HOLY VACA!!!

THIS WEEK WAS INSANE!!!!! I wore my suit for the first time and I SHOOK ELDER COOKS HAND!!!! AHHHHH!!!!! IT WAS SO COOL!!!!! And during his talk I felt the spirit the strongest I have in my whole life except for maybe my patriarchal blessing. IT WAS INSANE!!! And we went to Wendy's after so wow!

Also on interchanges people ask me if I know English, which they used to assume but now they believe me if I tell them I'm from Mexico and it is really cool, haha I really feel my Spanish is good. I am very lucky to be able to have learned it so fast.

Also I held a wild bird, just wanted to throw that out there haha, and I held a human bone and that was gross. But I still can play basketball!!!! I played 4 on 1 and I won...hahaha it was fun. Just yesterday it was COLD!!!! I was freezing!!! And I don't know what happened! I slept with a hoodie on and no fan. I don't know what happened to the weather or where all the heat went but I want it back!!!

This was also a crazy fast week and this week we are going to talk with the son of Hermano Siro, my first baptism, and try and get him baptized so please pray for him if you wouldn't mind. But besides that everything is going good. Everybody in my ward knows my name so I feel pretty happy haha, but not my companions. And they are so nice just this is such a small, not too strong of a ward no offense but I know I am where I am needed right now. We are doing tons of work with the members and less actives instead of investigators and we are having lots of success. I am so blessed!!! I hope all is going well with you guys and until next time!!!!

More info about Elder Cook:
https://www.lds.org/church/leader/quentin-l-cook?lang=eng

me posing haha

First Sunburn really out here

Mosquitoes, Package from Grandparents (cocoa pebbles)
and a human bone....

There is a huge ongoing party in my area... haha but it's kind of cool

Wow...almost half a year...

Good week this week!! Just CRAZY FAST holy cow it feels like just one day ago I was writing you guys and I don't have much to say haha. ummmm...how are you lol.

I saw "The Nights" music video not on purpose but it is a great video!! And song!! I love that song, also I want "it's been a long time" to be playing when I get home from my mission haha. But anyways...we didn't have water for 3 or 4 days so that was cool...my comp was sick one day so we didn't leave until four. Spanish is seeming really easy haha, I am very lucky there I just don't know how much I will remember if I go to Belize. But I have taught TONS of English and am still continuing to do so!!!

My companion is good and everything seems to be going good! We are helping our ward (local congregation) a lot cause our ward needs tons of help. One of the things I have realized on my mission was how lucky of a ward I had. How good and strong and amazing it was and that's honestly one of the things I miss the most, but I know I'm where I should be helping them be that kind of ward someday.

Today we are going to the beach...AGAIN! haha.  A box of Mac and Cheese here is only 15 cents, I'm not sure how much it is there, just letting you guys know. Sorry this is an awkward email I just don't know what to say haha. But thank you all so much for your support and Emails!!!! I love you guys and if you have any question feel free to ask!!! :)

Just something sad I figured out was that our last baptism apparently has a kid...that I did not know and he drunk on new years so if you guys could please pray for him to have the desire to stop I would love that! Thank you so much for all you guys do and have a great week!!! :)

todavia estoy aqui

Hey!!! For all of you who are asking, I am still in the same area...the smallest area of the mission haha just reknocking doors :P I must be missing something haha. Actually this week was the first time really in my mission where I had a witness that I am where I need to be with the right companion.

My new companion is Elder Echeverria. He has an interesting past, even in the mission but he is a great missionary!! We are doing so good and we are teaching amazing!!! He will have a year in the mission when I have 6 months. Almost everyone in the mission that came out with me except Elder Hallman is training. It is crazy, and I had a meeting with president and he said he didn't want to start me training because he wants to send me to Belize next change!!! :D I would be like the first one in our group to go!!

Also we get a new mission president in June and everyone is saying the mission is going to split. And if I am in Belize in that change, then I will most likely stay there the rest of my mission. That would kill my Spanish but I would learn Creole and Chinese!! haha super cool!!!

But anyways...my companion is amazing!! He is from Honduras and complains about this area but he works so hard! It`s kind of like a funny complain! haha. Also we found someone with a washing machine that will let us use it for free! Finally I won't use up all my mornings washing ahaha.

Monday we went to this BEAUTIFUL private beach and played football, frisbee, and soccer, and honestly it was the most beautiful and perfect beach I have been too, and it was one of the most fun times I have had in my life!

During changes I saw Elder Herrerra and I love that guy!!! He really was a great guy. He just ended his mission and honestly I kind of miss him haha.

But anyways, everybody here along with telling me I'm getting fatter, is telling me my Spanish is perfect except for my R's, haha but they don't really use the double R's or S's here in El Salvador. I love it!! I ate a pupusa loca nad it was HUGE!!! Holy cow...hahaha. But besides that everything is going great!!! I love it here :) Hope all is well up there!!!! I love you guys!!!

Bought this belt off a bus for a dollar and Elder Hallman drew me a map to help me out in Utah

PRETTIEST BEACH IN THE WORLD!!!!

huge pupusa and teaching piano

2016!!!!!

I have no idea how in the world it is 2016 but it is!!! My new years was pretty normal. Walked around and ate a lot of chumpe, which is pavo in other countries and turkey there in the states.

This was a great week!!! Elder Hallman fixed my hair because the hair cut lady messed it up, just he was being a brat when I had to go pee at a members house...he wouldn't stop talking -_- hahaha! But everything is going good! I`m kinda nervous for changes to be honest!!! There was a random gringa in our church this Sunday...that was kind of weird. Apparently she served here in this mission about 8 months ago.

We taught an English class to a ton of youth, and have been teaching piano to this investigator that we have. I've been saying good bye to a lot of people because I think I am going but I could stay!!! That would be really cool!! I watched the people kill the chumpe though and that was gross, and I found out nobody peels oranges with their fingers. Elder Hallman and I were doing that and they got mad at us because we weren't using a knife...haha.

New years was crazy at midnight and I felt like I was in war! There were fireworks EVERYWHERE!! And so close to our house!!! And also on new year I burned my "latter-day Saint shirt" and that was sad :( But besides that, it is still hot as ever. People are still calling us pretty gringos with pretty eyes and cool skin haha :P Elder Hallman is probably sick of me singing one of my favorite songs "Stressed out" from 21 pilots.

I have officially been bit by a dog which president says if you don't get bit by a dog then you aren't a missionary...but I kind of cheated because it was a newborn dog and I kept putting my finger in it`s mouth but it still counts haha!

Played and ran from an angry iguana in our house, and that's about it haha! I hope all is going well!! I heard Justin Beiber is getting famous again...I'm sorry haha! But I love you guys and hope you guys had a great new year!!!!

Sorry...ew haha!

Technically he wasn't our pet so we didn't break any rules hahaha. We only kept her for 15 minutes to get rid of her. I have so many funny videos but I can't send them :P

SANTA VACA!!! (translation - Holy Cow!)

I can't even explain this week!!! hahaha it was so amazing and I have so many things to say!!! WE HAD A BAPTISM!!! And our leaders who have been yelling at us for not having success, all their baptisms fell through because ellos son mentiras!!!!! but I was so happy!!! At our Christmas event though we had 16 baptisms fall through and only 6, 3 from the hermanas, one from us, and one from two other groups of missionaries so I felt really good!

I got spoiled from my family and my companions mom on Christmas and it was so good to Facetime my family!!!! :) Also I don`t know how but we received a tender mercy and our shower was mysteriously warm on Christmas!!!! Really cool present from God!!!

Christmas eve I ate at 5 families back to back to back to back to back...and at the last dinner, we couldn't even take a bite. We took home so much food but I'm not gonna lie we gave most of it away or threw it along the side of the road. I still feel full from it! Tasted natural chocolate from a big seed and we also have started running, me and my comp. Bought Cherry Coke and Doctor Pepper and we drank that on our hammock for Christmas!!!

I have so many pictures from this week but follow my moms blog to see them!!! Christmas here is different!! It is just like new years! Everybody does fireworks and everybody stays up so late!! Way different then the states! But presents really aren't a thing here! Also missionaries are the ultimate party crashers :P Especially when people are drinking haha. People just leave and end the party when we come. But we had tons of drunk people offer us coke and we tried to refuse but they wouldn't let us. We had to carry so much coke because they would yell at the tienda lady to give us more coke hahaha! Crazy drunk people...lol.

Also last Monday we played basketball!!! And not only that!! Basketball and the rims had nets and our background was palm trees and volcanoes!!! Don't think you can play basketball in a cooler area than that! Playing soccer at a stadium today!!! But also Saturday I had a sweet suprise...hahaha took another gringo out teaching with me that I think I recognize from somewhere :P It was really fun!!!!

But with our baptism there was such a change in him after his baptism. Sometimes as a missionary we just see a baptism, and it's just an act. Maybe we don't feel different after but the person who is baptized definitely does. He wants to serve a mission now! So I hope in a year that I can go with him to the temple!!!

I love you all!!!! Hope everything is going well and you guys are the best!!! I`m sorry for your Presidential Canadates but good luck with that!!! This was such an amazing week!!!!! :)

CJ ?

This is our cook!

 Christmas Day

Baptism!!!

 Christmas Card Picture :) It`s not just a drunk guy, but a drunk guy with a Santa hat :)

Some more fun pictures from Elder Hallman's Mom~

Christmas Face-time!

Best Christmas gift was face-timing with Brandon - he looked and sounded fantastic!  He's enjoying his hammock, Coke (the only mission in Central America where it's okay for missionaries to drink Coke), the cooks who make him lunch and dinner daily, and lots of hard work.  Brandon said the time is flying by and he can't believe next month he'll be 1/4 of the way done.  His Spanish sounds great.  

His advice to the brothers was to be obedient.  There are things on the mission he wasn't sure about, but he smiles and says okey dokey.  Obedience is a top priority to Brandon.  He told them to make sure they have a testimony before leaving, that has truly given him strength especially during the first month when he said it was the toughest.  Lastly, to learn about the beliefs of other religions.  Brandon said it's nice to know about other religions so that common ground can be discussed.

Brandon's not fond of the wild dogs, but has learned how to deal with them and appreciates belts.  He doesn't like the "snakes" either.  Apparently those are girls who hit on the missionaries.  He's getting used to the hot weather, but misses hot showers.  He loves the people, loves his companion and loves the mission ~ we are truly blessed!

TENDER MERCY!!!

So today was a great week I feel like!!! We got a new district leader (Holy cow I'm so happy I can't even start) and had changes with Elder Ostler again which was really fun actually :) I bought a new backpack because the other one I bought is already ripped up and ruined, and also someone in my ward gave me this really awesome tie for Christmas! :) Just estoy engordando bastante and it's not even Christmas yet!

Just the bad news is my companion has been feeling a little sick all week, not bad sick and we have still been working so very hard, but if you guys could pray for him I would love that! And pray that we can watch out for snakes...cause wow...haha holy cow we need to be careful. But everything is going good!!!

Got a letter from Thomas S. Monson :) My companion came up with a cool quote that I liked... "You pay before you get your McDonalds" hahaha and I have liked that! So up till now, out mission has had 1,060 baptisms this year and we have about 100 for this Christmas...and I was thinking, I took part in 4 of those.  Yesterday we talked to this guy, "How are you looking for the 27th, are you ready to be baptized?" He was really unsure and didn't really want to be baptized and he said "No, I don't want to be baptized this 27th, I want to be baptized on the 25th with that stake "Blanca Navidad" that you guys are doing"..... AHHHHH!!!!!!! WE ARE SO HAPPY!!!!

Elder Hallman and I have been working so hard, unbelievably hard being so obedient and we really haven't been having outward success, but we just got blessed for our work and not giving up!!!! I am so happy and he has his interview today and he is really shy and nervous so please continue to pray for Eric.

Also have a sweet photo...hehehe but I don't have my cord so I will probably have to send it next week. I have so many photos to send haha. Have had some really amazing ice cream and pupusas, just wanted to throw that in! But I hope all is going well and I hope you guys have an AMAZING Christmas!!!! :)

P.S.
This week has flown by and next week will be even faster! It's crazy!!! I am having such a great time with Elder Hallman and I`m so glad you were able to talk to his mom!!! I love you mom!!!