Transfer Week Excitement

Transfer weekkkkk.... dun du du dunnnnn!!! I don´t have transfers haha I get to stay here another change with Elder Barrera! I was kind of expecting it though cause most missionaries that come to this area are here for 6 months so I kind of already knew. Elder Brubaker got transferred though.... I´m bummed about it... We´re not sure where he´s going yet but he told me he would write me and let me know next week so I´ll let you guys know! Now I don´t have anybody to talk to in English... Ya.... Bummer.... Oh well I guess I´ll just keep working on Spanish haha ;) There was only a slight change here.... So our district leader finished his mission and went home and I became the new district leader here... It´s just a little change.... Ok maybe kind of big... At least for me anyway!  I´m pretty nervous about it but at the same time excited... We´ll see how it goes. It´s just new responsibilities and everything that I have to learn and stuff.  I´M SUPER NERVOUS AND I DON´T KNOW WHAT I´M GOING TO DO BUT I´M EXCITED TO LEARN AND GROW :)

You got the pictures of the baptism and everything? That was a really fun baptism because I have been working with them since the beginning and I got to see the whole process and wow I loved it! Michelle seems really happy and they both seem to have the vision of going to the temple in a year to be sealed as a family and they said they were going to invite me so I´m looking forward to that :)

In our Mother’s Day call, Elder Lott told us his companion had a convert going through the temple and they had permission to go but no transportation.  We all prayed for a miracle and here is the story…

Well  we ended up talking to a member and asking for directions and he just decided that he would go with us so we got up at like 4:30 in the morning and got ready and caught the bus and headed for the temple and then after, we wandered around lost for a little while because the member couldn´t remember which bus to take to get back hahaha!  We had to do some asking around and it was hilarious but the temple was super good and the convert was super pumped to head out in the mission field.

I´m feeling good!! I´m feeling tons better I just have a little cough that continues to bother me a little but other than that I´m up and running again!!  Everything is going good and I´m looking forward to another transfer and lots and lots of learning!

I´ll let you know how my first week goes as a district leader ;) 

Love,

Elder Lott

The Rainy Season has started!

It´s true, the little couple we have been working with are super young but they´re super awesome! He´s 20 and she´s 19 years old. The wedding was super fun though you could tell they spent a lot of time planning it all and getting everything ready. We just helped with decorations and stuff!

Lessons with Michelle are super good. She has quite the testimony and she learns super quick. Her husband is actually already a member so it was more of an activation process with him but they are both attending church every week now and you can see the progress and that is what the mission is all about. It´s so great. Michelle was actually baptized this last Saturday and guess who got to baptize her?? This guy :) It was super awesome and super special. The spirit was so strong and it was such a great day! Baptism days are always kind of crazy but when the baptism finally happens it is so so worth it!  Pictures will be coming.

I´ve been a tiny bit sick with a cold... runny nose and a cough but I haven´t had a sore throat or headache or anything so that´s good! I´m almost better though... I´ve almost gotten rid of it :)

Everything is going good.  We´re just about to finish the transfer and we´re going to finish strong. I don´t think I´ll have transfers but who knows.

I GOT THE BIG FAMILY CARD!!!! :) I loved it!!

I´m super stoked for the rain.... All the members are talking about how the rainy season is starting and how it´s going to rain like every day from now on and I am so pumped. We run around with our umbrellas and rain jackets... We don´t always need them but we do always need to be prepared!  It’s lots cooler and I love it. I don´t know if it makes the mosquitoes worse... As for right now, it has helped.  I haven’t noticed as many so that´s good! I haven´t heard anything about the new dress guidelines yet in the mission.... Maybe in the next conference? 

We are headed to a big mall called MetroNorte today. We´ve been there before and it´s pretty cool. We´ll see what it has in store for us today. Mostly it´s just to go eat something a little better than normal ;) 

Love you all!

Elder Lott

Sick on the Wedding Day :(

Well up until Saturday, life was pretty normal. We were just preparing things all week for the wedding and it all turned out super great. There was tons of support from friends and family and it was awesome! I have lots of pictures that I´ll send next time I´m in the church with wi-fi :) Saturday I was pretty sick all day actually.... I think I got food poisoning or something because I was in the bathroom like every hour and it was the worst... The day of the wedding too... Whyyyyyyy..... it all turned out well though and I’m feeling tons better already :) 

Our Zone Conference was super awesome because we got to hear from Elder Ochoa and his wife.  We´ll have to go look him up when I get home because I even got to shake his hand and meet him personally! Maybe he´ll remember me! ;) We got to hear from President Crapo and that was awesome too!  Then after we were able to catch up with all the other missionaries and everything and I loved it. It was so fun to see my old companions. This is the stake center in Zona Molina.  It´s nice and big!  I don´t think there´s a single building here in Guatemala that doesn´t have a tile floor.... Everywhere is tile and I miss the carpet.

This is the case for my agenda. I am still waiting on my scripture covers. It’s so awesome!  The front is the Guatemala Temple and the back is just like a Mayan design from the Mayan Indian tribes that were here in Guatemala. It´s super cool. 

I loved the Casualness leads to Casualties story you sent. It is so true and sometimes we just forget to protect ourselves by doing the things that we have been instructed to do like read our scriptures and say our prayers every day.  That’s what will protect us from the venomous snakes and everything else. I loved it! It was a good reminder for me. 

All is going super good here. I hope you guys are doing well and staying healthy ;) 

Remember that I love you guys SO much and miss you SO much. 

Love, 

Elder Lott

Mother's Day Call

We had the wonderful opportunity of visiting with Elder Lott on Mother’s Day.  It was a true gift to visit and laugh with him.  We miss him so much!

Our connection wasn’t the best and he was often pixelated and a little fuzzy but it was him!  He had some trouble speaking English.  It was fun to watch him translate his Spanish thoughts into English words. He couldn’t wait to show us an invitation to an investigator's wedding.  He was so excited and anxious to help with the wedding.  They are hoping a baptism will follow shortly. 

He also shared a funny story.  They were walking down the street and a couple of guys carrying a box were quickly approaching them with their hoods pulled low.  Without much warning, the guys circled the missionaries and Elder Lott said he thought this was it, the moment they were going to get robbed.  Suddenly the gentlemen pulled back their hoods to reveal friends from Zacapa.  He was delighted to see them and equally delighted about the contents of their box—BANANA BREAD.  He said it was truly a taste of home and he enjoyed every bite.

Without any warning, we asked him to share a quick message we could share with each of you so that you could enjoy hearing from Elder Lott too.   Thank you for all of your love and support!

Love the Temple!

P-Day was moved this week so the missionaries could go to the temple.

We just got back from the temple and it was so great!! I love going to the temple so much!  The temple session was in Spanish. It´s super different and I often think about the session in English in my head but I´m understanding basically everything in Spanish so that´s really good. I´m super excited to go to the temple with you guys after my mission.

This is our new zone.

Me and my companion.

 Elder Brubaker and Elder Lott!

I'm guessing there is a story behind those ties.  That has been his only request...a few new ties.

I haven´t received my tie package yet but they usually deliver packages and letters on Fridays.... So maybe this Friday I will get letters and packages and I will anxiously be waiting and asking to see if I have gotten anything :) 

We have actually had a couple of days of rain here but it is super hot as always!  It´s fun to get a little wet in the rain too. Hey my companion used to ride horses all the time and I told him that I knew how to ride a horse and he was pretty impressed haha!

I often see people here that remind me of Sabino.  I´m excited to talk to him when I get back. I think he´ll be impressed. There have been several people that have told me for being a "gringo" I have a really good accent so that´s awesome!

Time is short today.  All is well.

Love,

Elder Lott 

Here are some pictures of our apartment.

 They are living in a palace compared to Zacapa :)