Hna. Jessica Keele- Dec. 13, 2010

Hola!

Wahoo!!! I hope I can pick up the package soon! [I was able to send a Christmas package to Jessica with a friend who went to Buenos Aires on Friday. He delivered it to the mission president's wife, and they had a long visit in English!!!] Yup, I´m in Almagro still! I really love it, but I do miss Campana too, and Hna Allen. But Hna Rivera is great too! Yes, Hna Gulbrandsen hurts for English conversations. haha She´s so awesome! hmm I'm not sure how long I´ll be here. Now I´m confused because I was thinking I would be here for the rest of the transfer from the way President talked to me because if not, he said he would have to close an area. So I´ll probably be here for Christmas. We´re going to try and find out where we will be calling from and the number so you can call. I think Hna Allen told me it sounds clearer when you guys call than when we call you. Something I need to know next week though is at what time? It´s a 3 hour difference right? Don´t forget to answer that, okay? Hna Rivera was thinking at 12 or 1 which I think would be 9 or 10 your time, right? I don´t want to call when you are tired, haha but hopefully Jordan can call around then too. Let me know next week, por favor! :)

Oh and yes, Hna Rivera´s companion made it home safely haha So crazy! She´s from Catamarca, Argentina.

Laura had twins!? I didn´t know! How exciting!! Aww, and that´s so cool about the conference Dad had with Elder Ballard!! How blessed we are to be living with prophets and apostles! They help us unfold the mysteries of God and let us know what it is that we need to know. Ooh and a verse I read today that I love is Jacob 2 vs 8. The word of God healeth the wounded soul! :) Nothing else can help more than hearing the word of God and to hear directly from a prophet or apostel is so powerful, especially when we already had those questions in mind!

One of my favorite scriptures right now is Ether 12 vs 4. Where it says if you believe in God you can with surety hope for a better world!! The past two Sundays we talked about the millennium! The first week I got here the bishop was out of town (he normally teaches the Sunday School class for investigators and recent converts) and the mission leader skipped ahead to the millennium and then the bishop yesterday started in the second coming but wanted to talk more about the millennium haha But it´s so interesting. I could talk about it every Sunday! I look so forward to the millennium, obvio! ha But it´s true, even with all the terrible things that happen in the world today, if you truly believe in God you can still have peace through it all and hope for a better world. One of the hardest things for me as a missionary is hearing so many people complain about their Heavenly Father so much. They complain about all their sufferings. But they just don´t understand!! The plan of salvation is Amazing!! They could have so much more happiness if they would try to understand rather than close their hearts toward anything that has to do with God. But not only that, it´s that they owe it to Him! No matter how much we suffer in this life we are always in debt to him because he blesses us so much! Someday we´ll understand it ALL but for now we can know enough if we try!

Well, I hope you all are doing well and enjoying the snow! Sometimes I forget it´s almost Christmas.. It's sooo different being in the heat at Christmas! I´m sending you a picture of our Christmas tree. Our star is a sticky note. haha Almost everyone has a tree here but they´re all the same size - cute little ones! haha

Also the cell phone with the text... Well I think I told you that we got our cell phone stolen last Sunday, and so we have the Assistance phone and that was a text Hna Rivera found on it. It is now her fave picture of her mission. haha "Hna. S. trapped Hna Rivera?"

Our apartment is on the 10th floor and it´s so pretty to look out at night! But my camera can´t capture how pretty it is. But the day time is pretty too!

I love you all! Talk to you soon :D

Con amor,

Jess

Getting ready for Christmas in Mexico City!

That's a combi. So far the record is 18 people that can fit in one of those things. It gets a little squishy.

Elder Jordan Keele- Dec. 6, 2010

It's almost Christmas, and people are getting very festive around these parts. Almost everyone has Christmas lights and decorations. It's cool.

We played basketball at the church with our zone and soccer too. It was a lot of fun.

The other day we were on our way home, and as we got off the combi, (essentially a hippi-van that's like a taxi/bus. That's probably why they call it combi, short for combination) Anyway, there was a man pushing his car and trying to steer it at the same time. We offered to help him push his car, and he gratefully accepted. We didn't know how far he had to go, but we pushed probably for about 40 minutes. To make a long story short, he accepted the invitation to come to church. We've taught him a lesson already too. It went really well. At church he saw one of his friends from work who is a member. It was an easy decision to choose who to have fellowship him. He liked it a lot, and I hope he continues to progress.

This past week we had what's called 'divisiones'. On Thursday, my district leader came to my area to work with me for a day, while my companion went with the other elder. Elder Zuñiga is a great worker, and a terrific missionary. He currently holds the record for consecutive weeks baptizing, at 20. He's only been out 10 months. I learned a ton from him, and it really changed the rest of my mission. When we work hard, and work effectively, the Lord blesses us immensely. I know the Lord knows my heart, and that's what I have to count on. I hope to continue to work hard and be the best I can be.

Well, I'm hungry. Right now we're going to that members home that has the restaurant. I think I'll have the huarache again :)

I love you all. Not too much longer until I get to talk to you on the phone! Boo yah!

If there's anything I can do for ya, let me know. (The key word there is 'can').

Gracias! Have a good time enjoying the snow!

Con amor como siempre, Elder Jordan Keele

Hna. Jessica Keele- Dec. 6, 2010

Crazy, crazy week! Well I´m not in Campana anymore. I´m in Almagro for right now. It's WAY diferente then Campana! haha I feel like I´m in New York. Because there are so many people, taxis, subways, honking, ambulances, police sirens, huge buildings, and people selling things on the street! haha En serio... New York! Yesterday we got our cell phone stolen too! New York! haha It´s fun!

President said that I´m here at least until Tuesday (tomorrow) and then it´s 50 percent chance that I´ll stay here or go back to Campana. I´ll go wherever the Lord calls me, but I´m so grateful for this opportunity to be here for at least this week because it makes me feel so much better about the work I´ve been doing.

OH and the ward is HUGE here! It´s just like home. It even has a nursery, so the investigators can actually hear the class! haha It has more active members then less! Imagine that! It has callings for everything!! They even have a calling for someone to plan a missionary lunch calendar. haha I love it!

I don´t want you to think that I´ll be sad if I do end up going back to Campana haha Nah, I´m just trying to say that I feel recharged or something. haha I love missionary work. The first two weeks of the trio were just very difficult because we were inside ALL DAY! Sometimes for good reasons, but other times no. And I couldn´t control it. So anyway, if I do go back to Campana, that´s okay because I love it there too, and we have baptisms planned that I´m very excited about. Two of them are the sons of Maria y Luis :) I love that family! So anyway that was my week in 2 minutes. haha

I love you all! Hna Rivera is amazing! If I leave tomorrow, I hope that I´ll be able to be companions with her again sometime because she´s hilarious and a very good hardworking missionary! Well I guess you´ll find out next week! haha Love you and take care! Do your best to be obedient! Always! Count your blessings always! Muy importante!

Chau! :)

Hna Keele

Hna. Jessica Keele- Nov. 29, 2010

Hola,

Oh no! I just wrote an email then went to check something (without
saving it in drafts first) and it got deleted :( haha oops! But now
it´s about time to go so I´ll just have to give you the shortened
version of my week. So here goes..

Well, the trio is definitely taking the most work to build unity so
far, but I think that´s to be expected. And yes, it does test my
patience!! haha But it´s do-able! :) and I´m so grateful for this
transfer because I´m learning tons!! I´m learning a lot about the person
that I am now and the kind of person that I want to become! I´m
finding that the people that the Lord puts in our path sometimes knock
us down so that he can pick us up and put us on firmer ground.
Sometimes they break us so that he can make us stronger! It´s
interesting how that works out. He puts us around certain people to
mold us into the people we need to become. We can learn from anyone
and everyone that comes into our lives! I love both of my companions
and they are examples to me in many different ways!

It´s been a rough week but worth it! It´s so sad to see people that
know the gospel is true one minute, but as soon as it´s not convenient
for them they seem to "forget". They even forget all the signs the
Lord has given them to know it´s true and turn them into
coincidences.... No entiendo. It´s also been a tough week because Hna.
Allen´s been sick, and one day we couldn´t go out at all. But I got a
lot of study time in :) haha Also we went up to the roof (Hna Allen just
rested) and Hna. Gillum and I took pictures of the sunset!
BEAUTIFUL!! :) :)

Thank you all for your wonderful examples to me! :) I love you all so
much and hope that you always REMEMBER the Lord and his tender
mercies! Some days they are harder to find than others, but they´re there!
:) I love you all very very much! Take care.

Love,
Jess

Elder Keele- Nov. 29, 2010

I e-mailed Elder Glass last week, and this morning he sent me a good e-mail. He's just as happy and energized as ever, and he knows it's the Lords will for him. He's a great example for me.

Dang! That's what you call the TURKEY bowl! Ha ha, single digits, huh? I would've played :)

It's definitely true. As missionaries, we are representing Christ. Actually, as members we're representing Christ. This past week we taught a lesson to a family of 5. They were way excited and loved it all. They didn't know we were 'Mormons' because we said we were from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Two days later we came back for our scheduled appointment. Somehow they had found out that our nickname is Mormon. Well, turns out one of her neighbors is a member of the church, but isn't very friendly. Long story short, the family dropped us because they didn't want their children to act like the member neighbors. I'm not blaming the neighbors, but we must always act our best. We may never know just how many people we affect when we don't act like Christ.

Last week we went to a place called the Funcenter for a zone activity. It was a lot of fun. Bowling, Ice Skating, Mini Golf, and a ride that made me want to throw up all for $5. Waaay cheap. Well we kind of got lost, so thats why we were late. But we made it and all is well.

If you could please tell Linda sometime that I'll write to her soon. I still haven't figured out how to send mail, but that's this weeks project. So I haven't written anyone since I've been here, and I apologize.

Also, what's Derek's e-mail?

Well, not much for today. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving break, but now back to work and back to school!

Thanks so much for all your support. I love you!

Elder Jordan Keele