Good News...Bad News...

The original injury...

Well, this week has been a very good one! Shoutout to the Middleton Vikings basketball team for doing great in state! Couple of bad breaks but still a blast to watch! Also, it was my sister's birthday the day before yesterday, so if you haven't had the chance yet, let her know what's up!

So an update on my health: I went in to get my knee looked at again by the doctors, and they have told me that it doesn't look way too bad; my meniscus is torn again and there is a cyst grown around it, but that they might be able to just cut out the cyst and trim up the meniscus a little bit, and should not be too bad! Well, thats best case scenario anyways. So that was good, but I have other bad news. 

I hurt my foot really bad a few months back playing soccer with the other missionaries in Ecuador, (see photo). Someone kicked me accidentally when going for the ball. It hurt really bad and I wasn't walking to good. That night, when I took off my sock, basically my entire big toe had turned purple and blue and was super swollen. I had called the mission nurses about it, but my toe was still bending so they just told me it was probably just bruised and swollen and it just needed a little time. Well I gave it a little time, and called them back a couple weeks later, because it was still bothering me. They told me just to keep icing it and massaging it, and that even if it were broken there wasn't much they could do about it.

Three months later, in that doctor's office, after they had looked at my knee, I asked them to take a look at my foot to get another perspective at it. He took one look at it and said it looked bad. Then, sent me in for a few x-rays, and a few minutes later came back and told us to come look at the photos. Apparently, there is a huge compound fracture in my big toe! Like, the second bone is almost split in half. They told me that I will need surgery on it as well, and they will do it at the same time as my knee.

Ultimately, the news is that they will operate on my left knee and my right foot, so that will probably mean I will end up in a wheelchair with two bad legs :( 

Well, despite my circumstances, I have been trying to do what I can before I head into the operating table. Yesterday morning, I went out with my dad to help him build some fences. At first I did not want to; I am still having a rough time adjusting to the freezing weather and I was feeling pretty tired!

But we went out, and actually had a great time! Building and repairing the fences and strengthening my bond with my dad turned out to be a really great experience. We got some good stuff done, and there was a good feeling in knowing that we had accomplished something good. I mean, as of yet, the cows and horses haven't gotten out! Even though its been a day, I am still remaining hopeful.

I think from that experience and from others, I have learned a pretty valuable and important life lesson. Sometimes we run into life challenges; we have responsibilities to fulfill, a job to do, or a change to make. Things that we want to happen, but do not necessarily wish to do. I did not want to go build fences that morning, for example. But with that experience, as well as many of the others, I have learned that the hardest part about getting the job done is just getting started. As soon as you get out there and dig in, you commit yourself to the work and all of a sudden, it doesn't become so difficult. That example relates to yesterday morning, but with other, greater things in life. If you want to do something great, go out there and make it happen. The hardest part about it is getting started, but once you have done so, solo hay due seguir adelante. (keep moving forward).

It reminds me of a quote my trainer in the mission once said to me: "There are three types of people in this world: 1. people who dream that something good will happen, 2. people that wish that something good will happen, and 3. The people that go out and make it happen. Be that third person, and you will find what you are looking for." 

Well, I think I will leave you with that little motivational speech for today haha! Just remember that we will run into these things in life, but with our determination and trust in the Lord, we can overcome them. Just like Ammon once said: "I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in His strength I can do all things." (Alma 26:12)

Back in the States

My New Companions

Hey guys! I am back at home, but that doesn't mean that I am shirking on my blogging responsibilities! I will keep you guys updated every week, so that you'll know what is going on!

I will start off with the knee; so I got another MRI on it while I have been here, because the one from Ecuador was not super great quality. They have taken a look at it, and it appears that I have torn my left lateral meniscus (again) and grown a cyst around it (again). I am not sure when I will be having my surgery, but I will be going in for another appointment tomorrow morning to get the whole verdict. I should know by then when my surgery will be, and start my recuperation! It should not be too long; 8-10 weeks or so I believe, so that is good news! If everything goes well, I will be right back in Ecuador in no time!

I woke up at five in the morning last Tuesday to come back home, and got here at nine at night. But since there is a time difference of two hours, it felt like 11 o'clock. Not only that, but I had only slept a few hours the night before, so I came back super super tired, and I still feel like I am trying to catch up on it haha!

I think that the biggest shocker for me when I got back was how fat my dog Buster had gotten. Holy smokes when I tried to pick him up for the first time, I swear I almost threw my back out of place! I don't know if its because they have been feeding him so much or if he has been eating his feelings with my absence or something, but I'm sure he put on at least 10 pounds. Hope I can help him trim up a little bit.

I got back and had my interview with President Evans right after my flight landed. It was a really neat experience. We talked about my experiences, what I had learned, and some other good stuff, and then brought in the family. I got to bear my testimony to them, about what I had learned seen and felt in the mission. It was hard to do it in english, and I accidentally switched into spanish without realizing it haha! But after I finished, I was then thanked for my service and temporarily released from my calling as a missionary. Of the whole ordeal, that part was the hardest to go through. It was pretty rough when I got the news about my knee, and it was pretty rough walking around on it for all that time, but nothing hurt so bad as when I was officially (temporarily) released as a full-time missionary. I felt something kind of break inside of me; lost a sort of spiritual light that I had previously , subconsciously, felt. I did not have that same gift that kept me company before; I had lost that sacred calling, and I could actually feel its absence. I have noticed the difference in my daily life. When I go out to work with the missionaries, I cannot teach and administer like before (even though it is easier in English). The same strength and energy of that same spirit that kept me going doesn't help anymore. I yearn to have that back, and I am looking forward to that time when I am called to serve once more!

I have been thinking a lot about faith, and how by it, miracles can really happen. I have been hoping for the longest time that through my faith and obedience and prayers that somehow, miraculously, my knee would heal itself. Obviously, it never did quite heal all the way, and it has caused me to think and ponder about it a lot. I believe in miracles; heck, I have seen them with mine own eyes. So, my questions were: why would the Lord not heal me? Did I lack in faith? Was I not good enough? It was really hard for me, but President Evans said something to me that changed my perspective. He asked me: "do you have the faith to be healed?" and I replied that I thought I did. He then asked me afterward: "now, do you have the faith NOT to be healed?" That one kind of took me back. I had not really thought about it that way, but I guess that it made sense. The Lord would have healed me if He wanted to, but there was a reason that he hadn't. Maybe there was a reason He needed me to come back home; maybe I have some things that He needs me to do while I am here. I have felt that, my companions in the mission felt that, presidents and leaders, and my family. The truth is that I do not know what the Lord has in store for me, but all that I know is that He has a plan, and that it is a perfect one

So, to finish this off, I want to thank everybody who has been helping me through this rough time. The smiles, the hugs, the friendship, visits, everything really means a lot. I really love you guys a ton, and hope the very best! Take care, and I will talk to you later! 

-(post Elder) Jonny Kofoed
(ps. if you want to come visit me, I will probably be here in my house waiting!)

"A Little Bit of a Pit Stop in the USA"

So, It has been made official. I will be home tomorrow (Tuesday) night at about 9:00 p.m. It looks like I need a little bit of a pit stop in the USA so that I can keep going after a little time!

At first I did not take the news very well. I had a rough week, what with teaching lessons and taking care of my district and stuff, because of the stress and the worry I had been going through. On top of that, I was really sick too, so that did not help. I was feeling pretty beat this week.

I feel really blessed to have the leaders that I have. My zone leader, Elder Lascano, helped me out a lot. He also had to go home during his mission for health-related issues, and the experience he shared with me was something that really uplifted me. He has asked me not to talk to anyone about it, because he has not told many people other than myself, and he would like to keep it that way. What I learned is that his situation was way worse than mine, and although it was the hardest thing he went through in his life, he told me it was also one of the greatest things.

One of the things that he shared with me is that it is not a burden to return from one´s mission early because of an illness, but rather is a great blessing. As much as I do not really like it, I may be starting to realize that it really will be a blessing. I will be able to strengthen myself in knowledge and in spirit, and better prepare myself physically and mentally and spiritually to return. I will have the opportunity to do missionary work in the home, strengthen my family and friends, and rest from my troubles for a season.

There is no doubt in my mind that I will return to the mission field - and I will return with honor. I feel that the Lord has some work that He needs me to do at home - otherwise maybe I would be healed of this knee injury. Everything that the Lord does, He does it with a purpose. I do not know exactly what it is, but I need to trust in Him and have faith in His timing. I know that everything will work out all right, and for that I will be happy with the circumstances I am being presented with. I love all you guys so much, and I will talk to you all really soon!

Inspiration and Devastation

Hey guys! So, about this week, I have been saved two times from the hands of Gadianton´s modern day robbers here in Ecuador! I will not describe the experience, but it sufficeth me to say that the Spirit really can protect us, if we yield to its gentle enticings! 

Anyways, this week, what with Carnaval and stuff, we were stuck in the house and I was not able to write you guys. It was kind of a shame; I was kind of hoping for some crazy parades and floats and stuff like that, but Carneval here is NOT like what you see in the movie Rio. just a whole lot of water baloons and people trying to chase you down with facepaint and stuff, along with the regular fireworks and stuff.

I had a neat experience a few weeks ago, where I was running through the list of less-active members in the area (about 300 names or so) When I came upon a name, Moises Echeveria, that I felt like I just wanted to visit. We went to his house, and he let us in! We got in there, taught a lesson with him and his wife (non-member) and had a really neat experience. He told me that he felt something different when we came to his door that day. He had rejected plenty of missionaries before we came, but said he felt something different when we showed up. Since then, he has been dedicated to return to the church. He has been coming and bringing his wife, who is preparing to be baptised! He said he is willing to change everything for the better, and his goal is to be sealed with her in the temple someday! it was a little miracle that I was super happy to take part in. Something that I will never forget.

Well fam, this may or may not be my last letter that I will be writing to you, depending on the circumstances of my knee. I will be going in for my MRI today, and we will have my results by Wednesday to see what is going on. When the Doctor looked at my knee, he was not too thrilled at what he saw, and it does not look to good. He said that even without an MRI, it was obvious that surgical measures needed to be taken. It is pretty certain that i will not be staying here for very much longer. Whatever the case may be, I just know that I am in the Lord´s hands now, and He will do with me what He will. I am not excited to leave - this whole knee issue is not something I asked for. Yet, I know that I will return, and when I do so, i know that I will be able to serve the Lord with all my heart, might mind AND strength. 

I broke down the other day after i got back from the appointment. I was with my zone leader, Elder Thurber, who is also one of my great friends. He cried a little bit too, but he has been here helping me out. I am starting to realize that it is all in the Lord´s timing, and although I may not know all the mysteries of the Lord, i know that all I can do is trust in Him. With that, I leave you my testimony of my Savior, that He lives and loves me. I love you all, and I will talk to you soon!

Locked in for "Carnival"

Hey guys!! I didnt mention that I cannot write you guys on Monday, because apparently we will be locked up in our house while all the crazy parties and stuff are going on. This week is Carnival, and if any of you have seen Rio, its kind of like that, but in a version more nuts that the way Dreamworks put it haha! So I will just excuse myself for Monday, sorry!!!

So, we have good news! We have been teaching a family of 5 or so, and we finally are making progress towards a baptismal date! The mom and the son have accepted, and the others will follow along here pretty soon as well!

Well, I hate to leave you stranded with nothing much, but that is about all I can do for today! (about 10 minutes) Hasta el próximo Lunes!

Teaching Faith and Hypnotizing Chickens

It looks like Jonny still has his mad chicken hypnotizing skills!
His caption was "Teaching my son in all the ways of his father."

Hey fam!! Well, it looks like I have OFFICIALLY completed a quarter of my mission! Wow that actually went by pretty fast, believe it or not. 18 months more, and I am excited to see what it will bring! Seems like a lot of time, but at the same time, it doesn't. 

This week we have been focussing our efforts on finding people through our less-active members. We managed to bring one and his wife (non-member) to church, and they loved it! They love having us over and are doing really well, but the only problem is that they have not been officially married, so that is what we have to focus in on for them. But we have high hopes for them, and they should be married soon. I think that my companion's story will help them a lot. Well, not his story personally, because obviously he isn't married, but the story of his parents. Get this: they we married 8 DAYS after they met each other!! 8 DAYS!! I was suprised, because they pulled it off even before they were members of the church, and they have been going strong for more than 20 years! That is a miracle for me, and I hoping that experience can help the family that we have been working with get a move on hahah!

With that experience, along with many of my investigators, I have learned the importance of carefully following the steps set forward in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These steps are faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Each step MUST be completely completed before one can really begin the process for the following. As missionaries, we talk to people who have commited all sorts of errors in their lives, and we want to help them change and repent and become better people. But, we cannot call them to repent and fix themselves if they first do not have the faith to do so. That is why we focuss in on their needs, teach them in a way that they can develop sufficient faith in Christ to repent and change, so that they can be ready to be perfectly cleansed through baptism, and ready to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost so that they can endure to the end with His help. 

So, keep that in mind, and if you are struggling, or someone you know is struggling, just remember, it all begins with a little bit of faith. Ok, gotta go but I love all you guys and stay good y'all!

Rain and Busy, Busy, Busy

Not minding the rain :)

Well, another week down. If I thought that this week would be any easier, well, it hasn't been haha! Actually, things are still going rough, and I could use all the prayers and the help that I can get!

So, if you didnt know, it has been just RAINING night and day. I would send a video if I could, but the clouds basically just bring in its own hurricane every few hours or so. The good thing is that I love the rain! It feels so refreshing compared to the scorch of the sun. The only bad part is that it feels super humid afterward, but I have gotten used to that.

This week, my companion and I have been focussing a lot on making contacts with people in the street and sharing the gospel with them. At first, it was a little bit difficult for my young son, but he has been getting a lot better! He is the friendliest person I know - he has genuine love for everybody, even me. I feel happy to have him with me, even though it is tough to try and do everything myself. He has started helping me more, but he still is shy and a little bit unconfident (english?) in the lessons, but he is getting better. He works hard and has really good intention, and he has come a long way, and he still has a ways to go haha! :)

Anyways, I have really come to really on the strength of the Spirit. I have never prayed as feverently and passionately as now, because I had never realized how much I need the strength from above in my life. Now, I have come to realize how much of a part the Lord plays in my life, and I (hopefully) in His, and His work. 

Well, that is about it for this week, but I will keep ya'll posted! 

Training Elder Flores + Becoming District Leader = Joys and Burdens

With Elder Flores - a new missionary and a native of Ecuador

Hey fam!! Anyways, I have a latino son!!! He is from Ecuador, and his name is Elder Flores (which translates exactly into Elder Flowers)! you want to know how excited I was when they paired me up with Elder Flowers? I was so stoked! We have been super great buds, working hard and learning lots of stuff together! He was born in a family of members, and can read, which is super good because it means that he has already formed a great testimony and is ahead of the gang! It has been super great to be working with him.

I also did my very first baptismal interview yesterday. Holy cow, that was one of the most spiritual experiences I have had in all my life. Just to see and talk to someone who had made such an amzing change in their life, over a long period of time, and to listen to them testify of the change that the gospel has brought into their life strengthened my testimony immensely. She will be baptised the following week, which is super great!

This week has also been the most stressful I have had in all of my life. I would even put it up there past finals week, if you can believe that. What with having to control my own district now, with a new missionary, I am always super busy and super stressed. The zone leaders put tons of pressure on us, and specifically me, which has been hard, but also really good for me. I have learned more in just this week than I have in any other week, and maybe even month in my mission. It has been so difficult, I even came close to the point in which I thought about giving up. But, I found a strength. There is a scripture in Matthew 11 that talks about all of us that are heavy laden and burdened can come unto the Lord, and cast our troubles off at his feet. I have really come to rely on that strength, and although I feel stressed and burdened, I just seek for Him, and He is there to help me out! 

Baptism of Tatiana Vasquez

Well, that is all for this week, Love ya all and take care!

Becoming a Trainer!

Iguana Selfie! Yes, That's Real

Well, this week has been great! So sorry I havent told you guys, but we have another baptism this week (se llama Tatiana Vasquez, tiene 17 años) and we are super excited for that! We also are planning for another the following week (Miguel Cantos, 72) and so that is all for the excitement so far! It is such a great job to be able to work in the Lord's vineyard and see the fruits of our labors! We also have another man that we have set a baptismal date for the following week, and now all that we have to do is secure it. That would put us at 3 baptisms for the month of January!!

So, I have some sad news, and some really good news. The sad news is that my trainer (my companion since birth - in the mission) is finishing his mission today. He was such a great guy - taught me so much about the mission. He was only a little bit trunky before he went home (or to say, he was missing home and ready to go there.) I will never forget him. We had some awesome experiences, ones that I will never forget. But with him going home comes the good news - I will be training a new missionary!! They told me today that I have been assigned to train a brand new missionary in the field, and that he will be my new responsibility for the next while. There is also a rumor that I will be called to serve in my area as a District Leader, so we will see how that goes! I am super excited, but super nervous as well.

The good thing is that I know that I have the Lord's strength to help me out. In Ether 12:27, it talks about how the Lord will make weak things become strong if we come unto Him. Maybe my Spanish isn't perfect, and maybe I am still young in the mission, and maybe I feel incapable, He can strengthen me. I do not know how, but I know that if I do everything I am capable of, He will make up the difference! So, with that in mind, here I go, off in a brand new journey! Love you guys, and take good care of yourselves!

Planning

The "Mission Family"

Joseph Pagonis

The twin Sisters - First Baptism!

IGUANAS!!

"I found this in our house..."

Mangoes - blown up on New Year's Eve

At the Guayaquil Temple

Making Friends with a Donkey :)

Morning Run

Mountain on Fire for New Year's Eve

Just Goofing Around

First Zone Leaders

When Bad Things Happen to Good People - New Year 2016

Apparently these are built and then burned in the streets - along with a whole bunch of others -
for New Year.  People pay 50 cents to have their picture taken with them.

Jacob!!!!! My little brother!! Congratulations on the baptism man. That is super great. You have just made one of the biggest decisions in your life - and you made it right. Love you lots little man! All grown up and a member of God´s kingdom here on the earth! I hope you never ever forget about that day. it is a super special one, one that I would have loved to have seen. Just remember to hold on to those covenants you made, and you´ll do great!!

Well, let me tell you a little bit about my New Year. It was actually super awesome. In the building we live in, we got permission from the lady that owns it (and the president of the mission) to go to the top balcony for New Years Eve. I told you about how they destroy these sort of piñata thingies in the street, but the people here know how to celebrate. We were on top of that building, and we could see all of Guayaquil city around us. In every direction, you could see fireworks going off, just like the ones on the 4th of July. And there were tons! Sometimes people would light them off right next to our building, and we were almost deafened by the sound! It was really one of the neatest New Years I have ever had. The best part was right as the countdown was going, the people beat apart their piñata thingies and lit them on fire with gasoline and roman candles. (fireworks). When it happened, almost literally the whole street went up in flames! It was nuts, and I was pretty glad I was four stories or so up in the air. (thats about as tall as the skyscrapers get around here) Also, someone lit a nearby mountain on fire. That was a little sketchy, at least until one of the members told me that happens every year haha! Then for the rest of the day we just stayed in the house and that was it.

So, a quick spiritual thought. Something that my companion and I joke about lately is the pregunta: why do bad things happen to good people? It all started when I asked him that when I accidently spilled my soda in KFC. Since then, we have been using the phrase a lot for different things. But I had to look at it in a spiritual way at some point. Why is it sometimes that we run into things that knock us down when we are doing everything to keep the commandments and live the way Heavenly Father wants us to? I have found a couple of reasons why. One, because sometimes its bad luck haha! But another is that there needs to be opposition in all things. How would we know the good times from the bad if we had never had either? How would we know what happiness is if we had never felt sad? 2 Nephi 2 talks about that in the scriptures. But another reason I have found is that it helps us recognize how much we need to rely on our Savior to help us out. In some circumstances, everything is out of our hands, and we physically are unable to better our circumstances. But even if we think that all is lost, it is not, if we are willing to search for and find comfort in the grace that Christ so willingly spares us. We have tough times and trials so that we can learn to rely on Him, and when we do so, He will be there. Just to think about, but I love you guys lots, and I´ll talk to yall next week!

First Christmas in Ecuador

The best part of our Christmas!
He had a little trouble speaking English - and his Spanish sounded awesome!

Well, Christmas was great!! Best part was talking to my family back at home; shoutout to the fam! Love you guys so much. 

How did my Christmas go? Well, after talking to the fam, we ate Christmas dinner with two different families. (the members are so great here.) Not only did we eat dinner there, but lots of members gave us food for the night and stuff. I guess they just want to fill in the space that we left back at home with our own families and be ours in the mission (if that makes sense). After we ate and gathered all our supplies, we left to go stay the night with some other missionaries in our district. The whole time, we played card games and board games that the members let us borrow and watched a couple of Disney movies. (dont worry, we had permission from the President). We had to stay in all of Christmas day because people aparently just go nuts on the holidays. Still awesome though!

I hope you all had a great Christmas. I hope that we dont forget the importance of this special time of year. However, not only in this time of year, but for ever and always. Christ was born to be our Savior, but it is because of His life that we have reason to rejoice. What He taught us, what He did for us, cannot be bought with a price, but in reality is an infinite gift. I love my Savior!! And He loves me, just as He does with each and every one of God´s children. Love you all, and take care, and have an awesome New Year!!

One of these things is not like the others.....But he feels like he fits right in!
Jonny told us that when he goes to get his haircut, they all fight over who gets to cut that blonde hair!

We are so grateful for the families that help take care of our boy!
Jonny Skyped from this family's home on Christmas Eve.  He is a doctor in his area.  He looked over Jonny's shoulder and said, "Grande Familia!"

Jonny GQ photo bombing his companion.

Merry CHRISTmas

Hey guys! Uncle Steve and Aunt Katharina, if youre reading this, I got your package! I loved all the quotes from "What About Bob," "Rocky," and the prophets and apostles. I was super excited for all that, you guys are the best!

Holy smokes Christmas is almost here!! Down here, everyone is getting geared up for it - but they have their own way of doing it down here. I mean, sure they do all the gifts and presents and stuff, but the celebration, as I have heard, is something pretty wild. They take these Manigotes (or like giant piñatas) and demolish them with firecrackers. They build these things, like I said, as big as buildings sometimes and destroy them (or so I have heard) with explosives. It´s like a pyromaniacs paradise! Too bad I wont be able to see much of it - I will be stuck inside the house after 6:00 on the 24, all Christmas day, and all of new years day as well. At least we have permission to use the board games and stuff of members in the ward:) 

Christmas is something I have always looked forward to. I admit, I had never thought a ton about its relation with the Savior´s birth and whatnot before, but now, especially in the mission, it is everything. Just think, if Christ never came to earth, we really wouldn´t have anything. Not presents for one, but much, much more. 

I have thought a lot about what it really means to say that Christ is our Savior. Sure, because of his Atoning Sacrifice, death, and Resurrection, we can all do the same. That is amazing and wonderful to me! But He is our Savior of so much more. He is our hope. He is our joy. He is the strength we can rely on in our daily struggles. 

No matter how many, no matter how big or small, no matter what kind of struggles we are having, He can SAVE us from them all. He suffered so that we wouldnt have to. He took all of our sins and pains and transgressions upon Himself, so that we could cast them off. He is not only our Savior from physical death, but from everything. And He is there. He will ALWAYS be there, and not just this Christmas season. Never forget Him, because whether you realize it or not, He has never forgotten you. Love you all, and have a Merry CHRISTmas! 

Scriptures (The Word of God) Lead to the Love of God

LOGAN! Felicidades en tu llamamiento misional!! I am so excited for you man. Anyone else reading this: Logan is going to be the best missionary in the entire world-hands down. Georgia doesnt know what is coming for them! 

I got my Christmas package!! I tried to keep it safe until Christmas, but my latin companions opened it for me before I could tell them to wait. I have never been so excited to get ties for Christmas!! I was so excited for that, and everything else! Thanks so much mom!!

So, on the 24th I will be skyping home! It will be at 5:00 p.m. here - I do not know exactly what time that is back at home. I am so excited to see you fam!!! 

We have been working hard this past week with a partial member family. The mom is a less active member, and her three sons have been coming to church with her the past 2 weeks. They love the church and the kids want to be baptised (they are 9, 12, and 14), but the problem is that the dad is Catholic, and doesnt want them to be baptised until they "are old enough to make the decision for themselves." Well, I mean it is good at least that he lets them come to church and all, so I try not to complain to much. We have a lesson with the whole family tonight, and we will see if we can change his mind. 

Spiritual thought: I read 1 Nefi (Nephi) 11:25 and had a hit of personal inspiration. It talks about in Lehi's dream the Iron Rod leads to the Tree of Life and Living Waters. It talks about how the Iron Rod represents the word of God, and how the tree and waters represent the Love of God. The word of God, which are the scriptures, leads to the Love of God, so: if you want to feel more of His love in your life, all you gotta do is read the Scriptues, and they will lead you right to it. Love you guys and stay good!

What is it that you can give to Him this Christmas?

First off_ JACOB!!  whoot whoot man 8 Years old!!! Fetch youre so grown up man! How does it feel to be all "Accountable" and all that? I am so sad you know man. I can't believe i will be missing your baptism man! But I love ya bud. Youre making a big choice, and I know it is the right one bud. Keep up the good example!

Gosh I miss you guys so much! I got to help out a family set up their christmas decorations today, so at least that helped me feel a little bit not so far from home. Too bad they dont use real trees here - oh well. Nothing like Mountain Western Pines. 

Anyways, for Chirstmas we have been doing this thing as a companionship - you know that movie thing the church made of "a savior is born"? I think thats what its called in English, anyways. We have these little cards that say "ha nacido un Salvador," and we have been making contacts with them. Everyone down here believes in Christ, and so it has not been an issue starting the conversation there. We get into stuff like "what has Christ done for you?" or "what has Christ given you?"  and we get some good answers from the people. They love to talk about Him, and why He loves us and stuff. After a while, we put the question in front of them: "and what is it that you can give to Him this Christmas?" They never know quite how to answer that. We then share a brief message with them, give them the card, write down their information, and set an appointment with them for when we can talk with them next, and about the little message. It has been working great so far! We have found some good new investigators and brought them to church with us! 

I love the Christmas spirit - although it isnt quite the same down here as back home, it is something different and special. In a world like this, I, and others as well, are really starting to see that a message of Him can bring light to a troubled place, and hope where there seems to be none. Love you guys and hope you are all doing well! 

cPeace!

KFC for Thanksgiving :)

Hey guys!! How was thanksgiving? Dang i miss that - there isnt such a thing as thanksgiving here. We went to KFC, and that was about as good as it gets down here :p There was kind of a black friday, but nothing has been really crazy down here. 

They say the week from Christmas until New Years is the most wild though - apparently we arent allowed to leave the house for two days or something when that time comes. We have permission to try and bribe the members into lending us their monopoly board games and stuff to keep us company, I think. We will see when it comes to that. 

They make these giant paper machet people and blow them up with firecrackers is what I have heard goes down. But these paper machet people and stuff they make can be ginormous. There are some guys building an Iron Man that is taller than a 4 story building next to one of the churches in our zone, and they have only built from the belly up so far. I will try to take some pictures if I can.

We also visited an iguana park today. I will try to send pictures if I can! we got them to crawl all over my companions and I, which was pretty freaky at first, but turned out super cool! I havent gotten to eat one yet, or any guinea pigs (sorry Sarah), but I am still remaining hopeful.

As for lessons this week, we were able to set a baptismal date with Maria this week! We are shooting for the 2nd of January, if all goes well. She has been to church like 5 times, so we could baptise her this Saturday, but shes got some idea where she wants to start a new life with the new year. Sweet! I´ll take that any other day than not! We also have a baptismal date set for a lady who is less than two weeks from giving birth. (that one might fall for a later date). She is super excited about it though! We´ll see what happens there. 

Well, I miss you guys all so much! Christmas just wont be the same without all the wild adventures in the snow we have back at home, what with pulling sleds behind fourwheelers and stuff. Love you guys and miss you guys! Stay good yall

Ketchup and Mayonnaise

So, to start off, I think I am starting to get used to all the food here. Things that might have sounded a little weird or gross back home seem pretty sensible and idealistic here. My companion taught me this neat trick where i cook up a bunch of ramen and mix it in with ketchup and scrambled eggs and mayonaise. (spelling?) its the best! as a matter of fact, we pretty much mix ketchup and mayo into about everything we eat here. Rice and soup, pretty much. sometimes chicken. I dont know how they do it down here. 

Has Jack Betzold left to Hawaii yet? I havent heard anything on that. Anyone got an update?

Ok, so for the week: This Saturday, my companion and I baptised the brother of Thomas, Joseph. It was a pretty neat experience. He has been through some pretty rough stuff in his life, and we had some work to do to get him to the baptismal font. However, when he came out of the water, just like the others, it was cool to see the way he had changed, and how the past at that point was back behind him. This guy, if you didnt know, is a gym-monkey, and when he hugged me afterward i swear he almost broke me. But other than that, everything went pretty great.

We are working with a lady whose name is Maria del Carmen Tapia. Heres the thing. She has listened to the missionaries a few times, come to church with us 5 or 6 times, and we havent been able to set a baptismal date with her. Well, we set three, but her daughters are very against it, and each time she somehow fell through. In our christmas conference for the mission, we talked about how family history can be essential to helping others convert to the gospel, and so, that is what my companion and i are going to strive for. We have taught her about family search, which she is very interested in, and next, we will teach her about family history and temple work, and how she can do the work for her parents and family, of which many have passed on, in the temple - after she is baptised a member of the church. That might sound kind of funny, but that is the sort of inspiration and revelation my companion and i believe she needs to go forward with faith in the Gospel. 

Well, another week down, about to finish my first 11 weeks in the mission (tomorrow, excluding the time in the MTC). I am loving it, and I love you all and miss you all! 

All is Well...

I was able to catch Jonny online while he was writing and ask him about the car accident last week.  He and his companion were passengers in a taxi and it was a minor accident.  Jonny was in the back seat and was not hurt at all.  Phew!

DUDE Alberto!!! Welcome to the club man! I was so pumped when I scrolled down and saw that picture! I dont know if youll get the chance to read this or not, but I want you to know how happy I am for you! youre on the right track man. Whether you realize it or not, you have just made one of the biggest and best decisions of your life, one that you will never regret, not in this life or the next. Los angeles estan fiestando para ti en los cielos, mi amigo. I love ya man! if you get the chance, write me will ya? (Alberto is a Young Man that was goalie on Jonny's soccer team.  He got baptized here in Middleton on Saturday.  He's originally from Mexico).

Well, theres nothing super crazy going on right now, mostly just preoparing the baptism for the brother of Thomas, Joseph! (funny how the two brothers have the names of the first prophet of the restored church, as well as the living)! They're  both the coolest guys, and I've kind of told you how we met them right? through contacting their mom (not the old lady in the picture). we're working with the rest of the family, some cousins, some friends, and others living around them. We have also found a good bunch of less active members, that are so cool just have such a problem waking up in time for church. Through them, we have been working with their families and friends, and have set baptismal dates for some of them. Just goes to show how one person, or family, can really make a difference in changing the lives of others for the better. 

One of the things missionaries need the most is help form the members. Please, please please continue to invite ´people to meet the missionaries! Share what you know, a brief little testimony of the restored gospel, and it could make a real difference! That's how brigham young was converted, by the way. Love you guys, hope everything is going good back at home, and just know that i am here, i am safe, and i am loving the work!!

Jonny is in an area called Garcia Morena

Thomas Pangonis' Baptism

Ha Ha!  I can tell there has been some tie swapping going on!

You can't take the soccer out of the Missionary!

Keep Those Angels Close!

Opposing Forces....I keep praying that Angels of Safety prevail - any maybe that Jonny gets transferred to an area with NO CARS!  Walking and bicycles sound good to me!

Woah, this has been a great week! pretty crazy, actually, as compared to the last one. I will be somewhat brief, because I am short on time, so.. well, here we go!

So I had my second baptism this week! An 18 year old named Thomas. We met him through contacting his mom. We invited her to general conference way back when, and she came, and thomas decided to come along! since then, hes been super proactive with the lessons, reading the book of Mormon day and night, and Saturday, he asked me to be the one to baptise him! Hes the coolest guy ever, and if i have the chance to send pictures today, i will! were working with the rest of his family right now. his brother has a set date for the 21 of November, and we are working with the parents, but they have some complicated marriage and past divorce/non-divorce problems. maybe ill explain that later. also the cousins and relatives are looking promising too.

So mom, before you freak out, I want you to know that my companion and I are 100% ok. I got in another car accident. it wasnt too bad, just a little sort of bump in the road, but it was enough to shake my companion up pretty good. We had to take a couple of days off while the assistants made sure that we were ok and stuff, but were all fine, mentally and physically! the point is, i dont know if anyone informed you (mom) but just know that I am perfectly safe and sound.

I think its pretty easy to see that there are two separate opposing forces in missionary work. One, Satan and his dirty minions trying to hinder it,two, Heavenly Father taking care of us with his angels. But dont worry, the good always reins triumphant! Just food for thought, gotta go, take care!

"Tranquilo" Halloween, Rice and Soup

Ooops!  I forgot to post this last week!

Hey guys! Another week in the work gone by! This week has been good, although I can't really say that anything super incredible has happened. I mean, yeah we had halloween, but halloween here is very "tranquilo" here. They dont go all out like they do in the united states, just a couple people wearing costumes and stuff here and there. So, we had to just have kinda our own fiesta in our room. Basically, that meant we downed a bunch of coca cola and ate lots of food. Yep pretty sad.

Speaking of food, all we ever eat down here is rice and soup. The funny thing is that these people have thought up a million different ways to cook it. The thing that isnt funny is that its hard to not get fat. So far, Ive been doing alright, but we had a reunion for all the people who have been out for the same time as I have, and you wouldnt believe how much theyve changed. I didnt recognize one of my good friends from the MTC at first because he had really put on some weight. Thats one of the biggest things Im afraid of happening-not so much the fact that theres a possibility some guy might try to chase me down with a machete or something, but the fact that if im not careful i might not be able to outrun him. 

The other problem is my companion doesnt care one bit. I try to get him out of the house every morning to go for a run or something, and I just cant do it. Dont get me wrong, he is a hard worker, and we're doing really well together, but he hates excercise. Maybe when I have a new companion here in 8 weeks or so (because thats how long he has left in his mission) that will be different. Speaking of new companion, theres a chance I might train after I am done with him! 

  

The thing here is after someone finishes their first 12 weeks here, sometimes president has them train a new missionary. The Assistants to the President came and did an assesment with me, and then later told my companion that I'd be ready to train soon. The problem is i dont know how I feel about that.. like, there is so much i need to learn. not only the spanish language, but scriptures, rules, and the life of the missionary. talking with people, teaching in simple ways that they can understand, and really making a difference. But who knows, if im ready, then i will train. if not, well i wont be very disapointed. Sure, it would be awesome to have my first son (thats what they say in the mission when you train someone), but i hope i can be qualified enough to really help them be a great missionary.