism and confirmation in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. the one and only true Church in all the land. i know it and if you prayer with true intentions you will know it as well.

lovlvolevlovleovloelovleovleovloelvoelvoelovlovoevooeovloveolevolvolloveloveloevloelvoeovelovoeolevolevolev,


Elder Elrey

p.s. happy thanksgiving

asdkljhfaisdhakjdhflakjsdhflkajsdhf i am gonna miss it.


FOOOOOTTTBBBBBBAAAAAAAAALLLLL

next week i will have a months worth of fotos

e-mail 11.15.2010

Subject: I'M PREGNANT!!!!!!!

i am expecting a boy tomorrow.

big story...

this week we worked way hard and completed with almost all our goals. we had success and found a lot of new investigators. we had a baptism friday and it went really well my companion was freeeeaaaakkking out the whole week and running around like a maniac inviting every member he knew but it turned out ok. a lot of members went and the MISSION PRESIDENT and his assistants joined us. that made my companion sqwuiiiirm. haha. he was way nervous and ended up baptizing the kid 3 times. i got mine in one. the water level was low and we didnt check it before the service. haha. but it was a very spiritual service. a very successful week. after the baptism the assistants informed me that we were going to go on splits to get some work done and to get to know the area.. shortly after they told me that i wold be going with President... now it was my turn to be nervous. haha. we didnt have appointments or plans and i told him that. his only reply was Vamonos.... haha. so we left walking away from the church and found one of the sisters who had attended the baptism. president greeted her and asked for a reference. she gave us a few names and we decided to go with an inactive family. we went and the sister was super nervous and agitated almost the whole time but on our side of things the spirit was very strong. The president teaches like a master and i just followed his lead. it was an awesome experience to be able to have. i learned alot in just one hour with president. after the lesson we continued contacting and returned to the church. in between contacts he mentioned that the mission would be seeing some strange changes soon. i took that as a sign and asked him what kinds of changes. he told me that my birth zone Los Tuxtlas is getting placed back into the mission Veracruz because it is so far away. sadly i will not be able to return to my birthplace anytime soon. also it made me think that i was meant to be in the mission mexico Villahermosa. it is something that comforted me. he also told me that 11 americans we expected to arrive soon. and he informed me that i was getting pulled out of my area to put i new missionary with my companion...

NOOOOO i love Frontera. its an area full of prepared and chosen people.

he followed with you are going to open an area. i thought noooooo white washed. then i thought who will be my companion??? he followed with you are going to be a trainer.


sooooo. i am going to an area called Morelos Tabasco a little outside of Cardenas and i am going to get a new guy. and going to be a daddy!!!!


haha. i am excited for the oppourtunity that the Lord has given me. i feel nervous but i know that with hard work will come success.


so now i am saying goodbye to Frontera and packing my bags after just two weeks. a little sad but super excited

i know that big things are coming.


hope you enoy life.

church is true and you should aaaaalll be attending.


elder ELrey

i tried to attatch fotos but my computer wont read my momory card.

e-mail 11.08.2010

tengo 10 minutos...

muy rapido. i am super happy in my new area and my companion is great. very obedient and very hard working. we are going to find success in this change and the following. i feel that i am not exactly his perfect companion but i know that with time we will figure things out. in this first week i have learned that he enjoys correcting people. so my spanish is improving. haha. and i am focusing on the doctrine of the lessons so i dont get a stern talking to afterwards. haha. he has a month or so more than me in the mission and we are working with unity so it seems like neither is senior comp. i am really enjoying Frontera right now because right when i got here i storm came and it has been nice and fresh all week. haha. but it never ever gets cold here. it is going to be hot all winter and if i stay here longer than that it will get hotter. it starts heating up here in JANUARY!!! holy moly. aside from the weather i feel that this area is full of people who are ready to be baptised. i feel that the key is going to be references and working with members. congrats to Elder Joe for being Zone Leader. thats nuts. i know you will be able to be a leader and example to all in your zone. READ THE WHITE MISSIONARY HAND BOOK ABOUT LEADERSHIP. i am where i am supposed to be and i know the Lord is blessing me everyday. never doubt the power of prayer and faith. and never lose hope in Christ. the only downside to this area is that on mondays there is nothing to do. we are super far away from other missionaries and no one like to play. but to make up for it our house is SWEEEET. i have my own bathroom and it is CLEAN and beautiful. haha. also its just a sweet apartment. second story with just an awesome set up. much better than my shack i had last time.


i love you all

e-mail 11.1.2010

I'll have his next one up asap.

this week started pretty normal... nothing to exciting happening. i knew i had to make the best of it though because it was the end of the transfer. 6 weeks went by super quick. we just worked and worked and are having some success finally. then thursday came along and we had our Zone Conference with Presidente Castañeda and things got interesting. the conference was very powerful and talked about the importance of working with members to solidify the testimonies of the investigators and also an all around work out of how to be a successful missionary and i learned a lot from it. it really recharged my batteries and now i am pumped to get back to work here in Acayucan... OH WAIT!!!!! president pulled me aside after the conference for an interview and after a few minutes of chatting about the work he informed me that i was going to get transfered. again. 6 weeks in Acayucan and im gone. we got the transfer information saturday and i am going to Frontera, Tabasco. its right on the southern part of the Gulf Coast. it should be pretty interesting to be practically surrounded by water. i am pretty excited to go father south. iu feel a little wierd that i am leaving veracruz but i am sure everything is gonna work out fine. i feel confident in the move. i know i was only here 6 weeks but there are a few families here that i am going to miss. i always find a way to get in close with a couple and never want to leave. haha.

today for our p-day activity we went to some Waterfalls that are about 1 hour from here. they were sweeeeeeeeeeeet. really secluded and super fun. i took a few videos and a bunch of fotos but the computer is not letting me up load so i cant send any of them off. sadly you will all have to wait until next week to see them. after that we washed the clothes and hung them out to dry and then went for haircuts and played some cards with a family that loves us. there is a card game version of monopoly that is awesome. i love it. its called monopoly deal or something but it is way addicting and we play a lot when we have time. mostly before bed and mondays. haha. and now sadly i am writing you all and about to get back to work. the time flies when you are distracted by everything you see. i swear my brain has turned to mush in mexico.

i love you all a ton. keep me updated on how life is and whats happening and i will do the same. the church is true and we should all think everyday in the gifts we have from our Father in Heaven. also in the covenants that we have made with him. i think that we are blessed to be who we are and to have eachother. you are all in my prayers.

happy halloweeeeeenn/Dia De Los Muertos.

cuidense,


con todo mi corazon,

Elder Elrey



p.s. what happened to bill and why doesnt he write me anymore?

jdksadjkñflaklfjfdskjljkñsdf

E-Mail 10.18.2010

Sorry it took so long to post, no new e-mail this week. Elder Elrey loves you all!

Subject: pero SIGO SIENDO EL REY (but I'm still the KING)

hey every one. this week was an interesting one for me because i didnt get anything done in my area but i worked super hard...
haha.
Monday was P-day and so we didn't get much done and Tuesday we started normal with district calls and then bam-o zone leaders tell me i have to go to Paraiso Oaxaca on divisions because my companion had to go to a conference of leaders. paraiso is like 2 hours away. haha. so i hopped on a bus with the elders from there and started the week. we got there just in time to go to the food appointment and it was ridiculous. tiniest little town ever. haha. the good thing is that the missionaries dont live there. i stayed in the small town of Jesus Carranza, Veracruz and worked most of the time there. with a couple trips to Oaxaca. it was interesting to work there because Carranza was badly flood damaged and everything seemed disorganized. but we worked hard and got a lot done. by the end of my 4 days there i felt comfortable with the tiny branch and i didnt really want to come back to Acayucan. haha. the branch of Paraiso consists of just 30 people. and some of them are less actives. haha it was an interesting look at the small town life here in mexico. was there from tuesday all the was to saturday and then my companion went to go get me. he had to do some baptismal interviews over there so we didnt get back until like 1 o clock saturday. we showered and went to lunch and them spent the rest of the day celebrating his birthday with various families of the ward. ... ugh. a whole week workless in my area and right now we are seeing the effects of it. this week will be interesting and we will have to see what we can work up here. most of the week i think will be spent contacting.

aside form that i gave a talk on sunday about service and it wa fun. also today was the Zone activity here and the ZLs decided it would be fun to learn how to cook. which wasnt very fun. so me and elder Robinson played Canasta all day and now i am here writing. i am pretty sure today is pretty much the most unfun p-day so far in the mission. bleh. haha.

statement not a complaint. i am excited about the upcoming transfers because me and my comp and quite the dynamic duo here in acayucan. i new one would be nice to get reenergized and excited about the work. my comp is ending in january and it feels like he is starting to fade a little bit. but i will see what i can to to get things back on track.

GO CATS,

Elder Elrey

email 10.11.10

I love him bunches. :)

what a week.

started out normal with a side of stomach problems. we worked noramally bouncing back and forth from the church to lessons for bathroom necesities but when wednesday hit we couldnt leave the house. we were takning turns going from the bad to the bathroom practically all day. i cought up on some sleep but the pain hardly let me live. my companion contracted salmanila and i had an un identified stomach infection that left us crippled in the house for two whole days. i lost like 7 kilos. which is like 15 pounds. i just drank water and gatorade the whole time. haha. we almost didnt work because of it but we were blessed to have a baptism. it was monday night of last week and our Bishojp called us and told us that we had a set baptism for this saturday and were didnt even have to teach her. haha. it was a teenager that had heard everything before and had been to church a lot. all we had to do was reapass the lessons all at once and have her interview. haha. so we did that in good spirits and got her baptised on Saturday. it was a major blessing. we were suffering but the Lord like always was watching out for us and Blessed us for our patience. in the index behind the Book of Mormon it describes Patience as a calm to suffer. well in spanish it translates to that. we are grateful for the great gift that was given us. we are now preparing for another interesting week because we will not be in the area for 3 whole days. my comp is heading to a leadershi´p conference in Coatzacoalcos and i get to go be in a trio somewhere. :( another trial of patience. but i am excited for anything that comes. juust hoping to make it through this week with a normal stomach. i am not really eating much. but i think i am past the worst of it.

acayucan has really not been such a great place to me so far but i will see what i can do with the good ol Elrey Charm.

,)

i would really like it if you all coul email me or send me by snail mail pictures. i havent recieved any since before the anniversary party of Grandma and Grandpa and i would love to see how the family is. and what has been happening.

as far as p-day has gone it was nothing compared to the way p-days were in San Andres. we dont do anything here.
but i did find a buddy to play Canasta.

but i am really just trying to get back to a normal work schedule. missing the succes a lot.

i have no real connections with any investigators and i feel really out of it because of the sickness.


but i and hopping back into it.

i am happy.

i am a missionary.

The Church is true and there are no others. that is why it is called the RESTORED Gospel of Jesu Christ. its is the one He established.

i love you,


Elder Elrey