Thanksgiving

Well, this week has been slow again but it looks like it should be speeding up because we are starting to work with the members. First off I had Thanksgiving!!! Aw Yeah! It wasn't near as good as any Thanksgiving I have had before but it was still turkey that wasn't smothered in mole'. I love mole' but it was a nice taste from home. The apple pie was really good too. The dinner cost me 30 quetz which was totally worth it. But sadly, Thanksgiving caused some anger among an elder who is a little anti-American. Everyone else loved it and I did too. I'm not homesick though. I have trouble understanding getting homesick. As long as I am working I'm happy. I wish I could do more service but people here are very hard workers and won't let you help them.

I totally need to buy myself a hammock because they pretty much rock. I don't really want a bed anymore. Our landlord has a hammock and it's so comfy. I will definitely bring that stuff back for sure. It is still really hot here but that's alright. I just sweat all the time. It isn't so much humid now...just hot!

Right now our mission has about 180 missionaries especially since this mission is super tiny. I have heard that it's one of the smallest missions, area wise, in the world. But, it has a lot of people. In the next 5 months or so we are supposed to have around 250+ missionaries. That's crazy! I'm excited to see all the missionary work growing in the Church. I heard they are shooting for 300 missions, in total, in the world. I don't think Guatemala can have any more missions. It is just too tiny.

I'm totally digging Spanish. It is way fun to talk. The only problem is I don't know it yet. Hopefully I'll get it soon. My goal is to be really good by Christmas. I don't know how well that will workout. One of the hardest things is learning the subjunctive because we don't have that in English. It's really weird, but every day I improve a little bit. My guess is by the time I hit one year I should be pretty good. There are some kids who come out and never learn it but I pray that won't be me.

Only a week left until changes and I'm no longer a greenie. In fact, I'll be just a regular missionary. What's nuts is to think about how fast time flies. According to everyone else it just gets fast and faster. Manana we have interviews with Pres. Entrevistas!!!! I'm pretty pumped because Presidente rocks and rolls and jiggles when he laughs because he's a tubby man but a spiritual giant! I found out last week that I might be on my mission either two weeks more or two weeks less because we are lining up changes with all of Central America. I'll see how that goes.

I hope all is going well with you. Thank you so much for the prayers that I receive from ya'll. I miss you and can't wait to see you when I get back but I won't be leaving early.

Con amor,
Elder Grant

Doesn't this hammock look comfy? Are you jealous?

Apple pie for Thanksgiving dinner. Almost as good as home.

Thanksgiving Dinner complete with all the fixings. Worth the 30 quetz.

Another Tuc Tuc.

Cooking delicious food.

Me in front of an awesome waterfall.

Just Another Week

What's up my most favorite people ever! Well not a whole lot has gone on here except that it doesn't rain much anymore. Instead I just sweat constantly. That is super cool! not really but it's a fun experience because it's different.

Spanish is coming along just fine. I talk more and more in it every day. Which is good because I have a feeling my next companion will be Latino and then I'm going to be wishing I spoke better!

I'm just plugging along here. We haven't found newbies now for 2 weeks which is starting to drag me down. I've got to get this family we are teaching baptized or something. It is killing me with how slow our area is. Part of the problem is that people only sleep in my area. They work all day in Malacatan so I can't get with them because when they come home at 8, they sleep. PEOPLE SLEEP HERE SO MUCH! They are a super pilas family and I'm pumped about that. They haven't come to church yet. They have stopped drinking coffee which is a miracle because that's all people drink here. Instead the family has started to drink "morcaf" which is  like coffee but for mormons and has no caffeine. I wish our area was going faster but no one is accepting the message and its super sad because then I look like a chambon and I don't like that at all!

I'm almost out of training then I'm no longer a greenie which is awesome! Change meetings are super fun. Everyone screams and yells  - pretty much rocks! The pictures, I think, are of a torta and me climbing a water tower which was super fun. I also sent a picture of a little kid that is pretty much the coolest little chapin (guatemalan) ever! He can't wait to be a missionary. As he took my backpack he screamed, "soy elder!" which is "I'm an elder!" That was fun.  He's so cool! Well I was gonna count how many tortillas I eat every day but I lost count on Wednesday at 26 which is only 2 days of eating!!!!! WHAT?

It's about time for me to end. Sorry there isn't a whole lot going on this week but hopefully next week will be better! I've got one thing to say about Guatemala. It's super pretty. The only ugly thing are the building. You can look in the pictures haha!

Con amor
Elder Grant!

P.S. Holy freaking awesome!!!! I'm so pumped for Carly!!!!!!

A Delicious Torta. Yummy!

Climbing the Watertower



The coolest little Guatemalan ever.

It is so beautiful here.

The Sicktacular Earthquake

Well, I promise I'm going to write more this week because I have over 20 minutes. Whoa!!! Alright, first of all I am safe and sound! So no worries. I'll start about the earthquake. It was pretty much the most sicktacular thing ever. It was like a carnival ride. No one died here and there was no damage. San Marcos was hit hard because all of their buildings are made of adobe. It got destroyed and on a map it is really close but it takes like over two hours to get there. The roads here stink. When the earthquake happened I knew for a fact that the next morning the news was going to say "Terremoto en Guatemala" (earthquake in Guatemala). We had a little damage here. One of the tiles from the false ceiling, at the church, fell and broke. We want to do service but there is none to do here and the people are too stubborn to let us do anything. Darn them!

I'm going to bet that I have eaten more tortillas than all of you combined. I get them with every meal. I enjoy the food here. I may get fat because I get fed all the time. Everyone loves the missionaries, especially since I got here, just kidding. We get fed at like every visit and get offered rides all the time to places which rules! Of course, soccer might help me stay skinny because that's all they play here.

It look like we might be having two more baptisms this week one kid wants to serve a mission which is pretty much the sickest thing ever!!!!! he is a stud! I'm starting to study mam and quiche in my language study because I really want to learn them.

Well, Guatemala is the BOMB!!! I love it here even though it is getting hotter but for ya'll it's getting colder and colder. I miss you guys a ton especially since one elder is in his last change. He talks about Christmas with his family a lot so that can make you homesick. I get over it. Heck, I'm in Guatemala which pretty much is the coolest place ever. We have volcanoes and earthquakes. What more could you ask for? Oh, and we have the gospel which rules once again!

I hope you all enjoy the pictures. Sorry I'm a little scatter-brained. Love you all. Don't be afraid to send Dear Elders!

Hello!

We baked the brownies from the package. YUMMY

Workout Buddies.

Our newest investigator. He tried to run away but I caught him.

RAIN!!! Looks refreshing.

Just your average everyday ant.

Hanging out with the kids. The second boy on the left is getting baptized.

Want a ride? Catch a Tuc Tuc.

The soccer complex that we play in.

Love Elder Grant - the coolest dude to ever set his feet in Guate except Jesus because I'm pretty sure the Book of Mormon happened here!

We Had a Baptism!!!

We had a baptism!!!!!!!! and I baptized him!!!! and I'm definitely fat because those pants are a tad bit tight hahah. It was super fun. The guy is super hard working and this Thursday he is going to the temple for baptisms. He is pretty excited! I hope he keeps on working hard in the gospel. I can't wait to work in the temple when I get home. I love the temple. I am kinda mad at myself for not taking advantage of the temple when I was home. The temple is an amazing place and the one in Xela (Quetzaltenango) is amazing. I think Rexburg is amazing but for real Xela wins. I hope that maybe, when it comes time for me to go home, you can pick me up so you can go to it because they have it in English too and like five other Indian languages. But really it's beautiful!

So I love getting your emails. Of course it is the start of the week which makes it hard sometimes to focus on Sunday because I know I get to write you guys the next day. That is pretty much the most rad thing ever!!!!!! Hopefully this week I receive some more dear elders because those are pretty much the bomb too! Basically everything is the bomb when it is from home. Well I got a little baggy this week when I found out a family from here is going to go to school in West Jordan for 4 months. Then they asked me if my home was close. I said it was close like 5 hours from there and they said they want to visit little old po-dunk St. Anthony! I received a letter from a girl who I don't know but its fun to write her. She is the sister of an Hermana in the CCM. They are from Rexburg. Her name is Ashlynn Ahrendsen. That was just a fun little thing to receive from her.

I  have decided to write a list of things that remind me that I'm in Guate, like Ky.

1. poop all over the place

2. really really really big spiders! (I sent a pic)

3. spanish spanish spanish!

4. I never stop sweating.

5. Dogs here are dangerous.

6. Every window has bars on them.

7. There are no real windows.

8. Rice and beans. Rice and beans. Rice and beans. EVERY DAY!

9. my best friend here is a Mexican who only speaks Spanish.

10. I'm a minority.

11. I can't remember how pine trees smell!!!! :)

12. I NEVER get cold.

13. I haven't used a blanket.

Yesterday I had the most spiritual lesson ever. It was with the cousin of a family in our ward. She isn't a member but we asked her to pray in the end, after we taught the restoration. She started crying because she started asking Heavenly Father if her parents would let her get baptized because they won't even let missionaries over to her house. She lives in a different zone but I pray that she can get baptized. She says she feels the difference between her house and the house of her cousins because they have the gospel. That was super awesome!!!!

I've included pictures of the street I live on and a giant spider.

My street in San Isidro

Glowstick art from the package from home.

At Escol's baptism. What a happy day!

The view on my street. BEAUTIFUL!!! That's a volcano out there.

A giant spider. You can see its orangish bluish legs.

Con Amor,
Elder Grant