Email July 29, 2011

Hello Mom,

Ok so not much has happened this week... So it will be a boring email... Saying goodbye to KO(Elder Oberg) was tough, but honestly it wasn't too bad. I was way too excited to be sad. It didn't even phase me. Missionaries are always coming and going in here. I am really glad that he called you. He is so funny. I went back to his room and packed with him after the devotional Sunday night. It was some good chill time. Then I quickly said goodbye to him Monday morning as well. He is a good missionary. the Lord needs more like him.

Evan Folland is in my same residence hall and on my same schedule. So we have gym at the same time and meal times. That is good to see a familiar face. Karl came in this week and I have seen him a few times as well. I guess their classrooms are on the same floor. Too bad Karl couldn't go to the Brazil MTC but at least he gets to chill with his twin for a bit.

I finished the Book of Mormon again this week. I prayed again about it. I again received an answer. Again... It is true. It is a wonderful thing. No one can take it away from me. I want everyone to know that it is true. It is so simple. Read it and pray about it. You'll get an answer. Guaranteed. The Gospel is true. Jesus is the Christ.

Love, Elder Naegle

Email July 22, 2011

Hello Mother!

Well sounds like everything is super busy at home. I hope that the family reunion is a success. It is weird that I am not there, but it is all good. I will share an experience I had this week and maybe you could pass it along to the whole family with the challenge.

Ok. So this has been the hardest week for me at the MTC. I got a cold last week on Saturday. And well.... It slammed me right into the ground. So the week has been pretty long. But anyway. On Tuesday night we had another devotional. Of course I was sitting with KO cause he is the man. Anyway. A member of the 70 and his wife spoke. Actually he might be a member of the 2nd 70 but i don't remember and it doesn't matter. So anyway. They were mission presidents in Bolivia. At the time when BYU won the National Championship (which was a fluke by the way, but they didn't seem to think so). Anyway. He was really new, and he went to a branch up on a mountain in Bolivia. He was speaking, and he asked how many people brought their Books of Mormon and he raised his in the air. Everyone in the congregation raised their books in the air. He asked how many had read it and he raised his in the air. They all followed suit. Someone on the stand got up and told the mission president that they hadn't read the Book of Mormon, but they couldn't understand Spanish so they were just copying him. So the mission president asked if they hadn't read it, how could you possibly know that it is true. A very old man stood up, speaking whatever indian language they speak there. Said, "I have had this book for several years. I can't read so I haven't read it." Then he held the book to his heart and said "but I can feel it".

This hit me pretty good. I thought about the people of Paraguay. I am sure I will run into someone that can't read. But they still need to know of the truthfulness of this Gospel. So I decided to try it out for myself. That night I put my Book of Mormon up to my heart and prayed to know of its truthfulness. I felt it. Once again, I know it is true.

If you are reading this email, I challenge you to try it. If you are sincere, you will get an answer. If you feel like you didn't get an answer. Ask yourself if you are sincere and you are listening for an answer. You will get one. This is the true church of Jesus Christ. I am his missionary.

Love, Elder Naegle

Email July 15, 2011

Hey Mom!!!

Well it has been exactly a month here in the MTC! I bet it has flown by for you.... Haha me neither. But I am enjoying my time. As far as the razor goes, I will check and see. I think you bought Nate the same one as me if that helps. I will tell you next week. You might need to remind me. That is sad that Mrs. Robb is leaving. I can´t think of a specific story right now but she is the best out there. Tell her thanks for all of the help she has given me.

Have fun at girl´s camp and with the family reunion! It is a bummer that I won´t be there... Well not really. But kinda. As far as the pilot program goes... You know about as much as me. From what I understand, only a select few districts are in it. They are doing trainings for all the teachers(my teachers didn't get training I think.. But I was told they are the best teachers here so they are just winging it I think, and they are doing a great job) anyway they always pull our district out of class and we go and help the teachers learn the new program. I like it cause it is an hour or so that I don't have to be in the classroom. From what I understand, they are always changing the way they teach here, but it seems like this is quite a change. I don't know. But I know that only a few districts are on it that came in the same day as me. All of the districts coming in now may be on it but I don't know.

KO got his flight plans yesterday!!! He came over last night and showed them to me. So awesome. Don't know if he got them before he emailed, so I will just tell you about them. He goes to Dallas, then Buenos Aires, and then Paraguay. He leaves Monday afternoon and gets there Tuesday late afternoon/night. Haha sounds like a long trip. Then after he has been in Paraguay for a month you have to leave and go to Buenos Aires for visa stuff. So that will be exciting I guess.

Thanks for the package this week! It was a real help. I was in a letter drought this week so it helped me out a lot. Speaking of letters... Tell Niglet to figure it out. Haven't heard so much as a peep from him. Emily even sent me a letter this week (which I was also very grateful for). I haven't heard anything about the Yankees... Jeter... The division... Just saying. Niglet, when you are in here you will want lots of letters and I am going to send them to you. You should repay me in advance... hahahaha but seriously.

Sorry this email is kind of boring. Nothing exciting happened to me this week. I had 3 really good lessons on Monday, but I can't even remember what happened haha how sad. I have lost my mind. The Spanish is still coming. Somedays it feels like I soaked in a ton of information and others it feels like I go backwards... Haha but I am studying hard. I am preparing to be sent to an all Guarani speaking area when I get there... So I need to figure Spanish out while I am still here in the MTC haha. I am getting a haircut today. Probably the most exciting thing this week... Haha other than the good lessons that Elder Treviño and I taught this week.

Have fun with everything at home. Hope you don't miss me too much mom... Haha but I know you do. Missions are the best thing for a 19 year kid to be doing. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is His Gospel. I am his missionary.

Love, Elder Naegle

My District: Starting at the left, Elder Richards, Elder Jensen, Elder Sherman, Elder Bryce, Elder Young, Elder Freuhan Elder Carter (district leader), Elder Denton, Elder Trevino (my companion), and then me!

Elders Richards and Jensen

My companion, Elder Trevino

Elder Naegle. Proud to wear it!

Ryan Reeves, I went to high school with him, he left the MTC in Spain this week.

Email July 8, 2011

Hey Mom!!!

Well another P-Day in the MTC. Pretty crazy I have been here for over 3 weeks now. Time is really starting to pick up in here... Well kinda. Anyway. So last weekend was the 4th. Pretty exciting... Not really. We had a devotional on Saturday night and one of the branch presidents here spoke. His name was President Studdard I think? Anyway, he has been a personal advisor for 3 presidents or something. He was way interesting. Afterwards they let us go out and watch the fireworks of Stadium of Fire. I am not a big firework guy, and the celebration actually was kinda hard for me. It had been a really long day and it reminded me of the last 4th of July when I was chilling with all my friends. But it is all good. Nothing exciting happened on the actual holiday though. We didn't get mail on saturday or monday cause of the holiday, so I had a few letters to respond to this week so I didn't get around to sending you a handwritten letter. Sorry Mom!

That is cool that John and Joan are home. It is weird that I won't have seen them for 5 years by the time I get back. Tell them hello for me. That stinks that Nate is back in Twin Falls, but he is making a ton of cash so that's a good thing. Plus it makes it easier cause I feel like I am missing less at home cause he would be gone anyway haha. I would see Butch all the time before he left. Pretty awesome that he is in San Antonio now. He seemed way excited to me and I was way excited for him. By the end of 9 weeks I will be ready to go, but I will still be nervous. When you mess up in a lesson in here it is all good because the person you are teaching is a member (starting in August I guess they are going to start bringing in real investigators to teach, so I may actually teach someone before I go) but when you mess up in the field the person could miss out on being happier than they have ever been. So I will be nervous, but way more excited.

I dropped my watch this week. It stopped ticking.... So I popped the hot glue on my new strap off to see if I get open it up and get it working, and it started ticking again... Haha so the strap won't stay on very well anymore, so I bought a 3 dollar watch in the bookstore haha. It will work until I leave the MTC, but I was wondering if you could send me another watch. I don't like the ones they have here. Have Nate pick one out. I want a velcro strap. I will send this one home before I go because I still have my other strap at home, but I don't want it to break. Sorry for the trouble. Also, before I leave the MTC could you send me a bunch of replacement heads for my razor please? I have the Phillips Norelco. I just want to change the heads a few times during the mission. Thanks mom you are the best.

The temple is now closed for a few weeks, so I had a few more hours of free time today. Pretty nice, but I would have rather gone to the temple. I will probably get an opportunity to clean it in the next few weeks. Yesterday morning Elder Carter and Elder Fruehan left for the Dominican Republic MTC. They had to be at the travel office at 3 am!!!! haha but I am going to miss them. Especially Elder Carter. I really like that kid. Hardest working missionary you will find, yet way fun to be around.

So my companion and I taught a few more times this week, and during most of the lessons I stayed pretty quiet which forced my companion to talk a lot more hahaha. But I realized that when I was doing that the Spirit ceased to help me so when I tried to say anything it was much harder. So yesterday I went in with a good attitude in our teaching. We taught Hermana Salisbury (one of our teachers). It went really well. For the first time my companion and I had a little unity in the lesson, and the Spirit was able to be there much stronger. Our Spanish was more clear, everything was just much better. So that is my quick story for the week. I am grateful that we are in the pilot program. I feel like it is helping my Spanish progress fairly quickly. The district a week ahead of us in our zone is not nearly as good at speaking Spanish in my opinion, but I don't know.

Anyway, love you so much. Thanks for the love and support.

Love, Elder Naegle

Email July 1, 2011

Hello Mom!

Congrats to Parker Call! That is really cool. Missions are tight! Ok, so here are some answers to your questions. Hope I didn't forget anything.

Elder Bednar came and spoke last Friday for the mission presidents deal. Schedules were all messed up and lots was going on in the MTC, but everything is back to normal. Elder Bednar spoke on exactly what I needed to hear. Can't remember what it was... But I know it was what I needed to hear. Wrote it in my journal. But I can't remember anything that goes on in this place hahahaha. I saw Mikey T right when he came in, I sat a waited where the new missionaries were walking by. I have seen him once more, I knew he wouldn't struggle. He is the bomb. I saw Larson, or Hermano Larson I should say. We didn't have much time, but he said Nate invited him up to the cabin which is good. I think I will probably ask him to take my suit for me when I am about done in the MTC, but that is a way off. I haven't met the other group going to Paraguay, to be honest I could care less haha. I like chunky peanut butter. But don't worry about sending that yet. I got the memory card for my camera, thank you that will work perfect.

Ok. The good stuff. On Wednesday my companion started teaching a "new investigator". It was just our teacher Hermano Falabella. He is tight! He is from Guatemala and he is a good teacher. Anyway, we knocked on the door, and I thought he said come in, so I walked in.... Haha turns out he didn't say that at all. So I was trying to tell him in Spanish that I thought he said come in... Haha he didn't want to listen but my companion saved the day and asked if we could help him. After that my companion didn't say too much and so I taught the first lesson, it was so awesome. I studied real hard beforehand and everything just flowed. Now my Spanish wasn't perfect, but I was able to get my point across without any issues. So awesome.

Then yesterday we taught our other teacher, Hermana Salisbury. She is way nice. Anyway, I told Elder Treviño that I wanted him to take control this time and do the talking. So we walk in and sit down, we have some small talk and then say a prayer. My companion then started to teach the first lesson, a few sentences for each main point. Just rattling off. I finally stopped him, and tried to figure out who our investigator actually was. Turns out she didn't know if God existed, so it is a really good thing I stopped my companion. Then I proceeded to just follow the Spirit. It was incredible. I couldn't say everything I wanted to, but I taught her. I didn't teach a lesson. I taught her. Which is what they stress every single day in here. It wasn't perfect, I have lots of room for improvement, but it was awesome. My companion was frustrated with me after because it messed. I just smiled and said I was sorry and tried to explain that we should get to know our investigator before we teach her. My companion understands Spanish far better than I do because his dad is Mexican, but has a harder time expressing himself. So I do most of the talking even though I don't fully understand what the person is saying hahaha. I am probably way off most of the time, but I just pour out my testimony, the Spirit comes, and it is all good.

I am doing my best to make the most of the Lord's time. Lots of kids waste the Lord's time here in the MTC, but I am trying not to. I know I won't be anywhere close to where I need to be in the language when I leave here, but I want to put it all on the line so the Lord will bless me while I am in Paraguay. I love my Savior. He means everything to me. Life is so much easier with everything focused only on him. This is his true church.

Love, Elder Naegle