week 68

Hey, this week was kind of up and down but pretty good over all. I got to do divisions with Elder Nielsen this week and he is awesome, he is only in his second change and came in like me without Spanish or Kekchi so it was nice to see how he was doing. We were able to go to Canlun this week which was nice to see some other people. Also we were able to put a fecha (baptism date) with a family of four, but that won't be in January because the parents need to get married. 

The Christmas party happened haha! It was the two zones in the Polochic. It went pretty well, I have a video but it is too big to send. Besides the singing and dancing, we all bore our testimonies in Kekchi for one of the guys from the states that does the Kekchi translations. He served here forever ago and is like a legend. And we had a good Christmas lunch so that was nice.

You can include this in the blog if you want, but the reason my week was down a bit is when I went to Canlun on Tuesday I got there and one of my old buddies Santiago was super sick. He didn't even recognize that we were there, he couldn't talk or move or eat or anything. And then on Wednesday he died, so that was kind of hard. He was a member but menos activo (less active) for a long time. The people he lived with said he had a bad spirit given to him. They say a guy put it on him because he was in debt or something. That's where the crazy part of the story is, I just don't know if I can explain it well in email. We gave him a blessing. It is actually a really long story that I will tell over skype if you guys remind me. But here is a picture with him when I went and visited him before he died. 

I am excited to talk to you guys this week! It looks like I should be calling about 7 pm my time, and I don't know if I should talk through skype or facebook. If I talk through skype you will have to make an account for me real quick right now and send me the info. 

I'm with Elder Pin in Sacsuha right now, we are on divisions. He is the missionary that Elder McEntee trained. 

We are writing here but working in my area. We have a good Family Home Evening planned for tonight with a group of investigators so that should be good. I think Elder Lara and I will do divisions with El Estor at the start of the week and then be back here later in the week so it should be good. Doing divisions is probably my favorite part of being ZL because it is fun to help other missionaries. We are going to baptize Mario the 24th, it should be awesome! We have a pila (font), I wish it was in a river. My companion is good. We work well together so there are no problems there.

Dad asked about restaurants in my new area, there is a pizza place and a comedor that isn't bad, but they are a little pricey so now I have to pish until the end of the month. Oh, pish means like cheap I guess would be the translation. Like if I get asked for money and say no, they say "jwal´ pishat" which means that you are really pish. That happens probably like 15 times a day haha.

I've kind of eaten all of my Christmas treats. But I still have the stocking for me and my companion and the two wrapped gifts! I didn't expect to have a package so it is really good. Nobody knows what is going on with the mail, they say they are always hearing different stuff. The Assistants to the President have to fax or do everything through internet now. The last package you sent is supposed to be in a warehouse somewhere just waiting for me haha.

I may not ever get the pants or shoes you sent, but I already have my Polochic tie picked out for wearing home! They call it the towel because it absorbs sweat like none other haha. It is awesome, the Polochic Elders pass ties down for generations so there are some ties from the 90's floating around. Generations of Polochic Elders have sweat on those ties, and I get to be part of it! It is wonderful! We sign the back with our Kekchi names, the years we serve, and our normal names. So you can see who has been in the mission before you.

I do wish I could stay in the mission until August because I have some recent converts that I think will get sealed in the temple then and it would be awesome to see them. I'm half tempted to ask if I can stay another change but I don't know if they would approve. Or maybe I could come back and visit, that would be amazing, there have been a couple of my buddies that are visiting the mission that just went home not too long ago. Elder Murdock is here now, he went home in September, and another few might come. I email with Elder Smart, my buddy Elder Ellis writes me like every week, and Elder Helton writes on and off.

My spiritual thought comes from something that happened with Mario again this week. We went and visited him and the night before we visited him I was reading in my journal, and I saw that the day before that a year ago (on December 14th) was the day I met him and wrote about him. So I read that to him and he got up and gave me a big ole hug and almost started crying and it was awesome. 

Talk to you on Sunday! I love you!

Love Elder Toolson