Birthday month is treating me GOOD!

Dear Mi Familia,

This past week was a crazy week to say the least, we have been working, running like crazy every which way and that way from Thursday onward. To start things off we got up a little before four A.M., and as you all know the only way I am getting up that early is to going hunting!! Pero, I guess listening to Elder L. Cook from the quoram of the twelve is way more than good enough to get up that early! It was absolutely incredible and I felt like he was talking directly at me, and it was an amazing experience and one I will never forget!! 

Then Friday came and we headed out at ten in the morning to do some service for a less active member as a zone. What was suppose to be just cleaning up the yard and helping around the house turned into an all day thing!! We ended up putting a new roof on (no one knows how to roof by the way in our zone) so that was an experience like no other. I got to see first hand as to how to roof El Salvi style so that was fun and very different, and that literally took all day and by the end of it I was dead tired and my neck looked like a lobster!!! 

Saturday morning we had to get up early as well, because we had to get our baptismal interviews done so that we could baptize them for that coming afternoon! So we were scrabbling to get that all taken caring of Saturday and trying to fit in our other investigadores and our meetings with our Branch President, you could say that we worked our butts off this past week!! That is what this mission is all about though!!

24 to go!!!!
The lord blessed us this month with Four Bautisms!!! Ya BUDDDDY!!!!!Tambien fotos de nuestro Servicio!!
The two elders pictured with Wes and his companion are in the same rama and they have not had a baptism as of yet so Wes thought that it would be great for them to do the honors to keep their spirits  up.  He says the tall elder is from Washington state.

To answer your question dad, basically everyone has power and water here just we sit outside on the porch part or where a porch would be normally to teach a lot, because the houses are so small there just isn`t room inside to do so. Also, it gets dark here at like 6 so walking in the dark for three hours we need lights. Also, I check everything before I use it so I don`t have a accident with one of those creatures! 

To Josh Leatherow it is a bit crazy for me to have a third area already because everyone I came with is still in their first area, so I am not sure what happened..

I am so glad to hear about everyones progress in the church and the new callings, I want you know that Heavenly Father called you there for a specific reason so do it to your fullest and I promise you won`t regret it! You all have a specific talent and skill that the Lords needs you to use and do your callings so keep going strong! You all amaze me and I am so lucky to have you in my life!!

Please Tell Paul and Betty Williams thanks for the card and the cash, that was so freaking nice of them and it made my day!! 

How is everyone doing?? I know I am a bit of a ways a way but what can I do to help you guys? Please if there is anything let me know and I will do everything I can to do and help you to my fullest ability!! 

Well Family this is about it for this week, like Always I love you like crazy and miss you guys!! 

I love you mom to the moon and back and then some!! 

Have a great week and never let your praying knees get lazy!!!!

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Leatherow

26 to Go!!

Dear Family,

Well this week was great we had two bautisms this past Saturday. Two young men,  one is 11 the other is 10. They are so awesome!! I was so surprised when the older one, Wilmer, asked me to bautize him since I had only been here little over a week!! It was such a great blessing and I was honored to get to do that. After three times of going under we finally got it down too, his foot kept coming up out of the water, but hey what can ya do!!! 

We also will be having another two this Saturday as well for their little sister and grandma. We would of done them together but the sister was a bit nervous about the water so we bautized the brothers to show her and the grandma is because she was never confirmed when she was bautized way back when!! So she gets to go again. So be looking forward to that. It was so great though and we have another two set for the following month, so I am so hoping for that! Especially because we can`t swim and thats as close as we can get so I want to be in that pila as much as possible!! No, just kidding ~  it is such an amazing testimony builder and to see the change for the better this gospel does for people is incredible and something you can`t describe and to see and feel that there is truly no other joy in the world, and that is why I am here and that is why I love doing what I am doing. I encourage all to share the gospel and it will change and build your testimony so much by doing so I promise you that, and the joy you will feel is nothing like it!! 

Mom, I am so happy you took my challenge and are reading the Book of Mormon, it will help you so much I testify of that to you, with your day, with the family, work anything you need it is there to help us!! 

So what is the Arizona trip exactly??? How was your concert?? 

How is G-ray doing with b-ball?? How is dad doing??? 

Thank you so much Breeze and The Leatherows Josh and Jenn for writing every week, it means so much!! I am so glad to hear the Smuin boys are tearing up the court and making this cousin proud and keep it up boys!!! 

Well Family I love you all so much, oh ya the funny thing I have found is people are amazed when a white boy hang with them while playing some soccer!!! (; We are playing on some turf lately so that is great!! I love it so much!! 

Well family I love you all so much and hope you all are doing well, you are always in my prayers. 

I love you mom to the moon and back and then some!!! Take care!!

Con mucho amor,

Your jungle missionary Elder Leatherow

 My companion is wearing the black tie.  The other elder is our dist leader.

Check out this country!

Soccer field

O man Turf ~ Yep I still got it.

With today being MLK Jr. Day we were all home so it was fun to chat with Wes for a few minutes.  I must warn you one post is brothers being brothers…proceed and please don't judge or be offended.

Mom:Hey babe!  We are all home for the celebration of Martin Lurther King day.  

Congrats on the baptisms.  So proud of you

Wes: thank you!!! I am going to send pictures right now hold on!!!

Mom: K we are waiting anxiously to see your cute mug

Wes: More like chubby (;

Mom: So not chubby.  Colton just said you were a homo….miss your guts.

Wes: Tell him to shut his mouth and just wait tell I get back to show him who is still boss(; 

Mom: My Arizona trip is next month, tonight is the P!NK concert.

Wes: That will be way fun! Be safe and enjoy yourself!!! Hey if while in Arizona if you meet a young man by the name of Elder Sevy tell him Elder Leatherow says Hello;  he served here with me and he went home last change.

Wes: Have a great week, I am glad you could take the day off together and enjoy yourselves!! Que Paso?? Porque Yo no puedo tener a cancel?????

LOVE chatting with our missionary.  

Usulutan, La Union, El Salvador

Dear Family,

So it happened yet again but I figured it would after my companion got the call to be a trainer. I am now in Usulutan, La Union. It is about an hour and half away from my other area, so I am even further from the Capital. I am literally in the place that when you think 3rd world or El Salvi. It is a ton of country land and the houses don´t have a lot of things, it is a lot more poor. I am loving it though and have grown so much already from this change. I am with a Latino!! Which I truly needed though cause I have got to get this Spanish language down. So this is going to help me so much!! My companion is from Panama. He is great and he is so pateint with me and my Spanish so I am so grateful for him and his willingness to help me. We are in a rama again but we are so close to being able to change into a ward. So we are trying to hard to get that to happen. 

This area is blazing hot, like its as hot as that 3v3 tournament a few years back that we all thought we were going to die at!! So you can say I am about to loose everything I have which is good cause I need to get back into shape and look some what okay. We are basically starting from scratch again though so its a restart from my last area, and my companion again only has one change more than me, so we are learning together again and trying our best to get it going! 

Thank you so much again for the package! 

Here at night I am using flashlights to teach in some houses and using them to getting around cause there isn´t any lights so that kinda helps ya describe this area a little bit, as well every street is either cobble stone or dirt like I feel we should be riding our dirt bikes and four wheelers on these trails or something!!! 

We are doing good, oh ya we already got a bautism lined up for this week though!! So we are starting on the right track and this will for sure get our spirits going so stay tuned in for that next week and pictures!!

Sorry not to much to report this week, have question feel free to ask. 

Oh ya!! That volcano that went off here is about thirty minutes from my house so I can see it and everything so if it goes off again you bet your butt I am about to have some sweet Pictures!!!!!!!

I love you all so much, especially you mom to the moon and back and then some!!!! 

Have a great week everyone!!

Con amor,

Elder Leatherow

Weston says these are his newest companions…

I once again was able to chat for a few minutes with my Jungle Missionary:

Mom: Those just made me stomach flip flop….you are truly in the middle of the jungle/nowhere. 

Crazy! ~ speaking about the creatures….

Wes: ya your telling me!! Its all good though!!! I can survive, you raised a manly son!!!!  (;

Mom: Just pretend you are a contestant on the show Survivor or maybe you are taking Bear Grills place on Survivor Man.  

Wes: Oh YA you are not kidding!! Its all good though thats what you get when you are in the country and what not!

Mom: You have such a GREAT attitude ~ what an example to us all.

Wes:  I have found I have to to get through this if not my days would be long and my investigatores can tell as well, so I need to have a great attitude so they can feel that happiness and the spirirt more!! 

Mom: So true.  Keep smiling ~ not that I am counting but tomorrow you hit 175 days out in the field.  :0)  OK so maybe I am counting.  ….love you ; be safe!

Wes: hahaha!! WOW!! Freak!! Where is the time going?!?! It sure is flying for me mom I don´t know about for you! I will be home before we know it!!

Mom: It seriously is going by crazy fast.  I find myself wanting it to go fast so you can come home but I also know that the when you come home I send off Colton….got the package last Tuesday!  LOVE!  LOVE!  Thank you for thinking of everyone.  

Wes:  I know it's crazy how that will work. What are his thoughts?? He is going to serve then for sure??? Good!  I am so glad hopefully you all like it, I now they are basically all alike I did that so people wouldn´t get into to any fights or think I love the other more than one, cause I love them all the same!!!!

Mom:No fights ~ and I love them all.  I seriously chose mine by which one had the cutest flowers.  Brooke loved her turtle and your brothers took the shot glasses of course.

Colt is planning on serving.  He talks about it all the time so hopefully he will stay the course but we as a family will support his decision. 

Wes:  Good I am so glad that everyone enjoyed them then and there was no fighting!! Good I am so glad he is going to serve it will forever change his life, it has already changed my for the better and I haven´t even been out here six months!! I am so proud of him and his decision!!!

Wes:  By the way yes you sent me the pictures I have them, so thank you!!   These pictures were suppose to be for my missionary wall but in the craziness of the holidays and such they got stuffed in Wes' Christmas package and I have torn about the house looking for them ~ call off the search they have been found in El Salvador!

Wes: Well mom I  am about out of time, I love you so much and enjoy getting to talk really quick, have a great week, and know that I love you to the moon and back and then some. I am always with you in spirit and will be home shortly!!! Con mucho amor!!!!! Your jungle missionary!!!

How how I love this boy!

Please enjoy the cold weather for me

Dear Family,

I want to thank you guys so much for the package I got it today  ~ so thank you and everyone, you guys are the freaking best. I am so blessed to have you guys supporting me and loving me. I also recieved a package from a girl up North that I was not expecting at all!! Which is so crazy and so freaking nice of her, I thought she had forgotten about me. 

This week is changes and from the sounds of it, it is going to be a crazy change and a lot are having changes and my companion is being called to train so I will be leaving probably...which is so rough.. I have really loved this area and my companion and learned so much from him! I will go where ever He needs me and I know with change comes progress and the ability to continue to grow. It just is going to be rough and change its always the most fun thing ever..but we will see how it goes!

I am so glad to hear about the dinner, of course it went good, mom, you are an amazing cook and our family rocks and knows how to have a good time. 

Hey G-Ray how ya doing buddy? Thanks for writing!! How is boarding going?? You two enjoying school again?? Rabbit hunting sounds like it was a blast and I can´t wait to go with all you guys when I get home. 

Hey Colt dude where are pictures of your wife and you at man?? What the heck why haven´t you shown her off to me yet?????? 

So it sounds like Landon hangs with you guys a lot?!?! How is he doing?? Have you guys like adopted him or what??? 

Josh and Jenn thanks for always writing and don´t worry about skype I totally understand, the kids sound great and you two as well.

Tell Nate Stringham that I better get a wedding anouncement or something so I can see it and what not!! Tell him Congrates!!

I sent you guys package this past week and they say it should be there no later than Friday so please email if not and I will go talk to them and see where it is at and what not. 

I love you guys like crazy, especially you mom to the moon and back and then some!!! Enjoy this week and the cold weather, cause I sure do miss it like crazy!!! I hope you have enjoyed the holiday season, and enjoying going back to school and work and getting back into the normal groove just fine!! Have a great week, thats all I have to report this week from the jungle missionary, tune in next week for new companion and probably new area!!!

con amor,

Elder Leatherow

Weston sent home the following two photos this week with the following caption:

"Cool birds; half wild - half pet"  

The birds are amazing but I can't get past how awesome Weston looks.  He is truly happy, healthy and is just glowing.   And check out the tan.  

Best Christmas Ever, Volcano, and It's a Small World

Dear Family,

 

Oh man was it good to see all of you this past Christmas day!! That was seriously the best Christmas present i could of ever gotten, so thank you for taking time to talk and ask questions and listen as well. Also, when i think about it I was probably really rude when I was talking but in my defense its because spanish is so demanding its a demanding language, they just command or cut people off and I guess I have gotten into that bad habit so I apologize for that.

Thanks Shane for sharing your story with me this past week, that really helped me so much, with one of my current investigadores. So please keep the advice coming I could use it so much!!

This past saturday was our Christmas party with the branch, so that was great we had over a 100 people there, so it was a major hit!! Us missionaries played the parts as Santa Claus and Elfs and Rudolf, so that was great, we got one of the local political groups to donate toys to give out to all the little kids so that was such hit, the kids loved it!!!! How did your guys past saturday dinner with the local missionaries go?

By the way I am willing to bet all of you are freaking out even more now that I told you that story I told that cause its a joke here anymore. That little was just unlucky, the one missionary who has been here 2 years now that was his first ever run in with this stuff. So you guys have nothing to worry about, if any thing I be worried about catching a stupid parasite again more than anything, if you continue to worry I will begin to ask. ¿De Donde Estan Su Fe? So please don´t worry about one thing I am safe and sound.

How is everyone doing? What are your plans for the new year? everyone coming to our house or what? I hope you have a great week!! Uds. Quiero much!! Espicailly you mom to the moon and back and then some!! have a great New Years!!!!!!

Love your missionary jungle,

Elder Leatherow

When I arrived at work Monday morning I had received the following email from the mission president and his wife:

Espanol abajo…

Dear Parents,

No need for alarm, but many of you will have heard about the eruption of the San Miguel volcano today.  All of our missionaries are accounted for and safe. We have evacuated San Miguel, Usulutan, and San Vicente to the capital for safety. All are well and safe. We felt the hand of the Lord in all that occurred today. The President felt that he should attend church in a city near the volcano. We saw it explode. We were able to reach San Miguel so quickly.  All of the missionaries (54 of them) we were able to contact. (that is a miracle alone, because only 3 have cell phones, but because it was during church, we reached them all.) Our missionaries in Berlin (who were very close to the volcano) just “happened” to have the counselor in the mission presidency visiting. He had them in his car and on the way to San Salvador in a matter of 10 minutes. It was all such a miracle.

We are so thankful for your continued prayers. Please pray for the saints who remain in those affected areas. Pray that the missionary work will be blessed because of this disaster—that hearts will be softened and opened.

We are so thankful for you faithful sons and daughters. They were courageous, uncomplaining, and very obedient today. We are so grateful for their wonderful examples.  They will all be writing you tomorrow of their adventures, but we wanted you all to know that they are safe and well and that God has truly blessed our mission this day, so that you, too, could offer Him a prayer of thanksgiving. How blessed we are! He is so magnificent. We are so grateful. God bless all of you.

Sincerely,

President and Sister Glazier

I sent the email to Tom and he responded, "WOW do we live under a rock?"  He quickly emailed Wes to see if the volcano effected him at all and this was Wes' reply, 

"No, I was not, but another two zones are and they took them all out and there is a chance I will get changed because of ash and more urrupting and there was an earthquake as well. It's coming true the prophies in the Book of Mathew and D&C  ~ its insane!!!"

Also the other night as Tom and I were lying down for bed my phone chimed letting me know I had just received a Facebook message.  I read the following message from Tom's cousin, Ronette, :

"Hi Shar!  Tonight we were at the theater and ran into one of Landon's buddies from high school.  He told us he returned a couple of months ago from El Salvador. We were mentioning all of the others we know who have served there, and when I mentioned Wes, he perked right up and said Wes was his last companion and he was Wes' first companion.  His name is Mitch Winters.  He went on and on about what a great missionar Wes is.  Small World!!!"   We immediatly knew who she was speaking about because Wes had sent home photos with his companions and he said that he and Elder Winters really got along well. (post from Sept 30)

Thank you Ronette for sharing the story.  

I must agree with Wes and hearing his voice and SEEING his handsome mug made Christmas perfect.  If we didn't open one gift we would have been just as happy.  

 Wes says that the people of El Salvador are very animated and even talk with sounds.  He was trying to show us.  

 Loved seeing this face

Christmas 2013 ~ PERFECT