Called to Serve: I'm in Coban (week 55)

Hey family, I loved getting your letters this last week. Glad to hear that the family is doing well. I know that I say this every week but you guys just have so much fun running into Berkeley and SF every weekend and that is just the best. I love that cupcake story… classic dad haha. Man I just wish it was the niners in the super bowl but ya I had a feeling the Seahawks were going to win because all I hear is this elder telling me about the Seahawks and how they have the best defense ever. As far as my Spanish goes, I feel about 99 percent confident with it and no I am not studying Spanish like before to be completely honest. The only time I study Spanish is in the bathroom. Other than that I barely have time to read the scriptures between traveling all around Baja Verapaz for the other elders doing interviews or just sooooooo much random stuff. Oh, and the work in my own area haha. I study though when I have time and I am always learning new vocab. If I don´t know a word I write it down in my planner to remember it. Let me just tell you, it’s the best being able to talk with everyone. In the beginning of my mission it was kinda torture. I just nodded my head laughed and said si even though I had no idea what they were talking about. Now I can joke back with them and keep a conversation going like nothing. It’s great haha…so weird when I think about it though because I can speak another language that just flows naturally out of my mouth. haha

This last week was an ok week. We just thought for sure that we were going to have like 5 people in church. We called everyone before church to remind them to go there and they said they couldn´t and the other 2 said that they were going to go but didn´t. Man that just happens every week. That’s ok though because this next week is a new week and I have faith that god is going to help. The good news is that my comp and I found like 22 new investigators this week. We are working so hard right now trying to find the people that the lord has prepared for us. So that’s awesome and hopefully this next week we will be able to help them get to church. We are still working in the aldeas of San Juan and Tunel but this week we actually worked a lot with members. We got a lot of references and that is the most effective thing more than anything. We always have one member that leaves with us. His name is Chevelo and he is hilarious. He is preparing to serve a mission and is going to put in his papers in just a week. He has only been a member for a year and is just great. He doesn´t work or study because he is going to leave so soon so he just leaves with us haha. Ya so that’s Chevelo and I don’t have a pic right now of him but I will take a couple this week and send them to you this next week. So the funniest thing that happened this week happened Friday. We ate at this hamburger place for lunch and right after lunch I just felt sooo sick. So ya you guys know where this is going. It was great. We were in a lesson… just a great lesson and our investigator just kept on talking and talking. Basically I had to end it by interrupting him and leave the house. We were walking for no more than 30 seconds when I just yaked all over the ground in front of a bunch of kids playing futbal in the street. Let me just say it was soooooo funny and all these kids were telling me to go to the hospital because I was going to die. They were calling me gringo debil which means white person weak. I mean weak white person. So funny… ya so basically we just kept on working after that because we just can’t afford to lose a day. I kept on throwing up like every hour on the street haha. That night I asked for a blessing by my comp and peter. I yaked all night but then when I woke up in the morning I felt fine. I felt weak as heck. But ya I didn´t yak and haven’t since so that is a testimony builder. I was dying then the next day just fine like it was nothing and it was great. I know that it’s not a big deal but it really makes a difference out here for me seeing the small blessings in my life. It just gives me that extra jump of animo to work that much harder. It’s so cool to just see how the lord knows me and what I need. It’s great. Well family pay special attention this week to the small blessings the lord gives you and don’t forget to thank him for them. Love you all and have a good week!

Elder Call