Elder Tadje in Guatemala

Oi que dicen mis seres queridos?!  So we had changes- and mi hijo Elder Velez and I are here another change!!! Which is good becasue I just paid for another month of our gym membership. This really is an incredible area- the members are awesome, and we're seeing a ton of miracles!!! We had a little boy named Anthony who was going to be baptized last week- well he randomly decided to go sightseeing with his aunt and uncle Sunday so he didn't come to church. But he should get baptized this Sunday, along with Monica Carillo! She was supposed to get baptized my first week here but her boyfriend hasn't been worthy until now. But everything is good and she's finally getting baptized! Also possibly a girl named Angie Cortez- she's 12 and got baptized when she was 8, but her records were lost so we might have to do it over again if we can't find them!! Bendita Guatemala! We had 9 investigators in church Sunday and they're all pretty positive so we'll ...

Hey everyone!!  We've had a pretty crazy week here in Barcenas. Elder Velez said he starts his journal entry every day with: "so here's what Elder Tadje did today..." haha Thursday we went to help the Hnas with some things at their house. As we were leaving, they told me the buttons on their microwave didn't work and asked if I could try to fix it. Of course I said yes- so I took it apart and in the end it wouldn't even turn on. So I must have gotten microwave karma or something cuz the next morning, we got back from the gym. I showered first, then made breakfast. I've been trying to eat healthier so I've made scrambled eggs every day! Our zone is also the only zone in the mission with WALMART!!!!! (I'd almost forgotten what that was) We went on Pday and found Poptarts!!! I had forgotten what those were too. I decided that poptarts would go well with my eggs, and thought why not try to throw one in the microwave. I read the box for instruction...

February 28, 2018 Whaddup everyone???  Sorry it was a crazy week and not a whole lot of time to write an email. But we had a surprise baptism this Sunday of Alejandra Espinoza!!!! She wanted to go to the temple this Wednesday, so we were able to get permission from her dad Saturday night, do the interview, then baptize and confirm her Sunday morning!!! It was a really special service and she was so happy to finally be a member of the church. We are working with her cousin to get permission for him too.  Our area's awesome and I'm loving things with Elder Velez; especially because yesterday we had to head to immigration so he can be here legally! So we hung out in Guate all day, and changed our Pday to Wednesday so that'll be nice.  But everything here's tranquilo- thank you all so much for your emails and prayers and support, Les amo y extrano mucho!!!! Que mi Papito Lindo les bendiga Elder Tadje

February Comin' at ya live from Barcenas, Villa Nueva; The city build on a hill! It's a strange area - we're really close to Guate, the biggest city in Guatemala. So we can see all the lights and big buildings off in the distance. We're a 10 minute bus ride from Walmart. (I had almost forgotten what that was) and a massive mall. But Barcenas is divided in 1/2- the half of Pisto (or money) is the Hermanas area and is all gated communities with armed guards where you need ID and your exact destination to get in. Then literally on the street that divides our area, the money ends and the hill starts, and it is a HILL! But this area is really awesome, and so are the members. Our apartment is pretty small; one room about 10x30 feet to sleep, study, eat, exercise, store our stuff, etc. But it's made me realize we don't really NEED a ton of space. A lot of the people live in houses smaller than this, with a lot bigger families. I absolutely love Guatemala, but if ...

Buena semana todos!!!! A big warm hola from Elder Tadje and Elder Velez aqui en Barcenas!!!  So this week's been good- kinda crazy, but I'm starting to learn that's just how mission life is!!! Our area is awesome- the members love working with us, and love giving references!!! It's kinda weird, this has never happened before.... There were just some problems with the Elders before, so when I got here we didn't have any lunch. But we've started building bridges again, and we've been eating every day since then; and today one of our investigators is feeding us!!! That's when you know they're opening their hearts🌮 Our house is great, we spent two hours of pday cleaning which is a miracle cuz it's only one room 😂 haha there's one room to eat, sleep, study, exercise, everything. But it's made me realize that we don't really need more space, and how blessed we are in America. It's a lifestyle that the people here can't even...

Hey everyone!!!!! So kind of a crazy week. Things were great with Elder Williams, but we got a call from President yesterday that we had emergency changes!!!!! Elder Williams got transferred to the coast and an Elder Velez with 1 week in the mission is coming to be my companion!!! Which should be interesting cuz neither of us know the area haha, but con Dios nada es imposible!!!! Sorry that there's not time to write more, things have been crazy but that's the life!!!  But this area's awesome and the members are amazing, and I'm super excited for the next few weeks!!!Thank you all for the emails and the prayers they make all the difference!!! Elder Tadje

Hey everybody!!!  So crazy week- there's no scarier situation than being in a lesson and getting a text from President saying "call me!"But it ended up not being anything bad- just that we have changes!!!!! I've been transferred to Villa Nueva, an area called Barcenas 2 with Elder Williams from Panama- He has one change less than me in the mission, and he's been here since he started!! He's awesome- I'll send pictures next week!!! Our area literally is one massive hill, and somehow it's all uphill!!! There are no declines- just hiking straight up a mountain haha but the members are super awesome- really supportive and they love the missionaries!!! I'm super excited to be here, and we'll see how these next few weeks go!!! We have a baptism this Sunday. I have no idea who she is, and apparently I won't meet her until the baptism. But we got a baptism!!! haha Sorry I'll write more next week. It's been a l...