Letter written sometime at the end of May

FAMILIA!!!


Hurray you have received another letter! Haha… So things remain good here. Hot, humid, Guatemala. I just got your email saying that you guys were getting some nice weather. 80 Degrees is probably close to where I’m at. Minus the humidity. How does it feel to be in the sun and not sweat instantly? It’s really not that bad here, mild. In Peten or Coban (up north in the jungle) it can reach 120 degrees with complete humidity. Now THAT must be hard.

What would you guys think if I came home knowing 2 new languages? If I get transferred to Coban – no, Polochik, I’d have to learn Kek’chi, and if I have to learn that I might come home not remembering English at all! Wouldn’t that be crazy. Not much use for Kek’chi outside of the jungles of Guatemala though. Another thing I might come back home with is the ability to run for 5 miles strait! That and dark skin. ;)

Ok, I’ve got a bit of a story to tell. Now you’ve got to promise not to freak out because it not as bad as it sounds. I got bit by a stray dog. I was walking down the street, you know, as missionaries do, and there was 1 of the 10,000 stray dogs up ahead barking at passerby’s like they do. I’ve learned not to pay attention to them, it just makes them more anxious. So as I passed by I looked away and paid no attention to its barking. Bad move for this dog I guess. I looked back just in time to see it jump at me in the side of my vision. I was able to smack it’s head hard enough that when it bit it didn’t really bite hard. No puncture, no bruise, all good. I was pretty mad at it though, it hurt! I’m going to honestly say that if it had tried to attack again I would have done everything I needed to defend myself. I didn’t attack back, that’s not my style. The rest of the day continued without further incident.

It’s really unusual for dogs to even bark at people, especially do anything more than that. I don’t expect anything like that to happen often, if even again. It’s all good.

The sunsets here are absolutely beautiful. Elder Karr was right about the buses here, they are nice. 1 Quetzal per ride, that is a good $0.12. Nice when you don’t want to carry a weeks worth of groceries up a mountain. You just have to be careful because they rock a lot when they stop and go. They are all really old stick-shifts and stop and go very, very quickly. It is so violent, the stops, that if you aren’t holding on you will most definitely go flying…and look like a total greengo.

2 years is really starting to sound like a long time. A REALLY, REALLY long time but that’s ok. I plan to enjoy being “Elder Bronson” for a while. I really do love being in the service of the Lord and I have so much more to do. It’s weird to think I’ve learned so much Spanish so quickly. After 2 years I’ll be beyond pro-skill. I might even have to/get to learn a 3rd! My companion, Elder Vargas, knows Spanish, Kek’chi, some English and sign language. I’m starting to think that it would be a great idea to make a second language required in school. What if everyone in America could speak English AND Spanish? Or Chinese?

Once again my beloved family, I plead with you to make good choices, for the choices are given unto us to make. ESPECIALLY IN FRIENDS. It is SO IMPORTANT that you choose your friends wisely. They effect you in so many ways. If one of your friends ever tries to get you to do something you know is wrong or know is bad, stand up for your beliefs! The will respect you for it, and if they don’t respect your beliefs are they really looking out for you as a friend? Defend who you are and what you believe. 3 Nephi 12:10-12 the Lord himself said this and it is true. I testify of these things to you my dearly beloved family in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Elder Bronson

(This drawing was included in his letter.  It was doodled on a scratch piece of paper with the words "Yo se que vive me Senor written on the bottom.)