Que onda,
This was a week full of new experiences for me. It was honestly a roller coaster, so I'm going to go in order
Tuesday
By far the best day of the week! About a week ago, we received a message from the second counselor to our mission president. His name is Presidente Miranda. Turns out, he's living in our area, in a tiny little town called Jumúzna.
He moved there to be closer to the districts that are part of the mission. But it is a town in the middle of nowhere, where almost nobody lives.
So in this message, he told us that for the last 4 months he had been getting to know his neighbors in his spare time, and that there were over 15 people that wanted to learn more about the gospel! He invited us to come this last Tuesday and get to know them with him and his wife.
So that was the best message ever. We went, and it was even better than we imagined. We met so many nice people, and so many people who want to learn more. We're super excited to be working in Jumúzna now.
Wednesday
By far the worst day of the week. It started off normal, but that night we had a soccer activity. In the last few weeks, the soccer activity has become a great tool to find new people and invite inactive members to come back to church. However, this week was different, because the Branch President invited a lot of his friends, who play a lot more competitively.
My companion and I obviously didn't care too much about winning, we were just excited to get to know a lot of new people. But, the guy wearing #15 disagreed.
My team was up big, and this guy was upset because he was losing. At the time I was playing goalie, and he got the ball about 2 ft away from me, and shot it with all of his strength. Really unnecessary to be honest. Unfortunately for me, I am an amazing goalie, and saved it. Unfortunate because in doing so I injured my hand.
That night, when we got home, the pain in my hand was unbearable. I didn't sleep until about 2:00 in the morning.
Thursday
So Thursday we had planned to do exchanges with our district leader, but I wanted to go to the doctor first. So after meeting up with the elders from San Jorge, Elder Valiente and I went to the hospital. There, they took x-rays of my hand, and told me that my hand was fractured. So, I spent all day Thursday getting a cast and sitting around in waiting rooms. Really lame; pictures attached.
Friday-Saturday
Friday and Saturday, I learned how hard it is to live with a cast as a missionary. By chance, this weekend a tropical storm hit our area, so there was constant pouring rain. It was hard trying to keep dry, something that's important right now, but I made do. I also learned how to cook, bathe, and write (kind of) one handed (it's my right that's fractured)
Sunday
Sunday was sad. Our best investigator didn't come to church, and when we asked her why, she told us that her parents would no longer support her. That means she doesn't have a way to come to church, because she lives pretty far away. That also means they won't be giving her their permission for her to be baptized this month. If you get the chance, please pray for Carmen.
Monday (today)
Today was also kind of sad, because we got together as elders to play soccer. For obvious reasons, it's kind of hard for me to play soccer right now. However, I tried to enjoy the day the best I could, and I got the chance to write this
I've learned a lot this week. But I've learned a lot every week for the last year.
One year ago, this week, I landed in Guatemala. I've been in this wonderful country for an entire year, and yet, as Jacob said, it seemed "as if it were unto me a dream." I never could have imagined how fast the time would go. I've changed, learned, and grown so much. It's hard to describe how grateful I am for my time here.
I can honestly say that I have seen miracles. I have seen hearts change. I have seen the Lord's hand in my life more than ever, and in the lives of those that I'm serving. I have loved this last year, despite all of it's challenges. I can only hope that the next 10 months go slower.
Love you all,
Elder Telford
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