Opening a new area

So let me just tell you what happened this week. There I was, sitting in change meetings when all of a sudden President Brough announced that my companion and I would be opening a new area.... I was completely shocked! So we were told thatt we would be opening the area de Villa Nueva 1, and so we found are zone leaders and they told us do not worry, they would take us to our house, show us around our area, and ya everything would be great!

So we get to our house and the Elders give us the keys to get inside and say, okay, see ya, good luck! And drive off in their Taxi!! Thank you Elders, how very very kind! and so then we went into our shack.. I mean house to were we opened our door, and let me just tell ya, I am definetly not in Antigua anymore, this is definetly the house of previous Elders!

Anyway, so we open the Area Book to see where uor area is and all we have is like a picture from google maps and no directions or anything of that sort! The previous Elders had not been marking who they had been teaching, so really we did not have anything! So we decided to just go outside and start contacting becuase also we did not have any phone numbers, so this was just turning out to be real neat.

Anyway, the next day we found the number of our relief society president who came to our rescue and showed us the way to our cooks house, who lives about 2 miles away! This area is so huge! SO HUGE! But anyway, we met some of the ward members and they were all so great!

But you know what is the best part? They have not had Hermanas in this area for 23 years and so everyone was calling us ¨Elderas¨ When we walked into Sacrament Meeting, everyone was litterally shocked to see us, but all so anxious to help us, so that has been great!

There is definitely a reason that Hermanas have not been in this area, and it is because it is pretty dangerous, but do not worry mom, I can run really fast! 

We also have an amazing ward mission leader who has helped us more than I can even say. Although we do not have a lot of records of people, converts, or anything, our ward mission leader has helped us to find almost everyone!

We have this one investigator named Roldofo. He is in a wheelchair and has lost most of his vision but has one of the strongest testimonies of Joseph Smith of anyone I have ever seen. OUr ward mission leader gave him the stories of the scriptures and Joseph Smith on a disc and he has just loved those. He feels like he wants to get baptized but feels like he has to wait until he can pay back every sin in his life, poor man, but he has such a strong testimony. WE are so blessed to have him.

If I have learned one thing about opening an area, it is that it is one of the hardest but yet rewarding experiences. I have never had to rely so much on the Lord for so much help and I have seen the Lords hand like never before. We are praying more fervently, working more dillengently and loving more sincerely, and truly I have seen a difference. We are praying so hard that we can see a baptism this weekend and also one in the weekend to come. I have realized that without the Lord´s help, that there in litterally nothing we could do in this work. I am so grateful for all of the small tender mercies that we have seen!

I saw morg, and it was one of the greatest things ever. She is doing so well and has one of the best trainers! I am so so happy for her!

Even though the living conditions are hard, no one really wants to talk to us here, we have gotten lost at least 75 times and we do not usually have time to eat, sleep, or breathe, I am giving my all to this work. I know for a fact that we will see the blessings!

I love you all, thank you for everything!

Ame

The Joker and his brother Evil

Well hello Funk Family!

I was greeted with many emails this week and felt oh so loved! Thank you so much!

Well, in news for this week... I am leaving Antigua! I AM SO SAD! We were not expecting this at all and saying goodbye to the people here was like the saddest thing ever. But you know, I realized something and that is that I did all I needed to here in Antigua and that Heavenly Father is pleased and he needs my work somewhere else. I am so so nervous, because we have so many that are progressing so well right now, but at the same time, I am excited to start a new adventure... with yet another new companion.. that I am pretty darn sad about! I sent pictures of me saying bye to many people, the one is Enio and is fam and the other is the Familia Palacios and then the other is a baptism of a little girl that we had this week of a recent convert family! It was so neat!!

Well, this week was pretty cool! Actually... some parts. Let me start out with Wednesday. We got a reference for a man named the Joker... yes.. the Joker. Anywho, we went to visit him when we were greeted by his brother, Evil. Yes, his name is Evil. We began talking to them and then they started talking to us in English, telling us about how they had been deported to Guatemala from LA because they were in a gang and had killed too many people to stay in the US so now they had to be here and that their names were no longer Joker and Evil, but Eric and George.... not too close to their nicknames, huh?

Well, anyway, we started to talk to the Joker, excuse me, I mean George and he told me that he needed to go do something and then he would return. Did I mention that we were teaching him outside of one of the biggest catholic churches in Guate? So, that looked really good, us just sitting outside of this catholic church waiting for the Joker. Anyway he came back, and he had to go because he had to smoke weed really fast. He came back smelling so strongly of weed and I was sitting next to him and so I was practically inhaling the smoke.

Anywho, I went through that day sicker than sick, feeling like I was going to faint or throw up at any second. I finally made it through the night and we were at our mission correlation meeting when I just couldnt hold it in, ran to the boys bathroom (don’t ask me why I ran to the boys bathroom) and threw up! That was sure neat. I threw up because of the second hand smoke of the Jokers weed. What a story huh? Yea, I know!
But we had a pretty cool miracle this week, also. This guy came into church and we didn’t know who he was but after the meetings he told us that he lived in our area and that he wanted to be baptized as soon as possible because the missionaries had taught him before but he never accepted! and so we set up an appointment with him and are teaching him and he will be baptized the 22. What a miracle!! I have realized that usually when you fast and pray for someone, a miracle happens with someone else. It was truly a miraculous blessing!

I am doing well and will see Morg tomorrow! I am so stoked but also scared because this means that I will be changing my area tomorrow. Saying goodbye to an area is the worst, but my investigators were crying, so it makes you feel good that you actually mean something to them! And even though I do not get to stay to see their baptisms, I know that the fruits of our labors will be seen in this next change!

I love you all!
Ame

Our Jewish Friend Pulled Through!

Hello familia!

Man, Thanksgiving. That is one thing that I missed this year! But our Jewish friend pulled through! Thursday night at about 9 30 we heard a knock at our door and sure enough, there he was, with thanksgiving dinner left over from his dinner he had with our mission president. He told us that the old people were stingy, but that he gathered us all he could! We three North Americans that live in the house ate the whole thing... and did not even feel ashamed! I do not even like pie but I ate almost the whole thing, you just got to role with it I think. 

Speaking of food, it is like our saving grace here. WE always say to ourselves, we just have to contact 10 more people and then we can go to the nearest panderia and eat a donut. And we get right to work! sad, but the truth. Oh well, you guys will never really know what I actually look like here... right? 

But we introduced our little latina companions to Thanksgiving, we had dominos pizza, tortillas and goldfish crackers, oh and the chocolates that our Jewish friend had given us from Hannakuah.. what a champ huh? It was quite funny and they all loved it!

This week for our Pday we did a white elephant gift exchange with our district, man was that the hardest thing to explain to the latinos because elephante blanco just does not mean the same thing. That was pretty darn funny. 

Enio is going to receive the priesthood next week and his cousin Alan told us last night that he wants to be baptized!! WOOOO. So we will baptize him, and I am hoping la familia Palacios on the 15 of December.. stoked for this day. STOKED. 

I have one more week and then I am done with my training! Wow, I have made it four months in the mission, I feel pretty accomplished if I do say so myself. 

We are fasting and praying this week that Rosas mom will let her be baptized! I am hoping with all my heart and I know for a fact that we will be able to see miracles. It is amazing really how much Gods miracles are based off of our faith and diligence. 

I am sorry that I do not have more to report this week but next week I get to see Morgan Oliphant! SO EXCITED!! wooooo!

I am working hard, trying to be patient and enjoying the time I have left with my companion. I feel so grateful and blessed to be with her! She is so awesome and such a good and faithful missionary.

Love you all!

Ame

Thanksgiving at Dominos

Familia!!

Man, it is Thanksgiving in two days! I am so sad, they do not even have a Thankgiving here.  I decided to express my feelings of sadness to our Jewish convert, and he told me that he was going to find a plate of thanksgiving dinner and bring it to me. So that is neat.. or we had another idea that since it is 2 for 1 at Dominos every Thursday, that could work out grand just as well. The possibilities truly are endless here in this town of Antigua!

So sad news, Rosa was not baptized this Sunday. We were devastated! We had fasted 3 times that week, prayed more fervently than ever before, had her baptism interview, had the baptism clothes, and the cake,  and then sunday morning she called us to tell us that her mom said that she couldn’t be baptized because all of her family is Catholic and that it was probably better if Rosa never returned to Church. But we didn't feel sad because we felt sad for ourselves, we felt sad because Rosa wanted this more than anything! BUT we are most definitely not giving up the faith and I know without a doubt  that she will be baptized soon!

Enio is doing great, he loves to come and visit people with us, so that has been so awesome! He will receive the priesthoodthis Sunday, too!

We have a family that we are teaching, the Familia Palacios that has their baptism date for this 8 de December. I am really hoping this all works out, they are such an awesome family and they LOVE to have family home evening. We have family home evening with them almost 3 times every week with different ward members so that has been awesome! Please pray for them and I know we can see a miracle!

Funny moments of the week... man... this week was a good one.

1. Yesterday we had Pday de Zona and we went to some ancient ruins, which was way awesome, but the elders decided that they wanted to hike down a steep steep, and I mean steep hill to try and see a waterfall. Well, everyone else wanted to go and so I decided I would follow the crowd... it may or may not have ended up in me sliding down the rock mountain and almost breaking not one but both of my legs, my rear end and my right arm. And since the elders can’t touch the hermanas, they took no thought into helping me as I was tumbling down. All they did was look at me and say, “Wow, hermana Funk, I saw all of that happen, that must have hurt, you must really hurt right now.” Yes, thank you Elders, I am alright. It was so embarrassing!

2. We were knocking doors when we encountered this lady who was in quite a hurry. I started talking to her and she told me something about how she had a baby and that she was changing her baby’s diaper and if we had a paper or something that she could just read instead. Well, I did not understand and I thought she had told us that she had a baby and that she needed toilet paper to change her baby’s diaper. I began to search in my backpack when my companion looked at me very confused. After I found out that that is not what she was asking for...shining moment Hermana Funk, shining moment! 

I hope you all just have the best time at Thanksgiving, please take a lot of pictures and send them and have an awesome time.

I love you all! Thank you for all of your support and love!  Ame

Everyone thinks my first name is Funk...that's neat.

Familia!

Thank you for all of your letters, I was laughing out loud and just felt really loved so thank you so much!
AS the title says, yes, yes it is true, the second coming is surely here! Would you like to know why? IT is because of this man right here! He is a real live Jewish person, directly from the lineage of Levi, and he was just baptized and confirmed this Sunday by the other hermanas that live with us. He read the book of Mormon in 2 days and 6 times in 2 weeks in 3 different languages and was truly converted.

Do you know what this means? When he gets his patriarchal blessing, if it says that he is from the lineage of Levi spiritually as well, he has to be called as a 70 in less than a year, and they have presiding authority.. cool huh? Ya, I know. I told him that I would like to be his friend if that was okay with him and he told me that yes indeed we could be friends and that maybe one time I could come to his house to see his Grammy award that he won, or maybe his records from when he was a spy in Israel or perhaps we could go over the 10 different languages he knows, just to name a few. He is so cool!

Well, in other news, Enio was confirmed and the bishop told us that he was the most popular kid at scout camp. WOOOT. Also, we took him to go visit personas with us, but we also made the mistake of inviting some of the young women... goollllly gee whiz. I felt like we were babysitting. Those girls love him! And he knows it, and he knows that we know it! I felt like a protective mother that didn't want any girl to talk to my little son. haha, but he was bien pilas at the lessons, at contacting and with everything so that was awesome!
We have another little girl that could be baptized this week so if you could ´please pray for Rosita. All we need is her moms permission and then she can be baptized! With the prayers and fasting, I know she will be.
We were so blessed to have 7 investigators at church Sunday! It was truly a miracle and half of them were the family of Enio that we are now teaching so that has been an awesome experience. I really just feel so so blessed.

Now funny moment of the week.

1. We were teaching a 80 or something year old women and I knew her sister had been sick, and so I asked her how her sister was doing. She told me something that I did not understand, and so I took it that her sister was feeling better. So I said, Oh, this is so great that your sister is getting better. My companion tapped me on the knee and said Hermana Funk... she told us her sister died. And then turned to the lady and said, I am sorry my companion is still learning spanish.... Well, shining moment number one, hermana funk.

I am doing well and only have three weeks left of training! I feel so blessed to have all of your support and love and I just love you all so much. My love grows each day for all of you!

Hermana Funk

Ps. everyone here thinks that my first name is funk. that is neat.

The Power of Prayers

Well, I can definitely tell you that all of your prayers paid off! Enio was baptized this week! And by the lick of a skim! I will recount the experience..

So we had the whole baptism planned, everything was great, he was so happy, all of this. Literally five minutes before the baptism, his aunt who is a non member came to the church and told him that his parents, who Enio does not even know, did not want him to be baptized and that he could do it. Literally five minutes before. WE went out there to see what was going on and just the look on his face told us everything. WE knew that we could not do anything about it except pray. So we went into the room that had the baptismal font and prayed. The second we came out Enio told his Aunt that it didn't matter to him, he wanted to be baptized and he was going to do it no matter what! And with that, he was baptized! The service was beautiful and right now he is at scout camp with all of the young men. It truly was a miracle. Truly, truly, truly.

The picture of his baptism I sent in the other message so I hope you guys enjoy that! And our little boy that we baptized last month was finally confirmed, and it was the primary program, so it was a great day.

Now the other pictures, that was my joys at MCDonalds two Pdays in a row... so that is really neat!
Our other investigator Jose doesn't want to talk to us anymore because his girlfriend doesn’t want us to talk to him, but we are not giving up on him so do not worry!

I had quite funny experiences this week, here they go!

1. We were coming out of a lesson and I saw and old man carrying an old lady who was probably 90 years old up the stairs. I asked if he needed help and he said of course, took her feet and gave me the whole rest of her body to carry up the stairs. And I am just saying, this lady was by no means skinny, and you know what.. it wasn't just one flight of stairs we had to walk up, it was six. And so with my arms completely numb and with this frail 90 year old body completely in my arms because he only had the part of her feet, we walked up 6 flights of stairs. My arms were numb for 45 minutes after that!

2. We met a french guy last night who is here trying to learn spanish. HE started talking to us and everything was going great, and then all of a sudden he said, Well, to tell you the truth you two probably won’t be proseliting tonight, and if you do it will not be with me... Well... isn't that nice.
I am very happy with my new companion. We just get along great and have some of the funniest experiences together!

Many have asked me what the living conditions are like, and I would take pictures, but my camera would be stolen if I did. Most the people live in a one roomed tin roofed house with 1 or 2 mattresses, where the whole family sleeps and if they are lucky they have a stove or a fridge, but most have a fire pit outside of their house. If they live by other families, they usually share one bathroom with them. So humble, but at the same time, they do not really need more. It has just made me so grateful and amazed at all we have at home.

Our living conditions are great, except we have fleas in our beds and I wake up with at least 6 new bites every morning, so that is really fun! And we have to hang our laundry on the roof to dry and 3 pieces of my garments are currently on the neighbors roof... apparently the wind in pretty strong..

I am praying for those missionaries in the Philippines, how scary! But if they are obedient, they will not be harmed!

I love you all and thank you for all of your prayers!!

Ame

Week of Miracles

WELL. I have a new companion! Her name is.... Hermana Satterthwaite and GUESS WHAT! she is from  Hunstsville, UTAH! What a blessing, huh? Oh, I just love her! WE get along really well, and even though she speaks english too.. we have a goal to only speak spanish when we are outside of the house, and so far it has worked out pretty well, but really she is so awesome and I feel so blessed to have her!

WE have seen a lot of miracles this week. One in particular with Enio, our baptismal font proposal! HE IS SO GREAT! We had been working so hard with him all week, and then on Saturday he decided to go on the temple trip with all the young men and young women and had an awesome experience! But then on Sunday, we were waiting for him at church.. and waiting.. and waiting.. and he wasnt coming. And we were praying so hard becuase if he didnt come, he couldnt be baptised tihs sunday.

But then when they opened the doors after the Sacrament, he came in! All by himself! He had walked the whole way without his aunt or anyone to come to church! AND THEN! he bore his testimony in Sacrament meeting, and it was absolutely beautiful. Man, it was so awesome. And he has his baptismal date for this Sunday! So please pray that he will be able to be baptised this sunday. He is so great.. and he is 17... Em, I am just saying... he even took out his earrings for church and doesnt wear his white wife beater very often anymore... just saying em, just saying!

We also have another 17 year old boy named Jose that is a son of an inactive member in our ward! He really has a desire to change his life and we have been teaching him and it has been going great. But we didnt know that he has a 3 month year old baby... ya this might be good information to know.. BUT he has talked to his girlfriend and we are teaching him the law of chastity today, so we might see a miracle baptism with him this next week! With all of your prayers I know that this will happen!

Speaking of the law of chastity, my companion and I love to contact people using the law of chastity. We go into the parks at night and of couse there are probably about 27 couples making out in the park and we just go right up to them, try our best to get their attention and start teaching them the law of chastity. and I mean everything about the law of chastity. Their reactions are hilarious! But we actually got an appointment with a couple, so I am just saying, this thing works.

We had a pretty funny experience this week! Our Zone leader sent us a message that told us that he had a reference for us of a person who for sure would be bpatized and he was so stoked about it and told us that we had to contact him! So with that, we called this reference right away. His name was Jeff and he was a north american living in Guatemala. We started talking to him and told him how he had talked to the elders and all of this and asked him when we could visit him. He told us that they had church services at four on sunday and that would be just fine.

We were confused and asked him what he meant. He said that he had a list of 67 questions that he needed us to come answer in front of a group of 500 people from his church. The questions consisted of things like this, Why did Joseph Smith say that a man could live on the moon for 1000 years and not die?¨ Well, okay. And so with that,  we told him that we didn't think we could make it. hahaha I was dying!

Life here truly is hilarious. Especially now with 2 north Americans... well.. we stop traffic. Literally, because we have to contact the people. But really, it is yes a little scary sometimes and we have to be a little more careful, but for the most part, it is just fine!

To celebrate halloween, which no one really does here... how sad I know! But we bought fake chocolate at the little sotre next to our house and said happy halloween to each other as we choked it down. What a neat halloween, huh?

Ame