Rain and Mud

Hey everybody!

  
Things here are going pretty good.  It's been raining a lot.  And because all the streets here are dirt, there is mud everywhere and sometimes little rivers in the road.  Some times you start to feel a little taller right before you realize it's the little mud cakes under your feet.  It's a good thing I like the rain.

  
The house is looking amazing!   Though I don't miss that tile machine you guys have out there.  It looks like you are all getting pretty close to finishing it.

    
This Sunday was pretty cool.  We had branch council.  From what I've heard they haven't had it here in a long time.  I'm also really excited for conference next week.  We live far away from the stake center here, so I think we are probably going to be there all day Saturday and Sunday.

 
I don't have much time to write today, but I'm going to answer some of your questions: 

-It's just my companion and I in our house. 

-I think I mentioned that I bought a pair of shoes already. 
The black ones died, but my brown shoes are still alive (though a hole is starting to form.) 

-We usually teach a few times a day- sometimes I just don't feel like says and Friday we taught this family the restauracion, and Tuesdays ... and just listing things off.  We don't teach a ton but we have stuff to do.  (I think his mind was jumping between English and Spanish)

-I sleep good but now that I have to call everybody I don't sleep as much.

-I'm pretty good with money and they do give us enough.

Thanks for all the pictures.  Sorry it was a short letter this time.  I love you guys.

Bye!

-Elder Jarvie

P.S.  Remington looks really creepy.

(This is what Donavaghn is referring 
to in case you are curious.) 

Haz Lo Justo

Our zone or in other words our district with the zone leaders.

Hey everybody!

Things here are going good.  I'm almost used to having to call a bunch of missionaries every night.

Right now we have a district of nine missionaries.  So this morning we had to find an internet cafe that would fit us all.

 

The house looks amazing.  Sometimes I miss doing all that.  And sometimes I wonder why is everyone's hair so crazy? (Referring to a picture I sent of Spencer Pratt helping us do stucco.)  Here I thought everybody had crazy hair because Guatemalans are locos, but I guess it's just the style everywhere.  Speaking of crazy hair, Remington's beard is looking pretty good.

 

It's cool to see the five generation picture you took. That's crazy.  That would be cool to live to have a great great grand kid.  There is almost a hundred year age difference.  The other picture that was cool was of  Rick, Gavin, Jared, Moroni, and I (some times Spanglish slips out.  Like right now I almost wrote Moroni and yo.)  (The picture (included at the bottom of this letter in case you're interested)  I sent was taken a couple of years ago at a blood drive one of our young men did for his Eagle Scout project.  The reason I sent it to Donavaghn was because one week from today every one of those young men will be out serving a mission. Pretty amazing!  On a fun note, out ward holds the record right now in our stake for having 11 missionaries out. Technically two leave next week and there are two senior couples.)

 

Let's see what else - I did buy a CTR ring but it's in Spanish so it's really a HLJ ring.  Which means "haz lo justo."  That really means do what is right, but it's almost the same thing. I haven't been doing perfect in journal writing, but I've been doing pretty good.  In fact, I'm nearing in on finishing the one I've been writing in.  Right now I don't have much time to write because after we finish planning at 9:30 I'm on the phone until 10:15 , but i usually get a little more than half a page in.  Really the whole district leader thing only changes what I do at night, and a little of what I do Monday and Thursday. But it's still real;y different.

 

You also mentioned that I haven't had a companion that speaks English.  Who knows if I'll ever have one.  Most people do though.  I've had a companion that speaks Portuguese, and one that speaks Quiche (a native language in Guatemala) but nobody that speaks English.  In the zone there are 11 missionaries and 3 of us are "gringos."  Also one of the Latinos speaks pretty good English.

 

Thanks for all the pictures. I love them a ton.  Make sure you have Skype working good on a laptop, (referring to our Christmas call) because I want to see more of the house.

 

Well that's what I've got to say.  Love you guys.  Talk to you next week.

 

-Elder Jarvie

 

 L to R - Donavaghn, Lisa Mapel, Gavin Mapel (Philappines), Moroni Beal (Spain), 

Rick Pedersen (New Mexico), Jared Dabel (Guatemala) and Kelli Holcombe.

District/Zone Leader

So between last night and this morning I've been told a lot of things. First off, the whole Carter thing, that is super exiting.  Y'all really surprised me a few weeks back with the whole "Guess what?? Your sister's having a baby!"

The other thing is that they told us about changes yesterday which came with two things I wasn't expecting.  First off, I will be staying with Elder Barrera a 3rd change, that's like 4 and a half months with the same companion.  The other thing is that in this group that is going home a lot of the people were in leadership positions.  Our district leader has had a few problems, so there was a chance that they would have me be the new one.  But when they called me that I was going to be the 3rd Zone Leader I was really confused.  But they explained that for right now I'm going to the district leader, but over the whole zone.  There is only going to be one district, so that's weird. 

 

My companion got Chikungunya so he is kind of a zombie right now.  But for having it he is doing really well.  He can walk and talk and didn't die on the bus, so what more can you ask for?

 

All in all things here are going pretty good.  There wasn't a whole lot to say this week... but the few things were pretty big things.  Well, I love you guys, say "hi" to the turtle for me. (I told him sometimes Michaela calls Carter her little turtle, because he kind of looks like one.)

 

Bye!

President gets the boot

My companion and I with Erick

The house is looking great.  In your letter you said something about a longboard on his head and I was thinking why does he have a longboard on his head?  Then I realized you were taking about a board that is long, and I was thinking about a skateboard longboard.  It makes more sense with the picture.  Speaking of the boat, it looks like Remington has his beard already to go on the boat.

     

The rock stacking looks like it was good fun. (Youth fireside we had)  I'm like 99% sure I've seen that video before. (A man that stacks rocks in ways that should defy gravity.)  Sounds like I'm missing out on a lot of fun, but you guys are too.  They just gave the president here the boot.  Apparently he was a dirty rotten no good criminal scumbag..... or something like that.  So they always call to ask if there are riots or anything in our area.  But we live in a little village on a mountain, nothing like that happens here. (That's what a mom likes to hear!)

     

Dad's machine looks cool too (car rotisserie).  That first picture is fantastic.  Pretty soon now you are going to see a bunch of cars that have a little symbol that says Jarvie or something like that.  The garage looks great too.  A lot changes in a year.  Which reminds me I've officially been outside the states for more than a year.  That's crazy.

     

You mentioned ward council.  Here they haven't done ward council in a while, but we have been talking with our ward mission leader, and we have plans to start the other week, so that is pretty cool.

     

That's cool to hear that Em is going to be studying the Old Testament.  A few months ago I felt bad because I have never read the Bible all the way through.  I finished the New Testament a little while back.  Right now I'm reading the old one (Old Testament) and it's really interesting to hear some of the stories again, and in order.  I'm in Judges right now.  I just finished the story of Samson, which is a weird one.  Up there with Balaam or whatever his name is.  The guy that talks to his donkey.

     

Thanks for the pictures! oh and by the way the one I sent is my companion and I with Erick, he and most of his family got baptized like six months ago.

 

Anyway love you guys.  Bye!

Elder Jarvie

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