Two weeks of a very wet Hermana Moore!

This week:

Hola hola!  What a week!  There is so much I need to write about I am kinda overwhelmed!  Alright ready set go!

So this week I went on divisions again and got to spend a few days with Hermana Barba!  She has 2 weeks in the mission and is from Arizona! we had so much fun together! we ate smoothies and went on a run in the morning to the very farthest part of our area up this huge hill where we chilled by the national tree of Guatemala and enjoyed this beautiful view!  Ah I love this country!  We had so much fun and saw some miracles as we taught!  She had some fun object lessons so that helped a ton!  I just love her! 

Hermana Barba and me

So while I was with Hermana Barba we taught this sweet old woman, and by old, I mean old.  She is 87!  She is pretty staunch Catolica; but she totally believes the church is true somehow! she told us once when we asked her if she would pray to know if its true, "You two walk doing exactly what Jesucristo did, how could I think its a lie?"  That made me really happy.  I wish people would realize that we are here because we love Jesus and we love them!  Even if we don't know them!  I just want everyone to find this joy that I feel living this gospel!  So we are going to keep teaching the sweet old woman,  I'll keep you updated! 

Another woman we are teaching, Gabriela, is just incredible.  While I was with Hermana Barba I had my first experience interpreting dreams!  I kid you not!  These people DREAM, like a lot.  And they all expect dreams as answers to prayers!  So when they get one they are like ecstatic!  So send me a dream interpretation book!  I need all the help I can get! ;)  So sweet Gabriela told us about her dream, which I understood a good 20 % of... not kidding.  Then she's like, what do you think it means?  So I'm just thinking dream dream dream.... Lehis dream!  Okay what else did I understand..... something about pan.... then the relief society president, who was with us, goes,  "bread like the bread of life which is jesus Christ"!  And I'm like, yeah!  That!  Cabal! (that means "exactly", it's Guat slang).  Then we started reading 1 Nefi 8 with her and she's like, yeah!  That's my dream!  And I was like, well you probably had this dream because you were thinking a lot about baptism before you went to bed.  This was my long shot try to get her talking about baptism... and she was like yeah I have been thinking about baptism a lot.  It's just that my husband doesn't want to get married!  And I'm just like wait... you want to get baptized!  Did I hear you right?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  People, this never happens!  She actually wants to!  Oh my gosh tears just came on the spot. I have been praying so hard for her husband to want to marry her.  Sorry they call their baby daddies their husbands even if they aren't married.  She wants to get baptized so badly!  Miracles happen once in a while, when you believe!  That's like my theme song here!  But her son is 12 and he really wants to get baptized too!  He came to church with us yesterday and LOVED it.  When we were walking home he was like, so I can get baptized on the 12th right? And I'm like YES YES YOU CAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Ah it is incredible to work with people that are truly prepared.  It just makes me so happy and it makes the work so much easier!  Do me a favor and pray for this little family! :)

I needed this sundae!

This week we also had a Yogi Monja show up to church..... ha! I guess we passed her on the street once and invited her.... she believes that there is no established house of worship except her own body. She renounced her dead husband and went about doing... yogi business?  Ha! idk but she is old and funny and started doing some sort of hail Mary in church.  I love her!  We invited her to all of our activities!  We are going to convert her! 

Ha it has been raining SO MUCH this week!  Like I got soaked to the bone twice this week.  Once we were helping this lady sell lunches as an activity and it started pouring.  We were under a tent so it was fine....until the water started rising!  By the time it hit our ankles we figured we would call it a day and head for shelter... then all the tables and chairs started floating away!!!  Then they turned the corner to go down the bishop's street, which is like a river and super steep.  We were all like AY NOOOOOO. So I ditch my backpack ad go running!  I turn the corner and see a chair heading straight for a car,  no this is bad news!  So I'm running and mind you the water is basically to my knees and its just coming down in sheets!  I'm running and catching debris and its just hilarious.  My comp laughed so hard!  We got it all luckily and then we got some free food for our hard work :)  Then we went back and changed, thank goodness!

WET!

Speaking of free food, are you surprised, let's talk about Sunday!  Sunday we went to go get Jerico for church, and his sisters because they want to get baptized now too!   His abuela makes tortillas and tamales for her business.  So in the morning we are waiting for Jerico to get ready and put on the little white shirt and tie we bought him and she starts serving us breakfast! and atol de tortillas, basically its maseca and water and sugar, sugary flour water.  She kept giving us more and that stuff fills you up so much!  So after our beans and tortilla and atol breakfast we rolled ourselves out of there.  We went back after church to teach Jerico and his sisters and she gave us a bag of tamales for dinner!  It just amazes me how kind these people are. They have nothing.  Like they own two shirts yet they insist on sending us out with food!  They are too kind and I love them too too much! 

So this week I have been thinking a lot about hope, I mean my area is named Esperanza, and sometimes I'm a little lacking in that area.  But I found some amazing scriptures that have helped me a lot.  D&C 31:3-5.  Sometimes I forget that I am here living my dream!  I mean I am on a mission!  How long have I wanted this! Ah!  I need to remember that excitement!  It makes everything so much better when I have ganas to do this work! (tener ganas is like to want to do something, but really want to! like you have GANAS to do this!)  The hour of my mission is now!  Live it up!  Share the Gospel with everyone!  Also Ether 12:4, it's just one of my favorite scriptures ever.  Hope for a better world. show faith that you are willing to work for this better world.  Do what Christ asks you to do!  Have hope and work your tail off!  Everyday I pass by this wall where it says,  "Dios es la unica esperanza".  It's so true.  He is the reason we are here, anywhere we are!  He is our hope!  You gain more hope by loving Him more.  Then we will want to do His will and we will have more hope!  I Know this!!!

Well, I think thats it.  Oh we are moving today!  The house is packed!  Finally!  Our house is gross. and our new one is awesome.  It has an amazing view and is above a restaurant.  Wanna know what this restaurant serves?  Crepes and chocolate cake and hamburgers and nachos and hot chocolate.  I kid you not!  It's an American and French restaurant.  Parents you should probably start putting more money in my account, because I have a feeling that the chocolate cake will be calling my name.... every night. ;) ha!

Well I love you all!  Go out and serve someone today!  Get excited for conference!  I AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhh.  If only I could watch it in English. ;)

love love love,

Hermana Moore

p.s. I'm off to eat Chinese food, oh the perks of living in the city! :) 

Last week:

Hello!  I'm alive!  Ahhh!  Well, I am sure you have noticed that it is actually Tuesday, not Monday. ha! Let's just talk about the past 48 hours of my life.  So Sunday morning we get a call from my DL that we need to be at the stake center at 4:00 because I'm going tio Guate!  yep!  I had to go to the capitol to sign some visa papers!  So Sunday we took a bus from Coatepeque to REU to stay there for the night before the long haul trip on Monday.  So I get to the mission office and SURPRISE, my entire group from the MTC is going to Guate too!  Wow talk about the happiest reunion of my life!!!!!!!!!  Ah there were definitely tears of joy! :)  So that was just so fun! 

reunited with my MTC comp!

 We got to stay at a hotel and have a bomb chapin dinner and then just catch up!  Everyone is doing great!  What a relief!  Then we went to bed, and later woke up at like 3 to go get on a bus and drive to the capitol!  So 4 hours later, there were 30 of us in this tiny bus and we were quite squished, we got there!  We had breakfast at McDonalds and I had a mcgriddle and a mcflurry!  Ha great example of America no?  It was divine!  Divine I tell you! Then we went to the church area office and waited for a bit with some other missionaries from other missions around here!  Then we went to immigration but the weren't ready for us, and it was lunch time, so back to McDonalds we went! ha!  I am not kidding, I ate lunch and ANOTHER mcflurry.  I mean yolo right?  No I really just wanted to try the one with m&ms too! hahahaha.  Yeah so I know now why Guatemalans all think that Americans only eat fast food!  But really, we don't have that opportunity like ever! ha!  

So then we went to immigration, signed something and waited forever. hahaha we finally left by like 3:30 to head back to Reu!  It was a really fun day though, we just told every story we have all had and it was just so good to hear from everyone!  Guate is beautiful!  It reminds me so much of LA!  Big hills covered in trees and houses!  And just a huge city!  It is way colder there, like I was cold!  It was a strange feeling!  Normally I'm like sweating a ton, it's hot!  So then back to Reu, but it was raining and there was traffic... so it took a while!  By the time we got back to the mission office it was like 8:30. so we stayed the night in REU with some other hermanas, Hermana Bontempo and her comp!  We made pancakes and giggled a lot. haha.  Then my comp and I woke up early and caught yet another bus back to Coatepeque this morning!  Just in time to turn around and go straight to district meeting!  The buses are hilar.  I was wedged in between two fat men BOTH times! hahahahahaha  It's comical the amount of people they shove on the old colorful school buses!  I swear Guatemala is where buses go to die!  But needless to say.... I'm tired. but it doesn't matter! I'm off to work here after this!!! :)

a sweet investigator who is also a carpenter 

So the rest of this week, last week rather, was just awesome!  I went on divisions quite a few times because my comp had a meeting in Reu and because my comp is an Hermana Lider which means she does divisions with other sisters to see how they are doing.  So she goes with one comp and I stay here with the other!  It's a cool opportunity to see how others teach!   Tuesday I was with two other sisters, one who came in with me from the ccm here in Guatemala and the other who got here 2 weeks ago! We ate lots of food and laughed a ton because we are all really tall!  Everyone was looking at us! Including the old man who called us his "angelita mamita linda gringitas mis amores"!  These people and their cat calls!  They just make me laugh!  Then my other divisions I was with an hermana from Honduras. We definitely have a different teaching style, but I learned a lot from her!  And she painted my toenails! hahaha. I def have blue shooting star glittery toenails...... good thing no one can see them! ha!  

We also went to a mission call opening this week of a girl who always helps the missionaries!  She is a recent convert and got called to  Mexico!  Wow it was incredible to see the excitement of a mission call opening again!  Helps you remember why you are here! :)

Really this past week FLEW!  It went by so fast!  I cant believe it's already Tuesday, it still feels like last week! probably because  I didn't have a p day... haha but  I will survive!  We don't really need to buy food for the week I guess, and I can do laundry at night?  Ha, no I'm kidding,  I'll work it out! }

So food this week, of course this has to be a weekly section. I had real homemade carrot cake this week!  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh and they served it with this stuff called morcaf, it's like coffee but not, obviously. its a coffee of grains, so it has no caffeine. but  I'm obsessed.  It's like hot coco but lighter and just delisioso. :) 

This week we had a sports night activity in the ward! so fun!  Our ward mission leader was so excited! We went and bought a basketball, we totally bargained for it!!!!!! ha I was like, listen hermano.... this ball is used.  I'm not paying 65 q for it!  And he was like no its just sun damaged, and I'm like eh that's the same thing!  I demand a price cut!  So he cut it 5 q.... ha! Just imagine the situation above but make 'it 30 times more awkward because lets face it, I hate confrontation, so bargaining is hard! hahahahaha! but the activity was so fun!  We wore our sports clothes and just played basketball and volleyball! my team won, much to my ward mission leaders displeasure... that man is competitive! hahahahahahahahaha. 

Another funny story, we were teaching a lesson to a guy and his girlfriend in his house when all of a sudden I hear someone yelling in the other room.  Turns out their pastor was there and he was attempting to cast us out!  Like I'm not joking at all, homeboy was praying that we would reaLIZE OUR SINS and leave!  I'm just like, are you kidding me... we are 2 20 year old white girls.  It made me laugh! but we aren't going back, don't worry.  I don't need any of that! 

This week we really just saw miracles.  We worked a ton with less actives and we just got results!  Our church attendance broke our record!  We received so many references, contacting actually seemed to work, after we met with less actives!  We had been praying about what to do with our area and we both just felt that we should focus on the less actives!  So we found a really old ward directory with addresses and we followed that revelation! and wow, the Lord has blessed us! bastante!  Ha and it's been fun trying to learn how to read directions here, they make no sense! :)

Well family, I gotta go! but I just love all of you so much!  I am so grateful for your prayers and love and emails!  I'm sorry I really have no time this week to respond,  I have to run to a lesson, but next week I will!  Love you all so much!

love love love

Hermana Moore!

First Earthquake, Food, Miracles and a Baptism!

Two weeks of fun times with Erica!!!  Two weeks ago:

Wow! hello again, here I am, another week has passed! this week was nuts! NUTS I tell you!  As you can see from the title of this email... I experienced my first earthquake this week!!!  Insanity!  It happened on...  Friday night.  We were at a member's house and just about to leave when all of a sudden... well the world started shaking!  I was just like what the what do I do!  So the family naturally freaked the heck out!  Everyone started yelling and they're like get out of the house corre corre corre! So my comp runs for the street and I'm making my way to the door pretty confused still and then they are like NO Hermana Morris come back!  The cables can fall and kill you!  So she runs back and then we just stand there.  I'm literally watching the road ripple!  Ripple!  Wow.  We just waited it out.  It was pretty strong and lasted for a good minute!  My legs were super wobbly afterwards so they made us sit and gave us some juice.  Then afterwards the family listened to the radio and the man was like terremoto terremoto!  Casas cayeron!  They thought it was a 7 on the richter scale but later we found out that it was a 6.5, but the epicenter was where I live!  So insane!  Basically that's all anyone talked about for the next 3 days!  Where were you during the temblor??  Afterward we were like well perfect everyone is at home with their families lets teach!  Good idea right??  Wrong!  No one let us in!  They were too busy watching the news and calling family.  We were about ready to stand on our soap box and scream,  "Repent ye people of coatepeque! arrepienta"!! HA!  Jokes of course.  Basically the best thing that came out of the earthquake was a reason for me to buy some pan dulce.  Hey if I was in shock or something I had to get something in my system!  Only looking out for mi cuerpo!  Ha! 

But really we have been having some cray weather here lately.  The rain is really steppin it up a notch! Crazy thunder and lightning like I've never even seen!  Ha this is especially fun when we are teaching lessons and its raining buckets on the metal roof!  Oh that's my favorite!  Ha, the other day we were teaching and we just couldn't hear anything it was so loud!  So I was praying and literally screaming my prayer!  Strange!  It's like I'm literally crying repentance to this people.... or screaming repentance? Same diff. 

Oh and another blessing from the rain, the humidity and what it does to my hair!  Curly hair is colocha here, and people just really are fascinated by my hair.  Everyone always touches it and someone even asked for a picture of it??  Ha its pretty hilarious, and huge, very much huge. 

So this week I had some... interesting food.  Caldo de pata pollo.  Yeah that's chicken foot soup.  

And wow, it is a chicken foot!  And you EAT it.  I wish I could say I loved it but... I hated it!  I felt like I was chewing on baby fingers the whole time!  Awful mental image I know, but imagine having to eat that with the whole family staring at you with that image in your mind.  Yeah def not my favorite!  I took some hilar pics.

proof I ate it!!!!

And now every time I see chicken here I look at their feet and try not to gag.  The bones fall apart in your mouth and you have to spit out their toe nails.  Yummmmm.  Be jealous of what  I'm eating.  Ha!

No I love all other food here.  I ate 10 tortillas with breakfast this morning!  Oh ha and Dad and Jill will love this, I eat ketchup on my eggs now!  But ketchup here has like 10x more sugar, its divine! haha im gonna buy like 20 bottles of it before i come home! :) 

So my district/ zone loves to play futbol, along with the rest of Guatemala. so I didn't play at first but I don't really have a choice so I've tried playing.  I'm horrible!  I tried a header and completely missed. Ha but since we play it 2 times a week,  I've decided to try.  Ha I haven't made a goal yet but they joked that they were going to buy a portable goal since I always shoot it like 3 feet to either side of the goal!  Eh I've got time to get better!

So we were in a lesson yesterday with one of our investigators.  His name is Rudy.  He rocks!!  I really have high hopes for him!  We brought a member and wow, we really can't do this work without them! We were teaching about the Book of Mormon and I asked the member lady, to give her testimony about the Book of Mormon!  Well turns out she was the first member in Coatepeque!  She has such a solid testimony and helped so much!  I felt the Spirit so strongly and I really think Rudy did too!  She reminded me of something that I have basically forgotten, these people are descendants of the Lamanites!  This book is written for THEM!  She testified of this and then he got really interested!  I really think he will read it!  I am so excited to meet with him  again! :)  Now we just gotta get him to church!

Miracle of the week, Sunday!  So Sunday we went around gathering investigators for church and it was just no after no after I don't want to after no.  And then we were going to the last house and her neighbor answered.  It's like an apartment complex.  We have taught her once and so we were like oh hey want to come to church!  And she was like yeah just give me some time to get ready.  Okaaaayyy? We will come back?  So we come back in a little and she is waiting there, ready, with her kid and sister in law!  My comp and I were like, wait I this a joke?  Are you coming to church with us???  She came!!!!!!!  Ahhhhhh!  It's crazy how the investigators that actually come to church are always the ones that we don't expect!  Maybe we should just not go get them, then they'd all come!  Ha! 

So this week I loved D&C 12:8.  It was in my mind all week!  We have to be humble to assist in this work!  And full of love!  

my town!

I really tried to focus on that this week and I'm really starting to notice the miracles that have come of it!  The Lord has entrusted La Esperanza, Coatepeque to my care.  I need to love them and help them find greater joy!  How great is my calling!  Wow!  I am so happy to be out here!  Don't get me wrong, it is HARD sometimes.  I often wonder why I'm here.   Then I remember, I'm here for them.  These beautiful people!  I'm here for my family, the greatest blessing of my life. And I'm here for my Savior Jesus Christ! I owe Him everything, the least I can do is dedicate this 18 months to Him! :)

I love you all!!!!

love,

hermana moore :)

Last Week:

Hola!!!!!!!  Ha! I don't even know where to start with this week, like what didn't happen this week????? AH!

So first things first, Saturday September 14th we had a baptism!!!!!!! MY FIRST BAPTISM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my goodness I cannot even express to you the joy I felt that day! So let me tell you about the investigator!  His name is Eric!  

Eric's baptism day!

Well, when we filled out his registro bautismal we found out that his name is actually Jerico, and that he is 11 not 10!  People don't really keep track of their age really well here!  Ha! But anyways, how we found Eric.  One day a hermana in our ward just brought him to church!  His grandma makes tortillas, so he would bring a family in our ward tortillas everyday and I guess they invited him to church!  PEOPLE, invite your friends to church!  You never know what will happen!  So he came for two weeks before we even noticed him, we just thought he was a member of the primary!  So we started teaching him and eventually met his whole family!  We are teaching them too but Eric wanted to get baptized!  So he did!  Wow,  I will never be able to express the joy I felt in my heart when he walked, more like ran, into the waters of baptism!  He was so confident!  No fear, he knew exactly what he was doing and he didn't want to wait another moment! And on Sunday when he was confirmed, wow!  So reverent!  I meant you have to understand, he is 11! He has the attention span of a fly; but when it comes to spiritual things, he just knows!  I love this kid so much!  I can just see him getting the priesthood in a year and then eventually serving a mission and ah!!!!!!!!!  Missionary work is real people!  It works!!!! D&C 18:15-16!!!!!

Sweet boy!

So that was incredible, :).  The rest of the week was hard but it just doesn't matter, because Eric got baptized!  He lives way the heck down in this far area called Masa, and we trucked down there everyday this week!  Up and down these hills, goodness!  But don't worry, my body isn't wasting away, I'm actually pretty sure I'm gaining weight!  Ha!  That's what all this delicious food will do to you!  I found a scripture this week that I LOVED!  Go read, Proverbs 28:25... that's what's happening here.... I am putting my trust in the Lord so He is making me fat!!!  Haaaaa, nah it's really just the tortillas and pan.  Bah I love pan!!!!!!  Oh I also saw a cupcake this week, so I HAD to buy it of course. :)  Oh and I achieved 3 months in the mission this week, so I had to celebrate!  We were in Reu that day because my comp had to do divisions with some other sisters, and they have a place called American Doughnuts, so we ate there to celebrate!  I had real doughnuts and HOT CHOCOLATE! 

Oh my, if you know me you know how amazing this was! :)  So yeah, I'm definitely eating my fair share of.... everything!  Oh and one of the bishop's sons went to the capital this week and brought back gourmet cookies, like shortbread ones dad!,  And gave us some!  So I ate those too :)  What didn't I eat this week would be a better way to address this situation! ;)

Ha so this week when we were teaching Eric one day, his WHOLE family was there, including his cray uncle, I'm pretty sure he is a pastor!  Well he just went off on a Bible rage, wouldn't let us get a word in!  So my district leader passed me a note that said he was gonna go take Eric in another room to do his baptismal interview, and good luck with this crazy man!  So I was just like no!  What do I do! Then the thought came to my mind, sing.  So sing we did!  We sang hymns for like 35 minutes, nonstop!  I figured he wouldn't interrupt that right!  Ha!  We literally sang hymns back to back until I couldn't sing anymore!  Then luckily crazy tio left and we just talked about blessings until Eric came back! :)  The Spirit always speaks to us when we are ready to listen!  Sometimes, you'll be told to sing sing sing! :)

So I mentioned how we went to Reu this week!  We got on a bus and actually left Coatepeque!  I was pretty excited because I haven't left in 8 weeks!  Since I got here!  Exciting, right??  Well after leaving I realized something.... I LOVE MY AREA!!!!!  Oh my goodness.  When I came back I was like I'm going to live and die here,  I just love the people and the city and everything about it!  It's familiar, it's home! (home away from home mom, don't worry!) 

But while we were in the bus coming back from Reu I was contacting, of course we are missionaries!  I met this super cool guy and lets just say that being a gringa is a great conversation starter!  And being from LA is awesome, because EVERYONE has a brother that lives here!  Ha! they're always like, do you know Jose Gonzalez.... and I'm like eh maybe?  Ha!  LA is huge and I live in "China Ville"! ;)   But it always helps me get familiar with these people!  So I'm grateful for that!  So we were just chatting and then he complimented me on my Spanish!  Wow, way to become my best friend!  Turns out, he has this awesome family and wants to come to church and learn more about the Gospel!  I taught him a little bit about the restoration but then I found out, he lives out of my area! :(  But oh well, I passed along quite the reference to another area! They better teach him!!!!

So this week we were warned about some gran tormenta, big storm.  We had to get extra food and water in our house, enough for 72 hours!  Basically all it was was just June gloom like in LA all week. Just no sun and constant drizzle.  Everyone was like,  "estamos en alerta naranja"!  "We are in orange alert"!  And nothing happened!  Ha!  But I guess a hurricane is heading our way today so I'll just wait and see what these gran tormentas really have to offer! ;) 

Yesterday was Independence Day here in Guatemala!  All week it was just so fun to see the flags everywhere and the festivities!  There was food everywhere, more than normal and wow on the 15th you could just feel the emotion and excitement in the air!!! :)  But, the 15th was a Sunday, haha so we had to just walk by the parades and try to get people to come to church!  Jill would have loved it! Marching bands up this wazoo!  Just everywhere!  These Guatemalans know how to do parades! Hundreds upon hundreds in traditional costumes and with dances and bands and wow!  It was incredible!!!! 

So one last thing before I go, miracle of the week. It was Friday night and as usual, all our citas fell through!  So we started wandering trying to find a new area to contact but then I just thought no, let's pray!  I mean this is the Lord's time!  We need to ask Him what He wants us to do! So we sat on a curb and prayed!  And right after we finished the prayer, these two girls walked up to us!  May I repeat, THEY walked up to US!  This never happens!!!!  They wanted to practice English but then they were asking about the church!  So we told them about our English classes and invited them to church!  And now we are going to go teach them!!!!!  Ah!  Miracles exist.... they are so real!  The Lord will reward us when we follow His will! :)  Ha when we talked for a while they were like, what were you doing there sitting on the curb...... waiting for you!  Even though we didn't know it! :)

Oh and today we went to the giant Guatemalan style market called Meta!  We bought vegetables and fruit for cheap ad they are huge and look so fresh!  It was so fun!  Dad, it was like the farmer's market at the Grove but 30 times bigger, and a little dirtier. ha!  But wow, so fun!  We are going to go every week to buy food now!

Remember this : D&C 58:2-4.  This helped me a lot this week!  Let the Lord bless your life!  Just Let Him! :)

love love love,

Hermana Moore!

Still Alive in Guatemala!

Hola! I am still alive! Ha, last week I emailed my parents and told them I had dengue, it's a sickness from the mosquitos and it's basically a really high fever and body aches. BUT I am happy to report that I have conquered dengue!  It only put me out of commission for.... 4 days.  But I am up and going and preaching the good word again!  Funny, before my mission I was like, I am not going to have a single sick day!  And I have had a week at this point... guess  I'm not as strong as I thought I was!  But we made sure to work SUPER hard the rest of the week and wow, we did work!  In just 3 days we found 15 new investigators with 3 families!  Bam take that dengue!  That which don´t kill me, can only make me stronger!  Thank you,  Kanye! ;)

We were in the primary activity.  I just smiled a lot.

So yeah, the end of this week was a great one!  Now I have super good bug spray that I use every 4 hours and I have had a lot LESS bug bites!  Oh hallelujah!  It's wonderful. so hopefully I never get dengue again! :)

This week we met a lot of new investigators!  We are truly so blessed here in Esperanza!  We received a reference of these 3 sisters last week and we have been teaching them everyday!  One of them is named E- and she is TALL!  Like me!  She is literally my height... and that doesn't exist here in Guatemala!  She is this beautiful, tall, amazon woman!  And we are best friends!  I seriously love her! We talk about how hard it is to find clothes that fit and shoes our size!  And she LOVES the Book of Mormon.  She seriously is eating it up!  She always reads so much and then wants to share her fave verses with us!  Sweet girl!  All of her sisters are like that!  So we are working with them a lot!  Oh and they always make us special juices every time we come!  Like melon and watermelon, with pieces of watermelon in it!  It's gourmet!  That and they give us these giant chip things that are fried imitation pork rinds.  Haha gotta embrace the culture.... anyway we love them!  Trying to get them to come to church but it's hard because they have to sell things to survive.  But we are teaching them about keeping the sabbath day holy!  So we will see how it goes! :)  They have this huge hammock so I 

taught a lesson on a hammock this week!  Hilar!  Dream come true! I'm buying one! :) 

I also taught a lesson while making tortillas by hand this week!  Yeah that's right!  Here there are tortillerias everywhere!  Like every street!  They make them by hand and they are divine.  I want to learn before I leave so we ask everyone to teach us!   We were contacting the other day and this lady owns a tortilleria!  So we were like, hey teach us and we will help, and secretly teach you the restoration? ha! We did all of that! :)  So funny!  It was way fun and  I'm one step closer to learning how to cook all this divine food that I love.  Seriously, how am I going to survive without my hot, fresh tortillas for every meal???  I know, I'll just make my own!!!!! ;)

One of the girls from our English class!

We also met a part member family this week! And wow, they are prepared for the gospel! His name is Elder, I kid you not. I guess his dad met with missionaries at some point and loved the elders so he named his kid Elder!  And now this guy has a family of his own.... so he named his first son.... Elder! I'm not kidding! These people NEED to get baptized!  They are so sweet and so interested in learning! 

This Sunday was amazing.  Our church attendance shot up like 30 people!  We had tons of investigators and less actives there!  But none of the investigators we tried to bring to church came.  It was all other random people that members brought!  Proof we need the members help!  We are really getting their help lately.  Our family home evenings are finally starting to work out with them!  And they're making us food!  Oh my goodness I love it when after a lesson they're like, and now... tortas! Freak yes!  I love food.  Speaking of food... we love our cook.  They really took care of me when I was sick.  That sweet family!  Ah I adore them! :)  They have 3 nurses in the family so they took turns caring for me! :)  And they feed us so well!  Except yesterday when they fed us the nasty chicharonnes soup again.  (Nasty soggy pig skins. my fave).  But tomorrow they said they are serving us something special..... pata de coche?  I'm pretty sure that means pig foot.

This lady owns a small hotel and serves us cheap breakfast on pdays!

We have been playing a lot of soccer as a zone lately.... joy.  These people love soccer.  I do not.  Ha! They are like, "Hermana Amor you have to run."  And I'm just like no, we don't play soccer we play baseball! or volleyball! or basketball!  Ah! I'm not quite a chapina yet because.... well.... I hate soccer! Ha! 

Well I'm out of time!  We are going to eat some Chinese food, yeah they have that here!  I'm stoked.  I love fried rice!  But I love you all and thanks for your prayers and emails!  It means the world to me! I hope you all have the best labor day and start to the school year!  Especially all my BYU people!  Live it up this year! for me! ;) 

Something I learned when I was sick:  Romans 8:18.  Look it up.  We are worth more than our trials. :)

 Oh also I've been reading  Jesus the Christ.  I'm obsessed!  Best book ever!!!!!1

loveeeeeeee,

hermana moore!!!!!

20 years young in Guatemala!

Daaaaaang.  I am officially no longer a teenager!  20 years old, and here in Guatemala!  Wow. Sometimes I'm just like, is this real life??  But it is and I love it! :)

me and my zone having cake for my birthday

Eating the first bite of cake....a Guatemalan tradition.  They all sang to me in English
and I couldn't understand a word of it because their accents are so thick!

So this week was LOCO.  I have like 30 pictures from this week, obvs I cant send em all but I'll try! 

So let me just talk about what was the funnest day this week, my birthday!  So it started off bright and early at 5 am when I was awakened by my comp.  I was... what the...... it's still dark.  Then I saw Suli, one of the daughters of the family that cooks for us!  Then I was.... why are you in my room! Then her mom walked out!  Then her other sister!  And I'm just disoriented times 20 and they start singing happy birthday!  I'm just like, how'd you get in my room!  

Then I got up and went into the other room and there was the rest of the family!  So they brought me a birthday breakfast of eggs with salsa and beans and fried platanos and arroz con leche just like dad makes it!  I told her once that dad made that so she made it just for my bday!  Ah I could have cried! 

They are the sweetest family! Hermana G- the mom and our cook, is like my Guatemalan Momma.  I love her!  They have been taking care of me a lot this week. :)  (editor's note:  The next paragraph explains this.  It's from another email from Erica)

<So what do you want first, the good or the bad?  Well there is really only one bad thing so I'll start with that... the mosquitos just love me so much that they gave me dengue!  Basically that just means a fever and you can't do anything but sleep.  But we got rid of the fever right away,  Luckily I'm surrounded by nurses!  Ha!  Our cook's daughters are nurses so they took care of me and such.  I have some meds and I've been sleeping ALOT.  So don't worry, it was honestly just a matter of time... but it came and I'm gonna conquer this dang sickness!> 

So then the rest of my birthday was just full of contacting and inviting people to our activity!  The activity was supposed to start at 6, we were planning to show up at 5:30 to set up the fire with some members, but of course no one showed up till 7:15, thanks to rain and Guatemalans being Guatemalans!  No, funny story about the rain..... it rained all day on my birthday, and we were just like NOOOOOOOOO!  People don't come to anything when it rains, let alone a fire activity... so we just told people it would stop at 5.... and it did!  Around 5:30 the rain stopped.... until 8:45, right when we walked in the house!  Miracles!!!!!  The activity rocked though!  We had like 40 people there and 5 investigators!  And I got to eat 7 s'mores!  

Yep, we introduced the people of Guatemala to s'mores!  And they LOVED it!  Ha!  More like I loved it!  They probably think I'm crazy I was like eat them!  Eat!!!!!!! :)  The Bishop gave a nice spiritual thought and I really think that it will help the ward be more unified. :)

On Thursday many companion hit her year mark in the mission so we celebrated at a restaurant!  We got to have real food, I had a crepe and I about died!  Oh goodness. :)  

We had lots of good food this week!  Especially since I've been sick, people keep bringing stuff by the house for us, it's really sweet! I have so much support here, so really, don't worry about me!  Just keep the prayers coming! :)

Oh we finally bought umbrellas this week, 5 weeks into the mission during rainy season isn't too late! We love our umbrellas, but we apparently bought really cheap ones, they already broke!  At least we have boots and jackets! 

This week I received real deal letters from Mom and Aunt Nancy!  Only took 5 weeks to get here! Woo!!! :)

If any of you are ever feeling down, read Hebrews 11.  The future is as bright as your faith!  Sometimes out here on the mission it is hard.  I'm not going to lie to you.  I have been tried more the past 5 weeks than I ever have in my life;  but I am learning that things go better when we believe they will!  Have faith and then your positivity will work with the Lord to make everything just that much brighter! :) 

Today we went to tour a rambotan finca (ranch) where they grow and package rambotans!  

you have to be sanitary in the factory

me and my comp in a rambotan tree

We ate so many.... they are those fruits that I sent home a pic of the first week, red with green spikes!  Apparently they send 95% of those rambotans to the US especially LA!  He said to the Asian communities, so go get some!  Eat them and think of me! 

In terms of the work this week, it was great!  We found some new investigators, 19 this week in fact! A lot are positive!  We are trying to find families and there are 3 we are working with a lot!  One is a family of at least 15 people!  I'm not really sure just how big it is!  There are just so many!  Every time we teach there are at least 10, one time there was 16 people listening"  I was like wow!!!!!  They are obsessed with English so we always sing a himno in Spanish and English!  Speaking of  English, we had our first English class this week.  Did  I tell you we are teaching English classes?  Well we are! But no one showed up.... idk what it is with our attempts at activities, they don't really work!  But we aren't giving up hope!  Ever! :)  Gotta do the Lord's work here in Esperanza!  Sometimes it seems like there isn't any work here, or too much rather.  It's really discouraging.  But then I remember that a prophet of God called me here, and my mission president sent ME here.  They need me!  So I will never let them down!!!!! :)

So just in case you forgot, Guatemala is beautiful!  It's like a cross between Jurassic Park and Hawaii and San Diego!  Take that!

Funniest story of the week!   We were trying to gather up investigators before church Sunday and we went to the house of the big family and we asked where is jose and they said he is at his house!  We thought he lived here, so they said no he lives down a bit in a white wood house! so we thought, okay we can find it!  Well luckily a little girl came with us because we NEVER would have found his house...... because only after trekking through a jungle, crossing a river, and up a small mountain did we actually find his house!!!!!!!!!!  No lies, I crossed a river before church on Sunday.  Only in Guate. Ha!  And I saw spiders bigger than my hand in the jungle!  Holy!  And then, he didn't even come to church!  Wow!  I was....but.... we just crossed a river........ do you not understand that I just crossed a river in my Sperrys!  I'm wearing a white skirt homeboy!  I crossed a river in my Sunday best!  But it's okay, I know the God loves Him.  And  I'll receive blessings for it! :)

Well I think that's it for this week!  Love you all so much!  Thanks for the emails and prayers:)  Never give up your faith.  Always believe that something amazing is about to happen because if you do, it will! :)

ice cream from the ice cream man

Love,

Hermana Moore 

The Week of Free Food

Wow!  I'm back again, this week flew by!  And wow, this week was awesome!  I felt everyone's prayers this week, really I did!  Every time things started to look downwards, all of a sudden a family of 15 interested people turned up!  Okay that didn't happen every time, that only happened once, but really I feel like this week was FULL of miracles and happiness and laughter and joy and missionary work! And Spanish too :)  Of course,  I'm in Guatemala!  

view from a member's roof

Sometimes I'm on a dirt road in Guatemala in the rain getting eaten by sancudos--- and I love it!  

"sancudo"  (mosquito) bites.  They honestly don't itch anymore!

How did this happen!!!  But really, this week was the best week of my mission thus far, no baptisms yet but I just felt actually effective so much this week! I feel like I'm really getting into my stride here in the mission. :)  Either that or I'm just eating really good food. :)

A chapina breakfast. I love beans in the morning!

So yeah.  Can I just talk about food for a second?  Maybe I'm losing weight or look hungry all the time because EVERYONE gave us free food this week.  And I was just like heck yes keep it coming!  I seriously must have 5 stomachs, because I always have room for more! :)  

editor's note: Someone needs to teach me how to flip pics!

This week we got free corn, homemade bread, tostadas, chocolate popsicles, cookies, lollipops, and my personal favorite-- homemade coconut ice cream!  Oh my oh my.  I died and went to heaven.  That stuff is bomb!  Oh I almost forgot the biggest free meal we got this week!  So story time:

The zone leaders called us one day and were like hey come to an appointment with us tonight, they are serving dinner!  Ha, actually what the zl said to my comp is, "Tell Hermana Moore that she's getting free food tonight."  I guess my stomach is getting a reputation.  Anyways, so we went with them one night in their area to this appointment.  

They had coke but we didn't drink it!

Well, they did NOT tell us the whole story!  Turns out this family "requested" us to come to dinner.  Like they literally said,  "We will go to church if you bring the gringas."  Yes the gringas.  I guess they saw us on the street one day and .... who knows?  So we walk in and it's just like silent.  Awk.... then the mom walks up to me and just starts stroking my skin and hair and is like,  "oh pura muñeca!"  Ha, so that means literally ,"She's a real doll".  But I guess it means pretty or something.  I didn't really get it.  And yeah thats how the entire night went!  They asked me about every detail of my life in the states and they just touched my hair a lot!  So the zone leaders made dinner and it was just so funny!  

Las Chulas Gringas!

This is pollo seco

I felt like a celebrity the whole night!  Why can't people be like that in my area!  Ha, here they like RUN from the gringas!  It was nice that my whiteness actually helped in the work!  Haha,  I love being a gringa.  I honestly haven't seen a single other person from the United States since I've been here, other than missionaries.  So we are def a minority! :) trying to use that to our advantage, sometimes it works! :)

Oh, other funny story,  I almost got eaten by a dog last night!  We were walking home and there were some dogs around and then all of a sudden this huge dog with a chain comes charging at us!  He was snarling and fierce and I was about to pee my pants!  He brushed my leg and went for the other dogs, and then we RAN!!!!!  Holy wow, our hearts were racing!!!  So that was terrifying!

So we have really been trying to work with the members this week!  We have been going around teaching less actives and new converts about family history work!  Wow, this is such a powerful tool. We might not have been able to have that activity but it is working really well bringing it to the people! We were showing one hermana the family search site.  They had a computer, and we found her dad and then she saw that his work had already been done.  She just started balling!  She was so happy! The spirit was so strong!  I am excited to keep this up and teach more people about family history work! 

Also, we have been trying to work with the members by having noches de hogar with them.  Every night this week we had one with a family!  Sometimes they didn't get the memo that they were supposed to provide nonmembers for us to teach... but they'll get it one day! :)  We had a lot of great lessons and even found some new investigators.  Yesterday we had two and it was raining really hard so they both gave us atol. ATOL.  Oh my goodness.  It's like hot chocolate but full of vitamins and stuff!  So when you drink it you feel full like super full!  And it's warm and delicious!  Well we got it twice yesterday, to the point where I was like I'm going to explode.  I'm full of atol.  But I'm obsessed. Go make it!  Go! 

This is actually hot chocolate with "lenguas" (the little sugar cookies the bread man sells)

This week we found a new area of our area!  How exciting!  We were pumped!  Until we saw that every house had door bells..... yep.  Talk about hard core rejection doorbell style!  It was basically like a slammed door in the face, but with a doorbell.  Ha!  We ended up finding a family though and they are way positive.  It's all worth it, I swear! 

Oh sweetest moment this week.  We were teaching this sweet woman and it was so positive!  Then in her prayer she prayed for us to come back, like it was something like, please, let the hermanas come back!  I could have cried!  I was like yes! WE WILL come back!  Oh goodness.  I love the mission. This week was fantastic, and this coming week will be incredible.  I love being here.  I truly love it! We were having lunch today in a little place and it was the same place we ate the first week.  I just realized how much I've grown since then!  Today I was talking a ton with the other hermanas and just so happy. The first time I was like, where am I and why am I here!  God works miracles, and he has worked a miracle in me.  The mission is the place to be ! :) 

Love, love, love all of you and THANK YOU for all the birthday wishes! :)

love, 

Hermana Moore

Two Months On A Mission!

Wow, what a week!  Here I am again!  This week honestly went by fast!  Everyone says time will start going by really fast, so maybe that is already starting!  So today marks my two "monthiversary" of being on a mission!!!!  Wow, it seems like it has been so much longer than that, but I'm really loving it!!!! :)

view from a member's roof

So this week, in terms of weather... it is officially rainy season!  Meaning, everyday it rains from like

3-6 pm.  But it's definitely getting colder!  When I first got here, it was hot hot hot in the morning, now it's more like just warm and sometimes there is an awesome breeze!  But everyday, without fail, it starts raining at 3 o'clock, which is right when we leave for the afternoon!  I usually change into my rain boots before I leave.  Those boots are a LIFE SAVER!!!!!!  Seriously, the days I don't wear them I'm just sad because my feet are wet.  I love them.  Ha, the people here are always like "Woah, those boots are huge."  And I'm like, "Yeah I know, big feet, welcome to my life!"  But everyday I go out with an umbrella, my rain coat, my boots, and all my books triple wrapped in plastic bags in my bag!  Usually I can stay relatively dry, unless it torrentially down pours, which happens a lot.  Then it's like I just showered or stood under a waterfall with my umbrella!  I'm just glad I didn't really bring any all cotton skirts.  All of my skirts dry pretty quick! :)  But yeah, Guatemala rain is just comical. the streets turn into rivers!  Absolute rivers.  Seeing people riding through the rivers on their motorcycles cracks me up. They hold umbrellas on the motorcycles!  These people.... so funny.  But I'm loving the cooler weather. I was actually cold one night!  I actually used a blanket!  Normally I sleep with just a sheet, solely for the purpose of not getting eaten alive by mosquitos. (which is still a problem.  I don't know what is with my blood, but they love it!)

So this week, amidst all the contacting and lesson teaching, we had our first activity!  I woke up one morning and I was like, I know what we need to do for our activity!  Family history!  So we were both stoked, we told the ward and went around and invited everyone!  We bought tons of cookies and Vikinga, hilar name for a soda, and we planned it out really well!  So we got to the chapel a little early to set up and we had music and everything was looking great!  And then.... 2 hours later when no one showed up, we called it quits.  That's right, nobody came!  Zerooooooo.  So that was kiiind of a bummer.  Plus side, now we have hundreds of cookies in our house!  Really it wasn't too bad, we ended up talking with a girl in our ward that was at the chapel and she gave us an idea for a different activity!  Now we are planning that one!  It will be next weekend and basically its gonna rock.   People are way excited!  We are doing a bonfire in the cancha, (field), behind our chapel!  We are going to teach them what s'mores are! :)  Oh, and the activity just happens to be planned on my birthday...... haha!  It's a coincidence, I promise!  So yeah I may or may not have somewhat planned myself a huge birthday party. ha! ;)

Activity treats all for us!

Another first this week, our first baptism commitment!!!!!!  When she said yes and agreed to be baptized on Saturday, I literally cried.  My smile was soooo big!  She was laughing because I was just like exploding with excitement!  Then on Saturday, after cleaning and filling the pila, (font), and setting up for the baptism, we went by to visit her.  She kindly informed us that she would not be getting baptized.  So yep, first baptism, fell through!  We cried a little then decided hey, we are missionaries let's go do work. so we contacted and that day ended up being the best day of the week! we achieved all of our daily goals!  We had like 10 lessons that day and 5 new investigators!  I challenged like 6 people to baptism that day!  And a few of those new investigators look pretty positive!  I'm excited!

 Other news in the work, we have decided that contacting does not work!  Surprise, knocking on doors is ineffective. so we are really trying to work with the members!  We started this new program where we will have a family home evening with a different family every night.  They invite a family and we come and teach a lesson and have an activity!  It was like pulling teeth getting people to sign up; but eventually we filled the week!  Our first one is tonight!  I am really excited!  I think it will be really effective and we will find a lot of new investigators! 

FHE calendar!

Oh so this week one day I went on an exchange with a different sister!  I was with her all day in her area!  They are the area next to us, gardenias and wow, welcome to the Guatemala I was expecting! Corn fields for days!   Rolling corn fields, because this place is so dang hilly!  We had to cross the interstate, a corn field, a river, climb a mountain, basically, and walk through 2 villages to get to her cook's house!  That's what I'm talking about!  It was crazy; but we had a great time!  I was with Hermana Cruz and she is from Nicaragua!  Whole day in Spanish and I didn't die!  Haha, I'm definitely starting to get the hang of this language just with a lot of pantomiming! :)  I don't know if I said this already but my area, La Esperanza, is more of a city.  I'm in like a neighborhoodish thing next to the big city!  So there are buses, (which are actually vans), and cars and tiendas and stores and tortillerias everywhere!  It's kind of insane here, but I'm loving it now!

Another roof picture

OH I GOT A PACKAGE THIS WEEK!!!!!! AND ANOTHER DEAR ELDER.  Heck to the yes I love you guys!  First package, and all full of mints!  Ahhhhhhhh, just what I wanted!  Thanks for the poster Jill!  It's on the wall and it glows in the dark!  So I love reading it at night!!!!!!! :) 

first package!

This week with our cook I ate something new, chicharonnes.  Basically this is the Guate version of pork rinds.  Uhm, yum?  No, it's not good.  It's like pig fat/skin cooked.  I almost gagged.  So yeah, I still smiled and ate it, but it was rough.... also we had stuffed succhini. that what they call zucchini here. ssssucchini, haha!  It was way good.  I like the food and it's starting to like me back.  Oh my, will my digestive system ever be the same!  Other than that I eat lots of cereal and Eggo waffles.  We found a mega deal for a box of waffles for 5 quets!  That's like less than a dollar.  We bought a ton! 

So, this morning we deeeeeep cleaned.  We had a wall of mold, ew, so we had to clean it or move out! So cleaned it we did! 3 hours and bleach and bugs everywhere, it is cleaned!  Hahaha I love the before and after pictures.  It was pretty bad. 

sideways moldy wall!

rightways clean wall!

Oh, so fun fact for the week, a bread man comes around the neighborhood all day everyday beeping a little bike horn selling bread.  We LOVE him.  He comes by every night at like 8:30 and we always buy.  So I sent a pic of me buying from him.  I love pan dulce.  I'll die when I cant have it every night at home!!!!!  That and my tortillas, ah I have a problem!!!!!!! 

pan dulce!

Amidst all the rejection and rain, I know this gospel is true!  Without a shadow of a doubt.  I know that I am in the right place. I know that the Lord is with me in every step I take, and even though it is hard sometimes, I know that these trials are bringing me closer to Him. I am so grateful that my family is sealed together in the temple, it brings the most comfort.  I am so happy that I can kneel and pray so much!  It is such a gift!  I love sharing this glad message.  I know that someone is waiting for us here in Guatemala, and we will find them and bring them this joy! :)

Well, I need to go; but I love you all!  I think about you all the time and I just love you! I feel the prayers, so thank you so much!

Write me :) and thanks for all the emails!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Sister Moore

P.S. (from the editor)  Erica also wanted to include that she doesn't have time to answer everyone's emails but appreciates them soooo much and says THANK YOU!!!  She prints them out and reads them over and over.  They give her great strength and encouragement.  (Thank you from her parents, too!)

There Is Sunshine In My Soul Today

Hola familia!  Wow, week two down! and I'm happy to report: I am loving the mission!  The first week was hard... really hard; but this week I was just raking in the joys and the disappointments were, less. or I just don't really remember them now? not sure :)

But wow, what a week! 

First off, I GOT DEAR ELDERS THIS WEEK!  Some sister walked in to zone conference on Thursday and gave me some! I guess she had been by the office and I had some letters there! So what does this mean for you?  Send me dear elders, and emails. :) mostly emails though.  But dear elders make my day a little brighter too :) Ha sorry I'm so demanding!  Also, tucked inside my dear elder, (which was from mommy.  Thanks mom I loved it), was a note from Hermana Pister!  Oh my gosh I love that woman!  I don't know how she got it in there, but she made my day!  I miss my old comps! BUT  I absolutely adore my companion right now!  I know I said this last week but I'll say it again, that Hermana is an angel!  She is so supportive and just incredible!  Couldn't have asked for a better trainer! 

soaking wet Hermanas

So this week, I learned what Guatemalans mean by rain.  You see, it's the rainy season here... which means everyday at 3, right when we go out, it starts raining buckets. and buckets and buckets and buckets!  Like, I can't even explain it.  I have an umbrella, a raincoat, boots and the works... and  I'm still drenched every time.  I took a pic in the road outside the bishops house... the streets turn in to RIVERS!  When I stepped into the street to take the picture, the current was so strong it nearly knocked me over!  Goodness.  Oh and funny story, right after we took that picture we were walking to the capilla and just chatting when a car drove by and DRENCHED US.  I'm not kidding, it was like from a movie.  A wave of water just attacked us.  We were already soaked but now it was with dirty street water! yum! ha!  We laughed so hard, literally we both screamed at the same time and threw our hands up and then after we just looked at each other and busted up laughing! hahahaha  I'm laughing just thinking about it.  Oh and the face of the man on the sidewalk across from us... I'd say he enjoyed it too! hahahahahahahahaha.

sideways but you get the point!

So we went to the birthday party of a sweet hermanita in our ward this week, right after the torrential downpour, she turned 88!  It was really fun and long... speeches. these people are... long winded. but I love em! when they sing happy birthday here and there are Nortes around, they sing in English first, then in Spanish! So I sang my heart out in English, I take what English I can get. :) and then they fed us cake and tostadas. and wow, I love that people force food down our throats. I NEVER say no :) so I had... you know, 6 tostadas. and 3 slices of cake.  I'm in food heaven.

Speaking of food, this week we started eating with a family for lunch everyday! this is the equivalent of a cook!  We are eating with the familia G-, 5 kids and all of them are just happy and active in the church!  I adore them and Hermana G- spoils us with her meals!  They serve us so much and every meal there are tortillas up the yin yang.  I love tortillas!  I seriously eat 5 or more with every meal!  Ha the dad looked at me yesterday while I was eating and was like, uh do you want more tortillas? hahahahaha.  I'm a pig and in terms of how the food is treating me... I think my body is adjusting. ha! what an adventure this place is.  I don't drink the water, don't worry... but yeah.... adjusting, slowly but surely. ;) 

Everyone drinks water this way and I also filter it to be extra sure!

So monday night, a week ago, we helped out with an activity and my comp and I were in charge of cooking popcorn... ha after like 7 different attempts we finally got it working sorta.... ha we tried!  But then after, we were riding home in the back of a truck of a member with some other hermanas and I was just like wow. how blessed am I!  I am serving the Lord in Guatemala!  I love life!  This week has been full of moments like that :)  I'm just noticing the little things a lot more.  Like we will be singing a hymn to someone that honestly doesn't want to talk to us and I'll be like dang, this sucks.  But then I think, no way. there is sunshine in my soul today!  I'm gonna smile and smack them with my sunshine! So I do!  And they still don't listen.  Ha!  I'm learning to love these people.  They will usually let us in, but keeping commitments.... rare.  We keep trying though.  Never lose hope.  Sometimes that is hard when it is Sunday morning and you have been chasing people down and waking them up for 2 hours... but then we go to church; where people hug us and kiss us on the cheek and bear their testimonies about how hard the hermana missioneras work, and I just think, this is worth it. :)

We work a lot with the members here!  We usually go out with one a day and try to involve them in teaching.  It's a new thing for this ward, but we are trying everything we can to meet more people, tracting and contacting at doors doesn't really work for us, ever.  Ha the other day I made my first successful contact on a bus!  Or so I thought!  I was so pumped and I got the girl's number and she was going to go to church with us!  And then we called, fake number.  You could say I was bummed.  But then you just pick up and keep going! 

So we are teaching this adorable family, we met them my first day contacting!  They have a little son and he is 18 mos.  I love him!  The family is just adorable.  We are working with them and everytime we visit they make us food!  We will be like trying to leave and they are like oh but wait, we just baked a chocolate cake for you!  Oh but we just made ajote for you!  Yeah so ajote is good :) its like cooked green pumpkin. tastes a lot like yams with lots of brown sugar.  I loved it!  I've been trying lots of Guatemalan food lately.  Like candied figs, holy goodness!  Oh and fried platanos. :) fave!  So we are really hoping this family gets baptized this month.  They are so ready and were so prepared for the gospel.  But as always there are things setting them back!  I just pray everyday that we can help them in anyway we can! :) 

Editors note: Didn't she say she was eating Guatemalan food????

Oh so can I please tell you about the hilar transportation that exists in Guatemala! hahahahahahaha. So there are cars, lots of them; but there usually double the amount of people in them.  Buses, we ride them a lot, are like passenger vans with 30 people in them and 10 hanging off the back and sides.  We don't hang off, not allowed to.. but its hilar!  And 4 wheelers!  I'm not kidding there are 4 wheelers everywhere!  And countless motorcycles.  It's like the family suburban here.  I'm not kidding when I say that daily I see a family of 5 riding on one motorcycle.  Just mom, dad and the 3 kids wherever they can hang on! 

So hilarious story, yesterday we taught someone in English!  We received a referral for an inactive man that is an English professor.  So we found him and sure enough, homeboy speaks English! hahahahaha. It was kinda awkward teaching in English!  I'm so used to Spanish!  But that was really funny.

Oh I also bought Oreos.  They are expensive here but I don't care.  I eat one a day and just feel happy. :) that and peanut butter!  It's like 50 quetz here! goodness. 

dipping oreos in milk just like at home

Well, I love you all more than you'll ever know!  I think about you all the time, but lately less and less, which is good, because its hard to miss your family and have your heart in this work! :)  But every night I pray for you all. :) 

Love you so much :)

Don't forget to find joy everyday.  Don't waste a single second of your time on earth!  And find a way to serve someone today! :)