Where to Start?

February 6, 2012

Hi I’m on, if you have any questions. I can’t remember if I told you last week but we have to travel an hour and a half now to use internet in the chapel in Guastatoya, so we are going to be using it a little earlier now probably. Dad is probably asleep and mom is probably running errands. No, I know dad is up it’s 9:15 in the morning…Where to start!?! This week has been CRAZY! And so much has changed. First off Mom the Christmas tree you sent me will probably stay in the house in Teculutan; I do not have space for it, in my suitcases, but do not send me another one! I can buy one here for way cheaper! Second I uploaded some photos today to Picasa I still have a bunch to load and I think I will do it a little every week, and I absolutely do not blame dad for being stressed out that Jeeping video of you and Cameron is crazy! I was stressed out and I’m watching it here in Guatemala! I don’t know if I have gotten boring or what but that just did not seen fun!  About picking me up, I agree with you about after the mission, if we return a couple months after, but before I forget Spanish, and we can get those 4 geocaches and just party! Maybe Dad can start to brainstorm now as to how he can come down with us, get a substitute for a couple days. It is still 2 years away so he can start thinking now. Also DO NOT take a family vacation next December, I repeat DO NOT take a family vacation next December, wait 6 months for me to return :)

So I sent a letter to Elder Spilker and also to Elder Jensen, I don’t know why looking back I probably sounded desperate, but my comp it was his turn to be sick this week so he bit the bullet and I just relaxed! No I didn’t, I studied and started reading Jesus the Christ, I am learning so much from that book! Also while he was in pain is when I wrote the 2 letters. So to start off with the crazy things that happened I ate donkey milk candy, they always tell you what it is AFTER, but I won’t lie it tasted like toffee, but I did not return for seconds. This week flew by and things are great with my comp, he is such a great guy and I am learning so much from him, last week I was a little down and a little frustrated but now things are amazing and we are ready to do miracles here! So a lot has happened event wise here in Tecu, it was the fair and oh my goodness this puts San Jorge to shame it was huge! And we had to pass through it every time to get to our commodore, so we spent a lot of time in the fair. There was this one game right outside our commodore where you throw coins and if they land on a plate you get a 1 and a half liters of Pepsi, so we started playing every now and then…just basically every time we went to eat we tried, and we got pretty good at it, I won’t lie, so basically by the end of the week we had like 6 liters of Pepsi and 4 small cans in our fridge. But we also talked with the guy in charge of it, and never have I wanted the best for an investigator, we gave him all the lessons and gave him a Bbook of Mormon the last day and he says he is praying and he feels something different, but he left Saturday night for his house in Mexico, I really hope he continues to study and read and search for the missionaries there. It was weird like I said before I have never wanted the best for an investigator!

Real quick you said you need to buy a new water heater next time, just do what we did last week! I bought a water heater that goes on the shower head, it sometimes sparks and you can feel electricity if you put your hand a foot above your head nothing dangerous or strong just a little pulse ha-ha but it is only like 20 dollars! 20 vs. 3000? Just throwing the option out there.

As part of the fair, it is closely related to the Catholic Church so they have this huge program and we went to check it out it’s called a procession or something like that, it was crazy and I will have to explain it better but they carry the virgin all throughout the streets and it was crazy! I have videos and pictures. Sorry this is so scattered the other missionaries want to use the computers, yes our whole district comes here to use internet and there is only 2 computers.

We are finding new investigator in this area to teach, that is always the hard part, but we are working hard, and we are starting to see our results.  One family they really want to be baptized but she has been sick for about 2 months now and needs a new kidney, but they want to be baptized which is awesome!

I love it here, I love this area and just life, life is amazing, this gospel is such a blessing for us in this life, as far as that talk “Dare To Stand Alone” that is one of my favorites, we actually used that with a girl that is scared to be baptized, she said that there is a member in the school and the other kids make fun of him, and so for this she doesn’t want to be baptized because she is scarred, so we shared this talk with her about how sometimes we will need to stand alone, or stand up for what we believe in. Also in the talk it talks about Lehi's dream and how people after they partook of the fruit some were ashamed because of the people in the grand and spacious building. We can never or should never be afraid or ashamed of this gospel. IT IS AMAZING, sometimes we don’t remember what we have, the commandments are not burdens they protect us and actually set us free. And we never have to stand alone, we can always pray to our Heavenly Father and he will always be there for us to comfort us. Alright well I am rambling a little about it I will study it and tell you about it next week. I love you guys and just know I am at so much peace now, thank you so much for the advice it really helped, I love it out here, and I am at such peace here, and stoked to be here! I’ve rededicated myself, and it’s not important who is my comp or what my status is in the mission, I am here to just help the people, and I love them! I have felt as I have cared less about status and also about everything else and just focus on the people, that is how I became such good friends with the guy at the fair, and I developed such a strong love for him and truly wanted the best for him (the gospel). I have a new fire in me and I am ready to tear this area apart! My comp to we are going to do work. I love you all, and tell people to write me, letters are awesome. I will even write back, but no promises if the Guatemalan mail service will deliver it.

Alright much love! Love you all and keep it up.

Elder Call

P.S. So sometimes we don’t always see the results of the actions or the results of what we are doing. This happen this week when Elder Velez wrote me (remember he finished his mission last week), just seeing how everything is but also thanking me for what I did for him, he told me I was his best comp in his whole mission and thank you for pushing him. It was a really cool humbling experience that mom you said one time even though it doesn’t seem like it people are always watching, so although I can’t see my results directly I at least know I helped one of my comps that has really helped me to just relax and not worry about baptisms and just to love the people and serve them. Dad read the email from Freddy Velez and see if you can understand it, I doubt it he used a lot of slang in there, but you probably can understand what I replied back to him it was a little more formal just because that is all I know! Alright well love you guys!

P.S.S. I uploaded 108 more photos to Picasa keep an eye out for then, I will up load more next week, it is from a memory card I found it is from a little of San Jorge the last 3 days, and Jutiapa, and next week will be of Teculutan that I found :)  love you!