August 6, 2013

HEEEELLO FAMILY!

Well, tomorrow are changes. I just can't BELIEVE how fast this change flew! It was honestly all sorts of insane! I feel like I just got here last week, but it's already been six weeks! But now I get my new companion, and my third child here on the mission! I'm really hoping I just get someone who is willing to work, and wants to! He doesn't have to know anything, I just want him to be WILLING to hit the pavement! But...I suppose we'll see what happens tomorrow! I'll let you know!

 
 

Well, this week we had a baptism! It was more or less a miracle one. The kid had been attending church for YEARS, but his mom had never given permission for him to be baptized, so we were praying for him, but...honestly, most hope had been lost. Well, his dad is a super inactive member. Well, last week, mom finally said, "Fine! Do what you want!" So...as far as we're concerned, that was consent! And dad was all on board with it! And seeing as he actually lives with his mom, and not his dad, we didn't technically need mom's permission, but we got it! Win! But...the baptismal service was a pain in the butt. We got to the chapel at about noon to fill up the baptismal font, because this particular font takes like...TWO HOURS to fill up. So, at the same time we just decided to drop all of the baptismal clothes off at the church. Well...the font got done, and we took off, the baptismal service wasn't going to start till 7 that night anyways. Well...we got there at 7, and someone who had done the cleaning that day thought they knew better than us, and rearranged all the seats again, took down everything we had done for the baptism, and worst of all, LOCKED THE CLOTHS IN THE KITCHEN!!! It's a door that is NEVER LOCKED. Also, it's a door that NOONE has the key for! It's the same lady who gets up and bears her testimony, but it's an incredibly accusing testimony pointed directly at someone who offended her in the past month...you know the type. Well...we couldn't call her to get the key, cuz the very next day was testimony meeting, and we didn't want to be the point of her wrath, so we called the Branch President, who lives in a part of town about 30 minutes away, in a place that there is NO transportation to after 6:00...it was a mess. So, we had to call one of the two members in the branch who had a car to be able to get the keys to get into the room that had my baptismal clothes. It was just a mess. But, we got the baptism started around 8:00, and it went really quite well when we finally got the darn thing started! But, the important part is that he got baptized. And we didn't get publicly chastised by the angry lady.

 

So, this week we went to a pueblo in our area called San Antonio Palopo. I've described it to you before, it's the one the we sit in the back of a pickup truck for 30 minutes to get to. The one that is a pure Lamanite village. Well, we went, and we always have a boat load of lessons when we go there, and that day was no exception. Well, we got in the pick up to head on back. About fifteen minutes into our journey, someone had to get off, so the pickup stopped, and came to the back to charge the 5 quetzales that it costs. Well...as he charged the guy, he leaned over me. How many of you have smelled the breath of a REEEEALLY drunk guy? Well, that's what I smelled at that moment. it was...disconcerting. Flying around Guatemalan cliffs in the back of a pickup truck with a drunk guy behind the wheel. We made it back alright, but I'm POSITIVE there were some angels involved in that one. Thankfully, where we stop there is always police hanging out there. I let them know what was going on. I doubt he made the return trip.

 Sorry to scare you, Marmy!

 

 

Well...that's all I've got this week! Should be a fun week with all sorts of new missionaries quirks to tell you about next week! Stay tuned for next week!

Love you all!
Love,

Elder Hopper 2