September 30, 2013

 

 

Hello Hello,family and friends!

I have had lots of questions about how we're doing here in Guatemala. Rest assured that,in my area, we have had nothing outrageously out of the ordinary. One day the rains came very suddenly, but that was about it. We get lightning storms every now and then and when it's really strong, the lights go out in todo Laguna Seca. But that's normal, so I hear. That happened yesterday. We had a very very strong lightning storm-you could feel the thunder in your whole body. The lights zapped and out not just in our house, but the entire village. I actually really enjoyed it because as no one had power, the evening was very peaceful and tranquil and the stars actually came out for us to marvel. Loved it! My companera may have been a little less enthusiastic about the obscurity.

This week we hiked up to an area called Los Pinos. It's about 30 to 45 minutes of walking distance and there's one family we go visit. Just as we arrived at their house (up in the mountain) the rain POURED down. They don't have a way to receive water up there, as in no running water,so all their water comes from the rain. A system of piping directs water to a large water barrel. Before we left, it was overflowing with water. I love hiking up there. We ended up visiting with some more people and we're going to try visiting again this week.

One of our investigators, Braian,has a date set for his baptism and is really excited about it. He's always looking up church stuff and loves to read and search the scriptures and talks to people about the gospel. What is this madness?? It makes me so happy to see the effect the gospel has had on someone else (and to have helped in it). 

We had a change in leadership in the branch. Our beloved Presidente Salazar no longer is President and that duty now falls to Hno Juan Campos. This change is something that is designated by the much higher up church leaders by revelation and not by popular election or a desire to "retire" from the position. It was a sudden and sad change. Ex PResident Salazar lives in another city,so we won't see him any more in the ward. He and his family promised to keep in touch however and will be visiting Laguna Seca frequently. Change is part of how we progress....even though it's sad at times.

 

We went without lights for two nights due to an electrical short in our house (besides the electrical storm). I actually liked reading by candle light. Kind of soothing.

Another thing I have learned and love...is that I feel like I can understand the scriptures so much better! I have learned a lot and one of my new favorite chapters, is Jacob 5, in the Book of Mormon. Previously, I had absolutely no love for this lengthy chapter about a vineyard....now that I understand it... is blown and I love it! There is so much we can learn in the scriuptures and I know it will be different the next time I read it. 

I don't have pictures for this week because the comnputer won't recognize my camera. Next week I'll have lots to share.Well, that's all I have time for! I love you all and hope you take care!

 

Sincerely,

Hermana Schultz

 

Exciting Week!

Sept. 23, 2013

 

    

     It was an exciting week, filled with lots of 'out of the norm' activities. We had a Zone Conference where the President of the mission came to talk to us, give us advice, and we get to enjoy some activities with the other missionaries. One of the highlights is that they feed us lunch. :) We enjoyed it a lot. President Stay always has some great things to say. 





 

     Also, we had divisions with some other Hermanas. I stayed in my area and my companera went to the other area. It was great, because I was able to be with an Hermana that I know from Honduras. (Isn't it so cool that I can say I know so many different people from so many different countries? ) She's great, has a wonderful sense of humor and is very good at teaching. It was a great learning experience with her and we had a great time! She is really good friends with Hna Sanchez, so we took a photo together in a blanket that belonged to Hna Sanchez. :) 

 

     The best, best best best BEST part of the week was Saturday. One of our converts came to the Noche Mormona and we watched a church movie that is very powerful. Afterwards, he looked close to tears. He told me that he had received his answer and that it was all true! I was speechless with happiness! It's TRUE!! Everything here is not the color of roses, but...it doesn't matter. He got his answer. If that's all that I can do here, that is enough for me! Answers come. Sometimes it just takes a little work and patience, but the Lord will answer the sincere heart.

     We had a record attendance in church yesterday and the Spirit was so strong! What a wonderful blessing! Also, I'm going to be starting a program this next week to help strengthen the ward and the members. I'm excited, and a little nervous. The instructions for this program were developed by a friend during his mission. But, that means all the instructions are in...English. Haha, hopefully I have time to finish the program here before I leave! This week was calidad! So happy and grateful to see the hand of the Lord in my area and in the things we do. He's here with us, I know it. :) 

     Cultural: Have I talked about the buses yet? The main form of transport to get to the Capitol is by 'school buses'. Generally they are painted green and red or with flames and sometimes have LED underlighting. Oh yes, decked out. They blast music during the whole trip. Every time I get off the bus I feel a little bit deaf. Depending on when you board the bus, it's either two people to a seat and relatively comfortable or, if it's the busy time of day, there are three people to every seat. Three people don't exactly fit in these seats, so the third person has a 'half seat'' and is sitting partially in the aisle. This makes it difficult when you have to swim through people to get to a seat. Sometimes, even with everyone seated, there are still more people that are standing in the aisles. Once again...very interesting to swim through a space that you don't think it¡s possible to get through, but somehow...you fit. I haven't taken a picture of this because I don't want a bus full of people to know that the white girl has something of value, but I want to take one! It's become rather normal for me now. My compa gauked the other day as we prepared to board a bus that was 'packed' but to me, there was potential. Haha, it's all about perspective. I'm becoming more and more Guatemalan every day.

That's all for this time. I hope you've enjoyed this weeks update. I love you all and take care!

Reunion de hermanas





Sept. 16, 2013

I Forgot to mention last week that I experienced my first earthquake. We were outside someone's house talking when the children all started looking at the bushes. I realized that they were moving without any wind and only then did I feel the earth quivering under me. My companion panicked a little, but I just couldn't stop thinking 'Huh, that's really interesting!' We were outside and there wasn't anything that could fall on our heads so I was not really worried about it.

In other news: We found some new people that we're going to start teaching. We have some new goals and action plans to change up how we've been working in the area. Still working with love, but just some new ideas to maybe help fulfill some new goals we were giving lately. They're all quite difficult to meet in our area, but...we're going to do our best! Not much else we can do.

We had a reunion de Hermanas this week. It was fun to get to see all the Sisters in the mission together in one place. There are 37 of us! More than I thought! During the reunion we had people give talks and presentations on improving our teaching and other aspects of the work. I had some concerns afterwards and talked to the President's wife, Hna Stay afterwards. My area is special, she told me, and in truth, we get to teach like Christ. Christ, in his ministry, spent a lot of time in the smaller cities and villages, not in cities. He shared his love with people and thus was able to share the gospel! With big cities, the work has adapted for that type of life....but us...us in LAguna Seca get to work as the Savior. I adore this thought and imagine Christ walking the streets talking to my Laguna Secians.

Food from the CCM at the Reunion de Hermanas. I was SO exited!!



 Family Home Evening at Yeimy's house. We made chocolate, banana apple crepes with homemade applesauce. SO TASTY!

 

Now, by popular demand, a little on the culture. Lucky for you all, there was actually something rather bif and culturally important that just happened. This weekend was the Dia de Independencia. Septiembre 15. Saturday there was a thing called Antorche. The people gather and run with a lit torch in memory of their liberty. That night, three groups of youths ran through the village, cheering and whooping, following the person who carried the torch through the town. Afterwards they all gathered in the soccer field where the torch became more of a bonfire event. Earlier in the day, all of the town (practically) gathered for presentations of the students dancing a choregraphed routine. Every grade had a routine and it was a competicion. We only watched a little...we had stuff to do and it made me really miss dancing. There were also parades that took place Saturday and Sunday in Cuilapa. We didn't see any of these because we were up in Laguna Seca, but the village was pretty empty of people.

 

  For Dia de Independencia, the village all got together in the campo because every grade had a choreographed dance routine. We only watched a little from afar. Enough for me to miss dancing, then it was back to work.

 

Alright, that's all I have time for today! Sorry it's such a brief installment. I have one more year to figure out a good balance in information for my letters.

Love you all and take care!

Love,

Hermana Schultz

 

Change!

 

Sept. 9, 2013

 

Well...it's happened. The change in companions. It was so very sad to say goodbye to Hermana Sanchez but, I now have a new companion from Bolivia...and she's new new. The significance of that is that I am now training a missionary! Holy smokes! Talk about intimidating! When one feels incredibly insufficient and still learning as well, I now get to step up to the plate and teach someone what I know. But she's great, she really is. My new companera and I get along very well and she's very smart and already has a pretty good grasp on everything. Sometimes I think she knows more than I do. But then there are moments when I realize that she really does need me and, quite honestly, she's experiencing much of the same doubts, fears and homesickness that I felt when I entered, so I have a lot of wisdom to share on that behalf. Interesting to see her despairing and realizing that was me. There is light at the end of the tunnel in dark places....I know it!

 

 





Introducing my new daughter, Hermana Romero.

 



Miracle of the week. One of our members fell into a drinking binge again. Every day we tried to visit and talk him into avoiding this or doing something to help himself...accept that Christ can help him....that sort of thing. Well, I'd run out of ideas. I really had no idea how to help him or what more to say besides...I know you can change and the Lord can help you. At any rate, we went to visit him on Thursday. He was drunk, but not completely. Before the thought even came to my mind, I was saying things to help him. I was firm, I was insistent, and I knew how to help him! It was an incredibly powerful feeling. The next day....he didn't drink! Amazing.

I have noticed it more and more lately. I seem to know more and more what to say, have the words in my mouth before I think of them and feel more courageous in speaking and inviting. I know how to study for people, I know what to do to try to help them. It's...amazing. I still feel completely unprepared and uncertain at times, but I am definitely receiving some angelic help, I think.

We have several new people we want to help make committments and I'm pleasantly surprised by the progress of the church in Laguna Seca. Has all this really happened in such a short time?

 

Just preparing for victory

 

Ok...I have received several requests for more information on the culture and things. I'm really not sure what to describe or what everyone wants to know. It all seems so every day to me. So...If you send your requests, I will try to dedicate a response to this end....

I'm out of time, I will talk at you all next week! Love you all and take care!

Love,

HES

 

I may or may not have superglued my fingers together when trying to fix my Book of Mormon.

 



Good news!

Sept. 9, 2013

 

 



Good news!

I'll be staying in Laguna Seca for 6 more weeks! We've been waiting nervously all week (mostly me), to find out what will happen with Hermana Sanchez leaving. Turns out I am going to stay there and will be bringing another Hermana there tomorrow.

This week was pretty much a week of farewells since Hermana Sanchez is going home. We had family gathering with Agustin and his family. We helped prepare 'ganaches?' which are tortillas folded in half with potatoes or flowers tucked inside and then fried. They are delicious!

We had a District Lunch in honor of Hermana Sanchez. 

 

 

We celebrated a Birthday Party with a convert's 4 year old daughter, Sophia.

 

Mi refraccion favorito! APPLE!

 

 And the ward threw a surprise party for Hermana Sanchez in honor of her farewell. They made tamales and everyone got up to say something about Hermana Sanchez. It was really beautiful and heartwarming. I didn't get any pictures of that though because I was busy taking pictures and videos on her camera. 
 

Did you know chimichangas are actually a dessert? If you want a chimichanga in Mexico, like you order in a restaurant in USA, it's called a Burrito. Fun fact!

 

We did work, really we did. It was just that everything tended to turn into a farewell. Needless to say, the week has been a little distressing with the constant reminder of her leaving. But, we I don't think it will hit that it is real until it actually happens and I have a brand new companion! Not sure if I'll be training, the President of our branch seems to think I will, but with 4 months already in my area, the chances are not very high that I will be in Laguna Seca for another 3 months to train a newbie. We'll see. I'll let you all know next week.

I think that's al I have time for today. Love you all and will talk to you later!





08/26/2013

Oh man, what to write. I don't quite understand why sometimes I just have no idea what to put after a full week of activities!

First, yesterday we had two more baptisms. It was Letisia and Everildo, the mom and brother of Gustavo, who was baptized a few weeks prior. How exciting that they now have each other as a support system in the gospel!

 

All those that came to the baptism this Sunday.

 

Everything went pretty well. We had a bus come again, but it was nothing like our last Baptism Bus.

;-)

 

Second, this Saturday the women in the church made pan de elote, basically cornbread. There aren't many people that have an oven here, but I was able to see just what an 'oven' looks like here. It's a big stone dome. Calidad! They made lots and lots and lots of pan! It was kind of crazy just how much there was! They gave us some. Then someone else gave us some...then we ate a lot in the Noche Mormona that night.

The stone oven! How cool is that!

 

 

Also this week, we went to the capital and were able to go to the temple. We arrived the night before to sleep at the house of some Hermanas in the capital so we wouldn't have to wake at 3am. We ended up making dinner with a family from the ward of the Hermanas. It was delicious, but a little weird because of the stark difference in lifestyles. I kind of wanted to return to my little village. The temple was wonderful, as usual and we got to spend a good amount of time with our District, which was very enjoyable.

District de Cuilapa. Yes, they're goofs. 

 

A night picture of the temple in Guatemala City. Tropical trees included.

 

 

Besides that, we had dinner with Agustin and his family (almost his whole family) and that was so much fun. I love the people here. Really, they are so wonderful and friendly. It's so wonderful to be able to be here and spend 18months getting to know people I would otherwise never had had the opportunity to know. And, when you share things of the gospel and have wonderful spiritual experiences, those relationships are so much more significant. It's going to be tought to eventually leave. :/

 Dinner with Agustin and his family. You can't see the people on the ends, but you can get an idea. We had a great time! 

 

We took family photos for Magdalena and her adorable kids. And.. Wow...I am really tall

 

That's all I have time for.  Love you all!

-Hermana Schultz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



08/05/20013

Lots of kids and Baptism

 

Kids love photos! If we so much as pull out the camera, they go crazy! These are only two of many.

 Madelin and Sofi. I just had to include this because I burst out laughing every time I see Sofi's face.

  

Gustavo and Madelin. Hanging out after Gustavo's baptismal interview.

 

 



This week marked a very special day for me. Wednesday was my three year 'aniversario mormon', as my companera put it. Besides a beautiful card that my companera made in the morning, there really wasn't anything out of the ordinary from our usual missionary activities. But I was filled with gratitude and reflected a lot on the many experiences I had that led me to be baptized. It was truly marvelous. It seems like I have known this gospel all my life, but it has only been three years! What wonderful experiences I have had since that time, and now, I am on a mission! Ok, enough reflecting on that now. If you want to know more about it, feel free to ask me. Now for the present:

This week has been ajetreado! We have been focused on helping our three investigators prepare for their baptism this Sunday. This meant that our plans often changed to fit around what best suited their needs. We helped Minday and Gustavo practice with the baptismal interview questions. They know everything but often get confused with the names of things. For example, we asked Gustavo about Repentance and what he thought of it. Repentance is the opportunity we have to forsake our sins and be forgiven of them (that's the long and short of it). It's a really good thing. But he said 'Mal. Siento muy mal...' No Gustavo...it's a good thing. We explained it several more times before the light clicked on. Cute kid! We also tried to get the permission of Gustavo's father. That was interesting. He's concerned about his son falling away from the committment he's made but he fails to see the connections that if he doesn't support his son in the decision Gustavo's made then YES, he could fall away. But if he supports him in this good decision, how likely he will be to continue. It's more of a self fullfilling prophecy. The father still didn't give his consent, but his mom was ALL for his baptism and is preparing for her own baptism. With her signature, Gustavo was set for baptism

Yesterday we had all three baptisms! Mindy Geronimo, Elias Perez and Gustavo Santos. Because there were so many people that were involved or wanted to go watch, we had a bus come pick up everyone and take them down to Cuilapa. I couldn't help laughing at the not very subtle bright blue and green bus that pulled up infront of the church. But it was a blessing to be able to use it and help everyone go support their friends and family members.

In Cuilapa, things did not run smoothly. The Elders were late to open the capilla, so we had to set up the baptismal font room with chairs for everyone and get everyone dressed in their baptismal ropa. Next, we moved everyone out for photos, then we filed back in to start. Everything was going great until we realized that the door to the font was locked and the Elders had left the key at their house! They RAN and Hermana Sanchez stalled while 'they prepared for their baptisms' by directing two of the slowest, longest hymns in the hymnal. I was trying so hard not to laugh. The Elders arrived and after that, everything went well. Such a sweet spirit in a baptism! I'm so happy for them and for their families that were able to be there to watch.

Had lots of fun this week playing with kids. They absolutely love having their photos taken and usually I'm happy to comply. There are several kids that love to follow us and give us hugs. I love it! Aww!! Such innocent, sincere love.

Funny story with Gustavo. We were saying goodbye to him and his mom. Gustavo received a hand shake and his mom a kiss on the cheek. He piped up 'I want a kiss too!' Oh we were all dying of laughter. So funny.

Ok, that's all I have time for. I love you all and hope to hear from you! Keep marching on. If things seem tough, push through because the Lord knows your efforts and will bless you.

Love!

Hermana Schultz

 

 

Our 'Baptism Bus' for the day.

The baptismees and practically all of the Laguna Seca members.