Email Sept. 24, 2012

Hello Mom,

Sorry today I am super busy, just so you know I went to TGI Friday's... It was great. I can't send a picture cause my thing has a virus and I can't see any of the files again. The guy is taking it off for me right now. Anyway. Sounds like you had a good time in New York. That makes me very happy.

So, I had a good week. It was tough. I will start with the funny story first. Well. Jock itch stinks. That is all there is to it. I heard that rubbing alcohol gets rid of it. That is true... But it isn't fun.... Ask Hill and Johnson about my screams hahaha.

This week we had a really cool experience with a drunk that looks like Santa. He contacted us basically, and we found out where he lived, but I didn't think much of it. Later during the week, we were by his house trying to re visit someone, and my comp said, "hey maybe we can visit Santa". Just then, Santa (Catalino is his name) came walking up. He invited us in and we had an awesome lesson. He wants to change his life, isn't a drunk like we thought he was, and recently lost his wife. He is a great man. Couldn't make it to church though, he has a huge burn on his leg from his moto. Next week! oh yeah!

Also, gave a talk yesterday about death and the spirit world.. Tough subject, but the stake president was there and he told me I did great. So that made me feel good. We had 3 investigators, 2 of which are a family that have a baptismal date for October 20. Estela and Osmar. They are awesome. Progressing very nicely. She always makes fun of me and says I suck at piano... hahaha

The stake president, Pres. Suarez quoted the conference talk about the gospel and the church. The 3rd talk I think?? Anyway, let us all be converted in the gospel, not just church members! Love you all. Have a great week. 

Love, Elder Naegle

Email Sept. 17, 2012

Hello Mom,

It is Hottttttt!!!!! Hahahaha I am sweating a lot, maybe that will encourage those worms inside of me to come out.... I was so sick last week. I actually spent my first and entire day in the house, it really stunk, never doing that again! But I am way better now. Told the family Mariano and Marisol about it, and she says, "that is nothing you ate, you got worms!" Her kid pooped out 16 worms the other day! It makes me so sad cause he is the cutest kid in the entire world. p.s. The plan is to go to the temple with the family the week you come down to pick me up!!! Everything has to work out just right, but Mariano just got sustained in stake conference to receive the Mel. Priesthood! He is so awesome. Give him 9 more months and he will be ready for the temple!

Anyway. Stake conference yesterday. So awesome. We were able to hear from our beloved prophet, President Monson. As well as Elder Andersen. It was a satelite conference for Paraguay and Uruguay. What up KO!!! It was cool to hear Elder Andersen speak in Spanish and call for more missionaries. Afterwards I was able to talk to Hernan, who just got baptized, and he told me that he is going on a mission for sure. He just has to wait a year. He is fired up. It is awesome.

I guess I didnt explain the asentimiento very well. Not exactly an apartment building... It is a neighborhood, where people dont have to pay to get a piece of land. So many people have dirt floors and plastic bags for walls. It is really sad, but the Gospel is the only solution! I talked to Pres. Madariaga last week, who seemed very interested in the situation because it is illegal to prohibit religion in a free country. He told me to continue teaching there, but not do any active proselyting. So that is what we are doing. Nothing has really happened. Someone will probably tell me to leave at some point, but.... well nothing they can do. Plus I am bigger than them.... Haha

I quickly want to talk about 1 Nephi 16 I think it is. When Nephi breaks his bow. Nephi breaks it, and unlike his brothers, makes a new bow and goes hunting. Well this is just like life in so many situations. It happened to me this week as I offended one of our investigators. Her feelings were closer to the surface than the U.S. flag on the surface of the moon apparently.... Complete accident, but I had to know if she could read because she denied when I asked her to read... Anyway. Wouldnt talk to us for a week. At first, I was really sad and felt terrible but I realized that I was being like Laman and Lemuel. I had to just fix the problem. So yesterday we were finally able to find her by a field, and I had to ask for forgiveness in front of lots of people. It wasn't fun but I was able to make a new bow. We found her real doubts. It was a good learning experience. Makes me think about Dad every time I read that story. Something breaks, he fixes it, I get the Excursion and boat stuck... He helps me find the way to get out. Life is too short to get hung up in our problems. 

I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior. His Atonement is perfect. It has the power to free us from our problems. We just have to put our will in line with His and our Father's. 

Love, Elder Naegle

Email Sept. 10, 2012

Dear Mom, 

Sounds like you had a good week. Mine was pretty good as well. Unfortunately I ended it being sick.... Saturday night was a rough one for me as well as Sunday. But I feel a little better today so that is good. That is cool that dad is going to pace Terry in the race. I need to get back into shape when I get home... 30 minutes every day just isnt cuttin it for me right now... The verb book that I have is one I bought in the MTC, so Nate must have left his in the mission.

Well, things are good. We saw some good success again this week and we had 5 investigators in church. We have the baptism of Lorena this week, who is 9 years old and the daughter of the president of the relief society. My branch pres forgot to get her baptized... Haha so another 1 week baptism for us.  We were going to have 2 more this weekend, but we felt that they are quite ready yet, so we changed their fecha for the 22 of september. This week I would like to ask some special prayers. We are teaching several people that live in an asentimiento it is called, basically they were able to move in there for free, but this place doesn't allow ANY religion (which is ridiculous, the first time I have ever heard of this in my mission). Well I wasn't going to let that stop me, so I went in another way like Alma! but this is making people mad. So I am going to set up an appointment with the president of the place and try to get permission. Please pray that the Spirit will soften her heart. If not, well we will figure something out!! Because we have 4 people with a baptismal date there!

We are also teaching an awesome lady named Graciela who is now coming to church on a regular basis and she has a bunch of friends in the church, but her future husband doesn't want to get married. We had a lesson with him on tuesday and he committed to read in the BOM and we haven't been able to talk to him since, but the Spirit will work with him too. Only a matter of time.

The Spirit is burning here in Gold Pass! It is awesome! I am grateful to be a part of it.

Love, Elder Naegle

Sept. 3, 2012

Hello Mom,

Well I am still here in Paso de Oro with Elder Johnson. Also as you can see in the pictures! Baptisms! Wahoo! So awesome.But anyway. Sounds like things are good in Bountiful and Bear Lake. Oquirrah Mountain temple, not sure how to spell it, sounds cool. Found out in zone conference that we can only go to the temple once a year.... so our october trip.... no more! But that is ok. I count my many blessings. Many missionaries dont have a temple in their mission, and many members cant go at all.... Let us pray for them!!! 

So it was an awesome week here in Paso de Oro. Kind of slow, a 3rd change with a comp is hard as it turns out, but it was good. Things were crazy trying to get the baptism together, but we finally were able to get it. Rosi was baptized after waiting 3 years! Also Hernan and his cousin Danca were baptized. I want to talk about the baptism of Hernan. He means a lot to me. He was probably the most ready for baptism out of any of the converts I have personally taught. After coming up out of the water, he just stood there for a second letting the water run down his face and taking it all in. The Spirit was so strong. As soon as he opened his eyes, I gave him a big old hug! It was awesome. Then I baptized Rosi, who almost couldnt believe that it was finally happening. She had a phone interview with Pres. Madariaga and afterwards he called me and said how prepared she was. It was awesome. Our branch president invited me to do the confirmation of Rosi as well in sacrament mtg. Another great experience.

We also had a bunch of investigators in church. A few more couldnt come because their child was very sick, but things are turning around here in Paso de Oro. We had something like 20 Priesthood/potential holders in church. Something that I had put as a goal when I got here. Get more Priesthood! So awesome. The Lord is blessing us a lot here and we are trying our best to keep up. This is the Lords Church.

Love, Elder Naegle