Creating A New Guatemala Mission!!!

Hi family how ya doing ¿como les va? I hope you all had a very great valentine’s day and a good week. I always forget the week before to wish you a happy holiday but always after the fact... oh well.... well Once again this week was crazy, so much happened it is just jammed packed but here it goes.... Tuesday we did divisions with an area called Chiquimula. I went with a Peruano that has one week in the mission. In other words he is brand spankin new. But they went well. I love the attitude of the greenies they always have the best attitude, I worked him hard and got him going in every aspect of the work from contacting to teaching with members, he is and will be a great missionary. It was a great learning experience for the both of us. I remember when I did divisions with the zone leaders my first day, I was so nervous and thought he was the best missionary in the whole world. I also remember the support and complements he made me feel good, even though I knew nothing he made me feel like the best missionary ever and stoked for the work in San Jorge, that is what I tried to do or was conscience of not to make negative comments but support him and get him ready for these two years ahead of him. I got him pretty stoked! And when we ended the divisions my comp said that he seemed happier to be with me then to be with his real comp. so I hope I made a difference in his mission. So I got your package!! Thank you so much, the take 5 bars were so random and good! And as always the peach rings were great!! Thank you for sending the tooth paste it was just want I wanted. The hlj (haz lo justo) (CTR) rings we're great! I am going to give them to some kids in our branch that are about to be baptized with their parents and some other kids. They will love them! So something I am so grateful for is my comp. we get a long great and he knows why he is out here, or in other words he is obedient and wants to work hard and realizes the importance of us out being here and the urgency of our work! We are working so hard, trying to be as obedient as we can and trying to find the chosen ones here in Barberena, and trying to save the branch. But he was exactly what I was praying for, someone to push me as I end my mission. And he is definitely pushing me! We have an open relationship and we haven't had a problem yet between us, he was exactly what I was praying for to end my mission. He is a huge blessing in disguise!! And the interesting thing is that he feels the same gratefulness towards me! We were talking about it last night as we were walking back to the house. So this week we became friends to a family in the branch, their son is going to Honduras on the mission so they all the sudden decided to care for us:) they have given dinner 3 times now and tonight are also going to give us dinner again! They are a really funny family; they love to joke and are super rich! When we come back I'll probably take you by to visit them. Also another young man in the branch got his mission call to the Santo Domingo mission in the Dominican Republic! He leaves April 25th! It was cool to see that process of receiving a mission call again. I will probably give a lot of my things to him of the things that are still in good condition. To help him out cause he needs all the help he can get. So I don't understand how but we didn't have one investigator in the sacrament meeting and last week we had 7 investigators and 9 less actives! But everyone had something come up or were sick or lied to us! Ugh!!! But it's ok, not in our time but in the Lords. However two investigators showed up for relief society and had a good time! Picture time!!! just a random meat truck in the middle of the road... the guy next to me on the truck after I took the picture took that slab of meat threw it over his shoulder and literally ran down the street with half the cow on his shoulder it was awesome! For that I love Guatemala! So I would like to share a special experience we had was last night, it was our last lesson of the night. We didn't really plan it to go how it did. It just kinda unfolded and played out like it did. We focused everything in the families and how lucky we are to have families, and the importance of loving one another. There were a lot of tears; they are going through a lot right now. But the lesson went really well, it was exactly what they needed and it made me think just how lucky I am personally to have such a great family. That loves me and I love them. I cannot express how grateful I am for you guys for loving parents and for being raised in a house that was centered on the gospel. That made all the difference in my life. There is no way I would be out here in the mission if it weren’t for you guys and what you taught me ever since I was little. Thank you so much! I love you so much! So I don’t know if I mentioned last week that we are going to have a mission conference... only we weren’t sure when... well they told us this week that it is going to be tomorrow! Surprise! so we have been running around wild getting everything set and ready for it, on top of doing the normal missionary work and we have everything set and ready to go! But it is always nerve racking and wrenching waiting! How are you coming along yin your Book of Mormon study? I am going to finish Alma today, take the challenge of the Prophet seriously and try to read or finish the book of Mormon before conference!!! I am going to do it and you should too!! (Dad) So president just announced that in the end of June they are going to create a new mission here in Guatemala called the Mission East! O Este! How crazy is that?!? I will attach the email that he sent but it’s in Spanish and I don’t have time to translate it but you have friends who can help you translate it! But it won’t affect me because I will be home by the time they make the switch but still that is crazy good news! Basically from our mission they are taking Zacapa and Puerto Barrios and Teculutan all that area where my first 2 areas were and making them into the east mission! here is the letter...... Mis queridos compañeros, Tengo noticias maravillosas. Se han anunciado la creación de una nueva misión en Guatemala. Es la misión Guatemala Coban. Para formarla tienen que realinear las fronteras de cuatro misiones, incluyendo la nuestra. Efectivamente el final de junio las siguientes zonas pasaran a la misión Norte que recibirá el nuevo nombre de la misión Este. Las zonas Portagua, Zacapa, Palmita, Central y Bosques pasarán a la misión Este y su presidente de misión será mi muy buen amigo, Presidente Edward Watts. El y la Hermana Lori Watts son excelentes y el amor que tienen para los misioneros es palpable. Recibiremos dos estacas de la misión Central, la Estaca Mariscal y la Estaca Nimajuyu. Son a lado de la Calzada Roosevelt y del aeropuerto. Pasaremos de tener 93 unidades en la misión a 73 unidades. La nueva misión Coban tendrá Alta y Baja Verapaz por el Polochic y todo el Peten. La misión Este tendrá las zonas 1,2, 3, 5, 6, parte de 7, 8, 17, 18, 19 y 23 de la capital y toda la Carretera al Atlántico. La misión Sur tendrá las zonas 4, la otra parte de 7, 9, 10 11, 12, 16, y parte del 21 de la capital, y Jalapa, Cuilapa, Guazacapan fuera de la capital. Para ser claro, las zonas (estacas) Guatemala, Utatlán, Monserrat, Florida, Milagro, Mariscal, Nimajuyu, y Jalapa más las zonas (distritos) Cuilapa y Guazacapan quedarán en nuestra misión. Es probable que los que son transferidos a las zonas que formarán parte de la misión Este en la próxima reunión de cambios todavía estarán allá en la fecha de la formación de la misión y pasarán de la misión Sur a la misión Este. De los que ya están allá es posible que unos de los más nuevos todavía estén, algunos recibirán cambios antes de la fecha. Será una oportunidad maravillosa de tener dos presidentes de misión y conocer otras maneras de hacer la obra del Señor. Hablaremos más de esto en las reuniones que tengamos con Elder Martino en esta semana. Con amor, Pte. Stay It won’t affect me but it makes me so happy to see the Lords work progressing here in Guatemala. I love you all and hope you have a great week this week!