week 32

Hey! I'm glad to hear you had a good week! Those pictures of Margot are awesome, she is getting so big! Thank you for your spiritual thought on miracles, I also have a testimony of that, especially after my time out here! This week was actually one of the dopest weeks of my mission, so I'm going to give you a day by day run-through.

 

Elder Vargas is really good, a really good worker and we get along great!

 

Monday- all we did was talk and go back from Coban. I never got my results, but I feel much better. Apparently I have to go back next week, the mission nurse told me last night at like 9:45 that I needed to go today, and I said that I need a little more notice than that haha. (She doesn't really understand, she is just in Coban her whole mission.)

 

Tuesday- we went to work! We put a fecha (set a baptism date) with a girl named Maria, different Maria than before, and worked a lot with Ramona. She is the one who needs to get married so we are still working with her.

 

Wenesday-  ok this is where the fun starts. Our district had 12 baptisms this week, 7 in a place called Korral Pek, and 5 in a place called Seranx. There are no missionaries in either place. Me, my District Leader Elder Gonsalez and Elder Helton went to Seranx, and our companions went to Korral Pek. Seranx is closed now because it is super hard there, and kind of dangerous. Awhile back the non-members got mad and pulled the roof off the church, we just aren't super welcome there. President Curtiss won't send missionaries there full time because it is too dangerous. That was my DL's first area, he was there for six months and he was the last missionary in the area, no one  has served there since. The house he lived in is typical of one of the houses out here, made of wood, no light or water or anything. It is 100% kalebaal (village.) The people all speak Kekchi. I want to serve there someday though, there is a special feel about it. I think there are about 50 members? Which is really good, when my DL started there were 18 people going to church. The people just meet in one of the little houses, I feel really bad for them. But when we got there it was awesome! All three of us baptized in the river there, and that was hands down one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. 

 

I will never forget that! After the baptisms we returned to Elder Helton's area to work there the next day.

 

Thursday- so that morning we decided we were going to climb this mountain and see who lived up there. But on the way up we lost the trail! So we ended up hiking straight up the mountain, taking turns using a machete to cut throught the pim! (Pim is...I'm not really sure how to describe it, it is like foliage I guess? All the trees and plants and grass you see.) We never did find anyone... but it was a good day!

 

 

Friday, Saturday and Sunday- we were back in our area working hard! Sunday we had a menos active (less active) member whose daughter we want to baptize and four investigators come to church so it was a good day!

No plans yet for today, just here in El Estor with our District. They have a nice internet place here we always use. We will probably go to that restaurant called Gardanias, that place is literally the best food you will find in the Polochic. We have interviews with President Curtiss this week, so we will do interviews with him, Hermana Curtiss, and the AP´s. That is scary haha. We do interviews in Seococ, my DL´s area.

 

Dad asked if we ever see Americans or tourists around here. Actually a lot in El Estor and Coban. Last week a gringo started fighting with me about our church in Coban, it was the weirdest thing ever to teach the gospel in English. In our area up in Nueva Concepcion, every couple months a bunch of members of the church come and do dental work. They of course are always really excited to see us, but everyone else normally just keeps to themselves.

 

Also, I got my Kekchi name badge!

 

 

So that was my week! I don't really have a spiritual thought, just that while baptizing in the river I could feel the Spirit so strong, and it was confirmed to me once again that this really is the true church, and I am so happy and blessed to be out here! I love all of you!

 

Love, Elder Toolson

 

PS - so I might need a lot of money put in my account this week haha. We were riding in a truck back to Elder Heltons area, my camera fell and well...broke. So I was thinking since my birthday is coming up you could put all the money into my camera, and its ok if I don't recieve a package. But since I am going to Coban next monday it would be good to have it there by then... I don't know if its possible but if it is! That would be awesome :)