Called to serve in the Guatemala Quetzaltenango mission

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Elder Call goes to HueHue!


Hey guys, well this week I got changes and I am now in Huehuetenango!  Our zone, Calvario, is awesome.  My area is called Brasilia.  Its a ward and our church building is the stake center.  I can see that there is a ton of potential here but... lets just say my companion and his old companion werent really working, like, at all.  My new companion is 18 years old, has 3 months, is from Nicaragua, and has a cool accent.  He was pretty disobedient with his trainer and they literally did nothing here.  Hes a cool guy though, I think Im helping him out a lot. There are about twice as many people than in San Mateo, so I think there will be a lot of people to teach.

Well this week I did a division with Elder Mcvey, who is a good friend of mine.  We worked suepr hard and had a great day.  I think being a district leader will help me grow as a person and learn a ton.  

This week we mainly tried looking for members to talk to, as well as contacting a ton of people.  There are some really cool people in my area.  The good thing is that here the people are a lot nicer and less fanatic about religion.  We talked to one member who got babtized when he was 16, back when Huehue only had 30 members.  He was later called as a bishop and even stake president.  One day he was checking recomends at the temple when someone walked in.  The man looked at the member funny, and asked his name.  He told his name, and the strange man who walked in looked in a journal and guess what?  The man who walked in was the elder who babtized this member, only 45 years older.  This story really motivated me to find the chosen people and help them accept the gospel.  We are pretty much opening the area, so it will be a little rough at first.  I know, however, that God will help us and that we will be successful.  Im excited to work, grow, and become a better missionary.  Peace!




Part of my zone!


The new baby



Saying good bye to Edwardo and his family-pretty much the best members ever



Tuesday, May 12, 2015

The winds of change!

Hey guys, there are a lot of changes coming my way!  The other day President called and told me that Im getting transferred.  He also told me Im going to be a district leader, so tomorrow I get a new companion, new area, and a lot of new responsabilities!

I was thinking about my time here in San Mateo.  6 months haha, thats a long time!  When I first got here there werent any investigators, the church asistance was around 80, and the branch just wasnt doing too well.  6 months later?  Asitance averages 125, we have two babtism dates, and we are doing a lot of activities to motivate the branch.  I have seen many miracles here and have really learned a lot.  Missionary work is,more than anything, just love.  If we express our love for everyone, lives change, miracles happen, and happiness spreads.  I think love is so important because if we show our love for others God will show his love for us.  

Its kind of a bitter sweet feeling leaving an area.  I feel happy because I get to meet new people, but at the same time its a little bit sad.  Theres a widow in our ward that we went to visit yesterday to say goodbye.  She just started crying and crying.  Ive been a part of many lives here, Ive seen so many changes and people progressing.  

Im going to miss a lot of people here in San Mateo, but Im ready to move on and help more people.  There are so many humble, nice people here in Guatemala that need a lot of help.  I know that Christ loves us and He will help us overcome our challenges.  The church is true!  My testimony of the Gospel, after talking to Jehovahs Witnesses, Catholics, Adventists, Evangelists, Protestants, and even Atheists, has never been stronger.  I know that we possess the fulness of the Gospel, what a great blessing!  This coming week a lot will change, but my testimony of the truth will never change.  I love you guys!  Suerte y sigan adelante en la obra de Dios


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Monday, May 4, 2015

It's raining, it's pouring!


Rain!  The rainy season has officially started here in Guatemala.  This week it rained a ton!  Its really nice though, it was getting really hot for these past few weeks.  

This week went well, we found a new family to teach.  The mom is catholic, the dad doesnt go to any church.  We had a great lesson with them and we have another one with them today.  We had 4 investigators in church which was awesome!  Rosa and her daughter, along with a lady named Betza and her son. We put a date with our investigator Lupe for the 13th of June.  I would say things are going fairly well here!

This week we had interviews with our mission president.  I really like something he said, "We can fill our day with activities, or we can fill our day with results."  I think a lot of times as missionaries, students, etc. sometimes we feel like we are doing a lot because we are busy.  The truth is though, if what we are doing doesnt help us accomplish our goals, its a waste of time.  We have to be obedient and work hard if we want to have miracles.  The mission is a time for us to change and become our best selves.

I love fasting, I think its such a wonderful blessing.  Its super hard here in the mission because we still have to work, but I sure can feel the blessings. I love being a missionary because we get to help so many people.  Its a great blessing and I know it will bless my family and friends.  I love you guys!