Tuesday, February 25, 2014

A week of many emotions

Thank you all so much for you emails this week, how I absolutely love love and am literally laughing out loud while I read them! Thank you thank you and thank you very much!

This week.... whoa. It has been a week of just about every single emotion! Remember how in the last week I said that we had to get our investigator to quit his job to be able to come home and be baptized? Well, you see, one day this week we were in a bus and I get a phone call from one of our members and he tells me, HERMANA! Manuel is here in VIlla Nueva! He came back! I started screaming, poor things on that bus but I was just so excited! And so we ran home and we saw him and he had come home to look for another job and because he wanted to be baptized! Anywho, he had his baptism interview and well, woooopppsss... we did not teach the Word of Wisdom very well. BUT do not fear, he will be baptized in two weeks, he just has to work out a few things. But the important thing is that he came home and practically quit his job so that he could have the opportunity to be baptized. He is so awesome! I just feel so grateful!

Our little Hermanito Josue did not come to church because he was fishing with his dad, and so we went to his house Sunday afternoon. I think I forgot to mention last week that there are about 25 people that live in his house and so we always find someone new. Anyway, we had planned to invite Josue and his mom to a family home evening in the casa de one of our members. And so we invited them and told them that we were going to return in the night to get them and walk over to the member’s house. Well, we showed up in the night and Josue didn't leave his house, but literally nine of his little cousins left, and three of their moms. All dressed and ready to go to family home evening. So there was me and my companion, walking with 9 children and their moms  in the streets of Guatemala, (Sunday night, I must add is the favorite night to drink) to the house of this family. I felt so bad hahaha because we had told the family that we were only going to bring two... but then we show up with like 14 people.. oops. But it was so fun! They just loved it, even though the member gave an hour long lesson about family history, they just loved every minute.

The bus adventure continues to flourish. We contact every bus with the Book of Mormon and we have found some PILAS people from this. These people here sell the funniest things on the bus, like mini sewing machines, jello, medicine to kill parasites from chicken... it just beings me back to the days of buying Turbo Jam from an infomercial. I always want to buy the things, and only sometimes I do it.... :)

I am giving my all to this place, I am so grateful for this opportunity. I know that the time will go by so fast and so I am just trying to love every moment!!!
I love you all!

Ame

Monday, February 17, 2014

Preaching in my sleep...literally

Familia Fung... as the Guatemalans say it here.

Wow, this week has been a crazy one! One of the biggest miracles that we is that we had 11 investigators that attended church this Sunday, this was a pure miracle! I just felt so grateful and know that our prayers and fasts are being answered with power!

We have the cutest little 12 year old investigator named Josue that we have only taught like one time but he told us that he was going to come to church, but we did not really think much of it the whole week. Anyway, Sunday came around and we walk pass the primary room and there are about 7 little kids in jeans and t shirts that I knew I had seen somewhere but I could not remember for the life of me where. And then I looked in the corner and saw our little friend Josue! He had walked all he way to the church with about 6 of his little cousins, what a pure champ. He is so excited about the Book of Mormon and could not believe it when we told him that he could keep the book. Oh man, this kid. Pray for him, we have a goal for his baptism 2 de Marzo!

And now for the other news.. We need prays!!! LOTS OF PRAYERS!!! We have a man who is so ready for his baptism... but he just has to find work and leave his house so that he can keep the law of chastity...all by the end of this week!... But you know what? I know that we can do it! Just with about one billion prayers!

My Valentines day, well I did have a valentine. He is six and his name is Juan. We went to their house on Valentines Day and he had saved a package of cookies for so long so that he could give them to me on Valentines Day! My comp will send you the pic. Such a champ this little one!

I really do love you all and hope you know that I am giving absolutely my ALL. My poor companion, I talk every night in my sleep giving lessons in Spanish and she cannot sleep because I am just talking. But you know, just trying to give my all to it, even in my sleep... all for the cause dear!

I love you all!

hermana Funk





Friday, February 14, 2014

Conversation Hearts

Familia!

Thank you so much for your emails! I literally always just get so darn excited to check my emails and to see that I am loved, it makes me feel better to know that I am still remembered!

 I loved loved loved my Valentines package that you sent me! I made the mistake of bringing the conversation hearts to a Family home evening. There was like one for each person but I did not really didn’t think it through. They started to ask, "Hey what does ‘pick me’ or ‘u r hot’ mean?" hahaha there goes hermana funk, getting fresh with her investigators!

Well... let us see, to be honest I cannot even remember what happened in this past week! We have been working so hard in this huge area and little by little I know that we will see miracles, because really I have just felt that I have been so blessed my whole mission! 

Our investigators are doing well, they just all have a little problem with the law of chastity, or the word of wisdom... but these are just small things right? Of course right! But I know without a doubt that this is just the trial of my faith before the miracle comes! But I could use all the prayers for this people who I love just so much! Especially Ernesto, Joseline and Julissa, Jonni, Javier and Daniel and Haydee. I know without a doubt that with prayers that we will see miracles!!

My companion is doing better and better. Really it just all comes from when you can forget about your own self and love these people. That is the only and true way that I have found happiness on the mission. You can't wait for a change of companion, change of area, until you’re senior companion until you are happy, you just got to choose to be happy NOW! And really, I have seen a huge change in her, I am just so proud of my little daughter!

We decided to spice things up a bit this week when we were contacting. Sometimes it gets really boring to say the same things when people open up their doors. And so this one lady answered her door and I asked her, "Hey Hermana, does Thomas Monson live here?" She told me no and I just acted like I could not believe it, and then I said, well, since he is not here, would it be okay if we shared something with you? AND she accepted! It was so awesome! 

I also have this other goal that in every single lesson I am going to use the Book of Mormon, even if these people do not have the slightest idea of what it is. But it is great because I will read a scripture and say, "'Oh well, Hermano I am sure you have heard this scripture before!" And they always are like, “Oh yes, this is one of my favorites!” haha they know the Book even before they have read it!

I am really sorry that I do not have more exciting things to tell you this week but I know that I will be able to tell you about all the miracles that I know that we are going to see next week! I am where I am supposed to be and I am giving my all, repenting when I make a mistake but most of all having faith in the Lord. 
I love you all so much! I WILL BE WRITING ON MONDAY NEXT WEEK.

Ame 




Friday, February 7, 2014

6 Months Down

Fam!!

This week has been a good week, and ya know what it is even weirder? I have less than a year left on my mission.... wooo crazy. Way crazy. But you know what that means, I just need to work harder and put in my all because I have a feeling that this year is just going to fly!
This week I would like to tell you about some experiences that have really made me realize just how great Guatemalan people are... now here it goes.

1. I had expressed to a member that one of the things that I missed most from the United States was carpet because nobody has it and I had not seen it all my mission and I missed going barefoot on the floor. Well, it was just a small conversation and I had forgotten about it. But the next day when we were walking back to our house one night, the guard stopped me and told me that he had something for me. And walked backed into his office and brought out a little patch of carpet! He told me that a lady had dropped this off for me! She had searched and searched to just find this little patch. I truly was so touched.

2. There is a lady in our ward that sells fruit outside of her house because she does not have a job and is trying to make a little bit of money to support her kids. One day we were walking past and I told her how much I loved watermelon, but just kind of like a passing statement. The next day we walked by again and the lady told me that she had something for me and brought me out a whole watermelon and told me that she had bought this for me at the market because she wanted me to have it at my house! She literally has nothing but did this for me. Truly touched again!

It really just teaches me that I need to be a whole lot less selfish. I just feel so grateful for all of the love these people have.

Our investigators.. well.. all of them are having a problem with the Word of Wisdom or the Law of Chastity, but you know what? I am not giving up on them! I have more faith than ever and I know that if we are obedient, but more importantly, if we pray for them that they will be able to progress! I would appreciate your prayers for hermano Jonny, Javier and hermanas Joseline and Julisa!!

Funny moments of the week:

1. We went to the house of our investigator and his wife told us that he wasn’t there because he was out in the street drinking... what a pleasure. Anyway, she told us that we could go find him and so we went out looking. We knew that he would be close to a store and so we were looking for all the stores that were near to that place. When we couldn’t find it, our member that we had with us suggested that we go and ask someone. And so she went up to this guy that was smoking and said... "Hey, we are looking for a place that will sell us beer. Where can we find it?" hahaha I WAS DYING!!! I ran up and kindly explained to the man that we weren’t the ones who wanted beer but that we were looking for someone that would be drinking beer close to a store. Haha it was just so funny.

2. We were teaching the guard that is outside of our residential where we live. Well, we went over there and started talking with him and this other man just appears out of nowhere. He asked me where I was from, but he asked me in English! I told him I was from Utah and he was like "No way! I used to live there! What part?" I told him in Salt Lake and he was like, "Oh like 39th south?" I was shocked! hahaha I have never met anyone who knew Utah in this place. BUT THE BEST PART. HE asked me, "Oh, do you know about the Good ole Chinese Gourmet"? hahahaha I knew he was a true Utahan because not just anyone knows about that place!

My companion is doing better! Still cries.. but hasn’t had an asthma attack! We are getting somewhere!
6 months... woooo. Love you all!

Ame