Friday, April 29, 2011

Easter

Hey! this is just a quick shout out to the fam and everyone at home! how are you! I hope you enjoyed the week of remembering th final steps of our Savior and what he did for us.

This was quite the week! Semana Santa here in Antigua is unlike anything you have ever seen! There were people everywhere in the street, with their processions of Christ and the Virgin and the whole bit. I think the pictures will be able to explain better. We had a ton of success this week and I actually wish every week was Semana Santa because the whole country has practically the whole week off and the dads are actually in the house! Families are spending time together and we got to contact a ton of pilas families in the street.

We had an awesome Zone Conference this week too. I love Zone Conference!! It´s like Thanksgiving for a missionary. We got to see a talk E holland had just given in the MTC and when I heard his words my heart was on fire!!! I felt the whole time like he was talking just to me and I received so many answers to questions I had. To Dan Johnson or anyone else teaching at the MTC, Im sure you know the talk im talking about, its incredible and I hope you can all see it! Im going to attach a picture for Dan too, tell me if you recognize this companion....

Some interesting events from this week were, on Saturday night, we had thought the processions were over because they celebrate Friday as the big day because Jesus has died. We find it ironic that they do nothing to celebrate on sunday or the resurrection, which is sad but true. So we walked through the center to get back to our bus stop. It was crazy!!! there were still processions going on and we were right in the middle of it! It was nuts. WE made it back to the bus station just fine and were waiting for the bus to leave for about 15 minutes. It finally left, only to break down when we had just pulled out of the bus stop place!!! So we sat and waited while some guy, by himself pushed the bus to the side and we ended up having to walk home!!! I know I dont do these stories justice, but ill retell them when i get home. just know that there arent many dull moments! also, a dead spider came pouring out of our water pitcher this morning into my cup. I didnt do anything, i just looked at it, thought to myself, ït´s Guatemala¨and went and got another cup. I scare myself sometimes at how calm i guess you could say that Iñve become. You see so much in the mish that you just kind of get to the point where nothin really phases you anymore....haha life is great on this side of the world. I´d love for you all to check out Alma 13 27-29.

Hope you have a great week! Keep praying hard, know that Im praying for all of you. Love you and love this work!

Love,
Hermana Peach Wetzel

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Conference

Hello family!!!!!

We haven´t had changes yet, but tonight they let us know where the Lord wants us. I have a feeling I´m leaving and everyone else does too, but its been an emotional week! but none the less, Wow, this week was a blast.

Getting everyone ready for conference was so great! To invite people to come listen to a prophets voice is truly a remarkable experience. Sometimes we watched the video clip of President Monson and some of the other living apostles from the movie ¨Special Witnesses of Christ¨so that our investigators would be familiar with their faces and voices and then we would bare our testimonies that these men were called of God. Then to have nine investigators hear the real voice of the prophet, live was quite the incredible testimony builder. One of our most pilas investigtors said last night that¨I didn´t even have to question if President Monson was the prophet, I could just tell and I could feel that He was a man of God.¨ Then Franciso Obregon and his wife proceeded to tell us that they both want to be baptized! I truly was so happy for them that they had obtained their own testimonies strong enough about the prophet and the gospel of Jesus Christ to take this step. I know that Conference was the extra push that they needed.( I´m cnvinced more people always get baptized around conference time, its great). I know that they simply can´t deny what they felt or comply with some of the things they said before like, ¨We´d like to know more, we want to wait, we want to be able to explain everything when our friends ask us¨, things like that and we just keep re-emphazising faith, conversion, prayer, answers to prayer everything. But now, through the prophet and Apostle´s messages and testimonies, we have a family getting baptized. They are praying about their date for this month and we will check with them tonight. But this week turned out to be a great one and we are on the uphill climd t ohaving many baptisms this month.

I loved General Conference! One of my favorite quotes was one that somebody quoted president Benson saying, ¨I love this work, and it IS work!¨ That´s exactly how I feel! Elder Christofferson and Elder Grow´s talks were excellent for me. I have been trying to study the Atonement and repentance more lately and these two talks were answers to my prayers. I also received another big answer to prayer through President Monson´s talk. I wondered what we needed to do in my area to motivate the members and our investigators and prayed to know what they needed. The answer came in the form of temples. We are going to encourage everyone to go to the temple as often as they can and teach more of our recent converts about temple work, so they too can take part in the rich temple blessings. I am always impressed by Elder Bednar´s talks. At least in my experience, he has always hit it right on they money for our investigators. I feel like he is speaking directly to them! We also are going to focus on helping the people here in Amatitlan, or whereever I am serving, to establish ¨celstial traditions¨. These are the special things that we as members of the Church do, like FHE, family scripture study and prayer, to strengthen home and family. And can we please just talk about Elder Scott´s talk??? How cute is he!! I would someday like to meet his wife, but I know that I too have great examples of incredible women that are the best wives, mothers, grandmothers, friends and relatives. We definitely have a new and redediacted sense of enthusiasm for the work and I know this will be another great week, wherever I am.

Did you not all just love conference???? Im so excited to hear your insights. I can´t believe another six months have passed, but I sure am grateful for general conference. I know without a doubt that this is the true church of Christ. Thomas S. Msonson is the prophet of God and he is the person, who if we look to him and abide by the words he and the other apostles and leaders of the church have just spoken to us, we will be able to gain eternal life. After all, that´s what it´s all about right? Remember to keep the end goal in mind and that ÿour future is as bright as your faith.¨ah! there were so many good quotes from this conference, i cant wait to get the liahona. I love you and leave you with my testimony that this gospel is true and we are numbered among the most highly blessed of God´s children to have it. Go share it with everyone!!!!

I´ll let you know where the heck I am next week! Pray for me! Love you all, you´re in my prayers!


have a great week, love you all like I love guatemala.

con amor,
Hermana Wetzel

Monday, March 28, 2011

Light

Dear friends and family,

La Mariposa is great! Can I please just say how grateful I am for light. I love the word in spanish for light, it´s ´luz´. i just love it and it has so many different meanings. We needed some serious light from heaven this week as we passed for some difficult situations when Satan wanted us to feel bad. But it´s like what we told one of our investigators this week, that the light of the gospel is always going to win and be stronger than the darkness of satan. we all liked that idea.

Also with the idea of light, we talked about d and c 50;24 that talks about if we endure, we will receive more light, more lknowledge about the gospel and ultimately, Heavenly Father will guide us day by day with the light that we need, when we need it.

Then right when we had some weird things happen, we had other appointments with our ´luces´ like heidy ochoa and Blanca Escobedo. I hope we can all be a light for someone this week and look for opportunities to serve others, especially people who we think don´t need it or that we always serve.

General Conference is coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope we´re so excited, I´m excited to be here for two general conferences in Amatitlan!!! yahoo! have a great week! happy birthday mol!

Love,
Hermana Peach Wetzel

Monday, March 21, 2011

Quick Update

swimsuits and hotdogs...hna Ch.

we had an interesting week. there´s so much to do!

Hermana Rezzio left for her mission.

We are happy for her but sad that now we won´t get to work with her anymore.
It´s a good thing she left about the same time I m leaving, if I do leave next change.

there´s a package on its way!

Love you all, have a great week!

Hermana Wetzel of Guatemala

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Your Version of Conversion

Hey Family!
This weeks letter is going to be entitled ¨ÿour version of conversion¨

Why? Because this week we have been focused as a companionship on the conversion of oursleves as missionaries, we´ve seen miracles happen with the conversion of our investigators and our bishop gave a legit lesson from Alma 17 about conversion. Everything is wonderful here in La Mariposa, again I am grateful for this change that I have had to be here again. We had an incredible lesson last night with our bishop and one of our familias that is progressing, la familia Obregon (thanks for your prayers!) The lesson was about baptism and clearing up doubts that they had. They always ask a ton of questions which is great, but sometimes they are not always the most relevant. So our bishop gave them some scriptures from Alma 17 about how to be converted and how no matter what they might always have questions or doubts, but not to worry becuase they would keep growing and learning in the church. This family is awesome! Their meta is for this month on the 27th and we are meeting with another family tonight who wants to be baptized but just have to get married first. We´re so excited! But the bishop told them that Alma 17: 2-4, 10-11 was the key. Read these verses and you will find that these are the things we need to do to have a real conversion. I was in awe this whole lesson at the spirit that was felt. All these ideas were just flooding my mind and I just felt so much love!!! for everyone!!! These are the moments that make everything worth it, puchica! It also made me so grateful for the role of the bishop. I am so grateful for my dad and all that he does for the good ol MP 17 and now working this closely with bishops in the mission, I understand a little bit more of the workload and weight that they carry and the unlimited amount of love that they have to have for their fold. I feel bad asking the bishop to do things sometimes because I know how busy he is, but he always says that its no problem, whenever we want he will do whatever needs to be done. That reminded me of what my dad would say, so I just want to say thanks dad for all you do to support me and the ward.

The other part of conversion this week is the level of our converts love for the gospel. Ingrid is the one sitting next to other investigators making sure they feel good. Evelt brought a family of 5 to church yesterday because the dad is his friend and he wants him to know the gospel. Heidy was showing off her hymnbook that we gave her to one of our other investigators and now they are besties. It´s just incredible to see these people that I love so much... progress! This area really is a dream and I have been so lucky to have had the chance to work here.

My comp gave a bomb talk on testimony yesterday and how our testimony stems from our personal conversion and that all we need to do is to share our testimony with others and not be afraid to share what we have!

There was a bunch of other funny stuff that I was going to tell you, but there is so much going on that sometimes I forget to write it down. But I will tell you that its pretty funny/ironic that one of my favorite hermanas here has a ¨miller light crew¨ shirt, the first counselor sports a coors shirt on saturdays and the bishops son has a collection of various other beer type shirts. The greatest thing is some of them have no idea what they even mean, everyone just buys 25 cent shirts here and they are usually in english and they have no idea what they say! It´s hilarious and we try to explain to them. Guatemala continues to be crazy but I couldn´t love more what I am doing and where I am doing it.

We got so much sun on Saturday when we were helping with the primary activity from 9-1 pm out in the sun in pday clothes, not noticing that our tshirts were a different style than our normal everyday shirts and so we got fried. It was great. The kids were so cute and loved the activity that Hermana Blanca planned for them and we got to help.

Hope you have a great week! Nara, let me know if you got my postcard! I hope it gets to you before you leave España. Loves to all! Tay thanks for your uplifting story, mol I got the valentines card, thanks! Hope everyone is doing well! love you all! Thanks for your prayers!

Love,
Hermana Wetzel

One Year Out

Hola familia,

ha! you cant believe I have a year? I cant believe I have been here for a year! I haven´t even felt the time go by. Who would have thought that I entered this area with six months and I will now be leaving it with over a year. This has been a great blessing for me to really get to watch this area flourish. The people are gems, all of them. I cant wait for all of you to meet them.

As for special events that happened this week, we had a couple of very powerful lessons with investigator families. the dad of the familia Obregon told us sincerely on Friday night that he prayed with his Book of Mormon stacked on top of his bible, both of them in hand, to know if what we were teaching him is true and if these two books will lead him to where God wants to be. He has the purest desires to do what´s right and best for his family which is awesome! We reassured him that that is exactly what these two books would do and the wife agreed to pray as well to know if the Book of Mormon is true.This week was a fantastic week, especially with La familia Obregon. Pray for them please!!! What more could a missionary want. The Lord has truly been blessing us and his children here. Friday and Saturday were probably two of my most favorite teaching days on the mission. Just for some reason we had a ton of success and they were just incredible dias.

Did I tell you that my favorite third companion is leaving La Mariposa? No, no hermana marin is not leaving which I am so happy about, but the Hermana Rezzio, my favorite grandma who isnt much of a grandma type person because she is more active and out doing visits more than anyone else in the ward. But she is leaving at the end of this month to go serve as a full time temple worker. She has wanted to do this for so long and I am so happy for her, but I will miss her dearly. This woman has such a love for the temple, she´s a red type personality, and loves being a missionary, so we decided that she´s pretty much me in abuelita form. Love her! There is a ton going on right now, we´re runnin around like crazy all the time and its so fun. If you could please pray for the number ten. Just keep that in mind this month, that would be great! Tell the Omers hi and congrats, tell Cathy not to worry, the Lord will be with her, even if the monkeys and other creatures will be too! thanks for the news update, oh good old byu. love ya lots fam!!!! remember that we are all disciples of Christ, 2 nefi 25:26. Love you all, pray for your success daily!

Love,

Hermana Peach Wetzel

Monday, February 28, 2011

It's Not Over Til It's Over








It´s not over til they say its over!

So remember how we had changes last week? Where do you think I am? We´re not playing where´s Waldo, but where in Guatemala is Hermana Wetzel? Here´s the scoop. So I had had the feeling that I was leaving Amatitlan for about the last two weeks, I just felt like that was going to happen. Everyone else seemed to confirm these feelings. I was worried too that I wasnt going to be here for the big soccer tournament that I was in charge of planning as pasrt of our ward activity. We didnt start to say goodbye or anything but everyone was pretty convinced. Then on Monday night, after hearing what Presidente Baldwin had told me, I told my district leader to just tell hna Marin she was staying...and he goes hna wetzel, you will never believe whats going to happen with changes...... he tells me, Hna Wetzel YOU´RE STAYING!!! haha! I was so happy!!! I couldnt believe it! But here I am, six months later still livin it up in La Mariposa. Thats why I say its not over til they say its over, or that the ball hasnt gone out of lthe line until the ref calls it because everyone thought i was leaving, including my president. But from what my bishop told me, some phone calls were made, whether it was some other bishop telling presidente that they didnt want me in that area or it was my bishop saying he didnt want me leaving, that will never be known until maybe I decide to tell when I get home. But the rest is history for now. All we know is that Im so happy to still be here beause we have so much going on! This month is going to be rockin. Im also so excited to be here for another General Concference! I wonder if I´ve set some sort of record, being here for 2 general conferences is pretty good! especially cuz i was here one month before confernence last time too. But life is great...here are some pictures of the awesome people we are teaching...

Gaby Zacarias, 13 baptism 8 am
Heidy Ochoa, 20, baptism 3 pm
Ulfa Bamaca, 50, baptims 3 pm, Ulfa is the wife of Hno Rene that got baptized on Christmas! You could say that this was another Christmas miracle that Ulfa was baptized this day! she is incredible!
These girls were all baptized last sunday. It was a crazy but fulfilling, satisfying day like you have no idea! We were running around having them get interviewed, pictures, drying the skirt inbetween baptisms etc. great day!

Evelt Cabrera, 42, baptism yesterday 4 pm

Andrea, my bff and the bishops daughter and I have the samw headband! They came over on Sunday night to take pictures because they thought I was leaving!

Hna Padilla and I, she came in at the same time as me and this is at the hermanas activity that we had and made these scarves!

So the work goes on in La Mariposa, pray a lot for the Familia Obegon please! Have a great week! Love you all!

Hermana Wetzel.