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!