Marijuana and broken toes

    This week was pretty crazy, we had interviews with president and then we had house inspections, stake conference, I used marijuana this week and broke three of my toes... So ya we had lots of crazy things going on this week.  I'm sure you all want to hear about my broken toes so I'll start with that. It happened last p-day when we were playing soccer. I'm not entirely sure what happened, but me and another Elder got the ball at the same time and both kicked. My toes instantly started hurting super bad and I had to limp my way over to the side and just sit there all day. It took me and my comp 30 minutes to walk back to our house when it usually only takes us like 5. We didn't leave Monday night and then Tuesday my toes were super swollen and it was pretty hard but I was able to walk around and do a little bit of work . The rest of the week was limping all over my area just trying to find time to walk to lessons. That is also the reason I used marijuana.  Some investigator gave me this paste to put on that was made of weed. Interviews were awesome and I was able to learn a lot. I got nothing but praise from president and brownies from Hermana Caffaro.  On Thursday, we had house inspections which wasn't too bad.  They told us we needed to clean up a little bit better but that our bathroom was really clean so that's really all that matters. Stake conference was pretty boring to be honest.  We had to go to four hours of meeting Saturday and nothing really applied to us as missionaries.  Sunday was much better. President Caffaro gave a really good talk and some other people gave great talks too. We got Julio confirmed after the meeting which was a huge relief. We got more brownies from Hermana Caffaro which was fantastic. Yes we celebrated el dia de cariño a little bit.   A member invited us over for dinner and cake it was pretty fun. 

      We eat out quite a bit more we ate these giant burritos this week which were delicious. Story about an investigator.   We had one investigator that came to church for the first time this week which was awesome. She is  amazing and hasn't ever come to church before because her husband really hates the church, no se porque (I don't know why). We have quite a few investigators.  Its just really hard to get anyone to progress and keep commitments. We teach anywhere from 20 to 30 lessons a week which is pretty good. Hardest thing is just finding people to accept us, nobody ever wants to let us in. 

                                This is my first day with my foot and the marijuana paste I used.

                                                      Second day with the foot

                                   the cane is one that a member gave me to help me walk around.

 Super big burritos that we ate one night.  My comp ate two of them!! He's crazy and I love him to death. 

                                           Shirt from Grandma and Grandpa

 Valentines day celebration with the Familia Estacuy, They're amazing and give us lots of food so I love them and they're super nice. 

                                                Hno Estacuy Elder Estrella Elder Hurst

These are a couple of pictures I copied from President Caffaro's Facebook page.  Stake Conference today at Nimajuyu Stake.

6 Months Down!

     Well this week had its ups and its downs. The beginning of the week was awesome. On Monday, we bought bus cards, ate at Taco Bell, and played soccer all day. Soccer was really fun.  There were a ton of elders there and lots of members and investigators. On Tuesday, we had tons of visits on and were running all day long, which is how I like it. On Wednesday, we had divisions with the Zone leaders which was great. I stayed in my area with Elder Hart from Las Vegas. He's an awesome elder and I was able to learn a ton from him. We had a really crappy day, but I was able to learn that any day that we are able to see blessings is a good day. On Thursday, we had divisions with the District Leader and I was in his area. It was a really good day too. We were able to meet an atheist, which was really interesting because I didn't think that there were any of those in Guatemala. Friday, we had a baptism which was awesome except for the fact that the guy we baptized showed up an hour and a half late so there were a ton of members waiting for him and they were upset and it sucked, but we got him baptized and it was all good until the confirmation on Sunday. He showed up late to sacrament meeting too, so we didn't get him confirmed and have to wait until next week but next week is stake conference so I have no clue when he will get confirmed. Chase don't worry about not me not getting home in the winter. I can promise you I am still going to die the winter I'm home.

     To answer the questions, of course I love getting pictures of you guys and when you take new family pictures you have to send me a couple copies. There are a couple things you could send me. First off, if you could send me a USB with a bunch of really awesome hymns and stuff that would be awesome.  Not boring normal hymns, you know what I like. Ummm Iv'e finally run out of peanut butter and oatmeal. Yes, I drink Pepsi when I can and ya I like it a lot more than coke, which is what pretty much everyone drinks here. I get along really well with my comp. We don't have any problems,  Spanish is coming along alright. It got really good with Elder Simoni and now I'm suffering a little because I'm with a gringo but whatever I've still got 18 months. I love you guys a ton and Chase I really hope you get my letter before your birthday and you cant go on your first date until you open it becuase there are some pretty awesome things in there. Love you guys a ton. Love Connor

                                                    Con and his comp, Elder Ngungutau

            Some pictures of Elder Salgado who is the comp of the district leader who obviously had some fun with                                                 my camera when he was on divisions with my comp. 

                                                                        Baptism!

 This is me cooking for the first time in my mission and I just wanted to send you some evidence of it, and just so you know it was really good. Oh and there's one selfie that my comp took.

Feb. 2, 2015

     This week was much better than last week. We didn't get to see quite as many blessings but it was still good. We were going to have a baptism Saturday but it fell through because the guy had to work so he would have the money to pay for his house.  He's going to be baptized Friday,tso that will be awesome. His name is Julio and he's pretty crazy but a really nice guy and he really has the desire to be baptized.
      Nothing really interesting happened this week. There are a lot more drunk people in this area than in my last one. It seems like there is always a drunk guy talking to us or we're passing one passed out in the street.  We even passed one this week knocked out in the street without any pants on, which was pretty gross. It's been super cold this week, which is not fun at all. I have every single blanket I brought with me put on my bed and I'm still a little bit cold at night. I got super lucky and the last Elder left a sweater here so I've been using that almost every night and morning. My area isn't nearly as big as my last area but I think there are more houses here because the houses are all a lot smaller and there are more people that live in them. Also the people here are much less open than outside the capital. All the people outside the cap were willing to listen to us, maybe not to accept us, but at least willing to listen to us. Here it's about every other house that the door just gets shut in my face and all the others the people just sit there coming up with lie after lie after lie. Its taken a little getting used to. 

     My zone is called Nimajuyu, pretty sure that's spelled wrong, and there is one set of sister but they're not in my zone. I'm currently serving in a ward and there were about 200 people in church yesterday so its lots bigger than my last branch. There is a family of members that cooks for us named the Familia Torres.   They're this old couple that lives with some of their kids. They're super nice and Hermana Torres is an amazing sewer so she can fix all our clothes.   We eat breakfast and lunch and are on our own for dinner. Elder Ngungutau is from Texas.  He's a big kid who played on the USA national ruby team before the mission. He's been a member his entire life but his dad is a convert. Some thing new about Guatemala is the public transport system.   They have some pretty nice buses but they sure can cram a lot of people into one bus. Haven't bought a bag yet, probably going to do that today. And I've already talked about some of our investigators. One that is super amazing and I love teaching is named Roxana. I love teaching her because I always feel the spirit super strong. The only problem is that her husband has something against the church and won't let her go or be baptized. Anyway sucks that the Seahawks lost and all that.  Hope you guys have a great week. Love you all. Love Connor

                                           Elder Solorzano Elder Prestwitch Elder Simoni
                                 

                                           Elder Prestwitch Elder Simoni Elder Solorzano

                             This is Bob Marley, the most pilas investigator I have ever had.   Love this guy so much.

                             Pictures of my new apartment.  It's lots bigger than my last one.

 A couple more pictures of our house and one picture of our most amazing water heater which I love soooo much. Love you guys a ton.

Changes

     Let me tell you about the most stressful week of my mission. So it started out last Monday, right. I spent the day running all over Mita saying goodbye to all the investigators and members we could find. It was really hard to leave because Mita had become my home and I was leaving it in the hands some other elders I didn't know but now I do know that the Elders that are there are really hard workers and Mita is in good hands. The change meeting was crazy as usual. Everyone is really nervous and just wants to know where they're going to go and who they're going to be with. My changes were the second to last zone so I got to see almost all of the changes and know where all the people I know are at. When my named popped up I about crapped myself because under my picture was the title, trainer.  I thought it must be some sort of mistake but nope my new comp is a Elder with one change in the mission and can't speak Spanish to save his life. His name is Elder Nungutau and his last comp was a Latino Elder. My comp is awesome and I love him a ton, like I said he can't speak the language at all but he's here and he trying so the Lord is going to bless him. On top of training, my comp knows almost nothing about the area . He doesn't know who the recent converts are or most of the investigators so I'm pretty much starting from nothing and going from there. 
     This week has also been the week that I've seen the most blessings. The Lord has helped me so much and I've been able to see his hand in my life more than ever. I've also grown a lot closer to him and learned to rely on him a lot more. I don't think I've ever prayed as much or as fervently as I have this week and he has responded in amazing ways. 

     My new area is called La Justo and its inside the cap so its much colder but we have hot water for showers so I'm happy. Its really close to the airport.  There are always airplanes flying over and they're really close. Its a little bit rougher but I don't think well have any problems.  My comps really big so nobody should bother us. The district is about the same size, same with our zone. I don't think I need anything other than your prayers. Sorry I don't have any pictures this week.   I forgot my camera in the house so next week you'll get a ton I promise. 

     So today we had an awesome conference where we got to listen to a member of the first quorum of the seventy. It was amazing and I learned so much about how I can use the spirit more in my teaching and how we have to teach the Atonement always because that is what will change peoples lives. 

     To answer questions. We see the mission president at the change meetings and usually once in the change during interviews or a zone conference. I don't remember if he asked me if I was a hard worker when I came out, that was a long time ago.  I haven't seen a lot of drugs.   Drunk people, ya I've seen a ton and I have seen some high people but that's about it. Never had a gun pulled on me or even had someone try to rob me. I've been very lucky so far. Nope don't need a rain coat.  I think I'll be good with my umbrella and ya the bananas are pretty good. I love you all so much and Chase I'm going to try to get you birthday letter sent sometime this week.  You're going to have so much fun with Noah, that kid always cracked me up. Love you all a ton. Love Connor

Sick! (some of the language in this blog may not be appropriate for the squeamish)

     There is so much to tell you I don't know where to start. I guess 'Ill start out by telling you I did get the package this week!!!! Thank you so much for all the fun gifts and for all the candy you sent me. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with those crazy socks you sent me because they are against the rules but I'll probably use them any way. Oh and I got the package from Aaron and Amy Jo as week, tell them thank you.

     Okay so the only really good day of this week was Monday, when we went to some pretty sweet springs and waterfalls with a family of investigators and a recent convert. It was super fun and for the record I didn't swim just waded and got splashed a ton. That was pretty much our whole P-day but it was super fun and all that stuff. Monday night I went to bed with a head ache but didn't think anything of until about one in the morning when I woke up with a headache so bad I thought it would be better if I just cut my head off and a fever so high I was certain my bed was on fire or something. Oh and also a amazingly painful stomachache. I asked my comp for a blessing right there and fell asleep about 3 hours later. Woke up Tuesday morning feeling better but not great and so we went to the district meeting and got all my packages. When we got back we went to lunch but I couldn't eat anything. After that we went out and worked for awhile but I started feeling super sick and the day ended with me in the house of this super awesome family just trying not to barf on their floor. Luckily I made it and then immediately barfed outside on our way to dinner. Luckily that was the worst of it although I continued to feel terrible through out the week. My poop has been pure liquid since Tuesday and I've gone to the bathroom more times then I can count.

     Friday we had a house inspection which was fun and I got to meet one of the senior couples that I didn't know.  I also got to take a parasite test which means I got to poop in a cup which was definitely a new experience. Elder Prestwich is really sick too so he go to take the test as well. Anyways, turns out I don't have a parasite just some sort of bacteria so I'm on drugs now and doing much better. So I do have changes and so does my comp and so does Elder Prestwich and Elder Solorzano, which means there will be four bran new elders in Mita on Wednesday . I'm super worried about my investigators, there are so many that are awesome and I'm worried they'll be lost. Anyway I'll let you know where I'm at next week. 

     What made me laugh was the way Prestwich is walking because his bum is rubbed raw from wiping.  I was frustrated when my comp got really lazy Saturday and Sunday and didn't want to work. Best moment I got to go to a lesson with a member of the stake presidency and it was really awesome.  I felt the spirit strong. Yes, I eat quite a lot of bananas but they're smaller than the ones in the U.S. and we eat a lot of platanos which are pretty much the same thing. Haven't gone shopping yet so I don't have a new bag. That's about it for this week hope you guys have a good day off. Love ya. Love Connor

                                                                  Elder Prestwich

                                         

                                                    Elder Simoni Elder Prestwich

Last week in Mita?

     I don't know why but this week flew by.  It went by so fast and its crazy to think that in one week I will probably be leaving Mita forever. Its a really sad thought because I love this place and I love the people here. They are amazing and love the lord so much. Its really weird to me how here in Guatemala the Lord is a part of everyone's life. In the U.S. if something good happens to someone most people say it was all luck or hard work or something like that but the people here always give the credit to God and know that they are nothing without him. They all have so much faith it's amazing. They also have some crazy beliefs.    

       Yesterday we had a lesson with this lady that said she was willing to come to church and live the gospel but she will not be baptized because once she was dying in the hospital and promised God if she was healed she would be baptized. Short story is that she got baptized in some  evangelical church and feels like she'll break her promise with God if she gets baptized again. We tried to explain the authority and all that jazz but she won't listen, it's very frustrating. I got to have divisions with Elder Zuñiga again this week and it was so much fun.  He has a hard time teaching and I just sit there and listen to him and then try to make sense of what he's saying, but in the end I just left all our lessons feeling really confused.

      We were going to have a baptism this week but the guy that was going to be baptized, Juan Manuel, was working all week so we couldn't have the interview, but he should be good for this weekend. The best part about this week was on Sunday.   This super awesome family that we've been teaching finally came to church. We've been teaching them for a couple weeks and they haven't been able to come to church because of his work but then they randomly showed up this Sunday and made me sooooooooooo happy. 

     To answer some of your other questions, there are a ton of different languages spoken in Guatemala.   Like over 200 or some crazy number like that but most of them are only spoken in Coban and the northern part of the country. My testimony has grown mostly just by sharing it so much with other people and realizing just how strongly I really do believe the things that I'm teaching. I love you guys a ton. Love Connor 

 Here  is a picture of a general  door in Guatemala just so you guys can know what it is that I'm knocking on all day long and the second is picture of Elder Zuñiga so you have a face to put with the name.

Elder Zunigu

Happy New Year

     First off, I have not gotten the Christmas package. Other bad new is that my shoulder bag keeps breaking. This week I had to start using a backpack that Elder Prestwich loaned me and I'll probably have to buy a new bag somewhere. Other than that all is well. 

      Okay, this week nothing super special happened. Wednesday and Thursday were super dead again because the people party just as hard on New Years as they do on Christmas. At midnight on the 31st the people sent off a ton of fireworks. We had to be in our house at 9:30 like any other day so we didn't get to see any of them but we sure as heck heard them and then they set them off again at like 3 in the morning for who knows why. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well that night which was okay because there was nothing to do on Thursday. We spent almost the entire day in the house of a member just chatting with them and eating Ice cream and other delicious treats. On Saturday and Sunday I had divisions with Elder Mendez, our zone leader.   He's going home in three weeks so it was a great opportunity to learn from him and all that crap. When I was on divisions we ran out of stuff to do around 8:30, so we just sat outside his house for awhile then went in and watched Ephraim's Rescue which is an amazing movie that you should all watch if you haven't seen it. Fast Sunday was long and yes dad we fast for 24 hours and two meals. The hunger usually doesn't bother me too bad but I get super thirsty. Its been crazy hot again this week like just as bad as when I first got here.  It suuuuuucks. I can't wait to get into the capital where the weather is better.

     To answer your question Hermana Roxana telling us she wasn't going to cook for us was a cruel joke and she's going to keep cooking for us. Tender mercies; one is that Juan Manuel who we're going to Baptiste this Saturday is married to his spouse. This is a huge blessing because he's from here and she's from El Salvador and its rare that you can find people from two different countries that are married. Favorite thought from this week was reading in Alma 5 where he's just railing on the members of the church in Zarahemla and he asks a lot of really good questions. Something funny, well due to all the parties I've seen a lot of drunk people and they're usually pretty funny. I'm getting along well with my comp, he's a good guy and we get along fine. I'm glad you guys had a good week and that your party went well and you got to go skiing so much. I've really been missing skiing this week, its rough.  So funny story really fast, when I was on divisions with Elder Mendez we prayed in English because he's trying to learn English but I couldn't do it. I kept saying half the words in English and the prayer didn't make any sense. Elder Mendez made fun of me afterwards because it was so bad. Stupid Spanish.  I got to weigh myself again this week and 'Ive gained another ten pounds in the mission so I now weigh an amazing 170, but don't worry all my cloths still fit fine and I'm probabaly going to take some personal money out this week because I want to buy some casual shoes and a backpack. No pictures this week, sorry.  I'll do better next week. I love you all and hope you have an awesome new year.  Love, Connor