February a quiet month so far

Hey mom!

Well this was a better week. things are on the up here in our area. We're finding more people and we've got some more people progressing. God definitely answers prayers. Our ward leaders, though, are really awesome. They're truly converted people and they put a great example for everyone here in the ward. 

Why's everything so cold and frozen? I mean, it's winter, but you guys have now been like that for quite a bit of time now.....I wonder what's going on there. Ni modo. 

I can't begin to tell you how many things I've learned here at the mission. It's made me realize that I truly am a debtor in so many aspects, and that I need to pay my dues. I really want to help this future generation of missionaries be more prepeared. That's a huge motivation I have.

Anywho, I have a determination to just die like a champion. We've got interviews tomorrow. I'm looking forward to being enlightened by Pres.'s advice and spiritual knowledge. 

I'll try to have a little more content next week. I'm on the same brain wave as well, not a lot to tell.

FYI we won't be writing until Friday of next week because we're going to the temple. don't worry. love you guys a ton!

So long January

Hey mom!

Well the conference was incredible! Elder Cook was so awesome! Elder Soares was there was well. Elder Cook needed a translator so it was a little difficult sometimes to focus, but it was way easier to take notes. He told us that we should look at 3 things in each ward and find how we can grow them. 1. attendance 2. spritutality 3. future missionaries. Man it was awesome. He talked about how, on his mission, He was put in an area and needed to start a branch. He and his companion fasted and prayed that they'd be able to find the leadership of the new branch. They were riding home on their bicycles and felt an impression that they needed to stop and tract. They went and ended up baptizing the branch president, relief society president, and many other leaders in just that street. How amazing! I had a similar experience and was able to baptize a former pastor! I've really been trying to focus more on being guided by the Spirit. Well, I learned a ton from the conference. I don't have time sufficient to tell you everything, but I have notes!

Crazy to hear that it's super cold and crazy in Ohio. I've loved that you'll never be able to expect what happens in Ohio. Being a meteorologist there must be a pain lol. Hope you guys and everyone else can be safe!

The weather here has been super sporadic (spelling?). It's super cold in the morning, super hot in the afternoon, and super cold at night. It's the roller coaster of weather here.

Yesterday I ate something called "ravo". It's cow tail. It was really delicious, but super difficult to eat. Here in guatemala many parts of the cow are eaten. I've eaten cow tongue, stomach, liver. I've eaten a matriz de pollo (female part of chicken). All of which were quite delicious. 

I'm super stoked to do family history work with you guys.

Love you guys!

Elder Butler

The work goes on

Hey mom!

Well my new companions name is Elder A. How crazy! I've got another gringo companion. It's been great, though. We had a solid week. We found some new people this week that are pretty solid. Just gonna go out and work hard this week. Our bishop is super awesome. We had a super good visit with him. He's 100 percent behind the mission work. We're gonna start working a lot with the ward. Super exciting times. Also requires lots of faith. They just opened up two new areas in the zone so we've got 10 companionships in the zone. Hopefully we'll be able to get a lot done.

Elder V. went home Tuesday. He was pretty sad to go, but at the same time super happy. He was a good guy. It's so crazy. Now all the legends that I've known are at home now. It's so crazy that I've got so much time now. Saturday I hit the 21 month mark. I'm really old. Don't worry, though, I'm still focused on the work. It's just super crazy. O well. heart might mind and strength. 

That's crazy the high school team is doing so good. Who all's on the team?

Hey guess what? we're going to see Elder Quintin L. Cook and Elder Soares from the Presidency of the 70 the 22nd. Sweet! That's means now I'm going to have seen 2 apostles! How awesome!

Well I find myself with very little to write. I'm super glad that I'm here on the mission. I hope you guys are doing well.

We're starting interviews with President this week in the mission. He wants to talk with us about our goals for this year. It'll be interesting because I'll have to share goals about the mission and what I want to do when I get home. I  think it would be cool to really put my sights on the temple when I get home. It would be cool if you could help me learn how to index and do family history work. What do ya think?

Hope you guys love the sporatic weather. Everyone's telling us how cold the states are right now. enjoy! the weather's always the same here. 

Well, I love you guys a ton. Hope everything goes well for you guys this week!

Con amor etrno,

Elder Butler

Goals - Key to progression

Hey mom!

Well this was a super difficult week. We found a lot of people, though. It's just that I've never had a point in my mission like this where we haven't been able to find a lot of people to teach. IT's all good, though. Great trials bring great blessings. Well I've got 2 changes left. My companion goes home tomorrow. I'll be getting a new companion. It very well may be my last companion. I feel like I'm on a super high point, though. President taught us about the importance of learning and studying the first principles and ordinances of the gospel. It's helped me out so much to put in perspective the commandments and points of doctrine. I feel like I've been learning a ton. I'm almost done with the New Testament! I'll be starting Revelations this week. I'm now on Alma 40. hopefully I'll be able to finish the BOM before the end of the mission. That'll be my 4th read though. Twice in English and twice in Spanish. I love the scriptures. I loved the goal to become an expert from Pres. Uchtdorf. I feel like I've been learning a lot from the scriptures lately. They just open up the windows of revelation. I have to take advantage of the study time that I have here because I totally won't have 3 hours everyday to study. tengo que aprovechar!

Goals are so important. I've been trying to so hard to dial in on the goals. One of the reasons why this mission doesn't baptize a lot is that no one knows how to set goals. I want to be example. I have 2 big ones before the end of my mission. 1. I want to have at least 1 Sunday where we have 20 investigators in church. 2. have 20 baptisms in the zone in March. Before we got sent to Mision Sur, Elder Duncan from the 70 taught us about the way to have more success in our missions and in life. You have to have a vision, goals and plans. You have to write down your goals. ( Harvard studies show that you have 10x more success when you write your goals down.) I'm glad you wrote me about goal setting. I'm going to work on that this week. 

Well I've been a zone leader for a change now. It's a challenging experience. Sometime it feels like a babysitting job. I'm super privileged, though, because I get to learn from all of them. It helps out a lot. I can't believe that I only have 3 months left. I just want to go out with a bang. Just really help out this ward. It's got so much potential. Well tomorrow will be a crazy day. Changes are always so crazy and nerve wracking. WHO WILL BE MY NEXT COMPANION??????? that's probably the biggest question that's on my mind. 

Well, you'll have many details next week. It'll be an exciting new chapter in the story of the mission of Elder Samuel Forrest Butler. Love you guys!

Con Amor Eterno,

Elder Butler

P.S. Thanks for the application stuff. Coach said that I would have to come do a visit so he could see what position I would have to play. It's all good!

End of 2013

Hey mom!

Well this was a fun Christmas. We didn't see as much of the fireworks as we would've liked. Guatemala is a very mountainous place. The capital has lots of valleys and  Zona 21 isn't a very high point. The fireworks I saw in Palin last year were way better. It's all good though. We ate some reallly good turkey and tamales. They gave us so many tamales! It was a genuine Christmas, though. I'm gona miss all the Guatemalan traditions. We will just have to use them at home.

I don't need any clothes at all. I will probably leave all my clothes here when I go home. No worries. I'm good to go. 

We loved all the stuff from the packages. The protein bars are delicious. No worries. The hygiene products were of high need. We loved everything. Thanks for everything!

I can't believe you guys didn't take any pictures!!!!!!!!! Well, the ward didn't do anything. Normally, they have a convivio. It's like a dinner and a dance. It's usually super fun and lively and all that stuff but we didn't have one this year.

I feel really focused on the task at hand. I've only got a few months left to go out and do what God wants me to do. We're really struggling in our area. We have nobody to teach right now. Members have to help out now. God changed the rules of missionary work. You can't go out and knock a ton of doors and have a ton of baptisms. We need to have members helping us now. We're going to start teaching and training members to know how to share the gospel.

Well we've got changes next week. This is the week where missionaries think a ton about who their next companion will be. Everything will be fine though. 

Well thanks for everything! you guys are so awesome. Love you guys with all my heart! Happy New Year!

Con Amor Eterno, 

Elder Butler

Another baptism

Hey mom!

We had another miracle baptism! J. is super pilas. Super glad, at the end of her baptismal service, she got up and bore her testimony voluntarily. Man, it was so awesome. I'm super glad to be here.. I read this week in Alma that when Ammon was brought before Lamoni the first time he said he wanted to stay there, "maybe until the day I die". Every missionary should have that attitude. I love reading about Ammon and Lamoni. I learn so much more about them everytime I read those chapters. Just grows my testimony even more that the Book of Mormon is the most correct book upon the face of the earth.

I'm super sad about Ellie it's like hearing  a sister died. I don't want to sound like a little girl but I'm just devastated. At least animals are automatically saved. It's still super sad, though. O well. No use sobbing over it. Maybe I'll take a dog from the street and bring it home with me. sheesh. I just feel super sad. I don't know what to say now. mannnnnnn...... Well it's all good.

I loved the pictures of you guys in Disney! I can't believe how big J. is! I loved all the pics. I want a beard like S's. He and G. always look happy. Loved the Family photo.

Well, I really don't know what else to write. I'll be talking with you guys on wednesday, the 25th, at 11. The whole Ellie thing's kind of sapped me.....

Well love you guys a lot! Send pictures from Christmas morning and everything! Love you guys!

Elder Butler

Package arrived before Christmas...SCORE

Hey mom!

Well we had 5 baptisms this weekend! It was great! The only problem is that we have to go back to square one and try to find new people. It's all good though. God's definitely hastening His work. I love the atmosphere in the church now. The barrier between missionaries and members is finaly dissolving. That's a great thing about the work. The bishop's going to send in goals for the next year soon, so we're going to work together with him to put in effective goals. We're really trying to focus on the work with Bishops and it's really paying off. THe zone right now is doing really well. We're half way through the month and we've got 8 baptisms. Hopefully we can finish with 16. It's great because our zone isn't too big. There's only 8 companionships. It's definitely a marvelous work and a wonder here. 

We had a great zone conference. We talked about the importance of teaching the people about the Godhead. We talked about repentance and the necessity  to be repentant. The best part was that we watched a movie called "Ephraim's Rescue". I think it was made by the same people who did 17 Miracles. It's a great movie. You should watch it! It talks a lot about believing in miracles, but it also talks about the importance of being worthy, obedient, and faithful. It definitely inspired me to go out and work even harder and believe in miracles. We should do our best to always beleive and ask for miracles, and be worthy to act at the needed time. 

So glad to hear that W. graduated! Do you guys have any pictures? 

Be thankful that there's ice and snow! There's nothing Christmasy here! I did get the package! We loved the candy and food and all the stuff! Thanks a ton for everything. Also, tell thanks to Bro. L. and Bro. S. for sending letters. Some of the Sisters from the ward sent letters as well. I think it was Sis. F. and Sis. M. and S.L. Sister T. from the stake sent the letter about the missionary appreciation activity. That was great to hear! I loved seeing the pictures of all the missionaries we have in the stake!

How's everything in the ward?

O, about communication, we have the option to use Skype. I really don't care either way. You'll see me in 3 months anyway. But it's up to you guys. We'll email you guys next week to let you know what's going on. We don't exactly know because we have to sort out the mess about who's going to use Skype or not. 

Well love you guys a ton! Hope you're week goes well. We'll be talking for the last time next week. Wow. I'm super old......... 

Sois mis queridos amigos. (vosotros is not used at all in Central America, just using the scriptures)

¡Feliz Navidad!

Con Amor Eterno,

Elder Butler