3rd Story Window

I’m a completely dedicated missionary.... a couple nights ago I gave the first lesson in my sleep. I woke up because my comp was laughing so hard hahaha! I was sitting up and everything. On Friday we did our first service project and we dug a 5-foot deep hole for this guy! It was hard but fun. We also found some guy cutting wood. We pretended not to know how cut wood and he taught us.  We then cut all this wood for him.

We had stake conference this week so we went to stay with the ZL´s for the night, but they weren’t there. So we just had to climb up this wall and climb in the 3rd story window! People probably thought we were robbing the place. But the ZL´s brought us pizza and we had a little party! Then we had a baptism!!!! Crazy story-That day we had three baptisms and the first little girl that went, her foot came out of the water and she was just balling because she thought she couldn’t be baptized again. Our investigator was kind of scared because he was like ¨why is she crying¨. Then Raul(17) and I went into the font and the first time his hair didn’t go under so we did it again... then his feet came out... so we did it a third time. This time I put my foot on his feet, but he didn’t want to go under... so I made him go under! I seriously probably looked like I was trying to drown him. When he came up we were both laughing- so funny!

For P day we went off roading with this super rich guy and he doesn’t care about his truck so it was nuts! We went up to his property on top of this mountain with an amazing view! Then we ate food and ice cream with him and his family. We might have listened to some real music.... but who knows!

I love you all and thank you for all the b day emails!!!! 

PAZ Y AMOR!

Branson

The Buses

So it rains here.... a lot! We bought all this rain gear but I never use it because you get wet anyway. So I just put my scriptures in a bag and go. On Friday we had a meeting in the capital. We woke up at 4:00am and took buses for 2 hours. On the way home we had to take this bus that was packed!!! I had to hang off the side and we were on the freeway!! The bus was playing this crazy sweet dubstep and I felt like I was in a movie! So tight!! This place is really so beautiful if you can overlook all the trash and dogs haha.

This is our baptism font. The water is so cold and it is raining.

No baptisms this week but we have 3 this Sunday, so boom! These people are awesome out here! So loving!

We have a bus that takes us to church every Sunday that is owned by a member. We drive around and pick of investigators and members. We then drive for an hour and a half to the church along the most beautiful roads!! It’s awesome because I don’t have to contact. I can just rest and hangout with the youngens haha.

Lake Amticlan

We had zone p-day yesterday and we went to this sick park that overlooks Lake Amtitclan!!! So beautiful! Then we got to go to McDonalds!!!!! And it is so much better here!!!!!! It was amazing!

I just pretended yesterday was my birthday. We are working hard and progressing!!! I love you all! Thanks for all your birthday emails.
PAZ Y AMOR
Branson

Zombieland

This field is right in front of our house

Hello Everyone,

Ok so this didn’t happen very much in my first week here, but now all the investigators ask me to sing to them in English haha. Kinda funny. We also got to visit my favorite area this week twice. It’s called the Mercedes!! It’s this big farming area with rolling hills and tall grass and huge mountains. We teach this cute old man there and I just want to hug him. He is awesome and learning super quick. Saturday we were teaching a lesson and the family we were teaching were from out of town, and my companion knew the area they were from. So he asked if they knew one of his friends in that area.... they did. But he had been killed a couple weeks before. My companion was pretty sad about that but he is doing all right now. 

The buses here are insane, we’ve done more gnarl off roading in a bus then I ever did in our RZR! I enjoy it a ton!!!! So fun!!!

Everyone also gives us pineapple because we basically live on a pina plantation!! It’s so humbling here! The families are huge and the houses are so small!! They make it work though and they are amazing and so happy. We teach the family of the little kid I baptized and its awesome! They are all so happy.

Every old person here is absolutely nuts, I don’t get it! I miss normal old people!! Where are my grandparents? hahaha! It’s like an insane asylum every time I walk into one of their houses.

I will also never take running water for granted ever again haha! Bucket showers every morning and its COLD!!! And then sometimes we don’t even have electricity. I also went on an exchange last week! Something new and kinda fun! The people in my area always let us in! It’s nice. 

My companion and I have learned to live by rule number 57 from Zombieland, “Enjoy the Little Things”. We mess with every drunk here! It’s always pretty fun! But bad news, I finally got that Guatemala sickness! 
I love you all!
Branson 

Mission Field

Hello everyone,

I am here!  The first day we loaded everything onto a bus and left to the mission home. We got there and had lunch and all that good stuff. Then we headed to the mission office where we were going to spend the night.  Then we partnered with an office assistant and went out contacting. It was Elder Powell, from the MTC, and I with Elder Roney. I have never seen someone walk so fast in my life. Powell and I were jogging haha.  We got to a bus stop and Roney says, who wants to contact the bus, so I did and I just got on and yelled at everyone haha. Pretty fun. Then the first person I contacted on my mission spoke English!!!!! Pretty cool. We then taught a family and they had every baby animal alive! It was nuts -puppies, kittens, baby chickens! Then we had change meetings! My companion is Elder Tinoco! He is Latino and he is cool -kind of weird sometimes but cool. So we leave the change meeting and head to a public bus. We throw my bags on the public, packed bus and start contacting! I’m bad at Spanish! That first day was super stressful with all the bags but we made it, oh and my companion almost fell out of the bus. We are in this crazy cool area!  It is the farthest from the office! Its called Jocotillo and it’s kind of in the mountains.  There are no stores in my area!! Solo little tiendas (only little shops) with no food!! This area is super super poor! Nobody has a floor but the temperatures are really cool! Thank goodness! Our house is crap but it works. It’s a brand new area so we only have a lady that does laundry!!! I starved for the first week! We basically eat cereal! It will be a miracle if I don’t die from food!! My companion was feeding me some gross stuff and we don’t have running water either so he barely cleans dishes!!!!

Guess what!!!!! I had my first baptism!!!!!! Louis Raton!!!! Such an awesome experience!!! I don’t have time to write so sorry if I don’t respond to all letters!!! I love you guys so much and I miss you!!! General conference was the bomb!

Peace,
Branson

P.S. We have rats in our roof haha...lots!
P.S.S. Our p days are Mondays, but we get to write on Tuesdays!!! Which is really nice actually! A little break on both the days!