Elder Austin Michael Tyler
Guatemala Retalhuleu Mission
Barrio Concepion, Boulevard Centenario
Salida a Coatepeque, Zona 2
Retalhuleu
GUATEMALA
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Bringing hope to a man who is sad
December 20, 2010
Sounds like skiing was awesome AGAIN! I'm jealous, but not bitter haha
So the power has been out, off and on today, so we went to find
something to do while waiting to write email. Luckily I decided to
bring my frisbee when we left the house! Haha we played ultimate
frisbee in this huge grassy field! It was blazing hot and I'm
sweating like a wild boar, but it was so fun! (We won 5-2). Then the
power was still out, so we found a place with pool tables! And it's a
clean place, not a bar. And there aren't dirty pictures everywhere,
it was awesome! So the six of us went in and four of us played pool.
Elder Rigby and I won :D
It's been a fun P-day!
So this past week was really interesting. On Tuesday we had the
Christmas Conference. We all got a gift bag from a group of mission
moms living in Utah. They assembled things like socks, ties, shampoo,
play-doh, candy, and cards from primary kids. It was sooo cool! I
got two pairs of thick black socks haha! They'll last forever, but I
think I'll wait to wear them until I go somewhere a bit cooler.
It was awesome, as always, to see some of my buddies from the MTC.
Elder Shannon is a stud! His companion talks about World of
Warcraft all day, sounds like Elder Shannon is a bit tired of that.
Elder Hock has pooped himself five times now, but he's finally
recovered from his boo.
We did skits and it was a bit ridiculous. There were some hilarious
ones, but they were all sooo long! We did a rendition of the Grinch.
The missionaries serving in Whoville contacted the Grinch and stuff,
it was pretty funny. But there were about three hours of skits! It
was sooo boring! And there was some questionable stuff in some
of them. Elder Treanor, one of the Assistants got slammed over and
over. And it was his last week in the mission. I felt bad for him.
Before we left I went up and thanked him for everything. He looked at
me, and then gave me a huge hug. I felt bad for him, but he seemed
alright. He worked hard to the end.
I found out why missionaries like handwritten letters! I was
having a tough day on Thursday. I was really discouraged with a
couple things. Then I read some letters. I read Brother Teeples' and
Kendy and Megan's letters and they were a huge boost. Having
something to reread helps when I'm discouraged. I felt great after
that.
Friday we had another conference with President and it was amazing. I
want to share a bit of what I learned. He talked about Agency. So
I've always stuggled to understand the purpose of Satan's plan. I
understood that he wanted to destroy the ability of men to choose for
themselves, and to force them to be obedient. That would result in
nobody being lost. But I didn't quite get it. We discussed it in the
conference and now it all makes sense. The purpose of our ability to
choose is that we can learn and grow, eventually we can become
exalted. Satan sought to destroy our agency so that we wouldn't learn
and grow, so that nobody would be exalted. Then he said that he
wanted the glory (or power) of the Father. With that, he would be the
only exalted being in existence, with no competition. He would have
all power, the only power. It was a selfish plot devised in greed and
pride. I had never quite understood it that way.
President then talked to us about how we use our agency. He said that
when we disobey, we are violating laws put in place by the Lord. We
are in open rebellion if we aren't trying to do what's right. Then
Elder Reyes, the new Assistant, said that when we talk badly about, or
neglect to support our zone and district leaders, we are denying the
fact that they were called by revelation through a mission president
who was called by a prophet of God. In then end, we are denying that
this church is directed by Jesus Christ. I hadn't thought of it
that way either.
Another thing President talked about was the difference between a
habit and an obligation. He said an habit is something we want to do,
we do it of our own free will. An habit lasts beyond the mission,
whereas an obligation stops at the end. He said that if we want to be
succesful, we will take seriously the things we learn on the mission.
If we want to continue to progress after the mission, maybe we should
make a habit out of getting up early. And that includes going to bed
early. It made me think a lot about how the mission is changing me.
I don't want to go back to college and stay up late every night.
Maybe on the weekends, but I have responsibilities that are more
important than staying up late. Sure, I'll still have fun, but I will
prioritize my time differently. I'm excited to try it out.
Something else, along with that, is with companions. There are two
reasons why the church emphasizes getting married quickly after the
mission. The first reason is that it's a part of God's plan. The
other reason is that with a companion, you progress. When you live
alone, you're stagnant. And I've found that that is so true. Kind of interesting for me to think about.
Saturday was exhausting. We went to the Trochas on bikes. And these
are bikes made for people under five feet tall. It was blazing hot
and dusty (as always) and it was a long ride. We sang on the
way. Two of the three investigators we went to weren't there. But we
did teach a great lesson with on sister. It was worth it. We got
back and went to an activity at the church. It was a soccer activity.
We played for an hour and a half and it was intense. It was so fun,
but I was sooo tired. We got back to the house and there was no
water, so we couldn't shower. Haha awful!
Something I despise: alcohol. I'm sick of talking to drunk people.
I'm sick of seeing children trying to carry their passed-out fathers
home during the day. Ah I can't stand it. The other night we saw a
guy at a fast-food chicken place and he yelled to us. It was a guy
that had asked us for money one night. I was a little scared,
especially when we noticed he was drunk. He offered to buy us a meal.
We told him no thank you and that we had to go visit someone. He
wasn't happy, but we left.
Lately I've been praying to have the courage to act quickly on the
promptings I get from the Spirit. Last night we were walking down a
street and I saw a man standing in his doorway. I couldn't see his
face, but I thought, ¨that man needs our help.¨ I walked toward him,
my companion didn't know what I was doing. The man turned and looked
at us and I recognized him as the drunk that we had met twice. He
yelled, ¨My friends!¨and invited us into his house. He's a young guy,
25. His name is Henry. I was nervous, but I went with it. I asked
him how he was and he just said, I´m sad. We sat down and talked to
him. He knows quite a bit of English and wanted to talk to me in
English. He asked me what he needed to do to become a member of our
church. He said he was sad and he has a lot of problems and he's
looking for happiness. I taught him about our purpose as missionaries
and explained that the gospel is the way to happiness and peace. He
doesn't work on Sundays (which is rare here) and he wants to come to
church. After we talked to him, we knelt down and prayed. It was one
of the most spiritual experiences I've ever had. It was so cool. I'm
so excited to teach him more. It was a great way to end the night.
So yeah. I'm so stoked to talk to you guys on Saturday! I think I'll
be here. And assuming the power doesn't go out, I'll call you guys
probably between 10 AM and 4 PM. I'm sorry I can't be more specific,
but I don't even know that I'll be here still. But yeah, I'll call
you, and then if it's okay, I'll have you guys call back. It's way
expensive to call with our phones to the US and everyone suggested I
do it that way. By using caller ID I think I can just hang up and
have you guys call back. I won't be able to email before then, so I
hope that works out.
I love you guys! And I hope you enjoy this week. Don't worry about
having a white Christmas, it's fine haha!
Until Saturday! WOOOO! Merry Christmas!
Love you!
Elder Austin Tyler
Sounds like skiing was awesome AGAIN! I'm jealous, but not bitter haha
So the power has been out, off and on today, so we went to find
something to do while waiting to write email. Luckily I decided to
bring my frisbee when we left the house! Haha we played ultimate
frisbee in this huge grassy field! It was blazing hot and I'm
sweating like a wild boar, but it was so fun! (We won 5-2). Then the
power was still out, so we found a place with pool tables! And it's a
clean place, not a bar. And there aren't dirty pictures everywhere,
it was awesome! So the six of us went in and four of us played pool.
Elder Rigby and I won :D
It's been a fun P-day!
So this past week was really interesting. On Tuesday we had the
Christmas Conference. We all got a gift bag from a group of mission
moms living in Utah. They assembled things like socks, ties, shampoo,
play-doh, candy, and cards from primary kids. It was sooo cool! I
got two pairs of thick black socks haha! They'll last forever, but I
think I'll wait to wear them until I go somewhere a bit cooler.
It was awesome, as always, to see some of my buddies from the MTC.
Elder Shannon is a stud! His companion talks about World of
Warcraft all day, sounds like Elder Shannon is a bit tired of that.
Elder Hock has pooped himself five times now, but he's finally
recovered from his boo.
We did skits and it was a bit ridiculous. There were some hilarious
ones, but they were all sooo long! We did a rendition of the Grinch.
The missionaries serving in Whoville contacted the Grinch and stuff,
it was pretty funny. But there were about three hours of skits! It
was sooo boring! And there was some questionable stuff in some
of them. Elder Treanor, one of the Assistants got slammed over and
over. And it was his last week in the mission. I felt bad for him.
Before we left I went up and thanked him for everything. He looked at
me, and then gave me a huge hug. I felt bad for him, but he seemed
alright. He worked hard to the end.
I found out why missionaries like handwritten letters! I was
having a tough day on Thursday. I was really discouraged with a
couple things. Then I read some letters. I read Brother Teeples' and
Kendy and Megan's letters and they were a huge boost. Having
something to reread helps when I'm discouraged. I felt great after
that.
Friday we had another conference with President and it was amazing. I
want to share a bit of what I learned. He talked about Agency. So
I've always stuggled to understand the purpose of Satan's plan. I
understood that he wanted to destroy the ability of men to choose for
themselves, and to force them to be obedient. That would result in
nobody being lost. But I didn't quite get it. We discussed it in the
conference and now it all makes sense. The purpose of our ability to
choose is that we can learn and grow, eventually we can become
exalted. Satan sought to destroy our agency so that we wouldn't learn
and grow, so that nobody would be exalted. Then he said that he
wanted the glory (or power) of the Father. With that, he would be the
only exalted being in existence, with no competition. He would have
all power, the only power. It was a selfish plot devised in greed and
pride. I had never quite understood it that way.
President then talked to us about how we use our agency. He said that
when we disobey, we are violating laws put in place by the Lord. We
are in open rebellion if we aren't trying to do what's right. Then
Elder Reyes, the new Assistant, said that when we talk badly about, or
neglect to support our zone and district leaders, we are denying the
fact that they were called by revelation through a mission president
who was called by a prophet of God. In then end, we are denying that
this church is directed by Jesus Christ. I hadn't thought of it
that way either.
Another thing President talked about was the difference between a
habit and an obligation. He said an habit is something we want to do,
we do it of our own free will. An habit lasts beyond the mission,
whereas an obligation stops at the end. He said that if we want to be
succesful, we will take seriously the things we learn on the mission.
If we want to continue to progress after the mission, maybe we should
make a habit out of getting up early. And that includes going to bed
early. It made me think a lot about how the mission is changing me.
I don't want to go back to college and stay up late every night.
Maybe on the weekends, but I have responsibilities that are more
important than staying up late. Sure, I'll still have fun, but I will
prioritize my time differently. I'm excited to try it out.
Something else, along with that, is with companions. There are two
reasons why the church emphasizes getting married quickly after the
mission. The first reason is that it's a part of God's plan. The
other reason is that with a companion, you progress. When you live
alone, you're stagnant. And I've found that that is so true. Kind of interesting for me to think about.
Saturday was exhausting. We went to the Trochas on bikes. And these
are bikes made for people under five feet tall. It was blazing hot
and dusty (as always) and it was a long ride. We sang on the
way. Two of the three investigators we went to weren't there. But we
did teach a great lesson with on sister. It was worth it. We got
back and went to an activity at the church. It was a soccer activity.
We played for an hour and a half and it was intense. It was so fun,
but I was sooo tired. We got back to the house and there was no
water, so we couldn't shower. Haha awful!
Something I despise: alcohol. I'm sick of talking to drunk people.
I'm sick of seeing children trying to carry their passed-out fathers
home during the day. Ah I can't stand it. The other night we saw a
guy at a fast-food chicken place and he yelled to us. It was a guy
that had asked us for money one night. I was a little scared,
especially when we noticed he was drunk. He offered to buy us a meal.
We told him no thank you and that we had to go visit someone. He
wasn't happy, but we left.
Lately I've been praying to have the courage to act quickly on the
promptings I get from the Spirit. Last night we were walking down a
street and I saw a man standing in his doorway. I couldn't see his
face, but I thought, ¨that man needs our help.¨ I walked toward him,
my companion didn't know what I was doing. The man turned and looked
at us and I recognized him as the drunk that we had met twice. He
yelled, ¨My friends!¨and invited us into his house. He's a young guy,
25. His name is Henry. I was nervous, but I went with it. I asked
him how he was and he just said, I´m sad. We sat down and talked to
him. He knows quite a bit of English and wanted to talk to me in
English. He asked me what he needed to do to become a member of our
church. He said he was sad and he has a lot of problems and he's
looking for happiness. I taught him about our purpose as missionaries
and explained that the gospel is the way to happiness and peace. He
doesn't work on Sundays (which is rare here) and he wants to come to
church. After we talked to him, we knelt down and prayed. It was one
of the most spiritual experiences I've ever had. It was so cool. I'm
so excited to teach him more. It was a great way to end the night.
So yeah. I'm so stoked to talk to you guys on Saturday! I think I'll
be here. And assuming the power doesn't go out, I'll call you guys
probably between 10 AM and 4 PM. I'm sorry I can't be more specific,
but I don't even know that I'll be here still. But yeah, I'll call
you, and then if it's okay, I'll have you guys call back. It's way
expensive to call with our phones to the US and everyone suggested I
do it that way. By using caller ID I think I can just hang up and
have you guys call back. I won't be able to email before then, so I
hope that works out.
I love you guys! And I hope you enjoy this week. Don't worry about
having a white Christmas, it's fine haha!
Until Saturday! WOOOO! Merry Christmas!
Love you!
Elder Austin Tyler
My last week in Nueva Concepcion
December 13, 2010
Hey!
I loved your emails, it sounds like life is so busy right now, but so
great! You guys sound so happy! Way cool.
Although I envy the cold weather, and the chance to go skiing, and all
that, I really love hearing about it all! Sometimes when I'm sweating
bullets in the heat I just try to imagine myself elsewhere (like the
mountains) and it almost helps to cool myself off haha!
I don't really know where to start with this week. On Tuesday
afternoon I went to Tiquisate on a split with Elder Aguirre (Elder
Grover's companion). Elder Grover came to Nueva to do baptismal
interviews. I got to teach with Elder Aguirre, and I learned so much.
He is an excellent teacher, and he teaches like I was taught to teach
in the MTC and CCM. I felt like I didn't know anything haha! He
taught with the Spirit and with love. It felt very different, way
better, than a lot of the lessons we typically teach in Nueva
Concepcion. I'm trying to apply all the things I learned, and bit by
bit, I'm learning. While I was with Elder Aguirre, he would see
things that I was doing (or not doing) and correct me. Like when we
left the house, I didn't have a Book of Mormon in my hand. He told me
that we are always to have a Book of Mormon in our hand. Otherwise
people just thing we're rich gringos selling things.
I've learned a lot from my companion, and I'm so thankful for the time
I've had with him. We're entering the last week of this transfer, and
he's been here for six months. President told him he'll be leaving.
And in my email to President last week I asked him a couple questions.
All he replied was something like, 'just keep it up, keep being bold.
Elder Aguirre told me not to stop learning Spanish. Although I can go
on splits with members and teach by myself, I still have so much to
learn. But he told me that I need to be prepared to train by the end
of next transfers. That scared me a bit, and I don't know if he was
serious. But I have a lot to do. I feel way inadequate (sp?). I'm
happy, but not content. It's a weird feeling.
We had a baptism scheduled for Saturday, but our investigator ended up
having mental problems (I had no idea until the day of her interview
and we started noticing some things). It was so sad to find out about
that, but hopefully we can help her out and continue on with her plan
to be baptized. The Assistants are going to come this week and figure
out what to do with the situation.
Before this transfer, when all of Nueva Concepcion was our area, we
were teaching a man named Ezequiel. His whole family goes to church,
theyre all members except for him. He started attending church awhile
back, but didn't want to be baptized. He has talked with the
missionaries on and off for ten years, and he loves the missionaries.
He played professional soccer for a long time, and we play with him on
Mondays. It's way fun. But towards the end of our last transfer, I
asked him if he would be baptized. I explained how he has a wonderful
family and how important it is to be an example for his children and
to support his wife. He said something like 'we will see'. Elder
Rigby and Elder Thorley have been teaching him since they got here.
They again invited him to be baptized, and after ten years of meeting
with missionaries, he agreed to go through with things. On Saturday,
Elder Herrera and I got to attend his baptism. Elder Rigby baptized
him and everything went really well. After the closing prayer,
Ezequiel and his wife embraced for the longest time. They were both
crying and it was such a cool thing to see. The family was so happy!
They were finally united in the gospel. It was so awesome.
That was the highlight of my week. Other highlights included Elder
Herrera's birthday (we ate so much cake, it was sweet haha pun?),
fireworks all over the place every night (Christmas tradition),
painting the outside of Paty and Eu's house, and getting the Liahona!
I finally got to read some of the talks that we missed from
conference. We missed a few talks because we were late and then some
others because the satellite went out.
Tomorrow we get to go to Reu for the mission Christmas partay! Ah I'm
so excited! I get to see Elders Hock, Taylor, and Shannon again.
I'm really excited for everything coming up. Tomorrow will be great.
Transfers are always exciting, though I will be legitimately sad to
say goodbye to Elder Herrera. And then I get to talk to you guys!
Whoa. I can't wait!
As Christmas approaches, remember the reason why we celebrate! I look
forward to spending some time just thinking about the significance of
the birth of the Savior. Life as a missionary practically forces you
to forget the material aspect of Christmas celebrations and really
reflect on the meaning of this time of year.
I hope you guys have another great week! Dad, be safe in Chicago.
Haley, finals are important. You know that. Just work hard this last
little bit. Work really hard. That will make the break seem so much
better! And Mom! keep on doin what you're doin. You should look
into snowboarding, I can see you doing that. Just sayin...
In my emails, is there anything I'm missing? For example, I realized
that if I want to love my companion, it really doesn't help to talk
bad about him. Then I realized that it doesn't help to think anything
bad about him. So I've tried to stop that. I just don't want to slip
into the trap of developing bad habits early on, like Dad warned me
about. So if you notice anything, please let me know. Gracias.
I love you guys! Brock, good luck with finals!
Love,
Elder Austin Tyler
Hey!
I loved your emails, it sounds like life is so busy right now, but so
great! You guys sound so happy! Way cool.
Although I envy the cold weather, and the chance to go skiing, and all
that, I really love hearing about it all! Sometimes when I'm sweating
bullets in the heat I just try to imagine myself elsewhere (like the
mountains) and it almost helps to cool myself off haha!
I don't really know where to start with this week. On Tuesday
afternoon I went to Tiquisate on a split with Elder Aguirre (Elder
Grover's companion). Elder Grover came to Nueva to do baptismal
interviews. I got to teach with Elder Aguirre, and I learned so much.
He is an excellent teacher, and he teaches like I was taught to teach
in the MTC and CCM. I felt like I didn't know anything haha! He
taught with the Spirit and with love. It felt very different, way
better, than a lot of the lessons we typically teach in Nueva
Concepcion. I'm trying to apply all the things I learned, and bit by
bit, I'm learning. While I was with Elder Aguirre, he would see
things that I was doing (or not doing) and correct me. Like when we
left the house, I didn't have a Book of Mormon in my hand. He told me
that we are always to have a Book of Mormon in our hand. Otherwise
people just thing we're rich gringos selling things.
I've learned a lot from my companion, and I'm so thankful for the time
I've had with him. We're entering the last week of this transfer, and
he's been here for six months. President told him he'll be leaving.
And in my email to President last week I asked him a couple questions.
All he replied was something like, 'just keep it up, keep being bold.
Elder Aguirre told me not to stop learning Spanish. Although I can go
on splits with members and teach by myself, I still have so much to
learn. But he told me that I need to be prepared to train by the end
of next transfers. That scared me a bit, and I don't know if he was
serious. But I have a lot to do. I feel way inadequate (sp?). I'm
happy, but not content. It's a weird feeling.
We had a baptism scheduled for Saturday, but our investigator ended up
having mental problems (I had no idea until the day of her interview
and we started noticing some things). It was so sad to find out about
that, but hopefully we can help her out and continue on with her plan
to be baptized. The Assistants are going to come this week and figure
out what to do with the situation.
Before this transfer, when all of Nueva Concepcion was our area, we
were teaching a man named Ezequiel. His whole family goes to church,
theyre all members except for him. He started attending church awhile
back, but didn't want to be baptized. He has talked with the
missionaries on and off for ten years, and he loves the missionaries.
He played professional soccer for a long time, and we play with him on
Mondays. It's way fun. But towards the end of our last transfer, I
asked him if he would be baptized. I explained how he has a wonderful
family and how important it is to be an example for his children and
to support his wife. He said something like 'we will see'. Elder
Rigby and Elder Thorley have been teaching him since they got here.
They again invited him to be baptized, and after ten years of meeting
with missionaries, he agreed to go through with things. On Saturday,
Elder Herrera and I got to attend his baptism. Elder Rigby baptized
him and everything went really well. After the closing prayer,
Ezequiel and his wife embraced for the longest time. They were both
crying and it was such a cool thing to see. The family was so happy!
They were finally united in the gospel. It was so awesome.
That was the highlight of my week. Other highlights included Elder
Herrera's birthday (we ate so much cake, it was sweet haha pun?),
fireworks all over the place every night (Christmas tradition),
painting the outside of Paty and Eu's house, and getting the Liahona!
I finally got to read some of the talks that we missed from
conference. We missed a few talks because we were late and then some
others because the satellite went out.
Tomorrow we get to go to Reu for the mission Christmas partay! Ah I'm
so excited! I get to see Elders Hock, Taylor, and Shannon again.
I'm really excited for everything coming up. Tomorrow will be great.
Transfers are always exciting, though I will be legitimately sad to
say goodbye to Elder Herrera. And then I get to talk to you guys!
Whoa. I can't wait!
As Christmas approaches, remember the reason why we celebrate! I look
forward to spending some time just thinking about the significance of
the birth of the Savior. Life as a missionary practically forces you
to forget the material aspect of Christmas celebrations and really
reflect on the meaning of this time of year.
I hope you guys have another great week! Dad, be safe in Chicago.
Haley, finals are important. You know that. Just work hard this last
little bit. Work really hard. That will make the break seem so much
better! And Mom! keep on doin what you're doin. You should look
into snowboarding, I can see you doing that. Just sayin...
In my emails, is there anything I'm missing? For example, I realized
that if I want to love my companion, it really doesn't help to talk
bad about him. Then I realized that it doesn't help to think anything
bad about him. So I've tried to stop that. I just don't want to slip
into the trap of developing bad habits early on, like Dad warned me
about. So if you notice anything, please let me know. Gracias.
I love you guys! Brock, good luck with finals!
Love,
Elder Austin Tyler
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
After ten years of meeting with the missionaries, a man is baptized
12-13-10
Hey!
I loved your emails, it sounds like life is so busy right now, but so
great! You guys sound so happy! Way cool.
Although I envy the cold weather, and the chance to go skiing, and all
that, I really love hearing about it all! Sometimes when I'm sweating
bullets in the heat I just try to imagine myself elsewhere (like the
mountains) and it almost helps to cool myself off haha!
I don't really know where to start with this week. On Tuesday
afternoon I went to Tiquisate on a split with Elder Aguirre (Elder
Grover's companion). Elder Grover came to Nueva to do baptismal
interviews. I got to teach with Elder Aguirre, and I learned so much.
He is an excellent teacher, and he teaches like I was taught to teach
in the MTC and CCM. I felt like I didn't know anything haha! He
taught with the Spirit and with love. It felt very different, way
better, than a lot of the lessons we typically teach in Nueva
Concepcion. I'm trying to apply all the things I learned, and bit by
bit, I'm learning. While I was with Elder Aguirre, he would see
things that I was doing (or not doing) and correct me. Like when we
left the house, I didn't have a Book of Mormon in my hand. He told me
that we are always to have a Book of Mormon in our hand. Otherwise
people just thing we're rich gringos selling things. He asked if my
companion carries a Book of Mormon with him. I cringed a bit as I
said no (because he had asked a lot of other similar questions about
my companion and I told the truth). I explained that Elder Herrera
really does have a desire to do what's right, and I don't like to rat
him our for things like that, because that makes him sound chambon
(like a slacker). Elder Aguirre just said, 'noooo don't worry elder,
I'm not gonna say anything to him, and I know he's a good missionary.
But he should be doing this stuff. It helps me know how to help him
when I know what he's doing.'
My companion is a bit stubborn, but I hope I've helped him here and
there. I've learned a lot from him, and I'm so thankful for the time
I've had with him. We're entering the last week of this transfer, and
he's been here for six months. President told him he'll be leaving.
And in my email to President last week I asked him a couple questions.
All he replied was something like, 'just keep it up, keep being bold.
You will soon have a new companion with the same ethics as you.' I'm
way excited to see what happens next week.
Elder Aguirre told me not to stop learning Spanish. Although I can go
on splits with members and teach by myself, I still have so much to
learn. But he told me that I need to be prepared to train by the end
of next transfers. That scared me a bit, and I don't know if he was
serious. But I have a lot to do. I feel way inadequate (sp?). I'm
happy, but not content. It's a weird feeling.
We had a baptism scheduled for Saturday, but our investigator ended up
having mental problems (I had no idea until the day of her interview
and we started noticing some things). It was so sad to find out about
that, but hopefully we can help her out and continue on with her plan
to be baptized. The Assistants are going to come this week and figure
out what to do with the situation.
Before this transfer, when all of Nueva Concepcion was our area, we
were teaching a man named Ezequiel. His whole family goes to church,
theyre all members except for him. He started attending church awhile
back, but didn't want to be baptized. He has talked with the
missionaries on and off for ten years, and he loves the missionaries.
He played professional soccer for a long time, and we play with him on
Mondays. It's way fun. But towards the end of our last transfer, I
asked him if he would be baptized. I explained how he has a wonderful
family and how important it is to be an example for his children and
to support his wife. He said something like 'we will see'. Elder
Rigby and Elder Thorley have been teaching him since they got here.
They again invited him to be baptized, and after ten years of meeting
with missionaries, he agreed to go through with things. On Saturday,
Elder Herrera and I got to attend his baptism. Elder Rigby baptized
him and everything went really well. After the closing prayer,
Ezequiel and his wife embraced for the longest time. They were both
crying and it was such a cool thing to see. The family was so happy!
They were finally united in the gospel. It was so awesome.
That was the highlight of my week. Other highlights included Elder
Herrera's birthday (we ate so much cake, it was sweet haha pun?),
fireworks all over the place every night (Christmas tradition),
painting the outside of Paty and Eu's house, and getting the Liahona!
I finally got to read some of the talks that we missed from
conference. We missed a few talks because we were late and then some
others because the satellite went out.
Tomorrow we get to go to Reu for the mission Christmas partay! Ah I'm
so excited! I get to see Elders Hock, Taylor, and Shannon again.
I'm really excited for everything coming up. Tomorrow will be great.
Transfers are always exciting, though I will be legitimately sad to
say goodbye to Elder Herrera. And then I get to talk to you guys!
Whoa. I can't wait!
As Christmas approaches, remember the reason why we celebrate! I look
forward to spending some time just thinking about the significance of
the birth of the Savior. Life as a missionary practically forces you
to forget the material aspect of Christmas celebrations and really
reflect on the meaning of this time of year.
I hope you guys have another great week! Dad, be safe in Chicago.
Haley, finals are important. You know that. Just work hard this last
little bit. Work really hard. That will make the break seem so much
better! And Mom! keep on doin what you're doin. You should look
into snowboarding, I can see you doing that. Just sayin...
In my emails, is there anything I'm missing? For example, I realized
that if I want to love my companion, it really doesn't help to talk
bad about him. Then I realized that it doesn't help to think anything
bad about him. So I've tried to stop that. I just don't want to slip
into the trap of developing bad habits early on, like Dad warned me
about. So if you notice anything, please let me know. Gracias.
I love you guys! Brock, good luck with finals!
Love,
Elder Austin Tyler
Hey!
I loved your emails, it sounds like life is so busy right now, but so
great! You guys sound so happy! Way cool.
Although I envy the cold weather, and the chance to go skiing, and all
that, I really love hearing about it all! Sometimes when I'm sweating
bullets in the heat I just try to imagine myself elsewhere (like the
mountains) and it almost helps to cool myself off haha!
I don't really know where to start with this week. On Tuesday
afternoon I went to Tiquisate on a split with Elder Aguirre (Elder
Grover's companion). Elder Grover came to Nueva to do baptismal
interviews. I got to teach with Elder Aguirre, and I learned so much.
He is an excellent teacher, and he teaches like I was taught to teach
in the MTC and CCM. I felt like I didn't know anything haha! He
taught with the Spirit and with love. It felt very different, way
better, than a lot of the lessons we typically teach in Nueva
Concepcion. I'm trying to apply all the things I learned, and bit by
bit, I'm learning. While I was with Elder Aguirre, he would see
things that I was doing (or not doing) and correct me. Like when we
left the house, I didn't have a Book of Mormon in my hand. He told me
that we are always to have a Book of Mormon in our hand. Otherwise
people just thing we're rich gringos selling things. He asked if my
companion carries a Book of Mormon with him. I cringed a bit as I
said no (because he had asked a lot of other similar questions about
my companion and I told the truth). I explained that Elder Herrera
really does have a desire to do what's right, and I don't like to rat
him our for things like that, because that makes him sound chambon
(like a slacker). Elder Aguirre just said, 'noooo don't worry elder,
I'm not gonna say anything to him, and I know he's a good missionary.
But he should be doing this stuff. It helps me know how to help him
when I know what he's doing.'
My companion is a bit stubborn, but I hope I've helped him here and
there. I've learned a lot from him, and I'm so thankful for the time
I've had with him. We're entering the last week of this transfer, and
he's been here for six months. President told him he'll be leaving.
And in my email to President last week I asked him a couple questions.
All he replied was something like, 'just keep it up, keep being bold.
You will soon have a new companion with the same ethics as you.' I'm
way excited to see what happens next week.
Elder Aguirre told me not to stop learning Spanish. Although I can go
on splits with members and teach by myself, I still have so much to
learn. But he told me that I need to be prepared to train by the end
of next transfers. That scared me a bit, and I don't know if he was
serious. But I have a lot to do. I feel way inadequate (sp?). I'm
happy, but not content. It's a weird feeling.
We had a baptism scheduled for Saturday, but our investigator ended up
having mental problems (I had no idea until the day of her interview
and we started noticing some things). It was so sad to find out about
that, but hopefully we can help her out and continue on with her plan
to be baptized. The Assistants are going to come this week and figure
out what to do with the situation.
Before this transfer, when all of Nueva Concepcion was our area, we
were teaching a man named Ezequiel. His whole family goes to church,
theyre all members except for him. He started attending church awhile
back, but didn't want to be baptized. He has talked with the
missionaries on and off for ten years, and he loves the missionaries.
He played professional soccer for a long time, and we play with him on
Mondays. It's way fun. But towards the end of our last transfer, I
asked him if he would be baptized. I explained how he has a wonderful
family and how important it is to be an example for his children and
to support his wife. He said something like 'we will see'. Elder
Rigby and Elder Thorley have been teaching him since they got here.
They again invited him to be baptized, and after ten years of meeting
with missionaries, he agreed to go through with things. On Saturday,
Elder Herrera and I got to attend his baptism. Elder Rigby baptized
him and everything went really well. After the closing prayer,
Ezequiel and his wife embraced for the longest time. They were both
crying and it was such a cool thing to see. The family was so happy!
They were finally united in the gospel. It was so awesome.
That was the highlight of my week. Other highlights included Elder
Herrera's birthday (we ate so much cake, it was sweet haha pun?),
fireworks all over the place every night (Christmas tradition),
painting the outside of Paty and Eu's house, and getting the Liahona!
I finally got to read some of the talks that we missed from
conference. We missed a few talks because we were late and then some
others because the satellite went out.
Tomorrow we get to go to Reu for the mission Christmas partay! Ah I'm
so excited! I get to see Elders Hock, Taylor, and Shannon again.
I'm really excited for everything coming up. Tomorrow will be great.
Transfers are always exciting, though I will be legitimately sad to
say goodbye to Elder Herrera. And then I get to talk to you guys!
Whoa. I can't wait!
As Christmas approaches, remember the reason why we celebrate! I look
forward to spending some time just thinking about the significance of
the birth of the Savior. Life as a missionary practically forces you
to forget the material aspect of Christmas celebrations and really
reflect on the meaning of this time of year.
I hope you guys have another great week! Dad, be safe in Chicago.
Haley, finals are important. You know that. Just work hard this last
little bit. Work really hard. That will make the break seem so much
better! And Mom! keep on doin what you're doin. You should look
into snowboarding, I can see you doing that. Just sayin...
In my emails, is there anything I'm missing? For example, I realized
that if I want to love my companion, it really doesn't help to talk
bad about him. Then I realized that it doesn't help to think anything
bad about him. So I've tried to stop that. I just don't want to slip
into the trap of developing bad habits early on, like Dad warned me
about. So if you notice anything, please let me know. Gracias.
I love you guys! Brock, good luck with finals!
Love,
Elder Austin Tyler
Thursday, December 9, 2010
A Visit with the President of the Mission
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
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
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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