Chimaltenago

Well this week rocked! I AM IN THE MOUNTAINS! In a place called CHIMALTENANGO. I will tell you the five greatest things about being in the mountains.

1. I have fifty five mosquito bites on just my arms... not counting the ones on my legs.

2. BUCKET SHOWERS.

3. The clothes that they wear here. It’s called corte and it is the coolest thing I have ever seen. They hardly even speak Spanish here... it is time to learn a new language.

4. Who needs cars when you’ve got horses and cows? They rock.

5. Or perhaps the Amish colony that we live next too. They are called Mennonites. They have been here for over 20 years. All Americans. All Amish and they have the greatest bakery. It is actually way cool and we live right next door. I might be taking up a new hobby soon.... just saying.

MY comp is the BEST. Her name is Hermana Merrell and wouldn’t you just like to know that she went to BYU Idaho and that we have a bunch of friends in common. We are basically the same person and have so much fun together. I am really loving it and I now get to do divisions with 13 companionships and so that means 3 times a week. But I am going back to Antigua today to do divisions and I am so excited!!!

We have seen so many miracles. This past Sunday we went to church to find 2 guys that are not members that came with their wives who are members. We hadn’t even visited them and they just came to church. They were so excited to when we asked them if we could visit them. That night we went and one of them told us that he had a baptismal date like 11 years ago but then he just decided to not get baptized with his family. When we asked him to be baptized he said, ¨Yes and I am not going to use ANY excuses this time.¨ We both left with like our jaws touching the floor.

That same day we were walking... or I should say running... when my companion just stopped and said, we need to go down this alley. So we went down there and we could feel like someone there needed to talk to us, we just didn’t know who. We knocked on a door and out left a lady and like 7 kids. She said that we could share something with her but there was like a ton of music and we asked if she could turn it down. She said that there were like four drunk guys in there who she said were the dads of the kids she was taking care of. She said it would be better if we could leave the house with the kids so they didn’t have to see their dads like that. Anyway,. we started to share with her when her drunk husband started to leave the house. We usually have to get out of there but we had a feeling that we should invite him. We started to sing ¨I Stand all Amazed¨ and he just started weeping like a little boy. He told us that he had been baptized with his whole family 8 years ago and that it was the happiest time of his life. He then just started to talk about all of the spiritual experiences that he had had and ended with ¨I’d give anything to feel that happiness again.¨ It was incredible. Really, when you look at stuff like that you realize that what you are going through is NOTHING.

For the funny moment of the week... I face planted it running across the freeway. The good news is... at least my Book of Mormon flew out of my hand and made it safely across without me.

Love you all.

Ame 

684 Contacts

Thanks for the emails. They rocked. Thanks for the update on Alpine, I was thinking about your guys as I too was climbing up a dirt mountain to visit a sister... basically we were doing the same thing I think. 

Well.... The thing is that I am leaving my area! We got the phone call on Monday and well, I am out of here! I have no idea where I am going, if I will still be a training sister or not, I really do not know! But the people here have been so darn good to me and I am so grateful to serve here. I absolutely LOVE this place. My companion will continue here and another sister will come, I will tell you all of the details next week! But really I LOVE the people here and all have said that they are going to come visit us in Utah, and so mom, get the Funk suite ready!!

This week has been a crazy week. My companion and I really really wanted to baptize this past week and so we decided that we needed more help from Heavenly Father and decided to make a covenant with him. We told him that every day we promised to contact at least 90 people and invite as many people as we could to be baptized. I am happy to let you know that this past week we contacted 684 people and 94 families. And we invited a ton of people to be baptized. We still have not seen the baptism, but you know what?! TODAY HAS NOT ENDED! We are having a lot of faith, that TODAY before I leave tomorrow that someone will be baptized! I am really excited and I know that Heavenly Father will come through with His part.

I haven’t broken the news to my boyfriend, hermano Luis, that I am leaving... hmm.  I will tell him today, but let the tears flow, right?? haha He keeps calling me doll face and just really cute things like that. The Espinosa family is doing super well and I am going to miss them a TON but I know these changes are for a reason!!

I love you all!!!!!!

Hermana Funk

As Fashionable As Ever

Well I thought I would start out this week’s letter with some of the most hilarious things that have happened to me on the mission thus far. Let us begin.

1. It rains here, a lot. And this past week it rained a lot a lot. The people ask us why we don’t have rain coats or umbrellas, but honestly, you just can’t walk as fast when you have something weighing you down and so we don’t use them. We got to the house of an investigador named Consuelo. She is a hermana that is probably 75 years old and just loves us and literally cries every time we leave her house. And sooo we got to her house just sopping wet. Anywho, she saw us and told us that she wanted to give us clothes to borrow. Let me remind you, she is 75 years old. I told her that I was fine and that I didn’t need anything but she insisted and insisted telling us that she had some clothes that she didn’t use anymore. AND SO she went upstairs and bought down the clothes. She first presented the ones that she brought for my companion. A nice floral skirt and a white shirt, wasn’t all that bad. And then she said, ¨Hermana Funk, I was searching and found something that will look PERFECT on you.¨ She then proceeds to had me a lovely bright green dress suit. Like the one that have the matching top blouse and floor length fancy skirt.. kinda like the one you had mom. hahaha but anyway, I saw it and I just couldn’t hold it in. She told us that we could go up to her room to change and when we got up there my companion fell on the floor laughing so hard and I just could not put it on. Hermana Consuelo then proceeds to knock on the door telling me that she had something that might fit me a little better. I open the door and she hands me a mini skit.  A MINI SKIRT. I did the equation and figured it would be better to put on the dress suit then walk out the door in a mini skirt. OH my heck, I have never felt so good about myself in the whole life. We walked out of there looking like models. And did I mention it was raining?? A light green fabric doesn’t hold up to well in the rain... thank you Hermana Consuelo. 

I just had to share that story with you!! 

Our investigators are doing so well. Honestly, we had seen miracles. Ernesto and Marlene and Carlos and others came to church this past Sunday!! We are seriously praying so darn hard that Ernesto and Marlene can be baptized this weekend so that I can be here because I think I am leaving this next week. WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS. We are trying to sacrifice everything we can so that we can see this miracle. I know that it will happen! I just know it!!

Over this past year in my mission, I had learned so many things. But I have decided the most valuable thing that I have learned is to do it all because I love my Heavenly Father. Whatever sacrifice, hardship, hard task, calling, area, companion that he sends me, I need to accept it. Not out of fear or out of commitment to somebody, I can’t be obedient and diligent because the mission asks us to do it, I do it just because I love my Heavenly Father. I have truly planted that in my heart and it has changed me and my mission. You have to let Heavenly Father change you by loving him enough to trust him.

I love you all. Just so you know, my 75 year old boyfriend is doing real well. Brought me treats again this past Sunday and whispered things in my ear during Sacrament meeting. I am so blessed!!!

I love you all. Honestly. And I love my Heavenly Father!

Ame 

Buenos Tardes Fam!!

The wheel on the Guatemala bus go...

Buenas Tardes!

Okay, I am glad that you guys are going on about 2234 vacations while I am gone, that is really neat. But I want to know, how many of you have traveled in a hot, packed full, but OH SO FUN Guatemalan bus for 4 hours two times a week for the past 4 months?? I think I win that one!! It almost wins with the big blue van... basically the same. Just with these buses you have to like sit on top of people and they fit so many people.... no seatbelts.. aka I am breaking Laurie Funk rules. hahaha

This week was a week of miracles! We just have so many pilas people! We put a goal for 5 baptisms in the month of August and I think we will be able to do it. La hermanita Dafnee is doing well, she just really wants to get baptized and we put her date for this Sunday! BUT I need your prayers so that her parents give her permission. Also prayers for Marlene and Ernesto forthis Sunday. They are such a great fammmm and I know they will do it! They even gave me my seventh bday party. they rockkkkk.

We have this investigator named Carlos. He cracks me up. He is 19 years old and just LOVES to try and impress us. He was like the hot topic at church this past Sunday and all of the young woman are so willing to come with us to go visit him and all the young single adults were just thrilled. We really have brought the main attraction to church, but he actually really loves the church, not just all of the attention. We just always pray that he can *remember* to put on a shirt when we teach him, and if not, we just tell him that we are going to leave and he can call us when he is presentable. hahaha 

I went on divisions the other day to the hottest part in all of Guatemala, I am so sure. It is called the GOMERA. ohhh my heck. They have sand instead of roads, and in the first 15 minutes that I was there, I got blisters on my feet from having the sand be so HOT. Then a rainstorm came in at night and so the lights went out, and this meant that the fans didn´t work and this meant that every 5 seconds I went to the bathroom to wet down my whole head just so I could sleep for like 10 minutes. It was just so fun. So fun. But the hermana that I went with is awesome so that makes up for it.

My 75 year old boyfriend is doing well. He is so confused about what the Priesthood is and thinks that when he gets it he will be able to make whatever change he wants in the church. For example, ¨Hermana Funk, when I have this priesthood, I am going to liven things up in Sacrament Meeting. I am talking about guitars, trumpets, everything.¨ He wants to buy out one room in the church to make it into a place for people to sleep when they get tired because he told us he bought a lottery ticket and it is the winning one. Wow, will I be ever so lucky when I marry him, right??

Well, love ya all. Ame

Ame

I am here to serve

Buenas Tardes a todos!

Wel,l Thank you for your emails, I truly love always hearing from everyone and so thank you for not forgetting about yours truly!

Well this week. Let us see! I had divisions with the one and only hermana Oliphant. She rocks! I am so serious. She walks so darn fast and just loves her mission. I felt that she helped me more than I helped her, but I have seen such a change in her and I loved being with her!!

Our pilas investigator Carlos came to church again this past Sunday, but this time in a shirt and a tie and with his hair cut, and boy did the girls go wild. But it was so cool because in the middle of fast and testimony meeting he got up to bear his testimony! He said, ¨I am so imperfect, I have so many changes that I need to make in my life, but I do know one thing, that this church is true.¨ Okay, I seriously was jumping up and down on the church seat I was so darn excited! He is doing so well but he just has a problem with tobacco. If each and every single one of you can pray for him, I know he will make the change!!
My dearly beloved Hermano Luis received the priesthood this past week. Don´t you remember him? My 75 year old boyfriend. Boy you should have seen him walking into the church, his hair TOTALLY slicked down, in a shirt, tie, suit, the whole shoe! And when they sustained him in church to be a priest, he stood up and put his arm way up over his head, as if he was like receiving something. AND THEN in Sunday school, there were about 56 seats, but what would you know, he chose the one right next to me! And I said hello and then halfway through the class he looked over at me and said, ¨Are you like mad at me or something? You just seem really distant.¨ Hahaha I was dying! Nonetheless he received the priesthood and is doing great!

We had the coolest experience with one of our converts. There is a hermana who just had a baby and they live in terrible circumstances. But the ward has been so good to help them out. Anyway, we went to their house to visit them and when we were leaving, we asked if they knew of anyone that we could visit, they said no, but when we left their 6 year old daughter ran out of the house and told us that she had friends that we could visit. She then proceeded to go to each and every one of her neighbor’s house with us and she said, ¨Hello, these are missionaries. They preach the word of God. Want to listen to them?¨ SHE IS 6! It was so awesome! We found 6 new investigators with her.

I had learned a lot this week about how to dedicate my whole self to the work. One Elder in a meeting said, ¨I came here to give my life.¨ and that is exactly why I am here! It doesn’t matter if I am completing one year to me because I know that I am here to work and work hard until the end. I have realized that as I give more of myself, I am happier, have a stronger testimony and that the Lord trusts me more. I am here to serve!!

I love you all. And really love the food here. Just sayin. Ame