14 months - Pior

Joseph will have been gone 15 months tomorrow! Just 9 more, looking back from here it feels like it's really gone quickly!
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    Subject: Pior                         

So there is a joke that someone told me before I knew spanish when I told them I was going to Guatemala. He said at least it's not Guatepeor. Now for those of you who don't speak spanish "mala" means bad and "peor" means worse. So the joke is that it's Guatebad but at least it's not Guateworse! Pretty funny. But the thing is the Guatemaltecos here say pior instead of peor. And so its an inside joke between some missionaries that intentionally say pior instead of saying peor and its pretty funny because no one else notices.

But even though the title is Pior/Peor meaning worse this was actually a great week! Of course not perfect and there were challenges but it was great. Downer of the week was that Orlando didn't actually get baptizied. He passed his interview and everything but then something happened and he went to Antigua and not to his baptismal service. So we filled the font for nothing but we have talked to him quickly on Saturday and think he is doing okay. We just need to talk to him a little more to figure it all out. He is doing okay though.

Also I don't think I have mentioned the Osorio family before. Maybe I have. The are awesome! The live in an aldea called Bola de Oro and there people there are golden! We have found a lot of people. And this family is HUGE! They have 10 kids! Who does that? Haha I feel right at home there. But they are super humble and just awesome. And the oldest daughter in the family came to church on Sunday and the rest of the family is going to come this week!

There are some pics of Bola de Oro here below. Its super pretty and the trees remind me of the sacred grove.

Also the Ruiz family is doing well and we have been able to feel the Spirit strongly in lessons with them. Keep them in your prayers still that they will be able to recieve an answer about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith.

And the Orellana family is doing well. They are praying to know if they should be baptized this Sunday and we are working on helping them get to know a lot more members and are praying that they will also recieve an answer.

Changes are this next week but I bet I'll stay here. We'll see who my new comp is going to be but it has been an amazing transfer here with Elder Riffo. I have eaten a lot of peanut M&Ms. Those things are good!!

I encourage you all to go take a look at President Nelsons devotional at BYU about "The Love and the Laws of God". Truth is Truth!! Christ is our Savior. He and our Heavenly Father love us. This is His Church on the earth today. Joseph Smith is and was a prophet and the Book of Mormon is true. If you haven't found out for yourself yet, put in the work and ask God. He will answer. LOVE YOU ALL!!

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A Few Emails to Friends

So, I didn't get an email from Joseph yesterday, but I knew they were going to Atitlan, so I thought maybe he'd write today, but after I didn't hear from him today, I checked into his email and saw that he had sent his weekly email, but only sent it to Corey and a neighbor who is on a mission. So I just logged on and sent that to everyone. And I will not be posting that under yesterday, Sept 18th. But while I was on there, I was snooping in his other sent letters, I thought these that he wrote to a few friends were good, like his advice to Brox, so I thought I'd include them for his mission history. Haha, it's like I'm Mormon who gets to be guided to what to include in this sacred record.

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To Brox - neighbor who just arrived on his mission in Bolivia. Brox mentioned how he was going to miss the food at the Provo MTC

From Joseph: I ate two donuts yesterday but haven't drank chocolate milk but they do have it here in Guatemala. Might try it sometime. Before too long you will convert into a bolivian! I am a guatemalan now and like to eat their typical food: eggs, beans, and tortillas. It is what I live for! Seriously though I prefer it over cold cereal.

From Brox: haha thanks man! I'm feeling pretty good about it right now, hanging in there. This will probably lead right into a conversation about patience, but if you have any advice for not thinking about how I literally have two more years of this before I go home I'd appreciate it. I was feeling good this whole week until like yesterday when it just hit that two years is a long time. Probably comes with patience (duh) but I'd love to hear any thoughts you have.

  hope everything is going well for you man. I wish they had tortillas here.

Joseph's reply: Something that has helped me is a paraphrased quote by none other than Jim Dahle (the man himself) said regarding Medical school. The time is going to pass either way. Whether you enjoy it or not in September of 2021 two years will have passed. Nothing you can do about the time.

But what we can do is enjoy the time and make the most of it. And the funny thing is that when you think about the time and think about yourself it goes really slow. When you think about the people you are serving and lose yourself the work the time goes by so fast you would not believe!! And the best part is you love it!! It makes it so that when the time ends you don't even want to go! Kind of like Nanny McFee. Patience is a big part of that. Because it wont be easy and its not supposed to be. But it helps us develop all those Christlike attributes that we need for our eternal progression, including patience. There are some missionaries however that get through their two years, patience, but they don't have any diligence because they don't work how they should. So really they don't benefit at all from their mission. They went on a mission, but they didn't serve a mission. They were not the fourth missionary. Which is a VERY good talk that has helped me a lot. Also one called the consecrated missionary, but I don't have a digital copy of that one. I will add the fourth missionary to this email though. It is by a general authority when he was a mission president. Be the fourth missionary!!

The time will really pass by SO fast it is insane! I go home in less than 9 months and it seems like just yesterday we were hiking though the narrows in Zions. Actually this week I did almost the same thing because the streets flooded and my feet were soaked. Actually all of me was soaked. But we laughed and made it fun. Thats also another thing is to just have fun in the small things. Joke around! Also what we have been doing is I have been teaching my comp funny phrases in english because he is from chile and so he goes around saying "You are a monkey!" to the other missionaries that live in our house haha. Enjoy your mission, but obviously working hard and doing the things you are supposed to. Find joy in the journey and remember come what may and love it.

Also your companion makes a big difference. You have to get along to have success and to enjoy it. My slowest and worst transfer was when my companion and I didnt get along. It made missionary work even harder but gave me lots of opportunities to prove my faith and develop patience. So try to get along with and love lal of your companions as well. It makes it a lot more enjoyable. (PDF of The Fourth Missionary here) I am fully confident that you are an excellent missionary Elder and want to congratulate you for deciding to go. You have had an Eternity to prepare for your mission and you will have an eternity to reflect on it, but you only have two years to LIVE it!! So make the most of it! LOVE YOU

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To Harrison - He's a kid in our ward that is the same age as Joseph but just recently decided to serve a mission. He opened this call this week and is going to Tampa Florida! Joseph asked him why he decided to go on a mission:

From Harrison: Thanks Joseph! That means a lot! About a mission, I always thought a mission was cool but I always said a mission it’s for me, I need to know for myself I need to go on a mission! The about two months ago I kinda hit a ruff patch and wasn’t feeling to well so I start to pray and actually read my scriptures and stuff like that. And then one day it just hit me that I am ready to go on a mission!! So from that day on I felt so good about that and all my worries about a mission pretty much went away! That’s just another sign to me that I’m ready too haha so yeah that’s pretty much it!! It just hit me hard I need to go 

From Joseph: WOW!! That is so awesome!! I think it is really true that if the hard times God can direct us where he wants us to go. The song Savior Redeemer of my soul says "chasten my soul till I shall be, in perfect harmony with Thee" and chasten means hard things. The Lord definitely needs you on a mission and there are people that are waiting for you!! The mission is the best. When you lose yourself and get to work there are so many blessings and you are so happy. Keep me updated!! I felt that many times before my mission, and have felt it many times during my mission, that I might not know everything but I know enough. And there is an indescribable feeling that is the Spirit that has told me and tells me every day that this is exactly where God wants me to be and I know it is the same for you!! Keep up the great work Harrison and you will see SO many blessings in your life! Keep me in the loop por favor!

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To Hannah - I don't know her, but I thinks she's a friend from either Lyceum or from Summerfest. I'm just going to put his past emails to her, funny tidbits in there like the BYU football game, ha.

August 21st

Hey hey!! How long have you been home for?? Back in Portland right?? Yeah that seems like it would be hard because all the people you were with all year arent there anymore. Do a lot of people stay at BYU for the summer?? Thats great that youve been babysitting though because honestly babysitting makes bank. And the best part is the little kids that you get to know. Little kids are the BEST! Haha I am glad I was the oldest so I had lots of younger siblings. And between me and my sister my parents always had a free babysitter.

When does school start again? Look for an Harrison Bludworth there too. He is calidad. And yeah if you help my sister out with the big college shift that would be amazing! And then you and her will both help me when I get back haha

As for me I am really doing GREAT!! There is a great satisfaction that comes from giving everything. I am trying to become the Fourth Missionary. Theres a talk about it that is soooo good that you should definitely look up. The fourth missionary is the only way to go.

i got transfered yesterday from the capital to a place called Chimaltenango that is like an hour away from the capital and my new companion is SUPER PILAS!! Super hard worker and also just the greatest guy. He gets along with everyone he talks to. So I am super excited for our time together.

The mission is hard yeah but I remember once I had a companion that was having a really hard time and the assistants came to talk to him after a district council and after he said how hard it was and why it was so hard they were like "well, welcome to the mission" and it was actually really funny even though my companion didn't think it was funny. But the thing is we can find JOY when we keep the commandments in whatever circumstance. President Nelson has a really good talk about it.

But I really appreciate the prayers, especially that we will be able to find the people that are ready to receive the gospel. Keep praying!! And just keep being a great example to everyone you know.

I will for sure check out Come Follow Me in Romanos 8! We used to have an hour to study Come Follow me on Sundays but since we changed missions now we dont but I am gonna find the time!!

Your the best!!

August 28

Yeah I bet that would be rough taking too much time off from school especially when you are far away from everyone else. Its like a Pday in the mission. The break is nice but when it is 6:00 again you are anxious to get to work. Also everyone has told me that BYU is super hard and I believe it but what would you say has been the hardest part? The workload?

YES! I call my family every week but I don't talk to them all every week haha especially now that school started for them. But it is gonna be really weird seeing them after 2 years. I am pretty sure that Ethan is taller than me now and Daniel can talk now. Also it will be weird to get to know my little brother Peter who was born after I left! Yesterday I hit 14 months though and it is CRAZY how fast the time is passing. Hay que aprovecharlo al maximo!

My sister is gonna stay in heritage though! Are you staying in Heritage again this year? I am honestly not sure what I am gonna do and dont even know what I am gonna major in! I would love to stay in Heritage but I heard that heritage is a good before mission place but that it is different for RMs. What would you recommend?? I did one summerfest off campus and one summerfest on campus (in heritage) and both were amazing but I liked the on campus experience a lot more. But it might be different for college. We'll see!

It is a way good talk. Yeah I know what you mean!! I saw all missionaries as the same before but really they can be very different. But really the way of the fourth missionary is the only way to be happy and actually benefit personally from your mission. Another good one is called "The consecrated missionary" by Ted R. Calister (who also has some awesome Book of Mormon talks).

We found this AMAZINGLY PILAS FAMILY this week!! And all because of a BYU STICKER!! Cougers represent!! I will talk more about that in my email this week.

My favorite food is for sure the breakfast they serve here. It is simple but is the BEST! Plátanos fritos con juevitos y frijolitos. And I didnt like beans before I came here but it is honestly my favorite food. There is also a mexican food restraunt close to our house in my new area that sells good food. Its called El fogón.

Thanks for all your emails, love and support!! You're doing amazing!!

Elder Wride

September 4

Hahaha I know how you feel because I also write as I think and then I get lost and let´s just say it´s a good thing you can go back and edit when you are typing because I can´t do that in my journal and it makes even less sense. But I have been writing every day for like a month now! So i am proud of myself.

Yeah Pday is a good break but it is also pretty full of writing and cleaning and eating haha today we did a deep clean of the house and were proud of ourselves. The only thing is that we dont cook very much in our house because there are cucas (short for cucaracha meaning cockroach) in the kitchen. And they are almost everywhere here haha. One time a family we were teaching in my last area gave us some agua (which you would think means water and it does but here it also means basically any liquid. This agua was soda) and as I was drinking a saw a shadow of something on the other side of the bottom of the cup. Yep it was a baby cuca. I just finished the drink and didnt say anything and they didnt say anything either. So it wasnt in the drink but was on the other side of the cup so who knows how sanitary the cup was. But we have been able to exterminate most of the cucas in the kitchen but every once in a while some show up. You probably dont want to hear about that though so sorry. Cucas are really gross.

Yeah I can imagine! I thought high school for me was pretty packed and like there was always something I had to be doing or a concert I had to play/sing in (that is what happens when you have 4 music classes and 2 outside of school music groups) and most nights I walked home with a few instrument cases in my hands and in a tux. But I am SO STOKED for life at the Y! And am excited for every single part. I heard someone told me that its kind of like you have to choose two of three things between good grades, sleep, and social life but that is is really hard to do all three. You´ll have to help me get through it then because you´ll be a junior when I am a freshman!

PETER IS SO CUTE!! From the pictures and video chats at least. It has been nice for me to talk to the family every week and get advice about companions or people we are teaching. I wasn´t ever really homesick but it is definitely a blessing being able to call every week. I am trying to use it to really motivate my younger siblings to know the importance of missions and help them want to go on a mission as well. Because this is the GREATEST MOST IMPORTANT WORK ON THE ENTIRE EARTH!!! And yes time flies SO fast it is unbelievable. That´s awesome about your sister!! Did she get back recently then?? Where was she serving?

That is actually exactly what I imagined with the on vs. off campus. And that makes me more inclined to live off campus because I really don´t want to deal with a bunch of immature kids who just got out of high school. I am sure there are very mature ones but the mission definitely makes a difference in the way one thinks and acts. I did hear that there were older people that lived in Heritage that were the room checkers though. Is that like a job? Because if it pays or makes living there cheaper it might be worth it but we´ll see! But I can imagine how they would also feel out of place with only 18 year old girls. Although my cousin just got married on Saturday to an RM and she is at least 2 years younger than him so it happens for sure.

Yeah I heard about the game... On Friday I was on divisions for a baptismal interview in a far away area called San Martin (where they rent and remodeled a house for the church building. Also the bus drive there was SOOO PRETTY and SOOO GREEN) and we stopped by the church to talk to the branch president and there was a Greenga there! Greenga means a girl from the US! She is finishing up studying at the U online and got married like a month ago to someone from the states but who is living here teaching in a small school. So now she lives here. They stand out a lot haha. But when i said that I was going to go to BYU she made a U with her hands. I didnt know that BYU had already lost and asked her on Sunday when they came to Chimaltenango for the baptism who won and she just held up the U again and it hurt my soul. I told them that I had been praying that BYU would win and the husband said ¨BYU knows how to pray, but the U knows how to play football¨. 9 years in a row now. Cmon Elder Bywater! Elder Bywater was my first zone leader in the mission and is playing for BYU now. I think he is a linebacker. He told me he would make sure we would win but looks like it didn't turn out too well. Next year for sure!!

Well I remember that you like went to this national championship thing for ballroom in high school so I assume you are pretty good. And you got into BYU so you must be a good student! I think I am definitely going to brush up when I get back. I also think it would be the BEST to sing for Vocal Point.

That Family is progressing a LOT! They came to church on Sunday and we had a great lesson with them about the Gospel of Jesus Christ last night. I think they could totally get baptized this month. They are so pilas!! BYU REPRESENT!!

Yeah platanos and bananas are a little different and platanos are bigger and not quite as sweet but there might be some other differences. They are very similar though. Fried Platanos is where it is at though.

Well hey good luck in your classes!! I am sure you will do great and see a lot of miracles this year studying! Let me know when you find them!!

Guarde la fe!! (Guardar is keep and so if you are talking in Usted it is guarde but in tú it is guarda)

Elder Wride

14 months - LAS MONTAÑAS

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    Subject: LAS MONTAÑAS                

Hey Hey!!!

So I dont have much time this week because we had a zone pday and so we were gone the whole morning. BUT the good news is that this week I have some pictures.

We went to the lake Atitlán which a lot of people think is the waters of Mormon! Really we don't know but it is cool to imagine and it is a GORGEOUS place so props to Alma for picking such a cool spot to baptize people.

We are at a breakfast buffet right next to the lake with volcanos in the background.

The whole drive there and the place was just so perfect.

Totally going back there someday.

Other things that happened this week

-talked to an evangelical preacher that always preaches outside the church. He told us the Book of Mormon is the Book of the Devil. We just testified to him though and wave when we pass by. Hope he will get around to reading it someday!

-We invited Mellany from the Orellana family to be baptized on the 28th and she accepted and we are inviting the rest of the family tonight!

-not many people came to church because it was independence day in Guate on Sunday. But this week is gonna be a good one!

- We found a super awesome family in a far out village (like 20 minutes on bus) and they are SO prepared for the restored Gospel and are a HUGE family. 10 kids!!

-We are still teaching the Ruiz family and they are doing well. President Barney told the story of how we found them in the Florida (my last area) stake conference. Keep them in your prayers!!

-Also congrats to my little sister Sophia who got baptized!!

-And to Madelin, someone I taught with Elder Tercero in Santa Marta, also got baptized on Saturday. Orlando didn't because he had to work but will be getting baptized this Saturday. Third times the charm!

-Also we have been teaching Elder Riffo English phrases like "you are a monkey" and "don't cry little girl" that he is saying to the other elders we live with. It is pretty hilarious.

And that's about it for this week because we gotta go. ADIOS!!

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14 months - EL LIBRO DE MORMON

So Joseph was super excited today as he told us about the trailer for the Book of Mormon videos! Like he was giddy, he's so stoked!

I had heard about it but hadn't seen it yet. We watched it after talking with him, and it looks cool! We're excited! Probably not as excited as the full time missionaries like Elder Wride, but they are kinda hard to compete with anyway. So watch this and get excited!

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   Subject:   EL LIBRO DE MORMON   

The Book of Mormon is true!!!

It was a rule in the central mission (which part of it combined with the south mission to make the antigua mission) that you had to carry a Book of Mormon in your hand at all times. Well some people might think that I came from the central and not the south mission because I already did that sometimes. It isnt a rule for us but Elder Riffo and I love doing it. Reading it a lot more this week I have realized how much of a blessing and a joy it is that we have it. It is a miracle!! And some exciting news is that they are coming out with some Book of Mormon videos like the bible videos they made. ISN'T THAT SO COOL!!! It looks so exciting. The link to the church news article is here below. I recommend that you all go see it and get excited to see the Book of Mormon come to life.

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/season-three-filming-book-of-mormon-videos 

To quote Elder Jibson, one of the Elders we share a house with, "I could watch this video a hundred times"

It is pretty cool.

In other news the Orellana family came to church this week!! We had a great lesson about the Plan of Salvation with them Saturday night and the Spirit was so strong and they embraced those truths so easily! They have a lot of family members who have passed away recently and so they really were wondering what happened after this life.

The Ruiz family (from the BYU sticker) also came to church, well the dad and the son and the dad is reading a lot of the Book of Mormon. They have just been the most golden investigators ever but we are not surprised that we are starting to see some opposition. They have had more support from the evangelical church where they used to go so they really need your prayers that they will do the work necessary to receive and recognize an answer that these things are true and that they will have the valor to join the church. Please keep them in your prayers!!

Also Orlando is getting baptized this Saturday and he is very ready and understands the lessons really well. And my little sister Sophie is also getting baptized this week so shout out to her and this first of many big steps that she will take in her life. Love you Sophie!!

That's it for this week but next week we are going to Panajachel so I will have some good pictures. People think that Panajachel is where the waters of mormon are and there is a city under the lake there! Pretty intense stuff.

I know that Jesus Christ lives and that He also came to the Americas! The Book of Mormon is true and if you read it every day it will change your life!!

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In my email to Joseph, I asked him to send me something that I could share on his behalf at Sophi's baptism this Saturday. So we'll send today's post with what he shared:

Hola Sophia!

  Being on a mission has helped me realize the importance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the only way to be happy here on earth and is the only way to live with God again.

  An important part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is getting baptized. It is the gate to enter the path that leads to Heaven! Before we get baptized we need to have faith in Jesus Christ and repent of our sins. Then we need to follow Jesus' example and be baptized! When we are baptized we become completely clean of any bad thing we have ever done! When you come out of the water you will be perfect! When we get baptized we promise God that we will obey his commandments and always take the sacrament at Church on Sunday. To help us do this, He gives us the Gift of the Holy Ghost to help us in all of our decisions.

  Someone we are teaching named Orlando is also getting baptized today and I am SO happy that you and him have decided to take this great and important step of baptism. I hope you always remember this day and challenge you to read the scriptures every day and pray many times a day. If you do you will be happy even when things are hard. If you do you will be a good example to me, to all your brothers and sisters and to everyone you know. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He called Russull M. Nelson as a Prophet. This is Jesus Christ's Church and you are about to be the newest member of the Church. I love you Sophie, and share this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

14 months - Milpa, Lodo, y Lluvia

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  Subject:  Milpa, Lodo, y Lluvia        
Buenas!!

Well another super great week here in Chimal! It has been raining a lot more and so almost every night I put the fan on my shoes to dry them off after cleaning the mud off of them because the little aldeas we visit the streets are dirt and when it rains it makes mud. Also Milpa means corn and some of the people we teach have a lot of milpa and we have to walk through their corn fields on the way to their house.

We were super excited that the family we found by the BYU sticker came to church on Sunday! The dad has been reading the Book of Mormon and finished 1st Nephi this week and had some way good questions!! We had a lesson with them last night teaching about the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Spirit was SO strong! We started to invite them to baptism and the dad said yes but we couldn't invite the rest or put a date because he started asking more questions about the Book of Momon and we were out of time. But this week we will invite them again and do it better this time. We are excited for them and believe they will be an awesome family in the church.

We are teaching Orlando more and he had/has a baptismal date for this Saturday but he went back to the capital and wont be back till Saturday so we are thinking we might have to postpone it a week because we still have some stuff to teach him but we are leaving him some reading assignments and will have to see if he is ready or not on Saturday. He is doing great though and has been to the church a ton of times and told us he knows the church is true and has not been drinking coffee since we taught him the word of wisdom.

We also challenged Aide and Mario to get baptized this week and they accepted and said they were going to come to church this week and they did go to church, but not with us! They went to their Evangelical church... so yeah we are planning on going with them and some members tonight. They are awesome though and came to see the prophet and have had spiritual experiences but Aide cant read so it makes it a little harder but not impossible! 

Today we cleaned the house! We didn't think it was that dirty but ended up cleaning a lot and the good thing is that now the Spirit will be stronger in the house and it also means we took pictures. The house here is very nice and a little pricey but considering that 4 missionaries live in it is is a normal price.

As you walk in the door

A bunch of extra beds that are in the garage

The front door, which is made out of WOOD!

Where we study

The kitchen

And the kitchen from another angle

And I dont have pictures of the upstairs. Yep. Hay dos niveles. So not too exciting the house pictures but we were excited about it haha.

Also I feel like I talk about this a lot but it is really SO important to read the Book of Mormon every day. On Monday we had a meeting in the morning and then weekly planning and so we didn't really have our studying and as we say in Español, nos hizo falta. We weren't nearly as in Harmony with the Spirit as we normally are, could have been and should have been. SO if you are having a bad day or things aren't going well ask yourself if you have read the Book of Mormon today. If you haven't read it, read it. If you have read it, read it again and live what you read. The Lord responds through personal revelation and through the scriptures!! Especially the Book of Mormon. If you prayerfully read and ponder it every day, miracles will happen. Go ahead and try it. I KNOW THAT THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE!! LET IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOU!!

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