Nov 14 No blog Nov 21--Happy Thanksgiving!

Our best friend Ivan! These little things are called Tuk Tuks and they save our lives here. They are like little taxis and are super cheap! So we take them often since our area is so huge. Ivan is always coming and picking us up and taking us everywhere. He is the best! 

On Sunday we went to the hospital. We took a video with us about Christ and Christmas. We went during the hour of visits, and searched for the people who didn't have any visits so see if we could share the video and a scripture with them. We were able to teach 3 people in that hour who weren't members of the church! Then as we were finishing up, we were singing a hymn and we saw a member pass by the window. We went searching for them and found a member who had been in the hospital for a while and his family, and another family was there visiting him. We then had the privilege to share a small message with him too. It was a great day! 

Nov 7

This week has been a week full of miracles and many exciting things! For most of the things I am wanted to share, I have pictures that go along with them, so I am just going to put the picture, and then put a caption explaining each thing. I hope you can enjoy them as much as I did! :)

First of all, we had a Multi Zone conference this week with Elder Alonzo from the Seventy. Wow, he is a very very inspired guy. We all left that conference in shock by all of the amazing truths and advice he taught us. He shared a story with us that I just loved. He went to the doctor and the doctor told him he was depressed. Elder Alonzo responded, "There is no way I am depressed, I may be sick, but depressed? You have to be kidding me. Do you know what church I go to? I am part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I cant be depressed. I know that the Lord has restored his church through the prophet Jose Smith, and that through that I can receive every ordnance I need to return to his presence. I know that today we have a living prophet in the world who receive guidance and revelation directly from God, and I know that the Book of Mormon is true. A book that can guide me in ever aspect in my life. There is no reason at all for me to be depressed. Sick, yes, I am sick, but depressed, there is no way." I loved this story and just thought about how true it is! We have absolutely know reason to be sad as members of the true church of Jesus Christ. We have EVERYTHING we need to be happy and to enjoy every second of our lives. I love this gospel and all of the joy that it has brought me during my life before the mission and my life during the mission.





So during the Multi Zona, Elder Alonzo talked with us about being more creative in finding new investigators. So as a district we decided that we were going to go to central park on Saturday morning and sing and hand out pamphlets and books of Mormon. Well let me just start off by saying, we chose Saturday morning because EVERYONE in Toto goes there because of the market. So we had more than 30 Books of Mormon, and over 150 pamphlets to give out. As we started singing, people started coming up to the table and were curious about what we had. When someone came up, one of us stopped singing to talk with them. At the end of the two hours that we had set apart to do this, we had given away literally all of our supplies! Over 150 people went home that day with material to learn about the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and we found many new people to visit. It was one of the most fun and creative things I have done to contact people on my mission so far!







This is Elizabeth. She is one of our investigators and is a huge proof to me that the Lord truly knows each and every one of us and also that he prepares people to receive the message that we share as missionaries. So about 4 months ago I met Elizabeth. We had tried and tried to put appointments with her, but for some reason or another, we never were able to meet up. We literally saw here probable every other week, and tried and tried to put lessons. She said every time we saw her, "Hermanas when are you going to visit me?!" So about 2 weeks ago, we were leaving the village where she lives and I thought, we should call her before we leave to see if we can visit her. We called and she happened to be in Central, where we were planning on going. We went immediately and found her. We taught her in the park and she was just golden! She has a baptism date for December 3rd and is progressing so much! She came to church on Sunday and loved it. This morning we invited her to go running with us. She met us at the track, and then we had a lesson with her. She is going through hard times with her family right now and is having to live on her own. Today after we read with her in the Book of Mormon she shared with us an experience that happened. That she had a lot of things she needed to pay for today, and didnt have any way to pay for it. She said that these past few months have been so difficult and that every time she feels like she just cant keep going she prays to the Lord. Today she told us that it was a miracle because she knows the Lord hears her, because every time she prays she asks for him to put something in front of her that can help her. Every time she has asked, she says that its in those moments when we run into her. The Lord TRULY puts us in the path of those who need his gospel the most. I am so grateful for Eliza and all that her faith has taught me.




Noche de Hogar in the mission home with President and Hermana Smith, and with the Familia Ramierez!








"Soy Chapin de Sangre" It means I have the blood of a Guatemalan hahah. A member forced me to take this picture with his shirt on haha.





We were going to have to go super early for consejo de lideres with our Zone Leaders so a cute little member said she would make us pancakes to take with us. Well, the meeting got canceled, but the pancakes didnt, so the Zone leaders got lucky and got their breakfast delivered to there house that day!

Oct 31

So we had a super super great week this week. To start off, we got to go to Xela to our mission presidents house to have a family home evening with the Familia Ramierez. It was so great! We had a great lesson with President Smith and his wife, and then played a game with the kids, had some cake, and then headed back to Toto. They really like it and were super happy! We laughed the whole way there and the whole way back. It was a great time. Wednesday we had a day full of miracles. We have been praying a ton to be able to find families, and when we are out proselyting, that is our main focus. So this week we were contacting in a little village up in the mountains in an area that we hadn't ever gone too. We knocked on a few doors, and they didn't want to listen. So, we kept knocking. We got to a house and the lady was very positive, but she was about to leave. We asked her if she knew of anyone that lived around her that could benefit from hearing about the gospel of Jesucristo. At first she said no, but we felt that we needed to insist a little. We asked her if she maybe knew anyone that was passing for difficult times, or had just had a baby. She said you guys could try going to the Familia Caxaj's house. They live in the house of brick about 5 minutes more down this path. So we went searching. We found the house and knocked. They opened the door and were extremely nice. They allowed us to enter their house so we sang a hymn with them and shared a little bit with them out the Restoration. We were extremely shocked and excited when we found out that it was a family of 11 people! Yes, 11 people! We are going back to visit them tonight and are so extremely excited. The Lord truly puts his chosen people in our paths and will guide us to those who need us if we ask him in sincere prayer and if we live worthily to have his trust! 

This time of year here in Guatemala everyone is super super busy because they are all harvesting their corn! There are corn fields seriously all around us here. It feels like we are constantly in a corn maze haha. So anyways they use the corn to make tortillas and tamalitos. So during this time they take down all the corn husks and have to do this big process so that it drys and they can use it for the tortillas and tamales for the entire year! So this week we went to a recent converts house who has a ton of land to grow her corn. When we got there her whole family was working with the corn so we helped. What we were doing was taking off all of the grains of corn from the cob. At this point the corn is completely dried out. Its super interesting and A TON of work! I cant imagine having to do this ever single year. The people here are super hard workers that's for sure. 

Tomorrow we have a Multi-Zone Conference with a general authority! Elder Alonzo from the 70 is going to be with us. We are so excited! It is always so great being able to listen to these servants of the Lord help us to know how we can do missionary work better. Thursday we are going to have our Leadership Council meeting, and Elder Alonzo is going to be there too! My comp and I have to present a little bit during the meeting so we are a little nervous, but super excited for the opportunity. 

Anyways, life here is going great. My comp and I are having a ton of fun and working hard to find those who the Lord is preparing to receive this gospel. Thanks for all of your support!

Con mucho amor de Guatemala, 

Hermana Baird

The famous noodle taco. Yes, this is normal here! Everytime we have spaghetti or any type of noodles, there is ALWAYS tortillas, and ALWAYS ketchup. And surprisingly it is actually pretty good. I think I am turning into a Guatemalan. 

We went to a new area to contact and find new investigators and I stepped in a huge pile of "mud." I am not too sure it was mud though, probably a differnt kind of waste product. But anways, it was a good ice breaker cuz we went to the closest house and asked if we could wash off my foot and shoe in their pila (the sink type thing in the pic) and she let us! We are going to go back and visit her this week, so I guess it was worth getting a little dirty. :) Then Hermana Schiess and I went to lunch at our favorite place here in Toto called Pinkys




AMO A TOTO!!! But really I never want to leave this place!




This morning we went on like a 3 and a half mile run, and then did our studies up on the roof of our apartment!




The cutest little puppy that a member just got!







SO MUCH CORN!!!!!








HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM GUATEMALA!!!!