Elder Casper 5/19/2008

Dear family-

Well it’s been a great week full of many unforgettable experiences. The week has flown by and I can’t beileve that it has been over a week since we talked to eachother.

Well to start off, on Monday we had our weekly meeting with president and we finished up the changes. While we were talking about changes president asked Elder Garcia if he could talk to me for a minute. Elder Garcia left the room and president said that he was going to send Elder Garcia out in the mission field to finish his mission in a normal sector and told me that I will be here to the end of my mission. I am way excited to be here in the office until the end. Then he told me that Elder Oakes is going to be my companion…Elder Oakes, again, how sweet is that? Elder oakes and I are going to be companions again, he goes home in 2 months and I go home in 4 months. I am going to kill Elder Oakes here, im so excited to be with him again although I am going to miss Elder Garcia so much. He has been such an amazing companion, a great person and a great friend. It was a pleasure to work with him.

Elder Oakes and I will have a great time again, he was my second companion after Elder Hutchens and we didn’t have any experience as missionaries when we were together. We always said: "hopefully we can be companions again". We never thought it would really happen, but it did and we feel truly blessed. Thinking over this past week I have come to the realization that the Lord has blessed me so much with such amazing companions. Each one of them has been placed in my life at the perfect time, right when I needed them. I am overwhelmed by the love that my Heavenly Father has for me and for the blessings he poors upon me daily.

It was so awesome to talk to you on Sunday, I love you all so stinking much. We are so blessed to have eachother and especially to have the gospel in our lives. Thanks for everything you do for me I love you so very much.

On Friday we were eating with President and Hermana Resek and Elder Johnson called from the 1st quorm of the 70. He asked president if he had someone who could translate for him on Saturday and Sunday in a stake conference in La Bandera stake. President asked me if I could do it and on Saturday and Sunday I had the opportunity to translate for a general authority. It was such an amazing experience, a spiritual one. I am very grateful for the gift that God has given me to speak and interpretate another language. Whenever I translate I always feel the spirit so strong, it just carries me and God speaks through me. On Sunday we went to the conference with all of president´s kids and I sat with them until I had to translate and it reminded me so much of going to church with Cole and Harrison. They argued the whole time and it was so funny to watch and think back on the time with Cole and Harrison. We surely are blessed to have them in our lives.

Yesterday afternoon we had a baptism of a little kid that is 8 named Matías. His parents are active members but aren't married and live together. He asked me to baptize him and I felt honored by the opportunity that I had to be part of that ordinance. It blows my mind how much confidence the Lord has in me to allow me to baptize his children and perform sacred ordinances such as baptism.

Today Elder Adams and I took Elder Garcia to his new sector and it was sad to see him go. Elder Adams parents get here on Wednesday and he is really excited. I'm way excited because I will be with him today and tomorrow and on Wednesday I will get to meet his parents. We were talking today and he is so excited to meet you Mom and Dad. His homecoming is on the 8th of June and he wants you to go really bad. He will be calling you when he gets home, it would be really good if you could go to meet and support him. It will be weird saying bye to my best mission buddy. It will be a lot different without him here.

It was really good to hear that you saw brother beck at the baseball game. If you run into him again tell him hi for me and thanks for everything.

Well tomorrow all the new missionaries get here, this change there are only six new missionaries, so it’s a really small group. Also Eva that was going to get baptized next week told us on Tuesday that she didn’t want to continue listening and that she doesn´t want us to pass by her house any more. It made us really sad but I feel tranquil because we did what we were supposed to do and she made the decision not to listen or be baptized. But Teresa is still doing well and we found a new family named Pedro and Roxana. They are evangelicals but are really sincere people and are very interesed in our message.

It's been a great week and I look forward to hearing from you next week. Know that I love you and miss you and that you are in my every thought and prayer. Tell everyone hi for me and that I love them. Tell Josh Hutchens thanks for his email, it helped me a lot and made me want to be better. Thanks to you all, family for making me want to be a better person and allowing me to strive to live the gospel and make good decisions in my life. Sissy thanks for your letter...i'm sorry if I don’t write you, I don’t have much time but I will make sure to write when I find the time. I love you all so much and thanks for all you do, you are the greatest family in the world. I love you, I love you, I love you.

1-4-3-4,

Elder Mason Casper