November 25, 2014

Hey everyone! 

    This week marks about 1 month in the field for me and it has been a pretty great week! We had splits 3 times this week and I learned a lot. 1. Guatemala is basically lawless when it comes to travel. We were on a bus during splits going to an interview. I was with the zone leader and one man climbed on TOP of the bus, while it was going. I also rode on a van, yes on and not in, we just stood in the door holding inside but our bodies were outside, it was quite the experience. The Zone Leader said you lose all fear of death here in Guatemala haha. I am being safe though don't worry mother!

     I am pretty sure that you all have thanksgiving this week but we are preparing for Christmas here! But it doesn't feel right because it is so HOT! There are Santa Clause Blow ups at the stores and Christmas trees in houses and in the street. They celebrate Christmas here with fireworks and we get permision on Christmas eve to be with members until 12 at night watching the fireworks and eating tamales. I am pretty excited, my companion loves Christmas here. And he has extended for 1 more month to be here another Christmas! 

     With all the exchanges I have had the chance to learn more and grow more in how to be a missionary. I have also learned more Spanish which I will always need and how to bring the spirit more. We had a baptism this week! I don't have pictures only my companion and we aren't in them. But it was awesome and the spirit was strong. She is bien pilas! Hmna Flor has sadly had even more struggles that she didn't commit to baptism this week. We are teaching her tonight and I just want everything in her life to go well again and have her find the happiness that the gospel brought into her life 2 weeks ago!

     Yesterday we taught a family that attended church 2 weeks ago. We just taught the restoration but after the Father said something like: We have had preachers come and teach us but they always left and we were still confused but this all makes sense. They are bien pilas too! They have a desire to follow the right path they said and I can just see that the Lord has prepared us to teach them right now! This gospel is wonderful!

 

 Elder Daybell and his Companion Elder Garcia

Traditional Day of the Dead Dish

Max's study desk

A Lake and a Volcano in Max's Area

November 18, 2014

Hey everyone!

    I hit 2 months on the mission yesterday! pretty crazy right! It's been a week of ups and downs for sure and I have seen the influence of Satan trying to stop our investigators from progressing! One of our investigators that is preparng for baptism this week was in the hospital for a few days and her son is being pretty rebellious. She has broken down crying in about all of our lessons but she still wants to be baptized. She is a bien pila as we say here! Our other investigator that is preparing for baptism this week her parents are against her decision and won't welcome her in their home for this decision but she said she knows it's right and desires to be baptized still. Take that Satan!

    Yesterday we went on splits with the traveling assistants to the president! That helped me a lot to have more excitement. Before for contacts I would just say we are missionaries and want to share a message, it was kind of boring. This elder that I went with taught me it's ok to be kind of weird and it makes people laugh and more interested in what you have to say. So I opened up I was waving my arms around saying hello to everyone and I even used my donald duck voice in spanish to some kids because I could hear they were watching a disney show with Donald duck. Yesterday was a blessing, I learned a lot and have built my excitement for this mission too. 

     Even though we have had our struggles the Lord continues to bless us and helps us to do this work. We have a mission goal of baptizing 400 people this month in our entire mission, to do this we have to have 4 baptisms as a companionship and we were only going to have the 2 this week. But this Sunday a family of 4 showed up to church and they have a member friend! They loved everything about the church and we are going to start teaching them and they have a desire to be baptized on the 30th! This is a month of miracles! The Lord truly does help us when we put forth our effort. The church is true brothers and sisters! I love you all!

Hasta luego

Elder Daybell

November 11, 2014

Hey everyone how is everything going?

   This week has been crazy. I can understand for the most part what people are saying but communicating back is a little difficult for me. But that will come. They are preparing for Christmas here with decorations but it's hard to believe because it's so warm! I imagine it's around 85 degrees today and it doesn't seem like it's going to get much colder. My companion complains that it's so cold here during these months but I can't feel it.

    Teaching has been awesome! We have 3 baptisms that we are almost certain will go through on the 23rd of this month and 1 more for the 30th. I am able to teach more and my trainer sometimes to get me to teach more closes his eyes so he can't see me look at him when I don't know what to do. It makes me really nervous but it also helps me to focus on the spirit to know what to do next and oh that spirit has helped me so much this week! 

    I don't know if I ever mentioned the walking in this mission. I had to buy a backpack because we walk at about the pace of a sprinter, or so it feels like. I never thought it was humanly possible to walk this fast but we do every day. 

    We had one lesson the other day with Hermana Flor and her Son Mardoqueo where he spirit was so strong. We challenged them to baptism and they accepted and I can't explain the happiness I felt after, it is the best feeling in the world to know you have helped God's children to come back into his arms. One lesson we challenged the investigator to baptism and their only question was what time for the day we challenged. They were so ready for this and this testified to me that the Lord is preparing his children to hear the Gospel.

This has been an awesome experience and I can only imagine what this next bit will be like. I know I will see miracles because I already have with the fact that I can understand what people are saying and how the gospel has blessed so many lives. 

Love you all, Elder Daybell 

Elder Daybell and his Companion Elder Garcia. 

November 4, 2014

Hey everyone I just wanted to send you an update finally after 2 weeks! And my first area is (drumroll please) El Frutal! It's a little outside the city and a poorer area. Many of the houses are just yards with 1 small room made of tin for sleeping or cooking sometimes even. I am serving in the Villa Canales 1 ward here. The people are great and this place is awesome but it is definitely not america.

My trainer is Elder Garcia, he is from El Salvador and doesnt know much ingles. So today at our zone conference was the first time I talked to someone in english in an entire week! It's hard but I am learning much faster now that is for sure. I am also learning the culture and it is so awesome. The best tortillas are found in guatemala that is all I can say! I have never had a better tortilla. I have also tried 3 fruits I have never heard of in my life and could not repeat them to you but they are delicious, so no complaints about the food from me.

They use the word pilas here a lot and its a compliment if someone calls you it, but the exact translation is battery. Kind of cool, I have also learned a new snapping kind of thing where you hold your thumb and middle finger together and whack your pointer finger against them, everyone does that here when something good is said or happens.

This week has been awesome learning and the spirit has been so strong in all of our lessons. I don't say much but I do have some parts and I can't understand much yet either but I am learning little by little. The people here are so kind, everyone will listen to us its just hard getting them to do the things we ask or have a follow up visit.

 One thing I forgot to mention is the buses, They are the coolest things in the world because they aren't dull like buses in America. Sorry America. And everyday we do at least 2 bus contacts, you know where you stand at the front of the bus watch everyones eyes get big and then pretty much yell "Somos representantes de Jesucristo y testificamos que El vive" and then bear our testimony, It was nerve wracking at first but now it is my favorite!

One day we were teaching and it was raining so hard and I didn't have a long sleeved sweater. One of the less active members we were teaching then left and came back with a long sleeved sweater. We serve in a more poor area and so these people don't have much but this man was so kind to go and buy me a sweater it touched my heart and I owe these next two years to these people. I have felt the spirit in all of our lessons and although I can't understand much I am able to teach with the spirit and it helps direct me to know what to say. This writing time will probably be the last time I use English for a week but that is ok because I am learning faster.

The Lord certainly is helping me to find his sheep and bring them unto his fold again. I love you all things are great here! Mi y mi compañero somos representantes de Jesucristo y testificamos que El vive y Ha llamado profetas en la tierra ultro vez nos guian a saber como vivir con nuestro familias para siempre. 

Love Elder Daybell