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

Happy Birthday

 

The "E" is for "Elder" but at a quick first glance to us we think of "Emerson" 

 

I wrapped his birthday presents in Toy Story wrapping paper 

in honor of his "Woody" nickname he inherited at the MTC.

During a power outage

 A selfie with his companion to show the beautiful mountains in the background.

I think I might have to mail him a shower head....

Hey everybody whats up?

  

Things here are good.  I don't think there is anything too new.  Yesterday I opened the presents you sent me.  One good thing is that like two days before I had broken the mechanical pencil you gave me for Christmas, so that was super good that you sent me a new one.  The one thing I'm super confused about  is why you sent me swim trunks I'm never going to use.  (To defend myself, I thought they were regular shorts.  They seemed lightweight and perfect for hot Guatemala P-days.)

  

The day went good though.  Except for that my companion got a little sick.

   

Thanks for the pictures.  They are all super great.  It looks like Remington has been doing a lot, like we say in Guatemala- he has been "tirando flow."

   

We ate tamales, well technically I think they were "paches."  They are tamales, just that they are made with potatoes instead of corn.  So that was cool. 

One day I'm going to have to send you a picture of the buses here, because they are kind of cool, and sometimes a little crazy. 

    

One really cool thing this week is that we got ten of the eleven recent converts to come to church, and the other one usually comes, so that was cool.  Here in the branch there are a lot of less actives, so we've got some work there.

   

Oh and tell Sydney "hi" back for me, along with anyone else that wants to be told "hi." 

   

Anyway,  I'm out of time.  Talk to you all next week

-Elder Jarvie

Temple Trip and Crazy Buses

Hey everybody, sorry if this one turns out a little short.  We went to the temple today, so that's why they changed P-day and everything.  But it was really great, by getting changed I got to go to the temple two changes in a row.

   

It's weird how fast time is moving.  I've already been here five months in the peach.  The other weird thing is when people ask me how much time I have in the mission.  I feel like I got here in Guatemala a couple months ago but I've been here almost a year now.  Who knows what I'm going to do when I'm not living here and taking crazy buses wherever I go.  Speaking of crazy buses, did I tell you that a bus we were in tried to pass another bus and almost hit a car?  He swerved super hard to not hit it and then got pulled over be the police.  Yesterday one of the youth that comes with us to a lot of the lessons was in one of the ghetto red buses and somebody robbed them.  Every once in a while craziness goes down here in Guatemala.

   

But other than that, things are going well.  Nobody has tried to rob me yet.  Gringos must be scary or something.

   

Oh and Meganne is in Oregon now.  She is serving in the Salem Young Single Adult ward.  So that's cool.  One more to the list I have of friends in the mission.

   

Thanks for writing me.  I love all the emails I get and the pictures.  I'll try to take some pictures this week.  I know I haven't sent any in a while, sorry about that.  Next week for sure.... maybe.

  

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

 

-Elder Jarvie

Got a Cold

Dear family,

   

What's good in the hood? Here things are going alright, the only down side of the week is that I got a cold.  The first few days it was just a little snot in my nose.  Whatever right, but then I don't sleep good and I'm tired everyday and sore.  So that's been kind of a downer, but hopefully it will end soon.

   

The dining room looks pretty sweet.  It's going to be like having a picnic every day, out there under the clouds.  And with the garden too, y'all are going to be eating like kings.

   

I think one of these days we are going to the temple so if I don't write one of these Mondays that's why.  In the mission we go every other change, but the zones don't go at the same time, so I think I'll be going twice in a row, so that's cool.

   

I got the box you sent me.  We were going to take one thing out each day to make the fun last longer, but when we saw that half of the things were wrapped, we just took it all out.  Now we are just waiting two weeks for the wrapped stuff.

   

Any day now Meganne should be leaving the MTC and heading for Oregon.  It's crazy how many people are on missions now.  And now Moroni and Gordon are leaving real soon... there are a ton.

  

OK, well I'm out of time so I'll talk to you next week.  Love you all.

 

-Elder Jarvie

Dirty Pants

I'm starting to get a little more used to my new area.  We got new cards for contacting people a few days ago.  Honestly, I like using them for talking to people in the streets more than the pamphlets.  And just in time too, because we are going to have to start contacting a lot more now, because we have very few investigators here.  It is really pretty up here though.

   

You asked about keeping our clothes clean.  There is a ton of dust up here.  The bottom of my pants  do get dirty pretty fast when it rains, but for me it's not really a big deal.

   

It's crazy how many people are leaving on missions that I know,  Kennon and Moroni.  I don't think I'm going to have friends when I get back.  Oh and Meganne is in the MTC now.  And Emerson might leave before I get back.  I'll have to go with Remington to do fun stuff.  But honestly, it's really cool how many people are going on a mission.

   

The 3D printer is one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time.  You will have to send me more pictures, especially if you print anything new.  It's super crazy to see pictures of the house too.  It's amazing how different it looks now.  I don't feel like I've been gone that long.    (Ten months!)

   

Emerson is turning into a handyman too.  That car looks super legit.  You guys are just making everything, aren't you. 

   

It sounds like things are going great.  I'm out of time now so I'll talk to you all next week.

good bye 

 

-Elder Jarvie

The Peach

This is my new companion, Elder Barrera.  Before, I had a record that all my companions were from different countries, but now I've had two from Guatemala.  And not just the same country, he and Elder Zarate are both from Momostenango.  They were in the same stake.


So I've almost been in my new area a week now.  It's called El Durazno. In English that's "the peach."

It's super weird changing areas after I've been in my last area like six months.  On top of that, it's a maze here, so I don't fully understand it.  But we are up in the mountains and it's really pretty.  There is a great view too.  You can see most of the city from a few different parts of my area.  There are a ton of mountains in Guatemala, a few volcanoes too.  There is one that you can see from here.  It's pretty big too.  It's nice and green here and everything.  Though the down side of being in the mountains is that all the walking we have to do is up and down hill.  And it's a big area too.

   

It's a branch here in the Durazno.  About 50-60 people come each week, so that's a lot different than my last area where our ward was in the stake center and we divided it with other missionaries.  The good thing is that it means I'll get to know the people better.  But it's still a lot different.

There is a lot of dust here too.  Half the roads are dirt, and it's a dirt that gets kicked up really easily.  I like the house here too.  The only bad thing is the shower, it is literally a pipe sticking out of the wall.  Other than that, it's a great house.  The chapel is really nice here too.  We can see it from the window where we study.

I'll see you next week.

love you all

  - Elder Jarvie