Week 34 In the Field - The work here in Minerva is going well.

Weekly Letter June 15, 2015

Hey guys, I've had a great week and hope everyone else's has been great too.

This week, due to many Elders being sick, our mission president changed a couple health rules and we are no longer allowed to pay members to feed us in their homes, which is what we and many other missionaries had been doing previously. This means we now have to cook, which isn't too bad but it is more expensive.

This week I had an opportunity to go on a division and work with an Elder in my district named Elder Cairo.  Elder Cairo has ten months in the mission and two years as a member.  He is from Peru and is an all-around great missionary.  He knows a lot, especially for being a member for such a short amount of time I really admire him.

This week I also had the opportunity to meet an amazing man named Victor Montenegro. He joined the church a year and a half ago and is in his sixties. He is very active in the church, already being a High Priest and having received his temple endowment. At a young age his mother died. His father was never around. Guatemala doesn't really have an abundance of social programs like orphanages and other things so he lived alone since childhood, selling newspapers to earn a living. At the age of sixteen he made the long journey through Mexico and perilously crossed the border into the United States. He began working in landscaping and other manual labors until he eventually came back to Guatemala. 10 years later he returned to the states, this time to New York and with proper documentation. He lived in Manhattan for 12 years, beginning his career as an employee for a church, being paid six dollars a week for maintaining the church property. He later worked on a submarine and eventually as a supervisor for a hotel. When he returned to Guatemala his wife stole his life savings and attempted to kill him with a machete. He now lives alone, his children having long since forgotten about him.  He lives in a nice home and loves with the missionaries visit him. He's a great man with a ton of amazing stories.

The work here in Minerva is going well. We should have a baptism this Saturday for Christian Ramierez Rodas. Our other baptism candidate, Elsa Lima, is still having trouble with coffee but we have a new goal for the 27th of June for her.

This week I have been reading a bit of "My Life's Review" the autobiography of my great, great, great grandfather. He served a mission in Hawaii beginning in 1853. During his mission, smallpox broke out on the island and killed some 4000 people, 400 of these people had received the gospel. My ancestor tirelessly gave priesthood blessings during this period, at times using 2 quarts of consecrated oil per day blessing the sick. Says he, "I was in great affliction, and marveled that the Lord would permit all his most faithful servants to die." As he consulted with the Father in prayer he heard the words "Sorrow not, for they are now doing that greater work for which they were ordained, and it is all of the Lord." My testimony is strengthened as I read the words of this great man who gave so much to the restored gospel.

I'd like to close my letter this week with a quote from Bruce R. McConkie who said, "I think that the noblest concept that can enter the heart of man is the fact that the family continues in eternity. I do not think that one can conceive of a more glorious concept than that."

I love my family so much and I am grateful to know that we are able to mutually lift each other up in every step that leads to the summit of eternal life. I will be forever grateful for their love and support. - Elder Dawson

Guatemalan flood in front of our apartment complex.

A kid named Esteban

Answers to Mom's questions:

Is there anything we can get you at BYU/Provo?

No, I should be fine. I´d love to get some more church books but I am not allowed to read them until I get back. Unless you find some old Ensigns or something, Ensigns we can read and a lot of times the old conference editions have some neat talks.

How is your rain jacket and umbrella?

The umbrella is really good, it´s compact enough to put in a backpack and light enough to carry around everywhere. 

Anything different we should get for Jayden? 

Get him a backpack. Shoulder bags are lame and no one uses them, at least in my mission, haha. One side of your body cannot support the weight. A durable backpack too, the first one I bought in Guatemala was a crappy Chinese one and it got destroyed in a couple months.

You don't like the microfiber towel - right?

It´s fine. Compact for when I have to go on divisions and stuff. You can get him a regular one and a microfiber one I´d say.

Socks good?

Yeah those socks are really good. Consider buying more though, they do rip after heavy use.

Pants holding up?

Yep.

How are your sheets?

No problems.