New Mission President will be here soon

Well today is the day! Im sitting here working on the dats for the week and the month, and really just counting the hours until the Broughs get here. :) We are leaving at 2 to pick up the new missionaries, and then bring them back to the offices. They'll have their first (and last) interview with Pres. Baldwin, and he'll assign them to their trainers, which they'll meet on Wednesdsay. Then we'll take them to dinner, and they'll go back to the house with the secretaries. Baldwins will go with us to the airport, and we'll pick up the Broughs! The Baldwin's will be here tomorrow to finish up orientation, and then they're off. Its all very hectic, all very strange. But at the same time we are excited. Me and Elder Rosales were just picturing how Sis. Brough's spanish is going to be. Lolz. :)

This week I got an unexpected package! Its from the Nehrings, and it is the video and letters that the young men/women sent from Mutual...about a year ago. Hahaha. I dont know if it got sent late or if it actually took a whole year to get through the mail. Be sure to tell the ward hey for me, and send my appreciations.

As for the week home, I'm thinking the best thing to do would be to wait until Christmas break to do something, I think I'd still prefer a fireside. Its kinda lame, I know, but I'd really rather have everyone there, and I dont mind waiting.

When life gives you the sword ...

I guess by now you've got the news that I'm looking at right now--my flight plans! That was unexpected. Definitely weird! But its good that we have them--I'll write more later about details that we'll probably want to figure out.

Before making this email too baggy, I guess I'll give you a rundown of the week. This week and the last have been a blur. Monday and Wednesday we finished our last interviews, in Villa Nueva, and Solola. We had divisions in both areas, it was great to keep seeing the mission. And oh, it was so good being back in Solola :) I miss that place a lot. They are a very special people.

Tuesday we got some time for P-day, so we decided to head to the beach! :D We went down to Escuintla in a beach that's called Puerta de Hierro, way cool. I'll have to send you some of the pics. We couldn't get in the water of course (against mission rules), but it was cool just being down there. You could see these huge barges bringing in imported stuff from the ocean. And the sands there are black! Very different. But it was awesome.

Thursday we finished up divisions in Solola, then headed over to Santiago for a district leader meeting (awesome :) and then finished up the day with some divisions in Patzun! It was great to be back. My mission seemed to flash before my eyes being back in all of those places. I was really lucky in how my areas and mission turned out. The mountains are absolutely incredible.

Yesterday we had an office staff meeting all about the mission president transition. It will be a packed week of stuff to do, but we are all very excited about it. This monday is when we do the changes, and then on Friday Pres. Baldwin moves out of his house, and will interview all of the missionaries going home. Monday we pick up newbies and the Broughs, Tuesday the Baldwins leave, and then Wednesday is the change meeting, and it starts over from there. All very anxious of course, and sad at the same time. Its a whirlwind of emotions, at the least.

Be sure to get a frozen lemonade for me at Starbucks. My companion just told me that instead of "make lemonade out of lemons" (which they do say in spanish), in Mexico they say, "When life gives you the sword, stab him in the rear." LOLZ.

Till the next--Tyler

Going "super RM"

Another week down in the change, we are almost about to start week five. Its ridiculous how fast its gone. Hope everyone has had a good week so far and that things are going as fast on the other side (you know, with school finishing and everything. :)

This week and the last have been pretty busy; we've been on the tour of the mission doing interviews lately, and this week we had four! Its exhausting, but it's been a great experience. We've got two left after today. The Baldwins have been saying their last goodbyes, and we've been giving a workshop about effective contacting. That might sound really boring, but I've loved the chance to work on it with Elder Rosales. We've been really down-to-earth in this workshop, and the missionaries have really responded. Hopefully we will see good things soon.

One thing regarding this, just so I can go super-RM on you guys. Elder Holland taught that everyone needs the gospel; every person, even in the bottom of their hearts, has something that they are looking for with the restored gospel. In the mission, they show us these amazing movies called The District. There is one of them where the missionaries are contacting a lady, and she says "Its just not something I'm interested in right now." This has always bothered me. How could this lady not be interested in the gospel? What did those missionaries tell her??? Did they even mention modern prophets? Or more scripture? Or a living church? Or the plan of salvation? Or the first vision? That lady would have had a much larger probability of accepting had she known something about the church. And it is the same with our friends. The church is a marvelous work and a wonder, and not many people realize the magnitude of what exactly we are preaching here. So never be afraid to tell people about the principles of our church. More often than not, they will listen attentively, and want to hear more.

Elder Rosales and I have had a wonderful time together. We are teaching three families right now that are just incredible. The Isaguirres, the Pinedas, and Alvaro and Telma. Theyve all been coming to church, and are reading the Book of Mormon. They are close to baptism, but I will tell you. These families have thrown me for a loop more than any others in the mission. Theyve had doubts and problems and questions that you'd never expect. I've been able to refine my teaching better here than ever before. Elder Rosales and I have learned a lot together. Im lucky to have him as my companion.

We had the chance to talk to our new mission president this week over the phone. It was way cool. He is excited and enthusiastic about coming to Guatemala. They are bringing a 15 year old daughter with them, so that will be different! He is very loving, and anxious about improving the work here in the mission. I know he'll be the best thing for our mission. Im lucky to be able to work with him.

Hope everyone had an awesome week. Cant wait to hear more news. Till the next,

Tyler

Beginning of June

Officially in June now. This is President's last month! Its crazy how fast its been going. We've been doing a lot of preparations lately to get the mission ready. Its exciting/anxious/sad/fast/just about anything you can think it would be. We'll see how this month goes.

We've officially started the tour for interviews, so we've been headed around the mission lately. Monday we were in Patzicia and Chimalt, and tomorrow and Friday we'll be in Amatitlan and Escuintla. It's poignant for a lot of missionaries, as it is the last time they'll be seeing the Baldwins, but it's also struck me a lot lately, as it will be the near-last time that I see some of these missionaries. The hourglass is truly slipping away.

We've kept going with the familia Isaguirre, I think I told you about them. They are such a wonderful family, and they've been reading and praying to know the truth of the Restoration. They are so wonderful, but I told Grandma--if I had one bone to pick with Guatemala, it would be this--that the people are not readers. Its difficult to get them to read, and when they do, they don't register very much. So gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon is difficult. But the Isaguirres are getting there! Hopefully it will all pan out well :)

Some of my favorite memories from home are playing piano for the primary. It was always good to spend time with mom, and I loved seeing her with the children and teach them the new songs. I hope we get to do that again someday.

Also, cant wait for you guys to get the package! If youre confused about the scoff, thats ok, I'll show you how to wear it eventually. I cant remember everything thats in there but there is corte for the girls. Also thanks for the koolaid, there is plenty! Haha.

Hope everything is still going wonderfully. Enjoy the pool for me! Read a lot!

Love,

Tyler

The Haydens lend a helping hand! Plus, info on how to travel inside Guatemala

Remember the package that Tyler requested? We were blessed with a custom delivery service.

Our dear friends the Haydens came to our rescue offering to hand deliver a package to Tyler. Jennifer Hayden visited Guatemala for a month for study abroad, knocking out two college spanish courses while there!!! Way to go. She graciously carried Tyler's package to him! Piling on the friendly service, she carried a package back from Tyler to us ... which included scoffs for Jeremy, Chase Bleyl and me to wear. Thanks again Jenn!!!!!

Also, I wanted to share some info Tyler sent to Jenn to help on her visit.

Hey Jenn! I just got your dearElder a few days ago with the news! So exciting! Oh my goodness you have no idea how wonderful Guatemala is. I think you’re really gonna love it! :)
Ok so you’ll probably want some of the detes on what to do in Guatemala :D. I don’t know what your itinerary is going to be like or anything, but I’ll write a few tips here that you can keep in mind if you’d like, or share with your professor if he gives you any leeway on what to do.

1.You’ll almost definitely be going to Antigua, and if that’s not on the list, then add it! Antigua is about an hour outside of Guat City. It’s everyone’s favorite. Its one of the most beautiful cities in Guatemala. Its very safe and very tourist friendly.
Lots of:
a.Cathedrals—beautiful. There is one called the Cappuchinas that is really famous, its an old convent that you can walk through and its way cool. There’s another one that my companion and I found the last time we went, it’s a hidden treasure. Its called “La Recollecion” or something like that, and when you go to Antigua, they give you a card that shows you where it is. It was destroyed by 3 earthquakes a long time ago, so you can go in and climb over all the rubble. WAY cool. As for others, you just kinda have to look around and get lucky. There are literally like a million cathedrals, so you shouldn’t get bored! :)

b.Artisan’s markets—there’s the big one in the middle, and it is the coolest thing. You can get all kinds of souvenirs and whatever. And LOTS of ropa tipica, that’s my favorite part :) Be sure to always fight for good bargains; they try to take advantage of the gringos. It helps if you go with someone who looks latino, or who speaks Spanish. Ask for ½ of what they say the price is, and then fight your way a little higher up. Its fun!

c.Regular markets—haha. You should probably not buy anything in these, but they are fun to see! This is where Guatemalans buy what they need (food, clothes, electronics, etc) and the one in Antigua is kinda nasty. But its fun to walk through at least once. Definitely consider it!

d.Restaurants—ok, I’m not as much of an expert here, because we always go to the same place. MONO LOCO. Its delicious! They have nachos as big as your head. Its definitely worth going. But there are tons of cool places, I’m sure anything you try will end up being quite good.

e.ATMS—So I’m not sure if this is true, but our financial secretary just told us that we should avoid using the ATMS in Antigua, because some of them will scam your card and steal money. I don’t know how true this is. But it’s probably best to take out money somewhere else before you go. In Guat City there are ATMS everywhere, in Hiper Pais, Pais, Torre, Price Smart, and all of the malls have them as well. As for what you should do with money, a debit card is always good to have, and possibly a credit card if youd like. If you want to save on fees, its good to take out about 1000Q at a time. But NEVER walk around (in the capital) with more then 250Q on you, just incase you get robbed. You can leave the rest in your suitcase or something. They’ll probably be having you in safe places in the capital, but always be precautious!

2.Panajachel. Ok if they don’t send you here, you’ll be missing out on like, the best thing about Guatemala :) Haha I guess I’m kinda biased. Panajachel is the most touristy of the villages on Lake Atitlan, (which is rumored to be the waters of Mormon!) And let me tell you, that lake should be one of the natural wonders of the world. It is BEAUTIFUL. And so blue! Its surrounded by 3 volcanoes (inactive of course!), and ah. I just cannot explain how wonderful it is. The people are so beautiful and do not speak very good Spanish :).
Ok things to do:
a.SEE THE LAKE. When you go into Pana, they’ll send you through Solola, a village higher up the mountain. And you can take a bus down to Pana, but the BEST thing is to take a flete. There are tons of trucks that you can ride in the back of (trust me, theyre safe) for 3 quetz. Oh my goodness it is amazing. I wont tell you about it because it will spoil how wonderful it is. That’ll take you down to the main street, and then you’re on “tourist street.” (missionaries call it that.). Anyways, as fast as you can, go all the way down tourist street and you can see the lake. And it is so wonderful. You can see Santiago on the other side of the lake, that’s where I served for 9 months :)
b.Go to Santiago. Haha ok now I’m definitely biased. But depending on how much time you have, you might like to do it. It takes most of the day, from like 9 to 2 if you end up going. Theres tons of boats (lanchas), you might have a group of you that wants to go. And its like a 20 minute ride across the lake, and ive heard its INCREDIBLE. Santiago is the coolest village in the world  The people do NOT speak Spanish unless they are street vendors. They have cool corte, there’s a really famous cathedral there, its great. Another lake village you might like is San Pedro. Its SOOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL. And its also available by lancha. Anyways. Talk to your professor, he might be interested in going!
c.Tourist street. This is a lot like the artisan market in Antigua, but cheaper. Always fight for good bargains!
d.Restaurants—Pana is great if you want really good Guatemalan food. There’s a restaurant called Lazzaronis that the missionaries LOVE because we get a discount.  Ive never really tried anything else. But theres lots!

3.Transportation. Ok Im not sure how much you’ll need this because it might be provided by your class. But here’s a quick sketch just incase. There are 5 types!
a.Red buses. These go just about anywhere in the capital. They are the most dangerous. NEVER get on a red bus without someone who knows what theyre doing! :D
b.Blue buses. These are way safe, and go most places, but not everywhere. You have to use a metro card to get on them, so you’d have to get one of those at a mall or something. Again, don’t get on unless someone knows where they’re going.
c.Green buses. These are my favorites! They are like the metro. There are only two lines of these, and they go in a straight line, so you can’t go too many places. But they do have maps, so if you don’t know where to go, it will tell you. These are the safest! Also—all of these buses cost 1Q to use (12 cents. Its awesome).
d.Taxis. These are great, but kind of expensive. They’ll take you wherever you need to go. Don’t let them charge you more than 100Q, most rides are about 50 to 60. Very useful!
e.Chicken buses. Ahh I love these! These leave the capital and go to the coast or to the mountains. For example, they may send you to Antigua/Pana on one of these. We call them chicken buses because Guatemalans bring boxes of live chickens on them. And they go FAST. And they play crazy music. Very fun!!!

4.The temple. They had better send you there! :) Its so beautiful, you will love it. Definitely hope you can get to do baptisms. There isn’t a visitors center but the MTC is right down the street, and they have a guest hotel there. They might have you stay there a night or something. Ahh I just love the temple!

5.Tiendas. Ok you will come to LOVE these. They are everywhere, like literally every three houses. They are stores and you can get all kinds of food. Most people buy what they make for dinner at the tiendas. And you can get all kinds of Guatemalan snacks. One you should remember—Tortrix! Oh goodness it’s the best. And there are lots of others, I’ll let you look around and find the good stuff :D Also, you can buy refried beans in a bag. It’s the coolest thing.

Anywho if I think of anything else I will let you know! Feel free to keep sending dearElders if you have more questions. I cant wait! Youre really going to love it. Enjoy every minute!!!
Buen viaje,
Tyler