2-11-13

Hey Moms,

This week was interesting. They ended up sending a few of the missionaries in the zone home this week, some for disobedience and others for sicknesses. Both are pretty rare. But things are going well in our area. We have another baptism coming up next Saturday, not this one but next week. He is super golden. I don’t know what it is but we have found a lot of golden investigators in this area. He just really wants to change his life and he is friends with a lot of members here. So he said he just is making the connections and getting baptized just makes sense. He showed up to church this week and we were just kind of showing him the chapel and all, and we took him in front of the baptismal font and we were just talking to him, and then we just put a baptismal date and he was like, ok, I'll do it. It's crazy when you find people like that. It’s so exciting and really makes all the crappy days worth it ha-ha. I really am enjoying the comp I have right now too. He is just super humble and doesn’t want to do anything but work hard. I don’t think I have ever worked so hard on my mission. It would be nice to see more fruits from the work, but I will never complain about finding a golden investigator. Changes are in two weeks and I am really scared they are going to change me. I really really don’t want to leave. It’s hard to accept changes and have the ¨I'll go where you want me to go¨ attitude. Especially when you feel like you’re in stride. But hopefully they leave me at least another change here. I wouldn’t complain about that. I am not even feeling the time go by either. I can’t believe I'm just down to the fingers now; I don’t need my toes anymore to count the months. That’s crazy.

Josh's talk sounds great. Though speaking of feet, Josh might not have hobbit feet, but his brother in law sure does. I always thought Tafty looked like Frodo from the ankles down. But I really enjoyed that talk too by E Christofferson. It's really what it all comes down to in the church; how much the men are willing, ready, and able to do. I have seen a lot of families either make it or break it here, and its always 100% based on the father. It's sad too because you see alcoholism destroy so many men here. That’s a cool story about his dad though. I really like that too. It's funny how the Sunday school answers are the things that will save us one day. Simplicity of the gospel. 

Alex was telling me y'all want to come and pick me up. My opinion on that is this; it would be better to wait until I am home and then come back. One, because as a missionary I can leave my mission, so all the cool touristy spots of Guate, I can't go to those. Plus, when I go home it's still kind of rainy season here. It would be better to come in the summer when the weather is really nice, and we can go apostate at the dance clubs at night because I won't be wearing a name badge. That’s just what I think though; it’s all up to you guys of course, especially since it’s your money. Anyways, I love you guys, have a good week.

Adam

2-4-13

Hey Mom,

So this week was interesting. We had multi-zone conferences with Elder Martino. He is the President over the Central America area. It was really cool, and since we're the Zonies he talked with us a bunch and did practices and stuff with us. It was so crazy, he is from Texas, but since he got called as the CA Area President he lives in the Capital here in Guate now. When I told him where I was from he was like Oh, you must know Perry Webb then. I was just kind of like uhhh...He's from my home ward. He said they had served as area 70s for a long time together. Pretty cool. We also had just a Zonie conference with him on Friday; it was pretty impressive just to say the least. 

Friday wasn’t my finest day in the mission though. Actually Friday wasn’t that bad, but from what happened on Friday has brought serious consequences. In the night we went and visited some less active members in this little pueblo that’s really far away. We actually go there quite a bit because it’s a really cool little area. All the people there live in adobe houses and are crazy poor. Also they don’t have running water there, they usually all get their water out of wells. So we went and visited this lady and she gave us this weird wheat drink when we were leaving. But like I said, it's well water. And they usually boil it and kill all the bad stuff so we don’t die, but this time she didn’t. She was really angry with us because we didn’t go and visit her son who was in the hospital because he had fallen and broken his arm. We would have gone, but she hadn’t gone to church in like 2 or 3 weeks, so we hadn’t seen her, and she didn’t call anyone and tell people that her son was in the hospital. So we were just like uhhh.... how where we supposed to know? She was just super angry and kept telling us we have to know these things as missionaries (elder=psychic), and that she was too embarrassed to call and tell anyone. Yeah we were just kind of shaking our heads, but either way, she was so mad we couldn’t say no to the lukewarm wheat drink. The next day my comp and I were not feeling so hot. So like noon on Saturday I just plop down on my bed and don’t move for like 10 hours. I was just in kind of this like fever coma. My comp just had boo on Saturday and then he was fine. But yesterday I was even worse. I just had crazy body aches and chills and a fever. Then I finished off all of the purified water we had in the house. We like camped outside the little store in front of our house this morning and bought like ten Gatorades and more purified water. I was toast though ha-ha.

I’m better today. We went into Xela and saw the nurse this morning, she gave me some antibiotics and the war is now on. I literally can feel the fight. I have some pretty normal bacterial infection, but she said that this medicine would clear me up in a few days. That will be nice ha-ha. This is really the first time I have been down and out in the mission. I couldn’t make it to church yesterday, we had a member come stay with me while me comp went with another member. I feel like I know a little more of what pops experienced in his mission though. Ha-ha. Hopefully it’s the last time.

Anyways, that’s pretty scary about Liv. That probably would be something that needs to be checked out fairly well. Just tell her when it happens though, a lot of it is all mental, like if she just calms down and relaxes, it will pass a lot quicker. That’s what always happened with me. Well, not that that has exactly happened to me, but that was always what helped me. 

So Groundhog Day also passed. That’s still a real holiday? I honestly don’t even know what that means if he sees his shadow or not. The Lance thing gave me a good chuckle too. Sometimes I wonder if pops tries to be Phil Dunphy, or if it really just comes that naturally. 

Anyways, I love you guys, have a good week.

Adam