Pictures Robyn sent July 23, 2013

Hermana Merrell, Hermana Blackmer, Hermana Evans

Pedro the tick on the bottom of Robyn's shoe

Hermana Merrell and Hermana Evans

July 23, 2013

Family!!  

I love you times a million bajillion.  Also, I finally remembered my camera AND cable!!!  Thats the key... the cable too... 

But ok, this week was awesome.  I'm a happy little camper gosh darnit!  We have a baptism this sunday!!!!! finally!! Last week we ran into complications.. but not this week!! .. yet...  But no, Marlon and Lesly are getting married on Friday, Marlon will get baptized on Saturday I think and then next weekend he will baptize Lesly!  How awesome is that?!  We are stinkin stoked.  We are planning on getting Lesly all sorts of dolled up.  :)

Oh, the DearElder sitch is the same as the letters, we get them every six weeks or at Zone conferences.  AND GUESS WHAT!!! we had a zone conference!  So I got all my mail!  And thank you for all the DearElders!  I loved them.   Oh, and even though we only get it every once in a while feel free to keep sending them.  I like hearing about how life is going. :)  Oh!!  and thank you to Brenda Munns and Kim Hildebrandt!  I loved your DearElders!  Also Aunt Brenda!  Im going to write Kenzie soon.  Also, HOLY MACKEREL!!! Jamie is going to MEXICO!!!!!  Im freaking excited!  Just ask my companions!  I was freaking out!  Also Anna!  Mexico too!!!  I really am SO excited for both of them!  

Shout out to Gabe Ogden! My comp contacted a man named... Jose Teleo?  I think?  And apparently he said he knew you.. so hello from him.

Oh and dad, Hermana Blackmer told me that her dad works with a man you served with... Dont know his name.. but its cool!

The baby to mother sitch here is interesting... The baby's here are almost always in someones arms, which is totally fine, it explains why theyre so touchy as adults.  Im getting used to just hugging people.  THis is huge.  I dont just hug out of no where.  Also, its pretty impressive.  Women can be walking down the road and feed their babies.  At the same time!  

I love how all the people here say "yo vivo por alla!" (I live over there...basically) and then they toss their heads to one side... We always have to make them be more specific... Because there are a lot of houses "por alla".

Did you know that "to tortilla" is a verb? because is it!  

Hna Merrell and I have named every dog we see (which is a lot..) she names them all Tacobell and I name them all Nacho.  They are starting to like us. 

How is Cali doing these days?

In church we had a bishopric change!  And they set apart the new bishopric right in sacrametn meeting!  pretty cool!

After church we were waiting to talk to someone and a womans little girl came up to me and was playing with my skirt and out of no where she just WHOOP!  lifted the darn thing clear up!  So awkward.  So. Awkward.

Ok scripture time. :)  

The stripling warriors!!  Alma 56: 41-48, 56  Alma 57:19-21, 25-27, Alma 58:7, 10, 39-40

DyC 6

DyC 3:10

also, my companions are the best.  Really, Hna Merrell is a saint and she just is the best.  Serious.  Shes sastinkin wise!   and she has the biggest testimony!  I love her.   There I said it.  And Hna Santana is so good.  She is teaching us to work hard and with obedience.  Obedience with exactness.  I LOVE HER!  I dont know what I will do without her!  REally... 

ok, I will read your emails now and also send the pictures. :)

LOVE YOU GUYS!!  

Love, Hermana Evans

July 16, 2013

Family!!!  I love love LOVE you!

So I have news... I forgot my camera again... I will remember it next week!!  I sort of promise!  Bah!  Pictures NEXT week....  Whoops!

Ok, so I have meh list for ya again..

I almost invited another member to be baptized... its moments like that that I realize just how much I dont pick up on... Oh well, Im learning. :)  We have another code word for situations like this... Tan Tan.

OH MY GOODNESS!  So you havent lived a full life until you see the cutest chubbiest Guatemalan boy run down the street.  Oh i wanted to pinch his cheeks.

We taught Hermana Santana ¨like a boss¨.  :)  haha... we like to teach her frases.  :)

OH!  so we got to sing a lil duet at a relief society meeting... Hna Merrell and myself... We dont know songs in Spanish yet so we sang Come Thou Fount (of course) and the women told us [you sounded great!  But we didnt understand a word you said!] haha 

OH!!  And did I ever mention that there is a woman here that is a latin version of Valerie Andelin?!  

SHOUT OUT TO KATHRYN CHRISTENSEN!! where ever you are in the world, how the heck are you?!

Hows the world cup situation going?

Oh boy... Bus contacting is always interesting... One man was really giving me some good questions.  [are you Jehovas witness or mormon?] me- Mormon, but the name is Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [Do you believe God died on the cross for you?] me- I believe Jesus Christ died on the cross for me, God is His and our father.  [Do you believe in life eternal?] me-absolutely!  Families can be together forever!  Oh! and he was talking to me in the tu form the whole time which is really rude when talking to strangers.  We only talk in usted... tu form is for praying, family and dogs.  Thats how I learned it...

Oh!  Someone tell Tyree Haramoto that my comp is from the Dominican Republic!  I think thats where shes going.  And hna Santana wants to talk to her.

OH!!  we had a drunk man at church on sunday!!  He took a handful of bread and laughed at the tiny cup of water.  Not gonna lie, it was pretty funny.  

So theres a new Johnny Lingo?!  Why didnt anyone tell me? and why is it not as good as the first one?! 

Hermana Santana while learning english one morning--- I am fat.  

Shes always cracking us up.  :)

One woman in the ward here is blind, but super smart.  She can tell by our voices that we're gringas and everytime we go up to say hi she says [OH!! the gringitas!!]  I love the people here.  LOVE THEM!

OOH!  our landry smells like the temple!  I love it!  

Epiphany.  PRAYERS!!  first of all, they are heard and answered, second, the answer is only part of the solution!  I have found that the answer does us no good unless we act on the knowledge!  ACTION!  I love it!

LOVE YOU!! 

Tengan un buen dia!

Love, Hermana Evans! :)

July 9, 2013

FAMILY!!!!

Ok, my list of things to tell you!

Pictures will come next week... again.. haha... I remembered my camera this time, just not the cable.  So NEXT TIME!!! I will try to remember!  

Trying to expain ¨sketchy¨ is the hardest thing in the world.  We have some weird words I tell you!

Oh I mailed letters yesterday.  So you should be getting stuff in a couple weeks.  

I tried contacting a couple girls last week that looked like tourists... they were from the US and obviously spoke english.. so Im thinking, sweet!  A break from spanish!  NOT!  I get talking in english and spanish was coming out of my face!  What the heck!  ¨This evangelio is verdadero.  Its sobre Jesucristo.¨ Those werent the real words... but something a lot like it...

Oh!!  We are moving!  To a fancy pants house!  right now our house is 4 parts.  Bedroom, kitchen, closet, and study area.  the hallway is outside... The pictures will come next week... 

We have an investigator that should be getting baptized next sunday!!  Margarita!  She just needs to get married first!  Her husband is a member.. she is 16.. Its interesting.  But its good.  She is pilas.

Ive seen a couple superbowl hats here!  I think the ones they donate.. I think...

Oh... heck... So I made pasketty the other day and my comps were eating some and they said, ¨puede casarse ahora.¨ Aparently as long as you can cook you can get married!  Which explains why Margarita is only 16 and getting married. She must be able to cook!

OH!! and in my last letter!!! I dont remember what I said, but if i sounded like a debby downer I am ETERNALLY SORRY!!!  Im sastinkin happy! Its not even funny!  And Im being safe and healthy and all that jazz!  

Fast sunday here is a lot like singles ward... Lines of people waiting to give their testimony.  

We also had 11 investigators at church on sunday!! WHOOO!! miracles of fasting!!!  

Oh, and we had emergency changes... So I have Hna Santana and Hna Merrell again!   Its a long story.  I wrote about it in my journal i think.. So I´ll tell you later.  But its going good, we miss Hna Marroquin, but shes doing good too. 

Hna Merrell is a spiritual giant.  A GIANT I TELL YOU!  Its crazy!  She has the strongest testimony.  She is stinkin pilas.

Oh! another investigator couple didnt make it to church on sunday because their baby was sick.. so we had some men from the ward give the baby a blessing and guess what!!! the next day the husband called and said the baby was perfect all night long!  MIRACLES!!!  They should be getting baptized soon too.  

Ok, Im going to read your emails now.  I LOVE YOU!!!  Be happy and safe and I love love LOVE YOU!!!

Oh, Scrptures.... D and C 88... and 4.. 88 is really long, but its good.  

Oh!  funny story!  We were on splits and Hna Marroquin and I were at  an investigators house with the bishop and after the lesson they offered us delish bread and coffee.. i sat and had a mini freak out because I dont want the first time I break the word of wisdom to be on the mission.  So Im using my best spanish asking the bishop, is it ok?  because theres a thing here called Morcaf that is ok to drink.  He just laughed and said I dont know.. so i look to Hna Marroquin and Im whisper shouting PALABRA DE SABIDURIA!!  so she laughed at me too.. We ended up not drinking it.. because it ended up being real coffee. but at every meeting with the bishop now, he makes fun of me for it.  Haha. Its a party.  

LOVE YOU!

Hermana Evans

July 5, 2013

July 2, 2013

FAMILY!!!

 

The kids here break my heart.  They all remind me of Nate, Hunter, Isaac and Michael and they are all in horrible situations.  Thank you for raising us the way you did and where you did!!!

Oh, I got my last shot in Guatemala.. heck of a story.  in 18 months...

Please dont touch the electricity... another story for 18 months down the road.

I was told, in the CCM, that I look 12 again... the woman actually said, "hows the 12 year old doing?  miss your mom?"  

Oh, I had a twin in the CCM... he was an elder though.  Everyone was telling me that we were twins though.  It was awkward when I confronted him about it though.  

Oh!  in the world wide training thing!!  I saw ABBY!!! and SAM MITCHEL! on the screen!  made my day.  

My first days here were the worst days of my life.  easily.  But I´ll get to that later.  

I learned a little Ketchki.. Dont know how to spell that..

Im pretty sure I saw human toes in a basket for sale my first day. nbd.

I have 2 comps again, they are angels.  Hna Santana (my trainer, she has 3 months left) and hna Marraquin (she has 3 months in the mission so far)  hna Santana has 17 brothers and sisters!  Nbd!  shes from the Dominican Republic too!  Hna Marraquin is from El Salvador.  Yeah, a lot of spanish is spoken. A lot.  

Oh, I dont remember my address, but i´ll send a letter next monday.  We dont get mail right away, only once every 6 weeks or so when the changes happen.  So I would love mail still, but I just wont get it for a while.  Packages are still safe to send. 

I tried to contact a drunk man the other day.. nbd... jk! bd!  My comps literally dragged me away.  Our new code word for this sitch is "ping"

My first baptismal challange was with a man named Marlon!  So awesome!

Oh, Im in a place called Parramos!  Gabe was the last missionary here.  The area was closed after him, so we´re opening it back up.  The members just werent helping out.  And members are what make the work happen pretty much!  

I´ll send pictures next week.

Hna Santana wants us (hna Marraquin and I) to be ready to be a trainer or senior comp in 3 months.  Imma do it.  We have to be ready.

It feels like Im just constantly at the fair here.  Its dirty, people everywhere, usually music playing and I dont trust the food.

Scriptures for the fam to read the helped me a lot.  John 14:18, Alma 26:27, D&C 31 (this one is for the bros)

Ok, so my first couple days were the worst.  My comps are patient, I pray very fervently all the time.  For your safety, and mine.  I pray for miracles, we need them.  I pray for people to listen to us.  I pray that people will actually want to be baptized!!

It was insanely frusterating on sunday when no one would come to church with us.  We invite pretty much everyone we see to come and no one was coming!  But we were also fasting so I knew something good would come.  And then out of no where 3 investigators showed up!!!  Miracle!  We are always pushing for more, but it was still awesome.

I still dont know why people dont care to listen to our message, its the best thing in the entire world, but I keep being reminded of a talk by Elder Holland.  Missionary Work and the Atonement.. I think.. I think I mentioned it last time I wrote.  But it said something to the effect of "missionary work isnt easy because salvation doesnt come cheap."  The Lord Himself was rejected and hated.  People didnt listen to Him.  The Savior literally knows exactly how we feel.  I know I havent been alone here.  Its been awesome.  I still miss everyone, but I dont have a constant urge to cry and then go home either.  Its pretty great. :)  Ive been told that one of these days I will reach the point when I dont even want to come home!!  No offense, but im looking forward to that day.  I dont want to feel trunky all the time.  

Last night I accidentally invited a family to be baptized that are already members!  They are just less active!  #embarrassing

Oh, lesson learned:  If we open our mouths with faith, the Holy Ghost will fill it with words.  

A friend in the ward named Louis took a picture of me.  He is 14, reminds me of Hunter like crazy and said he would email it to you... so I dont know if that actually happened.

Thank you for being MARRIED!!!!!!!

Ok, when I get home I am going to be like Susi.  she is one of the ward missionaries and she is the best.  the very best.  She takes us around town to people that are investigators, less active, she fed us lunch the other day, she is an angel.  She is tiny and white, with red hair, too!  I expected her to speak english, but boom.  Whadda ya know, not a bit.  Apparently that kind of thing happens a lot here, white skin, red hair. Im hoping the people think Im a native as soon as I get the language down.

Most of the members tell me I have pretty good spanish for only being here a week.  Thats a blessing too!  Im learning SO fast!  But there is still a ton to learn!

I love you like crazy!

Entering the Mission Field

President Brough and Sister Brough welcome Robyn into the Guatemala City Central Mission
June 26, 2013