Monday, February 28, 2011

Time or not Enough Time!!!

Isabel's Letter


sorry but i have almost no time left, when you send pics could you
send them all in one email please the computers are so freaking slow
that its used up all my time and my compi couldnt enter into her
emails so my time was spent. thanks though for sending me pics im
really happy to see you and my family the girls are really big, but
gina who cut natalies bangs? joeson i thought you had gotten a counter
offer but you like me like change i bet you are excited for the move.
please send me pictures, jonathan you havent sent any of the puppies
or mechas and i bet you guys are bummed that joeson and gina left.
this month has been kinda slow ive been working but with one companion
leaving and training a new one and moving 3 times in one month it
hasnt been so productive. weve have been trying to work w members but
either the appointment fails or the member fails its frustrating but
then i thought of the sons of mosiah and ammon when the lord said go
and suffer your affliccions with patience and then i will give you
success it was funny but for the first ti me in my life i get faith,
its an action its easy to do whats right when everything goes right
faith is enduring against all odds like when Nephi was tied up in the
boat he built he kept praying and never murmured. the mission field i
testify helps more the missionary than the investigators. chris thanks
for writing me im sad that i havent recieved your letters but what you
said made all the diff.

les amo ciao


Chris'Letter
Hiiii!!!

Look, like Isabel I don´t have a lot of time, but I love you all.
Why? Because... I only have .50 cents. Haha. 10 limps.
We were supposed to get money, but we didn´t! One of the
joys of the mission.  This week we had one baptism, and
we have 4 people that are going to baptize and we´re working
with 2 really, really, really good families.  I hope they feel the
spirit.  I really reccommend reading Our Search for Happiness.
Elder Ballard is really eloquent.  It´s one of my favorite books
that I´ve ever read, but if I wasn´t a missionary, I think I would
other than appreciate it.  So, I want you all to read it and start
inviting people to church.  Because it´s easy.  Don´t bragg and
don´t get super animated.  Just... ask people if they´d like to
come to church or if they´ll read the book of mormon or liahona.
I prrrrromise you´ll have success and make a lot of people happy. 
I also can´t wait to be Wrd Mission Leader (I mean, if that´s what god wants).
I love you Mom and Dad.

Sincerely, Elder Hill

....

Haha. My companion just told me that he´d give me money...
So, I have time.  A few of the things I miss: cream from a farm,
cherries (they don´t exist here, for real), hot springs and cold
springs and the woods. 

Things that you don´t find there: GIGANTIC MANGOS.  GIGANTIC.
3 pounds per mango.  And they´re sooooooooooooooooooo delicious.
SO SO SO SO SO SO delicious.  Also, trees of coconuts on every corner.
Lemons the size of grapefruit.  No, really.  Cacao fruit for free!

Monday, February 21, 2011

FROM ISABEL

Jan could you pealse send this to my family my computer is beeing dumb and would let me send it to anyone unless i reply, thanks again for writing, i am truly sorry dor what is happening with granpa richards family because all those material things will wither away but the nastyness they are thrwoing around will be held against them. im so glad that the lord conforted you. i havent gotten any forwards from chris emails this week, i like to know what hes upto i havent gotten any mail from him since i have been in bolivia i wonder if it got lost in the mail? i have been so busy i miss him but dont usually have time to think of him but at night and on mondays. i need money b/c my shoes are really woren already and its raining alot but i will wait my parents said they would give me some. also i am training! my daughter is from chile and speaks funny but i love it she is shy but really tries and we get along great. she gets kinda goofy like me at night when we are tired and everything seems funny. we moved again but the bedrooms didnt get the doors or windows on time so now we are freezing at night and have been moving things here and there everynight so we are very tired. hna choque and i said to each other we are going to make this branch a ward before we go and this sunday it happended we have been activating many less actives and fortifing the members
and its worked petrolero is a ward!!!!! crap time is up i am good and i will send you a pic of
the newbie soon. love you all take care

FROM CHRIS

So, I have to tell you that the last two weeks I have been super, super, super
excited to eat pizza at the mall.  I´m not really sure why but there´s just something
about pizza in the mission....

So, to Isabel, I´m really, really, really happy that the branch became a ward.
That is so cool.  I promise that I have sent a bunch of letters to you.  I don´t
know if the office hasn´t sent them or what.  But I´ve sent them.  Also I really
like your hat and hope that you´re ejoying the rain.  Elder Soto and I have
been praying for rain and for two days we got it.  He talks like a mexican
because he lives by the border in Guatemala.  He wants us to visit him
after the mission.  Also, more and more it´s really difficult to speak English.
Like this is an excercise right now typing.  Haha. 

So, our area is really, really, really nuts, and we have been working SO hard.
We had 24 lessons this week annnnnd.... what else.  We´re going to have
4 baptisms this week.  I just want you to know that I love you and I love
serviing the lord.  I never want to stop being a missionary.  I always want
to visit the sick and the widowed with you, with our children.  I want to travel.
Maybe if God wants, we can be mission presidents in Peru or Guatemala or
wherever.  Colombia!  haha.  This is what I really want after the mission. 
To be with you.  Serving the lord.  And I promise you can have your stove
and your washer and your dryer.  Haha.  And besos.  And gemelos.  Also,
there is an Elder here who talks and acts JUST LIKE JOESON. IT´s crazy.
His name is Elder Tairo.  And the money in Peru is called El Sol.  He is
absolutely wonderful and crazy and finishing the mission.  I wish that I could
have been companions with him.  Oh well, hopefully I´ll get to be companions
with a Bolivian, right? That believes crazy things like Hma. Choque.
Also this Elder promised that he´s going to send me 2 and a half pounds of maca
from peru!  Haha.  And all of my companions I have introduced cacao to them
I want you to know that I´m still very in love with you.  I´m losing weight too!
Everyday I´m exercising.  I promise that everything will be perfect.  Happy.  In love.  Keep working hard, love.
I´m sorry that you haven´t received my letters, but I´m writing you every Monday.

I love you so much.  Don´t ever forget that.  Don´t leave me either.
Y no ten pena tampoco porque escribĂ­ y todo pueden leerlo.  Solo
sentĂ­ que tu tienes que saber que te amo y que estoy escribiendote.
Y que nunca quiero que te olvides de mi o que te amo.  :)  Te amo.
Y solo hay una eternidad para amarte.  Nos vemos babycitotootsieroll.


....

Mom and Dad, if you could send that to Isabel that would be awesome.
So in our area there is alot of danger.  Haha.  I don´t know if you want to see where I was.
1) we might get robbed.  Haha.  Or worse.  Because the situation
here in Honduras is that a year and a half oago the army took out
the President. So right now the police are at war with all of the gangs.
And we live where the gangs are . So we see lots of police and very
strange things.

But all is well. My computer isn´t workng super well.  But I love you.
And I would love it if you prepared yourselves to serve as missionaries.
Because you´ll never be happier in your lives.

Sincerely, Elder Hill

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day

Hooooooooooooola!

Entonces! So I´m healed. Your prayers, fasting and everything worked. 100%.   This weekend we had two baptisms. I would´ve sent pictures this week but they are on the camera of my companion. Next week! We, right now, have 2 baptismal goals, which are for sure going to go swimming and we have 2 that are getting
baptized the 26th. Yaaaaay!!! Honestly, I don´t know why but baptisms are cool, but I like more the finding. I guess that that means I´m a man. They say that all men like is the hunt. Huh.

The same word for dog in Spanish is but ("I like this, but..."): pero.
Also, I just almost have disowned liking the service of the baptism. I am honestly really, really, really, REALLY trying to just think of others. I want people to do convenants, yes, but what I really want is missionaries and families that are sealed.  I want to return to go with all of our converts to the temple when it´s finished. And other Elders and members feel really good when they do the ordinance. I am trying to enjoy decorating, making phone calls and having everything be perfect FOR the baptism. I don´t know if I´m doing a good job, but any moment when someone can feel better about themselves in a nonegotistical way is fantastic.  I like happy people.

So, mom, I have weird news... I can´t use the soaps here. They´re too rough, too hard. And if you´re going to send anything, could you send the bar soaps by Dr. Bronner? The hemp soap? I don´t think that they cost too much and I could used maybe 6 now and 6 more in 6 months. Also, there´s a deoderant that I´m using that I´m almost out of that I´d like too, but I still have some of that. So don´t worry till... I don´t know when. Also, I would really like a few jars (plastic of course) of coconut oil to help with healing my poor, goofy white skin from the tropical sun.

I´m like a tortilla in an oven slowly browning. I´m going to leave Honduras looking like James Brown. Or James Black! Whoo!

I think I´ve lost another ten pounds or something. I´ve been trying to be 100%  obedient in doing exercises. Every morning 30 minutes, runnin stairs. I have like 3 minutes left. No, 1 and a half. I want you all to know that I love you so much. And like Isabel said, you don´t feel the missing of others, but sometimes it would be nice to have a hug or pass time with you. But there´s a time for everything. I want you all to read your liahonas more! I love you!

Sincerely, Elder Hill


New Companion, New House in La Flor de Campo

Truly Meant for Isabella, but too cute to not share!

Te Amo for Baby Sweet
Chris also hand wrote a letter to Isabel and then took a picture of it....we sent it to her...sorry somethings must stay between them!!!  Nice to see my boy has a little romance in him!!!  I love and miss them both!  Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!!

Two Letters from Isabella and CHANGES for her!

What Should Have Been Last Weeks Letter

So 1st off whats wrong with chris? and how come i dont know? red spots that are flat are fleas and you need to wash everything and put your bed in the sun so they all scram. im sorry love they arent any fun. and what blood work have you had done? this week it was been really cold and rainy in sucre and this week i got a cold but still had appointments so we went and i slept when i had a chance but it was worth it to show the lord that i will try my best even if i did nap in between. but you peeps need to also let me know when things arent going so well with chris, please. this is my comps last week in the mish, my mom so wise brought up the point that maybe shes stressed out because she is leaving and isnt going to anything fun when she gets home. so we had a big fight last week i told her she was a hypocrite to smile at me when she was pissed inside so i told her i dont want to even look at you! im so mean. she started to cry and i said why are you crying!! its stressful being on a mission having somany people to think of, to report to to work for even when you are sick and to top it all off your comp wont spill, or comunicate. we had a long i mean a long heart to heart. finally she started to yell back and goodness it was a relief i thought i did it she exploded now shell tell me whats wrong. turns out that of the 10 members of her family there are only 3 that are active one lives in spain and the other in santa cruz and she wont see them when she gets home. secondly she doesnt want to go home.she is very sad that her mish is ending and she wont ever experience it again. thirdly she is scared because she is supposed to get married when she gets home and she has never had a boyfriend. so i guess that stressed her out and on top of it she felt like she could speak to me because in arguments i always won... her words not mine. it was a bad fight i hope to get a north american sister in her place because i am north american in custom and i get along with them better. sounds horrible but its true. thank you so much for buying me the tights i really need them especially for that time of month it hurts to go out when its so cold. we recently just moved to a members house my comp is so funny shes shy so she sneaks around the house so she wont bump into hem. ha ha. she is a really good person. she usto raise mice because she felt bad they didnt have a mom and her parents got mad because they were trying to get ride of the pest ha ha. she also usto sheperd sheep, she has a lot of weird ideas about sickness like for a cold i should rub mint on my feet and put a bag over them. and when we smell a dead dog we should spit the dead out of our mouths, or if you are really hot and you take your clothes off to quick you might get paralyzed. or if you dream of snakes it means this or that anyway its been an experience living with her and for all the anger that her silence has caused me at times it was worth it to be with a bolivian to teach me the ropes in bolivia and for that i am greatful to my heavenly father, she has also taught me to be humble and what meekness really is. i can say i wouldnt want to live with her 24 /7 again but i appreaciate her alot. i have invited her to see the states its gonna blow her mind ha ha. also she didnt get money this month so we have been using mine and i am running really low. i dont think she will be able to pay me back. so please just 40 bucks can really help. in other news the bump on my butt is slowly going away yay! oh and i am staying in sucre 3 more months to show the area to a newbie. next i want to go to tarija and then to chochabamba. i love you all
hna florido!

This Weeks Letter

im sorry you didnt get my last email, i was kinda sad and maybe it was for a reason it didnt get to you but i will forward it again. i have a question how muh money do i have in my account? my comp didnt get any money and we used mine and i dont think that she can pay me back. and janice you are still mothering us even if we arent there in you house we feel your love. and speaking of mothering i think that a mothers love come closest to charity than any other love and on that note love your neighbor with that motherly love and find ways to be in the service of you fellow being and you will be in the sevice of you God and janice if you do you will be so filled with love that you wont miss us as much. like i love chris so much and all of you my family and friends but to be honest i dont have time to miss you sure i think of you and care for you and pray for your wellbeing but i am so busy mothering others like christ taught that i dont feel the emptiness of not having you all with me. i dont know if that makes sense. but like chirs said about repentance and eveything else christ taught you will gain your undestanding and testimony of any principle by the practice of it. when we feel blue we really need to forget ourselves and get to work there is no time to waste. i love change i think its because my parents changed so many things of my life when i was growing up that i like moving and changing. we moved houses i love it! we live in the 4th floor and carnaval is coming, carnaval is when people go crazy jk it when there is a national waterballoon fight in the streets in the parks everywhere and people go out when its sunny or rainy it doesnt matter and they throw buckets of water at each other and dance its fun it makes me move my hips and want to dance but my comp would always poke me and say no! and i would always say hey im letting people know we arent jehova wittnesses like my mom han crossley usto tell me. how is she what have you sent her? shes ending soon. the only downfall to carnaval is that people start to get really drunk and so in march the official day on the 7 and 8th we cant go out because they grab women and take them in to theyre houses and water them down, thats bad but whats good like i was saying is that living in the 4th floor i get to throw bollons ar people too and have fun with out being outside getting ballooned ha ha ha.  in other news guess what hna choque went home and i am training this transfer i am so excited i think i will be a good mom. i love you all take care ans send me pictures!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Changes!!!

Christopher's Letter


Buenas!

This week I have made a lot of changes in my life.  It is a week of repentence.
I have learned a lot about the sacrament and the remission of sins this week.
They´re the most important things in one´s life, to be reclaimed from the
engulfing waves when we decided to go sailing in stormy weather.  I know that
God lives without a doubt and I know that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah,
the redeemer of our sins. I know that because I have tested His words.  There
is no other place to be redeemed from any wrongdoing.  I have learned that
anyone can be saved by saying I´m sorry, but through the power of the priesthood
one can be reborn, can truly come clean through washing one´s garments of
the blood of Christ.  I know that only in this church exists the priesthood, which
I know is the power of God, and thus this is His church.  And as much as all of
the pieces of the puzzle fit together perfectly, in the world logically it doesn´t
make sense with so much knowledge and opinion.  But it works, if we trust,
like a child trusts that we will give to them
of what they need and when the parent gets angry, a child just wants things to
be better - just wants to have peace.  I know that I just wanted peace.  I know
that God lives and Jesus is the Christ, because I read their words and tested them.
And it works.  All I can say is that it works...  It´s all real.


So, this week I changed houses, areas, companions and old habits.  I went from
Monterrey to La Flor del Campo.  Monterrey had 4 areas that were all very different:
One was based on a hill that was more or less dangerous, the other was flat and
filled with gangs with whom I made friends, the other in which we lived was filled
with people who had lots of money and beautiful homes, and the other was of dirt,
rock filled roads, littered with garbage, dirty children and women who don´t wear
much for clothing because it´s hotter than Arizona in the middle of the summer -
also the most poor of them all.  La Flor is like the latter of the four.

So, this area is HUGE.  Gigangtic.  There are, I would say, 2 or 3 thousand persons
in this area, but it´s like the size of 1/4 of Roy.  It´s really small, but filled with people
like a five pound bag of rice every person being a grain of rice. And there is a an area
where if white people enter, they don´t leave.  So... we don´t go there. Haha.  Also,
I have gotten rid of my rash and my sunburn. Soy sano.  I´m healed.  Thank you so
much for your prayers and those who fasted in behalf of us.

This week I have though a lot about being a father and my children, how I might teach
them, because we are teaching lots of teenagers in this area.  I´ve thought a lot about
what our home will be like.  And I´m almost more excited to leave the mission to be
part of the church as a member.  I honestly never want to leave the mission.  It saddens
me to think that I almost have 7 months.  In no time, I´ll have a year and I don´t want 
to "lose" this sacred time.  But I want to work so much in the church, with young men
and women, with the missionaries, help with the primary and sociedad de socorro.  To 
make friends with everyone and bring them to church.  To teach others what I´ve learned
about the sacrament.  To be a husband, and go to the temple with my sweetheart.  To
try to live by the standards of missionaries with her.  There´s nothing more than one needs
but understand that everything is found in the church of God.  Everything.  Nothing goes
unnoticed of uncounted.  If you have a question, there is an answer.  And I´m so very
happy to be part of this churhc.  I wish that I had been all along, but I understand repentence
and even the worst of my errors or those of others, I know are forgiven.  As the scripture
says, though your sins may be red as crimson scarlet, they´ll be white as snow. 

I remember once Isabel and I found a cup in Savers or Ross that said,"there´s nothing that
chocolate and prayer can´t fix." I think that those are the two things I´ll always keep
in my life.  Haha.  This week I ate, like, 3 to 4 pounds of cacao.  No joke.  To help with
the protection of the killing sun here.

I just want you to know that I´m very happy.  I love you and miss you, but I don´t want
to see you for 1 year and 5 months.  To be in the bosom of my God, there´s no other
place I would rather be.

Once, Dad, you told me that you loved God more than Mom and Me, and I was so
upset that you said that then.  Now I understand.  I´m finally getting to know our
father.  He lives, and I am so humbled to be his son and to feel of his love for me.
I don´t know much, but I know that he lives and has established this church for
everyone one of us.  And how great is it to be apart.

I love you, Dad. I love you, Mom.  Here´s a big hug and kiss. I love you all. 

Sincerely, Elder Hill

We have not heard from Izzy today...hopefully soon!!!