First Transfer and 9 Month Mark

And the transfers are in. I have a transfer! And my companion as well! But......they're closing Los Olivos.......We heard that there's like 4 areas for the sisters that are closing this transfer. It's crazy! There's a ton of hermanas that have transfers this time. I have no idea where I'm going but I'll find out Wednesday. I'm looking forward to it, a little nervous but it will be good. I'm sad for Los Olivos because we have tons of investigators. We have a list and people that when we see them in the streets say hey I'll see on such and such day. All these amazing people. Lorena and Gabby. Sharon and Mishel. Karen and Alba. Amparo. Jackeline and Violetta. And so on and on and on. One of the Elders, Elder Reyes as well has a transfer. Elder Rodriguez is going to stay here and is going to be a proud father! He's going to train! And he's going to cover both areas. Another sad thing is that we have a mission activity this Saturday that we were working with the leaders to plan and now the ward only has Elder Rodriguez and the newbie. Who know how it'll turn out. In my district of 5 areas, two are closing. There aren't missionaries that are entering this mission and we're short. There were two pairs of sister missionaries in Polochik but they pulled them out and are going to put one pair of elders there. It's crazy. I'm going to miss Hermana Cruz in her last transfer in her mission. Well here we go.

 Also I'm completing 9 months in the mission Thursday!!!!! Half of my mission already passed by!! It's crazy! I still feel really new here in the mission and if I was an elder then I would still be pretty new but as a sister I'm entering the time of the more experienced. Yep that's not me haha.

This last week we worked hard. We ended up having 25 lessons with member this week which is a ton for us! 15 is the goal. We had a family home evening on Wednesday night and we were running around all day trying to get to the appointments and get everything ready for it. We worked hard and we're tired haha. Last night we packed after we got the call for if we had transfers or not because we have to call the owner and terminate the contract and everything. Crazy crazy crazy. Crazy week.

Love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great in Los Olivos

This week was pretty good. My companion's doing better. The medicine was really hard for her the first few days but she’s doing good now. Already finished the treatment. We're working hard and had a good week. We weren't able to meet with Lizet again. We showed up and she was going to leave so we put another appointment and she wasn't there. And she didn't come to church again. We dropped her as a baptism date right now because we need to find out what's going on.

We're still working with Gaby but things are rough right now. The father really doesn't want anything to do with the church so we're just trying to work with Gaby and Lorena. Lorena isn't sure what she wants and we really need her to pray and read the scriptures so that she can feel that it's right. We also celebrated Gaby's birthday Saturday. She's 11 now! Almost in Young Women's.

We visited a family (members) this week to work on asking for references and it was super spiritual. They talked about their conversion and how they feel about the church. I love the feeling that you get when they talk about this stuff. The joy that you can feel. I'm so grateful to be a part of the church. How happy we are. The knowledge that we have. I love it. My testimony has grown so much in the mission. I really am happy to be here. Sometimes it's hard but we push through.

We're still working with the family Gutierrez. We weren't able to visit them this last week either but we have a family home evening tonight that I hope doesn't fall through. They really are great and can be strong in the gospel.

We're working with two youth that are investigators from before. Sharon and Mishel. I don't know if you remember Sharon. We had high hopes for her before and she fell through. But we're working with them again. Sharon really is trying to find the right church. And Mishel is asking her mom for skirts to go to church so I think they're really working for it this time.

Los Olivos is doing well. I'm really happy to be here. We also have a new investigator this week. A recent convert, Alba, that's going to complete one year in the church in August, her daughter, Karen, is finally starting to investigate the church. She wants to believe but there's a lot of stuff that she doesn't understand. There's also lots of stuff that's happening in her life. Alba has a boyfriend and they're going to get married at the end of this year. So that's really hard for Karen to have her mom marry. But she's super smart. She reminds me of Anna because she's also studying chemistry. She came to church this last week for an hour so we were super excited.

I hope that everything goes well for you this week!!! Have a great holiday. Happy Birthday to Dad yesterday!!!!!!!!!! I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Muchas mujeres, están sirviendo misiones. Muchas están preparándosepara servir; no porque no están casadas o que no tienen nada que hacer, esporque tienen un deseo de servir y son llamados a la obra. La razón por la quehay bastantes hermanas misioneras es porque en la próxima generación, nuestroPadre Celestial enviará a su ejército del sacerdocio a la tierra. Él quiereenviarles a madres quienes hayan recibido el entrenamiento apropiado y hayansido enseñadas en el evangelio. Y cuan mayor entrenamiento pueda recibir una mujerque el de servir una misión.” –Presidente Gordon B. Hinckley

 I don't know if you can do a translate thing on this quote but it's great and I love it for girl missionaries.

Zone Conference

Things have been pretty good here. Last week as I said we went to central market and was pretty cool. We got some good pictures. This week at church we only had one investigator haha. Wow how things change. The family Gutierrez didn't make it because we couldn't meet with them last week. Yeah 5 kids is a lot in Los Olivos. It's normal to have two or three. So five is like huge. When I first saw this family I thought wow that's a ton of kids and then they said there were five. Oh that's like my family haha! They're great though. The kids are super smart and always read. Lizet is doing great. She wants this change. But she didn't make it to church because it was her son's birthday... We were a little disappointed.

We need your help this week. We were working with Gaby and we asked her and her mother to talk to the father about her getting baptized. He said no. So if you guys could pray for her that would really help us a lot. Gaby is really special for us and the mom, Lorena, is the best. We really care for them and they care for us.

Also my companion is a little sick. She's got an ulcer thanks to Guatemala North Mission. And she's got a bunch of medication that she's got to take. So if you could pray for her too. I think she's getting better but we'll see when she finishes the pills. And because my companion has an ulcer she can't eat many things. Like fat, fried foods, or chili. And I feel bad to eat other things if she can't. It's like haha watch me eat this delicious piece of fried chicken as you eat your cooked chicken without flavor. So I eat basically the same stuff as her. One day we ate almost straight vegetables haha. But we've been eating healthier this week like fruits and and stuff. It's really good haha. I've eaten like three mangos this week. I've decided that I love mango. Add that to the huge list of food that I love from Guatemala haha.

We also had zone conference this week. It was really good. It was a lot more interactive this time which was great. Our assistants to the president are great as well. Elder Nelson and Elder Saavedra really know how to love the people. Hermana Watts was great as usually and gave us cinnamon rolls as usual. Yummy! And President Watts is inspired as always.

I've learned how to make a few things here. It'll be a little hard to do them at home but we'll see how it goes. The beans I have no idea. I know I need to learn how to cook them but they take time to cook and that's something that we don't have too much of. We'll see though.

The weather's been hot here. I'm going to come home all tanned haha. Unless I go to Coban at some point and then I'll come home white because it's always cloudy and rainy there. And there went July. Wow I can't believe how fast it's passed by. Love you all!! Be safe!!

Pacas and Fireworks

Here we have places called pacas. They're little stores that sell clothes, almost anything that you would buy at the store but not food and that kind of stuff. They're awesome. You can get really good deals on clothes and other stuff. Then there's the Megapaca. And it's a huge store like Ross's but bigger and it's full of clothes to find and you can get some good deals there as well.

This week was good. We went to the North American's house for the 4th of July. I don't remember if I told you her name but it's Talia and she's 24 years old I believe. She just had a baby but she's my hero. She married a Guatemalteco and lives here now. I have a lot of respect for her. She gave us apple crisp and ice cream and they did fireworks.

We're still working with Gabby and her mom, Lorena. We're really trying to build their testimonies and as well with Juan Josè. We're also working with a sister, Lizet, who's spouse is member and has entered the temple but he critiques the church a lot and they've had a few problems with members of the ward and such but she accepts a goal to work towards being baptized on the 4th of August. We're super excited for her and we know that things will go well. We're also working with a family of 6 and the grandma. The mom and her 5 kids, Family Gutierrez. It's not very often that you see families that big here. But the kids are all super smart and they read the stuff and we're hoping to get them to go to church this week.

This last Tuesday we ate a ton of food. I mean a ton!!!! We ate lunch with Yajaira and she gave us a full plate of food. Rice, beans (by the way I love beans), fish, and a salad of vegetables, and tortillas (by the way I love tortillas as well and don't know what I'll do when I come home...). Then that night we ate with some members Hermano and Hermana Sique. We ate beef cooked over the grill (delicious), rice, beans (I love her beans), tortillas, salad, bread, and it was so good. But I ended so full that I was full for days. I love the food here.

We went to the central market today. I didn't buy much but there was some pretty good stuff. I've heard that it's better to buy in other areas like Coban (home of the pacas) and Peten. Hopefully I get the chance to visit these areas but we'll see.

Yep that was my week here. We had 6 investigators in the sacrament meeting this week which was awesome for us. Hope you all have a great week. Love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Weather, Pictures, and More

They don’t celebrate the 4^th of July here, but there's a North American here, Talia, and she's going to have a small party for the 4th so if we have time we're going to pass by, see some fireworks, and eat pie! I want the pie! I'm excited :)

Yajaira's baptism went really well!!!! We had a really good turn out for the baptisms here and it was even raining (or pouring). But it was good!!! She's really doing well!

Wow sounds crazy all the fires going on there. The weather here's been crazy. Hot some days and cold others. The sun's been burning hot lately. When it's not raining the sun burns. We got a little burned this week but not very much. Like those first few days in spring when you go outside and get burned even though it's not that hot outside. But it's all good. I like the days with the sun more than the days with the rain.

Sorry not much happened this week.  Love you lots and have a great week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hermana Cruz and Carolina.  Carolina is waiting for her mission call!!!

Hermana Cruz by our house.  Ours is the oe with the white door and the rocks (to the right of Hermana Cruz).

Hermana Cruz on our service day.

Elder Reyes and Elder Rodriquez on our service day.

Some of the Guatemalan children.

Elder Eskelson, Hermana Cruz, Yajaira, Mariela, and me.

Baptism day with Yajaira!

My boots come in handy here.  It's crazy, the rain, here sometimes.  When there's thunder and lightning you know it's going to pour.  there was a really loud one the other day that was really close by, but luckily we were inside a house.  But we really jumped haha.

Me!

Hermana Cruz!



Amo la misiòn ahorita. Es chilero y aprendo mucho. Quiero darle mi testimonio que sè que la iglesia es verdadera. Sè que estamos aquì por una razon muy especial. Sè que Jesucristo vive y es mi Salvador. Sè que tenemos el poder aquì en la tierra. El Sacerdocio fue restaurado en la tierra por medio de Josè Smith. Sè que las familias puedan ser eternas. Y espero por el dìa cuando yo puedo hacer convenios con mi espeso en el temple por tiempo y por toda la eternidad. Les amo mucho!!!!!