The adventures of Elder Mason Yates: a different week this week‏

that is why we are emailing on Monday this week. President Brough has organized a temple trip/Christmas activity on Wednesday so he changed a few things around.

Hey everyone! Is everyone gearing up for Christmas?! I hope so. Last year, it was bloody hot for me so it was kinda hard to get in the Christmas spirit. But, here in Santa Elena, its pretty darn cold. So it's a lot easier to feel Christmas in the air :)

So we learned recently that they are going to be changing the amount of time that missionaries have to be in the MTC which has thrown off the schedules of ALL the missions. Some missionaries are now going to be going home earlier while others are going to stay out a little longer. Luckily and sadly, this mission is being pushed back 2 weeks. So as of right now, it looks like I am going to be released the 26th of June and I will be flying home the 27th. It wasn't what was planned but that's the way it is. That means for me, more time to baptize! And it's weird that there are missionaries that left AFTER me that will get home BEFORE me now. Oh well. What can ya do? :)

Speaking of time, I am pretty sure I completed 18 months this past week. Doesn't seem real does it?

This past Friday was Dia Del Diablo. I think I mentioned it the past year. The story goes that there was this family that was having a lot of problems in the family many years ago and someone suggested that they take out all of their trash and burn their ''devils'', so they did and the problem was fixed in the family. So now, everyone takes their trash out, as well as a paper maché devil and they burn it outside their house. It's a literal way to solve a figurative problem. haha. So that was a fun day to see all the burning devils in the streetes of Guatemala.
We went this past week to take out the papers for Familia Valles so they can get married this past weekend and when we took them out, we realized that Rodolfo's last name is spelled wrong! Freaking pruebas. So now he has to go down to Villa Canales and fix it himself. We hope he does it quick because we are running out of time! and if he doesn't do it, he will be known as Rodolfo Valler is whole life. Please pray for them!

Well thats about it here in good ol Guatemala. Everything is hunky dorey and I am happy. It's crazy how fast time is flying. I can't wait to see you all shortly, but I can wait until after the 6 months passes and I baptize a ton more people. Stay sweet. Read your scritpures and pray. Also, read in Alma about Ammon and Aaron, they both came to those lands to be missionaries and what did they both say to the king? I will be thy servant. They came to serve! Yes they came to preach but with the attitude to serve! So mark those scriptures and read'em again. I love you all and I invite you to laugh everyday. :)

Elder Yates