Querido familia y amigos,
It´s been an interesting week what with changes and all. A lot has been happening and at the same time things have been back to their original routine after the baptisms. In the camp out thing that we had, I had interviews with the president and he had told me that I was going to train again this next change, so my compañero Elder Fuentes and I both thought that he was going to have changes. For that reason he was extremely depressed all Tuesday and we didn´t have much success that day. That night at about 9:30 the assistants called and told us that neither of us had changes but that they were going to close Cuchumatanes, an area in my district, and that we were going to take charge of it from now on. They had just had a baptism and they were confirmed yesterday. So... according to the assistants they count as our baptisms for this month... I thought that was kind of strange that they would mention that. Personally I don´t care whose baptisms they were as much as they got baptized. Anyway, now we´re in charge of two areas and it´s been a struggle trying to plan how we´re going to effectively take charge of the two areas.
I think now would be a good time to explain how things are going within my district. Last change there were 4 other companionships in my district. Las rosas, Cuchumatanes, and Chiantla 1 and 2. Chiantla 2 started the change I came in and were taken out of there 4 weeks into the change because the two Chiantlas were reporting fewer dats combined than any other area in the district. So now our Equipo is the three of us. Calvario (E. Fuentes and me), Las Rosas(Elder Griffey and Elder Monge), and Chiantla (Elder Bown and Elder Cuellar). Elder Bown I´ve know since he entered the mission. We met on the bus going to Momos for the first time. He spent the entire time I was in momos in an area called Racaná and baptized 9 people out there. Now he´s in Chiantla and still going strong. Let me explain to you what kind of area Chiantla is. There´s a city just outside of Huehue called Chiantla where they live. Then north of that, there are extremely high hills/mountains that we call the Mirador because you can see all the way over to Xela from there, the big volcano and everything. I took some pictures that I´ll have to send you some time. Anyway, from there the area doesn't end. It goes all the way up to Mexico. I would venture to guess that this area is about half the size of the rest of the mission. The only thing is the church isn´t out there, or in other words, there´s not enough members out there to have a ward or branch out there... until Elder Bown. This week he went on a 4 hour trip. He had planned for almost all change last change to go up into an area called San Mateo. There is one member out there who got baptized because her husband lives in the states, got baptized, and called her to tell her she needed to get baptized, and she helped him plan the whole thing. When he got there, there were over 70 people there waiting to hear his message. It was a big success and now they are making plans to baptize them all in a river up there, bring them down for Stake conference, and then start a branch out there. It´s been a joy to me to be able to hear the stories he has been telling me every night of his area, and I´m grateful to have the opportunity to be district leader out here. I´m grateful for the opportunity I might have to have an interview with every one of these people and be a small part of such a big event here in Guatemala.
I feel like my job here is small yet I do what I can. I have already been put in hard positions where I´ve had to chose between having friends and being a good leader. Occasionally you can have both but there´s always instances where that won´t happen. I´ve had to fight against racism, pride, and apathy all of which is very difficult to fight. You have to have a firm testimony and a strong disposition to fight against those even though you know how imperfect you are. I haven´t done a perfect job, no, but I do know that my testimony has strengthened a lot having had the experiences that I´ve had.
Last night we went to visit Hna. Irma but she wasn´t there, only her husband... at first I was afraid to even talk to him because he is a firm Catholic, but after beating around the bush a little bit, he opened up and told us his opinion. He told us that he was glad that she was coming to church and that he supported the idea of her getting baptized. He was also glad that his son was on a mission. He also told us how missionaries have been involved with his family for about 20 years now and how at first he rejected them every chance he could. Then when his kids decided to be involved, he told us of how they would only go to the dances and activities and how he told them that they couldn´t go to the activities unless they went to church on Sunday as well. I gained a great appreciation for that man last night.
That´s about it for now. I´m out of time. Until next time.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
Counters
Monday, February 7, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
January 31, 2011 Three Baptisms and more on the way! Awesome letter!!!
Dear Mom and family,
It amazes me every week how much everything is changing back at home. I have been thinking a lot as well about how much potential these three boys have and it's not going to stop there. They finally went through with the baptism. After that unplanned little conversation with Luis, he was firm in his decision. Mynor said that he still wanted to wait but for some reason we didn't feel the urge to say anything to him. We just planned for the baptism of Alex and Luis. The next day, (Martes) we called Mynor and he had changed his mind. It was awesome. My comp was teasing him saying he couldn't hear him and made him say that he was ready for Saturday three times. Everything went well. We got the signatures from their moms. Saturday morning we went and bought white shirts and ties for all three of them so that they could look all nice after the baptism and for the confirmation. The baptism went extremely well. I made a banana cake with cream cheese frosting on top and everyone still wants me to teach them how to make it. Elder Fuentes baptized Luis and Mynor and I baptized Alex. They seem so happy and I'm excited to see what they end up doing, what missions will they go on, and everything. The next thing is the rest of their family. The little brother of Luis wants to be baptized now and so we're planning on having Luis get the priesthood next week and have him baptize the rest of his family (those who want to be baptized) in two weeks.
Apart from that good news, we visited Irma yesterday with Jared, a newly returned missionary, her nephew. We decided that now was the time to talk to her about baptism. It was a very simple lesson. We began straight up telling her why we were visiting that time and asked her if it was something that she would like. At first she said that she would just keep going to church and then maybe eventually she'd be baptized. We explained why we baptize, what blessing we receive, and Jared gave a strong testimony of how he knew that she already knew that it was the true church. It was funny because until that moment he thought that she already was a member. After all of our testimonies, we decided to end with a prayer and asked her to give it. She was reluctant at first but with a little encouraging she decided to give it, and it was beautiful. She opened her heart and asked for a blessing on her son who was on a mission and to all missionaries, then prayed for the courage to be able to decide to be baptized. The whole prayer she was crying. It was a very tender moment. After that, we left knowing that the Holy Ghost had testified in that lesson.
It has been an awesome week and I haven't even had the chance to tell you about the camp we had. But I'll tell you some other time.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
It amazes me every week how much everything is changing back at home. I have been thinking a lot as well about how much potential these three boys have and it's not going to stop there. They finally went through with the baptism. After that unplanned little conversation with Luis, he was firm in his decision. Mynor said that he still wanted to wait but for some reason we didn't feel the urge to say anything to him. We just planned for the baptism of Alex and Luis. The next day, (Martes) we called Mynor and he had changed his mind. It was awesome. My comp was teasing him saying he couldn't hear him and made him say that he was ready for Saturday three times. Everything went well. We got the signatures from their moms. Saturday morning we went and bought white shirts and ties for all three of them so that they could look all nice after the baptism and for the confirmation. The baptism went extremely well. I made a banana cake with cream cheese frosting on top and everyone still wants me to teach them how to make it. Elder Fuentes baptized Luis and Mynor and I baptized Alex. They seem so happy and I'm excited to see what they end up doing, what missions will they go on, and everything. The next thing is the rest of their family. The little brother of Luis wants to be baptized now and so we're planning on having Luis get the priesthood next week and have him baptize the rest of his family (those who want to be baptized) in two weeks.
Apart from that good news, we visited Irma yesterday with Jared, a newly returned missionary, her nephew. We decided that now was the time to talk to her about baptism. It was a very simple lesson. We began straight up telling her why we were visiting that time and asked her if it was something that she would like. At first she said that she would just keep going to church and then maybe eventually she'd be baptized. We explained why we baptize, what blessing we receive, and Jared gave a strong testimony of how he knew that she already knew that it was the true church. It was funny because until that moment he thought that she already was a member. After all of our testimonies, we decided to end with a prayer and asked her to give it. She was reluctant at first but with a little encouraging she decided to give it, and it was beautiful. She opened her heart and asked for a blessing on her son who was on a mission and to all missionaries, then prayed for the courage to be able to decide to be baptized. The whole prayer she was crying. It was a very tender moment. After that, we left knowing that the Holy Ghost had testified in that lesson.
It has been an awesome week and I haven't even had the chance to tell you about the camp we had. But I'll tell you some other time.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
Monday, January 24, 2011
January 24, 2011
I am using a Ubuntu Computer today! I know that does not mean anything to nearly any of you, but it is what I used for my computer. The problem is they do not have all the stuff they should have like the English keyboard and I do not know the password so I can not fix it. If it sounds weird the way I am talking, it is because there is no apostrophe on the keyboard setting that they have. So, I am not exactly as excited as I thought I would be. Oh well.
The mission is going really well. We are having quite a bit of success here. We have 3 baptisms this week, Luis, Mainor, and Alex. Luis and Mainor are brothers and Alex is their cousin. We have been working with them for 3 weeks now and fighting against everything to get them to their baptism. Friends making fun of them and Moms telling them that they should wait for months or even a year before deciding to be baptized. We have been trying to keep their mind keen on the feelings of the spirit that they have received as their answers. It has been frustrating talking to them and them saying they will be baptized, and then coming back and them telling us that they want to wait for a couple of months. Then we teach them again and they decide they want to be baptized this Saturday as we planned. This has happened 3 times now. Each time I feel the spirit testifying of the truth. Today we have another cita with them to see if they still want to do it this week or if they have changed their mind again to wait. I hope not because we are running out of things to say to help them feel that it is something they should do. I think I have studied harder, fasted with more purpose, and stressed more this week than I think I have in my entire life. I cannot wait until they have been baptized. I think they all are going to go on a mission. It is extremely exciting to me to think of what they might be able to do as missionaries with such a testimony they already have. They just need to pass this tough test, win their battle with Satan. For the first time on my mission since my first baptisms, I feel like they are ready to be baptized. And, I am not going to let it end there. We're determined to teach the rest of their families. Luis has a brother who is married. We met him the last time we were there when we were struggling with the mom trying to convince her that he was ready... That was part of the problem though that we were trying to convince. This next lesson is going to be intense. Wish me luck.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
The mission is going really well. We are having quite a bit of success here. We have 3 baptisms this week, Luis, Mainor, and Alex. Luis and Mainor are brothers and Alex is their cousin. We have been working with them for 3 weeks now and fighting against everything to get them to their baptism. Friends making fun of them and Moms telling them that they should wait for months or even a year before deciding to be baptized. We have been trying to keep their mind keen on the feelings of the spirit that they have received as their answers. It has been frustrating talking to them and them saying they will be baptized, and then coming back and them telling us that they want to wait for a couple of months. Then we teach them again and they decide they want to be baptized this Saturday as we planned. This has happened 3 times now. Each time I feel the spirit testifying of the truth. Today we have another cita with them to see if they still want to do it this week or if they have changed their mind again to wait. I hope not because we are running out of things to say to help them feel that it is something they should do. I think I have studied harder, fasted with more purpose, and stressed more this week than I think I have in my entire life. I cannot wait until they have been baptized. I think they all are going to go on a mission. It is extremely exciting to me to think of what they might be able to do as missionaries with such a testimony they already have. They just need to pass this tough test, win their battle with Satan. For the first time on my mission since my first baptisms, I feel like they are ready to be baptized. And, I am not going to let it end there. We're determined to teach the rest of their families. Luis has a brother who is married. We met him the last time we were there when we were struggling with the mom trying to convince her that he was ready... That was part of the problem though that we were trying to convince. This next lesson is going to be intense. Wish me luck.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
January 17, 2011
I can´t believe you´re in freaking Hawaii! I didn´t even know about it until last week when you told me about it. This week went well. We´ve had a lot of success. We´ve been teaching 3 young men (and occasionally the mom) Mainor, Luis, and Alex. Mainor and Luis are brothers of 15 and 16 years old and Alex is their cousin who lives next door and is 16 as well. All our lessons have been really good and they´ve been learning a lot. All of them came to church yesterday and we´re thinking of having their baptism the 29th, if they´re ready, which I think they practically are. Sergio, we have re put the goal for 29th as well. Tonight we´re making french toast with Irma, Hans´s mom. She came to church yesterday too, so we´re thinking it´s about time we get serious with her and start teaching and working towards a baptism.
Also this week, I´m going to go visit all the areas in my district to help them in their areas. I find it a little intimidating, since I don´t even feel like I know how to help myself, but I´m hoping that I can just listen and know what to do. We´ll see how it goes.
In the mean time, ENJOY YOUR VACATION! I´ll let you know how this next week goes. I´ve been a lot busier these past few weeks, that I forget most of the time what day it even is. Often times my minds needs to catch up with all the things that are happening. I´ve got a lot of things I need to improve, I´ve realized, and it´s going to need a lot of focus. I love you all and I hope you have a good week.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
Also this week, I´m going to go visit all the areas in my district to help them in their areas. I find it a little intimidating, since I don´t even feel like I know how to help myself, but I´m hoping that I can just listen and know what to do. We´ll see how it goes.
In the mean time, ENJOY YOUR VACATION! I´ll let you know how this next week goes. I´ve been a lot busier these past few weeks, that I forget most of the time what day it even is. Often times my minds needs to catch up with all the things that are happening. I´ve got a lot of things I need to improve, I´ve realized, and it´s going to need a lot of focus. I love you all and I hope you have a good week.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
Thursday, January 13, 2011
January 12, 2011 Yay! Finally a letter!!!!
HEY! So... I have a bit of explaining to do... But all is good news, some of it even a little exciting.
So, this week went fairly well. We found a lot of people, dropped a lot of people, but not much more progress yet. Sergio didn´t get baptized because 1, he hasn´t received an answer yet because 2, he had a ton of exams this week and we couldn´t meet with him practically all week, but he did come to church and he´s all for getting baptized as soon as he feels he´s been answered. Tonight we are going to visit Irma (Hans´s mom) so we´ll see how that goes.
Monday... I didn´t get a chance to E-mail you because we had a Leaders Conference that night and I had to leave early on a bus to get there on time. The meeting went from 5:30 to about 11:30 and it was about all the problems that have been going on in the mission and the plan to bring the mission to the level of success and obedience that it should be in. It was interesting for me to be there because of how everything had been. I told president in my interview, coming out of Momos, that I wanted to do everything that I could to destroy all the rumors, politics, and essentially everything that we might be doing as missionaries, that could be hindering the work and our personal progression. So, I think it was interesting because president probably was already planning on this meeting at the time that I had said that, and he had already called me as a district leader. We all made a covenant that we would do our best to bring the mission out of the pit that it has been in. Then, yesterday, we had a conference with the whole mission. We´ve made goals and promises and we´ve been trained well. Now we have a lot of work to do and I´m excited to be so involved in such a great work. I feel the trust which has been placed on me, and at the same time, I feel the need even more for the help of the Savior in everything we do. I´m planning on being much more involved with my district, so there´s going to be a lot going on in the next couple of weeks. I still don´t know exactly what I´m going to do, but I have a ton of ideas. I just have to plan and organize my thoughts. President has promised blessings with our families for our faithfulness and effort on the mission, but he also promised trials for our families if we waste time and act contrary to the covenants we have made in accepting to be a missionary. He also promised that there are people throughout the whole mission ready to be baptized and that it is only our disobedience or our inexperience that prevents us from baptizing. I almost have 1 year behind me and I haven´t baptized much at all. I can´t say that I don´t have experience anymore, so I want you to understand that if I am not having success or if you are having problems or not being blessed, it´s the fault of either me or my companionship. I have more on that topic that I found in my studies, but I don´t have my notes with me, so I´ll have to share them with you some other time.
I love you all and I want you to know that I´m doing great.
Until next time.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
So, this week went fairly well. We found a lot of people, dropped a lot of people, but not much more progress yet. Sergio didn´t get baptized because 1, he hasn´t received an answer yet because 2, he had a ton of exams this week and we couldn´t meet with him practically all week, but he did come to church and he´s all for getting baptized as soon as he feels he´s been answered. Tonight we are going to visit Irma (Hans´s mom) so we´ll see how that goes.
Monday... I didn´t get a chance to E-mail you because we had a Leaders Conference that night and I had to leave early on a bus to get there on time. The meeting went from 5:30 to about 11:30 and it was about all the problems that have been going on in the mission and the plan to bring the mission to the level of success and obedience that it should be in. It was interesting for me to be there because of how everything had been. I told president in my interview, coming out of Momos, that I wanted to do everything that I could to destroy all the rumors, politics, and essentially everything that we might be doing as missionaries, that could be hindering the work and our personal progression. So, I think it was interesting because president probably was already planning on this meeting at the time that I had said that, and he had already called me as a district leader. We all made a covenant that we would do our best to bring the mission out of the pit that it has been in. Then, yesterday, we had a conference with the whole mission. We´ve made goals and promises and we´ve been trained well. Now we have a lot of work to do and I´m excited to be so involved in such a great work. I feel the trust which has been placed on me, and at the same time, I feel the need even more for the help of the Savior in everything we do. I´m planning on being much more involved with my district, so there´s going to be a lot going on in the next couple of weeks. I still don´t know exactly what I´m going to do, but I have a ton of ideas. I just have to plan and organize my thoughts. President has promised blessings with our families for our faithfulness and effort on the mission, but he also promised trials for our families if we waste time and act contrary to the covenants we have made in accepting to be a missionary. He also promised that there are people throughout the whole mission ready to be baptized and that it is only our disobedience or our inexperience that prevents us from baptizing. I almost have 1 year behind me and I haven´t baptized much at all. I can´t say that I don´t have experience anymore, so I want you to understand that if I am not having success or if you are having problems or not being blessed, it´s the fault of either me or my companionship. I have more on that topic that I found in my studies, but I don´t have my notes with me, so I´ll have to share them with you some other time.
I love you all and I want you to know that I´m doing great.
Until next time.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
Monday, January 3, 2011
January 3, 2011
Hey! Is it 2011 already!! I can´t believe it. I don´t know where all the time has gone.
I can´t believe how many babies I keep hearing about! It´s almost like every week I hear about another baby. I´m not going to know anyone when I get home!
Well, while you´ve all been freezing up there, weather has been generally hot during the day and only a little nippy at night. My comp is "dieing from the cold" And I´m loving not having to deal with any snow. I may have missed the snow for Christmas, but it wasn´t really even Christmas, just another work day... and I kind of liked it that way. Something about just being tranquilo the whole time was just kind of nice.
This week has been kind of interesting. With the holidays, the only thing people are thinking about here are Tamales :P, buying fireworks, and getting drunk. That being said, we had a few thing happen that were kind of interesting. First of all, we had an activity in the church so that Serjio could get acquainted with some of the other jovenes in the ward. We went to pick him up but he said he was feeling a little sick and couldn´t come. We told him he was still invited if he changed his mind, and went to prepare. The plan was to watch the Testaments and eat pizza and banana bread. :) The amazing thing is Serjio ended up coming and even brought his friend. The whole time Serjio (our investigator) was explaining stuff that he knew from reading in the Book of Mormon to his friend who we hadn´t even met yet. His fecha boutismal is for the 8th, this Saturday, but we haven´t been able to squeeze a cita with him since we put the fecha, until tonight, so we have a lot of work to do to make sure he´s ready for it. Despite whether or not he gets baptized this week, I´m sure he will eventually get baptized, because he´s sincere and is doing what we tell him to.
The other thing that happened this week was kind of interesting. We were going about buying material for banana bread to make and give out to some members for the holidays, when a lady asked what we were going to make with all the flour, oil, and sugar we were buying. She happened to be someone my comp already knew. Her son has just left for his mission, but she isn´t a member, she´s Catholic. We talked about her son being in the CCM and I could feel her concern because she had no idea what her son was doing. So, we told her that we had some photos of the CCM that we could show her some day if she´d like. We left it at that. Saturday, we were going about "contacting" which really means having nothing to do, so aimlessly looking for someone who will listen to us. Not even any of the references we had would talk to us. So... we talked about it and decided to go back home to analyze what we were doing wrong. We studied how to find people to teach for an hour and then talked about it. During my study, this same lady (her name is Irma) came to my mind. I suggested it to my companion and we ended up doing that, that night. We showed her pictures on my DVD player and talked about what her son was doing. She seemed even more desperate because her son hasn´t been able to get his e-mail up and running yet, so he couldn´t e-mail them. After that, we decided to show the movie "Finding Faith in Christ". After watching that, we bore our testimonies, (us and her children who are members) and then we told her that she was always invited to church on Sundays. To our excitement, she came, and the members were so receiving and took the time to go to her and talk to her and befriend her. It was awesome. So we´ll have to see how this next week goes with her.
Things are going well here. I love you all and I miss you very much. I´ll talk to you next week. In the mean time, try not to freeze :)
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
I can´t believe how many babies I keep hearing about! It´s almost like every week I hear about another baby. I´m not going to know anyone when I get home!
Well, while you´ve all been freezing up there, weather has been generally hot during the day and only a little nippy at night. My comp is "dieing from the cold" And I´m loving not having to deal with any snow. I may have missed the snow for Christmas, but it wasn´t really even Christmas, just another work day... and I kind of liked it that way. Something about just being tranquilo the whole time was just kind of nice.
This week has been kind of interesting. With the holidays, the only thing people are thinking about here are Tamales :P, buying fireworks, and getting drunk. That being said, we had a few thing happen that were kind of interesting. First of all, we had an activity in the church so that Serjio could get acquainted with some of the other jovenes in the ward. We went to pick him up but he said he was feeling a little sick and couldn´t come. We told him he was still invited if he changed his mind, and went to prepare. The plan was to watch the Testaments and eat pizza and banana bread. :) The amazing thing is Serjio ended up coming and even brought his friend. The whole time Serjio (our investigator) was explaining stuff that he knew from reading in the Book of Mormon to his friend who we hadn´t even met yet. His fecha boutismal is for the 8th, this Saturday, but we haven´t been able to squeeze a cita with him since we put the fecha, until tonight, so we have a lot of work to do to make sure he´s ready for it. Despite whether or not he gets baptized this week, I´m sure he will eventually get baptized, because he´s sincere and is doing what we tell him to.
The other thing that happened this week was kind of interesting. We were going about buying material for banana bread to make and give out to some members for the holidays, when a lady asked what we were going to make with all the flour, oil, and sugar we were buying. She happened to be someone my comp already knew. Her son has just left for his mission, but she isn´t a member, she´s Catholic. We talked about her son being in the CCM and I could feel her concern because she had no idea what her son was doing. So, we told her that we had some photos of the CCM that we could show her some day if she´d like. We left it at that. Saturday, we were going about "contacting" which really means having nothing to do, so aimlessly looking for someone who will listen to us. Not even any of the references we had would talk to us. So... we talked about it and decided to go back home to analyze what we were doing wrong. We studied how to find people to teach for an hour and then talked about it. During my study, this same lady (her name is Irma) came to my mind. I suggested it to my companion and we ended up doing that, that night. We showed her pictures on my DVD player and talked about what her son was doing. She seemed even more desperate because her son hasn´t been able to get his e-mail up and running yet, so he couldn´t e-mail them. After that, we decided to show the movie "Finding Faith in Christ". After watching that, we bore our testimonies, (us and her children who are members) and then we told her that she was always invited to church on Sundays. To our excitement, she came, and the members were so receiving and took the time to go to her and talk to her and befriend her. It was awesome. So we´ll have to see how this next week goes with her.
Things are going well here. I love you all and I miss you very much. I´ll talk to you next week. In the mean time, try not to freeze :)
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
December 27, 2010
I´m sorry I haven´t been able to put you more at ease. I don´t know why I haven´t been able to say the way things really are or to put you at ease. I find one of my hardest things to do is communicate the good. I´m always wanting to make things better but I really am enjoying the mission. One thing I have learned is to enjoy problems. It´s the conquering of those problems or the successful endurance that brings satisfaction. I would really be bored out of my mind if there wasn´t some problem to solve.
So I do have a baptismal date for the 8th. He´s really positive. He didn´t come to church this Sunday but that´s because his grandma was in the hospital. However, he has been reading the book of Mormon and I´m really excited. I´m praying that Sergio will get his answer of the truth because he is reading. We have one other investigator right now and somewhere around 8 references that we need to contact still. It´s awesome that the members are willing to participate. I have a lot of work to do in my district. The data they´ve been reporting, reflect that they may not understand (as I still don´t quite understand) how to work effectively. They are working but none of them are getting very positive results. I know how that feels, so I don´t blame them too much, but I do feel the responsibility to do all that I know how and learn all that I don´t know, to invite success into this district. I´m determined to do the best I can to be the leader that the Lord would have me be. I know that if I follow my favorite scripture ( which has been my favorite scripture since the CCM D&C 121) and lead by example and show patience, love, and concern for the areas and the missionaries, and they begin to change things and start to have success, not only will they be having success, but they will also be happier.
As things are, I´m still just learning how to be a leader and I will make mistakes. I don´t expect to be perfect but I have faith that I can do much with what I´ve been given. I believe now is a good time with lots of fruits to have, so wish me luck as I go foreward. I will try hard to get some pictures and stuff for you so you can see what is going on as well. I love you all and I´m greatful for such a great family who loves me and is such a great support to me. Wish me luck and I´ll let you how things go next week.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
So I do have a baptismal date for the 8th. He´s really positive. He didn´t come to church this Sunday but that´s because his grandma was in the hospital. However, he has been reading the book of Mormon and I´m really excited. I´m praying that Sergio will get his answer of the truth because he is reading. We have one other investigator right now and somewhere around 8 references that we need to contact still. It´s awesome that the members are willing to participate. I have a lot of work to do in my district. The data they´ve been reporting, reflect that they may not understand (as I still don´t quite understand) how to work effectively. They are working but none of them are getting very positive results. I know how that feels, so I don´t blame them too much, but I do feel the responsibility to do all that I know how and learn all that I don´t know, to invite success into this district. I´m determined to do the best I can to be the leader that the Lord would have me be. I know that if I follow my favorite scripture ( which has been my favorite scripture since the CCM D&C 121) and lead by example and show patience, love, and concern for the areas and the missionaries, and they begin to change things and start to have success, not only will they be having success, but they will also be happier.
As things are, I´m still just learning how to be a leader and I will make mistakes. I don´t expect to be perfect but I have faith that I can do much with what I´ve been given. I believe now is a good time with lots of fruits to have, so wish me luck as I go foreward. I will try hard to get some pictures and stuff for you so you can see what is going on as well. I love you all and I´m greatful for such a great family who loves me and is such a great support to me. Wish me luck and I´ll let you how things go next week.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
December 25, 2010 Christmas Phone Call!!!!
Our phone call from Landon on Christmas was AWESOME!!!! He is doing very well and sounded so good and very upbeat. He sounds more confident and was much more talkative than on Mother's Day! He is growing so much. He was transferred a couple of days before Christmas and is the new district leader in Huehuetenango. He said the they have restructured things and a district leader is like the zone leaders used to be. There are 4 areas in his district. Huehue is the second largest city in his mission. I am relieved that he is out of the jungle and back among civilization, where he can get food and supplies more easily. However, I am grateful for the lessons he learned in Momos, and how much he grew spiritually there. His mission president told him that he chooses his leaders out of Momos, because it either makes or breaks an Elder. Landon passed with flying colors, and his president said he has much in store for him. He is excited about this change and the new challenges and opportunities he will have there. He said the members there are very involved and give referrals often. He loves his mission and is grateful for the lessons he is learning. His Spanish is coming along really well and he even has a little bit of an accent. It was so fun to hear his voice and laugh again. It filled our home with joy that lingered throughout the day. He said he is amazed at the love that the Guatemalan people have for a stranger like him. He does a lot of service and is enjoying that as well. His new companion is Elder Fuentes from Honduras. He says he really likes him and he is a good guy. It was a wonderful gift and everyone enjoyed it!
Monday, December 20, 2010
December 20, 2010
Well, it´s been an interesting week. The baptism all went well. I finally got to see Elder Robinson baptize which was an opportunity I thought I wouldn´t get. Estuardo has 10 years and his story is kind of sad. His mom has left him behind and gone to the states and so he gets moved around a lot between his grandparents, who are evangelicos, and his other relatives who are members of our church. For this reason, it wouldn´t be surprising to see how rebellious and quiet he is. I felt extremely disconnected when we tried to teach him. He didn´t respond hardly ever and if we asked him to do something, like pray, or just a simple question to make sure he was learning, he would say no or nothing at all. We had already put the baptismal date for Friday, because of the pressure from the branch president. To be completely honest, I felt this was all being done despite whatever he was thinking or what he wanted. So we taught him everything he needed to know... but there was a lot missing. We came to the lesson the day before the baptism and determined that he had to at least show a little desire or interest by praying if we were going to go through with the baptism. We had a 10 minute argument (sort of) trying to get him to agree to pray at least once during the lesson. We had everyone there give a prayer so he wouldn´t be the only one and he still didn´t. I think the pressure was good though because we finally got down to the reality of it all. He finally told us he did not want to get baptized. We asked him why he said he did before. He mentioned the Branch President and the family pressuring him and a lot of other stuff. Finally, the mother figure stepped in to the room and we began to be able to resolve the problem. When he said "I don´t want to be baptized" I thought, "I knew it.", Elder Robinson had this look of horror on his face, and Elder Guevara began to interrogate him. It wasn´t until the "mom" (I really have no idea what relation they have, to be honest) entered the room and they had a long discussion in Quiché. Finally, the mom explained a few things, including the fact that he thought we were going to beat him with the walking stick I was carrying around, if he didn´t obey. After things calmed down and the mom and grandma spoke to him. I pulled out the scripture in 2 Nephi talking about how Jesus Christ was baptized and why, how when we baptize ourselves, we show our willingness to obey God from that point forward. We all bore our testimonies and with that extra point of view, the mother bore her testimony of the truthfulness of that scripture. After ALL of that he decided that he did want to be baptized, and when we asked him to choose who would give the closing prayer, he said firmly that he wanted to do it. (In Quiché of course which is preferable here) After all was said and done, he did end up getting baptized and got confirmed yesterday. It was really good. There was almost everyone from the entire branch there (which usually doesn´t happen). It was a good ending to this crazy change.
Here are the rules for Christmas.
1. We can only talk for 30 minutes as mandated by the area presidency.
2. We are only to talk to Mom and Dad and possibly brothers and sisters, but definitely not any girlfriends.
So, I will call. It ends up being cheaper for us, I´ve found out. I will call somewhere beteween 1 and 3. I am OK if Nikki wants to be there to listen in on the conversation, but the rules have been set in stone. I know it might be hard to only talk for 30 minutes, but I can only obey or disobey. (and I´ve had just about enough with seeing blatant disobedience and disregard for any rules given by anyone)
I´m only spending 1 hour today, like we´re supposed to, and so now I need to go but I look forward to talking to you on Christmas. I´m sorry the rules are so strict. In my opinion, it´s worse to only give 30 minutes than to not give us the opportunity at all but... oh well.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
Here are the rules for Christmas.
1. We can only talk for 30 minutes as mandated by the area presidency.
2. We are only to talk to Mom and Dad and possibly brothers and sisters, but definitely not any girlfriends.
So, I will call. It ends up being cheaper for us, I´ve found out. I will call somewhere beteween 1 and 3. I am OK if Nikki wants to be there to listen in on the conversation, but the rules have been set in stone. I know it might be hard to only talk for 30 minutes, but I can only obey or disobey. (and I´ve had just about enough with seeing blatant disobedience and disregard for any rules given by anyone)
I´m only spending 1 hour today, like we´re supposed to, and so now I need to go but I look forward to talking to you on Christmas. I´m sorry the rules are so strict. In my opinion, it´s worse to only give 30 minutes than to not give us the opportunity at all but... oh well.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
December 14, 2010 Better late than never, I guess!
So what happened... Some of us went to Xela to buy some food and stuff, and I bought a duffel bag so that I could survive changes next week, if I get changed. Those who stayed, used Internet at that time. When I got back, I had to put food in the fridge and all of that fun stuff. After that, the power went out and there was no Internet until about the end of the day... therefore, I had no time to write.
It´s been kind of crazy this week. Elder Dority, one of my very close friends now, went home today and the entire zone is kind of sad to see him go. He was a really good help to me. We have a baptismal date this week. It´s a 10 year old boy who lives in a member family that hasn´t been baptized yet, so we´re going to teach him and baptize him this week. I´m glad that at the last week we may possibly be together, Elder Robinson may be able to baptize! It´s kind of strange. I think I may have done something to my success, when I disregarded all my baptisms that I did have, as not really my baptisms. I´ve been thinking about that a lot lately. I kind of seemed ungrateful, now that I look back.
Other than that.... we´ve just been enjoying our time together. I don´t remember if I told you, but we´re in a trio now, as of last week, when we took in Elder Guevara. He´s been a good help to us as well. It´s been pretty fun these past couple of days. He´s been caught up in a lot of scary situations in the Capital where he lives, getting in trouble with the gangs there and all. It´s been interesting to listen to his stories. I´m sorry this is a short session, but today isn´t p-day like last week was. I´ll try to make it up to everyone next week.
Love,
Elder Crapo
It´s been kind of crazy this week. Elder Dority, one of my very close friends now, went home today and the entire zone is kind of sad to see him go. He was a really good help to me. We have a baptismal date this week. It´s a 10 year old boy who lives in a member family that hasn´t been baptized yet, so we´re going to teach him and baptize him this week. I´m glad that at the last week we may possibly be together, Elder Robinson may be able to baptize! It´s kind of strange. I think I may have done something to my success, when I disregarded all my baptisms that I did have, as not really my baptisms. I´ve been thinking about that a lot lately. I kind of seemed ungrateful, now that I look back.
Other than that.... we´ve just been enjoying our time together. I don´t remember if I told you, but we´re in a trio now, as of last week, when we took in Elder Guevara. He´s been a good help to us as well. It´s been pretty fun these past couple of days. He´s been caught up in a lot of scary situations in the Capital where he lives, getting in trouble with the gangs there and all. It´s been interesting to listen to his stories. I´m sorry this is a short session, but today isn´t p-day like last week was. I´ll try to make it up to everyone next week.
Love,
Elder Crapo
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
December 6, 2010
Hey,
Sorry this letter is coming so late, but there´s been a couple of things happen this week, and more specifically, today. The reason I´m writing you now, is because P-Day has been changed to tomorrow... because we had our Christmas celebration as a mission today. So the reason I´m writing you today, and only for this little time, is so that you can sleep well tonight not worrying where I am or what in all of Momos could have happened to me.
The week went well. We hiked between Nimsituj and Patelup, getting to know the members, and now we´re going to try and get some real work done. I feel a little inadequate, to be honest, and have for a while. The thing is, I haven´t even had investigators for such a long time, let alone any hope of a baptism. So I´ve been a little stressed this past week trying to be as good as I can be, to talk to all new people, and trying to be outgoing and friendly and saying and doing what the Lord would have me do, but the truth of the matter is: I am a little out of shape in the teaching aspect, and I have a lot of studying and praying to do if I´m going to be successful. President told us today that unless we are reaching the quota of 2 new families a day and 2 new potential priesthood a day (new, meaning we´ve taught them a lesson already and have a cita for the next lesson), 10 investigators in sacrament meeting a week, and 4 baptisms a month, we aren´t missionaries. SO... I have a lot to work on, and I'm trying to keep a positive attitude. This is what I understand and what I believe the Spirit is telling me from all the things I´ve been taught:
1. I read somewhere in my personal study in the scriptures, that anything that is righteous, that we ask of the Lord, believing that we will actually get it, He will give it to us. Period.
2. We are taught that the principle of faith is action. Everyone knows that. It´s pounded into our brains in seminary and the MTC. Jesus Christ, when he was baptized, was baptized to show that he would be obedient in all things to his Father. It takes faith (or in other words, believing SO MUCH in what we are promised and told to do, that we actually do it with a full expectation that the results we are promised will come.) and an actual desire in order to be able to accomplish the things we are asked.
3. A) People have their own agency. They make the ultimate choice whether to be baptized or not.
B) God knows everyone and knows who is ready and who WILL chose to be baptized, or further, who NEEDS our influence in their lives at that time.
Therefore, our goal is to find those families who are prepared, not convince and make people do something they don´t want to do.
4. We are only promised success if we are doing EVERYTHING that we are told, and are doing our best. That includes everything that we don´t think is a reasonable rule as well.
I´m not going to lie to you. Momostenango is filled with little transgressions. Here and there rules are overlooked. Also, rules are never really clearly stated. Some are made sporadically because of an event that happened a year and a half ago, and are never reiterated. Therefore, some elders know of it and others don´t. You never know who to believe when they say "This is a rule" or "That´s not really a rule" or "That rule isn´t in effect anymore (or) has changed". I´ve found that, at times, I just need to stop listening with my ears and start listening with my feelings and act according to that.
There´s "technically" a rule not to go on any other web site other than the e-mail site. I´ve broken that rule to get conference off of there, to show to the members of Pancá. I´ve received permission to do so, and many other things, from my zone leaders, which is about as good as I can do. I know that having the gift of the Holy Ghost allows me to know if a decision I´ve made was a bad one or not. I´m going to try and follow those feelings to the best of my ability and see where it takes me. I pray that I will have the strength to follow all of those promptings, no matter how hard that is.
So, I got my packages today and I couldn´t wait to open them. Today really is like our Christmas, especially since we´ll be working on Christmas day. So I only got a chance to glance at all the things I got, and all I can say is that everything was perfect. I´m glad to start playing the harmonica once again. The books, I´m super excited to start reading. Elder Robinson and I will definitely have fun with the toy cars. I thought you´d forgotten about the pedometer and the compass, so that was a really nice surprise. I´m loving the caramel and the Christmas orange and am super excited to enjoy that fun memory of Christmas. Elder Winkle had one of those worm things and it was so FUN! I can´t wait to show off my new little pet to all the little Primary kids in the Ward.
Anyway, I loved it and I´m so grateful to have so many people care about me and pray for me.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
Sorry this letter is coming so late, but there´s been a couple of things happen this week, and more specifically, today. The reason I´m writing you now, is because P-Day has been changed to tomorrow... because we had our Christmas celebration as a mission today. So the reason I´m writing you today, and only for this little time, is so that you can sleep well tonight not worrying where I am or what in all of Momos could have happened to me.
The week went well. We hiked between Nimsituj and Patelup, getting to know the members, and now we´re going to try and get some real work done. I feel a little inadequate, to be honest, and have for a while. The thing is, I haven´t even had investigators for such a long time, let alone any hope of a baptism. So I´ve been a little stressed this past week trying to be as good as I can be, to talk to all new people, and trying to be outgoing and friendly and saying and doing what the Lord would have me do, but the truth of the matter is: I am a little out of shape in the teaching aspect, and I have a lot of studying and praying to do if I´m going to be successful. President told us today that unless we are reaching the quota of 2 new families a day and 2 new potential priesthood a day (new, meaning we´ve taught them a lesson already and have a cita for the next lesson), 10 investigators in sacrament meeting a week, and 4 baptisms a month, we aren´t missionaries. SO... I have a lot to work on, and I'm trying to keep a positive attitude. This is what I understand and what I believe the Spirit is telling me from all the things I´ve been taught:
1. I read somewhere in my personal study in the scriptures, that anything that is righteous, that we ask of the Lord, believing that we will actually get it, He will give it to us. Period.
2. We are taught that the principle of faith is action. Everyone knows that. It´s pounded into our brains in seminary and the MTC. Jesus Christ, when he was baptized, was baptized to show that he would be obedient in all things to his Father. It takes faith (or in other words, believing SO MUCH in what we are promised and told to do, that we actually do it with a full expectation that the results we are promised will come.) and an actual desire in order to be able to accomplish the things we are asked.
3. A) People have their own agency. They make the ultimate choice whether to be baptized or not.
B) God knows everyone and knows who is ready and who WILL chose to be baptized, or further, who NEEDS our influence in their lives at that time.
Therefore, our goal is to find those families who are prepared, not convince and make people do something they don´t want to do.
4. We are only promised success if we are doing EVERYTHING that we are told, and are doing our best. That includes everything that we don´t think is a reasonable rule as well.
I´m not going to lie to you. Momostenango is filled with little transgressions. Here and there rules are overlooked. Also, rules are never really clearly stated. Some are made sporadically because of an event that happened a year and a half ago, and are never reiterated. Therefore, some elders know of it and others don´t. You never know who to believe when they say "This is a rule" or "That´s not really a rule" or "That rule isn´t in effect anymore (or) has changed". I´ve found that, at times, I just need to stop listening with my ears and start listening with my feelings and act according to that.
There´s "technically" a rule not to go on any other web site other than the e-mail site. I´ve broken that rule to get conference off of there, to show to the members of Pancá. I´ve received permission to do so, and many other things, from my zone leaders, which is about as good as I can do. I know that having the gift of the Holy Ghost allows me to know if a decision I´ve made was a bad one or not. I´m going to try and follow those feelings to the best of my ability and see where it takes me. I pray that I will have the strength to follow all of those promptings, no matter how hard that is.
So, I got my packages today and I couldn´t wait to open them. Today really is like our Christmas, especially since we´ll be working on Christmas day. So I only got a chance to glance at all the things I got, and all I can say is that everything was perfect. I´m glad to start playing the harmonica once again. The books, I´m super excited to start reading. Elder Robinson and I will definitely have fun with the toy cars. I thought you´d forgotten about the pedometer and the compass, so that was a really nice surprise. I´m loving the caramel and the Christmas orange and am super excited to enjoy that fun memory of Christmas. Elder Winkle had one of those worm things and it was so FUN! I can´t wait to show off my new little pet to all the little Primary kids in the Ward.
Anyway, I loved it and I´m so grateful to have so many people care about me and pray for me.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
Monday, November 29, 2010
November 29, 2010
Hey,
This week was quite interesting. We did manage to get to that cita with that one family. The man´s name is Rafaiel Solórzano and he has 4 sons Rafaiel, Cristian, Robinson, and Edgar. They are all around teen age. The father loves the teachings of Christ and tries to follow them. Loving the people and just being a good person in general. It´s amazing. His sons didn´t talk as much as he did and we´re thinking of ways to involve them a little more. Our next cita is for a week from tomorrow. That´s the soonest they were available and I think it´s a good thing. You´ll see why.
Saturday we had a little... mischief going on in our area and caused that we couldn´t work. La gente querian chemar a un ladron en la area. este se llama un castigo maya y es bien feo. Anyway, we were home all that afternoon pretty much. Then Sunday came and we told president that we were planning on going to Nimsitui to teach this contact we had, and would probably not be there this next Sunday... Turns out, that day, the zone leaders called us and told us that we had changes to go to Nimsitui anyway. It was really hard for me because the branch president depended on us so much, and we could just see the heartbreak and concern about what he was going to do without us. It was hard. We still plan on going to teach any investigadores that we may have there in Pancá, but other than that, we´ll be working in Numsitui and Patelup as well as Pancá. In Nimsitui, we have that investigator, and they´re trying to make it a ward. So we´ll be doing a lot of reactivating there. In Patelup, we´ll be working on doing a lot of baptizing because aparentamente, they have a lot of investigators in that area waiting for missionaries... So, with three areas (sort of) we have plenty of options and lots of work to do. I feel very privileged. I don´t know how long I´ll be here, possibly only two weeks, but I´m going to do what I can before Christmas and the next change. Wish me luck.
I´ve been fixing my other pants. I got the Dark blue pin-stripe yes. Yes the kids loved us and it was really sad. One of the little girls came and said good bye to us and gave us a huge hug. It was really hard for me because I have grown attached to all the primary kids in Pancá. They all were so fun. They´d just come to us and talk to us all the time, and they were so loving. It´s been the hardest change I´ve had yet.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
This week was quite interesting. We did manage to get to that cita with that one family. The man´s name is Rafaiel Solórzano and he has 4 sons Rafaiel, Cristian, Robinson, and Edgar. They are all around teen age. The father loves the teachings of Christ and tries to follow them. Loving the people and just being a good person in general. It´s amazing. His sons didn´t talk as much as he did and we´re thinking of ways to involve them a little more. Our next cita is for a week from tomorrow. That´s the soonest they were available and I think it´s a good thing. You´ll see why.
Saturday we had a little... mischief going on in our area and caused that we couldn´t work. La gente querian chemar a un ladron en la area. este se llama un castigo maya y es bien feo. Anyway, we were home all that afternoon pretty much. Then Sunday came and we told president that we were planning on going to Nimsitui to teach this contact we had, and would probably not be there this next Sunday... Turns out, that day, the zone leaders called us and told us that we had changes to go to Nimsitui anyway. It was really hard for me because the branch president depended on us so much, and we could just see the heartbreak and concern about what he was going to do without us. It was hard. We still plan on going to teach any investigadores that we may have there in Pancá, but other than that, we´ll be working in Numsitui and Patelup as well as Pancá. In Nimsitui, we have that investigator, and they´re trying to make it a ward. So we´ll be doing a lot of reactivating there. In Patelup, we´ll be working on doing a lot of baptizing because aparentamente, they have a lot of investigators in that area waiting for missionaries... So, with three areas (sort of) we have plenty of options and lots of work to do. I feel very privileged. I don´t know how long I´ll be here, possibly only two weeks, but I´m going to do what I can before Christmas and the next change. Wish me luck.
I´ve been fixing my other pants. I got the Dark blue pin-stripe yes. Yes the kids loved us and it was really sad. One of the little girls came and said good bye to us and gave us a huge hug. It was really hard for me because I have grown attached to all the primary kids in Pancá. They all were so fun. They´d just come to us and talk to us all the time, and they were so loving. It´s been the hardest change I´ve had yet.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo
Monday, November 22, 2010
November 22, 2010
My week has been really good. Almost every morning, we´ve had an opportunity to give a lot of service. We dug holes for trees for the father of one of the members. Then another day, we turned the dirt to start growing another plant for that same member. I really have gained an appreciation for the plow, even though I´ve never even used one. It would have been a lot easier. My back was really sore from bending over and hoeing the dirt and stuff a lot. The next morning, we carried leña to a members house. I was able to carry 4 very big logs because I was able to tie the bundle to my waist, therefore keeping all the weight on my legs. They were all amazed at how much I could carr. It was kind of funny. After all of that, we actually were able to contact some people who moved in about a month ago, and they´re really positive! For the first time since being in momos, we actually have a set day and time for a cita, not just an "if we´re here". I´m excited to teach these people.
For Thanksgiving, the zone leaders were planning on celebrating just a tiny bit today, but I don´t know if they got permission or not, so I don´t know.
Just one more thing, if you can find that "First Two Thousand Years" book that's in one of my boxes, I would really like you to send that, if you can find it.
Thanks a ton. I always look forward to reading your e-mails. I´ll let you know how things go this next week.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo.
For Thanksgiving, the zone leaders were planning on celebrating just a tiny bit today, but I don´t know if they got permission or not, so I don´t know.
Just one more thing, if you can find that "First Two Thousand Years" book that's in one of my boxes, I would really like you to send that, if you can find it.
Thanks a ton. I always look forward to reading your e-mails. I´ll let you know how things go this next week.
Love,
Elder Landon James Crapo.
Monday, November 15, 2010
November 15, 2010
Don´t worry about not having much to write about. I know not much happens at home usually. Actually I´ve been a little surprised with how much you have been doing since I left. Riding bikes, fishing, etc. It´s been kind of fun to hear about all the stuff you´re doing. Your letters are never boring. I am always excited for conferences and I love them so much, but it´s just so hard to explain all the things that I learned, questions I had, and all the things that went on during the conferences. Elder Clark covered so many topics I can´t even remember them all off the top of my head. He talked about loving your Latino comp, talking in Spanish with your Norte Americano comp., the importance of looking confident as well as being confident. Not letting others decide your happiness... stuff like that.
We´re both still here in Pancá. No changes, so I get to be with my kid for one more change. There have been a lot of changes nonetheless. They have closed a lot of my surrounding areas and stuffed Xela with a ton of missionaries. So the rest of us out here in the boonies are left on our own... I´m fine with that though. Bring it on! There´s a guy I contacted on a truck and it was quite on the spot. I didn´t even expect to do it but I was just kind of guided, with out even thinking. He lives in one of the areas that has been closed and only got one lesson from the missionaries there. The fact that he actually contacted the missionaries there on his own after I´d talked to him, tells me a lot about how serious he is. I´ve been given permission to go to that area to teach him so... we´ll see how that goes. The CD does work and I haven´t put it on the MP3 player because my DVD player can read the files right off the disk. It´s actually really nice. I think I´m going to try and find some speakers here so don´t worry about it for now. Elder Robinson gave out some rings before I got my package, so I´m going to save them for another area. He did get his 3 packages that his family sent and he´s been enjoying them very much. Other than that, I´ve just been enjoying the mission, helping out in any way I can. We dug holes to plant trees Saturday, chopped wood Friday morning, still showing conference every Friday. I´m kind of excited because our branch president is starting to give us references now so... cross your fingers that we start to have success here. I´m really anxious to get a baptism, since I´ve only had 5 and the last one was 4 months ago. I don´t get it. Some people have one every week and they say Guatemala is an easy place to do it too... I´m trying to be patient and change anything I´m doing wrong so that I can be worthy to recieve these chosen people of the Lords.
Until next week.
Love,
-Elder Crapo
We´re both still here in Pancá. No changes, so I get to be with my kid for one more change. There have been a lot of changes nonetheless. They have closed a lot of my surrounding areas and stuffed Xela with a ton of missionaries. So the rest of us out here in the boonies are left on our own... I´m fine with that though. Bring it on! There´s a guy I contacted on a truck and it was quite on the spot. I didn´t even expect to do it but I was just kind of guided, with out even thinking. He lives in one of the areas that has been closed and only got one lesson from the missionaries there. The fact that he actually contacted the missionaries there on his own after I´d talked to him, tells me a lot about how serious he is. I´ve been given permission to go to that area to teach him so... we´ll see how that goes. The CD does work and I haven´t put it on the MP3 player because my DVD player can read the files right off the disk. It´s actually really nice. I think I´m going to try and find some speakers here so don´t worry about it for now. Elder Robinson gave out some rings before I got my package, so I´m going to save them for another area. He did get his 3 packages that his family sent and he´s been enjoying them very much. Other than that, I´ve just been enjoying the mission, helping out in any way I can. We dug holes to plant trees Saturday, chopped wood Friday morning, still showing conference every Friday. I´m kind of excited because our branch president is starting to give us references now so... cross your fingers that we start to have success here. I´m really anxious to get a baptism, since I´ve only had 5 and the last one was 4 months ago. I don´t get it. Some people have one every week and they say Guatemala is an easy place to do it too... I´m trying to be patient and change anything I´m doing wrong so that I can be worthy to recieve these chosen people of the Lords.
Until next week.
Love,
-Elder Crapo
Monday, November 8, 2010
November 8, 2010
We find out today if we have changes or not.
I did get my package and it was awesome. The fun just didn´t end, with all those toys, and all the little primary kids enjoyed them even more than I did. They all broke pretty quick, but they were fun. The yoyo´s came broken, but I made one out of the two, and now that works. The harmonica was awesome! I just got really into playing it Saturday night, and then one of the notes stopped working, and so I went to fix it, and it turned out that the metal band was broken and there was nothing I could do about it. But it was really fun to play, and I still sometimes try to play it even though the note doesn´t play. We ended up making the cake together and celebrated our birthdays together. I LOVE carmel. Thank you so much for that too. I´ve been enjoying the close shaves this week and would actually like more. Using one per month seems to work pretty good. So the ones I have should last ´till my one year mark. I really did enjoy the package a lot, and even though I´m not very good at decorating and stuff, it was still fun.
This week we did activities for the members. First we showed Conference. The only people who showed up, were one of the old old members and all the primary... the kids are the least of my concerns. It was a little frustrating, especially since I went to so much work to make sure I got the videos and made refreshments too... Nobody cares. We had futbol Saturday morning and that went well. All our young men showed up 30 minutes late and all of Canquixaja came 30 minutes early so there was a little complaining from the Jovenes de Canquixaja, saying that Pancá had miedo (was afraid) but in the end, Pancá won 18 to 7. All the missionaries were rooting for Pancá secretly, because of the bad attitude of Canquixaja. It was kind of funny.
Other than that, the works going kind of slow, but at least I´m learning a lot. I found out that my DVD player plays DivX files, which is how I was able to get conference on it. I´m not going to buy a new camera yet ´cause it still works well enough.
Thanks again for the package. Elder Robinson loves you too, but not as much as I do.
Love,
Elder Landon Crapo
I did get my package and it was awesome. The fun just didn´t end, with all those toys, and all the little primary kids enjoyed them even more than I did. They all broke pretty quick, but they were fun. The yoyo´s came broken, but I made one out of the two, and now that works. The harmonica was awesome! I just got really into playing it Saturday night, and then one of the notes stopped working, and so I went to fix it, and it turned out that the metal band was broken and there was nothing I could do about it. But it was really fun to play, and I still sometimes try to play it even though the note doesn´t play. We ended up making the cake together and celebrated our birthdays together. I LOVE carmel. Thank you so much for that too. I´ve been enjoying the close shaves this week and would actually like more. Using one per month seems to work pretty good. So the ones I have should last ´till my one year mark. I really did enjoy the package a lot, and even though I´m not very good at decorating and stuff, it was still fun.
This week we did activities for the members. First we showed Conference. The only people who showed up, were one of the old old members and all the primary... the kids are the least of my concerns. It was a little frustrating, especially since I went to so much work to make sure I got the videos and made refreshments too... Nobody cares. We had futbol Saturday morning and that went well. All our young men showed up 30 minutes late and all of Canquixaja came 30 minutes early so there was a little complaining from the Jovenes de Canquixaja, saying that Pancá had miedo (was afraid) but in the end, Pancá won 18 to 7. All the missionaries were rooting for Pancá secretly, because of the bad attitude of Canquixaja. It was kind of funny.
Other than that, the works going kind of slow, but at least I´m learning a lot. I found out that my DVD player plays DivX files, which is how I was able to get conference on it. I´m not going to buy a new camera yet ´cause it still works well enough.
Thanks again for the package. Elder Robinson loves you too, but not as much as I do.
Love,
Elder Landon Crapo
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