Keep your light so shining.

Date: May 12, 2014
Area:  La Tinta, Guatemala
Companion:  Elder Cummings from Idaho
Week 21

Me and Elder Barker

If you`re wondering about the title of this weeks e-mail, well, it`s not based off of any experience this week really, but just a remember to keep your light so shining. Also one of the most important lessons I`ve learned from my Dad has kept in memory since he told it to me. Which is the object lesson when Jesus explains that one wouldn`t hide his candle under a bushel when he needs light. We need to therefore let our lights so shine for us to see and for others to see as well.

So, no mail this week, but that`s fine, we`re going to have a zone meeting this coming Thursday which means that we will receive mail! Whoo! This week started standardly, not really too much exciting to say, so I`ll take the time right now to update on some of our more prominent investigators, that is to say, two.

First up we have Aroldo, now... We aren`t actually teaching him anymore as of yesterday because he left to work somewhere else and will not return for a month so I hear, it`s sad, but the man wasn`t progressing, for two reasons. One, he wasn`t praying, and second, he wasn`t coming to church, but he is smart and with his information in our area book he shall be taught again.

Second is Wilson. Oh man! We love this guy, not just for the fact that he invited us to have some dinner consisting of something called Pachay, which is more or less chicken with a certain seasoning that was great, but this man loves the Book of Mormon and is telling us that he`s reading 10 chapters a night, and he really is. We also gave him a book of Mormon to give to his brother, and he loves it too! Soon. Oh so soon we`ll be asking him to baptism and placing a date for him.

On Thursday of this week we had a multi-zone conference, where we got together as three zones and listened to Elder Ochoa of the seventy, out of our three zones there are only one pair of sister missionaries, so it was about sixty elders and two sisters. This isn`t because sister missionaries don`t exist, they just don`t send them to the Polochic because it is a bit more dangerous, not really any more dangerous than any other place but then it`s compounded with the fact that you`re hours away from the mission home and good facilities.  Elder Ochoa talked to us about faith unto repentance, he`s a very happy and fun guy, I really enjoyed my time at this conference.

Next major event this week was a Baptism!!! The baptism of Estefanya Ecrigèl Arruè Megchùn, and I was the one to preform the baptism. The services were great and although only about 15 people were there the people that mattered were there, namely her non-member mother and sister, her very best friend that has helped us a lot Sister Dora and her 7 year old son and a few others.  The service was supposed to start at 4, but ended up starting half an hour later, people are late here, but it`s not late, it`s actually on time. It still kind of irks me, but I`m used to it.  I`m not sure if they do anything special afterward, much to my knowledge they don`t do too much, I am sure they got together and had a nice dinner. The spirit in the services was incredibly strong, I hope to help more people feel it.

Estefanya Ecrigèl Arruè Megchùn and Elder North

At the time of the baptism there was nobody here.

Another thing that happened this week was a very large storm. As I put it, ¨I thought I knew rain.¨ It rains hard here and then if there`s lightning you can expect there to be the shake you to your bones kind of booms. I love it though, not the best for teaching as you can`t hear much.

There was also Mother`s day! But do I really have to mention too much about that, every family with a missionary out should know. Well, we had a nice chat, I really enjoyed the start where I surprised Dad a little with more Spanish skills, it was a joy to hear the voices of my family, something interesting though, I got to hear the voice of my little brother Zane, for whatever reason this was just very special and I give a special thanks and I love you to that wonderful brother. He`s also sounding better with pronunciation. Keep it up Bro.

This week will be awesome, why, because like all other awesome weeks we get to learn and move forward. With a few bumps in the road, but still, let your light so shine.

Elder Jered Lamont North, Laj Saqi Noq` , Elder Norte

Elder North loves mail, it takes awhile to get to him so get a letter in the mail today or use dearelder.  It's free!

Elder Jered North
Guatemala Cobán Mission
Apartado Postal #34
3ra Calle 2-02, Zona 3
Cobán AV 16001
Guatemala, Central America

It costs $1.15 to mail a letter to him. You can use regular envelops and stamps just make sure they equal $1.15. If it weights more than a regular letter you should take it to the post office to have it weighed.

OR

Use Dear Elder (www.dearelder.com)

its Free to my mission. Just got to

dearelder.com, create an account

and it will track the letters you send

so you can go back and view them.

On the drop down menu just put in

Guatemala Cobán Mission and then

address it to Elder Jered North.

They get mailed out once a week.

This will be the best way to contact

me since I don't have that much

time on e-mail each week.