News from the new area

Hey mom! 

Well we're going to have 5 baptisms this weekend! I'm super excited. La familia and A. are super awesome. I'm super glad. We're working a lot with the bishop and it's helping a ton. We're working hard here. I'm glad for your advice because my companion and I are both dying soon, these truly are the defining moments. It's not about how you start, it's about your finish. 

We got to go to the Christmas devotional. We took investigators and they loved it. I loved it how almost every speaker talked about the true way to find peace is through Jesus Christ. We live in such a tumultous world. People need true peace in their life. I love seeing how the Gospel works in the lives of people. 

Well here they're going to be some people that are going to use Skype. I don't think I want to. I don't know. We're going to have zone conference with President this week so we'll get all the details sorted out this week and I'll be able to filll you in. 

That's so great W.'s graduating! What an inspiring moment for not just him, but for all of us! What a great lesson of enduring to the end. I'm super proud of him. I know he's gone through a lot, but it's so wonderful to see how we receive grace from the Atonement of Christ!

Well Pres. gave me the green light to fill out an application, but I can fill one out in April. I got permisison to go on the website. If you want to fill one out now then that's fine. maybe I didn't read the details well enough. But I would like to work in some that are close. The only problem is that you don't get paid a lot. Who knows. but anyway, I'll leave it in your hands. 

I haven't been able to talk with Coach but he's gotta know that if I'll play for them it's going to take a while for me to get in shape. I'm totally not lineman shape anymore. I'll try to write him an email right now. I've been thinking about it a lot and I would like to keep my options open. Sister S. gave me some advice that I should only focus on it if there's deadlines involved. Winning. 

Hey, trunky doesn't exist here. IT's Baggy. Lol trunky sounds weird. 

Well I hope you guys enjoy you're vacation. Soak up the sun. Be nice to Hispanics. You have no idea what they do and sacrifice so that they can come to our country. 

Love you guys!

Elder Butler

Short and sweet

Hey mom!

 

E. was baptized this week. He's super awesome.

 

Well we're starting to meet a lot of problems. It's all good. If I want to experience joy,I have to see opposition. We had interviews with President this week. He's so awesome. I'm so glad to have him as the President of this mission.

 

Great to hear about the missionaries in the Philippines surviving. There are so many miracles that happen in the field, I can't even start to list all the miracles that I've seen here.

 

Thanks for sending the package! My companion is anxiously awaiting the candy.

 

Sorry this email is so short. The computers here are so doggone slow. I can't write that much because the computer freezes.

 

Almost done with the New Testament.

 

Love you guys so much. Hopefully the next week I'll get a better computer. Love you guys. I'll be praying for everyone.

 

Love,

 

Elder Butler

This and that

Hey mom!

 

Well E. is going to be baptized this Saturday! So glad, he's changed a lot. It's great to see the gospel work in people's lives. I'm super stoked, and hopefully we'll have another one the next weekend!  Please keep praying. 

 

Thanks for contacting the coach! I need to keep my options open. I got the email from the coach and I'll talk with him to see what I could do. Thanks for doing that for me. I can't rule out BYU either, although I'm still kind of weirded out from the last Utah experience we had. No worries. If God wants me to go there, I'll go.

 

I've learned a lot from the scriptures this week. Paul said in 2nd Corinthians that if we sow a little, we'll reap a little. If we sow  , we'll reap a lot! Love it. It can be applied to so many things in our lives. I just want to finish my mission on a good note. We're working hard here and I feel that God is satisfied with what I'm doing. I'm not content with all that I do, but I know that I repent and apply the atonement constantly. I work on being humble and not judging others, and I feel more at peace in my life. I'm so thankful for this time that I have. It's so short, and this won't be my profession when I get home but it's truly the most important thing in the world.

 

I'll definitely pray for the missionaries in the Philippines.

 

Send my love to everyone in the family. Love you so much, Mom! thanks for doing so much for me and for others. You truly are my hero.

 

Con amor eterno,

Elder Butler

A month of Thanksgiving

Hey mom glad to hear everything is going well! thanks for sending the dough!

Well one of our fechas fell through. O well. Faith Hope Charity. the others are doing fine, and we found a part member family this week. Elder V. and I are working extremely hard here.

I read a lot of cool stuff this week in the scriptures. A Christlike attribute I've been working on is charity. Like you've told me, it's not worth it to judge. Christ speaks so clearly about it on the Sermon of the Mount. If we want to help other out, we need to start with our own selves. Moroni warns people of passing bad judgement upon other's rapidly. I've done that wayyyyyyyyyy to often in my life. Before I come home, I truly want to be a more charitable person. In order to accomplish that, you must first have faith, hope, obedience, and diligence (teaching of Pres. Brough.) That's one of my goals before I come home. .

I'm sorry to hear that you still havne't found a car yet. Don't worry. God requires trials before we can feel true joy. I'm glad to hear John has his expectations high. I'll play plenty of bball with him when I get home.

I'll make sure and pray for R. and for Mrs. P. They're fighters.

Well, hope everything goes well this week. Before you know it, you'll be eating  Thanksgiving. What day is Thanksgiving?

I like what you said about having an attitude of gratitude. Prayers are so much more meaningful when we take time to look at how the Lord has blessed us. I always love the example of the 10 lepers, and how only 1 went back to thank Jesus for healing him. He told that leper that his faith had made him whole. The others were made whole physically, but for being grateful, the other was made whole spiritually and physically.

Well I love you guys a ton and wish the best for you this week!

Love,

Elder Butler

New area is GREAT

Hey mom!

 

Well we had a great week this week! We've got 4 baptismal dates set! Hopefully we'll be able to have some more this week. My companion and I are working hard and we're united. Couldn't ask for anything better. The area that I'm in is extremely dangerous. There was an 18 year old girl shot on Saturday. We hear gunshots almost every night. The truth is, I really don't care. I have a direct promise from God that we will have angels on our siniestra and diniestra (right and left hand?) The area is great, though. people here are way more humble than my last area. I still miss it, though. O well.I feel extremely blessed to be in the mission. Temptation is trying to make me drop the diligence because I have such little time left. I've been blocking it out and just working, and it's been great.

 

Elder L. left for Uruguay last week. He was the other missionary in the trio. Great guy.

 

Answer 1. No we don't have ways to make cookies.

            2. It would be 10 times easier for me to just get an umbrella here. I also need a cheapo watch and alarm and an umbrella all of which would just be way easier to buy here. This will be my last Christmas in the mission. I don't need a lot of stuff. Just body wash! If anything it would be better to just send something for my companion and some candy from the states. That's pretty much all I need. I think we'll be taking out money Thursday or Friday.If  you would like you could put it in then. Thanks for everything.

 

I'm sorry to here about your concussion. I hated having it. I had a hard enough time studying, but you're a secretary! You're the busy bee. I'll be praying for you this week.  The driver was drunk wasn't he? I know we need to have patience and love but he needs to learn something so he doesn't go out and do it again. O well, I'm not the judge.

 

I really appreciated your advice about how to deal with the disobedience here. I just need to worry about being an example and working as hard as I can. You always have been my best mentor!

 

That's crazy that it's already snowing! We have big plans for something good for Christmas!

 

Please pray for J. and C., E., and J.. They're our 4 fechas for November. You know what to pray for!

 

I'm so glad the ward has so many missionaries! I always feel sad for how much of a chambon I was for not helping out the missionaries more. You can promise them, a favor de mi, that I'll help them when I get home!

Change is in the air

Hey mom!

Well we had some surprising news last night, Elder B. and I are both leaving the area! I don't know why. We haven't been lazy or disobedient at all. I think they might put sisters in our area because it's relatively safe. I'm super sad, though. We had an investigator that finally accepted a baptismal date for the end of the month. Now the both of us are going! O well, God ways and thoughts are higher than ours. Even though the past 6 months have been extremely difficult, I'm still extremely, even eternally grateful for the opportunity that I had to serve in Venezuela [name of the community]. Now I'll start one of the last chapters in the story of my mission. Hopefully everything goes well. I'm so thankful that I was able to train Elder Bailey. He's a winner. He's a way better missionary than me, and that's  the goal of any trainer.

President Z's quote and insights really do make sense. They receive revelation for the stake, and if you think about it, in Ohio there are very few latter day saints. We will have to stand for our beliefs, but I thank God that He found me worthy to come and preach the gospel so that I'll be able to defend my faith in the future.

Christmas things: 1. Body Wash 2. American candy. That's about it. I would really appreciate it if you could send me some money because I need a new umbrella and watch, both of which broke in the last week. This mission doesn't give us a lot of money for extra costs and things like that, ex: umbrella. I would really appreciate that. I never like asking because I feel like I'm adding an extra burden. I'm sorry.  

Hey, anybody else that wants to write can.

I wonder where I'm going to go. In this mission President doesn't do interviews for missionaries who are going to go up to another leadership position here, so you really are just left completely speculating where you'll go. O well, I'll enjoy it while I can. 

I'll send some pictures next week from Elder B. and I saying goodbye to everyone. I love you a ton and am eternally grateful for all the sacrifices that you have made and are making for me. I just hope there's some way that I can pay it all back in the future. Love you guys!

Conference Time

Hey mom!

I'm stoked for Conference. it's been a complete 180 for me. I used to just sleep through conference, but I'm glued to the screen actively scribbling my notes. You're right, it just might be my last one [in Guatemala]. I looked at the change schedules and my last one ends at the beginning of April. Who knows!

My card still hasn't come yet. I'll find out Thursday because that's when the zone leaders get letters and packages. I wouldn't worry, though. It'll be fine. 

Not a surprise they invite people to retire here. Things are dirt cheap here. The old people could go live in Pana or Antigua. That's where a lot of the foreigners live. And in zona 10. Guatemala's beautiful, but the captial is super dangerous. 

That's a shame the football team hasn't been doing so hot. How's J's soccer team been doing? Maybe he'll be the future of the football program lol.

That's crazy what happened to Mr. D. You are so right, we can't procrastinate the day of our repentance. We taught a member's husband yesterday who still can't grasp that concept. That's one of the hardest parts of mission work, respecting people's agency. Nephi exhorted his brethren constantly and they even  saw an angel, but in the end it availed them nothing. Agency is just such a crazy concept. I just think that's why it's our job to work diligently so their sins don't fall on our heads. O well. Learning a little, everyday.

I got that copy of that talk you sent me. It's pretty true. We have to be valiant, not honorable. Loved the examples. Brother S. sent me a letter as well. It's so weird seeing the ward handout and seeing Bishop L. It still seems like Bishop W. is bishop. I will always be grateful that hew was the bishop for me. 

We've been finding some super awesome people this week. God blessed us with a great new ward mission leader. He's been so pilas by helping us out. He's super diligent and loves mission work. We're starting to see some fruits. Hopefully we'll have some baptisms at the end of the change. 

We had zone conference on Friday. Pres. S. is awesome. I'm not going to lie, I'm still trying to get used to the differences between him and Pres. B., but nonetheless he's still an awesome guy. The biggest thing I took out of the conference was how our principal motivation as missionaries should come from our love for the Savior and for the people. It really helped me put into perspective what I need to do to really end on a good note here. 

Well I love you guys a ton. Las familias pueden ser eternas. Les amo!

Elder Butler