We talked by phone with Tyler this week, so the email's (above) is a bit short.
This is Tyler's dad. Missionaries are allowed to call home on two important days, Christmas and Mother's Day. We had a nice Mother's day call last Sunday and I thought I'd share some of the things that we talked about.
We had a bit of a mix up on timing, I knew that Guatemala is in the central time zone, but didn't realize they don't observe daylight savings time so my calculations were off. Eventually, we were able to make the call work.
Once we got connected, Tyler moved to the top of his appartment for a better signal and gently bragged that the sun was setting behind a volcano as part of the vista (we are hoping for pics soon). Looking the other direction he had view of lake Atitlan. In other directions a couple more volcano's are visible.
We were all excited to ask about his new clothes. In this area (Santiago) most people wear traditional clothing, so the missionaries wear "scoffs". His are white with vertical stripes. Orange stripes on each side, other stripes are teal. His sash/belt is red and purple, … I think they can be reversed. He's getting another made and it will have orange and green (orange will match the side stripes). They are made to individual preference for colors (both the main cloth and the stripes), He's promised to get Jeremy and me a pair, Sizing is pretty loose, as they fall "mid calf". We hope to get pictures of this as well. Sandals complete the ensemble.
Guatemala will be getting a new mission (fifth one) which will end up shuffling elders and areas … not much known but the rumors a rampant amongst the missionaries. There's a possibility that Tyler could be moved into the new mission, but it seems unlikely.
He's isolated … He asked about the movies Avatar and Harry potter 7 (when's it coming out?) and video games Harry potter lego's, Star Craft 2 and what Call of Duty that is current. People talk a bit about these things, but he doesn't really know anything and was curious.
We heard him speak spanish … too cool! And tzutuil … to weird!!!
We asked about how his day went… they wake up at 6:30 and spend 3 hours to study, eat, shower (I hope :), plan, etc. They end up taking a lunch break, and they have a nightly 2 hour class learning tzutuil, and the rest of their day is spent sharing the gospel.
This language is spoken exclusively in the outer lying areas of Santiago, so learning it is a must!!! Other areas have other native tongues, but the people there are usually bilingual to some extent, no such luxury here. He's said before that he never thought he'd be WANTING to be spoken to in spanish.
But knowing how to speak tzutuil will surely come in handy, he's estimated that 50,000 people speak it world wide :o
He says their music is pretty funny.
He met a lady who spoke english, tzutuil and spanish, and mixed them all up. Apparently there are some things that they don't have good words for … numbers, some colors, even the color of the sky (they call it clear).
He wanted to thank everyone who has been writing … the time they are allotted to respond is short and he doesn't get to respond much, but he holds those letters dear.
I asked him about the decision to stay rather than come home for the funeral, and whether he had any regrets. He mentioned that some important things happened during that time and that he was sure it was the right decision.
I wished I had taken notes, I'm sure I've forgotten a thing or two. These are the things the kids and I could recount. But the conversation was precious, if felt like he was home again, catching up … if only for a bit.
Lanie described it this way … I just liked talking to him.
I don't have your family's address, so I thought I would write to you via blog comment.
ReplyDeleteI'm Emily, one of Tyler's good friends from his year at BYU. I met his grandparents in Bountiful and have seen pictures of the rest of your family in their home. Tyler was one of my first friends at BYU and remained so for the whole year. I benefited so much from his friendship last year, and miss having him around now. Though he is on his mission, his friendship has still benefited me in ways he doesn't even realize. I would like to share those with you.
When I received the news about your mother, I felt so much for you all. The same week your mother passed away, my grandmother was dying in hospice care. Her passing was also sudden and difficult for my family. The night I learned about your mother's death, I had a hard time sleeping for all the emotions and thoughts going through my mind. I felt so much love and pain for Tyler, out in a remote land, cut off from so many comforts and familiarities. I felt pain for your family and for your sudden, tragic loss. At this moment, the concept of life seemed incomprehensible to me. The ones we love are here then gone, and there isn't much we can do about it. I did, however, feel grateful for the knowledge that Heavenly Father's love can reach us no matter where we are.
These emotions stayed with me for a while, but then I read Tyler's letter that was read at your mother's funeral. His confidence and hope in the gospel plan brought me a great measure of peace. I cannot imagine losing a mother at my age, yet Tyler is as strong as he ever was. He is truly amazing. Reading further posts on his blog and your family blog have taught me a lot about hope and love. Your family's devotion to the gospel and love for each other is inspiring to me. I feel honored to know Tyler personally and you all by association.
Thank you for keeping Tyler's blog updated. I love hearing about his time in the field. I can't believe it's already been almost a year! Thank you for all of your examples.