Email 23 January 2012

Aloha,
Whets happening peeps? Everything is happening the same for me... Basically nothing ever changes really, but there always something to write about it somehow. Hopefully you guys have enjoyed your week though. Grandaddy's 75th birthday and all...I’m sure made it pretty fun. If you guys did anything for it at least.
So the package has finally been sent. I sent it on Thursday... 460 Quetz. Cheaper than the first one believe it or not haha. I thought I was going to be dropping at least 600 Quetz on the little box. Luckily I saved some money though :) If mine and the Post Office's calculations are correct...You should get it around Feb 2 (better said sometime next week). Hopefully it all gets there alright. I almost forgot to put my camera memory cards in there, but I managed to sneak them in while we dropped it off at the post office. I really hope those are still in there...
I remember telling you guys we were going to have a big FHE activity with our Bishop and the Sister missionaries. We did have one... All 16 people actually showed up too, so it was somewhat insane to be honest. A member that was there gave the message about families. Then we were put in charge of the games as planned... That was bad on our part haha. Really boring games, but everyone enjoyed them so whatever. Pupusas were made too. They all made me eat a ton. Everyone in this country thinks I eat really little too. Guess that is going to follow me wherever I go. It was a fun night though... I like being with Guatemalan members.
This past week has been another very cold one. Ridiculously cold right now in fact! It has made me somewhat sick... Runny nose for the past 5 days. Hate it. It worked out a little well though because at least I have the cough drops you sent me. They are helping me... The fact I played soccer Saturday night with some of the youth didn’t help my case though because it was really cold that night too. Took a shot from the ball right into my face too. My nose did not benefit from that in anyway. I’m hanging in there though. Not dead at least, so life is pretty good I guess you could say.
Coolest part of the week... Saturday around midday, there was an EARTHQUAKE! haha. My companion came around the corner and was like, "Do you feel shaking?" As soon as he said it, it picked up and shook harder. According to all the members it was actually a stronger one than most. It even supposedly knocked down a house close by. Still not sure if that is actually true though. I really enjoyed it even though it scared most. I could feel my chair sliding back and forth on the ground without any force on my part. It was crazy... I’m positive that doesn’t help the fact here that the world is going to "end" this year. Mayans take that a little too seriously in these parts of the woods... But yeah, I felt an earthquake and I wasn’t scared! Maybe a little..but I liked it more than it scared me.
Sunday was another good day of church for the most part. No investigators were there at first...but then again Patricia and her daughter showed up for classes. 3 weeks in a row now! So cool. She definitely is going to make the decision soon I assume. After church we had more than a two hour Ward Council. It was a good little meeting in end.
That has basically been my week. I almost ate cow stomach this week, but luckily they knew the gringo wouldn’t like it so they gave us other food haha. Lucked out there... I hope all continues to go well for you guys though. Have another good week and be happy!
Love,
Elder Bitner

Email 16 January 2012

Elder Bitner & Elder Celis

Hey there family :) and friends...
Things have been going good as usual. I must say that this week was pretty boring for the most part, but I guess that is how it is sometimes. Not too much has happened, but that won’t stop me from writing haha.
I got another hair cut this week. One of those member haircuts... I again thought it turned out well.
Yet again I have gotten annoyed with being a white person in this country. I just try to walk through the streets in peace, but everyone has to make note that a "gringo" is walking by. From there everyone begins to shout the stupidest English phrases, the most common being, "What time is it?" They say all sorts of things... It can be 9 o'clock at night and they will say "Good Morning!" They say "thank you" to everything...Doesn’t matter if you actually help them or not... I just walk by without doing anything and they yell that out their window or door and then hide very fast. So why am I’m telling you all this is so you can tell all the Latin’s you see in the states the same things... If you see them in the morning, say "buenas noches" and then run away and hide. I think that will help me feel better about the whole thing haha.
On Friday we had our lunch appointment with Bishop Elvis. His wife, Scarlet, called me in the morning though and said they were most likely not going to be there because it was Elvis' birthday. With that being said, she said instead of us going there he wanted to drop off some money at our house so that we could still eat on their money. He left us with a 100 Quetz and said get yourself a pizza! Problem was...there were no deals on pizza on Friday, so instead we just went to McDonalds :) Free McDonalds from the man yet again... I love the man.
We made "pupusas" with the Sister missionaries again... Made them with their bishop, and actually, tonight we are making them again but with our bishop! We have to make them for 16 people tonight... It is going to be a big FHE. Should be fun at least though haha. We are in charge of the games :( haha.
We helped some Elders with a baptism on Friday. Actually happened to be my companion from the MTC, Elder Sicotte.
So church was really good again. Took us by surprise. One of the first people there was just some random guy. Turned out to not be a member, so we sat next to him. He only had questions of how he could become a member. It was very strange, but really cool. He disappeared after Sunday School, so we are just hoping he shows up next week. Said he wanted to get baptized and everything, so it would be really cool if he follows through with that desire. Our two positive investigators that showed up last week said they weren’t going to be able to come this week because they had something else they had to do... They didn’t show up to Sacrament, but instead they showed up to Relief Society. It was extremely strange to see them at the end of the classes... Brought a huge smile to my face though. She is getting extremely close :)
Anyways, that has basically been my week in a nutshell. Not much, but still good. Hope all is well. Love you guys!
Love,
Elder Bitner

Email 9 January 2012

Elder Sac (middle)

Hello,
So this week has been an interesting one, but not necessarily in a bad way haha. Changes are always something that makes the mission feel weird and new... As I mentioned last week, my companion had changes. He is now in Quiche, and I have a new companion! Elder Celis...who is from the capital of Guatemala. He has been out on the mission 15 months now. The cool thing about him is he is a covert of just 2 years. At the year mark, he basically left for the mission. Didn’t procrastinate or waste any time. Cool right? Only he and his younger brother were baptized too, so he has basically no major support back home. Especially now since his brother is inactive... Good kid with a strong testimony believe it or not. It is amazing what kind of testimony you can gain in such a short amount of time. Anyways, him and I getting along just fine and doing what we can to have whatever amount of success we can.
I watched my first missionary leave for his mission while being on my mission this past week. Very weird experience to see someone become a missionary while being one yourself haha. Jeffrey Sac was his name, but now he is Elder Sac going to Tegulicigalpa, Honduras. Tuesday night we saw him get set apart as a missionary and everything! He was excited to leave for his mission, but I think pretty scared too. Love that kid though... His poor mom is now alone with just his little 4-year-old brother because her and her husband are separated, and the other two kids live with him. Luckily Jeffrey is doing what he should be doing, and for that they will be blessed. Works out well in the end I suppose :)
Guess what I ate this week. Fish... haha. When they asked me if we could eat it, I was hesitant to say yes, but I went for it anyway. Surprisingly I found the fish to be quite good! Had to dig out a few spines, but once I got around those it was almost heaven haha. My eating habits have definitely adapted to eating anything in front of me no matter how much it might gross me out. You will be astonished to see it one of these days...
Church was really good this week. I had a surprise visitor! Hermano Cuque (my CCM teacher for those who have forgotten) was there when we showed up haha. It was a huge surprise. He happened to be in Xela this weekend to go to the temple, so he found where my ward attended and came! Such a good guy... He even brought me Dr Pepper and some other goodies. Always is hooking me up with the good stuff. I owe the guy my life... haha.
The other good thing about church was that our 2 most positive investigators showed up! Patricia and her daughter Amy. We have been trying to baptize them since I got here... They are getting closer. She just wants to come to church a couple more times and then she'll make her decision she says. We can only hope for the best. Have really developed a strong love for her and her daughter. I just want them to be happy... Got to love the mission and people you end up loving here.
That has basically been my week. Got some mail this past week... Letters :) First ones in a long time. Even got Rachel's Christmas Card! haha.
Well, I hope all is going well for each of you... Take care and have some great weeks! I love you all :)
Love,
Elder Bitner

Hermano Cuque Goodie Package

Email 2 January 2012

Hi,
How are things going? I’m doing good... The week of changes. I’m staying here as expected, and my companion is leaving as expected. Things worked out like we thought they would. Cool huh? haha. About the first time that has happened in my entire mission. I enjoyed having Elder Callejas. We'll have to see who the new companion is now.
Anyways, it is officially 2012! Happy New Year to everyone :) It is weird to think I’m officially in the last year of my mission. The mission is going to change a lot this year because so many people go home in the coming months. Tons of new people will be coming in. It is going to be a crazy time in the mission... For New Years though, we just watched fireworks as normal. There were tons yet again. I love it so much... It is going to be so different to celebrate it in the states. Not excited haha. Passed with a lot of members too. We ate our heads off that day... and Sunday in fact. I was so full all the time. I didn’t touch any food at our house. It was ridiculous. If I gain any amount of weight on my mission it will be here...
This past week I made Pupusas, which is a food from El Salvador. They are just tortillas filled with cheese and beans... We had ours covered in some type of salad thingy. They were delicious. If I can find the ingredients I will be able to make them for you guys when I get home. I actually learned how to do something! Cool, right? haha. We made them with the Sister missionaries in the ward next to us. We did them twice... Once with members and once with some investigators. It was really fun and delicious. I was just surprised that I was actually able to do them.
We had interviews with Pte. Bautista this week. Mine went fine... Just kind of normal. Talked about my area and the people we were teaching. They only last 10 minutes, so not much is ever said really. That is when we found out for sure my companion had changes though. He leaves tomorrow for an area in Quiche.
I don’t have much else to say... The week was spent having my companion say bye to everyone in the area, so not much happened in reality. We are getting really close with this lady named Patricia. Wants to get baptized, but wants to learn more because a "baptism is a lifetime decision".
Well, take care! Hope the celebration of the New Year was great for everyone. I love you all and miss you too! Make 2012 a good one. Until next week.
Love,
Elder db

Email 25 December 2011

Note from Mom – Posted two weeks (running behind in my life) and David took pictures of his 12 days of Christmas and even though he was nine days behind when he finally got his box (which we mailed at the 1st of November) he changed his tie for each picture for me.

Beautiful Peoples,
A late Merry Christmas to everyone! Hope it was a good one for all of you... I heard about some of it yesterday in the phone call. It was really nice to hear everyone's voices and enjoy what company I could of each of you. Just one more phone with you guys before this whole shin-dig ends. We'll see how fast it comes...
Christmas was great on my end. The entire week was fun actually!
Thursday we had our big "Mission Conference" (should just be called "Mission Party", but no...). It was awesome just to be with everyone... With Pte. Bautista we don’t get together as an entire mission ever, so it was quite the event. I got to see all my little buddies. Shaw being the most important in that regard... Love the kid.
We just had a little fireside type thing to start us off. Pte and his wife talked, along with a new Senior couple here. It was pretty cool.
For lunch we had lasagna (I think that is how you spell it) and Frutadas :), which is my favorite drink from Huehue if you remember. I did get the package as I mentioned yesterday. It was really nice of you all. I enjoyed every little bit and so did my comp, so thank you very much.
Saturday was a lot of fun too because we spent the entire day as a Zone basically. We played basketball...Made mashed potatoes. Bought fried chicken. Drank chocolate milk. At night time I watched all the fireworks... So legit.
So amazing. One thing I definitely will miss about Guate. Christmas fireworks......so great. Ate a ton of Guatemalan food too to celebrate.
Visited with members a little. It was a great little night. I was really tired for church though.
The week was really good. A lady even tried to make me some fettuccini alfredo, but with ham. It was actually really good. I told her it was my favorite, so she gave a try at making it. Nice family and lady haha.
Anyways, hope all is well. I miss you all sooo much! Glad Christmas was good... Now let's just hope the New Year is good :) Take care and enjoy yourselves. You are the best. Thanks for everything! Love you guys.
Love,
Elder Bitner!

Elder Callejas

Email 19 December 2011

Hello there my loves,
Wow... I cannot believe we are already to the week of Christmas! Time just goes by without me even noticing nowadays. Pretty legit I guess. In just a few days will be on the phone with some of you. How exciting is that? Something I’m definitely looking forward too. The coolest thing about this Christmas is probably the fact that I’ll be home for next year's now :) My last Christmas in Guatemala... Then I can go back to what I consider normal traditions. Yay! Haha.
This past week has been a little better than the last. I still didn’t feel good until Friday... It was rough on me. Waking up every morning with nothing but pure pains throughout my entire body. Not the best time in the world to say the least. Luckily after a week of unpleasant trips to the bathroom, I feel better. It is a big relief.
One thing I have truly come to hate here is eggs. Not just eggs in general, but eggs Sunny-Side-Up... Those things are disgusting. I don’t know how anyone eats the yoke like that. Drives me crazy... I can’t even really get it down my throat anymore. I have to eat a ton of tortillas or bread and cover the eggs in hot sauce and ketchup if I want to enjoy it haha. Honestly though, that is probably my least favorite food in the world. It just doesn’t make sense to me how people like it like that!
I have yet again developed more love for our Bishop Elvis haha. We had lunch with him on Tuesday. He forgot to tell his wife that he signed up for us, so once again he drove over to McDonald's and picked up some of the "good" stuff. This time he actually asked what we wanted too. We were at his house a few nights this week actually. They have a little organ in their house that I have wanted to play since I saw it, so one of these past nights I finally asked if it worked. From there she gave me some Christmas music and let me play it for a while. Great fun haha. We ate with them again on Friday. That day they just gave us some delicious Tacos. I actually preferred it over McDonalds anyways haha. Supposedly we are going to have a nice meal with him at some point this week with the Sister missionaries from the ward next to us. Nice, nice family...
Friday night we had a legit activity. Our "Ceña Navideña" as a ward. Tons of people showed up... The whole thing was fun. So for part of the activity, we had fireworks :) Ones that shot up in the air though and were pretty. Not the stuff you can buy in Target nowadays. I was put in charge of lighting a few. Awesome... I love fireworks! That is one thing I will for sure miss about Christmas here. Ridiculous amounts of fireworks haha. One that my comp lit actually tipped over and started shooting at the crowd haha. May sound dangerous, but we handled it alright. It almost took out this like 15 year old kid. He had to jump pretty high to dodge it. It was quite amazing to be honest haha. I’ll always be safe though, so don’t worry about that!
Again, I can’t believe it is already Christmas. It is really exciting for me to be honest. I’m going to do my best to enjoy this week... I hope you are all able to enjoy it as well. Whatever it is you all do... I’ll be doing the same as always. Just walking around Guatemala! haha. Please be happy and help those around you be just as happy as you are. I love you all so very much and wish you all a very Merry Christmas :) Have a good one and take care! Until the phone call Sunday!
Love,
Elder Bitner!

Email 12 December 2011

Beloved Friends and Family,
Hi :) This past week has been a long one but a good one I’m happy to say. Hopefully all is going well for you guys back home...  My companion and I got sick again Saturday due to my lunch Friday. A piece of chicken, rice, tomatoes, and onions. Welcome to Guatemala.
Anyways, we celebrated "Dia Del Diablo" this past week. It is just the day where they burn piñatas that look like the devil? I don’t understand traditions here haha. We weren’t given permission to leave the house past six, so that kind of ruined that day for us. Had some fun playing Bancopoly though (the Guatemalan Monopoly). We also had an activity this past week with our Elder's Quorum. The one we were supposed to have the last week... Went well.
On Thursday we ate lunch with the same family we always eat lunch with...but this time there was a white guy there. Erick Black. Served here like a year ago... Came to say hi and be here for the dedication. Turns out to be from Ogden. Good friends with my old comp's (Elder Shaw's) family. It was pretty weird talking to him... Fun little moment of the week though I guess you could say.
My comp and I spent some good quality time cleaning up our house throughout the week. It was definitely needed. There are some very dirty Elders that have lived there. We actually turned one of our walls into a collage of pictures we had gathered from Liahonas and such. Sadly I forgot to take a picture of it, so that will have to wait till next week I’m afraid. We even put down "carpet" (took old blankets and put them on the ground haha) in one of the rooms. Pretty awesome haha. Missionaries get easily amused. It is sad...
This week I went on divisions. My district leader came to my area to be with Callejas and I went to his area (Chiquilaja) to be with his comp, Elder Alvarado. It was pretty fun I guess... Nothing too special. I got pizza with him because he was really hungry. That was the day I was starting to get sick, so eating was rather rough on me... When I woke up Saturday, I could barely move. Felt miserable.
Saturday was the Cultural Night here in Xela. Sad to say we weren’t given permission to go to it though... Typical right? Missionaries don’t get to do "fun" things. I heard it was pretty good. President Uchtdorf talked about it a lot in the Dedication... I still plan on watching it someday...
I was able to participate in the dedication. By that I mean I was able to see it in the church... Went to all 3 sessions. It was really cool. President Uchtdorf was hilarious in all of them. Mainly because he didn’t speak Spanish... He kept speaking English to everyone thinking they would understand. Oh it was great... They were really cool to see though. The temple is officially a temple now. The ward I’m in has their first session tomorrow. Pretty exciting for them.
Played another Zone in soccer today. Got a new jersey for it and everything... Pretty fun to be honest :) We won, which makes it even better!
Completed my 500th day on Friday. Haven’t missed a day in my journal. Doing good in that department... Write some things no one should probably read though haha.
Well, I hope things continue to go well. Christmas is getting close... Pretty crazy. Enjoy this week though. Miss you and love you all! Take care.
Love,
Elder Bitner

Zone after Soccer Game