I need to eat more healthy...

So I don't have a lot to write this week because I left my book at my house and that's how I remember what happens because everything just flies by so fast and it's all a blur haha. But I am doing great except the fact that I need to eat more healthy, and CONFERENCE WAS SO AMAZING!!!! Holy cow!! Just sorry to all the ladies because Holland Talked in Priesthood conference, haha. But conference was truly amazing and I learned so much from that conference.

I hope everyone is doing okay and that things are going well. I just got back from Lamani which is a ruin and my branch president was the tour guide, president Nefi, and holy cow he explained a ton of it with the Book of Mormon on things that I have never thought about before. It was really sweet and SO PRETTY!!! Just so many mosquitoes haha. It is so cool learning about all these things and I hope that you all keep having an inspired and uplifting week!! Just pray that my companion and I can have success please because out of 100 houses we contacted...we got zero news..haha soooo...but thanks for all that you guys do! And have an amazing week!! I will explain more next week!!!

 This is the road I helped build.

 Pictures on a boat.

Br. Garcia meets with the missionaries weekly.
He sent the following facebook message:

HE A GOOD SON.HE WORK SO GOOD I AM IN CHARCH OF THEM.I AM HAPPY TO WORK WITH YOUR SON SISTER

keep choosing what's right!!!

This week was really nice and I have learned a ton this week. I hope all of you girls who watched Women's conference really learned a lot and felt the spirit! From what I heard it was really nice! I hope you all member or non member can watch a bit of the conference this Saturday and Sunday!! It will be really special and something that you will never regret watching!!! It's just a couple hours that will change your life forever if you pay attention!!

So I have really been learning to follow the spirit and I taught a cool lesson I would like to share because the spirit inspired me during the lesson. We were at the church with a recent convert and we were sitting at the piano. I told him that let's imagine like the white keys represent happiness and the black keys sadness...then I played "How Firm a Foundation" without any flats... and it sounded super minor. But then I told him, now let's add in the sad moments in our lives, and it sounded great if I do say so myself. It was a really cool lesson and although he didn't pay attention at all, it was something that I really enjoyed. Black keys make music too.

Well I really don't have too much to say this week. Wednesday we stayed inside all day because of Independence day...haha crazy. And my recent convert made out with an investigator of the sisters.... sooo.. lots of work to do but hey I think the sisters will baptize her now hahah :P but just fyi flirt to convert is not a good tactic to use haha. But I hope everyone has a good week and keep choosing what's right!!! Take Care!!!

my companion can draw and the sisters can bake...

one of the owners dogs

 a pizza place that won't charge missionaries...I feel so bad going there:(

I drew the temple...haha my companion the others

Do what is right and you will be happy!!!

This week has been good. I got a new companion. He says he is only 6 foot 6 but he looks taller. He is from Washington so things will be good this change. We wreck all these Belizians in basketball now haha it is so fun.

But Today Last year...exactly a year ago I had my first baptism. It is so crazy how my life has been this past year and I love it and I just feel so good! This week has been pretty normal and "normal" I mean drunk guys pulling out machetes on us and stuff, and walking and never sitting the whole day, but this Wednesday there is the Independence day celebration here in Belize and we are not allowed to leave the house or even look out the window...hahaha. but we bought lots of food so we will be okay.

The work here has been going a bit slow now because we have been so busy with other things but it should start to pick back up again. So I had a cool experience with the spirit yesterday. Our mission leader has a disease where sometimes he shakes and passes out on the ground, and we were doing splits. I had a prompting to tell my comp about his disease because he was going to go leave with him on splits, but I just didn't tell him because it doesn't happen a lot. Well it happened when they were together and my comp got freaked out. And the guy passed out and fell in a ditch with water in it. Luckily he is okay..but it was a great lesson for me to learn and helping me to help pick out the voice of spirit. That is probably the thing that I am most working on is trying to be able to talk to and listen to the spirit. Cool stuff.

But everything else is going good. It has been a lot cooler lately thankfully haha. I have been dying of heat..except now in the nights I am freezing with the air conditioning #washingtonpeople but luckily I bought a hoodie :) haha take care!! Have an amazing week!! DO WHAT IS RIGHT AND YOU WILL BE HAPPY!!! Just small day to day battles make sure you win :)

 People I met in Armenia that got married and baptized!!!

(two pictures in left corner)

My drunk friend (grinch shirt)

A youth that went out with me (top, second from left)

Me singing in the bathroom

crazy how time flies on the mission

This was a good week. Ummm, my companion is leaving and going to Guatemala and I am getting a new companion tomorrow so we will see how that goes. They told me I have 6 changes left....that's not even funny. It is crazy how time flies on the mission but I still have plenty of time!!

So everything is going good! We have been teaching piano to this member who got a blessing to learn the piano...and he is learning FAST!! So that is cool. Belize is really sweet!

I got my first ingrown nail too :( But luckily it was on my finger somehow. I'm one of the only missionaries not to have an ingrown toenail problem on the mission...haha I am so lucky.

And my comp and I did a special musical number in church yesterday so that went really well. I love playing on a real piano again. And just a really interesting day yesterday...haha but anyways...don't have lots more time but thank you for all you guys do and I hope you all have an amazing week :)

The mission is amazing.

So this week was pretty amazing! I went to Belize City for a leader meeting and that was really sweet. Belize is so pretty but so much bigger than El Salvador, but it doesn't even have a stake (multiple wards/congregations are grouped together in stakes) yet.  *We just heard a stake will be organized in Belize in the next couple months.  Brandon will be so excited!

We are seeing amazing miracles here in our area in Orange Walk and it is really cool and I am learning a ton. Also I am showing them how to play basketball although they hold their own. Mosquitoes are worse here than in El Salvador but they aren't all diseased like they are in El Salvador but everything is going great! I'm loving everything and the people here and the language is so cool! 

We are seeing people change so fast here and the ward (congregation) is growing very fast. I was also called to play the piano again so now I play the piano in church and so many people want to learn haha. 

We had the most amazing baptism of Abner and Angel...who are crazy into the gospel now. They read preach my gospel everyday, come to church at 6:30 every Sunday morning to help set up, and come to every single activity that we have. It is so amazing! They are going to continue so strong in the gospel and are already teaching with us and inviting their friends, which is exactly what this area needs right now are active youth. Abner gets the priesthood next Sunday... I am just so happy.

Also my former comp. (mission companion) told me that this couple got married and baptized...a couple whom I helped set their date for September, and now my "son" baptized them. The mission is amazing. It is scaring me how fast it is going :(

But something else that did scare me, was the fact that Abner ate chocolate after the baptism, and apparently he is not supposed to eat chocolate, and his heart started racing and he started almost passing out, and none of his family was there. That was super scary but we gave him a blessing and he felt amazing after. And when they got confirmed yesterday, it almost made me start crying. But, there is a lot more to right but not enough time. I hope everyone is doing well and keep it up!!! Have a great week!!!

look at my eyes...

they look green on the inside like moms and blue on the outside like dads

 I bought really cool quad.  The new ones because I am scared

bringing the one grandma and grandpa gave me around

cheat sheet I want to save

 One of my all time favorite and most miracle baptisms...

they are growing so fast in the gospel despite their family not being members

 Mom these chocolate things are amazing haha I will ask the sisters
(girl missionaries) how to make them and send it to you guys to try

 These people are amazing.  Abner (14) and Angel (10)

 I GOT TO RIDE A BIKE ON THE MISSION!!!!!

But just to bring the bike for someone else to have...

but it was really cool.  I miss riding bikes.

*I asked Brandon why they don't ride bikes and his reply was,

"because too many missionaries got in accidents or their bikes stolen"

 Our convert going to missionary practice and tearing it up.

The pants are good.  They are both good waist wise just one is a little too tall...

but I am wearing one right now and it is great.

*These are the pants that took 5 months to arrive.  They were too tight for Brandon before he left, he is definitely not gaining weight.  I told him to duck tape the ones that are too long:)

God is doing an amazing work here...

HEY SO THIS WEEK WAS GOOD!!!! Ya so we had cookies last monday which were amazing! Having sisters in your district is so cool haha and I just played basketball the whole time. So that was cool. Basketball is really cool here because they are so good but they play so different so it is cool learning how they play.

Just wow I am getting roasted here haha it is so hot...I will be so tan when I get back...at least from the neck up and the arms down. So things are going great here. I really love Belize and I am learning and growing and working a ton here.

We had conference yesterday so at 4:00 we woke up to travel to Belize city and we have this really positive investigator...and they woke up to go with us along with 2 more. They are such troopers. Also Abner went to the meeting that we taught at 7:00 last night about how people can become missionaries and we didn't even invite him...haha but he came with a suit and everything. Him and his brother are basically in the water. Just please pray that their parents hearts will be softened so they can be baptized on the 3rd! We are so excited! That is really all we are thinking about and it is so cool. I have never had anyone as prepared as him to be baptized and he is only 14.

Also people have been having some crazy dreams about us and how we are the truth...how we are lifting people up...and how God tells them to listen to us...and tbh it is hard not to be prideful sometimes haha but God is doing an amazing work here and working through us.

I love this change so much and please pray that things can keep going well here. Thank you so much for all that you guys do and sorry it is so short I just have to go now! But take care you guys and have a great week!!!

YAY!  The lost package!! jajaja

It took 5 months to get to Brandon - ahhhh!

Thankfully the other packages have arrived within a month.

What a sweet experience...

This week was an amazing week!!! Things just seem to be going good here spiritually. Physically it is really hard and super hot...but we at least have a crazy nice house!

So I just wanted to take the time to explain the language here a little bit. I speak two languages here and I have to bring my scriptures in English and in Spanish everywhere because every house is different. But usually if people speak perfect Spanish they can speak a bit of English. And if they can speak pretty good English then they speak a perfect Creole...which is a really bad English haha but it is a sweet language! It's basically like how the Jamaicans talk just a little bit different words, but it is cool.

But church is in English with headsets and a translator for people who only understand Spanish. People sing in English and Spanish and the church itself has the name on the side of it in English and Spanish. Also our branch president gave the holy ghost (https://www.lds.org/topics/holy-ghost?lang=eng) to someone in English, then right after to the next person in Spanish. It is pretty unique. No one here speaks perfect "American" English but they all generally speak or understand it pretty well. So that is cool.

Ummmmm .. people here just randomly yell out my name and I have no idea how they know it...and always they are little kids...and then we go and teach them and their family so I have no idea how that happens but that is really cool. Since I am the DL (District Leader)  I had to give an interview to this sweet 16 year old girl who is a bit special, and her mom who is not a member wanted to be there for the interview too. The mom only knows Spanish and the girl only English, so it was really cool. I just started asking the mom the questions and the spirit was so strong in that moment and everybody started crying and the mom finally agreed to go to church and let her daughter be baptized. It was really sweet. Also the work here is so nice. I don't know how but the people here are either super ready, or not at all, unlike El Salvador where I felt it was all almost ready.

But anyways.... I PLAYED A REAL GAME OF BASKETBALL AND THE PEOPLE HERE ARE GOOD!!!! They are crazy good!! hahaha so it was so fun playing a real game of basketball again and I held my own haha somehow. but that was really fun.

Also Saturday we had a baptism and the sisters of whom I gave the interview had a baptism at the same time so that was a really cool experience. I had the wonderful opportunity of baptizing the sweet girl and the baptism in our area was baptized by his friend who was baptized 2 months ago. What a sweet experience that was really cool to see.

Also the Chinese food is amazing!! Just people here are always drunk and drunk people always join us at our table to talk about God so that is interesting but sometimes annoying but it is really cool haha.

Ummmm...so Saturday night the branch president called me and asked me to give a talk... That was my first talk I have given in my whole mission. I can't believe I made it 13 months without a talk haha but it went really well. And I'm back to playing the piano in Sacrament meeting haha. Also because no one gives us food here we cooked macaroni and cheese in the church at 8:30 last night after a meeting. Belize is so awesome hahaha. But I hope everything is going well with you guys!! Take care!!!

3 of the sisters (girl missionaries) celebrating their birthdays this month... girls...

our zone leaders looking like the FBI haha
(one of them is in my group Elder Harris...he is awesome)

 Companion practicing the baptism before the baptism with Del mar (guy who got baptized) and Edwuardo (recent convert who did the baptism)

The girl there is Ericka who is in the sisters area that I was able to baptize.
The guy with the hat is the one from our area who was baptized.

I know I'm an eagle scout but I wasn't prepared with plates or spoons haha