11 months - Half Way

Today Joseph said that he did the math, and that according to his calculations, (and if he doesn't extend his missionary service and is released on June 10th as it is currently planned...) then today is his half way mark.

Say cheese for the phone!

I sent him a package today with a few things. I mainly needed to send the package to get something to one of Joseph's old companions, Elder Aquino (...not his trainer, but his comp from when he was changed to Jutiapa at the end of January.) Looking through my emails - Joseph has mentioned it in an email Feb 6th, that Elder Aquino was asking him how much they were. So I ordered one back in February. I didn't think I'd be so busy/lazy to take 4 months to send it to him! Anyway, I finally did it today - I sent the Alphasmart for Elder Aquino (Jospeh's pretty sure he'll see him, Elder Aquino is moving to the Antigua mission too) and for Jospeh: a webcam, an illustrated Book of Mormon stories in English, a small Preach My Gospel with the current 2018 revisions, and a black rain jacket that I ran and got at Scheels. So after we were done talking to Joseph, I hurried out to run errands and get him some requests before all my babysitters leave for Youth Conference at 5pm tonight.  So I went by Walmart first to get a webcam and an AUX adapter that they didn't have. Then to Deseret Book for a new Preach My Gospel book - he said the new 2018 ones have a few great revisions that President Shumway mentioned and Joseph really wanted it. Next I went to Best Buy to see if the Adapter cord, they didn't, the guy said I won't find it in stores. Walmart and Best Buy did both have the one I didn't need (crossed out below).

Sorry Joseph! It is mostly for older desktop PCs, which is probably what they have in Guatemala, but not something in high demand here in the US, hence my inability to find it. I emailed him to try and find one there or I can order it online and send another small package.

The CTR shipping lady texted me that it will be delivered to the mission office next Tuesday, so we'll see if he gets it by next week. It's nice to have a trusted way to send things to him. Here is Joseph's letter.
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            Subject: La Casa del Señor                    

Well this week was super great! In part because we got to go to the temple twice! Something that the mission has, since the temple is in the mission, is two sister missionaries who are assigned to the temple and the ward right next to it. Other missionaries in the mission will bring people they are teaching to the temple and the sisters give a little tour around the temple and explain a lot of things about the temple and then the people (and these are people that are preparing for baptism) have the chance to enter in the reception and pray. A lot of times it's a prayer to know if they should get baptized or if they should get baptized on a specific date and the spirit in the temple is so strong and for a lot of people that is how they get their answers. So this week we did that twice. The first one on Thursday with Valeska. She just got baptized and we had actually planned in last week before she got baptized but then our ride fell through. So we went on Thursday with the ward and she had a great experience! And she had her interview and got her recommend yesterday so I'm sure we'll be going again (but this time inside) soon. 

A neighbor of Valeska came to help with the 3 little kids and she's not a member so she got the tour too and another lady named Isol also was with us on the tour even though we hadn't planned for her. She is from Nicaragua and is staying with her sister-in-law right now who is a member and brought Isol on the temple trip. She had a lot of really good questions and came to church on Sunday as well! Today or tomorrow though she goes back to Nicaragua but we already sent the reference to them and she said the church is really close to her house so hopefully she keeps learning more and gets baptized!

The second time we went this week was Saturday in the madrugada which means the early morning. We left at 4. But it was super crazy actually because the day before on Friday I had to do a baptismal interview in Paraiso (an area in the district) and there were other appointments in my area they had to go to so we did divisions. But we had to end divisions at 3:45 in the morning. Friday on divisions was also just kind of a crazy day but it all worked out. I feel like things always work out even when they don't look like they will! Anyways we went to the temple super early in the morning with Galilea and her dad Lionel. And the spirit was there and Galilea got another answer and wants to get baptized but not quite yet but her dad did't even accept the invitation to pray and ask if he should get baptized because he has already been baptized. Galilea is super pilas though. They always give us food when we visit them and Galilea also goes to institute and just started reading Saints. Like I said she's super pilas. The dad is willing to learn more and has come to church and a bunch of ward activities but what he has not done is put in his part in reading the Book of Mormon. I bet what will happen is that he will get baptized someday but it will be after Galilea gets baptized and after he actually reads the Book of Mormon. Galilea wanted to get baptized in September to have more time to prepare and also because it's closer to her birthday. After the temple though she said she wants to get baptized sooner but not so soon as the 29th of June. So we're gonna keep working with her and it was really a great experience in the temple.

Also this week we said bye to President and Hermana Shumway.

They have been SO GOOD leading the mission in the way the Savior would. He is one of the most loving people I know and it was sad to say bye to them. I'm excited to meet President Barney though! He gets to Guatemala on the 28th I think but we meet him on the 1st or 2nd. Fun fact is that his job is like combining companies and now he has to combine 4 stakes from the central mission and 4 stakes from the south mission to make the Antigua mission. So it's super cool that he has had experiences in his job and life that have prepared him to be a mission president here.

And this week my shoe opened up!

But I fixed it

And if it falls apart again it's a good thing these things have a 2 year guarantee!

Also here is a pic of Elder Thompson and I eating Mcdonalds that we ordered the night we did divisions. They literally have NO food in their house haha and it's always the worst when you do divisions and the house that you go to doesn't have food. So we ordered Mcdonalds and I ate a McNifico.

It's a little sad that as a missionary we don't get to go to the temple that much. Except that it's not that sad because we don't go because we get to preach the gospel which is THE BEST!!! But for those of you who are not full time missionaries and are close to a temple I'd like to share a quote by President Nelson that I love. "Building and maintaining temples may not change your life, but spending your time in the temple surely will." And it is SO true. I encourage you all to spend a little more time in the House of the Lord and promise that as you do the Spirit will fill your life more and you'll be happier.

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