Exciting News

To start out, I feel a little bad for last weeks email so if I wrote home bad emails individually its because I was super frustrated and I really regret basically everything I wrote home last week including personal emails. So sorry about all that. 

I have exciting news and I had a couple pretty cool experiences happen to me this week. Based off the fact like I got like 4 emails 3 being from the Dean family, I now know who loves me most. But I bring up that fact because if I write home short emails individually its because I wanted to make this email really good and detailed and make up for last weeks mess. 

SOOOOO exciting news is the Elder Holland is coming to our mission and speaking to us along with one of the members of the presidency of the 70! How freaking neat is that!!!! The conference with Elder Holland is the 13th of next month. Also to top it off, WE GET TO SHAKE HIS HAND AND TAKE PICTURES WITH THEM!!!! This is just great! So lucky of us and I'm super excited for that day! Idk if the conference will be in English or Spanish or what since I heard Elder Holland cant speak Spanish, but I would love it to be in English so I can hear his real voice and stuff! Ill let you know when I know more details of this matter. 

Okay cool experiences of the week. To start the family Maldonado is getting married this week I believe! Or for sure like Monday next week! Because they needed to take out this paper, Idk what paper. I've asked and didn't understand and I don't think I would even in English, But anyways they are taking that paper out on friday! And then getting married like saturday or like i said monday then baptism i think next saturday! I begged them to get married this past saturday but the paper held them back. I wanted to have my own little wedding here since I was missing Tyler's. Anyways we had a family night with the family maldonado saturday night and that was the first time I've ever cried I think since I originally left home. So the family night we had with them was with another member family. We made the topic of the night marriage and families are eternal, my two favorite. So when it got time for me to talk I bore I think the best testimony of my life on no empty chairs, how I know families are eternal, my testimony on marriage and how I know they are making the right decision. I believe the reason i cried was for a couple of reasons. Number one I was pretty upset all day saturday knowing all our family and Ivy would be at this wedding and I'm out here a zillion miles away walking in the freezing cold rain contacting and teaching lessons. Number two, don't want to make Ivy feel uncomfortable, but the whole lesson and day just made me think of Ivy. I just wanted that day home with the family and spending time with Ivy and yeah just so hard. Number 3 and last thing, is that i believe my strongest part of my testimony is in eternal marriages and in that families are eternal. So yeah i cried while bearing my testimony of these subjects. It was a little awkward, but it wasn't like I was sobbing but it was enough to make me pause every now and then so i could speak. Anyways the lesson went super well. The family is so awesome and in one year from their baptism i cant wait to see them and their 3 kids get sealed in the temple and have that eternal family that I KNOW with all my heart is true! Families are forever! 

Cool experience and last experience. So Saturday also we had our regular 3 month interviews with Our mission president! Man was that interview I had with him tan poderoso! So started out with me setting goals for the new year. One of them was to be a good spanish speaker by the time i facetime home again. He laughed at that but something I liked is he helped me set a plan of how I can accomplish all the goals I set for the upcoming year. Then he told me the coolest story. So he goes "elder welch, turn around" so I did and saw a picture of the first presidency of the church and he goes "I know everyone of those men personal and very well. They are very good friends of mine" (he worked directly with the first presidency for his job before the mission how cool!) then he goes "President Eyring is the smartest person I have ever met! The man is absolutely brilliant! But that guy can not learn Spanish!" so I laughed and I was thinking where is he going with this? then he goes "He was called to work in Mexico and to dedicate the Mexico temple" (don't remember exactly what it was but something that was enough that he felt the need to learn Spanish) then goes "he asked me if i would help him learn Spanish and I of course said yes. Then one day he said to me "I'm going to pray before we leave, but in Spanish. If I mess up correct me right then please"" He said "I was freaking out. A member of the 12 is asking me in the middle of a prayer to correct him when he messes up" he said "we knelt down at his desk in his office and he started to pray. and about every couple words he would smack my arm and I would say you're good, keep going." Then he goes on to talk about when president Eyring was dedicating a temple in Mexico and had a talk completely written out for him in Spanish and he just had to read it. My president says "at the end of the talk, a lady in the back who didn't speak English yells in English "Thank you elder Eyring! But learn to speak Spanish!" President Christensen said it absolutely crushed him. So now the point of my story. He goes on to tell me "you have been called to serve in the Spanish language by the Lord. He will qualify you to work in this language. Just keep working hard, praying for the gift of tongues and it will come" He told me another story but i don't wanna write another one out so I told you guys the cooler story. I know I'm making it sound like I cant speak. I can. Just not as well as I would like to. I told my president some days I understand and can speak so well and the next I struggle so much! He goes my wife has the same problem. She says it all leaks out on her pillow when she goes to sleep at night. so he told me "don't throw away your pillow" haha anyways that interview was so awesome. 

Saturday was a super hard day for me and I believe that is why I had so many spiritual experiences that day. I miss everyone back home especially my family, the Dean family, and Ivy. My time will come to see you all again soon until then pray for me PLEASE! I'm so happy for you Tyler and Karli! I know marriages are forever! I know your guys future family is not only for the short time on this Earth but for eternity because you got married in the temple! I can not wait for my turn to be married and to go to the temple. Until then i will keep working hard and helping others know these freaking amazing truths! The church is true! I love you all thanks to those who wrote me! Cant wait to talk to you all next week!

Otavaleño ties! The Otavaleños are straight decedents of the Lamanites! THESE TIES ARE MADE BY THEM! Almost every one of this group you teach will be baptized! So much that when my mission president served here they would promise them that they would receive a dream that night if they prayed! These are for dad tyler and dustin! If anyone wants one ask me and I'll buy you one! 

This girl I call my sister! There is a place in Monobi Ecuador its name is chone and its where I tell people I'm from! Shes from there and thats what they look like!