I love my mission, I love these people, and I love my Savior.

Mom,

As far as how I have grown and what I have learned from the mission— I wrote it.

Here you go:

You can't really comprehend the love the Savior has for you until you are able to experiment even a small portion of that love for someone else. I am so grateful for this chance that I have had to dedicate my life in service toward others to be able to experience that smallest portion of the love He has for us. Even though it has been just a short time, I have loved these people more than I thought was possible. I am so thankful for everything I have learned so far on my mission and everything that I am still learning. I know that it will continue blessing me throughout my entire life. I wouldn't give it up for the world. But the one thing that I treasure most that I have gained on my mission is a firm testimony in the fact that living the Gospel of Jesus Christ fully is the ONLY way to find true happiness in this life and assure an eternal happiness in the life to come as eternal families. I love my mission. I love these people. And I love my Savior. 

 And mom, I love you too!!!!! Hope it's what you need —if not—sorry your out of luck!  Ha ha!

I don't have much time to write about the week. I sent some pictures and I'll try to send some more. I have like fifteen more minutes. I am doing great! We have an incredible family that we hope is going to get baptized soon but they have some pretty complicated problems. But they are amazing. Concilio (Zone Leaders Conference)  is once a month. The first Tuesday of every month so that's why we have it tomorrow. The zone is still kinda rough in some areas but we're workin out the kinks. And we're not in a trio anymore. We sent Elder H. to an area closer to his so he could work there more easily. And yeah, everything is great! We are doing really well. My comp. is a really good Elder and SUPER noble. He extended his mission 30 days so who knows if he is still going to be with me. Changes are next Wednesday but his 30 days isn't a whole change so who knows what's going to happen!!! Hey, tell dad to tell Scott that I'll have to challenge him to another blow-up duel when I get back! Ha ha! And what concert is Taylor going to? As for the Christmas Service last year....As far as I saw and can remember about the orphanage everything was perfect. They loved it all! I can't really remember if they preferred something over another or anything like that, but I do know that they loved it. Well idk, they loved the big bears a ton! The only thing was that not all got big bears. They also loved the barbies though because they know what those are and I think it was great for them to actually have new ones instead of second hand ones. Same with the bears. Really everything was just perfect last year.

 This picture is of Hermana C! 

She is the one that takes care of us all of the time! 

It was her birthday! Ha ha ha!

 OK— So these ones are pictures of D's baptism 

her sister J. got baptized last Sunday 

 The other pictures are of a party that we had at their house after everyone had finished fasting! We couldn't have refreshment at the church so we took cake to them at their house! It was great!

 This is a picture of my great finds in Walmart today! Ha ha! —I just took that picture right now. If you can't see it is a can of Welch's grape juice and.......drum roll........MARSHMALLOW MATEYS!!!!!!!! Ha ha! that one's for dad!!!

The next pictures are of our Zones P-day today.

Here are some pictures of our p-day today. I didn't get too many. We went to a little lake in Palencia and just played around. It was fun!

Zone Atantico
(Hayden is on the back row second to the end in a blue shirt....
....it is kind of hard to see him.)

Well Mom I gotta go. I love you! Have a good week!

Elder Welch

I don't feel so "old" in the mission!

Hi Everyone, 

So first of all Mom, awww...what a bummer! Ha ha! And just so you know, I read every word of every one of your novels —thank you very much! and I love them! So don't you worry! 

So the area is super good. We found a super amazing family this week that already has a date for thier baptism for the 22 of Sept. But they haven't been able to come to church yet because of the mom's health. It is actually a really sad story. When we first found her she was pregnant and then one night like a half and hour after we left she had to call the ambulance and the baby was born at 7 months and died within minutes. It was so sad! But they asked if we could come over the next day and we taught them about the plan of salvation and where their little baby girl is and how after a year of thier baptism they can all be sealed together with her in the temple and it was so amazing to see the frowns and worry disappear from their faces and it has helped them so much to deal with all of this. And all of this has happened within a week! I really hope everything works out with this family! The dad is actually a member. He got baptized when he was 12. We thought he was an investigator until I started teaching him how to follow along in the hymnbook and he was like, "Oh, I know how, I'm baptized!" But he has been inactive for years and years and he is the one with the doubts. If it was up to the wife, they would be baptized tomorrow. But his name is ____, hers is _____and they have five kids. But one only has 6 years old so he is the only one that's not going to get baptized but we explained why and he was totally happy with it. I love this family. And the mom can't read so every night the 14 year old reads out loud from the Book of Mormon to her mom and we gave the rest of the kids the picture Books of Mormon and they LOVE them! 

But anyway, these last two weeks of this change are going to be nuts! We are in a trio again and not only are we going to be in a trio but we are going to have to cover two areas!!! So tonight for example we got a member to do divisions with us so I have do go with Elder H. (the new elder) to his area to cover a family night there and I have to miss the birthday party of one our investigators. this investigator and her mom are going to get baptized soon. I'm pretty bummed but it's OK. It's just going to be pretty nuts.

Oh yeah and also! We had a baptism yesterday! It went super well. Her name is _____. She is 11 years old and her parents are super inactive. We reactivated her grandpa and she has been going with him every week since and her mom walked in the door of the church yesterday for the first time in a super long time! And it was super amazing! She had a such good time! The Relief Society was so good with her. She loved it! We are hopefully going to start visiting her now too to help her out and her sister is 9 and is also going to get baptized soon. She was going to get baptized together with _____ but, believe it or not, she couldn't because she has a problem with the word of wisdom!  She is nine stinkin years old and she can't give up drinking coffee!!!!!!! how ridiculous is that?!?! I feel bad for her! She wants to get baptized so bad but she just hasn't been able to give it up so far! I never thought that I would have a problem like that in the mission with a little nine year old!!!!! But _______ is trying to help her out a ton. She is super "pilas" (Mom, I know you know what that means) Ha ha ha! You and your Guatemalan slang! Ha ha!

But anyway, I forgot my camera in the house today so I can't send pictures today but next time hopefully.

Oh and Abby, congrats on the new job!!!!!!! You will love it! That is a super good job. Geez, it's turning into a family ordeal. I just might have to go back there when I get back just to not break the tradition! Ha ha ha!

I cannot believe that school has already started! I remember talking about that this time last year when I was in Fiscal and thinking about when this time came around again I was going to be SO..... OLD in the mission!  I definitely do not feel so old in the mission. It seriously seems like I just started. For real, I have been in Fiscal quite a bit lately getting the Sister Missionaries a new house and working out the contract and stuff and it is insane how much I remember! I remember so many people! I gave a few referrences to the Hermanas and stuff. It is crazy! And being around here I see quite a few of my old investigators and I still remember all of thier names and everything! It seriously seems like just last week I was there in Fiscal!

But alright, I better get going. I love you all so much! Oh yeah and Mom I just thought I would tell you! E. had to get work done on his teeth so he is going to stay in the MTC untill at least the 11 of September. Just thought you might want to know. But alright, I gotta go. Love ya!

Con amor,

Elder Welch

I am doing Superb!!! My companion is Amazing!

Hey, 

So, first. How the heck is grandpa?!?! second I found shoelaces, honestly I just hadn't really looked! Ha ha! I found them within five minutes of walking out of the internet place on Monday.... and if you want you can send shampoo and body wash again. That would be great!  It is the Suave for men deep cleaning kind and the bodywash is the Old Spice kind. But if you can't find that it's OK. So how is everyone doing? Oh yeah! So I have some things to write before I forget! First of all, something I was going to write a letter for and just sincerely have not had the time, Taylor, Happy freakin sixteenth birthday you stud!!!!!!!! Ha ha ha! That is so nuts! and Bryan, good luck in washington DC. If you ever run into a giantly tall kid named S. N. tell him hi for me. He is the old assistant that just went home last change. He is studying at GW. And Bryan you best be writing me while your there! And this is for Abby.....well...my personal opinion...not very missionary-like of me....but she is awful!!! I didn't learn a gosh darn thing in that class!!! But who knows? Maybe she has changed for the better...I mean everyone can repent of thier sins right? Ha ha ha ha! (don't tell mom I said that) But anyway. I don't think I'm going to have much time to write about me this week! I only have like fifteen minutes left! but I am doing superb!!!!! Ha ha!  My companion is amazing and I am learning so much from him and I love the area! It is such an awesome ward and we are going to start having so much success!!! I hope anyway...and I just love it here! The work is good! Sorry it is so short but I loved the photographs you sent. I will write more next week.

Here are some pictures from the beginning of the month of Concilio (Zone Leaders Conference) 

OK so these are some pictures of the wedding and the baptism! 

Time to go— I love you all!

Elder Welch

Back to two.....just the right number to play ping pong!

Hi guys,

Haha oh boy! Bryan Palooza. Sounds like a doozie! I'm not up to too much. Just super tired. We played soccer for SO long today! It was super fun though. and then Elder L. and I stayed after everyone had left and played ping pong for like another hour! Maybe more! Ha ha! It was super fun. We hadn't planned on doing that. We were going to go to Walmart and buy some stuff but we just kept saying alright one more game. Until it was super late. We just changed our clothes and came straight here and we had started at like eleven thirty! But it was super fun! So how are things going? I love the pictures dad sent! I did only get one of the emails though and it said that it was number 1 of 2. But —That fountain is SO awesome! I am impressed! And Taylor is such a goober! Ha ha!

We are not in a trio anymore. We got a call Saturday night telling us that a taxi would be there Sunday afternoon at 2:30 to pick Elder G. up and take him to his new area. He really did not want to go. He cried when we told him and he was crying off and on while he was packing his bags. He is a really good kid and he has a whole lot of potential. He said he felt super good in this area. It was super sad to see him go. But he's gotta figure things out on his own. And yeah, Elder L. and I are really getting along well. He is a really good missionary. I really look up to him and I am learning a whole lot from him! And yes, I am feeling super good and I am eating even better than before! We live on the second floor of the house of a Sister in the ward named Hermana C. And she is the best! She is like our mom! She makes us lunch on Fridays and Sundays and breakfasts Monday mornings and they are SO good! She is the best! and every once in a while she just calls us down in the morning and says here, I made extra, and gives us some food! She is so awesome! and she washes and irons all of our clothes. We give it to her on Tuesday and she has it all washed and ironed and waiting for us at the door Wednesday morning! She is awesome!

About the package, idk...the last one was a pretty good one though. You don't have to send the actual "food" food this time though cuz I have a Walmart that I can go to and buy stuffing and mashed potatoes and I learned how to make gravy here and everything! So you don't have to worry about that. Idk if you were able to find those shoe-laces though? that would be pretty nice. One of my shoe-laces on my black pair of shoes is hanging on by a thread! Ha ha! Someone told me though that I can find some here. I will look and if I can't find ones that work I will let you know next week. But remind me! cuz I'll probably forget!

So I am living in a neighborhood called ---------------------------------. The branch is called Llano Largo. You can look it up on the Google Earth application on the church website and it will show you right where it is! 

Oh and we actually live in Zone 25. Its a new zone. One side of the highway is zone 25 and the other is zone 18. So I guess I am really in 25 not 18...so Mom Whitney wins the prize!

Well I gotta go! I love you! Bye!

Elder Welch

A Change back to Zone Atlantico

Alright, 

So idk if you are still there, and I am still reading your letter and going through the pictures....so I will just tell you really quick about my change. Well....Abby was right...she wins the prize......NOT! Ha ha ha ha! Mom and Whittney basically both win the prize. Ha ha! I AM in zone eighteen but in like a small kinda town area a ways out of the city. I am with Elder L. from Arizona. He goes home next change. Our area is Llano Largo 2 and the zone is Atlantico. I am back in my second zone! And it is SO wierd! Exactly one year ago I got moved to this same exact zone. And again this time I basically spent my first two days here in Fiscal again! Ha ha! We were trying to work out some problems with the house there because they just moved sister missionaries there and since I was there the Elders have TOTALLY destroyed the house! So we were there like my first two days here. This week has been super crazy! We have had a ton to do! Oh yeah and we are in a trio too. Ha ha! I forgot about that. We are also with an Elder named Elder G. He is from Peru. Jordan's mission too!!! How nuts?! But he doesn't know him I don't think. But it has been pretty crazy. We are hopefully going to have a baptism this Sunday though... before church. Oh and J. asked if I could go back and baptize him so they gave me permission and I got to go back for the wedding and for the baptism! It was the best! The wedding was awesome I'll send pictures. And yeah.... we are the zone leaders here. It's pretty crazy. It's nice though. I really like my companion. I am still trying to get to know the area still cuz I haven't had too much time in the area lately, but we're getting there. It is a really nice area. It is not even CLOSE to as dangerous as the last area. The area is doing really well. We just need to keep it going and improve some little things that Elder Lopez has in mind but the zone on the other hand is struggling a little. It's a pretty big zone and we've got some challenges....But it will be good.... I think. We are going to learn a lot this change! It is nice here and I am 99.9% sure that I am going to finish here. And that my next companion is going to be the one I have for the longest time. It is going to be pretty nuts. But I better get going. I love you so much and I loved the pictures! When I get my memory card back tomorrow I'm going to save them on there and then next week I can send you the pictures from J's baptism too! Love you so much!

Elder Welch

Elder Welch AKA The Wedding Planner

Alright, so, first of all. I've got some news. I didn't even mention changes this change which are coming up this Wednesday, like the day after tomorrow, because I was like 99% sure that I was NOT going to have a change. We thought for sure that my companion was going to get a change and go train somewhere or something because he already has six months in this area and he only has two changes left and the training program is for two changes. But that is most definitely NOT how things turned out. They just told us last night that my companion is staying and I HAVE A CHANGE!!!! I am freakin out! Ha ha! I definitely did not see that one coming and I was definitely not prepared for it. I really love this area and our investigators and we were seeing so many incredible blessings! But apparently the Lord needs me somewhere else... Ha ha!. I have no idea what the heck is gonna happen!

But anyway, other than that, I am not gonna lie, this has been one of if not the hardest weeks of my mission! Not exactly bad. But hard. So for this past Friday we had planned M. and D's wedding and we had everything ready and then on like Monday we call the lawyer that was going to marry them to make sure that everything was going to be OK, (after we had made sure like two or three times within the past three weeks) and she says "what? Friday?!?! No. I can't do it Friday!" So, we had to go and tell them that we had to change all the plans and everything from Friday to Saturday and we went to the person's house that was making the invitations and luckily they weren't printed yet so we were able to save that. We changed them and printed them off. And then we only had the help of just a few members to set up for the wedding. So we helped them decorate the church and make all the center pieces and everything and we basically had to organize it all. But that is just the beginning of it. So, Tuesday morning I was on divisions with another elder from the zone and we stopped by to visit them but they were super busy with a bunch of stuff so they asked us if we could help real fast so we did. We helped them out a ton and it went really well and they were super happy. If M stays faithful, he is going to be an incredible leader in the church. He amazes me. And we just found out the other day that he is my age!!! Not even! He is younger than me by like two months or so! But anyway, the wedding was amazing! I have pictures but they are on Elder V's memory card. They are obviously doing so much better and they were SO happy! It was so amazing to see. And the baptism is now scheduled for the 11th of August. And this Saturday, J. and T. are getting married and J. is getting baptized and after that we have another baptism scheduled! It has been so amazing! And yesterday we went to visit H. and A. and our bishop and the ex-bishop of the ward came with us and that lesson was super incredible! It was exactly what they both needed. So let's hope that here soon she is going to have her baptism scheduled too! I am super sad to leave this area. Besides Dolores, this has been my favorite. I truly love this place. But I guess I'll just see what else He has waiting for me.

Sorry for such a long email! Ha ha ha ha! but I had to share that story. I had to tell somebody about it! But anyway, Yesterday we ate lunch at A's house and she says to tell everyone in the family hi! She made us some homemade icecream but it wasn't like the kind that we make. It was SUPER good though! Also I forgot to tell you last week that I got two cards from you Mom. Thank you so much. They made my day. OK, but I better get going. I still have to write President and see if I still have time to write E. real fast to tell him I'm leaving. But I love you all SOOOOO much! You have no idea! I will talk to you next week and let you know where in the world is Carmen Sandiego. OH! I mean Elder Welch.

Con amor,

Elder Welch

Oh yeah, ill try and send the pictures of the wedding and I got a new memory card today so I can start taking pictures again! I will take them of all of the people I say bye to and show you who they are!

Elder Welch and Elder V.

On the bus with Elder V.

Elder V. making the cake for the wedding .....with a little extra help!

Cake making 101

Decorating the gym for the wedding.

This ladder seams a bit "sketchy" ...as Hayden would say.

Hayden knew better than to send a photo to his mom of him on the top of the  "Oh-so sturdy" ladder.
So this is one of Elder V.

All ready for the wedding. 

Hayden....one of the witnesses.

Finally Caught Up!

OK —So I FINALLY got caught up with all of the letters that I have not been able to get to for a very long time. Sorry it has taken so long. It has been a very busy summer. I hope that you enjoy.

CA