5 MESES!

Que tal?! This week I will hit my 5 month mark in the mission! Crazy right??? Just one more month and I will be 1/4 of the way done. Time is really going by fast and can't believe that changes are coming up again in 2 weeks because it seems like just yesterday I just recieved my new companion. Speaking of my companion, he and I are really getting along and we are having a good time. He says that I am one of the best companions he has had in his mission so that makes me happy to hear! We are doing good and working hard to find new people to teach and working with the members. 

This week we are going to have a baptism! Yay! It is of a man named Juanito, he is 73 years old and used to be a Jehovah Witness. I have been teaching him for the past 2-3 months now and he has finally decided that he wants to be baptized. He will be baptized this Saturday and I am really excited for him and making this step in his life! There is nothing more satisfying than to see someone enter into the waters of baptism. For the other investigator named José, we are meeting with him again on Tuesday with him and his friend and they are both really interested and always have a lot of questions for us so I am looking forward to going with them again and seeing them progress in the Gospel. With Elder, or the ex-convict, we taught him again but all he really wants and keeps saying is to go back to the states and says how free we are and keeps saying the same things but he is always willing to meet with us for the most part and he always seems in a rush and he doesn't give us much time to speak because he wants to speak so it is a little difficult with him but we are still trying our hardest with him so we shall see where that will go.

This week we had interviews with our Mission President and they went pretty good but were really fast. They were pretty much about how we are, how is our health, our area, if we have questions. But President Ruiz asked me when I will be ready to be the Senior Companion, I told him maybe in like 3-4 months or so but he looked at me and said that he was thinking more of like 2. So I will be a senior companion in the next change or in the one after. I thought that was kinda cool but kinda caught me off guard! I am actually looking forward to be the senior companion, but hopefully I will have a Latino companion just to help me with my Spanish more! 

Today for p-day we went to Coatepeque and played basketball there with a lot of guys. I am becoming closer friends with all the guys in my zone and in other zones as well. Elder Vences who has been my zone leader for the past 4 months or so, is way cool, we are really good friends and told him that when I am done with my mission I will visit him in Texas. So heads up mom and dad, I am taking a trip to Texas when I get back to go visit him! ;) haha. 

So I mentioned how were were going to get the chance to go to the temple this month and guess what? We get that opportunity tomorrow. Tomorrow at 5am me and my zone are getting on a bus and we are traveling 4 hours to go to the temple! I am so looking forward to it and the temple (Quetzaltenango) where are going to is bigger than the one in the capital so it will be really awesome!

Like I said that this week we have been trying to find a lot of people and to see if we will have more progressing investigators as well. It is really hard to find people who are willing to keep commitments when they are really easy. But I guess that the small commitments that we make with them are preparing them to make bigger ones down the road, because how can someone be baptized and then go to church every week when they have a hard time going to church now and reading the Book of Mormon as well. However that is something that I have definitely noticed for this week and I have noticed as well how great the Book of Mormon is and how it can change a lot of people's lives as well. It is really a great book that everyone should read.

One investigator that we went to go see was chopping coconuts and invited us in and gave us some coconuts to drink. He chopped them for us and the coconut water inside is actually really good and that it tasted different than what I was expecting. Also we are starting to get a lot of mangos because it is becoming mango season here. The mangos grow here for about 2 or 3 months and then that is about it so that is a bummer but got to enjoy it while it lasts! The more time I spend here the better the food is becoming and the more I am getting used to it. 

My spanish is getting better I feel like but it is hard to really progress in my Spanish when I have an American comp and all we speak to each other is English. That is something that we should probably change to where we are only speaking Spanish to help myself progress in the language so we shall see where that will take us.

Everything here is going great though, still working hard, teaching, growing my testimony in the gospel, and helping others when I can. This is truly the Lord’s work and that I am so glad I am here in Guatemala serving Him for 2 years and I know that it will go by fast because the time right now is just flying by but I just need to enjoy it while it lasts and do the best I can while I am here.

Sorry that the email for this week is not the longest but I will try to do better next week and write more about my experiences. I hope that the pictures will make up for it and I just want to say that I love you and miss you all so much. Always trust in the Lord and do His will, we will all be better and happier that way! Stay sweet!

Love,

Elder Kahl

This is me and Elder Ramos today on P day.

This is me and Elder Ramos today on P day.

The name tag picture is when me and another elder named Elder Call, switched one of our name tags! His name is named Elder Call and he is from Colorado, crazy right?

The kids of our investigator made a fort so we took a picture with them and the piece of paper is what they and we made it for.

The tag for the fort says (this translation is coming from Chandler’s mom/dad since he didn’t give us one and it’s the best we can do!): Only to play, eat, rest and be happy. Only for the family don Pedro, Fredy, Marleny, Melissa, Carmen, Calvin, and Chino and Elder Wight and Elder Kahl.

The old man is a member and I put a flower in his ear and took a picture.

Us drinking out of some good coconuts!

An investigator chopping the coconuts we ate.

A picture of the park in Tecun.

Us sitting on a park bench in Tecun eating some pizza.

Me and Elder Wight at someone’s house.

Me and Elder Wight walking down a street in our area.

Me, Elder Wight and Elder Ramos

Walking down another road in an area we work in.

Here I am inside a an investigators house.

MY HOSPITAL PICTURES!!!!! These are from like 3 months ago and I forgot I never sent them to you. These are the only pictures I have when I was in the hospital. Haha! I look so happy don't I? The guy in the pic was the assistant to the president named Elder Barrus.

Me and Elder Tzub

La Vida de Guatemala :)

Hola a cada uno de ustedes!

First off, today I met a missionary who came into the mission about 2 months ago and his name is Elder Goldsberry and he is from Loveland, CO. When I saw him he looked really familiar and I knew I saw him before. We talked and said that he lives in Loveland and I thought that was pretty funny and cool that we are in the same mission and live so close to each other!

This week we were going to have a baptism of a girl who is 10 years old and her name is Beverly. We have been teaching her, we got the permission from the mom and she talked to her dad and he said yes as well. So, we had the zone leaders give her the interview on Thursday and she was going to be baptized on Saturday. We went back the next day on Friday to teach her some more and prep her for the baptism. When we arrived at the house we saw the dad and were talking with him and he was saying that he didn't want his daughter to be baptized and some other things, but the mom was still ok with it. So we were in a bit of confusion with the whole thing. We called our zone leaders and they said that we should baptize her because she wants to and it is her salvation too. However we didn't feel too right about it and so we went to a members house close by and we told him the situation and was willing to help. When none of us knew what to do about the situation, we decided to do the only thing we could. That was to find a quiet room and we three knelt down and we prayed to God. We prayed and after the prayer we still weren't too sure so we took some more time for the spirit to testify to us. Later that night we returned to our house and we prayed individually on whether or not we should baptize Beverly or not. After some praying, pondering, and listening. We both came to the same conclusion that we should not baptize her the following day because it would probably cause tension in the household and we needed to show respect for the father because he is a big influence in her life. We didn't want to go behind his back or do anything to create contentions with them. The decision was hard and telling her that we weren't going to baptize her was hard too but I felt that we had made the right choice and I gained a stronger testimony with the Spirit how we always need to work with it and follow its promptings and that prayer is so powerful and so important in our lives. Even though we did not baptize her we are still going to keep teaching her about the gospel and work with the parents as well so they can help their daughter in the process. 

One bad experience was one night we were walking back to our house after teaching an investigator and down the street was a pick-up driving incredibly fast down a sketchy road and I looked over and saw something rolling towards us in the corner of my eye and before I could see what it was I feel something hard and heaving bash into my ankle bone! I was in so much pain! Turns out that when the truck raced by it must have hit or moved a cobble stone from the street (don’t know how) which made it roll really fast and hit my ankle. The cobble stones are like a good 10-15 pounds too. I sat down and couldn't walk so we took a tuc-tuc home. I was in a lot of pain but I rested that night and iced it and by the next day and after a week it actually looks pretty bad and all bruised but when I walk and run it actually doesn't hurt at all. Which is quite surprisingly but a good thing too. I just thought it was so weird and the biggest down moment of the week.

I got the opportunity this week to eat some liver of a cow and I have to say that it is actually pretty bad! My comp said that he has had it before and the member said she had some, so she said that she would bring a small piece out for me to try. Next thing I know is that she plops down a huge plate of liver and that was actually really hard to get down. I am just glad I had some tortillas to help me out. Also I got to try some duck and it tastes really good. It tastes pretty much just like chicken.  It is just a little tougher meat than chicken but still good. Our goal is to go buy an iguana and take it to a members house and kill it, cook it, then eat it. I keep hearing that it is really good and neither my comp or I have tried it but we want to. Some P-Day that is what we are going to do!

We had found this really cool guy this week named José and he instantly accepted us into his house and we started to talk about the gospel and he was pretty interested as we taught the Restoration of the Gospel to him. The next time we went he said that he remembered our visit and was expecting us (That was the first time anyone has ever remembered we were coming to visit them again). He had a friend come by and we taught them both about the Book of Mormon and they were really interested and the guy said he was definitely going to read it and pray about it as well. The lessons we had with this guy were super cool and spiritual and I feel like he is really positive to baptize in the next few weeks. We have another guy named Juanito and he has been progressing and he came to church once and is reading the Book of Mormon but is still a little unsure about baptism though. He used to be a Jehovah Witness but now he is really considering being baptized. He just needs to come to church one more time and pray to see if this is true. We are going back this week to see how his prayers went and to see what he thinks and feels about it. They are the 2 most likely to be baptized in the next few weeks. Some of the other investigators that we have are a little hard to tell right now if they will progress or not. However, we are still continuing to work hard with them and at the same time to find new people to teach as well.

With the guy named Elder who knows english, lived in Cali, and all that jazz, it has been hard to contact him but we went to his house and talked to him and we are meeting with him again this week but it is tough with him because right now he can’t go to church and also his work is helping a congregation build another church which will literally be like 15 feet from his house. So that will be tough to see what he can do about it but I am looking forward to teaching him again as well.

President Ruiz is coming to our zone tomorrow and we are having interviews with him which happen every 3 months to all the missionaries. We will see how that will go but here it is still super hot everyday but still working hard to find people to teach, challenge people to baptism, and help them progress in the gospel. Funny thing is, is that I actually sleep with a blanket on and I am snuggled up in it during the night because the nights are actually pretty cool here!

Anyways, two scriptures I really like to use with people who say that they can’t do things or they have other things they have to do, I like to share 2 scriptures with them. They are Matthew 6:33 and 1 Nephi 3:7. If you do not know what these scriptures are I would urge you to look them up and to ponder and apply them in your lives. They are some of my favorites right now! I know that this Church is the true church on the face of the earth and I am glad I am here doing the Lord's work! Love and miss you all so much! Stay Sweet!

Love,

Elder Kahl

Here are the two scriptures Chandler mentioned above (in case you wanted to know what they were):

Matthew 6:33: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

1 Nephi 3:7: And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

This is how my shoes look every day from all the walking!

This picture is of the city of Tecun, which is in my Zone.

These are pictures of kids in my area and none of them are members but all know my name and when they see me they all yell, “Elder Kahl”! They like their picture taken with the missionaries, maybe because we’re American.

The guys in this picture were dragging this pig down the street and it was squealing so loud and they wanted me to take a picture with it so I did and they were dragging it to a place to go kill it. Haha!

The picture at the table is a game we made for the kids to learn about the Plan of Salvation. We named it "Vida Preterrenal'' where it is like life and they rolled a dice and got a blessing or a sin card and by the end they all died and the goal is to get to the Celestial Kingdom but they can't because they have sins so then a Jesus bridge comes and saves them all and removes their sins and they all win! We made it and they all absolutely love the thing and it is kinda funny because it is a game to where no one wins haha.

I still can’t believe how huge the mountains are here!

In the trailer thing is a whole bunch of members and us leaving a house where we had a lesson on the commandments. It is after Wednesday night when some members meet in a house for a night of commandments like a class. Then the trailer takes them all back to the church.

Iguana! This was an iguana that one of the members had as a pet here.

I am walking with Elder Calero, Elder Ramos, y Elder Wight.

A picture of the street we work in.

A picture of a field of pineapple and the trees are growing papayas.

A picture of the street we work in.

Feels Like Home....

Guess what??? We got our lights up and working again! Hurray! It felt so nice to get the lights working after having almost a week without them. Also once we got the lights up and working we got a cell phone in our companionship and we don't have to use the land-line that we had in the house. It definitely makes like so much easier! Me and my comp are still doing pretty good, we are continuing to find people to teach but I have noticed that it is really hard to find people who are positive to teach because like 90% of the time people come up with excuses or they flat out do not want to hear what we have to say or they don't want to change their lives. It is just sad to see that they are practically rejecting eternal life. 

So something pretty cool happened this week. My comp and I ran into the guy again who was from the states and knows English perfectly. It is funny because he knows English better than Spanish, but we ran into him again and he actually told us that he does not know which church is correct but he was wanting to know and to be closer to God. So we told him that he came to the right people! Haha. He actually wanted to read and have a Book of Mormon but in English. It is a good thing I have like 6! We set up an appointment to meet him a few days later in the park to teach him. So we met up there and sat down and we taught him the restoration of the Gospel. He was believing it all and when we would use the bible to explain it he believed it more and more. During the lesson a few drunks came up to us asking for money so that was a Spirit Killer but it was still a really good lesson. We gave him a Book of Mormon in English and he said that he was going to read it! I am feeling really positive about this guy and a little background on him. He lived in the states his whole life but was born here and his family moved to the states when he was a baby, he got into trouble with the law there in California and was in jail. He has a lot of tattoos and did a lot of drugs as well, he is super massive and strong and is kinda intimidating. So yes we are teaching a thug pretty much. But... He is a super nice guy, and he really wants to make a change in his life and is looking to be closer to God. Maybe there is a reason why he got sent down here and found us.... We shall find out! Oh and it is really funny because is name is Elder as well! Crazy right! We saw proof so he wasn't making it up!

Another sketchy but spiritual experience for me and my companion. Yesterday we were pretty far from our house contacting and we had a lesson with a family but it was late and needed to get back to our house. So we did what every missionary would do... We asked for rides from all the pickups when they came! One came racing down the road but stopped, we told him we needed to go to the city so he said ok. When I was talking to him he seemed a little off but I was like whatever and we hopped in the back. When we got in the back I saw a few beer cans and he took off. He was driving fine but my companion and I looked at each other and we both knew instantly and it was like getting hit by a wall of the Holy Ghost that we needed to get out of that truck! I popped my head in the cab and told him that actually we had another visit a few houses down and he said ok and would drop us off there and I could smell a lot of alcohol in the cab of the truck so we pulled over, got out and he talked to us for a second and then we left. It was crazy how hard the spirit hit us that we needed to get out of the truck because something bad probably was going to happen if we didn't. It actually worked out for the best because our plan was to walk back but when we were walking a few members saw us and ran out and gave us a bunch of bananas to take home with us so that was cool! Then not too much later a tuc-tuc passed and stopped and he said that he would give us a free ride back to the city. Those were our blessings from listening to the spirit though! I learned to always listen to the spirit and to never ignore it because if I do then something bad might happen. But obviously we did a secret smell check of the guy driving the tuc-tuc and he didn't smell like alcohol so we were good! Haha.

I think 2 of the most frustrating things about the people here in Guatemala are these: First whenever we ask for references or are talking to someone about Christ they instantly say, ''oh I go to this church so I can't listen to your message'' or when members say ''well everyone around here is already going to another church but maybe you can try another area''. Sometimes it makes me a little frustrated and confused when the members say that we shouldn't visit some people because they go to other churches. We then say that the Gospel is for everyone to hear, not only for Mormons but for EVERYONE! It doesn't matter if they are the Pope! They still have to hear about it and be taught it! Jeez people... Haha. 

I don't know why but this week I was getting really tired of the same food here. Maybe it was because I wasn't feeling too great and didn't want to eat... However it seemed like every day we got a nice hot bowl of soup in the blazing heat and in it is a chicken leg with a little bit of noodles, rice, and a stack of tortillas. Then we are pretty much expected to eat and drink it all and the water it is in is pretty much grease water. I’m not a big fan of it but I guess I should get used to it because I still got a while left to go here. Today though we got calzones from Dominoes and oh man.... I was in heaven for a little bit! It was so good after having soup for like a week straight! The food here actually isn't too bad I just really love and want some beans with eggs and a loaf of bread. Almost every missionary wants that a lot. Speaking of bread, we found this lady here in my area who is named Sonia. She has fed missionaries here for about over 4 years but we had no idea about her until this week. We went to her house and right when she saw us she invited us in and gave us a pitcher of juice and a plate of bread to eat because she is a baker! Oh man she is the nicest lady you will ever meet and every single time that we go to her house she gives us bread and food to eat. Crazy thing is though that she and her daughter are not members but they absolutely love the missionaries. They even told us that they love the Americans more than the Latino missionaries. We plan to go to her house and visit with her and maybe figure out why she hasn't been baptized into our church yet. She doesn't know what is coming! ;)

This week we have really taught a lot about The Book of Mormon and about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I really have realized as well how hard it is to get people to understand how important it is the read The Book of Mormon and to pray about it. Seriously though because if they come to know that it is true then they will come to know that this is the true church on the face of the earth. Because if the Book of Mormon is false then Joseph Smith was not a true prophet, and that this is not the true church and we are liars. BUT... If the Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith was a true prophet, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only true church on the earth today. And I can happily and proudly say that THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE!!!! If you don't believe me then test my words and try it out for yourself. Read, Ponder, then Pray about it. There is no other way to find out if it is true or not.

I also really like it when we challenge people to baptism but then they say that they were already baptized and I get the chance to teach them the correct manner of how to be baptized and the importance of Priesthood Authority and how they can receive a fullness of blessings in our church and from being baptized in the correct form. They sometimes feel a little hurt or sad and sometimes they come to know that they need to be baptized the correct way and how we teach it to people straight out of the Bible. Anyways, I could go on and on and on about stuff like this and the doctrines and such but I will just leave it at that for now! Haha. 

Nothing too exciting happened this week I guess....I heard about the super bowl and that was a big bummer but I’m just glad that I was not in the states for the one this year! Haha! My comp and I are still getting along. It is just kinda weird because when he is teaching he almost has no emotions and seems like a robot and doesn't connect with the people but I think that is where I come in and get that friendly and loving connection with the people because that is what I like to do so that they have more confidence in us and actually like talking and meeting us. Haha. One great thing about my comp is that he makes me food a lot! He has made me pasta, milkshakes, and some other dinners. It is really awesome but he is pretty cool and we are doing pretty great actually! I hope that all of you at home are doing fine and are not missing me too much there! Haha but I am doing great here.

Every week and month I see my Spanish progressing and I am loving it more and more as time goes on. Trying to work hard every day to help build the kingdom of God and also to strengthen my faith is Jesus Christ and follow the guidance of the Holy Ghost. Keep me in your prayers and I will keep you in mine! Love you and miss you all! Stay Sweet!

Love,

Elder Kahl :)

Me, Elder Ramos and Elder Wight (my comp)

This is a possum that Fredy caught with his dog.

They eat possums here, so it will probably get eaten for a meal.

In the picture in the background is my nametag drawn (by an investigator) on the wall that says “Elder Kahl better known as Elder Colorado”.

One of our investigators drew this of me on the wall. (Chandler didn’t say what this means, but it translates to “Son of the sun” or “Sunchild” – probably because of his blonde hair and fair skin).

A typical day of where we walk in Guatemala. It’s really pretty here.  Me and Elder Wight

The side of a house here.

Helping out at a members house.

In the back of a truck that someone gave us a free ride back to our city.