And This Is My JOY!

Steps: 52000 

Tortillas: 35 (I know I am kindof lacking, but I just found out we can buy some to eat at home, so this number will start to go up!)

Wow! Crazy week! On saturday afternoon we got a call that the next day I would be going to Guatemala City for my visa... So we cancelled all of our appoinments and the next morning we left for Guate. My comp stayed in Huehue with Elder Halls (An elder in my group) comp and Zone Leader and Elder Hall, Elder Pagan, and I headed for Xela. I thought that it was only us going, but it turned out that most of the guys from our group went! I found this out when near falling asleep on the bummpy bus to Xela is see Elder McVay enter the bus! I was so happy to see him. We then went to the Mission office in Xela and met up with the other guys and were off. Luckily, we got to ride in a nice bus from Xela to guate and not a Chicken Bus (Camineta). That night we arrived at about nine and slept in a super nice hotel. That night we ate Pizza Hut, and it was the greatest pizza that I have ever eaten! The next morning we woke up and headed of to the mission offices of Guatemala City. There we waited until we were taken to a government building. Here they took our picture and we signed a paper... All the way for that... After we went to taco Bell which is a real treat because we cant get it in Xela! It is in a mall and no one has permission. Then we made the long journey back! Monday night we stayed in Elder Pagan and Elder Barrios house, Zone leaders but not of my zone. This morning we rode another 3 hours and here we are! 

Bus ride from Xela to Guatemala City.
Finalizing the Visas! He is official! Gabe was so excited to see his friends from the CCM!  This is Gabe with Elder McVey

Guatemala City

Elder Maynes another life long friend from the CCM.  Gabe said it was the best reunion ever!  And he gets to see them all again for Thanksgiving!!!

The Super nice hotel!



This is the view from the hotel of the city.

Gabe said this picture was just for me, but I had to post it!  

This iguana was just hanging out on the hotel grounds.

We are still having difficuties with Familia SopChavez. This sunday a member told us that they did not show up... We are going to go visit them today, but I really hope we can help the father. The mom has so much faith and I dont want to lose them. We are also working a lot with a famliy that has less actives and non members. We call them the family of Hermana Juanita because Hra Juanita is the less active member of their family. It would be such a miracle if we can help them all come to church! Every day we continue to find people, and there is a lot of work to do with less active members. We are trying to find ways to strengthen the branch, so this week we will have a movie night at the church with one of the church movies, and telling people to bring their friends. We are also going to start doing English Classes, so hopefully that will help us strengthen and find. 

Mejor Milagro:

This week we found an amazing women named Avilia. What happened was we had an appointment, but when we went they were not there. Because appoinments always fall for a reason, we started looking for the why. This was in a small village named lop, and I thought of a lady that we had contatcted a couple weeks back that said she would be out of town but would love to hear from us. So, we go to visit her. When we got there, her mother was standing outside. We start talking to her, she says that her daughter but she wanted to learn why there are so many churches, so she invited us in. So, we taught the restoration and she was super receptive. As we taught she was quoting the bible alot and actually helping us out. So, we taught her that because of the great apostacy there are so many churches, that we have the restored church of Jesus Christ, and she can know through the Book of Mormon. So, we invited her to read and she said that she loves the bible so much and would love to try the Book of Mormon. Wow! She talked about how she has been going to the chruch of Centoamericana, but really wants to know the truth. So, we challenged her to read and to pray and she accepted! Also, at the same time her other daughter, Magdelena, was in the room listening and she also accepted. Wow! Also, we asked when we could come back, and they said that they are always here and we can come back whenever! So, we set an appointment for two days later. When we came back, Avilia was not there but her daughter was. So, we taught her daughter about the Plan of Salvation and she has been reading the Book of Mormon! So awesome! Down here we call people like that Super Pidlas! We have another lesson today, and I am so blessed that Heavenly Father puts people in our path to hear his gospel!

Testimony Time:

The title for this email comes from Alma 29:9, and I incourage you all to read it. It talks about how he receieved joy by preaching the gospel. I know that is so true! I have felt some of the most joy that I have ever felt bringing people unto Christ and as they accept his gospel. It is the most amazing feeling every. I love being an instrument in the hands of the Lord. I am so blessed for the opporturnity to be out here. I glory in the Lord and I know that everything comes from him. When we recognize this we will be so much happier. I am so grateful for the blessings that my Heavenly Father has already given me. I love him, I love Jesus Christ, and I love this gospel with every fiber of my being. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.  

Here are some answers to questions I asked Gabe;

 I asked Gabe if he realized Guatemala does not have daylight savings so now they are an hour ahead of Utah.

"Haha! I did not even realize that we are on a different schedule! We dont have daylight savings time here because the sun always comes up at 6 am and always goes down at 6 pm, sometimes later during the summer. I actually like it but it is weird because we dont have a lot of difference in seasons. It has not rained at all this week, except for today it is raining. I have not needed an umbrella, and the rain coat has only been used 3 or 4 times. I have worn my boots when I wear my jacket, but really I have not needed it. I am in the hottest area of the mission haha! 

Gabe was having tummy trouble because the bacteria we are used to in America is different in Guatemala, here is his response to be asking him if he is feeling better.

"I actually did not call the nurses and here is why. Dad told me to get a blessing, and so I got a blessing. After the blessing I have not had any more problems! If they arise again I will be sure to call then, but I have been doing just fine."

 In Gabes last email he refered to his area as the garden of the mission, I asked him why?

"The older couple that was here for 6 months, the Jones, call it the garden of the mission, and it is so true because we are in one of the most beautiful, vegitation full parts! 

First Baptism, Marixta November 10, 2014

Tortillas: 26

Steps: 72290

¿Que Pasa?

Gabe in Huehue on the roof of Elder Daltons and Elder Baadsgaards house.

Tell dad that I cut my own hair and he can see in the pictures! I used Elder Baadsgaards clippers and will buy my own when we go to hue hue for p day. 

Another beautiful amazing week in the garden of the mission. Much of the week was spent on a bus because we had a zone meeting in Huehue and then I stayed there for divisions with our zone leader, Elder Dalton. He is a super great missionary and I learned a ton from him. We have been working really hard, and this week we had our first baptism. Her name is Marixta and she has been taking lessons for 5 months! She works for a super awesome member couple and they have helped so much with her conversion. We started the service in the church building, but the difference is that we had to walk 15 minuites to the river for the actual ordinance. It was so amazingly beautiful, and the spirit was so strong. There where tons of people there, like 30 and it was so amazing to see them sitting on the rocks watching. It was a wonderful experience and a testimony builder. 

Mejor Milagro:

In english this means best miracle. Every day I witness miracles, and I had the idea to share the best with you all! This week I have a couple. First, the father and son of Famillia SopChavez came to church! It has been a long process, but their hearts are being softened. Also, we are working on helping them stop drinking coffee, but it is difficult. But, the mother Maria when we told her that they needed to stop drinking coffee grabbed all of the coffee in the house and threw it away! She has so much faith and I know that she will lead their family into the waters of baptism. Luckily, here they have MorCafe, which tastes just like coffee but Maiz based and not bad. Lots of members give it to us and drink it. At first I did not like it, but I am actually starting to like it with how much I have to drink it HAHA! But, it is really helping Familia Sopchavez to stop drinking coffee. Other miracle, we had an appointment with an investigator, but when we arrived she was not there. So, we decided to knock some doors. The first, was a church... But no one was there. The second, a little boy answered. We asked if his parents where home, and he said his mom was at work and his dad in the US, but Chandy was home. We waited, and you know who showed up? A less active member that we had been looking for! So, we went inside and talked and got to know his family who is HUGE and he is the only member. He felt like he had sinned and could never come back to church and that is why he was not coming. So, we taught him that he could repent and our now helping him come back to the fold. We also are going to start teaching his family and we are really excited! Heavenly Father puts people in our path every day, and this was just one of the more amazing times!

Testimony Time:

Heavenly Father prepares so many of his children to hear the gospel. He wants for us to be happy and I have gained such a great testimony that every soul is important. At times it is stressful to have the responsibility, but the joy that comes from talking ot people about the way to true happiness is greater than any other joy that I have ever felt. I know that Heavenly Father loves us all and because he loves us he sent his son Jesus Christ. Being his servent I have grown my relationship so much and it is one of the greatest blessings of my entire life. I love this gospel and I know that all who test on the words of the scriptures can love it just as much as me. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen

Elder Richardson

I asked Gabe some questions and here are his responses.

Hi Momma!

I will write about the baptism in my weekly email. I am so excited for your
 packages! I am working on your guys present and will send it next week! 
They give us the ensigns in english, so you dont have to send it! 
Thanks for thinking of me though! For breakfast I usually will eat either
 cereal or sweet bread that a member will give us. I will also have some
 juice with it. For lunch we are almost always with a member, 
and that is pretty authentic. This week I ate a lot of Tamales 
(You know how much I love tamales!),
 Pepian which is a mayan dish, Jocom which is like a thick 
spicy sauce with chicken, but lots of chicken and beans and rice and
 tortillas. We usually dont eat dinner because we are working,
 but if we do it varys from leftovers, to rice we make, to eggs, or cup
 noodles. The cup noodles here actually have salsa that you put into it,
 and it is really good! Really, I miss asian food...
 Pho, Pulcogi, the asian sauces with rice. I really miss soy sauce.
 Other than that I have been enjoying the new food enought that I dont 
really know. Ask me in a couple of months and I can tell you! HAHA!
 My bed is great. Just a normal bed. No bugs. I am really glad that
 I brought two pairs of sheets because I can change them every two
 weeks. In the kitchen we have a stove and a microwave, but that is it. 
We have church at 9, but leave teh house at 8 to either prep or get 
investigator. We are there until about 2 because the branch 
presidents wife makes us lunch after church. Other than that, 
it is just a normal missionary day! They have a bunch of small 
tiendas everywhere that you can buy drinks, chips, basic 
supplies but for a store that is a little bit smaller than the 
creamery we have to go to san antonio, about 30 mins away. 
Tell sam he is a super rock star! Remind him how much I love math 
and am excited that he also does! Awesome!
 THe BoM readathon is a great idea! I am doing great. 
Of course there are hard days, but I am doing great. 
I am so grateful that you are right along side with me! 


This is a soccer field! Called a Canche.
 They have them in every city, it is basically an indoor field.  Super fun! 
 WE usually go every p day and play with members. 
Tell ash that I am getting better at futbol!

These pictures are from the frontera the city before entering into Mexico,
 it was about a 1.5 hour drive but really beautiful and mountainous. 
Suprisingly, that is still our area! WE have a ton of work to do...

Pictures from Gabes Birthday in Guatemala October 28, 2014

This was one of the most amazing birthdays! The members here are so amazing. 

Thanks Everyone for the birthday gifts from home!

Birthday breakfast!
 My wonderful companion gave me a tie that is made of material typical to Guatemala! 
 I had 2 cakes made for me and a piñata!





It is a tradition in Guatemala on your birthday to have the cake spashed in your face.


The cake in the oven!

Lift up your voices as with the sound of a trumpet November 3, 2014

¡Buenos!

Tortilla Count: 55

Steps (Since Thursday):40028

Wow! What an amazing birthday I had this week! I am so grateful for all of the many wonderful letters notes! This was one of the most amazing birthdays! The members here are so amazing. I had 2 cakes made for me and a piñata! Also, my wonderful companion gave me a tie that is made of material typical to Guatemala! We were able to work hard and I was so blessed. All that I really wanted for my birthday was to find someone that was ready to hear the gospel. First of all, while tracting we found many amazing people that is was not chance that they were placed in our path. One example was a women was walking from the cemetary where she was visiting the graves of her children. We were able to talk to her a little a bit about the plan of Salvation and we have a lesson with her this week! This next one is the most amazing. The night of my birthday we were eating dinner at the house of one of the members who made me a cake. We were talking, and ended up talking about a man that they knew that had listened to the missionaries about 4 years ago but he was addicted to alcohol so could not be baptised. So, that moment we called him up. His name is Gerardo, and he was in our phone but we thought that his number was the number of a member, so we did not know that he was a past investigator. We called the number, and he answered! So, we set up an appoinment with him. On saturday, we had a lesson with him. We taught him about the restoration of the gospel, and the spirit was so amazingly strong. At the end of the lesson, I felt more prompted than ever before to  invite him to follow Jesus Christ and be baptised. And you know what, he said yes and that is all that he wants! Wow! Only one problem, he leaves for the border of El Salvador to work for the next month... So, we taught him how to pray and told him that we are excited to get in contact with him when he is back and prepare for his baptism! SO awesome!

This week we took an entire day to contact. We started the day of with Park preaching Alma and Amulek style. Elder McDonald stood on a wall and preaching while the rest of us gathered people to listen and took turns sitting on the ground to gain their attention! It was very successful and we were able to spread the word. After this we went around, talking to everyone that we could talk to, and spreading the good word. So many miracles and so many people that Heavenly Father put in our path that are ready to learn about how to be the happiest possible. This week we are working on having lessons with all of the people that we contacted!

On Saturday we have a baptism with our investigator Maritza, and I will be sure to take pictures! We are still working with the familia Sopchavez, but the father and son did not come to church again this week... 

Testimony Time:

Along with this birthday present from God, on my birthday for the first time I held a converstation with someone for about 20 minutes, all in spanish! She did not even have a problem understanding me! Heavenly Father has blessed me so much, and I know that he has given me the gift of tongues. Just yesterday a member told me that I am so intelligent because my spanish is so amazing with such short time, but I know that it is not me. God wants for his children to know about the truth, and me being his servent he has blessed me to be able to teach them. The title for this email is in D&C  33:2. This was the most impactful for me this week as I have learned to talk to people that I have never met in a language that I am learning. Each day I pray for the courage and the strength to talk with everyone, and Heavenly Father blesses me with that. I know how powerful prayer is, and all we have to do is ask, sincerely believing that we will receive. My cousin Kenz mentioned about missionaries having powers and I now know that is true! I know that God loves us! As I have turned my weeknesses to him, he has made them into strengths and as I have faith he helps me with all that I need. 

¡Adios, nos amo!

Elder Richardson

The streets that Gabe travels.

Seth asked Gabe if they celebrate Halloween:  They actually dont really celebrate halloween... But day of the dead was the first! They like to play marimbas and party. Not a lot of people out to teach...  I also saw a member family kill a pig, cochie. It tasted sooo good! I am so glad to hear from you! Love you so much!