Happy Birthday Jack, and a Crazy Week!

(A letter from Jace to his little brother Jack, who is also a ginger.  He is such a good big brother!)


JACK!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey buddy I feel like a horrible brother for not wishing you a Happy Birthday last Monday!!!  I felt bad about it ALL week, trust me. I even wrote in my planner like 3 times!! I wrote it once to remind me to email you last Monday, I wrote on the 19th (in Poqomchi) " Jack's birthday" (see photo..) so that I wouldn't forget. 

So if you felt like I forgot I'm really sorry. But I want you to know that I didn't forget. I could never forget my little bro's birthday :) I was praying for you the day of your birthday so that you would have a really good day and so that you'd know that I was thinking about you. I miss you a ton buddy and I really just want to tell you that I love you and appreciate you a lot. I started thinking about that one video that we have when you were in the hospital for your fire ant bite and I came in and you shouted "Jacey!" and hugged me. (Even though I was all mad in the video haha) But you've always been one of my best friends. I'm sorry that sometimes before my mission that I didn't make time enough to hang out with you more and trust me that here on my mission I've felt sometimes like a bad older brother for not having spent as much time as I should have with you. But I promise that when we get back we are going to hang out a ton ok? I know that you look up to me sometimes because I'm older, but really I want to be more like you. You are such a righteous young man and a good example to me. Keep working hard to be more like Christ every year of your life, especially from your early age. I love you Jack and I want you to know that you'll always be my best friend. 

Ok enough of that before I start crying dangit! haha. 

Anyways, your email is completely blank, so I don't know what you wanted to send me but I didn't get it. But I heard from mom and dad that you guys did some really fun stuff and that you had a lot of fun together. I'm glad you had a good b-day and that you were able to crush the competition in bowling! Now you just have to beat dad. (and me when I get back! =P) What did you get for your b-day? Tell dad to buy you a fun video game for me =P Well Jack, I can happily say that this will be your LAST birthday that I will miss out on! Next year I'll be home! WOO! :) alright well I better write the rest of the family too. Keep up the good work Jack. You're a great kid. Love you and miss you tons!

Elder Norton

(PS- the last picture is me wishing you a happy bday from Guat) 

Hey Guys!

Sounds like you guys all had a great week. Sorry to have missed out on celebrating Jack's birthday with you all but at least we know it will be the last time that I miss out on it! So happy birthday to Jack and congrats to dad who won in bowling due to the fact that I wasn't there to school him. =P

Well, this week has been BUSY. In fact it's been the craziest week of my mission so far I think. It started out Tuesday when we had to go BACK to Santa Cruz to contract the house for the new area that was opened last week. The first person told us that they weren't going to contract with us anymore so we had to run around looking for another. We found another, but the guy was kind of iffy on whether of not he was going to give it to us. After to talking to him for like an hour, he finally told us that he would give it to us. So we had to fill out the contract which took a while, then we ate lunch and got on the bus to make the 2 hour ride back to Salama. We got back just in time to clean the house a little bit before the assistants came. They came to do divisions with us before the conference the next day. We went with them to work and I got to work with Elder Thacker who is a STUD missionary. I met him back when he entered into the Polochik and so he's a good friend and he's pilas because he knows Q'eqchi'. Right when all of that was happening we were going through the proccess of getting a few new elders in our zone because of the emergency changes. We got a call saying that they didn't know where one of them was at all and that the other 3 were stuck in Coban. So it was a joy figuring all that out with Elder Thacker. We eventually found our lost sheep and got him to his area. Wednesday was the conference which was really great. It was all focused on faith. President Watts gave a great lesson on exercising faith by setting and acheiving goals, my companion talked about faith in planning and how we need to plan for success if we want to have it, I talked about how to rend the veil of unbelief and it turned out ok, and the assistants talked about a lot of stuff. So it was a great spiritual experience. Thursday was the only normal day of the week.  SO, early today in the morning we got up and went to pay for the publication of Danilo and Reina's marriage in the newspaper and then we got on a bus to come back here.

CRAZY! 

So, that was a joy, but in the end it was a huge blessing because we needed to go to the cap to pay for the publication anyways. Other than that, Familia Polanco didn't come to church Sunday because they were sick, but we had all of the other investigators that had come the week before plus Ana who is our investigator that has read the whole book of Mormon who came for the first time. So that was good. We also put a baptismal date with the sister who came up to us last Sunday and told us that she wanted to get baptized. She'll be getting baptized the 4th of February. So that's awesome. 

Ok, a few quick personal comments:

Mom- The Q'eqchi' Choir sounds awesome! I'm really excited for it if it will be right when I get done with my mission!! But I am pretty darn sure that I would rather that you guys ALL come to pick me up. There really wouldn't be any problem at all in having all of you here with me. The buses are big enough, we'll be in all safe areas. We won't make the kids eat anything that bad, hotels we can figure out easily, and I'm sure that if I'm there to be on "peace control" that there won't be any problems. Because I really just want to see everyone. If not I would rather come home first and then go back to Guat later. Another thing, YES I am 100% ok with you guys getting rid of the old desktop.  So do what you want with it haha :) As for my package, the thing that I've MOST been craving for lately are...chocolate oranges! Someone had one in the cap and gave me a piece and I decided I needed one. Or two :) haha. Just that I think. And just so you know I love your guts out too haha :) Love you Mom. You're the best! Thanks for praying for my investigators!!

Dad- hey dad thanks for that great example with Samuel. I actually can think of a few families that REALLY need to hear that story! So thanks dad, you rock. I'm glad you won in bowling, but just know that when I get back I will have to show you my newly acq  (that's how his letter ended.  I guess when time's up, it's up : )