15/12/2014 - "Do.. do you have a first-aid kit handy?.."

Dear Family y Friends,
 I'm doing okay.. there aren't many Q'eqchi' speakers out here in El
Estor.. but theres enough that I'll be able to practice if I look for
the opportunities. I plan on looking.. I just have to figure out how
to control my companion first! :P
  It's quite the place out here.. I feel like "pollo comprado" or
"fish outta water" as they say in Inglish. Everyone out here (with
exception to El Estor) is pure q'eqchi' elders who speak like deamons
and make me feel like I have no idea what I'm doing here. We had our
Christmas Conference on Friday (we watched Frozen, I loved it and it
made me think of my nieces and nephews), I felt really alone there.. I
mean from being in the office I "know" a lot of the Elders.. but I
don't really know any of them! I got hit by a HUGE wave of culture
shock.. and may or may not have started to hyperventalate causing me
to get extremely light headed and almost pass out. Yeah, yeah, I know,
leave it to Hyrum to freak out like a little girl and almost faint in
the middle of everyone being happy and celebrating Christmas. I think
it's from the whole being so alone, not knowing anyone, not having
anyone to talk to, the pressures of my new (and probably most
difficult) area, pressures by elders to be dissobediant and my normal,
typical self not having ANY confidence in me to make it through.
  I feel like my mission has been a HUGE roolercoaster of emotions and
has left me extremely tattered.. I've never been so emotionally tried
by the Lord before! I feel like singing the Danity Kane song: Damaged
(hence the subject of the letter). I'm glad the Lord thinks I'm strong
but sometimes I don't feel like I'm as strong as He thinks! I feel
like I could break any minute! But I know that I'd never let myself do
it.. Mostly because I'd never forgive myself.
  I'm kinda excited to take on this LAST (I hope) challenge before
heading home.. I still have the hope of going home at the end of April
but if president doesn't accept my extention then I'll be heading home
on March 19th.. Probably arriving around 1-3pm.. That comes from being
in the office too long.. I know too many details.
 Well I hopwe you're all doing great! Love you all and hope things are
going super spectacular!

08/12/2014 - I got changed?!... Wha-?..

  I'm really quite confused right now.. I was just informed last night
that I have a change.. and I'm going to a place called El Estor in
Izabal.. I'm going to be in the Polochic zone?! I'm so confused
though.. I mean I always wanted to go to polochic before.. but I gave
up on that dream and decided i no longer wanted to go.. I mean I don't
really have time to learn the language! so about three months ago I
decided that last place I'd want to go now is to the Polochic.. and
now.. After crumpling up my dream, throwing it off a cliff and
watching it tumble for miles till it lands in a ferocious river full
of rapids and alligators.. after giving up on what I wanted most and
deciding it is now what I would never want.. NOW is when they finally
send me there!
  I actually don't want to go.. I know I'll get over it.. I ALWAYS
learn to love my areas.. and I'm hoping after being there for a little
bit my dream will somehow make it out of the river alive and I'll find
it floating on the beautiful lake Izabal.
  I'm still going to be District Leader.. but now instead of having a
district of 8 Sister missionaries.. I'll be in a district with just 2
Elders.. that's right.. in my district there are a total of 4
Elderes.. well 5 because the other area is in a trio (if my office
informants are up to date). I honestly have NO idea how to work with
Elders.. I'm completely terrified!
  The Christmas devotional last night was amazing! I especially loved
Elder Cristofferson's talk (me and my comp are going to celebrate
Christmas tonight because I won't be here to celebrate it.. It's going
to be great!). As you can see in the photo only 7 people came to watch
it.. but it was still a great devotional!

Other Photos:
- Me and Elder Vera on top of a 6 story building.
- We bought Hno. Nicco an ice cream bar because saturday was his
"66th" birthday.
- I had a cocoon above my desk in my house.. and thursday in personal
study it opened up.. I was surprised because when it opened it spilled
butterfly blood all over my stuff! And I guess butterfly blood burns
paper?! I'm suddenly even more scared of butterflies!

Hope all is going amazing with you!! Love y'all!

01//12/2014 - Tnksgivn! TrkyDay! NoMshdTatrs?!

  Well I'm super thankful this last week cause last minute we got
invited by members to have a thanksgiving dinner!!! There was a
Turkey, and rolls, and sweet potatoes.. BUT THERE WERE NO MASHED
POTATOES!!!!!!!!!! I was super sad! I'd rather have potatoes than rolls
or turkey! but then they brought out pumpkin pie and here in Guatemala
that's a rare commodity (never before seen).. so I was pretty
impressed!
  We also celebrated the birthday of an hna in my district.. She's I
think 20 now? I actually never heard.. Just counted candles.
  I'm so very grateful to hear from all of my family members that
wrote me! Tia Donna, Mom, Melissa, Cassidy, Logan, Spring, Sarah y
Granny Lou. I've never had so many family members write me before!
Usually it's just like 2-3.
  I can't think of any more cool stories.. but here are some
picktures.. New Pajamas, us waiting for a bus at 4am, and thanksgiving
picktures!
  Lez kiero mucho!
      ¡Xik xik we!

24/11/2014 - Week 5: The Return of the Dragon - "Waldo" Pt. 2

  This last week I got sick again.. but this time it was from eating
in a restaurant.. I'm honestly considering street food to be my safest
bet of surviving in Guatemala.. but here in rabinal I don't think I
could trust even that! I honestly have not gotten sick this many times
in all of my mission until Rabinal! Sick at least once a week! "Waldo"
that double headed dragon came back for round two.. that sneaky little
goat stuck up on me at 3am!! Luckily I had my shield near by and was
able to defend myself with relative ease.. I will have to say these
2-4 day battles are really wearing me down! Luckily I am able to keep
up the will power to keep pushing forward! I haven't lost a single day
to sickness and that dragon will NEVER keep me from working! (Maybe
because I never tell the mission nurse.. She's a friend of mine.. but
if I tell her, she tells Pres and his wife.. and then everyone starts
to call me about how I feel and if I'm doing okay.. and honestly being
sick for a few days, even a fever of 102°F doesn't keep me from
going.. My amazing parents have taught me how to take care of myself,
and cure my own sicknesses just by being smart! (I don't know if
working with a fever is really smart.. but just go with me).
  This week our branch went to the temple! I am so excited for them!!
ALSO a young man brought us back Taco BELL!!!!!! WOHOO!!! Tanto tiempo
sin comer estas casacas!!! but he only brought me back "Hot" sauce
instead of "Fire" :(
  I'm learning so much from this calling as missionary in Rabinal and
also as 2nd Counselor in the branch presidency.. I'm learning how to
extend callings, interview for temple recommends (for the youth) and
just how to be patient.. This next week I'm going to learn a lot about
how to reprove with love because that's the next step here in Rabinal.
this branch hasn't grown in 40 years so we have to whip them into
shape! No more going to church in Jeans, No more using catholic and
Evangelist terms! We don't "Pray for people" we give Priesthood
Blessings! if we're different then the rest we need to know WHY and be
PROUD of the truth we have! if not.. then we're just one more church
in the world.
  I love you all and love all the email's I've received!
Take care! ¡Que se Cuidan!

17/11/2014 - Week 3: Adjusting.

  Well I'm starting to adjust. I'm still a little scared of our
members.. and I have NO idea what I'll do when my companion leaves and
I have to take over the area!
  About two weeks ago I got sick.. It was nice cause I didn't eat for
a few days and with the double-headed dragon helping me I definitelylost a few pounds! (I'm secretly hoping I get sick again about a month
before I go home so I go home looking like a nice fit young missionary
and not looking fat.) I've noticed a pattern in the mission.. Eating
on the street has never ever once made me sick (but I always make sure
the place I eat from is more or less clean and I don't eat food that
sits out) but every time I get sick it's from eating with members.. And
this last time it was the food of a member that got me as well!
  Today I conducted sacrament meeting. I'll have to say, even though I
was really nervous I feel like I did a lot better than I imagined.
Maybe it's just cause I feel like half the 24 people weren't even
paying attention so my mistakes weren't noticed. I'm super excited for
all the stuff I'm going to learn about administering in the church!
the organization of the church is just so legit! Me and my companion
study Manual 2 for church leaders in our companionship studies because
we both need to learn it desperately! it's amazing all the new stuff
you learn in just a matter of a few weeks!
  This week for district activity we brought the girls out to Cubulco
(the city about an hour farther in than Rabinal).. They were troopers
and didn't complain once about having to travel 2 hours for a P-day
activity.. I felt a little bad for them.. but hey, it was once and
luckily they don't have to do it EVERY week like we do! All in all we
had a fun time. We hiked up to the letters on the mountain (down hear
in Baja Verapaz they write their city names on the mountains like they
do heading into Utah, Like "Battle Mountain" The "Y" and such) and
then later we had a BBQ which was really good!
  Our hardest struggle here is getting people to come to church.. I
don't know if anyone remembers when I was in Sayaxchè at the beginning
of my mission.. but it's a lot like back there.. The investigators go
to church just once and then don't want to go back because with the
members that are there they feel uncomfortable.. they just don't feel
the spirit! All the members that are more or less normal are also
inactive because they can't stand the members that are active! We had
a pilas new family move here from the capital and after going to
church twice and mutual a few times they all went inactive.. basically
in the time I've been here more people have gone inactive than active
or baptized!
  I'm loving it here and enjoying my new trials! it's nice to have a
change of scenery and new challenges! I feel like I'm in a new
mission with a whole new boost of energy! And I think a lot of it is
because I feel like I'm actually of use here! O'm doing things and
helping people and I literally CAN'T judge myself by dats cause high
dats here is like snow in Fresno, during the summer.
  Well I love you all and hope things are going wonderful!
Take et EASSYYYY!!!!

10/11/2014 - Week 2.. still alive!

  Well.. Here I am in Rabinal. I'm still alive but I've gone through some CRAZY experiences this last week! We'll start with the Branch..

  In our branch there are a total of 6 normal functioning people.. and 2 are older than 80. about half the ward (Literally) have brain problems and more than once we've feared for our lives from the members. (one of them likes to throw rocks at us.. during sunday school.. in the church) I'm learning a great deal of patience on who to work with mentally handicapped people and really do love them.. when they're not trying to kill me. It surprises me how strong they are too!! I could not get the rock out of his hand!!

  Well.. I actually don't have time.. and this computer deletes everything I don't send so Here you go! Remind me to send pictures and tell you about the llorona, Juan Reyes, and 

03/11/2014 - "Estoy muy embarazada estar aquí enfrente de ustedes!"

  Sometimes you make really bad English/Spanish mistakes.. luckily I've avoided them.. but I've had the pleasure of being present in a few occasions. Gringas mixing up Embarazada with Avergonzada is probably the best I've heard.. but I laugh pretty hard when the Elders say they're embarazada too!

  This week has been a good one! Me and Elder Vera are having a lot of fun together and let me just say Rabinal is probably the scariest and weirdest place I've ever been to, seen, heard of or imagined! Literally some of the weirdest people I know! but you all know me and if it get's weird I just laugh.. I'm ALWAYS laughing here in Rabinal "City of the Drunks".

  So I didn't get to be primary president.. probably because there is no primary.. but I'll probably get to teach the kids sometime before I leave. This week they sustained me as second counselor in the branch presidency and let me just say the organization in this branch.. in the whole district really.. is basura! I have so much work to do but I'm so excited to do it! It'll be like starting up the mission office again!

  I'm learning how to use MLS (the church organization program) it's almost the same as CDS except CDS is ONLY for baptisms.. MLS is for EVERYTHING! I still have to actually add the callings that were made 2 years ago.. that's how bad this branch is! let's just say the last branch president ALMOST got excommunicated.. and there's no other worthy member to take his spot.. THAT's why the missionaries are taking over his spot.

  This week we had a good turn out of 22 members.. I hear that's how it will probably be for a while.. but I have hope that I can find and activate the next branch president before I leave the mission.. that's my 6 month goal! Speaking of which we found a really cool (Crazy) less active that we're hoping to get back in church.. his name is Chepe (José) and he's literally the most animated pilas LOCO less active I've ever met! He contacted us and then gave us like 3 references and said he wants to get the church here in Rabinal back up and awesome again! I hope it's not COMPLETELY fake.. I mean he never showed up at church with his cousin (my future girlfriend according to him.. I've gotten so used to everyone saying I'm such and such's boyfriend or that tal persona is my girlfriend.. it's a frequent occurrence here.. don't worry though.. it's NOT a temptation.)

  Well I'm not sure what else to say.. If you have any questions let me know! I got a letter from the office saying that if anyone's going to send packages for Christmas that they send them now because it's dangerous to send them close to Christmas.. last Christmas over 30 packages got stolen from our mission. So not that I expect packages but if you send them.. send them early or late. Also letters would be nice.. and they don't get stolen!

  I love you all and hope to hear from you soon!