Jesse's email was very short today, I'm feeling bad cause he didn't get my email today and his Dad didn't write him so he was feeling blue with no letters from home (yes I felt terrible). Bad news is he lost his back up of all his pictures he put on from his memory card, (yes I'm SICK) so I have been getting no pictures, we have been praying he will find them, and maybe by some miracle it will show up. I told him he better get busy and take lots and lots of pictures, its so SAD :( . He didn't get transferred for his last transfer being there, but he did get a new companion which he was excited about, he wanted to go back to his first area to finish up his mission, but we will be going back there when we go pick him up.

Hey family!! wow what a week, well as you can tell by the title of the email, we had transfers this week and my companion left me, and Elder Jimenez came to be my companion! he is my 4th step kid, and only has 3 transfers here in the mission. I am District Leader and this last transfer will be a good one!

Well this week was good, lots of teaching and all that stuff, and up until yesterday it was a perfect week. We received some really bad news....a member in my area, like a mom to me here, has lung cancer and only has 6 weeks to live. I was petrified when i found out, my comp and i couldn't hold back the tears.....i found out you never really know how much you love someone or the people your teaching with until something bad happens to them. I'm seriously so sad right now....I'm learning alot about the Atonement and plan of salvation though through this trial, i hope all is good with her, we will see.

Well i really don't know what to say to you guys today, i didn't get a letter from any of you...I'm wondering whats up...but any ways today we went to TGI Friday's with some American missionaries that go home tomorrow and it was really sad to say good bye to them! but all in all it was good and i got to eat some American food and fountain drinks.

I cant really think what to write because i usually comment on what you guys say. soooo....i think i will end this letter with my testimony and wait to see if anyone writes me.
I honestly have seen a change this last week on the way i look at life. I have grown so much in my testimony and have this very strong desire to work hard and finish the mission strong! I know Jesus is the Christ, i know he lives and is coming again. I know the Book of Mormon changes lives and has the power to feed the starving people looking for the truth, it has changed my life! I love you guys so much and cant wait to see you . In the name of Jesus Christ amen!

love elder westergard

June 16, 2010

Wow! i cant believe that its the last week of third transfer and on Monday starts my last 6 weeks here in the DR. this transfer honestly has gone by so fast i honestly cant remember what has happened. Well this week we had priesthood conference as a stake and it was a great spiritual uplift! the Stake President talked and the2nd counselor of the mission talked also, along with some other members, overall it was really good and very good attendance.

On Monday we had intercambios aka splits and Elder Terrero from my group came over to my area and we taught lots of good lessons, including we put a baptismal date with a 14 year old named Starlin for the middle of July, 4 weeks, so it was a good day. oh ya..we were walking that day and some kids like 10 years old started throwing rocks at us, how sad!! haha but whatever right...
Well this morning i was getting ready to go to Internet and stuff and found out that my memory pen drive is missing and it has alllll of my mission on it (GREAT). please family and anyone pray for me, i need to find it. i cant lose my pictures and videos, i already lost the first 6 months of my mission, so pray that ill find it ok!!

This morning we played basketball again for Elder Smiths last pday..next week he goes back home to MESA!! hes in Fairfield ward i think. We were in the same seminary class at Mesa, so it was fun hanging out with him. We played tons of games, and like the first game i jammed my toenail, the one that go ripped out, and it hurt its purple right now. but its all good i kept playing on it.

I went to pick up my suit i made today also, and wow! its soooo nice, you guys will love it. i cant wait for you to see it, all the Elders in my group made one, but not the same, we went together today to get them. so it was fun to see them.

Sounds like everything there is going good! i know dad, GO BOSTON but it will be hard to win game seven in LA. but we will see. Sounds like the trip to Wyoming was super fun, except the cold spell. I liked the game you played with the beeney, i don't think you want to play that game with me haha.

Wow makenzee is 18....that's weird. is she a senior this year or what... and Jakelle, how do you feel about going into high school and being on the Mesa High cheer team...thats so awesome. I'm excited to go see you cheer that's double bonus..see mesa play and you cheer so its going to be fun.

OK dad...i think it would be good to leave Santiago on the 6th and come back on the 10th. i think its good to get a rental car...but will you be able to find your way to the hotel....let me know please.

Well i love you guys so very much. i hope you are all safe and have a great week! i know the church is true and that Jesus lives, he is our Redeemer and Savior. I love the scripture in Nephi..we are en graven on the palms of his hands! have a great week.

love Elder Westergard

June 9, 2010

Hey family!! its been a great week! honestly we had the greatest conference. we learned about how to receive your own personal revelation. it was great....i saw the group in front of me give their dying testimonies and it was really spiritual...then after the conference it hit me once everyone started saying...Westergard your next, i don't think I'm ready for that yet...it just feels like I'm done now that I'm the oldest missionary but i heard something that an Elder said that hit me hard and made me want to try hard this last 4 minutes of the 4th quarter of Mt View haha and it was...we have 2 years to serve a mission, and all of eternity to think about it....wow!! i want to remember how i finished forever and strong. so it was very good conference for me!

This week we found even more investigators and its starting to turn around. 2 older girls stopped us and said, i took lessons for 2 years but never got baptized, come by my house i want to learn more! so that was awesome, and we will go by there some time this week. Me and my comp had some weird experience. We were walking past that American house i posted and the guy like called us in, he's Dominican but was raised in the states and he starts talking to us about who knows what and like million of topics like how some guy in New Jersey gave pills to his mom and killed her, his wife's a drug addict in the states, some dangerous kids, the USA embassy and a whole bunch of stuff. When we left we just laughed and said that was the weirdest thing that has happened to me. haha so it was pretty good.

Today we played basketball and wow i was rusty the first game, then i got my shot back and nailed some threes in a row to win some games. elder nelson was a beast down low! he is my godson in the mission haha he wanted me to say something about him, hes sitting next to me. but ya it was a really good day, i got a little sunburned.

well sounds like all of you are doing good, except for Jakelle being sick in girls camp, way to stick through it Kell. I wish i could go sleep in Matt's cabin haha maybe ill go with him when he gets back. So dad i was thinking that we should do the 1 day in Santiago, 4 in the plat, and last in Santiago, that would be perfect! i think its a good idea to get those shots, the only other thing i can think of not to do is eat fish when you get here...that's all. so dad give me further info on how we will get to the plat, and how your getting to the hotel from the airport, a car or what...

Well family i hope you guys have a great week, never stop doing what is right, read the scriptures and the conference talks. I know the church is true, in the name of Jesus Christ amen! love elder Jesse Westergard