Cow Stomach...Blah!

What up Fam,

So the other day we were over at a members house and were talking with them and asking if we can wash our clothes there the next day. My comp and the Hermano play little dumb games to get each other ether wet or  jacked in the nutz, luckily it was just trying to get each other wet this time. After a few minutes I joined and tried to get the Hermano wet and after 15 to 20 minutes everyone was soaked from head to toe. It was a ton of fun other than I walked home dripping. Ok so I herd that France was attacked and a ton of people died what is up with that? Also I heard that America was attacked too, do you know anything about that? Oh my the other day we had lunch at this Hermanas house and she normally has pretty good food, but this time was different. When we walked in it smelled super good and I was starving at this time of day because they don't eat lunch until 2 in the afternoon. She brings out soup first then something I did not recognize, my comp looks at me and says, ¨That's cow stomach.¨ ok well that's alright. It tasted pretty good, but the texture is what hit me the most because I felt like I was chewing on a raw tongue or something. First off Nancy you are an angel sent from our Heavenly Father thank you so much for doing that, you didn't have to. Today I got to go to the temple which was pretty cool because it was all in Spanish and it was cool to go inside a temple outside of Utah. It's very big, but there was not a ton of people there when we went. After that we went to a museum that had a boatload of cool stuff in it about Ancient Mexico and about the temples that are in Teotihuacan and the best part is a member is taking my comp and I next week so that is going to be the highlight of that day. I took a ton of pictures and hopefully I can send you them. I love you all so much and will talk to you later.

- Elder Wolford

Street Tacos

Dear Familia,

Oh my goodness this time of my life is full of adventure and mystery's at every corner. This last Thursday I had to go to the offices because my comp needed to renew his visa so I got to hang out there for awhile. Some of the Elders asked me if I wanted to go through the Tiangis with them and look around. They are like a bunch of little shops down one street. Anyways and they said we can get tacos too. I was warned before don't eat from those places until you have hit a year in the mission. Oh how I wish I did. So I got a taco and it was super good and only 20 minutes after I ate it my stomach was being a little weird and I didn't think much of it. Then the second we got back to the offices I had to go pretty bad so I speed walked to the bathroom and let it go. Little did I know that I would be in butt pain for the next two days. Now I'm all good and feel totally better. Well Christmas is coming up and I know that there is not much I can do with the money I have, but I have been getting little treats and things that my comp really likes for him. I just thought it would be nice to do and it makes me feel super good even better than getting something. Ok so I'm singing in the choir that they have for this next Sunday because it is stake conference and I have to because my comp plays the piano. They said that these people in the choir are the best out of the stake and to be honest I think a group of cats and dogs could make prettier sounds than these people do. If you were to get survivors from the Titanic to listen it would bring back the memories of that awful day. That's a little mean, but it's true. Earlier today we went to the center of Mexico City and looked at some really cool cathedrals around there and while we were sitting on a bench with a member in the only park in Mexico City a guy walked by and looked at me and I said, ¨Good afternoon.¨ and he said it back. Then the member that we were with said that guy was gay and I was like how do you know. I know because he looked back at you five times already since we started talking. Oh that's a little weird. Then I just lost it because I thought it was super funny. I was talking with Pres and his wife the other day and they said that it looks like you will have the new Pres and his wife for about 10 days before you go home. Oh yeah and my return date says July 22nd 2017 it is really two weeks earlier than that because they want to make sure that no one has problems going home so I'm really only going to be out 23 1/2 months. My Book of Mormon reading has been totally fantastic because every time I have read I get a question answered and it is blowing my mind. The blessings I see now because of the knowledge that is coming while I read is just out of this world. It reminds me of the time when I was really young and the missionaries were sharing the stories that are in it and how cool they are and now it brings back those times and I'm loving it. We are doing good with the people we are teaching and we had 11 less actives at church this last Sunday. They want us to work more with the less actives in order to strengthen the members because they baptize a lot every year, but the people that come to church remains the same so that is what we are working on and it is great even though I don't understand what is going on half the time. The words I probably say the most to my comp is, ¨What did they say and what is going on?¨ Apparently I can renew my green card when I turn 21 and it stays valid for the rest of my life and I can technically buy property down here cool huh. I'm going through about as much milk here as I was at home it's to dang good and for some reason it is apart of me. I love you all so very much and love hearing the stories back at home. Keep reading and listening to the Spirit because he has some pretty cool things he wants you to do. Love you and have an amazing week.

-Elder Wolford

Day of the Dead

Dear Familia,

Oh my goodness so much has been happening here in Mexico and I can't believe that I have been here for three weeks. So last Friday I was not feeling so good like my allergies were being very dumb and I was sneezing all day for some reason and there was no way I could stop it. No joke I sneezed about 235 times it was awful. Everywhere I went I would sneeze and the people here would say bless you our salud. Later that same day I was looking out of the window in our apartment and I see a guy only in his boxers on top of a garbage truck that was super weird, but hey that's Mexico. Last Wednesday the whole mission got to listen to Elder Neilson from the 70 and he is in charge of the missionaries, it was really good because he spoke English so they had a translator for Spanish so I was super blessed because I'm still pretty bad at it. He talked a lot about how we can improve the way we work and what ways are more effective. I really learned a ton and can't wait to actually apply it to my teaching when I will finally be able to. The day before Halloween my comp and I were invited to a little kid party with members and they asked if we could help with decorations and other stuff and my comp and I thought it would be cool to have costumes too. So he went as Clark Cent and I went as Captain America. We had the super hero shirts under our white dress shirts it was super awesome and the member asked if I would show the little kids how to dance like an American, so I did and it was really funny because they thought I was from out of this world. Everybody now calls me Gigantic. On Halloween day though we could only be outside till 2:00 p.m. because Pres said that it can get a little crazy at night, so we stayed inside for most of the day and he said that if it gets crazy Sunday go inside. We celebrate Halloween on the 31st they do to, but on November 1st they celebrate the day of the dead and apparently that's when people decide it is a great idea to get really drunk or high. 

On Sunday after church we were walking getting ready to go to someones house and that's when  someone threw a cup of coke at me and my comp.  Luckily we were talking about the Book of Mormon so we were protected because it landed right in front of me and behind my comp, but he had to jump a little to get out of the way, but there was no harm done. Ok so after my mission I'm totally coming back to buy something super cool. They have the Nacho Libre bikes down here and almost everyone has them because they use them to sell food. They are not motorized though, but I think I could get someone to help me build it haha. A ton  of stuff here is really cheep so it's super easy to get stuff, but somethings are just plane expensive and to much for the budget of a missionary. I really wanted a jump rope so I could use it in the morning for my workout, but of course they are not great quality and pricey so I bought 10 m of rope for about 50  pesos and made myself one and it works pretty well. Alright I want to say Happy birthday to Eli and hope you get that room the way you want it bub, have a good one and wow 14 already man that's  crazy now you're going to be a teacher now. Time  is going by so fast. Also Happy birthday to my awesome grandpa that has been in a ton of important parts of my life and has taught me so amazing things. He really is one of my biggest examples because the love he has for others is unbelievable and I hope one day I can love people as much as he does. I love you Eli and Paps and wish you both a HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I don't know why they are getting home so late, but this one will for sure because I didn't get time to write until 8:00. The weather here is really consistent and my comp says it never really changes even in the winter. Oh and it doesn't snow so have fun with the snow up there. So just a little about my comp Elder Millar he is 19 and has been out for 13 months, he is from Murray Utah and went to Hillcrest High, he loves to play golf, climb, and mountain bike. He is flipping awesome and we know some of the same people which is pretty cool and we get along super well. So we are teaching a couple of people right now and working on  getting them ready for baptism, but it is a little difficult because my comp is the only one teaching because I can't do very much other than give a little prayer and testimony with my broken Spanish. That is probably the thing 'm dreading the most because I want to talk so bad and help teach too, but I don't know enough yet to do that and that's killing me sometimes. I know it will come because I have the faith that it will and the desire to learn. I won't lie it is hard, but we were made to do hard things. I'm pretty sure by mother's day I will have a pretty good grasp on it. I love you all so so much and pray for you. Continue to study the Doctrines of Christ and read in the Book of Mormon because this is were we find the answers to our questions and desires. As well as it will be our guide on the path of truth and righteousness. Again I love you all and can't wait to hear from you.

- Elder Wolford 

Grasshoppers and Hurricanes!

Dear Familia,

Oh my goodness this place is so cool because I can get anything I need just a couple of blocks away from my house in every direction and the food has been super good so far. I have been really blessed with not getting super sick yet and the people are really nice. Where do I begin...well we didn't get any rain from the storm and we were getting ready for it by getting extra water, food, etc. Thankfully though it died out pretty quickly. Yesterday I got the chance to eat some grasshoppers and they were pretty good because they tasted like peppers and lime and I have some pictures I will try to send. Ok so every Sunday they have choir practice after church because they are getting ready for stake conference and they want me to be in the choir because my comp plays the piano and they need more guys, so I joined and I'm telling you they are really bad. Remember at Kyall's farewell the church choir was pretty bad and Kate looked at you and said,"Oh my gosh they were absolutely terrible." It is a thousand times worse than that day. My  comp  and I for Halloween are going to wear super hero shirts under our white dress shirts and it's going to look super cool because he is going to be Clark Kent and I'm going to be Captain America. It is going to be super cool. Here  in Mexico we have competition for teaching people. The Jehovah's Witnesses tell people that the Book of Mormon has weird stuff and that none of it is true, but the really funny part is that they talk to people about my comp and I. They say we are really handsome and strong and they might see us walking around sometime to try and talk to them. The best part is they gave me a nickname and some of the people here call me that. They call me Goliath because they think that I am huge and strong, but can be slain  by a rock haha. No seriously though they call me that and others because they can not say Wolford they call me Waffles, Gigantic, Lobo, and  a few others. My Spanish is coming along everyday, but I still can't say a whole lot. I can understand a little bit more though which is good because now I can tell if they are making fun of me or if they try to trick me as well as when they say,'' Oh you don't understand do you? Anyways my comp is awesome and my area is really great because the members here are really helpful and they always have food for us and to be honest I might gain weight here rather than lose weight. We had an awesome lesson with an inactive member and it was super cool to see the change of heart he had during the lesson. You could even  see it in his eyes. I did't say much, but my comp said exactly what needed to be said it was so cool. Well I love you all so much and can't wait to bring you here someday it is so flipping awesome.

-Elder  Wolford 

First Letter from Mexico

Dear Familia,

Finally the time has come for me to be where I was called to be and so far it is so much better than I thought it would be. Before I got here there was so many people that told me there would be no milk, nesquik, clean water, and tons of other stuff. So far I have been to Wal-mart and got milk, peanutbutter, yogurt, and bread and I got Little Ceasers today. I think Mexico has more nesquik products than America. Everyone here is pretty short, but I'm not the tallest elder here and the stores they have here have bars that are probably 6ft tall so I have to duck a ton. Yes I have already hit my head a couple of times. The food is so good and I had a cow tongue taco the other night with some members that took us. It's pretty crazy because nomally you would look forward while you walk, but here you need to look at the ground the whole time or you will step in dog crap, trip on metal sticking out of the ground, or fall into a man hole it keeps me light on my toes. The spanish is coming, but to be honest I'm still pretty bad and I can't understand what people are sayng all the time so by the end of the day my brain is shot and I fall asleep in the blink of an eye. Thanks for the last package it was great and Dad thanks again for the fan some days it will be cold and others it will get pretty warm. Isaiah HAPPY BIRTHDAY man I hope it was awesome and fun and Eli yours is coming up fast. Most of the missionaries that are here are from Utah like I mean 85% of them are. My comp Elder Millar is super cool and we get along really well he went to Hillcrest High which is only 30 minutes away from our house. So for packages and stuff my comp said that his mom uses UPS and so far everything has gotten to him even a credit card. He told me if you use UPS or FEDEX that they will get here fine, but sometimes it can get a little pricey. the address is

Av. del Taller No. 540

Col. Jardin Balbuena

Delag. Venustiano Carranza

15900 Mexico City, Distrito Federal

Mexico

I love you all so much and can't wait to hear from you. Today had to be a short one because we had a ton of stuff to do.

Love you will all my heart 

-Elder Wolford  

B-Dubs and General Conference

Mi familia loca,

Can I just say WOW this General Conference weekend was so amazing and full of the Spirit, I was lucky enough to see it in English for the last time because by the next one I will be fluent in the beautiful language of Spanish. My testimony has been strengthened tremendously over these past few days by the many talks and testimonies given by worthy and humble men and women around the world as well as being able to listen to our living Prophet and his Apostles. I know without a doubt that they have been called by God and have witnessed our Savior and Redeemer. I want you all to print off your favorite talk from this last Conference and read it again. Find what sticks out to you and what the main message is and the blessings promised if we follow it.I can't believe we have four Apostles that are still in their sixties. 

Can you believe that I'm going to be in Mexico in 7 days because I can't. It feels so weird to me because so far my mission has only been Utah and it's really funny when we go places people always ask us where we are from and of course I tell them I'm from Pleasant Grove Utah. They look at me and say, " Well you didn't come very far." You could not count on your hands how many times I hear that a day. The other day I was doing some service and there were some ladies there that were from Ecuador and they started talking with my comp and he told them I was going to Mexico in a week and they looked at me and said, " Mexico is crazy good luck." I thought it was really funny. I think when I get down there they are going to treat me just like I was fresh from the MTC and I will start training all over again which is good because I need it. Anyways it has been awesome down here and my excitement for Mexico is growing everyday I hope that you are all having a ton of fun and doing well.

Love Elder Wolford

Blood Moons and Money

Mi bonita familia,

Ok so it looks like I'm flying out on the 12th and I will send a picture of the flight plans. So I fly from here to Salt Lake and sit there for a few hours then I have a straight flight from Salt Lake to Mexico and I was super blessed because if I would have left two days later I would have had four connecting flights and that would have been an absolute nightmare. This week has been really good because I went and got my hair cut last Monday and a gut gave my companion and I 100 bucks and then I went on exchanges with Elder Daines last Tuesday and we went to Cafe Rio for lunch and a guy handed us a twenty, then another guy gave us a twenty. Finally we got to the front of the line and someone already took care of our order crazy right then we sat down and started to eat and that is when a lady came up and dropped a hundred dollars on the table. So within two days I got 240 dollars. Did you al see the blood moon yesterday it was so cool looking. Spanish work is pretty slow here and it's hard because we have a few really awesome investigators, but they struggle with working on Sunday's and giving it up and some say they will be able to come in a month or so, but by that time my companion will already be home and I will be in Mexico. It's ok though because it will be nothing but Spanish work haha. So this Sunday the bishop in the Pine view Spanish branch was talking to me for awhile  and he was like, man your tall, you are going to stick out really bad. Awesome can't wait cause then I will be able to teach them the gospel.  So two days ago my comp and I remodeled our zone leaders house with two other missionaries it was so much fun because I put a mattress in the shower and we just totally moved everything good thing I'm going to Mexico. So that's what has been happening and I hope you all have a wonderful week and start getting ready for conference because will are going to have three new apostles. I love you so

- Elder Wolford

Vegas!!

What up Familia,

So today we drove all the way to Las Vegas the breeding grounds for sinners and the home of some very dirty things haha. Well when we got to the Consulate it felt like I was already in Mexico because they had colors all over the place everyone spoke Spanish and I was the 6ft 4in white kid waiting for my turn. It blows my mind that people actually go to Vegas because as we were driving by I realized how big of a dump it is, everything looks a bagillian years old and dirty. Anyways the UVU game looked like a ton of fun I have never seen that gym so full even when there are multiple teams there. I knew Maddy would do good she always does. Yes I got your box as well as the two from Aunt Ashley Adam and Zian. They got me a pretty cool tie and a wolf tie pin they look awesome. Grandma Brenda also sent me a box with some goodies and pictures, it is literally the best getting boxes full of stuff from everyone because I don't think it is going to last after I get to Mexico. I'm still not sure on when I leave yet my companion Elder Day leaves the 14th and he thinks I leave two days before him so that would put me leaving the 12th of October. Oh yeah Dad I saw a big horn sheep on the way back from Vegas standing on on of the cliffs. The weather has been so nice this past week not to hot and perfect at night time. Last week I got to talk with Jace Clinger for awhile it was just like old times I hadn't had the chance to email him in a long time so that was supper nice to talk for awhile. Mom how is Kevin Hillyard doing do you know if he made BYU or not or if he put his papers in? Could you find my blessing  by the way? That's so awesome that Eli made the play I'm so proud of him and that's going to be way fun to go see. Ok Mom I put a ton of pictures from when I was at the MTC and some from here on a website and it's called Outlook.com.  I love you all and can't wait to hear from you again. Gave work hard on your math bud I know it's not fun, but you can do it.

- Elder Wolford

The Visa is here!!

Mi Familia,

Well Saint George is really awesome and I love it down here. So just the other day we had a zone meeting about the number for last month and our goals for this month which took about 4 hours of my life. Anyways after this meeting my companion Elder Day and I had to talk to one of the Brothers in the mission office about getting own new phone and as We walked in there the lady at the desk looked at me and said, " Oh good your visa is here." Finalmente está aquí!!! She said she would hold the paper work at the office for me until I was closer to leaving, but I have to drive to Las Vegas sometime in the next two weeks to go to the Mexican Consulate. Apparently that's all I really had to do to get my visa because if I would have went earlier my visa would have got here a lot faster. Crazy huh. I think I leave for Mexico on October 14 which is Isaiah's birthday so that will be fun. I'm learning a lot here which is good because it will help me before I go to Mexico and My trainer is so awesome he has told me so much and helped me to prepare myself for a ton of things that are out in the mission field. The past few days there was a massive fire in the mountains up here and it was pretty big I've got some pictures of it. Yesterday was a good day because we had a broadcast from BYU for all of southern Utah and it was great and really funny. Mom sister Tylor contacted  you the other day by sending pictures right? Anyways so yesterday we were talking at dinner about how her son had Facebook on his mission and then my companion said, " I'm going to be completely honest with you we looked you up before you got here because I was worried I was going to get another weirdo for my comp and I wanted to know if you were normal or not." I was like really. It was pretty funny and this family is really awesome and man does she know how to cook. The food has been so good now that I'm finally out of the MTC prison food haha. Jace emailed me the other day I was worried because his email was on my other account, but that's when I got an email from him it was great. Funny story time so last Monday night I had dinner and a members house and it was normal shared a quick little message and then that was it right. Well I got an email from Maddie and she said I just had dinner at her best friends house and they have been friends since elementary school. What are the odds right? Elder Day thought it was pretty funny and got a kick out of it. Another night when we had dinner at another members house the husband was from Mexico and he started telling a whole lot about what to expect and some friendly tips to help me when I get down there. I can't wait the excitement is killing me. During one of our lessons with one of our investigators he told me I need to pack some heat and carry a machete so that no one would bother me. A lot of people have told me try to blend in and don't have fancy things that would attract someone's gaze, but that is going to be really hard for a 6ft 4in pasty white kid from America to do. Well hope I can hear from you soon love you all 

- Elder Wolford

First Week in St. George& New Address

Hola Familia,

Wow there is so much stuff that has happened over the last few days and it is literally blowing my mind. Well so if you didn't know already I got to see Dallin H. Oaks last Tuesday before I left the MTC and it was so awesome. I can't wait to tell the other Elders who left before I did. Man was getting here a hassle first off waking up early was not fun and then I had to take a bus, to get on a train, to get on a tram, to get to the airport to go through security, to get on a plane just to come a few hours away. While I was waiting in the baggage line a lady asked me where I was going and said if I want she can send a picture to my mom and of course I said yea. Oh yeah it was great getting to hear from most of you the other day while I was waiting for my flight. Well when we started to board I found my seat and plopped my bum next to a middle aged woman and continued to talk with mom. After I hung up I apologized and started to talk with this lady about everything. Then I asked her to get baptized on the spot. No I'm just kidding, I asked her why she was flying to Saint George and she said she was from Philadelphia and she is on a little vacation with her husband. Then I asked if she has been to Utah before and she told me this was her first time. What are the odds that she is not a member now right, so I asked if she was and she said no. Just what I wanted an opportunity to teach someone about Christ and give them the book that has saved many souls as well as my own. I talked with her the whole flight from when we took off till we landed about a ton of stuff mostly about family and religion though and by the end I told her what it can do for her and as well as the blessings that come. I pulled out a Book of Mormon and gave it to her and then we stated to get off. It was nuts. 

I have almost been in the field a week now and it is so wonderful because now I actually get real food and since I'm still in Utah the church is pretty strong here, but all I do is put on a name tag and start helping people and the members treat us like celebrities. Sometimes they pay for our food, groceries, or just come up and give us money. The sad thing is though even though it's all great and all I won't have these blessings in Mexico, but it's cool that I get to experience both sides. The first day out in the field my companion and I taught a couple of lessons and did some other things, but it was crazy because they literally throw you out into the fire. The next day my companion had a district meeting same with another trainer, so they put me and another new Elder that came in the same day I did together and dropped us off in a sketchy part of town and told us to get to work. So Elder Holt and I start knocking on doors and doing what I thought we should do even though we had no training. I'm telling you this place was sketchy because every house looked like a crack house and most had Pit Bulls foaming at the mouth ready to kill and I'm pretty sure I saw some missionary name tags in the yard from previous missionaries that tried to knock on their door. 

I had dinner last night with a family and their son served in Philadelphia the same time as Isaac's older brother Jake Meline and they had a picture of him on the fridge. Another thing that was funny was a kid paid for our food one day a Red Robins and he was there when we had dinner last night it was pretty funny. So I'm living with members and they are absolutely the best people on this earth because they do so much for us and they really do care how we are doing. They have had missionaries live at their house for about 5 or so years and if you want to send me letters and packages my address is 1009 North 2050 East St. George, UT 84770. Yesterday was my first sacrament meeting completely in Spanish and it was fantastic everyone seemed normal and they were happy to see the Elders and I understood about 10% of what everyone was saying, it was great. This week has been really funny because everywhere I go people always ask my companion Elder Day, "What happened to the other guy?" Great now what I think they think is, " Who is this joker fresh out of the MTC?" Speaking about the MTC Daniel's brother is a teacher there now for Tongan and Haden Wall is there right now. Sacrament was so good because everyone was speaking Spanish and I got really nothing out of it other than a really good feeling and also getting showed up by a kid that was whiter than me and a little girl who spoke flawlessly in Spanish. 

Honestly the field is not as bad as I thought, I would have to say the MTC was pretty much the worst of it so far, but our Heavenly Father seems to do that. When we start to get comfortable with something He throws us a little curve because he knows we are ready to grow and progress even more. Teaching people is a ton of fun and same with getting free stuff. Read Alma 32 it is a great chapter and helps us realize that we need to continue to nourish our spiritual seed because it is the little things that help us continue to grow and produce good fruit. We don't want our seed to get weak and dry up to wither away because it is hard to bring a dead plat back to life so just like in Kung Fu Panda Oogway say's, " If you love it, nurture it, and care of it, it will turn into a beautiful peach tree." I'm so excited to be here in Saint George because I know someone needs me down here or I need them. It's actually pretty crazy the odds of my companion Elder Day and I being comps together. Because I was supposed to be in Mexico and he told me that he has never heard of a visa waiter for Mexico and my flight plans got changed right so that's my part of the story. Now for Elder Day's part. So he actually could be home right now if he went out when he was supposed to, but before he left on his mission he broke his arm and couldn't even dress himself so they pushed his availability date back a transfer. So he could be home right now if he didn't break his arm. Anyways that would have changed his whole mission because of the people he would be with. So then before I came out everyone in Saint George was waiting to see who their new companion was going to be as well as to see if they were getting transferred. Elder Day was not supposed to be my trainer at all because I was supposed to go to Gunnison with some other guy, but one Elder wanted to get out of Cedar so he denied the transfer because he was not being moved from Cedar and he wanted out so they put him in Gunnison where I was going and they moved Elder day's old companion to Cedar and I got paired up with Elder Day it was flipping crazy what had happened here before I even got here. Well I love you all with and can't wait to hear back from you my P-Days are now on Monday and I have a lot more time than 60 minutes and I can also I-message you too.

- Elder Wolford 

Seek and Destroy by Metallica

Querido Familia, 

 Well as all of you know by now my visa has not arrived yet so I will be serving in the Saint George mission for some time and I have no idea how long, but for some reason Saint George needs me before I go to Mexico. These last few days have been pretty crazy because everyone in my district has been getting all their stuff together and packed up ready to go. It is pretty hard these last few days because At first I was leaving the same night as my companions Elder Smith and Elder Gwilliam, but after my flight plans changed they put me back 2 days which meant everyone in my room was leaving except for me. That was pretty hard for me because I became really good friends with Elder Smith and since he lives in England who know if I will get to see him again. They left Monday morning. Luckily though the Panama Elders in my district didn't leave until this morning so I spent all day with them yesterday and spent the night in there room both nights. I was blessed with another day to pack early so I wouldn't have to do it tonight. Anyways I woke up at 3:30 and helped them get everything cleaned up and carried some of their bags down from the top floor and walked with them to the travel office. This hurt my heart so much because over the last few weeks of being a district leader and zone leader my assignment was to watch over and take care of these Elders and they became like my little brothers. I said love you, goodbye, good luck and see you in two years. Now began my walk back to the residence alone with everyone in my district gone and I went into the room with no one in it. I got down on my knees and wept for five minutes. I loved every single one of them so much and now I was all alone....then I remembered I was never alone and that someone promised me that He would always be by my side to help me in times of need and I kind of got a little spect of how He felt when he lost connection with his Father in Heaven. This MTC experience has changed me so much and now it's time to go out in the field and teach my fellow brothers and sisters about our loving Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ our Savior. Wow do I love learning more about the gospel. Ok last week when I wrote I said that I had an experience that I couldn't talk about yet, well I think now is a good time to share. So there was an Elder in my district that suffers from depression and he has a really hard time keeping positive thoughts. Anyways every week he would see a counselor and take a little test to see where he was at and If he scored to high on this test there was a possibility of him being sent home unable to serve. Ok going back a bit this Elder and I became pretty good friends because during the end of the first week when I was brushing my teeth he started singing Seek and Destroy by Metallica and I started to sing along. He stopped and was like who sang that? It was me. From there we shared a lot of stories and tales about our lives and Gabe would love him because he is crazy too. This Elder skated through fire on his board and since gasoline is slippery when it's on fire he fell off his board right into the fire. He jumped out and ripped off his clothes it was insane. Ok this is were it gets personal. So his companion and another Elder came up to me and said we need to talk and this was right after I wanted to punch my companion in the face so I told them let me shower first so I can clear my mind. After some thinking in the shower I was able to calm down and clear my thoughts. Elder Cragun and Elder Nellis pulled me into the foyer to talk about the other Elder and his situation. Others from our district kept interrupting so I had no idea what they wanted to tell me. Some time went by and finally all the other Elders left except the one that we were going to talk to each other about. He then says to me, "If you don't already know I suffer from depression and this last week I scored pretty high on the test and I might be going home....I don't want to go home." This literally destroyed my heart because that is one thing I would never want for anyone to go through and I really loved this Elder and I could not bare to see him go home. He is a convert, his family are members, but he wasn't until he had a change of heart so here at the MTC he was one of my biggest examples because of the faith he had to come serve a mission. Back to the story. I sat there looking at him for a second and didn't know what to say, tears started to form in my eyes and roll down my face. When I started to speak I just poured my heart out and told him how much I love him and how much our Father in Heaven loves him. When I was finished I asked if he has had a blessing since he has been here and he said no. Then I asked if he would like one. We all sat there for awhile and he finally said yes, then I asked who would you like to do it and he said, " Elder Wolford would you do it?" We all went into his room and I started to bless him and I can't tell you how I felt the Spirit was so strong and I could feel how much the Lord loved him. I don't remember what I said all I remember is after I was done he got up and hugged me really tight and I just held him as he started to cry on my shoulder. I'm so blessed that I have the opportunity to help my fellow brethren like at that time and in that moment I realized it is exactly what the Savior does for us he helps us up when we fall, he is there to carry us when we can go no further, and he is is there when we need to cry on his shoulder. I know I was sent here for a reason and for a purpose and now Saint George needs me now for some reason and I can't wait to find out why. I know this church is the true church of God and that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God that translated the Book of Mormon for us today and through Jesus Christ we can do anything and everything. I love you all so much and want you to continue to read the scriptures because it will bring you closer to Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior and Redeemer, amen.

Mom I have no idea if it will be Spanish or English I will find out later. My Spanish is alright and it's enough to get me by, but I'm no where close to being great. Love you and call you later.

- Elder Wolford

St. George, UT!!

Hey so it looks like I'm going to Saint George until I get my Visa. It's crazy because they gave me my flight plans for Mexico City last Friday and just today I got these new flight plans so now I leave September 2nd and I still fly out of Salt Lake City to Saint George so that's barely an hour. They don't know how long I will be there, but it's for some reason and I don't know why. All I know is it's for a reason and the Lord needs me to go down there first.

- Elder Wolford

St. George, UT Mission

Hey so it looks like I'm going to Saint George until I get my Visa. It's crazy because they gave me my flight plans for Mexico City last Friday and just today I got these new flight plans so now I leave September 2nd and I still fly out of Salt Lake City to Saint George so that's barely an hour. They don't know how long I will be there, but it's for some reason and I don't know why. All I know is it's for a reason and the Lord needs me to go down there first.

- Elder Wolford

Last Letter from the USA

Querido Familia,

 So it looks like I'm leaving this Monday August 31 and I was blessed with a straight flight from Salt Lake to Mexico City and it's about 3:57 long so it's almost like going to Indianapolis. Thanks for the box of stuff and gracias for my Spanish PMG right now I have one that is flipping huge and is a pain to have. Well the time has finally come for me to leave the MTC and head off to Mexico it amazes me to see the new missionaries come in and I'm leaving because when I first came in I thought it was going to be a really long time before I got to head out, but it's already here YEAH!!!
 I have grown really close with my district and I love them so much, all of them have helped me in times of need and I love when they want to come talk with me about whatever. It has really been a blessing in my life to be able to come to the Provo MTC and not the Mexico City and I'll tell you why. There were multiple times when I thought ok why was I sent here, what I'm I supposed to do? It took some time to figure out why I was here and what I needed to do. I have built really good relationships here and would love to continue them después mi misión. My companion Elder Smith tells me all the time that I'm a blessing to him because he said he wouldn't know how to do it with just him and my other comp and the funny thing is I told him the same thing. We came to the conclusion that his is a trail for the both of us to overcome and prepare us for our companions in the future.
 There is another reason I was sent here I think, but I'm not going to share it with you at this time just because it hit me pretty hard. Anyways wow Haha apparently Maddie Phelps said some pretty funny stuff about me when she got her wisdom teeth out. Ok this past week I have done a lot with getting other Elders out of the residence and on their way as well as trying to learn as much as I can and the funny thing is we study all day long, but yet it's not enough time. All I want to do is learn as much as I can before I head out. The Nashville Tribute band is pretty good huh I really enjoyed it when they came for that one devotional and word on the street is that Elder Bednar is coming today to speak so that will be awesome.
 I have learned so much here and I have felt so good being here I talked to a Brother who went to my mission and he gave me so much advice for when I get down there like put socks in the baptismal font spout so that the water will be light green instead of dark green with bird feathers and other things as well as a cool little trick to make warm water for showers. I had a great time hearing things about where I will be  in a week. I can't wait to talk to you and hear how things are going and tell you some things.  Even today there is so much stuff I don't understand, but I know if I stay clean and do what needs to be done the reason will come when it is best for me. Siblings keep your grades up and work hard and make the most of it. I love you all and The blessings I have seen are so wonderful. Everyday gets better and better.

- Elder Wolford

Nashville Tribute Band

Querido Familia, 

 Ok so this Sunday for the devotional we got the chance to sing and listen to the Nashville Tribute Band and it was so cool look them up the got some really good songs. One of the best ones is called " I was born" mom and dad listen to verse 3 closely because there is a line in there that is perfect for why I'm here. This band was so good and they brought me to tears a few times through their music please look them up also look up "Missionary work and the Atonement" on YouTube it's really awesome. Mom today was the first day I got my haircut from someone other than you and at first I was a little concerned that nobody else could do my hair, but he did a really good job and hopefully you get the picture. Oh and that other one is my teacher that has helped me so much. Anyways my companions are Elder Smith and Elder Gwilliam I'm pretty sure I already shared that with you and I will send you pictures of both. That's so crazy that everyone is already starting school make sure you all work hard and Gabe you will do great in junior high you will like it more than elementary school trust me. So Justin comes in tomorrow and Mitch left this Monday for Russia crazy huh. It amazes me how much I have learned here and how much I still need to learn. I haven't heard anything about my visa hopefully it comes in time for me to leave when I'm supposed to or I might be here longer. It actually happened to an Elder in our zone, but it was because there was to many people in his mission and he had to wait another week for someone to go home. Thanks for all the letters and I got Grandma Brenda's as well as Aunt Ashely, Tiffany, and Jamie's. It makes my day and I love to read them when I get them. I have this quote on the back of my favorite picture of Jesus that was painted by Liz Lemon Swindle. The quote is by Elder Bruce R. McConkie and it says, " I AM CALLED OF GOD. My authority is above that of kings of the earth. By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my Master and he has chosen me to represent him. To stand in his place, to say and do what he himself would say and do if he personally were ministering to the very people to whom he has sent me. My voice is his voice,and my acts are his acts; my words are his words and my doctrine is his doctrine. My commission is to do what he wants done. To say what he wants said. To be a living modern witness in the word and deed of the divinity of his great and marvelous latter-day work." I love you all for ever and ever.

Dad I sent a picture of some questions and I would love for you to send me the answers as soon as possible because I get to be an investigator and I want to know how it was for you when the missionaries came an talked with you. Again look up that song I told you to in the beginning and listen to the 3rd verse it's my favorite for a reason and I want to tell you thanks for what you have done as well as mom, but thanks for the decisions you have made. I love you and I know something will come when it is best and when it's right. Thank you so much for the fan it really has saved my life hundreds of times on hot nights and thanks for the Wolford name and pictures I have already shared it with my companion from England.

Love you all and can't wait to hear from you again keep it up and do your best. Say your prayers and study the scriptures and smile. The power of a smile goes a long way. 

Love

- Elder Wolford

Please don't be Me!

Querido Familia,

 Well it is going really great the branch presidency just told me this last Sunday I don't have to be the district leader anymore because there are assigning it to someone else. I was so excited, but yet saddened that some other pore sucker had to take on the responsibility. It's ok though because they pulled my companions and I in a separate room and told us that we will be the new Zone leaders over all three districts. "Knew it!!!" I told myself that after they said we need new zone leaders in a week or so, it was exactly how I knew I was going to be the district leader the first time. This is how it went for both in my head. Watch they are going to ask you to be the district leader / zone leader, but please don't be me please. What do you know it happened both times crazy huh. We don't have any sisters in our entire zone which is probably a good thing because some of these Elders might have a hard time focusing on their studies, but we have a whole lot more coming in the next few weeks as the other districts leave. Dad there is an Elder here going to Louisville Kentucky and I think Evansville is part of his mission. His name is Elder Weeks and he know one of my friends Kate. Anyways the MTC schedule is finally normal to me and everyday seems to go by faster and faster. Yesterday we had a lesson with our progressing investigator and our lesson was on the Plan of Salvation. The previous lesson we gave him the pamphlet and asked him to read it and think of any questions he might have when we were to return. So when we did he had questions about El mundo de los espíritus y Reinos de gloria. So we started to explain what they were about and why they were important and after twenty or so minutes we realized we had one minute left to teach and were about to wrap things up, but Our investigator had another question so we stayed seated and listened to what he had to say. Basically he wanted to know how happy families were apart of this plan when there is so much adoption, abortion, single parents, and he said in Guatemala sometimes the just leave them on their own. My companion Elder Smith and I didn't know how to answer that in Spanish and it's hard enough to explain in English, but Elder Gwilliam started saying things that just worked and as I looked into the eyes of the man that we were teaching tears stared to flow down his cheeks one after another. The spirit filled the room and it was such an amazing experience to be apart of even though I didn't say anything. These past few days have been pretty normal other than the absolute chaos it was to plan what everyone in your district is going to do in class for the whole week. Oh yeah an Elder yesterday while he was teaching his investigator was explaining how we are baptized by water then by infierno which means Hell. So he told the investigator that he will be baptized by Hell. It was funny. Earlier this week I got to play volleyball with an Elder who is going to play with BYU when he gets back it was a lot of fun because we played 2 against 4 and we wrecked honestly if we would have played six we still would have won. I got a letter from Grandma Brenda and Aunt Ashely today it was the best because Grandma put these folded up paper arms in the card to give me a hug it was great. Today we went to the temple and one of the names I had was Isaiah it was awesome because he came from a place only a few miles away from where my companion lives. Well I'm going to try to send some pictures hopefully you get them. Love you all so much and can't wait to talk to you again.

Mom that's crazy that you cooked all that food and great job everyone for helping. Dad I'm starting to do more push-ups and pull-ups every time I can because you never know when I get to Mexico I might have to climb walls and run from dogs. Haha. 

Madison keep me updated on how you are doing with volleyball.

- Elder Wolford

My friend Mitch and Me

Elder Wolford and his Best Friend Mitch found each other at the MTC

Chilling with the Comps

Stuffed with Food and the Gospel

Dear family,

 

Oh my goodness I have so much stuff I want to tell you about these past few weeks. Let's start with the food here it's not that bad, but it is nowhere near being as good as your food Mom I mean not even close. I thought I would possibly lose weight here, but they feed us everything on this earth that causes heart disease and I'm a little worried that I could actually gain weight. They hardly have anything healthy here so I always try to get fruit and vegetables for every meal. Oh just the other day I noticed in the lunch room when I was putting my dishes away something was not right with the conveyor belt because on one side Elders and Sisters were putting their dishes on, but on the other side nothing was going through so I looked to see what the problem was and Lo and Behold there was a mountain of trays and plates piling higher and higher. Knowing in my mind this is not good at all I tried my best to tear down this mountain just like John Henry. My hands moving so quickly to solve this great trial I almost conquered Dish Mountain, but my efforts were in vain because my fellow Elders and Sisters kept adding to the mountain and had no clue of why the dishes were not coming out the other side. I finally got your package yesterday and it was like Christmas all the goodies, pictures, and letters was the highlight of my day. Honestly though I don't need anymore cookies and treats for awhile because I can only eat them when I'm at the residence. The pictures look great and yes I would love more all I need is another book to put them in. Ok those papers you sent me are crazy and yes that guy at Wells Fargo needs to come unto Christ and actually help people with their problems and not trick them into things. That reminds me of a quote I heard during a devotional from Elder Bednar he said, " Every time when a lesson goes well for an investigator we seem to say, "That was me", but when it doesn't go the way we hoped, " The woman thou gavest me." Ha I thought that was so funny. So far I love both of my companions and my district is so amazing. Everyone has a way different personality, but that is what makes it so fun and interesting. It's pretty difficult to look after 12 other people so Mom good job for all the wonderful things you do. Gabe, Eli, Isaiah make sure you do whatever you can to help around the house and help Mom out. 

   So last week I saw an Elder that came in on Wednesday and he had a tie pin that looked very familiar to me. I called him over to see it up closer then I couldn't believe it. He had the same arrowhead tie pin I did and I asked him where he got it. He said I got it through some of my family members and I asked him if those family members were the Denison's, he paused for a second and asked how I knew them and of course all I had to say was Dustin married my sister.  It's crazy how small this world really is. 

   Spanish is getting there um at first I was flipping out about it a little then I realized I have only been here for a couple of weeks and I already know way more then I did before. Now I can almost say the whole first vision in Spanish which is pretty cool. I have only been to the Provo temple twice and it's one of my favorite things to do here and so far I have seen all the new videos. I can't believe that I have almost been here for three weeks it really goes by so fast. My companion that is from England said something really funny the other day and we all promised to do it at least once while on our mission he said, " Yo bautismo usted!" In English it means, " I baptism you!" It's the straight forward approach. 

    Ok so another fun game that you can play as a family is called spike ball and it's very similar to volleyball. You have a small trampoline and a little ball. Four people can play at a time and you have a partner so it's 2V2 and you can only hit it 3 times and not twice in a row. Look for it because it's so much fun!!! That's pretty much what I do during my gym time, oh and I saw Mackey Trainer the other day as I was crossing the street and she started yelling at me. I just keep on going and she parked the car and tried to walk up and talk to me as I was playing spike ball. She yelled out Elder Wolford and I told her I'm not supposed to have visitors and that's when one of the workers said we don't want him to get into trouble now do we?

      Well I got to get going I love you all more than you could know and I'm comforted and glad that we have the opportunity to live together forever. It is now my job to help bring the light of Christ unto our lost brothers and sisters. This church is the true church because it is the church of Jesus Christ. Just yesterday I was asked a question during a lesson that really brought me to repentance and the question was when was the last time you complained? For some reason that hit me really hard and that's when the thought came to me. Wow I complain a lot like I'm tired or my back hurts, or why does this matter, then I remembered the story of Jesus when he was in the garden and how he asked his most trusted friends and apostles to just stay up one hour with him, but he found them asleep 3 times. I would be pretty angry. Our Savior suffered for all the pains, afflictions, and sins and didn't utter a word of complaint. Please read that story as a family and ponder on what you feel because it really is an amazing story. It shows how much he really cares for us even if we don't care for him. Again I love you all to the ends of this earth and more. 

 

- Elder Wolford

First Letter from the MTC!!

 

Dear Familia, 

I'm glad you got my letter and yes it looks like I'm going to be here all 6 weeks. So I'm in a trio companionship and it's difficult to get things done sometimes such as getting places on time or having to take care of other needs each other has, so Mom GREAT job on raising 6 kids I honestly am grateful for your influence. Yes I'm still alive and well. I love seeing the Holy Ghost work wonders in the lives of other missionaries as well as my own. It's actually really hard so far and some-days are better than others, but with the Lord's help I can do anything. Oh yeah I saw Mitch or Elder Brower as well as my friends Sam Himes, Mckay Waters, and many more. It kinda feels like I'm in high school. I'll write you another letter Mom because they don't give us much time and I love you all so much and miss you. Let me know how the job offer goes Dad. Please send me pictures. The language is coming as fast as tree sap on a winters morning. Again I love you guys so much and can't wait to hear from you again. I'm here for a reason, I'm here for a purpose, and I know that I can do this. With much love and Kisses.

- Elder Wolford

Off to the MTC

Well He is off to the MTC, and I do not think he could be any more excited. He will be doing great things in the MEXICO, MEXICO CITY SOUTHEAST MISSION. Here of some pic of his last day with our family. He will be missed but we know he will be doing great things. Enjoy and write Noah a letter!!