Navidad in Guatemala

Hola Familia!

This week has been a very special week as we had Navidad down here in Guatemala. One thing that I have to say, is that Christmas on a mission is very special. It's a Christmas when one is fully focused on Christ and is not like a traditional Christmas that can sometimes over take the real meaning of Christmas.

My companion and I decided that if we were going to make our Christmas memorable this year, that it would be from giving and not receiving. In order to do that, we decided to have our own Sub for Santa Guatemala style. Hermano Hector and his family came to our mind. So Christmas Eve we went out searching for toys, treats, and clothes. Wow, we did good. We even bought brands from the states! That night we arrived at their house and made sure that no one was looking. We knocked on the door and left a huge heavy box full of gifts and toys on the porch and ran!

The next day Hermano Hector came to our house and told us how grateful he was for what we did! Haha, it must have been the pictures of Christ that we gave them to put up on their wall that gave it away!;) He told us that he didn't have any money this year to buy any gifts for his children and one of his daughters had been asking and wishing for a Barbie for Christmas. That's exactly what we got her! The kids truly thought that this year, for the first time, Santa came to their house! It makes me proud and happy inside, to know that the Christmas that Hermano Hector and his family had, will be one that they will always remember!

Other than that, this week I got sick from eating so many tamales. This will also be one of the memories that I will always remember as I think of the Christmases on my mission! A mission is a lot like college. It prepares one for all the challenges that they are going to face in life, and builds one's testimony so that they can truly understand the Lords will and the love that He has for them! The church is true! y feliz año nuevo!

Elder Corbett

Tortilla Total: 1685

Tamales that I ate this week:11

Sub for Santa for Hermano Hector

Elder Corbett with Luis

Fireworks

Elder Corbett with some children from Xela

Elder Corbett with Manuel and Luiss

Show your love for the Savior!

Hola Familia!

This week was a very good week! As always, we found some great service opportunites including: Helping Hector in the field, Searching for moss in the mountains to put under a Christmas tree, And many other random service projects.

Also this week Elder Duncan (an area seventy) came to our mission. It's always a great experience to hear from one of the Lord's messengers! He told us that we have a lot more potential than what we are achieving, and that our work here is a lot more important than we think. He told us that David O. Mckay and President Eyring have both prophesied that the missionaries who come from Central America will go to all of the countries in the world to preach the gospel. He explained this more by showing us that there aren't very many members in Africa and Asia and that the missionaries from Central America are going to be the ones to serve there. Right now there are 3,300 missionaries from Central America. He says that it will take 4000 to be able to start sending them to these countries and that's where our work comes in! It was very inspiring and really motiviated the missionaries.

We also had a leader conference with Elder Duncan. He helped us by showing us how to be true leaders. He told us that we shouldn't just focus in our areas but in our zone. We don't just have bishops, members, and investigators in our area, but also our zone. He said that we need to get to know them all!

This week we have also seen a lot of progress in Hermano Hector. He decided to pray to close one of our lessons with all of his family, and he began to cry because he was feeling the Spirit. He said he hasn't ever felt the Spirit like that before! Also we taught him more about the Book of Mormon, and that night he explained the Book of Mormon to his wife who goes to a different church! He is awesome!

Well this week will be my last Christmas in Guatemala, which is kind of sad! I have come to love the Guatemalans. I hope that all of you guys have a great Christmas this week and that you give the time through scripture study to show your love for the Savior! I have come to know and have become closer to Jesus Christ through daily scripture study. The Church is True!

Elder Corbett

Tortilla Total 1662

Leader conference with Elder Navarro and Elder McMoil

Looking for moss to put under a member's Christmas tree

Putting up the Christmas tree

Elder Corbett with Alfredo and Amanda

A picture of three volcanos

Finding and Teaching

Hola Familia

This week was a great week! It started off with doing divisions with the assistants. I got to go to their area this time, and to make it even better I got to go with my bud Elder Farley. We had a very successful day there and even taught some members how to make chocolates.

After divisions my companion and I spent a couple of mornings helping our investigator, Hector, in one of his fields. We had to pull out all of the corn stocks and then harrow the ground with gardening hoes! The size of the field was about two-and-half acres, and we still haven't finished! The whole time I was thinking, if only I had a tractor, we could get this done in minutes!

Also my companion and I have been working really hard to establish a habit of finding and teaching. We have made a plan with our zone called find, teach, baptize. So we are trying to be the example. But, wow we did a lot of work in our area! This week we found 15 new investigators and we found a street filled with people who don't attend a church!

We came across a drunk lady who needed help getting back to her house, so we carried her things and walked with her to her home. What we didn't know is that she lived at the top of the mountain. It was really cool though, because she invited us to her house and we met her family and they were very nice! The lady who was drunk is actually a widow and has had a rough life providing for her family. As we left the house, she gave us a huge bag of corn to make our tortillas! I was touched by the love she showed for us. Now we hope to share our love for her by teaching her family the gospel of Jesus Christ, and helping her fix her life!

This week will be pretty interesting! We have a lot of things planned. Tuesday night we are going to try the making chocolates activity in San Juan. Wednesday we have a multi-zone conference with Elder Duncan, a seventy of the area. Thursday night we have a meeting with the mission president and the stake president. Friday morning we have a leaders meeting with Elder Duncan and President Smith. Friday night we are having our ward Christmas party including a bon fire and night of talents, in which I will be playing the piano 3 times! This week is going to fly by! Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad! Don't forget the love that Jesus Christ has for every single one of you and don't forget to help make someone elses Christmas special this year! #sharethegift

Elder Corbett

Tortilla Total 1645

Divisions with Elder Farley

Making Christmas chocolates in Elder Farley's ward

Working in the field with Hermano Hector

A nativity scene in the Central Park in Xela

Everyday we can see miracles if we just trust in the Lord

Hola Familia!

The mission is going great! I feel like every day it gets better and better. Everyday I try to get better and closer to Christ! One thing that I have started to do this week, is every morning and night I read one chapter from the Book Of Mormon and the Bible. I found that by doing this, that I'm always pondering about the gospel and I feel the spirit stronger throughout the day! This is something easy that you guys can all do too!

Last Tuesday we had another leader conference. For this conference we had to bring our plans for December for each one of our zones. After praying and studying my companion and I came up with a plan called Find, Teach, Baptize. Our major goal is to baptize right, but to do that, first you have to find someone and then you have to teach them and help them have a spiritual experience. Then you can baptize them. Imagine what it would be like if you can form a habit to teach and find everyday! It was pretty cool because when we got to the conference, all of the talks that the president and the assitants gave, had to do with the plan we had. So we were happy with the revelation the Lord gave us to make our plan.

One thing that we focused on this week in our area and our zone, that was part of our plan, is to talk to everyone, and to share with them "The Gift" which is a video made by the church to help people learn more about the birth of Jesus Christ. It is the perfect video for christmas. My companion and I were amazed by the success we had. In one day we found 6 new investigators, just by knocking on their doors, singing a christmas hymn and showing them the video.

By putting trust in the Lord, that he will prepare his elect for me, my desire to talk to everyone has increased! Like today after playing soccer we took a bus back to San Juan and I started talking to this lady, in corte, and her friend. We slowly got talking about the church and more people started listening. Noticing that more people were listening, I shared a brief message about the restoration and almost everyone on the bus was listening to me. After I finished, I gave a pamphlet to the first lady that was listening to me and took her number. After that, more people started asking me for pamphlets and gave me their numbers so we could come and teach them more! This is one little miracle that the Lord provided me, just for opening my mouth to share His gospel with one person!

Everyday we can see miracles if we just trust in the Lord! I know that this is true and that if we show our faith through action by sharing the gospel with others, or helping others through service, or even inviting a less active member to church the Lord with provide us with the miracle!

To watch "He is the Gift", click on the link! http://www.mormon.org/christmas

Elder Corbett

Tortilla Total 1622

Teaching Hermano Hector

Making tacos for Hermana Blanca

Painting Alejandra's home

My Christmas tree

I am enjoying my mission and the blessings and miracles I get to experience and see everyday

Hola Familia!

Wow the time goes by so fast, I can barely even remember anything that we did last week! Now that I have almost completed 17 months of my mission, everyone calls me old. I never thought that would happen!

This week my companion and I were privileged to have many different opportunites to do service. That's one thing that I have learned to love here on my mission. Also because when we serve, we are always doing something new!

Hermana Alenjandra who is a less active member, with 2 daughters who aren't baptized, asked us to come help her with her plumbing pipes that are hanging off of a forty foot cliff! The pipes were 25 years old and had started to leak onto the neighbors house......gross!!! So my companion, our new investigator, Hector, (her next door neighbor) and I got ropes, pipes, glue and got to work!

Elder Navarro stayed up on top and did the job of lowering down Hermano Hector with a rope to where it was the most dangerous part. I volunteered to lower myself down with a tree to a tiny ledge that was ten feet below! It was super fun and we really helped Hermana Alenjandra! The best thing about the service is that Hermana Alejandra, her 2 daughters and Hector all came to church on Sunday! The branch is coming along. We are surely but slowly raising the attendance of the branch!

One thing we are going to do every week, starting on Friday is noches de hermanamiento. It's like an activity night with games and a small message where all the members can come and bring friends. It is also another chance for us to bring investigators! We are hoping that this will help us and the unity of the members! Well all is well in the work of the Lord! I am enjoying my mission and the blessings and miracles I get to experience and see everyday! The church is true!

Elder Corbett

Tortilla Total:1597

And add 1 to the big mac count!

Doing service for Hermana Alenjandra

Elder Navarro holding the rope from the top of the cliff

Our new investigator, Hector, working on the pipe

Fixing the Sister's shower

Some of the Elders from our zone