3.28.16 We Went To Mexico

March 28, 2016

Hey everyone whats up!! This week was insane for us, it was super difficult cuz it was semana santa, or the holy week. THis week was ridiculous cuz it's when every catholic in the whole world all of the sudden becomes an active, faithful catholic!!!! Ill tell you more about what went down dont worry.

                We knocked every door in Ixta. This week pretty much everything fell cuz no one was at home, so we contacted every single door in the city. We actually found some pretty positive new families that we are going to visit this week. IT was a tough week just because no one had work, everyone was on vacation.

                        But, we did find Liqo. Liqo is a 35 year old guy with 2 kids who is one of the head guys in the bank here, and we contacted him, and he wants to be a member. He attended church in Chimaltenango for months and months but was never baptized cuz there weren't any missionaries over there! He loves our church and wants to know everything about it. HE has a baptism date for the 23rd of April, we will see what happens.

             

  Some crazy things they do here,

.They make carpets out of  painted saw dust

. People walk around at night with ghost costumes on waving catholic incense chain things at everyone

. They crucify some guy who ¨¨looks like¨¨ jesus christ, apparently it's a big honor

. 2 guys run around stealing from the stores until the people catch them and beat them pretty badly not even kidding, then they crucify them also, one on each side of Jesus.

. EVERYONE GETS COMPLETELY WASTED

             Not even kidding, everyone gets drunk and lays in the street, it's pretty ridiculous

               Today we did go to mexico, we went on a district activity and hiked an hour out into the mountains to find Lemon Cave. It is a super big, cold, humid cave in the middle of nowhere! So we went in and hiked down some pretty skinny tubes until we got to the end and found an underground river in the cave! So, we went fishing! YEs sir, we fished in a cave in an underground river, in the pitch darkness. Haha it was super fun, was a great experience, even though the 5 hours in bus was a killer and i am so sunburned............................ but that doesn't matter cuz it was a blast.

                   Well ya, this week I don't have a ton of stuff to tell you guys, but I know that this week we are going to teach a ton of new families and by next monday I will have some experiences to share with you. I can't attach pics cuz right now the guy is formatting my camera memory, it's got another virus... haha but next week i'll send you guys some pics!!

3.21.16 Finally Had Branch Conference!!

March 21, 2016

Hey everyone i've got some sick news, we finally have a branch president!!!!! Only worked 9 weeks without any kind of church organizational help whatsoever, but hey at least we finally have some kind of branch structure! He is from Colotenango, he speaks mam and spanish fluently which is going to be a huge blessing. The conference started way late, like 9.25 ish , but hey at least we had 60 people there, we even had two 2 less active families in attendance!!!

             This week we had district meeting in San antonio vistas, like a 2.5 hour bus ride up towards Mexico.............. so on tuesday we left the house at 7 30 ish, got there at 10, then had district meeting, and got home at 4.30 ish, we spent like 60 quetzs in travel and about 5 hours in total............. haha it was terrible, and the heat was unbearable, apparently we are going to have to do it once every two weeks now which is going to stink, but i guess that's how it is up here in the mountains.

              My comp and I have been working hard and trying to find the people who are ready for our message, but it's been tough. Obviously there aren't that many references from members up here, so we've been contacting like crazy, but honestly we haven't found that much. Marcos will get baptized here within the next couple weeks now that Catarina is back from the finca that's in Mexico, so we are excited for that. Besides marcos we have 3 families that are progressing decently, but getting them to church siempre is a struggle here cuz city market day is Sunday morning................ Everything is half price.............. so everyone goes to the market, including many members, it's ridiculous.

                Well we actually don't have a ton of time cuz elsa marcos catarina and Soñia invited us over for lunch today so we actually have to go. But I love you guys a ton, I'm doing good and we are in pretty good health, i'm always learning and growing everyday!! Things should be more interesting this week, next monday I'll fill you guys in on everything!

                            Love you guys, have an awesome week

Elder McLeod

3.14.2016 Week 1 With New Comp

March 14, 2016

Hey everybody hope you had a great week, can't believe we are already halfway through march, it's crazy. I got a new comp, his name is Elder Yabarrena. Elder Yabarrena has 14 months in the mish, he was in my zone in Calvario when I was with Elder Chavez, so I know who/how he is. He is from Peru....... Hahaha but he is not a jerk or anything, he is actually a pretty cool guy, we get along pretty well. What's cool is that his parents have a restaurant in Peru, so he knows how to pretty real well, haha everyday we cook something new in the house!!! He just came from Salcaja, my first area! He loved it too but said it was super hard, he was there for 2 or 3 changes and did not baptized a single person, but they did find one of my super positive families and brought them to church one time!!

                Just so you know, my old comp elder Sims got sent to Cantel!!!! Haha so now he is going to be living all of the crazy stories I would tell him=) He is a little nervous, but i'm sure he will love it, i know i did.

                  This week wasn't all that exciting, we only had 34 in church, but 0 from Acal, so with the people from Acal we would have probably reached 50!!! This week my comp and I did a lot of contacting and we actually found some pretty rockin families.

                 Pricilla and her family is doing really good, we taught them lesson 1 and they said that they are going to read and pray in order to see if what we share is true or not! Her next door neighbor Doña Chay is super hilarious, she is a big lady but doesn't care, she is always cracking jokes and giving us food! They all love us to death and we sure love them right back.

                  Yesterday afternoon we were contacted on the edge of the city (which really isn't big at all) and we found a CHOSEN family. The mom invited us right in and happily invited us to share something with her. We talked a bit and then showed her the video of the black bishop that lives in england and his conversion story tied in with the book of mormon, she loved it!! She had a ton of questions like why are you called mormons, what does the word mormon mean, what is the mormon church, and many others. After we had finished she invited us over again to come and visit her, tonight at 6 we are going to visit with her again and with her husband, we are stoked! She has two little boys, it is a pretty young family but that is perfect!

                    This week just by contacting we found 11 news, we also discovered 2 inactive people, 1 that moved here years ago from another area, and 1 that inactivated more than 10 years ago and was forgotten about. It was pretty cool, this week we have visits planned to be able to teach their spouses and families!

                    These past couple of weeks we have been really struggling trying to get people to come to church with us. This week that is going to be our focus, we are going to try really hard to get at least 6 people in church with us, it won't be easy but it is definitely possible.

                     Well this week was a good work week, next week i will have more to tell you guys. I am growing and learning everyday, my testimony is always growing. I love being in the mission!!! It's the best thing ever, it goes by way too fast, but that's what happens with good things, they just don't seem to last that long. I love you guys a ton, i hope that you guys have an awesome week of MARCH MADNESS!!! Hahaha love you guys

Elder McLeod

3.7.16 Awesome Week!! Plus There Are Changes

March 7, 2016

Hey everyone!!! I've got some exciting stuff to tell you, this week was amazing, we didn't have a ton of success, but we saw a ton of miracles, but if experiencing miracles IS having success, then i guess this week we had a lot of success.

              The young men's leader here from 4 years ago was one of the most pilas members here in the branch, he has been less active for 3 years now. But, this week we visited him and had an awesome talk with him............ and he came to church on sunday with his daughter!!!! He came in normal street clothes, but he came to church for the first time in years! We were stoked

              This week we found an older lady who has been less active for 2 or 3 years now because she went off to Mexico to go find work. So this week we accidently found her, contacted her, taught her, and then brought her to church on Sunday!! i will explain how in the next paragraph

               So, this week we went to an aldea named Acal, this aldea has a bunch of less actives in it, so this week we went out and taught them all and got them all jacked about being mormons, and on Sunday we paid a pickup truck to go and pick them up and bring the to church, all in all just from this little aldea we had 12 people come with us!! Not to mention 4 investigators! So in total we had 16 people in the truck, and one of them is a man that is stuck in a wheelchair, his name is juanito. It was so awesome to see all of those people in church for testimony meeting, my comp and I were super stoked

                Haha Sunday was awesome especially for me, because one of the sisters here in our ward asked me to bless her baby, so I got to bless a baby!!!!! It was awesome, it was my first time and I was a little nervous, but she thanked me a ton after so it didn't go horribly.

              We found a new partial family this week, they are the funniest people ever, the mom is less active for about 20 years now, her name is Pricila, she has 3 daughters that aren't members. Her daughters are older, and they are all super funny! Last night we taught them how to make that lemon cake thing, they were so excited, tomorrow night we are going to pass by with them and eat it.

                 This week we were so blessed to have 44 in church, AGAIN! For the 2nd week in a row, this hasn't happened in years the members told us! We are super happy cuz more members are coming (lots of less actives), and we are preparing a temple trip for the 24th of march, and everyone is excited.

                  My comp has changes, but last week i was super honest with him and we had a companionship inventory talk, and I figured out why he has been so angry, it's cuz spanish frustrates him a tonnnnnn, plus other small things, but after we talked he felt a LOT better and so did I, we have been fine since. But, last night we got the call that he will be having changes, so tonight we will sleep in Huehue tomorrow we will go to Xela to get my new comp............... i'm a little nervous not gonna lie

                  Well we have to go, my comp wants to say goodbye to more people, i love you guys a ton, hope you have an awesome week and the beginning of MARCH MADNESS!!! maybe this year the trophy will be coming to GUATEMALA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love

Elder McLeod