San Jose Nacahuil

San Jose Nacahuil is about one hour north of the capital, Guatemala City, over winding roads which are only intermittently asphalted. Distance-wise, it is only 18 kilometers. Statistics say that 70 percent of the folks here cannot read or write.

New Area - Nacahuil

well i got my area... its about an hour ride on a bus out of the capital on a huge mountian. my comp is elder madsen, my area is Nacahuil (knock a will). anyway my new district leader is a real jerk, so i only got about 15 to 30 min this week cause we missed the bus that only goes every hour.

My last area? Most dangerous area in central america, on elder was there for 6 months and over 100 ppl were killed. but i saw nothing. except a dead dog. And to tell ya the truth. I want to go back.

Um.. as for my foot. I soaked it one night and put cotton in it. after that my toe hardened up and well, i got sent to Sutherland, Nothing except little stores with candy. I dont know what else to do. It doesnt hurt when i walk on it. and i believe i got all the puss out. anyway i dont know.

my camera broke this week. it was in my bag and somehow the screen got broke. so i cant see what i am taking pictures of or what i just took.

Well. I am trying to survive. Anyway i will email you guys next week. nothing much here.

I guess no photos this week.
Elder Taylor Wood

Elder Wood and Companion

sry!

Alright.. sorry i stiffed ya but its ok. we went to the temple today so we were hard working yesterday. we had to wake up at 3. Last monday we had a little earthquake. we were in the middle of a prayer and my couch was moving. i thought it was my comp being a jerk. the ground just shook a little bit for 30 seconds. pretty awesome though. I bought two cans of A and w root beer... the mt dew was in. some kind of one time thing from an import store.
Basically the president told me ¨There are other places in the mission than just the capitol. I know your area is hard, in fact its the most dangerous area in central america, and you havnt been about to talk to your companion much. Thats why i am pulling you out. your getting a change.¨ I am for sure getting a gringo (greenie green) anyway i think i will go to colban or peten. but thats just me. I dont have fleas anymore and my feet are doing PERFECT with the adition to a few things.
My area was good, they say its dangerous but i havent seen anything. no babtisms this change
Also there might be a chance within the next 3 or 6 months that i will go to an area called polochic or smoething .... I would have to learn an ancient language called cetch chi. no promisesm, i dont really wana go.. i wana get spanish. anyway i will email you more if i remember what it was about. my mind is fried.
Elder Taylor Wood

Paraiso III

Paraiso means Paradise. It's a small part of the capital. There are no big stores just small stores with candy in them. It is so dangerous because there is a gang called 18 diesiocho. well in order to get into the gang you have to kill people. other areas are dangerous but its just gangs killing gangs. paraiso III is where the are gang members are born. meaning they have to kill people. one elder was there for 6 months and over 100 people were murdered. The police have a camp right outside the area and on the main road you can almost ALWAYS see a police officer with a fully auto- i dont know if there is hope for the area. i dont if you mean for the church or what your after.

Law of Nature

A chicken hatching out of its egg is an amazing thing to observe. It is not a quick process, as the little chick begins first to peck at the egg until finally a crack begins to appear. It then must continue pecking, struggling, and working until finally the chick is able to immerge from the shell that for a time nurished it, but is now holding it back.

Nature has provided only one safe way for the new baby chick to survive. It is not an easy thing to watch as this young one struggles so obviously. But if someone intervines and helps the chick by breaking the egg, it will not have the strength to survive in its new world. It is in struggling that it becomes strong enough to survive. Any interference from the outside will in the end be distructive to the emerging chick.

It is because of the struggling that the chick has strength to survive.

Mom's Thoughts

We have been praying for a few weeks now for Taylor. He explains himself pretty well in the letters from the past few weeks. Start reading from March 31 and work your way backwards for a flow of the events.

Taylor was able to get ahold of Blaine on MSN. He told him that he wanted to come home but didn't know if he would even be welcomed. I think we have put those fears down. He is welcome no matter which way his chooses.

Life is tough and both choices will have some pretty grown-up consequences. President Coleman is willing to work with him and after talking to him just once made a big difference. He is concerned that Taylor is with a companion that speaks little English and that Taylor may be very lonely. His companion also works extremely hard - a real go-getter and would push Taylor to the limits and maybe beyond. Taylor has also been close to scenes of violence and may be fearing for his safety.

We will continue to pray, and fast. We would appreciate your prayers in Taylors behalf. We hope he will have a change of heart; that he will start to love his mission, that he will be excited to finish his mission in two years and that he will find joy and happiness in Guatemala.

Life is hard for everyone as they change from youth to adult. Growing pains are real but necessary. As Taylor struggles, we know that this struggle is one of the very things that will help define who he will become. With God's help he will surmount this challenge and emerge stronger and better for it.

Elder Argumeda

Elder Argumeda was really good elder who worked hard and could contact people really well. He liked soccer and we played in the street with garbage and try to get it between their legs. I learned how to contact and basically speak Spanish. It was hard to communicate with him because I spoke English to him and he spoke Spanish to me and it did get easier the last week.

Another Week - Discouraged again

well another week gone. Kinda sucked. it was one of those when you dont get many things done. No babtisms yet.

I always knew my area was dangerous. in fact i knew it was the most dangerous zone in the mission. But its also the most dangerous area in guatamala. probably just a rumor or word on the street. but its definatly the most dangerious area in the mission. i dont feel threatned at all. except at night, and in the day. and mornings, hahahaha just kidding.

No baptisms yet. we were running short on contacts so we decided to knock doors. we found one lady who had prayed 2 days earlier for elders or someone to find her. we gave her a blessing the next day. following that we gave 2 more blessings to a family.um..

ya im gona stick it out a little longer. after talking to my president i was like YEAH lets go. but i still hate it. my comp speaks like no english and i dont speak spanish. I ask him in spanish and he looks at me like im stupid. so i ask in english and he says YEAH. when its like what did we just talk about.

No luck with the server in delta. can someone please restart the server monday morning next week.um... man i dont know what else to write about. I guess thats all this week.Untill next time

Elder Taylor Wood

Elder Wood with the Coleman's

Pres. Coleman has been great to work with Taylor. We have been blessed to have him as his mission president.

TEXT MESSAGE

MOM IM STAYING THX 4 THE PRAYERS.

Still No Improvement

Man today sucked. My zone had some brilliantly stupid idea to climb a mountian. Needless to say. i made it. my feet hurt. and boy do i have blisters. then it started pouring. so we ran to our cooks house soaking wet. after an hour of the hardest rain i have ever seen. we returned to our appartment only to relize it was flooded.

My mission president called me yesterday. he said we were going to talk tomorrow at zone confrence. Kim as for an april fools joke. Gotchya!! APRIL FOOLS DAY!!! No seriouslly i didnt even know easter had passed till like 4 days after. i acknowledged st. patricks day. but didnt let much happen. But as for this, This is real.

This week was just another week. nothing much happened. as for everyone else. thanks for the prayers. Yes i have a testimony of the BOM. and joseph smith. Families, plan of salvation. ETC. Um... i honestly dont know what else i can write about without repeating myself last week. Thoughts are still the same. Going to talk to my president tomorrow and on the 18th-

when is mothers day. I could let that holiday slip by as well. Um. I Still continue to work hard no matter what the tribulation.I honestly have no clue what else to write. So untill next time.Elder Taylor Wood

Taylors REALLY STRUGGLING

well i typed my letter but i closed it. Woops. anyway my comp got hit with a walking stick. pretty hard in the elbow. some drunk guy or something just saw him and smacked him. if he were to hit me i would have either leveled him or javlened his stick 500 meeters.

we have two or three babtisms not this saturday because of confrence but next. its gaby and josellin we didnt get to babtize them this week.

I sprained my frigging ankle yesterday.

Anyway i have nothing to say this week except for something thats been on my mind for quite some time. I have hated the Mtc experiance but i was going to stick with it and try the mision field. well i have and i dont like it. I can count the times i have cried (in my life) on one hand... i have cried everyday for the last 3 weeks. I havent liked serving. the spanish is comming and i know it will. Thats not the problem, i just dont like teaching. or contacting the people. the only joy i have found in the last week is dominating our cooks family at rummicube like 6 times in a row.

my feet have blisters but thats kool.. i know it will pass. i have fleas. also rad. but i just havent found that joy of serving. i can honestly say that i think the only reason i am serving is to ge some hot chick later on in life that is ONLY going to marry a RM, grandma always counts me as her 56th or whatever person to serve in the family. and i honestly feel a huge obligaten to serve with mike and blaine and josh, and everyone serving.

on my sheets (I embroidered a saying across the top of a flat sheet) it says Life is not just to be endured but enjoyed. Im not enjoying it. I cant even study anything because i am so lost in other thoughts. I have prayed more about this than anything ever before. I feel i need to go home. But im sure that if i go home that i will....

I have talked to blaine a little about it trying to get a hold of mom or dad. so ya. i guess i will stick it a week untill i can get an awnser back. I just know that if i come home. im going to get alot of crap from everyone!!... because im from UTah.. and i HAVe to serve and such. I honestly dont have a clue what to do. But i do know that im not having fun, teaching, learning, or speaking.

On the flip side. around feb 14thish... i was 262... on march 17th i was 261. today. 13 days later i am 251. woot!.

anyway hit me up...

Checking out!Elder Taylor Wood

With Elder Argumenda in Paraiso III - ALAMEDA

All right I dont have much time today because we got here late.

About the blog, not yet. As for the server''''??? I'm not sure if I have time to do that today... and my camera isn't here. but i will try to figure something out.

My comp is Elder Argumeda, de Savaldor, he has a year out. and boy am I bumbed out. I have never walked so long in my life. even at work i was able to chill.
Anyway. we have two baptisms this week both girls, age 15 and 16, Gabrella and Josellia. we went to a birthday party today, that was kewl.
it rained today. i think its starting the rainy season. I'm not sure what my area is. one is Paraiso III but I think thats my ward or something.

Easter??? what the huh? was that this week or something? i thought it was around april 6th..

o well. how do i open windows explorer??? im using vista, i think my computer skills have failed me. any way.

just alot of walking, praying and testifing. I did do 15 street contacts one day. we set up a table and he said go preach to them all. My area is in the capitol so its not jungle, just cement and tin houses. no banks, alot of little tiendas (stores out of ppls houses) anyway im gona go try the DUMPING pictures, PAz Elder Wood

President Coleman

President and Sister Coleman with a group of missionaries in March 2008.

Correction on Shooting. End of CCM Time.

Well we are done with the MTC here in guatamala. It didn't end on a good note though. 4 busses of latino´s showed up from hondura. all ages. well the latino elders here got a little excited when some chicas showed up. they broke a bunch of screens and the president blamed us. (possibly because we wrote our district MOISES on a few windows) anyway..

Mom Please dont email me this week until like the end of the week.. I already missed you this week so just combine the last two weeks emails together. keep in mind it will be my first p day and i dont know how much time i will have. I also believe my new email day will be mondays. but we shall see..

Sister brown sent me her last newsletter this week and it had a note on the top that said something like this. ^because its so expensive to send this newsletter i won't send it anymore. emails and letters will do. PERSONALLY i think she just got mad at me cause i never write her. But its ok. after the jazz take the finals, and northcarolina or kansas win the final four ,i wont need any other reason to read it. I rarly read what other elders have said. mostly because its an email focused to her. It would be better if it were a general letter going out to all the missionaries, sharing experiances ETC.

Sounds like the goats are doing well... email me some meat.!!

BREAKING NEWS ABOUT LAST WEEKS SHOOTING. This just in... a heroic security gaurd armed with a pistol was shot 3 times while trying to stop a car jacking. according to witnesses a few guys showed up at the local shell station next to the LDS temple and aimed their guns at the owner of a Brand new 2008 BMW, the security guard of the presidents son, saw what was happening and drew his pistol, he fired one shot and hit one of the attackers in the leg.. The robbers hopped into their cars and took off without getting the car. (ahh so my news casting email wasnt that good. but thats the real story, we only heard about it just after it happened we didnt have all the info yet)

In other news; Sounds like the girls have fun dancing.
I'm still a little sketchy on sending pictures home. because with those pictures will be videos. and you cant just print them out. anyway let me know exactly with Pictures, and videos.
I will be sending a package home sometime. not sure when though. depends on what i can find for nikki´s birthday. they had something i really liked buy the guy we buy from didnt show up this week!. I will send something in time.

Well thats all for week. Dad thanks for the letter. (THIS IS AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT)Paz Fuera (mom one to use in class. accually those are the same words from mike to me)

IF

Taylor,I was going through home videos again when I came across this poem. Dad addressed it to you at your Eagle Court of Honor. I thought of it when you mentioned your recent reprimanding; being corrected hurts, but helps us grow. Now, with all the talk of you entering the "field" I can't seem to get it out of my mind. So many experiences waiting for you to encounter them!

IF
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
~Rudyard Kipling

Love Kimberly

Nothing for a Mom to Read:

Hey, first of let me tell you what happened today. (Well, my president said to tell this story with concern... but what the heck... lets have at it. )

We went to the temple to do our first spanish session. Well when we were done we were told to stay inside and we didnt know why. but the overwelming number of missionaries and lack of chairs made us venture outside. right between the temple and the MTC there is a gas station. well i guess the body guard of the Presidents son. *if that makes sense* well he was at the gas station when someone targeted him and a few guys with fully automatic guns lit him up... either that or there was a car jacking and the body guard tried to stop it. Well lots of cops, - and the guy had been shot 3 times in the chest. he didn't die. (Now if this were Counter Strike - everyone knows a torso hit hurts you 60 damage and a stomach does about 35 to 50 depending on the spot. if my math adds up right i think he wont make it.) Just think if we werent in the house of the Lord, or weren't missionaries we could have ran into a problem. (I know he was trying to make light so we wouldn't worry. Just remember Taylor, we have turned you over to God, who loves you as much as we do, or more. And all we can do is trust He will do with you according to His plans. We will try not to worry, and wish the man the best.)

On the good side i understood a fair amount in spanish

I always room with latinos but the gringos vary, san antonio, utah, snowflake area AZ..

Things I enjoyed about the MTC: Grilled cheese. and the amount of the gospel you learn here. Things I would have done differently: Ya there are plenty of things i could have done diffrently. But don't live with regrets, they only hold you back! Any advice for new elder? ahhh just make it fun, the elders who can't have fun no one likes. so make sure they have fun but learn as well

a few things for this week. I think i have aknolowged dads emails. sorry for not mentionong them. i will get more time next week i hoope.. 30 min isnt enough.

First of all. we got busted for shooting paper footballs out the window. WE WERE GOING TO PICK THEM UP. Happy anaversity Mom and dad.. I didnt stiff you guys on an email. check my sent messages its probably there in disguise. (Picture from internet)

recieved easter package .... no jerky though. just the most amazing eggs ever.

We went on splits this week i walked up a huge hill and about died. i was going to endure to the end but about 30 seconds after i said that i had to stop because the hill was so steep. just take the over pass in delta, and double the steepness of it.

we also had an airsoft war with a little nino next door,.... i shot my comp and he got a great welt. How did you get elder davis's parents email address. its a mystery. if you send packages send a picture of mary on it. they wont mess with her.. but i have recieved two so who knows...Other than that.. my REAL mission starts next week. i hope its better than the MTC
Um... well shoot- till next week.


E wood

New Mission President Called

A new mission president has been announced for the Guatemala Guatemala City North Mission! President David J. Torres-Rodriguez will replace President Thomas R. Coleman as the current president of the Guatemala Guatemala City North Mission, effective July 1, 2008. His picture has not been in the Church news yet.

Can't spend it? Fold it!

Taylor didn't say whom gave this to him, but obviously this guy likes to "doblar" his money instead of spend it. Very precise folding and much more fun than a can of pop.

Can't spend it? Fold it!

Taylor didn't saw whom gave this to him, but obviously this guy likes to "doblar" his money instead of spend it.

95 pmh glass break

Elder Angelo Gonzolez, and Elder at the CCM from the Dominican Republic can throw a 95 mph fastball. Unfortunately the window was not designed to withstand that force.

Wood to Enter Field

Elder Taylor A. Wood will enter the Guatemala North Mission on March 17th where he will serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was lucky to be one of the few North American Elders able to attend the Guatemala MTC for the entire 6 weeks as they fill up with Latino missionaries first arriving January 16. He has loved the MTC experience and is looking forward to entering "the field". Taylor is the son of Dean and Allyson Wood and a 2007 Delta High School graduate.

Caught - Red Handed

HOLA!!!

Give the blog to my friends. I hope you enjoyed the pictures. Also the picture maggie preston SOMEHOW found was the right one. Did u just talk to aliese or something. or how did that work. next time you see her tell her thanks or something, and she owes me a letter!

Did you want me to send pictures through wallgreens or something from now on? that way it saves me postage and money.. instead you can just pay for it and i can keep my money! :P then you can have walgreens just make a cd and you can pick it up. just let me know.

the latino elder? elder paz, elder funes, and elder chaves. not sure about the other one. We go one splits tomorrow.

Blaine; http://www.dealextreme.com/ you can find a green laser pointer there. (speaking of laser pointers has anyone found my two that got sucked up by the amazing black hole of the house? if so please either send me them ,) or just pack them up for me.

As for the president seeing the movies on the grilled cheese.. go ahead and send them to him. I showed an elder some computer things and he used it for the worse. he tried sending pictures home through hotmail and someone the president was able to see the pictures he was sending. Might i just say, no mas grilled cheese. no mas king traditions, no mas master key that HAPPENS to open all bedrooms, that somehow happened to be connected to my key ring MUAHAHAHAHa. accually the samoan elder got it because he wa sthe new king. then he let the manager use the key and it took some work to get it back.. luckly he forgot the key in a room and BOOM thats how it was on my ring. well their camera caught us going to the abandonded room, and before ya know it the president gave us a little DISTRICT meeting on everything. we all felt guilty and gave him our 2 loaves of bread 2 packages of cheese (MAN... we were going to have grilled cheese that night too) It was all a good experiance though.

Mom, thanks for all the xoxoxoxox´s in the last email. its good to get them once in awhile.
and the alarm clocks were pranks we did. but only me and elder davis could sleep through them
Elder davis says that his mom saw the blog and enjoyed the pictures-
so did my glass piece break? cause i sent two glasses home.

Find out what happened to my marker.... because the thing was NOT tampered with, i think you just forgot and only put one in. also from now on put pictures of the virgin mary on packages. the wont mess with her but some people mess with pictures of christ.


Elder Taylor Wood

note from Mom: sorry President. All we can say is he's improved. :)

Touring the CCM

Have you wondered what the MTC or CCM is like in Guatemala? Well come with Taylor as he follows Elder Davis on a tour of the facilities but to get there we will have to go to a different blog. Click on the link at the left of this blog or type in this address into the bar: http://guatamtc.blogspot.com.

This photo is where they email and each sitting area has it's own desk.

One of the Warriors

Maggie Preston found this one for you. Is this the right one? THANKS TONS Maggie!
Hows that for service? These are Michael's scriptures. We got it right!!

MESSAGE NUMBER TWO

HAVENT SEEN THE PICTURE I WAS LOOKING FOR YET. MIKE HAD IT ENGRAVEN ON HIS OR SOMEONE ELSES SCRIPTURES. OF STRIPLING WARRIORS AND THERE ARE TWO MISSIONARIES IN THE FRONT.
THX

Well, we got to go out today. we stopped by the mission home and picked up a package, it contained ONE scripture marker, some jell pens, calenders two ties, and valentine cards. I am not sure but i believe you said you were sending two in that package. mostly because you said the other would contain only one and have jerky. all is good though. one is for my teacher and the other for someone else. probably me.
I didn't realize it but i sent home pictures and you have no idea of what they are, who they are etc. any system with that? the people i have got to know? we'll 11 of them left yesterday now its only my district. The two you saw in the air port , Reeder and Puputiu, my comp (kinda curly hair) Davis, Elder Waters as mentioned in the letter i sent home. Buffington redish short hair, Swenson tall, and Robles with ... ahh lets face it i cant describe them to you-.. we went to a 3d map of Guatamala today. i took pictures and videos. we also went to a museum, also pictures. As well a few with the guards carrying their fully auto rifles.
I liked the hand print calender. now i have 3 and don't know what to do with them all.......
We have 3 weeks left in the mtc.
HOW BOUT THEM JAZZZ 36 and 20 If i am not mistaken. Mcdonolds never lies.. and sister browns weekly update helps, all though it is a little bit of a lag.
we had more grilled cheese´s this week, as well the other group did their ¨Initiation¨ to us as the new group. he knighted one as the king and passed down the master key that opens all doors MUAHAHAHAHAHA. ohhh and did i tell you what else we did... we would hide an alarm clock in the ceiling to go off at about 3 in the morning. It happens to everyone... just me and my companion sleep through it. it was I ¨taylor wood´ son of dean wood who initiated the first of doing DOUBLE alarm clocks. so at three they wake up and run around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to find the alarm clock. then about 30 min later when they THINK they are falling asleep again BOOM HEADSHOT!!! another one goes off in their closet or their laundry hamper. muahahahaha life is cruil i know. the elder that did it to us first had a picatchu alarm clock and it was SOO annoying. really durable too. it has been chucked at the floor many times.
Mom if u could give access to the blog to my friends... Ohh and tell them that i am NOT using facebook, and that if they see activity it is a teacher at the mtc who i told she could teroize my facebook.
i dont know if this will send so sorry if you get two.

Mission Info

Just in Case:
General Phone: 011-502-2385-3386
Fax: 011-502-2385-3388

More than a Million

“We have made great progress in our missionary work in recent years,” said Church President Gordon B. Hinckley at the Missionary Training Center in Provo on 25 June 2007. “We have more missionaries and more effective missionaries. It is reliably estimated that a million missionaries have served since the organization of the Church.”

“It is not possible to pinpoint exactly who the millionth missionary is,” said Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during a news conference while at the Missionary Training Center for orientation sessions with 118 new mission presidents on that day. “We do know that young men and women, senior sisters and couples have volunteered to serve at their own or family expense in spreading this message to 145 nations and territories.”

There are over 53,000 missionaries currently serving in mission fields all over the world.

We weren't stiffed, just emailed to T's gmail

Well that photo wasn't the one i was looking for.. it seemed like it was just a line of warriors with missionaries in the front.. talk to mike about it.
Mike Got your letter.. thanks for makeing me ask a teacher to read it to me!!

so for this week
Mom i need you to make sure i only have like 500 in my checking account and the rest in some other account. (preferbaly mine). i sent a package home with pictures. can u send some to elder WATERS mom (address in address book) he is the one that dances. and a picture of him was drawn in the whiteboard.

(Elder Eliason holding the football and Elder Davis in forground) About that professional pitcher i think i told you about. well they bought him 2 gloves and a baseball to help with his homesickness SLASH turning down 800 thousand dollars. ROUND UNO! shattered two windows because the impact was so great... nothing like an 80 PLUS fastball going too high :) All is well though he really didnt care that he broke it (i think its not his first) and the president got a good laugh. he is going to buy me a blue fererri and my companion a green one.

The two elders liked their DEAR elders. especially my comp cause it was his first.

it takes about 12 days for me to receive dear elders. then again i only get mail on sundays.

NOW THE IMPORTANT PART.... SO LISTEN Up.. If i have anyone email me VIA Dear elder (say annie staheli or something like thaT) can you PLEASE seperate hers and yours. like send two seperate ones. Nothing like getting 7 dear eldeers that all say they are from Annie Staheli, and come to find out there is only a paragraph.... Talk about heartbreak. and your telomarketing calls was doubled.. i got two of each joke. Luckly im not to stupid to own one.

Well i didnt say anything about not struggleing mostly because its hard, it sucks, and i mostly just want 2 years to be over with so i can go to skool and get houked on fonics. I is gooon.g two bee a kowledge stoodent.

We leave here march 17th.

and they lied about 1 year equaling 2 weeks here. i have found myself knowing things that they just wouldn't teach. but then i get it in my head that i can slack off a little more. Needless to say, the first 3 weeks we learned a lot. now our teachers barely teach us anymore. they just assume we do it and have all lessons memorized in spanish.

Nikki; gracias por la pictura y carta, i sent you one in the package.

So about their computers here.. they have all hotkeys disabled, mouse options disabled and anyother form af trying to go somewhere blocked.. needless to say, i cracked it. I,m glad i still have it in me.

we went on splits this week.. my companion was way chill.. i tried to introduce myself and they would just barge in and try rambleing to mee. ends up they were cathloic ministers. but other than that nothing much happened. just walked and tried to introduce us before they stopped my horrible español.

Hmmm i guess thats all..
Hasta

Oops! Not one of Taylor's favorite Pictures

The people of Ammon, who called themselves Anti-Nephi-Lehies, had made a covenant with God never to kill, even in war. ... But they had many sons who had not made the covenant that they would not go to war. .... These brave young men did not fear death. They cared more for the freedom of their people than for their own lives.

See Alma 53:10-21; 56:44-56; 58:39 in the Book of Mormon

La Ventana

Futbol, Grilled Cheese, mock Baseball, and Math

Taylor is in district of 8 and they spend all day together on the same schedule. Classes include: grammar, Spanish, lesson plans in English, etc.

"This morning we got to play FUTBOL AMERICANO!!! It was more fun than I anticipated. There is actually an all girl Catholic school SLASH (darn keyboard) nun's place right in view of the dirt field we play in. About 5 to 10 girls stood on the balcony and watched us for about 10 minutes.. We were gonna run over there and baptize them but we remembered to be obedient..... and that particular time was SPECIFICALLY for exercise, and not for baptizing.

I go on splits on Thursday. One day to realize how little we all know.

I have a teacher from Utah and he is great at drawing. I'm going to pay him to draw me a picture of the stripling warriors with two missionaries in the front. I believe it is in Mike's scripture case... but I need some more information on that picture. My president was going to look for it online. Do you think you can find that picture, or take one of Mikes scripture case for me and email it to me?

So here is for our experiences...
One morning one Elder decides "I want a grilled cheese sandwich" so we started our scavenger hunt. Day one, pancakes with individual wrappers. We all asked for 2 packages and by the time 20 elders asked for double when we usually don't, I think they got suspicious. So the next day we payed a janitor to go buy us some cheese and bread. So the night came, but how were we going to cook it??? You may ponder for a quite a while but to a missionary who rarely gets out the answer is clear! LETS GO GET THE IRONS!!!! So we did, and BOY did we have a fiesta that night. Talk about muy bueno!! I have pictures and videos I shall send. (see video at http://guatamtc.blogspot.com/)

Next experience. a kid from the Dominican republic got drafted to the MLB as a picture (or something spelled like that) at about 6 foot 2-4 he can throw a 95 MPH fastball. SO what do the missionaries do?? Lets let him throw a hacky sack at my back!!! and he did. Video is also coming. Not only is he good at baseball he can dunk. We would spend a good time just ally oooping it to him. (video at http://guatamtc.blogspot.com/)

At the temple today we ran into a few missionaries outside.. a few as in like 40. We were able to talk to them awhile... one was saying he bought a tie for 200 Quetsales *ratio is about 7.5-8# quetz to 1 dollar. I said, "YOU SPEND 30 DOLLARS ON A TIE???" He was like "NO.. its only 15. " I quickly did the math and proved him wrong but he was determined that it was 8 to one dollar. Then he said, "All I know is 700 Quetz is 100 dollars.. I WAS liKE BOY. Where did you go to school? Anyway everyone had a grand time talking about how the greenie would stand up to a missionary bigger and also served longer than me. Unfortunately he was in the South mission so I wont be able to talk to him much.

Speaking of South Mission. Last week 20 bus drivers were murdered. You think thats bad do ya??? One elder at the temple pulled out a bullet from a 45. cal pistol (or something around there the bullet was kinda chingered) , and replied, "Ya we were shot at." He fired two shots at the missionaries but they were somehow able to escape. He then decided that "Hey I was just shot at, I'm going back for the bullet" so he pulled this bullet out of a wall and carries it around everywhere now. Just thought i would share some stories and tell mom "All is well."

I will try to send some pictures this week. We send mail out like Monday morning. So I will take my camera on splits and try to get a cd printed out. Then I will find some way to mail it home.

All is well, time to read "the ones if I have time!!"

Thanks for the letters. I finally got the one Kim sent me that says she just got back from Arizona... dated Jan 6th.

Love,
Elder Madera