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!