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

Monday, December 17, 2012

So, this week I am sort of angry that there is no snow, and that inspired the subject line for the email. Sing it to the tune of ¨Oh the weather outside is frightful...¨ I don´t know if it works, but it´s how I feel. (Email title:  Oh the weather outside is hot as ever, and everybody here has fires burning because their burning trash ....  There's no snow, there's no snow, there's no snow)

Well, this week was good. We have been teaching the niece of the relief society president, and she wants to get baptized next Saturday. We also found another recently activated family, and they have a kid that wasn´t ever baptized because he was too young. So we are going to be working with him as well.

You all remember Cristino right?? The man who had all the problems with his papers to get married??? Well,.....we are still working on it. I was scared he would lose some of his animo, but he is growing in desire!!!!!!!! I will explain a little bit of it.

This week, we had the privilege of witnessing the division of the Estaca Choluteca into Estaca Choluteca and Estaca Porvenir. We are still in Choluteca, but Porvenir is brand new. It´s about half of the original Estaca Choluteca. This means that a general Authority had to preside. And Elder James B. Martino, the area president, was there with Elder Valladarez, the area 70. It was way sweet!!! They talked a lot about the Temple in Teguc, which I think Cristino was really excited about. He had a son that passed away almost a year ago, and I hoped he would understand that he could take his name to the temple in April or May, to do the baptisms. We went and visited him yesterday to talk with him about that. He starts talking about how his grandparents ¨Nunca escucharon a la palabra de Dios¨ ("Never listened to the word of God") and that he has other family members that haven´t either. And that he cant wait to take his son's name to the temple. I honestly am so glad that I have met Cristino. He has such an amazing spirit, and an enthusiasm that I cannot match nor describe...He is awesome. We have to go with him this week to the registro here to figure out what we need to do to get him married. Difficulties here. Rdiculous how messed up that whole situation is. But he will be baptized in January.

This week, Like I said, they split the stake here. I went to both sessions, it was like a stake conference, with a session Saturday for adults and Sunday for everybody. Elder Packer of the 12 approved it. Elder Martino presided. He is awesome!!!!! So cool!!! I got to meet him on Sunday, and he was super nice. It was a super spiritual conference.

We also had the mission Christmas dinner on Wednesday. So, I went to Teguc!!!! We had turkey, and potatoes, and salad, and we watched a Disney movie, Brave. I really liked it. They gave us mini preach my gospels, and some candy, and a card with every elder and sisters picture from before the mission, the picture you sent with your papers. We also went to the temple!!!!! It still isn´t done, but we got to go oustide and look at it. I took a few pictures. It´s super cool...pretty too. The whole city can practically see it. It´s super awesome!!!! President Uchtdorf will be coming to dedicate it with Elder Holland. And the dates for the dedication are close to when a Zone conference would be, so I think they might speak to us. THAT WOULD BE SO SWEETT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have also started the 12 days of Christmas, and no, I am not cheating. I am doing it day by day. Holy cow, Have I loved it. I got a letter from Grandpa. It was short, but It meant a ton. I think I can count on the number of fingers the number of times that I have heard him tell me he loves me, but he did this time!!! He is so great, but he said that it´s just hard for him to say things, and that even if I was sitting next to him, there wouldn´t be much talking going on. And the letter from the Dansies and Tyler were awesome!!! I opened the one from Mandy and Kory today, and apparently Spencer and Adam think I am in Mexico, speaking Mexican. Don´t know why. Could someone please show them where Honduras is on a map?? Thanks.

Well, that´s about it. Sorry, the pictures from the temple aren´t working, and I can´t get it to go. Maybe next week.

Love you All, and Merry Christmas!!!!

Zach

 

 

Monday, December 10, 2012

So hey everybody!!!  This week was good!!!

I am sort of running out of time this week, so I will condense.

Birthday was good. Instead of getting egged, I got thrown in a pila. Yeah, it was gross. But my DL and his comp came over, and we sang, had some hostess cakes for cake, and had breakfast juntos. It was good.  Later that night, we had dinner with Nordeli and Glenda. They made me chop suey. They can´t say chop, it comes out chok. They think I love it, but it´s gross. Like, they put pieces of hot dog in it. ugh. But,I did eat all of it. and they made me a cake afterwards, called pabel. It´s really good. I don´t know how to describe it.

The next day, I put up the little tree that abuela sent me, with all the six ornaments that I have. Plus, one of my name tags. I am including pictures.

We had to drop one of our investigators, Juanita, but we dropped her to see if she would come to church yesterday without us telling her she should. She did. So we will be visiting her this week. Also, our investigator Cristino? He has to get a new ID card, but he has to have a birth certificate to do that. Well, his birth certificate is wrong. WRONG!!!! His last id card was right,.....I don´t know how they function here.

This week, we also set up everything to do divisions. And then, they fell through. We have to do divisions, it is the only way to get enough lessons with a member present. but we never can. It´s sorta hard.

Big news!!!!

The Choluteca stake is dividing!!!!!!

The stake has existed for about 30 years, and is one of the biggest in the world and they are finally dividing it!!!! This is momentous. Elder James Martino, the area president, is coming, and he will be splitting the stake!!!!! This is a huge moment in Choluteca!!!

Also, the temple open house starts February 4, and the dedication is March 16 or 17!!!

I don´t know when we will be going up, but I think we will.

So, this week, we had a baptism fall in our lap. A 12 year old girl that is the niece of the relief society president, wants to get baptized. she has been going to church with her aunt practically her whole life, and her parents say it´s probably okay. So we are going to teach her what she needs to know to get baptized, and baptize her. We also found an 8 year old whose mom ¨likes the discipline of the church¨, so she wants him to get baptized.  We are working with her more than him. We aren´t going to baptize him just for that. We will see.

Well, that´s pretty much it.

I love you guys, and will talk to you soon!!!

Zach

 

Christmas in Honduras!

 

Monday, December 3, 2012 (Posted Sunday December 9)

Note from Paula.  We have had a few less than normal weeks at our house, so please forgive.  But remember December is a time of two for one deals.  So if you think of it that way, you will feel great that tomorrow you will get another letter.  Happy Christmas to All!! 


So, yes folks, this week is my 20th birthday. Tomorrow, to be precise. I am looking forward to getting eggs thrown all over me. But, the upside is that people will make us food. So it´s all good.

So, this week was weird, because we started doing divisions on Tuesday, but my comp ended up having to accompany the DL to Teguc, so we did three days of divisions. Working is hard in doing divisions, it isn´t normal, and you have to work with a new comp. Well, it went okay. We found one new investigator. he lives illegaly in Virginia, in Alexandria, and he knows where Crystal City is. Funny, I wouldn´t live that close to the people that were going to deport me...but whatevs. we have a month to teach him.

Juanita is progressing. She won´t tell us anything, but she tells Pamela, her daughter, everything.  Juanita wants to feel something, but she doesn´t quite know what. She just needs to say yes. We fasted for her twice this week, so that she would accept a baptismal date this Tuesday. Hope it goes. That would be one of the best birthday presents ever.

We also have a schedule set to start to leave with the pre-missionaries in the ward. A missionary is leaving tomorrow to Cuernavaca, Mexico, where Clegger is. We are going to his setting apart. He is way sweet. His name is christian.

For divisions, this week was weird, so there isn´t that much to say. We did get our first referral in two changes, which was awesome!!! She lives next door to Carlos and Karla, so I think it is a for sure family.

Well, I turn old tomorrow. haha nah, but I am going to get a lot of food. Members wanted to feed us, and I never say no to food. Also, they asked what I wanted for presents, and I am getting a pound of goood, reallllllyyyyyyyyyy good chorizo. yeah buddy!!!!

So, I don´t have much to report this week. I will say I have a funny story.

Dad, remember how you said that in ?Chile, flirts were called snakes??

Well, we went to a meeting with the EQ pres, and as we were walking, a 19ish year old girl called out to us, and I heard kisses being blown. Well, the EQ Pres, William, who served in Santiago, looked at the doorway, shook his head, and said, in English, ¨snakes.¨ HA! I laughed super hard....that word still exists!!!

Well, that´s about it. I will be sending pictures from tomorrow next week. Thanks, and love you all!!

 

Zach

Monday, November 26, 2012

HOLY COW!!!!! This week was super nuts!!!! I will start with last monday and work my way through the week.

I am getting along really well with my comp. and since he is from Guatemala, he speaks in Vos. Dad will have to explain what that is, but I am learning to speak vos. Its like, usted is super formal, and tu is with friends, and vos is even more informal. Like, we speak in vos to investigators and President, but tu to the Mexicans and vos to the Ventro Americanos. In Guatemala to speak in vos to someone of the same gender and age signifies that you´re gay, so we speak in vos. There is also another Elder, Elder Herrera, from Mexico, who is Sorensens new comp, and we get along great too.

Well, we got home from Pday on monday, and I went out to wash clothes. normal pday thing. I got to our pila area, and found a surprise waiting for me. A two foot Guyrobo!!! It´s like an iguana....but doesn´t live in water. It only lives in hot areas. Well, they are fast, and bite, so we were careful not to get to close....but you can´t just leave a live, angry guyrobo in our pila room. So we caught it. but we didn´t really think through what we were going to do when we caught it. We had the help of elders Esparza and Mendoza....So of course, we took it to the guy who makes stuff out of lizard skin in our area. And of course....the four of us thought....wouldn´t it be lovely to have four key chains out of the skin of this beautiful animal that we just happen to have in captivity.? I think the four of us were of agreement in that point. Oh, and then the guy mentions....hey, you know these are great for eating! they taste like chicken, he tells us.

Chicken, huh???

Anybody else wondering what came next???

Yeah, I ate lizard.

It was really good!!!!! and I ate most of it, too.

And yes, this story did end well- we have keychains!!!!!!!

The other elders in our area had their house broken into Monday, so we spent Tuesday helping them move. We live in the same apartment complex, but President won´t let us live in the same house, even though it´s big enough for four of us. Idk why, but whatever. We practically live together.

We also had zone conference on Friday. They announced some new rules, like....

Sisters can no longer knock doors, and that rule will soon extend to elders.

We have to have 25 lessons with members every week- that means teaching investigators with a member helping. our normal is about 6.

We have to walk with Book of Mormon in our hand. Which I would do, except nobody has Books of Mormon. They are harder to find than a ....well, every analogy I came up with was slightly offensive, so just know that they are hard to find...anyway, I will be complying with that rule as soon as I have a Book of Mormon to use. Like, we have none to give to investigators, which makes teaching really!!!!!!! hard. 

Also, Elders can´t baptize anymore!!!! Nope!!! and that is a SUPER good thing, because that means that we will be getting the members to do it, which means that they will be helping us.

We also had stake conference yesterday, and it was way good!! President Hernandez spoke, and sort of shaved the members for not helping us or feeding us. A shaving is like a reprimanding. Bajar la cana. algo asi.

This week, due to all of our conferences, was sort of hard to go to appointments, as all of this left little time to work. But, we did have the chance to visit Carlos and Karla, they called and asked for us to come over. I was going to go over that day anyways, but I knew that it was the spirit that was telling me that when they called. They are starting to see the trials that come, and are sort of worried. I shared some scriptures, and so did Caal, and I feel like they were helped. I definitely could feel the spirit in that house, and it was a very comforting feeling. they definitely needed some help and comfort, especially Karla.

And in respect to the guy who can´t get baptized because he isn´t married....we found a bunch more problems with his marriage. First, he is from a town ten hours from here, and has to go there to take out his paper that says he is single.  He lost is id card when he was drunk months ago, and he has two kids out of his seven that aren´t registered, and to get married, you have to have all the birth certificates of all the kids in common. We are just working to get him close right now.

On another good note, remember Pamela, the girl whose mom wouldn´t give her permission to get baptized?? well, Pamela got baptized, right? guess who we are teaching now????

If you guessed her mother, Juanita, you guessed correctly!!!!

Yeah, I never would have thought that would happen. She has been to church three times, is reading the Book of Mormon, and is praying, and we are praying and fasting that she gets an answer. I know she will, I just hope that she recognizes it and accepts it.

Well, thats about all this week. We have been working with the members a lot more....I hope they open up and it can function. 

I love you guys. I am glad you are all okay, and are safe. I pray for you guys all the time.  

Love you all!!!!!

Elder Zach Glassett

Dinner Before ......

 Dinner Before....

Dinner After ....

Dinner After.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Hey Family!!! This week was good!!! It was sorta sad, but mostly good stuff.

So, we had changes this week!!!! We spent all day tuesday saying goodbye to people for Nava....and then waited in suspense to see where he was going. and who my new comp was going to be. Well, Nava went to UYUCA, which is the most dangerous zone in the mission, and is opening an area. His knee is acting up again, because the city is all hills. huge hills. Also, there are only two areas in that zone where white elders are allowed, so I hope I go there!!! I think it would be fun.

My new comp is Elder Caal, from Guatemala. He is pretty chill, I like working with him. He is really cool. We get along pretty good, so its fun. He has 13 months in the mission.

I went to Teguc Wednesday, and I am glad I did. It was in the 70´s there, and it was FREEZING!!! was so cold. But another Elder that came with me, De Araujo, a Brasileño, is in our zone, and he is chill. Also, Elnicky left.  He is in Teguc as well.

Thursday, we didn´t have many citas, so we contacted. We found some people, and some decently positive ones, but nothing huge. Big announcement of the week is that Pamela, the girl we baptized....her mom is debating the whole baptism thing, but for her...HER MOM MIGHT GET BAPTIZED...Let me rephrase that. her mom will get baptized. maybe she doesn´t know it yet, but she will. Friday, we took Pamela with us to help us in a lesson of one of her classmates, and holy cow!!! that girl spits fire. She told us after that she wants to go on a mission, and I honestly.....holy cow. she will make a fantastic missionary.

Saturday, all of our cita´s fell through, except for Cristino. He is awesome!!!! We found him contacting, taught him the plan of salvation. His son passed away a few years ago, and he felt responsible because his son needed help, but he couldn´t help him because he was bolo. That means drunk. and bolo is like, so drunk you have no clue what is going on. He felt guilty. We taught him the plan, and invited him to come to church, which he did. We invited his wife, but she is Catholic, and Catholics are super stubborn. So much tradition in that church. Well he wants to get baptized he can´t because he isn´t married, and since his wife isn´t getting baptized with him, we can´t help pay for anything. The mission has a fund to help people get married, but only if both are going to do it. So we have to wait till he has money. he also has to get a paper of being single (my English brain struggles these days) but he was born like 12 hours from here, and that´s where you have to sacar it. He used to be bolo like every day, but hasn´t touched alcohol in three weeks. Comes to church every Sunday, reads the Book of Mormon, and prays. Just can´t get baptized.

Saturday night was a YSA activity, and we were invited to come play soccer, so we thought it would be a chill evening.  It was actually a tournament in this side of the stake for ysa´s from different wards, with a 500 lempira prize, and the elders weren´t incleded. We filled in for a more or less friendly game, against a different ward. It was fun, but they didn´t really try. I did have some people tell me that for a gringo, I was really good. People are always so surprised by a gringo that plays soccer here. Makes me laugh.

Yesterday we had to be inside all day. They had national primaries, where they pick the party leaders for elections next year. So we went to a member's house in another Elders' area, and watched church movies. It was okay. we honestly couldn´t do anything outside. No working. Danli, another zone, has been in their houses from Thursday till tomorrow, because they had problems with narcos there and a whole bunch got arrested, and it was super sketchy.  UYUCA has been inside since Saturday til Tuesday. Elections are sketchy here.

Interesting news from here. I met an elder Lawson from Colorado that is related to Mark and Renata. cool stuff. I have been drinking máte everyday with lunch, love it!!!! My favorite thing ever!!!! Makes me think of when I used to drink with dad every day at the office......

Well, that is pretty much it. this week was sort of weird with changes....so we didn´t do much, and combined with yesterday, eh. next week will be better, I promise.

I love you all!!!! I should be sending a package home with some letters for some people and Christmas stuff soon....hopefully. but it might not get there before Christmas so we shall see.

Love you all!!!! be safe

Elder Zach Glassett