16 months - TorTrix or Treat

We love this kid!

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  Subject:    TorTrix or Treat             
Hey Hey!!

So I guess it's Halloween and stuff back home but its not super big here. I have seen some Halloween stuff but mostly just in American stores and supermercados. But something they do eat a lot here in Guatemala are Tortrix. They are basically just chips and are pretty good. They only cost 1 Quetzal.

This week a couple times we bought Tortrix and tortillas (one Quetzal of tortillas will give you normally 4 tortillas but some of them give you 5!!) and eaten Tortrix tacos. They are kind of dry but actually really good!! And as we were eating them one time the phrase "Tortrix or Treat" came into my head and I thought it would be a funny title to use when Halloween comes around. And then I was like wait a sec Haloween is in like 3 days. So happy Halloween I guess. But remember not to get distracted (which is one of "the 3 D's" of the adversary. See Elder Peter M Johnsons talk from conference.) and keep your life focused on the Savior!!

There is this place where some recent converts live called Xejuyu. Its kind of far away and a lot of people here have never even heard about it. Anyways whenever we go there (and many times when we go to Bola de Oro) our shoes look like this at the end of the day.

Lets just say there is a lot of mud. The Muddy Mission! But I actually really like it outside the city. Even though its far away from stuff and there are dirt roads its a lot more calm and peaceful. Although there are parts of Chimaltenango that are not like that at all and where there is a lot of traffic and it looks like the city. But there is a lot of it that is "puro campo" and the people here are just awesome. Very nice and open. I am also learning a little bit of Kakchiquel.

Xka'ij, utz' a wuch. Nubli' Yi' Elder Wride. Achique' apli'?

If you didn't understand that you can put it in Google Translate.

This week was really good though! The Osorio family got confirmed! And then right after they had their interview with the Bishop for their temple recommends and for the Dad and son to get the priesthood. They are so awesome. Nicodemo still doesn't have a set job but is doing "trabajitos" here and there to sustain the family. Also two of the kids (both of whom are not members yet because they are usually gone working) work. But we are still praying for him that he will be able to get a good job and especially the one where he doesn't have to work on Sundays. The Lord will provide! And as Nephi says in the Book of Mormon videos "How is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to all things unto the children of men in they are to exercise faith in Him". I love Nephi's faith. If you aren't up to date on the Book of Mormon videos please start. Watch them to help with your personal daily study!

We were super happy that Floridalma came to church this week too! She really likes it and got to know lots of sisters from the Soc Soc (Sociedad de Socorro).

Also HUGE miracle this week! So Orlando has still been coming to church. He didn't come for like 2 weeks after he didn't come to his own baptism but then he started coming again and we visited him and left him 1 Nephi 8. Then on Sunday it was the last day of the week which was the last week that would count for October. We had hit all of our month goals but were one away from hitting out goal for people with a baptismal date. So we were thinking that there was someone that the Lord was preparing to accept a baptismal date and we were trying to figure out who it could be and who we could invite that day. We felt like it was a bit of a long shot with almost everybody but we decided to go with Orlando and he read the chapter we left him and explained it really well to us with the fruit of the tree of life and how it was the most desirable above all things and the most joyful to the soul. Then we read from Alma 5:62 "...and unto those who do not belong to the church I speak by way of invitation, saying: Come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may also be partakers of the fruit of the tree of life." We then invited him to be baptized to partake of the fruit and he said that he had actually wanted to talk to us about that and that he wanted to be baptized. It was such a cool experience! The Spirit really directed the lesson and he was just waiting for us to ask him to be baptized. So he is on for the 9th of November.

Also remember that guy Ely (Elder) who we are teaching? Well he is doing really well and is reading the Book of Mormon and loving what he is learning. This week he said that he thinks if Adam and Eve had not eaten of the fruit we wouldn't exist so it was part of the plan and we were like 2 Nephi 2:22-25. He felt like the Book of Mormon was really just speaking to him in that scripture and in other ones that we shared about how to know its true like Moroni 10:5 and Alma 32:28.

Also my kid Elder Tercero told me (even though they aren't there anymore but his old comp told him) that like 4 people we were teaching are going to get baptized now! And the Mendoza family finally got their papers in and so they are now members of Christs church! But it made me super happy to hear that they FINALLY accepted a baptismal date and are progressing! Galilea, Eneyda, Victoria, and Marleni. It made me really happy.

Also today we had this guy (who has been asking us for a couple weeks if he can cut our lawn) if he could cut the grass in our backyard and so he did it today. it was so long he had to use a lawnmower and a machete.

Sorry for a long email this week. Things are going super well and I am happy here! I know that Christ lives and that THIS is His church on earth today. I invite you all to pray and ask God if all these things are true and I promise that He will answer through the Holy Ghost. I promise that this knowledge and keeping the commandments will bless your life and help you be happy.

Love you all!!

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15 months - Misionando

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    Subject:  Misionando            

So in Spanish all the verbs en in "ar", "er", or "ir" and is preceded by the first part of the verb: to preach is predicar, to write is escribir, to read is leer and so on. And to make a verb ending in -ing you end it with -ando or -iendo. So preaching would be predicando. To mission is not a verb. In english we obviously don't say that we are missioning but here they say it sometimes. People ask us if we are misionando and we are like yeah we are missioning. Cracks me up.

Funny moments this week.

- We started teaching someone named Elder this week! He actually seems really positive and came to church! He is reading the Book of Mormon and has some way good questions.

- Elders brother Jubiel also makes us laugh a lot. He has a big green bus that he named Broccoli. Yep. He named his bus Broccoli and refers to it like a person. His white truck is Paloma which means Dove.

- A family we are teaching also have ducks and pigeons that roam around in the house. They are not pets though. They are "adornos" which means ornaments. Hahah I am totally gonna decorate my house with ducks and pigeons someday too. But they also said that they are to eat. Two in one! Decorations and food storage!

And the best part of the week was when the Osorio family got baptized!!

They were very happy, even though they don't look like it.

When I was younger I too didn't like to smile in pictures. I was self-conscious about my smile so I decided not too. So there are actually some pictures of me in Disneyland and doing other super fun things and I look super serious and sad. So I totally understand where the Guatemalans are coming from because most of them don't smile in pictures even though they are a very happy people.

So they were baptized after church and will be confirmed on Sunday. 

The Bishop baptized the Mom the Dad, and the youngest boy,I baptized the older boy and Elder McGraw baptized the girl. And a little girl in the ward also got baptized the same day and is by the bishop in the photo.

We started teaching another family this week that have some family struggles with their daughter but are doing a lot better now. The Gospel of Jesus Christ blesses families! If you want more love at home and more unity in your family read The Family: A Proclamation to the World and apply what it says! It is literally a recipe to have a successful and happy family. It does not mean your life or family will be worry-free but it does mean that you will have a lot less problems than if you didn't keep the commandments AND the Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us the peace and guidance we need to get through the hard things in life. I am very grateful for my parents who built our family on the teaching in the Family Proclamation. I know that Families can be together FOREVER! Also I exhort you all to do Come, Follow Me every day. Study it in your personal study and do your Home Evenings and you will draw closer to the Savior, have a deeper and more lasting conversion, and strengthen your family.

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15 months - El Gran Diluvio

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    Subject: El Gran Diluvio          

Buenas!!

So this week it has been raining a LOT!! And it has been a lot colder too. And this morning I woke up with a cold which kinda sucks but I took some meds and am doing better. When it rains the streets turn to rivers.

Update on the Osorio family!! They are on track to get baptized on Sunday after church!! They are doing awesome and are reading the Book of Mormon. We also gave them a copy of the "kids version" of the Book of Mormon with pictures to help them and the little kids understand it better.

They are so awesome!! Keep them in your prayers!!

Last week we also found an awesome family and were super excited for their progress but this week the dad called us saying that we shouldn't pass by anymore. They say that they loved what we taught them but that they are going to go back to their old church (which is right next to their house). When they called and told us that it was really disappointing but the Lord blessed us because that was the same day that the whole Osorio family accepted the baptismal invitation. Well except for the oldest daughter who wasnt there but she told us that she wants to read more of the Book of Mormon first.

Also we challenged Walter to finish reading the Book of Mormon before the end of the year! And he said yes! They had some doubts about some Church history stuff but we cleared it up and he is totally willing to finish the Book of Mormon!! And we know that he can receive an answer if he does it. And I think he totally will because he always completes with reading assignments.

Thats pretty much it thats going on here but I would just like to challenge you all to put the most important things first in your life! There are a lot of things we can spend our time on that are good but we cant leave the most important things: reading the scriptures, daily fervent prayer, partaking of the sacrament, keeping the commandments, and attending the temple frequently. When we look back on our lives we will realize that it was the small and simple things that make the most difference and give in lasting and eternal joy. Keep the faith!! Love you all!!

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15 months - Conferencia General

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 Subject:  CONFERENCIA GENERAL    

Heeey who loved General conference?!?!

We for sure did! And God really blessed us in helping people come which is always great because the Prophets and Apostles always have the Spirit with them which means that if people we are teaching listen with a sincere heart they will feel the Spirit and will become more converted.

The Osorio family is doing great! Some came on Saturday and some on Sunday but they all loved it and are progressing to be baptized on the 19th! Picture of them below!

Then we were really happy that the Ruiz family came and from what we could see they loved it but they were a little confused about why they talked about the Book of Mormon so much and said that it is the "most correct of any book on earth". They have a great love for the Bible so we can understand that, but if they would just read the whole Book and ask God if its true with a real intent I believe they will realize the importance of it and the truthfullness of that statement. Keep them in your prayers porfa!!

The Orellana family also came and loved it! They have all accepted a baptismal date for this saturday but dont feel like they are prepared enough so we are working with them more. They are super awesome and we just gave them a kids version of the Book of Mormon for them to use with their little girls.

And we also found another great family this week! Elder Riffo (before he left) would always contact people using futbol by playing it with people in street a little bit, impressing them with his skills and then contacting them. And thats how we found Felipe last week and then this week we taught him and all of his family and the message of the Restoration is exactly what he and his family have been looking for!

Also funny story is that we found a lost sheep this week and then we thought we found its owners but then their real owners came out so the lost sheep we though we found was never lost at all. Awkward.

I love this work and know that it the Church is true!! If you are feeling down, pick up the Book of Mormon, read it, pray, and go minister to someone else and you will feel better. I promise.

LOVE YOU ALL!!

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15 months - Milagros en Chimal!!

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    Subject:  Milagros en Chimal!!        

Sandilla!!

For those of you who are confused Sandilla means watermelon. It is totally NOT what people say here to say hi to each other. They say Buenas or Buen Día to say good morning. But just to make ourselves laugh sometimes we say Sandilla quickly and with an emphasis on the dilla part and nobody can hear the difference!! So we say Sandilla and they respond saying Buen Día and we start chuckling.

This was an AMAZING week!! It was the last week of the transfer and we worked super hard and the Lord really magnified our efforts. One of my favorite scriptures that I have been singing (yes singing) in my mind and out loud from Doctrine and Covenants 112:10 "Be thou humble and the Lord thy god will lead thee by the hand, and give thee answers to thy prayers". And it is SO true. He answered a LOT of our prayers this week. The Osorio family and the Larios family came to church this week! As well as this super awesome guy we met named Abner. But the whole Osorio family didnt come because they live a little farther away and it would have been over 50 Quetzales if they all came for the bus passage there and back. But they LOVED church and are really progressing a lot. I have pictures of them this week but they arent uploading so I might have to send the pic next week. And the Larios family also came! When we first contacted them it was like "they arent that pilas but we'll see what happens" and especially the mom just recieves everything we are teaching with a lot of faith. And they invited us to eat lunch with them on sunday! They are awesome! They invited us to eat lunch to say goodbye to Elder Riffo because we had changes. And now he is opening up a new zone in the mission! So good luck to him and we are super happy with all the miracles we have seen here in Chimaltenango and my new comp Elder McGraw and I are going to be working hard to help these people keep progressing. There are 4 families we are working with, along with some other people that make it the largest and most receptive teaching pool I have ever had. But we gotta be humble and pray a lot. Keep them in your prayers!! Also the Orellana and Osorio family who both accepted baptismal dates for the 12th of this month!!

Here is a pic of me and Elder McGraw

And thats about all I have time for this week but I love you all!! Get pumped for Conference!! If you come with a question in your heart, having prayerfully asked God beforehand, He will answer you through His Spirit and the words of His living Prophets. I know that Russell M. Nelson is a prophet of God. Christ has called Him to lead us safely home.

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