12-6-10
Whatup err'body!
Okay, sounds like Haley's party was just epic. I want some pictures
if possible haha. I love hearing from you guys, especially today.
Last night I watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional and it
made me so nostalgic. Elder Hock emailed me today and told me he
actually started crying when he saw temple square with the lights.
Ah! Haha I'm not depressed or sad, but I do miss home right now.
Mom, I never got a Halloween package, to answer your question. And to
be honest, I don't really need a water bottle anymore. I found that
it's easier to just take a gatorade bottle and keep refilling it. And
as far as ties, I can buy them in Patulul for rather cheap (3 for one
American dollar HA!) It's insane how cheap they are here.
So yeah, that stomach bug passed quickly, so no problems there.
Killed another scorpion this week! We're hopefully gonna spray with
permethrin around the house today. Oh! your other questions. Mom,
we talk with the Zone Leaders every night when we report the datos for
the day. So we let them know when we need something. And we see
President about once or twice a month. And I email him every week.
Speaking of President, we had a seminar with him on Tuesday. It was
for all the new missionaries (the ones with one or two transfers) and
it was awesome. We have six greenies in our zone, and I'm the only
one with two transfers, so I was in charge of getting us to Retalhuleu
for the seminar. That went well, except we were an hour late because
the Zone Leaders were really late in bringing some of the elders that
needed to come with us. It was awkward, but the meeting started 40
minutes late, so we didn't miss much. At the meeting, we shared
things that our trainers weren't doing right. I found out I'm not the
only one having a rough time with that. A buddy of mine from the CCM
explained that one day his companion took the phone, locked the house
from the outside, and left. Haha crazy.
I explained that my companion likes to ride on the back of people's
motorcycles and stuff, except I didn't explain that it was my
companion because I didn't want to rat him out. I just said it was an
elder in my district. One of the Assistants came up and said to me
later on, 'haha we know it's your companion that's doing that, you
don't need to try and protect him. Don't worry about it, we'll take
care of it.' And then they told me they were thankful for me trying
to help my companion and being an example for him.
After we explained things that our companions aren't doing right,
President laid down the law. He asked why we are letting them do
things like that. Haha he 'machete'd' us as my companion would call
it, but it was in a way that really motivated me to be better. I
learned so much at the seminar and it was cool being there with my CCM
group. That was one of the coolest parts. I walked into the seminar
(late) and saw Elders Hock, Shannon, and Taylor sitting at the same
table. I winked at them and sat down (trying not to interrupt the
meeting). When we got a break, we all stood up and bear hugged each
other. Haha then we swapped stories about our first couple changes
(transfers). It was soo cool.
The day after, my companion went to the meeting for all the trainers.
That meant I was to be senior companion with Elder Thorley (the
greenie in Nueva). Holy cow. Wake up call haha! We packed our day
and worked hard. It was so awesome. We couldn't understand
everything, but we got enough to be able to teach and help people out.
It was a successful day. Our companions were impressed when they got
back. It was a confidence builder to find out that I can get the job
done with someone that has less experience than me. But gosh I have a
lot to learn still.
My companion got back with a desire to improve some things. President
really laid down the law with them in their seminar. The first thing
he talked about was motorcycles. My companion wasn't too happy when
he brought it up, and he knew it was a result of my 'snitching' but he
just said 'I don't know who brought it up, but President said we can't
do that.' Haha it was an awkward moment. The night before I was
praying about how to help my companion and I felt the impression to
take advantage of the following night (the night he got back from the
meeting) when he had the desire to change some things. I followed the
prompting and prepared some goals to improve. He was willing to work
toward those goals and I'm so thankful. But there are still some
things he doesn't want to change. Haha so I still have plenty of work
to do.
I think my favorite part of the day is personal study time. It's nice
and cool in the morning and I have a solid hour of personal
reflection, scripture study, and prayer. I wish I had more of it, but
that would be selfish. But I learn so much every day. Why did I not
take daily personal religion more seriously before my mission? I feel
like that is the most effective way to start the day.
We aren't having a whole lot of success in finding people, and it's
been tough. We need the Lord's help and I feel like we're doing
better than we were as far as following the Spirit and working hard.
But I know that success is not measured in baptisms. But it's hard to
remember that sometimes.
I gotta go. Dad, don't worry about writing about home and stuff, I
love hearing about it! It doesn't make me depressed or anything.
Christmas is a pretty big celebration here, they have like a full week
of festivities. It should be pretty crazy. Haha I don't find out
about transfers until the day before we get transferred. But I should
be able to call you guys from the phone in our house using a phone
card. I dunno if it would be cheaper to have you guys call back or if
it's easier for me to just call you guys. But it shouldn't be hard to
figure out.
I love you guys and hope you fully enjoy these weeks leading up to
Christmas. Remember the reason for the season! Haha is that cliche?
Whateva
Love ya!
Elder Austin Tyler
Thursday, December 9, 2010
The Reality of the Atonement of Jesus Christ
11-29-10
Haha whats up guys!
Where to start...
I killed a big ol scorpion this week! It was crawling up the wall.
Not cool. I'm okay with spiders and cockroaches, but scorpions cross
the line. Ugh.
So i finally got sick. I had some wicked boo and a nice little fever
on Tuesday. But all is well now. Haha I still get some aftershocks
in the bathroom, but nothing too severe.
Mom, don't worry about not writing last week! And Dad, I hope your
hand is alright! Sounds like that was pretty nasty.
So Wednesday, my companion had a meeting in Rehu, so I was on a split
with Elder Rigby and Elder Thorley. That afternoon we went to Cocales
to pick up my companion. We waited two hours and Elder Herrera still
hadn't showed up. And there were no more buses going to Nueva
Concepcion. Haha so we got a ride to Patulul (paradise) and stayed
with the elders there for the night. At 10:30 my companion finally
showed up there (there was a huge accident and backed up traffic).
And he brought mail with him. In the mail was a HUGE box full of
American candy!!! (I didnt open it until we got home the next day).
Thank you soooo much! I've been pigging out and I love it haha. I
also got a little package from Brother Teeples, which had a microfiber
towel and a letter inside. It was awesome. I'm writing him back
today, but please tell him thank you for me. I also got letters from
Kelley, Rita, Kendy, and Megan! Awesome. Haha that made for an
awesome night. But I slept on the concrete floor without a blanket or
pillow. Didn't sleep much. But I still had enough energy to get
through the next day.
So on Thursday we went to Tiquisate for Thanksgiving. We cooked an
actual turkey! It was so expensive, but worth it. We had mashed
potatoes, sweet potatoes, cake, bread, gravy. It took forever to cook
and everyone was bored and in a bad mood. But I was loving it! Haha
I helped cook and that was fun. I got some time to play the piano in
the chapel there and that was so great. And we got to talk and just
hang out and stuff. There are 6 greenies in our zone right now. It's
crazy! It was funny to talk to them. They're all gringoes. So yeah,
everyone was in a really bad mood and I was like, what the heck! It's
Thanksgiving! The Latinos were especially upset. They didn't like
the food and they were ticked off that we wasted an entire day
celebrating Thanksgiving haha! I couldn't help but get nostalgic. It
was really tough to sit there among grumpy company, eating a partially
raw turkey in a circle of chairs (haha we didn't have a table) and
listening to Hillary's Christmas cd. Haha it was almost like a movie
and I just sat there thinking about you guys and the snow, Harry
Potter, leftovers, movies, Settlers, etc. Haha it was sad, but it was
so awesome to have a legit Thanksgiving meal. I successfully didn't
let other people get me down.
I love hearing about your guys' Thanksgiving! Ah sounds like it was
awesome. I wrote you all letters and sent those off this morning. As
far as calling for Christmas, I think I'll be able to buy a card and
call with that. I'm still trying to figure it out. But there
shouldn't be any problems.
Haha so Elder Rigby found out that my companion still rides on the
back of peoples' motorcycles and he was like WHAT!? What is he
doing!?? Haha I just sat there and said, yeah, that's my companion.
Haha so things are still up and down. But we've made progress.
Sorry I don't have a lot of spiritual stuff to write. I was sick two
days, then we had Thanksgiving, so we didn't get to work a whole lot
this week. But last night we did get to help someone out. One of our
recent converts was contemplating suicide. It was an intense night.
We found out where she was, calmed her down, and talked to her. We
shared some scriptures about the Atonement and encouraged her to pray.
She said she felt so guilty for something she did and couldn't go to
the Lord or to her family. But she said she would pray. I shared DyC
45:3-5 with her and explained that nobody is perfect. We all make
mistakes, and we have the Atonement to help us out.
I love that scripture. When I read that, I get such a powerful mental
image of the Savior pleading our cause before the Father. I think of
standing there, at the final stage of judgment, leading to the
eternities with our families, with an eternal companion. Standing
there with the Savior. Ah I dunno, it's just so powerful, so
personal.
Well, I need to go, but I hope you are all doing great! Enjoy those
leftovers, enjoy the snow. Love life!
I love you guys! Take care and have an awesome week!
Love,
Elder Austin Tyler
Haha whats up guys!
Where to start...
I killed a big ol scorpion this week! It was crawling up the wall.
Not cool. I'm okay with spiders and cockroaches, but scorpions cross
the line. Ugh.
So i finally got sick. I had some wicked boo and a nice little fever
on Tuesday. But all is well now. Haha I still get some aftershocks
in the bathroom, but nothing too severe.
Mom, don't worry about not writing last week! And Dad, I hope your
hand is alright! Sounds like that was pretty nasty.
So Wednesday, my companion had a meeting in Rehu, so I was on a split
with Elder Rigby and Elder Thorley. That afternoon we went to Cocales
to pick up my companion. We waited two hours and Elder Herrera still
hadn't showed up. And there were no more buses going to Nueva
Concepcion. Haha so we got a ride to Patulul (paradise) and stayed
with the elders there for the night. At 10:30 my companion finally
showed up there (there was a huge accident and backed up traffic).
And he brought mail with him. In the mail was a HUGE box full of
American candy!!! (I didnt open it until we got home the next day).
Thank you soooo much! I've been pigging out and I love it haha. I
also got a little package from Brother Teeples, which had a microfiber
towel and a letter inside. It was awesome. I'm writing him back
today, but please tell him thank you for me. I also got letters from
Kelley, Rita, Kendy, and Megan! Awesome. Haha that made for an
awesome night. But I slept on the concrete floor without a blanket or
pillow. Didn't sleep much. But I still had enough energy to get
through the next day.
So on Thursday we went to Tiquisate for Thanksgiving. We cooked an
actual turkey! It was so expensive, but worth it. We had mashed
potatoes, sweet potatoes, cake, bread, gravy. It took forever to cook
and everyone was bored and in a bad mood. But I was loving it! Haha
I helped cook and that was fun. I got some time to play the piano in
the chapel there and that was so great. And we got to talk and just
hang out and stuff. There are 6 greenies in our zone right now. It's
crazy! It was funny to talk to them. They're all gringoes. So yeah,
everyone was in a really bad mood and I was like, what the heck! It's
Thanksgiving! The Latinos were especially upset. They didn't like
the food and they were ticked off that we wasted an entire day
celebrating Thanksgiving haha! I couldn't help but get nostalgic. It
was really tough to sit there among grumpy company, eating a partially
raw turkey in a circle of chairs (haha we didn't have a table) and
listening to Hillary's Christmas cd. Haha it was almost like a movie
and I just sat there thinking about you guys and the snow, Harry
Potter, leftovers, movies, Settlers, etc. Haha it was sad, but it was
so awesome to have a legit Thanksgiving meal. I successfully didn't
let other people get me down.
I love hearing about your guys' Thanksgiving! Ah sounds like it was
awesome. I wrote you all letters and sent those off this morning. As
far as calling for Christmas, I think I'll be able to buy a card and
call with that. I'm still trying to figure it out. But there
shouldn't be any problems.
Haha so Elder Rigby found out that my companion still rides on the
back of peoples' motorcycles and he was like WHAT!? What is he
doing!?? Haha I just sat there and said, yeah, that's my companion.
Haha so things are still up and down. But we've made progress.
Sorry I don't have a lot of spiritual stuff to write. I was sick two
days, then we had Thanksgiving, so we didn't get to work a whole lot
this week. But last night we did get to help someone out. One of our
recent converts was contemplating suicide. It was an intense night.
We found out where she was, calmed her down, and talked to her. We
shared some scriptures about the Atonement and encouraged her to pray.
She said she felt so guilty for something she did and couldn't go to
the Lord or to her family. But she said she would pray. I shared DyC
45:3-5 with her and explained that nobody is perfect. We all make
mistakes, and we have the Atonement to help us out.
I love that scripture. When I read that, I get such a powerful mental
image of the Savior pleading our cause before the Father. I think of
standing there, at the final stage of judgment, leading to the
eternities with our families, with an eternal companion. Standing
there with the Savior. Ah I dunno, it's just so powerful, so
personal.
Well, I need to go, but I hope you are all doing great! Enjoy those
leftovers, enjoy the snow. Love life!
I love you guys! Take care and have an awesome week!
Love,
Elder Austin Tyler
A Rainbow Shining in the Dark Sky!
11-22-10
Happy Thanksgiving! And Brock! Happy Birthday!!
This week was pretty awesome. To start, Im gonna answer some of your guys questions. Transfers are on December 22nd, so I have no idea how calling will work. I will talk to the Zone Leaders when I get the chance. I doubt skype will be possible. Word on the street is that we will be celebrating Thanksgiving as a zone, so that should be fun!
And Dad, I get the Liahona in English. The Liahona had a special edition on temples too and I absolutely loved it. There was some cool stuff in there. I use the pictures in some of our lessons. I loved that poem about habits, its so true. And its so easy to develop bad habits so quickly. Its a constant fight. ANd that picture with the turkey leg is epic. You should frame that one haha!
Haley, your stories are so great! They bring back so many memories, I love it!
So on Tuesday we met the other two elders in our zone. One of them is new, and he helicoptered his first three nights in the field (helicoptering is when you poo and vomit at the same time). He lost a lot of weight, I feel so bad for him. On the way to meeting them, a guy who had peed himself came up to me and my companion and asked us for money. We told him we had none. He started quoting scriptures and he was making really creepy and distorted faces and noises. And he tried to tell us we were evil for not loving our neighbor. We explained that we are here to help people spiritually, and he started quoting scripture again. I think he was possessed. It was weird.
Later that day we chopped some firewood for some members. Ive got some nice big blisters from that. But they were all impressed that a gringo knew how to use an axe. They were also surprised that I could work more than five minutes. Haha its ironic how some of these people are really lazy and they look at Americans like they're sloths. Haha Im glad I can set them straight. Wednesday we were walking to an appointment and saw a lady pushing her motorcycle. we offered to help her out. THe bike wouldnt start, so we helped her push it to the body shop or whatever its called. Elder Herrera sat on the bike and steared while I pushed from the back haha! It was about 350 degrees and I had my backpack on. The lady got in a tuktuk (taxi) to lead us where to go. So I was trying to keep up with the taxi and it was so hard. It felt like running a 400 with weights on my back. As we turned a corner, two dogs started chasing us. I was dead tired and I just tried to book it as fast as I could. One of the dogs grabbed onto my shoe, so I kicked him in the face pretty good. But the other bit Elder Herreras leg... and drew blood. I was trying to kick it, but I couldnt because I was running and pushing at the same time. We eventually got away and found out the dogs were vaccinated (thank goodness). I was a sweaty mess by the time we got to our destination.
Speaking of my companion, we have made some amazing progress! Ive been knocking out one bad habit at a time, one or two a week. I found a strategy. I find where it talks about the thing we struggle with, or the thing we dont do correctly, in Preach My Gospel. And then I tell my companion that I want to study that section during companionship study. We do so, and Elder Herrera will read something and say, "Thats a really good idea, I think we should try that." And then I just smile and say, I agree, lets do it. Haha its almost too perfect! And I dont tell you this to brag that Im changing my companion. Im just so happy that I figured out how to help him realize that we can be better. And it has been so great to see him change himself! Preach My Gospel is so awesome.
On Thursday, we got a call from a lady in the ward, Eugenia, and her baby needed a blessing. We said we would stop by after our appointment (It wasnt urgent). But we had a problem. I lost my vial of oil three or four weeks ago. And my companions fell off his belt loop two weeks ago. So I knelt down and prayed that I would be able to find mine. Keep in mind, I hadnt been able to find it for three weeks. I stood up, looked around my desk, then stopped. I walked straight to my room, and picked up my suitcase and reached down to pick up the vial of oil. It was like I knew it was there. It was a miracle.
Most people here arent comfortable looking me in the eye, especially girls. But I met a 14 year old girl this week who was not afraid to look me in the eye. I found out she has a baby of two months, and her husband was killed four months ago. And she is 14 years old. That helped me realize that I dont realize how blessed I really am.
Last thing. Last night we were walking to the church to meet a family who was going to accompany us to an appointment. It had just stormed, and we could see the storm in the distance. There was a full moon on the other side of the sky. As I looked up at the huge clouds, I saw a rainbow! A rainbow in the dark! And there was lightning flashing in the distance, it was the gnarliest night sky I had ever seen. And despite the full moon, the stars were still bright. It was nuts. So cool.
I hope you all have an awesome week. Im trying to write you all letters and I hope I can get them to you by Christmas. I love you guys! And remember, if you want to get good at something, practice it! If you want to master something, keep practicing. Practice is the key to learning.
Love you!
Elder Austin Tyler
Happy Thanksgiving! And Brock! Happy Birthday!!
This week was pretty awesome. To start, Im gonna answer some of your guys questions. Transfers are on December 22nd, so I have no idea how calling will work. I will talk to the Zone Leaders when I get the chance. I doubt skype will be possible. Word on the street is that we will be celebrating Thanksgiving as a zone, so that should be fun!
And Dad, I get the Liahona in English. The Liahona had a special edition on temples too and I absolutely loved it. There was some cool stuff in there. I use the pictures in some of our lessons. I loved that poem about habits, its so true. And its so easy to develop bad habits so quickly. Its a constant fight. ANd that picture with the turkey leg is epic. You should frame that one haha!
Haley, your stories are so great! They bring back so many memories, I love it!
So on Tuesday we met the other two elders in our zone. One of them is new, and he helicoptered his first three nights in the field (helicoptering is when you poo and vomit at the same time). He lost a lot of weight, I feel so bad for him. On the way to meeting them, a guy who had peed himself came up to me and my companion and asked us for money. We told him we had none. He started quoting scriptures and he was making really creepy and distorted faces and noises. And he tried to tell us we were evil for not loving our neighbor. We explained that we are here to help people spiritually, and he started quoting scripture again. I think he was possessed. It was weird.
Later that day we chopped some firewood for some members. Ive got some nice big blisters from that. But they were all impressed that a gringo knew how to use an axe. They were also surprised that I could work more than five minutes. Haha its ironic how some of these people are really lazy and they look at Americans like they're sloths. Haha Im glad I can set them straight. Wednesday we were walking to an appointment and saw a lady pushing her motorcycle. we offered to help her out. THe bike wouldnt start, so we helped her push it to the body shop or whatever its called. Elder Herrera sat on the bike and steared while I pushed from the back haha! It was about 350 degrees and I had my backpack on. The lady got in a tuktuk (taxi) to lead us where to go. So I was trying to keep up with the taxi and it was so hard. It felt like running a 400 with weights on my back. As we turned a corner, two dogs started chasing us. I was dead tired and I just tried to book it as fast as I could. One of the dogs grabbed onto my shoe, so I kicked him in the face pretty good. But the other bit Elder Herreras leg... and drew blood. I was trying to kick it, but I couldnt because I was running and pushing at the same time. We eventually got away and found out the dogs were vaccinated (thank goodness). I was a sweaty mess by the time we got to our destination.
Speaking of my companion, we have made some amazing progress! Ive been knocking out one bad habit at a time, one or two a week. I found a strategy. I find where it talks about the thing we struggle with, or the thing we dont do correctly, in Preach My Gospel. And then I tell my companion that I want to study that section during companionship study. We do so, and Elder Herrera will read something and say, "Thats a really good idea, I think we should try that." And then I just smile and say, I agree, lets do it. Haha its almost too perfect! And I dont tell you this to brag that Im changing my companion. Im just so happy that I figured out how to help him realize that we can be better. And it has been so great to see him change himself! Preach My Gospel is so awesome.
On Thursday, we got a call from a lady in the ward, Eugenia, and her baby needed a blessing. We said we would stop by after our appointment (It wasnt urgent). But we had a problem. I lost my vial of oil three or four weeks ago. And my companions fell off his belt loop two weeks ago. So I knelt down and prayed that I would be able to find mine. Keep in mind, I hadnt been able to find it for three weeks. I stood up, looked around my desk, then stopped. I walked straight to my room, and picked up my suitcase and reached down to pick up the vial of oil. It was like I knew it was there. It was a miracle.
Most people here arent comfortable looking me in the eye, especially girls. But I met a 14 year old girl this week who was not afraid to look me in the eye. I found out she has a baby of two months, and her husband was killed four months ago. And she is 14 years old. That helped me realize that I dont realize how blessed I really am.
Last thing. Last night we were walking to the church to meet a family who was going to accompany us to an appointment. It had just stormed, and we could see the storm in the distance. There was a full moon on the other side of the sky. As I looked up at the huge clouds, I saw a rainbow! A rainbow in the dark! And there was lightning flashing in the distance, it was the gnarliest night sky I had ever seen. And despite the full moon, the stars were still bright. It was nuts. So cool.
I hope you all have an awesome week. Im trying to write you all letters and I hope I can get them to you by Christmas. I love you guys! And remember, if you want to get good at something, practice it! If you want to master something, keep practicing. Practice is the key to learning.
Love you!
Elder Austin Tyler
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