Kyles New Suit

5/30/10 - Kyle writes:

"Well on wednesday it started raining and it rained and rained 'till it finally stopped on sunday early morning. As a result of the rain here in chichi there were lots of mud slides and large rivers. The president of our branch now doesn't have a house, and is living in the church. We didn't have church on sunday and we just helped clean up and move people out of their old homes. In chichi alone there are 20+ deaths. Still looking for missing people and in all of Guatemala there is 120+ deaths. The volcano added to all this and made everything worse.

One miracle was one of our members we couldn't contact through all of this and no one knew if he was alive, the road to his house finally opened up on monday, and we went to see him, he was alive and his house was fine. On saturday during the storm and a mud slide, his wife started giving birth, and he was freaking out because they couldn't get to the pueblo. A mud slide almost hit his house, missing it by only 6 feet. He told us he thought they were all going to die, but the baby and all the family are just fine.

On Saturday we had planned to visit an area that was destroyed by the slides, but I felt sick in the morning and after, we just felt like we shouldn't leave. So we stayed in, and I felt lazy, but then the next day we found out about how that area was destroyed and I felt blessed that we didn't leave the house. In that area alone 12 people died. I know the spirit kept us safe. But I am fine and so are the other elders. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers."

"we got the call, I am going to mission Xela, I leave on friday."

6/21/10 -

"All is good, I am having fun here. My companion is really awesome. The work is kinda slow, everyone speaks only quiche, and after 7:00 pm there is nothing to do, especially on a tuj night. A 'tuj' is like a sauna with hot water, its what the people bathe with. We are working hard, we've found some new investigators, but we are still looking. I am now in an area with even more canyons than before, I didn't think it was possible, but I am getting used to the ups and downs. Now it is basically like hiking everyday. I think I am going to loose more weight here.

All I know is I don't want to ever hear state elders complain about their mission, because I have to cook every meal and all we have to cook on is a hot plate, and we have to pay for the light bill, and I would kill to have a bike. And the drunks in the states don't attack you (lucky I'm bigger than them).

p.s. some of our houses have shared out-houses. those are fun. haha"

6/28/2010 -

"Things are fine here, just the same old fight of trying to find new people to teach. Its hard, everyone speaks quiche, but I am learning it really fast. I have no idea how, it's just coming. We are teaching this guy alejandro, he is super cool, he has all sorts of questions and loves learning, I just don't know if he wants to be baptized. Hopefully over time he will come around. He is also a taylor, he's going to make me a suite. It's pretty cool.

We found a cool way to deal with the drunks too, all you do is when they come and start talking to you, you act asleep, and they get really confused, it's hilarious, they are so confused and have no idea what to do."

7/7/10 -

"Well last week my companion broke his ankle, so now he is in the office for 6 weeks, and I got transfered to another area called totonicapan with an elder who didn't have a companion, and they just closed my other area, so thats no fun. I really miss my other area, hopefully I will be able to go back. Oh, ya, I also got my new suit, its pretty cool, grey with white and blue pin stripes. I'll send a picture. I just realized I look a lot different in it. When did I get skinny? haha. I'll have to take you up on the archery challenge.."