Merry Christmas!

It kinda stinks that I didn't get your package but oh well. I got the one from Aunt Angie so thank you soooo much! It`s really weird it`s Christmas Eve already. Tomorrow besides talking to you guys I`m not doing anything. Today though apparently my comp scheduled 4 dinner appointments and so we`re going to try and do that....But yeah it should be fun. I really want that snow!! It`s really hot right now and snow looks way nice. I've never missed snow and cold before but Curtis enjoy it while you can. I also miss all the Christmas food. Here it`s just the same eggs beans and tortillas. But hey we can call them Tortillas de Navidad. 

Well as this week goes it was alright. It was a lot of the same stuff. Just teaching people and contacting. That`s always good though. The other Elder`s had their Christmas Dinner in the ward and they invited us. We found out the only reason they invited us though is so we could sing with them in front of everyone. I've just kinda got used to that now though. We have to sing like everywhere. 

Oh yeah also the kid with a baptismal date had his interview this week and is going to be baptized this Saturday!! And he told our District Leader he wants me to do it!! So it will be my first baptism ever. I'm really excited. Mostly because that means I probably won`t have to confirm him. It's going to be awesome. 

We also got a fecha with a girl who we've been teaching for awhile. She`s going to be baptized the 13th of January and she came to Church this week. She has a friend who is already a member but inactive. I'm thinking we might get them both to come to church but I guess we`ll see. 

I forgot to mention this Sunday an older man came to church with one of our members. He has been reading the Book of Mormon and wants to get baptized! Ha yeah so that`s really cool too. We haven't taught him yet but I'm thinking he`ll be pretty open to the Gospel. I swear we need to contact more to replace all these investigators we're baptizing. Haha ok just kidding but talking about contacting I got dad's letter today about his advice and yeah that's a good idea. We`ll have to try that more. 

Also tell Grandma that I'm getting her letters. Well I think. If dad is still writing me every week I don`t know because I only got one today. I guess the Guatemalan mail system is just really bad. Oh well I'm sure I'll get them eventually. Well that`s pretty much my week. nothing insane happened...Oh well that I can tell you guys hahaha.

Ok well I just want to say thanks to everyone who has sent me a letter and say MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Have fun in the states where Christmas means so much more than just Fireworks at 12 tonight. It actually means something of significance. 

Ok well that's everything. I can`t wait to talk to you guys tomorrow! I hope you like your new area Briana and tell Herrmana. Longoria I say hi from Guatemala. That really is weird she is your companion. (Eric was with Briana's companion while he was in the MTC.) Oh also have fun in Disneyland. Bye everyone and enjoy the holiday`s without me!! :)

At the Chapel

Holy cow since when does our ward do missionary work?! OK just kidding but that's crazy there was seven confirmations in one Sunday (plus another one earlier in the week).

Elderes Alvarado y Layton

Oh and that's insane Katie is going on a mission! I never would have thought but that's awesome. And Brazil too. Well seems like a lot is going on in our ward which is cool.

Just in case you forgot what they looked like from this angle

So Zacapa was about 4 hours away by bus. Not too bad but definitely not a trip we can make every P-day. I think we get to go back to the cap this week or maybe next. I really want to but oh well we'll see.

Not sure, but this may be the chapel and font in Zacapa

Tomorrow through Wednesday I'm going on my first divisions (companion exchanges - the word is "divisiones" in Spanish). It`s with another North American who is being trained Elder Tuckfield. And it's in his area so I'm going to be completely lost. Oh well should be fun. 

Nothing super special happened this week. We had a lot of meetings for some reason every day so we didn't  have a lot of time to do stuff. We had interviews with the President here and that was good. We were at the chapel all day waiting to have them but we didn't really have a choice. That day we really didn't t do anything. Hmmm well really nothing else that sticks out. We had a dinner in Chiquimula last week for a thanksgiving Christmas combination thing but we have another Christmas one coming up which will be fun. 

 Well I can't think of anything else really. I`ll be on for another half hour if anyone is out there. Tell Sean good luck for me if you talk to him (Sean's going into the Air Force tomorrow) and tell Curtis to get out of my bed.

Also I was going to use Skype for Christmas but apparently if I do we only get 40 minutes to talk cause there's only one computer with a camera. So I`ll probably call. Well bye family and have a good week.

First Baptism

Elder Layton with 2 companions in the Guatemala CCM

All right this week was kinda insane. Hmmm where to start. Well how about here. I got my first baptismal date! And like Briana it's on the 15th of December. 

Her name is Hermana Consuelo and her husband was a member before he died. We have been teaching and she always comes to church. We taught her about the temple and eternal families and after that she really wanted to be baptized. 

I'm not actually doing it but my comp. I also think we'll have maybe three more this month but I guess we'll see. I'm way excited for it. 

We contacted a lot this week and didn't have any success. Most everyone here is either Catholic or Evangelico. Basically everyone believes in God but we don't get in to teach a lot of lessons. We do have a good amount of investigators so we still teach a lot of lessons to them. 

We're not sure if this was taken in Guatemala City or in Zacapa

OK what else this week. Oh yeah don't freak out mom or anything but I got pretty sick haha. It was kinda fun. OK well not at the time. I kinda threw up in the streets of Zacapa. It was actually pretty funny. I think a bunch of people thought I was drunk...Oh well we can find them later and teach them the Word of Wisdom. Well that was Saturday and I'm almost better now. I still don´t have an appetite but oh well I'm fine. 

I swear mom if you write the First Presidency or something about this just cause I told you you won't ever hear good stuff again. 

OK well Sunday was good too. It was testimony meeting and I think our investigators really liked it. Oh yeah and I had to lead the music. It really wouldn't t have been that bad but there isn't a piano or anything so I had to sing the first part of the song by myself to the whole congregation!! Well by whole congregation I mean like 50 people but still. Ugh it was worse then the throwing up... OK maybe not. Well I survived believe it or not. Did I ever tell you our Bishop is only about 25 years old_ Yeah it's weird but he's a really cool guy. He's about as tall as dad and knows a little English. Yep fun fun...what else.

Eric's Fish Dinner with Rice, Tomatoes/Cucumbers and Lime

Oh the food here is actually pretty good. Nothing is too weird and actually it's not way different. The weirdest thing was the fish which there is a picture of. I was actually really really good but still had everything on it. Other then that we just eat chicken beans rice and eggs. Oh yeah and the only thing I hate is the cheese here, blech. (I think he's talking about a hard, dry white cheese called cotija. If that's what it is, he'll learn to love it. MMMMMM!) 

Also Dad I eat Pan Dulce all the time. It's great. That and Pan Galleta. Yummy. But really the food isn't as different as I thought it was going to be. And here's the lame thing. The only time I tried to eat something American I think that´s what made me sick. I had cereal and milk and I think the milk was bad or something which is weird cause it was the first time I had opened it. Maybe cause they never refrigerate it something happened. Well I don´t know, I'm kinda scared to eat more of it cause I have a ton...

That's awesome Curtis was in the Christmas parade. I laughed really hard at his picture in the uniform though. No offense to you Curtis I just remember how much I hated those uniforms. Glad to hear the store is going well and Dad's doing good too. OK well I got nothing else...Thanks for the letters everyone.

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...

A Home With No Chairs, No Walls and No Roof

MTC district

OK where do I start. I'm not really sure cause there´s a lot to talk about. I got to get it out of the way though. I'm so happy the debates are going well! That´s annoying about Biden. I never liked him but hey as a missionary I guess I have to say he´s an OK guy. Oh gosh I can't do it...I take that back. Also I'm glad to hear Romney is winning in the polls. I just got my ballot and voted for...yeah you guessed it Romney! I'll send it in on Monday.

I can't believe there was that Marijuana thing on it! Oregon is dumb sometimes but whatever it better not pass.

Alright as for my week it was awesome. As I told you guys on Tuesday we went proselyting. I went on splits with my Latino roommate Elder Olguin. He is the funniest guy ever and speaks pretty good English. We tracted in a big area and had like four hours.

The whole day I didn´t talk much but I could basically understand everything that could be said. If I didn´t know something I would just ask him. My Spanish has been coming along soooo much faster here than in Provo. We even had an English fast the next day and couldn´t talk any English at all the entire day! It was crazy hard but at the same time great.

Alright back to Tuesday. The highlight by far was a man we met holding a bunch of fruit and a machete. I can't remember his name because it was something super Guatemalan. We met him in this little alley thing and started talking. We would have been happy to just give a few pamphlets and maybe a Book of Mormon but he insisted that we come to his house. At the end of the alley there was a piece of plywood that he pushed aside into his house.

There were no walls or a roof. It was just outside. The floor was dirt and about five feet back there was just a drop off into the jungle. He didn't even have chairs for us to sit on so he turned over some buckets for us and put a rag on them so our pants wouldn't get dirty. Elder Olguin taught him an amazing lesson about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. He really seemed to feel the Spirit and definitely wanted to learn more. We gave him a Book of Mormon even though it was kinda hard for him to read. He said he would definitely read it and we are going to have the "real" missionaries come by and talk to him.

As far as his house goes, I knew I was going to see poverty like that but it doesn't really sink in until you're in a house. It definitely was a humbling experience. Well that was definitely the highlight of my week but for the most part the week was just awesome. I'm not exactly sure where it went though because it seems like I was writing you guys two days ago.

The food here is good. I doubt it is anything like I´ll have in the field though. There´s a huge variety of stuff so it's hard to give you an idea of what I eat. Sometimes we eat Mexican type food and sometimes it's more American. It´s weird though because Every meal I have been here they but some type of sauce over it whether it´s eggs, steak, or burritos.There is a lot of meat every day which I'm happy with. More than I´ll probably eat when I'm out.

Oh and yeah I know Elder Campbell! He's cool. He lives pretty close to my and I already found out he´s from Bend. For some reason people here like Bend a lot because people keep asking what it´s like and stuff. OK well I'm glad Curtis is liking school. He must be going crazy to actually like High School but hey whatever. It's definitely a good idea to take health online. They're just a waste of time in school. Although health two was my favorite class. It was super easy and my three best friends were in it so we just kinda messed around. Hey I still got an A because it's pretty much impossible to not get one. And Briana I'm happy you're doing well! Good luck with the Spanish!

I can't wait till I can actually just teach. Well I'm out of time. This next Tuesday we get to go on a big tour of the City. After they take us to the Market which is three stories tall and is going to be awesome. Everything is super cheap here. The most I've spent is 100q...10 dollars and got a ton of stuff.

OK well I miss you guys and have fun watching the last debate without me. Just know my vote is on the way to tip the balance of the vote in Romney's favor.

Awesome Firesides and Cafeteria Food

I'm not exactly sure where to start. This week has been so long but at the same time it has been really good. All of the days kind of blend together because I'm just in class the whole time. 

We taught lessons this week and they seemed to go ok. Spanish is hard but I'm hoping it will come better in Guatemala. I only have a week left here! It's crazy! I got my travel plans a while ago and we fly to LA and then down to Guatemala. I can't wait. 

We had some awesome classes and some really awesome firesides. The one we had last night was amazing. He taught us all about our purpose and what the point of being here is. I'm so happy I'm here!

Today we went to the temple again and it was really good. I realized a few things I had never before. Even though it was kind of hard to stay awake I managed. The sleep schedule here isn't as nice as the one I had at home but hey after I write this I get to go take a nap! 

P-days are great. Usually I just read and this morning I finished the book Our Search for Happiness. It is an amazing book! I couldn't stop reading haha. I might read it again but I might just read Jesus the Christ instead. It's long so I guess I better get started. Our Search for Happiness is one I wish I would've known about before my mission. I could've used some of the stuff in it to explain to my friends what we believe. 

Tomorrow we have a devotional by another General Authority. Last week was a man from the seventy...I can't remember his name but he was incredible. Rumors are going around that we are due to have an apostle or one of the "Big 3" soon. I'm not so sure but I would love that.

Ok I'm just having a hard time remembering everything this week cause it all seems like one day. The food is well...Lets just say I'll be happy to get to Guatemala where they say it's amazing. 

In the cafeteria I ran into Jared George a couple times! I haven't seen him in forever. I also keep seeing him around campus so that's pretty cool. I love the yard signs you put out! I bet they all win just cause of them. 

Is Curtis liking band? He better be playing first trumpet in Winds by this point! It has already been a week. Also thanks Briana for the package! I liked the watermelon candy haha.

Well I guess that's all I have time for. I can't think of anything else. All my days seem kinda the same except P-days and Sundays. I hope all you guys are doing well and just by the way I kinda keep forgetting to take pictures. I never have my camera with me so sorry. I'll try to get some before I leave next to the map and stuff. 

Well I love you guys and miss you! I know the Church is true and the Book of Mormon was restored by Joesph Smith. I'm so happy to be here and can't wait to go out into the field and get working. This might be my last e-mail from here cause next Monday I might have an orientation thing before I leave but I'll call from the airport if you're lucky! Ha just kidding I will...Probably. Alright bye. 

Report From the Provo MTC

Well hey family!

The MTC so far has been crazy! My head hurts but They say once you make it past your first Sunday it gets easier. The past few days have been non-stop with language and devotionals. On Friday I had to teach my first lesson all in Spanish!! Luckily my companion (Elder Steed from Canada) kinda knew what he was doing. We taught him the first lesson but it turned out pretty bad. Oh well the next time we saw him was much better. We actually got him to promise to be baptized! Well I think...I couldn't really understand anything. Oh yeah and the first day here I met Gordon B. Hinkley's son. The problem was I didn't know it was him till later. He just came into our class to talk to our teacher and once he left Brother Snyder told us who it was. That was kinda lame but still cool.

Mom the food here is good but I can see how it would get old after awhile. It's basically just cafeteria food. Nothing special. I'm so happy Curtis went to Pep Band! That's hilarious. So he met Gonzo (Taylor) and Jane. They were pretty good friends but apparently they're blind if they think Curtis looks like me! I hope he likes it. He should just cause band is awesome. As for the BYU game I heard. That's soooo lame! Most people in my District were pretty happy cause I'm the only one who goes to BYU. They go to Utah State and Utah. Other then that though my District is awesome. 

I'm already getting Spanish and English mixed up sometimes just because all I do it seems is study it. Sometimes I'll be saying my prayers and slip into Spanish without realizing it just cause I've practiced the Spanish prayer so many times. I really don't know much but I'm getting better. Oh and yes I got your package. Oops (he forgot his alarm clock).

Dad that's crazy about the volcano! Elder Steed saw the picture too and we freaked out! That's so close to where we'll be going. Too bad we didn't start in the Guatemalan MTC cause we would've seen it maybe. 

Nothing like that has happened here but we have had some amazing devotionals. Last night was awesome! We had a fireside by Brother W. Tracy Watson. He talked about the Book of Mormon and how it applies to us. It was awesome! After that we watched a talk by Elder Bednar called the Character of Christ. It probably is now my favorite talk I have ever heard. It was a talk he gave in the MTC last Christmas about how we become converted. Being in the MTC is crazy but it's really amazing.

I'm so happy I'm here and know I did the right thing by coming. I can't wait to get out into the field and start teaching but I still love it here. They have a saying that the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days. It's so true! I've already been here almost a week. Whoa. Only two more to go!

Well time's almost up so I better go. I miss you guys and hope you're doing well! Tell Curtis to practice trumpet.

Love,

Elder Layton