Week 20

Well this week has been hard too, but also alot of fun and some success. We have some pretty cool investigators and some pretty cool people that know that the book of mormon is true but don't want to be baptized again... she said its because she has been baptized two different times... and we explain over and over again that we are the only church that has the authority of God to baptize but she doesn't completely understand.

Also, our fecha (date) for last saturday fell when he didn't attend church and we couldn't find him this whole week...I hope that satan hasn't already hardened his heart again and I hope he doesn't go back to smoking and drinking. He is a super cool guy and really wants to change his life. Well other than those two people we don't have any one that we have visited enough to see their real desires. I hope we start finding the people that are ready to be baptized. I have been praying so much so we can find the people that are ready to hear our message.

Also, we bought those 20 ties for 10 quetzales! That means each tie was about 6 or 7 cents!

So one story I have happened yesterday. So we were walking down this little hill and all of a sudden I felt like this burden just came off my back... then I realized my side bag broke and fell off. It felt really weird because for the rest of the night I had to carry it around Zacapa and to our lessons.

but it's crazy how cheap some things are. I bought this back pack which is HUGE for a little under 40 bucks. 

Well love you guys! hope you guys have a better week!

Love Elder Flygare

Week 19

Well this Tuesday I got a new companion and his name is Elder Merrill, he's from Utah and has 17 months in the mission. I feel like I get along better with him becuase he can help me more and we can talk all the time in Spanish and in English if he doesn't understand all my Spanish. haha! He's awesome and is a super cool companion. He's a hard worker especially with the menos (less) actives and recent converts. This week has been one of the hardest weeks with us not being able to find new investigators and even talk to our investigators that we have right now...this week has been alot of walking because no one wants to be at their house when we schedule a visit with them. This week has really been the hardest week of my mission because I feel like I am trying my hardest but nothing is working. I have been praying like crazy this week for help to find new investigators and to prepare Wilder for a baptism this week but he hasn't been home this whole week when we try to visit. I feel like a failure sometimes when I try my best and all we do is walk and knock on doors and no one wants anything. It's even harder when my new comp doesn't know anyone here and I have to help him get to know everyone and also I dont want him to feel like I am not a hard worker with having almost 0 investigators because they want to not answer the door and don't want anything...

Sometimes it feels like the lord doesnt answer my prayers but I know that he has a plan. I know that he won't give me a challenge that I cant handle. Also, thanks mom for your email this week. It has helped me so much today with only reading it and feeling peace in this work and also thanks dad for your scripture. That is definetely how I felt this week, not that I wasn't humble but that he has a plan to make me stronger, to endure more, and also to always, always, ALWAYS rely on him.

Ether 12:27. And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

I know that it's easy to get distracted and think that "you" need to find someone to feel successful or you need to have the best numbers (data). but this is the lord's work, he does with us for our OWN benefit.

Obediencia trae bendiciones, y obediencia con exactitud trae milagros. (hna. wendy nelson) (Translation: Obedience brings blessings, and exact obedience brings miracles.)

I love you all and I defintely know that my family loves me to. I'm doing great here and hope for the same for you. Weather is hot and is only going to get hotter. haha!

Love, Elder Flygare

 foto 1: elder guymon, elder dille, elder flygare (yo), y elder merrill! also I bought a tie that has chickens on it for animal tie friday! haha 

foto 2: elder flygare y elder merrill antes correo electro

Week 18

Hola Familia,

So let's start with new years. It's so different here in Guatemala, I mean it doesn't even feel like a new year because I am still sweating my butt off everyday and we never have a day that is cold. I hear how the capital of Guatemala is so cold right now and sometimes I want to get a change just to experience the cold. haha!

Well today is a day of changes. This change I am staying in Zacapa and my comp is leaving. He is going to the capital but we don't know who our companions are yet. It's kinda weird that I am going to be experiencing my first change with a new companion and I have to help him learn the area. I am finally not going to be in training any more! ya!!! I can't wait for what the Lord has in store for me with this chance and new companion. Also, we are getting a new zone leader and district leader. Elder Huband who was one of the zone leaders is going to the capital and so is my comp who was district leader. Then we have Elder Jepson leaving to the capital, Elder Rodriguez who is going home after serving for 2 years and an additional change and also Hermana Black but she will be staying outside of the capital. I hope to hear from the others in my group from the CCM and see how we have grown and what changes we have in our mission.

Also, this week felt pretty fast because of new year's holiday and we had 23 new investigators this week! Our goal every week is 12 and we almost doubled it. One family of 7 is really cool and they want to listen to our message and hear what we have to say. Especially the dad of the family, which is kinda strange because he is a pastor of a different church... haha but if we baptize him then we will have alot of success with the family, and with his "church" haha, so lets just pray that they wont harden their hearts!

Also, we have a baptism date for the 17th but we think it will get pushed back a week because he has to quit smoking for 2 weeks before being baptized, but he is a super cool dude! and all ready he is noticing blessings in his life.

I cant express how happy I am with the opportunity to be here on a mission and I would like to share my testimony with you guys in Spanish:

Yo se que esta iglesia es verdadera, yo se que esta evangelio puede bendice todos personas y todos familias, yo se que el don de lenguas es verdadero, y dios contestara nuestros oraciones si nosotros pedimos con fe. El quiere bendice nuestras vidas y cuando nosotros obedecemos los mandamientos, nosotros recibiremos bendiciones en nuestras familias. Yo se que el libro de mormon es la palabra de dios. Yo se que mi decision a servir un mission es no para yo a recibir bendiciones, pero por yo bendice las vidas de estas personas en Guatemala.  (You can google translate it if you don't know Spanish)

I love you guys so much and am grateful for your support and love. I'm grateful for my christmas package and for the opportunity to share the love of Christ with these people of Guatemala.

Elder Flygare

Week 17

Hola familia y amigos,

Well this week was christmas! I got to talk to my family and also give gifts to a ton of little kids that dont have pants half the time.  Me and my companion went and gave around 250 ballon animals to kids and also candy to the members.

   Also we were filled with delicious food like duck tamales and molletes, and paunche. I am especially grateful for the opportunity to talk to my family. It was hard to find English words to say. I am also greatful for the opportunity to talk to my brother, even though it was for only 15 min.

Well this is short so sorry, but also we had a baptism! Well not our baptism but a baptism of the hermanas in our ward and Miguel wanted me to baptize him. Some people say it's because I'm a gringo because I only talked to him 2 times for 2 min. but its alright, I like being a gringo! Also, we went to a volcano today! One of more than a handful in Guatemala. This one is covered with water so its not active and the water isn't super cold either! It was cool to be next to the water again but to bad I couldn't go swimming.

I'm loving it in Guatemala and can't wait til I can speak perfectly!;)

Love Elder Flygare

Sixteenth Week

Hey family,

So this week has been great! We had intervistas (interviews) with Pres. on Tuesday and had a little Christmas get together with President and 3 different zones outside the capital. We watched a movie and then related it to missionary work. We watched Iron Will. It's a pretty good movie!

So we have a baptism date for 17 de enero and we hope he follows through with this decision. His name is Wilder and he is 29 and only has one arm. He is super cool and he accepts all of the things that we teach him and also he has an aunt that lives in the US and is here in Guatemala for 3 more months and we want to baptize her too. She is really cool too and has attended church in Texas before coming on vacation.  Also, this week we didn't have much success but we are expected to have success in January.

As of right now I havent gotten the package but that just means that for the first time I will get a package for a Happy New Years! Haha, thanks for sending the package and I will be fine until I get it. I hope you aren't mad that it wont get here in time but the best Christmas present I have is to call you guys! Thanks for everything!

So my comp said we have an opportunity to call before each christmas and mothers day so I called you guys and after I thought about it and it seemed kinda weird that I called you guys.  To be honest it felt like I was breaking a mission rule. So I will make sure that I CAN call you guys before Mother's Day. Haha, I can't believe that you couldn't tell that it was me talking. It must be because we haven't talked in such a long time but its okay we get to talk in 3 days! and we will be calling from a computer or ipad from our Bishops. So I think thats all for this week. I cant wait to talk to you guys!

Love Elder Flygare

American Food (they are generous on the fries)

Service Project

American playing cards on the ground.

Week 15

Hola!!!

This week has been good and bad. We had a lot of lessons fall but we had a lot of new investigators. Also, we had the biggest miracle on saturday that I will tell you about in a little bit. Also, we had such a great turn out at church yesterday!!! Last week was around 50 people and yesterday was 84! It was amazing how packed our church was. haha!  Our church isn't very big but its sufficient for only our ward! Also, one of my teachers in the CCM, his home ward is La Reforma which is my ward so he said he would come and visit sometimes and this week he came! He is awesome! His name is Hermano R. and he served in California long beach and so his English is perfect. I was so happy to see him.

So this week on saturday we had 3 lessons fall and so we decided to do some more contacting like usual when our lessons fall but this time felt different. I felt sad that we didn't have lessons with these people but at the same time I felt like we were going to have success. So we walked down a street that we hadn't contacted before and its not very long and doesn't have a lot of houses but I knocked on a door and some little girls came to the door and we asked if we could talk to their parents. We then asked if we could share a message about our redeemer Jesus Christ and they let us in. THIS FAMILY WAS A FAMILY OF 8! The mom, dad and two kids that are age for baptism and so we taught the first lesson about the restoration. After, we asked if they would be baptized when they recieve an answer of their own and that this church is true, they said yes and we then invited them to church which was the next day. The mom immediately said yes but the dad and the son who is about 13 said they had work on Sunday. So we then asked the wife and the daughter if they would like us to accompany them to church in the morning and they hesitated and only said that they would come. Then as we were leaving we were extremely happy with an answer to all of our prayers and after about 10 steps outside the house the mom sent the daughters to come ask us a question. We went back and they clarified with us that church was at 9 and that we could stop by for them. They then asked what time and we said at 8:15 we would stop by and they said okay they would come(the mother and daughter). So on Sunday we stopped by and the mother and daughter were almost completely ready by the time we knocked on the door. So we were so excited! Then in church we had another investigator show up with his two daughters and this investigator only has one arm. I dont understand the whole story so I wont try to explain it haha, but he attended church and we could have these three people baptized on the first Saturday of Enero! Which is the 3rd of January which is also my cumple mes!  Cumple mes is the day that you entered the CCM and you celebrate it every month! Also, that is our last week in this change! so we are hoping for three baptisms then!

So not much more happened. Today I recieved a letter from mom, from grandpa, and from Colton. I would like to thank you so much for the letters and for the support. Grandpa, keep reading the Book of Mormon. If you have any questions on any big words you can ask my mom and dad. I know you graduated from Miami! haha, jk! love you guys! Everything's going good here. The language is coming along and I really dont worry about it any more. I have already seen the help of the spirit in lessons when I teach and testify.

Also, I have read letters from the Bradford family, the Nilsen family, the Pacheco family, from Brie, Shelby, Emily and Sarah, and from the swim team! Thank you so much for the letters! Each letter means so much to me. Also, I dont know when my other package will arrive.

Love you guys,

Elder Flygare