HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Dear Mommy

THIS week was a little better than the last. but the lessons were not there.. and our companionship is doing alot better, it just took a while to understand each others personalities, but oh well, we got over it all... how is everybody doing? thats so awesome with Nathan.!! Dang i am like 20 years old! weird... anyway... Ithaisa is a 27 woman, has 3 absolutely adorable kids, boyfriend (baby daddy) and we are trying to get her divorced from the guy she married to get citizenship so she can get married to her boyfriend Isreal and then get baptised!!! her kids are Anthony, 4yrs old, Liliani 3 and Juli 1.5, she is struggling alot right now with a few of the commandments but is progressing really well. Elliot just basically denied the Gods help and blessings by refusing to be baptized until he is in a better situation.  he accepts tithing and refuses to pay it, and just a whole slew of things that dont matter! it is very frustrating.. anyway.

Eduardo and Gigi are doing great!!! they are so awesome, they want us to stay with them when we come back down.! so i said SURE!!! everybody in this branch says that i will probably be in this area for like half my mission, half my mission is approaching pretty fast. lol... i am like 2 mmonths away from my year mark! Ryan enters the MTC in 2months!!! crazy.. i hope teiler is doing alright, i have been really worried about him.  thanks for the camera, i need the new one, i will keep the card, and i am going to see if it will work in the newcamera.  with the garments, i want 3 of the boxer and three of the more supportive hopefully you caught that, i have been wearing my contacts alot more lately and they fit and feel well.. i had to buy sunglasses tho. but ya.  this week i was studdying about the expiation of Jesus Christ, sorry atonement of Christ, (the word for atonement in spanish is expiacion haha, ha english sucks lol)_ i dont have any pics to send this week. we have been too busy to take pics, so next week...keep praying for the work. we are struggling as of now but it will get better.. please keep praying for the investigators also. 

but that isit for this week, yes i need another jounal, doesnt really matter whatkind as long as it has got alot of lines to write lol.. btw yesterday i woke up so tired, that when i was shaving in the shower, i only shaved half my face, and at stake conference eduardo realized it hahahahahahahah
ahahahahahhahahaah we all had a great big laugh it was so funny.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! anyway that is all the humour that i have for this week..i love you all a lot.
Yours always


Elder Maki

PORCUPINE FISH AND MISSION CAR?

Elder Fisher and Elder Maki holding
'Get along with your companion pills' that Sister Gonzales gave us

Porcupine Fish

Strong I Am
With the Force

Hi Mommy,

I have the clothing size info you requested.  I have increased my torso size by 4.5 inches and I have added 3 inches onto my guns.  I told you I am getting buff  lol..

Ok so this past week was sad.  Guillermo is close to passing on.  I felt we needed to visit him and we got there, and a member from family services was there and told us he doesn’t have a lot of time left. He got our info so he can inform us of his passing.  So I will list of why this past week was a not so good week.  

1. Guillermo's health 

2. Our bike seats were stolen and cost 55 dollars to replace

3. Rode 3 days and 70 miles with no seats

4. Every appointment fell through

5. Our finding efforts were halted

Yes we have a car dad, lol.  I am senior companion, we (Elder Fisher and I) actually got here the same day, we were on the same plane.. but anyway, we get along,  we are having alot of fun.. but this next week will be a great one!!! 

Mom if I were to tell you all about everyone so far, my mission would be done before I finished writing.

Teiler, hows it going? I have been worried about you this past week. hopefully you have felt my prayers.  I love you bro, just remember who to turn to for help.  It really does work, trust me. 

Sunrise on the Atlantic from Bal Harbour

I have pictures of the sun rise that one day on the pier, or jetty whatever same smell (literally) different color. lol. I can't wait till we all come down again after the mish and see all the people I have come to love, that is alot by the way... Eduardo and Gigi have already said we can stay at their house when we come.  So we got a place to stay! :) 

The pic we sent of our kitchen ceiling (before painting)

The ceiling looks nice as it is, that color is nice I think.  But anyway not much more to write.  About the camera, it would be great if you could find that one, but if you can't its fine... I just need something different than this one.  This one is driving me nuts...please PLEASE pray for the success here, pray for our investigators.  You should tell Ryan and James to write me a letter.  and the rest of the family!!!!! Nothing yet!!!! lol.. anyway I will get those pics for you.. I love you soooo much guys and have a great week!

Elder Maki

CAMERA WOES!

Hello Mommy!!!!
So this week was full of miracles!  I got my new companion, Elder Fisher, from St. George Utah which was awesome because we flew in to florida together! i became senior companion, became driver, get to have my birthday here in miami beach! couldn't ask for anything more, well actually a baptism would be nice, haha.. anyway. the new District Leader, is Elder Fullmer,. we are step brothers in the mission, Elder Stubbs finished elder fullers training and started mine, so we get along great, elder bishop became Zone leader  in coral springs, we have some solid investigators who are preparing for baptism! just please pray for Elliot, Olga, and Sabrina, they are struggling right now, but Ithaisa on the other hand, she is on top of things!!! we met her last wednesday, blessed her home, went back a couple days later, started teaching her, gave up drugs, tobacco, coffee, tea, alcohol everything, so that she could be baptized! the only thing is, she needs to get divorced and then married to her boyfriend and they have 3 adorable childred together.  so pray for her also that the process will go quick and that she will be able to get baptized soon!  so how is everything at home, hows the famjam, the dog? that is zoo sweet that Nathan is going to toronto! 3 of my friends are there! AWESOME!!! so i forgot the information about the garments, but next week i promise, i also forgot my camera...... sorry........ but the thing with the camera takes amazing pictures when it is not clitching out on

me. the camera will just randomly shut off or blink, or just go awol
and cycle through all my pictures, it has also been corrupting my SD
cards, lots of the stuff from the mtc is now just up and gone! that
was like 200 pictures just deleted, so a new nice camera would be
greatly appreciated. there is a best buy not to far from my apt. so
that would work.. the Missionary Support Funds are supporting me
well.. we are fed nicely by the members here, so that is nice, so we
hardly spend anything on p-day getting groceries and stuff.. I love
Hermana (Sister) Cecilia she is crazy and loooooovvves the missionaries.  as long as im here, you wont have to worry about me! Elder Fisher and I are having a lot of fun together getting to know each other and just having fun! we now do this thing, where after everytime we pray we either do 10- pushups or curls, or i do 10-15 chin-ups.. we are getting buffer in this transfer. maybe my six-pack of rolls might turn into a sixpack of something useful haha. anyway that is pretty much it for this week. i love you all soooo much, i loved the package btw and that you so much.

Yours Always.

Elder Maki

TRANSFERS

Hello Mommy!!!!!

Well Transfer Info ready???..........................................................................North Miami Beach, Elder Hunt Transfers, Elder Fullmer Stays, El Portal N, ZL, Elder Olson leaves, Elder Ho Ching stays, El Portal South, Both stay, Miami .................................Beach...........................

...................................................................................................................................................................

I.......................................................................................................................am.......................................

..........................................................................transferring...................................................NOWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I stay here and Elder Bishop leaves.  i am starting transfer 6 but transfer 5 in the field, so 5th transfer in Miami beach, i spend my birthday here!  i am so excited, i just hope i get another good companion and not a "robot missionary". oh well, we all grow in our own ways i guess,... so this morning we went sunrising, with the sister missionaries and the north Miami beach elders, it was alot of fun, woke up at 5 and were at the docks at 6.  the ocean was RIGHT THERE i touched it!!!!! it is soooo nice and warm i gots pics, but i forgot my cord so next week i will send those and of last p-day when we went mountain biking. That was fun too!! okidoki. Teiler, whatsup? long time no talk que paso chico malo!?how are things? school, sports, tiibo, girls, whats going on in your life that you big bro wants to know? Dad those Skikes look sooooo coool!!!!!!!!! the other night i had a dream about the day i got home, it was weird.  just like no companion, quiet and just weird.  oh well i got little over a year before i have to worry about that, that is not alot of time when you think about it.  When Ryan enters the mission, i will be just short of my year mark! Loco! So this morning when we went sunrising, there were 6 of us, and we went out to the pier in Bal Harbour.  we watched the sun come up and took some really cool pictures and i will send them next week with my new comp.  the sisters are hilarious, and i am going to miss the elders that are leaving. :( we sang a bunch of old Disney songs while the sun was rising and we were just goofing around and having alot of fun! 

i touched the ocean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i cant wait to get in it when we come back here.  ok so turns out with my biffing up and with my weight gain i need some new garments,..,..,..i need the medium size, tell you what, i will get all the information that you need for next week ok? cuz i need specific kinds... ok.. what else... ok i might need a new camera soon,  mine is glitching out... a really good one is the Fujifilm Finepix Z. it is really cool and works like a charm!!! what are my finances looking like? i keep worrying about running out of money..... ok so keep praying for the success in this area... plz. i don't have more to write, so  I love you all alot

and until next week...

Yours Always.

Elder Maki!

ITS FREEEEEEZING!!!!!!

Hello Mommy!!

 

IM FREEZING!!!!!!!!!!!today the temperatura dropped and it is about 36 degrees, that is about 10-12 degrees in your language. it is soooooooooooo cold! yesterday was 80, jajaja, but i had a good new years, we had to be in the house by 8 because satan was in the streets like crazy!  and then we had troubles falling asleep cause of the noise. terrible. we are never coming down here for new years!!! terrible! prostitution, people doing imoral stuff in the streets (just outside of our apt.) just a terrible evil place on new years.  last night was great, we had a Night at Home with the family Barrientos, a member family in our branch, sorry i meant Family home evening, in spanish it is Noche de Hogar, which translates to night at home. it was nice to see the family for new years, kinda lol.. but i havent seen any letters yet, a regular letter takes about 2 and a half to 3 weeks to get here.  cause it goes by ground mail not by air.  so ya.. ok why were the tres amigos without shirts??? lol and dad, you need a new camera, or something because all the pics were blurry and i couldnt really tell face from face.  but oh well.. i hope i stay for another transfer here, woulddnt that be awesome if i end up staying and training? thta would be awesome!! today even though it is freezing cold, we are going to the North Miami Beach bike trail, with the two elders up there and we are going to have some fun.  hopefully i wont get hurt.  but you will find out if i do. lol  so how is everybody up there. tell james i want letters from him too!!!

 i dont have his home mailing address and i need it! please. lol  well i have some scenery pictures now, hopefully you like it. the one is behind the church at sunset, and the other is behind Eduardo and Gigi's new apt. it was dark but it is nice.  and then last night there was a fountain that had neat lights around it.. so i will send those off, but i love you all alot

 

Yours Always

Elder Maki