18 April 2011

'Home'

Being married and baptized today.

Dear Family,

The highlight of my week was Wednesday when a family in our area was married and baptized in the same day. Their wedding was very simple and quiet, but they were both very happy. The family requested that Elder Hanslan baptize them, so Elder Hanslan came back to this area for the evening to baptize them with his companion Elder Del Angel (my old companion). They were confirmed this last Sunday. The husband is really funny. He loves the Book of Mormon and is already starting into the second half of Alma. They are a wonderful addition into our ward.

As far as I can tell, Easter will not be celebrated here. Instead, I was told it will be a holy week filled with superstitious practices. For example, you cannot leave the house or you will have bad luck forever and stuff like that. I continue to notice the superstition in general here. I have met many people that are absolutely convinced that witches exist. They also have a lot of interesting medical advice for us that we promptly discard. My favorites include not ironing after it rains because you will get chills and waiting an hour before dressing after showers.

Unfortunately, the heat has returned, but at least I do not have to worry about mountains of mud for now. The weather here is so weird. One minute it will be really hot and the sun will be shining, and the next moment it is raining. Then the rain will stop and we get a dose of hot vapor in our faces.

My companion Elder Estrada tells me he is from Guatemala City, the capital. This seems to be very common for the missionaries from Guatemala.

There does not seem to be a scouting program in place here. The most common youth activity here is soccer leagues.

Thank you for all of your letters and emails.

Love,

Elder Whiting