Now that I think about it, it gives me a greater appreciation for the sacrament and how sacred of an ordinance it is

I am aware that Elder Smith is sick, I walked with him a little bit last p-day, he really hurts he said. Supposedly he is supposed to be back up here in my zone later today or tomorrow. Haha silly dreams, I have had a couple especially strange ones about being home, but I can’t remember them right now.

Probably the strangest thing I can remember that happened to me personally this week was that they didn’t pass me the sacrament. Me and my companion were out bringing an investigator that took forever to get ready. When we finally arrived they just went through and we missed the bread, and when they came out with the water they didn’t even come to where we were seated, just passed by and kept walking. I was kinda mad! Don’t I have right to take the sacrament too? Now that I think about it, it gives me a greater appreciation for the sacrament and how sacred of an ordinance it is. I really feel bad for missing it.

The rain here has been absolutely crazy, the other day we had to duck into a little ice cream shop to get out of the torrent. The entire street literally filled, all the muddy brown water covered the grey concrete and when I squinted it looked a little like we were standing right next to a river. It’s been raining like that a few times already.

Well as for numbers this week was really sad; we didn’t find a single new investigator! NOT ONE that’s tough, when I was with Elder Spilker we found like 10 a week, but God gives when he feels it’s right. I had a bit of a sick day last Wednesday, I ate something I guess and was feeling soooooooper weak and wobbly, so I napped ONE HOUR. Then I went out to work again, it wasn’t a very good day for lessons.

Sadly we have good investigators but they just are taking way too long to be baptized, nobody’s planned even soon, I hope to baptize this change... Mario has his required attendances in church but still a bunch to teach him, Wily wants to but has a bit of repentance to go, he’s fighting marriage problems, smoking and alcohol all at the same time with his crazy work schedule. Jose defiantly wants to and might be able to start attending church this next Sunday. Angela says she wants to but has to get married first to comply with the law of chastity and has to start attending church again; she hasn’t come for a while now.

Well that’s basically my life right now, trying to think of Jesus all the time and help others to do it too. Training is going alright with some bumps here and there, but moving along. The more and more time I’m here in the mission the more and more I’m thinking about home. I’ve never really had a problem with that before and it seems strange. Part of me wants to be with you guys so bad! The other part can’t possibly give up the mission; I’m giving my all for the mission right now. I have had a special focus lately on spending my remaining time as wisely as possible, every minute! Studying, exersizing, contacting, teaching, if I dont to everything I feel bad like there was so much more I could have done.  I just cant imagine coming home NOT having done everything, not only that I’m feeling really down...I’ve been here for 16 month and have what...5 baptisms? Fail. I want to work so much harder but I still dont see as many results as I wish to. I just really need to focus on learning more patience and hope. charity too, but mostly patience and leadership skills.

I hope I don’t sound like a bummer, but lately I just have been feeling a little more stress than usual. I’m still so happy, so happy for my mission and for my Heavenly Father who loves me so much as to let me work and see these miracles, my only wish is that I could see some labor come to fruit. I’m just planting the seed always I guess. God just has that purpose for me and I better be grateful that he knows better than I do.

Well my absolutely beloved family and friends my council is the same, do your prayers, if you are praying keep doing so and also read the scriptures. If you are doing both keep adding on to that light you have and you will see the condition of your life jump strait upward. I love you so much, much more than I can say and I am honestly missing you guys a ton. Take care and please keep yourselves safe. Para Seimpre Dios Este con Ustedes, Hasta Vernos juntos otra vez

sinceremente todo me amor y esperanza

Elder Andrew Bronson

I’m very grateful for being able to be here in Guatemala, the mission of my dreams

Training goes well, Elder Umaña is a quick learner and even though he has so much more to learn I feel good for him, and the process of training someone has honestly been refining me too. I thought I was patient, but I guess I’m just starting to learn what that is.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHANE. I’m glad to hear that the 5k went well Mom, haha I liked your story about the granny inspiration that’s kinda funny. I’m honestly so proud of all of you boys for how hard you are all working in your talents. This week has seemed a little long for me and I’m not sure why.  Tons of rain and I’m in need of another umbrella. I’m buying one later today along with a working watch (the 1 dollar watch that I have been wearing my entire mission finally gave up the ghost, and its dollar and a half replacement didn’t last more than a couple days). I’m still waiting for that package to arrive.....tick tock...

The pictures I’m sending are from some service that we did last Saturday, just hauling buckets of black dirt down the hill to a neighbor’s yard. Easy pie. Bummer news not a single investigator came to church, it’s lame because we have so many honest interested and baptism-commited investigators but still nobody showed. Darn. Plenty of lessons, I still count us lucky for being in a mission where we have investigators instead of some European country when they contact all day without much success. Props my fellow servants, you have my great respect. Lately I have been realizing that even though I haven’t had a boatload of baptisms I’m very grateful for being able to be here in Guatemala, the mission of my dreams. Spanish, warm, rain, adventure, lessons and tons of friends. I’m living in the book of Mormon!

The biggest problem here is that nobody believes in the need for a restoration of the Gospel, they already have the Gospel they think. Everybody is their own pastor and has their own church with their own commandments, what more could Jesus want they say. The main ideology is that all churches are good and all lead to the same point, heaven.  Nobody wants to admit that their church doesn’t fit all the requirements, nor does anyone want to say that God actually chastises his children, he is a God of love and nothing more.  Some seem more like brainwashed Congregationalists. There are a good number of open hearted people and some great and noble ones too, but when we think that the Book of Mormon was written SPECIFICLY FOR THEM, the children of Lehi, there are surprisingly few who could even imagine another book than their beloved Bible. What impresses me is that they all believe in the bible miracles and prophets but nobody can grasp the concept of revelation in OUR days. I just hope to speak with more power and authority, my greatest wish is that the spirit can guide me to those whose hearts are open enough to feel the spirit, so that it can touch them. There are a good many.

I would also invite you guys back at home to be member missionaries and know the Gospel enough to share it when the need is presented. I miss you guys a ton and love you so much, we will be together again sooner than you think, how strange that will be.  Oh that reminds me of a dream I had the other night, I was back home after the mission but I still was a missionary (before they take my nametag away) and we were all there about to go swimming. I couldn’t go swimming as a missionary, and to go I would need to take off my nametag, but I couldn’t do it. In my dream I left the pool and cried because of how much I didn’t want to give up my nametag. Haha as silly as it sounds its kinda helped me see how much I really love the mission and grateful for how much time I have left. I can’t let myself become distracted because it all ends so very soon.

Well beloveds time to go, love you and hope to hear from you next week with more stories. Take care and PLEASE do the little things like pray and read.

LOVE

Elder Bronson

Dang, it’s so great to feel that spirit and to go do service for people

Well well what a wonderful rainy Guatemalan day, eating Dominos pizza and playing volleyball with the zone here in misty ´ol Coban. Life is happy as it goes, so quickly!

My new companion is Elder Umana (with the little enye ñ over the n like Umanya) he is from El Salvador, my second trainee from El Salvador and another great missionary! It seems so silly having a newbie here with me, even though he speaks Spanish it’s like he doesn’t know anything about being in the mission, there’s so much to teach that I never thought about. The whole time I’m thinking about my first few weeks in the mission back with Elder Vargas in Juana de Arco. And it’s so funny too; they just whip out random scriptures about EVERYTHING it’s so funny haha, but man! Is he spiritual. I have not had a single lesson with him without the spirit testifying of everything. Dang, it’s so great to feel that spirit and to go do service for people.

On another note HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHANE how’s my 13 year old TEENAGE brother? Pretty sweeeeeet I betcha´ haha.

Well it’s been a pretty eventful week. Monday right after doing our email I loaded up a 3day suitcase and was swept off to the capital, Guatemala City in a big ol bus for 5 hours without any instructions besides get on. We unloaded and there were taxis waiting to take us to the house of the Assistants to President Torres Elder Davis, Williams and Vasquez, the house was NICE. Made for all the missionaries to sleep in at the end of their missions. Basically just party night. Woke up EARLY and went to the Temple of Guatemala City, followed by confusion as to where to go, Me and Elder Carlson just wandered back and forth between the office building and the mission home until we had lunch, sloppy joes. We saw the newbie’s but didn’t know yet who... one of them said they saw me on YouTube opening my mission call...weird but cool. I’m officially a celebrity :) Had conference and came up to Coban with my new comp, basically just slept the whole way zzzzzz...

That’s about the news for this week, I hope you enjoy some of the photos I’m sending, finally got some good short haircutting, some mountain exploring and some newbie training, all of which make some good week.

Sounds like life is going pretty well back at home, good luck mom on the 5ks, miss you guys tons and can’t wait to see you all again haha

Until next week!

Elder Andrew Bronson

I'M GOING TO BE TRAINING A NEW MISSIONARY!

Alrighty some news here haha transfers this week
My beloved companion Elder Spilker is going to have a change down to the capital and isn’t too excited for that, he was hoping to go up to the Polo´chik and learn Kekchi but I guess the Lord has other plans for him. I will be participating in something really special also.

I'M GOING TO BE TRAINING A NEW MISSIONARY!  Yey.

I have to leave to go down to the capital today, even though the change conference isn’t until Wednesday. I’ll be going to the temple to prepare me and then chilling for a full day doing who knows what haha then the 5 hour bus ride back up to Coban with my boy. I’m hoping that this is going to be a joyful event, I feel really good in my prayers about my companion.

Yesterday was a day full of ordinances; we started the day off with the baptism of Nidia and Willians Chen yeah! Then directly afterwards they were confirmed members and received the gift of the Holy Ghost in sacrament meeting. We partook of the sacrament and later on in priesthood meeting Willians was given the Aaronic priesthood. Oh there was also a baby blessing haha. What a way to end the change than with a baptism, 2 of them.

Alright that’s probably the most exiting element of our week, but there are some stories to still be told. Last we fasted that Julio Chen, father of Nidia and Willians could get Sunday mornings off of work, later on this week we found that to cover his shift...one of our investigators took it! Juan Che, the one who saw a vision of us is working Sundays again ugh what a strange coincidence, really we just laughed it off...ayayay...o well. we planned by candlelight two nights in a row, not that we didn’t have power, just cuz it was fun haha some of that candle we had used to wander our way though some dark underbrush at night.

Well well there isn’t much more to tell. the week was kinda a strange one, finishing off the change, the lessons accidently went a bit longer and we lost a lot of contacting time so we didn’t find as many new people, but an INCREADIBLE number of those that we have been teaching have said that they have already received answers. The problem with this area is that no investigators come to church, so we will be working on that one. We will indeed.

Alrighty so I guess I’ll finish up, in all the race of packing and getting ready I forgot my camera cable so no new pictures this week but don’t fret my precious family they will be coming, they´re on their way. Stay safe stay strong, have a good long productive summer, I love you all.

Elder Andrew Bronson