greetings from the jungle town of el estor. i love it still. things just dont get any easier on missions but i dont think thats the point. i didnt come out here for rainbows and butterflies, and its not called missionary WORK for nothing...hehe. the language is killing me. i have not so secret fears of NEVER being able to speak qeqchi....i just listen to people ramble on it in, picking out words here and there and really wondering how this will all work out.... but i have faith. i hope its enough faith.....
things are going well though. the branch is improving a lot, they have called a few new leaders and given them a bit of training. and people are actually coming.
we are teaching a few families which is really fun. i LOVE it. this one family, who is the family of our past baptism, i think will get baptized. the dad said he wants to this saturday. and the rest of them will decide by tuesday. they read. they pray, they understand. just sitting in their home and hearing them learn the commandments and principles that will help them, and hearing them accept these. we walked in the other night to find the dad studying for the strength of youth pamphlet with their 12 year old looking up the scripture references. it was one of the coolest things i have seen. who thought seeing people read would make me this happy. i am a little bit nuts. but i can feel the spirit calmly residing in their homes and i pray that they recognize it. they are just amazing. and i feel why alma and ammon rejoiced and said that this was their joy. i feel it, alma 26 (i THINK...)
anyhoo, also i have been studying the new testament, reading the gospels along with jesus the christ, and i really like it. but it felt a little more like a history lesson and less like scriptures sometimes. but the other day we were teaching a couple who knew a LOT about the bible, and i was able to just bear a really strong and pure testimony about Christ and his purpose on this earth and his life, and that only could have come from my study. i felt the sprit just course through my body so strongly, stronger than i have felt in a really long time, because i feel it often, but this was forceful. i feel like i am really gaining an understanding of Christ and really the love that was his life. people talk about him here like he was a famous rock star or something. and its actually offensive. his life was sacred. and powerful. people, whether they accepted him or not, felt and knew that he taught with power. bearing testimony of that made me feel that all those hours of studying the gospels really helped me. i am gaining an appreciation for the bible. (remember a few months ago when i was fed up with it? yeah thats over)
but anyway, things are going down here. we are on our way to chuulaac to hike and play in the mountains. i am excited. we even get to sleep there in a hut, and someone has an oven, so we will get to make the brownies that you sent!!! thanks!!!
mary