¡yo recibí tus cajas!‏

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! Well, almost. Guatemalans don´t celebrate Thanksgiving.Rrather, they prepare hardcore for Christmas. People in Guatemala LOVE Christmas, for reals. So they are starting to put up lights. CrAzIeS!!

This week has been good. We unfortunately didn't have a lesson with the familia Estrada because he work's everyday and doesn't have a set schedule, but we are working hard with them. I'm not ready to give up on them yet! But, we have other investigators! They are Jorge and his wife Lydia, they are an older couple who live alone. Their kids are married and moved out and they are very receptive. They have been coming to church and even came to stake conference alone yesterday!! The problem is, like everyboedy in Guatemala, they aren't married, but that's an easy fix, only if they want to get married. Which i hope they do!! 

Yesterday was stake conference here in Villa Nueva and every other stake in Guatemala! The first presidency sent a satellite transmission to all of Guatemala and only Guatemala!!! IT WAS SO COOL!!!! Elder Holland spoke and so did Elder Ucthdorf!!! IT was awesome! and of course it was translated, but they spoke directly to the people of Guatemala. Such a spiritual experience, very cool. 

Also, President Brough, our mission president, posted a goal that we have: To get 204 baptisms in the month of January. So, in December, he has invited the whole mission to got the temple and to fast in the month of December to demonstrate our faith to achieve this goal. I know we can do it!  I'm so excited to go to the temple! Also, the Temple in Quetzaltenango is going to be dedicated on the 11th of December and we get to watch the dedication!! I'm so excited!! :) The temple is gorgeous. I LOVE TEMPLES!!!!!! 

Well, that's about it here. Keep praying and doing good things and trying to better yourselves everyday. That is the purpose of our lives, to also try and better ourselves to be closer to the Lord so we can have the spirit to be with us. So be obedient and God will bless you. It's that easy. Well I love you all! And hope you all have a happy happy happy Thanksgiving! Be grateful for EVERYTHING you have because there are always people that have less than you. :) Love you!!

Elder Yates

trabajando como burros‏

Good Day Jovenes!!
How is everyone doing? This past week has been a great week. Elder Ortega and I are trabajando como burros y echando fuego in our area. If you can't understand that, learn Spanish! Or use google translator, whichever is faster :)  Elder Ortega and I found a great new family this week. They are the familia Estrada, Edgar, the father, is 19!!!! So young, and so is his wife! They have a 8 month old daughter named Jimena! They are great. They were outside their house and we talked to them and asked if we could share a message and they said yes. They were really grateful that we stopped by. Then we had another cita with them and we brought a member family with us and we had our lesson plan and everything. Then we started and Edgar went off about many of the things he did in his past that he's not too proud of and how he is still struggling with some of these things. But, he knows he can't anymore because he has a wife and daughter.  I bore my testimony that Elder Ortega and I weren't there by accident, that God has a plan for them, and if they would let us, we could change their lives for the better with our message. I told them that we weren't there to obligate them to do what we wanted, but we know that if they do, they will be blessed beyond ALL measure. And then the wife started to cry!! I've never made anyone cry with my testimony before. The spirit was SOOOO strong. The wife, Estefani, told us that she worries for her husband everyday and hopes that he makes good choices for his family but she worrries because she knows his track record. They are the PERFECT family for this gospel. I just pray and hope that they will let us change their lives for the better because that is what this message can do. So, please pray for them!!! They need your prayers!

Also, we are getting a baptism set up for two abuelitas who are going to get baptized this month as well as another woman whose daughter was baptized and now she wants to be baptized. Her name is Oralia. She is great. She has a firm testimony of the Book of Mormon.......and she can't read! She cannot read a single word but she reads the Book of Mormon with her daughter and her neighbor because her neighbor is a member. I'm so excited for them! But, we need to work with them a lot to prepare them for the covenants that they are going to make.

Well, my friends, that's about all this week. Please keep praying. Don't pray for me, but I would ask if you could please pray for my area and our investigators. THEY need your prayers and pray for everything! Heavenly Father loves to hear your prayers because YOU are his son or daughter. HE loves YOU.  Keep reading the scriptuires because that is how he guides you, through the counsel of the prophets. Oh and remember that I love YOU too! You're my favorite. mkay. Well keep sending me letters!!! :)

Love,

Elder Yates

The other side of the rainbow

HOLA A TODOS! Como estan ustedes? Awesome I hope. Well changes were this past week and I GOT CHANGED! I know! I couldn't believe it either! Elder Lagos stayed in Ciudad Real. He was pretty bummed and actually I was too. I kinda wanted to stay. I LOVED Ciudad Real. Iit was great, but the Lord needs me elsewhere and I must answer the call. My new area is in the Zone Villa Nueva, so I'm still in the capital. The area is called La Union. Fun fact: it was Elder Lagos first area so everyone here knows him. Weird huh? The area is great, even though I really miss Ciudad Real. My new companion is Elder Ortega and he is from Panama. He is very short, very fast walker, very hard worker, and has 20 months in his mission. I will send pics soon.

Since I'm still new, I don't know a lot of the investigators yet but we are working hard so that we can have 3 baptisms this month. I`ll keep you all updated on it. We are teaching a lot of people here and its great. The difference between here and Ciudad Real is the people seem much nicer in the streets (always saying hi and what not and smiling) but when we contact them in their homes they don't want to hear a word from us. Ciudad real was the opposite, but everything is great. Working hard and I can't believe I already passed my 5 month mark! One more month and I`ll be a fourth done with my mission. Please tell me that isn't completely crazy, because it definitely is. Where has the time gone? no sè. 

Anyway, nothing really too exciting this week. Just getting situated in my new area and trying to get everything figured out. I'm sure my next couple letters will be more interesting when I start including stories about investigators and what not. Just know that i'm doing good. Working hard, smiling, laughing, eating ice cream :P (The rains gone! It hasn't rained in like a month! It's getting really hot here! The weather is super weird)  and baptizing of course. Keep sending dearelders so I can stay sane please.  I love you alllllll soooooooo muchhhhhhh and I hope you enjoy the pics.  Keep reading the scriptures!!! and read D&C 58: 2 - 5 and focus on verses 3 and 4. the BEST! LOVE YOU!

Love,

Elder Yates

My Zone

My District

Playing Futbol on P-Day

Saying Goodbye to Ward Mission Leader

Saying Goodbye to a Family

Saying Goodbye to Alma and Lorenzo

Elder Yates in Cuidad Real

Elder Yates Leaving Cuidad Real

¡dulce o dinero!

Happy Halloweeeeeeen!!!!! The niños here say dulce o dinero! (candy or money. pretty smart huh?) Unfortunately, they don't celebrate it like we do in the states. They sure are missin out. Oh well. I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween! Full of lots of laughs and screams!

So this Wednesday is changes!! I have no idea if it's me that's leaving the area or Elder Lagos. We get the official call tonight. He has one more change in the area than me so he is CONVINCED that he is leaving. He is telling everyone and is slowly and secretly beginning to pack his bags. Even though we both don't know still. I kinda hope I leave and he stays just because it would be funny, anyway.

So this past week has been a bit rough. Elder Lagos got sick on Wednesday and I got sick yesterday. Yuck!! The worst, so this week was kinda rough when it came to tracting, but this next week will be better!

All of our families are progressing nicely and Alma and Lorenzo even went to the temple this week to do baptisms for the first time! and they loved it! I'm so happy for them and I love them so much. They are beginning to do the work for their ancestors! yay! and they are preparing to go to the temple in a year too to make everlasting marriage convenents with our Father in Heaven. So awesome! Oh and Alma is pregnant!

I unfortunately don't have much time (or really anything that exciting) so I need to go but I miss all of you and love all you tons and tons and I love getting your dearelders so please keep sending them. Next week I´ll have a new companion and maybe a new area! so stay tuned!!!! :) much loveeeee!!!

Love,
Elder Yates