THE GOSPEL IS SUCH A BLESSING, COME UP WITH A PLAN AND THEN ASK FOR HELP FROM GOD, ANGRY DOGS

December 22, 2015

Companions

THE GOSPEL IS SUCH A BLESSING
Today we practiced (our Spanish) and I did pretty well.  I'll have points of really good and pretty bad ha ha. Humbling for sure.  Our ward is good.  We have one hermana (sister) that can be baptized once she gets married so yeah idk if it will take long or what but she wants to be baptized and everything so we will see. It makes all the hard work worth it to see someone progressing and changing for the better. This gospel is such a blessing and helps us so much. 

COME UP WITH A PLAN AND THEN ASK FOR HELP FROM GOD
Presidente Markham said the brother of Jared, from the Book of Mormon, was asking for help and said to God,  "What do you want me to do?"  We need to come up with a plan and then ask God. Take some initiative and stuff.  We have had moments where we will not have any success, so we will pray and then afterwards have a great lesson with someone.  We are trying to have the spirit as a guide more for everything. It helps. One time we prayed and were looking around trying to decide where to go and I looked at the houses and one kind of drew my eye.  I don't know why, ha, Christmas lights or something.  I was kind of unsure to say, "That house."  But turns out we both point at that door ha ha and then we taught the home owners a very poderoso leccion (powerful lesson).  It was great.  I'm trying to improve everyday. 

FELIZ NAVIDAD

ANGRY DOGS

P.S.   Almost kicked one dog's head in, but it was spared ha.  For reals though.  It was trying to like attack me and Elder Montero.  We were walking-jogging this street that was just full of angry dogs barking at us.  It was like the ninja turtle showdown with those weird monster things ha ha.

Hooligans!  IDK whose playing with the nativity at the templo (temple)...

Lunching like champions with coconuts and straws.

One of the best lunches ever.
A bunch of Taco Bell.
Tasted like heaven.

 

WIND, EARTHQUAKE, DOG BITE, BLESSINGS, AND DRUNKS--LESSONS AND BAPTISMS--LIFTING--I HAVE FAITH

December 15, 2015



WIND, EARTHQUAKE, DOG BITE, BLESSINGS, AND DRUNKS
Guatemala is pretty good.  Still hard, but I'm starting to get into the swing of things, I think. Windy here but nunca frio (not cold).  We were also in a super small earthquake...ha ha...super weird. I almost got bit by a dog but I like for some reason jumped it like all ninja style in the dark; it was crazy. Blessings for sure, ha ha. So many dogs here I try not to hit them cuz they are all crazy, ha. Also, lots of drunk people here and people who think my companion is a Gringo, ha ha, but he's a Dominican Republican. 

LESSONS AND BAPTISMS
How many lessons do you typically teach in a week?  Do you have anyone that is interested and scheduled to be baptized?  We teach somewhere around 20 - 30 lessons a week. We will get people to commit to baptism dates the 1st time we meet, but what's hard is all the following up cuz they are always ocupado (busy) or not esta (ready), ha.  It's frustrating but I try to have a good attitude. 

LIFTING
...eat right and take care of your body...For desayuno (breakfast) we had water mashed potatoes ha ha and eggs.  Pretty bland but it's whatever.  It's hard cuz we walk for super long and stuff and we can't really eat dinner so its hard to even maintain. But yeah the Lord will bless me.  I was talking to President Markham and he said don't worry too much about it. We talk lifting ha ha.  He's a tank.  He says he keeps lifting so he can take down all his sons when he returns ha ha. They are great. 

I HAVE FAITH
We prayerfully studied how to get more investigators and so we will be doing an English class.  I have no idea how to do it but I have faith ha ha. 

Love

Elder Sweat

COLD AND WINDY, WE ARE SO HAPPY, IT'S A PERSONAL CHOICE TO FIND THE TRUTH, MORE CUT---BUT SMALLER, THERE IS BEAUTY ALL AROUND---WHEN THERE'S LUNCH AT HOME, SNIPPETS

December 8, 2015

COLD AND WINDY

It's the "cold" season, ha ha, but they are selling coconuts, papaya and piña, ha ha. It's not too cold here. It gets pretty windy, though.  

WE ARE SO HAPPY

(Be bold and you will find someone who wants to hear the truth and will keep their commitments.--Terrell)  Ya, I'm trying, it's really hard but when I just do it super excited and stuff it's so much better. I just over exaggerate and it's not even bad cuz people are so surprised that we are so happy, ha ha.   

IT'S A PERSONAL CHOICE TO FIND THE TRUTH

(I imagine most people were baptized as infants?--Terrell)  Ya, a lot of people were. Lots of catholics and evanjelico. Its hard cuz a lot of people don't want to hear the message. For example, we had a guy that wanted to bible bash for like 20 minutes and we told him we were here to invite, not to argue and that it's a personal choice to find the truth. And then some other old guy from across the street got in it. We didn't really argue;  just kind of listened and answered his questions. The spirit was definitely not there cuz the contention was there and Elder Montero told him that. We closed with a prayer and everything and left. It makes me feel so blessed cuz the bible is interpreted in so many ways its crazy. That's why we have El Libro de Mormon, tambien. 

MORE CUT---BUT SMALLER

I'm losing more weight, ha!  More cut, but smaller, so that stinks. It's hard definitely to workout cuz you are always so gassed out here, but, I try. 

Love,

Elder Sweat

THERE IS BEAUTY ALL AROUND---WHEN THERE'S LUNCH AT HOME

Cooking up a storm.

Legit coconut

Companeros safe and sound

Almuerzo en nuestro casa (having lunch at home).

SNIPPETS 
We had a Christmas devotional and our barrio sang and I had a duet part ha,ha,ha,ha. We also got tamales and panche...sooooo gooooooddd.

So I got a free backpack cuz I was using a huge hiking one and it stained my shirt all nasty ha ha.  I was like noooooo.

A bunch of people set off fireworks here all day and yesterday they burned devils for some holiday thing ha ha; super dangerous.

Comp exchanges:  We mostly contacted cuz I had no idea where I was and then got rejected a bunch. We had a couple great lessons and then when we got home I couldn't find the llaves!!  I was like nooooooooooo.  I'm going to get sent hoooommmeeeee.  So we were kind of like what are we going to do?  But after a while, turns up the hermanas had them.  Some random guy went to the church and gave them the keys telling them they were the elders'.  Miracles, man.  Ha ha.  Was praying so hard.

THE CAGE FIGHTER, SORE AND DEAD, RAIN BLISTER, ALMUERZO, ELDER TREPENIER, COMPROMISMOS, ELDER HAFOKA, COMPANION EXCHANGES, ELDER MEONO, "BUS CONTACTING," CCM DISTRICT, I ALMOST DIED, TEMPLE, ALWAYS IN MY HEART

THE CAGE FIGHTER

Elder Sweat and Elder Brown, the cage fighter

SORE AND DEAD
My legs are sore and dead, all day, everyday, ha. 

RAIN BLISTER

Rain blister that I have had for days.

ALMUERZO
The ward members are great.  They feed us a lot of the time for almuerzo (the first substantial meal of the day taken usually just before noon) so thats' a blessing for us. They all think I'm huge, ha.  I'm like, "Uh, not really."  I'm losing weight, for sure, so that's hard, but I'm working hard. I can definitely improve. 

ELDER TREPENIER

My comp, Elder Trepenier, and me in the CCM.

COMPROMISMOS
I had a two day slump with contacting and stuff, but I'm climbing out of it, right now. We have a couple progressing investigators, but the hardest thing is getting them to church. We either get rejected or won't follow through on compromismos (commitments) even though you can tell the people feel something.  It's hard for most of the people we teach, cuz they are baptized in other religions. 

ELDER HAFOKA

Me and Elder Hafoka, from Australia

COMPANION EXCHANGES
We are on companion exchanges today, so we'll see how it goes.  I have to lead the other companion around cuz Elder Montero is with someone else.  It will be very interesting.  His name is Elder Kendall and he's pretty cool. He's one of the zone leaders for our area. 

ELDER MEONO

Me and Elder Meoño, from Tooele, Utah

"BUS CONTACTING," 
Oh, yeah!  When we ride on a bus in the city it's hard because we do "bus contacting," haha. It's crazy!  We step on and just start yelling, "WE ARE MISSIONARIES, REPRESENTATIVES OF JESUS CHRIST!"  and so on and everyone is kind of just like, idk.  Haha.  It's scary, but kind of funny.  It builds character.  (But, we generally don't  use buses.)  Now people are trying to avoid us.  Haha.  They go to the other side of the street or on a different street.  Haha. Must be doing something right if we can we can still contact them, ha. Hard, but good for me, for sure. 

CCM DISTRICT

Our CCM district

I ALMOST DIED
We also took a long route to President and Sister Markham's house for orientation. It was such a relief when we got in there.  I almost died. We were really late, had no idea where we were going, and jumped off buses onto other ones and took taxis and stuff.  Haha.  It was stressful, but funny when I think about it, now, ha.

TEMPLE  

Flag at the Temple

ALWAYS IN MY HEART
SAY "HI" TO THE FAM FOR MEEE.  Always in my heart.

Love,

Elder Sweat