Birthday Suprise...Chased by a Dog!

We actually received a letter in the mailbox Saturday and it was so exciting!  It was a trial run to see if it would really arrive.  Here are a some highlights:

Life is super different over here in Guatemala.  Everything is so different. I don’t think I’ve found one similarity.   What an adventure for sure!  Oh my,  iknow what Alan was talking about when he said he missed carpet.  You can’t find carpet not ANYWHERE!  Apparently it’s because it hold heat, that’s what my companion told me and I guess it makes sense cause it’s already 100° here but oh man, there’s nothing quite like praying on your knees on this tile. I’ll definitely be lying on the carpet when I get back J

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You got my letter??? Hey!!! That´s good to know. Now I know that if I send them you will get them and they won´t get lost :)

Family Life.... Good question.... The houses are dirt and clay with some cement poured over the top of them with tin roofs with long sticks to hold them up. Really the only materials used here are cement and rocks and dirt oh and wood. I´ll try to get some pictures to show you! Employment opportunities sounds like there aren´t a lot.... A lot of the investigators we have are always looking for jobs and it sounds like it´s hard to find a job. Ya the kids go to school (and it´s weird to think that I graduated hahaha and that I was there like 4 months ago hahaha) but they do go to school. One session from 7-1:30 and kids who choose to do the night session go from like 2- 7 or something like that.... Super different. Toys.... Hmmmm..... Not much... Like these weird card things... I have handed out some lizards though and they love those. 

This week I have been reading in the missionary library I finished reading Our Search for Happiness by Elder Ballard and I´m halfway through True to the Faith, this has strengthened my testimony because I always find The Restoration in these books and how important that is. I need to read Preach My Gospel though especially Ch 6 for the Multizone conference that we have this Wednesday. Apparently we have to get shots and I´m not super stoked for that but I´m not super distraught either so that´s good. 

Yes I can buy chocolate in Zacapa and yes I do it frequently hahaha more than I should ;) The Hershey isn´t super expensive even so I even get some quality chocolate hahaha (Good thing we taught him Hershey Milk Chocolate is quality chocolate!?!) I can´t buy the chocolate chips though and the ones they sell are semi sweet and kinda expensive so it´s not worth it. I do satisfy my chocolate craving with Hershey’s bar though don´t worry ;) 

Yep! Elder Yama gets to enjoy letters from both of his sisters and mother and father! Emails not letters. He says that his family is way too lazy to send him letters and packages hahaha but yep he has good support from his family :) 

I’m noticing more ties that I didn’t send than that I did

Ya some are purchases and some are swaps it´s like a trading game with the missionaries some of them have literally "been in the business" for a while hahaha It is lots of fun though! 

Here´s a little about my birthday!!

Alright here´s how my day went are you ready? So my companion woke me up at 4:50 in the morning with the fire alarm. It was actually super funny I´m not going to lie. He pushed the test button and then plugged his years and laid on his bed. I woke up and was like "What the heck is that??" Kind of panicked but not super bad and then he started laughing so I started laughing and it was all good. Then we got up and for our exercise that morning we went on a hike up the mountain! Oh my gosh on the way up though, we had been warned of ravenous dogs but we hadn´t seen any... We were carrying rocks though and my companion was carrying his slingshot and not until the very end when we were almost there we ran into 2 wilds dogs. Oh my, it was so scary! They started growling and barking and one of them like started circling us so we took off running and it chased us and I thought I was going to get rabies but luckily my companion turned around and shot it with the slingshot and they left us alone but wowwww that was probably the scariest experience of my stay here in Zacapa. 

Anyway, after that we got ready for the day President Crapo made a personal phone call to wish me Happy Birthday which at first scared me very bad but then was super good hahaha after we went to a district meeting.... They surprised me with a "cake" which was really just a bag of beef jerky hahahaha oh well it was funny. After our district meeting though we went to get Vaca Negras! Which I thought was funny cause literally translated that means "Black Cow" Hahaha but it´s like vanilla ice cream but instead of root beer it´s coca cola.... Super interesting but it´s actually quite good.

 Then opening my package was a highlight and I decorated my whole side of the room with the decorations hahaha thank you for all the treasures and decorations and treats. I absolutely loved it. 

I hope all is well at home and that you are staying busy!!

I love you with all of my heart!!

Elder Lott

We assume these pictures are of their “zoo” excursion.  The pictures came on Sunday so I asked if there were any “live” animals in the zoo but got no response.