October 24, 2011

 Welllll... we are still living in the church and looking for a new house ha!
The floodwaters have risen about a foot. We are getting money for brand new beds this week.  I like sleeping on the floor so it doesn’t really bother me.  La Libertad is super cool I love it here, and the members are awesome too.  My comp is great we get along super good.  Everybody here is complaining about the cold but its been hot. So I’m scared for when the real heat comes haha.
The floods in La Libertad are gone but the river by Sayaxche is way way way too high still and isn’t going down for a long time, but its cool.  My pictures today are from Sayaxche
 I don’t really know what to write about right now.

Sayaxche River

La Libertad is very flat, dirt roads.  I think we are going to move back into our house tomorrow. Its dry and we cleaned it. There are no houses available to rent right now so I guess we will have to wait until we can find one. Today for p-day we are going to play soccer with local kids and its super fun.  I feel like next week's email will be better because this week we’ve been doing the same ol stuff with the flood and everything, but soon it’ll be back to normal. I’m going to end this email short and try to send more pictures! Love you all, talk to you soon!

Elder Asdel in Sayaxche

Flooded public bathrooms

Sayaxche River

Flooded banks of Sayaxche River

October 18, 2011 (Tues)

Ok ok ok well I’m here in my new area and everything has been crazy since the day I left Palencia. Lets start out with that day, we woke up at 5 am and left to get to changes by 9 am. All the bridges were broken in Palencia and leaving was almost impossible. After that we finally made it to changes (late) and we sit down and they start calling changes. They start by calling all the areas of the Capital and then call areas of Polochik, Coban and Peten. Well they finished all the Capital and then I realized I’m leaving the Capital yes!!! They went though all and last was Peten. I’m here in Peten with my new comp from Nicaragua Elder Bravo in the area La Libertad. My area is one of the farthest out and we have all the way to Mexico, its a huge area. 

Elder Asdel & Elder Way on bus to Peten

The bus to get here was crazy... more than 9 hours in the bus. Then I spent the night at the zls and in the morning my comp picked me up and we went to La Libertad.
From here on is where it gets crazy... We visited some members and that was good and then it started to rain...hard! So we took a took took home (3 wheeled taxi) and went to bed. Well at about 2 am my back was getting wet and I thought it was sweat cause here in Peten its hot! Then I realized it was a puddle of water.  I thought it was coming in the window cause it was open... but nope nothing. From there I look down and my house is filled with water about ankle deep.  I wake up my comp and tell him that we were flooded.  All my stuff was still packed and on the ground so we go and move our stuff higher up. And by now the water is about knee deep and alllllll my stuff is soaked. We got all our stuff higher up and then didn’t know what to do, so we decided to call the Branch President. Well our phone was floating and not working so we took the sim card out and asked our neighbors if they had a tigo phone we could borrow. Then we called our Branch Pres and he came over and was like "Elders come with me the Sister Reina her house is filled". So at 2:30 am we left and started taking stuff out of members houses until about 6:00 am.  After we took all our stuff to the church to dry it out.

Elder Asdel

Since then we’ve been living in the church and hopefully moving to a new house tomorrow, all of this area is extremely flooded and there are houses underwater. I have a ton of photos so you’ll be able to see when I get a chance to send all of them. When we got to the church at 6amish we went to sleep and somebody knocked on the door and was like elders I have breakfast come eat, this member has been super nice she’s fed us breakfast lunch and dinner everyday since this has happened. And her house was one that flooded too.

Check out the fan stand to see the depth of water

Look at the water marks on the walls and table

Here in Peten I’ve slept in a bus, a cot at the zls, the floor of church, and a hammock above flood water.  But Sunday night we had to go to San Benito to have zone conference, on Monday and Sunday night I slept in a hotel in a giant bed!

Elder Asdel

At the zone conference, Elder Amado from the Area Presidency was there and super mad at the zls for never coming out to help us and for telling us we can live in the same house. Elder Amado told us we have to change houses and get all new stuff.  The zls are mad cause they have to help us. Pres Watts didn’t hear from our zls what happened, he heard from Pres Baños of the Area Authority who called the Branch Pres of La Libertad to ask if everyone here is ok. The Branch President said yea and told Pres Baños that the Elders flooded. And Pres Baños told Pres Watts... then Pres Watts called the zls and got mad at them for being dumb.  I’m glad the area authorities are on my side and helping us.  And the zls tried to get mad and my comp and I for having bad communication with them, which is dumb cause I called them every night.

La Libertad, Peten, Guatemala

La Libertad, Peten, Guatemala

Right now all is good and I love my new area.  Hermana Watts is helping us get new beds and everything for our new house and everything should be normal again soon! Love you all! And I’m happy to be out of the Cap and in Peten!

October 10, 2011

Tengo cambio! or in English I have a change! I'm leaving Palencia on Wednesday and I'll be in my new area that night... unless I go super far I won't get there till Thursday. Well yeah, I'm excited to leave here if you couldn't tell. Also it will be nice to be out of my first area and start my second and I'll finally feel like I have some experience!

So far I've just packed and went to Hermana Caty's for lunch today to celebrate my birthday and the birthday of Hermana Gatica. She turned 24 yesterday. 

I'm getting another bag to pack into cause I have more stuff than came with. And Hermana Gatica is selling me her old one for about 6 dollars ish. She wants to give it to me free, but I can't take it for free haha. 

This week we had interviews with president and all went good, but fast. We didn't really talk much, he just asked me how my Spanish is doing and I told him I'm very comfortable with my Spanish. The work in my area is sllloooow. That is one reason I'm excited to leave. As of right now I don't really have anything to write about work wise. But next week I'm sure I'll have new people.   

Supposedly the roads are blocked to leave from both ways right now so getting to changes might be hard. But we will figure it out. Alot of kids from my group have changes and I might be comps with one of them which would be super cool. Tonight I'm going to hang out with the Diaz family and tomorrow I probably will also... haha. They are my favorite family here if you couldn't tell. 

This week flew by fast I keep wanting to write about last week but I already wrote about that and can't think of anything to say about this week haha. Well I'm going to end this email like this... sorry I don't have much to say this week but next week I should! Alright bye! Love you all!! Wish me luck for a good new area!!

October 3, 2011

Haha sooo I finally made it to Tikal Futura! Haha and it was not easy! 

So a few nights ago the bridge to Palencia broke in a big storm and we learned that its really hard to get out into the Capital. When we were going to conference we waited for a bus for about 20 mins and none came. Luckily a member passed by and said  "Elders there’s no bus! Come with us the back route!" So we went with them and it took a few hours and we finally made it...late.  So that was Sunday. So now, Monday knowing the bridge is out we figured well we will just walk and ask for hitchhikes until we make it. So we ended up finally making it after about 3 different hitch hikes and yea we made it to where the zone wanted to meet up before. Well they already left… so we were like ok we're already  this far lets ask how to get there by bus. So 2 hours later and a few different busses we made it! Ha.. Tikal Futura is in the south mission. There was some sister missionaries that I met on a bus one day when I was in the CCM and it was cool to talk to them again. Also there was 1 other zone from my mission that has 3 Elders from my group that I haven’t seen since the CCM and it was awesome to see them. We also went and bowled which was super fun! So finally I have made it to Tikal Futura! 

Other than that the huge storm basically destroyed all the roads and they are filled with mud and trees. There was a bunch of mud slides and when we were coming home from conference a semi got stuck in the mud and we had to wait for about a hour before it got out! And then we could pass. Times have been a lil crazy here in Palencia but its fun. I like when things are a lil out of the ordinary.   

The work in my area is slooooooooooow I’m ready to leave this area and start over somewhere else. All my investigators hit the same wall and it sucks. V-ct-r R-d-s is amazing he knows more about the church than half the members and wants to be baptized but wants to wait till his wife wants to also and she wont even listen to us. She just laughs and walks away.  I’m sure he will be baptized but I just wont be here to see it. But I found him and taught him so I'll take some of the credit when he does ha. Changes are coming up and I will know if I’m having a change Sunday. I’m hoping for one.  It sucks cause I love the D--z family and some others so I don’t want to leave but I want to get out somewhere where the work is a lil better. And every body says Palencia 2 is a hard area. * But I’m having fun even though I’m not seeing results. Don’t think I’m discouraged cause I’m not, just gunna keep working. 

I feel like Morgan’s b-day always comes realllllly fast after mine but this time it was suppppppper fast hopefully she has a good one today and got my present!! Well I’m gunna end this now. Love you all thanks for everything. And if you just read this go write me a letter here’s my address

Elder Jake Asdel

Mision Guatemala Ciudad Norte

Apartado 951-A

Guatemala, Guatemala CA

September 26, 2011

Hello hello! Its Monday again, as you know last week our activity got switched once again to go to Tikal Futura, a mall in the capital. Well we didn’t go once again hahaha it was a normal p-day. Apparently we are going next Monday but who knows haha. 

This week was my first birthday in the mission and it was super fun. The day before I got two packages one from you and one from Alyssa. So in the morning I opened up my packages and ate/played with my new stuff. Thank you for the food, junk food, toys, clothes, and the iPod :) the iPod is great, I finally have some music to listen to and I can use that stuff for studying too. And all the pictures are super cool too. You and Alyssa both sent me cake mix, and I haven’t had the time to go up to the church and use the oven to cook them. Hopefully this week I can, I'll take pictures. The day of my birthday we hung out with the D--z family. They are an awesome family and super cool. You could stick them in the states and they would fit in ha. 

Marvin (the dad) has been inactive for about a year because of something that happened with other members. But we've been developing a good friendship with him and he went to church yesterday and everyone in the branch was happy to see him there. In priesthood we were talking about missionary work and we were talking about all the less actives and he was giving all the advice and everything. It was kinda like he hadn't missed a day of church and still was in the loop. After we had made a list of all the menos activos he said don’t forget my son Kevin, he's less active and I want him back here too. So hopefully we can get Kevin to start coming again and then that will be the whole family. 

This week for the work was crapy. The biggest success was Marvin in church. All our investigators were busy, except Victor R-d-s he's amazing. We went to his house on Saturday and he said I just got home and I need to rest but I'm going to church tomorrow and we can have a lesson here on Monday. He's been in church 3 weeks in a row now and likes it alot.  He's now eligible for baptism but he wants to wait till his wife is ready and that's going to be the hard part. But when Victor is baptized he's going to be a strong member. He already understands everything better than half the members ha ha. He's a smart guy. 

As for the rest of my birthday I didn't buy a cake because I don’t like the cakes they sell here in Palencia and they are expensive so I bought some yummy bread. The other missionaries came over to the D--z’s and everybody sang happy birthday for me. After that we ate the bread and had some 7up. So don't worry I had alot of fun on my birthday :) 

Birthday Celebration at D--z home

Thank you mom and Alyssa for the packages. The packages were really funny. Mom yours was filled with things I've always liked or things I've liked since I was little, you could tell you've known me for 20 years.  Then Alyssa's was more things I liked recently or had just started to like and I could tell she got to know me really well for 1 year of dating.  I really enjoyed the differences in the boxes. So thank you for knowing me how you know me :)

haha also u guys both put in chap-stick, a cake with candles, and glowsticks haha. The glowsticks were the same brand and everything that was pretty funny. 

Once again thanks for making my bday a good one:) 

and thanks for forwarding me all my happy birthday wishes :) 

love you all talk to you again soon!