Changes all Around

Howdy ya'll! Que onda?! Well this week has been pretty nuts. In fact, it has been insane. I had changes and now I am in the city of Retalhuleu. It is pretty down here. It is hot, like really hot, and now I need to find a way to get rid of the sweaters and stuff from when I was up in the mountains. My area is called La Verde, or in English, The Green . It is in the zone Las Palms and it is pretty cool. 

I got moved up to District Leader and to me this is all a little crazy. In fact it's stressful but it will help me grow. It's something that I am not used to so that could be fun. I am in a district of 10 people and ya, well, four of them are sisters which is weird because I've never seen a sister in my mission until now. Apparently they exist and I have to call them to see what they did each day. It's all cool! We are also opening an area. This, also, is a new experience and also another good one. It is helping me learn how to deal with stress. The Elder that was here before was a good missionary. He just got super duper agile in his last change and stopped working. But things like that happen all the time. But I a pumped!!

The final part of changes is that I am training again. This time he is a a big tall huge kid, Elder Saunders, from Morgan, Utah. He is a rancher and just awesome and super spiritual. Unfortunately, I am not as spiritual as I'd like to be but I am getting there little by little and he is helping a ton. He doesn't speak Spanish so it is going to be really fun to help him learn what happens and stuff like that, ya know. 

I'd like to tell you more about my area, because I have time. All I know is it is massive and it's like five little towns, each like two to five miles apart. Oh ya, Tiquisate, a zone from here, got stolen by the other mission. Well, I love you all. Peace!!!

Con amor,

Elder Grant

Great Experiences this Week

Ey que onda vos! Hey, what's up everyone! Hope all is well. Today, and this week, has been pretty good. We found a few positive people so I can feel good if I leave this area, which I kind of want to happen. I am hoping that the next Elders to come here are super hard workers. I have put everything into this place, like even blood! Haha I am happy and without sickness. I am kind of stressed right now because my laundry lady takes forever and I can't give her my dirty clothes that I have because of the changes that may or may not come. Oh well. That's how the mission is.

On Saturday we had a super bomb activity. It was kind of like our last one but a lot better. We finally got the Stake President to give us permission to hold a Stake activity. It was so cool to see everyone in their traditional clothing. The clothing is so cool! We, the missionaries, did our Tongan dance again and it was sick!!! Everyone was freaking out and then all of their traditional dances were cool. This little tiny girl sang a song in her corte (traditional dress). That was amazing!

Yesterday I had some pretty good times with some members and even though I haven't felt like we have made a big different since I came here, the ward attendance has doubled. I can feel pretty good about that. (My English skills are terrible!)

I had an awesome spiritual experience this week. Yesterday, a member and his nonmember family decided to kind of give us a goodbye for those who are probably going to leave from here. It was super cool because it was also his brother's birthday. This kid, who just barely became an Elder, blessed his little brother with probably one of the most beautiful blessings I have ever heard. It was incredible. After, his whole family was in tears. Then the grandma said she knew that we are servants of Christ. It was also very powerful. This kid's parents said they are now okay with him going on a mission. It was incredible!

Well, I love you all tons! Peace!

Con amor,

Elder Grant

Traditional dress at our Stake activity

Entering the Rainy Season

Well how are ya'll? I hope you are all doing well! I am chillin' pretty good. Today we played soccer and it was super fun. I wish I could share some pictures with you but this darn computer has a broken USB. But anyway, soccer was fun. We played in the professional stadium. Some guys asked us if we wanted to play on a community league. hahaha It was cool but they get paid. They asked me to play because I just run people over and because I am a giant here. They asked Elder Sleight because that kid is HUGE! I am not going to lie, but I would really like to hike in Yellowstone, too. That is on my bucket list for my first year of being home. 

I am pretty happy God blessed me with an investigator and though she isn't currently positive, she is willing to try and do the things which we ask. Right now she is reading The Book of Mormon and I feel that will help us a lot with some of her challenges. Really if you think about it, The Book of Mormon helps us with everything. I love that, when I am having a hard time, I just sit down and read it. It helps a ton. There is also a section in Preach My Gospel that talks about how The Book of Mormon helps answer questions that really matter. So, ya, I guess I can say I'm really grateful for the awesome little blue book!

I am working really hard to leave my area all prepared for the new guy who will come in here. I am pretty sure I have changes in a week. Our focus is to find a lot of new investigators to work with.

We are starting to get into the rainy season and rain up here in the mountains straight up stinks! It is cold. I don't want to buy an umbrella right now because that would mean I would have to pack it because it's pretty much set that I have changes. When it rains, all the people think we are crazy because we just keep working even though we get colds. People here think that a cold is like stuff to put you in the hospital. The culture here cracks me up!

Well, it is time to go. I love you all tons. Thank you all for being such good influences in my life and just being there for me. 

Con amor,

Elder Grant

Well it Looks Official ... I Am Old

Thank you for the birthday wishes. I felt like a normal person clicking on things that were not mission related. The birthday cards were fun! I can't believe I am 20. That is weird.

This week has been pretty good. We had an awesome talent show. I am sending pictures of our zone. It was such a cool activity. The ward freaked out and everyone was screaming and it was just super cool. We got our recent convert to dance in it, too, with her boyfriend. They we so embarrassed though. We danced a Hawaiian hula even though none of us are Hawaiian in the slightest. Our dance turned out well. I wish I could send the video but it is too big of a video. Darn! A few cute little girls sang. One of the little girls is the one we baptized. She sang a song by Christina Aguilera. It was pretty sick!

I can't even explain how awesome our talent was. We ran in doing a little chant and everyone was very confused. Then we started the dance and everyone went nuts. Now they just wnt us to teach them the dance. We were hoping it would raise the attendance and it did a bit, which is great, but now instead of helping us they just want to learn a dance. There is a great story about putting the counselor in the Bishopric in a garbage can and the ward was a riot. I have never seen so much animation from the ward. It was great!

Other than the activity, not a lot has happened this week. We have tried to get permission from a kid's father to baptize him but the dad went off on a rave. It was really dumb. When people are stuck in their ways it is really hard to change their minds. We have the boy reading the Book of Mormon right now. He likes it a lot but refuses to change religions because he is Catholic. Those traditions a hard to break from. Maybe someday he will get soaked instead of sprinkled. We are also teaching a lady who doesn't seem too positive but she is still willing to learn. She hasn't progressed yet but things are going well. At least she is nice. 

I met this little girl today. she and her family are visiting from the States. Her family is here studying Mayan Culture. It has been fun to talk to them. I did get to eat some super good food a few days ago. It was the best fried chicken I have ever had. It had bacon flavoring! Woot!!!"

Well have a great week. Peace!!!

Con amor,

Elder Grant

Happy in the Mountains

Hey everyone. How are y'all? I hope all is good. I am feeling much happier now that we have had a baptism. I am a lot more pumped because it has been a while.  This week has been pretty fun. I got to go to a beautiful place called Grandeza. It was a best. I took some awesome pictures! I also took some pictures of my area in a panoramic view. It shows the beautiful mountains that surround me. 

The other picture is with one of the kids of the sister who gives us dinner. This kid is hilarious. He punches me all the time.  

The internet is being really slow right now so I hope everything comes through. I was on splits and I found out that I work a lot better in those places - out of cities. I think it is just because it is more open. I am sending some pictures. We had fun making funny faces for pictures. (These pictures didn't come.) 

Well spiritual ness of this week has been incredible. I have been getting a lot better at following the Spirit and even though I didn't find a whole lot of newbies this week, we did find some people who are really positive. The is a guy who is just full of questions and he eats up all of our answers like a beast! It is really exciting. 

I have me tend how we have had trouble with the Stake President. Well this week we had Stqke Conference. It was so sad. It just demonstrated the the big changes that need to happen here. Conference started out with the First Counselor talking about how the stake hasn't made any improvements. Then he blamed it on the missionaries. Then the Stake President had a very unusual talk. Hmmmm the Area Seventy then cleared some things up from the pulpit, about the President's took. It was great! Afterward the Seventy talked to us and told us how awesome we have and in 20 words we we left feeling completely better. It was super bomb!!!

Anyways, I know the church is true and Christ is our Savior.

Con amor,

Elder Grant

Baptism Coming Up

Hey!!!! I have got some good news! We are gonna have a baptism this Saturday just as I complete 10 months. This girl is super pumped and so am I and she's got so much faith. Her parents are totally against it but she just basically told them that their "traditions will not keep me from gaining salvation!" I wish we all could be like that. It is really inspiring. I had been really down on myself for a while up here, with the lack of success. But, God is really helping me out on this one. She is a reference from her boyfriend who is a buddy of mine from over here. He is an ex-missionary and now he is just being a boss. Hopefully this will wake up the members here. They just see us as home-teachers with name tags. I'd love to bring all the menos activos to church but really the majority of them don't want a thing and so I get frustrated with that. I also get a little bit frustrated with the racism but its all good!


Well, changes went well. We got a new zone leader. I loved my old zl but he wasn't always obedient. The new zl is Elder Clyde. He's from Hebert and he is a stud! But, he is dying this change, which means he's going home. He is sup cool and looks like he is going to leave me with a super nice bag to use for packing instead of my medium suitcase. Woot!!! I love free stuff.

Today, for p-day, we had an awesome party! First we played American football and then we had STEAK!!! YES! Football was super fun. We were just running everybody over and it was a party. My kid didn't like it so much, however. But it was still fun and things are just getting better and better.

I am doing pretty well here in the wonderful land of Guate. I am a bunch happier which is nice. It makes it a whole lot easier to work when you're happy. And now that I a happy I am pumped. Well, I wish I had pictures for you all but my camera is all broken and stuff. But, my birthday is coming up and so if ya want to send candy and stuff that would be cool! Well, love ya!

Con amor,
Elder Çollin Grañt

Well This Week

I baptized! Sure it wasn't in my area but I have taught the family a few times, with my Zone Leaders. The little 12 year old girl asked for me to baptize her. I love this family! I still have that wonderful Grant baby face and you can see that I am happy. You can see, in the picture, that cute little girl, who's almost white, and in yellow, she calls me "Baby Face" in Elnglish because she picks up on English super quickly. She even sings in Eglish even though she doesn't have an idea what she is saying. She sings Adele! I can't say I am totally obedient because the rule book says no kisses but this little girl kisses us all the time, on the cheek, when we leave. She melts our hearts. It is so cute!!!

Other stories. I went on divisions to a place called San Antonio or aka Saint Anthony!!!! What ya!!! So the place is a huge area. We walked two hours up a mountain and then down and then we fell down a little and screamed. It was hilarious. The cita we went to wasn't there at all so we walked that way just to see some incredible views and to fall down a really steep path. The story on this is funny. This is what happened. We got to this big path through the jungle. It was super steep and only polvo. Then my companion pushed me and said "Run" because there were a bunch of dogs coming after us. So, I started running down a cliff. Suddenly I heard a thud behind me and saw my companion sliding down the path. Then he hit me and we tumbled to the bottom. We landed in a dust covered heap and we just cracked up! It was a great adventure. Then we walked the two hours up the cliff to get back. We died at a members house for dinner. Woot! That is my good story.

Well for pday we have done nothing but we are going to watch Madagascar 3. Yay! Movie day, woot!!! I love you all a ton.

Con amor,
Elder Grant