YEE HAW!

 This is the band cover photo for Elder Falcon and me haha! 

(Branson got a harmonica for Christmas.)

The dogs here are super ugly.  This is a dog of a rich guy so it's not super gross.

For New Years, I had an allergic reaction to something we ate with some investigators! I have no idea what it was because I’m not allergic to anything other than aspirin! I had hives all over and my comp was freaking out. Thankfully, it went away and then we celebrated with a mini party in our house and it was actually fun!

The stake here is doing something really cool, every companionship gets two priests from the stake this week. They live and teach with us for one week. This gives the priests a little idea of what it is like to be a missionary! One of the priests staying with us is annoying, when I’m in divisions with him and he is being annoying, I just walk really fast and he struggles a little and he stops talking haha!

All I want to do is train in the next change, which I think I will do. We have 42 missionaries leaving this change and we are receiving a bunch of new kids as well! So I pray I get to train because it is fun!

The hardest thing about working with family’s here in Guatemala is they are never married! We always have to get them married to baptize them! The good news is we are going to marry 3 families this month and then baptize them!! So awesome! We also have a baptism this week! YEE HAW!!!!! It’s so awesome when all the work pays off! It has been some time since our last baptism! But we did it!

I wish I could write more but I can never remember anything to tell everyone! There are just so many things that happen here so it’s hard to remember it all! I love you all and thanks for the emails!
ELDER KENDALL
PAZ Y AMOR

They Aren't Married

This week was really crazy. Christmas came, and thanks to my mom, I gained a little bit of weight haha! So much Candy! We got to talk to our families as well which was good! It was kind of crazy though, because we are super far away from everything. I had to Skype on the phone of a member, which was nuts, but it was good to talk to my family! Then three families gave us food. So I’m gaining weight and enjoying this for a little, because after this season I will be starving again. 

We also had an activity this week with the zone where we went caroling, very funny! We sang to this evangelical group who were reading their bible, which made them mad haha. We also sang Families can be together Forever to this couple in the park who were kissing un poco haha super funny! The things you can do as a missionary.

Then the day after we went to the temple which was awesome! The temple is right next to the MTC and it made me feel really weird because I feel like I just left there!! But I almost have 5 months! Loco stuff. When we got back to the house, a group of huge BLACK BEES had made a nest on our porch. Elder Falcon and I went outside with this spray we bought, and sprayed them and they started to attack us! We were screaming like girls, but the bees are gone now! Really a blessing!

We are working with three families right now and they are all super pilas.  Unfortunately, they all have the problem we always have...they aren’t married! We are waiting for our friend the lawyer to return from Utah so he can help us get them married!! We are working like crazy and we aren’t baptizing. I have a word of advice for those future missionaries have patience! Something I’m learning right now.

I love you all and thank you for all the Christmas emails and if I couldn’t respond to you I’m sorry! There were a lot!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I’m going to light off some Fireworks tonight... What? 

Love you!
Branson

Remember Cristo!

Straight killing it out here in GUAT!!! No joke when I say that! We killed three dogs this week in the microbuses haha un poco (a little) ugly haha! My new comp is the chilliest and I realized you could have fun on a mish. To all that are getting ready to go on a mission, have fun while you are working! You will have more success!

We have found a ton of people this week. We are praying to baptize and we might baptize this Sunday! We also had our Christmas party this week and that was a blast! I got to see my best friend Elder Gallacher and that was sick! We got to watch a couple videos like that new Christmas music video with piano guys and David Archuleto! That was sweet! Then we played a bunch of games!



I don’t have any crazy stories for you guys this week. I think it is because I am getting use to all the crazy stuff that happens everyday. We are always taking buses and all the bus drivers know us and we are their helpers! We hang off the sides of the bus and yell VILLA CANNALES! VILLA CANALES! Haha just living it up!

We have a bunch of super dope things happening in the next few weeks! We are going to the temple next Tuesday so if I don’t write, that is why. Also, the first week of January we get to train two young men, who are waiting for their calls, how to be missionaries!!! They are going to live with us for 1 week and we are going to teach them what we can! It’s going to be fun!

OK, so it's Christmas time! You should all enjoy it! One thing I love teaching about is the importance of families, ENJOY THIS TIME WITH FAMILY and REMEMBER CRISTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS
ELDER KENDALL

Fireworks All Day

We started the week with the Day of Mary.  This is where all the Catholics walk around following a shrine to the Mother Mary and shoot off fireworks all day!! At one point in the day, we had to walk through a crowd and it was nuts!!! Everyone is just like zombies! But it was sick because they used a strand of firecrackers that was no joke a kilometer long!!!!!!! It was nuts!  Everyone was also drunk so that was super fun as well! It’s a miracle nobody died that day.  I'm good at Spanish now so I just gave chicote to all the drunken people haha!

We had changes!!! I received Elder Falcon from Mexico! He is so sick! He only has 5 months in the mission and he is my trainer!!! We are straight newbies!  We have fun in the lessons and the people actually receive this better.  It's a little stressful because I have to take control of everything, and it's hard getting people from Jocotillo to our church 45 minutes away.  I was just dead so on p day so we took a nap!

This week we found so many people that are super pilas! We just have to find a way to bring them to church.  Pray for me, because my comp and I are still a little lost in Jocotillo!

I love you all and enjoy the snow in Utah...haha there isn't any! Love you all and thanks for the messages!  I can’t wait to see you guys on Christmas!!! It's hard being out here in the mission and just emailing!! I feel like my family is just something that was a dream! When I get to see your faces, it will be such a blessing!! I love you guys a ton!!!

Adios

Elder Kendall

A Jungle Tree

Well I almost have 4 months! How do you like our Christmas tree that I decorated?  I found it in the jungle.   Have you seen the new Christmas church video!!! It is awesome, it would be fun to work in that department when I get home, but we will see!

We had a reunion all of the new missionaries this week, my last one, as a new missionary! It was awesome to see all of my buds from the MTC.  When we returned to our area, we searched in this new section (our area is huge) and we found this crazy poor place in the jungle.  There were a bunch of little kids, who have never seen a white kid.  They were following us around - like in the movies when the white guy goes to Africa and all the kids love him. So sweet!

One day this week we were woken up at 4am because a bunch of crazy Catholics were shooting off fireworks and worshipping Mary.  The people are completely crazy here.  They also had a Day of the Devil, where they take piñatas of the devil and blow them up with fireworks.  It was actually kind of cool because everyone was doing it! 

Our Ward Members - we had great support at this baptism.

Well I love all of you and enjoy the season and the snow! (Lucky punks) 

ELDER KENDALL

Big White Guy

Hello!!!! This week was good! We baptized again, the only thing that is hard is having a comp that is finishing his mish. He just talks about home and it makes me a little jealous.  But I got your package!!!!!!!!!!!!! The best day of my life! Everything is awesome and perfect! Thank you for sending the printed pictures! I loved them!

I have a crazy story, I’m going to share but don’t be scared because I’m always safe and everyone is scared of me because I’m a big white guy hahaha!  Seriously, I’m big here which is actually kind of fun and sucks as well, they only make cars for midgets here.  So we had p day de Zona yesterday and we had to travel a ton to get to the place on time so we woke up at three and walked 40 minutes to where the bus passes!!  We were waiting at the bus stop and a truck rolls up and 4 people get out with bats and ski masks and start making a roadblock and then they started it on fire!  My comp and I were just sitting there wondering what is going on?  I guess they were protesting something.  We were all sad because we weren’t going to be able to leave the city! But we had the idea to go and stop the bus and turn it around before these people took over!  We ran down the street with a group of other people and stopped the bus and turned it around to get out of there! Then someone started shooting at the bus when we were driving out of there!!! I don’t think any of the bullets hit the bus but it was nuts! And I’m not sure if it’s against the rules to share this story but it was so tight, I wanted to share it.  GUAT IS NUTS!!!!! Jocotillo as well! 

We made it to Antigua for P day and it was so awesome! It’s a big tourist town that looks like an old Mexican town at the base of a big volcano! The best part was this crepe place that had the sickest vibe ever! The decorations and everything were awesome...and the FOOD!!!!! It was a blessing! 

We also had Zone conference this week and I got to see Elder Gallacher (my best mission friend) that was awesome.  I wish I could share everything about are investigators but we have too many to tell you about them all! We baptized Hermano Elder .  He is so awesome and will be an awesome member! For Thanksgiving, I bought a ton of food to make stuff and then the power went out... which happens all the time in Jocotillo.  But blessing, Hermana Ana hooked us up with plenty of food. That’s my week, and here I go to have another just like it! 

Thank you for everything you have done for me! Only 3 more weeks and then I get to see you! I love you a ton! Tell the family hi and enjoy the Christmas season, because I miss it!! 

TE AMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love every single one of you!
ELDER KENDALL

Sawed Off Shot Gun

This week was good! We had 2 baptisms!!! Which is awesome. We wanted to have 5 but things always happen. I’m going to try to keep this email sweet and short for you all, just the good stuff. We converted this lady who used to be a mob boss, no joke. When we go to her house, she is always sitting on the couch watching a movie with a sawed off shotgun in hand. So funny but she is the best!

We also got two of our investigators married so they can be baptized! They are awesome but for some reason they keep drinking freaking coffee... so we can't baptize them yet, but we have patience and faith!

We did baptize Jorge and Roxanna!  Always awesome to help people come to Christ. During their interviews I went on divisions with Elder Daybell from Utah and he is a Brand new missionary so guess who was señor comp...Elder Branson Kendall! Man it was awesome!!!! I’m so stoked to get out of training because it was fun.

What wasn’t fun is that I got so sick on Sunday! I was just throwing up, but we still had to work. We would have lessons and I would just walk out to throw up! But I was blessed for pressing forward because now I’m good.

For Pday we went on this five-mile hike to Agua Tivia! It’s this natural spring in this canyon and it was so pretty! The water was so clear and it was warm! We couldn’t get in because of the rules but the member that took us was swimming and he was making fun of us!! If I ever mention Hermano Christian, it’s this hombre that looks like Chris rock and he is hilarious. 

Well keep praying for Jocotillo so we can baptize enough to build a church here...we are close! I love you all and thank you to everyone that writes me!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I love you guys!!!! Enjoy thanksgiving!! I’m probably going to eat a little bit of chicken haha!!! Take some pictures of mashed potatoes so I can be jealous! Love you!
Branson

Closest I’ve got to chilling haha!