Letters home !

I know I have been slacking when it comes to Jesse's blog. However there are times when Jesse write home and says "I don't have time to write now love you" and that is it! So forgive me if I don't post those emails. Here are his most recent emails however that have been a little more meaningful and informal! Enjoy!!!!

Megan

June 29th, 2009

Ok well I need to write in about 10 minutes or less so this is going to be really short but some cool stories to put on the Blog. Ok the Sunday the ward is going to divide. It was Insurgents and now coming to a house near you will be the Ward Acueducto. We are going to be in this ward. It will be really cool. So right now we have a few really good people we are teaching. The Castro family (Elena, Mago, Alejandro, and Gabby.) We also have Edgar, Rosario, and Marta. They are all really good. So now we have another two missionaries in our house. They were in another place but a drunk tried braking into their house with a knife, told them that he was going to kill them and later punched one of the Elders. So they had to leave that area. The President is still here and mentioned the other day that this crazy man that tried to kill them is racist. President said that he would send me there to take their place but that I look pretty white too. I told him that I could paint myself and ya everything would be fine. He got a good laugh out of that.
So one of our investigators named Roberto told us a really cool story of one time when he got into a fight with 20 guys and the beat him up and stuck his head in a barrel of water. It was funny because he said that they pulled him out of the water after a while and he was so beat up that he could not talk or move. Then he heard them say ¨I think we killed him¨ He then said that he thought ¨whooo I am dead¨ haha then they carried him a long ways and threw him into a big canal that they call here Black waters. You can imagine why. Then he woke up in the canal and some how was holding on to a few plants with his hands. It was crazy his story. Well it was cool to see pictures of all the youth or young women. It is crazy how much they have all changed.Well I love you all a lot.

August 3rd, 2009

Hello Family,



So another week has gone by and it was a lot harder then the other last few weeks. I was on divisions all week long and did not get to spend much time with my companion Elder Martinez. I was actually with an new Elder called Smith. It was a good experience but I am happy to be back with my comp. However once again we are going to do more divisions and I will be in another place for a week. Well I thought that I had told you this but by the letter I got from you all I suppose that I never mentioned it. Our new mission president had health problems and will not be coming for at least another week or two, so President Davidson is still here. I talked to him about what you wanted and he said that I can just get it off the inter net so I think that I will do that.Well I got a lot of pictures that I will send you later. Everything has been really crazy lately and I have never had time. It really is crazy how all the days just start passing by so fast. Still not sure about extending but who knows. I do not know how this is all going to work out with school. When would I be starting?? because it would be nice to do a one week trip down here to Mexico.hmmmm who knows. Well I love you all a lot.

August 10th, 2009

Hello family,



Well the mission has been really hard these last few weeks. I have been out of my area and doing divisions all week long. It has been really hard and I really needed to rest today. which I still have not done. It has been really hard lately because sometimes I just want every one to do things my way and obviously my way is not always the best or right way. So I have just been trying to get everything going well in the Zone here. I know that the Lord will help us out if we just put our part in. I am sure that you have heard about Morelia on news. It seems to be getting pretty bad here with the drug families. Well I do not really understand all of this with the school work and stuff but I am sure that it will all work out good. Something really good happened this week. Our converts got callings. wooohoooo about time. So we are working really hard this week so that we can have at least one more baptism here in Morelia before this change ends. Lets see what else is there.....well I think that I have said everything really note worthy. Ok so I love you all a lot and hope you can find work soon. Oh and one thing more. Some of the members just got back and told me that they went to Oregon and even to Bend. I cant believe that they did not let me know that they were going to go. ahhhhhh

Letter's Home

~May 2009~

Hey Family,

What a crazy week. I was so glad to hear about what is up with all of these people in Bend. I was also glad to hear that Gabe is doing good. I have also been wondering about Kimberly Lund. I hope everything is well with her.
That is so crazy that the economy is in the pitts. It is crazy to think that in 4 months I will have to be worrying about that type stuff but I know that if I pay a full tithe and keep the commandments there will never be need to fear anything.
Well that is a bummer that you could not see Joyce Taylor. I will be really glad to see her again. I sometimes am just so grateful to have been able to know so many great people through out the course of my life. I am what I am because of them.
So this last week there were changes in the mission and my good friend elder Jasso left. So two other elders came in. My companions are elder Martinez and elder Villalobos. They are really cool. We also just got done with moving from our old house and we have a new one now. It is a really cool house.
So Norma is a complete powerhouse I do not know if you all remember her but she was the first one that we baptized here in Insurgentes. She is so powerful and this last Sunday for the first time ever her Husband came to the church.
I have been really worried about the Tovar family because the Dad salomon drank again and now is not coming to church. Well the world just seems to get a better hold on us every day but we just have to keep on the job and work hard.
The truth is there is so much revelation in the church. There are so many things that we can learn every day. I was just reading in Corinthians the other day Chapter 1, verse 17 I think. Paul says that Christ did not send him to baptize but to preach the gospel. What a great lesson. So like always there are hundreds of stories from the mission and not enough time to tell all of them.
I love you all a ton and would love it if you could start looking into BYU Idaho. I have really been thinking about what I would like to do but every time I start to think about it I tried to remember that it is not over yet and that I have to keep on keeping on.

Love you all and say hello to everyone.
Elder McKibben

Letter's Home

~ May 11th, 2009~

Hey Family,

So I have a Boston Accent. That is cool. I have been working on trying to say things good in spanish but sometimes it is really hard to pronounce things right. But I am a ton better than I was before. It is really cool becauseright now I am living with a few elders and one of them is Elder Toone. He has about a year in the mission and I help him out a little bit with spanish. It is crazy to see how much I have learned in 18 months. What is even more amazing is how fast I can pick up on things. I remember before it would takes days to learn one word and I would have to say it again and again. But the Lord has really blessed me and not I can memorize things almost in seconds. It is so carzy to see the blessings of God. Even when we do not have a lot of faith or as Alma says even when we only have the hope to beleive. That is good enough and the Lord will do the rest. So I am going to send you some cool pictures of Scorpions that we have been finding in the house. This is the 5th one we have found. They move really quickly, climb wall, and are dealy if you do not treat yourself quickly. haha actually I think it is pretty funny how much freak out about them. They are called alacranes here in mexico. So other than that nothing else has happened oh but also right down the street from us three people got killed about two days ago. It is really intresting because as a missionary I just always fell like I have a protection if I am doing what I should be doing. Sometimes I think that it must be really scary for those that have asked for there names to be removen from the church rolls. I imagen that one must really feel alone when they do not have spirit as a companion. Well I ove the Gospel so much. I love seeing converts become so strong. I love seeing people that come to know the truth of the gospel. What great blessings.Ok well I love you all. Here are some pictures of Salomon in his baptism and all some other pictures.

Elder McKibben

Letter's Home

April 27th, 2009

Hey Family,
What a great week. It has been going really well. This week we Have the Family Tovar that will be getting baptized I try not to say things like that because I have learned that whats written on Dad´s Bow box is true. Don't jump up and down until the guts are on the ground haha ok so maybe that is not the best way to say it but I have learned that it is better to give thanks for the blessings after you´ve received them haha jk. So the funny story of this week happened yesterday. So we were knocking on doors and I knocked on a door and somebody yelled out ¨who?¨ I responded and then they did not say anything more. I was almost leaning again the door when it opened . Out stepped a man of 24 years more or less and pulling out his right hand which was hidden behind his back I saw that he had a black gun. I thought that he was going to kill me because he pulled it out really quickly and towards me. Well my boxing skills paid off and instead of staying still I jumped back five feet and yelled (I am not sure what I said but I am sure it was all really reasonable for what was going on lol). However he almost looked more surprised than me I then quickly realized that what he had pulled out was actually a black TV control hahaha well it was weird to have to explain to Him why I jump back like a chicken haha but in the same moment I am glad I did not try to disarm him because it would have been more difficult to explain it to the police hahaha. Ok so once again this week has gone by super fast. Tuesday we all went to Guadalajaras temple and it was great.

So it sounds like a ton of things are going on there. Oh ya and now for the super experience that we had. Well the Mom in the Tovar family told me that she had some time the other day in the afternoon and decided to read a little bit of the Book of Mormon. After reading for a little bit she prayed again to know if it was true. She then had a dream and started to explain things she felt and that God answered her. However this was not good enough I guess haha because afterwards she told the Lord if he would just bring her son back she would get baptized (this can also be known as tempting God lol haha no but really she asked the Lord to help her with the one things. And just a little bit later her son knocked on the door and asked to live in the house with his family again. hahaha what a great experience. Oh and also we had another experience the other day we were tracking when I passed by a a little phone office. I saw a lady sitting down inside. We do not always contact stores usually just houses. But I felt like I should do it. So I turned around and went back to the window that I sw her through. Once again I thought maybe I should not do it because it would kind of be weird to contact here through a window of some business so I turned around and started walking away when I felt the like I should do it again. So I returned and began talking to her, afterwards we started teaching her and while I was teaching she Said what church are you from. I told her where it was at and she said that she thought we were from tha church because a few months ago she was feeling kind of bad about life and a missionary from that church passed by and prayed with her and she felt better. She then told us that she had felt the same way all day until my companion and I started talking to her. Her name is Lucy. She is reading everything and has already prayed now and received an answer. Ok well I love you all a ton. Tell Lauren RINGO mixed wit Guardemann equals GRINGO hahaha so it looks like we will all be family hahahaha (in case you did get it we are all Gringos in Mexico hahaha.

Elder McKibben

Letter's Home

April 20th, 2009

Hello family,

Dont worry about the short letter because sometimes I also have to send very short letters. That is cool the Jordan is going on a mission. Kind of cool because I was just thinking about him today and I thougth he is porbably going to go on mission and then I read what you guys sent me haha.That is sweet that Lauren is going to get married and all that good stuff. I am sure she will make some man really happy. Elder Grow (a member of the area presidency here) told us that what has gotten him where he is at has had so much to do with the wife he chose. That is kind of crazy that when I get back a bunch of my friends are going to be gone and married and doing all sorts of stuff. Ya I got the box you sent my however a couple of the eggs busted open and melted all over everything, but its all good. It is still edible haha Wel I am pretty sure we are going to be baptizing Norma`s nephew so that should be pretty cool. Ya so I do not know when I will know if I am going to extend or not. We`ll find out soon. Ok well I love you all a lot and dont ever forget that I am so grateful for all the prayers that you all have offered in my behalf. I know that this work is imposible with out the hep of the lord.

Elder McKibben

Letter's Home

April 13th, 2009

Hey Family,

What a week. I think by far this has been one of the hardest weeks in the mission. We worked so hard and the blessing were great but we still did not do all we wanted to do. In the beginning of this week we thought that were going to have 13 people get baptized between Sat and Frid and we worked so hard to complete it. Satuday we lost one family of 4. and later that night we lost another family of 5. We are still working with them and trying to help them but it has been really hard. I could not sleep very well Saturday night because I just felt like all was lost. However We worked hard and we were still able to baptize 3. Graciela (I do not know if I ever mentioned her to you guys) just go baptized and then the 2 daughters of the Chavez family got baptized which means they are all members. I hope in one year they all go to the temple. I`ll send you pictures. It is starting to get really really hot here. I actually do not know how much longer I can stand it. lol. Changes happened last night but my companion and I are still here. Ya I did get the letter from logan and he told me in it that he heard I got a gut haha well I weigh the same as when I left but who knows haha. I cant believe that Pres. Davidson is going to be leaving in just two more months. Time sure does va volando. Well I love you all a lot. The work is hard but i will never end haha so I might as well get used to it. I know that this is the great work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and what an honor to be a part of it. I love you all.

Elder McKibben

Some fun pictures!