March 22, 2016---ENJOYING P-DAY, POISONOUS LIZARD, EATING NORMAL STUFF AGAIN, HOUSE WITH A DOG

March 22, 2016

ENJOYING P-DAY

Me and my shrine drawing of "Me, enjoying P-day."

POISONOUS LIZARD

Poisonous lizard in the house that Elder Murray fought. It kind jump to bite and paralyze.  It ended up escaping through the toilet...poured a bunch of cleaner down there to hopefully get em, ha.

EATING NORMAL STUFF AGAIN
I have been eating normal stuff again, finally!  So, thanks a bunch for the prayers and support. 


HOUSE WITH A DOG
One funny thing did happen this week. We were contacting in la Paz and there was this house with a dog in front of it.  The dog was kind of just chilling and was like smiling, ha. I tell Elder Murray,  "Hey, dude.  That dog is totally nice, man.  It is just chilling, dude.  You will be fine."  And he's calling to it and walking towards and this other dog comes up with this huge chicken foot in it's mouth. It then barks at the dog with the chicken foot in it's mouth.   By this time, it is really close to Elder Murray. It just jumps up and starts attacking him and he like swings his LDM (Libro de Mormon) and smacks the dog in the face and I'm just sitting there the whole time just kind of like I don't even know, ha ha. So funny, though.

Les Amo

Elder Sweat

LEARNING HOW TO BECOME A BETTER MISSIONARY, PERSISTENCE, THANK YOU PARENTS OF GUATEMALA CITY CENTRAL MISSIONARIES

LEARNING HOW TO BECOME A BETTER MISSIONARY
This week has gone pretty well. Lots of challenges, physically, right now but it's helping me grow as a person and missionary. We have 2 investigators that should be baptized in the next 2 weeks.They are super funny and cool. I'm learning a lot about how to become a better missionary and stuff. Sounds like the fam is pretty good overall though, so that's great. Love you guys a lot!

Les Amo

Elder Sweat

PERSISTENCE

THANK YOU PARENTS OF GUATEMALA CITY CENTRAL MISSIONARIES,  
Sorry I didn't take any photos this week.  I will this next one, though. Va Pueeeeeee!!!

Les Amo
Elder Sweat 

VA PUE:  Short for "go - well", phrase, which in turn is used as approval.

Example:"Q: do want to go out at night?" "A: Va PUE."

Synonyms:Go therefore
Author: Javier

*note from editor:  
So, I went to work and found (hacked) photos from the Parents of Guatemala City Central Missionaries Facebook Page :)  Thank you, parents!

A REASSURING SMILE, ZONE TRAINING, 20 NEW INVESTIGATORS, THE LORD PREPARES US, ELDER STANDING, I'M GOING TO GO HAM, A WHILE BACK, ANTS IN MY PANTS AND ON MY NECK, JUST PRAY FOR ME, MADE ME THINK OF GUNN

A REASSURING SMILE

                        A reassuring smile to keep the people happy, ha ha.

ZONE TRAINING

Zone training.
We about to tear it up.

20 NEW INVESTIGATORS

This week was good.  We had like 20 new investigators and we taught a bunch of lessons and stuff. This very old lady walked a long way, on part of a mountain, to get to church.  We were so happy!  She's awesome.  She wants to be baptized, too.

THE LORD PREPARES US

Hombre bout to go on a mission to the area of where Elder Montero's house and family are at.
Soon to be Elder Torres going to go ham there and tear it up.

THE LORD PREPARES US

Thanks a ton for the prayers. I'm starting to get used to it and haven't had anymore stuff happen. My body is just acting weird cuz of the lost of muscle mass and how much I'm eating and stuff so it's just kind of doing a funky dance right now, ha ha. Either that or I got bit by a bug and there is venom in me that is messing with the food intake or something, ha ha. Its all good, though. The Lord gives us things to help prepare us for other stuff later on.

ELDER STANDING

Looking off with Elder Standing, Zone Leader, on a small chapin (Guatemalan) bench, ha.

I'M GOING TO GO HAM

We had a zone training today and I received a lot of revelation on what we can change and do, so I'm going to apply this and go ham.

A WHILE BACK

At Parque Naciones with my zone, a while back.

ANTS IN MY PANTS AND ON MY NECK

One kind of interesting experience is that we were teaching these drunk guys and we actually ended up learning a lot ha ha but I felt stuff on my legs and these large ants were eating me alive, literally, ha ha.  It was crazy and the family and stuff just thought it was funny, so I laughed and joked, too, while crushing large ants in my pants, ha ha, and on my neck, an hour later, ha.

JUST PRAY FOR ME

Lots of things here to help me learn.  Just pray for me to be able to continue finding ways to be a better missionary. Love you all a ton!

Les Amo,

Elder Sweat

MADE ME THINK OF GUNN

Made me think of Gunn High School.
Yeeee!

MARCH 1, 2016---ALLERGIC REACTION, I NEED TO KEEP GOING, RIGHT? :)

MARCH 1, 2106
ALLERGIC REACTION
This week was great, but I randomly had an allergic reaction to something I ate and now I can't eat eggs or beans and I'm only supposed to have a little milk and a little bit of peanuts.  We will hopefully find out what it is.  Hopefully, it was like a bug or something but, IDK. 

I NEED TO KEEP GOING, RIGHT?  :)
It's really hard cuz I've never been allergic to something before so I'm just praying that it will all be okay. It's a small thing compared to what a lot of other people face but, IDK, everyone has their own trials and this is one of mine right now. But I need to keep going, right?  :)  So maybe if you guys can pray for me;  that would be nice. 

Love,

Elder Sweat

FEBRUARY 22, 2016---I SOMETIMES CAN'T BELIEVE I'M HERE AS A MISSIONARY, ELDER MURRAY---A LIFESAVER AND USAIN BOLT SPEED

I SOMETIMES CAN'T BELIEVE I'M HERE AS A MISSIONARY

COOL VIEW

The gospel can obviously bring a lot more blessings in people lives. I sometimes can't believe I'm here as a missionary, ha. The gospel is great for helping people reach their best potentials. 

ELDER MURRAY---A LIFESAVER AND USAIN BOLT SPEED

COMPANIONS

I'm learning a lot from my new companion Elder Murray.  He is a lifesaver.  He did save me a lot of trouble a bunch of times, but especially one day. So, I received my package from home and we were contacting on a bus on our way home so I stuck it above on a rack. We had to hurry and tell the bus driver to stop so we could get off and so we ran off the bus. Like 5 seconds later, I realized I had forgotten my package on the bus!  I was just like, "Oh my heck."  We start chasing after it and it goes up this large hill and Elder Murray has the Usain Bolt speed that just comes out of nowhere and we chase the bus for a little and he gets far enough down that the bus stops at a stop and he gets on and gets the package and everyone on the bus was like "Yeahhh!!"  Ha ha. He was so gassed and almost fainted cuz he ran so hard. I promised him he could maybe have something from the package, ha ha ha, JK.  But he saved me that day and I'm super grateful for that. 

Love,

Elder Sweat

Modeling on the side, ha ha.

LAST TIME TOGETHER

TOTEM POLE

Naciones Unidas National Park is a forested park area of 4.91 km2, located 21 km south of Guatemala City, just north of Lake Amatitlán in the municipality of Villa Nueva.^[1] It is one of the last remaining nature reserves in the metropolitan area of Guatemala City.^{[2]  Wikipidia}

Jump up

Haircut...finally...woo-hoo.

Late pic, but we promised mom we would take it, ha.

                                Last divisiones con this same group.

Baptism pic.

2014 THROWBACK, GREAT GUY, 2015 THROWBACK, TRANSFERS---ELDER MURRAY, PALO ALTO 2ND WARD MISSIONARIES, SHOUT OUT TO NIKE---"JUST DO IT", 2013 THROWBACK

2014 THROWBACK

April 2014
Left to right, Aldste Sweat, Elder Sweat, Denzel, Terrell, Dante, and Dominique

GREAT GUY
We have a very positive investigator. When we passed by him in the calle (street) he was reading the LDM (Libro de Mormon) and I was so pumped;  he is really great.  It's funny cuz on one visit we asked him if he needed help and he said,  "Yeah, convince my wife to get out of her religion, ha."  Great guy. 

2015 THROWBACK

May 2015
Grandpa Sweat, Grandma Sweat, Elder Sweat, Grandma Gallup, and Grandpa Gallup

TRANSFERS---ELDER MURRAY
Got my new companion, Elder Murray from Las Vegas, Nevada .  I also baptized a girl for the hermanas, so that was cool.

Love, 

Elder Sweat

PALO ALTO 2ND WARD MISSIONARIES

Elder Aaron Miner

May 2015
Elder Sweat and Elder Aaron Miner (currently serving a mission in Romania)
 Elder Aaron Miner is in our ward in Palo Alto

Danny-Tyler Downer

May 2015
Elder Sweat and Danny-Tyler Downer, called to served a mission to Texas in February 2016
Danny-Tyler is also a member of our ward in Palo Alto

SHOUT OUT TO NIKE---"JUST DO IT"

Occasionally, the missionaries from our ward write to Bishop Miner, the leader of our congregation.  This is a quote from his letter to our Bishop to be read to our congregation in church:

"The mission has already changed me in so many ways. My testimony is strengthened everyday.  And I am becoming more of what I would say a man:) I have realized that I know so little about this gospel. But I do know now more then ever that this gospel is true and is a blessing and is the way for us to have happiness for eternity. 

Anyone thinking about serving a mission, shout out to Nike and "Just Do It" Les Amamos!"

Elder Sweat

2013 THROWBACK

January 2013, Provo, UT

A WINNER EVERY TIME, WALMART AND THE SUPER BOWL, WE ARE PRAYING FOR THEM, WE WILL VISIT ANOTHER DAY, IT'S THE SMALL THINGS

A WINNER EVERY TIME
WALMART AND THE SUPER BOWL
I was in Walmart with our district and saw a newspaper that said the Broncos had won the Super Bowl.  I was like "Whoa," and Elder Monetero was "Yo, man, you can't read that," and I was like "Oh, yeah, ha ha." Then we left and went to a different place. 

WE ARE PRAYING FOR THEM
The baptism and wedding has been delayed cuz some information they needed to have was lost, so we are praying for them to be able to get the paperwork. Then they can get married and baptized.


WE WILL VISIT ANOTHER DAY
We were teaching a great lesson to a positive investigator when this pastor comes out and slams the door open and starts to yell and stuff. We sit there trying to talk for some time and this guy (the pastor) finally gets frustrated and pushes my companion in the chest and starts to slam the door.  I had to control myself cuz I was so mad, ha. But I was thinking about it later that maybe they want us to get in arguments and stuff with them. The funny thing is that Elder Montero was all calm and the guy got mad cuz we asked him a question and he knew he was wrong, so he got mad. The worst part is it ruined the whole lesson and the investigator is scared to meet with us now. We will visit another day.

IT'S THE SMALL THINGS
The gospel helps us so much.  I'ts true, though.  It's the small things that help us the most for better or for worse. President Markham said that we are either exactly obedient or not obedient.

Love,

Elder Sweat