Monday, February 4, 2013

Hola familia!! y todos.

I hope that you all had a fantastic week, and that the super bowl party was a blast. I don´t want to know what the food was, that will only make me jealous. I had chorizo, beans, eggs, and cheese with tortillas and some orange juice. I am sure that what you had was better.

Well, the weather up there sounds crazy. I am a little jealous, I want to see some snow so BAD.

So, this week was good. A little sad, but good.

This was the hard part of the week, and then I will talk about the good.

This week I learned what it means to be stiffnecked and heardhearted.

Heardhearted.

Well, we had a cita with the half family we are teaching. we watched the hour long restoration movie with them, hoping that that would change or soften the mother´s heart just a little bit. and it didn´t. Not that I can see. She won´t pray to get an answer.  She is sure that her answer will come just at some random moment. She also got mad at us because she doesn´t like it when we say that this is the only true church. Well, she is sort of angry at us for the main point of our message, my comp apologized for it sounding like that, but I didn´t. Christ never apologized to the Pharisees or the Sadducees that they couldn´t accept his message, and that they were in the wrong. So, I don´t apologize for saying truth. She was sort of offended, but I wouldn´t take it back. She asked me if her mother would be saved (her mother is a baptized Jehovah´s witness.) I said that she hadn´t been baptized by the proper authority, and in the correct manner, and so as of right now, she couldn´t enter god´s kingdom, following Juan 3:5. Well, she then asked me if that meant her mom was wasting her time. I said yes and no. I said that she wasn´t looking in the right place, she didn´t know where to find the truth. She got more offendded, and then we left. She won´t ask God. She talks about this great faith she has, but I have yet to see evidence of it. James 2:17-18

Stiffnecked.

We were teaching a staunch ------- about the restoration, and we got to prophets. The words that came out of his mouth, and I quote, were ¨I don´t know if I can believe in prophets, it seems too confusing.¨ Really?? No offense to -------- reading this, but you believe in Trans-substantiation, superogation, praying to Mary, indulgences, papal line of authority, beatification, the trinity, and that God is a mystery, and Prophets, something outlined in the BIBLE very CLEARLY is too confusing?? Amos 3:7, Ephesians 2:20 and 4:11-14, Exodus 33:11 and hebrews 5:4. And then the fact that God has been the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8. Well, we asked him if God had changed, and he said of course not, so then we said, sir, you just contradicted yourself. If god hasn´t changed, then prophets still exist. If you don´t believe that prophets exist, then you are saying that God has ceased to be God, due to a change. He responded with something irrelevant, and then we brought up the plan of salvation. He was a marriage counseler for the ------- church, but doesn´t believe in marriage past the grave. So we asked that if God had put families together, why would he give Peter the power to seal on earth and in heaven if there was nothing in heaven?? He said that we were just going to be spirits, but I said that if Christ said to be like his father who is perfect, and Christ has a body, and is perfect, and is the SAME as the father, then the father has to have a body, and by default, we will have bodies. He just said, well, the priest said it wasn´t like that, soo.....it can´t be. So entrenched in his own stuff that nothing can possibly ever change.

Now, the good stuff.

We found new investigators!!! We set dates for the 16 of February, and are working with them. Seven and two would be a family, so it´s good!!! I will include more about them next week, or when I have sent you pictures with them. So next week, hopefully. Don´t have a whole lot of time left.

Also, the bishop invited us over for dinner,. we got there, and there was nobody home. WE WAITED FOR 30 MINUTES AND NOBODY SHOWED. and we went back at 830 and still noone. Then, they show up at our apartment, with obviously bought food, and the wife says, ¨So why didn´t you show up, elders?¨ Excuse me? I waited for 45 minutes, knocked, and nobody. I told her that, and she didn´t seem very happy. Oh well. When you tell four elders to come over for dinner, and then nobody is clearly home, and then we have to go invent food because we were planning on eating something good, you have four unhappy elders.

I know that it sounds like I was sort of angry this week, but it´s quite the opposite. I have actually been really happy, just sometimes I need to vent to people. So that was this week. I LOVE being here, and working and doing the things I am doing. I am so excited to be moving on to a new place, even though this is going to be hard to leave. I wouldn´t want to be doing anything else with my life. Its sort of weird. I am pretty much happy all the time, but the times when I get frustrated or angry are so few and far between, and generally make pretty good stories. I learn alot from looking back at myself and recalculating. It´s something I learned from a talk by Elder Wirthlin, or an article in the Liahona. To be better disciples of Christ, we have to be constantly changing and growing. The gospel is a gospel of progress. If we don´t progress, we aren´t living it right. And we measure progress personally, not against other people. If we do it like that, against other people, we are like mason driving in the car- always in 3rd or 4th or 5th place, and never in first. I am honestly in 1st place right now, because I am a better person than I was yesterday, a week ago, a change ago, 8 months ago, and a year ago. (its been a year since I got my call, fyi) So always try to progress. It´s what the Lord wants.

Oh, and Family. Isn´t it about,....time?? I thought that "Progress, it´s what the Lord wants" would make a good slogan for the church. So that´s where that comes from. And that, ladies and gents, is my blue coming out.

Tell everybody thanks for writing me a little, it was super great. I need some help from uncle dave.....As of late, people have been asking if I speak English, and I say yes, and then they talk to me in something that resembles chinese ( I think.). So, I am just going to tell people I am German. So I need German phrases in order to hold up the facade. A little help? Just some simple phrases. Thanks.

Love you guys, have a fantastic week, and see you in about 16 months.

Zach

Actually Monday, January 28, 2013

Well, this week was good. A little rough, but good. we had interviews with the President this week, and of course, like everything else, we had them scheduled for Tuesday, and actually had interviews on Thursday. We had to emergency fill 2 days with work. So we ended up teaching a lot of lessons we weren´t planning on.

Well, our one family that we have is good. The mom was due this week, but didn´t give birth. She wants that little sea monkey out the oven, I think. Now it´s just getting in the way of her life and other stuff she has to do. I feel bad for her, nobody should have to be pregnant for more time than the doctor says. But they didn´t come to church yesterday even though Alexander said that they were going to, which makes it hard to progress. We are sort of in a crucial spot with them right now, where we could lose them or keep them depends on this week.

We found ------- in the -------- this week, and we didn´t say anything about it till the next day, and we gave him the chance to tell us, and he lied. So we told him we found him, and he was just sort of like, uhh, well, I don´t know what to tell you. And then my comp says, How about the truth!!! So we shaved him. I talked about how if he really appreciated what Christ did for him, he would stop sinning, because sinning over and over again is just ridiculing the atonement and Christ death for us. He got kind of somber, and then we brought him back. We played sort of good comp bad comp, but we both sort of gave him a machetazo and then helped him to believe in himself again. I shared with him in 3 Nefi 9:13-14. I cried sort of while I read it. It meant so much to me in that moment, and I know he could feel the spirit as well. Incredible.

Our half family is growing slowly colder, just like we told them they would if they didn´t commit to baptism. Like yesterday, they missed the bus, and when we called to ask if we could come get them with Carlos Maldonado in his car, they said no. They had already changed clothes, and had stuff to do. We are going to watch the restoration with them this week, but if things don´t change, we will have to drop them.

And we fasted to get permission for Kaylet (pronounced like Kaylee) this week. She lives an hour away from her parents, and the only way that Carlos and Carla could sign is if the parents say yes first. although she told them that God told her through the spirit that she needs to be baptized again, they were like, well, you were already baptized, so sorry. So, I think we are waiting till she turns 18 in March. Well, Caal is waiting. I won´t be here. Also, Carlos is officially an Elder in the Mel. Priesthood.!!!!!!!!!! I love those guys so much. I am hoping to be able to be in their sealing in a year. I have to behave well so that pres will let me go.

Speaking of pres, as I said we had interviews. we set some goals for the year, and a few of mine are to read the BofM everyday, finish all the canonical books in English and Spanish, and to help me keep a clean mind, and occupied, memorize a new scripture EVERRRDAY. So far, since Thursday, I have three, and am working on today. Then he and the Hermana took us to dinner. We had Asian food. I don´t know what it is about this country, but they love Asian food. but I had an interesting experience with President. I asked him if I was leaving, and he said yes, and then I asked him if I could ask him something. He just looked at me, so I asked if It was possible, to make me stretch. Send me somewhere to make me stretch. He just kind of smiled, and said in a gently reprimanding way, ¨Elder, esta bien si yo le mando donde lo necesita a usted el Señor?¨ (Translation: Elder, is it okay if I send you where the lord needs you??)  Way better than what I wanted right?? But then he got really serious, and looked me in the eye, and asked, Elder, does it matter to you where you go? I replied that it didn´t, that it would be fine. He continued with ¨and you won´t complain or ask why you are there?¨ I said, ¨Well, no, because I know that if the Lord needs me there, what's the point of asking why?? I would just go to work.¨ he nodded with some satisfaction, and said, ¨Very good Elder. I am glad that I can trust you.¨ Well, I really want to know where I will be going. I know that it will make me stretch and grow, but I just want to know where. To answer dads question from last week, yes, I do suspect when I have changes, but that´s just because president has a four change rule, and Ii have four changes here.

Petey!!! love you bud. mornin. I know you can do it. And, I have a way to make it interesting. Get a red pen, Like a Bic. And every time it says the name of God or of Christ, in any form, circle it in red. Lord, Savior, Redeemer, however it appears. And then when he speaks, underline it in red. you will find how often the lord speaks and how often he is mentioned. It is literally almost every page. Do work son, I know you can do it.

Mason, I remember one klondike where we stayed in the bathroom the whole time, hitting the hand dryer, because it was the only thing that was warm in the cold wilderness. This one sounds like a lot more fun.

Well, I will let you guys go. I hope you have a good week, enjoy the snow, play some soccer, and drink a lot of mate. I sure am. just the drinking mate part. Say hi to Kris Evans for me.

Love you all!!!!

Zach

Monday, January 21, 2013

Ha. Hola fam, it´s been an interesting week, so I will cut to the chase.

We had a baptism!!!!!! Her name is Sara, and she is 8. Her mother is not a member, and even though all her cousins and everybody is, since her parents aren´t members, she counts as a convert. So, we found her last Sunday, and she was baptized on Saturday. We only had to teach some stuff, because she doesn´t really have any sin. it was good!!!! pictures included.

I also went to Teguc and fixed my bridge!!!! The doctor that did it said it will happen again, just it´s a matter of time, and I agree. I have to get a night guard made to keep me from grinding my teeth, I think that is what does it. See how that goes.

I also have 7 months, and will be moving to area two shortly. Oh boy. So far both my comp and Elder Herrera, the Mexican Elder in the ward with Sorensen, have both had dreams that I got changed to the office as the financial secretary, which is scary because the fin. sec has changes this change. haha. I would live in a sweet house and have ac for semana santa, the hottest week in all the year. I think I would be okay with that.

So, sad news, our half family doesn´t want to get baptized. I think I mentioned that last week. The mom is super like, ¨its all too fast!¨I used every way I could to show her that fast doesn´t matter, but she won´t listen. So, both me and my comp felt like teaching them the plan of salvation again would be a beneficial task. So we did. Pay attention.

So, we decided to teach them with the emphasis on why baptism is so important, the key being that without it, we can´t enter the celestial kingdom, and we will never have eternal life, and all that stuff. The lesson was going super good. Or well. Whatever. Anywho, the lesson was going well and then we got to the part about the celestial kingdom. (hint, of the three I always talk about that one last. it builds suspense and helps them to listen to the other two) and then we talked about baptism, and the mom STILL said ¨uhh,,,maybe, too soon....¨ I was just super like, crap. what do I do now?? What else does God want me to do with this family????? and then, a voice came to my head. A voice, that wasn´t my voice, came to my head. And I just heard-felt the words, ¨I AM PLEASED WITH YOUR WORK HERE.¨ So, I figure that if they get baptized or not, their sins will not stain my clothes, like King Benjamin says. I did my part to help them hear, they rejected (so far), but I feel like I did my part with them.

That's really it this week. We started teaching Keily, the house keeper for Carlos and Carla. She wants to get baptized as soon as possible, so we will see. She lives with them, but her parents say no. And her parents live an hour away. So, we will see.

Oh, and Cody, I don´t think that song was written about a sandwich. Sorry bro.

Good job Erin with your tourney!!!! That sounds awesome.

And everybody, welcome to the world of weird food!!!!!!!!!! That sounds like a good soup!! I firmly believe that eating is all mental, especially after some of the stuff I have eaten.

Love you all!!!!!

Zach

Monday, January 14, 2013

Well, it sounds like everybody had a great week. 

Well, we went and talked to ------- again. and he confessed that he had had alcohol, but that he was working to overcome it. So, we visited him some more, and then, on Saturday, we were walking to a cita, and we turned a corner,....and there he was. Drunk, almost falling over, and without pants. He kept insisting that he wasn´t drunk, but Caal and I both knew better. So, we took him back to his house and put him to bed. the bad thing is he fell into this all over again, but the good thing is with us there, was pretty ....not docile, but more obedient. his wife sort of flipped at him....needless to say, They will never be getting married. He will have to move out to be able to get baptized and get a job. Which gets him money and time alone, which is a recipe to fall. But we are trying to be positive.

Also, the half family we were teaching, ----, ------, and -----, well... ----- won´t be getting married, because she doesn´t love her husband, ni him a ella. they stayed together for the kids (name that band), but we were hoping to baptize her kids. Well, she thinks that three weeks is way too fast to act. She says that her kids don´t know what they want. So, I played a little game. It´s called, make up an example in your head, and hope that when it comes out it makes sense. Well, I first asked her 15 year old daughter, ¿Que quiere? ¿100 lempiras o una paleta? What do you want? 100 limps or a sucker?? she said 100 limps. I asked the same thing to her 12 year old son. 100 limps was his choice. then, I asked the 4 year old. (his answer was crucial, because if he answers wrong, screws my example.) he said a Paleta!!!! he wants a paleta!!!! Well,, I just sort of looked at the mom, and said, your kids know what they want. I just asked them. We explained the whole over 8 years old, but she has all sorts of crazy ideas. like, if her kids get baptized, they shouldn´t watch any tv or listen to any sort of worldly music, or do worldly activities. We are saints, not extremists or fanatics, was my response. She seemed really surprised that someone who was a missionary would have listened to music and all sorts of stuff before the mission. Well, long story short, she still doesn´t think they are ready. So, we are working with them more.

And we also found some new people!! Their names are Zulet, Raquel, and Alexander. Raquel is 17 and pregnant with Alexanders (22) baby. Zulet is the 14 year old cousin of Alexander. They are super great. live all together, and are mostly maintained by parents who live in the states. They feed us all the time, and when we are over at their house, it feels like I am just talking with friends. Its so nuts here, people just get pregnant left and right. The difference this time is that the dad stuck around, and I respect him SO much for that. That doesn´t happen a lot here. So, we will let you know how teaching them goes.

Also, we were talking this week with Norde and Glenda, because their younger sister and her now husband got married and sealed in El Salvador. Norde was happy, but Glenda wasn´t. At all. even though they are both like 24, they should have waited another like 6 years. In her opinion. she also is super ticked that she couldn´t go to the sealing, and she didn´t understand the whole deal about the temple. We explained it to her the best we could, but she was still not convinced. Then, I made her kind of angry. On accident. We went over the next night, on Friday, the day of the sealing, and the two getting married were still gone. Glenda started talking about how beautiful the ceremony was, and all that (of the civil wedding, they got married civilly Thursday and went to the temple Friday) and I said something to the jist of ´´yeah, but the part that matters happened today.¨ She sort of looked at me, so I explained the whole deal that without a temple marriage, and without being sealed, you can´t enter the kingdom of God. She was like really? and I was like yeah, so that whole thing on Thursday was pleasant, but enfrente de los ojos de Dios, Casi no vale. She got mad and left, saying things like she would never want to get sealed in the temple. Well, sometimes when people get mad, they learn, so I am hoping that she learned something.

Awesome to hear about Casey!!! I am so glad he is home and safe.

Speaking of questions, Alley?? Ready??

Okay. My advice would be to go out with the missionaries as much as possible. If you can. If not, read the Book of Mormon. over and over and over. Well, do that one regardless. I didn´t take one mission prep class that helped me much. Sorry. I will also say that if you don´t speak perfect Spanish after 6 weeks in the MTC, DON´T PANIC: it´s normal. Use your 6 weeks to study the gospel and the lessons, you will have 17 ish months of language study in the field. And pray for everything. Even if it seems insignificant, pray.

Well, I hope that everybody is having a good week. I love you all, and hope that everything is going well, and that you aren´t freezing to bad. because I am definitely not doing that. I am dying of heat. We did like 8 hours of service on Saturday, and 6 of those hours involved cement and huge rocks and wall forms. dad, remember the last time we worked with cement?? I still hate cement. but it was good. Blisters and all, it was good.

I am also sending the pictures of the baptism from the end of December. Hope they come through.

Love you all !!!!!!

have a fantastic week.

Zach

 

From Paula.....  Another almost two for one week.  Sorry.  Not sure what is wrong with me....

Sunday, January 13 2012 (letter from Monday, January 7)

Hey guys!!! sounds like all of you had a good break, and got some stuff done. I am a little jealous that you could all just sit around, that kind of time doesn´t exist in the mission. Well, it does, but only if you aren´t working. So for me, it doesn´t exist.

Well, this week was interesting. for New Years we visited some people, they stuffed us with food, and our neighbors had a rousing party, so it was hard to sleep. We didn´t sleep much that night. also, we found out some good news and some bad news.

Good news is that Elder Holland will be speaking to all missionaries in Honduras, and speaking with and greeting all of them. He does that sometimes, and they send people home afterwards. Apostles have this way of knowing when people are sinning or fornicating, so I am definitely glad I am not doing any of those. I am trying a little bit harder, and hope that he doesn´t shave us too bad, but I know he will.

Bad news is more prevalent than the good news. and it weighs more.

Remember --------, our investigator with whom we had all sorts of problems?

Well, we are finding more problems.  We went and saw him on Tuesday, and I kept having this nagging feeling to ask him about how he is doing the with the word of wisdom. But, I didn´t heed the prompting. He was behaving sort of weird, not holding his gaze on us, super jumpy. The next day, we saw his wife, and she told us that he was in a cantina. Now, if you are in a cantina, you are only doing one of a few things. Pool, drinking, smoking, or drugs. Well, turns out it was drinking. and when he drinks, he drinks alot. ALOT. So we passed by his house later to see if he was there, and he wasn´t. Then, I found out that when he gets really drunk, people give him ----- to make him crazy. So, he fell. hard. we went by Thursday to see if we could get something out of him, without accusing him directly. We did the baptismal interview questions, and pretended like he was getting baptized this last week. Nothing. He did, however, keep talking about how if you hide something from man, you can´t hide it from God. and then, we kept trying. We talked about how if you take the sacrament unworthily, its super bad, about how if we don´t repent we suffer what Christ suffered, in d and c 19, and still nothing. We couldn´t get anything. but he was still behaving weird, and not looking at us, and he didn´t take the sacrament like he has been doing on sunday. I am super sad about that, he was doing so good. I think that was the first time in my mission when I have just felt so terrible, and so sad, for someone else. When his wife told us about the -------, I literally started to cry. You work so hard, and you see somebody change so much, and then to have them fall back.....I don´t know how to put it in words. I lost it that day. To see them fall, it hurts you and you feel so bad for them because you love them so much. I literally just sat down in the road and cried. Not like weepy, but tears left my eyes, and I just sat trying to figure out what to do.

But, with the gospel, for all the bad or hard that happens, we are rewarded with blessings, and I could see that. We found 4 new investigators yesterday, and are super stoked to teach them. We are working hard to find new people, it is so rewarding. Contacting is a double edged sword. It is hard, and gets discouraging, but if we are discouraged we don´t have faith. So I try to always stay positive and it´s paying off. I will describe them in coming weeks as we start to teach them.

Well, that is pretty much it. I love you guys, and hope that you are enjoying the snow, and the cold, cuz I miss it.

Enjoy the new car, and don´t let cody drive it. haha

Love you all!!!!!!!!!

Zach

Monday, December 31, 2012

So, family, I hope that it was a good Christmas, that everything went well, and that you enjoyed celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I enjoyed talking with you, and it gave me a lot of animo to work harder and to do more. I love you all!!!!

Well, this week was sort of really slow. We did not have a whole lot to do. We are working with 4/5 of a family right now, and they are awesome!! Super positive. Mom´s name is Mari, the daughter's name is Nicole, and the son's name is Elgar. We have been teaching them almost everyday for the last 2 weeks, pretty much. The thing is we don´t have many more investigators, because we baptized one of them the other day, and the other one, Cristino, is still waiting for freaking marriage stuff. I am amazed by that man, because he never seems to lose his excitement about the gospel. Such an example to me. And our baptism was Karlita!! the niece of the relief society president, it went really well. I think I should have pictures attached. It went really well, her uncle performed the ordinance. It was super great. She could not stop smiling. Super happy.

We also ate with a lot of people this last week. Tamal tras tamal tras tamal. (Translation:  tamale after tamale after tamale) ...oouuueeey. I can´t eat another one. Way too many. Kinda nuts.  Everybody only eats tamales for this week. Its the only week of the year they do it.

We also had our half family in church yesterday, and they loved it. The only problem is that the dad doesn´t want to get married until his youngest son, who has four years, is fifteen. Needless to say, I don´t want to wait that long. So, we will have to talk to him. He says that people are always happy until they get married, then life sucks. He says that after living at least 15 years with his wife....so I don´t get people here. They can live together for 50 years, but you ask them to get married, and they tell you they will all be unhappy. Huh???? but you have lived together for x amount of time.....and are still happy.....so I don´t get it. but oh well. I have faith. Lots of it.

Also, we had ward conference. They asked me to accompany the ward choir. That surprised me, I didn´t know we had a ward choir. So i learned to play some songs really fast, and then they asked me to play come thou fount. When they showed me the sheet music, it was just the melody notes. One note at a time, it wasn´t the piano part. but...I saw that two of them really wanted to sing it, ( it was a duet between two brothers, ) so I put my mind to it, and invented something using those notes. I figured out a bottom hand, trills, thirds and fifths ( testing all of your piano theory right now) and we nailed it. Merry Christmas and Happy new year, Los Llanos ward.

Apart from all that, not much has happened. We spent most of our time working with the family and our baptism.

Well, I love you all, I hope that this week has been a relaxing one, and that this next year is awesome!!!!!!! It´s my full year in the mission, so i finish this one and its the home stretch.

Love you all!!!!!

Zach

The pictures won´t work, I will get them to all you another time. Sorry!

ZG

Monday, December 24, 2012

Hey everybody!!!! It's gonna be short this week, as I speak with my family soon.

We have a new family!!!! Three that we are teaching, but the dad doesn't talk to us much. Funny story about that family. They seem pretty positive. I will share the story mañana. It was really funny.

We will also have a baptism next week, Karla, the twelve year old. She is super pilas.

We have been working hard with the members here. All the youth went to SOY this week, which is like EFY. 

 

Also, Elder Beesley got changed to the city, so I don't see him. Sad day.

Apart from that, I will talk to you all tomorrow. I don't have any cool pictures this week. Sorry.

LOVE YOU ALL, MERRY CHRISTMAS

ZACH