Week 79...2/9/16...Office

 

I completed 18 months which is when you burn a set of pants….

So. Wow. It's Friday, and I'm in the office and this has been the slowest week of my entire mission. Last week was fantastic. We started off with a miracle on Tuesday. We found a guy named Hugo. Well, actually it was Elder Saxton and Elder Bejar, the new missionaries in Lugar de Elder Villalobos. Hugo was receiving the missionaries a year ago and had been to the church a bunch of times. But the problem was that he was a heavy drinker. But now he's clean! And they taught him and guess what! He told them he wanted to be baptized on Saturday! So we got it all figured out and Saturday we had 2 baptisms! Kevin was the other baptism! He was super cool! He's such a good kid! We've been teaching his family and he's come to church with Walter who we've also been teaching and he told us he wanted to be baptized too! So that was awesome!

I got to take a photo with one of my favorite families in Jardin though! The patriarch and his family are super awesome! I’m going to miss them a lot though.

ME and elder Saxton

Me and Victor a member of the Dalmacia ward.

On Friday and Thursday, we just went crazy doing all of the interviews that we could. Then on Sunday, we got a call that we were super close to completing our goal of 200+++ and the Elders in Genova told us they still had their baptism they were going to do! So we went over to help them with all of that! But we got there and went on divisions to help everyone get to the baptism. But the problem is that THERE WASN'T ANY WATER!!!!

The water Truck filling up the well in Genova.

The pila in Genova. You just take part of the floor away and there it is.

We debated between going to the nasty river or paying someone to bring water. And we ended up just having someone come and fill up the tank with water so the pump would work. Meanwhile, I entertained all of the kids with some simple magic.

Kids in Genova trying to get me to do more magic.

Monday I got up early and felt like I need to study. I went up on the roof (Roofs here in Guatemala are just cement floors basically you could put another level on.)  I had a really good study about being called to serve while reading Doctrine and Covenants. Right then at like 8am Presidente Ruiz called me and told me he wanted to interview a bunch of Elders from our zone. He also asked me if any of the missionaries in the zone told me that I would be leaving it. I told him, no, and he said, ''well I've gotten a few comments and I know that you can't stay in the zone anymore.'' He said it in a way like I had done something wrong. My mind flashed to all of the days that I hadn't woken up exactly at 6:30 from sleeping through my 3 alarms.... and then he told me ''JUST KIDDING ELDER PUGMIRE!!!! You just are going to have changes today to come to be in the office!' pack up your bags and we need you here by 11.'' So I hurried to get all of my bags and was on the bus without being able to say goodbye to any of my converts. The good thing is that I'll be able to go back and visit in one of these next months for being in the office helping out Presidente.

Me and Elder Mendez my old companion and new ZL.

Me and Elder Bejar

Supposedly Elder Gozain and Elder Morataya were going to pick me up at like 12 but I ended up staying in the office with Presidente helping with the changes till like 4 when we went out to eat and then came back to the office and again at 7 we headed out to eat at a super nice restaurant with all of the office!

Tuesday I and Elder Morataya got to train all of the new missionaries! While Elder Gozain and his group went to the temple. It was such a blast! I'm super pumped to have Elder Moraytaya as my companion this changes!

My new companion elder MORATAYA!!!! FROM GUATEMALA THE CAPITAL

He's from Guate and just an amazing missionary! He was in the Codo right before me and started the training of Elder Rodas! He's the guy whose training I finished!

But the new missionaries were great! Usually, Presidente assigns all of the missionaries their trainers but because he was going to be gone and they hadn't sent in any reports he told us just to do it!!!! We were a little hesitant but from doing practices, and revelations with them all day we felt pretty good about who their trainers were going to be.

The new missionaries. . .

Wednesday we had changes and my dad Elder Lagos went home...... It was really sad. I can't believe he already finished his mission! It was so fast! His mom came and it was good to get to meet her. But ya then we had to run to Malacatan to have a meeting with all of the mission leaders. It was pretty awesome! We got home super late because they liked to make a lot of comments but it really was beneficial.

The missionaries going home. . .

Me, Elder Lagos and Elder Peraida

Me and Elder Huesca

Then Thursday we headed up to San Marcos and spent the night and then the next day we brought up Elder Owen and Elder Gonzalez to TACANA!!!! This is an area like 2 hours away from any other area that has NEVER EVER HAD MISSIONARIES IN IT BEFORE!!!!!!!! So this is the very first time that there are going to be missionaries in it! We are so pumped we basically got them some living places with Presidente and then set them up to live for 5 days till we can have an official appointment with the mayor.

Pictures of the trip to Tacana!

Mountain to my left is the highest mountain in Centro America Taljumulco.

Mountain behind me is TACANA!

Classic roadside bathroom

Me and Elder Morataya getting into Tacana

rt to lt:  ME, Elder Morataya, Elder Gonzalez, and Elder Owen

But ya... That was the craziness of this week. We also ran a ton of errands helping people get cast off and bring beds and tables and chairs everywhere.

Lasagna that I and elder Morataya made for the office! It was super GOOD!

Life's good! But I feel like it's going to be tough to write as much there is just not any time at all! Hope all is well! I'm living the dream!

Love,

Elder Pugmire

Monday we went to go look at a place called TaKalik ab aj. They had a bunch of Mayan Animals and some ancient Mayan Carvings that had been discovered, as well as entire temples!