Thanksgiving comes and goes

) Reynosa at night

2) Middle class road (typical road)

3) Check out this leaf! Its huge!

4) Finished cake!

5) Me, Elder Fernandez, Elder Vance

6) Elder Hatch, " "

7) " "

8) " " holding Elder Capali (Zone Leader)

Oh family,

How do I ever so love your letters. First off, I thought about the Turkey Bowl all week... I'm glad to finally hear about it. I am mad that I missed it though.... Thanksgiving was alright. They don't celebrate it here but because Hno. Echeverria loves us and goes to the USA often he got a turkey and we ate turkey with them. It was pretty awesome. Holidays don't even feel like holidays. We worked like always. And at night with the turkey it was just a nice dinner. But it was definitely better than just eating bread with a slice of ham on in ha ha.

 

Elder Stark

 

1) Little Caesar’s!!!
2) My districts "Last Supper" before transfers

3) Hna Magdalena, Elder Campos, and me

4) Same

5) Same

6) Same

7) Me and Elder Kiser

8) This is for my sister Cassie who requested this picture! It’s Alote. Corn with Mayo

1) Alote once more

2) Nacho Libre smile with mayo on my face

3) This one is for Braden. (I zoned my closet just like they taught me at Target!)

4) We ate chicken feet for lunch and I had to take a picture.

5) Today was FREEZING!!!! The wind was blowing so hard and I was just numb all over.

6) This is part of my area. If you zoom in, you’ll see what the pueblo looks like.

7) This was a hairball I found in our drain. 

8) This thing was almost as big as half of my head

Ok so Elder Hatch is pretty alright. He is very Preach my Gospel and Mission Manual. It’s kind of hard sometimes but it’s ok because I need to learn the rules because I didn’t understand Elder Campos half the time ha-ha. But yeah were getting along pretty well. So my comp is District Leader. I was making a joke from The Office how Dwight always says he is Assistant Regional Manager but his title is Assistant to the Regional Manager. So I said I am Assistant District Leader. But it’s not really a position. I am no longer a greeny though. I am Junior Companion now. The member in our ward went to McAllen today to get our packages so hopefully tonight I’ll have my PACKAGES!!!!!! :D :D :D I’m so pumped!! So this week was pretty interesting. Getting a new companion and being in charge of my area for this week. Leading everything and being the big man on campus. 

Apparently Joseph never finished this letter. That or Mom didn’t forward me the rest. Until next week...

1) Elder Hatch

2) We FINALLY did service!! We painted a house. Of course like always, I have to write Mesa.

3) The other side says CTR. Me and Elder Hatch

4) In memory of Bob Ross. He would have been proud of my little trees.

5) The finished product

6) I am wearing a Viking helmet

7) What is going on here?

Something really funny about my comp is that he doesn’t have a Spanish accent at ALL. It is way gringo. And when he prays, he sounds like Cleveland (the black guy with the mustache) from Family Guy. It’s hilarious. So the story with the hairball is that Elder Castro (from the next area) was showering and black stuff started coming out of the drain. So we open it up and it was clogged. That is what was in the drain. Well nothing else happened this week. I’m just getting settled in with my new comp. It’s still what’s called the honeymoon stage where all is well and then out of nowhere it’s not but I’m praying it stays well. Well if you guys would like other pictures just ask! I love you all and I hope you have a fantastic week! Stay sweet and CTR! Be AT the party, don’t BE the party! 

Love,

Elder Stark

Dana Ward,

It’s crazy to hear about all the changes! I hope all is going well! I have learned a lot here on my mission and grown so much. I have also gained a stronger testimony of the Gospel. The Lord loves us all and if we all serve and bring others unto him we will be blessed and feel closer to him. I know this church is true and it is my hope and prayer that everyone will serve a mission, especially the Young Men. I love you all and continue in the faith! Mexico sends its love!

Con Amor,

Elder Stark

1) Drinking Cranberry juice just like dad taught me!

2) My new Mexico Jersey!

3) GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!

4) This is our dryer.

5) Alien Campos

6) Elder Hurtado

7) Juan Borjas (our baptism this week)

8) Familia Borjas Moreno (Juan y Leticia)

1) Ismarelda (she is a member who got baptised yesterday)

2) " "

3) Familia of Ismarelda

4) Isreal (the kid I confirmed) and Hna. Myrium

5) Familia Echeverria- I am sitting because they wanted me to be in the picture. They could take a picture because it was cutting off my head ha-ha

6) Familia Mota Ochoa

7) Hnas. Ochoa

8) This was us cleaning this morning. IM WEARING NORMAL CLOTHES!!!! It was way weird... haha 

9) A video of me and Israel doing the thing from Finding Nemo. His voice sounds EXACTLY like the little

turtle...

BONJOUR!!!

So this past Sunday I got to do my first blessing/confirmation ever in my life. It was pretty scary. 1) Because I don’t know Spanish. 2) Because it was my first for both. 3) It was in Spanish 4) it was in sacrament meeting. The baptism of Juan Borjas was way awesome. He is a way awesome guy. We met him our 2nd week and have been working with him ever since. One day he was just like "I want to be baptized." But he is such a strong convert. During His baptism, the spirit was so strong. He had to be baptized 3 times because his head kept sticking out of the water. Oh water... I cried on Wed. We now have warm water.... It was the happiest moment of my life! So we had a lesson with this lady. The spirit was so strong and everything was awesome and perfect. At the end, she threw out the "Well you have your beliefs and I have mine". It threw us off because the entire lesson she was accepting everything and then throws that out... So big news! I am no longer a greenie! I am now junior comp and my new comp is Elder Hatch. I haven’t met him yet but I will tomorrow. My comp says he is very nervous all the time. But we will see how this goes. I am once again Assistant District Leader. That is basically my week in a nut shell. This week was pretty crazy because of my comps last week. We at chocolate cake yesterday which was AMAZING!!! Well I’m glad everything is going well. Thanks for everything and I love you all so much! I will talk to you later!

Love,

Elder Stark

October 17, 2011

So anyways, I got bit by a dog for my first time this week. It came out of nowhere and bit me right on the bottom of my butt/left hamstring. I threw a rock at it and thanks to baseball I hit it. It was hilarious. So Thank YOU Ross Family for your thoughts and letters! I got it on Wed so that was pretty fast I believe. I love the pictures especially Johns drawing of the Temple. I thought it was a real picture at first until you explained that it was a drawing of yours. So also for the first time in 6 months I ate Pancakes!!! They were awesome because they got the stuff from the USA. My comp said these were the best he has ever eaten here in Mexico. He said they are usually terrible. But they went to a Wal-Mart across the border to get it so it was sweet. This week we had mosquitoes out the butt in our house. We found a little bucket in our back yard and somehow there was water in it and a TON of the babies swimming around. But then they all flew into our house and we spent an over an hour trying to kill them all. Last night I weighed myself... I am now 227. I have gained weight. I don’t know if it’s from the MTC or muscle from riding and walking all day. We’ll see where this goes ha-ha. Yesterday we had the privilege to hear from Elder Mendoza from the 70 at our Stake Conference. He is the brother of our ex president of our mission. Also Hno. Machuka and his wife (Temple President of Monterrey Temple) spoke. He was the seminary teacher of my comp so we hung out with him for a little bit. President Walker and Hna. Walker spoke as well. I felt special because he had us missionaries stand up and talked us up pretty good to the members. Yesterday was a good day ha-ha. I also watched a talk but Elder Holland from the MTC and it was dang powerful. It was basically about consecration. He told the story about John 21 when Jesus tells them to fish on the right side and asks Peter if he loves him and says if you love me WHY ARE YOU FISHING?!?! I TOLD YOU TO STOP FISHING AND FIND MY SHEEP! It was pretty interesting. He referred it to when we return from our missions we are not done. We are missionaries forever and we need to act like it and work as missionaries forever. Pretty intense. Also this morning I read in 2 Nephi 10: 11-13 and it got me all patriotic ha ha. Well that is basically my week. Bowling was fun. It was Americans vs. Mexicans and Americans won ha-ha. Well I hope all is well. You guys don’t say much about my letters so I hope you guys are getting them. And I need more info on T and the new babe. Well I love you all! Have a wonderful week! When I talk to you again it will be my comps last day so I don’t know how that’s working out. LOVE YOU ALL!! KEEP THE FAITH! CTR!

Love,

Elder Stark

1) The moon from my door step

2) This is the best thing I have eaten here. It’s called Campachanas. It’s AMAZING!

I will send more in the next letter. So it sounds like everything is going great with you guys! Minus the job mother, I’m sorry you didn’t get it. That would have been a sweet job. It’s ok. When I get back it will be waiting for me ;) HAHA I’m glad you had fun at your reunion! You are partying more than I have ever partied! Staying up late with friends, going places, sounds like you’re living the life of a teenager! Ha what another Elder did was that when his brother got married, they sent him a tie and he took a picture with it on and they did the same thing but he actually matched and got a free tie. I love ties. *Becca’s fiancé Peter has a brother also serving a mission. Peter’s parents have asked Joseph to send a picture to them because they are making huge pictures of both brothers so they can “be at” the wedding.* Yes you can send the package to 

Eduardo Echeverria/Elder Stark

P.O.BOX 1685

 Hidalgo, TX 78857

But you need to tell me when you send it so I can send him to go get it. Father I can’t believe you guys registered the business name! How sweet is that?! I’m excited to see how it turns out!

Well this week was pretty good. It went by so fast. My comp is making his final preparations to leave. He got his flight plans and keeps saying how weird it is. His family wrote him to telling him the plans for the day he gets back haha. So we have had freezing water ever since I’ve been here. We FINALLY got gas for our boiler. HA you guessed it, our boiler doesn’t work. So we call a guy in our ward to come fix it right? He comes and fixes it. SWEET!! HOT WATER! As he was fixing it he broke a piece so we STILL don’t have hot water and now we need to go buy a new piece for our boiler.

Love,

Elder Jospeh

1) With my district at the bowling alley

2) I caught a chicken that escaped

3) Chicken again

4) With my district from the MTC that are in the zone next to mine. This was at a Zone Conference

5) Elder Jolley

6) Elder Gonzalez

7) Elder Gonzalez

8) Elder Castro and Elder Chaveler