Week #?¿?¿ and divisions

Date:  June 23, 2014

Elder Pig

Area:  Kanlun, Guatemala

Companion:  Elder Barker

Week:  27

First off, I don´t really actually care what week I´m on, but it actually wouldn´t be too hard for me to figure it out.

Kind of funny he put this as a title and his first line since I do keep track each week in the little header.  He doesn't get these though so he doesn't know that.  

So, I did not get letters this week and I do not expect to get letters next week, but maybe, we shall see.

The biggest thing that happened this week was that I got to go on division with my Zone leader, so I went to Teleman for two days and worked with Elder Sparacino, he´s a cool guy and I did learn a lot from him, but the thing that stuck when I went back to Kanlun was to have more fun with my Kekchi, when you have more fun with the language you don´t realize that you don´t know a lot of it.

bird

Elder Sparacino knows a lot of Kekchi, and he´s actually returning home to Virgina in about seven weeks or so. I got to see a really experienced missionary teach and got to learn new words and also see the area of Teleman. I would certainly not mind serving there some day.

Entonces, two days ago, that would make it Saturday, a kid walked up to us and told us that he wanted to be baptized, well, we can do that, his name is Otto and he has 13 years, we taught him a lesson and he is very attentive and smart and has already gotten a strong feeling that this is the church he should join, we´re going to be talking to his parents tomorrow so that we can ask them for permission for him to be baptized and then we´re going to put a date for his baptism, the twelfth of July. We´re really excited.

We´re in a hard area, and really we just talk to people and you get baptisms when people are ready, that´s been Elder Barker´s experience and mine, we try to prepare some people, but they´re not ready so they don´t really progress and suddenly we find someone who is ready and it is just incredible. Or they come to us when they´re ready.

This coming week I´ll be actually taking a lot more of the responsibilities, like giving the numbers and being the one who does the bigger part of planning for the next day, we plan together but generally one does a little bit more than the other. Elder Barker and I have a good balance.

Newly hatched baby ducks

We´re doing well out here, it´s getting a little colder and raining a little more, I like that, we sometimes don´t sweat for twenty minutes straight, that´s just a miracle, but the challenge for all you at home is to look for the little miracles in everyday life, look back on your week and look at the blessings and miracles, in my experience you don´t really recognize the miracles when they happen, but after they happen.

I love you all, Keep on hiking, and go getcha some.

Elder Norte

Don't forget to get those letters off to Elder North because they can take awhile.  

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.

Check out his blog at elderjernorth.blogspot.com to see pictures from last weeks letter that never got attached.  The picture of him holding the black pig I had replied asking if that pig was dead or alive and I got the response this week of.  "Why would I touch a dead pig?  That is just gross mother."  

The Store, El Estor

Elder North and one of the pigs in his area

Date:  June 16, 2014
Area:  Kanlun, Guatemala
Companion:  Elder Barker
Week 26

I finally get to see this place called El Estor, it feels a lot more like home than any other place I've actually been in, and it has a lake by it, I havn't had a chance to get some pictures here yet, we ate at a place called Gardania's, it is amazing. Maybe I can find a new tie, we're always looking for new ties.

This week I actually don't have too much to say, which might change, I usually say that and end up writing a lot still. I completed my six month mark, half a year in Guatemala and still going strong, with no run ins with parasites like my companion, but he's all better now. I don't count they days, but I know that whenever it is the 11th of another month I have completed another month out here, so I count the months, this is also awesome because I am still writing daily in my journal, so that means I have a full half year of mission experience in that thing, and I'm still going, there's still things that don't get written in a journal, but it's better than just trying to remember all of it. Most of the other missionaries say, "Oh I stopped writing after the first change," Or, "After the CCM" things like that, not me, I'm going strong.

We found some new investigators this week, one family that we thought was going to be good, they had some questions and seemed to be interested in learning more, but then they asked if the church would be able to help them financially, I'm told that that is a little bit of a problem sometimes, that some people just expect the church to help them, but for this family a lot has to happen before the church will consider it. They need to get married, the father needs to stop drinking, they need to be baptized and pay tithing and be faithful members, then the church could probably help them. We havn't dropped them yet, we'll see what goes on.

Elder Barker being eaten by a dinosaur at Branch Pres House.

So, there's another family, we havn't met the father yet, we're kind of scared of that, because they generally say no to us, but we showed them the book of mormon, (Lix Hu Laj Mormon) and they seem very interested in it, we'll be visiting them tomorrow and see where it goes from there.

I got a lot of letters this week, nine to be in fact.

From: Dad, Mom (2), Sister Barnson, The Barnson family, Karoline, Grandma Mary, The Holdens and Ceaira.

Thank you all so much, and  also for sending some pictures as well, those are also really fun to get and look at daily as they sit on my wall.

It hasn't been raining as much as we would like, so it has been hotter than usual, but that's alright, we're kind of used to it, we have our fans and we live with those things, I still sleep with a fan, the difference in Kanlun to La Tinta is that I have a bug net, so I feel very comfortable to sleep without a blanket and expect not to wake up with tons of mosquito bites.

The weeks are going by really quickly in Kanlun, I'm getting better at the sacrament prayer in Kekchi, I'm getting better

Elder North with Branch Presidents Son

at Kekchi in general, but the third hour of church is so hard to stay awake in, it's a lecture type setting that I would have a somewhat difficult time staying awake if it was in English, but it's in Kekchi, so my mind starts wandering more easily and the Kekchi just turns into gibberish really in my ears and I find myself nodding off, I'm working on that. If you think it's hard to stay awake in English, it's twice as hard in a language you can't fully understand.

We did have interviews with President this week and those were really good, he seems impressed with my language skills and he gave me great counsel, Sister Curtiss gave me an assignment to work on with may help me have a more meaning full personal study, I'm excited to start it. What it is is studying by themes and I think I'll be studying the theme of the Priesthood. I'll be able to talk about my progress and results later as I study and maybe give a talk about it in a multi zone conference.

Hope you are all doing well,

I love you all even though me make me kind of jealous by saying how the weather can get a little cool back home even though it's summer, but hey, I might get to the mountains at some time in my mission and I hear the mountains are nice weather.

GO GETCHA SOME!

Elder Norte,

Laj Saqi Noq'

Being a duck in a duck cage

One of the members houses flooded.

Elder North sitting on the soccer goal
in front of our house in the church yard.

Write Elder North, it takes a bit for him to get his mail but he loves to hear from everyone.  He does a pretty good job about writing back too.  So drop him a line today!

Also if you are interested this is his companions blog and so it can be interesting to read what his thoughts are from the week.  http://grifeninguatemala.blogspot.com/

PLEASE WRITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please do not use nick names on letters or packages. They have to go to the mission home and then be forwarded on. If you have a nick name on the letter it may never make it to him. THANKS

Send mail to:

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.

Opposition in all things

across a bridge

Date:  June 9, 2014

Area:  Kanlun, Guatemala

Companion:  Elder Barker

Week 25

Obviously from the title I learned a little bit about opposition, as it goes there are a lot of Evangelical churches around here and also the Catholic church, of which they don`t really like us Mormons, also saying that we`re prideful because our building is pretty, where really we just want a nice place for a celestial being (holy ghost) to dwell while we worship in a nice, reverent manner, instead of the very loud preaching style and singing.

So a little bit about what I learned about opposition, we were listening to one of the many devotionals on my Ipod, we`ve actually started going down the list and listening to one almost every day, so, there exists eternal laws that even God has to abide by because they are laws, much like we have the law of gravity, it doesn`t exactly restrict us in our agency or anything, but it isn`t something we can change. So, opposition is one of these laws.

Opposition exists a lot here, but we can`t do much about it, in fact it can help us grow, and there`s a lot of people who do many things as I said earlier, but the more these people say that our church is not true, the more I find that it is true and I`m convinced more and more of how true and awesome it is and feel sorrow for those who see otherwise.

My awesome companion Elder Barker

Elder Barker got slightly sad this week, it was sad for both of us, the work is hard and slow here, but we keep going. In this particular instance we saw a drunk on the street, ok, a drunk, that happens, as it turns out this drunk was a member that used to attend church every week... We don`t know what happened yet, it`s not really that effective to talk to drunks.

I got two letters this week, that kind of dissapointed me because I`ve been waiting for letters for a while and I thought that I was going to get a lot, oh well, we might get some this week, so it`s all good. These letters were from Karoline and Grandma Mary.

I`m still loving Kanlun, the scenery is great, less noise and a lot more Kekchi, I`m teaching lessons in the language now and yet still surprising myself and maybe even Elder Barker a little, on how much Kekchi I actually know. After so long of feeling like it wasn`t going to get anywhere for a while, it finally hit, and this is in harmony with what Elder Hill said would happen, it happened to him. Just one day it catches on and you really start getting it. Having to speak it everyday has pushed it to that and It`s awesome.

Elder Bakrer and Elder North

I`ve heard rumor that there are many Elders coming into the mission soon and that I`m actually being prepared to train someone here in Kekchi, but this is only just a rumor, we`ll see what happens when changes actually happen.

I e-mail in La Tinta and Teleman, we switch off every week.  I am in La Tinta today.  It takes about an hour to get to or a little more for Kanlun.  The food is about the same here in Kanlun, maybe a little spicier actually.  The branch is the Kanlun Branch.  The biggest change is that there isn't Spanish being spoken and it is all in Kekchi.   It is less of a town and quieter too, I love it.

I know this gospel is true, the lord Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and no one can find eternal salvation except through the principles he taught, and all of the principles , ordinances and the authority to do them can only be found in this church. I`m very strong on this point even with investigators.

Pictures of Kanlun, I am hiding in two of them

Get out there and do some good,
I love you all,

Elder Norte

So write Elder North today because it takes awhile for him to get letters so don't put it off another minute.  He would love to hear from you!  

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.

Parasites and Pigs

Date:  June 2, 2014
Area:  Kanlun, Guatemala
Companion:  Elder Barker

So to start off this email I must tell you about the new area I guess. So Kanlun, or Canlun, depends on what script of Kekchi you´re using, the old alphabet or the new. So, Kanlun is on the other side of the Polochic river and we can ride a little kayak to get across it, there´s another way, but it´s less exciting.

Kanlun is flat, placed more out in the valley than La Tinta, which hugged the mountain side, but our area does go up into the mountains, way up there and the views are simply incredible, pictures will show a little but it´s not the same.

My companion Elder Barker is awesome, he reminds me of Taylor, my cousin, and that´s been really exciting, speaking of that guy, how´s he doing? We´ve been having fantastic spiritual moments together, revelations and other things in study. We´ve also been able to play some chess and I am no longer undefeated in my mission, Elder Barker won once and I´m slightly dissapointed. Ah well, it´s all good.

No mail this week, but I will be receiving some mail in two days or so, depends on when the Zone meeting is. So about the title, Parasites are a thing here, it´s something that exists in the water and it´s not fun to have, I should know, these last few days have been terrible.... Actually, not for me, but for my companion!

I´m actually in Cobán because we had to get him to get a test to see if he actually did have parasites, and he does, now we have to get medicine so he doesn´t die. It´s not that bad, but hey. Scare the people at home right.

Pigs live in Kanlun, I love scaring them, and we´ve been having lots of fun with a little red haired pig that doesn´t like us at all. We named him Kaqi Noq´, or red string if you want to use boring English.

I´m still getting used to the area and don´t know many of the investigators, but there is one crazy investigator that we have named Lazaro and we hope to really get him progressing. Our focus next week is finding new people to teach because we are really lacking in progressing investigators, so we´ll see how that is.

I printed off pictures today and wanted to send you those mom with an awesome letter, so don´t you worry, you are not forgotten, I´m happy to hear that the others got theirs.

I love you all and thank you for all the support, I´ll be working hard, my language skills in Kekchi have just been progressing rapidly, I love it there in Kanlun and I´m loving the work more than ever.

Neke´xinra,

Elder Jered Lamont North

Laj Saqi Noq´

(my favorite quote I got from Karl, GO GETCHA SOME!)

I guess no pictures this week because he didn't send anything else.  :(  Sad day  

Jered would love to hear from you so write to him!

Please do not use nick names on letters or packages. They have to go to the mission home and then be forwarded on. If you have a nick name on the letter it may never make it to him. THANKS

Send mail to:

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.