In other words, we are loaded on beans and toilet paper.

So we now have a singles ward and another ward? Is the other ward even from our stake? So Guatemala is getting pretty unsettled. The elections are this Sunday and the citizens are about to explode. The president they have now is corrupt and is stealing money put he is not be put on trial, so the people are going nuts over it. they are trying to get him taken out before elections so they are blocking off streets and having manifestations (that is when people parade the streets with posters and torches and stuff), so no one will vote so there can be no new president, but there will be one. If there is a new one the "Experts" are saying there will be a Golpe de Estado (when I put it in google translate, something in France just pops up). Golpe de Estado is basically just when the people fight against the leaders. Last time this happened they had to rewrite their constitution.We had to buy a food supply this week for the next week in case things get too hectic and we have to stay in our house all week playing Uno or something- In other words, we are loaded on beans and toilet paper. we cant leave Sunday either (day of the elections). We will go to church and then go back home. It's pretty exciting to learn about Guatemalan politics, they have like 20 political parties that are all popular, unlike us, we just have 2. We ended up making our own Political party too called MECHO (i am not sure really how to spell it, but it means faired skinned people but not gringo). I am also glad that we have 4 missionaries living in the house so when we are in the house there is more people instead of it just being my companion and I. My new companion is great though. He is a hard working and a smart missionary. I do still live with Elder Cook (I mean he still lives with me), and I am still the district leader. this change I got two new areas in my district so I am now in charge of 6 areas. that is half the zone and right now we have the biggest zone in the mission with 12 areas. That is so strange that Chase is leaving to the mission. it makes me sad that I will have to wait two years to see him now. Thanks for everything. I have to go.

Bret

I eat meat from who knows what part of what animal

This was a super awesome week. Elder Hermano Jared Fuentes (I am still not sure what to call him, just take two of those names and you might be right) left and returned home. That kid was really funny. We also had changes this week and I am not training, not sure why, I thought I would be, but I have my new companion with me and he is awesome. His name is Elder Méndez and he is from Honduras. He has only one more change than me on the mission. My old companion, Elder Cook, is training a gringo and it is kinda fun to watch him and see him... adapt I think would be the word? It reminds me of when I first got here. We also now have 4 people living in the house which life kind of a party when we are home. It is also helping the area out a lot. Our dats (dinner appts) are not twice as good -they are three times as good because there is just a kind of help you get when there are two missionaries in the ward even though you don’t work in the same area we split the area in half. Sorry, I don’t have pictures of any of this though.

 This week we also got to see Elder Russell M. Nelson talk. He was going to go to Xela and we were going to see him talk in person, but something happened and he couldn’t come so he did a live broadcast in Honduras to those missionaries and our mission got to watch it. He said somethings that I will never forget and it strengthened my testimony of the living prophet and apostles. One thing he said was that he had a grandson go on the mission and when he got back he couldn’t talk English anymore. He said that it made him really sad that he couldn’t speak in English anymore because that meant he did not use his language study time to teach his companions English like he was supposed to. That made all the gringos cringe a little. He also told us that God is very unpleased that there are more men in the church that do not have the Melchizedek priesthood than those who do. He also told us as missionaries that "I am not asking you guys for baptisms or converts, I am asking you guys to prepare people to go to the temple." when he said that it really changed my perspective on less actives.   Well, my area now is the area that we were not working on too much so we didn’t have too much going on in our area, but this week we were able to find a family and two other people accepted dates for baptism. We still don’t have much but I am sure that by the end of this week we will have a lot to do. we also have a baptismal date for this week, he is completely good to go, he just says that if he can receive a stronger testimony through prayer this week he will get baptized with another kid that the other Alameda area is going to baptize this weeks. Please pray for him. His name is Antonio. well, I have a District leader meeting this week, so I have to go back to Reu this week to so I will probably eat Taco Bell at least once this week and think of dad and Joey and tacos.

 Ummm, as far as eating, I am eating the normal Guatemalan stuff. I am growing a secret love for platanos though. It might be something that I miss when I get home. So maybe you can figure out how to whip me up a plantano shake? But ya, I am just eating beans, rice, (I am kinda advoiding tortillas and tamales, I am kinda done with them), bread, platanos, caldo (it is a soup that is just water, grease, and vegetables), potatoes, salads of cucumbers, corn,,peas,,carrots, and sometimes lettuce, and I eat meat from who knows what part of what animal, but ya that is kinda it.  Thanks for always making me try food.  Sorry I didn’t eat all your vegetables.  I will now.

 The apartment is really good. where we live is where a senior couple stayed for like5 years or something and they left all the stuff they bought here so we have a washer machine and dryer, a really big bed (but Elder Cook has it), some carpet (I am still awe stricken about that), sofas, and a microwave and a real oven. We are living like kings here in Alameda.

 I don’t know if I will ever leave the mountains, I am not too concerned about it though. I do think that if I do leave though, I will come back 2 or 3 changes after.

I am District Lider Mecham!

He is small- Like grandma Niccum small

The Mini Missionary is the coolest Chapin I have met

It was a fun week this week. Monday was a normal P-Day adventure and like normal we had a District Meeting Tuesday morning, but when we got home, we called to make sure we could still go to appointments and called to make new ones for the ones that fell. right as we finished and were about to head out, the Zone Leaders called us telling us that we had to get down to Reu for a meeting tomorrow. We then called everyone back to cancel and get to Rue as quick as we could. we almost got stuck in Xela over night, but we somehow found a bus (the last bus) that was leaving 20 minutes late because the driver left to buy food or something. We super lucked out though. We stayed the night at the Assistances house with some other missionaries that I knew because they are dying so they went to the temple for the last time with the President. The reunion was for all those who are going to train this change, and me and my companion were asked to train (or at least go to the training meeting). The whole time they were telling us that we MIGHT train, but there were 24 people there and there are 24 new missionaries coming in and we also ended up writing a letter to our kids. So ya, I would say I am training. I am excited to train, kinda.  It just kinda depends on if my kid will want to work and how obedient he will be. We also found a kid this week that wants to get baptized and has accepted a date to do it. Him and his sister (and her boyfriend) went to church too. Their parents are encouraging him to get baptize but they don’t want to take the step themselves, but I got at least six weeks more to bother them about it. The Mini Missionary is the coolest Chapin I have met. He is really funny and really baggy (trunky). It is a good thing he is dying this Wednesday. 

I have decided to lay off the chocolate.

This week we got a call in the morning telling us that me and my companion are going to be split up and that we are going to receive mini missionaries. We spent the morning completely changing the house so two more missionaries could come. Only one showed up and from what I have heard, the other one bailed out, so we only have one mini missionary right now, so we are in a trio. The mini missionaries name is Jared Fuentes, and he lives in Tecunoman, the hottest zone in the mission, so he is dying from the cold at night. He is actually doing better in it that i thought he would. Right now we are focusing on finding new people to teach, so I am excited about that. I have decided to lay off the chocolate. my acne has gotten better but it is not gone and every Latino that has ever gone in the house and has seen my bags of chocolate kisses always tells me that it is the reason why I have acne, and I have been eating kisses and snickers since forever so I am deciding on laying off it a little and seeing if my skin will get better in the meantime. I did divisions this week with an elder ad he told me that his mom is crazy obsessed with a theory that the book of Mormon took place around Ohio and that there were elephants in America (the Book of Mormon proves it) I think I will look up a little about that. I am glad the dog is doing better and it sounds like your Boston trip is awesome.  I wish I could go to the museum of Science sometime.  I would love that.  The experience really was wasted on you.  You should go the museum of books.  Oh right, the bookstore.  You do that all the time.