Week 11

Things are great here! We have 2 baptisms set for this weekend on Saturday! Everything is going great!

I don't have much time to write (so sorry!) but here are a few pictures attached! One is of my new haircut! My hair was getting long, but it turns out that basically all of it was dead and dry thanks to the sun. So, my companion cut it! It's not lopsided, that's just how the picture turned out... 

The other picture is of a lady who we gave service to by chopping wood!

Love you all!

Hermana Weatherford

week 12

from the start, let me just tell you that this week there are no pictures. We didn't take any and I tried to take one right now that left us looking like drug addicts. so... this week... not so much. sorry guys.

But we do have a couple cool stories to tell!

We received a call on Thursday telling us that we had to find 2 miracles that day. So we went searching and searching and didn't find anything. We were getting on a mini bus to go back to the main part of our area and a man tapped on my shoulder, signaling for me to get down and talk to him. He then told us that he was a member who was just moving from Nimajuyu (the capital, a part of the Guatemala City South Mission) to Cocales, a part of our area. His girlfriend wants to get baptized and needs missionaries to teach her. We were shocked! What a miracle! And so, we went to visit them. They're sooooo cool. They've been through so many trials and she is so prepared. She's getting baptized this month, for sure!

So, that was the most spiritual thing that happened this week! But a ton of funny stuff happened too. We had a water fight while washing a woman's clothes, a member popped her zits during a lesson with a really prepared woman, i started contacting a dog that was sleeping in the middle of the street and it got mad and bit me (didn't even break the skin, don't worry), some members think that i look exactly like their daughter that's serving a mission in Mexico and sometimes call me by her name and got chased down the street by some drunks (for not walking very straight, they sure can walk pretty fast! thankfully, they can't walk as fast as us ;)

Well... that's pretty much it. Nothing much else to tell... OH! Other than that starting this week, I only have 12 weeks left in the mission. Half of me wants to break into tears, but my companion and I are trying to make a game of it. So, I have a list of things I have to do each week to take advantage of the time I have left. (next week I learn to kill a chicken with my bare hands. eek.)

Love you all so much! Have a great week! Know that I love you and that the church is true!

Hermana Weatherford

Mom note: just because I'm cheeky, here are some pictures for today's post.

BEFORE

AFTER

THE COAST!

So, here I am in Patulul, Suchitepequez, part of the zone Tiquisate. And here it is HOT. I sweat aaaaaall the time. I've given up on looking attractive. It's just a dream from the past now... haha

My new companion is Hermana Alba. And I'm training her... They didn't exactly tell me I would be training again until 10 minutes before the change meeting started! haha Well, she's my 3rd daughter and I'm loving it! She has so much love for the mission! She has 1 month in the mission and is a nurse who used to own her own salon from Puebla, Mexico. So... she's giving me a haircut next week and she helps me when I'm sick, too. It's the best!

This week we had a baptism! It was such a relief because I haven't had a baptism in 6 months. And that's a looooooong time. But it just shows me that Heavenly Father wasn't punishing me, He just wanted me to work really hard and be grateful for the blessings when they came.

My area is amazing and I LOVE THE COAST! It's so hot that we have 2 fans in the house, 1 dusty blanket rolled up in the corner and there is no way to heat up the water to bathe with. And it doesn't matter! When it rains, we don't even use umbrellas. We just get wet and keep working!

I love you all sooooo much! Next week I will have more baptism pictures. This month we're going to baptize like crazy!

Love,

Hermana Weatherford

*Apparently there is a Facebook page for Patulul as well as a Wikipedia entry. The Wikipedia has about 2 sentences!

sorry folks, this is the email from last week that didn't want to send. but here it is!

well, I've been in this area (Calvario, Patzicia, Zone Solola) for 5 changes, or 7 months! I know all of the members and the investigators, my name is on all of the papers in the area book and I have the area memorized!

....and they still can't pronounce my last name. oh well.

haha but it's been a blast! i haven't really seen much success in the way of baptisms, but i know that I have changed completely from when I came into the area in April!

I haven't exactly baptized for the last 6 months... but soon! This next month is the month of miracles! Even though they're closing our area, the ovejas will find their pastor!

Keep me in your prayers tomorrow! Who knows where I'm going (could be to the coast)

Dear family of Sister Teigen Olivia Weatherford

Dear family of Sister Teigen Olivia Weatherford,

It is with love that we inform you that Sister Weatherford, has been called to serve as a Trainer in the Guatemala, Guatemala City Central Mission.  This is a tremendous responsibility to supervise the development of a new missionary.

The mission president´s manual says, 'One of the greatest expressions of trust that you can give a missionary is to assign him or her as a trainer of a new missionary. Choose only outstanding missionaries to serve as trainers'. That is the confidence that I have in Sister Weatherford.

We appreciate Sister Weatherford for the commitment that has been demonstrated to the Lords work. We thank you for your prayers and support.

Yours faithfully,

Melvin G. Markham
Mission President

changes in one week!

Well, I've been in this area for a long time (5 changes!) and on next Monday we'll see if I'm leaving. I only have 2 changes left, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not finishing off my mission here.... There are rumors that they're going to close our area, or combine it with a branch, but who knows! Only time shall tell...

This week was so great! We did so much crazy stuff. On Wednesday we learned to milk cows (truth be told, I have a hidden talent for milking cows...haha) for a member in the ward.

The next day we had a sister training leader come with us to have divisions in our area! We had a blast as a temporary trio for a day and I learned soooo much from her! One of the things that impacted me is that she said that she always looks for the connection. She looks into the peoples' eyes and watches as things just click for them! I started doing it and usually they just look back at me like I'm crazy, but some times it works :) She also said that we should teach so that when we get to heaven, that no one tells us "I didn't feel the spirit and I didn't feel your love!". That's the new focus: love, spirit.

Other fun tidbits from this week....

-I contacted a nun on a bus. She was waaaay nicer than anyone else on the bus that I talked to! She said that one day she might come to church ;)

-A member told me that I needed to start using a certain cream so that I could look cute. Being sassy, I responded "I'm already cute." and then she pointed to my companion and said "Not as cute as her." Sometimes the people here are just too honest... haha

-Yesterday was zone pday and we went to Sololá. It was really great! We had such a fun time and we got new zone shirts!

A spiritual sidenote: When I was thinking about this area and what miracles I've seen, I thought to myself  "Well, I've only had one baptism here in my whole 5 changes." But then Heavenly Father gave me many opportunities during the week to see much I as a person have changed and been perfected. I'm not saying I'm perfect (nooooo waaaaaay.)

love you all soooo much!

Hermana Weatherford

the mouse hunt continues....

this week was crazy and fuuuull of pictures! too bad my camera doesn't really want to send any, though... haha oops.

This monday we went to put on corte, the typical clothes from around here. we then went and took about 3297593487 pictures.. haha ;) here are some!

This week we also had interviews with President Markham. We had to get up at 4 am, but it was soooo worth it! He said something really great though "If we want to be like Christ, we don't just walk WHERE he walked, but also HOW he walked." It reminded me that we don't just need to suffer, but suffer with LOVE!

love you all!

Hermana Weatherford

Mother's Note: I received instruction from the mission home regarding packages. Because of the coming holiday and the inconsistency of international mailing they say:

Christmas time is drawing nearer as the days go on. For this, we know that there are packages being made and organized to send to your missionary children. We want to avoid confusión with packages that are sent to your missionaries. Some packages are urgently important others should be held until Christmas. We are going to have a Keyword to write on the box in more or less big letters to signify Christmas. The keyword will be “Bulldogs”. When we receive a package that has “Bulldogs” written on it, we will reserve it until Christmas. If you would like your missionary to receive his package before Christmas, write “Cougars”. When we receive a package that has "Cougars” written on it, we will not reserve it until Christmas- we will deliver it as soon as we can.