Week #62 "You Shall Not Pass"

I dont know if any of you follow the Guatemalan politics or the daily news down here but things have not been at their best in these last days. There has been a lot of political protests. The protests that we see here are a bit different from those you might see back in the States. The typical method here is to block one of the main roads so that no truck, nor car, nor tuc-tuc may pass. You might even say that even Gandolf doesn't quite have the concept of ¨you shall not pass¨ in comparison to the roadblocks here.   These protests makes things just a tad bit....well more interesting.  It means no meetings and many other things, and it also means that food trucks and water trucks cannot get through.  This causes a risk of looting and all of the good stuff that goes with panic. It hasn't gotten to that point yet nor do we think it will, but we are now instructed to start practicing something I never thought I would have to do on my mission. Food Storage! We will now have food in our house that we are not allowed to eat - this will be quite the temptation for a couple hungry Elders!
        So we have had a mixed week of contacting this last week. We have had some golden moments but we have also had some that were well dung contacts.  I guess we will start with the bad news first and then work our way up.
    So we have been working with members just about everyday trying to find people that are positive and this week we went to do a little follow up on one of the friends of a member who invited a few of her friends to church with us this last week. One of them came so we decided to go and see if we could teach her. Things didn't go to well. As we walked up over to the door of her house and started to knock no one came. We decided to wait for a bit and then knock again. As we began to knock again we looked down the street waiting for someone to answer the door. There we saw her friend with her father returning to the house. We started to light up a bit at that, but the moment it registered in their faces who we were they did a quick about face and ran for it. I am kind of used to being rejected by now and my comp as well, but we knew that it had crushed the heart of member as her friend just kinda straight out rejected us. She was super worried after that her friend wouldnt want to be her friend but all is well now though I imagine that it still kinda hurts.
     Now for a better day.  We were contacting one of these days all day long trying to find anyone remotely positive to teach but the only people we could find treated us more like we wanted to stick them with a needle than lay the steps to salvation at their feet.  House to house we went and from house to house we left just a little less animated after every step.  We began to walk down the street again when I felt something I could only describe as a righteous hunch.  As we walked past a little red gate that seemed to lead to nothing I looked back to walk to the gate seeing Elder Tufuga already a step in front of me walking to a little lad just barely sticking through it. We told him to go and call his mom over to us. When he returned he waved us in and told us to pass through.  We continued down and we found a little house and began to teach a sweet little old lady. As we got to know her she told us about everything that had been happening lately.  Her granddaughters cancer to her now near death experience just a week past. All in all she was talking about how abandoned she has felt in the last while and how she is looking for peace in her life.  I think we were sent to her.  I think we were sent to tell her and assure her that she has a loving Heavenly Father and she will never be abandoned!

That's all for this week!   Here are some pictures where those we meet always want to be as tall as me!

Elder Tufuga looking everywhere for people to teach!

Week #61: Coatepeque, rocks and hot water

    So the next chapter begins in the Magnolia Coatepeque area of the Guatemala Retalhuleu Mission. As expected I had changes and I am  now over here in the very rocky area of Magnolia. This area is very different from any other I have been in. For one, I don't think there is a moment from when we leave the house to when we return that we are not walking atop rocks.  These rocks are going to eat by shoes super fast, and it is way to hot to wear boots.  I feel like I am at a rocky beach although without a cool ocean breeze or the sounds of the waves.
    The living conditions here are a bit different.  It is a bigger house, but less water and more mosquitos.  We have no water during the day and none whatsoever in the house.  We have a pila outside to get water from and we shower by bucket.  We bring buckets of water into the house as every time we have to go to the bathroom you use the bucket to flush the toilet.
    My new companion is Elder Tufuga who has about 9 months in the mission and is from long beach CA. He is a convert to the church and is also an olympian volleyball player.  What can I say I have had some good luck having some great companions on the mission.
    We received some bad news a little while back,  President Nelson isnt really in to good of health and as such isn't really able to travel for our multi-mission conference.  This being said our devotional was canceled and was replaced with a video transmission of him talking to those in the Honduras missions. It was kinda a bummer that he couldn't come but I guess the message was what was really important and it was great to watch and see so many of the missionaries that we knew in the CCM there. We learned a lot in the devotional.  There were more than a few things were stuff that I didn't really expect to hear, but those are the best messages and some of the things that we will remember most are the things we never expected to hear.
    Working here this week has been fantastic!   I don't know too much of the area and it seems like I came in at a perfect time when everyone in the branch wants to help in the work.    I am very excited to see what happens in the future, because in the four days I have been here, we have left with members three out of those four days, and one person came to church for each of these visits. I think Im going to like it here, we are just going to need to see what we can do about getting some new beds and an actual fridge in our house. When I was in Rio Blanco I could leave a bag of water out and it would be cold when I went to drink it. Here I do the same thing, but it turns hotter and hotter  I swear one of these days I actually burnt my tongue!

Sorry for the shorter letter - it's been a crazy week, having problems uploading any pictures as well.  But will get that all figured out for next week, and will send some pictures of the new area.

Lots of love to all - and my parting quote to think about for the week, this from Elder Neal A. Maxwell, "We should certainly count our blessings, but she should also make our blessings count."

Week #60: Coming and going...changes and Multi-Mission Conference

It is kinda weird to see people come and go in the mission to see people starting and to see people ending. I see the people ending and can only imagine how they must be feeling. This is one of the last few days that Elder Ramirez will have here in the mission. On Wednesday his final change is over and as we speak his family is here visiting they have been in church and kinda everywhere for the last little while. It is a little weird for me but I can only imagine how much weirder it is for him. If I were to suddenly start seeing you guys here......Saber I don't quite know how I would feel but I don't think I would feel like I am in the mission anymore maybe some weird kind of vacation or something like that.
     Found out something pretty cool this week.  One of these nights as I was taking datos I was talking to Elder Ramirez and we are going to be making jerseys as a zone and so we started to talk a little about futbol. He asked me what team I support and I told him Madrid because my mom served her mission in Madrid Spain. He said...hmm I swear I heard someone say that the other day....Oh Hna Barnum. Sure enough when I talked to her next, I asked about it she told me her mom served in Spain just around the same time as my mom and on top of that her dad served in Chile. Crazy small world we live in maybe our moms were in the same zone or something at one point.
    Right now for the first time in the history of our mission we will be having a multi Mission Conferencia with none other than Elder Russell M Nelson President of the Quorum of the Twelve. It is going to be awesome and I everyone is looking forward to it.
    A few weeks ago the hermanas in Oriente Baptised baptized a special little girl who is super bright. This is that same little girl who started to teach me about the pre earth life during her Interview to be baptised. Well she has been an amazing influence over her family. She has been teaching her family everything that she has been learning and they have all been inspired in some way or another. This week her father Luis was baptised and in this next week Bowdillio her grandfather will be getting baptised. She is only 9 years old but already one powerful missionary. I cant wait to see what she does later down the road.
     Anyways changes are here and I guess we will see what comes of them. Love you guys back home and hope you are all well and
enjoying the heat.

Week #58: Too Legit to Quit

Another week has come and gone and as Hermana Tebbs said to me today, only 45 p-days left. It is kinda of a weird little thought but not nearly as much as the thought of just two p-days left like Elder Ramirez has.
      This week was a very interesting week, full of just about all of the joys and defeats one can have in the mission. We had baptismal dates confirmed, papers signed, people who didn't show up, people who we called 50+ times the day of their baptism and didn't pick up and just went mia. We had just a little bit of everything happening but we shall press forward, have a positive attitude and continue working hard.
      This week we had a test on the Book of Mormon and a multi-zone conference. We went over a lot of stuff and as always left the meeting a little bit humbled, a little more focused and oh so ready to work.
      I have never been a person that likes to be doing the same thing over and over again. I love change, I thrive in change and die in repetition. I have decided that right now it is time for a change. Throughout this week I have been going to the members, but for a different purpose that receiving references. I thought back a to one of the pre-game pump up talks Coach Telo would always give us right before our games. In that particular night we were to fight to as he said, to keep our cleats. This moment at this time is a time that everyone wants to be in. Everyone one who is a little kid playing in little league football wants to be here in this moment right now. Everyone who has been where you are wishes that they can go back to where you are now and do the things that you are doing. This kinda got me thinking how can we play this to our advantage. These are the best two years of our lives this is the time that every primary kid is looking forward to and what every Elder, High Priest wishes they could be doing once again.  With this in mind we decided to go out to some of the returned missionaries and asked them if they would like to come and teach us during one of our district meetings about all of the stuff that worked on their missions and all of the stuff they have learned over the years and wished they could have used in the mission. We will see how this turns out this week. they all seemed pretty excited.
         Using the same 'this is the best time in your life perspective' we also went and talked to some of the youth in the wards in the district. We talked with them for a while and then asked them if they would like to learn to be missionaries, if they would like come to the meetings, plan with us and even leave with us. In some ways they thought of the chance as one of those super cool kinda things. Like maybe the way a little league player would see going out and playing with a pro player would be like. Overall some of these people are super excited to go and leave with us,  but it's a shame that many of them are young women and will really only be able to work with the sister missionaries. But hey I am not complaining - some amazing stuff will start happening in the sisters areas.
      To keep you guys up to date on our little primary. Nine of them came to church yet again this Sunday. Six of them are baptismal age and all of them are super pilas. In the states there is the joke of mormon standard time right? Well let me be the first to tell you that is nothing compared to "la hora chapina". To put some mental food in your hands the Oriente ward meets at 2:00 in the afternoon,  but we are lucky if it starts at 2:30 most  days.  This week we passed by the families and told them we are going to pass by in the morning at 9:30 so be ready by then. We came down a little bit earlier maybe around 9:10 to go and get the pickup truck ready to take them to church and when we passed by,  not only were all of them ready and dressed early, but they were also sitting there on the curb waiting for us to come by. These kids are "to legit to quit" as the saying goes.
    I had the chance to get to know Elder Mattson just a little bit more this week. Turns out we were both born in Sandy, Utah...typical small world mormon life. "wait your from utah to?!"

Lots of love to everyone!  Glad you had fun in Jackson Hole and Chase and Brooke had a great time at EFY.

Week #56: Make the most of now, tamales and waterfalls

It was a great week! I am blessed and I am able to bless the lives of those around me each and every day!

So Tuesday we had a normal day. District meeting, lunch and the whole deal. But then a little twist popped into the picture. I got a call at around 4:30, 5 from Elder Merrill (AP) asking me if I would like to go and work in the office of the mission. I answered honestly that I would rather not but If you guys feel like it is what needs to happen I will do it. When I got the call I was in the house of some investigators and recent converts that are kind of like family here. We are so much like family that on Sunday mornings when they are still sleeping in the mornings and not ready for church, we wake them just like I would with mom on Christmas mornings or those early seminary mornings with my sister. They knew some thing was up right away and then we all got kinda worried that I would be having changes.  However we used it as an opportunity to teach a great lesson.  About 30 mins later in the middle of the lesson I get a call from President Ruiz. He begins asking about my experience with computers, if I can drive, if I have my license and a few other questions by the end of the call I was like...well looks like I am leaving time to say goodbye. Pres. said he would call me back in a bit to tell me if I would have changes or not. Three hours later right before taking datos in the district,  I got a call saying we will start your training in the office tomorrow, pack your bags and bring them to the district leaders meeting tomorrow. At that point my heart just kinda sank I love San Ber. Its an awesome area, there is simply a little bit of everything there. After getting the call I started to take the datos thinking, well I am still a DL for a few more hours might as well do my job.  Shortly after I get done taking datos and saying goodbye to the District I get  call telling me umm change of plans, we wont be needing you to come to the office.  With that call I let out a triumphant yell, waking my comp Elder Damas out of his sleep!  Change is good, and I am willing to go and do what the Lord has planned for me, but change is hard at times too and I am glad I have some additional time here in the San Bernadino area.  If nothing else this provided a jolt that our time is always short and we must make the most of now, of today, for tomorrow there may be changes!

     This week has honestly been an awesome week. Between the cool people we have found the investigators that are progressing and just the things that happened from day to day, the obra misional is progressing very well.
     For instance on Saturday we were walking in a street when we stumbled upon a 15-year party in the making. Elder Damas and I looked at each other nodded and sat down with a group of corte women and began making tamales with them. Making atole and just prepping for the party. It was so funny just seeing the peoples faces as they walked by seeing a us doing what is usually only done by the women in this culture. I don't know what will come of that service but I think that at least we earned ourselves some major brownie points there, and all will greet us with a smile the next time we pass by and who knows maybe invite us in.
   
   Then there was another time when I was talking to Hna Jimenez and Barnium who are over in Oriente. They were in a little part of their area just a little in the middle of nowhere when all of a sudden a little old lady calls them over saying I know your church is the true church. Now if that isnt a miracle I dont know what is. But that's not the coolest part. This little old ladys name is Milagro (that means Miracle).
     Elder Ramirez and I were in divisions one day this week and were thinking what it would be like to have a lesson with someone from the states. little did we know that that same night we would have one over Skype and are now forever grateful that we are not teaching people from the US. No offence but que orgullosos son los personas alli.
   
    P-Day was fun today. We found another waterfall. I fell a good four times at least for the sake of the photos.
     I heard that there has been a little bit of rain over in Cali these last few days...That's cute. Just think off all of the flooding over there for a few seconds and then imagine tracking through it every day.  Needless to say we are always wet.

Week #55: Changes, Elder Damas, Rock Music, Blind Men and the Elephant

     Well another week come and gone. Changes have come and passed and I now have a knew companion! His name is Elder Damas and he as well is from Honduras. I have a pretty good feeling we are going to get along. He and I are both nerdy kids at heart and nerds typically tend to get along. Though I will miss Elder Cano as there was never a dull moment with him.
    This week we decided to start anew in the area and just go to work. It was a cool first day if I do say so myself. We started to go down a long street not really knowing where we were going... contacting along the way.   We had some good lessons and then came to the end of the road. We heard some rock music in the distance and started to walk towards it.  Elder Damas was saying "lets go there, anyone listening to rock will be positive about our message!". As we came up to the house we started to call out for someone as is normal for here, but no one came out and I started to think that no one wanted to talk to us.  There was an old man at the far end of the house collecting some tortillas he left in the sun to dry, but he didn't have any intention of coming over to us. We called out again...still no one came out. Just as we turned away about to leave a joven comes running out of the house, sees us and runs back in.   At that point we were thinking alright lets bail, they don't want anything to do with us.  After a moment though, the music dimmed a bit, and we found out he had only ran back into the house to turn it down. He came back out and after talking for a bit we found that they are actually a family of old investigators that had been lost in the various changes of missionaries over a years time and had already come to church four times.  The moral of the story is as my companion put it "Anyone listening to rock just has a different kind of mindset and will just about all always be positive".
   
     I was listening to a good talk this week by Deter F. Uchtdorf called What is Truth?. There was one part in the talk were he explains a poem about 6 blind men and an elephant.

The Blind Men and the Elephant
Well over one hundred years ago, an American poet put to rhyme an ancient parable. The first verse of the poem speaks about:

Six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.

In the poem each of the six travelers takes hold of a different part of the elephant and then describes to the others what he has discovered.

One of the men finds the elephant’s leg and describes it as being round and rough like a tree. Another feels the tusk and describes the elephant as a spear. A third grabs the tail and insists that an elephant is like a rope. A fourth discovers the trunk and insists that the elephant is like a large snake.

Each is describing truth.
And because his truth comes from personal experience, each insists that he knows what he knows.
The poem concludes:

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

We look at this story from a distance and smile. After all, we know what an elephant looks like. We have read about them and watched them on film, and many of us have even seen one with our own eyes. We believe we know the truth of what an elephant is. That someone could make a judgment based on one aspect of truth and apply it to the whole seems absurd or even unbelievable. On the other hand, can’t we recognize ourselves in these six blind men? Have we ever been guilty of the same pattern of thought?

I suppose the reason this story has remained so popular in so many cultures and over so many years is because of its universal application. The Apostle Paul said that in this world the light is dim and we see only part of the truth as though we are looking “through a glass, darkly.” And yet it seems to be part of our nature as human beings to make assumptions about people, politics, and piety based on our incomplete and often misleading experience.

This would be the best or I would say the most honest way that I can present to you as to why it is so hard for people to come unto the gospel. Here in the mission in every lesson we have to help people to overcome the partial truths they are apart of and help them to see what is really there. All of us as humans are guilty of this kind of thinking but here we see just how bad and destructive this kind of thinking is. Really more than anything it is just a sad part of us that we need to overcome.
     
On another  note I finally found a steak! At least I think it was beef..in any case it was was good!

I love you all, miss you all!  Tell everyone I am doing find and working hard in the obra misional!!

Week #54: It's all about the Caldo...

Authentic Guatemalan Caldo

Well I am happy to report that I am still alive and finally living in a semi healthy state. All has been going pretty well. I have no idea what to write about anymore. I feel as though every time I write I start saying the same stuff over and over again. But at any rate I figure I will go ahead and say it all again.
     This week we made caldo a mission "favorite" I don't know if I talked to much about caldo before but if I have or haven't you are going to here about it now. [Guatemalan Caldo] So my comp Elder Cano will most likely have changes this week. This in mind we decided to have a sort of farewell with a family of recent converts/investigators. Elder cano as the guest of honor got to decide what food we were to eat. I personally thought that we were going to have like some pizza or fried chicken or idk something other than caldo but the decision was made with caldo and so caldo is what we had. We put together a nice big list of everything that we would need and then split the cost. When Sunday night came around we came over to the house our jaws dropped as they started to serve out our plates.....In the bowl alone I think there was more water than I had drunken in the last 3 days and a huge mountain of rice, yuca green beans, carrots, mean chunks corn and more stuff I dont even know the name of in spanish or english. In Guatemala one does not simply say "i'm full" and push the plate away. Here we eat every last bit and we do it with tortilla in hand. That was the longest nights of my life...and one of the hardest things I have done. I can probably live the rest of my life without eating another bowl of soup but I know that is what is on the menu every other night this week.
   If anyone would like a little idea of what life is like here at lunch. stick a table out in the sun today at lunch with a super hot soup like the one in the photo and then eat it. (you still won't have the whole experience without tortillas but you'll come pretty close.)
   So there has been some really cool stuff happening this week. We as a zone are getting back on top leading the mission in baptisms for the moment. I pretty much don't have just one area anymore. This is actually something cool because once something good starts to happen in one area my job is to go in, get to know the people, and get them ready for their baptisms and wow this can be hectic sometimes. Jumping from area to area and city to city. I dont know just how much I will like traveling when I get back at this rate, but I love getting to know all of these knew people and I have truly began to see the more I do my job the more blessings I will receive. I at times feel like as I go and leave my area to go and do divisions in others, I am abandoning my area. but I know now for sure that this is not the case and that we really do receive blessings for it.
   On another note we still haven't killed the rat in the house. but I think we have it in a chokehold now as we haven't bought food for the house in the last two weeks.
   Changes are here I will probably have a new comp and we will see what kind of changes are coming into the district/zone.

Breaking bread...tortillas rather and caldo

1 Year mark burning of the shirt...w/ caldo stains