Week 99

Family and closest friends.. well I am going to be dying here in the Polochik!!!!!! WOWW!!! I am here in La Tinta, it is in the valley about an hour away from Telemàn and there is Spanish in the town area of La Tinta and there are mostly Q'eqchi' speakers here. I am with Elder Cheney. Elder Austin Cheney from Boise Idaho who currently lives in Farmington (that is where his parents live.) He is soooooooooooo humble too. He told me to just correct him in any speaking error I can find. He is a football player and played for Southern Virginia!!! I love waking up and doing work outs with him every day. We just ripped up those Perfect Push-ups that you sent me!!!! Right now he has 10 months in his mission. I have done many divisions with him when I was his DL before in Senahu and as his ZL. Now when we got the call to be companions I was soooooooooooooo excited!!!! We were just bouncing off the walls (more like doing flips) Parkour and all that haha. Immediately we began making goals and planning when we got together. We couldn't believe that we were going to be companions!! The goals are to baptize 4 people for sure this transfer and lift up the members and get them involved in the work. Baptize families. Another goal is what we have been doing really great at is the idea that Elder Cheney thought of, that is that we wake up at 5:30 every morning and study an hour of Q'eqchi' grammar and then the normal schedule and another hour of language study. The goal is that I feed him as much Q'eqchi' as I can in one change, in these 6 weeks. He is learning fast. I know exactly what he needs to know. I am training him like crazy. The best part is that he is sooooooooooo humble!! He just loves being corrected, because he understands that it helps him. I have been doing my goal in just speaking Q'eqchi' with him so he has to pick up hearing it. I am trying to show him all the tricks and the secret stuff that are not really known to missionaries. He is picking it up really fast.

The branch is a great functioning branch. A lot better than Telemàn. I have to say I was impressed by all the testimonies of the people here. Especially the Q'eqchi' people!!! I love this place!!! We have the meeting in both Spanish and Q'eqchi'. They just translate what they say into both languages. I have to say that I am stoked to die here in La Tinta and with one of the best elders too!!! I am going to teach Elder Cheney as much as I truly can!!!!

To begin the week, we had to move houses. So we moved to a bigger house and then began working by visiting members and giving them assignments to open their mouths (like I did in Telemàn) and bring their friends to church. Everyone accepted and is excited to work in this great work! Sunday comes around and we have inactives coming and less actives who are now coming to church. We rewarded the members who brought their friends or loved ones who are not members or just inactive. It was great seeing the fruits of the first week. At the end of the week we obtained 5 references. We plan on contacting them all this week, and baptizing. I have to explain our mission. In order to baptize, the investigator needs to have attended church at least 3 times. So that can show how our process is in the work. That just means we have to push really hard these first weeks finding and bringing to church!!! We are going to the members to find, because that truly is the best way to find those chosen sheep. I have received great news. The very first day I get to La Tinta I get a call from Elder Escalante (my last comp) and he said that they put a baptismal date with Brother Turibio and Sister Tomasa, who are strong Catholics and are investigators that he and I found. I have to say, that is how my mission has been, I don't get bitter, because they are not MY baptisms. They are however the Lord's children now going back to Him. I was glad I could talk about the true form of baptism with that family and invite them to accept it. I am just grateful for the most spiritual lessons I have had with them. That is sufficient for me. (I sent a picture of me with them.)

Right now it is hot here!! haha

Wow Macy looks so cute!!!!! Thank you for sending those photos!! Thank you all for your letters too!! Just so you all know I am just loving life and am pushing to the end!!! Plus one of my best friends in the mission just returned back to the Polochik after being ZL in the capital for a long time Elder Lusty. He is going home with me. He is such a great friend, I love him.

You all sound happy. As for me I am healthy and happy and spiritually filled!! I am glad I have never slowed down in the work in my mission. I never had that thought come across me. I am glad I will be able to look back and say that I never slowed down!!! I reflect back and know I have done a lot of good. I am now looking forward and thinking, ''What more good will I do with Elder Cheney in these next 6 weeks?!'' We are getting along great. We make jokes and just seem like we were best friends before the mission. I know that I am here for a reason and pray that we may complete our goals.

So last night I was scared to death, because at night I went to go to our bathroom and across the way outside our house there is a kitchen that we can use. Well that door was open and pitch black and I wanted to go to the bathroom nearby. In that creepy kitchen I hear weird noises and a chain moving, I thought it was a human sleeping in there, I was scared. When I look closer I saw a black shadow move closer to me and a silhouette of the thing inside!!! I was scared but I found out it was a pit bull hahaha in our house! Our landlord’s dog!!