110 degrees in Monterrey!!

And now, here is today’s letter.  Once again, sorry that I was late with last week’s but this letter gets you all caught up with the latest and greatest news from Monterrey. Again, Justin sounds great and is in good spirits—even playing pranks on his companion—brings back some very cool memories. Also, it sounds like Justin is developing some skills for a future as a wedding planner.  After next week, he’ll have welding, wedding planning, and rail car repair experience under his belt—and he’ll be able to do it all in Spanish.  In seriousness, he sounds amazing. I’m very, very proud of this son of mine.  As always, I wish you all the very best that life has to offer—lots of love in your lives and in your actions.  Until next week…Dan

Hola Familia y Amigos, ¿Como están? Well I am doing great! It is a hot day in Mexico today and the temperature will just keep rising. It already reached 110 degrees last Friday. Well it’s alright because we just drink a ton of water at that point. Well some pretty great news that I just found out and it is that Apostle Elder Bednar is coming in April to speak to our mission! I will get to meet him in person!!! I´m very excited! And pretty intimidated as well... haha But it will be a very neat and awesome experience. Also we have had a pretty good week this past week. Since we lost some investigators due to them being baptized, we have been doing a lot of contacting in the street. There have been some good people, but then there have been some interesting people. But we will keep looking for new great investigators. So something funny that happened between my companion and I is that we were contacting, but in the morning I cut out a picture of this lady´s face out of this coupon and taped it in his planner in the part where we write down new contacts info, well I forgot that I did that in the morning because I was expecting him to open it during morning study, but we contacted this guy and he opened it and there was the picture, and I almost died tried to hold in the laughter. Luckily the guy didn’t see us but that was a funny story in many that have happened on my mission. Seriously, I wish I could have time to write in my journal, all the things and stories that happen.

For the last couple weeks we have been wedding planners. Haha Juan and Paloma are now getting married and I am so excited for them. The plan is that they will have the paper filled out and Juan wants that Elder Perkes and I are the witnesses. And on Saturday, March 24th at 430, we will have their baptism, and then at 5, a wedding celebration right in the cultural hall. Pretty much the bishop and us put our heads together to do something very cool for them and I’m excited. Juan came to church yesterday in his new suit, he looks very changed and very sharp. I was very impressed when I saw the change in him. And he said that we are definitely invited when they enter the temple on March 24th 2013! I am soo, soo excited and it made my day when I heard that he wants to be at the temple to marry his wife. They are a young couple and like 2 weeks ago, they didn’t have a desire to really get married or change. But 2 weeks later, they have changed extremely. I am so proud of them and they are a great family with their 1 year old son. Well everything is going well, I hope everything is well with everyone over there and please keep in touch. I love you all and take care!

Elder Justin Powell

Hola Familia, ¿Como Están? Yo estoy muy bien. Todo aquí en Monterrey está muy bien y espero que ustedes estén haciendo bien. Pues, el trabajo es un poquito lento ahorita porque no tuvimos mucho éxito en encontrando investigadores de oro, pero tenemos un plan bueno para esta semana para tener mucho éxito.

¿Party Rock, huh? Hahahahaha! ¡Eso es muy chistoso! Yo estaba riendo (laughing) cuando yo leí ese parte! Pues yo necesito ir ahora pero yo espero que todo está bien y felicitaciones Joshua con tu decisión a estudiar psicología! Envía fotos y yo espero que yo puedo enviar fotos muy pronto! Probablemente la próximo semana. Te amo a ustedes muchísimo! Y también, está bien si yo envío un paquete en el verano? Lo que pasa es que no tengo mucho, mucho tiempo ahora para hacer eso. También yo sé que Kate y Noah necesitan algo de Navidad y ya es Marzo! Pero yo prometo que ellos van recibir algo muy chévere de México, y también todo ustedes. Gracias por su paciencia! Te Amo,

Elder Justin Powell

Translation:

Hello Family, how are you? I am great—everything here in Monterrey is great and I hope that you are all doing well also. Well, the work is a little bit slow right now because we were not able to find any “golden investigators” but we have a plan for next week to have a lot of success.

Party Rock, huh? Hahahaha!  That is so funny! I was laughing when I read that part in Dad’s letter (about Noah and Kate dancing to LMFAO on Just Dance).

Well, I need to go now but I hope that you are all doing well and congratulations Joshua on your decision to study psychology. Send me photos and I hope that I can send some to you soon—probably next week. I love you all so much! And also, is it OK if I wait until summer to send a package home? The problem is that I don’t have a whole lot of time to do this.  Also, I know that I owe Kate and Noah a Christmas gift and it’s already March! But I promise that they will receive something very cool from Mexico—also something for the rest of you. Thanks for your patience.

I love you,

Elder Justin Powell
(From Dan)  When I wrote to Justin, I told him about how Kate and Noah dance to LMFAO music on Just Dance, and also about how they love the song "Sexy and I know it".  I thought it would give him a laugh and sure enough! Cheers!