Hay Cambios (there are changes)

Tuesday Started it off with a great District Meeting but the Assistants came. We all thought it was to bring us a lot of *Chicote. But it was just a lot of love and help for us because we havent been baptizing. Taught us a lot about suffering through our trials and life with patience knowing something always good will come out in the end. Then we just had a great day of teaching and ended the night with sad news. Elder Murray got the call that he was changing areas. I was going to lose my Trainer and a really good friend. Wednesday Had a awesome Zone Conference and learned how to change our mind sets better so that we can remain positive so we can baptize! Then I got packages! I got package from my wonderful family. Got a package from Uncle Kelly and a letter from Karlee, Madi, and Grandma and Grandpa Lott. It made my whole day. When we returned we went to visit Mario and it was heart breaking because he told us he didnt want to continue or accept our church. It just crushed my heart but we will continue with him. Thursday Started it off with another good job of mowing a lawn or what really was a jungle with machetes! It was fun but tiring. After we had an odd day. Really just went and said goodbye to a lot of members and people because Elder Murray was leaving. It was a sad day but it was still good. Friday Cambios! Got my new trainer Elder Halverson from Alabama! He is weird. But it is okay. We worked pretty well together and just did a lot of contacting. It was just a normal friday even though I wish we could have found more miracles and people to teach. Saturday This was a day of receiving lots of *chicote because we had a priesthood meeting for stake conference and one of the 70 came and gave us a lesson. Elder Cordon. He gave awesome lessons. My favorite was his on the little things and one of the little things he focused on was lies. He asked a question on how many lies do we tell a day?a week?a month?a year? How much better will be if we went a year without a single lie? He said if we do that, that is how we truly know if we are honest or not. It was awesome lesson. Ended the night very spiritually at one of converts Mildred as we just read in the Book of Mormon with them. Sunday A good Stake Conference. Got to love the Dia de Reposo (Sabbath Day). This one was a really rainy day and we contacted in the flooded streets and found some good potential miracles and had a very spiritual lesson with Araceli that we are trying to help feel ready to be baptized this Sunday. And ended the night at the awesome Bishops house. Monday First PDay with Elder Halverson. We didnt do much just went, ate, and cleaned the house. Well I cleaned. He did his own thing. It was good and then we went out and taught and actually found a very good potential family of 6 that we hope to help them change and feel this happiness. It was a good week. Wish me luck

Just full of Adventures

Tuesday We had our zone meeting and it was awesome! Then I got to write home and got some wonderful advice from my amazing Mom and Dad. I love them so much. Then had divisions again with Elder Geertson. We didnt have tons of success and it rained. But we had fun and endured the rough day with joy. Wednesday The Zoo! This day was tremendous. We went to the zoo and I got see all sorts of cool animals and other crazy stuff. Then we went to a store kind of like walmart to buy our groceries and I got stuff to make no bakes! Yep thats right, I still got Nathans grandmas recipe memorized and the cookies turned out great! Thursday This day we taught one of our new families we found. They are a bunch of SNAKES! Haha but they are actually progressing and showing true interest in our message besides interest in us attractive boys. Then we taught a very funny lady who told us she has the authority of God because she feels it in her heart. Then we ended by teaching another new we found, his name is Antoni. He is kind of depressed but he is already happier just from visiting with us twice. Hopefully we can help him feel more of this true joy. Friday We taught my favorite investigator we have, Old man Mario. I love him and he is progressing so awesomely. There were some members with us there too which was a miracle! We taught him about the priesthood but after we talked to him about his baptism. When he said he wasnt ready... thats when the members attacked because almost all members here are converts and it helps a ton! Then Mario shared with us how he always has a desire to read in the Book of Mormon and how whenever we come he feels a strong spirit of peace. Oh yeah we are going to baptize this cute old man. But another awesome part of the day was my chance I got to give my first blessing in Spanish. It was to an awesome family that is super sick and the Father asked me to be the one to give him the blessing. It was amazing and I know it wasnt me who was giving the blessing. Saturday This was a strange Saturday because usually it is our busiest day and we have the most lessons. This one no... But it was still a good Saturday and we still had great lessons. Just a day with lots of fun,laughter,rejection, and joy. Sunday This was a good Sunday. It was a conference for all of Central America and so we got to hear some awesome talks, that I couldnt fully understand, but they were awesome and all about the Sabbath Day. It is a very important day and we should all learn more about it! Monday This was a good PDay. We got everything done that we wanted too and I got a hair cut and my eyebrows done! Wahoo. Then we made more no bake cookies and other cookies! I love Cookies! But I also organized the house. I think every PDay I am getting more and more OCD. Mom just you wait to see how neat and clean I am when I get home. Haha. But it was good day and we taught good lessons and found some good news. Hopefully we can get them progressing into this happiness! Spiritual thought 1 Nephi vs 13 until 15 This explains how God will never leave us. At times we may feel that he has left us, but he never will. God is always with us. Always ready to help us and bless us. The times we feel like he is gone is because we arent being totally obedient to him and doing everything we can to feel his love and presence. And when we arent obedient, we open the door for Satan to bring us these bad feelings. Just remember God is there and he loves you and loves each and every one of us. Alma 26 27 We must suffer with patience. Life is not easy, never will be. But if we suffer through the hard times with patience and trust in the Lord. We will receive great blessings and love. Plus we never have to suffer alone. We always have someone there to help us.

some weeks are just hard

Tuesday Started it off with a good District meeting and wrote our families and friends. Then my companion and I had divisions with the Zone leaders and I went to their area and worked with Elder Geertson. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot on how to teach better just by his example. We also got close to each other and were able to find things in common with each other that grew our relationship. Wednesday Got my companion back! Wahoo. We went to lunch and we had roast... Ahh I miss my moms roast. I really appreciate all she did for me even more now. We went all day out with one of the members named Job. He is such a strong and spiritual kid. We just worked hard and had a decently succesful day. Thursday Today I was sick again haha. Guess I really will be sick my whole mission. Its okay just need to learn to work through it because I think I got called here to make up for all my ,Trevor days back home. Anyway we had a great lesson with Saira again but she wasnt going to church because she works. Good news is she is looking for a new job so she can go to church! Friday This day was better. We also found a miracle! A guy who has three houses! He has one in California, so he speaks english, one here in the mountains and one in Antigua. It was amazing and in his prayer at the end he asked for help to know he needs to be baptized so he can be part of this family! What a miracle! His name is Gamaleil. Saturday This day was a long day. All of our citas fell and so we contacted all day. We had few people accept us and all that did were goats anyway. It was just long, hard working day. But it is okay. We need to have the tough days to have the good days. Sunday. This was a better Sunday. I still didnt really understand everything and I practically fell asleep in the classes but it was good because we actually had a lot of our investigators and converts show up to church! We were so happy. Then we went out and worked and it was lots of fun. We had another member go out and work with us. Because he was bored and wanted to. These members truly love us and doing this work which is awesome. Monday Today was not Pday for once because we are having it wednesday to go to the zoo! This is why I am not sending pictures haha. But it was such a great day. There was not a moment in the day my companion and I werent laughing or smiling and just enjoying what we are doing. We started it off with a good service of mowing one of the members lawns with machetes and trimmers. Haha it was fun but I much prefer using a lawn mower. Karlee, Tanner be grateful you have a lawn mower to mow our lawn with. But it was good successful day where we accomplished all our goals but a few and had lots of fun doing it!

two months

Tuesday Wrote home after a great district meeting. then we went and ate a lot of food at Dominos and Mcdonalds bought by our Zone Leaders because my companion and I rock. Afterwards we went and worked. Taught, well kind of taught this guy named Rene Calan. Really all we did was help him build a shelf and feel better because his son is in a choma and recovering. We left his house with him crying because of the spirit that came with our prayer. Hope to baptize him because he loves us and we can see him opening up to this happiness he could really use in his life. Wednesday Today we slept in because we were both getting a little sick, by sleeping in I mean until 6! It was just a regular hard working day with lots of walking and lots of testifying. Thursday Woke up and did as normal. Had our weekly planning then went and ate some good fried chicken and rice with tortillas (tortillas with every meal here). Got a few lessons in and then it started pouring rain to where we were basically walking in rivers. It was fun because when I say I live in the mountains of Guatemala it really is the jungle. After the rain we taught one of our new investigators named Saira and it went awesome and she actuallly told us she knows our church is the true church and told us she is ready to be baptized! What a miracle! Ended the night at another new investigator. An old guy named Oscar and his wife. They love us and we taught them plan of salvation and they gave us a free painting and food! I just love the people here. Friday Woke up at four thirty to go to another meeting of the news and rode a bus for 2 and half hours. Then ate Mcdonalds breakfast and had a good companionship study before the meeting. Then in the meeting we learned awesome stuff and how there are two different types of Hope! really cool. Then we rode a bus home for 3 hours or more to go back to work. It wasnt the most successful day but I did get to hit my companion in the face with a pillow at one of our converts house! Saturday Halloween! Didnt do anything to celebrate except eat one piece of candy before our fast haha. Here in Guatemala they dont celebrate Halloween. We did have a good, successful day with finding lots of new investigators. I got to help prepare a meal for the day of the dead called Fiambre... It isnt very good. I had it Sunday and didnt really like it haha but I love to cook and I loved that feeling of being a cook again. Then ended the night with a miracle of finding a girl who hasnt been to church in two years but has a strong testimony. Helped her realize she needed to come back and it ended with tears. It was great. Sunday Sundays are not my favorite because I cant really understand the lessons or anything but it is all good. This one was more difficult because it was day of the dead and no one wanted to go to church and no one was in their house for us to teach. Monday Hit two months! What an awesome PDay. We played soccer with water balloons with my District and it was crazy fun. We are such a crazy but awesome district. Afterwards we went and ate together and my companion and I actually saw a white guy! Then we had two awesome lessons and in one of them when I told my story and testimony the girl cried. The spirit works best through testimonies let me tell ya. I love being here.