AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

Max's Zone was Team Superhero for the Mission Turkey Bowl
(One missionary wasn't interested in playing football, so he dressed up
as Professor X in a wheelchair and everything so he had an excuse
not to play. Lol)

Max said his team played well, but didn't make it to the championship.
There's always next year.

At a Nativity Activity

December 15, 2014

Well, I haven't even read any of the emails that I have gotten yet, because I have BIG news and wanted to get it out. I got a call from President Ahlander on Saturday morning...I have been called to be a District Leader. Freak. haha Well, after getting to enjoy a solid 3 transfers of being Junior Comp it seems that my time as a Greenie is over. I am now not only the Senior Companion but a District Leader. Gosh, the stress has been real. I feel a little overwhelmed, and excited, and nervous, and unprepared, and grateful, and lots of all sorts of emotions, but, in the end I know that it is all just missionary work. A DL or a ZL is no more important than any other missionary. The only difference now, is that instead of solely worrying about my investigators I now have a little group of missionaries that I am going to be in charge of as well. It is going to be quite the experience.

Along with this Leadership call, it turns out I will be leaving my area, too. It is a sad thing to think about actually. All I have ever known in Vegas has been my area and the Flamingo Ward. I really, really like my district right now, and have gotten to become close friends with Elder Sefcik, but, the way the Lord needs things done right now means that I will be switching over to a different ward, and zone, and area. 

My new ward will be the Bonanza Ward. My area is Bonanza West, my new companion will be Elder Smiley! If you remember, Elder Smiley lived with me for my first two transfers here. He only has one more transfer of experience than me. The new area I am going in has a lot more Hispanics living there, which means there is a lot of work for a couple of Spanish Missionaries, which means it's going to be quite the adventure sending two gringo's in there to do the work. This means that I will also be switching apartments, so until I know my new address just send everything to the mission office. 

Here is what I do know, though. My new Zone Leaders will be Elder Martinez and Elder Osorio. Both are Spanish Missionaries and will actually serve in the same ward as me. I already know them and am pretty good friends with them, plus Martinez was my first DL! The other missionaries in my District will be Elder Walker and Elder Alrdich (who I will be living with in the same apartment, and who are also another companionship of two VERY new white Spanish Missionaries. Basically, we are 4 gringos thrown into the most heavily hispanic populated part of our mission, and are in a tad over our heads and I am the Leader for this adventure. Should be fun lolz) and then in my District are also two Hermana Misioneras! Hermana Paramo y Hermana Enis. I have not been with Hermanas since I have been in the CCM so this should be interesting.

So, all in all, I feel my emotions are this: I am excited for what's to come, but I am sad for what I am leaving behind. There are soo many awesome families in the Flamingo Ward that I am going to miss. The Zunigas, the Villagomez's, the Ramierz's, and many others. My whole life in the mission field has been with this ward and these amazing people, but alas, it is my time to go. I feel better,though, because Elder Anderson will be replacing me. I was in the CCM with Elder Anderson (in fact we slept in the same bunk bed:) and I know he will love and work for the people of my area just as I did. It's crazy how much change you are forced to go through as a missionary. You get sent somewhere and build all these relationships and love all these people and then the next thing you know you are sent somewhere new and have to start all over again. 

This is going to be an adventure. I ask, in fact I almost plead, for your prayers of support. I have been given a LOT of new responsibility and a completely new environment to figure it all out in. I am going to need some extra help as I do my best to fulfill my new duties, and continue to strive to become the best missionary I can be. Anyway, that was a bit of a ramble, but a lot has happened and my mind is kind of scattered so this is the best I could come up with. Love you all! I will do my best in all I have been asked to do so that I can make you guys proud!

Con amor,

Elder Alley

P.S. I found out that with my new area, the library I get to use isn't nearly as nice. Here in Flamingo there really isn't a time limit and I am able to send a big letter home and respond to just about everyone who emails me. However, at the library in my new area we only get an hour and that is it. So I will probably have to send home shorter emails, and not get to respond to as many, but you can always send me letters! :D

At the Transfer Meeting

At the Zuniga's house to watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional

December 8, 2014

This week was a fun one. Elder Labriola and I worked hard and taught a lot of lessons. In fact, one day from 1pm-5pm we were doing nothing but teaching lessons and driving to the next lesson and teaching that one and then getting to the next one to teach again. That was a tiring day. The highlight of the week for me, though, was that we have been working with a less active family for a little bit. We talked about temples with them this last Saturday. We talked about how our families can be together forever, even after this life, if we are sealed inside the Holy Temple. I bore testimony to them of how this is the single most cherished aspect of the gospel in my life, about how important my family is to me, and how the knowledge that I can be with them forever because we have been sealed together by the power of God, is the source of so much peace in my life. After teaching the lesson, the parents said that they want to do all that they can to be able to go into the temple and become sealed together for time and all eternity. So we are going to be working with this family to reach that goal and I am excited! 

Another cool story, we are teaching this one young woman. She knows the church is true and wants to get baptized and her sister is even serving a mission, but her parents don't want anything to do with the church. So Elder Labriola and I fasted specifically to know what we could do to help this situation. Long story short we thought about the promise of Elijah. That through family history work "The hearts of the Children would turn to the fathers and the hearts of the father's to the children." We talked with her about starting to work with her parents to do family history. She texted us today that her parents are being way more receptive and that they might even come to a live nativity thing with us on Wednesday! Fasting works!

Overall, it was a good week. I have gotten to be pretty good friends with Elder Sefcik, who is in my district. He's from Wisconsin and a funny guy. Oh, and this week was good because we got to watch the first Presidency Christmas Devotional with my "Flamingo Ward Mom", Hermana Zuniga. The Zuniga family is amazing and takes really good care of the missionaries. 

Anyway, I absolutely love this time of year. I can feel the Christmas spirit in the air! I love seeing the houses decorated with Christmas lights! And the best part about being a Spanish Missionary is that the Hispanics never take down their Christmas lights, so I will get to see them all year round :D 

Anyways, that's all for this week! Love y'all! #21down

Con amor,

Elder Alley

Día de Acción de Gracias

Pupusa

A pupusa is a traditional Salvadoran dish made of a thick, handmade corn tortilla (made using masa de maíz, a cornmeal dough used in Latin American cuisine) that is usually filled with a blend of the following:

• cheese (queso) (usually a soft cheese called Quesillo found throughout Central America)
• cooked pork meat ground to a paste consistency (called chicharrón, not to be confused with fried pork rind, which is also known as chicharrón in some other countries)
• refried beans (frijoles refritos), or queso con loroco (loroco is a vine flower bud from Central America).

The two most common pupusas are the pupusa de queso (cheese) and more popular pupusa revuelta with mixed ingredients of cheese, beans, and chicharrón. Pupusas are typically served with curtido (lightly fermented cabbage slaw with red chilies and vinegar) and a watery tomato salsa.

The Mexican gordita is also similar to the Salvadoran pupusa, but the ingredients vary. Gorditas generally have more filling than pupusas (hence the name gordita—"little fatty") and normally have an opening at the center of the tortilla.

December 1, 2014

As the title (Día de Acción de Gracias) shows, in Spanish Thanksgiving literally translates to "The Day of the Act of giving Thanks" haha which I thought was funny, but, yeah, overall my first Thanksgiving as a missionary was pretty fun! On Thursday, the entire mission met up on some football fields and we had a big ol Turkey Bowl! The Spring Mountain Zone (my zone) made it to the semifinals, but lost in a heartbreaker to the Lakes Zone. It was all very fun, though! 

Our team theme was superheros and so everyone had a super hero themed shirt on and we looked pretty good. One of the guys isn't a huge fan of football and so he came dressed up as Professor X from X-Men with the wheelchair and all so he had an excuse not to play. Hahaha Oh, Elder Patterson is hilarious. 

Then after the Turkey Bowl, all the Spanish missionaries went to a Pupuseria to eat. Pupusas are my new favorite food that I have discovered on my mission. So good. Then later we had Thanksgiving dinner with the Zamora family. They are from El Salvador, and had never eaten turkey before. They cooked us one for the holiday. That family is so nice and loving and I really did enjoy being with them. Then we capped of the holiday with watching a movie and then we passed out because we were as tired as we could be. haha. Twas a good First Thanksgiving as a missionary.

The big news this week from the mission, though, is about the Christmas Season. I am not gonna lie. As I have watched people put up their Christmas lights, as we drove by a packed Best Buy for Black Friday, as the stores start to play Christmas music where we go shopping, I have found myself getting a little trunky. I've been missing home, missing family and friends and snow and all that. Those who know me well, know that I absolutely LOVE this time of year and because it feels different being a missionary, I couldn't help but feel homesick and even sad. 

BUT, as I really pondered it, I tried to remember just how blessed I have been. Christmas has ALWAYS been amazing for me. Every year it is great with family coming into town and being with friends and celebrating all our traditions and so, I feel it is my time to pay it back. These next two Christmases I am going to try to help other families to have the same joy that my family has. It's time I gave back a little after 18 years of being so spoiled. 

The Church has started this new initiative just at the right time to help me with this goal. It's called "He is the Gift". If you haven't heard about this, go to www.mormon.org/christmas right now and watch the video. It is soooooo good. The Church is doing its part this year to help people remember the true meaning of Christmas. We missionaries have these little cards to hand out that have the link to the video and talk about the project. We are going around and talking to people and helping people to remember the True meaning of Christmas. This project is awesome. Every time I watch the video I get chills. At this time of year that I love so much, I am truly starting to have a new appreciation for the Gift that Christ is in my life. So for this month, in order to combat the trunkiness of not being home for Christmas, I am going to try and do all I can to share this message with the people here.

And you guys should do the same! Share the video on facebook and do stuff this Christmas season to remember why we celebrate this time of year! This truly is the most wonderful time of the year, and it's time we focused on why that really is.

I ask that you guys please pray that we can have success within our area. I am hoping the Spirit of this season will help us to have more success in bringing people unto Christ. Anyway, those are the thoughts from the week. Hope you all have a wonderful start to the Christmas season! 

Con amor,

Elder Alley