April 22, 2014
hi daddy!
I love you!!!
The trip from Sololá to the city
was...interesting, to say the least. our whole zone had changes, so we fit 21
people (all of the companionships except one) into a 12 person bus. And all of
our luggage on top. For about 3.5 hours. on windy roads. Interesting, but we
didn`t get hurt. And that`s the good part, that we didn`t get hurt.
And I am now in Patulul, Tiquisate.
I`m with Hermana Johnson (who entered with me) and she is a fantastic
missionary. I`ve learned so much in the past few days. And our area is FLAT.
It`s so weird to walk on flat ground and not hills. And it is hot. And humid.
but I love it. It`s just different than Sololá. Every time we tell people that
I came from Sololá, the look on their faces is hilarious - it`s as if they are
saying, "You poor missionary. You must be dying of the heat." But I
can`t complain - it`s the mission. And I`m grateful to be here to meet new
people and have new experiences.
I think here in Patulul parallels
your experience in Georgia in your flight training (weather wise). It`s hot and
humid, and I love it. It`ll take a little bit to get used to, but I love it.
There`s a joke here in the mission about the city and area of Tiquisate - it`s
where the devil lives because it`s so hot. I laughed about that and now I
understand.
The members are fantastic and the
investigators are progressing,and we`re seeing miracles. Last night, a former
investigator (of about three months) told us that he wants to get baptized. We
have an appointment with him tonight and we`ll help him prepare for baptism.
You`re not ward mission leader?
What`ll you do? Maybe you`ll finally be called to help in the nursery! :)
What happened to your back? Did you
hurt it again or is it just from before?
I can`t believe that April is almost
over either. It just seems like last week that we started January. I feel like
I`m going to blink and I`ll be in the airport back home. Like it says in the
Missionary handbook, our time in the mission is extremely short. It`s true,
especially when you`re working hard and focusing on the investigators. The time
has flown and it`ll fly faster and faster. Here`s to giving all and more in
these next 9.5 months.
My first night here in Patulul was
fun - it rained really hard for a while, the lights went out twice, and we
found a scorpion in the kitchen (which was promptly killed and sprayed with
insect-scorpion killer and then thrown outside).
This morning, my companion and I
were talking about the Spirit world. We`re reading in Preach My Gospel about
the Plan of Salvation and we wee reading about the Spirit World. A lot of
missionaries teach the spirit world as two separate places, but it`s not like
that. It says in the scriptures two different "states" - a state of
happiness and a state of misery. I think (this isn`t verified by anyone, but
this is what I think, as well as Hermana Johnson) that the Spirits are in one
place, just that some are happy and some aren`t. It`s like here on earth -
there are people that are happy and some that are sad. And, like here on earth,
there are missionaries preaching the Gospel and proxy baptisms that are taking
place to help those who have passed on to accept and have the blessings
of the Gospel.
I love the Plan of Salvation. It
definitely is a plan of happiness. And we can have this happiness NOW if we`re
obedient to the commandments of God and endure to the end.
I love you, dad! I pray for you and
mom and our family everyday!
Con MUCHO amor,
Hermana Conover
April 22, 2014
Hi momma!
I love you!
I`m in a place called
"Patulul" in Tiquisate. It`s a little different than Sololá. For one,
the humidity. And the heat. The sun doesn`t burn us, but the humidity makes us
sweat a ton. There`s a joke with the missionaries that in the city Tiquisite,
it`s where the Devil lives, because it`s so hot. Patulul isn`t the hottest in
the area, but it`s a whole lot hotter than Sololá. And for this Sololateca
(citizen of Sololá, like Californian), Patulul is a different place, for sure.
But I love it here. The members are really supportive and we have investigators
that are progressing and I`m here for a reason. I`ve learned that, at least,
that we`re in our areas for a reason. We just have to work hard and be obedient
with exactness to find that reason.
sorry that you`re Easter Bunny
wasn`t there. I`ll make up for it next year. promise.
And Andy? Where`d that come from?
And Easter sounds great - they do
the "Semana Santa" here and go all out. The Catholic presence is really
strong here. And they don`t really celebrate Easter, just "Holy Friday,
Saturday,and Sunday." So we found Easter eggs and bought jelly beans and
gave them to our district today. :)
My first night here in Patulul, it
rained really hard, the lights went out two times, and we found a scorpion in
our kitchen on the ceiling. It was a pretty exciting day (and don`t worry - we
killed the scorpion with a broom and afterwards, Protox...aka, Raid on
steroids).
And my companion is Hermana Johnson
- we entered into the CCM the same day. She`s a fantastic missionary and I`m
really excited to get to work with her. I`ve already learned so much from her
these past few days and I can`t wait to see more miracles with her.
We taught a lesson last night (in a
recent converts house) to about 10-11 young men that aren`t members. one of
them is our investigator) and we taught about the 10 Commandments and how they
can remember them. We taught them and at the end of the lesson, the grandson of
the convert told us, "I want to get baptized. What do I have to do?"
He was taught by the missionaries before us and he was dropped as an
investigator because he wasn`t progressing. But I guess he just needed time to
think. We`re going to help him prepare to be baptized the 11 of May.
This week we`re reading the lessons
in Preach My Gospel (chapter three) and we read The Plan of Salvation
yesterday and today. I realized (once again) how central Christ and the
Atonement is to EVERYTHING in the Gospel. I love the scripture in Mosiah 3:17,
how there`s no other name or way by which salvation can come. It`s ONLY through
the Atonement that we can return to God`s presence and stay there and live with
Him.
I love you, mom! I pray for you and
our family everyday!
Con MUCHO amor,
Hermana Conover
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