tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21435335856215821672024-03-19T05:54:09.653-04:00Loving Life in GuatemalaUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-12071075771218023572012-05-17T08:18:00.002-04:002012-05-17T08:18:55.546-04:00May 16...God does answer prayers, we just need to be patient sometimes<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Hey family!</span><br />
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First off, I would love to run the half marathon in August. It might destroy me and skinny famished body, but I will do my best. Just kidding I`m not famished, I`m just skinny thank you to the good `ol Guatemalan coast. Also Mom, it is only a few hours from one end of our mission to the other in car, I wouldn`t be able to tell you how many, and the roads depend on where you are just like the States. The "freeways" are generally good, some little downs have stone paved roads, others are just dirt and rocks,etc.</div>
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I can`t believe Anne is in my country. No, I haven`t renounced my citizenship in the United States I`ve just claimed another country as my own. I love hearing about her first experiences there, I remember how weird it is. I`m praying for her and I hope that all is well.</div>
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This week was really really humbling and gratifying all at the same time. From Monday to Friday, last week was extremely difficult and nothing went how we wanted ti to go. We were trying so hard and everything we were trying was falling through, everything was just going bad. I had this calm feeling that everything was going to work out, I just needed to wait. It didn`t get better immediately after my many prayers, but I that feeling that it would just be okay. To make a long story short, Saturday everyone was in their house when they said they would and we were able to invite many people to church. The most incredible thing was to see six investigators come to church after we had prayed so hard that the people we were teaching could be softened to go. Thomas and Michelle went, a new family we are teaching based off of a member referral (they are the Peña Corado family, and they are increidbly humble), and a man from the Dominican Republic named Dany that is really hard to understand. I felt so grateful Sunday as I saw that the Lord was blessing us for all our hard work, what I didn`t know is that is was going to get better.</div>
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We left Sunday after lunch to go work. An appointment fell through and we felt the need to go to the Peña`s house who had gone to church for the first time that day instead of go where we had planned. They are a family we found last week after a member named Marta gave us the referral; the father`s name is Douglas (dooglas), the mother`s name is Marìa and the kids are Carla (11), Alison (4), and Hessler (2). We stopped by and they let us in. We went in said a prayer, and just asked them how they felt in church. The spirit was there incredibly strong the moment we made the question. They said they felt something different, a peace that they hadn`t felt before. We asked them if they felt that this was their answer that they should be baptized. Douglas with incredible humility told us that is exactly what he wanted to do but he didn`t know if he was capable. We asked him to pray to see if this is what he should do the 27th and he kneeled down and prayed. The spirit was so strong, it was one of the most humble prayers I`ve ever heard. We asked them how they felt and they both wanted to do it.</div>
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After that we went to our appointement with Thomas and Michelle. TO make a long story short. We asked him if in his time he had felt the need to be baptized. He said that he wanted to. They are now going to be baptized the 27th. We are so grateful for how the Lord has blessed us in this week. God answers prayers, but in his time.</div>
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Love,</div>
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Ben</div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-54823116566942107092012-05-17T08:15:00.002-04:002012-05-17T08:15:47.659-04:00May 8.... Another week gone by<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Hey family!</span><br />
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Mom`s questions: Coralia`s daughters are members and she doesn`t have a husband. Michelle is 13 (Thomas's daughter) Yes it has been very rare to teach educated people, but there a lot in my area because there is a lot of money here. Elder Ardon has 9 months and he is from San Pedro Sula, Honduras.</div>
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This week was very good for a few reasons. I feel like this week I made a few very good realizations about the area I`m in. It is interesting that the Lord has put me in an area where the work will be very foreign to how I worked in the coast for my last few months, but I am grateful, it has kept me learning and humble because everything is new. After contacting like crazy with Elder Ardon and having zero success one day, I felt the need to look through the Area Book again and really analyze it. I did and I noticed that the elders that have had success here have had success off of member references. I feel that the key to our work here will be short frequent contact with the members, because the "enter every house you contact" of the coast will not be too effective here. Elder Ardon and I have been praying to find new investigators that will progress (we can find a lot, but most are just being nice and don`t want to listen) and the Lord has been answering those prayers. One of the members opened up a residencial area called "Planes de Barcenas" that has never been touched. She got the board of the colony to sign a letter letting us proselyte there including knocking doors and everything. I will be going with my Zone Leader on divisions today to enter and work in the area where missionaries have never been before, something that will be fun to see. Also we have been using the members more and they have been giving us references. We are very excited about a few. I feel very confident that everything will work out in this area and that we will be shocked at how hard the Lord has been working so that we can see the success he wants us to have here.</div>
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Coralia was not baptized. She said that she wants to feel more ready. It is hard to see what is truly holding her back, but we will keep praying and being patient.</div>
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Thomas and Michelle love church. They are going to go on the temple visit this Saturday with the ward to see the temple. The wife still doesn`t want to go to church, but she listened to us for the first time Sunday. Thomas still has some strange ideas and doesn`t want to commit to be baptized, but the Lord is working with him, it is easy to see that.</div>
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I feel more and more grateful everyday for the personal relationship each and everyone of us can have with our Father in Heaven. We all have specific challenges, we all go through ups and downs, and feel like sometimes things are going how we would like. I know that God is real and that he answers prayers. In any moment that we have a question and feel like we cannot do this on our own, it is because we probably can`t as Elder Eyring said, but when we pray to God, everything will work out.</div>
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I love you all!</div>
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Ben</div>
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-I think I `m good with the car, lets do it!</div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-14387349454088974322012-05-17T08:11:00.000-04:002012-05-17T08:11:10.930-04:00May 2....I love life!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Hey everybody!</span><br />
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To answer Mom`s questions, yes I have normally have had hot showers, only in Jacarandas I didn`t have a water heater. As I have explained in other videos, they just attach an electric heater to the pipe. Dangerous yes, but it works. Also, I`m not in the same area just an area close to it. Maybe that was confusing. I am in the same ward building but in a different ward.</div>
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Well life has been great. In the district we are focusing a lot on praying and looking for answers. There are a lot of Elders that work really hard in the district and I think that if we recognize that we can`t do this without God, things will really take off. We talked about this in district meeting yesterday and Elder Ardon and I have been trying to put it in practice and have seen miracles happening, without really doing much.</div>
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First off, we have an investigator, Coralia the mother of some recent converts, that has been listening to the missionaries for 4 months now (or something like that) and has not wanted to be baptized. Last lesson we asked her to pray to know what she needed to do to be baptized, because she has wanted to do it, but just hasn`t felt ready. We went back last night after about a week of not being able to meet with her, and we asked her how it went with reading the Book of Mormon. With a big grin on her face she told us, "really good, I`m ready to be baptized." She is very excited and said she wants to pray to know if she should do it this weekend or another weekend in May and based on her past experiences we didn`t push it we just said okay. We`re going to see how it went today.</div>
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Second, the other elders had about a month with an investigator named Thomas when I got into the area. We invited him to church this last weekend and he went with his daughter. He is a very educated psychologist and is very well known in the town. We went this morning to teach him and he really liked church and read all of 1st Nephi. He said he really wants to know if it is true because he is so tired of all the twisted doctrine he has seen.</div>
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I feel like we haven`t done much, but everything is just happening. The family that went to church, hasn`t really progressed, but we will see if they go this weekend.</div>
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I just wanted to share what has been on my mind lately. I feel like so much unneeded stress is had when we do what is one of the greatest human weaknesses or that is, compare ourselves to others. This is what we all know as pride. I have been thinking a lot about how necessary it is to have an eternal perspective and remember that this life is a race where not speed, but endurance is what matters. We can all get to the end and will get to the end as we are obediant, patient, and diligent. SOmetimes we need to pick others up along the way and others we need to get a little shove or help from somebody else. I feel so grateful to know that we have the hope that we will all be with God one day as his children.</div>
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I love this gospel and the comfort, security, and confidence it brings to <u>all</u> God`s children.</div>
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Love,</div>
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Ben</div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-76137068950530471562012-02-28T15:46:00.000-05:002012-02-28T15:46:01.161-05:00Another week of happiness!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">Hey everybody,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">First things first, yes I DID recieve the package from the young women and wanted to write them a thank you card, but I am so backed up on writing letters I feel they would understand if I just told them through email. I loved what you sent me, it was very appreciated, and the latin elders in my district LOVED the american candy even though they were holding their stomachs afterwards. I also recieved the calender Mom, I love it, it is hanging up.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">So this week Doris hit a big mile stone- she recieved her sure answer that all that we have been teaching was true. She was buying tortillas at a tortilleria (tortilla shop) and she turned around and saw us walking by. With a lot of excitement in her voice she yelled out "¡Elderes!" and ran over to us. She was so excited and I asked her what happened. She said, "It´s true! I know it is true!" She said the night before she was reading the Book of Mormon wondering why the elders wanted her to read and pray so bad. She said she liked the church and was content just going like she was, why did she need to pray? She opened the book and said she started having a lot of questions, why this book?, why Jospeh Smith?, etc. she flipped to 2 Nephi 28 and just started reading. She said she was filled with the desire to know if all of this was true. She said that she read the chapter with the question (or prayer I would call it) in her mind, "is this true?" She said she read some verses that filled her with a desire to change completely and totally, to be a good Mom, to go to church, to be baptized. She said it felt so good, there is no way it couldn´t be true. She said she started to tell her family that everything would be different and that she was going to be better. She had a new radiance that we hadn´t seen before.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">She wants to be baptized so bad. We just need to talk more iwth her husband Daniel so that they can get married. He wants to, but just needs a little motivation. He is very closed. He is friendly, but he does not want to open himself to the possiblity that this is possibly true. We will be praying for him to be softened a little. His wife and daughters want to be baptized so bad, I know that the Lord will make it possible.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">This week other than that has been very good. We have so many possiblities for baptism in this month that I don´t have enough time to write about all of them. They are all good people and are sincerely trying to know. The members and our investigators have presented us to their friends and family and we are so excited for how this month is going to turn out. We are trying to do our best and plan effectively so that we can help them progress. I love you all very much and hope you have agreat day.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">Love,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br />
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This last week has been fantastic aside from the fact that I currently feel feverish without the desire to eat anything (I ate Guatemalan´s version of Ramen soup today, that is about it). We have been working hard and have been seeing progress with certain investigators. José continues preparing himself for baptism (he still struggles with the idea of tithing, but he said he is going to forget it for now and trust that he will feel it is right later), and we have about 6 other people that we strongly feel can potentially get baptized (probably when I´m not here). The Lord knows what he is doing. I have been praying to find those who are chosen for my entire time here and even though it didn´t come right away we feel that all this is a direct answer to our prayers.</div><div> </div><div>I want to share two experiences we had with 2 of these people. One of the men that we are very excited about is Francisco. It is interesting because he is very very well off and usually there isn´t a chance in the world that someone like him will accept our message, yet he let us right in and is extremely sincere. He is a 57 year old man that has grown up in the Catholic church but only goes because that is what he knows. There are some things that are taught that he doesn´t agree with in the church, and he wanted to hear more about the "mormons" so that is why he let us in. He has had a true desire to know and has been reading the Book of Mormon very diligently (underlining and marking it as he goes) and wants to know. He said that he feels right now he might not be recieving a clear answer that this is true becaue he said he has fear of changing he church, this is what he has known and what his entire family is a part of. He is very close to all of his family and he says the pressure would make it difficult to change. Yet inspite of all this he trusts two 20 year boys with his religious questions and is diligently searching. He wants to have the truth and I know that is why he will have it. It is amazing what happens as someone humbly keeps his commitments. He is the example of someone who diligently is seeking to know because he has always wanted to know the truth.</div><div> </div><div>On the other hand we are teaching a family (it is possible that I already mentioned them) that was kind of surprised by our message but are very interested. The father´s name is Rocael and the mother´s name is Vilma (v is pronounced like a b). In only the third lesson we had an experience that is almost unheard of. The lesson before we had asked them to pray to know if what we are teaching is true. The next lesson we asked if they had prayed. Rocael immediately said yes. We were shocked, usually the answer is "yeah, I always pray." or "kind of...", but he said with certainty, yes, and we asked him how he felt. He said he felt a peace that he hadn´t felt before, something different. He said he wanted to know more. We asked him if he thought this was an answer that he should be baptized. He said yes. They still haven´t gone to church, but the spirit that we felt when he was telling us this let us know that this family was chosen. He says he has fear of change, but he knows that it is the only way to make his life better and that he is willing to do it. His wife is also interested but she hasn´t recieved an answer like he has. They are going to go to church this Sunday so I will let you know what happens.</div><div> </div><div>This gospel is true. Life gets rough sometimes but the only way we can be happy is by trusting in God and having faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ. I´m grateful for what we have. It is amazing that we can tell and testify to people that we know this is the church of Jesus Christ, clearly and simply. It is a unique message that isn´t heard anywhere else becuase it is true. I don´t know why I was lucky enough to be born into a knowledge of the truth, but I´m grateful for that fact. I don´t feel very well so please keep me in your prayers.</div><div> </div><div>Love,</div><div>Ben</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-48992505076398964172011-10-20T08:07:00.000-04:002011-10-20T08:12:41.378-04:00October 11....Elder Cruz was sick :(<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: medium; "><table class="Bs nH iY" cellpadding="0" style="position: relative; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); width: 1084px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><tbody><tr><td class="Bu" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: top; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><div class="nH if" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0px; "><div class="nH"><div class="nH hx" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding-top: 4px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 8px; "><div class="nH"><div class="h7 ie nH oy8Mbf" style="clear: both; padding-bottom: 0px; "><div class="Bk" style="position: relative; margin-bottom: 10px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-right-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-left-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-bottom-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-top-width: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 7px 7px; border-top-right-radius: 7px 7px; border-bottom-right-radius: 7px 7px; border-bottom-left-radius: 7px 7px; width: 835px; "><div class="G3 G2" style="padding-top: 3px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(188, 188, 188); border-bottom-color: rgb(188, 188, 188); border-left-color: rgb(188, 188, 188); border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(188, 188, 188); border-top-left-radius: 7px 7px; border-top-right-radius: 7px 7px; border-bottom-right-radius: 7px 7px; border-bottom-left-radius: 7px 7px; "><div><div id=":19l"><div class="HprMsc mNrSre"><div class="gs"><div id=":18e" class="ii gt" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; padding-bottom: 20px; position: relative; z-index: 2; "><div id=":18n"><div>Hey everybody,</div><div><br /></div><div>To start off I of course will answer Mom´s questions. If you don´t understand that I always do this, shame on you for not reading my past emails, and thank you for starting with this one that´s very kind of you. Anyways transfers as they call them in the States is scheduled for November 3rd I believe, which means that yes, I will be there for José´s baptism which makes me very excited. Also Mom, you asked if I have made good relationships in the office. More than anything I have became close to Elder Lydiksen, Elder Cruz, and Elder Petersen two of which have left. It is an interesting life being in the office, you learn a lot and learn not to go crazy with other people while at the same time not driving them crazy because you are with each other so much. Other question, I found a pair of boots in this house and I have used them a couple of times because the streets literally turn into rivers when it rains hard. We are about to end the rainy season, but the weird thing is I have come to appreciate the variety in the weather that the rain brings. There aren´t too many remote villages in our mission but up in the mountains it gets pretty remote. There are a lot of areas with no paved roads but the majority of my areas have had at least half of the roads paved. To end you asked if I think the Elder was fishing for a dinner invitation, yes, I think he was. You should make him eggs and beans and put cream on it and tell him, "I wanted you to experience what my son does when he gets invited to dinner." Everyone will have a good laugh I´m sure. In my mission I usually haven´t eaten dinner with members just because it can be misuse of time when teaching appointments are so easy to have and we don´t have a dinner hour. I had done it sometimes, but they members are never ready at the set hour and it sometimes can ruin the rest of the appointments we have for the night so I have just decided not to do it. President Brough has actually just made a rule that we need to have an investigator there if we are going to eat. I´m fine with that.</div><div> </div><div>Anway this week was interesting because Elder Cruz was sick. He has asthma (its spelled something like that) and because of a cold he had bronchitis which is a bad combination. The doctor told him he had to be in the house until today so it was a very strange week. We still went to about 2 teaching appointments each day (don´t worry I wasn´t killing my companion we just planned it so it was in the bus route and he didn´t need to walk) so it wasn´t TOO bad, but it is strange when something happens like this because it is as if the work loses it´s urgency. We worked all of Sunday and yesterday though, so we are getting back into the swing of things. We are just lucky that we are secretaries because I would have gotten very anxious just being in the house that long. He´s better now though and ready to work, as am I, so this week is going to be amazing.</div><div> </div><div>Due to that I don´t have a whole lot to update you on, but Jose is still coming along, he just has some doubts about tithing. He has seen how tithing is so abused in other places he has visited where the funds are not used for the right purpose and this makes him very skeptical when a church tithes. He understands it is in the scriptures and through a living prophet he is saying this is how he wants it to be, but he says it is still hard to accept. He´s progressing with that though and said that he is going to pray to know if this is what God wants. It´s interesting that a testimony of a certain principle of the gospel almost always requires effort on our part and that AFTER the trial of our faith, comes the testimony as it says in Ether. We explained to him that sometimes we don´t exactly know why God has commanded something, but we follow it because he has, and always we start to gain a testimony and understanding of that particular principle as we start to live it. He will get it, he just needs a little time.</div><div> </div><div>Anyways this week we are going to work very hard and find the "nice guys" which is Elder Cruz´s way of saying positive investigators. I know the nice guys are out there, I just hope to be able to find some so that Elder Cruz and his new companion can have success in this area after I leave. I love you all and thank you for all your support always.</div><div> </div><div>Ben</div><div style="font-size: 13px; "></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-43309244478353002702011-10-20T07:56:00.000-04:002011-10-20T08:07:48.616-04:00October 5...General Conference is just as good in Guatemala as it is in the United States if not better!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9cdwOeRQVqIuIVghOvq5TPib2CuxR-Fk39l4kNNsfgNc89FcH99nB4PNF9t8BPv_BZsdiOl5lLUJRxktha8hPUcY7pKwe70uyzP2VQLkFlRDgKJMVZ3K2NIf13V1dntGCLbvCQOoFyvyp/s1600/100_0215.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9cdwOeRQVqIuIVghOvq5TPib2CuxR-Fk39l4kNNsfgNc89FcH99nB4PNF9t8BPv_BZsdiOl5lLUJRxktha8hPUcY7pKwe70uyzP2VQLkFlRDgKJMVZ3K2NIf13V1dntGCLbvCQOoFyvyp/s400/100_0215.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665544575174963058" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">The happy winners of the cleaning check....Bacon for breakfast!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUUvQEy-gRygNfV_XhHZDj5ujoHATm2PrKm8_blij12-VpbLqBZ9i_2Ez_PV5OD69bEzrf04YZUnTcZRIhneKw250ZHGz0193KutJ2BPnfFjJcERtb5ex5dKjbro0GnNUZhuh8saQTPRP/s1600/100_0216.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUUvQEy-gRygNfV_XhHZDj5ujoHATm2PrKm8_blij12-VpbLqBZ9i_2Ez_PV5OD69bEzrf04YZUnTcZRIhneKw250ZHGz0193KutJ2BPnfFjJcERtb5ex5dKjbro0GnNUZhuh8saQTPRP/s400/100_0216.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665544566284394594" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:medium;"><table class="Bs nH iY" cellpadding="0" style="position: relative; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); width: 1084px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><tbody><tr><td class="Bu" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: top; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><div class="nH if" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0px; "><div class="nH"><div class="nH hx" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding-top: 4px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 8px; "><div class="nH"><div class="h7 " style="clear: both; padding-bottom: 0px; "><div class="Bk" style="position: relative; margin-bottom: 10px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-right-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-left-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-bottom-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-top-width: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 7px 7px; border-top-right-radius: 7px 7px; border-bottom-right-radius: 7px 7px; border-bottom-left-radius: 7px 7px; width: 835px; "><div class="G3 G2" style="padding-top: 3px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(188, 188, 188); border-bottom-color: rgb(188, 188, 188); border-left-color: rgb(188, 188, 188); border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(188, 188, 188); border-top-left-radius: 7px 7px; border-top-right-radius: 7px 7px; border-bottom-right-radius: 7px 7px; border-bottom-left-radius: 7px 7px; "><div><div id=":21z"><div class="HprMsc mNrSre"><div class="gs"><div id=":sw" class="ii gt" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; padding-bottom: 20px; position: relative; z-index: 2; "><div id=":sx"><div>Hello Pearson Family (excluding myself of course that would be silly to greet myself),</div><div><br /></div><div>This week was obviously incredible considering we had general conference. The best news is that Jose went and loved it! He said he would follow the words of these men. He said he felt they were called of God to lead the true church of Christ here in the earth. He is progressing everyday and it is exciting to see. He always goes to church with Roberto the previously inactive member and Roberto helps him understand and is helping him progress. He is getting so excited for his baptism and is taking it very seriously.</div><div> </div><div>I on the other hand was very uplifted by this conference and learned a lot. One of the talks that particularly stood out to me was Elder L. Whitney Clayton´s about the growth of the church. It is humbling to think that I am a small part of the rapid growth of the true church of Christ. It is growing so fast, and I have been called to help that growth here in Guatemala. He bore powerful testimony about how this growth will never stop and even though it seems as if the work is hard at times, you always need to look back and see where the chruch was 50 years ago. The quote by Joseph Smith about the growth of the church never fails to amaze me. It is incredible that as a prophet of God he could foretell how this church was going to grow. I can imagine it would be slightly hard to believe what he said sitting in that room, but look at where we are today.</div><div> </div><div>Among many other talks that I enjoyed, one that particulary touched me was Elder Hales´ talk. I think it had a lot to do with the stark contrast of his weakened state and how powerful his talk was. I entered the conference with a question that through him I was able to have answered. His explanation of waiting on the Lord was able to help me understand patience and faith. This is an active waiting that he is describing, a patience that requires action and faithfulness to the commandments of God. We ask, we act in faith, we wait. The Lord knows what is best for us and the Lord will answer in his way in his time. Our part is to show the Lord that we are doing everything that he has asked us to do.</div><div> </div><div>The talks of the Presidency of course impressed me. President Uchtdorf´s unfailing optimism, President Monson´s declaration of how truth and values cannot be changed or comprimised, and President Eyring´s humbleness really lifted me. I´ve said it before but I know that this church is led by prophets of God. I have a firm but growing testimony that although these men are simple they are inspired and more importantly they are called to do what they are doing. Our role is to support and apply what they say. I know this is Christ´s church. I don´t know everything, but I do know I feel that is true everytime I testify about it, and everytime I learn more about it. We are lucky to live when we do.</div><div> </div><div>Anyway, the other big news is that President came out of his office with a grin on his face and said "Elder Pearson, I got done with house inspections looked at my board, and I just knew where you were going this next change! You can´t know but I just wanted to let you know that I knew." This was followed by a malicious laugh. Not really, but he did laugh at the fact that I knew and he didn´t, something that is actually not funny. It´s only funny if I know things that other people don´t know, not when they know what I don´t. I guess Elder Cruz is ready and I get to leave the office this next change. That made me pretty happy. I´m going to savor language, personal, and companionship study. This replaces the current savoring of bacon that I do in the office, but I´ll take the trade. It makes me wonder what he has in mind though.</div><div> </div><div>Other than that we won house checks which means we won the breakfast and we made it Saturday morning before conference. It was delicious and huge. I didn´t eat lunch. I will send pictures of it.</div><div> </div><div>I hope you are all doing well and know that I love you!</div><div> </div><div>-Ben</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:medium;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-60809392650288234502011-10-20T07:54:00.001-04:002011-10-20T08:29:31.847-04:00September 29<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:medium;"><table class="Bs nH iY" cellpadding="0" style="position: relative; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); width: 1084px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><tbody><tr><td class="Bu" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: top; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><div class="nH if" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0px; "><div class="nH"><div class="nH hx" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding-top: 4px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 8px; "><div class="nH"><div class="h7 " style="clear: both; padding-bottom: 0px; "><div class="Bk" style="position: relative; margin-bottom: 10px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-right-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-left-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-bottom-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-top-width: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 7px 7px; border-top-right-radius: 7px 7px; border-bottom-right-radius: 7px 7px; border-bottom-left-radius: 7px 7px; width: 835px; "><div class="G3 G2" style="padding-top: 3px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(188, 188, 188); border-bottom-color: rgb(188, 188, 188); border-left-color: rgb(188, 188, 188); border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(188, 188, 188); border-top-left-radius: 7px 7px; border-top-right-radius: 7px 7px; border-bottom-right-radius: 7px 7px; border-bottom-left-radius: 7px 7px; "><div><div id=":tp"><div class="HprMsc mNrSre"><div class="gs"><div id=":22s" class="ii gt" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; padding-bottom: 20px; position: relative; z-index: 2; "><div id=":22r"><div style="text-align: left; ">Family,</div><div style="text-align: left; ">I hope you know that is what I write into my "To" bar because I figured out my contact thing and you have now lost your individuality in my book. You are now a congregated group in my mind. Sorry. Anyways to answer Mom´s questions... Jorge is doing fantastic as always, he is getting ready to put his mission papers in this August which is the best news he could have given me when he wrote me back. Also yes the Brough´s have one 14 year old child named Ganzie. I get to see her every once in awhile and I try to talk to her, but I think it is weird for her. I forgot it is strange for 14 year old girls to talk to 20 year old boys. I guess being a missionary in another country has kind of made me forgot these things because the young teengage girls in Guatemala are just friendly and not shy (a little too friendly at times as I´m sure you can imagine, I don´t know what the appeal of white skin is, but supposedly it is strong enough to overpower the negative effect my glasses have on most women). Also the Area Presidency has a new thing where they don´t want the mission to have a blog so Sister Brough won´t be doing that. It is looking like I will leave this change (maybe 5 weeks) but it just depends on how big President thinks the Christmas activity will be, because he really wants it to go smoothly. He wants for me so bad to get out to the field again, but at the same time he doesn´t want any headaches this Christmas season. We´ll see. Elder Cruz is doing a good job, but he often feels overwhelmed. We´ll be working with him though. He does a good job, organization is just hard for him.</div><div> </div><div style="text-align: left; ">Anyway I don´t have a whole lot to write because I just barely wrote you but I do want to include one thing. This Sunday after Jose went to church we had a lesson with him and as I have always said the change in someone who starts to act on what they feel is incredible. Everything he was saying was very correct (he has fell in love with the Gospel Principles book) and he is talking about how he has finally decided just to tell the people in his life that would maybe be holding him back from baptism that he wants to change and that he is going to be baptized the 29th of October because God wants him to. I think that has been the biggest change. Before he questioned the why of everything, but now he just feeling the peace of, "I know this true, it´s what God wants, so I´ll do it." Of course he still mentions a crazy dream he had, but we tend just to ignore it which doesn´t bother him. Hey I can´t complain with all the progress he has made.</div><div> </div><div style="text-align: left; ">This week we have house checks and Sister and President Brough have devised a scheme where the cleanest house wins bacon. It is incredible the power that bacon has on people becuase these have been the cleanest houses I´ve ever seen on my mission. We´ll see how the rest of them are.</div><div> </div><div style="text-align: left; ">Anyways I´m doing well, working hard, and loving being on a schedule again. Have a great week.</div><div> </div><div style="text-align: left; ">Love,</div><div style="text-align: left; ">Ben</div><div style="font-size: 13px; "></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-91732698677624216932011-09-14T11:12:00.000-04:002011-09-14T11:14:47.048-04:00Bob Esponja<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><div>Hola muchachos,</div><div><br /></div><div>Did you know Spongebob was called Bob Esponja in spanish? People love him down here. The funny thing is I love him down here too. Not that I watch it, but my love for Spongebob has been carried with me from one country to the next.</div><div> </div><div>This week was a good week, and we are beginning another change week which I feel much more prepared for this time around. We found out changes yesterday whcih is always good fun, and President and Sister Brough invited us over for breakfast this morning to talk about a few organizational things we needed to talk about. I ate 4 pieces of bacon, 4 more pieces of bacon than I have eaten with a breakfast in a long time. It was good time. So we are preparing for that and getting all the transportation together for the next week with all the new missionaries and the missionaries that are going home or the "baggies" as the mission lingo calls them.</div><div> </div><div>In this week we have been able to see some progress. I would like to share something we have seen with a less active member named Roberto as nothing significant has happened with Jose, he continues going to church, but he continues to have strange ideas and doesn´t want to set a date for baptism. It has been amazing to see the progress with Roberto. We have been visting him for about a month and it was "well we have nothing else to do visit" because so many missionaries had tried with Roberto. Elder Lydiksen told me he was essentially a lost cause and couldn´t stop drinking. We visited him and didn´t hink much about it.</div><div> </div><div>When Elder Cruz came and a cita fell through that we had around his house I thought I would give another try. We taught something to Roberto and he expressed a strong desire to come back to church but he thought it was too difficult. We had finally found something to work with. In the next few lessons we started to talk about why he was baptized and what his desires were for his future. He expressed a strong desire to go to the temple, something that kind of threw us for a loop. This man who we had found drunk in the street 3 days before had a desire to go the temple. We went from there and started trying to get him to go to church promising him that as he did his part and occupied his time with good things, he would be able to get over drinking. 2 Sundays ago he finally went. He was incredibly nervous because he had been away for so long and stuck to the missionaries (even thouhg everyone in the ward was incredibly happy to see him) and from there everything has changed. We visited him that very afternoon and found him reading his scriptures (with his shirt off with his fat guatemalan belly hanging out, very typical of older men here). We asked him how church was and he said ti was great. He talked to us of how he had never recieved the second priesthood and really wanted to by this October. He said he felt the need to change his work as that was what was cuasing him to drink a lot. The very next day he went out in search of a new job and much to his surprise within 2 days he had found work that had a set schedule, and now he feels such little temptation. It is always humbling to see what real repentance his. Someone changing his mindset and attitude to be closer to God. He seems so much happier and has a hope now that he is returning to church. It is too bad hiswfie doesn´t want to. Anyways that has really impressed me in the last 2 weeks and I thought you would like to hear about it.</div><div> </div><div>I´m doing well, and I hope everyone else is doing well back on the homefront. Take care and have a great week.</div><div> </div><div>Love,</div><div>Ben</div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span></span></p></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-1248573600844054542011-09-08T08:58:00.000-04:002011-09-08T09:01:24.839-04:00September 7, 2011 Email - it's what you do!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hello everybody,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I don´t have to much to write this week, but Mom I would like to tell you that I got my package and it was amazing. Thank you everybody! I really like getting new pictures. Don´t take this the wrong way, but chubby babies with their shirts off are cute. Will looks like he is such a happy baby and Ioved seeing everybody together. The whole family looks super skinny, especially Brad. Keep up the good work and don´t make fun of me if I´m fat when I get back. Other than that my companion and I loved the candy and the book of course was as good as the first time. You all think frequently and that means a lot. Anyways to answer Mom´s 2 questions Jose is 37 and Alba´s daughter is just mean, she is short-tempered, yells, and just complains all the time. I wish she could turn around because it doesn´t look as if she will be leaving the house anytime soon.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyway this week has been great. We are finally finding a balance of work in the office and in the area. Last week both of the companionships in the office had 17 lessons which is unheard of. All it took was a lot of fighting to keep on schedule and some changes in organization thanks to a new President. It is never the same as having your own area, but it is great to see things improving. We are working and seeing things moving along in the area. Before we would stay late at night so we could have a free Saturday, but as President correctly guessed it is much more efficient to just leave at 3:30 everyday and go in Saturday morning if we absolutely need to. We have been having a lot of lessons and we are seeing some progress so that is gratifying.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We have also been working a lot with the english of Elder Cruz. It always make me laugh when he speaks in spanish in the house (against the new only english in the house rule) and we say "what? sorry we only speak english" and he says "awhh, come on guys" but in his latin accent. He always says whaaaaat!? and it never fails to make me laugh. It might not sound that funny but you just need to hear him. His english is improving, but he gets frustrated and impatient, the reason why most latins fail to learn english on their mission. It is a good opportunity because we are basically making him learn. He´s a good sport though so it all works out. I´m also trying to push him here in the office. He is a very inteligent personso he can work and do what you tell him to, but I´m slightly worried about when I leave because organizing and figuring out the most efficient way to do things is very foreign to him just because of the background he comes from. President told me to put him in charge next change (my last change) of basically everything so </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I´m trying to explain everything so he can do the calendar, schedule, etc. and not need me to tell him what to do.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Other than that, we just have Jose. Jose has proved to have some strange ideas. He has "recieved dreams" telling him that he needs to fix the corruption in the churches. He recognizes the need for change but he somehow thinks he has been called to do it. First time I´ve seen that in Guatemala among many of the the interesting things I´ve seen. We have had some very direct lessons with him and I think we have helped him to see that God has already called his representative here on the earth to keep the order of his church, and that all of that falls back on the fact that Joseph Smith was a prophet, which the Book of Mormon is evidence of. He still wants to go to church and says he knows the Book of Mormon of true but due to his interesting ideas he has a hard time accepting Joseph Smith. I think he will progress if we continue to be clear and control his rants.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Well I love this church and know that it´s true. I love the people it has given me the chance to meet, and this incredible experience that it has allowed me to have. I hope everyone has a great week.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Love,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ben</span></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-15728731703653798642011-09-08T08:49:00.000-04:002011-09-08T08:58:27.064-04:00August 31, 2011 - A Good Week!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hello family,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I´m just writing you collectively today so you don´t have to wait until tomorrow and I will write a few lucky individuals tomorrow. Deal? Deal. I will ever take advantage of the fact that someone cannot say no to a deal in an email. A downside of progressing technology (not as practical in a text). Anyways I am very excited to hear about Dad´s new calling, he will do a fantastic job, I know it. It is absolutely crazy that the girls have started their last school year before I get home. I´m getting old.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyway, I have a few things to let you know about. Do you remember one of my best converts Jorge? He is putting his his mission papers together! I have talked with the elders that have served in that area since and they have told me is so devoted and an example to most of the members. He gets to church early, goes to seminary AND institute, and is really taking everything in the church very seriously. I think to him it is almost a blessing not to have the support of his family because he completely believes in what the church leaders say and doesn´t fall into many of the family traditions that you often see in Guatemala that aren´t necessarily the worst things you could do, but they are small things that you wish the culture could get out of. He has talked in church, blesses the sacrement, and is very excited to go on his mission. Alba also wrote me and it made me really happy to know that she (a guatemalan widow who can´t sing a note) is in the ward choir and that she is very involved in the relief society. It is funny because she asked me to come to the ward conference to hear her sing, she is hard of memory and can´t remember that I told her I won´t be able to visit in these 2 years. She sad "I´m paying my tithing because God gives me life and my health and that makes me happy." It is sad because she wrote me asking me for a way to be able to leave on a mission when she hits a year (I don´t know how she got this idea) because her daughter is so cruel to her. She is old and can´t understand that I don´t have administative power in the church, but I hope her daughter really lets up on her. Also the Vasquez Family that I found on divisions with my District Leader contacting in Linda Vista (the ones where I felt strongly that they would be baptized, sorry if you don´t remember) have gone to church and are slowly but surely progressing. It is so gratifying to see the progress of the areas I left behind, I´m glad the Lord has put (or left, in the case of Elder Sarita) great missionaries in those areas so that everything can keep going well. I thought you would like to know that Elder Sarita is now training a north american, which made me happier than any other change I saw in the mission. He has by far been my favorite companion; I have so much respect for him because he is so humble and an all around incredible person. It is funny that he is training a gringo though because considerig the fact that it was hard for me to understand his Dominican Republic Spanish with 10 months in my mission, it will be a struggle with his new companion. I gave him one piece of advice for his time as a trainer in the change meeting, "Elder Sarita, solamente tengo un consejo, hable despacio." This means "Elder Sarita, I have some advice, talk slow." He laughed and agreed to do so. He´ll do a great job as a trainer.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As for my current area, Jose went to church! We are very excited about that fact. We have come to find that he has some strange ideas though with regards to recieving an answer that these things are true. He always goes back to dreams he has had in his life and what he thinks they mean which results in us redirecting him to the basic doctrines of the Book of Mormon, baptism, and a knowledge of Joseph Smith as the Prophet of the Restoration. When we can talk about these things he agrees, but we can tell he is thinking about something else. We have decided he doesn´t really understand the Book of Mormon and the importance it has in recieving an answer about the truthfulness of what we teach. We will for sure be going over that before we move on. The good thing is that he likes church (which is good especially since some things I see and hear make me cringe when I have investigators with me), and he says he will be coming every week. We are really trying to work members more and we have 3 or 4 references that the members are inviting to church, a lesson in their house, or something like that so we hope we´ll find some people through the members in this coming week.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So I´m loving being a missionary, hearing progress of people and seeing the results of my work from times when maybe I thought everything wasn´t going that well is really rewarding. I´m trying to work hard, and even though President has gotten after me a lot for a few little miscommunications in this week I´m doing just swell haha. I hope everyone is doing great.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Love,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ben</span></div><div><br /></div><div></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-39865241138506057272011-09-08T08:37:00.000-04:002011-09-08T08:48:51.718-04:00August 17, 2011<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My beloved parents and siblings,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I am writing you once again with another week under my belt in this great guatastic adventure of mine, and I am happy to say that I´m happily chugging along, admiring the occasional think latin mustache as I go about my daily duties. This week was a good week as Elder Cruz and I have gotten used to the big changes in the office and in the area. Elder Cruz is a fantastic teacher and that makes all the difference in the missionary work. I have found that he likes to talk about video games A LOT which can be slightly distracting but I have learned to just deftly dodge the comment and mention something else. Life is good.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In this last week before Sunday I had actually been slightly disappointed with the work in the area. It had been a struggle to find progressing investigators and I was worried about if we were neglecting the work because of office work. I had been thinking about that a lot and had been really trying to work harder in the time that we were in the area to make a difference. Sunday we had an incredible experience that made me think I just need to be a little patient. We are teaching someone named José , someone that we just contacted because he was playing cards with some of the teenagers from the ward near their house. This was 2 weeks ago. He invited us in and we started to talk to him. Over the course of the last 2 weeks we have found that he really has been lacking a relationship with God in his life. He told us that he just feels empty sometimes and that he feels distanced from God. He said he has tried going to churches but he has just seeing hypocrites and power hungry people (these are his words not what I think every other church is made up of mind you). After the first lesson he read from 1st Nephi 1 to 13. This last Sunday we came in and he started telling us how much sense the vision of Lehi made sense. He said that he needed this iron rod so that he could have the truth. He said that he feels the book is true but that he wants to go to church to really see how it is, a request that as missionaries, turned us into 10 year olds waking up to a snow day. 10 year olds? I still had that reaction when I was 18 I don´t know what I´m talking about. ANYWAY, he said that he really does feel as if he needs something more and that he will get baptized if he starts to feel that this is true, which he said he has felt, but not a certain confirmation yet. I´m very excited about him, and we are hoping he comes to church this Sunday.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Also I just got out of my interviews with President. He is a really impressive person. He gave me some interesting insights into how we as human beings can only do our best and we need to look to God to forgive our weaknesses. He also told me that we need to analyze every criticism were given and decide if it something we want to change. He said in his professional life he has often been criticized for being to trusting, something he feels is a part of him and he has conciously decided not to change that, because he feels it is a part of him to trust and give others the benefit of the doubt. He said this has hurt him, but also blessed him in his life. He said we need to figure out who we are and be careful with which criticism we accept and apply. He said we obviously need to to change things that are disobediance or inconsistent with gospel teachings, but that God has made us how we are for a reason and we need to recognize that and try to be the best person we can be, not looking to be somebody else. It was very uplifting and it really struck home with me.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyway I´m happy and I´m learning a lot. I love you all and hope you have a great day. I love you!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-Ben</span></div><div><br /></div><div></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-17787926083229086092011-09-08T08:18:00.000-04:002011-09-08T08:37:00.632-04:00August 23, 2011<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hey family,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">To answer Mom´s many questions I will give you a run down of the office schedule. We wake up in the morning go running (Elder Petersen and I), eat, shower, start studying at 8:00 and leave for the office at 8:30 in our truck (it is a Hilux, not allowed in the States, very fun to drive especially when we are on the road at 4 in the morning and no one is on the road, don´t worry I keep it safe). We get to the office start to work until lunch time and sometimes call in lunch, other times go to a Guatemalan cafeteria or comedor as they are called. Very delicious if you have lived in Guatemala for a year. Quite coincedentally I´ve done just that. We then leave the office at 3:30 or 4:00 to work and we don´t have dinner until night time where I usually eat a peanut butter and honey (jelly if I want to change things up) sandwhich with only one piece of bread. Toasted. It is very good. So that is a little run down of the schedule for you, hope you enjoy.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This week has been a test and a reward of patience the same time. I have grown up with the idea that hard work and good intentions bring results, a mentality that sometimes lacks a little of the patience that I am here to learn. As you know, I have been working hard with Elder Cruz to find investigators and help the investigators that we have progress. What we have ran into is people dropping us due to talking with their pastor, not wanting to go to church, not wanting to hear us in the first place, etc. (I might note that every time we are denied in a contact Elder Cruz starts singing the song raindrops keep falling on my head which he learned from Spiderman 2, it makes me laugh everytime). Anyway we talked about it a lot and have just been able to figure out what we are doing wrong. Right as I feel I am becoming the best teacher that I have been in my mission, with the result that I feel I know better how to help investigators, there aren´t any investigators to apply this to. As is usual with me, I started worry about what was going on in the area too much, instead of focusing on what the Lord really has blessed us with. The realization came to me in this week that sometimes we are going to be doing our best, and things will not go the way we expect. This is when we need to exercise patience, knowing that we can only do our best and the Lord will do the rest, in His time. I really think I was being slightly selfish in how I was expecting things to fall into my lap. I really just needed to look at what the Lord had given me and be grateful for that, always working harder to see what more is in store, but accepting the fact that if it doesn´t come I just need to wait. It really has been a good experience allowing me to see that in my mission I have had the experience to see so much change in people, something I´m so grateful for having seen.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyway after having a struggle this last week, we were counting on José coming to church. He didn´t show. He left his house in the morning and wasn´t there. We were devastated. Something in the lesson we had last night though was incredible and we found out why he didn´t go. First off José felt terrible after he had promised us that he was going to go. We started to ask him about why he didn´t go. He started out nervously telling us that he didn´t have any nice shoes and so he had gone to buy a pair that morning because he didn´t want to go in tennis shoes. We could tell there was something else. After a few questions, he started to tell us in a shaky voice that he doesn´t feel worthy right now to go to church. He said he has been looking for the truth for so long and that he feels as if he has found it, he feels unworthy to go. I can´t go into any detail due to the request of the missionary department and some things they sent out about confidentiality, but he has a big weight on his shoulders that he has not been able to get off for years due to something he has not been able to stop doing. We had an incredible talk about repentence and how somebody truly can change their life if they are willing to do so. Something clicked. He told us he felt hope now, that he could really do this. He promised us he would go to church this Sunday. He said he wants nothing more than to get rid of the guilt he feels. He said he just wants to feel clean again. I think I truly do take for granted the knowledge that I have of this gospel, and the atonement of Jesus Christ. The light we saw in him was incredible when he was able to have that spark of hope. He knows it will be hard, he knows it is going to take time, but he is a very humble man and trusted us enough to share these things, showing us that it doesn´t matter where he is, he can change if he really is willing to do so. I hope that in a month or two I come to find that he is part of the reason I have been working in this area for this time. Maybe everything is going how one would hope a year into his mission, but I am happy that I have the chance to work with José who I know really can change if he continues with the attitude he currently has.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyway I hope everything is well. Thank you everybody for always supporting me and making sure to write me frequently. I love you and hope that all is going well. Mom thanks but I´m fine with what I can buy here, I would love a few current photos of the family printed off and put in there if you could. I guess I could take the time to print them but itjust so much cooler to recieve them in a package.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Love,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ben</span></div><div><br /></div><div></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-22454584830721732252011-09-08T08:13:00.000-04:002011-09-08T08:18:08.199-04:00August 11, 2011...The craziest week of my life for real!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hey family,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I am rushing to write you something because there is so little time so sorry about the probably not that good of a letter, but I didn´t want to wait until Friday again to write you. This week was change week and Mom you are right, I do have my new companion and he is great. He feels like he is in over his head and doesn´t know why he was picked, but he will learn quickly I can tell. He is bright and will do a good job. I on the other hand am extremely tired but happy that the hard part of the week is finally over. I haven´t woken up after 5:30 for the last 3 days and it is catching up to me. Today I woke up at 3:30 to take some missionaries to the airport. In light of all that I´m trying to catch up on all the work that I missed because we were out and about with the new missionaries and the missionaries that are going home. Mom and Dad you are right, it is slightly more stressful now that I am on my own, but I´m really trying to organize the secretary job with the time that I have because there are so many things that are unorganized. I hope will be able to make everything more simple for Elder Cruz by the time I leave, but we will see how it goes because President is really pushing that the office elders have a lot of baptisms as well as better organization so it is a lot to handle because more time in one thing obviously means less time in another, and these last few days we´ve barely been in the area.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I´m sure you all want to know a bit about Elder Cruz. He is my second companion named Elder Cruz and he is also from Honduras. He is a really funny elder who is here to work hard. He feels really out of place (as I did) because he feels like he should just be out working, finding, contacting, etc. I was talking to him about what to expect in the office, a talk that I would have really appreciated my first week in the office. He mentioned to me that he feels really weird, but that he wants to learn and do a good job. We were also talking about the key to being a good missionary and he said that to him it all comes down to being humble, something that I completely agree with him on. That makes me happy to hear he understands his purpose and why he is here, I know that we will get along really well. He is fairly young in the mission (he has 6 months) and understands english fairly well, it is just hard for him to speak. This will be such a great opportunity for him considering he is living with 4 northamericans, something that I´m sure is a bit of a culture shock. I´m really trying to get the elders in the house to speak spanish if he is even in the room so he doesn´t feel alienated, but I´m sure there´s some things that he just can´t relate to.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I´m very excited about the change. I love having a latin companion. The different culture is always really interesting and I don´t know it just makes the actual work more fun for me. I wonder if there is a reason I have had so many latin companions. It has really taught me a lot about what I have grown up with and how God is no respector of persons; the gospel is for everybody. It doesn´t matter where you are from, who you are, what you´re family situation is, the gospel can change your life. A testimony of the restored church of Christ makes us better, because it gives us hope for something more. It gives us a sense of self worth and real confidence. It is incredible to see the people from terrible backgrounds that overcome all of it and become respectable, great people. I don´t have anymore time to write because I have to go, but I just want to let you know that I´m really being stretched here doing what I´m doing, but it really is helping me to learn to be more patient and calm. It is stressful when things go wrong but it is very gratifying when everything goes as planned. I am really trying to find and teach those who are going to progress and I will write you as soon as I run into somebody that we know will progress. I love you all and hope all is well. Please keep me in your prayers and I will keep you in mine.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-Ben</span></div><div><br /></div><div></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-45755335606390416552011-09-08T08:06:00.000-04:002011-09-08T08:11:28.139-04:00August 4, 2011 - Crazy Week!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hello family,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">First off to answer your question Mom, I do have all of the mission library books. I didn´t have one of them but I found it in the Chimal house due to the fact that it is one of those eternal missionary houses and old missionaries leave their things there. Thanks though.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It is good to hear that everyone is doing well, that Mom is getting buckets of water dumped on her head, Brad is quickly rising to Forbes Magazine top 100 richest in America, and everyone else is vacationing except for poor Dad which is doing his manly duty of bringing home the bacon. Bacon that I have not eaten in a long time. Good sweet bacon... Mmmmm.... I do miss bacon. Anyway it sounds like everyone is doing great, thank you for always writing me, it means a lot.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This week for me has been crazy. We don´t have time to have a P-day because it is the week before changes so that is not fun, but were just trying to keep our head above water with all the stuff we have to do. Now I´m pretty much in charge so it is stressful but I´m hanging in there. Instead of P-day we just took a few hours yesterday to go to Chili´s and due to Brad´s request I got a real juicy thick burger that had man written all over it. Not literally but that would have been a nice touch. It was called the Chipoltle Blue Cheese Bacon Burger. It was so good. Your welcome Brad.... I enjoyed that for you.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It was cool though because Monday we secretaries found out changes so that we could start doing all the prep work for change day. President did a lot of unexpected things which I think is good. He has put in a lot young leaders which I´m really excited about. The biggest thing is that I´m training the first latino secretary in the longest time. I don´t think there has been a latino secretary in the office since President Baldwin got here because he usually wanted an elder that spoke english and a year of college, but President Brough doesn´t mind as much. His name is Elder Cruz and I´m really excited because I´ve heard while young in his mission he is very excited to be a missionary. I guess I´m just destined to be with latinos. I´m okay with that though because I love dynamic of 2 different cultures in a companionship. Elder Lydiksen was joking that of course I was the one to get the first latin secretary in forever becuase I hadn´t had a north american until I was sent here. It will definately be a challenge since he doesn´t really speak any english but I have heard he is very bright so we will work on english a lot considering he will be living in a house with 4 northamericans. I excited to see what I can teach him and learn from him at the same time. It will be a relief to finally have someone to be learning spanish from. Elder Lydiksen is great and speaks spanish with me but it just isn´t the same. It will be such a different office life because now we will have 2 latin AP´s and a latin secretary, it should be fun.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I´m very excited about getting my new companion (he at this moment has no idea what the next week for him has in store), but at the same time I´m kind of sad. Elder Lydiksen is a very down to earth guy who is always open to try to things and listen to other people. This has made the change a blast as we have been able to work hard, but not just hard, with unity as well. Missions are unique in the fact that they allow you to get to know and serve with so many different types of people over a short period of time, and while change can be hard, it is always exciting to get to know new circumstances.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyway sorry I didn´t write anything all that spiritually uplifting, I have run out time though. I just want to thank you all again for always writing me. I really am grateful for the family I have and how close I am to all of you. I always feel your constant support and love and you don´t know how much that means to a missionary. I love you all and hope everything is well.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-Ben</span></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-81590706662909542732011-09-08T08:01:00.000-04:002011-09-08T08:05:57.620-04:00July 29, 2011 - Zone Conference was great!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hey everybody,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As I was telling Anne, I´m a year through my mission and I have completely run out of creative subject lines and greetings to the family as you can see above. I am telling you this so that you have 0 expectation of creativity from this creatively burnt out elder. I just can´t think of anything.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyway, I´m glad to hear Mom that you are enjoying or enjoyed girls camp, I´m sure the girls are as well. I forgot you were there when I sent that little email so I hope you don´t think I was being impatient and ungrateful for the emails I always consistently recieve from you and the family. I was just letting you know because I assume you like hearing from me on Wednesday as opposed to Thursday or Friday. Generally I will email you by Wednesday if it isn´t a weird week (like this one was). President has a new thing where he wants someone in the office at all times so I will be more or less regulary switching my P-day from Tuesday to Wednesday and vice versa every other week. It´s a good change but weird for us due to the fact that we are used to taking Pday together. My Pdays are much more productive now as I´m sure you can imagine. I wrote 6 letters this Wednesday, I was very happy with myself. Anyway it would be best if everybody that has the intention of writing me does it by Tuesday so I can respond when I am in the office and take what is called here as "family time."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The highlight of this week was Zone Conference. I was so happy because the assitants and President addressed what I have basically ranted to you about since the beginning of my mission. There are just so many mission traditions that have no source in Preach My Gospel the scriptures or anything resulting in that the teaching on a general level in the mission is pretty awful. Most the examples used aren´t even doctrinally sound, and missionaries use examples to replace the teaching instead of add to it. This isn´t to criticize, but I have just seen so many investigators left confused, left feeling as if they weren´t understood, or left uninterested because instead of explaining the real doctrine in a simple manner applying to the intelligence and the needs of the investigator, a missionary pulls out a pen and puts in the hand of the investigator telling them it is a prophet. Not that these common examples are always bad, but my good friend Elder Knight from Nicaragua explained that these examples that he heard as he was investigating the church for 4 years (he was a very active Evangelical, playing guitar and piano in this church for basically his whole life) made him feel as if the missionaries were trying to convince him that this was true instead of just teaching and allowing him to feel that it was true. It is really cool to see how the mission department is trying to really teach missionaries what Preach My Gospel is trying to say and get them to really just teach this simply and tell people that we have the truth with conviction. I could obviously improve in all of this, but it was great to see that President really understands how we are really going to connect with some people that maybe wouldn´t instantly see the appeal of the gospel from these rote tradtions that have formed in our (and I´m sure many other) missions.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyway now that I´m done ranting (again), the most powerful part of the meeting was definitely the little message that Sister Brough gave about how obediance and faith together give us power and the personal conversion necessary to teach this gospel in a way that will result in lasting conversions. We cannot convert more than we are personally converted. President also gave a powerful testimony of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith. He told us that in his opinion Joseph Smith understood better than anyone in this dispensation what Jesus Christ felt like because he knew that he was going to die for this cause, that he was going to leave behind his family and the work that he had sacrificed so much for. He told us about how Hyrum Smith would not abandon his brother even though he was told that he would be killed if he went with Joseph. He willing went to his death because of his loyalty to his brother and a prophet of the Lord. Seeing the testimony that President Brough has was really powerful and was a great motivator to keep working hard.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So that was all great, and the area I feel is improving. We are finding a lot of new people that we hope will rapidly progress. Elder Lydiksen is a great companion that is always willing to improve, I just hope my next companion is the same. I will be letting you know next week what is happening with changes in the office because we will find out Monday to make all the administrative changes. I love you all and I´m trying to do my best out here for you.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Love,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-Ben</span></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-6908532097157054732011-09-08T07:57:00.000-04:002011-09-08T08:01:24.695-04:00July 21, 2011<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Dear Pearson Family,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">First off to answer Mom´s many questions that I am happy to answer, we went to Santiago on P-day, it´s about a 3 hour drive from our house to there (we woke up early), yes we took a car but we no longer have a van we have a Toyota Hilux a truck not allowed in the states, but we took President´s car because the truck didn´t have enough seats. When we email we always email in the office when we can find time, I just wait until you email me. We also have a full P-day when we can and if not we do P-hours when we need a break. Brad, I laughed too the first time I heard that. And last of all, I have 3 more weeks with Elder Lydiksen and then I will be the one who supposedly knows everything... yikes. But it will be fun. I´m excited to see who my new companion will be.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So anyway, this week nothing too significant happened. Life goes on in the office. It has been a great experience with President because he really trusts and confides in us, even if we aren´t the assistants. He asks us what we think and likes to involve us in things when he can. He as such a great vision of what missionary work should be. He is very much against excess, he is taking a way a lot of things that I have thought twice about in the mission since the beginning. He just always talks about how if the manual doesn´t instruct us to have a meeting we shouldn´t have it because 100 meetings can´t make up for just being missionaries. He is going on a lot of divisions and getting to the roots of the work to have the engine function how it should, making sure everything from the bottom up is functioning so that a lot of the stress and pressure is taken off of the leaders. Everything he is doing I´ve agreed with and it is great to see that he just gets missionary work and has a real love for it. It really is an example when he and his wife come in from a taxi ride or something with a referral for us to give to the missionaries. They are great people.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As for the work in the area, Elder Lydiksen and I have found a few investigators that have promise of progressing, but nothing certain yet. It has been slow but I really feel like we are more focused now than were before. He´s a great companion because he let´s me know how I can improve and listens to me if I have something to talk about. When I wanted to talk spanish when we were working in the area so I didn´t lose too much of my spanish he just said ¨lets do it!¨ and has done it with me since. He really is a good Elder with good intentions. The Hernandez Estrada Family is still not progressing, President Brough wants to do divisions with us to see if he could help the situation, but I will let you know how that goes.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I´ve been thinking a lot lately about the quote by Boyd K. Packer where he says that doctrine understood changes behavior faster than a study of behavior changes behavior. This is something that is so apparent in our investigators. There is a stark difference between those who understand the need for a restoration, the need for an atonement, etc. and those who just go to church because they feel good there or because they like the missionaries. It is incredible to see somebody really see the goodness that our message contains. When they are humble and willing, how could they not see it? It´s true. Teaching that, really strenghtens my testimony that it is true and I just hope we can help somebody to see that to the point where they want to start on this path that will make them happy.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I have to end with what happened this morning at the bus stop. So we got off one bus and were going to the next bus that was one of the nicer city buses that you have to go through one of those counter gate things that they have at an amusement park. My companion and I got off after the other companionship and so we were running to catch up. I was digging in my pocket to find my coin because you can´t pass by the gate with out it and the bus and all the other elders were waiting for me. I was the last one onthe bus platform. Anyways I found the coin in the pocket feeling and feeling quite triumphant about that fact I too quickly tried to get through that counter gate that spins. As I pushed one of the rungs the other rung started to go up and caught my leg that was behind. I couldn´t really get out beacuse those things only go forward not backward and I slowly but surely ate it in front of a bus of about 50 latins and 3 northamericans who needless to say started to laugh mercilessly. I got up, said, I´m good, and got on for the bus ride of shame. I feel that it was a situation that was much funnier because of the fact that I was a gringo. I´m glad I provided them with a good laugh. If anyone gets that security camera footage and puts it on youtube let me know, I could be famous.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Well, I love you guys and hope all is well.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-Ben</span></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span></span></p></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-33571382695611109552011-07-20T10:37:00.000-04:002011-07-20T10:38:49.945-04:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hey Pearson Family,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This week was a little hard. We have really been trying hard to focus ourselves in our area and find new investigators, and as we have been doing this, and seeing great progress in the Hernandez Estrada Family, Felix completely lost all progress that he has made over the last 6 weeks that I´ve been here. He had been progressing and progessing, reading in the Book of Mormon, goingto church, trying to apply te things that he has been learning in church, but the moment we mentioned that he had to get divorced from his old wife, he stopped doing all of the above. His wife Arselia has told us that he has completely turned back to all his old habits and has started to act even more child-like in the house, resorting to trying to intimidate her 10 year old kid that she has from another marriage. The last teaching appointment we had where this all came out, Felix just seemed miserable as he hard-headedly told us that life was how it is and he couldn´t change it and wasn´t willing to make an effort. He said that his wife is going to make legal problems for him and being baptized wasn´t worth facing his past. It is incredible the difference that learning and accepting the gospel makes in somebody´s life. He was progressing so rapidly and we could all notice it, including his family, but he has chosen to completely go the other way asking his wife and daughter Astrid to return the copies of the Book of Mormon which we had given them.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This was very disappointing for Elder Lydiksen and I, because we both felt that we just had to drop him. Until he is willing to change this and face up to his past he cannot progress. We tried talking about the importance of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and the restored truths about the family that come with that very restoration, and he wouldn´t listen. Arselia and Astrid still want to get baptized so we are hoping that everything will turn out well with them and that Felix will come around a little later down the road. Arselia obviously can´t get baptized until they get married so we will see what happens. We can only do our best to apply this gospel to their lives, but we cannot force anyone to accept it, especially someone who has already felt that it is true. It is sad but were not getting down about it and just tryin to look for the next prepared family.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Speaking of that Elder Lydiksen and I have been talking a lot about what we want to do to better the area where we are and we are feeling really good about the changes we are making. He is a good elder and I´m kind of nervous to see who I recieve as a companion next change. So anyways, we are working hard, trying to better, and waiting for the results to come.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Guess what guys! I went to Santiago Atitlan yesterday and it was incredible. It is so green up there and very tropical. Elder Moore my good fried and the AP right now, served there and was able to learn Tzutujil a mayan dialect that they speak there. It is really cool because it is one of the only dialects that is being preserved because the people are so proud of their culture. The majority have no desire to speak spanish and don´t learn it. It was really bizarre to be back at square one not being able to understand anybody, but it was a cool experience. The lake is gorgeous and I will be sending pictures of course (too bad it was clouded over and we couldn´t see the volcano). I bought some scof as it is called which is the type of pants that the men wear there. I will be sending pictures of that as well. It is really cool to see a preserved culture but at the same time sad to see how it is being lost. I guess you can´t blame them though, they see a better lifestyle and they realize that the way to achieve that is to change what they grew up with. The new generation is really losing a lot of the oldcustoms, with the exception of the language which is really good.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyway, everything is great as always. This country is amazing, I just wish you could all meet the incredible people here. They are so kind and so accepting of everybody (an obvious generalization but for the most part true). Spanish is a great language, Guatemalans are great people, and the restored church of Jesus Christ is true. I love you all!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-Ben</span></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-30936358443750093902011-07-07T19:42:00.000-04:002011-07-07T19:49:30.656-04:00Interviews, Walmart and hope of a Guatemalan mustache!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hello the Pearson Fam that I would consider my clan,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This week has been a really good week as we have been able to get back on a schedule (somewhat). We had interviews with President which was a real highlight of the week. He has expressed to us that his time in the office was not his favorite part of his mission and I wanted to get a little insight on that. I asked him for his insight on how to stay focused when you are called to be an office missionary. What he told me really impressed me. He told me that God knows you have less time and that you just need to show him that you realize that you are more dependant on him in that time, and that he will bless you. He told me that it was hard for him when he was first in the office and that by the end of his time there he felt he really was understanding that principle more and he said he was having much more success. We´ve really been trying to apply that as a companionship and it is helping us seperate office and area time.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We also went out today with Sister Brough to show her where Walmart and everything is so that she can buy what the Elders need and it was really cool to get to know her a little better and get the "Mom´s Side" on the family story, which as everyone knows is the most accurate and juicy side of the family story. She told us a lot about her husband and his dad being in the quorom of the seventy. We also were able to feel super cool because our spanish was better than a white lady from the states who had been in Guatemala for a week. Yeah, our spanish is PRETTY good. Just kidding, she has impressed everybody how she has been so determined to learn the language... she is very driven.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyways so much more that, I´ll tell you a little bit about what is going on with the area. The Hernandez Estrada family wants to get married and baptized, but we found out that Felix is married to someone else and needs to get divorced. They both have very strong testimonies though. Arselia (Sister Estrada) told us that she really felt that this was the true church and although she had never seen the need to get married before that she now wants to because she understands that it is a commandment of God. Both of them have expressed to us their gratitude for the fact that we visit them and have brought a message that really is changing their family. They say that they dont know why they couldn´t have heard it before, but that it is better late than never. I hope that the divorce process is quick and that they can be baptized soon.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Also we have been teaching a 16 year old we found named William. He is progressing along nicely and wants to get baptized. It is really sad because he was sent to Guatemala by his parents to live with his sister and he has only been through the equivalent of 5th grade. He has a hard time understanding things but feels good about what we are teaching and actually has told us he wants to serve a mission. We haven´t taught him a whole lot but he has started going to church so we are hoping everything goes well as he starts to read the Book of Mormon.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I love Guatemala and the people here and the fact that I will proabably be able to grow a better mustache after being here. It´s true..... they´ve done studies. I love you all and hope all is well.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Love,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ben</span></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-43888841647281884482011-07-01T12:07:00.000-04:002011-07-01T12:10:54.747-04:00Mission President Change!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Yzn0o7r4Zu7PaS0MlGdmbeXxHV7AoJU0aaN1CIWFlFPthqv6W9moQbOufFBXrWjJ_0RGvfJN-SWkkGEygMSJazgv0hN_ULsp89bBcZWD1_6B-v_aLxp2q57UZA8UTGluzX4ZSJMd0gC_/s1600/Elder+Pearson%25C2%25B4s+Beach+Photos+258.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Yzn0o7r4Zu7PaS0MlGdmbeXxHV7AoJU0aaN1CIWFlFPthqv6W9moQbOufFBXrWjJ_0RGvfJN-SWkkGEygMSJazgv0hN_ULsp89bBcZWD1_6B-v_aLxp2q57UZA8UTGluzX4ZSJMd0gC_/s400/Elder+Pearson%25C2%25B4s+Beach+Photos+258.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624416643669307170" /></a> The Office Elders<div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hey everybody,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Quickly I will answer Mom´s questions: My "broken toe" was actually probably just a sprain. I go running 3 times a week just fine and it doesn´t hurt me. It was just really purple for a couple of days. But the story is WAY more interesting when the toe was broken isn´t it? The drive to the beach is an hour. Yes I went to super P-day and we do those with half the mission every time because it is extremely difficult to get all the mission together. Also, we all work in the same office space and the AP´s are here about half the time and gone about half the time.</span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyways this week was absolutely crazy because of the transition of President´s. It is official I have met President and Sister Brough (Bruff is how it sounds) and they are incredible. They are very young and still have a 14 year old daughter that will be living with them for 3 years here. He is such a contrast to President Baldwin. President Baldwin is an amazing person, but is very stern, which makes sense because he was a pilot for the air force for years. President Brough jokes around and has a great presence. Sister Brough still looks scared out of her mind everytime we see her, but she is fearless as she gave a little talk in the best spanish she could muster in front of half the missionaries in the mission today in change meeting. I was very impressed because that would be terrifying. You can tell she has been working hard to study the language in the last few months. I will be working very closely with her because that is what the secretaries do. President Brough gave some words and while his spanish is rusty (mostly just his accent) it is very good. You can tell he really feels these things, he just seems very sincere. It is cool because he started his mission 20 minutes away from Chimaltenango where I served.</span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Other than that we have barely had time to work in our area the last few days, which is sad but necessary because the new missionaries (a group of 13) came in on Monday and we had to basically babysit them for 2 days until change meeting along with the AP´s. They seem like a great group of missionaries. We had to deal a lot with getting food, the transportation, etc. but we are finally done with the stressful days because everyone is situated in the area out of our responsibility.</span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It´s interesting though because tonight we will be hauling the missionaries that are leaving around and we saw all of them (which includes some great friends) at change meeting. After seeing the nervous new missionaries come in and the nervous old missionaries leaving, I have really thought about how short this time is. The Lord asks us to serve for 2 years, 2 years that we will never get back. We need to take full advantage of that time, and try to learn as much as we can, that´s why the He asks us to serve missions. It´s such a personal experience, two years set aside for spiritual growth, the kind of growth that come from serving and helping others. In doing this we obviously are probably the ones who are helped most. I have just really thought about what we need to do as missionaries to leave everything else behind for two years and just give it our all, knowing that we will recieve so much more than we gave. It´s been a really interesting and thought provoking experience.</span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyways next week I will fill you in on the Hernandez Estradad family (Felix) because he has been working a lot and we haven´t been able to visit them. Thank for all the support you all give me, it really helps. I love you!</span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-Ben</span></div><div><br /></div><div></div></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-16319231189023651162011-06-28T21:55:00.000-04:002011-07-01T12:07:30.377-04:00At the Beach!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7BrC9O4mjAuq8_zh7ADBRlFh-Ga0aAi_UwL4NcX8Pfv08xXqehWv4rAoB4jCkwzN6gWRb1yJIN-rfx9v9XZLWGgTHrGer017rSiYKxPlBZFlDta6TIUI9n73ECyxaBGF4tqsuWAuYzum/s1600/Elder+Pearson%25C2%25B4s+Beach+Photos+271.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7BrC9O4mjAuq8_zh7ADBRlFh-Ga0aAi_UwL4NcX8Pfv08xXqehWv4rAoB4jCkwzN6gWRb1yJIN-rfx9v9XZLWGgTHrGer017rSiYKxPlBZFlDta6TIUI9n73ECyxaBGF4tqsuWAuYzum/s400/Elder+Pearson%25C2%25B4s+Beach+Photos+271.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624416107696841842" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lW9kTbHDVeihrs3FJKFerx0PTwKdnGeAAPMlTad5_BpVYaexBGGV42fSN0A-S61DErPClOd8wCI94t8RMxVHuuD6pOv4SX6AGIUnbb03SFSOscZ-R-kgz4E0oosVQdgsKwnbGcWa0q3O/s1600/Elder+Pearson%25C2%25B4s+Beach+Photos+274.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lW9kTbHDVeihrs3FJKFerx0PTwKdnGeAAPMlTad5_BpVYaexBGGV42fSN0A-S61DErPClOd8wCI94t8RMxVHuuD6pOv4SX6AGIUnbb03SFSOscZ-R-kgz4E0oosVQdgsKwnbGcWa0q3O/s400/Elder+Pearson%25C2%25B4s+Beach+Photos+274.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624416100835429746" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hello best family in the world,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">To answer Mom´s questions, father´s day is a different day, I think it was 2 days before, but I´m not sure. Also that´s crazy that Jaden will be there so long, but I feel like they are changing a lot of things in the mission program so maybe that is a result of that change. Yes I was only there for 9 weeks. Also Elder Lydiken is here for 3 months with me to make a total of 6 months in the office (2 changes) and then he leaves and I will be here for 2 changes with the other secretary making 6 months as well. So needless to say I have a while to be here.</span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Another one of Mom´s questions/part of the letter is concerning my new companion. My new companion is a really good guy that I entered with. I didn´t really know him in the CCM or the MTC so it´s been cool to get to know him. On a non-gospel level we don´t really connect (he is kind of a jock that is slightly competitive), but the cool thing about the church is that due to the fact that we are both focused on the same thing, we get along really and are becoming pretty good friends. It´s interesting that as much as hobbies and interests matter so much in high school (to most people) it really has no effect on what kind of person you are. It´s cool because there isn´t a "senior companion" in the office, we just kind of work together making everything work out the best we can. He wants to work hard and is always willing to listen to new ideas, so I´m happy. I do miss Elder Sarita, but I have 0 complaints.</span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Okay so I have to explain what I put as the subject. We went to the beach this last P-day and it was a good time. We were standing on the rocks that enter into the water (I´m not sure what the things are called that break waves) and having a great time taking pictures, talking about how awesome the beach is, and how awesome Guatemala is. Every few moments a little wave would come up and splash off of the rocks and make a cool effect that we all thoroughly enjoyed. Everytime one came everyone became instantly happy. So as this was all happening we all looked out and saw that a giant wave was coming, making us as happy as children in a candy shop. A chandy shop with free candy. We giddily awaited the wave. Someone yelled, "here comes a big one!" and we all expected a big splash that would be the icing on the day that was making a delicious chocolate cake. Metaphorically speaking. Anyways the wave hit and with grins on our faces, BOOOOM!!!!!!!!! the wave came over the rocks and completely and utterly leveled us. We looked up bewildered and shaken, completely oblivious to what had just hit us. The after math was this: That wave owned us. It flipped one of the elders completely over onto his back (a full flip mind you), took the other elders out with minor cuts and scrapes, and it stole my sandal, cut my foot and broke the small toe next to my pinky toe on my left foot. It was nuts, but a really good story.</span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Other than that everything is going well. Felix and his wife told us that they want to get married and that she wants to get baptized! We are really grateful for the improvement that they have made and we have high hopes for their near future. I will talk more about this next week because I spent a lot of time writing about that wave. Sorry. I love you guys and hope all is well!</span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-Benjamin James Pearson</span></div><div><br /></div><div></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-63985669926453221802011-06-28T21:49:00.000-04:002011-06-28T21:55:48.634-04:00June 13, 2011<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hey everybody,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Well here I am again emailing you and starting off with the answers to my mommy´s questions. Yes I went with the office elders and the quesadilla explosion salad was delicious here as it is there. I actually can´t remember too well how it tasted in the states. Also yes I run with the Executive Secretary Elder Pearson 3 times a week. We just go and run up a huge hill (bigger than the loveland castle hill) and then go back to the house. It feels really good to be running again, because while I loved the jump roping, it just didn´t satisfy me.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This week was really good. I have a new thing that I do with drunk people which has amused me. Whenever they start talking to me I just start talking to them in english. They always get confused because they know the missionaries can speak english, and then they respond in the little english that they know such as good morning or, " eey! he´s a speaking english!" It´s been fun. Also it was a great week because of an experience my companion and I had with an investigator named Felix. We have been teaching Felix since I arrived here in Boca del Monte. When we started he was just another investigator that I described last week and actually caused me to write about how if the investigator isn´t willing to change his behavior, he isn´t going to accept our message at all. All Felix did was interrupt us to tell us all the good things he does for the community and how well he knows God. He would just go on and on telling us things of no substance. There was just no sincerity or desire to change. We didn´t drop him though because he had been going to church and we just wanted to wait and see what happened.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">2 Sundays ago something amazing happened. He came to church and didn´t say much at church like he had the other time. At the end of church we set up another teaching appointment, said goodbye, and we were honestly expecting the same thing in the next lesson. What we saw shocked us. We got there and from the beginning of the lesson we could tell that something was different. He was going off on tangents, he was listening, actually listening, to what we had to say. We asked him about how church was. He said with sincerity that he had felt something different, something that made him want to cry, because it made him want to change his character, how he was managing things in his home (they had talked about respect in the home between parents and children). We asked him if he felt this was an answer to what he was praying about, meaning Jospeh Smith and the Book of Mormon. He said yes and that he really wants to get baptized. Ever since then he has told us how he wants to learn more. Instead of looking for what is wrong in the talks in church and what he thinks, he has been telling us about what he learned in the church and what he wants to change. He has talked with his kids that he wants to change and he is trying to do it. It has taught me a lot about how God can touch people and cause them to be humble in ways that we can´t force, sometimes we just need to wait. He still isn´t married and this is a problem because hiw "wife" (they call everyone their wife even if they aren´t married) doesn´t want to marry him because she is much younger than him. We will see what happens in the next few weeks.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Also yes Mom the transition of Presidents is going to happen soon (about 2 weeks) and we are all very excited to meet the new president. The AP´s talked to him the other day and they said he sounds very on top of things and very down to earth which will be great. I love and respect President Baldwin but he is very rigid and slightly intimidating and it will be interesting to see how the change of personality changes things. We are going to have an office meeting this Friday about the transition and everything that will happen in the next little bit. I just hope it doesn´t mean a lot of time in the office as soon as the new President comes in.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyways I have to go but I love you guys and I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. Good luck with Youth Conference Mom I know you will do a great job.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-Ben</span></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span></span></p></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-62448427200715636952011-06-08T19:48:00.000-04:002011-06-08T20:53:40.295-04:00Ben's last six letters! May 2, May 9, May 16, May 23, May 30 and June 8 ! Sorry for the delay!<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">June 8, 2011</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Dear Family,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I put the subject that I did because that is how people greet you in the street here. God and religious things are so common here it has become super casual. It´s funny becuase people just throw it out there to publicly show that they are really religious when generally they don´t study the scriptures or do much .</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyway, thank you for my incredible birthday package! It was everything I dreamed it was and more. I loved the 2 shirts, all the snacks, the socks, etc. My birthday was fun because I was able to open that and we also went to Chili´s at a mall around here. It was really weird becuase I felt like I was in the States again, except for the fact that the waiter didn´t speak english. All the menu items are english though, and I refused to say the menu item with a bad latin accent, so I said "Me gustaria tener una (this part in my normal spanish accent) Quesidilla Explosion Salad (that part in my normal english voice) por favor (with a return to spanish)." It´s funny because you usually have to say things such as Big Mac or Mcflurry or the things that are in english in a terrible accent so they understand you. I will single handedly change that with my stubbornness. But it was really fun to go with the office staff and enjoy the day. Anyways thank you for all the nice cards and presents, I really felt appreciated.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Also Mom don´t worry about a journal I bought an extra in the MTC and we sell them here in the office so I´m good. It is really good that Michelle gave me that little journal with the questions because I´ve been good about answering the questions given in the journal so that has helped to go back and started summarizing everything that has happened since the beginning of my mission. It has been cool to see everything that has happened in the last year and to write about it. But it is a big project and who knows when I will get done haha. Also I only lost my spanish scriptures which I now have more of.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This week has been pretty good. We´ve really been trying to focus on doing good job in the office but getting out on time so that we can focus on the work in the area. It is hard because we don´t have time for companionship study, personal study (1/2 an hour), or weekly planning, but we are trying to do our best and we have been lucky to find some families in this week that actually look pretty positive. We have only taught one or two times though so I don´t know enough to be able to tell you if they are going to progress or not.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I do quickly want to write about how I´ve been thinking a lot about humility lately. Obviously as missionaries the only way we are going to improve and get better is if we are humble, but what I have seen in this week is how investigators are the same way. It is so common here in Guatemala for people to have "religious pride" where they just want to spit out a lot of scriptrues (even if they aren´t bible bashing) to show you how religious they are and how much they trust in God, when what they really are saying is, "I don´t want to change where I am, look, I already know how to follow God." All my converts that I have seen progress have been looking for something more, have been looking for a way to better follow God instead of just being content with where they are, and as a result they find the truth which changes them. We are hoping that we see this humility in some of these families as we start to extend commitments with some of them and see how willing they are to act.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyway that is all I have time for today, I hope everyone is doing well and that Will stops growing, because I am missing it. I actually don´t want to rob him of a year of growth because then he might get pick on in school for being small for his age. I take it back.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I love you all,</span></div></span>-Ben</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">May 30, 2011</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Hey family,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">First off to everyone who is wondering I prefer Ben to those who are my friends and family. I don´t know it is just weird to have my Mom calling me Elder Pearson. Judge me if you will but I don´t feel like that is a bad thing. I guess it´s cool if other missionaries want to do it, but my name is just fine.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyway, this was good week making an adjustment in the office, but this morning something awful happened. We had our district meeting in the office in a room to the side. I left my back pack in the office thinking nothing of it. When I got back it was gone. We went to adminstration of the building and looked at the cameras outside of our office and during our district meeting a man just walked in, took my bag and left. It is really too bad because the photo book that you gave me for Christmas and my journal were in there. Other than that there was just my scriptures, but I´m pretty devastated about my journal. I have been really good about writing about every 1 or 2 days, and it makes me really sad just to think I lost all that. There is no use worrying about it though, I can´t change. We´re hoping he might find it and somehow feel bad to the point where he returns at least the journal but I doubt it. I just don´t know why people have to be so dishonest. I guess I learned my lesson about being careful in Guatemala.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">But, enough about the depressing things, this week was all about adjusting and finding my balance of keeping myself busy and focused in the office while not losing focus of my purpose as a missionary, becuase although it may not seem like it, it is a hard balance that many missionaries struggle with. I´m trying to remember what my main purpose is and try to do that in the best way while still keeping up with the office duties.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">To answer Mom´s questions, I´m just a normal secretary which deals a lot with the baptismal records, getting mail and items requested from the equivalent of Costco to the missionaries, and running errands for Sister Baldwin. It has been fun to work closely with her because she is a funny lady and always keeps things interesting. Last week we did house checks with her, so that´s an example of some of the random things that we do. My first day we took the missionaries going home to the airport at 5 in the morning, and I´m sure we are a big part of picking up new missionaries as well, but I´m still learning so we´ll see. Also, my companion and I (the normal secretaries) live with the financial and executive secretary in a house, in the same colony as the assistants. Elder Moore (one of the assistants) is a good friend so that has been fun to live close.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I am still enjoying my mission very much even though things are different. I´m trying to make time for personal study because there is obviously less time to think and reflect, so that I don´t lose the growth that a mission gives you. It is easy to feel like that is happening sometimes. Anyways, I love you all, and I ask that you pray for the area that we are working in right now becuase there is a definate lack of investigators, but we are working hard to change that. I love this gospel and know it is true.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-Ben</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">May 25, 2011</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hey Pearson Family,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">First to answer Mom´s question I HAVE recieved your package and I AM waiting. I probably would have recieved it about the right time if I hadn´t have come here to the office, but now it is just sitting there calling me with it´s evil glare that it gives me when I walk by. It´s taken a lot of self control. Also, Anne´s package is doing the same making it two against one, but I feel that I can hold out.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So anyways as you all know I did have transfers and I am now a secretary here in the offices of the mission. I was pretty bummed when I found out I was leaving the area becase as you know I was loving my time there in that area with Elder Sarita. I trust that he will do a good job with the area, I just hope that his new companion has a good head on his shoulders and will be able to know how to best make sure the baptisms of the investigators for whom I gave so much. It was especially sad saying goodbye to Walter and Isabel (who have 2 kids that are a younger, 11 and 8 years old). Isabel couldn´t stop crying which surprised me. Sometimes we really don´t understand the diffrence that we are bringing into the lives of these people until we look back and realize where they are coming from. I hope and pray that they will be able to progress and be able to get baptized in the near future.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyway, the office life is very strange and a definate adjustment. After becoming accustomed (spelling?) the life of buses,walking, visting people, and working in a very hands on manner, it has been interesting spending a large portion of the day typing in baptismal records, sorting out who wants peanut butter or brownie mix from Pricesmart (owned by Costco, yes being able to go there is a perk of the office), driving around Guatemala to drop off copies of the Book of Mormon, etc. We do things that are very necessary but things that are sometimes pretty detached from the direct work which has been a little hard I´m not going to lie. Being with the office staff has been really fun though because they are all really cool and we get along really well. My companion (first gringo) is Elder Lydiksen who is a cool guy. Elder Sarita and I were really unified, so it is weird getting used to a new companion but I feel like we will be able to do a good job here.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The area is pretty good, but we only work from about 4 o clock in the afternoon and on. We don't have much time for weekly planning and what not, so this experience has been teaching me to be flexible and use every moment wisely. My favorite part of the area is a man who is always, always drunk sittng on the sidewalk that without fail always asks us in a think Latino accent, "what time is it?" It never stops being funny. It doesn't matter what you say he just says "okay!" My friend Elder Tebbs the other day told him it was watermelon and he was just as content as he is hearing the real time. The investigators are alright, but we have a lot of finding and working to do.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I don't know why I'm wanted or needed here but I´m going to try and do my best and hope that I can do it. This church is true. I love you guys!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-Ben</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">May 23, 2011</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hey everybody,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Just a heads up so you don´t think I´m dead, I was called to the office as a mission secretary so my email time will be a little more random, but the earliest I will be emailing is by Monday, so that would be great if you emailed me by that day. I will usually email by Wednesday. I love you guys!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-Ben</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">May 16, 2011</span></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;"><br /></span></p></div></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hola Pearson Family,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Even though I didn´t get to hear from my mommy this week was still really good. As always it has been a blast working here in this area with Elder Sarita, and we are seeing progress in the investigators that we have. We have changes which we find out tonight so we will see if this period of my mission will come to a close. I think we´ll stay here together, but it´s better just not to guess and take it as it comes.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyways one of the families that is coming along really well is the Castillanos Family. The dad´s name is Walter and the mom´s name is Isabel. We have been teaching them for about 3 or 4 weeks and they have come to church 3 time and have expressed a desire to get baptized. The problem is that Walter has a lot of vices which he has been trying to overcome for years, mainly smoking and drinking. We had a lesson where we taught to the Word of Wisdom that was very powerful. He told us that he would drop these vices that he has had but that he thought it would be very difficult to do it all at once. We offered to give him a blessing and he accepted saying that it would help. We gave him a blessing and left.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">2 miraculous things happened in just 2 days before church. Walter told us that the very night that we gave him a blessing his friends that usually are the cause of the drinking problem asked him to go out and have a beer. He told them no, that he had made a promise with God that he wasn´t going to do that anymore. His friends started to make fun of him. The most amazing thing that he told us was that to him this didn´t matter. He said it didn´t matter to him what his friends think but what God thinks. The spirit was strong related this story to us and we can see it has really given him confidence in himself.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The next day after work, Walter couldn´t take the cravings to smoke anymore. He went to the store and bought a cigarette, because he was suffering. He told us that the instant he lit the cigarette something came over him. He felt all bad inside and his throat started to burn. Almost immediately after he lit the cigarette he had thrown it in the street. This brings to mind that faith is a principle of power. He has shown an incredible amount of faith this week, by reading, accepting a blessing, and having the determination to give up these vices that have torn his family apart for years. His wife is in shock that he is still going without doing either of these things. This has strengthened my testimony about the power of the preisthood. This when combined with faith and sincerity, makes a real physical change in the lives of people. Walter physically felt the blessings of this priesthood and said that this has really made an impact on him.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This gospel is something real as I have said. The priesthood of God, his power, has been restored to the earth, and I´ve seen that. I´ve been thinking a lot about the power of the priesthood and the responsiblity we have to respect and magnify that priesthood. It´s a steep responsibility but a privilege that brings incredible changes into the lives of the person who has that priesthood and the lives of those around him.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I miss you all and will be looking forward to letting you know what happens with changes. I love you!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-Ben</span></div><div></div></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hey family,<br />Well first off, I am extremely jealous of Mom and Dad and hope that they are enjoying themselves. I would love to go to Europe one day, maybe when I´m married for 25 years I can do it too. With respect to public prayers it is so crazy here in Guatemala. The people end their songs with their guitars and their drums and immediately begin to pray screaming in the microphone so that everyone with 2 or 3 blocks can here the prayer. It is interesting how basic that is in the teachings of Chirst and it just isn´t accepted. Also there are a couple Catholic churches that I have seen in Antigua that are cool and I´m sure there are more that I haven´t seen.<br /><br />Anyways this week was very very good. This area has so much potential and we have been able to see many results of our hard work in this week. We have been working with a lot of families that we haven´t been very sure about due to different differences. 2 of them came to church. We were ecstatic and they said that they want to come back to church. It was insane basically herding (I am in no way dehumanizing these people, but just to give you an idea) 12 people to classes and whatnot. The families have a few problems, one of them being that they aren´t married, but they have good intentions and have felt and seen differences in their homes from our lessons so I feel as if they will progress.<br /><br />We also are teaching a family that wasn´t able to come to church that I am very excited about. It´s the Vasquez Family and the dad´s name is Alejandro who I am most excited about. He understands and agrees with our message and asked to borrow the Restoration (the 20 minute one) to put it onto his computer. He has expressed to us the discrimination and the things that he has seen that are wrong with his church and pastor and that everything we told him is what he had been waiting for. We had a spirit filled lesson where we were able to testify that this is the true gospel and that this is the gospel that has changed our lives, the gospel that Christ taught when he was on the earth. He has expressed to us that he recognizes the change that he will have to make if he starts on this path and says he wants to do it, but he wants to take it a little slow right now. He told us that there is no way this message couldn´t be true. I feel as if all this potencial in our area will be realized right after I leave haha.<br /><br />It is so gratifying to be able to see the results of hard work. We need to be careful though and not rush people to baptism, because there have been many areas in my zone that have done that for awhile now and their retention is horrible. That is my biggest fear, that I will help someone arrive at baptism and make one of the best decisions of their life and then due to a flismy testimony, they fall away. Obviously they have their agency, but what we need to avoid is pressuring or scaring people to baptism, something that is possible at times because of the culture here in Guatemala.<br /><br />I love missionary work. It´s hard sometimes, but it is so fun when we are working hard and are able to see the results of that work. This gospel is true, that´s why I´m here right?<br /><br />Love,</span><br />-Ben<br /><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span></span></p></div></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div>Hello my family,<br />I just wanted to start off saying that it was so good to talk you and almost the hardest thing I´ve ever done hanging up. But, when I get back, I´ll live in a world of cellular phones and family phone plans, so not to worry. It was really good to hear from everyone and I hope I didn´t disappoint you with my end of the call. Not that this is a performance or anything, but if you did have to judge that 40 minutes how would you rate it?<br /><br />Anyway to answer Mom´s questions Elder Patterson has 15 months (or around there) and yes Elder Morgan is in my zone so we see each pretty frequently. It´s weird though because he is with a gringo companion and it feels as if he is conforming his personality to his companion or something and so we don´t get along like we used to... strange. Also I just wanted to comment that all my sisters (and brother) are gorgeous. Thank you for all the pictures. I didn´t have time to send any pictures today but I should be sending a CD off soon.<br /><br />Anyways aside from talking with my family this week was alright. We have been working very hard but have run into a lot of disappointments. We feel as if we are running into a wall. We have found and are finding a lot of families but all of them progress to the Book of Mormon and say they want to know if it is true, but will not read it unless we read it with them. They always say they will read and pray but they don´t. We are praying that someone will take that initiative to know for themselves. I was thinking about this and I read a quote by Boyd K. Packer (I think) that said you cannot a force or pressure the spirit. You can set up an environment where the Spirit can testify, and they need to do their part from there. So, I´ve been learning a lot of patience knowing that we´ll see some progress here soon.<br /><br />I already told my family this but this week we also did a contacting activity where we all went and shined shoes for free. I can now say that I have a lot of respect for those little insistent children who run around actually ASKING to shine shoes. I don´t know what demon has posessed them to ask for that work. Just kidding (to a certain extent) it was a fun activity and pretty effective. It is fun to mix things up and get your hands dirty (quite literally). I apologize for making that terrible pun. Anyways we were able to talk to a lot of people and I hope in this week we can go talk to them.<br /><br />I just want to write thank you guys (my family) for all your support. It means so much to me and is such a boost getting letters, emails and packages, when I really need them. I know that there is reason we are in our family together, and I´m happy to say that my best friends mostly consist of my family members. I love you guys and while I miss you a lot, I know this time is and will be worth it. When I get back we´re definitely going to take a cute family picture or something like that to capture our cute little faces together. I´ll talk to you next week!<br /><br />Love,<br />-Ben</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-71811564043583800782011-04-28T09:58:00.000-04:002011-04-28T10:07:10.890-04:00So happy to be a missionary!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><blockquote type="cite"><div>Hello Pearson Family,<br />I don´t have a whole lot of time, but I would just like to say that I am very excited to talk to you guys on Sunday and I´m going to try to talk less so we can have more questions back and forth. Let´s make it a good call. The next one, it´ll be <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1303999180_9">Christmas</span>, how nuts is that?<br /><br />Anyway, as I wrote in the subject, my companion is by far my favorite that I have had yet. We can always joke around, but we work very hard, and have the same intentions which makes things so much easier. We don´t have very many people progressing amazingly right now, but we have a few potentials that just need to take initiative to know and they will be ready.<br /><br />We had our Zone Conference this week and that is always really good. I have a friend in my district that is has become one of my best friends here. His name is Elder Patterson and is a hard worker but has my same <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1303999180_10">sense of humor</span> so we get along really well. It´s good to be able to talk to him, because there is really a lack of drive or motivation in our district. It just feels kind of blah, but what makes me happy is that it´s not like that in my companionship. Anyways apart from being able to talk and hang out with Elder Patterson, the conference is always a good booster. We were able to watch a devotional by Elder Holland that he gave in the MTC in January that was very powerful. Did he work with words in his career before? Because he is just a wordsmith. Anyway, he talked about the importance of giving ourselves to this work, of really seeing these investigators as people, seeing them as people and thinking about how this message and help them in their specific situation and then apply that message to them.<br /><br />He also talked about how we have come on our mission, but that doesn´t mean that we just go home and have done our part. He gave the example of Peter, when after the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1303999180_11">death of Jesus</span> he didn´t know what to do, so he told the disciples, ¨Let´s go fish.¨ After they had been fishing they saw the Savior now resurrected (? it looks different in spanish) Peter jumped out of the boat and swam to the shore to greet Jesus. When he got there, the Savior asked him ¨Peter, do you love me?¨ He responded yes. Jesus asked him again if he loved him, he said yes. Jesus then told him ¨Then feed my sheep.¨ Elder Holland related this to how we need to give up our ¨old life of fishing¨ and never leave this truth that we are teaching. He said we need to convert ourselves so thoroughly that we will be able to convert others here in our mission, and after stay converted for the rest of our lives.<br /><br />While he did that much more eloquently than I did, it was a very good talk that really made me think. I´m grateful for living prophets and apostles of God who direct this church. I can´t imagine how people have comfort in the fact that just the Bible is the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1303999180_12">word of God</span> (something I here everyday) because I for one would be completely lost with just the text of the Bible. God loves us enough to give us people to guide us in everything we do if we are willing to listen. This is another testimony to me of how true this is.<br /><br />Anyways, I´m loving life, working hard, and trying to make you proud. Congrats Brad and Anne on graduating!<br /><br />-Ben<br /><div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143533585621582167.post-75820994384186783852011-04-28T09:50:00.000-04:002011-04-28T09:57:36.642-04:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><div><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; "><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hey everybody,</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; "><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">First off Mom, Elder Sarita comes from a family that is half active. His mom is very active and a temple worker, but both of his sisters have fallen away from the church and one of them is a single mother with a child. His dad died 6 months before he came on his mission. It was actually pretty sad because he was the one to find his Dad when he died. Anyway it´s easy to see that his mom was always a good example and a big reason that he came back into the church.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; "><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; "><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Okay this week was very good. I recieved the letters from the Stanburys , and Timothy, no there is not a dictator in Guatemala, but it is very corrupt. Solid question though, we always have to look out for the dictators in the world... I´ll keep my eye out for you alright? Also I have gotten to know Elder Sarita al lot better. He is a very driven Elder who really worries about making sure he is doing what is right. It really is so nice not to have to worry about obedience or getting along with your companion and being able to focus on working. It really makes such a difference. The first few days were a little weird because he is opinionated about some things and would just do things without consulting me at all haha, but we´ve talked a lot about talking about things and we´re both really happy working together.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; "><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; "><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We were able to find 3 families this week which we are very excited about and we will see if it goes anywhere with them. I was so happy to see that of the 3 people who we went to visit less active members in the Relief Society this Sunday (other than the presidency) 2 of them were Alba Lopez and Blanca Olivares. This actually is really sad because everyone was invited to go, and in general here in Guatemala, very very few people visit other members, whether it be for visiting or home teaching or just to support people. It made me happy and sad to see that the 2 recent converts were being an example to the rest of the members in the ward. We have a strong ward here, but I think I´ve forgotten what I really strong ward is like.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; "><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; "><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Also this week we´ve been working with the Alba´s daughter Evelyn. She has become very interested in the church after seeing the change that the baptism has made in her mom. We have taught her a couple times and she herself has changed a lot in only a week. She is someone that is very bitter about somethings and very negative, but we have seen almost none of that side of her in this week and reminds me that those who are willing to change, can. She has so many questions including, ¨when can I get baptized?¨ so I think she will be getting baptized the 15</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">th</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> of May. She really hasn´t had any big doubts about the church but her hardest thing will be keeping the commitments and keeping some of the commandments. She said she´ll prepare for that date though so we are very happy with that.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; "><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; "><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I just want to write real quick about how gratfying this work can be. I´ve never seen people change so fast, as I have here in my mission. Those who are seeking truth can find it, and it can change them if they let it. I have a very strong testimony of that which grows everytime I have an experience with a new investigator. I love this gospel. Especially for my easter letter I want to write that I´m very grateful for Jesus Christ and what he has done for me. I love you all and everything is going great!</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; "><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; "><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-Ben</span></span></span></p><div><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><br /></span></span></span></div></span></div><div></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0