Week #46: Pancakes

We always be a moving...

It has been a week full of pancakes which kinda makes it amazing no matter what happens. So as I am sure all of you well know and have already celebrated, it was mother's day this weekend and though we cannot celebrate it with our own mothers in person we decided to go full out making it pretty awesome for all of the other mothers in Rio Blanco.
     We started the celebrations as an Elders quorum by putting on a nice big dinner for the mothers in the rama. As you all know men in general are not good at planning activities by themselves and when it comes to making food well... you know.... We had planned to start the dinner at 6:00pm though we ended starting at about 7:30 when the meat was finally done and the tamalitos had finally made there way over to the church.  It was a little bit awkward because we brought about 15 or so inv. mamas over to the church and they started to become a little antsy waiting around.   Elder Murrillo and Dolman ran over to the house to grab the griddle and the pancake mix to make some appetizers, while I taught the mothers a lesson and sang some hymns with them.  However, when the night was through the mother's loved it. Burnt meat, cold tamales and all.
     The next day we decided to do something a little bit out of the ordinary. We decided to make pancakes! But not breakfast...really not even for us. About midday we headed into the heart of the plaza on the busiest day of the week. There we set up a table heated up the grill and started making some free banana pancakes for every mom that happened to pass by. It was pretty funny to see some of their confused faces as we insisted that they take a free pancake. By the end of the two hours of free pancakes for Moms,  we left knowing we had put some smiles on the faces of many mothers.
    As Sunday came around we handed out the sweet stuff. Any guesses as to what?! Well to remove any doubt and to stay consistent with the the theme we handed out chocolate chip pancakes to all of the mothers!..... Ok..... maybe not. But we did put together some pretty sweet little cups filled with candy and all sorts of other goodies. That along with the heart cupcakes Hna Isela made and the sewing bags that the young women made, probably made these mothers feel pretty amazing.
    To finish of the mother's day activities we made an american dinner for the amazing Mama Chatta. I am sure I have mentioned every Sunday night we eat at the house of Mama Chatta, and not just us but all of the missionaries that have been in Rio Blanco for the last 6 years and probably even longer. We decided it was time to celebrate our mother in the mission with a nice big dinner. The plans were to make some Jucy Lucy Burgers with a potato salad and pasta salads as the side courses, But turns out a lot of people wanted to make something special for the mothers in their lives and when we made our way over to the market on Saturday there wasn't even a scrap of chicken let alone some ground beef. But we pressed on and make the pasta and potato salads for the dinner. At first we were a little worried that the stuff that we made would be weird for them and that they wouldn't want to eat it. But I don't think anyone can resist a potato salad. Shame that we didn't have the chance to make the burgers but they ended up loving it all.
    This last week has been awesome celebrating the Mothers. Though this next week holds in store the "Semana De La Familia" which is something really big here. Every family has been charged with the responsibility to have a Noche de hogar with a non member family. As I write this there are families starting their family nights. Tomorrow will be a huge activity in the church to start out semana de la familia but more importantly for the mission farewell of Brian. All and all I'm pretty sure this next week is going to be pretty sweet.

Sorry I didn't get to skype or talk to you Mom, but hopefully will get something worked out.  I love you and wish you all the best for Mother's Day.  I wouldn't be who or where I am without your influence and the kick you placed on my backside now and again!

BBQ for Mother's Day - Guat Style!

Pancakes at the market...

Week #43: Transfers come and go - happy still in Rio Blanco

Like every other week in the mission changes are fun interesting crazy and just a little bit hectic at times.
 
So as most of you know we live out in the boon docks. in my area and so for us transfers are usually a little bit more chaotic than the other areas in the mission.  As last Monday ended we still hadn't received word on the transfers, but I was told to pack anyways given my likelihood of having changes.  I was told to do the "just in case packing" as they say and so I did.  Then Tuesday morning rolled around and we called for what seemed like the 20th time to find out about the changes.....and they still didn't know but they were sure to give me some more just in cases instructions.  These instructions included getting the last of my stuff together and heading down to San Pedro just in case we had changes. Being so far out in the mission for our zone and the other two that are close by means that when transfers come around we charter a bus at 4:00am in the morning to go by every one of the zones and pick up those that have changes so that we can make it to the transfer meeting in Reu in time. Finally at about 7:00pm we received the changes, amazingly enough after all of the waiting and packing and craziness, I did not end up having changes!  We got a good laugh out of all of it, and then started to go around all of the members in San Pedro so that Elder Amundson could say goodbye to everyone.
             Out of everyone in the zone only three Elders had changes; Elders Amundson, Quiroz and Mecham.  But we don't really count Mecham as having changes, after seven and a half months in his first area he took a fun little bus trip down to Reu for the change meeting and then came right back up to leave San Antonio San pedro and go right next door to Chamac San Pedro. What a trooper! I dont know what his mission call said but there must have been some kinda smudge on the call that said he was called to the Guatemala Retalhuleu Mission San Pedro zone.
             So all and all the zone didn't really change to much and once the changes were over Thursday came around and we got right back to work. Which involved an amazing planning session that would make any mission president proud, followed by a noche de hermanamiento in Chuicaval with some odd 10-15 investigators alone.
             The next day we set out with a plan. But ended up not following it in the slightest as lesson after lesson called out to us.  Literally there was a point in the day after we had just helped one of the members mark some eggs, mate some chickens, and were heading off down a path to try and start on the day we had planned when all of a sudden we heard someone yelling out elders to once again send our plans out the window. Days like this just kinda remind us that we are not here to do our work but rather the Lord's work, and by the days end we had found some really amazing new families to teach, had several references to contact and another less active youth to help go on the mission.
             As the next day rolled around, again our plans went out the window and God's plan went into action. In the morning we taught the grandmother of several of the youth that we are teaching and the sweetest spirit settled over the lesson as she poured out her heart to us. Crying over all that was happening in her life and the life of her family and then the sweet comfort of the spirit as we testified of the ability the true Gospel of Christ has to change the lives of every person that receives it.  As we closed the lesson with a prayer we could see that the things we had said had brought a little peace to her soul. I hope in the next little while she will be able to come to church with her grandkids.
          Then the best day of the week rolled around. A day that used to be filled with naps procrastinated homework and Church has really changed here in the mission. I think I even finally understand the torment I put the majority of my teachers through during my CTR years in the church. Right now we have five joven investigators ages 10-14 that are all about as rowdy and restless as I was when I was their age.  They want to do just about everything but go to class. However being as they were I totally knew how to handle it. Takes one to know one right?! After a quick call to the house I had some candy brought over to bribe their obedience and some videos to teach them with. I rallied them all up with the candy and then brought them into a classroom where we taught them using the bible videos and mormon messages that Mom and Dad just sent me. By the end of class we had them all ready to be interviewed for their baptisms which we are planning for this next week.
    The amazingness didn't even end there. Here members are super pilas on Sundays and just about every sunday they go pair off and teach the less actives that are in the branch. This week we had the pleasure of going and teaching with President Vasquez. He brought us to one of the first members of Rio Blanco and we sat and visited with him for a while and then he brought us over to a non members house. As we got to the house we didn't think that anyone was there. It was raining outside, all of the doors were closed and it was nice and cold. but as we started to talk a door opened and a little kid invited us inside. We talked with him and his family for a while, taught them a bit but more so just really got to know them. After a little while they invited us into the kitchen for a little bit of Cafe (here cafe no es cafe. they have something called morCaf which is actually like a hot chocolate make out of corn and other stuff - not sure what the other stuff consists of) as we were in the kitchen talking to the family the same kid that had initially invited us into the house had changed his clothes and walked into the kitchen in his Sunday best, excited about what we had said and kinda wanting to be like us. He didn't have a tie on though so I called him over to me and took my own tie off and put it on him. The smile on his face said it all and after all that we had been talking about with his mother, she was super happy about the example and love that we were giving her son. I have now doubt that she will a super fiel member of the church soon and her kids as well.
       Well I'm still up here in the altaplano  for the next six weeks - I will not be leaving and I have to say I am very happy I am not leaving.!

Week #42: Two Giants and the Misty Mountains

Where's Waldo?

It has been a great week, a little hectic and long in travel but I'm just starting to accept that as a norm of the mission. This week holds changes and everyone at the moment is a little antsy to see what lies in store.  As a zone our thoughts on the matter is that Elder Amundson, our zone leader Elder Mecham who has 5 changes in his area and I will be leaving the zone. This however is simply guesstimates, and we won't know what will actually happen for a few days. However I will be packing my bags tonight just in case. In the mission we learn to prepare for the worst and to hope and pray for the best.
          In other news things are on fire up in Rio Blanco. We are having more success at the moment then that the area has seen in quite some time. Even the members and investigators that we have are putting some additional fuel on the fire. This Sunday we had 13 inv. in church and between us and our tag team comps Rio Blanco we have put seven fechas with the people we are teaching and there are many others following this same path. We can really feel the blessings coming in from the lord and know that the success we are having is coming through him and the inspiration he put in the hearts of the people as they were there in General Conference broadcast.
        This week we weren't in our area for 3 days. :(  As we started our district meeting on Wednesday morning we received a call from the office notifying us that we (Elder Murillo and I) had to be down in Reu by 7:00pm that same day in order to take a bus at 4am in the morning the next day to go to Guate for Elder Murillos visa papers.  Long story short 20 hours of travel later we made it two Guatemala City and back up to Rio Blanco.  I will be fine if I never step foot in a bus again...but yeah thats not going to happen. The best part about it all is that we pranked Elder Saxton during this time telling him that I had emergency changes and that President would be sending another Latino up there for him.
         When we got back, we got back to work, visiting everyone. Elder Amundson even came up to do some interviews that we have in Maclen, Rio Blanco and Chuicaval, and in order to do them Elder Amundson went over with Elder Murillo to Chuicaval and I with Elder Saxton to Caprican. After walking over in Caprican we had a little service opportunity though I wouldn't really refer to it as small.  The service involved moving 5 giant wardrobes (like the entertainment center size one that we have back home) up a tiny staircase that is barely wide enough to fit a chair through I wish I had taken pictures it must have looked pretty crazy.  I guess this is training for the Elder's Quorum when I get back home and the EQ Moving Company.   After we finished there we went over to teach a family, this lesson started out with us teaching two people and by the end we finished with more that 25 people in attendance.   It was a cool moment and they even offered to have us sleep over knowing that we had a 2hr walk in front of us to get back to Rio Blanco, but we had to get back so we took a picture with them turned down some coffee, drank some hot water and then made the 8.3 km walk back to Rio Blanco. It was a beautiful night!
        As Sunday came around we went to church and found eight investigators in the building. Now that is something better than any christmas present I can remember.  We had so many people visiting that we had a class of pure invs and a few members to help teach with us. It was a pretty cool lesson and moments like those make all the walking and bus riding we do worth it.
        I don't know what this week will hold for me. I dont know if I will have changes, but I do know that life in the mission is awesome and that if I do leave I will leave with amazing memories, a new family and the knowledge that I have worked my butt off to help every person that I have had the pleasure of getting to know in my time here.  Signing off! See you later, or at least write to you next week!

The Misty Mountains

A couple of giants in the misty mountains

Week #40: Semana Santa

Inviting the world to General Conference

Through all of the craziness with the usual walking and the elections here and so much more. This was a great week. 

We started gung ho on the inviting the world to General Conference. As I mentioned last week we created posters and invitations and other little stuff to handout, hang-up and stick wherever we can. All and all the area of Rio Blanco is plastered from head to toe with all sorts of amazing GC announcements and invitations.

       On a different note we have also been working like crazy to help two kids of a family we are teaching be baptized this week. Being that they are from Chuicaval, this "little" process included several very large walks back and forth throughout the week. But in the words of many "LoL" players all over the world "worth it".  After some amazing problems that were overcome with travel, rain, and cold baptismal water everything ended well and Maximiliano and Encarnacion were baptized and maybe just maybe, their parents will soon follow.

      This week I was also reminded of just how far I have come in the mission. Thursday when we were down in San Pedro for the zone meeting, President payed us a surprise visit bringing with him a little package for two of the youth in Rio Blanco. After months and months of waiting the mission calls of these two lads have finally arrived. After church on Sunday we all gathered together in the house of Brian and opened his call. One of them has been called to the mission of Nicaragua Managua Norte and the other to Puerto Rico. All and all it was kinda weird to think about it all. Like I still feel like I just left, even though it has been nine months now and to see them starting out on this journey is kinda a weird feeling. In three short months mine will be half over and they will barely be out in the field. Weird...but cool!

     Its been a good week and this next week is Semana Santa and Conferencia General.  This week should hold some fun surprises and experiences in store for us. Give all my love to everyone!

I call him Easter, but that is wishful thinking

Week #39: There and back again...

The field is white er of many beautiful colors and ready to harvest...

It has been a long week of traveling in the beautiful land of bountiful and I have learned that even after all of the traveling that we do up here - I am nowhere close to being immune to the horrible discomforts of car, truck, chicken bus sickness.
      Though the traveling can be tiresome there are some cool moments through it all. Like when we were coming back from Reu this week after the Trainers meeting.  After being on the bus for a while sitting next to a guy and squished between him the other random people who were on the bus the guy to my right offered me some gum.....in English!  A little surprised and a bit shocked I started to talk to him. Turns out he works in a call center in Xela and was living in the US for quite some time before coming back down and living here in San Marcos.   It was kinda weird to speak in English... even weirder to teach someone in it. I think that somehow my brain has become wired in a way that when I talk about church or the Gospel rr anything within that realm I do so in Spanish. That being said when I started to teach him in English about the restoration of the Gospel it was really awkward and I found myself having to think ahead in order to reverse translate my thoughts back into English and even then stuff still came out in Spanish. In the end, the lesson still went amazing even in the horribly crowded bus and my broken English. Its kinda sad that he doesn't live in my area or even in my zone but I passed along the reference to the other Elders and I hope they can help him out.

      So like I said there has been a lot of traveling in large part due to all of the meetings in the mission. On Wednesday we had the first of the Trainers meetings. Being there could not have been any weirder of an experience.  The entire time I felt as if I was just there but on the other side of the table, hearing nearly the same messages when I started. I guess I wasnt the only one who felt like that either. As we passed through the classes of President and Hermana Wetzel they both mentioned in some way that they were surprised to see me there again with so little time in the mission. However all and all the meeting was absolutely amazing and we left that day better missionaries then when we entered. I would have to say that they fulfilled the purpose of that meeting.
      That same day pretty late in the night (ok so like 7) we got back to San Pedro and being missionaries, we went out to grab something to eat. We decided to head over to our normal pancake place. Pretty much since the first day I came over to San Pedro we have eaten here once or twice a week and have come to know all of the workers there pretty good. However just recently we gave them all copies of the Book of Mormon and when we were there eating we asked them if they had been reading them. Turns out they have not only been reading them but have been sharing them and reading them to other workers who are there on other shifts. Pilas Pues!
       The next day we had a mutli-zone conference with President Ruiz. Love the meetings with the President. They always kinda light a fire under our butts and get us out working harder than ever. As I am sure you all know its nearly conference time and we are turning on the "No Shame Mode". We are making banners, fliers, invitations off all sorts and spamming the skies, streets and even the windows of every bus, inviting everyone to come to General Conference. At times like this I think... What would happen if someone was crazy enough to do this kinda stuff back home....? (¿challenge anyone?) Anyways we are going to have some fun with this General Conference season.
       As I mentioned a little earlier Elder Saxton received a very lucky bite in the few hours that we were down there in Reu and as a result has been more or less bed ridden for the last several days. However all is well and he is back on his feet like the trooper he is. As he was sick we did some divisions so that Elder Ramirez, our district leader could go over to Chuicaval and do some interviews. This left me with alot of free time in the house. One of the things they were stressing in these meetings was using the area book (the area book is a folder that has a teaching record for every investigator and much much more. More or less it is the history of the area and of all the investigators that the missionaries have ever taught.) I decided to take this time and go through the area book to find some new investigators and more or less to clean out, spiff up, and start working on the thing like the hermanas do. Good thing too, as I finished sorting out the investigators,  Elder Rameriez and Murillo made it over to Chuicaval and I fed them a bunch of names and ways to find the people that were positive in the past.  At the end of the day through mixed efforts they found some really positive new people to teach. +1 for the Area Book Effort!
       Sundays are awesome, the Church is true and the mission is an awesome world. I don't think anyone in the world is more excited then as a missionary, as when they see someone that they are teaching at church.

Anyways love you all, miss you all, and hope that someone back home will take  the challenge to go as crazy as us this conference season.

Look Mom I have learned how to make my bed...

hang-up my clothes...

and clean the kitchen...  

Elder Wilcox and Elder Saxton

a tracting we will go..

Week #38: Baking, building and a lot of travel

    Sorry about no email yesterday, the Internet was down.  We aren't talking about just a wifi router, or the connection in the house being down.  Remember we go to Internet Cafe's and while there are not many to choose from it didn't matter because the Internet was down for the whole town.  But here is a quick email so you know all is well.  No pictures today.

     The best way to describe this week would probably be like a roller coaster. and like most we have to start pretty low.  Early in the week my comp was really worried. His parents hadn't written him and he knew that something was up. The next day in the morning he found out that his grandmother had passed away sunday afternoon and he was pretty devastated. It was a pretty sad morning but after a few moments to regain his composure we knew that we had to get out and work to get his mind off of everything that was happening.and so thats what we did and we haven't really stopped working much since.
        This week we have been; bakers, builders, and wood-cutters and have been to nearly all edges of our area. As of last week we started teaching a new investigator who just happens to be a baker and so in order for her to have time to give us as we arrive a little early before each lesson we run into the kitchen and get to work making cookies, masa and all the other amazing types of bread that go along with with baking. I'm almost positive that by the end of out time in this area we will be certified bakers ready to go back home and become professional bakers. In other words look out world there is only a short little while until the Guatemala renown Wilcox bakery will be coming back to the US.  I might even be able to challenge Sister Sandoval and her cinnamon bread.
       Traveling for the week: We have gone to Chuicaval, San Lorenzo, Pueblo Viejo Xeja, Reu Caprican and well all over Rio Blanco. Now I don't know if we have simply been extremely lucky all week long or the Lord has placed a travel blessing on us - with all of the traveling that we have done this week I think it has probably been one of the weeks in the mission with the least amount of walking. This week like many others before we headed over to Chuicaval but this time we didn't have to walk which really made all the difference. As we started on the trail up came a pickup we waved him down and jumped in.  After it took us up a good chunk of the mountain he had to go a different way so we jumped on out and continued on our way. No more than 3 mins after did another pickup come driving by. We jumped in this semi loaded pickup and took a nice ride all the way up the mountain side. It wasn't until about 5 mins or so into the hallon that I told my comp what were in the bags that we were sitting on. We both got a pretty good chuckle out of it after. There might have been some point in my life that getting a ride in a truck filled with bags of manure might have bugged me but i really don't think there ever was.  As we jumped out of the truck we were pretty much where we needed to be. As we went a little further up the road we found that there was a nice big party going on at the house of the member that takes care of us while we are there.  As we reached the gate we were greated by a nice big slice of cake and some fresco.  Not a bad way to start a day over there in Chuicaval.  We worked hard over the next several hours.  We talked to alot of people and the next day when church came around four of them actually came to church.  With a congregation of 20 or so people, four investigators is a pretty cool thing.
       I know that I have said it before but there are just some things here that are simply amazing. One of which being the Noche de Hermanamiento activity that they hold weekly in the house of the many different members in the rama. It is more or less a giant family home evening with all of the members of the rama, complete with snacks and all. Now what is absolutely amazing about these, is the little sitting space in the houses and the some odd hundred or so members that show up to every one of these activities. This last week the activity was over in San Lorenzo a "city" about two hours away walking or about 45 mins in pickup. With this in mind all of the 100 or so people piled into the back of three pickups and were off. up and over the mountains and  across the rivers to Hermana Nancy's house we went. Each one of these activities has its own little special feeling to them and really make everyone in the rama feel like a family.
        Anyways the mission is Awesome and Life is Great!

Week #33: Pioneer Children (and Missionaries) sang as they walked, and walked, and walked...

The Waters of Mormon?

I continue to love life in the Maclen area.  I am very very sore from the amount of walking that we do up and down the mountains and hills and it definitely puts some wear and tear on these legs...but it makes for a good nights rest, knowing we have done all we can.
        Tuesday and Wednesday we had divisions with one of the zone leaders Elder Amundsen. My comp stayed down in san pedro while we took Elder Amundsen up to Rio Blanco.   Most of our time there was spent walking and trying to get interviews done for these people who are ready for baptism. However things didn't go as planned and when we talked to the father about the baptisms of his kids and wife he said no.  But it was a "flexible" no in that if they continue to learn and have a desire they can be baptised sometime in the near future. So we will be sure to pass by them frequently and to keep their spirits strong.
       The other man that we visited has been an investigator for nearly a year, knows just about all the doctrine and even defends the church from bolos trying to mooch off of the wifi. (wifi mooching is a big problem here). This guy has a testimony of the temple of the Book of Mormon...he just doesn't feel like he knows enough, or all that he needs to. He is probably one of the most pilas members in the branch Rio Blanco but he isn't even a member.  He even said that one day he will get baptised he just doesn't know when.
      Here in the mission there is a certain reputation that the mountains have. It is said that these people are cold and don't really want to listen to the gospel. But I don't think it's true. I honestly believe that the culture here is just a little bit different than that of the coast. In the coast the people will follow on faith alone and will go to church without an understanding of any bit of the doctrine. However here in the mountains the people remind me of those from the US they wait and think about what is placed before them until they are dead sure that this is the way. Its almost weird to think how culture can be so different when the areas are so close.
       On Thursday we took another trip to Chuicaval to visit some of the people we are teaching over there.  That trip never gets easier... 3h 31min 37sec walking up and down the mountain sides and we finally reach the house that we have over there... But this time there was the coolest little moment of pure Christlike love.  As we trekked the long trek, we were about three hours into the journey and we had just taken a little trail down one side of a mountain, all the way down to the bottom and were taking the trail back up. We were dead tried, each step heavier than the next.  Somehow we kept moving along the long winding path up and up until we reached a little clearing near the side of the main "road".  The clearing had been well kept and the people that lived nearby use it to play soccer in.  As we crossed the clearing and started to climb the little makeshift staircase path to the road, a little old mother whistled to get our attention as she sent her daughter running towards us with two perfectly cold gatorades. It really wasn't much but at that moment, it was just a beautiful thing! I can only imagine how bad we must have looked trudging across the clearing for her to send her daughter running to give us just a little bit of help, a little bit of hope, and a little bit of love.  That small act of kindness made the pain of a long hike go away for a few moments and we were extremely grateful. She truly was just what we needed, at just the moment we were in need. Someday I am going to go back to that little spot and I am going to do all I can to help her in anyway I can.
    This Pday was pretty cool! we went over to some waterfalls that are pretty close to here. When we got there was a little kinda pool resort place but none of us even looked at that we went straight on through,over to the waterfalls. I was one of the first to head over to the falls but ended up slipping into the river as I tried to jump one of the gaps and was soaked from the waist down.  At that point I was like...great...but made the best of it and propped my leg up in a way that everyone else could use it to get over to the waterfalls without getting wet. We took a lot of pictures and it was one of the cooler Pdays that we have had in a long while.

I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be here with the people of Guatemala. So grateful to be able to see know some amazing missionaries and serve alongside them.  The love, kindness and charity that they show to all they come in contact with is one of those things that can change the life of others.

It is a challenge sometimes being the only person in Rio Blanco that speaks English, but this only makes the language skills improve all the faster.

Love to all!

-Elder Wilcox

Week #29: Only a few words...

[Editor's note: We received a short archaic email from Elder Wilcox today...not sure if there is an activity they are doing in the zone or what.  I guess this happens from time to time.  There were a few pictures that he sent as well.  We believe all to be well...well except for that camera.]

This week time is cut a little short and of course it is one of those weeks that I have a lot to talk about. A lot has happened but I guess at this point I will pull a Third Nephi and say:

And there had many things transpired which, in the eyes of some, would be great and marvelous; nevertheless, they cannot all be written in this book; yea, this book cannot contain even a hundredth part of what was done among so many people...

Until next week, I love you!

P.S.  My camera was stolen.

Week #27: 6 months in, Christmas and Chuicaval

So this week was a very long week or at least seems to have been going on for a very long time. This week we made 3 trips down to San Pedro which for those of you who don't know means a 4am alarm and an hour and a half ride down and another at some point in the day to come back up to Rio Blanco.  Needless to say nothing has changed and I still don't fit in the buses here.  Though through all of the bus trips and the hectic nature of the week, there were still a lot of golden moments.
        I don't know how many of you have seen Christmas celebrated in another country but I have to say the whole decorating the house thing back in The 'Fee seems kinda lame when compared to all of the explosions of Christmas night.  When the clock strikes midnight (and we do literally have a huge bell tower in Rio Blanco that sounds the hour) explosions shoot off everywhere, as people let their fireworks fly into the night.  Fireworks are cheap here so everyone can afford them and  everyone can buys a lot. In anticipation of this moment we climbed up to one of the higher points in the area and looked down the mountain at all of the fireworks going off near and into the distance.  As we looked at some of the clouds behind the mountain we could only see the explosions of light reflecting in the clouds making it seem as if there is some giant storm coming towards us from the distance.  Maybe it is just me as I have been so deprived for so long living in CA where these kinda of things are illegal. But I guess there is a reason as shortly after all was over we heard the sirens of the police and ambulances scurrying around to clean up the injured and put out the fires.
        The following morning Was Christmas day and it was a little bit weird and even more so to see the family when we Skyped home. It is probably just because this is the first Christmas I have celebrated away from home or that I am in Guatemala or because I am a missionary.   It is a little weird trying to remember and recreate some of the traditions that we do as a family here. For instance, on Tuesday we tried to do the whole baked goodies plate gifting thing, but well the very limited budget and even more limited supplies really made it turn out quite different, and very improvised. But together us four college age missionaries "magyvered"  a plate of baked goods (like if we can rig up and fix an electric shower heater every couple of weeks when it breaks - baked goods should be no problem).  I thought that it turned out pretty good and the people who received them really loved it.  However, of course, when my parents taunted me with their Christmas gift plate later on through Skype ours really did pail in comparison.
       On Christmas day one of the branches I am in had a huge Christmas celebration party that started shortly after we finished skyping on Christmas morning. They had everything; a huge carne asada meal for everyone, a DJ, a part for Christmas pictures with Santa (almost had to be Santa :o) and even little skits run by the Relief society and YM/YW and Elders Quorum and so on.  Some of these made me roll on the floor laughing. At the very end there was a giant gift exchange with every person from the Rama. It might have just been one of the best Christmas parties I've been to in all of my life. The members here really put some work into their activities and there is another coming up for New Years that I am sure will be just as fun.
       On Friday we had our first little bit of experience with bus problems or at least my first experience with them. We had our zone meeting on Friday because the buses don't work on Christmas(imagine that). But we found out after the zone meeting they don't always work on the day after Christmas either. This meant taking a bus to a fork in the road and waiting for a bus or car or anything to come by and give us a ride up the mountain...and so we waited...and waited...and got some ice cream...and waited for nearly 2 hours for something to come. Finally one of the members (ironically the person who drives the bus and wasn't working that day) passed by us in his car and with a quick double take and reverse gave us a ride to the top. We had plans to go over to Chuicaval our other rama which would have been the first time missionaries had been there in over 3 months. But it is a two hr walk and when we had finally gotten to the top of the mountain it was already starting to get dark and it is to dangerous to go in the night so we made plans for the next day.
      So I am going to skip the little talk about the pure up hill walk to the little rama up there and just get straight to the info. Up there in Chuicaval the area is more catholic than the Vatican and more spread apart then Maclen our other rama.  The church building is more of a meeting house no more than 18 by 25 of my own feet (yes I counted) and there are only 15 or so active members that go to church. I think it might be one of my favorite places on the planet earth. It is so beautiful and humbling.  I honestly cant believe I used to complain back home about being the only young man in a ward of some 200 people strong when here these people here without even one young man in the branch. It is such a beautiful place and more so than just this. It truly is the beginning of the gospel seed up there,  there is so much that can be done that I myself can do to help these members become stronger and even more to bring the gospel to so many who have never had the chance to hear it up there. I don't know how such a place could have been so neglected for so long when it has so much potential. I don't know what we are going to do to get over there more often but I do know that we for sure will be.
       Now this last little bit is kinda just for you dad. I remember you telling me just before I left as I winged my last talk in English that I soon wouldn't be able to do this in the mission.  As I would have to really prepare to give a good talk in Spanish, as it would take a while for your thoughts and feelings to be expressed naturally in Spanish. But I really think that those last min winged talks have prepared me for the mission. If you think about it missionaries normally give talks as the last minute all the time as they need to fill time or the speakers didn't come to Sacrament kind of talks.  This Sunday all of those years of preparation really came into hand (along with the language coming along nicely)  as we were asked to give talks as we walked into the Chuicaval Rama and then asked to bless and pass the sacrament with no time to prepare.
       I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and has a Happy New Year!  What a great time to stop and reflect on being a better person as Christ wants us to be.  I hope you can all make sharing the gospel both in word and deed a part of your New Year's Resolution!

Guate can be picturesque at times and at other times not so much...