Elder TD Wilcox in Guatemala: Week #24: Transfers, living nativity and getting lost...

Elder Wilcox playing Joseph in a living nativity in the streets of Guatemala.

Starting out in December we have began to work and focus our teachings so much more on Christ with it being the time of the year where so many remember him in the celebration of Christmas. Every set of missionaries in the mission have been challenged to throw some kind of celebration or activity to get people to remember what the true meaning of Christmas is. Right now in the world people don't really remember what the true meaning of Christmas is. People seem to focus on the food, the presents, Santa and all the superficial stuff of the world. Being here on the mission I have really learned a lot and one of the parts most important of all is the gift that Christ is in our lives.

Right now the mission is trying to remind everyone that he was and is the reason that we celebrate at this time of the year. That he was the first gift of christmas.

Ok so this is the goal and on Saturday we had our first of these activities and Wow! it went simply amazing. We had started to plan these activities as a zone and will then do the basic idea in all of the areas of each pair of missionaries. Right now we have alot set up for everyone of these but here is the basic Idea. We reserve a field or street or some lot to hold the activity. We set up a little manger, a stage for the video, "El es el dadiva" and as missionaries we sing Christmas hymns for all to hear while some of the missionaries are teaching and taking down information from those that are there, so we can go and teach them at some other time. We also do kinda a santa picture taking session but instead of santa we have Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. We even bring in animals to make the whole thing that much better (but only the cute little baby goats and others --after they grow up they just stink and are nasty). So far we have only done this over in San Sebastian the area of Hermana Phillips and Garcia but we will be going and doing others throughout the month. I am sending some of these pictures so you can see.

Last week I mentioned there is a chance that I might have a transfer this week, but quite simply know one but the office and mission President really know and maybe not even them as of yet. I am tied for the most time in the zone at the moment, however the other 2 I am tied with are about to go home and so no one really believes that the President is going to change them with so little time left in the mission. In addition others are thinking that they put Elder Garcia with me so that he can learn the area really fast so that they can switch me out into a different area (Elder Garcia has 15 months). and with all this I simply think that anymore than 3 changes in the zone will kinda make people a little unproductive. But who knows really where my path will go - and it doesn't really matter, although it would be nice to stay here for another transfer especially with my birthday and christmas fast approaching.

Someone asked about the bathroom situation...even in la verde our house at least has indoor plumbing and a shower...if you can count a pipe out of the wall that squirts water a shower. Really it is not that bad except for those darn mosquitos.

We got lost this week...that was quite the adventure. we started to go to las vegas - but we were walking through a forest and got lost and ended up walking for an hour before we stumbled upon a brand new area within our area...honestly these little colonies of people just pop out of the ground. Once there was someone to ask where we were and they said Las Flores...which would have helped us alot if we knew where that was. From here we ended up following a road up and up and up, two hours later we popped out of the wilderness and where at the very edge of our area over in San Luiz...that was a great experience, the entire time I was just thinking where in the world is my iphone with google maps?

On thursday we went over to Xetalulu to celebrate christmas. this was pretty great and unlike the US super cheap. A ticket to go into the park is only 8$ and to eat at the super fancy restaurant is 8$ as well. Best part about going to an amusement park here is seeing the latino missionaries. They go absolutely crazy for everyone of the rides. they sure know how to make whatever they are doing a lot better and fun for those they are with.

I don't know what this next week will have in store but things are about to change a lot in the mission. There are 25 missionaries leaving in the transfer this week, including almost all of the hermana leaders, the 4 assistants and many zone leaders. At the least this is going to be a very long change meeting. Fingers crossed that I don't get transferred, though things are hard in this area and from what I have heard its one of the hardest, I know this place has done me good. The only dilemma for the moment is whether I should by food for the week or not today...cause if I have changes...well lets just hope I don't.