I'm Staying Here

Last moments with Elder Ochoa

Hello Family!!!!!!!!!!

So transfers.... I'm staying here!!!! My new comp is Elder Webber. He is super awesome. He is from Orem and has about 6 months in the mission. He is also apperantly one of the best rugby players in the nation, which is pretty awesome! I'm super excited to work with him. 

Happy Anniversary padres, I'll be honest I had no clue that your anniversary was this last week. But I hope that it was great because you two are great!!!! I have the best parents ever! Looks like prom was fun Mags... 2nd attendant Wow... you are so popular ;) Chandler is a cool kid, and the hat and boots are pretty awesome. Nice pic of you and the second runner up for prom-king... haha he looks awesome. 

So we have actually been finding some super awesome people!!!!!!!!!!! Like seriously a good handfull of people who have lots of potential. We haven't had much contact with them, again the culture is a little too casual, but we will get some lessons with them. Also we went to ward counsel on Tuesday and it went really well. We got to touch some important points like our ward mission plan, ward missionaries, and home teachers. Also we have had a lot more contact with our mission leader, and Elder Webber and I went over to his house and had a good meeting with him. So the work is moving forward here in Carrasco. Oh and I'm a district leader which has actually been kind of stressful. I get to check in with the members of my district and with the zone leaders every night which is really interesting. I'm learning a lot!!! andI'im super stoked for this transfer.

Example of finding awesome people, this morning Elder Webber and I were out proselyting (we were proselyting because we actually took P-day yesterday cause the AP's have to go do some stuff today, anyways we did all of P-day yesterday except writing) But this morning everything fell through... literally everything. So we were just walking around our area making street contacts with all the people and we started talking to this one lady. After getting to know her a little she told us that she wanted to go to our church so I was like well you are in luck because tomorrow we have our meetings. And she was like okay I am totally going. Thing is that she lives with her mom in Carrasco and she says that she is going to her sons house in Malvin tomorrow so she said that she is going to go to church there. But she is living with her mom so on Monday we are going to go to her house. But we were trying to explain where the church is and she was trying to explain where she lived so she was just like why don't we walk around the corner to my house and I can show you where it is. So we walked with her and she showed us where she lived and yeah she was super awesome!!!!! Like I could see her getting baptized in like two weeks. Heavenly Father is really preparing people for us to teach here! 

That's what's going on here, have an awesome week back there. Yes I got the Easter box, I actually got it like three weeks ago haha. And I'll figure out skpe.

I love you all.

Elder England

McDonalds!!!

I found a Kinder Bueno...reminded me of you dad!

Uruguaynans Are Super Casual About Almost Everything

Morning run pics...

Sofitel Hotel Montevideo

Hey everyboday!!!!

How's St. Geezy treating ya? Sounds pretty fun, and the highlight of the whole trip seems to be baby Emma because everyone, yes everyone, mentioned her. I wish I could spend the weekend with you guys swimming, golfing, hiking, and launch starting the M5. Say high to everyone for me!!!! I loved all the emails, even though they pretty much say the exact same thing over and over again I love hearing it from different points of view. Haha and I was seriously laughing out loud at Luke and Jakes conversation... but I'm pretty sure Luke is right. Dad you better watch out for guys writing down your lilcense plate number... it reminds me of you telling me when you got pulled over in the Ferrari. I don't know why you never get in trouble, I was kind of hoping while reading your email that this guy called the fuzz or something. Haha just kidding you don't always get away... yeah I remember when we got pulled over in the mini on 94th:) Holy cow Bo is getting pretty darn good at his golf game, that video was pretty impressive. I guess when I get back he´ll have to show me how to play again. Mace sounds great as always, and I love the awkward stories of how uncoordinated she is.

I actually have a pretty good story... Okay so Elder Ochoa and I were proselyting out on the street looking for SOMEONE to talk to, cause the streets are usually baren. Then Elder Ochoa picked up a stick saying that it would make a pretty good wand, but obviously I found a better one, then we started fighting and casting spells at each other. Then someone from a nearby house yelled some spell or something. We both thought that it was some little boys making fun of us, so we were like hey we are going to see what these hoodlums are doing so we went back. Well turns out it was like this 20 year old girl and her friends. So still holding our wands we asked if we could give them a pamphlet, but I think they were a little weirded out so they said just put it in the mailbox... Hopefully they read it :) It was pretty embarrassing but I don't regret it! #harrypotterfan4life

Anyways back to business.... It's kind of been the same old with Endira and Leandro, we can never get in contact with them! It is super lame and really frustrating cause we set up a lesson with her when we had the last lesson but when we go by she is never there. But then when we do find her she is always doing something like drinking matte or watching soccer like every Uruguayan. But we have a charla with her tonight. I really really hope she will be there! And that we can get her to come to church. We also found a family this week, or maybe it was last week, but yep a family:) We have actually only really talked to the mom, her name is Paula, but she lives with her husband, (well I hope husband... you can never be sure here), and their two kids who are like 2 and 6. We also haven't had much contact with them either, this week is called La Semana Santa and everyone has turismo or vacations this week so it's been tricky trying to plan charlas with investigators or members. But we also have a lesson with them tonight... hopefully!

Fun fact about Uruguayans is that they are super casual about almost everything, so when we try and set up appointments or give them commitments like reading something they take it really lightly a lot of the time. Obviously not everyone is like that, but that is just kind of the culture here. 

But yeah we are still on the search for investigators. Like I said I really want to work more with the members but it is super hard. We have been trying to get a meeting with our mission leader who is an awesome guy but he is super busy and again kind of casual about things. But we are making plans for how to start things going here in Carrasco. OH! so transfers are this week!!! On Wednesday, it is kind of weird cause we live with the assistants who do the transfers with President but the knuckle heads won't peep a word. I personally think that Elder Ochoa is going to leave and that I am going to stay. But anything could happen. I guess we´ll just have to wait and see.

But have an awesome time in St Geezy! I don't have much time to write back to all the emails but that doesn't mean stop writing! I'll try to write something back to everyone at some point ;)

Love you more that you will ever know! 

Elder England

Elder Hatch leaving...

The greatest zone ever!

Just driving here to email :)

If I'm Not Better Than I Was Yesterday, Then I Have Failed

HELLO!!!

Okay so yeah we have P Day on Monday again, this week it is because my dear friend Elder Hatch is going home tonight at like 9 and all of our zone is having an activity today. We pretty much have the best zone eva! But yeah Elder Hatch was my first zone leader in Florida and we were there for 3 months together and now I have been living with him for another 3 months. He really has helped me a lot, and I have learned a lot from him. He is actually really good friends with Josh Hicks. 

Anyways the emails were great! Thanks for the help mom ;) New baby!! That's exciting, congrats Chels and Rhett. So when are Dalt and Kenna going to have a baby?!!! Sounds like Dalt is almost done with school so... I'm just saying, I think I would make an awesome uncle. Soph dog I want you to know that I totally would have voted for you, and not only because you had the best poster but just cause you da best! Mags stop snapchatting with all those highschool boys and email me! Just cause you're going to be a senior doesn't mean that you can stop writing. Mom and Dad keep up the good work, your emails are always solid! Bo let me know how soccer is going, I hear you are getting pretty good. 

So sad to tell you guys but the situation with Endira and Leandro is about the same. Oh yeah his name is actually Leandro, I guess I must have heard it wrong before... so embarrassing. Haha actually I don't think I actually said his name to him, so we´re all good. Oh actually we had like one charla with them this week, and it went pretty darn well. We taught about the restoration, and at first the charla was actually pretty choppy and I was fumbling for words and it just wasn't flowing very smoothly. But then I realized that I need to rely on the spirit more and say what my investigators need to hear. At the beginning of my mission I really had to rely on the spirit because my Spanish was so bad, but now I can communicate well enough that I don't really have to think about it or rely on the spirit. I realized that I have been just going through the motions and not really saying what the people here need to hear.

Also, yesterday I went with Elder Hatch to a stake conference in Durazno like 2-3 hours away because Elder Cutler had been sick and wasn't really feeling like a road trip. It was really fun to talk with Elder Hatch in the car, and it helped me to realize that we always need to be getting better... always. There is a quote that says something like "If I'm not better today than I was yesterday, then I have failed". We were talking a lot about this. Also we stopped to say goodbye to some of Elder Hatch's good friends in some of the places he has served. It was super fun to see the relationships that he has made, and it made me realize that I need to make a better effort to have great relationships with the members. Sounds like you and the sister missionaries are pretty close:)

Anyways back to Endira, the lesson started to run more smoothly and she seemed to understand but didn't seem like super interested. I mean she was listening and liked what we were saying but I just don't think she really related what we were teaching to her life... until we got the the Book of Mormon. She told us that she already had a Book of Mormon and we were like what? Since when? She then went into another room and brought a really old Book of Mormon out that had been given to her father a long time ago. She told us that she had had this book on her shelf for as long as she can remember but had never read it and also did not know where the book came from. To me it seems pretty self explanatory that the Book of Mormon comes from the Mormons, butIi don't think she realized that until we mentioned it. And get this her dad apparently had asked her for it recently, crazy huh? Anyways we gave her a book of her own and invited her to read it, and since then we haven't talked to her. She was really busy this weekend and ended up going out of town yesterday so she couldn't come to church, but we hope to meet with her later tonight. I am praying for them so much, you guys should too:)

Other than them not much is going on. I really want to start working with the members here!!! It is kind of difficult though because all of the members work a lot and don't seem super excited about missionary work, but Elder Ochoa and I have something to say to them:) But seriously I am hoping to work more with them, yes dad we go to ward counsel but the problem is that we haven't had it for a while. I have faith that we can turn this ward around and get it going. I'll let you know how that is going on Saturday. 

I love you all more than you will ever know!

Elder England

The Sneaky Thing Got Away

Elder Tucker and I just hit our 9 month mark!

Hey famry - 

Haha I love the pics! Sweet goggles dude, and Soph that is stinkin hilarious. And wait up a sec is Mace sending all that on like an ipad or something cause I heard that the state side missions have ipads. Dad the car looks sweeeeeeet! I always remember you laughing and how much I use the word sweet. What else is going on with everyone else? I'll be honest I'm not very good at writing you guys personally but I'll start to try and send personal emails every once in a while... and you guys should email more, yes that means you siblings and Dalt! At least we can all agree that conference was the biggest highlight of the week. It was so darn awesome! 

Conference is so much better in the mission, I think it is just because I am a lot more focused here. I seriously learned so much. However, I greatly miss going to Priesthood with you dad. Those are memories that I'll never forget. I personally really liked Elder Bednar's talk about the atonement and also Pres. Eyring's in the priesthood session about priesthood models and idols. Unfortunately we didn't get any investigators to watch conference as far as I am aware. We actually had a great lesson with Endira and Leonardo earlier this week, but then we couldn't find them home or get in contact with them for the rest of the week. We tried calling and texting them but don't really know what is going on. I really hope that we can get in contact with them today or sometime soon, cause we don't have anyone other than them that is progressing. But I plan on sharing something from conference with them once we find them!

Funny story that I forgot to tell last week. So it's nine oclock and we arrive at the door and as I pull the keys out and go for the door I see something run in front of me and into a whole by our front door. It was relatively small so I assumed it was a kitty! But after shining a light in we found out it was a possum!!!!!! Then we being smart trapped it in there so we could catch it after planning. So resuming after planning Elder Ochoa armed himself with a glove and a scarf rapped around his arm so the freaky thing can't bite him. Anyways he tried to reach his arm in and grab it but was to wussy, then it ran out of the hole and he snagged it! And right then I smelt the most fowl thing I have ever smelt! I don't know if it pooped it's pants or just farted or released some poisonous gas but it was nasty.... and yes I did get all this on video but it's kind of dark so I'm not sure if you can see. But I got a good pick of the devilish thing. So yeah that was quite exciting, I was kind of hoping to keep it as a pet but the sneaky thing got away. 

Okay Uruguay fun fact of the week. I don't know if you know what matte is but everyone here does and they are always drinking it. Not only do they just drink it but they carry there cups and thermases (don't know how to spell that) everywhere! For those who don't know what matte is just go get some grass and grind it up and put it in a cup with some hot water... oh wait you could try putting in some sugar too. I personally don't like sugary grass water but the people here do, but I still love them.

Anyways have an awesome week, love you all more than you'll ever know!

Elder England

The possum!

Pics of conference! It was awesome!