Hey i hope all is well over there on the home front in Utah. All is well out here in Utuado and i cant believe how fast this passed week flew by. We had a lot of work to do this week and every night we came home i was dead tired. Here up in the Mountains it seems like everyone lives up on the top of a mountain or clear down in a valley. So which ever one it is we get to go up and come back down or vise versa. Lets just say my legs are going to be tree trunks by the time i leave this place. Here in Puerto Rico they have all the same Holidays that they have back in the states and more. I'm pretty sure the people just make up Holidays so they can get of work and have a break. Thats just fine by me though because during peoples breaks there home and we're able to find more people to talk to about our message which contains the way to recieving eternal salvation which is a pretty big deal last time i checked. We have a little small branch here in Utuado like i said last time but the people in it are way nice and feed us and feed us and then feed us some more! We had a Dia de accion de Gracias ( just a long name for Thanksgiving) Party this past saturday with a bunch of food. It was amazing and i was full for all of saturday and most of sunday. Yesterday it rained almost the whole day which sort of put a damper on being able to find people. People here in Puerto Rico dont care for the rain to much and when it does rain you dont find many people out because their all scared of ""La munga"(the cold). Anyway we had some cool teaching experences this week. We came accross a guy a couple of nights ago during our sacred finding time and i called him out and when he came out and it was sort of like all the rest that we had been having that day he just said that he was catholic. So i was like oh ok well is there anything we can help you with, and then he stopped and said yeah. I wasn't expecting that but he then let us in and said some time he'd need his tree in his front yard trimmed so and would need help so we told him we'd be more than happy to help. Then he invited us in his house we talked to him a little about what we do as missionaries and i was actually able to share and talk a lot more then i have in the passed. He even gave us dinner for that night. It was a really cool experience and goes to show that when you show a desire to truely help out your fellow brotheren your leaving a little seed and are being an example like we should be as members of the True Church of Chirst. Mission work is great and i'm gaining a greater love for it every day!
Thank you for all the support back home and have great thanksgiving this week! I love you all at home and thank you a billion for your letters and support!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
One Transfer Down (email dated 11/17/2008)
Dear Mom and Dad,
Well i'm here in my new area and all i have to say is its beautiful uphere. I say up here because i'm right smack dab in the middle of the island which is up in the mountains. The area i'm in is called Utuado, Puerto Rico.Its sort of being in a rain forest/ mountain conditions. Our area is full of hills and i come home every night whiped because we walk a lot of places here.My new companion is Elder Hernandez by the way. He's from Mexico and is aver a hard worker and i'm glade i got him as a compion. The first day here we had a lesson to go to so before i even could unpack my bags we were off to work. It was a great lesson i thought and i love teaching with a native spanish speaker because i learn so much about the language everytime we teach. This is going to really help me with my spanish i'm hoping.
Anyway so far here we've had some really intresting experiances with the people. We taught this one guy named Ruperto who lives way far up the canyon, so he came to pick us upand take us to his house. Well when we got there his house wasnt much of ahouse. It was more like a little schack with metal all around the outside and ontop as the walls and the cealing. As i walked in i looked up and the top and alli could see were cob webs every where with these huge spiders of every kind. Thewhole time i was just thinking to myself how could some one live here and stayhealthy. There were cars all out around the side of his place like you some time see hanging off cliffs and stuff as you drive in mountain areas, like the one at the cabin if you remeber. It was pretty interesting to say the least. Rupert lives with his mom and she's 94 years old and she's still cooking and cleaning she said, but it didnt look like their place had been cleaned in quite some time. I couldn't believe she said she was 94 years old and living inthe conditions she was. Anyway their family is a little different but thats all right cuz were all children of God right. Any way we couldnt stay and talk with them very long because we got to go to a conference that Elder Bendar spoke at!It was so awesome! Elder Bednar came here to Puerto Rico and people got to ask him questions in this meeting and it was great to see and Apostle of the Lord speak here in this little island. He was in a different church then we were sowe watched him on a perjecter at the stake center. One of the people ask the big question about getting a temple here in Puerto Rico.His answer was direct and i loved every bit of it. What he said basicly is that when a temple is chosen to be built some where it has nothing to do with the people here on earth and their wants. The Person who decides where and when a temple is built is the Lord himself and when i decides He then reavels it to the prophet. Than we went on further and said if you really want a temple here you got to have the members who will be able to support and then he told the people to "get your hearts right." It was simple statement but it hit me hard! it renewed my testimony of his calling because the spirit during that meeting was so strong!
Well i got to finish up now so remember your always in my prayers and i loveyou all!
Elder Lopez
PS. I got your tape and i love to listen to it! YOur voices all sound so good to my ears. I have a tape and a memory card of pictures to send home but i dontknow if i should send them with a normal letter or not. Also if you could send THis email to lechell and do what ever you want with it so she can put it up onthe blog that would be great because i dont have time to write another one. thanks love you!
Well i'm here in my new area and all i have to say is its beautiful uphere. I say up here because i'm right smack dab in the middle of the island which is up in the mountains. The area i'm in is called Utuado, Puerto Rico.Its sort of being in a rain forest/ mountain conditions. Our area is full of hills and i come home every night whiped because we walk a lot of places here.My new companion is Elder Hernandez by the way. He's from Mexico and is aver a hard worker and i'm glade i got him as a compion. The first day here we had a lesson to go to so before i even could unpack my bags we were off to work. It was a great lesson i thought and i love teaching with a native spanish speaker because i learn so much about the language everytime we teach. This is going to really help me with my spanish i'm hoping.
Anyway so far here we've had some really intresting experiances with the people. We taught this one guy named Ruperto who lives way far up the canyon, so he came to pick us upand take us to his house. Well when we got there his house wasnt much of ahouse. It was more like a little schack with metal all around the outside and ontop as the walls and the cealing. As i walked in i looked up and the top and alli could see were cob webs every where with these huge spiders of every kind. Thewhole time i was just thinking to myself how could some one live here and stayhealthy. There were cars all out around the side of his place like you some time see hanging off cliffs and stuff as you drive in mountain areas, like the one at the cabin if you remeber. It was pretty interesting to say the least. Rupert lives with his mom and she's 94 years old and she's still cooking and cleaning she said, but it didnt look like their place had been cleaned in quite some time. I couldn't believe she said she was 94 years old and living inthe conditions she was. Anyway their family is a little different but thats all right cuz were all children of God right. Any way we couldnt stay and talk with them very long because we got to go to a conference that Elder Bendar spoke at!It was so awesome! Elder Bednar came here to Puerto Rico and people got to ask him questions in this meeting and it was great to see and Apostle of the Lord speak here in this little island. He was in a different church then we were sowe watched him on a perjecter at the stake center. One of the people ask the big question about getting a temple here in Puerto Rico.His answer was direct and i loved every bit of it. What he said basicly is that when a temple is chosen to be built some where it has nothing to do with the people here on earth and their wants. The Person who decides where and when a temple is built is the Lord himself and when i decides He then reavels it to the prophet. Than we went on further and said if you really want a temple here you got to have the members who will be able to support and then he told the people to "get your hearts right." It was simple statement but it hit me hard! it renewed my testimony of his calling because the spirit during that meeting was so strong!
Well i got to finish up now so remember your always in my prayers and i loveyou all!
Elder Lopez
PS. I got your tape and i love to listen to it! YOur voices all sound so good to my ears. I have a tape and a memory card of pictures to send home but i dontknow if i should send them with a normal letter or not. Also if you could send THis email to lechell and do what ever you want with it so she can put it up onthe blog that would be great because i dont have time to write another one. thanks love you!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Champion Burrito
Dear Lopez family:
I had the honor of being with your son today as we moved him from one apartment to another, just before his transfer tomorrow to a new area.
Sister Reyes and I are the "housing coordinators" and after the move we then treated him and his companion to an early dinner at one of the few mexican restaurants in Puerto Rico.
You have a great missionary and it was a pleasure to be with him. Thank you for raising a great young man.
best regards
Elder & Sister Reyes
I had the honor of being with your son today as we moved him from one apartment to another, just before his transfer tomorrow to a new area.
Sister Reyes and I are the "housing coordinators" and after the move we then treated him and his companion to an early dinner at one of the few mexican restaurants in Puerto Rico.
You have a great missionary and it was a pleasure to be with him. Thank you for raising a great young man.
best regards
Elder & Sister Reyes
Monday, November 10, 2008
Transfers
Well another week of the mission life has come and gone! Thank you all for the support and letters that I've recieved, you all keep me going!
Well this week was full of new's! I had my first interview with the President of the Mission, President Martineau, and he pretty much told me after this transfer I'd be gettin transfered some where else. Sure enough this Sunday i got the word that i'm going to be getting transfured this Wed. I'm actually looking forward to this next transfer to get a new companion and learn new things. For the most part i'm starting to settle into the mission life. It gets better and better every day. It started out a little rocky, but no one ever said it was going to be ease. When times are going rough i always am able to find comfort in the scriptures! I found some scriptures that really helped me out this first transfer. One of them was in D&C 128:31 right at the very end of the verse if you want to look it up... The Scriptures have grown to be my best friend out here and i love reading them every day!
My Companion Elder Haskell's birthday was this week, so we decided to celebrate and went bowling last p-day! It was a blast and it reminded me of the good old days going bowling in High School, i still sort of stuggle so i wont tell you my score. I know when my brother Mark reads this he'll be a little disapointed, but it is what it is.
Finding people this week looked up a little bit. We came accross a guy who had been in the Army for ever and learend english and could speak it very well. To add to it the guy was amazingly nice. He excepted everything that we said to him and invited us in to have some water! We set up a return visit with him and everything but unfortunatley i'm not going to be there to teach him cuz i'm getting transfered. Thats alright though, all that matters is that he gets to hear the gospel!
So elections are finaly over and i hear we have a new President of the United States. Í'm not going to say much about who got elected cuz out here on the mission we're not supposed to talk polotics... and this way i wont say anything bad about him, you know how the saying goes, "ïf you cant say anything good dont say anything at all".
Well until next week keep it real back home! Love you all!
Elder Lopez
Well this week was full of new's! I had my first interview with the President of the Mission, President Martineau, and he pretty much told me after this transfer I'd be gettin transfered some where else. Sure enough this Sunday i got the word that i'm going to be getting transfured this Wed. I'm actually looking forward to this next transfer to get a new companion and learn new things. For the most part i'm starting to settle into the mission life. It gets better and better every day. It started out a little rocky, but no one ever said it was going to be ease. When times are going rough i always am able to find comfort in the scriptures! I found some scriptures that really helped me out this first transfer. One of them was in D&C 128:31 right at the very end of the verse if you want to look it up... The Scriptures have grown to be my best friend out here and i love reading them every day!
My Companion Elder Haskell's birthday was this week, so we decided to celebrate and went bowling last p-day! It was a blast and it reminded me of the good old days going bowling in High School, i still sort of stuggle so i wont tell you my score. I know when my brother Mark reads this he'll be a little disapointed, but it is what it is.
Finding people this week looked up a little bit. We came accross a guy who had been in the Army for ever and learend english and could speak it very well. To add to it the guy was amazingly nice. He excepted everything that we said to him and invited us in to have some water! We set up a return visit with him and everything but unfortunatley i'm not going to be there to teach him cuz i'm getting transfered. Thats alright though, all that matters is that he gets to hear the gospel!
So elections are finaly over and i hear we have a new President of the United States. Í'm not going to say much about who got elected cuz out here on the mission we're not supposed to talk polotics... and this way i wont say anything bad about him, you know how the saying goes, "ïf you cant say anything good dont say anything at all".
Well until next week keep it real back home! Love you all!
Elder Lopez
Monday, November 3, 2008
Just another day in the life of Elder Lopez (email dated 11/3/2008)
Well i'm sorry that i haven't been able to get a E-mail out for the passed couple of weeks. My E-mail has been sort of being dumb and hasn't worked for me. Now it should be doing just fine though. This passed week we've been doing a lot of finding with not a lot of luck. Its alright though because it will start to pick up sooner or later. Some good news is that we found a good Apt. to live in. Hopefully next week we'll be able to move in to it. Right now their trying to get all the paper work done for it so hopefully by next week we can move in. The Ward out here in my area isn't like a Utah ward, but it is pretty big for here in Puerto Rico i believe. The People in my ward are all nice and loveing people and are really wanting to have a Temple built here in Puerto Rico. Thats where us missionaries come in. I hope to be able to see a Temple here in Puerto Rico some day! It probably wont be while i'm here but i'm hoping to be a help in getting this island ready for one. I see the Lords help every day while i'm out here doing His will and His work. Thank you all for your support and prayers!
sorry this E-mail is pretty short, i ran out of time so next week i'll see what i can do.
Oh yeah and one more thing, When your write me letters you need to put my first name and my last name because there is 4 Elder Lopez's here in my mission...
Thanks again and I love you all! Until next week God Bless!
Elder Lopez
sorry this E-mail is pretty short, i ran out of time so next week i'll see what i can do.
Oh yeah and one more thing, When your write me letters you need to put my first name and my last name because there is 4 Elder Lopez's here in my mission...
Thanks again and I love you all! Until next week God Bless!
Elder Lopez
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