One Year Mark!

 Donavaghn with Bladimir

L to R - Elder Barrera, Daniel, Donavaghn and Bladimir

(Note: Even in Guatemala teenagers have a phone in their hand!)

 One of the buses we ride

Things here have been alright.  Our phone decided it wanted to break right before our leaders called, so people got kind of worried, especially with what happened last week.  So that kind of sucked having to borrow someone's phone every day.  But they said they are going to give us one today, so that will be good.

   

It looks like the garden is going great - lemon cucumbers and watermelons are two of the greatest things ever.  Though I don't miss the smoke too much.  Here the only smoke is from buses in the city. 

I never noticed that we pronounce "T's" like "D's" sometimes until I came here and people asked me why. ("City" for example.)

The house looks really nice too.  I wish we had a kitchen like that here. (I sent him a picture of 12 youth in our kitchen cooking during an activity.)  Our stove annoys me.

   

I wrote a letter today that I'm going to send, so you can expect it in a few months or so. (Sad but so true. I takes forever for mail to get back and forth.)

     

I took a few pictures too, so I'll send them to you right now.  I took a picture of one of the buses too. It's not the best example but it's one we ride sometimes.  The other pictures are of people.  In one the first is my companion, then Daniel, then me, then Bladimir.  The other picture is Bladimir and I.

   

I don't know if it's going to feel like the same place a year from now when I get home.  There is a ton that has changed over there, and that's just half, and just pictures. (He should be counting his blessings he missed out on most of the work!)

We only have two weeks left until changes.  I've been with Elder Barrera for 12 weeks so I'll probably be getting a new companion.  It's still a little ways away, but time goes fast.  It's crazy to think it's almost been a year.

    

Thanks for being amazing you guys.

I gotta go, bye!

-Elder Jarvie

Marvin's Baptism

 Marvin's Baptism

(How old would you guess Marvin is? He's 2nd to the left)

From left to right: Me, Carlos (our mission leader), Esbin (Marvin's brother), 

Angel (Marvin's friend), Marvin, President Garcia (YM Pres) Gustavo 

(friend of the other brother of Marvin's who is member), my companion, and Bladimir.

 

Sorry, this one is going to be a little short.  Things went well this week.  Marvin's baptism was great. He is 14 years old. Guatemalans are just smaller.  He is a little smaller too.

There are crazy things going on in Guatemala.  Apparently the president was doing something wrong. (In case you aren't familiar with what is going on, the Guatemalan President is accused of taking bribes from large corporations over export duties.)  A lot of people died near here this weekend. There were two shootings and an extortion. (Think he actually mean execution?) There were like eight or ten people in total I think.  That helps you to realize how small your problems are doesn't it?  Luckily, nobody has tried to shoot or stab or kill me.  There are a few areas where we have to leave before it gets dark.

    

If you want to try searching in Google Earth I'm in a place called San Martin.  The area is called Chinautla by zone 6.  Vista Hermosoa is near here.  The branch is called El Durazno and the stake is Molino.  Before that my area was zone 18 and was mostly- Valle de Jesus 1 and 2, Jardines, Canaan, and Prado (and the streets that go by them).  My first area was zone 5.

 

Like I said, sorry that this one is going to be short, but thanks for everything.  The pictures are great. Dad's car machine is crazy, you'll have to send me pictures of that later on.  But I have to go now.  I'm out of time.. sorry again.

 

Love you guys

-Elder Jarvie

 

 

 

"Boring Gringo"

Hey, what's up everybody?

   

Things here are going good.  It rained and cooled down a little.  My head was starting to hurt from walking in the sun all day.  Parts of our area are really cold at night.  Mostly the higher parts when the wind blows over.  I found out you can see my last area from here.  There was a mountain that looked a lot like my area.  One day we were helping a member of our ward move gravel and we were talking about the areas that you can see from there.  She mentioned a little town that you could see on the side of a mountain was Canaan, which is part of my last area.  So that is super cool.

    

Marvin is going to be baptized this Saturday, so that is super exiting.  It's strange the way you get to know people when you're a missionary.  He is a great kid and has a lot of friends in the branch.

     

I'm not too sick now.  I get head aches and am still a little sniffy, but a ton better than I was.  I've been reading a little more.  One P-day we were in the house of other missionaries and there was a beaten up copy of "A Marvelous Work and a Wonder" in English.  So boring gringo, they let me have it.  So I read that at night a lot.  It's actually really interesting.  Also I had a goal for reading the Book of Mormon and the New Testament and I finished them both this morning, so that's pretty neat. 

    

Thanks for the pictures.  The house looks amazing.  For Christmas you are going to have to talk to me on a laptop, so you can show me around.

     

I was reading an article in a Liahona about the dead sea scrolls.  I decided that that if they haven't translated and published them by the time I get back I'm going to start learning how to speak old Hebrew as my next foreign language.  It sounds super interesting all the stuff they talked about.

    

I hear Dad is planing on writing something.  It sounds cool.  So, Dad, you are going to have to tell me more about it.  When you say novel, is it going to be like a fiction story or what is the plan?  Also with all the car stuff going on over there you might as well open a shop.

    

Anyway, it's great to hear from you all, and I'll talk to you next week.

 

-Elder Jarvie

Taller, Whiter and Heavier

To the Jarvies, my dear beloved family

 

Over the last little while I have been slightly sick due to walking in the sun everyday.  I've recovered slowly, though I'm almost better now.  I think I might have even lost a little weight, but because I had previously gained like 15 pounds it doesn't bother me too much.  The weird thing is that after gaining weight I still looked the same.  One of the weird things about living in Guatemala is now being taller, whiter, and heavier than everyone else.  And also the one that talks funny.

Things here in the peach are going really well.  One of the investigators that we have, I believe I've talked about Marvin before, is going to be baptized the 22nd.  The good thing is that there is a good group of young men in the branch.  I actually like the branch here a lot.  I think this is my favorite area so far.  There are a lot of less actives, but there are a lot of really good members too.  One of these days  I need to take a picture of the buses, especially one from Nacauil.  It's like how people decorate hippie vans only school buses.

We weren't able to get a shower head this week because our house doesn't have the wiring.  They are with a heater built into the shower head like you mentioned because none of the houses here have water heaters.  So for the moment we are stuck with a pipe and cold water.

That's legit that you are going to Hawaii, and now that you mention it I think the only time I've seen dad in shorts is when we go swimming.  I miss swimming a little, mostly when it's really hot.  It gets hotter there than here.  The only thing is that hot or cold we have to be in the streets walking.

In response to one of your questions - yes, we still do play soccer almost every Monday, and every once in a while for a few minutes at church activities or people's houses.  The people here love that sport.  A few times here we've gone to a professional field, that was actually really cool.  There is a member in the stake that works there and he's let us (the missionaries in the zone or stake) play there free a few times.  Honestly, it's a ton of fun, but it tires you out because that thing is big.

That's cool that the pear farm started up.  The platform is the coolest because you just stand there and pick them as they come.  You feel like an illegal immigrant from the future.  I can make racist jokes about illegals now because I've been one when I signed my papers wrong.  Only partially illegal for like two days, but it counts.

Anyway, my time is over, so I've got to go.

 Best of luck everybody  

     -Elder Jarvie, and the Peach Branch

Companions

First of all, when I said like "ten recent converts," those are the people that live here who have been baptized in the last year.  Though we have an investigator who really wants to be baptized now, so that is super cool.  He is a really good friend with one of the young men here and the brother of another.

   

Thanks for all the pictures.  I love seeing home.  I should probably take more. Sorry about that.  We had changes today, but my companion and I are staying here.  So the changes aren't very big for us

  

This week I've been a little sick.  I caught a cold.  Usually when that happens I just have to blow my nose every once and a while, but this time I felt really crappy.  So that's not fun, but I think it's almost over.

    

I think one of the toughest things about the mission is the whole companion thing.  I can get along with most people, but there are only a few where 24/7 is the amount of time to spend with them.  I'm a pretty calm person, but sometimes you can't help thinking.... dude..  you're an idiot. 

 

People these days.  A few of my companions I'm sure would have been great friends if I only saw them for a few hours every once and a while.  Sometimes "always" is more than I can take.  I've found that a few of the things that annoy me are people who are proud, lazy immature and demanding.  Also, you can be a dork without being immature.  My favorite companion was the biggest dork ever.

   

Anyway, things are good here.  It's still really pretty up in the mountains.  We might even buy a water heater for the shower head.  That would be pretty sweet.  I'll try to take more pictures this week.  We'll see.

    

Hey, I had a question.  I heard something about the presidential election.  That coming up right ? I haven't heard anything other than that Donald Trump said something super racist.

    

Anyway I'm out of time now so I'll talk to you all next week.

 

-Elder Jarvie