Please, if you are thinking about it, do it. Serve.

Wow that’s something that I didn’t see coming, Wes in boot camp? Well I am very impressed with his enthusiasm, I love you Wesley

Man I miss swimming, but I’m not that far away right haha I’ll just have to wait for summer again is the problem. Changes were strange, I just traded Elder Carlson kids, now I’m comps with Elder Turcios who Elder Carlson was training, and Elder Umana is with Elder Carlson. Elder Turcios is great we are always laughing and he is a really obedient elder. I’m still in my same area. We are hoping on a baptism on the 13th if everything goes right.  José is progressing wonderfully and completely believes what we teach; he has even made many good changes in his life especially with starting to study the bible and the book of Mormon.

In my study today I was reading Mosiah 27, the chapter where Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah are visited by an angel whose voice shakes the earth and Alma repents. I really liked when he came to afterward and told everyone that we ALL must be born of the Spirit. We must all change from carnal to spiritual. This brought an impression to my mind about all the people who maybe think that what they have done is far too bad and that God won’t forgive them, when really it’s something that he expects. He knows we are all far below and has a time specially made for everyone to come and change and ¨be born of the spirit¨. God will always be ready to forgive the repentant sinner; it just depends on the sincerity of the repentance in that person. Baptism is the symbol of that change. With Alma, he was already a baptized member of the church and his parents were wonderful, but he too had to experience that change of heart for himself. He suffered a lot of the persecutions that he himself had given, but in the end it says that he was so very greatly blessed, ¨...pues publicaron the paz¨

I was just looking at the photos that you sent me Mom, it’s honestly so weird to see everybody changing so much. When one leaves for the mission he almost expects everything to stay the same, no new movies are going to come out, no new games, the cousins aren’t going to be different, lives are going to be the same but it’s really a new world that we will be coming back into won’t it.

Hmm well...love you guys a ton and miss you all. Weird that my birthday is coming up again huh, 21! Whoopee! I remember a year ago I was in Santa Elena with Elder Segura, good times. It already seems really far back haha. que mas que mas... I feel a bit like I should recommend to all listening to do it, sacrifice just those dos anos al Senor. I wish all that can, would go on a mission honestly it’s the best thing you could possibly do. It’s the best college that you can enter, the best training ground for a good father or mother, the best boot camp the Lord can offer. Please, if you are thinking about it, do it. Serve. You have most likely been put on the earth in such a good gospel-centered family for a plan, especially if your patriarchal blessing mentions it. If you don’t have your blessing I wish that you would all be ready to, and be worthy to receive it. It is the special confidential knowledge that God, as a loving Heavenly Father wants just for you, to make the right decisions and help and serve others. Trust me; it has helped me much in hard times. I love each and every one of you with all my heart and I feel that love grow with every time I try to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with someone. I love you all, please take care.  6 and 1/2 months more to go haha LETS GO!

Andrew Bronson

I honestly have seen the difference in the lives of the people that read their scriptures

Alrighty! Definitely a good week, especially today

Transfers are THIS week and we got some surprising news last night. considering that I am training we thought for sure for sure we were going to be together another change, but I guess not, just one change together. Elder Umana is going to stay outside of the gap but I don’t know where yet, and I will be here still with a new companion that I will meet Wednesday.

As for physical health I ate the package and noticed that I was gaining weight again heheh gave the last of my pop tarts to my comp and started doing pushups...I’m getting enough to eat, the only problem being that Elder Umana is new and didn’t have a ton of money, we were going to have to save a bit more this week but now we have transfers...

TODAY WAS AWESOME we finally went to a call tourist place called Semuc Champey and it’s absolutely BEAUTIFUL. I think it’s like 7 crystal clear pools of water connected by little waterfalls, and deep underground a raging river the beginning and end being visible. I forgot to wear sunscreen but I didn’t burn too bad, just a little pinkish on the nose. I took a ton of photos, some of which I will send to you guys. Definitely a place to check out when I can go swimming... to get there we had to take a 2 hour bus and hire a trunk for another hour, lejos! (Far)

The other pictures are of a bit of service that we did for an investigator cutting and chopping and clearing a bit of land for him. The yellow squidy thing is called Pacay, and supposedly it’s edible with lemon and salt. Hmmm. as for investigators in church not a single investigator came but I’m strangely not too bugged, we did all that we could do, we passed by for about 5 different people. O well.

The rain here has been a little strange lately; it will rain in spurts hard enough to make us take out our umbrella, just to stop long enough for us to put it away and start again! Aye aye haha entonces. I’m glad to hear everyone is having fun at home you guys all know I miss you and can’t wait to be back when I have served honorably until the end, having done everything, ready to serve the Lord in other fronts haha.

Next week I will have news on the new companion, until then I ask you guys to please take care of yourselves, and that each and every one of you study your scriptures. In our ward here there just returned a former mission president from Nicaragua and gave the lesson in priesthood meeting, it was incredible! the part that caught my attention the most was when he talked about the family scripture study as something nearly more important that family prayer, that we really need it do it at least 5-7 times a week, or we haha need to repent because we are not doing our duty to God. I honestly have seen the difference in the lives of the people that read their scriptures. In our area lives an x-missionary woman who was having a lot of troubles in her life, we simply asked her if she was praying, and reading the scriptures and she admitted that she was not reading. A couple weeks later than that lesson she came to us in the street and told us of the incredible change that she had in her life

Her testimony is stronger
Her problems are solving themselves
She feels more in tune with the spirit, and closer to God
She feels more love for others and patience with them and herself
Among much more

I love you all and I can’t wait to be with you to read with you, everyone together, please take care, until next week

Elder Andrew Bronson

It’s going to be tuff, but I know that God will make everything possible

Wow sounds like a very fun weekend haha
These 4-5 weeks with Elder Umana have passed by very fast, and I’ve learned a lot, so has he. The work moves forward with all types of problems coming to church but God provides. Neither Wily, Jose, nor the Coc Chiquin or Cu Xoy families came, bummer. A member came to church with an investigator friend to introduce to her. Apparently there are a couple of non members that live there with them in their house, and one came with them this week, how fun. I’m sure a whole bunch of things have happened this week but I’m having a hard time remembering everything that always happens. I remember that one day we forgot to bring our umbrellas. BAD IDEA. We got absolutely soaked hahaha the member that came with us to visit got soaked too I felt pretty bad. He’s a return missionary and knows how to teach really really well, I’ve learned a ton from him.

That’s pretty exiting with the new bed and the party; the bed looks really fancy haha. How fun, and bless Pres and Sis Torres for their good comments, I’ll truly miss them. I had the opportunity to have an interview with the new president and WOW the spirit was so powerful! Without me saying anything he started talking about making goals, the thing that wow, I really needed. Throughout my entire mission I haven’t ever had a goal for how many baptisms I was going to get, and I guess having the goal makes for better efforts. I prayed to the Lord and felt strongly for the number of 15 baptisms in these last 7 months. It’s going to be tuff, but I know that God will make everything possible. I’m ready to work. As always I ask for your guy’s prayers on my account and for all the missionaries of the world I wish everyone well.

Hmmmmm ¿que mas? I’m missing you guys a ton as always, it’s weird to say that I have 17 months in the mission it seems to go by so fast! The package came and I have been delighting myself on scrumptious pop tarts for a while. The candy is nearly gone I’ve been giving it out to little kids. It’s really tasty...dang I’m really not sure much more to say this week I’m not sure of a good happening this week, just the normal. We did some service haha. I love you all and miss you tons, can’t wait for the day that I’ll be with you guys again but that’s in its due time. 7 months! So much time but at the same time sooooooo little! Wow.

Well take care family if I have more to say I’ll write another email. SO MUCH LOVE

Elder Bronson

President and Sister Torres

Ken and I were excited to meet with Andrew's Mission President and his wife on Saturday, July 9th at a homecoming event at their stake bowery in Taylorsville, Utah.  They had so many wonderful things to say about Andrew, of coarse!  What an amazing couple they are and how thankful we are to them for their loving care over our son.  Welcome home President and Sister Torres!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!

Alrighty the internet is working again it’s been going on and off...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!! Wooo! I’m out in my Freedom Run shirt that I got for doing the 5k with you Mom, 3 YEARS AGO.

Hope you guys are enjoying a good 4th of July, I treated myself to a good lunch of Subway, man...tasty... it was the first time that I’ve had the teriyaki chicken for a long time and it was good, with a little apple pie thing and ice cream stuff. Yum!

Well this week I’m feeling a bit better, I guess I was a bit down last week, I think it kinda goes by how much success we have during the week.

Yesterday was a hit, we had just finished fasting and we did divisions and met back together in the night to find that together we taught 10 lessons and contacted a bunch of people. I guess we have a new president now, I’ve heard that we will be having interviews soon, as soon as possibly Wednesday. Changes aren’t until the 20th, but I don’t think that I will be having a change. Usually but not every time when you are training you stay with your companion at least 2 changes and I’m thinking that’s what is going to be the case. Things are going well with my companion I honestly hope to stay another change here with him.

Well I’m still waiting for the package to arrive, I suppose it’s harder for it to reach those outside of the capital but it’s worth it haha. I’m still hoping to head up to Petén before the end of my mission to see Tikal and all the other cool things. Here in Coban there’s a ton of stuff but they haven’t given us the opportunity to see anything...

As for the week’s events I don’t have too much in mind, just more rain and more people with more problems to solve and happiness on the way to doing what is right. I’m loving you guys very much and missing you all, hoping really that you are all fine and all doing what you need to be doing. Prayer, scriptures, church, ya know the good stuff! Haha well take care my beloved family until next week and its news.

Elder Andrew Bronson