Wedding

Hey guys how's it going?

   

The wedding pictures look great.  Y'all look like some finely dressed people.  It's too bad I missed the party.  But honestly it looks amazing.  I'm sure it was wonderful.  Just tell Michaela that they better be ready for a sealing when I get back, because I don't want to miss all the fun.

   

Things here haven't been all that eventful.  We found a new investigator family.  They are from Coban though and all speak a Mayan language.  Some of them don't understand Spanish all that well. That is a strange problem you run into every once in a while as a missionary in Guatemala.  The other problem is that nobody ever wants to come to church.  It feels like it's even worse of a problem here in this area.

   

Alright so I'm a little low on time, let's see what else happened... there have been some changes in our district.  The zone leaders aren't going to be in a trio anymore and the sisters are.  With the new sister here we have more gringos too.  Oh and I figured out the problem with the card.  All this time I've been putting it in backwards.  Isn't that embarrassing.  It works perfectly now.  Thanks. (I love that he's confident enough with himself to admit this!)

 

I took a few pictures this week but for some reason the computer doesn't want to read them, so I guess I'll have to wait until next time.  Sorry.  But thanks for the pictures you sent me they are awesome.  Well I gotta go I'll talk to you all next week.

   

-Elder Jarvie

Up In Arms

 Up In Arms (his companion's)

With the zone leaders and Elder Martinez (whose companion went home sick)

Hey guys,

   

Things here have gone a whole lot better.  Still not great, but I firmly believe that God answers prayers.  We've had a lot of trouble with everyone here being jerks and ignoring us, but this week things were a lot better.  It's been hard to find new investigators, this week was a little better for that too.  It helps that we talked with a ton of people.  We have a goal as a mission to do at least 15 contacts a day.  One day we ended up doing 73.  That is a lot more people than I'm used to talking to.

   

It sounds like it was a very eventful week for you guys too.  A wedding and a birthday.  You'll have to send me pictures of the wedding. The thing in the kitchen looks great.  I probably won't even recognize that house when I get back.

   

I might send letters pretty soon.  They've told me it's better to send them at the end of the month, and Jesus said we should believe, so I'll try to find some time to write.

   

Things here are still going well.  I still get along super well with my companion.  It's still a little hard in this area, but it's getting a lot better.  Time goes by way too fast.  I've gotten super used to being a missionary.  I think they should change it to be three year missions.

   

Tell Michaela to have fun being married, and tell Remington to have fun being old.... well older.

   

Well, I'm out of time.  Thanks for everything. 

-Elder Jarvie

Happy Birthday Remington!

 

Things have been a little rough.  Sometimes I feel like the harder I try the worse things turn out.  We have a few investigators, but everyone always has some kind of excuse, even a lot of the members. Even contacting there are usually a few people, but recently we haven't had any success.

   

We've been teaching a new family, and they're pretty good. but it's still going slow around here.  We've been making plans with our ward mission leader and others, so hopefully things will start getting better, because there are some days when I almost can't stand it.  And then every night when I have to talk with the zone leaders and they ask why we don't have a lot, and don't understand when I try to explain that we are literally trying everything, and nothing is working very well.

   

On the bright side, I have a good companion.  There is nothing worse than having to deal with someone who gets on your nerves 24/7 so I guess we will just keep trying our best and hope it turns out well.

   

We have a plan to work a lot more on the leaders and members, so hopefully it will turn out good. I guess the devil is always trying where we're trying, but sometimes I feel like he hates me more than most.

    

That is super exciting to hear about Michaela's wedding, you will have to send me pictures.  And tell Remington happy birthday for me.

   

From what I've heard I'll be ending August 16 or a week or two after.  So if the semester starts the 12th of September, that will be really quick, but I'm not 100 percent sure either.

   

Well thanks for everything guys.  I love you all a ton.

-Elder Jarvie

Happy Birthday Michaela!

 Happy Birthday Michaela!!!!! I want you to know that you are by far my favorite sister.  Have fun getting married!

   

(I asked him if he was planning on going back to school for the Fall session, which starts right after he gets home.)  I honestly haven't thought about school at all.  It feels so weird thinking about that. I don't feel like I should have to think about it yet.  They should change these things back to being three year missions. Two is way too fast.  How long would it be between when I get back and when the semester starts?  (When my father served his mission in 1956, foreign missions were for 3 years.)

   

Last week we found a new family.  We've been teaching them and they are really "pilas." (Guatemalan word of the day.  I don't really know how to explain that word but it's a good thing.) 

   

(I asked him if there were any missionaries in particular whose letters he wanted me to copy and send to him.) For the letters, I'd really like to hear how it's going for all of them especially my Spanish speaking people, like how Moroni is doing in Spain.  I'd like to read all of them though.  Oh speaking of missionaries, Meganne just got transferred.  Apparently, she's been in her first area this whole time.

   

Wait, so real quick funny story.  So here the doors are different.  From the outside you can open them only with a key, even if you didn't lock it.  So there was a guy that we had taught a few times and we went to his house to see if he was home, only his son was home who is in his early twenties.  He talked with us  for a little and stepped outside and the wind blew the door closed.  He didn't have the keys and there was none else home.  Luckily, he had a good attitude about it and laughed it off, but we were there with him for like ten minutes trying to figure out how to get him back into his house. In the end he just went down the street with his aunt to wait until his dad got back.

   

For some reason it's been really cold here.

   

We did go to the temple today, that was amazing.  I feel like it's been a long time since the last time I went.  The first time I went out of the CCM I used the translator thing, but after that I've always just listened to it in Spanish.  It's pretty much the same for me now.  I think I'll probably go to the temple a lot more after I get back, at least to the point that I don't have to dust off my temple bag every time I go.

   

Thanks for all the pictures and for writing me and for everything.  I love you guys.  Talk to you all again Monday!

 

-Elder Jarvie

Translator

Things here have been going pretty good.  Before I forget, next Tuesday we are going to the temple, so I will be writing Tuesday not Monday.  Just so you know, and  we get to go to the temple!!!

   

Your story about the lady speaking Spanish (she shared her conversion story in our stake conference and had a translator) reminds me of my mission president's wife.  She speaks a lot better now, but in some of the conferences we had she would have other missionaries translate for her.  She had me translate one time.

   

We are going to skip right over Remington's new girlfriend, and...  oh my goodness look at that stache that Emerson has got going on. I think the biggest change when I get back is going to be all the hair that people got on their face.  He really does look super "beaner" now.  And Spencer has got facial hair too.  I didn't think that was going to be possible.

   

Alright, I guess it is kind of cool that Remington's got a girlfriend.  Her hair looks red.  Do you really think it's a good idea to have another ginger in the family?  Is she a ginger, or is it just the lighting, or does she dye her hair?

   

You just asked me about something looking fancy, maybe the tamales place, it's not fancy.  Somebody just bought an over the top sign to sell tamales in their house.  You wrote that on a picture where we are in our house, it's not fancy there either. (compared to some of his house pictures, I thought it looked very nice.)

   

Anyway, I'm out of time.  Love you all and I'll talk to you next Tuesday, probably.

-Elder Jarvie