Finding the silver lining

I never knew the mission would bring so many rough times....but with the rough times is when the true man comes out and your true faith in Lord and His work. We started off the week rough losing some amazing people because of spouses saying we can no longer visit or them moving away...then it got better and I found an old investigator I lost about three months back because he just left and moved...but we found him and are reteaching him the great part is that the whole time he was reading the Book of Mormon!!! So he is great and I sure love teaching and visiting him and the new family we found last week! 

I am learning quiet well how to handle failure its not really failure though its more of a learning moment and then pushing even harder to see what our maximun potential is as a companionship as we are going through all these times of trial. I have a testimony of this Church and I KNOW it to be true with everything I have and I KNOW that the Lord will provide we just need to keep going and pushing through the heat and the rain filled moments. I truly love reading the Liahona or the Ensign and listening to the leaders of our church and their knowledge and insight of the Lord and how He works and how we can get the most out of this life and all that the Lord has instore for us. I am so grateful for this time that I have here in the mission to be serving and getting to know My Savior Jesus Christ personally. I know He loves us and He is there to help us through it all and be there He won`t always fight our battles but He will show us how we can win it. With His help nothing is impossible!

Sorry for writing so late ~ last tonight I got a call right before bed that I would be needing to go to imigration today or else they were going to kick my ugly butt out of here and we don`t want that to happen folks! So we took off way early this morning and went and took care of that and one other Elder in my district had to go too and he asked if he could go buy a new suit so we went with him and we got to visit the mall.  I will try and send a nice picture of us four there. 

Thank you so much for the package I haven`t had time to open it but I will be here soon when I get done with everything that I need to, to prepare for the week, I know whatever is in there is perfect!!! I love you guys and thank you so much for your support and love while I am out here serving! 

That is crazy about so many Leatherows at Pizza Hut I bet it makes for some good times just hope you guys get work done as well (; 

Well I will stop talking your ears off for the day, I love you all so much, Mother know that I love you with all that I have to the moon and back and then some! 

I hope you all have a great week, just know that whatever you are going through that it will pass just keep the Faith and drive to keep going because I know that we will be together for an eternity if we do all that we can here on this battle field of life. 

Con mucho Amor,

Elder Leatherow

 Elder Leatherow and Elder Smith

For P-Day last week (7/21) we just hung out in the Man Cave, enjoyed some MD and Pringles.  It was great to just relax and hang out.  

Family

Dear Family,

Football season already?!?! What the freak?!?! Where is the time going my friends?!?!?! That is awesome though and I can`t wait to hear all the stories and see the pics ~ go get 'em guys and tear it up and play so they remember the name!!! 

Okay so lets get down to my favorite season also.....HUNTING!!!! Tags! man you guys are so lucky and I freaking can`t wait to see all these dead animal pics!! GOOG LUCK!! Only one more season and then I will be home; I am trying to not cry about it to much(;   No, its all good this is where I need to be the Lord will bless me with a monster the season that I get back! (; I am praying at least!! Sounds like the odds are in your favors though after hearing about Mantua!!!! I am so stoked and I can`t wait to hear all the stories if you can get up there at least two or three times in Agosto though so you can find where they will be heading to as fall and hunting season comes, cause the Big ones know, I swear, that its hunting season and they become Ghosts!!!!!!! 

Congrats to Shaylee Taylor and her win at Nationals! That is truly incredible and an amazing accomplishment!! 

Chad is such a stud!! Thank you so much Chad for always looking out for my family, you are a blessing and someone that the Lord has truly blessed our family to have in it!!!! 

I am so sorry about car probs this past week, maybe we just need to stick to trucks and blazers and what not...but yes mother! I would love to drive right now so much!!! Walking is so healthy and what not but we it gets old and in the heat it just drains you I am drinking like almost 4 litros de agua cada dia and its still is not enough sometimes it feels like!!!

For us here we are trying not to die of heat stroke first off...but we had a killer week and we found so many new people to teach and families too!!! It is great and really looking like a bright future for the next couple of months, I believe we will be having some more family baptisms coming up!!!! So I am so excited about that, we worked out butts off to find and get them but it so paid off in the long run!!!!!!Other than that nothing really happened this week sorry /: 

Thanks for always writing though!!! Oh by the way!! How is everyone at Pizza Hut doing???? Tell them all I said Hello please! (: 

I love you guys so much, keep going strong, if you get a chance there is a talk in the last general conference that Presidenta de primaria (2nd counselor) gave it was called "Fear Not; I am with Thee" and oh man did that hit home with me so much especially the third story she shares and temple convents and what that family did for their last 48 hours together in this life, it basically was what I needed to hear to confirm about Shon...So I can testify that He does Answer our prayers not when we want or how we want but when He knows its best  ~ just have to have faith that He knows what He is doing!!! 

Have a great week family!

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

I love you all too!! 

Con mucho amor!!!

Elder Leatherow

Week from down under

Dear Family,

This week was a crazy one so please buckle up and keep all arms and legs inside the ride at all times as we go through this...

Monday after writing, Elder Smith and I went Thrift Shopping so that was freaking sweet and we found things that I found really cool, we found two pictures and two glasses that we just had to buy so you will see those in the pictures. 

Later that night I started to feel even worse though and it was bad by the time I went to bed the same kinds of symptoms that I had when I was in the MTC. So I was thinking oh freak not again...I gave it while to make sure though and it got bad I wasn't eating cause I wasn`t hnugry but I was drinking so don`t freak I know what I am doing. I finally called the enfermeda and she sent me to get tested and I ended up just having an intestine infection so nothing too bad and this same week for a long time now I had problems with one of my toes. I have had an ingrown toenail and I thought it would just go away or I could rub it out and what not but that didn`t work for anything!! So last week it rained so hard that I walked in a river basically again and then we sat in the same wet clothes for a long time and I was sick at this time & my toe and whole foot started to hurt way bad when walking home then when I took off the shoe it was pretty fat and red and pussy and what not so I called the enfermeda and she had me send her pictures and she then sent them to a doctor. I then had to go into San Salvador, the capital from Usulutan, which is like three hours or more bus ride.  Once we found the doctor  he went a head and did a little surgery thing and cut the toenail out ~ I will be attaching photos so please if you have a weak stomach don`t look. 

With all this going on we also had interviews to know our new Presidente! What a great first inpression that was...he is probably thinking what a lazy or baby missionary and I felt super bad about all this is what I call horrible timing! ...I will not lie I kind of was murmuring and saying why me? or why now? For real???? I was so frustrated and angry and so the work was rough between all this I was then reading in Mosiah 14 (please do read only 12 verses) and it talks about the Atonement and verse 7 stood out to me more than anything and it really quickly put me in my place! ¨He was oppressed, and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth, he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so he opened not his mouth¨ You talk about what an example our Savior was he did not say one word even all he went through and I was going through things so small right now in comparision to his afflictions and I was complaining ~ wow!!! I was sure to ask for forgiveness and I can now say that I know if we bear our afflictions and burdens without complaining look at them as a blessing that they to will go away faster and the Lord will truly help us through them! I say that in the name of Jesus Christ amen. 

After the toe surgery though right next to the Doctors was TGI Fridays  and we hadn`t ate all day so we kind of treated ourselves good I mean it has been a year since I ate something like that! So enjoy the pictures! 

Thanks for all your love and support! I hope you all have a great week and thank the Lord for the trials and the things that you learn from them instead of complaining over them like I first did! 

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

I love you all have a great week!!! 

con mucho amor

Elder Leatherow

WARNING TOE PICTURES:

 Pre-Surgery

Thirft Store Finds:

 ET phone home!

the two photos: The Man Cave and 9-11

and the meal that tasted so sweet

Chatted with Wes a bit and he asked me to unlock his facebook so that his friends in El Salvador could find him, friend request him and he could stay in touch with them after he returns home.  He also was curious if the states did the same procedure on ingrown toenails and I assured him they did so he was in good hands.  As the for the stomach issues that as him momma scares me to death but I hope and pray that he knows NOT to let it go for weeks.  Prays for fast heeling and a healthy missionary are appreciated.  Loving and missing my boy.  Shar

Christmas in July?

Dear Family,

4th of July Already?!?! What the freak?!? Where is the time going??? It is sure flying and Dad`s Birthday and then Shane`s as well!!!! WOW!!! I hope you all had a great day and got all that you wanted!! Dad your duck looks so freaking sweet!!!! It turned out way good and my companion even agreed! 

How was your ride, thanks G for pics, it looked beautiful so I hope you guys didn`t get to sick of it cause I would like to go when I get back!!! 

Congrats to all on the tags that were drawn for hunts this year; you all are going to have a blast and I can`t wait to hear stories and see pics!!! 

Congrats to Shaylee Taylor too for going to nationals that is freaking sweet!!!! 

That kinda of really does suck about Kita though....but I guess if its for the best I totally understand..

Thank you so much for the package of the letters and the talk you have no idea how much that means to me ~ more anything really than food or anything out here so thank you!!!!!!

As for us here in Usulutan we are doing good ~  in the process of getting people ready for baptism probably not this month because we have stake meeting some weekends so we had to change dates so we are planning a lot for Agosto!! 

With us being GREENGOS(; we have no idea why but we have been jamming out to some Christmas music here at night or when we are getting ready for the day, I am not sure why but we are eating it up!!! I like being with a white guy ~ like Latinos are great but greengos are way fun to be with and we work so hard together! 

This letter is kind short cause nothing really happened just a lot of knocking doors talking and teaching people! I did get to give two blessings this past week and wow!! Those were two great moments and it reminds me of how blessed we are to have the Priesthood on the earth once more and He will never again take it from us!!! 

Well family I love you all especially you mom to the moon and back and then some!!! 

Have a great week and keep enjoying the sun!!! 

com mucho amor!

Elder Leatherow