So this week has been pretty good but really long for me!! so transfers are today so im going to serve here again this area so im pretty excited!! so i got a new companion from the united states and he is from Wyoming and I'm really nervous about him! his name is Elder XXXXXXX! he showed up to the house with sunglasses and a backwards hat and doesn't know any Spanish!! President told me that he thinks that im that person that can change him!! he is cool but he needs to learn obediencia because we cant do the same things like back home!! anyway i will see how this first week goes!! so Thursday last week was great because we had a meeting with the bishop about the ward and i really think that the leaders can finally grow and be leaders that the members can look up to!! Leaders of the church have to be good examples in all things!! So Friday was really good we were that teaching that family again and they are really progressing and I'm excited for them because they have such a strong testimony!! their kids are great and one of them want to be a missionary!!! Saturday was really good as well because we were contacting people and there was a lot of people who wanted to hear a message!! so i realized something about the mission is that I'm really bummed because as missionaries we have to be good examples always it doesn't matter if people are looking or not because we need to receive the trust of the people we are teaching!! right now we have troubles with trust and its because a missionary did really bad things and now we are paying for it!! this goes for every member is to be examples in every way!!Sunday was fantastic because we received this reference to teach these Haitianos and they are really great!! they ont speak very much Spanish and they don't speak English!! they speak crol y francés so it may be different! well Monday we went to these people and there were 20 people waiting for us and I'm in love with the humility that they have!! so this is my week mom and I'm grateful to be a missionary!!!

Elder Westenskow!!   

HEY family of mine!! so im excited to write you this because i just love the mission!! this week has been really good and im really enjoying the fact that my area is getting better!! so this week me and my companion decided to get rid of all the people who were not progressing and start over again!! we are recieving many blessing through this decision because now we are recieving more references and it makes me soo happy!! we are actually teaching more people even though we got rid of a ton of people! so anyway thursday for my birthday this ward member had a suprise party for me and cake and bought me a shirt to remember them! it was a great birthday because we recieved 2 more references! so friday was great because we had talked to this one less active named Angi and she is really hard to teach because she says she needs to go to church but doesnt want to! she told us that her dad passed away and wasnt a member and she said that she wants to see him and live with him again and i said to her that the only way to do that is to keep your baptisamal convenios and then be worthy to enter the temple and do his work for him and she started to share with us the love she has for the gospel and how she believes that everything is true! that was the first time that we had heard her testimonio about the church in a long time and she cried all the way through it! i really believe that if we can just hear the testimonios que tenemos we can surly come back and do the things we need to be a eternal family!!! Saturday was great but it was a pretty normal!! Sunday was amazing because we talked to a new family to teach and it was amazing they have such great spirits and i hope that they can read the scriptures and pray and get there answer because i can see this family being that can become a eternal family! this past week has been about the family and how we can become eternal with them!!! Monday was sweet because i recieved my packages and made the cake and everything!! thanks for everything that i got!! im grateful for the pillow!! the cake tasted really good!! monday we had a intercambio so i was with this other elder from utah an it was amazing! he has problems with his companion but it was a good break for him!! we made the cake and it was good!!! Tuesday was great to and i really hope that my companion will start being a little more obedient! well family of mine this is my week and i cant wait to talk to you guys next week!!

so family this week has been really fast and the mission is starting to fly by! Jordan has 1 year in the mission and pretty soon next month alex will have a year! the wierdest is that im coming up so fast on a year and its making me nervous! i love the mission and im grateful for all the people that i know down here and how awsome the church is!! well thursday was great we had a chance to talk to this one member about the importance of Keeping the Sabbath day holy and i loved this scripture that i found in Mosiah 3:7 which talks about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and i used that as an example that if Jesus Christ can suffer that much we can sacrifice one day every week to show our love for God and his son Jesus Christ!! i love sundays not only can i can take the sacrament but i can feel closer to my savior and my redeemer Jesus Christ! This is a day where we can think of him and feel peace Joy and to feel his love! friday was fantastic because we talked to this one lady named Florangel about prophets and i really believe that the spirit testified with her that prophets in this dispensation are true!i truly believe that Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet of god and that through him we can know the words of god!! He is our strength in this day to keep moving forward and to keep a sure tesimony about this is the only true church on the face of the earth!! Saturday was a little frustrateing because all of our lessons fell and we couldnt teach anybody! Sunday was great because it was fast sunday and that the testimonies of these great people here and that i got to fast!! Monday was good and i love every family night that we have hear because the families are soo strong in the gospel!! so tuesday was ok but we could not teach very many people and i felt really tired!! but yesterday was amazing because we went to the beach with all of the missionaries and we played volleyball and it was good!! so anyway thats my week and i hope that your week will be great!! 

Elder Westenskow

first family i just want to say because i forgot to say it on my letter that happy birthday dad and i hope that it was the best birthday ever!! so this week has been hard but really good to! so we were walking thursday and i thought to myself to talk to this person named steven and asked him how he was doing and he told me that he was looking for light in his life and that he has lost almost everything but as i heard this i realized that we have the light and truth!! so we talked for about 20 minutes and i really felt like the spirit was really the one working at that time!! i just want to say im grateful for the spirit in my life and that im worthy to have him with me always! so if you feel that you dont have the spirit and that your not getting these great feelings then perhaps you need to change your life or maybe you need to listen more closely!! so friday was really good i had the oppportunity to talk to familia Rosaidio y i really think that this family is a familia de oro y they will progress and will learn the importance of baptism!! so saturday was really good i just was pretty tired but thats because i went running in the mourning and that was a bad idea!!! so anyway sunday was really good there was a lot more people in the chapel and i really feel like these are changing here in this area and i hope it can keep doing it!! my companion is really starting to change but still need him to study more but im grateful that my stress level is down a little more! so monday was really good and we had a family night and it was great we talked about the love of christ and that in every aspect of our lives is centered in the love that christ has for us!!! well tuesday was pretty sweet because i was able to teach a little more and we recieved 2 more references and i really am glad that we have more people to teach and that the members are willing to teach with us little more!! well family that is my week and congrats AMANDA that you are having your baby but i will pray really hard that everything goes well with you and the baby!!! no family i havent recieved my package! but i will be ok but i love you guys soo much and know that all you guys are in my prayers!! 

Love Elder Westenskow!