Friends and Family,
This is the mission home address where you can write to Austin for the next two years. He said he currently does not have an address so this is the most reliable way if you want to send it regular US post.
Also, you can use the previous address I posted (Pouch mail service through Salt Lake City), or email them to me (Post dated 8-19-10). Sticking religious symbols on your letters will help keep people from going through things as they are superstitious and will leave things alone that look religious. We were discouraged sending packages but I'm going to try it and if you want to, putting religious symbols on boxes will assure a better chance of them getting to him.
As always, thanks for your support. His last letter was very tender and I can't help but think there is no better way to gain this kind of experience than devoting two years of your life to serving the Lord.
Elder Austin Michael Tyler
Guatemala Retalhuleu Mission
Barrio Concepion, Boulevard Centenario
Salida a Coatepeque, Zona 2
Retalhuleu
GUATEMALA
(phone: 011-502-7771-2404)
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
"Hardest week of my life!"
I love you guys!
This has been the hardest week of my life. I miss the MTC. I miss home. I know I shouldn´t be complaining, but I feel like I need to vent and let you know how I feel. Dont get me wrong, I have so much to be thankful for, but this week has been a shock.
Our president is amazing. I love him. He and his wife are really cool and I feel so blessed to have them here. We had a tough time getting to the Mission Office because of strikes and riots in the streets. Nothing violent, but a lot of road blocks. But everything happened according to schedule, so it was okay.
I am serving in the Tequisate Zone, the Nueva Concepcion Area. It´s the hottest area of the mission. And it´s sooo hot. And sooo wet. Yesterday was the first day that I ended with dry feet. The first night it started pouring and I was in my suit pants. They´re moldy now. I´m trying to figure out how to wash them. We were hiking around in knee deep water, it was an interesting welcome to my first area. That night, my companion and I saw weird lights in the sky. And then all the power in the city went out. It was weird and kinda scary. We couldn´t see anything. Luckily I had packed a flashlight in my bag. That was a blessing.
My companion is named Elder Herrera. Everyone says he´s a really hard worker, but I think this past week was rather slow. I´m hoping things pick up. I´m trying to figure out how to use an Area Book. I asked one of the APs what I could do personally to improve the mission. He said to use the area book. It´s a trend I hope to start today.
I forgot to bring my camera, I think I can hook it up to the computer to send pictures. And the pictures you sent are so great! Haley, you´re beautiful!
Oh! I don´t have an address, so just go ahead and send things to the mission office. I got seven letters this week! It was so wonderful! I don´t know how well I will be able to respond to them. If you could tell Brother Teeples thank you so much for his letter, I would appreciate that. It was so great to hear from him. Also, Rita Argueta and Holli Machmer wrote me! If you could message them on facebook for me and thank them for their letters, I´m going to try to send them something when I get the chance.
Like I said, I forgot my camera. But to give you an idea, our house is very different than the luxiorious apartment I saw in one of Troy´s pictures haha :)
I shower with what looks like an outdoor spout, and the water is less than cold. But I´m getting used to that. Everything is always dirty. Today I´m going to buy cleaning supplies to give me something to do. There are lots of bugs, but that doesn´t bother me much. I sweat all the time, and I´m getting used to that too. It´s either blazing hot, or pouring. But night time is wonderful... when it isn´t raining haha.
It´s really hard to focus. I miss home and it´s mhard when I can´t relate or communicate a whole lot with anyone. I need to forget myself and realize that I´m here for other people. But I don´t know how to focus on their needs when I can hardly understand them.
General Conference was the most wonderful thing ever. Ever talk was comforting and so helpful. I nearly cried at the end of yesterday´s session because it was so great. I´m sad that it´s over.
There was a lot I learned about finding comfort during times of trial. And that has helped. Never before have I needed the comfort of Christ, the companionship of the Holy Ghost more than I do now. Constant prayer is the key. Hope and faith are the key.
Enough complaining. The people here are so poor. It´s sad, but I´m glad to be here to help them. Almost everyone is religious, which makes it tough. They think every church is true. Regardless, I think I´m in one of the most successful areas of the mission. I haven´t seen the fruits of that yet, it being my first week. But I´m excited to get working.
During the talk yesterday about parenting teenagers, I felt a bit guilty for the past. Mom and Dad, I´m sorry if I ever made it seem like I would be offended by your counsel. Now I am starting to realize how much I miss your advice and counsel. Please feel free to offer whatever advice you have.
Brock, I want to thank you for serving a mission. I realize that I am blessed to be here... so blessed. I admire your perseverance and thank you for your example. I love you.
I was able to watch Conference in English with Elder Grover, the zone leader. That was such a blessing. I was able to ask every question I wanted to ask. And he answered them all. Right now it´s hard not to think of home. And it´s hard not to think that I have two years of tedious work. But he told me to focus on the needs of the people and time will fly. I´m trying to do that, but again, it´s hard to help them when I can´t understand them. His words were comforting, and I´m thankful for the time I had with him.
I wonder how my friends from the MTC are coping. I´m going to try to email them.
Oh! It´s such a blessing to live next to a restaurant. We have our lunches (the biggest meal of the day) cooked for us. That´s soo wonderful. And costs less than two dollars each day. Also, we have our clothes washed for us. That´s a blessing too. But I don´t know how long it takes. So tonight I´ll be washing some of my own clothes because I´m running out haha!
As difficult as this time is, I´m thankful for it. I learn so much every day. I pray every day that I can feel God´s love. When I seek it I find it. I dedicate every day to the Lord, and I hope to become the best I can be.
I asked Elder Grover if everyone has a tough first week. He said yes. That´s comforting to know I´m not the only one who has a rough time. We had the opportunity to listen to the testimonies of all the elders who were going home. That made me nostalgic. But as much as I look forward to that day, I need to focus on the here and now. I have work to do. And this is such an opportunity!
My Spanish is improving, but it´s hard to go every day (except for conference :)) without English. It´s a comfort to write in my journal in English and read the scriptures in English. Despite my feelings of loneliness and depression, there are moments of joy and excitement. The little things, like food and clothing make me happy. Learning makes me happy. Understanding something that somebody says makes me happy.
The people here are impressed with my Spanish, and my height. They say I´m much farther along than the other North American greenies that come through here. I´m grateful to be able to understand the bit that I can. I think my Spanish is a lot better than I sometimes give it credit.
The women here are obsessed with us missionaries. It´s weird and annoying. By no means am I tempted to fall into the trap that so many elders fall into, it´s annoying and they are distracted from our purpose here. Nothing too weird happens. They just try to flirt and what not. It´s easy to take care of.
My companion is from Honduras and he´s a bit hard to understand sometimes. He´s the district leader and he´s a cool guy. I look forward to playing soccer with him today. He´s been a great help. He´s a lot more mature than the elders in my district in the CCM. I´m grateful for his companionship.
It is so great to hear from you guys. Dad, good luck with your trips and work. Thank you for your advice and counsel. And that was awesome to hear an update about Alex. I want to email him. Could you send me his email sometime?
Mom, I got a couple of your dear elders this past week and it was so great to read them, even though they were a bit old. Thank you for writing me.
I can feel the strength of your prayers and I thank you for them. Everything really isn´t as bad as this email makes it seem. I have so much to be grateful for. It´s just that right now I´m having a tough time. The food is great, my companion is great, my president is great, conference was amazing, I have stuff to do like cleaning the house and building the area book, and I´m loving the people. Wet feet are a small price to pay for all that.
Real quick about the people... they are easy to love, which is such a blessing. I´m so grateful to be in this area. The members are awesome. There are tons of inactives, and I look forward to bringing them back into the fold. There´s so much work to be done here. Thanks for listening to my venting. I feel better haha! I still miss you guys. And I miss my friends too. But I´m here for a great purpose.
Haley, check out the style of music Reggaton. It´s extremely popular here and I think you might like it. I don´t know how clean it is, or if they have much of it in English, but it seems like it would be fun to dance to.
Last thing, I´m running out of facewash and don´t know if i´ll be able to find anything legit down here. If you could send some next time you send a package I would appreciate it. Thanks again for everything. Thanks for your love and examples. Please tell the ward I love them and thank them for their examples. Tell Alex he´s such a stud, and the Lord needs him. And tell him I love him. Thank you guys for everything, I wish I could talk to you face to face, but email is such a blessing. Love you!
Love,
Elder Austin Tyler
This has been the hardest week of my life. I miss the MTC. I miss home. I know I shouldn´t be complaining, but I feel like I need to vent and let you know how I feel. Dont get me wrong, I have so much to be thankful for, but this week has been a shock.
Our president is amazing. I love him. He and his wife are really cool and I feel so blessed to have them here. We had a tough time getting to the Mission Office because of strikes and riots in the streets. Nothing violent, but a lot of road blocks. But everything happened according to schedule, so it was okay.
I am serving in the Tequisate Zone, the Nueva Concepcion Area. It´s the hottest area of the mission. And it´s sooo hot. And sooo wet. Yesterday was the first day that I ended with dry feet. The first night it started pouring and I was in my suit pants. They´re moldy now. I´m trying to figure out how to wash them. We were hiking around in knee deep water, it was an interesting welcome to my first area. That night, my companion and I saw weird lights in the sky. And then all the power in the city went out. It was weird and kinda scary. We couldn´t see anything. Luckily I had packed a flashlight in my bag. That was a blessing.
My companion is named Elder Herrera. Everyone says he´s a really hard worker, but I think this past week was rather slow. I´m hoping things pick up. I´m trying to figure out how to use an Area Book. I asked one of the APs what I could do personally to improve the mission. He said to use the area book. It´s a trend I hope to start today.
I forgot to bring my camera, I think I can hook it up to the computer to send pictures. And the pictures you sent are so great! Haley, you´re beautiful!
Oh! I don´t have an address, so just go ahead and send things to the mission office. I got seven letters this week! It was so wonderful! I don´t know how well I will be able to respond to them. If you could tell Brother Teeples thank you so much for his letter, I would appreciate that. It was so great to hear from him. Also, Rita Argueta and Holli Machmer wrote me! If you could message them on facebook for me and thank them for their letters, I´m going to try to send them something when I get the chance.
Like I said, I forgot my camera. But to give you an idea, our house is very different than the luxiorious apartment I saw in one of Troy´s pictures haha :)
I shower with what looks like an outdoor spout, and the water is less than cold. But I´m getting used to that. Everything is always dirty. Today I´m going to buy cleaning supplies to give me something to do. There are lots of bugs, but that doesn´t bother me much. I sweat all the time, and I´m getting used to that too. It´s either blazing hot, or pouring. But night time is wonderful... when it isn´t raining haha.
It´s really hard to focus. I miss home and it´s mhard when I can´t relate or communicate a whole lot with anyone. I need to forget myself and realize that I´m here for other people. But I don´t know how to focus on their needs when I can hardly understand them.
General Conference was the most wonderful thing ever. Ever talk was comforting and so helpful. I nearly cried at the end of yesterday´s session because it was so great. I´m sad that it´s over.
There was a lot I learned about finding comfort during times of trial. And that has helped. Never before have I needed the comfort of Christ, the companionship of the Holy Ghost more than I do now. Constant prayer is the key. Hope and faith are the key.
Enough complaining. The people here are so poor. It´s sad, but I´m glad to be here to help them. Almost everyone is religious, which makes it tough. They think every church is true. Regardless, I think I´m in one of the most successful areas of the mission. I haven´t seen the fruits of that yet, it being my first week. But I´m excited to get working.
During the talk yesterday about parenting teenagers, I felt a bit guilty for the past. Mom and Dad, I´m sorry if I ever made it seem like I would be offended by your counsel. Now I am starting to realize how much I miss your advice and counsel. Please feel free to offer whatever advice you have.
Brock, I want to thank you for serving a mission. I realize that I am blessed to be here... so blessed. I admire your perseverance and thank you for your example. I love you.
I was able to watch Conference in English with Elder Grover, the zone leader. That was such a blessing. I was able to ask every question I wanted to ask. And he answered them all. Right now it´s hard not to think of home. And it´s hard not to think that I have two years of tedious work. But he told me to focus on the needs of the people and time will fly. I´m trying to do that, but again, it´s hard to help them when I can´t understand them. His words were comforting, and I´m thankful for the time I had with him.
I wonder how my friends from the MTC are coping. I´m going to try to email them.
Oh! It´s such a blessing to live next to a restaurant. We have our lunches (the biggest meal of the day) cooked for us. That´s soo wonderful. And costs less than two dollars each day. Also, we have our clothes washed for us. That´s a blessing too. But I don´t know how long it takes. So tonight I´ll be washing some of my own clothes because I´m running out haha!
As difficult as this time is, I´m thankful for it. I learn so much every day. I pray every day that I can feel God´s love. When I seek it I find it. I dedicate every day to the Lord, and I hope to become the best I can be.
I asked Elder Grover if everyone has a tough first week. He said yes. That´s comforting to know I´m not the only one who has a rough time. We had the opportunity to listen to the testimonies of all the elders who were going home. That made me nostalgic. But as much as I look forward to that day, I need to focus on the here and now. I have work to do. And this is such an opportunity!
My Spanish is improving, but it´s hard to go every day (except for conference :)) without English. It´s a comfort to write in my journal in English and read the scriptures in English. Despite my feelings of loneliness and depression, there are moments of joy and excitement. The little things, like food and clothing make me happy. Learning makes me happy. Understanding something that somebody says makes me happy.
The people here are impressed with my Spanish, and my height. They say I´m much farther along than the other North American greenies that come through here. I´m grateful to be able to understand the bit that I can. I think my Spanish is a lot better than I sometimes give it credit.
The women here are obsessed with us missionaries. It´s weird and annoying. By no means am I tempted to fall into the trap that so many elders fall into, it´s annoying and they are distracted from our purpose here. Nothing too weird happens. They just try to flirt and what not. It´s easy to take care of.
My companion is from Honduras and he´s a bit hard to understand sometimes. He´s the district leader and he´s a cool guy. I look forward to playing soccer with him today. He´s been a great help. He´s a lot more mature than the elders in my district in the CCM. I´m grateful for his companionship.
It is so great to hear from you guys. Dad, good luck with your trips and work. Thank you for your advice and counsel. And that was awesome to hear an update about Alex. I want to email him. Could you send me his email sometime?
Mom, I got a couple of your dear elders this past week and it was so great to read them, even though they were a bit old. Thank you for writing me.
I can feel the strength of your prayers and I thank you for them. Everything really isn´t as bad as this email makes it seem. I have so much to be grateful for. It´s just that right now I´m having a tough time. The food is great, my companion is great, my president is great, conference was amazing, I have stuff to do like cleaning the house and building the area book, and I´m loving the people. Wet feet are a small price to pay for all that.
Real quick about the people... they are easy to love, which is such a blessing. I´m so grateful to be in this area. The members are awesome. There are tons of inactives, and I look forward to bringing them back into the fold. There´s so much work to be done here. Thanks for listening to my venting. I feel better haha! I still miss you guys. And I miss my friends too. But I´m here for a great purpose.
Haley, check out the style of music Reggaton. It´s extremely popular here and I think you might like it. I don´t know how clean it is, or if they have much of it in English, but it seems like it would be fun to dance to.
Last thing, I´m running out of facewash and don´t know if i´ll be able to find anything legit down here. If you could send some next time you send a package I would appreciate it. Thanks again for everything. Thanks for your love and examples. Please tell the ward I love them and thank them for their examples. Tell Alex he´s such a stud, and the Lord needs him. And tell him I love him. Thank you guys for everything, I wish I could talk to you face to face, but email is such a blessing. Love you!
Love,
Elder Austin Tyler
Leaving the Guatemala MTC
Hola! They gave us some time to write today! I leave tomorrow
morning! I GOT MAIL! Haha Dad, I got your letter with the SD card.
So I'm sending you guess a letter today. Mom, I tried to write you a
letter, but I only had time to reply to Dad's. I'll write you a
personal note as soon as I can. Dad, thanks for the letter. It was
awesome to read it.
I don't really know what to write about! Haha I've been so focused on
getting ready to go that I haven't really thought much about the past
week. For one, I'm really excited to get out to Retalhuleu. We have
an awesome group going and I'm excited to put into practice everything
that I've been learning the past nine weeks. I'm also nervous. I'm
afraid that I'm going to forget something important, that once I get
the hang of things (whenever that will be haha) that I'll will have
forgotten some essential part of what I should be doing. But I know
that with the guidance of the Spirit, everything will be okay.
This past week was a bit weird. A lot of people were waking up in the
middle of the night screaming. People were having nightmares and
stuff. It was over a period of two nights. The second night I had a
really creepy and awful feeling. I couldnt sleep and it was terrible.
It was weird. But yesterday made up for all of that. We watched
"The Lamb of God", "The John Tanner Story", and "The Joseph Smith
Movie". They were all amazing. I felt the Spirit all day and fasting
was a great way to start this new week. I think it's so cool that I
get to have conference my first Sunday in the field! That will be way
cool.
Adjusting to Latino culture is very difficult. Here are a few things
I've needed to get used to: I have no personal space. They don't have
any concept of respecting other people's things, space, etc. Haha
it's almost funny how awkward it gets. The second thing is that they
don't like to support leaders. They point out as many things as they
can to bring the leader down. We evaluated our teachers this week and
they got upset at me when I voted for anything less than an
"excellent" rating. It was so annoying. They would push me out of
the way and yell at me haha. Everyone else had the same problem. One
of the funniest things is when we sing hymns. Nobody knows how to
sing, but they all think they have the voices of angels. It's
absolutely hilarious sometimes! I've learned to appreciate the words
of the hymns more than the notes.
As an "adopted Latino" I've had a tough time the past three weeks, but
it's all worth it. I've learned so much. Haha some of the Latinos
didn't like the idea of having Gringos in their zone. Some of them
legitimately hate us. It's weird. Despite the divinity of this work,
there are a few in the group that don't even try to develop
Christlike love. I wonder what kind of past experiences theyve had
that have influenced their feelings toward us Gringos. All I can do
is smile and say 'love you brother!' It makes them even more mad
sometimes haha.
Haley! How was Homecoming?? Mom said it was great, but I wanna hear
more! How exhausted are ya? Was it worth the effort?
Apparently, we only have twenty minutes to write today. So I have to
get off soon. To conclude, I was reading in 2 Nephi 2 and 3 yesterday
and I learned sooo much! I don't know if it's the power of being a
missionary or that I was simply oblivious before, but I learn sooo
much more from the scriptures. You guys should check it out! I love
you and I'll inform you all about the heat of Reu next week! Love
you!
Elder Austin Tyler
morning! I GOT MAIL! Haha Dad, I got your letter with the SD card.
So I'm sending you guess a letter today. Mom, I tried to write you a
letter, but I only had time to reply to Dad's. I'll write you a
personal note as soon as I can. Dad, thanks for the letter. It was
awesome to read it.
I don't really know what to write about! Haha I've been so focused on
getting ready to go that I haven't really thought much about the past
week. For one, I'm really excited to get out to Retalhuleu. We have
an awesome group going and I'm excited to put into practice everything
that I've been learning the past nine weeks. I'm also nervous. I'm
afraid that I'm going to forget something important, that once I get
the hang of things (whenever that will be haha) that I'll will have
forgotten some essential part of what I should be doing. But I know
that with the guidance of the Spirit, everything will be okay.
This past week was a bit weird. A lot of people were waking up in the
middle of the night screaming. People were having nightmares and
stuff. It was over a period of two nights. The second night I had a
really creepy and awful feeling. I couldnt sleep and it was terrible.
It was weird. But yesterday made up for all of that. We watched
"The Lamb of God", "The John Tanner Story", and "The Joseph Smith
Movie". They were all amazing. I felt the Spirit all day and fasting
was a great way to start this new week. I think it's so cool that I
get to have conference my first Sunday in the field! That will be way
cool.
Adjusting to Latino culture is very difficult. Here are a few things
I've needed to get used to: I have no personal space. They don't have
any concept of respecting other people's things, space, etc. Haha
it's almost funny how awkward it gets. The second thing is that they
don't like to support leaders. They point out as many things as they
can to bring the leader down. We evaluated our teachers this week and
they got upset at me when I voted for anything less than an
"excellent" rating. It was so annoying. They would push me out of
the way and yell at me haha. Everyone else had the same problem. One
of the funniest things is when we sing hymns. Nobody knows how to
sing, but they all think they have the voices of angels. It's
absolutely hilarious sometimes! I've learned to appreciate the words
of the hymns more than the notes.
As an "adopted Latino" I've had a tough time the past three weeks, but
it's all worth it. I've learned so much. Haha some of the Latinos
didn't like the idea of having Gringos in their zone. Some of them
legitimately hate us. It's weird. Despite the divinity of this work,
there are a few in the group that don't even try to develop
Christlike love. I wonder what kind of past experiences theyve had
that have influenced their feelings toward us Gringos. All I can do
is smile and say 'love you brother!' It makes them even more mad
sometimes haha.
Haley! How was Homecoming?? Mom said it was great, but I wanna hear
more! How exhausted are ya? Was it worth the effort?
Apparently, we only have twenty minutes to write today. So I have to
get off soon. To conclude, I was reading in 2 Nephi 2 and 3 yesterday
and I learned sooo much! I don't know if it's the power of being a
missionary or that I was simply oblivious before, but I learn sooo
much more from the scriptures. You guys should check it out! I love
you and I'll inform you all about the heat of Reu next week! Love
you!
Elder Austin Tyler
Monday, September 27, 2010
A Challenging Week
Ahh I love emails!!
This week has been NUTS! Thank you all for the advice. Dad, I was
thinking a lot about your visit to California last week, that must
have been pretty awesome. Mom, it sounds like your talkimony was
great! I wish I could have been there!
Haley, keep on keepin on! StuCo is challenging sometimes, but think of ways
to make it fun! Im trying to figure out how to make things fun when
everything is going wrong. Maybe we can help each other figure it
out.
I weigh 185 lbs. Thats ten lbs more than when i entered the mtc. And
it isnt fat :) I do push ups every morning. I hate it, but im
getting a bit bigger.
I never imagined how hard it would be going into a Latino district. I
thought it was tough living with a companion, but add on top of that
learning a new culture (AND language) and it has its ups and downs.
This was the hardest week yet and I cant wait to get into the field.
Elder Granja is awesome. But hes different. He said the F word twice
this week haha oops.
To give you an idea of the Latino mentality (or at least for this
group) is this: Elder Taylors companion goes to the bathroom nine
times a day. Every morning he adds four scoops of fiber to his
oatmeal. Elder Taylor explained to him that fiber makes your stool
soft. The next day, his companion added five scoops.
They dont ever take our advice. In my exit interview with President
Steimle, he asked about my experience (After making sure i understood
that it was a blessing). I told him theres a psychological effect
that takes place that makes everything really frustrating. Because we
dont have the ability to communicate well, the Latinos assume we dont
know anything else. It isnt an issue of pride, its just natural i
think. But that dont accept any of our suggestions and they wont take
our knowledge as legitimate. Elder Hock, Elder Taylor, Hermana Pelaez
and I frequently pulled each other aside to vent. All week. Perhaps
it wasnt a good thing to do all the time, but it was crazy. There was
so much bad stuff happening all the time. It was weird and soooo hard
to deal with. I dont know why but they dont realize weve been trained
for six weeks longer than them, they still wont listen to us about
anything. but it has been worth the difficulty. My spanish is way
better. My companion is reading this right now, i hope he doesnt
understand much English haha.
The temple this morning was great, I felt much better about everything
and Im so excited to get into the field. President Steimle told me
not to expect a studly trainer. He shared DyC 84:106 and explained
that I may need to help train my trainer...great. But he said it in a
way that got me a little excited about it. He told me to learn to be
direct, which I applied this week in district meeting.
Weve been having a huge drama problem in our district. Elder Granja
is our district leader and hes had some issues with other elders not
liking him, and making it obvious enough. Then he would fight back
and it just got ridiculous. So during the meeting, I shared Mosiah
18:21 and explained that I wanted to make the most of this last week.
And I cant feel the spirit when theres contention in our district.
Then I proposed a goal to overcome our differences and show our love
for each other. Then Elder Granja (who was one of the people I hoped
would try and change a bit) started to preach about the same thing.
Then it erupted into a nice long discussion about issues with one
another and i think everyone decided to change. It was sweet, but
this week was still tough.
Some of these elders are really prideful, while others are so amazing.
I dont understand what causes such a stark contrast in people who
supposedly have the same goal, the same mission. It frightens me.
But President told me to get used to it. He told me im going to be in
a leadership position for a lot of my mission (kinda caught me off
guard) and im gonna have to deal with that problem a lot. He said
that my president wont be crazy, he is guided by the Lord. And he
counselled me to have fun with improving myself as I help uplift my
companions. Im scared for that, and i dont know how excited i am to
deal with stuff like that, but i know i will and I better make the
most of it. We had another proselyting activity in the park this week
and it was tough. ill try and write about it in a letter. i havent
received any mail for a month. i dunno what the deal is. but im sure
its on its way. I have to go. UGH i have so much more to write. i
shouldnt have complained to much haha
But Haley, I love you. Mom and Dad, I love you and thank you so much
for all your advice. Brock and Aubrey, I love you too. Good luck
with things. Next week Ill be in Reu! Until then...
Love ya!
Elder Austin Tyler :D
This week has been NUTS! Thank you all for the advice. Dad, I was
thinking a lot about your visit to California last week, that must
have been pretty awesome. Mom, it sounds like your talkimony was
great! I wish I could have been there!
Haley, keep on keepin on! StuCo is challenging sometimes, but think of ways
to make it fun! Im trying to figure out how to make things fun when
everything is going wrong. Maybe we can help each other figure it
out.
I weigh 185 lbs. Thats ten lbs more than when i entered the mtc. And
it isnt fat :) I do push ups every morning. I hate it, but im
getting a bit bigger.
I never imagined how hard it would be going into a Latino district. I
thought it was tough living with a companion, but add on top of that
learning a new culture (AND language) and it has its ups and downs.
This was the hardest week yet and I cant wait to get into the field.
Elder Granja is awesome. But hes different. He said the F word twice
this week haha oops.
To give you an idea of the Latino mentality (or at least for this
group) is this: Elder Taylors companion goes to the bathroom nine
times a day. Every morning he adds four scoops of fiber to his
oatmeal. Elder Taylor explained to him that fiber makes your stool
soft. The next day, his companion added five scoops.
They dont ever take our advice. In my exit interview with President
Steimle, he asked about my experience (After making sure i understood
that it was a blessing). I told him theres a psychological effect
that takes place that makes everything really frustrating. Because we
dont have the ability to communicate well, the Latinos assume we dont
know anything else. It isnt an issue of pride, its just natural i
think. But that dont accept any of our suggestions and they wont take
our knowledge as legitimate. Elder Hock, Elder Taylor, Hermana Pelaez
and I frequently pulled each other aside to vent. All week. Perhaps
it wasnt a good thing to do all the time, but it was crazy. There was
so much bad stuff happening all the time. It was weird and soooo hard
to deal with. I dont know why but they dont realize weve been trained
for six weeks longer than them, they still wont listen to us about
anything. but it has been worth the difficulty. My spanish is way
better. My companion is reading this right now, i hope he doesnt
understand much English haha.
The temple this morning was great, I felt much better about everything
and Im so excited to get into the field. President Steimle told me
not to expect a studly trainer. He shared DyC 84:106 and explained
that I may need to help train my trainer...great. But he said it in a
way that got me a little excited about it. He told me to learn to be
direct, which I applied this week in district meeting.
Weve been having a huge drama problem in our district. Elder Granja
is our district leader and hes had some issues with other elders not
liking him, and making it obvious enough. Then he would fight back
and it just got ridiculous. So during the meeting, I shared Mosiah
18:21 and explained that I wanted to make the most of this last week.
And I cant feel the spirit when theres contention in our district.
Then I proposed a goal to overcome our differences and show our love
for each other. Then Elder Granja (who was one of the people I hoped
would try and change a bit) started to preach about the same thing.
Then it erupted into a nice long discussion about issues with one
another and i think everyone decided to change. It was sweet, but
this week was still tough.
Some of these elders are really prideful, while others are so amazing.
I dont understand what causes such a stark contrast in people who
supposedly have the same goal, the same mission. It frightens me.
But President told me to get used to it. He told me im going to be in
a leadership position for a lot of my mission (kinda caught me off
guard) and im gonna have to deal with that problem a lot. He said
that my president wont be crazy, he is guided by the Lord. And he
counselled me to have fun with improving myself as I help uplift my
companions. Im scared for that, and i dont know how excited i am to
deal with stuff like that, but i know i will and I better make the
most of it. We had another proselyting activity in the park this week
and it was tough. ill try and write about it in a letter. i havent
received any mail for a month. i dunno what the deal is. but im sure
its on its way. I have to go. UGH i have so much more to write. i
shouldnt have complained to much haha
But Haley, I love you. Mom and Dad, I love you and thank you so much
for all your advice. Brock and Aubrey, I love you too. Good luck
with things. Next week Ill be in Reu! Until then...
Love ya!
Elder Austin Tyler :D
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Two Weeks Left in Guatemala City
Woohoo! I love emails! Haha there´s been a hold up in the mail, and
I haven´t gotten anything for two weeks. It´s a bit frustrating haha.
Mom, if you could go ahead and send an SD card, that would be great!
I don´t think I´ll have time to buy one. And about your
testimony/talk, that sounds good to me! I think personal experiences
are the most interesting and powerful ways to explain and teach. It´s
still in the 60s and 70s here, but that will change when I head to
Reu. And I have two weeks left in here! I´m so excited to get to the
field!
It´s been reeeeealllllly tough being in a Latino district. It´s so
hard. The sister in my district from Utah cries almost daily. It´s
rough on all of us North Americans, but it is soooo worth it. I´m
learning way more than before. It´s hard to communicate with my
companion, but we´re always able to figure out a way to explain
things. Elder Granja is a stud. He´s my comp, and our district
leader. He spent the last year as a security guard here in the city.
He´s funny. It´s really interesting being in a Latino district. they
all have extremely powerful testimonies, but sometimes they lack basic
knowledge about the gospel. It´s hard to go back to the basics again,
but it´s helping me better understand and appreciate those things.
I keep hearing crazy stories about violence in Guatemala, particularly
here in the city. Two nights ago we heard gunshots in the street as
we were all lying in bed. We think it was just a drunk shooting out
of his car window, cause we heard no sirens afterwards.
One of my teachers, Hermano Contreras told me a story last night. He
mentioned his wife and I asked why he didn´t have a wedding ring. He
explained that it was because he rides the bus and it´s dangerous to
have rings, watches, etc in public. He said he would drive a car, but
his car was stolen six months ago. He was driving one day, and
stopped at an intersection. Two cars pulled in front and behind him
to keep him from going anywhere. A bunch of gangsters with machine
guns popped out and yelled at him to get out of the car. He got out
and they got in and drove away.
Elder Taylor´s companion is named Elder Morales (i think). He´s from
Retalhuleu. Three years ago he was walking home from work with his
day´s earnings. A couple thugs approached him and his friend
demanding their stuff. They resisted. His friend was shot twice and
he was shot thirteen times! Crazy. But he said he was in a rough
part of the city and he was really stupid to resist. And I know I´ll
be protected. Don´t worry Mom :) I´ll be smart. And obedient.
On a lighter note, I´ve become much better at understanding the
Spirit. Last night I was trying to figure out what I should focus on
today. And I got an impression telling me to help my companion in the
temple in the morning. I thought... what?? It seemed so random, so I
asked what I should help him with. I felt like I would find out when
the time came. So I wrote it down and waited till this morning. At
the temple, they split me up from Elder Granja and sent me with a
Latino Elder who was going through the temple for his first time. He
didn´t have the opportunity to speak with a member of the temple
presidency about the temple, so I had the privilege of explaining
things and helping him out with everything. Huge testimony builder.
It was soo cool.
I´m so thankful to be able to go to the temple every week. Even
though everything is in Spanish, I´m still able to learn more every
time.
On Sunday, we had a devotional by Elder Hatch. He taught us about how
we can help other people accept and understand the gospel. it was
really cool. He talked about how we need to be bold. How the
authority and power of our calling gives us the ability to make
miracles happen. How we have the ability to help people change their
lives, how we are angels to the people looking for the gospel of
Christ. He talked about how our calling enables us to bear testimony
with thunder, and bring light to the lives of people living in
darkness. I´m being kicked off the computer, so I love you guys! Thanks for your
letters, I´m praying for you! And thank you for your prayers! I feel
the strength that comes with the calling of a missionary. Love you!
Elder Austin Tyler
I haven´t gotten anything for two weeks. It´s a bit frustrating haha.
Mom, if you could go ahead and send an SD card, that would be great!
I don´t think I´ll have time to buy one. And about your
testimony/talk, that sounds good to me! I think personal experiences
are the most interesting and powerful ways to explain and teach. It´s
still in the 60s and 70s here, but that will change when I head to
Reu. And I have two weeks left in here! I´m so excited to get to the
field!
It´s been reeeeealllllly tough being in a Latino district. It´s so
hard. The sister in my district from Utah cries almost daily. It´s
rough on all of us North Americans, but it is soooo worth it. I´m
learning way more than before. It´s hard to communicate with my
companion, but we´re always able to figure out a way to explain
things. Elder Granja is a stud. He´s my comp, and our district
leader. He spent the last year as a security guard here in the city.
He´s funny. It´s really interesting being in a Latino district. they
all have extremely powerful testimonies, but sometimes they lack basic
knowledge about the gospel. It´s hard to go back to the basics again,
but it´s helping me better understand and appreciate those things.
I keep hearing crazy stories about violence in Guatemala, particularly
here in the city. Two nights ago we heard gunshots in the street as
we were all lying in bed. We think it was just a drunk shooting out
of his car window, cause we heard no sirens afterwards.
One of my teachers, Hermano Contreras told me a story last night. He
mentioned his wife and I asked why he didn´t have a wedding ring. He
explained that it was because he rides the bus and it´s dangerous to
have rings, watches, etc in public. He said he would drive a car, but
his car was stolen six months ago. He was driving one day, and
stopped at an intersection. Two cars pulled in front and behind him
to keep him from going anywhere. A bunch of gangsters with machine
guns popped out and yelled at him to get out of the car. He got out
and they got in and drove away.
Elder Taylor´s companion is named Elder Morales (i think). He´s from
Retalhuleu. Three years ago he was walking home from work with his
day´s earnings. A couple thugs approached him and his friend
demanding their stuff. They resisted. His friend was shot twice and
he was shot thirteen times! Crazy. But he said he was in a rough
part of the city and he was really stupid to resist. And I know I´ll
be protected. Don´t worry Mom :) I´ll be smart. And obedient.
On a lighter note, I´ve become much better at understanding the
Spirit. Last night I was trying to figure out what I should focus on
today. And I got an impression telling me to help my companion in the
temple in the morning. I thought... what?? It seemed so random, so I
asked what I should help him with. I felt like I would find out when
the time came. So I wrote it down and waited till this morning. At
the temple, they split me up from Elder Granja and sent me with a
Latino Elder who was going through the temple for his first time. He
didn´t have the opportunity to speak with a member of the temple
presidency about the temple, so I had the privilege of explaining
things and helping him out with everything. Huge testimony builder.
It was soo cool.
I´m so thankful to be able to go to the temple every week. Even
though everything is in Spanish, I´m still able to learn more every
time.
On Sunday, we had a devotional by Elder Hatch. He taught us about how
we can help other people accept and understand the gospel. it was
really cool. He talked about how we need to be bold. How the
authority and power of our calling gives us the ability to make
miracles happen. How we have the ability to help people change their
lives, how we are angels to the people looking for the gospel of
Christ. He talked about how our calling enables us to bear testimony
with thunder, and bring light to the lives of people living in
darkness. I´m being kicked off the computer, so I love you guys! Thanks for your
letters, I´m praying for you! And thank you for your prayers! I feel
the strength that comes with the calling of a missionary. Love you!
Elder Austin Tyler
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
History is made at the Guatemala City MTC (CCM)
Hola!
This week is a bit crazy because the older missionaries (and the
Latinos) left today. So there are only about 40 missionaries here and
we write our emails today. Tonight, the new North Americans arrive
(at midnight and 2AM!) and tomorrow we welcome the new Latinos. And
GUESS WHAT! I get a Latino companion tomorrow! Our district is the
first one in the history of this CCM to get switched to Latino
districts! There are a few elders who get switched after three weeks,
but never an entire district. So that will be awesome! I´m so
excited but so nervous. Everything (class, devotionals, etc) will be
in Spanish. But I´m ready and I think it´s going to be a huge
blessing.
Last week I sent an envelope home with a couple quick letters and a
bunch of letters for friends. That should arrive this next week, I
think. I do get to work out every morning. I wake up at 6:00 every
morning and do push ups and sit ups. And then we get 45 minutes of
gym time. There are two basketball/soccer courts in the back of the
CCM property. I play soccer pretty much every morning. It´s a lot of
fun. The Latinos are soo much fun to play with.
This morning we got to go to the market, which was sooo cool. We had
MCDONALD´S for lunch!!! It was soooo amazing haha! Before that
though we went to a park that had a huge topography map of Guatemala.
We got to see the contrast between the mountains and the coast and
everything. Right now we´re at about 6000 feet (I think). Retalhuleu
will be about 100 or 200 haha. And it´s going to be hot. It´s about
60 degrees every day here and I love it. But the map was cool, there
are a bunch of huge volcanos and little towns around them. Not sure
why, it doesn´t seem a very smart place to settle considering how most
of the volcanos have been active since this place was settled.
So after that we went to the market. We drove past the red zone on
our way, which was crazy to see again. I got a couple blurred
pictures this time. But the market was really interesting. It´s all
underground, under the central park. It´s really cramped and smells
kinda funny in certain places. Some parts of it are really loud and
people are shouting and cooking, and then other places look almost
like an overstuffed hobby lobby. There were soooo many cool things to
buy. The tricky thing is bartering for everything. Since we´re all
white, the vendors increase their prices by about 75% right off the
bat. So you have to cut that in half and work your way toward a
legitimate price. I bought a German soccer jersey for 60 Quetzales
($7.50) and a little woven bag for 50 Quetzales. And then I spent
about $6 dollars on lunch and $2 on bread later on. Everything is so
cheap, but I was sure to avoid being like a lot of the missionaries
and buying a bunch of useless stuff haha. Some of them got
ridiculous. But there are so many cool things to see and buy there,
it would be a great place to visit as a tourist. And it was really
strange, I was about a foot and a half taller than everyone else. I
felt very intimidating. I was sure to smile at everyone and it was
kind of funny. We got a lot of funny looks.
After the market we went to a modern mall. And it was a nice mall.
Just as nice as any in the US. It had Puma, Nike, Cole Haan, Bath and
Body Works, everything. It was strange to see the contrast of people
and prices. that´s where we ate McDonalds :) There were a lot of
wealthy people, lots of couples making out (Latinos don´t really care
about displaying love in public). There was a museum inside the mall
that had some cool info about Mayan architecture and culture. It was
cool. And that was ALL today! I´m sooo exhausted already!
I´ve been praying for you guys and I think about you a lot. It´s
weird to think about the similarities and differences in experiences
between Brock, Haley, and me, specifically regarding high school. It
sounds like you guys are very busy, but doing some great stuff.
I didn´t think to buy an sd card while I was at the mall, but I think
I´ll be able to get one once I get to Reu. But I have a few cool
pictures to send, and I won´t be needed my camera for anything cool
for awhile.
I have so much to study, but at the same time, I continue to learn so
much! I´m almost halfway through the BoM in spanish, and that´s been
really cool. We just read about Alma and Amulek and tonight about
Ammon. I love the book of Alma, it´s so powerful!
And I´ve been studying a lot about the Spirit lately, Preach My Gospel
has some great study activities and it´s helped sooo much. Although I
am still working on feeling the Spirit more strongly, it´s no longer a
concern for me. I just need to be more attentive, and have the
courage to act on the promptings I receive. That has made all the
difference this week. And the meeting with President Garrett came to
mind this week.
It sounds like you guys are doing great! I love hearing from you
guys. Mom, I loved your email. Thanks for the updates and the
advice. And the rest of yall, sorry I had to email a day early, but I
look forward to double emails next week ;)
Oh and no I don´t get to print out emails, which is a bummer. But
maybe in the field I´ll be able to do that. I don´t have any more
time, so I love you guys! Something that´s been a blessing since I´ve
been here is having the attitude of: Things are better because I was
here. That can apply to people, places, homework, everything. It´s
an awesome attitude that helps me think of ways to improve the things
around me. Love you guys! Good luck with this week!
Love,
Elder Austin Tyler
This week is a bit crazy because the older missionaries (and the
Latinos) left today. So there are only about 40 missionaries here and
we write our emails today. Tonight, the new North Americans arrive
(at midnight and 2AM!) and tomorrow we welcome the new Latinos. And
GUESS WHAT! I get a Latino companion tomorrow! Our district is the
first one in the history of this CCM to get switched to Latino
districts! There are a few elders who get switched after three weeks,
but never an entire district. So that will be awesome! I´m so
excited but so nervous. Everything (class, devotionals, etc) will be
in Spanish. But I´m ready and I think it´s going to be a huge
blessing.
Last week I sent an envelope home with a couple quick letters and a
bunch of letters for friends. That should arrive this next week, I
think. I do get to work out every morning. I wake up at 6:00 every
morning and do push ups and sit ups. And then we get 45 minutes of
gym time. There are two basketball/soccer courts in the back of the
CCM property. I play soccer pretty much every morning. It´s a lot of
fun. The Latinos are soo much fun to play with.
This morning we got to go to the market, which was sooo cool. We had
MCDONALD´S for lunch!!! It was soooo amazing haha! Before that
though we went to a park that had a huge topography map of Guatemala.
We got to see the contrast between the mountains and the coast and
everything. Right now we´re at about 6000 feet (I think). Retalhuleu
will be about 100 or 200 haha. And it´s going to be hot. It´s about
60 degrees every day here and I love it. But the map was cool, there
are a bunch of huge volcanos and little towns around them. Not sure
why, it doesn´t seem a very smart place to settle considering how most
of the volcanos have been active since this place was settled.
So after that we went to the market. We drove past the red zone on
our way, which was crazy to see again. I got a couple blurred
pictures this time. But the market was really interesting. It´s all
underground, under the central park. It´s really cramped and smells
kinda funny in certain places. Some parts of it are really loud and
people are shouting and cooking, and then other places look almost
like an overstuffed hobby lobby. There were soooo many cool things to
buy. The tricky thing is bartering for everything. Since we´re all
white, the vendors increase their prices by about 75% right off the
bat. So you have to cut that in half and work your way toward a
legitimate price. I bought a German soccer jersey for 60 Quetzales
($7.50) and a little woven bag for 50 Quetzales. And then I spent
about $6 dollars on lunch and $2 on bread later on. Everything is so
cheap, but I was sure to avoid being like a lot of the missionaries
and buying a bunch of useless stuff haha. Some of them got
ridiculous. But there are so many cool things to see and buy there,
it would be a great place to visit as a tourist. And it was really
strange, I was about a foot and a half taller than everyone else. I
felt very intimidating. I was sure to smile at everyone and it was
kind of funny. We got a lot of funny looks.
After the market we went to a modern mall. And it was a nice mall.
Just as nice as any in the US. It had Puma, Nike, Cole Haan, Bath and
Body Works, everything. It was strange to see the contrast of people
and prices. that´s where we ate McDonalds :) There were a lot of
wealthy people, lots of couples making out (Latinos don´t really care
about displaying love in public). There was a museum inside the mall
that had some cool info about Mayan architecture and culture. It was
cool. And that was ALL today! I´m sooo exhausted already!
I´ve been praying for you guys and I think about you a lot. It´s
weird to think about the similarities and differences in experiences
between Brock, Haley, and me, specifically regarding high school. It
sounds like you guys are very busy, but doing some great stuff.
I didn´t think to buy an sd card while I was at the mall, but I think
I´ll be able to get one once I get to Reu. But I have a few cool
pictures to send, and I won´t be needed my camera for anything cool
for awhile.
I have so much to study, but at the same time, I continue to learn so
much! I´m almost halfway through the BoM in spanish, and that´s been
really cool. We just read about Alma and Amulek and tonight about
Ammon. I love the book of Alma, it´s so powerful!
And I´ve been studying a lot about the Spirit lately, Preach My Gospel
has some great study activities and it´s helped sooo much. Although I
am still working on feeling the Spirit more strongly, it´s no longer a
concern for me. I just need to be more attentive, and have the
courage to act on the promptings I receive. That has made all the
difference this week. And the meeting with President Garrett came to
mind this week.
It sounds like you guys are doing great! I love hearing from you
guys. Mom, I loved your email. Thanks for the updates and the
advice. And the rest of yall, sorry I had to email a day early, but I
look forward to double emails next week ;)
Oh and no I don´t get to print out emails, which is a bummer. But
maybe in the field I´ll be able to do that. I don´t have any more
time, so I love you guys! Something that´s been a blessing since I´ve
been here is having the attitude of: Things are better because I was
here. That can apply to people, places, homework, everything. It´s
an awesome attitude that helps me think of ways to improve the things
around me. Love you guys! Good luck with this week!
Love,
Elder Austin Tyler
Friday, September 3, 2010
Trip to Guatemala City Central Park
Family!
I love email! Haha and i have so much to write, and not enough time
to write it all. I wrote Haley a letter today with some letters for
her to send to friends. I have no idea how long it´ll take to get to
you. And if you ever send a package, tape a picture of the savior to
it and write religious materials inside. the postal workers are very
superstitious and won´t open anything with a religious message.
The stomach problems are much better, but apparently it comes back
after a week of recovery haha. bring it.
Dear elders only come once every week or two, and regular mail is even
slower, just so you know. I may not get a dear elder from last week
until next week.
I´ve already been here two weeks! It´s crazy, but I love it!
On monday we had an incredible day, we went to the central park of
Guatemala City to proselyte. Most of the gringo missionaries had a
native speaker to be in their group. But Elder Frodsham and I were on
our own, which was awesome, but tough. If you can, look up pictures
of the central park in Guatemala, it´s like a gigantic square with a
big fountain and a beautiful catholic church overlooking it. It´s
cool. When we left the CCM (MTC), there were about 50 of us who all
piled into one bus. The bus driver made bank haha there was a whole
army of us. We drove for about 20 minutes through the city. Most of
the city is concrete, it looks rather ghetto. Little did we know we
were driving through the nicer parts of town. When we got to the
park, we were given some instructions and then sent to go talk to
people. It was sketchy. There were a bunch of homeless people, and
people doing drugs right in front of us. Lost of people were taking
hits from some type of liquid. It was really weird and really sad.
Elder Frodsham and I talked to about 20 people, handed out two Books
of Mormon, tons of pass a long cards, and had some interesting
conversations. Some people are sooo crazy, but so cool haha. We
talked to three old men, two of which were blind and they were really
into the idea of religion. A couple of people felt like there was
little more to life than survival, and we wrote down their names and
addresses so the missionaries in those areas can visit. During the
two hours that we were there, the Catholic church was celebrating a
holiday by exploding bombs in the middle of the square. It was really
loud and freaked us out haha.
On our way back, we all piled into a bus and drove through a different
part of town. I dunno if i´ve mentioned the red zones before, but
they´re places where missionaries aren´t allowed to go, neither are
the police. The last two missionaries that went into one barely
escaped with their lives and had nothing left but their undergarments.
Everything else was stolen. We drove by one on our way back to the
MTC. It looked like Hell on Earth. People talk about ghettos in
America, but these were something else. It was a gigantic valley with
´´houses´ stacked on top of each other. It looked like a million
people live in the valley. I don´t even know how to describe it. All
I´ve heard about from those places is drugs, theft, rape, and murder.
I went to bed in tears that night thinking about it.
Monday night, our teacher invited a friend of his wife to come to the
MTC. She expressed interest in the church and has had a rough week.
Her husband left for the United States (illegally) four months ago.
Usually it takes one or two months to get there from here. She hasn´t
heard from him, but in the news there was a story about 70 illegals (5
from Guatemala) being shot on their way across the border. She has no
idea if her husband is still alive. We had an opportunity to share
our beliefs with her and help her out. It was a very emotional
evening for her. I talked to her about the purpose to our trials in
life, and the hope that we need to have to endure such trials. I also
talked about the power of prayer and the knowledge that I have that
God loves me. It was really cool and our teacher said she really
enjoyed it.
AHHH not enough time to write. We eat beans and eggs for breakfast
every morning, usually with some sort of pancakes or french toast.
And they have a really sweet cream of wheat type thing that´s really
good. We eat a lot of chicken, lots of mystery meats, and a lot of
rice. They always have really potent juice and I´ve been avoiding
that lately. sticking to the water. I´m now the only elder in our
district that has not received a letter from a girl (besides family)
haha but i don´t care. I take pride in it?
The Spanish is coming along okay. I need to be more diligent about
speaking Spanish more often. Last night helped with that. Elder
Clark, the area authority of the Seventy spoke to us. It was sweet.
He talked about the importance of Love, obedience, faith, the spirit,
and work in the life of a missionary. It was a huge boost. Speaking
of which, I struggle with feeling the spirit, it´s one of my
weaknesses. I am able to listen to the spirit every night before bed
(when my roommates aren´t talking), but I´m trying to become more
proficient with it during the day. Do you have any advice? I want to
become comfortable with receiving revelation before I go out into the
field, and I´ve really been working hard at it. It´s been bothering
me. I feel worthy to receive revelation and I have the faith that the
Lord can and will answer my prayers, and I have specific questions.
What am I missing?
Oh! This week we taught a sweet lesson. The teacher who was watching
and evaluating us told Elder Frodsham and I that we did a phenomenal
job. He shared the scripture about a good tree bringing good fruit.
He said we were good trees because our lesson was amazing fruit. it
was cool. The next night he had me recite the first vision to his
native speaking class who didn´t think it was possible to memorize
something so long haha. It was funny, but I felt awkward. I have so
much more to say, but I don´t have time! Brock, I got your letters,
thank you for those. Good luck with the job search, I´ll pray for you
and Aubrey. Haley hang in there! I have a letter for you. Keep up
the hard work. Mom and Dad I love you, thank you for the advice. And
sorry if I didn´t answer every question you asked. Email is so rushed
here. I love you all! Tell my friends to write me if you see them
haha.
Love,
Elder Austin Tyler
I love email! Haha and i have so much to write, and not enough time
to write it all. I wrote Haley a letter today with some letters for
her to send to friends. I have no idea how long it´ll take to get to
you. And if you ever send a package, tape a picture of the savior to
it and write religious materials inside. the postal workers are very
superstitious and won´t open anything with a religious message.
The stomach problems are much better, but apparently it comes back
after a week of recovery haha. bring it.
Dear elders only come once every week or two, and regular mail is even
slower, just so you know. I may not get a dear elder from last week
until next week.
I´ve already been here two weeks! It´s crazy, but I love it!
On monday we had an incredible day, we went to the central park of
Guatemala City to proselyte. Most of the gringo missionaries had a
native speaker to be in their group. But Elder Frodsham and I were on
our own, which was awesome, but tough. If you can, look up pictures
of the central park in Guatemala, it´s like a gigantic square with a
big fountain and a beautiful catholic church overlooking it. It´s
cool. When we left the CCM (MTC), there were about 50 of us who all
piled into one bus. The bus driver made bank haha there was a whole
army of us. We drove for about 20 minutes through the city. Most of
the city is concrete, it looks rather ghetto. Little did we know we
were driving through the nicer parts of town. When we got to the
park, we were given some instructions and then sent to go talk to
people. It was sketchy. There were a bunch of homeless people, and
people doing drugs right in front of us. Lost of people were taking
hits from some type of liquid. It was really weird and really sad.
Elder Frodsham and I talked to about 20 people, handed out two Books
of Mormon, tons of pass a long cards, and had some interesting
conversations. Some people are sooo crazy, but so cool haha. We
talked to three old men, two of which were blind and they were really
into the idea of religion. A couple of people felt like there was
little more to life than survival, and we wrote down their names and
addresses so the missionaries in those areas can visit. During the
two hours that we were there, the Catholic church was celebrating a
holiday by exploding bombs in the middle of the square. It was really
loud and freaked us out haha.
On our way back, we all piled into a bus and drove through a different
part of town. I dunno if i´ve mentioned the red zones before, but
they´re places where missionaries aren´t allowed to go, neither are
the police. The last two missionaries that went into one barely
escaped with their lives and had nothing left but their undergarments.
Everything else was stolen. We drove by one on our way back to the
MTC. It looked like Hell on Earth. People talk about ghettos in
America, but these were something else. It was a gigantic valley with
´´houses´ stacked on top of each other. It looked like a million
people live in the valley. I don´t even know how to describe it. All
I´ve heard about from those places is drugs, theft, rape, and murder.
I went to bed in tears that night thinking about it.
Monday night, our teacher invited a friend of his wife to come to the
MTC. She expressed interest in the church and has had a rough week.
Her husband left for the United States (illegally) four months ago.
Usually it takes one or two months to get there from here. She hasn´t
heard from him, but in the news there was a story about 70 illegals (5
from Guatemala) being shot on their way across the border. She has no
idea if her husband is still alive. We had an opportunity to share
our beliefs with her and help her out. It was a very emotional
evening for her. I talked to her about the purpose to our trials in
life, and the hope that we need to have to endure such trials. I also
talked about the power of prayer and the knowledge that I have that
God loves me. It was really cool and our teacher said she really
enjoyed it.
AHHH not enough time to write. We eat beans and eggs for breakfast
every morning, usually with some sort of pancakes or french toast.
And they have a really sweet cream of wheat type thing that´s really
good. We eat a lot of chicken, lots of mystery meats, and a lot of
rice. They always have really potent juice and I´ve been avoiding
that lately. sticking to the water. I´m now the only elder in our
district that has not received a letter from a girl (besides family)
haha but i don´t care. I take pride in it?
The Spanish is coming along okay. I need to be more diligent about
speaking Spanish more often. Last night helped with that. Elder
Clark, the area authority of the Seventy spoke to us. It was sweet.
He talked about the importance of Love, obedience, faith, the spirit,
and work in the life of a missionary. It was a huge boost. Speaking
of which, I struggle with feeling the spirit, it´s one of my
weaknesses. I am able to listen to the spirit every night before bed
(when my roommates aren´t talking), but I´m trying to become more
proficient with it during the day. Do you have any advice? I want to
become comfortable with receiving revelation before I go out into the
field, and I´ve really been working hard at it. It´s been bothering
me. I feel worthy to receive revelation and I have the faith that the
Lord can and will answer my prayers, and I have specific questions.
What am I missing?
Oh! This week we taught a sweet lesson. The teacher who was watching
and evaluating us told Elder Frodsham and I that we did a phenomenal
job. He shared the scripture about a good tree bringing good fruit.
He said we were good trees because our lesson was amazing fruit. it
was cool. The next night he had me recite the first vision to his
native speaking class who didn´t think it was possible to memorize
something so long haha. It was funny, but I felt awkward. I have so
much more to say, but I don´t have time! Brock, I got your letters,
thank you for those. Good luck with the job search, I´ll pray for you
and Aubrey. Haley hang in there! I have a letter for you. Keep up
the hard work. Mom and Dad I love you, thank you for the advice. And
sorry if I didn´t answer every question you asked. Email is so rushed
here. I love you all! Tell my friends to write me if you see them
haha.
Love,
Elder Austin Tyler
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