Sent: Mon, June 7, 2010 8:44:19 AM
Subject: HOLLLAAAA
Hola Everyone!!!
I just got your email and dad’s letter and I just want to say DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ME!!!! Really I am fine! Yes, even my companion tells me everyday that this is not a normal first change. haha. This is the craziest change she has had on her entire mission. But we are ok. Really!!! This week it has been completely sunny. Its weird, but I love it!!! The saddest thing is that my comp is going home. I don’t know what I would do without her. She is seriously amazing!!!! I do not eat the fruits or anything like that here. We are not allowed to! In our area, we are not even allowed to eat at members houses except for the Bishop and our cocinera. IT is against the rules which I am SOOOOOO grateful for!!!! That saves my life! Because it is la sketch, you are right. But we are fine! The mountains are great!! Believe me It could be worst, I could be in the coast. My comp told me to start praying and sucking up to President so that he will never send me there. haha. That’s where the spiders the size of your head come out, its ten degrees hotter, and they have BUCKET SHOWERS!!!!!!! no running water. YIKES!! That might be a bit much for me. BUt I am just fine here!!!!! I really am ok. I wont pretend Its rough at times and I am a dirty girl, but the mission has honestly been the best learning experience of my life. Now I know when the Presidents wife told us the first day of our mission, Are you ready for your 18 month camping trip_ haha she’s right and now I know why she tells us that. But ITs been One crazy adventure that I will never EVER forget!! My comp told me that things should get easier. This has jsut been a CRAZY change!!!!! Oh and we were lucky that we are in the mountains because a volcano erupted last week so the missionaries in the coast and City couldn’t go out because it was raining rocks!!! CRAAAAZZZZYYY!! The people in the mountains had the rain, but we were safe from the volcano!! Ohhhhh Guatemala!!! It seriously is a crazy, crazy place. You never know what it will bring. But honestly I am in high spirits, happier than ever. Singing in the rain, teaching, baptizing, pooping....loving..........We’ve been blessed! The Lord honestly knows us. I just feel so grateful because I love my companion and we have solid good people that we are teaching which made it all bearable. Without that, this really would have been a CRAZY CRAZY change. But I am good, happy, no plastic fantastic....GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!
Yesterday, we baptized a FAMILY and it was AMMMAAAAAZZZINNG! Seriously one of the happiest moments of my life! This family is SOOO pilas. I will never forget their faces when they came out of the water. They were seriously GLOWING! It was another crazy week just because they were going to be baptized so the adversary just worked and worked and worked on them and us. For example, the week before they were solid and they just told us how they were absolutely convinced. We go back on Monday night and it was just different. You could feel it when we walked in the room, and it was because Rosalio took his Book of Mormon to work so he could read during lunch and people just ripped into him and told him all this crazy stuff about our church and Joseph Smith and he didn’t really know what to think and thought that he should move the baptism date back. But we were like NO!!!!! That night was CRAZY! I think that night was the first night that I actually spoke real Spanish. I don’t know what got into me, but I just had so much emotion and passion in me because that is my FAMILY and there was no way I was going to let Satan get them so I was like I don’t care if I cant speak Spanish I´m going to lay it out!! And so I just started talking and the Lord was just putting things in my mouth that I didn’t even know I could say!!! They even noticed they were like WOW!! Your Spanish has IMPROVED! And they were shocked. But I swear I wasn’t speaking. The Lord just honestly put things in my mouth because I can’t talk like that now. It was like an outer body experience. IT was crazy!!! But they prayed and got their concerns taken care. But this week was rough just trying to keep them strong. But more than anything me or my comp did, it is seriously their kids who have kept them strong. their little son Angel when we went over would always interrupt his dad because his dad would talk about how he would feel good when he prayed but after he couldn’t stop thinking about all those things his co workers tell him so he was still confused. And the little boy Angel interrupted and said PAPA it’s because the Holy Ghost is telling you to get baptized but then Satan doesn’t want you to follow God and be happy so he tells you not too!! This kid is 7!! But I’m telling you they know!! It was amazing! When they had a doubt about tithing because they don’t have a lot of money, again Angel interrupted and said Well PAPI if Jesus Christ sacrificed his life which was the greatest sacrifice, we can sacrifice money!! Seriously, this kid is CRAZY!! HE is honestly the reason his family got baptized and is so strong. Every time he talks, the dad starts to tear up because it is so powerful!! Mark my words I think I baptized a future 70 or leader of Central America! It’s crazy. But yes, the baptism was BEATIFUL!!! And now they are stronger than ever. I think in the end it was good that we had to wait an extra week because they are stronger because of it!!
But here’s another crazy story. We were supposed to have two families be baptized yesterday...Pablito’s mom the sweet little old lady we found that doesn’t have a husband. WELL in the baptismal interview it came out that YOU WANNA KNOW WHY she doesn’t have a husband......Because she stabbed him because he cheated on her!! WHAAAATTT THEEEE_ I NEVER ever would have guessed she looks like the sweetest thing and she’s also had two abortions SOO needless to say she couldn’t get baptized. We have to wait til next week so she can meet with President. But just craziness!!!
Anyways, things are going great! This is my last week with Hermana Buterbaugh and we are just ready to give it all we got and leave it all on the field! We went to the doctor and he said that she can fly she’s just taking meds and stuff so she is going. Fasting and prayer works. Her family and ward did a fast and her mom called us because she was so freaked out that she might not go home. It was hilarious. But she is going and I WILL have a Latina comp. This change 4 gringas are going home so now the mission only has four left....me, herm Wetzel and Williams and the nurse...that’s it! So I will have a Latina for sure probably the rest of my mission! But I think that will be good! The future looks bright.
We started teaching a couple of other people that seem hopeful. They came to church yesterday so well see. At the baptism I asked them after, so are you next...__ I said it in a joking way of course but they said YEAH! So well see!!! It’s exciting!!!! But anyways, really I am doing fine! Do not worry at all about me. If you have any other questions or want me to write about something in particular, let me know. I’m sorry if it is all so scatter brained I just start writing and never really know what to write or what you want to hear but let me know!! I love you all so much. I am seriously doing fine. I LOVE my mission. It is hard and the Lord is stretching me in every way possible....seriously crazy fun memories but this experience is solidifying my testimony of the reality of this work. I KNOW it’s true! And I’ve prayed harder than I ever have to know this is true. I can honestly say that there would be NO WAY I would ever be here if I didn’t KNOW, not just believe, KNOW that this was the Lords work. I’m grateful because I can honestly say that that has kept me here and is the ONLY reason I am here. ONLY. I I am and will be okay!! I promise. Please just keep praying for me and know that Heavenly Father truly does wrap His arms around us and protect us. It’s real. I feel it everyday. I love you all!! Hugs and kisses....Prestos Todos Prestos the CHURCH IS TRUE!!!
Loves!
Hermana Ali
First Companion MTC and CCM, Hermana Williams