First Report From Zacapa

All right just a warning right now. This e-mail isn`t going to be very long because I have my pictures coming. There are a good amount so it might take a few e-mails. But hey usually it won`t have this many to send all at once.

View from Zacapa Apartment

OK this week was good. We taught a lot of lessons and contacted into a couple of people. It`s kinda hard here actually to commit people to things. Most people work on Sundays or live really far away so it`s hard. Well we`re still trying. This week the other Elders had a baptism so we got to go to that. It was really good. They had their wedding right before it too. We still don`t have any baptismal date or anything but we might get one in the next couple weeks. Our investigators are good but we don`t have one man. It`s kind of weird but we just have single women and their families. I hope we get some more this week. We definitely walk a ton. Probably 10 miles a day. I don`t know though. My shoes are 100% fine. Well besides the fact they are pretty dirty. I shine them and then the next day they`re filthy again. Oh well if I ever go to the city it`s not like that there. Hmmm what else. I haven`t got sick here. There have been a couple times where my stomach kinda hurt but not really. Apparently I`m definitely going to get sick at some point but I hope to break the tradition.

The Plaza

 This year I kinda forgot Thanksgiving. Yeah it wasn`t until someone asked me what black Friday was (because they saw it in the newspaper) that I realized the day before was Thanksgiving. Oops. They don`t do anything special for it here but I was expecting that. Christmas is going to be a party though. I can`t wait to get my package and eat all the candy. Oh yeah and thanks for sending another (copy of his patriarchal) blessing. It`s kinda a pain that I left it but oh well I`ll survive  It`s weird I`ve been out for 2 weeks already.

Elders Layton y Alvarado

OK for more details. We have familia _________ but the Mom can`t come to church cause she works and this is the family where the kids only come cause the 14 year old is in love with my comp. They like having the lessons I think but they`re not really progressing. Not exactly sure what we`re going to do but we`ll figure it out.

At the Guatemalan CCM

Lilian _______ lives really far from church and so doesn`t come. She likes the lessons a ton though and I think we might be able to get her to come. We haven`t been teaching her very long and I think she`s pretty receptive.

First Area of Zacapa

Hermana ________ is basically doing everything she needs to. Well she can barely read and so it`s hard for her to read the Book of Mormon. It takes her almost 3 minutes to read a verse but she tries. It`s good. She has come to church too and has a ton of questions so we just need to keep teaching.

District in the Provo MTC

Those are probably our three main ones. It`s fun here. Oh yeah I should probably mention, because we are 4 hours from the capital I only get mail every 6 weeks. So I won`t be able to respond to anything really. This month I might get it sooner cause in 2 weeks we go to the capital so all the newbies can have another interview with the President. OK well I have to go and start sending pictures. These pictures are kind of mixed up so sorry I can`t tell you exactly what each one is. Some are in Provo with my District and some friends in our zone, some are in the CCM, some are the view from our house, and others are a veiw of our entire area. The ones that are kinda a desert looking thing, that`s in Pueblo Modelo, 5 miles out of Zacapa where we walk to all the time....Alright bye, And Briana HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

If You Followed His Finger to the Left & Slightly Up, You'd End Up Close to My First Area in Acapulco, Mexico

What Is a Big Wet White Guy Doing at My Doorstep?

Well hello family,

How goes it? As you can see by this e-mail I will now be e-mailing on Mondays. So yeah same as Briana...I think. 

Well this week has been kinda crazy. We went to the chapel in Guatemala City right after we left the CCM for changes. I was told that all new people are trained in the City and so I was kinda relieved because I have heard all these horror stories about a place called Zacapa because it`s so incredibly hot. So I was feeling good that day until the slide for Zona Zacapa came up. So here I am in the hottest part of Guatemala for my first area (The only newbie outside of the Capital). Don't worry it`s the coldest part of the year right now so it only gets to about 95....with about 90 percent humidity.

Zacapa, Guatemala

Oh yeah and I should also point out we have one of the biggest areas in the mission. And we don't take buses anywhere cause there aren't any like in the Capital. Oh well it has been fun. We have a big chunk of the city and then also a little Pueblo called Pueblo Modelo. It`s about 5 miles out and everyone there is pretty poor. It`s a lot easier to get in houses there though. It's going to be really hard for anyone there to go to church because it's really far away and church is early. 

Pueblo Modelo

Zacapa is actually pretty cool. There`s about 3 motorcycles for every car and usually you will see 3, 4, or even sometimes 5 people on one moped. It's cool! That`s what I want to do with my family after my mission. Ok maybe not. I have a feeling back in the states that wouldn't be something they would let us do. Oh well.

My first week we did a lot of contacting. We don`t really have that many investigators and none are ready for baptism yet. We've taught a lot of lessons in Pueblo Modelo but not a ton in the actual city. We have one family here that takes the lessons but the Mom can never come to church because she works. I think really the only reason two of the kids came this week is because the 14 year old girl is basically in love with my trainer. It`s pretty funny. 

Oh yeah I should mention that my Trainer`s name is Elder Alvarado from Hondurus. He's pretty great. So I will be with him for at least 12 weeks in this area maybe longer. He doesn't really speak much English but a little I guess. He`s been out for 10 months now.

We have a comedor where we go and eat. It's just at a members house and it's actually really good food. I haven't eaten like anything I don`t like. We eat two meals a day with her usually breakfast and lunch. We're on our own for dinner but lunch here is huge so I'm never really hungry or anything. She also washes all our clothes so it's super nice. I really don`t have to do anything besides walk around everywhere sweating. That`s probably why people don`t let us in a ton. Their first thought has got to be, "What is a big wet white guy doing on my doorstep?" 

Oh if you haven't noticed there aren't any pictures on this e-mail...yeah that`s cause I kinda forgot my camera in the apartment. Oops sorry. The blog will have to be boring for one more week. Unless I forget it next week too then it will be boring for two more weeks!! Hahaha ok I won't do that. I have some good pictures I think. You will see. The easiest way to send will just be using my cord. If I can find it. I think I will be able to. Well I hope. But even if I couldn't I could send some next week. 

Hmm what else, oh my apartment is pretty nice actually. It`s really small with only two rooms. One is with the "kitchen" and our desks. The other is for our beds. We also have a balcony cause we`re on the third floor. It`s awesome cause every night we just kinda chill out there and watch all the drunk people come out of one of the three close bars. The temperature is always perfect at night so we just kinda sit out there and listen to the nice Mariachi music. I`m definitely in a Central American country. It`s fun. 

Hmmm what else in our apartment. Oh yeah we have a shower that`s freezing cold. You might think that here in Zacapa that`s not too bad because it's hot but not in the mornings! Showers here are terrible. I want to die every time I take one haha. Oh well I'll get used to it maybe. Apparently in the Capital some showers have hot water and some are even colder so we'll see what I get if I ever go there. 

Well I miss you guys kinda I guess...oh and I miss my bed a ton! Ha just kidding I probably miss you guys a little more than my bed but I'm not quite sure about that yet. The beds here aren't too bad. Better then that time when you made me sleep on that trundle bed for what seemed like forever. They're just twins obviously but pretty comfortable. 

OK well I don't really got anymore to say and I'm about out of time. Oh yeah last thing. I may or may not have left my nice little laminated patriarchal blessing in the CCM...So yeah if you could get me another one that would be cool. Definitely don't want to go my whole mission without it. I think I have a copy at home so you should be able to. OK Well have a good week and don't be too sad without me. I know it has got to be pretty hard haha. OK bye.   

Last Letter From the MTC

This week was pretty awesome. It was my last full week and I leave on tuesday ! I can´t wait. Well we went proselyting again and it was pretty good. We were in a little richer part so everyone had homes indoors and everything. We didn't really have that much success cause we mostly talked to less active members which was annoying. We did get into one house and we were really excited to teach until we looked up on the wall and saw tons of the classic Mormon pictures. It was funny. She was a really strong member of the church and before we could say anything she left us in her house and went and bought us juice. Then she kept insisting she fed us but we had to let her know we weren't "real" missionaries and had to get back to the CCM soon. It was fun though. She showed us all these pictures of her baptism and stuff. Hmmm what else? 

Oh yeah so you guys heard about the earthquake. Yeah it was insane buildings were falling down and stuff!! Alright not really I just said that to bug my teacher. We did definitely feel it though. We were on the top floor of the building and suddenly everything started shaking pretty good. Apparently it was a 7.4 near the coast of Mexico. It´s sad though cause apparently 14 or 15 people died (actually the news this morning reported that at least 52 people have died). Yeah nothing actually scary happened here just a little shaking.

Other than those two things this week has pretty much been normal. Yesterday we were in field workshops all day and they were extremely boring. Oh well only a couple days to go. Mom 

I wanted to give you the address apparently you need to send letters and packages because I´m not quite sure if the one you have is right. [A.P. 340-A Guatemala C.A. Guatemala 01001] Yeah so just make sure that´s right on the blog and bulletin  

Well I´m glad Curtis is doing well in school. Just so you guys know I´m going to be browner than him when I get back. It is going to be hot here...unless I´m in the city which I might be. Just a couple more days and I´m free! Well not really but I´ll be in the field ha ha. Alright good luck with everything at home (and in California) I´ll see you guys in 22 months, unless I decide to stay here cause all of America is on fire...

I'm Mitt Romney and I Approve This Message

Yeah I´m not counting down or anything but I have only ten days left in the MTC until I find out my first area and companion! I can't wait but I do really like it here still. It´s weird cause yesterday we got our ninth week schedule and there is all of our field workshop's on it.

I can't wait to leave and actually start teaching real people! We get to go contacting again on tuesday but this time with no Latino companions. I will just be with my normal companion the whole time and we´ll just have to try to stumble our way through messages. 

I´m not sure what area we'll go to this time. Apparently there´s places here a lot poorer than the last one so maybe we'll go there. 

That´s cool you guys had a good halloween. Here we went pretty much as crazy as you could go as missionaries. I wore a orange tie and Elder Steed wore a black tie. Yeah I know nuts right? 

This week nothing really special happened besides being the AP. The president is really cool. He is from the States and oh yeah haha this is funny he lived in Bend for a long time and knows some people like Max Williams, the Larsons and some others I can't remember. Every interview with him I find out someone new. It´s pretty funny. 

Hmmm what else. I´m glad Briana is doing good. That´s too bad that guy hasn't come to church. I bet that´s pretty hard. But that´s also cool about the lady who stopped you. I can't wait to be in the field and do stuff like that. Also I'm glad Romney is still doing good. 

I heard about the hurricane. That crazy. It hit New York right? I wonder if I'll ever be in a hurricane here. That would be awesome but at the same time terrible. 

But I can't stop thinking about the election! It´s this week! My next letter the first thing better be the winner. Unless it´s Obama then just forget it cause our lives are over anyway. 

Ok I seriously don't have very much to write about because this week was basically all classes. On letters I've started putting the address for my mission home cause they say it takes about 12 days to get here so any sent from this point on should go there. Crazy right? 

(,,,in response to Brenda's letter...) Hmmm for Christmas what do I want? I thought about asking you to send me some new English Scriptures. I really should've got new ones before cause they're pretty old but I don't think so. I doubt you would be able to anyways and hopefully I'll get to the point when I'm mostly reading Spanish anyway. But I just definitely need candy. Hmmm what else, yeah I don't really need anything so it´s hard to think of stuff. Well I guess surprise me because I can't think. That´s weird you have to send it so early. People have gotten packages here in like two weeks or less. 

I'll have a lot to say in my next email probably. I hope your jobs are going well. Is Curtis enjoying High School and Band? He better be. That´s weird he didn't go trick or treating. Oh well as long as he had fun. Oh I just realized what I want for Christmas!! My cell phone! Don't worry I won't tell anyone. Ha ok just kidding but I got to be honest I kinda miss it.

Ok well I got to go. Give Romney my best wishes and all the luck I have haha. He better win or I might stay here after my mission. I actually bet that would help us get in some doors. Hmmmm actually maybe not here people might not know about him. Alright bye