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.

 

 



8/19/2013

 

Buenas Dias familia y amigos!

Highlights of this week. We will be baptizing Leticia and her son Eberildo (12 years old) this coming Sunday! Eberildo went from being really hesitant to very eager. It's so wonderful to watch the testimony of people grow. We're so excited! It sounds like we'll get to have the bus come pick up everyone again.

Also this week, we had entrevistas with the President of the mission. It was good. It's more of a 'how are things going' than anything else, but it's nice to talk to him. I REALLY love getting to talk to his wife. She's so bright and bubbly. It feels like a nice comfortable conversation. Presidente seems really impressed by my Spanish (but I think he still thinks I'm training, so this might add to his pride in my language.) However, I've had many other people commenting lately on how pilas I am for picking up the language so quickly. I can engage in most conversations and they can understand me! It's a rewarding feeling as they begin to confide in me because we can actually communicate and they understand me.

At the Noche Mormona this week, we watched a Book of Mormon cartoon. As the video was wrapping up, Hna Sanchez looked at me and told me it was my turn to come up with a question for the ninos and to share the message. Good thing I was already brainstorming on this part. But it was amazing! There were probably over 20 kids and 15 or so adults. As I shared the message and engaged them in the lesson, I had all of their attention. I felt a surge of the Spirit as I talked about letting God help us and testifying to them of the truthfulness of these things. The next day, Hna Sanchez told me that it was a wonderful lesson. Several people had come up to her afterwards to congratulate her on training me so well and they thought I was ready to train someone! Wow! What a compliment! I'm not sure I'd be a perfect trainer, but....God calls us in our imperfections. I think it's a challenge I would willingly accept. We'll find out. I also don't know if I'll be staying here or not. Two weeks...we'll find out.

That's about it for now. It's short, but sweet. Have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Schultz

 

 

 

Elder Santos's Birthday party! Feliz Cumple 21 años!

 Remember how I said the streets become rivers when it rains? This is basically where all the water of Laguna Seca drains down the mountain. Whoops!...we were on the wrong side.

 

 

 July 20 2013

I know I keep starting with this, but, my goodness, the week has gone by so rapidly! How does this keep happening? At the same time, the things from last week seem SO far away!

We had a great week! We're preparing three people for their baptism this coming Sunday. Two are about 9 years old and the other is...20 or 21. They're all so great! Teaching kids has been an interesting new learning experience for me. Trying to explain things on a much simpler level for the children to understand is difficult in a language I don't know perfectly. But, it's been fun! We use a memory card game to help teach the children about things of the gospel and they just LOVE it! I'm surprised sometimes that they're willing to sit down for that long, because sometimes I start to get antsy for something else before they do.

One of our children investigators, Gustavo, is quite the character. He always tends to attract a crowd of other young children in his lessons, so we've been teaching them as well. The other day, we had the chance to teach at least 7 other kids about the law of chastity. This is basically not to have sexual relations outside of marriage and to be faithful to your spouse after marriage. Or, as we explain it to the children- No making babies (or touching the bodies of others) before marriage. There are other aspects to chastity, so we also taught these young boys to not hit their future wives or other women and to avoid foul language and movies. Whether or not these other children ever get baptized is not really of importance right now, but if they can remember what we taught them...I think it can make all the difference in the world. :) Also, Gustavo sits in on the lessons for Elias, our older invvestigator with a baptismal date. He clearly admires Elias and wants to do everything he does. At any rate, Gustavo was sitting in on a lesson we were having with Elias. We were discussing a chapter in the Book of Mormon where a young man is instructed by God to build a boat to cross the ocean! But he has no idea how to build a boat. We asked Gustavo how he would feel if God asked him to build a boat. Did he know how to build a boat? He was very confident that he knew how. We were all surprised. Then he very matter ofr factly began to tell us how to make a paper boat. Oh my gosh, we were dying! I was laughing so hard it took me a little bit to compose myself. That is not a boat I want to cross the ocean in.

One more thing I've really come to realize and learn with these kids and with interactions with the less active members of the church here is how important it is for these kids to have a support system in the church and to keep learning. They accept the gospel because their hearts and minds are open, but that's not enough. If they do not continue to learn about the gospel, they won't be able to have a sure support to help their testimonies grow. There are so many less active members here who were baptized as children and then fell away because they never developed their own testimonies of these things. It is so important that they continue to learn. I'm a little sad I can't be with them as they grow up to help instruct them. We can only try to build a foundation of support and learning for them.

One of the best things this week was getting to go to the temple! My companera had two families from her first area that were going to be married and sealed in the temple as a family for time and all eternity! They were people I didn't know, but I was so incredibly happy for them. First off, I love the temple and the feeling of peace and comfort and support you can feel within your heart when you're inside. Second, the promises that are made in the temple are so incredibly powerful. Every person in there could sense what a wonderful blessing it was for these families! I was a little sad to think that it was not a family I had helped prepare for this step, but that was only a fleeting thought. I truly was SO happy for them! I love these families a lot and I barely know them. I hope I will get to serve in their area some day and be able to know them more. Their lives have been changed forever and they are so incredibly grateful for it! One thought while in the temple was how much I wanted to help others reach this point and be able to enjoy the same magnified Spirit that I felt in the temple and with the promises there. It gave me new energy for my missionary work. This is such a grand opportunity to help bless the lives of others! I must focus on that. :)

Well, I am out of time! I love you all!

 

One of our investigators has 20 new ducklings. This is just one. Cute...but quite smelly!

 

We have a card game we play with the kids to help them learn things about the gospel. They love it!

 

Though I look photo shopped into this picture, it really is a picture of me looking over Cuilapa on the way down the mountain.

 

 

Companera and I outside the temple.

 

Us and the 13 year old daughter of one of the families sealed in the temple.

 

Death by studying. This is what I have to look forward to in another year or so.