Amazing Coban

Well Coban is still amazing are the most beautiful place on Earth. We had a really good week this week! It is weird to think that all this happened in one week because it feels like it has been forever but it has been a good week. Tuesday we were supposed to have a Zone Conference with Elder Amado the 2nd counselor of the Area Presidency but in Salama there was all these holes in the road a the road collapsed and we will just say that it was a rough trip for President and Sister Watts. We ended up having to do divisions with the Elders from the Polochic because well they live 8 hours from Coban because the roads are horrible so I took my companion for the day to some parts where they speak Kekchi. We walked for about an hour until we reached a little village of some Kekchi people. It was really cool to listen to them all speak Kekchi. I only could pick out a couple words that I am learning but that is my goal right now is to work on my Kekchi. haha It is beautiful. Oh and I got to spend a lot of time with Elder Cheney and it was the greatest. He is the best companion I have had, and I think that is just because we started this thing out together but it was fun. He is loving the Polochic but he just hikes and hardly showers because well you can`t always find a shower over there.

The next day was the Zone Conference and it was awesome to hear from Elder Amado. He is a great guy and well he can talk. We were there from 9 until 3 in the afternoon. It was pretty crazy but it was a really good conference. We also found a family that has a lot of good questions but only the husband. The wife can only speak Kekchi but they both have a desire to get baptized. It is a little difficult because it is hard for them to understand everything but she is just going by what she feels and that is the purest form. We also had to go to the Central of Coban to a thing that was like the DMV. A lot of lines for different things. haha is was pretty funny. We are helping a couple get married so they can get baptized and we had to get some of their papers. It was a good time and after we ate at Pollo Campero for free!! Whoo!! It is the KFC of Guatemala and well Guatemalans loves them some fried chicken.

We have a baptism this week!! I am excited for that. There are three 8 year olds getting baptized from the ward and then we have one investigator but all the families have asked us to come over and teach their 8 year olds so has been quite a week! But our investigator is super ready. He has a strong testimony and it has only taken this long because he just barely turned 18 and his parents wouldn`t sign the papers and he just had his birthday!! It is awesome. His name is Pablo Oxom. (in english Pablo Ochom) His name is kekchi.

I love my area! I love my mission! OHHH I also completed 8 months! TIme is flying by crazy fast. I still feel very new but there are a lot of people who are newer then me which is interesting to think about!

Well I love you family!! I hope all is well and know that I love you all! Les amo y no se precupen, Elder Llewelyn es practicamente endigeno!! haha I am practically native now! I climb through jungles and just have a good time!! haha

 

 

COBAN in the Highlands!

Hello my wonderful family!!

 

I AM IN COBAN!!! The most amazing place in the world. Alright so I will start from Wednesday so you guys don`t miss anything! Well Wednesday was change conference and I was announced to go to Coban. I was freaking out a little bit just because, well you all know me, the unknown scares the poop out of me. We hopped on a bus to take us to the Capital of Guatemala where we were to get on a bus that would take us here to Coban. We left from the Cap at 1. The whole way there I was just wondering what on Earth was going on. I had a friend that was going back to Coban, well not really Coban it`s salama, but he was just telling me all about it. I was excited because they told me there was a McDonalds and well... I needs me some Big Mac. The drive took a little while longer than I had a expected and we didn`t get to the ZL´s house until 7. We got here and I was taken back. It was a city but very different from the City I am used to. It has small streets with small shops everywhere and there is a huge mall right in the entrance of Central Coban. Well the best news is coming... Elder Nelson is my ZL!! He got a change from Coban and we were thinking we wouldn`t see each other for a while but he got a change from Peten to Coban and he is my ZL!! It was the best reunion anyone has every seen! After everyone had arrived we all went to this restaurant to eat and after we all spent the night. We woke up and we went to my area. It wasn`t too far from the house and my companion is really great. His name is Elder Opazo. He is from Chile and we have the same time in the mission but he just has more time in the field, well because he didn`t have to learn a new language. We got to the house and I was very surprised. It is really nice. Maybe not like you guys think is nice but from Guatemala missionary nice. I have a nice shower with hot water which is a nice plus and it`s running water which makes it even better!

We started right off and my companion took me around to meet some of the people here. It is amazing!!!! My area has a little bit of the central and city but then it goes way out. It is huge and it is a third jungle. It is beautiful and so that you all can imagine it, Imagine you are walking down the street of gooseberry but with more people on the street but the houses are all on the hills, woman are wearing their corte and carrying tortilla dough on their heads. It is amazing. It is so green and muddy. It rained every single day and I`m sorry but I had to buy me a guatemalan umbrella. It is double umbrella and it covers my whole entire body. It is pretty great. My boots are amazing here especially when I have to walk in mud at night when I can`t see a thing. The ward here is amazing. The houses are very different here. They are still made of cement but they all have tall roofs which is very different from the cap. The don`t have many houses of lamina just mainly wood if they can`t afford block. sorry cement. The speak Kekchi here but most speak Spanish because they are trying to perfect their spanish but I am learning a little bit of kekchi. The ward is amazing and the work is great. People are very accepting and they let us in the house. We contacted a little store in the middle of no where and she told us to come back on Sunday at 7 in the morning. We weren`t sure if she was really wanting us to come back but we went anyway right before church. Her husband and her let us in and they seem like they have potential. He has a problem with drinking and we just talked about the plan God has for us. It was great. We have a baptism on the 29th of a teenager who is pilas. He has come to church 11 times and he is just ready.

Today was another great experience. Tomorrow we are going to a conference here in Coban and so all the people from the Polochic had to come down today!! I saw and ate Subway with Elder Cheney today!!!!!!! It was amazing and he is loving the Polochic. His spanish is suffering he told me but that is just because he only speaks Kekchi. He is only in jungle and he told me that there are times when he can`t make it back at night and he just has to stay at members houses. I don`t want to go there but he seems to really like it. hahaha he told me that sometimes they can`t shower and well he has given up on trying to find deodorant over there so... haha he is great.

I want to all to know I love where I am. It is a wonderful place and I know that I need to be here. I am in Coban 2 and in the Coban 2 ward. It is a ward and it seems very strong. The teenagers always are willing to go out with us and it is just a nice area. I couldn`t have asked for a better change and it is crazy to think that all the poop that happened last changed happened becaue I am so hapy where I am. Know I Love you all so much and that I am so grateful for the support you have given me. I couldn`t ask for a better family.

TRANSFERRING!!!! But Where????

Yes family! It is true! I have my first change in my mission! I don`t know where but I know that I will be changing! I will go to the change conference this wednesday and I will go to my new area from there! I am really excited. I have learned a lot this change and I have enjoyed myself but it is time to leave my La Leyenda land. I have loved it and the members and my investgators have been great. I will miss it very much but I am excited to get out and experience a little bit more of Guatemala. This week has been a little slow. Week 6 is never good down here. It is sad but I guess it is something I have to experience.
I am getting very excited to go. The time went by really fast this change and it is crazy that I have my first change! I feel like I am leaving the CCM all over again. I also heard some great news and got an amazing email from Anaika. I am so excited for her and it makes me feel better that we are going to be doing it at the same time! This change I have learned patience. I have learned a lot of español and I have learned just a lot of different things. I have learned so far in my mission that you will not grow unless challenges come but I have also learned that God is blessing me no matter what challenge I have. I am here in Guatemala and who would have expected that. I love the people down here. I have seen and experience great things in La Leyenda and I know they will all make me a better instrument in the Lord`s hand. I am excited and know i love you all so much! Thank you for the amazing support I have from the best family in the whole wide world!

I love you family! See you in a week and I will not be in the Maya Internet cafe... or maybe i will. You never know. It is like waiting for the next episode of the Survivor. Love you all. Elder Colton Llewelyn