ELDER COOK

Lake Atitlan

Super quick week this week. Biggest thing that happened was that we had a conference with 3 other missions from Guatemala. We got to hear from Elder Quentin L. Cook of the 12 Apostles. I only want to focus on this so I will be quick and update on things that happened this week. 

We moved houses today! Super goated. We now have Fulls for beds instead of twins

I got fleas, but, by the power of the priesthood they got cast out and I haven’t had a problem since the blessing. Shout out Sacerdocio. Saw my guy Elder Daniels at the Conference (flick down below). This isn’t new but my area is still the best. Definitely better than Fiji Elder Sprendie!

So Elder Cooks conference was probably one of the coolest spiritual experiences I have ever had in my life. I haven’t had very many life changing spiritual experiences but man this was definitely one of them! Elder Cooks main topic was focusing on talking to every person that we can. Obviously we knew this but he brought it to a whole different level. He brought up a lot of really good points.

-If we talk to someone, that could be their only chance to ever hear the gospel

-Our mission calls and areas are specific to us

-Elder Holland and Cook were companions on their missions

-What is our purpose as missionaries?

-Why would we wait to share the gospel?

-We always need to be inviting to church

-D&C 31:3-4

-We need to teach with the spirit, but if the spirit is there and they don’t accept, it is not our fault. They just aren’t ready

-We have a living Prophet as our guide. 

-The atonement of Christ is the greatest gift we have. We need to share with everyone this     message!! Investigators, inactive members, and members need this message everday.

My favorite part was his testimony for sure. The most powerful testimony I have ever heard. I wish you could have all been there because this will not do it justice. However, he explained how sharing very sacred experiences can be frowned upon and maybe a little sac-religious but he could share something with us. He said,”I know our savior lives. I know his voice, and I know his face”. This hit me like crazy. I have always been a big cryer, but when I heard this it hit me like a train. I just had one singular tear drop and eyes wide open. 

I’m not sure if he meant that he has seen God, or Jesus literally, or if he has just seen them in his life spiritually. But what I do know forsure is that he believes in that so much. An apostle of the lord simply will not lie to us. 

The lord lives and I invite you all to share his Gospel, missionary or not. I know the people we are teaching can feel our testimonies and the spirit will overcome them. Love you all 

Scripture of the Week:

D&C 31:13 “Be faithful unto the end, and lo, I am with you. These words are not of man nor of men, but of me, even Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, by the will of the Father. Amen.”

DyC 31:13 “Sé fiel hasta el fin y, he aquí, estoy contigo. Estas palabras no son de hombre ni de hombres, sino mías, sí, de Jesucristo, tu Redentor, por la voluntad del Padre. Amén”

Weekly guiding

Elder Daniels

The Gen

    GOATED AREA

Tough sunset

Week 1 down in Santiago. We have been super busy and wow it was a long one but it was fun. Super long days full of just walking and wow it gets real hot. I hate the sun. At night it cools down a lot tho and it feels amazing. The lake is still unbelievable every time I see it. Craziest sunset ever on Sunday. Can’t wait until me and Elder Grutzmacher baptize in it!

We also got informed we are getting kicked out of our apartment. The owner called and said he got deported from the states so he is taking his house back. Super L because our house view is so sick. However, I’m pumped because it’s super dirty and the bugs are crazy because of the lake. Our bathroom/shower is outside and belongs to all the bugs. They don’t stop biting either. So we go to bed in a lot of bug spray every night. Helps but not 100%. We're gonna move in with some members tho and it’s a lot better house with a great view of the lake so we good. We’ve been grinding lax in the house. Elder Grutz said he’s de-committing from BYU football to come play lax with me at UVU. Go Rines

Besides those quick updates, the work here has been good. A bit slow but we keep going. It’s hard to teach a lot of people because a lot of them don’t speak a lot of Spanish. A lot of them still do though, no excuses.

I am getting to know a lot of the investigators and members a lot better so I kind of have an idea of what to teach and what to say to them. Still super hard though. My Spanish struggles a lot. Members here are goated though. They always come to lessons with us and are translators and give their testimonies so it is a huge help.

I’m loving the area but I am still adjusting and am just a little homesick from San Martin.

Scripture of the Week: 

John 17:21 “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me”

Juan 17:21 “para que todos sean uno, como tú, oh Padre, en mí, y yo en ti, que también ellos sean uno en nosotros, para que el mundo crea que tú me enviaste”

Gratis checking out my family

B Ball night

Throwback to Boys in Cali 2022

(Ralph was 8 yrs old in this)

     W CAMBIO

View from my house in Santiago, Atitlan

Yo what up from Elder Inglaterra here in Santiago, Atitlan. Got transferred on Friday to the sickest area in the world. My new comp is Elder Grutzmacher and he’s a goat. I have gotten super lucky with my comps so far. Super blessed.  Bro is committed to BYU to play D end. All around good dude and we have a lot in common. Super lit. This transfer is gonna be lit with him.

I said goodbye to San Martin on Thursday. We had a last dinner with the Santay Family. Super hard to say bye to Sylvia, Billy and the rest of the family and friends. They all became my family here and I will be visiting them soon.  I would also love to see Billy in the States. That would bring me so much joy lol. 

However, I got transferred to the most goated area so it doesn’t even matter. I live right on the waters of Mormon. Yes Mosiah 18:8 hits a lot harder now. Other than the fact that it is beautiful beyond words, the ward here is amazing.150people yesterday at church and it is crazy different than a branch. I have gotten fed every meal which is lucky because I ran out of money on Friday. Every single person here also speaks a crazy weird dialect called Tzu-tu-jil. Uxla cha'a means buenas noches or goodnight in English. Super weird but they all speak Spanish so it’s fine. Only the really old people don’t speak Spanish.

Overall though I am unbelievably pumped to be here. Gonna be a great transfer with my comp and hopefully a bap in the lake. 

Scripture of the Week:

Mosiah 18:8 “And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light”

Mosíah 18:8 “Y aconteció que les dijo: He aquí las aguas de Mormón (porque así se llamaban); y ya que deseáis entrar en el redil de Dios y ser llamados su pueblo, y estáis dispuestos a llevar las cargas los unos de los otros para que sean ligeras”

Saying goodbye to San Martin and Santay family

Copped a signed jersey

Saying goodbye to my people in San Martin 

New comp Elder Grutzmacher

First launch

    

    HASTA VER NOS CON EL REY

Angel's baptism

YOOO super calidad week this week. I forgot to write and email on Monday so I’m taking some study time to do one right now so my fault.

First of all my guy Angel made a cool covenant with God and was baptized en el nombre del padre, y del hijo, y del espíritu santo. Super sick baptism tho and funny story. We don’t have a baptismal font in San Martin. Our options were pay a lot of money and get a bus, or pay a lot of money and buy a little pool to be the font in San Martin for forever. However, our branch President called and said we didn’t have enough money for either. He was freaking out like what are we gonna do?? So I called the big guns for some financial help. Thanks to mama and papi England we were able to buy a pool and have the baptism. We got it out of the box and it was massive. We were too dumb to look at how much water it takes to fill. We were just more focused on the height of the pool that we didn’t check how wide it was. So the pool held 3,000 gallons and we spent all day Saturday filling it up. We called our mission leader Carlos and he made some calls and pulled up with a massive truck of a lot of water. It helped for sure but we only got it filled about half way. It worked great but next baptism, the Elders will just have to prepare a couple days in advance to fill it up. Again shout out to the Padres on clutching up for the baptism before I leave San Martin

So yes, I am being transfered. I technically am not supposed to find out until tonight but my comp and I got a call from President saying that Elder Barber will be a zone leader and that I will also be leaving. So they are white washing the area again.  I was actually pretty upset. I’m ready to leave San Martin and I’m sure the new Elders will do great but man white washing an area is really hard and I worry that our investigators will not have the connection to the new Elders that they had with me and Elder Barber. I wanted one of us to stay for that reason but God has a Plan. 

I was pretty upset at first but then realized wait hold up, there’s a lot of people here that I have trust in and that I’ve gotten super close with over the past 5 months that I just haven’t been able to get baptized yet. Whoever the new Elders will have a lot to offer that I couldn’t and maybe they need other missionaries to give them what I couldn’t.

My spiritual thought this email is on humility. I feel like San Martin is my home. I have my friends, little brothers, big brothers, and my Guatemalan mom(Sylvia) who I love so much and thought I would be the one to convert them and share a life changing testimony that would change their lives. I realized though to be happy about this change. I talked about it in my last email, change is GOOD. Whatever I have, I am going to my next area because I am supposed to. Also, whatever the new Elders have will hopefully be able to share what Sylvia and the rest of San Martin needs. I have gotten more humbled in my first 3 transfers than I ever have in my life and I am so grateful for it. Super sad to say bye to San Martin but I am pumped for the new area wherever it is. Who knows, might find my real Guatemalan fam in the next area?

God has a plan for all if we humble ourselves and love him!

Scripture of the Week: 

1 Corinthians 2:9 “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

1 Corintios 2:9 “Antes bien, como está escrito:Cosas que ojo no vio, ni oído oyó,ni han subido al corazón del hombre,son las que Dios ha preparado para aquellos que le aman.”

San Martin font

Before

After

Cooking with Silvia

Go Ducks!  I love Kam