Ma kan li tumin

Hey family,

Well, another week and things are crazy.  It's change week and there's a lot of hustle and bustle here in Coban.  Being zone leader makes it pretty rough for change time.  We are in charge of all the Elders that have to go to the capital or out of Coban in the next 3 days and yesterday from here, Polochik, and Baja Verapaz; where they sleep, how they get here, what they eat, who they do divisions with, and buying their bus tickets.  Yesterday we had to send 5 Elders and Sisters to the capital that also have problems with their visas and arrange divisions in the zone for their companions.  Today we had 3 more that are going to train to the capital and are here with their companions.  Tomorrow those that are finishing their mission and those with transfers to the capital, in total about 10 are coming and staying the night with us.  Then Wednesday at 2 AM we get them taxis and they all head off to the bus for the transfer conference in the capital.  Then Wednesday night we will be receiving all the Elders that come in.  And finally, on Thursday morning at 4am, the Polochik Elders head off on their bus to their areas and we show everybody where to go in the zone.  Needless to say, times are exciting por aqui.  

This week was a little interesting.  I think the Lord has really been trying my patience.  It actually all started a couple weeks ago when I didn't receive my reimbursement for my 950 Quet the rent and laundry lady.  I called up the finance Elders and asked why and apparently they didn't receive my fax of my receipts while I was in Peten and couldn't reimburse either of the months' rent.  So I called my old companion in Peten and apparently when he was cleaning the house he threw my rent receipts away.  So, he had to redo them and fax them in to the office.  I still haven't had my reimbursement come in and called the office this morning and they say they still haven't got it cleared.  Plus it's going to be another 4 to 5 days until it gets deposited into my account.  So, maybe by next Monday I'll have my money.  Luckily I have had my emergency fund of 600 Quetz or else I wouldn't have eaten anything these last 2 weeks.  As it is, things have been pretty skimpy.  On top of all that, we came home on Tuesday night and had no electricity.  Apparently the Elders before us forgot to pay the light bill for 3 months and the electric company had come and cut the electricity to our house.  So, we haven't had electricity since then until today.  Plus, all our food was ruined because the refrigerator was off for all that time.  But, oh well.  I guess things happen sometimes.  I've got about 12 dollars to live on this week.  We'll see how it goes.  Don't worry though; the members give us food quite often.  Sorry, don't mean to complain so much. 

Mom asked me about my companion.  He's Elder Navas from Honduras.  Before the mission he was a professional soccer player and modified and raced cars.  He's pretty rich and I'm pretty sure he's going to keep playing soccer after the mission.  He also says he was studying to be a chemical engineer one semester before the mission.  He has 20 months and Mom asked if he is anxious to go home.  Yes.  It's a little rough, but I am really trying to love him and serve him.  I really use divisions the best I can to help work progress in our area.  I've talked to him a few times about it but he doesn't seem to change. I just think that I have had a negative attitude about it and that doesn't change things.  So this next change I'm really going to try to help him.  

Leopoldo and Carmen are not progressing too greatly.  They didn't get married because we haven’t been able to find them much at home.  We'll try again this week.  We are really hoping that they'll turn around a bit.  We did find a couple of good new investigators. Densil, a guy that lived in Houston 8 years, and Carola.  Densil just told us he really needs our help.  But, I really feel like he wants to change.  Well, time is up.  Love you guys.  Sorry my letter was short and a little negative.  I love you lots and hope you have a great time in Ecuador.  

Love,

Elder Lloyd

Busy week and new shoes to "boot"

Hey family,
 
Things are good here in Coban.  This week went by sooo fast.  I have found that time as a zone leader in the mission goes by way faster that just in a normal area.  The zone is doing really well.  Mom had a couple of questions that I'll answer. 

One of them was if I have to do a lot of splits with the missionaries.  I have to do about 1 or 2 a week.  We usually do them with the district leaders but also when we feel an area needs to do a division.  There are 3 districts in the zone, 12 Elders and 6 Sisters.  We also have to go to one of their district meetings on Wednesday.  This Wednesday was horrible because we went to the chapel to a meeting, but there was also another district having their meeting in the same chapel.  Well, when the other district left, they left the door open and took the keys.  Then the bishop left and locked the door to the chapel with us still inside it.  I guess he didnt know.  Well, once the churches in Guatemala are locked, they're like jail cells.  Nobody goes in or out.  We were locked in there for an hour just waiting until somebody came to open the church.  Oh well.  Oh, we also have to go to other areas when a district leader has a baptism and we have to do the interview. 
 
The missionaries in this zone are awesome.  I've never met a group of more hardworking missionaries in my mission.  One thing we struggle with though is putting baptismal dates with the many new investigators we find.  As a mission we are really working on getting more baptisms and not putting off the dates we already have.  We just had a Stake conference with all of Coban.  It was huge.  We had about 400 to 500 people in 2 different sessions.  Thats a huge deal for Guatemala, especially at 8am.  =)  Anyway, President Watts was there and a recently returned mission president was also there from Nicaragua.  He said that they used to have 500 baptisms in Nicaragua EVERY month.  But, the thing is, 400 of those were always kids or youth and always go inactive.  So, Nicaragua as a whole changed to find more families.  They started baptising over 150 families in the mission every month.  That's what we are really trying to do as well as a mission, focus on the families.  After all, exaltation can only happen in the family. 
 
President Watts gave us a new challenge to the mission.  He wants us to find one new family through asking referrels from members and another family through contacting going between appointments.  Well, we found an amazing family.  They are the Paiz Gomez family.  We talked to them on the side of a hill below their house and the wife said she had a question for us.  The question was, with so many churches here in Coban, how can I know which of all of them is right.  WOW.  We then went in and found that they had a Book of Mormon on their bed.  WOW.  Aparently they have been reading it but the friend that gave it to them a long time ago moved and they didn't know from what church it was.  Then after talking for a bit, she asked us, Where do we go after we die.  Amazing.  We just hope they aren't acting interested when they really aren't.  That happens a lot on the mission.  People just like the company and act super interested, but come time to commit, they get cold feet.  We shall see. 
 
Leopoldo and Carmen are hopefully going to be good for this weekend.  We still have to get them married, so realisticly I think it might move to the next weekend.  They are really progressing though.  It's great to see the excitement in an investigator as they realize the difference the gospel is making in their life.  They will definitely be good members. 
 
I did an exchange with an elder in an all q'eqchi area this week.  That was probably one of the coolest days of my mission.  It was so pretty and soooo different.  It was like a different world out there.  We had to take a 2 hour bus ride out there on a dirt road.  Everybody farms cardomum and live in the thick of all of it.  It was soooo muddy and I had to buy some big ol rubber boots.  I got some massive blisters from it and ate some weird food, but it was a fun day.  Also, the elder, Elder Tanner is a really good guy.  He finishes his mission this week. 
 
Well to finish I will tell you the miracle of the day.  I have been worried about my shoes because they are starting to ware down a bit and I already went through my other pair in Peten.  Well, when I woke up in the morning I prayed to ask that I could find some good shoes.  Well, I entered a paca, thrift clothes from the US, and right there, 2 pairs of brand new Ecco shoes, one brown and one black.  Ya, I was stoked.  Each pair was 80 Quetz, or 10 dollars, and fit me perfectly.  They're worth 150 to 200 dollars each pair.  So awesome. Needless to say, God blesses his missionaries.  Miracle. 
 
Well, I have to go to a member baptism.  I hope you have a great week.  Have a great time preparing for Ecuador.  Love you all.
Elder Lloyd
 
 

Semuc Champey

Hey family,

Well, things are going well, and once again I am short on time because of so many letters.  Oh well, I will get typing fast. 

Last p-day was a little rough because we had to take a couple of Elders to the capital. We also had a zone leader council this Tuesday in the capital with Presidente Watts.  We are 18 zone leaders in the mission and it was a great, spiritual meeting.  I learned a lot and we are really going to try to improve our baptismal dates and in finding new investigators in our zone.  The best part though was the food that Hermana Watts made us.  You ready for this.  Drumrollllllllllllllll.  Cafe rio sweet pork salads.  It was the best thing ever!  So rico.  She even had the sauce perfect.  I think she's magic.  That was a big pick-me-up after the whole thing with the recent situation in our zone.  We also were able to hang out with some of the best elders in the entire mission.  It was a great couple of days. 

We have been working, despite all the things we have had to do.  Also, my companion got sick and that ruined a couple of days for us.  It's been rough, but the Lord is blessing us with success.  We are hoping to have a baptism and marriage this weekend with Leopoldo and Carmen on Saturday.  Hope they make it through.  They're still a little bit scared to do it.  We'll work with um.  The other week we found a family of like 14 people.  They're crazy, but 6 went to church.  We are really going to work with them to put some baptismal dates this week.  Other than that we are really trying to find new people.  We went contacting the other day when I was on divisions with a new Elder and every single door we knocked, they opened the door and either let us in or put another appointment.  It was amazing. 

Today we went to Semuc Champey, some waterfalls 3 hours from Coban.  They were amazing.  The only thing was that we went in a tiny microbus as a zone and it was having a really rough time on the dirt roads.  We even had to get out and push a lot of times.  It was awesome though and definitely valered the pena.  I'll send a few pics.  We did get home late though and that's why we are using internet late. 

Well, ya se fue la hora.  Love you guys.  Sorry my letter was short.  Hope you have a great week.  Enjoy life and especially the gospel.  Ponder it ever once in a while.  Sometimes we get too comfortable with the testimony we have always had.  I realized this week that sometimes we just need to sit and think about everything.  I promise, it works.  It's a good boost.  Well, till next time.

Love,

Elder Lloyd