Last One

Well... I'm not really sure what to write and I'll be seeing you all Wednesday anyway, but I'll see if I can think of something.

 

This week I've been with Elder Conger.  He's from Las Vegas.  That's the shortest I've ever been with a companion, one week, (the longest was Elder Barrera for like 4 and a half months) but it was a good week anyway.  He's a fun guy.

 

I think we are going to the Central Market today.  We are going to buy some Guatemala stuff to bring home, and then tonight I'll finish packing my bags.  Tuesday we will be with president and Wednesday I'll get to the airport super early and get home super late.

 

We had a pretty good week.  We found a new family.  It's going to have to be the new missionaries that teach them because we aren't going to be here, but they are an amazing family.

 

Are you still canning stuff?  Do I get to help can things?

 

I don't know what I'm going to do when I get back.  It's kind of crazy.  I guess I'll have time to think about it Wednesday.   Either way,  I'm sure it will all work out good.  Well I don't know what else to say and I don't have much time left.  I'll see you all Wednesday night then!

 

Bye

Elder Jarvie

Changes before changes

Well we had kind of a crazy week.  It started out pretty good.   Oh yeah I had my interview last Monday, that went well.  It wasn't really an interview, more of an advice for when you go home type of thing.  It was probably one of the calmest times I've ever been in the mission office.  Usually when you go there it's because someone did something wrong, not that I've been to the office that many times.  Usually it's for problems my companions have had.  It was raining so I got wet before getting on the bus and there was air conditioning, so I was super cold while I was there.

   

Anyway, so this week was kind of rough in the middle.  So the assistants came Friday while we were all in the chapel, and not in a very Christlike way.  I'm honestly not really sure what happened, but Elder Rodriguez isn't with me any more, which is too bad.  He was one of my favorite companions. I've been with an elder named Elder Conger for the last couple of days.  He is one of our zone leaders.  He goes home one change after I do, and is honestly probably trunkier than I am.  Which isn't super bad.  The baggiest I've ever been with is Elder Gonzalez, that was awful.

   

We've had lots of trouble trying to get people to come to church.  This week was stake conference and it was super good.  After the adult session they even gave us tamales, so that was cool.  It was a little different, they even showed videos.  They talked a lot about family

   

The whole not getting along with a companion thing is rough.  I've had a couple I really wanted to punch in the face.  I was even in a trio that wanted to punch each other in the face, that's even more fun.  There are some days where I think I have no idea what I'll do coming home, and other days the assistants storm your house and take your companion, and I think, yeah studying sounds like fun.

   

I don't remember if it was this week or last week, I think it was this week, but it hailed.  That was the first time I've seen hail in Guatemala.  Elder Rodriguez said it was the first time he had seen hail in his life.  It was raining pretty hard and the wind was going pretty hard too.  There was a hurricane that passed through part of Guatemala, I don't remember if I told you this, but one of the elders from Puerto Barrios was with me for a day because of that.  So that's fun.

   

That's too bad the pear picking ended.  I kind of wanted to pick pears.  I want to go swimming too. And eat all the garden.

   

Well I don't have much time left and I don't know what else to write.  I guess I'll see you all soon.

Bye

-Elder Jarvie

Skirt Burning

Today I have to finish writing and type up a list of goals and then take a bus to the mission office and talk with President Crapo.  My last interview is planned for today at 3p.  President says it usually lasts about 45 minutes.  He must have a lot of confidence in himself if he thinks he can get me to talk for 45 minutes... no I'm just kidding.  After talking to people all day for the last two years I've gotten a little better at that.  So, I have a long interview today, that should be fun.

So as you can see in the picture I sent you, my companion finished 18 months in the mission, and since that's the time sisters serve, he burnt a skirt to symbolize not being a sister anymore.  In Guatemala there are a bunch of little stores everywhere in the street, including some called "pacas" which are used clothes stores.  If you have time, here is probably the best place to find used clothes.  I found a pair of shorts for 3 quetzales.  Considering that every 8 quetzales is a dollar, that's a pretty good price.  I think I already told you about the shoes I bought for six bucks.  Anyway, funny part of the story was Elder Rodriguez was talking and joking a lot with the guy trying to get him to sell the skirt cheaper.  In the end, the guy told him he would sell it cheaper if he put it on. 

   

The area here is totally city.  Honestly, everything looks the same to me.  It's a good area though.  Just for some reason no one wants to come to church.  Everybody says they're going to come until Sunday and then they don't.  So that's rough, but I guess that's life.

   

About the whole souvenirs thing, I'm going to be with president today, so I'm going to ask him permission to go to Mercado Central (central market).  That's pretty close to our area and buy stuff there next Monday.  Well actually it might be next Tuesday, because we are going to the temple.  So if I don't write next Monday, that's why.

   

Well I'm out of time.  Thanks for everything.  I'll talk to you next week.

-Elder Jarvie

Service Projects

Does he think time stands still while you're on a mission?  Does he know he's actually 20 years old? 

Service Project

Making Flour Tortillas

Painting Service Project

We've been doing a lot of service projects.  That makes me happy.  I love doing stuff like that.  We've done several in the last few weeks.  I think we've had at least one every week or more.  Talking with people all day is nice too, but sometimes I feel like doing some other kind of work.

 

We found a great family this week too.  Like half of them are less actives and half are nonmembers. The mom's last name is Rodriguez (here they don't change your last name when you get married) so my companion, whose last name is also Rodriguez, always calls her "cousin."  They are a super great family, and on top of that, all of them came to church yesterday.  That was super cool.

 

We've been trying really hard to get the members in our ward to help us more.  That's probably one of the trickiest parts, though there are always a few people who are super great.

 

Looking through  my inbox I realized that they sent me the information on when my flight goes out and all that.  (August 24th at 10:37pm - All are welcome!)

 

I'm going to talk with president tomorrow.  There is a place pretty close to our area that sells souvenirs and stuff like that, so we were thinking about asking permission to go there.  They sell tons of stuff.   It's a pretty cool place.

 

Those lemon cucumbers look really good.   And hot water sounds really good too.

 

Well thanks for everything, and thanks for the pictures and everything else.  I'm almost out of time, so I'll talk to you all next week.

 

-Elder Jarvie

Happy Birthday Donavaghn!

The family reunion pictures look pretty cool (see below).  Mostly the Chinese shirts and the beach.  I really want to go swimming when I get back

   

To answer one of your questions, I've been in the city my whole mission, and the same city.  The Durazno was my only area that wasn't much city, it's like right outside the end of the city.  Esperanza was almost the edge too.  The difference is my area now is like downtown, zone 1, smack dab in the middle of the city.  The place where all the buses leave and a lot of the government buildings are pretty close to here.  There is a place here where you can find a bus going to any part of the city and most parts of the country.  Personally, I consider myself more of a country person, but it's nice to be in the city every once and a while.  The down side to being a missionary in the city is that you're not allowed to go anywhere in the city except for your little zone.

   

We had a pretty good week.  Things have gone pretty well with my new companion.  The area needs a little work, but I'm happy as long as I have a good companion.  There are a few great people in the area too.  There is an older lady we've visited a few times who speaks English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.  She's a super great lady and kind of funny sometimes too.

   

The long flight isn't a big surprise.  On the way here, if I remember right, I left pretty early in the afternoon, and left the airport at like 4 in the morning.  Last time I went to Salt Lake, then to LA and then Guatemala.

   

So... does the water heater in the house work well?  I ask because most of the houses I've lived in here don't have hot water in the showers, and I really like hot water.

   

We've got a few things planned for my birthday.  Today we are going to eat pizza and play soccer and tomorrow we are going to go with a few members and stuff like that.  There is another member in the ward who has the same birthday as me.

   

I found a bunch of square pieces of paper and was teaching my companion how to make origami.  There is one that you fit a bunch of pieces together and it makes block shapes.  So we bought colored paper and have made a few tetriz blocks.  We've only made three so far, we don't have all that much free time but they came out pretty cool.

   

Thanks for everything.  I'll talk to y'all next week I guess.

Love 

Elder Jarvie

 

All but 3 grand-kids - Donavaghn (serving a mission in Guatemala), Gordon Walker (serving a mission in Hong Kong) and Jeff Walker who just started a new job. The Chinese symbol on our shirts was the surname given to my dad when he served his first mission in Taiwan.

 

Service Project Part 2

My companion - Elder Rodriguez from Honduras

 

Elder Orellana

Roof Repair Service

Our mission president decided not to be as mean as the assistants and gave us 30 minutes to write.  So I'll be able to explain a little more about the week.  My new area is Las Victorias. It's in zone one, smack dab in the middle of the city.  I've seen buses pass by going to every area I know.  My new companion is Elder Rodriguez from Honduras, the third companion from Honduras I've had.  So that's cool, and he's one of the better companions I've had. (A mother's prayer answered.)

   

The bench looks super nice. I showed one of the pictures to some of the missionaries here, and they agree about the whole rich people thing.  Elder Lugo said you can adopt him if you want.  But seriously the house looks super nice. (Everything looks nicer when you've lived in a third world country for two years.)

 

Monday we did a service project. I think I explained yesterday that that is why we couldn't write.  We were helping a lady fix her roof and it took a lot longer than we thought it would.   And we couldn't leave her without a roof, especially because it's been raining a lot.   You can probably see how the roof is from one of the pictures.

   

For my birthday we have an investigator that makes super good pizza, so we are going to celebrate Monday with the zone and buy stuff, pay him and help him make a bunch of pizzas.  So it should be pretty cool.  After we will probably play soccer or something like that.

   

Last week they sent me a thing saying I had to make a bunch of goals for the next ten years and a bunch of other things: spiritual experiences, etc.

   

I sent some of the pictures from the service project we did Monday.  I'll send more pictures next Monday.  Maybe...

   

Ohh... I almost forgot... tell Dad and Spanky happy birthday for me! Well I'm out of time.  Thanks for everything.  I'll talk to y'all Monday.

 

-Elder Jarvie

Service Project

Hey sorry I couldn't write yesterday.  I really only have time to say I'm alright and I'll write you next week, sorry.  We had a service project yesterday and it took along time.

 

Elder Lugo wants you to adopt him.  Micheala always wanted a black kid, so it might work out.

See you next week then.

I love you all.

 

-Elder Jarvie