Monday, June 22, 2015

Toucan




Dear family.. what's good in the hood?
 
This week went super fast, partly because we had p-day Tuesday and partly because it was the last week.  So they told us about changes yesterday.  Elder Bonilla and I are both leaving the area.  I don't know if they are just closing it for a little while or if they're going to be putting someone else there or what.  But it's kind of sad.  I've been here for almost six months and you kind of get partially attached to the people.  But I guess God does what He does for a reason and it will all be well in the end.
 
Last week when we went to the temple I bought some videos.  If people have a TV, I love teaching with little short videos.  I need to get myself a copy of this video they made a while back, Because He Lives. 
 
Yesterday we went and visited people in Canaan with a guy who got back from his mission a few months ago.  We hadn't gone with him much because he goes to a different ward with his family.  It's good  to see that some people don't slack off after their mission.  He is a super cool guy.
   
Did you get the picture of the bird I sent you?  It's pretty cool right?  We were walking up the street and saw it through someone's open window.  And by pure luck I had my camera with me.  I think that thing has a beak bigger than its body.
   
Thanks for the pictures by the way.  It looks like you all had some fun.  (Doing landscaping in the front yard and youth conference)  I don't recognize two of those kids, who are they? (We had 8 young men that came for youth conference sleep at our house)  I love pictures of the house too.  It's super weird to see it finished.  I know I helped build it and everything but it looks a lot different.  It looks like a house of super rich people.  How many huge TVs and computers on the walls or is it the same one? (Living in a Third World country makes you look at things a little differently.  For the record, we have one TV and it is smaller than anyone else's I know.)
   
I wonder where they are going to send me?  Maybe I'll go outside of the city this time, who knows... That or they'll stick me back in the middle of the city. 
  
It's weird how many of the people I know are now on missions or going on missions.  I think when I left it was just Adam.  Now Rick, Gavin, and Jared.  And Moroni is leaving in a little while and Meganne is going out in a few days too.
 
But any way my writing time left me, so I'll talk to you all next week.
 
-Elder Jarvie

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Temple Trip

 
Elder Bonilla & Donavaghn
 

Elder Bonilla, Elder Polanco & Donavaghn

  
 Elder Espinoza, Elder Polanco & Donavaghn

 
 Guatemala's Flag

Hey, how's everybody doing? Sorry if this letter is a little short, I had a lot of stuff to read and write. This week was pretty good.  Also we got to go to the temple.  We got to ride through Guatemala in a school bus on the way there.  Apart from that, I don't think too much happened.
   
Ohh.. we had ward conference.  There were two talks that I loved a ton.  One about giant of our lives and the other of a few different stories.  One was a kid who would read the Bible with his grandpa. He told his grandpa that he didn't remember anything.  So his grandpa told him to take the basket where they kept the coal and go get water from the river.  When he came back, the water had escaped out the bottom.  The grandpa told him to do it again.  After about the 3rd time the kid got frustrated and the grandpa told him to look in the basket.  There wasn't any water but the old dirty basket was clean. That's the short version at least but I think you get the picture.  

Next week is going to be changes.  We don't know anything for sure, but I've been here for almost six months so I'm probably going to a different area.   Maybe they will send me outside the city.  That would be cool.
   
That is super cool that Moroni is going to Madrid.  I'm pretty sure Madrid is the capital. Also where one of the most famous soccer teams come from. If it's like here, chances are he will be playing soccer every week. Also, from what I've heard, the Spanish from Spain is like reading the Bible with a lisp.  The Bible comment mostly because we don't use "vosotros"  (you)  in Central America.  Here they use "tu"  (your) but they don't let the missionaries because it's informal.  And I've heard that the missionaries in Spain can. You know how when people say his name wrong it's like "Morony," well that is how they say Moroni when they read the Book of Mormon in Spanish. It's going to be cool how many of the kids from our ward will speak Spanish.  Only for Jared and I he is going to talk a little funny.  But a lot of the music in Spanish comes from Spain.  I hadn't really thought about that.  We are just used to the Spanish speakers being from Mexico.
   
Anyway, that's all the time I have so I'll talk to you all next week.  And this time we only have to wait six days!
Love you guys!
-Elder Jarvie

Monday, June 8, 2015

Hot Dogs


Donavaghn and Elder Espinoza

Back row left to right:  Elder Moya, Elder Torex and Hermana Encinas
Bench left to right: Elder Bonilla, Ronald McDonald and Elder Garcia
In front is Elder Lugo

Hey family what's up?

In response to the brainwashed thing, crazy stuff does happen here but the areas I've been in are usually super calm. (In my letter I said, "I know they brainwash you and tell you to only write home happy things about your mission, but sometimes I would like to know how you're really doing.") Friday they told us there was going to be some political thing that might get crazy in a few areas.  They told us to go to our houses if the police came.   They also took away our permission to use tuc tucs because awhile back gangsters had been attacking the drivers.  Extortion or something.  But nothing bad has happened close to me.  Most of my area is residencial areas so nothing really happens, but we started going to Canaan, so with any luck we will start to see the crazys.... just kidding.  We are never there at night anyway.  We usually just stay there a few hours in the afternoon because we have to time the bus right.

The missionaries here are planning on cooking too.  (I had told him Emerson was spending the day with our missionaries who are having a barbeque.)  The plan is that everyone is going to cook food from their country.  I think me and two or three other gringos are going to do hot dogs.  If there is one thing I don't like about the houses here (missionary houses) it's that the stoves never work good and there is very little to cook with.  I like to cook but our stove is awful so I almost never do.

I would like to know the Eagle Point maximum heat.  Sometimes people don't think it gets hot over there.  (If you're interested in a little trivia, according to the internet our record highs are: June -111 degrees in 1992, July - 115 degrees in 1946, August - 114 degrees in 1982 and September - 110 degrees in 1988.  So I think that qualifies as "hot" don't you? Though we usually just average in the 90's in the summer thankfully!)

How much more do you have left to do on the house?  (More than I care to think about.)  When Christmas comes around you'll have to Skype me on a laptop or tablet so you can show me everything.  The pictures I've seen so far look amazing.

That's super exciting to hear that Michaela got her license. (Oregon Cosmetology)

Sadly, last week we didn't hike the hill.  Honestly, hiking is one of the things I miss.  Well we do a fair share of hiking here. but hiking as a missionary is different than camping in the woods.

Well I'm pretty much out of time so I'll talk to you all next week.

-Elder Jarvie

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Castle Risk

This week we had exchanges with the zone leaders.  It was the first time I'd been outside of my area in exchanges for a little while.  With them it's a little different because it's a different area but all the members there go to our ward.  In their area there are a ton of hills too, but it was cool. 

Today we might hike up a little hill.  I'm hoping that we do it.  If not, we will probably play soccer.  Last week we played Risk, but it was a different version, called Castle Risk.  I got second place.  Elder Call beat me.  We were playing with the zone leaders, my companion and me. 

This week when we had divisions I was with Elder Espinoza, he is from Peru.  Elder Call was in my area, he is from Utah. (He also took all my castles Monday.)
 
It sounds like you all had a pretty sweet week, and how freaking often does Emerson go to Utah?
Hey are you going to start sending me grandpa's weekly letter?  I was planing on taking more pictures this week but I didn't do it.  Hopefully next week I'll have some.  Maybe I'll take some if we go up high today.
 
Anyway, I'm out of time  bye!! 
-Elder Jarvie