December 29th, 2014

So last week was a blast! We had our super awesome pachanga (party) with the Jones family! They are super awesome. We played games and watched The Saratov Approach, ate a ton of hot dogs, and made ginger bread cookies! It was super fun. I talked with their son a lot who got back from his mission recently.  He served in London. He was a ZL too so he gave me some advice and some ideas of how we can help our zone work better. Then later we went to a sisters house after we had our zone meeting and had dinner. She made our whole zone a bunch of tacos. So that was Monday.

I was super happy to skype you and talk to you all. We didn't do much on the 24th because we were told we had to be in the house early. So we didn't do anything afterwards.

On the 25th we just went to the family history center and played games with some other elders. So that is all we did that day.

Believe it or not it snowed here! We had a snowball fight in the morning with the elders who haven't ever seen snow in their lives. I also taught them how to make a snow man which was fun! I never thought that I would see snow in my mission.

So today I'm super excited were going to the gym in Dublan to play a basketball game against the high school team here in casas (los Lobos). We´ll see how that goes.

Well love you all!

Elder Thorpe

oh I also made my first tamale!

Christmas Eve with the Jones family

Making tamales

Snow in Mexico

December 22nd, 2014

Hey I dont have hardly any time this week to write becuase a lot of members are throwing us a huge party but I just want to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I will be skyping at 1 instead of 6. Our mission president told us we couldn't be outside of our house after 5. So I hope that doesn't mess any plans up!!!

Oh quick story so we were in Juarez for the leadership council meeting and we always stay in a hotel when we go. So while we were in Juarez Ricky Martin was having a concert there as well. So when we got back to the hotel at night you won't believe who was staying in the same hotel as us. Ricky Martin, and we got to meet him! It was cool even though I don't even know any of his music except for liven la vida loca. Also while we were in our room we looked out the window and there was all his admirers yelling and when I opened the curtains to look out they all started screaming and pointing at me because they thought I was him haha.

We almost had our baptism this week but he had to go to Chihuahua for something. But we keep working hard with him! Also the young women of our ward made us a goodie bag for Christmas to show their appreciation for us, it was nice.

Well I love you all and am so excited to talk to you on Wednesday.

Love Elder Thorpe

Ricky Martin admirers 

December 15th, 2014

Wow!

This week was super awesome! We have been preparing this entire week for our Multi Stake Christmas Choir program that we had yesterday! It was super good!!! I was in charge of doing all of the tech stuff and getting all of the videos ready! We had two big screens that we used during the program and we put on the new video of the birth of Jesus Christ to start it all off to get everyone in the right mood. Then we sang a couple of hymns/Christmas songs about Christ. Then we had another video that we showed it's a mormon message called the true meaning of Christmas (its the one with all of the little kids). Then we sang some children Christmas songs like Feliz Navidad. I really got into that one and my companion and I started dancing haha! Then we ended with some more songs about Christ and his birth. Then we ended on a really spiritual note. We put up the video He is the Gift! It was so awesome.  We only planned on having about 1,500 people show up but more than 2,000 people came to see it and more than half of them were not members of the Church. It was such an awesome experience!!!

I love this time of year, and I love the Savior! I am so grateful for the love that my Heavenly Father had for us to send his son! I am also so grateful for My older brother and the love he had for us to come down in a imperfect world and live and die for us! I love this church and everything about it!

I KNOW ITS TRUE!

Love Elder Thorpe

Ps. Ill skype you at 6 on the 24th

December 8th, 2014

Hey!!!

So Cambios were yesterday and I'm still here with my companion!!! I'm super excited that we are still together! He will be my first companion that will be able to talk to you in english when we skype! I hope that the package that I send gets to you all in time! If not I'll send what is for who.

I'm sorry but I don't have a ton of time to write because of all the changes. I feel that Brooklyn had a hard week and her phone got stolen. 

I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Braiden Thorpe

December 1st, 2014

Hey!!!

So this week was super fun! We officially started the campaign of ¨Él es la Dádiva¨ (He is the Gift). We are super excited with what is happening in the missionary work. We are planning on using it in our Choir activity as well. This week we are going to go to all of the stores here and talk to them about putting the video in their stores. It has been super great.

This week I also got to celebrate Thanksgiving with my companion. We made our own Thanksgiving dinner. It took about an hour for us to cook the turkey legs but in the end we ate good! It wasn't the same as always but it was still fun to celebrate a little.

We have been super busy in the mission preparing all that we want to get done in the mission during December. We are going to head up to Juarez to see the Choir that they are going to do there, the 18th. I'm so excited for Christmas and still not sure when I will call to Skype but Ill let you know next week.

Love you all!

Elder Thorpe

Turkey legs cooking

Thanksgiving dinner

Acting like Fresas

November 24th, 2014

Hey!!!

So this week was a bit tougher than the others. We are struggling to find some new investigators and the ones that we have aren't progressing very well. So we are trying to find new ways how we are going to find new investigators. We talked to President Derbez and talked to him about what we are doing and how we think we will find new investigators. Well he told us that it wasn't the best idea and he talked to us and had us think a lot about how we can find new investigators through a better way. So we came up with the conclusion that what he has been telling us this whole time is what we need to do. The Book of Mormon is the best missionary tool that we have and we need to use it. He then told us the best way to use it is by visiting the youth and teaching them about it and getting them excited to share the gospel with their friends. So we are going to try that this week and see how things go.

So I probably won't do anything for Thanksgiving which is ok. I might make my own Thanksgiving dinner for my companion and I. Ha ha. I am planning on sending home a Christmas package for the family, hopefully it gets there on time.

I love you all and hope you have a happy Thanksgiving.

Love Elder Thorpe

November 17th, 2014

Hola!

Pues esta semana estuvo muy buena! Fui a visitar allá en LeBaron. Estuve muy animado para ir y visitar mi recién conversa y ver como esta. También estuve muy animado para platicar con los miembros de allá y todo. También esta semana seguimos teniendo j

untas con muchas personas. Esta semana tuvimos una junta con el Presidente de Estaca Presidente Kelly Jones y su hermano Jefferey Jones. Estuvimos platicando en aspecto de como queremos ayudar la estaca en la obra misional y como queremos ayudar los lideres del barrio a empezar a trabajar. Estuvimos tambien placticando de el coro que vamos hacer en Diciembre.

Well I'm really excited to start winter! It's starting to get really cold here actually.

Oh I also have to say I took a picture of me in front of Shelly Sharps house where she grew up but I forgot my camera. I'll send it another week.

Love you All!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!

Elder Thorpe

English translation

Hi,

Well this week was very good!  I was able to visit LeBaron.  I was very encouraged to go and visit my recent converts and see them.  I was also very encouraged to talk with members there and everything.  Also this week we had meetings with many people.  This week we had a meeting with the Stake President Kelly Jones and his brother Jeffery Jones.  We were talking in aspect of how we help a stake in missionary work and how we help neighborhood leaders to begin to work.  We were also discussing the chorus that we well have in December.