..I Love My Mission!! (also made District Leader)

This week Elder Marquis just answered mom's questions...but answers are amazing!!

1. So how have you been?
Been doing well, lol.

2. Do you use an electric razor or your straight edge...I can't remember and some moms were asking...
I still have the straight edge, electric razors are really expensive.

3. When you got to the Mission home, did they take a picture of you with your mission pres and wife. I always see these of elders and sisters and wondered if you have one somewhere. If you don't have one with your new president...make sure you get one...K??
Yeah i have two, since i was there for two groups of latinos.

4. How was your Sunday? Any investigators come to church?
Yeah, actually, yesterday was branch conference so we had about 96 members there and a bunch of inactivos and menos activos. So cool!

5.Do you have any investigators? If so, tell us about them...
Yeah, more or less, lol, we´ve been working with these two familias that are super cool! Mirna, Osberto, Osberto Jr., and Carlily are so cool. The two kids came to church but the mom didn't and the dad had to work so who knows. And the other is really cool too, the family Lopez-Lopez. We just contacted them and they were like, Hey white people, cool!"!! lol. so we´ll see how that goes.

6. Do you have a microwave? I doubt it, but just a thought...
Nope, only mission central has microwaves.

7. When are transfers? Do you have any feel if you will stay in this area, or if you will get a new companion?
....Read in the letter....

8. Can you tell me how you feel about your mission? Is it what you expected? How do you handle the trials and such? Do you love it, or is it just really hard? Tell me....

My mission is life. Sometimes it's good and other times you really would like to just quit and go home. And honestly, I don't remember what I expected before the mission. It just seems like this is all I've been doing my whole life and when I think about home or my life before, it just seems like a blurry dream. I guess thats the hardest part, trying to still feel connected with what's going on over there when in all honesty, I don't have a clue and can't really imagine, lol.
Like you guys being able to open your fridge and have ice cubes lol, that just seems like a dream to have ice cubes. The way people live in the states and they way people live here is completely different. Nothing is the same. But overall yes, I love it! At times I hate it, but overall I love it! I love who I'm becoming, I love what I can do, I love the dangerous jungle atmosphere, I love having to shower with a bucket every day, I love not having air conditioning, I love how everyone walks around with machetes, and I love how I can speak another language!
I'm living a life that most people will never even be able to grasp, to even think of. I'm changing people's lives and for this short period of time I have been given the opportunity to act in Christ´s name and give salvation to the people of the Earth. At times its hard, but if I didn't have those times of difficulties I would never appreciate the times when I have blessings and happiness!
I love my mission, all of it, the good, the bad, the rain, the mud, not having power and running water, the people and their simplistic view of the world, I love it!!!!


9. Cultural observation?
Cultural observation is that the family stays together! All of them. They live together, eat together, sleep together, everything is done together.



10. Spiritual experience for the week?
My experience happened yesterday. It was late in the afternoon, about 5, me and my companion have been wanting to do a prayer excursion for awhile now and yesterday we had some time. We just started walking and walking and walking and we found this huge corn field next to a river where you could see the most amazing view of Guatemala.
He went of by one tree and I walked more toward the center of the field. I sat down and began to offer up a prayer. Then I looked up and the sky was an amazing blue and orange and I could see the moon and just one star and there was a fog rolling in and I asked God every question that I have ever had, about the gospel, my life, and everything else. About an hour later I finished my prayer and as I stood up I was hit by the most amazing peace and joy I have ever felt in my whole life and I began to cry from this. In this moment I received my answers and I can tell you that this is the gospel of Christ and we will return to live to a real Heavenly Father and that everything that we have been taught and will learn are all true!

Ok, so I don't really have any time now to write but what I want to say is that Pres. Maravilla (Mada-vEya), just called me with my changes and I have been made an official District Leader. So hope that goes ok, I'm still in my area and I don't know who my new companion is yet, so yeah, lol.

And my camera is a Kodak EasyShare M381, it probably would be a good idea to send a new power cord and wall charger. lol. Sorry....

Love you all,
Elder Marquis