:D

Hola a todos como estan espero que esten bien y que sepan que les quiero mucho. Like I say always I feel as if time is flying by pretty quickly. It's August already which means that I have about 9 months left on the mission not counting August. Time is flying. It doesn't feel as if I've been out here that long. I have been trying to think all of the time about the work in which I am engaged. But for some reason especially at night thought about home and Katie come into my mind and it makes it really hard to sleep. As well I feel that my companion and I don't get along as much as we used to. I had heard about when you become companions with someone you really like how things don't end up the way you thought and well that seems to be the case. It's definitely not hurting our companionship. We are having a lot of success together and ended the month of July with 4 baptisms and we should have about 6-7 in the month of August. I know that the Lord is definitely helping us out. I want you all to know that I love you and that I pray for you. I know that this is God's Church on the earth today. Elder Rodriguez "Porque, he aquí, ésta es mi obra y mi gloria: Llevar a cabo la inmortalidad y la vida eterna del hombre." Moises 1:39 mormon.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

my birthday!

hola a todos. i had a great birthday. a member from my area made me a cake! i was only able to have a small piece though because we were going to start fasting for them. so it's still in the fridge haha. katie sent me a great package with some very nice ties that i loved so much. she also sent me a few other things. thank you so much for your birthday wishes! it was really a great day. needless to say i don't feel 26. but i think it will catch up with me pretty soon. elder v---- and i are having a great time together. he is a great missionary. i am learning so much from him. i just wish we had a longer time together. but well the Lord has put us together for this transfer so i can learn all i can from him. i'm getting a bit nervous about becoming the zone leader taking over the area next month but i do feel that the lord helps those he calls. we are teaching so many great people and will be having 3 baptisms this coming weekend. and from what it looks like right now 6 in the month of august! :D the lord is truly blessing us and i am grateful. i know that i am not deserving of his grace and that in this moment he is humbling me. like i said i had a great birthday. i hope that all is well at home. tell everyone that i love them and that i will see them soon. Elder Rodriguez For behold, the field is white and ready to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul. Doctrine and Covenants 4:4

hey!! :D

i just finished typing my email home and all of a sudden it dissappeared on me! well i just have time to write a small email home. i love you all. i love my new area and companion. he will be going home pretty soon though.the area i am in now is pretty much all spanish and its awesome. i love teaching the gospel in spanish. well i hope that things are going well at home. i can't believe this weekend is my birthday. i hope that dad had a good birthday i hope that he got my birthday wishes! i've come to realize that there are so many things i have yet to change and that the lord has allowed me to come to this point so that i can change them. i love you all. take care. i will see you soon. -- *Elder Rodriguez* * * *For behold, the field is white and ready to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul. Doctrine and Covenants 4:4*

hi!

Hola a todos. Solo quiero decirles que los quiero mucho. Tell dad I say happy birthday! Well this week is transfers and I will be going to my new area! I can't wait. We will be teaching mostly in Spanish. Which is awesome because I love teaching in Spanish. As well I will be in a car area haha so no more bikes for me for a while at least. I am grateful for all of the things that I learned and experienced here in this area. I know that transfers are inspired of God and that we are sent to the places that we need to go because God wants us to learn things when he sends us there. I feel as if I have finally understood that this mission is not all about me but its all about seeing if I will be humble enough to do what God wants from me. I love you all and I miss you. -- Elder Rodriguez For behold, the field is white and ready to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul. Doctrine and Covenants 4:4

changes up ahead! (again)

Hola a todos! Les quiero. Things are moving rapidly for me. I can' t believe it's July already! In 10 short months I will be home. To think home is only about an hour from where I am! Haha. I feel as if I am farther away though. Things are going well for my companion and I. I think he finally has learned to trust me and we get along well. In the mission as soon as that happens you get transferred! Friday morning we received a call from President and he asks to speak with me. I knew it the moment he was talking to me that I was being transferred but I wasn't sure to where or why. Anyway I have been called to be a zone leader! I can't believe it! The zone has 10 companionships which means I will have the responsibility of helping 20 elders and sisters fulfill their missionary responsibilities. It really is humbling for me. First because I know that there is still I have a lot to change in order to become the best I can be. I know that God is calling me to repentance with this responsibility because it is the only way that I would be able to change myself. It helps me realize that I need to change myself in order to help others. I will have one of the greatest missionaries as my companions! He will be going home after this transfer which means I will need to learn everything pretty quickly. I am excited but very nervous. On the 4th of July we will actually be going home early so that we won't be running into any harm. Anyway hope you have fun that day. I love you all. Please take care. I will see you soon. Elder Rodriguez For behold, the field is white and ready to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul. Doctrine and Covenants 4:4

esta calienteee!

Hola a todos! Los quiero mucho! It has been really hot. But I think you know that pretty well. This past week we had zone conferences and as well the new missionary meeting which was the 4th time I had gone to that meeting not counting the time I went to it as a new missionary. I heard and saw the same information I had seen before but guess what I learned something. I've realized that I am selling my self short. I am not doing this work the way I am supposed to. Which means that I am not receiving all of the blessings I could be if I were 100% dedicated to the work. Sometimes I feel as if I plain stubborn and that I feel that I am above certain missionary rules. But I need to change that. Please pray for me that I am more exactly obedient. This transfer seems to be dragging a bit. I have two more weeks left in it. I am not sure if I will stay with my current companion. If I do it will be the 2nd time I finish a 12 week training. We are struggling together. We get along but I feel as if there are a lot of things that we both need to change in order to get along really well. well i love you all. i will see you soon. Elder Rodriguez For behold, the field is white and ready to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul. Doctrine and Covenants 4:4

hi

hola a todos. espero que esten bien. solo quiero decirles que los quiero mucho y que pronto nos veremos otra vez. algunas personas me dejaron saber lo que el Presidente Obama habia anunciando en relacion con el programa de migracion que ha creado. Se que despues de la mision voy a poder aplicar para el programa y que voy a poder ayudarles como lo he deseado hasta ahora. Se que esto realmente es una bendicion de Dios! This has been probably one of the hardest weeks for me. but i am doing fine now. i love you all sorry. i didn't have more time to write you . hope you are all doing well! :D Elder Rodriguez For behold, the field is white and ready to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul. Doctrine and Covenants 4:4

it's hot!!!

Hola a todos! Que calor a hecho esta semana! I love you all. So on Wednesday I feel as if it was the hottest day of the week. I felt so sick that day because of the heat. But well I am taking better precautions now like taking a break and asking or carrying my own water. But well its all good its part of the work that we have to do. When I feel like complaining all I can think about is the suffering of Christ and how he never complained. He underwent worse pain and things that I ever did in my life. We worked really hard this week but we did not have much success. We didn't find any people to teach or to bring to Church. The M---- family has not been really excited to talk to us. They may be going through their own problems etc to have to deal with us. But well I don't know we will give them one more chance today. Well like I say every time I write I feel as if time is just flying for me. The mission can only be done once and I want to do it without regrets. I don't want to look back on my mision and tell myself that I wished I had worked harder. I want to do my best every single day I am here. well everyone take care. i love you all. i will see you soon. Elder Rodriguez For behold, the field is white and ready to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul. Doctrine and Covenants 4:4

new week, new companion

Hi everyone! I love you all! So last night I had a dream that I was back home and that everyone was there. The sad part of the dream was that Jonathan and Isaac and Samuel didn't recognize me. I wouldn't be suprised if that were to happen though. I feel that time really is going by really fast and that everyday goes by faster than the last. Yesterday the R----- and T--- families were confirmed members of the Church. It was 6 of them from two different families. Their confirmations pretty much took up all of sacrament meeting! We only had time to partake of the sacrament then hear Bishop's testimony and it was over! I was really happy for them. Sis. R--- actually cried a bit during her confirmation. It was really spiritual. I felt the spirit of the Lord so strongly when I was in the circle with the other brethren. I love being a missionary and seeing the changes people make in their lives because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have no doubt that this work is true. Even though some days we struggle with the work I know that it is all part of being a missionary. It is also part of God's plan for us to struggle. The days have been extremely hot. My companion isn't used to biking or to the weather. I am being considerate of that. I feel that I have the area pretty much memorized already. It is a pretty small area but it is good because we are on bike. We found this great family on Saturday they are the M---- family. They also came to Church this past Sunday. Well everyone. I love you all. I would love to hear more from you. Also happy b-day to everyone who has a b-day this week and the rest of the month pretty much! I love you all. Elder Rodriguez For behold, the field is white and ready to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul. Doctrine and Covenants 4:4

new companion once again! :D

hola a todos! well what a week. my new companion just arrived! his name is Elder P----- and he is from Salt Lake City, Utah. He seems eager to learn. We had a good companionship study this morning and he took everything in good stride. I can see that we will have a lot of success together and that we will get along well. I am grateful that God has given me the ability to train again. Even though it may difficult and it may not be the easiest thing to do when you are in a new area I know that the Lord will help us accomplish our purposes. this sunday the r---- was baptized. i did the ordinance once again. the dad showed up to show his support! it was awesome because he at first was reluctant to talk to us much but he has really opened up a lot and we hope that he keeps supporting his family and showing more support. this saturday the t---- family will be baptized again. i am glad that we have been able to make our goals this month and for the next month. now we have to keep working to make our goals for the month of july! i love doing missionary work and going out everyday and teaching people about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it can bless their lives. I love you all. have a good week. Elder Rodriguez For behold, the field is white and ready to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul. Doctrine and Covenants 4:4

:D

hola a todos. los quiero. well this week i received a call that i will be training again! i was suprised by the call. i felt that i was going to be with my current companion for a while longer or that at least il was going to be able to have someone more experienced as my next companion. but it seems as if the lord really wants me to stay on my toes and always be working hard and having to help others as they come into the mission field. things are really going well for our area. we are having success. and i feel that the only reason that is because we work as hard as we can everyday. by the time we get home we are usually very tired and fall asleep as soon as we get to bed. every day goes by so fast and i try my very best to do my best to make the most out of it. i just want all of you to know that i love you all a lot. i know that this is god's work and glory. i feel as if i am doing what he wants from me right now. have a good week! Elder Rodriguez

another p-day

Hola a todos! I had a good talk with mom yesterday about a variety of topics. But well overall it seems like the family is doing good. This last week the zone leaders, district leaders, and trainers were in a leadership meeting from wednesday to friday. The training was focused on the 8 fundamentals of preach my gospel. I learned a lot. I mean this was not the first time I had gone to this type of training but I still learned what changes I need to make in order to become an even better missionary. The R---- and the T--- families came to church again yesterday. They are progressing very well towards their baptism. We are trying to help them get fellowshipped really well by the ward so they can stay strong in the Church. Transfers are in a few weeks but I really don't see myself leaving any time soon. Unless I am called to be dl somewhere else. But I think my companion will be leaving at the end of the transfer. Well things are going well for me. I am trying to figure out how to best do this work. I love being a missionary! My time is short but I know that with the Lord's help we will accomplish many things! I love you all. Take care.