15 February 2026
VOLUME 14 – NUMBER 638
Gloria leave for Mexico MTC
Gloria
Hey friends and family, wow, what a week it’s been for me! On Wednesday night, I took the kids at home out for ice cream at Baskin-Robbins. It was just for a last memory for the next year and a half, and it was actually really fun—just laughing and spending time with family.
Then Thursday morning, I woke up around 5:00 to get ready to go to the airport and start my new adventure. It was actually super scary for me because I had never been on a plane before. We waited in the terminal for a few hours, and then the plane left around 10:15.
Gloria and Hermana Aleman at MTC
The whole time, I was just freaking out because of the takeoff and a little bit of turbulence on the way to Mexico. But it was also a really cool experience—I can finally tell people that I’ve been on a plane!
Once we got to the Mexico airport, there were so many missionaries. We were there for about an hour and a half, and then we went on a bus to the CCM. Once we got there, we had dinner, set up our phones, got all of our stuff into our rooms, and then I finally met my companion and my district.
Hermana Alemán is the best! It’s been really nice just getting to know the district, the elders, and the sisters. My Spanish is coming along, but I’m still working on it—there are just a couple of words that I can’t pronounce the best.
Gloria at Mexico MTC
Classes are good, though; they’re just so long, like three hours per class, plus devotionals. We do have a little bit of free time, and some days we just get to relax.
I’ve also made so many new friends from all over Mexico and the U.S. It’s so cool just seeing how many cultures there are in one place. Sometimes mealtime is very interesting because some days there’s just American food, and the next meal is all Mexican—or there’s a mix of both. I always try to go for the Mexican food. Yummy!
I’ve also made a friend who’s from Mexico. She’s about 26 years old and the sweetest little thing ever. She’s so much shorter than me, and we just have so much fun together whenever we see each other around the CCM.
Gloria with apostle Elder Stevenson
Troy
Gloria left for her mission! She is going to the Mexico MTC, and then after a couple of weeks there, she will be flying to her mission in Riverside, California, which I think is pretty cool.
It has been pretty weird without her because there hasn’t been a time in my entire life when she wasn’t with me. I am sad that she is gone, but also happy for her because she is going on a mission. She is going to be blessed by God for doing His work and spreading the gospel.
School has been going great. My plan for getting done early is working—I am ahead in everything and have very good grades. Doing more school has helped me not get distracted. When I’m on a roll, I can’t be stopped until Mom or Dad says to stop.
I am hopeful I can get everything done without getting stuck. My problem is usually when there’s a project or I have to take a video of myself—I tend to put it off, and it doesn’t get done until the course is behind. But this year, I am going to get everything done without hesitation.
Troy, Mom, Veidi cleaning dog crates
Veidi
Gloria left for the MTC. I am both sad and happy that she is gone—sad because she is leaving and the house will feel emptier, but happy because she is going to gain a new experience. Plus, I get more room in the bathroom!
Endia and Cougar left for Hawaii, so we got to take care of Emmett and Owen, which was super fun. I also got my learner’s permit! I was really nervous, but I passed, and I felt really relieved and excited.
I also went to Natalie’s to babysit her kids and Itzle. We made cookies, played Nintendo, and watched TV. It was nice that I didn’t have to do any dog work, although I miss taking care of and holding the puppies.
Misha and Emmett laying on the ground
Later that night, after we had watched some TV, Natalie and Nate came back with Yaretzie. I was so happy that she was able to come.
We went to bed, and the next day we went to the mountains to go sledding. It was super cold, but really fun. I wore Natalie’s cowgirl boots, and they didn’t have a good grip, so I kept slipping. At one point, I just crawled up the hill. I went down with Fofa multiple times; she had so much fun.
Then we went back to the house, and Yaretzie, Natalie, and Itzle went to Rima’s. She was having a Galentine’s party with her friends, and Isaac was up there so he could pick me up and take me home from there. We stayed for a while, and I got to make a bag with my name and initial on it. It was such a fun party, and the food was delicious.
Caleb with MTC district
Kai
For Valentine’s Day, Mom and Dad went to the movies to watch a romantic movie called Solo Mio. That left me home with the kids.
Dad got us Walmart subs for dinner, with Nutty Butty’s as dessert. We watched Treasure Island, which was the first time I had ever seen it. It was pretty good, and it kept the kids entertained.
I especially loved taking care of Owen and Emmett. My favorite part of the night was singing songs with Owen before putting him to bed.
Sergio’s ordination and temple recommend
Monte
Let's go! Officially changed areas and zones! It’s been so great! My new companion, Elder Poulsen, is pretty amazing. So, Bonfil is an area in Cancún. For anyone that’s been to Cancún, I live right next to the really cool Walmart with two floors and magnetic escalators.
Last week I was riding in a Combi—a little van packed with people. I was sitting down, and to my right were two girls about our age. The combi was zooming through the streets of Cancún, and there are these bars that you grab to help maintain stability. Well, I let go of the bar to check the map, and my timing was impeccable.
In one moment, the combi hit a bump, and I lifted slightly out of my seat. Simultaneously, the combi driver slammed the brakes. Before I knew it, my body was traveling through the air at incredible speed, and Elder Poulsen’s attempt to slow me down by grabbing my backpack had little effect.
Church building in Monte’s new area
I flew at full speed into the two girls to my left! After what felt like a million “perdóname”s, I sat back down in my original seat, grasped the bar above me, full of embarrassment, vowing never to repeat a moment like that again.
Now, that was a really fun story, but I think there is a very valuable lesson to be learned here. This life is like a combi—zooming fast, with sharp turns left, hard turns right, constant bumps, and the occasional slam on the brakes. Above us is a bar, an iron rod in a sense. It’s there to give us stability in our lives.
This rod represents the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We must grasp onto the rod. When we let go, we may be able to hold our ground for a moment, but eventually—and inevitably—we will fall. Hold to the rod. The gospel of Jesus Christ is here to help us through this difficult life and truly is an amazing thing.
Gloria and missionaries in Mexico MTC
This week I almost got my leg bitten off by two different dogs, so that was fun. I haven’t had almost any dog problems for over eight months, and then two incidents happened in the same week. The dogs here in Bonfil just don’t seem to like me very much.
Also, the other day we went to Walmart to take out money. There was this white guy standing outside the door. We said, "¡Buenas tardes!" and he asked if we spoke English. That started what would soon become a long, one-hour, one-sided Bible bash session.
He started throwing Bible verse after Bible verse at us, trying to get something to stick, and after an hour, we had to leave, so I sent up a little prayer and asked God to help us out, maybe even to confound this man’s mouth. You wouldn’t believe it, but as soon as I finished this little prayer, the man could not complete his next sentence!
Monte with Elder Poulsen
He kept catching on his words, and eventually, I just looked at my watch. He noticed it, and we said we had to leave. We thanked him for the talk, let him know that God was happy with his efforts, and that we knew he loved God very dearly. Then we went on our way.
Oh, how grateful I am to know the truth, and not just to believe it. I’ve seen too many things in my life that I could not deny, even if I tried. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is real. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church, restored on the Earth today, and restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
I know that God lives. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that they have a plan for us, a plan for us to find joy on this earth and to return to them someday. I say these things as a representative of Jesus Christ, called to serve Him. I say this in His name, the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Family with Gloria at airport
Dad / Arkin
I am so excited to see Gloria head out into the world as a missionary! It was hard to say goodbye, but great to see her go.
Because Gloria shared some of this story in her mission talk, so I hope it is okay to share a couple experiences in the months leading up to her mission. Back in September, she started to date a young man who she later recognized was not a great influence on her. The more time she spent with him, the more her desire to serve a mission started to slip.
Gloria told me that she realized that the Spirit was telling her to break things off, but that was very hard to do. Over several hectic weeks, and a lot of conversations with Dad, she struggle to make good decisions. As I prayed to know how I could help her, several promptings came into my mind, but the first was the most clear: “Read in the Book of Mormon with her.”
The day Gloria became a missionary
That’s why we started reading the Book of Mormon together in early November, and it started to help. She started to turn from the path she was on back to what I call “The Happy Path.”
I now call November 4th “Fork Day” because on that day Gloria chose to take the right fork in the road, and come back to the path the Spirit was prompting her to follow. She made the decision to trust in the Spirit, and break things off. She cried a lot that day, but she also told me that she immediately felt a great sense of relief.
I am so proud that Gloria was willing to take a significant amount of time out of her already-busy days to read with me in the Book of Mormon. As she mentioned in the last newsletter, she finished it during her home MTC week. I am also so proud of her for having courage to do a hard thing, and to trust that things will always work out if you follow the Savior!
Family at airport with Gloria