1/21/2013

                                   

 Hey hey hey!!!!! Guess what I’m in freaking Guatemala!!!! Man oh man it is awesome here!!! So we like go off the plane, and then literally got in ghetto old school bus that took us to the mission president’s house! It’s more of an apartment but anyway, ya then we had a few intro meetings and stuff and met president Watts and his wife for just a minute! But that was cool! Then we had some more meetings about just the rules and standards and things to do, you know the usual, then they were like ok we are sending you into the city to work! And we are like "yeah sweet"!! And so we got back in the bus and we went to a different part of the city! We got to some missionaries tiny little house thing and ya we dropped our bags off and ate some food, then they let us take a sweet 3 hour nap! cause none of us had really slept on the plane or really sense 6:30 the previous morning! So ya then we got up and split up with a bunch of missionaries that were in that district!! And we went out and taught for a couple hours!!From about 5:30-8:30 Wed. it was sweet!! I taught some investigators and it’s just so so cool! Then we went back, and crashed!!! But the next morning (Thurs) we got up and went back over to the building that the president lives in.  We had some more mtgs. and we had interviews with him and his wife!! They are super super sweet people I love a lot!!! Then they gave us our assignments!!!!!! IM IN SAN CRISTOBAL, VERAPAZ!!!!!!  So then we got our bags and heading to this big meeting that was being held!!!! It was awesome Elder Christofferson, of the 12 was there!!!!! (PS I know my spelling is sucking hard, but there is a lot to tell you and not a lot of time!! :/ ) It was an awesome meeting! There were elders there from 3 missions, Guatemala city north, south, and center, but like one of the missions had the city in their zone, so like it wasn´t like all the missionaries from all three, but there was a ton of missionaries there! And the whole thing was in Spanish! I guess Elder Christofferson speaks Spanish!! And he does soo good too!! ya so that was awesome!!! and then literally right after the meeting about 5:30, me, my companion and this hermana (Sister) and another elder who had been here for a while jumped in a cab with our bags and headed to the city of Coban! the hermana and the other elder were serving in Coban, and my old companion Elder Brindle is in my same Zone of Verapaz, but a different area about 2 hours South east  of my area, anyway, so we all get to the bus station and you know its kinda hectic the whole time! haha but we get there and then it’s a 5 hour bus ride to Coban so from 6-11pm Thursday we were in this bus driving to Coban, and there is no chance of sleeping cuz its all windy and twisting, and you trying to stay in your seat with all you got, but it was fun, then the buss drops us off and we walk down the street and find the house of the ZL’s in Coban, and the hermana gets taken to the Hermanas house, then we like crash!!! Thursday about 11:30! Whew, oh and I meet my trainer! His name is Elder Gutierrez so ya he is awesome and we talked a little! But then the next morning we pack up and I throw my stuff in the back of this little red pickup truck, and we get in and take the about 30 minute drive to San Cristobal and ya we get to our house and I unpack and stuff ya! So let’s see, oh ya the little lady that picked us up, we call her "Hermanita" no se porque but ya we live like in this side section of her house, and she does laundry for us and cooks for us at times! But she is super super nice! But she is not a member! The missionaries have worked with her a little, but we will get her there!! :) Ya then we have been teaching and stuff ever sense!! it’s awesome !!!
 Ok let’s start with the people!! They are super short!!!!! Ya but they are super sweet everyone says hi and are always smiling really nice! The people in San Cristobal are I hear about 80% indigenous, and a ton speak Quechi but no missionaries speak that here, only in the Polochque do the speak Quechi! But I hear that missionaries who go here have a really good chance of going to the Polochque and speaking Quechi, I think that would be sweet!"!!
The country is gorgeous!!! Guatemala city is super hectic and crazy and not very jungley, but man people drive like maniacs here, its nuts!!! But they are good at driving crazy!!! haha and ya but out here in Verapaz its Jungle!!!! Man is it gorgeous!!!! Mountains and trees and forest and ya it’s like exactly what you would think of when you think of Guatemala!!!!! We have a tiny little branch and there were about 45 people there this week! 5 were our investigators!!!
The food is good!!!! Lots of beans and eggs!!! and tortillas!! with everything!! But my stomach hasn’t been upset so that’s good!!! we make breakfast and dinner, but we will either have hermanita make lunch for us or go somewhere, the plate of food I’ll send a picture of cost us 15 Quetzals  (8 Quetzals to 1 dollar).  and we are not supposed to drink the water, but we get 5 gallon jugs of pure water, and it’s good to drink and ya, but to wash dishes and stuff they just have this big cement thing with 3 sinks basically, it holds water in the middle (not pure water just tap water) an then on the left you clean stuff by splashing water on it and scrubbing it, then you put it in the  right one to let it dry! Sanitary right!!!
The weather is ok! I guess it varies a lot on where you are! Up in the Peten its like 100degrees all year long and humid! But here it is kind of chilly actually! And they have this thing called "chipi chipi" which is like this constant light mist rain! like seriously every day, almost all day! But it’s not bad!! 
ya there will be more in my next letter, but you can send letters and stuff to the pouch thing through Dear elder or send it to the mission office their address is: 
Mission Guatemala Norte
Apartado Postal 951-A
Guatemala, Guatemala C.A.
and they will then get the stuff to me somehow!!! :)

um oh I can probably open pictures on these computers now so you can send pictures via email! If you want