Email 7 May 2012

Juan Esteban Guarchaj Cotiy

Hey there folks,
Pretty hard to believe that I’ll be making my last phone call home this week. Looking forward to it being over...because that way I can say that the next time I talk to you will be when I get home! Legit.
It has been a good week. Juan Esteban Guarchaj Cotiy is your newest member in Nahualá! Friday was the baptism, and it went pretty well. Things started off late as usual sadly. It was the baptizee's fault this time though. He didn’t show up until 5, so that is when everything kicked into gear. The only problem was, the light went out right about 5 too. No electricity... It was light outside still though, so not a big deal really. The coolest thing though, was the fact that right when they started to get up to go into the font....the light came back on. As Juan and my companion walked into the font, they had the 3 little lights shining down on them in the water. We all know a thing like that would go unnoticed in many situations, but I realized the mini-miracle that it brought. For me, it was amazing. Sunday he was confirmed, and now is a legitimate member. He is a very happy guy it seems. His wife...is sooo happy. They had been together 6 years, and until now did he decide to make the decision to join the church. He told us many missionaries had passed by with him over the years, but this time his mindset was different. He wanted what was best for his family. Great, great experience for me to be a part of. Never will forget that one.
Other than that though, the week was pretty normal haha. Tuesday I ate 3 dinners! That almost killed me. Lots of noodles. Didn’t get sick, and I was able to fit it all in my little body. That is definitely a miracle to me! We found a new house for the new area here in Nahualá. Turns out...that I’ll be going to that area. I’ll be opening it with a kid, I don’t know his name or anything because all they would tell me is he has some 5ish months in the mission. Yay for being with new people haha. Rumor is that Bergeson is coming out here to be in an area close by, so that is exciting. My companion right now, Elder Nuñez, will be training. Should be weird to see everything work its way into place tomorrow. On Wednesday, two missionaries came to stay with us. Belus (who was in Quiché when I was there) and Bagley (who was my friend on Facebook before coming out here). We had a good time. Belus had to come to the baptismal interview for Juan, so that is why they came out. We took advantage of the time though and made a "tuj" appointment for the 4 of us. We got to bathe in the steam room yet again. We even did again on Saturday. Twice last week! Hopefully second-hand-smoke doesn’t become a problem of mine haha.
Something interesting I found out about this place here was the fact that the women cut their hair one time a year for the most part here in Nahualá. May 2nd we were visiting and a ton of the ladies were cutting each other's hair... We were like, "What's the deal?" And then they explained that to us. Pretty weird tradition, but cool at the same time.
That has been my week though. I just got back here to Nahualá from Xela. Went and ran a few errands. Nothing too exciting. I got to eat Wendy's again! Felt like a real P-day... haha. Hope all is well. Can’t wait to talk to you guys on Sunday. Should be a good last call..... ;)
Love you all and miss you all. Take it easy, Elder Bitner

Church in Nahuala

Drunk in front of our house