Elder Tadje in Guatemala

AYYYYYY  It's elder Tadje here from the land underwater!!!! I've never been to a more humid place, and the rainstorms here are completely ridiculous. If you don't think it's gonna rain or it doesn't look like it will, just wait another hour or two. It'll come. And it'll bring the entire ocean with it. You haven't lived until you've been in a true central American rainstorm- it doesn't matter how waterproof your shoes are if you're walking down the middle of the street and the water is halfway up your shins!! and I'm just going to say right now that there are few situations harder to find a bright side to then when you're standing at someone's gate preaching the holy word, and a flock of birds decides to use you as target practice. I still can't find where the blessings are in that. But this week we were able to have our first baptism!!! His name is Rodolfo Gonzalez, he's 50 years old, and I compare him to a slumbe...

Holaaaa from what is now actually completely third world! First off, I am completely 100% sure that I am the whitest person on this entire country! I've never had cars pull off to the side of the road (Or swerve- some swerve at you) to shake hands with or point at the gringo! One of the families we taught yesterday all wanted to take pictures (which they posted on Facebook) with us, cuz even when they were all standing on chairs we were still taller than they were! My comp Elder Petronilo's from Mexico and about six foot and some change- Also he speaks 27 words of english. So communication's a real treat! And I have never met a person who walks faster than I run! Our area's by the coast, so its crazy hot and humid. We'll both have sweat just pouring off of our faces and he won't slow down at all!  It's been crazy though- we left the MTC at five yesterday morning, went to our president's house for interviews, went to a church to meet our comps, then h...

Hey all!!! I don't really know what to write for this week, so I'm just gonna send part of my journal entry from Sunday! Today was fast and testimony meeting. This was the first time that I was really able to understand most of what was said in an all-spanish meeting!! It made me almost wish that all of our english meetings today to be in Spanish so I can practice. I wasn't able to get up and share, but Elders Hansen, Henderson, Walker, Lee, Beardall and Wilwand from my district all bore their testimonies in beautiful (I'm using that description generously) hard-worked for and God given Spanish. Looking back it is really is amazing how far we've progressed. We're teaching full 20 minute lessons using only the scriptures after only 5 weeks! It's frustrating to not be able to understand everything or say everything you're thinking, but that will come with time. Rome wasn't built in a day, and I guess missionaries aren't in five weeks! To...

Week 4 down! Wassup Utah???? Life down here's good- livin it up, learning Spanish, serving the Lord!!! Every devotional we watch, they say that we'll never have another chance like this to live this closely to the Lord and for this long. And it's completely true- I can feel the difference, and I can feel the changes it's making in me!  We had a bunch of new missionaries show up last P day. They all look like they're about 12 years old, and they told us all that we look like we're thirty. The CCM ages ya. They also cut our hair again- but this time I asked him to only cut the sides, so now I have a mix between a hard part and Mr. T's hair! Wearing all of the exact same clothes for two years gets kinda boring, so you've gotta find ways to mix things up a little bit. Sweater vests are always appreciated. But last Pday we were able to go to the zoo, which was WAY better than Hogle! I don't know if it was because it's central America or what,...