And a walking soul

How's da hood mom? Sorry, I would add a question mark after that but the entire row of numbers isn't working, so just periods and commas today. So... I forgot to tell you what we did last week. We went spelunking, or cave diving. We went in Se Amay where there is this super huge cave that is supposedly like fifty miles long, but we just went into it as far as the elders knew. It was pretty cool, unlike other caves where you have to stick to a trail and you can't touch anything, but here no. We just went all over the place and caught huge crabs which we later cooked and ate. We found like a natural xylophone, (I'm sorry I have no idea how to spell that,) but that was really cool. We could just bang on it. I'm sorry, this is probably sounding all very dangerous but let me assure you that it wasn't. So don't worry, we are careful. Anyways, the crabs were good. My comp's mom wants to call you or something. I don't know if you're down with that, but maybe I'll just give here your e-mail. Ummm... we are lucky the pictures I'm loading will work. The first picture is me next to a huge bull that wanted to drink my dough water. The next is my area, (an amazing mystical land that I love,) and the last is my comp and I right after crawling out of some really tight dirty caves or guecos haha. I would like to acknowledge that yesterday was a very sad day for many due to what happened ten years ago, however for the Guatemalans it was a weird day because of the elections. We were not allowed to work "cause sometimes there are riots during elections, but nothing happened here. I think a guy named Otto Perrez won, but I actually still don't know. We had to walk really far 'cause there were no trucks to get around, but it was o.k... minus the rain, haha. There were only nine people in church and they were all kids 'cause all the adults went to vote, so we just did Sacrament Meeting and I talked about the Word of Wisdom, and the Branch President's daughter bore her testimony. After that we just colored for Sunday School. It was fine. This is going to be a really good week! We have a family that is going to get baptized, and so I get to do a division with Elder Dilworth till Friday, 'cause that's the only day that there are trucks. It's going to be really fun. Today we just played some soccer and hiked up a mountain to watch the sunrise but it was cloudy. Thank you for buying my ski pass. I am stoked Dad and Adam got a pass, exclamation point. I can't wait to go skiing. I am going to be taking tons of pictures in my new area, don't worry. I will be taking pictures of all the normal stuff as well as the beautiful stuff. Right now I am making a verb chart in Qeqchi and English and Qeqchi and Spanish for the mission... it's going to be big. Anyways, have a super great fantastic week. kk. love Aaron

Come a room, boy; Boy do you hear?

Dear family, I am doing GREAT! My new area is XYA'AL LI HUX (shtee AL lee hoosh). That means the juice of a sharpening stone in Q'eqchi'. I am so Stoked. I'm in the sickest area in the whole mission. It is so far away from everything. It takes three and a half hours to get to the nearest town (Se'Nauq') by truck. It is nothing less than a journey every week to get to district meeting and a place that we can use internet. There is not power in XYA'AL LI HUX, except a school and our house. We live next to the church in a missionary house built by the church, so we have a solar panel (It got finished like a week ago), so basically I live in the nicest house I have lived in during my entire mission. My companion is awesome! He's Elder Dallin Smith. He is really funny. He's really new in the mission, and he is from Virginia so he speaks with an awesome accent. He kind of looks like JOEL MORGAN, like his face. My area is awesome though. The people are so awesome! They always invite us to eat with them, and our fast and testimony meeting was awesome. Tons of people bore their testimonies. A lady asked for some money for medicine during church, and I was amazed to see that everyone gave her at least like a quet and then everyone went running to the branch president's office to pay their tithing. Its really different up here. The people are really nice and don't say terrible things to us. The only thing that they do differently is all the little kids ask our names like a billion times a day. It doesn't bother me at all compared to what I was being asked before in all my other areas. I really hope I get to finish my mission in this area. That is too bad about Bob, I remember him, but like you said he's with his parents and Grandpa Adams. Peter and Laura's house is four times older than I am. Sounds like it was built well. I'll have to go visit them and their dog. Well, I'm trying to send you some pictures but... the internet here is just terrible. It isn't loading anything, and it takes forever to do anything, so sorry. That's just how it's going to be for a while. Have a good week, and make sure you have got my ski pass for me. K, thanks <3
-AARON

Feels So Good On Da Top

I'm glad you had fun with Rozzi. This week was awesome! Our baptism just went great, and the best part is that everyone contributed. Even this investigator lady was there helping out with the food. The branch bought two huge cakes, I bought some toastadas, and my comp bought the drinks. The members came through on their talks, and there was all the baptismal clothing and everything. The marriage went well also, other than there was a car accident so there was a little delay. Luckily, I told everyone to be ready three hours early. Church was good. It was my last time there because I HAVE A CHANGE!!! Yes, I am super excited. I'm staying in Polochik so I am super stoked. Everything is good! Today we played some soccer against some kids and they just owned us, so we had to pay ("cause we rented a synthetic field) anyways. I think I'm going to finish my mission in the mountains. There are a lot of Elders that have changes in the mountains, so I might go in one of their places. I can't think of any other specific events this week, other than a lot of people were mocking us but that's o. k... These people are mostly in the valley so.. adios wates. Q' Love you all. N-Joy the pics... and school Adam, hahaha - Aaron

PS me llegás vos Adan nice PLUSEER (bracelet)

What Pump It Up

This was hands down the craziest week of my life... first off: on Monday we went to ELESTOR to do divisions with Elder Ch'ulak because we're going to have to do baptisms Saturday. I stayed in Teleman with Elder Chanchavac. In the night, I woke up at like 3 AM, and he was suffocating. Earlier that night,I got down on my knees to pray when I remembered... I need to fill up my water bottle. I went to the other end of the house to fill up my water bottle, then went back to put my bottle in the fridge (which is close to my bed). So I turned on the light and I see Elder Chanchavac on his knees grabbing at my bed and he couldn't say anything. I just saw bile, or a lot of spit, on the floor and then I heard him cough ''agua!'' I grabbed my bottle and threw it to him. He drank it, then whatever was blocking his breathing went away. I have never seen anyone suffocate like that in my life. It took me a while to wake up, and I had no idea what was going on. It was a serious miracle. The next day... my companion couldn't get back from Ch'ulak because the people that were going to get interviewed weren't there... so I called some other missionaries (Elder Dilworth and Elder Asencio), and they came, because on Wednesday we had to take papers out of Panzos and out of Actela (in Santo Domingo) so we had to be two places at once. They came, and we did divisions again and I went to Santo Domiink with E. Dillywacker. When we got to the Tinta (which is in the valley), the people said there were no trucks because the roads were destroyed. So I took my plastic, that I use when it rains ,to cover like the 25 pounds of books that I was going to take to Rosalina and her daughters so my sweat wouldn't destroy them. Then we started to walk... like fifteen minutes into walking, of course it starts to rain... so we walked in the rain up the mountain. When we got to the place where you take legal papers out (kind of like the DMV) nobody was there. We asked where the people were, and some people said that the workers just went to eat. So we went and visited a few people that I knew, and we came back an hour later.. Nobody.. so we are sitting there waiting, and the people around us just told us, ''Oh you can just come back tomorrow..(this was Wednesday, and on Thursday we had interviews in Senahu and zone conference on Friday) I could not wait. I asked some kid if he knew where the person who worked there was. He did, so I asked him if he could show us. We went to a lady's house and I knocked on the door. I asked the lady if she wouldn't mind printing off a paper for me, and told her that we had hiked four hours in the rain to get this paper. She obliged, and we got her paper. We went and talked to Rosalina (the grandma that I baptized in Sacsuha) and Arturo's sister (our investigator, who I also baptized in Sacsuha) and I just unloaded books and pictures. I gave them one of those memory games that you bought me because we always used to play that with them. I also gave them a little money so that they could come to the marriage and baptism this week. Then we visited a few other people and slept on the floor in the church. At 4:30 in the morning, we woke up and hiked down to the Tinta , 6 miles soaked and muddy in the same clothes. But we got the paper, and when we got to Teleman, there was no water, so we couldn't bathe, haha. Then we went to Senahu and we had our interviews. My mission president is awesome! He is so nice and considerate. His wife is also just awesome! She gave the coolest talk in zone conference. Yesterday, our investigators came to church and everything was all set up for the marriage and baptism. What happened today was just another story in and of itself, but basically we had to take the papers of our investigator and his girlfriend to Panzos to set up the wedding, and the mayor's secretary would not do it. He absolutely hates missionaries and told us that he was too busy, and that he wouldn't be able to get married for a month. I was ready to cry because there was no reason that they couldn't do it for us. But then I called a member that was working there, and basically he convinced him to do it for us with a price. I had to buy this obstinate guy a Gatorade and something to eat, so that he would do me the favor!! Some things in this country are so messed up. Anyways, that's all. I don't have any more time, but there are some pictures of my investigator family. The one that is getting baptized this week.. God hears our prayers.
Love, Aaron

My life is just awesome

My life is just awesome. I am going on divisions today with Elder Chanchavac again. I really like him. Cute is the only words to describe him. We finally set baptismal dates with some people. The son of Rosalina and his girlfriend decided to get married. I called Arturo and was talking to him last night and I told him that I really want to see them get baptized before I leave. (They had already told us at this point that they wanted to get baptized). He said that he would talk about it with his girlfriend, Maria, and now we are going to get them married on the 25th of August. They talked about it, and everything is going really smoothly right now. We taught them the word of wisdom... and he told us that other than his cocaine crops and his wife being an alcoholic, they don't have any problems with it. hahah No but really they don't have any word of wisdom problems, not even coffee which is usually a problem. We got super lucky yesterday 'cause we went to get them to come to church, but only the dad could come because the mom was having some problems with LIX Q'EHIL LI PUCHUK LI NACHAL RAJLAL PO haha. The district president was driving by and gave us a ride. It was nice. This guy is super funny and I love talking to him. I'm going to St. DOMIINK and then to Actela on Wednesday to get his birth certificate and another paper so that he can get married. I'm going to give his mom and sister some money so they can travel and see the baptism. It's going to be cool to see my converts from way back when. This week we have zone conference and interviews. My life is really busy. Hey, do me a favor and see if you can't get me signed up with UTAH FREESKIER SOCIETY because I'm almost positive that they do a student club discount for SNOWBIRD. If Cody is getting his season pass there then I definitely am going to as well. If Cody jumps off a cliff I am definitely going to do it as well. That sounds like a fun birthday for Adam... he should look into getting a pass to Snowbird as well. Everyone is traveling like crazy. That's insane that Adam is already starting school.. too bad, hahaha I hope you have fun in California and Europe... China etc... be sure to take tons of pictures and send them to me. The pictures I sent you are of the temple, the concilio, Elder Smith ,my dear Yumo, Elder Gutierres and me when we harvested some corn with Arturo. He and I also made some awesome cookies in the church for his 18th month mark and other stuff..

K, I love you! Have a great week -Aaron

Dolla Dolla Bill Ya

My week was just fine. Thank you. Hey! IDK could you ask Cody and Taybay and BraidDog where they are going to get their season passes,'cause I need to know? Cody can have my Pass Out Game if he can find it. I don't even remember where it's at. I thought I lost that. Speaking of drinking, yesterday my neighbor (the one who gets drunk all the time and threw a vodka bottle at our front door) was smashed in the street and had crashed his motorcycle. I grabbed it, and helped him bring it to his house and park it. He then told us he wanted to talk the Bible. We helped him into his house, read, 1 Corinthians 3 :16-17, and prayed. Poor guy ... oh I also took his vodka and dumped it out when he went to the bathroom.. sin? q' me importa pues. Hey, also this morning we were going to the Tinta se' CHIINT and we were in the back of this truck and we totally destroyed this little puppy. I felt it lift the truck up, and then I saw it flip up behind the truck. It was so sad! All the Q'eqchi's were going nuts. Hey HAPPY BURF DAY ADAM!! I'm a bring you something home for your birthday. Prolific flowers? WAS BEN ABLE TO GET TO WORK ON TIME!?!? JK I mean is he OK? No brain damage? Sorry. I had to write a really long letter to my Mission President today, so this is short and not too great. Sorry. I love you all. -Aaron

Razorblade Salvation

That's a lot of events... well, first of all I have to say that I am proud of Orion leaving on his mission, and for Taylor returning home. However, I maybe even more proud of how much of a man Cody has become since I last saw him, haha. That's really cool Michael and Lisa are going back to Turkey.

Thank you for the PICTURES!!! They are awesome. That's really crazy to see all my fiends all together. It's really good to see all of them as well as you guys. Rozzi is looking like she should be a baby model. Liza and Jeff's trip looks super sick. I want to go.

Why is Ben in an Audi? Who's is that?

Here are some pictures. The road I'm sitting on is my enemy. My comp and I run this thing often.
There's a picture of some hands. This is how riding in the back of a truck is.
There is me trying to kiss elder Chanchavac/the coolest tie I own.
There is a staircase that just murders me every other day that we have to walk up 'cause one of our awesome investigator families lives up there. They came to church this week.
There's some cows etc etc...

This week was good. We had a ton of investigators in church. We are teaching the son of Rosalina, the lady that I baptized in Saqsuha'. He and his family are really cool. We are going to go work in their corn field this week, and then pick some avocados off their avocado tree and make guacamole. It's going to be good. I'm going to the capital right now. I love doing this trip.;ldkajflsjLJSDUF=)S(DF&/#$#)/")(%/)"# right? Umm... I don't really know what else is new. Nothing...

I don't know that kid that got home. Different mission.

I do need to get my handwriting analyzed, don't I... 'cause it has changed a LOT!

K love you have a GR8 XAMAN

LAJ AARON VICIOUS HOWARD