Man i cant believe you guys are vacationing without me haha I'm just kidding its all good but i wish the reunion was after i got home, those are always fun! sounds like the weather is awesome up there at the cabin and stuff, but i got a question....how is the winner of golf, aka dad, getting the lowest score at 82!! come on i want a challenge when i get home, sorry to say but 82 is not going to cut it, you will be playing for 2nd place! so pick it up. I'm sorry Jakelle that you wont have anyone to hang out with there, just do what i did last time....listen to your ipod haha when there is nothing going on, like we the kings! great band.

I cant believe that you guys got your shots and stuff already...you will be here in 4 weeks! that's weird..question...how will you find your way around and to the hotel, you don't know Spanish. just want to know....

Well the main event of this week was me getting real sick! on Friday i felt bad the whole day and our last appointment i was like about to pass out with a fever, i barely slept that night and the next day i felt worse, i had a headache, i was nauseous, stomach aches, and all the works. I called Sister Lee and she told me to go to the hospital. So we went and they put an IV in my hand for like 7 hours. then i had to go back on Monday and get tested for stuff and i have to call the doctor today for my results, but as of now i feel really good, back out working we didn't leave Saturday and after church Sunday.

This week we had some really good lessons! we found another family and are excited to teach them. oh and don't worry about me, I'm not dead or trunky, I'm finishing strong and working, no se preocupen por mi!

Today we got to leave and visit the city and stuff. so my comp went to pick up pants he made, we went to the office for awhile, then to Pricesmart...the place like Costco. to eat, take out pics, and shop. there was allot of missionaries there so i got to talk to allot of my friends. 2 of my old comps were there, Elder Tarver and Elder Doncel, so it was a good reunion!

Monday we had district meeting and i gave my capacitation on the Book of Mormon and how important it is for us as missionaries to know its true and be able to answer the questions of the soul with it! then after i had my LAST interview before the one in his house the 4th of August and it felt so weird, he was like soooooo......you have 4 weeks left. I was like i know right....and he was like any questions....i said no....he said...ok keep doing what your doing...i said ok! haha so ya it was good. My last zone conference is in 2 weeks, and 8 of the 10 missionaries leaving are here in Santiago so we will all give our testimonies together, its going to be so awesome! i cant wait! I'm glad you guys liked my suit...sweet huh!!

Well i better end! i love you guys so much! and again. don't worry about me, I'm working hard and will keep working. Thanks so much for all your support these last 2 years. I love you so much! be safe and say hi to all the family for me! and send pics of the reunion!

love Elder Westergard

I woke up with the weirdest feeling today! i thought about the time...looked at my calender and realized i have 1 month left...i was like freaking out! and we had an activity to play softball and there were 2 others from my group there and we were all freaking out haha, but what can you do, it has to end eventually.

This week was so awesome! my comp and i contacted like the whole world to try to get this area alive again. Yesterday we met 14 people, new stat we have to keep, and had 8 new investigators, it was way awesome but some weird lessons! we contacted some lady and taught her and we asked if we could come back another day...and she was like..if your still Mormon no!! i was like what....whats so bad about them..she was like they are bad people, when they come to talk about God they don't talk about him, its some other guy, and all this other stuff. I was like the first thing we talked about in the lesson was that God is our loving heavenly father and she got all defensive but lost the argument when she went into the whole worship marry stuff....lets just say a few choice scriptures by me made her silent haha.

Then some other lady who thinks the true church is the one where you go....WHAT!! haha i wont even tell you where that went but we found allot of people amazing too! this one kid, like 18, understood perfectly the apostasy and a need for a restoration, his name is Odalis Jimenez!
other than that...district leader is awesome because there are 4 people in my distrit and 2 of them are Sisters, so i don't have to do intercambios! sweet haha! but with the ZLs i do.

Well sounds like all is going good there! monsoon season and what not....but sounds pretty hot! ill be home at the peak of the heat..great haha.
Oh ya my comp is alright, really weird and stuff, not a person with allot of words, so its awkward but i can deal with it for 5 more weeks. Oh dad..i was thinking it would be better to stay in Playa Dorada, because i know everything around there, so i think that would be best.

Well i better go, i love you guys so much! have a great week! i will put pics up!

Good Friends at TGI Fridays

Me and my new Comp

Me and my old Comp Delafrance

Coach Burcar's favorite quote!!

For there FEET, ye shall know them!

My new sweet suit I had made.

Love the Gold Interior

Sweet Crucial Vest

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

Hey family! well there are 2 way important things that have happened this week...both of them today!! well today 8 missionaries went golfing at a really hard course today! in the middle of the jungle pretty much and really pretty and green! there was jungle for rough pretty much and it was super fun!!!......yet a hard course. to grade the difficulty....i would have to say it compares to Las Sendas from the tips in hardness, but dad remember what i told you on mothers day...i was going to come home shooting 77 at the club...well prepare yourself because today i shot 74!! i started of bad on the front but then had a couple birdies and then shot even on the back nine! my driving stunk way bad...i hit like 30 percent of the fairways but like you know, my irons and short game was killer. i put it 2 feet from the pin on a par 3 from 160 out. so I'm looking forward to playing you guys and i have confidence now haha. ill put up pics and some videos on flickr of it. (is this seriously what he thinks is way important?? Sometimes I just don't know)

Now! just about 30 minutes ago i received the most unwanted thing a missionary could ever want....the FAT LETTER aka TRUNKY LETTER that tells me about going home and when and all that after mission stuff...i didn't want to take it from the office missionary, Sister Powell, and we took a pic to show how my expression was when i got it...you guys will like it haha.

Well this week was alot better!! we have 3 new investigators and a family we are teaching! they are all sooo cool and we will see how that goes. When you work the blessings do come..but after the trial. This week was really fun! we had a good district meeting and then we had our interviews...only 1 more. but other than that stuff that's all about whats going on, I'm excited to teach these new people and build Gods kingdom here. I'm reading Jesus the Christ and I'm on like page 200 and wow...this book is amazing. I'm learning so much about his life and what all the things meant and wow...i have grown to appreciate him more in my life and do more every day! i also bought a new triple in Spanish and am re reading the Book of Mormom in Spanish! so that will be fun!

I'm so jealous of dad about playing the south course, that will be so awesome! oh!! i got some email from apple and it said if i buy a macbook i get a free 8gb itouch....SWEET!!! haha well have a great week everyone i love you all so much! always remember that this is the true church and there is no other. Jesus lives and is ready at all times to lift the heavy load off our shoulders if we come to him....3 Nephi 9 says for this reason have i given up my life, and have taken it up again, so the we can have eternal life! wow i love this gospel. bye!

love Elder Westergard

US Missionaries

21st Birthday

Birthday

Mesa Boys - Elder Frazier and Me

Overlooking Bella Vista

I really reacted like this when I got it...my fat letter aka trunky letter.

Only in the DR, security with a shot gun on the golf course , told you it was a nice course.

Mesa Temple on my new scripture cases.

Book of Mormon!

Sweet River!

House in my area, he loves the States, not American haha!

haha the sign says he is looking for young women and fill the holes in his heart.

Golden State Bridge in the DR haha!

Someone lives in that little thingy.

The 3 stooges (brothers) haha (is it me or does he look like he could be one of their brothers)

How are you all doing? wow where did this week go! it went by so fast i cant believe it, we had splits on Monday and after it was done on Tuesday my comp was like, tomorrow is pday, ! i was like no way!!! so ya it was pretty awesome feeling. Well this week was really good and alot went on. WE FOUND AN APARTMENT and bran spanking new and 3rd level which means a breeze! im so excited, we will move next week. On Monday we had splits or as we call them in spanish, intercambios. and i went to the other area with the district leaders kid and it was a really good day, and experience. His kid is very excited about the work, and it rubbed off on me, its what i need going on this down slope finishing and all. On Tuesday we had zone conference yesterday and it was really awesome! We talked about a ton of stuff in one conference, but the only bad thing was that it was 5 hours long haha, i had a headache at the end, and it was hot in the chapel. We talked about adapting to changes, inviting people to baptism, repentance, pride, and honesty! wow i was so enlightened and it was a great conference. I feel so blessed or the knowledge i have gained on my mission these last 21 months. I have grown spiritually so much.

In the conference we watched a movie called, who moved my cheese! haha it was awesome and it talked about changing and how we need to adapt to them, not just stand around and wait for the good things to come. and president talked how its never late to be a better missionary and change the way you are, i really loved it!

in our zone conference on monday they told us to only work around the chapel and find people close because the people far away aren't prepared to receive the gospel and wont want to walk all that way to the church, the bad thing is that my area is far away from the chapel and now i have to dump all my investigators and go into the sisters area and find people. We have like no one now and its very difficult...im really upset. but a quote comes to mind...i never said it would be easy, i only said it would be worth it...so i need to obey and look for the fruits of my labors.

today we woke up early and went to go walk around the city, we went to mcdonalds and i ate a mcmuffin and wow it was so good! after we were done doing errands we went to pricesmart like always and ate with all the missionarys. I ate a calzone and it was also really good! now im just here writing you guys. it was a really good week, and i hope to have another good one. i cant believe transfers are already in 2 weeks. has it really been that fast...friday i hit 21 months and then its may! wow!

I hope the Suns win and continue, but i dont want them to play the Maverick's or the Spurs...the refs are racist to us when we play them, especially the spurs, but we will see what happens.

Love Elder Westergard