Things have been going really, really well. First of all don't worry mom and dad about not writing me last week! I figured that you guys probably had something else going on so I wasn't really too upset. Besides it's the first time that both of you have forgotten so don't worry. :) Besides the time has passed by so quickly since then that it's pretty hard to believe that it's already Monday again. I feel like it's like using the internet two days in a row. So no worries.
This week has been one of those weeks where the plans of the Lord are made pretty obvious as for what we need to do. It started out with going with getting to know a less active and part member family named Familia Castro. The wife, Janet, is a memeber of a long time but the husband, Marcos, still isn't. He really wants to be a member and was going to be baptized but he couldn't because he can't get married with his wife. On Janet's papers it says that she is already married to someone else, even though she has never been married. So it's just a mistake of RENAP (the Guat government way of keeping track of all of the people here) that needs to get fixed, but since we're in Guat, it takes forever. So anyways, we just barely met them last Saturday. They are really pilas even though they haven't come to church in a while. They told us that they wanted us to come over with them again during the week to meet with them and a single mother, Fernanda, who was newer in their little community so that we could teach her with them. So we agreed to come back Tuesday with just the Castro Family and Thursday with the Castro family and with Fernanda. Tuesday morning we called to confirm the appointment (something weird to do for a mountain elder) and she said that they needed us to come over that morning to talk to Fernanda because she was having some problems and needed help. We got ready and left to go and meet with Hmna. Janet and Fernanda. We found out that Fernanda was very poor and that the owner of the house she was renting was kicking her out and that she needed to find a new house, move all of her things, and give the keys to the owner by 8:00 the next day. So we talked to her for a while and found out a little bit more about her story. Her husband left her with 4 kids, 3 below the age of 8, about 2 years ago and went to the US. After that she didn't have any way to support herself and did the only thing she could do which was open a little tortilla shop made out of metal sheets and a couple of posts of wood. She makes 1 quetzal for every 3 tortillas she sells so you can tell that she wasn't making very much at all. She had been getting some living supplies every month or so from a governmental group, but for some reason, right before she got kicked out of her house, they stopped sending her supplies (mainly food.) Everything pretty much ganged up on her all at once and she had nowhere to go. Luckily the Castro family had already had their eye on her and had been watching over her so that when everything happened they were able to take her in and help her out. So anyways, we talked with her and taught her about Job and about how the Lord allowed Job to be tried and tested and that everything happened all at once to him as well. We taught her and promised her that if she would keep turning to the Lord and relying on him that she would be greatly blessed just like Job was. Just thinking about what it would be like to be in her position and how terrible I would feel and looking at her 3 little children tears came to my eyes. I testified to her that the Lord had prepared the way and had sent us in her precise moment of need to be the answer to her prayers and to be a blessing to her from God. I promised her that the Lord would help us to help her to find a house and that we would get everything figured out for her. We left and got to work looking for a house. Not so coincidentally, I had just met another member of the ward recently who lived in some rooms that were for rent. After calling a few members, they refferred us to the rooms where that member lived. So we went and talked to her and were able to find a room at the same price of the place where she had been before. I was just so thankful and felt so blessed that everything had worked out so well with that. I know that the Lord truly prepared the way for us to meet her, to find her a home, to teach her, and I know he will provide the way for us to bring her into His Church. We have some work to do with her (she just recently found a man who wants to marry her and he is pretty well off to say the least. They are currently living together and he is supposedly trying to get an authorized letter of divorcement sent to the ex husband in the US so that he can marry her.) She works pretty much all the time in her little tortilla shop so she didn't come to church yesterday, but next week she says she will. But her new "suitor" came to church with us and liked it a lot and said he would keep coming. So the good news is is that the Lord is already blessing her with a better life. The bad news is that we have to wait for her to get divorced and married now. We are teaching her with members pretty much every time we teach so it's going really well so far. Be sure to keep her in your prayers.
Other than that our other investigators are coming along more slowly. We didn't have any other investigators in church yesterday except for a little 8 year old girl whose parents are converts, but she counts for the missionaries because she wasn't presented in the church. We are trying a lot harder to work with the members more. Luckily we are really blessed to have a GREAT branch mission leader who goes out to work with us for at least a whole day pretty much. He's a great guy. Now we are working on getting a couple of branch missionaries and working with the Branch counsel to get the whole branch involved. President Torres told me that the Lord has big plans for the El Fiscal branch so we're working hard to get the Lord's plans into action.
Today for p-day all we did was go to some fake Mayan ruins. And when I say fake I mean ABSOLUTELY, unmistakeably fake. Really all it was was an old abandoned pool place or something weird like that. But the picture I sent today is from there. Not quite as cool as real ruins but it's the best we've got here haha.
Dad- hey thanks for the article. I need to print it off and read it. I thought that it was going to be the thing that Elder Larsen and Elder Fadel did. They translated for some videos and stuff and had interviews and got some pictures taken of them and everything. That will probably just be on BYUtv or maybe in the ensign or something. So be on the lookout! I guess the good news about going to California is maybe getting some good sushi? haha I was talking to Elder Asdel today from California about sushi and I told him about how you went to California for work and came back a sushi fanatic. That's cool you are getting ready for another 100 mile ride. Holy cow, I think I'd die though riding in that kind of heat. Do you ride at night? As for next change I really don't know what will happen. In my interview he asked my how my Q'eqchi' was and I told him that I felt really good about it and that I was able to listen to the temple session in Q'eqchi' and understand it and he just wrote some things down haha. I talked to Elder Dilworth from the Polochik after President Watts went up there for conference, and apparently he had said a few things that pretty much made it sound like those who knew Q'eqchi' were going to stay in the Polochik. I wouldn't be too surprised if I stay here another change, and I wouldn't be too surpised if I got sent back up. Part of me wants to stay here (a small part.) I don't like only getting to be in an area for one change because I have already come to love a lot of people here and feel like I could do a lot of good work here. But at the same time I REALLY want to go back up to the Polochik. I just love that area a lot. I really want to go back up to Senahu more than anything. So we'll see. I'll let you know next week if I have a change! Here though, they only tell you that you have a change, they don't tell you what zone you are going to or anything. So we'll see!! Love you dad have a good week!
Mom- Hey mom! don't worry about not writing. It sounds like you guys had a fun time with the 'straulians. Now that you guys know all the rules of rugby you'll have to watch BYU rugby and cheer them on! We're like the best team in the nation! That's awesome you got a letter from Jared! I was just thinking about him and his family and everyone down there. We met this guy that we are teaching named Jose who knows a little bit of English and he reminds me SO much of somebody that we would have known in Dallas and wow it just made me feel a lot of love for him and for everybody down there. I can't WAIT to go back and visit everyone there and be able to speak to them all in Spanish! It's completely different honestly being able to speak to them fully so I want to go back and visit everyone and see how their doing. Do you think you could sent me the Diaz address and the Gutierrez' address?? I really want to write to both of them. And I think I'll send you guys a letter to give to the D5 ward when you go down. When are you going down there again? And just so you know I am feeling 100% better. I don't have anything wrong with me at all anymore. The cough is even pretty much gone now. I honestly feel totally ready to go back up to the mountains. Don't worry I'll try not to fall again. (although I think I'd be willing to fall 50 times to keep teaching the Q'eqchi' people.) But I love you lots mom and thanks for being so great. I'll think about things that I need. But could you send me maybe some recipes? thanks mom! Love you!
Alright well times up. Until next week!
Love,
Elder Norton
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