3-30-2015

Okay! Best week ever.

The familia Barillas got baptized and Presidente Crapo came. We have to baptized in Zacapa because we don’t have a church building. They had 4 baptisms so we had a huge service of 7 baptisms!!! It was awesome. Our Rama has never seen so much support in a baptism. It was amazing. The got confirmed the same day by Presidente Crapo. Then they shared their testimonies and everyone was crying.

It was the most spiritual experience that I have ever felt. Elsa just kept saying how blessed she feels. [What would have happened  to my familia if you didn’t come in time?¨ I have learned that this is not my work. The Lord did everything. We just got to sit back and teach. 

This family is a miracle and I will never forget them. The rama has helped out so much. What an amazing week!!

My compa has changes :( I will miss my hija!!! She has taught me so much. She is so humble and ready to learn. She has taught me charity. 

I will let you know more about changes next week!

I love you all!!

Enjoy all the pictures I sent :) The mission is the best. I love Guate!!

3-23-2015

Hello! This week was awesome... as always! We had a conference with Elder Anderson. He speaks, English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Talk about talent! I am still working on the whole English Spanish thing.

He talked a lot about la Expiación and how we can apply it to missionary work. I love my Savior and all He did for me. I just could stop smiling! The mission has give me this permit smile and my cheeks have grown in muscle haha I saw EVERYONE. It was with three missions in Guate so I saw everyone from the CCM. Here we are one year latter! I cant believe the days a repeating themselves. 

The Familia Barillas will be getting baptized this Saturday and President Crapo and Hna Crapo will be coming! They were on visits with us when we put the fecha and so they promised that they would come when they got baptized. Holy smokes! This will be a crazy week and it is week 6. Do you know what that means? We will have cambios on Sunday!!!!!

WOWOWOWOWOWOW TIME IS FLYING TELL IT TO STOP

We went to a waterfall last week called pasabien. I hope you like las fotos!

I also ate fish. FISH. I have an awesome photo that I will send. It is on my compas camera but this internet cafe is going sooooooooooooooooooooooooo slow today. Hashtag thirdworldprobs

Stay safe! The church is true!!!

3-16-2015

Wow, where did the time go?

Before I decided to go on a mission my life was pretty crazy. I had no idea what I wanted. I had no sense of direction. I did things that I thought would bring me happiness.... shopping, traveling.. all the worldly things. I was happy for like ten seconds but then I was looking for that happiness all over again. I was looking for a change and I couldn’t find one that fit. I changed my job, my hair, my friends and I moved my room around at least 100 times... I tried changing schools and moving out of state. Nothing worked. I spent a lot of time on my knees praying for direction. I remember the many times I just sat and cried to mom. One time she saw how upset I was and said, {Go pack your things!! We will get you living back in Utah this week!]  But I prayed about it and something told me no. For the first time in months I felt like I got a real answer from God. I was looking for a change in all the wrong places. The talk, Good, Better, and Best really helped me out. My life poco a poco started to improve. I started putting Christ as the center of my life. A lot of crazy random happenstances started passing through. I become good friends with the sister missionaries in my ward. I almost spent more time with them then I did at home. About two months later I had the confirmation that I needed to go on a mission. It never was in my plans. I didn’t want to accept it at first. But with prayer, I made it!

I started my papers and received my call in less then a month. When I read that I would be serving in Guatemala, I couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t anything that I was expecting or hoping for. Now that I am here, it is better then anything that I could have ever imagined for myself. 

I found the change I was looking for. It wasn’t a change in ropa or style. It was a change in me.

I am better then I was before. Not in a prideful way, but I have learned soo much and there is now way I could go back to who I was. I have learned to forgive others and forgive myself. I have learned to truly love. 

This will be a great week! We will be hearing from Elder Anderson.... and my compa will turn 20 years old!! Party!!!

We are going to hangout at a waterfall today! I will send pictures next week. 

Here is a picture of us  being awesome and carrying leña.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!! Have a great week!!

3-10-2015

When I say:

1. I will never hand wash again!!!

2. It literally cannot get any hotter then it is right now

But hey! This is the mission!!

We had entrevistas con Presidente yesterday so we are having P-day today!! 

I might as well just have named this letter: Familia Barillas. They are a familia so close to my heart. This week we went with them to collect leña! I will send pictures! We had to cross a river... I don’t know how apostate that is but we told President about it and he didn’t say anything. We also had a noche de hogar with them in a house of a member yesterday. The mom shared with us that she was getting ready to leave her family but then we started visiting them and it changed everything. I have never seen such a great change in a whole family. Their faces even look different. They are getting really excited for their baptism on the 28th.

This week we found 17 new investigators}s and put 3 new fechas. The work is going great. It stresses me out every once in a while but that is a good thing!!

I also killed our fish. I cant be in charge of pets. We have.... had... a fish in our pila but I took him out so I could hand wash and then I forgot about him for two days and it was so hot all of the water evaporated and he died.   

At interviews yesterday we talked about the difference between a testimony and conversion. A lot a people have a testimony that don’t go to church. But that is the difference between them. I am so thankful for this opportunity to serve a mission. Never again will I have the chance to study and learn more about Christ. This is my job for 18 months. I know it isn’t a commandment for girls to go a missions but I would highly recommend it. A testimony is great, but it isn’t enough. We need to be always working on our personal conversion. Aun mas in the time that we are living in. This week I challenge you read the talk by David A Bednar Converted unto the Lord. It is great!!

Pictures: a small piece of the place I call home

I love you guys so much!! The church is true!!

-Hermana Crouch

3-2-2015

This week was extra normal. I have been sick with a minor cold... it doesn’t make sense because it is like 5000 degrees here. Like how is that even possible?

Check out this month Liahona... it rocks!! I am truly thankful por poder servir en una mision. Amo a la gente y mi llamamiento! Se que la iglesia es verdadera!

I ran out of time because the whole world has informed me of the engagement Dylan. Congrats bro! And good news! An apostle is coming to our mission at the end of this month!!! 

Shootout to Becky who will turn 21 this week! Somebody tell her I said Feliz Cumpleaños for me. 

Sorry this weeks email is extra lame...... but know that I love you guys!!!!

-Hermana Crouch