Hey sorry family that this letter is really late getting to you and really short. We went in to the city, Santiago, today because my comp had to go see the mission doctor, so we traveled along way and just got back! this week was such a great week, and what made it better was you guys telling me that Clayton is going on his mission! you don't know how happy i was when i heard that, I'm so proud of him and what he is doing.

This last week we did alot of finding because we pretty much baptized everyone else, and these new people are going to get baptized too. We had 3 more baptisms this week! it was so awesome, and about 6 more planned this transfer. Elder Miranda is such a great elder! he has been out for 6 months today, so were working hard, yes i said I'm working hard even though i only got 5 months left......wow.

I cant even describe all the blessings I'm receiving here in the mission, working hard and being obedient has changed my life. honestly i asked a new missionary today to trade me time so i could have 2 more years here, I'm not lying haha. this place is my home.

Well it sounds like all there is trying to get better with Josh and his knee, Dads hurt calf, and Mom on the couch, sorry about all that stuff, it really stinks. Josh get better and your in my prayers, hopefully you can play ball or golf when i get home.

wow so Tiger came out in public today huh?? that's a start, i hope he comes back soon, i don't know what i would do without that man on tv to watch all the time!

Well its really late and i got to get over to the church activity and dominate basketball with my companion. I know that the church is true and Thomas s. Monson is the living prophet on the earth today. The Book of Mormon has changed my life and the way i act, let it do the same for you too! i know your receiving blessings for my service here and also family friends, the Eslers. Ilove you guys so much, remember what a smart man told me...when your on your knees, you can not fall (DAD, i love you)

Love, Elder Westergard

Family Members of Both Baptisms

Flor and Me

My wonderful new tie!!!

Albany and Me

Elder Fuch's and my Sweet tie.

Elder Fuch's and Me

Wow I'm so happy that i am still here and did not leave!!! i got a missionary that was already in my zone, Elder Miranda, he's Dominican and is really cool. He loves basketball and is really good to, were going to play together tonight at the activity and not lose haha, waste everyone! this is his 4th transfer and hes excited to work, so lets pray its a good 6 weeks and not like.....well you know.

So ya like you know I'm really excited that I'm here for these 3 baptisms we have this Saturday, it seems like I'm baptizing the whole world here haha, i have been here 3 months and this is numbers 7,8, and 9 in this city. crazy huh?? so I'm so excited and pumped to work this transfer.

Well our 2 baptisms went down last week, Albany and Flor got baptized, it was really sweet and a great spiritual experience. I love seeing people coming into the church, i cant ever explain to them the love i feel for them. I wore a brand new tie to the baptism that you will see a picture of and it will only go on the days of baptisms, cause i want it for when i go home on my homecoming, mom you will love it!!

Oh ya, haha so i like pulled a muscle or tendon or something important in the shin and foot playing kickball after the baptism haha, it hurts so bad to walk, but you know, pain to me is nothing anymore haha, just thought you should know haha.

Not much else has been going on this week, just good work! but it sounds like all of you guys are doing good, well besides Josh and his surgery. Don't worry bro, your in my prayers love you! ok!!! Jakelle what did i tell you??? your a Westergard, its like expected from you since birth to be good at what you like, and not only did you make cheer, but VARSITY!! and advanced dance! way to go sis, i cant say i taught you that stuff haha but your carrying on the Mesa High varsity spirit me and your other bros. had! hey definitely we will talk Spanish when i get home, if you want you can write me to in Spanish, you know to practice.

I hope you all had a good Valentines Day, i kind of forgot about it cause it was just like another day here of work, but i hope you guys got good things, Josh got a valentine yet?? mom i got the newsletter thank you so much, it was very good! all of us friends are getting so old.....well me and Tate are haha everyone else has like a year, but they are getting there.

Sorry my letter is really short but nothing to exciting, except the baptisms, went on. I hope you all have a fun week watching the Olympics and almost march madness and stuff like that i miss. Hey what went down with the all star game? how did Nash and Stat do? well i love you all and your in my prayers. cuidense mucho, adios!

Elder Jesse Westergard

Hi family! i cant believe that's its already a new week! the time seems to be flying over my head and i don't know where its going, its like i just hit my 6 months left yesterday but its already like halfway through February(5.5 months) isn that weird?? Well the big news of the week is....yes you guessed it, Sister Eslers baptism, you don't know how happy i am that she got baptized, i have been wanting to say SISTER for long time to her haha even though i just call them mom and dad like you guys and Clayton my brother and Camille my sister. Sister Elser wrote me along with Craig Esler and said some words that could not hold back the tears, it was some of the most powerful things i have read. and i know Claytons dad is getting super blessed and will some day join his family and have the opportunity to be sealed to them for time and all eternity. It made my week and to see the pictures, ill never forget it.

This last week was amazing, we had zone conference, then district conference here in Dajabon the next 2 days after, so 3 days in a row listening to President Lee. It was amazing and the spirit strong! on Sunday he talked about the Book of Mormon, and with power and conviction in front of 3 branches and my investigators straight up said, holding up the Book of Mormon, "THERE IS NO SALVATION WITHOUT THIS BOOK!" the room filled with the spirit and it was amazing. On Saturday we have 2 more baptisms, Albany and Flor, Albany is the sister of the girl i baptized that i taught from Esperanza remember? and Flor is the girlfriend of an inactive that started to come back. They are like 18 years old, both of them. Then next week we have 2 more, 2 young men of 16 years with a firm desire to serve missions, they are best friends and go to seminary all the time, i hope I'm still here next week and don't get transferred, i honestly think ill cry if i leave, cause we still got like 8 more dates. so were being really blessed for all our hard work and obedience.

So speaking about that, Wednesday is transfers and i talked to my best friend, AP, at zone conference and he told me its almost positive ill be training a new gringo who knows jack squat. I really hope so it would be so fun. those calls come in Friday night, so we will see. I hope it happens and i stay here.

Today was super fun, we had the zone get together for the last pday of the transfer and we all went to the church to play games and hang out. We played U-no, a sweet card game that's called"warriors of the promised land" its like a Book of Mormon card game, so cough cough mom that's would be cool to have haha hint hint in my next package your sending me! but that's if you want to buy it for me. we also had chess, played basketball, and Frisbee golf! it was cool, then we cooked at the church, rice and chicken. fun day.

Sounds like everything in the U.S. of A is great, even though you told me my favorite team in the NFL lost the Superbowl, what a bummer, well they will be there next year and i will be to!! sounds like that commercial with Howard and James was pretty funny and Larry Bird. haha i laughed reading that. So Jakelle your trying out for cheer at MESA HIGH?? you will make it and you want to know why?? your last name is westergard, none of us boys have been cut from nottin over there, so your all good, the teachers will love you to, just tell them you know me.

Hey good luck Josh, ill be praying for you and your surgery that everything will be OK, so don't worry! you got a missionary prayer on your side! so everyone have a safe week and a great valentines day! love you all so much! ill let you know how transfers are next week, ps i only have 4 more left. weird???? yes!

Elder Westergard

Been out 1 year and 6 months - Slump Day!

Peace from the Shoe Rock ( it really does look like a shoe)

Burn them pants 1 year 6 months

Pizza and Coke for 1 yr. & 6 mon.

Marina Jean Carlos Baptism

Pose at the Beach (love this picture)

Members of the Branch and Baptism Family

Wow this week was so great! i love teaching the gospel, its so fun! we taught 30 plus lessons again and had 2 baptisms, marina(20 year old girl) and Jean Carlos (13 year old boy). i have never felt so blessed for trying to be 100% obedient and working my tail off. i feel so much happier every day and have more energy, bring it on last 6 months!! Elder Stroud told me something that helped me so much(my ZL) that your last 6 months reflects your first 1 and 6 months of the mission, and your last 6 months affects the rest of your life. I'm trying so hard to make it the best part of my life so i can be richly blessed for after the mission, i told Jared ill need it because i will probably be lost after the mission haha since the only life i know is high school and the mission, and i have grown up way past high school so i don't know how life is haha but I'm not going to worry, just focus on the mission. I read something in a church clip we have in the house about Joseph smith, i loved it so much! it said something like, my life has no significance to me, except lose it for the cause of this great work!! how amazing is that?? it boosted my animo way high and i find myself working my tail off and setting dates like crazy. We have about 8 dates and 7 for this month, i just hope i stay here and don't leave on the 17th, i love this area with all my heart, and the people even more.

Zone conference was amazing on Monday! Elder Stroud (ZL) ripped on obedience, and it all started with the problem you know about with my comp. He did such a great job, the thing he said that impacted me the most was when he said, if you want to live with Satan, don't do anything, put away your scriptures and just sit there, its that easy. now if you want to get nothing out of your mission, sit in your house all day and be disobedient, its that easy to be a fracaso (ask Josh or Jared, forgot the English word). it was so `powerful and gave me even more animo for this work.

Then i also read a scripture that wow! helped even more....Matthew 19:29 says.... and everyone that has forsaken houses, or brethren, or sister, or father, or mother, or wife(in a missionary case..girlfriend) or children, or lands for my names sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life!.....doest that just give you the greatest feeling, i know it did for me, so dont worry mom, i got plenty of experiences to share when i get home.

Well on Friday we have zone conference again, felt like 2 weeks ago since last one, and Saturday and Sunday we have district conference here in Dajabon and Montecristi. so that's 3 days in a row i get to listen to President Lee, I'm so excited. its amazing that by doing what pres. lee tells us even though its different than Pres. Thomas, i have come to love him and gain a good relationship and trust him. hes a great man and his testimony is like a giant.

Tonight were playing basketball at the activity in the church so that will be fun like always. Winner stays on, its 3 on 3, and last week we started and ended without losing haha. it was fun.

Well sounds like everything there is nice and cold, or rainy. that really stinks. way to go Jakelle on your talk, I'm so proud of you, remember to always be an example to your friends at all times and do what is right around them, you never know what will happen or if people will want to be baptized by your example. I'm so happy right now to know my example has brought 3 amazing people (pretty much second family) into the true Church of Christ. i honestly think its a big reason I'm here, if i wasn't here they probably would not be baptized, so be an example always Jakelle, especially as you enter high school ok?? read the Book of Mormon every night and morning, no matter if your busy with school. i promise you will do better in school if you do that, and pray.

So i better end i have to get ready for the activity in an hour. Mom i want you to take photos of the baptism and send them to me ok?? thanks!! take care and be safe this week. I love you all and will talk to you next week!

love Elder Westergard

ps. mom I'm trying to put photos up but the computer is super slow, ill try again. sorry for the delay of pics

Well it has been a great week and i finally got some sense knocked into my companion. We had a weekly goal as a district to get 15 lessons with a member and 25 lessons in all, well i told him i was going to work and get it and not only did we get to work, we shattered those goals with 35 lessons in all and 24 of them with a member! not only that we got 8 baptismal dates and 2 of them are getting baptised Saturday, and like 4 on the 13th of February, for the first time i finally know what it feels like to get lost in the Lords work and not worry about home! so i want you all to know that i am lost in this great cause and i cannot come down, the blessings are to great i receive and i just am so happy working and being obedient, so don't worry about me here ok?

Happy birthday Josh tomorrow! wow i cant believe your 22 years old and finished the mission like 11 months ago, that's super cool. make sure you eat some birthday cake for me, and if i had to choose where you want to go, it would probably be Texas Roadhouse right???? haha you like that place, that's where i want to go the first day i get back to Arizona, then QT for a DR. PEPPER haha. Well its weird to think I'm officially old in the mission on Saturday, i think its called like slump day?? well whatever it is I'm not going to slump, i don't even want to go home. it will be really hard to leave this place, i heard the next 6 months will be like a dream and feel like 1 month or so, i hope not!

Today we went to the beach again to hang out, i took some really cool pics and will send some. sorry there has been tons of rain, that stinks. here its been dry and i finally get to play ball in the activity tonight! well sounds like all is good with you guys, i know I'm good but keep Haiti in your prayers, i heard like 30% of the population died so far, that's so sad. well i love you guys so much! your in my prayers.

love Elder Westergard

ps. dad thanks for the quote, i loved it! and i wrote it down as soon as i read it.

pss. sorry for a short letter, we got home late from the beach

Well first of all i cant tell you how thankful i am to be safe right now and well! there was another quake today and a big one, but you guys already know that. Its so sad to see these Haitians do anything they can to get money for there family's. As a missionary were not suppose to give money and it breaks my heart not to give it and see these poor people who have lost family, houses, and food in the streets. Honestly it has been a very humbling experience. Every Friday and Monday the Haitians cross the border to sell things and i have never seen so many of them before, things are needed now more than ever, please keep them in your prayers, honestly i cant express the love i feel for these people as i have 1 year and 6 months here and now to see everything they have get destroyed breaks my heart. I even worked in a Haitian area in Puerto Plata remember?? and i baptised one too but he left back to Haiti after that, i hope he is ok.

Well Saturday we got to se Elder Bednar talk! ya it was really incredible and he said some of the most powerful things i have ever heard. One was, you will never again in your life be in a room this small with an apostle of the Lord, three 70s, a mission president, and their wife's again! wow ha crazy. He didn't give a talk but we all went with questions to ask him and be taught by him through revelation, it was the best thing ever. he also said that if we think we are the teachers when we teach investigators we need to repent!!! haha wow fuerte. Also he talked about how we should take notes, don't write what the speaker says, but what the spirit says. He said something really funny about that, he said here we are, all us members, we take notes, never use them, then end up losing them! how stupid is that!!! (yes an apostle of the lord said stupid so that means no more getting mad at us kids mom and dad for saying it, its been approved haha that was a joke, no but seriously) and the strongest thing he said was that members say prayers in sacrament or what not and say please bless the people that didn't come.....i quote "that is a weak prayer and has no faith, stop saying things like that now and as the rising generation, you be the example" wow can you believe that?? he said it should be more like this....."father were thankful for the day we have had today and we recognize that there are people not with us today, please bless us that when this meeting is over that we will go find them and bring them back! (goes good with your talk dad) bless us with the strength to go get them now! and bring them back( he was pretty much crying saying this) and then he said something funny....please bless us that we all don't go to the same house hahaha we all laughed! but it was such an amazing experience. He gave us a challenge to more fully comprehend the Atonement, get a new copy of the Book of Mormon, like a paperback cheap one, and underline or mark every time it says in the strength of the lord or promises blessings from following the Lord or through the Atonement. Then pull them all out after we are done then we will be able to feel the power more fully in our lives. So if you want you guys can do it to!

Well this week has been filled with mission work, I'm working like i have never worked before and losing myself in the work. I'm not going to let my comp slow me down, and trust me i let him know that and so did the zone leaders in my house, if it wasn't for them i probably wouldn't make it with him. but we have found so many knew people and last week we had 3 baptismal dates, now were up to 7 and teaching lots of lessons. We should have 3 baptisms this next week and the week after (30th and 7th) wow i dont even want to think about how much time i hit on the 30th, slump day, but i dont want to go there its not an exciting topic for me.....home????? ya right haha

Today was a very long day, it was Santiago pday and yesterday we had interviews, yesterday we traveled for like 4 hours and today 6 hours. Today we went in early to play basketball with tons of Elders on a wood floor, it was so fun. Then we went to Pricesmart (like aka Costco) to eat and stuff. Then we faced the long 3 hour drive back home and i had the worst headache and still do!

Well I'm really tired and its like 8:30 so I'm going home now and going to eat dinner then sleep, major headache! well i love you all so very much and will talk to you next week.

ps. mom i got some shoes and i didn't have my card reader to put up pics today sorry! 100% promise next week ok?? love you!

Earthquake hits Haiti

Yesterday there was a 7.0 quake that hit Haiti in Puerto Principe the capital of Haiti. Jesse is close to the border of Haiti so I was very worried about him. We received an email last night from his mission president saying all missionaries are ok and accounted for. I got a email from Jesse today telling of his experience, his first earthquake and I think it shook him up a little. We are just glad he is OK and are praying for those in Haiti.

Well i was pretty shook up yesterday at about 5:30 when i was teaching a lesson and my seat started shaking, i thought it was one of the little girls pushing it, then i looked and there was no one there, so i looked outside and the street poles were shaking back and forth and my comp yells, the earth is shaking! we ran outside, cause the houses here are not made very well, and the whole world was outside freaking out and screaming. It lasted for about 2 minutes and there were 2 aftershocks. It was very scary, my first experience with an earthquake in my life. Well the news on that is that it happened in Puerto Principe the capital of Haiti, along with many buildings that went down, a hospital went down and some schools and they say over 100,000 dead and about 3,000,000 affected! its all everyone talks about, people here are devastated. Haiti is so corrupt, with all its witchcraft and apostasy, i think someone upstairs is trying to get them to repent and change, it happened all throughout the Book of Mormon, so why not now! but I'm glad I'm OK and all the missionaries here are to.

Besides all of that, my week has been alright. I'm struggling pretty bad with my new comp. he wasn't all that like i thought he is, he has some problems following the rules and its really annoying. Its not just affecting him, but me as well. I already have sat down and talked with him with the zone leaders, but it doesn't seem to be working, please pray for me to have patience and the spirit, thanks.

Well on good news, FINALLY, we are traveling to Santiago Friday afternoon to spend the night in the mission home, and on Saturday we have a conference wit the whole mission and ELDER BEDNAR will be speaking to us! I'm so excited and cant wait to learn from this man! the whole mission is doing a fast on Thursday so we can be super prepared. so that will be really fun.

I put 3 baptismal dates this week all for the 7th of February, so were really excited and receiving lots of references from the members. I think this might be my last transfer here because i talked o the zone leaders, i told them i have 1 year and almost 6 months in the mission and have never been in Santiago, so they are going to talk with President, so am i, next week in interviews to get me over there. I only have 4 more transfers left and i want to die in Puerto Plata, so i want 3 good transfers in Santiago.

Well that's about all, sounds like you guys are doing very well over there in the United States! i hope its not raining on you guys, because here it has rained like the last 21 days out of 27 or something like that, I'm sick of it and never want to see it again the rest of my life, i have not played basketball for like a month. I want to play so bad. well take care with everything there and i will talk to you next week! you guys are amazing your in my prayers and i hope I'm in yours! Please pray for the people of Haiti and there family's all there family also, and keep reading the book of Mormon. i love you all very much!

love Elder Westergard