July 5, 2010 Chickens and ALMOST Wanting to GO Vegetarian

Sent: Mon, July 5, 2010 9:03:34 AM
Subject: HOLLAAAA FAMILIA!!!!!!

Holllaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!! Wowwwwww time is FLYING!! I seriously cannot believe that another week has come and gone. It’s crazy. And Deina comes home in 4 weeks__ YIIIKKEESSS thats insane!!! Well it just shows there is NO time to waste. Ay yay yay. As for this week, hmmmmm, it seems like one big blur. We have just been trying to work work work. Success___mmmm mas o menos. It’s hard to tell right now. We are teaching some families, but still it’s hard. We are trying to figure out who has the most potential and where to spend our time. We taught over 40 lessons this week. Our district leader gave us chocolates and cookies haha for our efforts. Honestly it’s just been going going going. Running, running, running, from appointment to appointment trying to teach and find people. We are going coocoo for missionary work!!!!! And I am more exhausted than I have ever been, but there is no time to waste and I’m just trying to give it my all. We haven’t seen much success yet, but I am just hoping and praying that well see some fruits soon. We have some hopefuls.

We are teaching this lady named Eva and she is really positive. She loves meeting with us and believes what we are teaching her is true. She comes to church and she likes it. She has two kids and they are adorable. The problem is her husband. Right now, hopefully this will change, but he doesn’t want to get married and as of now doesn’t want anything to do with our message. We are working hard to change that. Eva wants to get baptized and talked to us about possibly splitting, but that is going to be really hard to do. When she explained her situation, she just started to cry and told us she doesn’t know what to do!!! My comp and I cried with her because it’s such a hard situation and she has had such a hard life. Her husband actually is a good guy and supports her and her two kids. Well he sends money, but they still have nothing. This family is bien pobre....in our terms they have nothing but like she told us at least they have food on the table, bread, and a roof over their head which is something. Eva since she was 6 years old has lived homeless in the streets. Her dad was murdered and her mom left her and her brothers when she was 6 for another guy. So she grew up in the streets of guate with nothing...homeless. 2 of her were murdered and she doesn’t keep in touch with the other. Sad!!

She met her man when she was 15 and since then moved in with him and has had shelter, food, and love! He’s provided for her since then and so of course she loves him. He is like her savior....but now there’s the church and she can’t get baptized unless she gets married, which he doesn’t want to do...or split which is hard because... she loves him. Of course. He’s provided her with a good life and he’s the father of her kids and she will be homeless again because she doesn’t have enough money to support herself and her only source of income is raising chickens and selling them which are not enough to support her family. She cried and cried because she honestly doesn’t know what to do and to be honest neither do I!!! Well I do but that is rough!!!!!!! We are just working with her and loving her and just trying to support her. Praying and seeking the Lords help. I don’t know what else to do, but can you believe that__ its crazy. Heartbreaking.


These people’s circumstances are just crazy. I have to have my companion explain things to me slowly after the lessons because I don’t even fully understand the circumstances and what these people go through every day. I just see people crying, hungry, and honestly left with nothing. People here struggle just to survive, to put food on the table, to have dry clothes to wear, to have a roof over their head. I honestly feel like if I ever feel sorry for myself or complain about anything in my life, I will be struck with lightning!!!! It truly is humbling and I am just everyday trying to soak it all in and let this experience go through me that I can change. Because my eyes truly have been opened. WE ARE BLESSSEEDD!!!!!!! That is all I got to say. At first, when I’d meet people like this I just thought that these people are just really poor and have had bad lives and that this was rare. But the longer I am here in Guatemala, the more I am realizing that this is the MAJORITY of the people. That this is how most people live. I am the weird one. I have just been EXCEEDINGLY blessed. Beyond comprehension. We honestly have so so, so, SOOOO much and I guess it took coming to Guatemala to really understand that.

Funny story, yesterday I was in the shower and just reflecting on things and life and it was so weird for some reason I broke out in song and started singing with gusto AND I´m proud to be an AMERICAAN where at least I KNOW I´m Free....And I wont forget the men who died who gave that right to me...ANd Ill proudly STAND UP next to you........haha you know.....and I was on the verge of tears...it was so funny. I don’t know where it came from. haha. But then I remembered I was breaking mission rules because were not allowed to sing in the shower so I stopped and chuckled to myself...but the funny part is after I realized that it was the 4th of JULLYYYY!!!!!!!!! How funny is that_!!!! haha. Funny stuff. When I looked at my calendar I could not stop laughing and my comp didn’t understand, but it was funny!!!! But seriously, I am realizing more and more everyday just how blessed we really are. Don’t get me wrong. I love Guatemala and love the people. But the country is cookoo. I would not survive if I weren’t a missionary and will forever testify to love!!!!! Dang!!!!! It’s crazy!!

But yeah......hmmmm what else.......I don’t know. The mission is just CRAZY. Things happen everyday that is just I don’t know....I´m on a mission in GUATEMALA!! I saw Eva go and kill one of her chickens. haha. That was hilarious and I seriously freaked out. We were just chilling, about to leave and Eva told us she was about to go with us because she had to sale some chickens and so we wait and she just runs to catch a chicken that’s in her yard to cut its neck so she could sale it at the mercado!!!! You can imagine me___ I SCREAMMMEED!!!!!!!!. The little boy thought it was hilarious how scared I was. So Eva was trying to catch her chicken, but I was screaming so they were laughing and the chickens were going crazy so I just had to hide in her room while she did it. But uhhhh I didnt actually see it, but I heard it and it was horrible!!! I couldn’t look and my comp and eva and her kids were just laughing. It was disgusting!!!! It almost made me want to go vegetarian. But then I got hungry!!! haha. so uhhh. But yeah that was an adventure!!!!!! You can only imagine. I freak out at Costco when there’s birds around me.....yaaahhhh. But it’s fun. Anyways familia......Another week, more adventures. Hopefully I will have good news for you next week. The mission is great!!! The church is true and I testify to LOVE!!!!!!!!!!

One more cool story I guess....Friday, we didn’t bring our umbrellas because in the morning it was SOOOO sunny....we didn’t think there would be rain....BAD IDEA!!! Half way through the day we just see the biggest rain cloud ever and the rain just started coming down. POURING. Luckily we had an appointment so we were inside. But the rain was just coming down and I was dreading it because we were far from our house and I knew we would have to run home in this crazy Guatemalan rain without umbrellas, jackets, nothing!!! We finished the lesson and it was seriously a thunder storm. Rain, thunder, everything. I looked at my comp and was like well we have to go. But I said a prayer in my heart....like Heavenly Father we forgot our umbrellas and our jackets and we are far from the house. And I asked if it be thy will to be able to get home as dry as possible because we didn’t want to walk home through these storms...We got up and walked out of this persons house and started running and once we did that I´m not even kidding you the rain just stopped!!!!! Stopped!!! And we just ran home. We were completely dry. And when we got our umbrellas and our rain coats the rain storm continued!!!!!!! WHATTT THEEE___ Seriously. It was a miracle and just strengthened my testimony again that God listens to prayers. He is a God of miracles and there is nothing that He cannot do. I just got home and dropped on my knees because I was so grateful!!! Honestly that is probably the best part of the mission. That little miracles like this happen everyday. Even if people don’t believe us, we get rejected all day, walk through rain storms and floating poop, its okay. Because I KNOW that this is the Lords work. Every day, something happens where I am converted and can honestly say I BELIIIEEEEEVVVVVEEEE! And that’s what makes the mission great!!! I love you all!!!! BELIEVE family!!!!!!! The Church is true!!! God lives and loves so hakuna matata I will testify to love!!!! With all my heart I love you all! I am alive, well, and doing great!!! thanks for everything!! Prestos Todos PRestos......The church is true!!!!!!!!

loves....hugs....kissess.....ali

ps. congrats Davie for getting into accounting!!!!!!!! and Chris happy belated birthday bro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! grandma grandpa thanks for your words of love. Auntie Reenie, your letters make me poop in my pants they are sooooo funny!!!! And mommy daddy, i love you with all my heart!!!! Everyone else, I love you toooo!!! Thanks everyone for all your love and support!!!!!!! hermana g!