November 6, 2012

Hello dearest family!

Well...the big news of the week...I'M PREGNANT!!! I wish I had an ultrasound or something fun like that to announce it, but...I already know it's a boy...so...not much need for that! But, to translate, I got a phone call from President Brough last night, and he told me that I had been called to be a trainer! So...starting next Wednesday, I will have my very own baby boy to mold and shape juuuust to my desires. Congratulations, Elder Petersen and Pegram! You're grandpas! So...I'm pretty ridiculously excited. Apparently the mission is getting a BOAT LOAD of new missionaries, and hardly anyone is leaving! So...they're opening up new areas, and a whole new zone! Gonna have success! I love it! 

So, did anything weird happen this week in regards to Guatemala there in the States? Cuz this Wednesday morning we got a...disconcerting phone call from our District leader. He answered the phone, and there is a normal greeting here...it's like..."Oooiii" I don't really know how to type that...but you get the gist. But I answered the phone, and all I got was a, "Hey." All stern like. Hmmm...I asked him why he was so serious, and began racking my brain trying to figure out what I did. He told me that it was kinda serious. Apparently the Area 70 had called President Brough that morning and told him that every missionary had to be in at 6:00 that night. That is WEIRD around these parts. If we could be in the street preaching till midnight every night, they'd do it. It is the most important thing we do here! So...we got ourselves all prepared for the end of the world. Literally...we went out and bought beans and rice for our 72 hour kit, put everything under the bed getting ready for the end of all things earthquake that was prophesied by the area 70! Ok...it wasn't prophesied, but that's how we interpreted it. Makes sense, right? Well...nothing ended up happening. What we've heard is that a group of Guatemalans tried to cross the American border and got shot. So the 70 didn't want angry Guatemalans on halloween taking their frustrations out on innocent American missionaries. So...we got FOUR AND A HALF HOURS to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in our houses. I was lost. Haven't had down time like that in 9 months! Also, Halloween here is like...new years in America. Just a really good excuse for civil people to get reeeeeally really wasted and pass out in the streets! And that's what they do! So...better to be inside anyways.

Dad-this picture is in memory of you. I call it, "Still life." Also, in this internet cafe place someone is playing angry birds and I'm listening to it. I hope you're still knocking down those stupid little pigs with all the malintent you can possibly muster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Had a first this week! I contacted a lady and she told me, "Well...I don't believe in Christ." WEIRD. But that's not the weirdest thing. She told me she professed the faith of the ancient mayans. So I asked her about it, cuz I love to learn about other religions and compare it to the true one. My testimony always deepens when I do. But...I asked about the end of the world in December! Apparently, they don't believe the world will end! It's just then end of another cycle of years! Absolutely nothing will happen! So...when someone tells you on Decemeber 20th to, "Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die," kindly inform them that you heard it directly from a guy who talked to a mayan that it's not true. Silly Americans blowing things out of proportion again.

This week we were teaching a REALLY Evangelical family, when the mom's phone rang. She answered it not in the typical way, but in a way MUCH stranger. Her first words to this person were, "Siervo. Bendiciones." Or, "Servant. Blessings." Thenk proceeded to refer to the person as, "Siervo" for the rest of the conversation. So my comp and I are now, "Siervo" to the other. It's a big ole bag of fun. Funny what Satan gets people to believe. I have the feeling that he just laaaaaughs about the stuff we do sometimes. Sad.

Last night we were walking in the poorest part of our area...we're talking little tiny sidewalk sized road made up of broken cement inbetween two walls of sheet metal houses all built on the side of a hill. Reeeeally really poor. But we're walking and all of the sudden I heard a very familiar sound. I told my comp to stop so I could listen and confirm what I thought to be true, and sure enough...the Halo (video game for all of you people who aren't super nerds like me) theme music was playing! It was very ironic to me that perhaps at one point or another I had played against this person here in Sector 23 of the Projects of Guatemala. I bet I beat him. 

Well...that's all I got! One more thing...VOTE!!! Go out and VOTE!!! I won't tell you WHO to vote for (Even though logic would suggest Romney) but VOTE!!! Also, there was a hurricane!?! What happened?! I hate not knowing what's going on in the world!

Love you all! Have a great week!
Love,

Elder Hopper 2 (I'm gonna be a DADDY!!!!)

P.S...Pegram...Recuerda ese vez que encontramos una cucaracha en nuestra casa y la quemamos? Y casi morimos al hacerlo? Estaba viendo ese vídeo ayer y pensé en usted. Es casado todavía? Y que esta pasando con mi otro papá? Dígale a el que su seis meses ya van acabando para casarse. Su no se casa al dentro del próximo mes...pues...¡falló! Felicidades, abuelos!!!

Ha...speaking spanish is like that secret language we all tried to make when we were kids. Fun!