Working Hard!

I am doing super good. The week was awesome. We have just been working and working and working and more working and oh when I hit the bed it is oh so nice ;) We are seeing a lot of progress in several of our investigators and that is so rewarding. We just have to keep working hard and we will be seeing baptisms like the middle of March. Super exciting :) 

No I never bought a blanket..... First of all because I don´t know where to look for one and second of all we never have time to look for one haha! I´m doing good though. The weather is changing and it has been a lot warmer lately and I don´t have to sleep with 2 layers on ;) 

Transfers are next week already.... Crazy how fast time flies by.... I will definitely be staying.... I think my companion will too but I´m not positive.... If not... Hopefully I know the area well enough to be able to teach a new elder the area hahah! :) 

Life is good here in... well..... Loud, crazy Alameda and all is well :) 

Con amor,

Elder Lott

P.S.  The temple session was in Spanish... I meant to mention that but I forgot.... It was super different but the spirit was the same. It was super fun and I absolutely loved being able to visit the temple again. 

"Angelitos"

It was so much fun to go to the temple and have a baptism and I had to take tons of pictures to remember it all and share it with you guys :) 

This is another gringo!  His name is Elder Brubaker and he was born in Hawaii but doesn´t remember it cause he was a baby... So he just says he´s from Arizona. He´s super fun and we always get together because we enjoy speaking some English together haha! The temple is beautiful and it was so much fun to be able to go back.

 
Here are pictures of our baptism.  His mother is the younger one with another baby on the way and that´s his grandmother... She doesn´t really receive us but she supports him and that´s what´s important. He loved dressing up in white though and told me that we both looked like "angelitos" and it was super fun. 

We played some Foosball in the Taco Bell that´s right next to the temple and had a little mini party. It was super fun too. This week has just been super fun!  My companion is still a little shy but likes to joke around with me which is fun. We work hard and we have been seeing lots of success in the area which is so awesome.

The Spanish language is coming right along. I finally feel like I have quite the hold on the language. I can express myself and ask questions and everything and I feel pretty comfortable with the language but I still say my personal prayers in English...that´s like the only opportunity I have to speak English :)

The truth is this area is pretty crazy....we leave everything behind in the house but we leave with faith! I´m truly grateful for your prayers and know that they are giving me strength and support every single day.

Love you all!

Elder Lott

"Que bonita sus ojos"

This week has been honestly just fantastic! We had a baptism Saturday. We baptized a little nine year-old that just loves me because I´m white and have blue eyes. He always tells me how bright and beautiful they are... "Que bonita sus ojos" he tells me haha! In fact, he even asked me if I would baptize him!! It was such a neat experience. We got all dressed in white and it was so fun to walk down into the font with him with his wide eyes looking up at me with pure excitement. (the water was freezing cold by the way and that was a little bit of a shock for me but it was worse for the little guy cause he had to get dunked ;) and then today.... WE GOT TO GO TO THE TEMPLE!!!! It was so amazing!!! I miss it so much!!

I’m still a little bit sick but mostly just like runny nose from the cold and stuff and sometimes I have a little cough but I´m drinking more water and taking my vitamins and I´m getting rid of it so that´s not a big problem. My testimony is growing like crazy. Every single day it is strengthened. It´s crazy how our testimony really is like a muscle and when we exercise that muscle it grows. When I´m out testifying of the truthfulness of this gospel every day, wow it has grown tremendously! I´m on a spiritual high…the baptism and the temple have just been the best. Definitely the highlight of this transfer has been this week!

Look!  I´m eating something that maybe you guys are eating ;) It´s not quite as cheap but it is a little piece of home and it is so worth it hahaha :) There are a lot of food places here in the city that are places like we have at home so that´s fun!

This Jenga picture comes from our meeting at our District Leader´s house for Pday.  We played Jenga and Uno and stuff as a district and it was super fun. This is my new companion.

I will be sending some pictures of our baptism but the truth is that it´s kind of hard to take the camera out of the house because.....it´s a tad bit unsafe... I actually don´t carry much besides my scriptures hahaha ;)  We have been able to bring some of the Priests along on some of our visits and it has been fun to think that just a short time ago I was one of these Priests... They seem so little though!

Everything is so crazy and so busy but that´s a good thing right? I think that´s all I got for today..... There´s probably something more but I can never remember it all... I need to start writing it down.

With love,

Elder Lott

Getting Better :)

My cold is finally getting better. I don´t know that it helps that I have to wake up and take a freezing cold shower when I’m already freezing cold in the morning..... I think it´s kind of hard for my body to stay healthy but I´m finally feeling tons and tons better. I think I had something else though because I actually was having pain in my neck and my lower spine as well as some crazy headaches but I´m actually feeling tons better. I think I have finally gotten rid of it :)

The truth is.... Not much to protect me from the mosquitoes.... During the night we run around in sweaters and my whole body is protected... I think the only time that they could get me is when I´m sleeping at night but I can´t do much there. I try to sleep with everything but my face covered but I don´t know how I move or what I do in the night haha! Nah I´m not experiencing anything from the mosquito virus. I´m completely healed and the Lord is taking good care of me :) 

The apartment is TONS bigger than the Zacapa closet. I feel like I´m living in a mansion after that haha! We have a member that does our laundry and she uses a laundry machine actually.  She lives super close so we are able to drop clothes off and pick clothes up pretty freely and it´s super nice.

The members here are super awesome! They are super loving and accepted me in as part of the family super quick. They all love that I´m a white boy with blue eyes. Every single person here loves the eyes haha it´s a secret weapon I guess ;) We are often invited to eat which is super nice and there are several members here that can join us on our visits. It´s super different than Zacapa but this is one of the positive differences right? ;) 

I think we might be having a baptism this Saturday.... It´s a little unsure though so we´ll see.

Love,

Elder Lott