Wow congrats Lexi and Jared! all three of us celebrate something this week! birthdays and a 15 months mark! have a fun time and ill try too, skipping Halloween! I'm not excited but its my last one in the mission. I have like forgot all about Halloween cause Christmas is already being put up here, people have lights up and everything! so ya its weird and it does not feel even close to Christmas. It sounds like you guys have had a great week this week! especially Mom and Dad in New York, so mom I'm glad you liked it, i told you you would. I remember when i went, that was almost 5 years ago!! wow time flies by. I'm jealous dad that dessert you ate sounded so good sitting here, i was dying! sorry you couldn't dance dad, what a bummer, actually mom he was really happy he couldn't dance, i know i would, i hate dancing and me and dad are like the same, ha.

Well this week was an amazing week! to start off i learned that a girl in Esperanza i was teaching forever got baptized 2 weeks after i left! so i count that as my baptism haha cause i spent tons of time and put her date. So I'm pumped about that, we didn't have a baptism this week because the ward went to the temple, so it should be this week. by the way, did i tell you we cant go to the temple in December?? ya i have not been in a year and i have to wait 9 more months. not happy.

Me and my comp are working super hard! in 2 days, Monday and Tuesday, we taught 12 lessons! we have 4 baptismal dates and tons of investigators! time flies when your working and being obedient!

So whats big between all the missionaries is a book called the day of the defense! wow this book is insane, i have it in Spanish printed off the Internet, but its in English and mom i want you to send me the book for Christmas, there might be to volumes or one not sure, but its amazing! if a missionary studies this book and knows the scriptures in there, he can defend the church at all times. Its like a court trial, the judge is a Orthodox Rabi, the accusers are like 20 different churches main scholar people, and the defense....TWO MISSIONARIES! wow i cant believe the knowledge of these missionaries, they have answers for every single accusation there is, and at the end the judge asks the missionaries to go to teach his family! It proves that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint is the only true church with authority, the Book of Mormon is true, and Joseph Smith was a prophet! you guys should read it, its amazing. its helped me in my studies and gain a testimony so much!

Today we played basketball at 6 in the morning against the best club team in San Francisco! well they won the first 2 games and we were really disappointed, then we proved who the true church was and won 3 in a row! but serious i was like guarding Isaiah Thomas, and there was like a Tim Duncan, Ben Wallace, and Rajah Bell. I honestly don't think i have ever played that good in my whole life, it was awesome! my ball handling skills have become great dad, they triple teamed me like always and still couldn't get the ball haha. ( I'm glad he has so much confidence) so it was fun. Then we went to eat lunch and do some shopping, now were here!

Well i don't know what else to tell you guys, sorry. so i guess I will end! I love you guys so much, and hope you have a safe and fun Halloween. felicidades Lexi & Jared.

Love Elder Westergard!

Wow i cant believe its been a week already since i have been here! it has gone so fast! the good news is that i have a great comp and my animo is now back way up! we have 2 baptisms on Saturday, one next week, and one the week after! were trying to baptize every week this transfer and i think we can do it! Elder Doncel is a very funny guy! always talking about Mexico and how he is going to take me to Cancun when we are both home! haha its cool. He does not know very much English but he knows the simple phrases, like whats up man, whats your problem, and he always says, were going to party like its 1999. haha he is super funny. Being with him makes me feel like i am really good at Spanish, because he talks so clear, no mumbling like Dominicans and I'm learning so much! he tells me my Spanish is good, so ya! its all good!

On Thursday we had a lesson with a lady and we watched the Restoration video! it was super powerful and right after i bore my testimony we put a date with her! it was so awesome and the spirit was super strong! on Sunday we had 7 investigators at church! it was a good turnout. We taught about 33 lessons this week to! So me and Elder Doncel are working and on fire! I'm so bummed that I'm going home soon because it feels so close and i want to keep working, so i don't know.

Monday night and all day Tuesday and this morning we were not aloud to leave our houses because there was a huelga!! it was crazy, so Elder Frazier and Elder Nuñez come over that whole time because our house is safer, we live in a 3rd story apartment, so we like slept, ate and watched church movies all day! it was pretty relaxing and a good break. But this morning we finally left and went to play basketball with the zone. Elder Berhman and Elder Frazier were there(Arizona boys) and it was so fun! so like Elder Frazier and i have become very good friends, turns out he lived next to the Ashby's his first 10 years then moved to Higley and baseline but all the friends he has i know! its so weird so we have become close friends and plan to do lots of stuff after the mission.

Oh i forgot, during the huelga the people were like burning tires in the roads, throwing garbage everywhere, gunshots going off! it was crazy! smoke like filled the house!
Well i cant think of much more to say! i love you guys and mom and dad have fun in New York! oh and Jared, your birthday is my 15 month mark! love you!

Elder Westergard

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKELLE AND GRANDMA!! wow i hope yo guys had a great birthday, what did you get jakelle?? tell me how the Mexican food and cupcakes taste because i forgot! i would send you a present but it costs so much to send something there. so i will buy stuff at the end of my mission for everyone in the family and take them home OK??

Josh how was the reunion?? haha and the Applebee's. man I'm craving some boneless BBQ wings right about now, and potato skins, ha i know your thinking the same thing but hot wings, ya don't worry i still know what you like! going on any dates?? an Elder that finished with my last comp came back to visit for conference and he said he has not been on a date yet, haha its been 12 weeks! he was like ya man, i don't know why, i just don't ha!

That's super exciting mom your going to NEW YORK finally, remember how i went before all of you? OK sorry just wanted to throw that in, but its not a trip if you don't go to the Hill Cummorah! its amazing and the Sacred Grove, if you remember in my farewell talk that's where i for myself got my testimony, so let me know if you are going....

I can not even explain to tell you how amazing this week was! well the sad part first, i only have 1 more conference to watch in the mission, what???? ya only one more. I'm going to have to say this was the best conference i have ever watched in my life! i made a goal to take notes the whole time, i ended up with like 20 pages of notes, it was so amazing how in tune i was, i learned so much and heard so much that i needed to hear at that time. But mom you guessed it, the only thing us missionaries are talking about is Elder Hollands talk!!!!!!!! have you ever felt something more powerful, filled with love, conviction, testimony, confidence, and revelation in your life?? because i can tell you i have not. That talk brought me to tears, i could not believe the words he used, like when he said all the pathetic attempts to bring the Book of Mormon down, and its still standing! wow there is no doubt in my mind that it is the most correct book on this earth and then when he said i want you to put my testimony down right now as a witness that its true, wow!!! i also loved Elder Neil l Anderson's talk, i really needed to hear what he said, i felt like he was talking to me! especially at this time in my mission. I'm grateful for his words. I also love Richard G Scott about the evils and destructiveness of pornography, it was very strong and spiritual. ok sorry haha but i also loved Elder Bednar talking about the hypocrisy stuff...wow!! i could not believe that. and yes like you mom i loved the prophets talk about service, i think all missionaries need to hear more of that!

So all in all i loved conference, and mom if its possible, when the DVDs come out i would like you to send me them, if you could?? so then on Monday we had an intercombio and i went up to teach with Elder Robertson and do the DL stuff evaluating haha. but i want to share with you an experience i had...... we went in to a house with a man and a women seated, investigators, and the subject we were talking about with them was prophets. Robertson talked great about it, then it was me who testified. It popped into my mind that i should ask them if they knew of any church on this earth who had a prophet and 12 apostles...they said they didn't, so i got the impression to tell them that this last weekend we listened to prophets and apostles. and then i said with tears streaming down my cheeks, hermano y hermana, i testify to you that we have today a prophet called of god, his name is Thomas S. Monson and he has 12 apostles who assist him in leading this church, i testify that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only true church on the face of this earth and through prayer and study of the Book of Mormon you also can know! so ya i was strengthened so much spiritually by that event, and hope you guys were too!

I'm so grateful to be a missionary and serve the Lord. I know this is the true church, there is no doubt in my mind! I'm grateful that i can testify with the same power that the apostles have about the gospel. I know if we do the things god wants us to do and preach his gospel and endure to the end, we can inherit all that our father has prepared for us! in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. i love you guys so much.

Elder Jesse Westergard

Enjoying my new shirt!

Snacking and cleaning my shoes.

Elder Castillo and Me

Nearer my God to Thee.

Case for the Missionaries here in the Navarrete Zone. (I think)

Early morning study.

Elder Castillo Praying

Coloring???

Hey everyone! its great to hear you all had great week! I know my week was super! but today we didn't do anything haha, no one was doing anything foe pday! how weird! but ya other than that it was really good! We had a zone meeting on Friday with the APs and it ws very spiritual. I learned alot especially about the Atonement!

On Monday I gave my capacitation at district meeting with the zone leaders on nuestro objectivo como misionero! it was really good and we all learned so much from it, then rigth after that I went on an intercambio with Elder Castillo, the ZL who was here last transfer with Elder Powell in my district. It was so much fun, we went to naverrete and a barrio called falpo and the group that starts all the huelgas in this country is called falpo. I asked him if there was a connection to that, he told me...ya some of them live around here haha, but he told me it was a tranquilo area. We taught some amazing lessons and the spirit was very strong, I love teaching with Elder Castillo, hes a great teacher and has taught me alot, here in my district and as ZL. His companion will get a kid next transfer so Castillo is really hoping President puts me up with him as ZL. haha that would be scary but I love that kid and were great friends.

Oh when we were leaving the house that day to teach, I walked to the door to kneel down and pray and he was like no, over here! I looked and he is kneeled on the table haha I was like your joking right?? he was like hey man were closer to the heavens. It was pretty funny. I couldn't believe it today when I thought I had 14 months.......what??? weird I just started loving my mission and there making me go home in 10 months....dang. Castillo brought it up Monday and we were in the street and the grey hound bus company caribe tours passed by and he held his 10 fingers to it and was like, home! haha then I said hey look, I saw a plane and put my 10 fingers in the sky and was like, home! haha we had a good laugh.

Then we had a family night with a family that was so awesome. Familia Ruud, I think thats how you spell it, they made their little boy of 8 years old dirigir the lesson and it was so funny haha. His name is Louisito, he spent the whole night trying to say my name. and all the family could come up with was wester..... haha. they had a new bible and I was looking through it and man its so awesome, we all get one at Zone Conference on Friday, so im super excited.

So spanish is coming great. I understand about everything, here and there are words ill look up, but its all good, yesterday I watched the Joseph Smith prophet of the restoration in spanish and understood it like English, so it really feels good to know the language. I don't even read preach my gospel anymore in English, I actually dont remember the last time I did.

My good buddy Elder Friend in San Francisco called the other night and told me about how in 2 transfers my group will be the largest in the mission. I freaked and told him to not tell me that haha its just to weird. Can you believe one year ago tomorrow I was put in Puerto Plata with my dad? thats 1 year ago and look at me, im only in my second area with my 4th comp. ha ya I think I might only get about 4 areas in 10 more months.

Im glad that Chelsie and Dougs baby is great and got blessed and Beyleigh is the center of attention there huh?? haha ya we have alot in common, many times the missionaries just all end up watching me and the unusual dumb without commen sense things I do, you guys know what im talking about, and laugh there heads off. I dont know why though haha.

So dad...its that time...have you thought about what im going to say yet...are you nervous... haha ok TIGER WON!!! even when Phil wins he loses how does that work? Man he should just give up, Tiger doesn't need to win everyone already knows hes the best so they gave him the trophy anyways. Sorry but I had to brag. I cant believe ASU lost to Georgia again. ahhh they were so close. oh well next year. I hope I get invited by President Killian even though Matthew won't be there.

Wow this is a long letter, sorry everyone, but i cant think of anything else to say. oh!! the question...ok mom. :the most fun i have ever had on a pday" was when I went to play dorada with Elder Robertson and played golf, ate at Pizza Hut, then sat at the beach. It was a great day! ok i love you all. till next week aka Jakelle and Grandmas birthday!

Love Elder Westergard.

ps.... the church is true!