I am in San Jeronimo....and I am a bit baggy! But not in a bad way!

Hey! Wut up eddybody!?

So, first of all, I got sent to an area called San Jeronimo. It is in la zona Verapaz in Baja Verapaz. 

I´m not gonna lie. I don´t know what I am going to do when I get back home to Utah. I AM FREEZING! —jaja—(Hayden is officially SPANISH! He has changed from Ha! Ha! to Ja! Ja!...) Just kidding not like way bad but it is seriously cold here.

It was so crazy when I first got here. San Jeronimo is in this valley like up in the mountains so when I came, first I went to Coban to meet my comp, Elder M., then we stayed the night there at the Coban ZL´s house and then we hopped on a bus at like five thirty in the morning. So me and my comp were cruising in this bus through the mountains and I was already super baggy after being in Coban cuz it was cold and everyone was like wearing jackets and like winter clothes and for me, that's home, not the mission...

It just got worst when we were driving because the mountains just started looking more and more like the ones from home! The drive was seriously like I was driving up Cascade, but with a paved road! And then, after I thought it couldn´t get any worse, we pull through the canyon and I can see down into the valley of San Jeronimo and it looked EXACTLY like Heber!!! It was so crazy! It's been a baggy little while! Haha not like in a bad way. This place just reminds me a ton of home. The mountains are ¨igualitas¨!

And then we got to this members house and he goes and puts on Christmas music in English and Bryan´s ¨Little Toy Trains¨ song comes on! That was way funny. 

But really I am loving it here. It is a HUGE difference from Dolores and I miss that place SOOO much! But it's really nice here.

It is still only a branch here but it functions like a ward. The members are really united and amazing! We have already recieved a ton of references and they go with us to the lessons and everything! They are really awesome. And my comp said that his last change here they only went to the grocery store one time because they never cooked. The members fed them every day. The only thing that we have made ourselves in the house is cereal in the morning for breakfast! But I really think im going to enjoy it here.

Me and my comp are getting along. He is from Perú! I just told Jordan that too. Ha! ha! (OK— maybe still only half Spanish :) but he´s not from his mission so that sucks but it's still cool. So anyway, it's kinda crazy though. This will be a good change— I think. I sure do miss Dolores though. Soooo much!

My district leader is Elder Godfrey. He goes home this change. My zone leaders are Elder Norton and Elder Contrerez. Elder Contrerez goes home this change too. Oh yeah, my companion has 20 months in the mission so he´s pretty old too. The zone leaders are in our district too so it's going to be kinda crazy. Like half the district is going to peace outta here this change!

Oh yeah, and mom, the soup was SUPER good! I wanted to stay there for Christmas cuz if I did I was going to get to prepare and make soup with six chickens so I could learn how to do it really well! But it's OK. I'm sure I'll get another chance before the mish is over.  (Do you get the feeling he keeps reassuring himself that he is OK? It was a tough change for him. Please keep him in your prayers. I have heard that this new area is one of the most beautiful and safe areas in Guatemala. I hope that he learns to love it there. He will! ....Now I am reassureing myself! :) 

And that is so true about Elder Holland! It was so crazy! Who told you about that?! Cuz I only talked to like two people about that but they noticed it too! It was so crazy! He started out his talk speaking Spanish and it was obviously written and he was just reading it and even at that it was a little splotchy and then at the end of his talk he started speaking again, reading once again, but then all of a sudden it was just like something clicked and he started baring his testimony like he had been speaking Spanish for years and it was super good and then after that part of his testimony he like clicked back out of it! It was crazy!!!

Alright, well, I better get going. I love you all so much! Thank you for everything! Especially the pictures! The few I could see I loved! A ton! If I get some taken this week I'll try and send some. I love you! Talk to ya´ll next week!

Con amor,

Elder Welch

It was one of my best weeks in Dolores!

K —So,

First of all...I have a change! I am SOOOOO sad! But these are some  pictures of this Sunday! It was District  conference and it was a broadcast from Utah of Elder Holland and Pres. Uchdorf.  And EVERYONE from Mopan came! It was so amazing! It was one of my best weeks in Dolores! It was the  best!

I got a picture of me and a few of the kids in the field outside of the church.

The only one I could get of the adults and stuff was when they were in the bus getting ready to head back. The first one of me in the bus with them Elder  Payne took. But he didn't take it how I wanted it so I had to take another one and I had to get all of them to smile cuz NOBODY did on the first one! Ha ha! But that is only about half of them. I couldn't get a  picture of the rest.

And the only chance I had to tell them I was leaving was right then when they were  leaving. I almost bursted into tears! When the bus took off one of the moms stuck her hand out to shake my hand and tell me thank you and goodbye and was almost crying and then as the bus was pulling off all of the little kids stuck their hands out to shake my hand and were yelling ¨Adios Elder Welch ¨  and ¨Elder Welch! No se vaya!¨  I seriously about lost it. And then they called last night and said they might all make the trip to Dolores tomorrow to say goodbye to me  before I leave. At seven or eight in the morning!!! They are  amazing! I love them so much and I am going to miss them a ton! But they are all going to get baptized. I am sure of it. And they are going to help the branch out so much! I love this place more than anything! I don't wanna leave!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 I think I threw in the picture of our district —minus Hna B. She didn't want to be in the picture!?

These are a  bunch of  pictures of me saying goodbye to  people.

A sister from the ward named E. and her family

D. and her daughters

The district president President C.

 Hermana O. and her grandson. 
She was like my Dolores grandma Ha!ha!
She actually kinda' reminded me of Grandma Ginge. 
Her grandson is A.
That is us with our ¨magic rings¨ Ha! ha!

 I showed him  a few of the magic tricks I remembered from Taylor and he thought I was a straight up magician! And I told him my ring gave me more  power and he got a ring for his graduation so I told him I made it a magic ring and taught him some tricks.

This is one of him doing the card slide trick thing that I taught him. Ha! Ha! He loved it! It was so funny!

And then the other one is a baby duck at one of the houses in Mopan. There was a whole batch of them!  So I had one of the little kids  catch one for me and I took a picture! I thought  Abby would like that!

Alright so these are of me at E´s house. She is the one that  I sent the picture of me and her and her  family when it was all dark. She  invited us over to lunch and she was making chicken soup and she had me catch and kill the chicken and taught me how to clean it and everything!  It was super cool!I didnt get any more  pictures of it though because my camera died.

 

 Well, I gotta go now. I will let you all know where I end up next week! Who knows?!  Hope it's somewhere awesome again! Ha! Ha!  I love you all so much! Thank you so much for everything! 

Tell everyone I say hi!

Love,

Elder Welch

I LOVE the people of Dolores!

Mom,

I wanted to send you a bunch of pictures so I am not going to be able to write much again. But when I am done I'll answer your questions:

Pictures from Last Week's Family Night

 These are from a bon fire that we had. 

We have family night with this family almost every Monday night. 

 

 The kids of this family, the G. Family, 

make up the majority of the leaders of the organizations in the branch. 

They are the best.

 OK, so these are from today. 

This is of the inside of the cave we went to that had all this ancient Mayan stuff.
 It is called Najtunich —if you want to try to look it up—they are like two hours from Poptún, close to San Luis . It's pretty cool. 

That is the gate that they locked the cave up with
so you can't get through to the really cool stuff
—cuz ppl destroyed some of it apparently.

Me and Hermana B. We are Darth Maul candle fighting! Ha ha! 

This is like an actual ancient carved out chair. The first picture looks cooler
but I sent the second one so you could see the chair better.

 

That is a legit Tarzan vine that I am actually swinging on!
That was the best ever!!! Ha ha! 

.....and the two hour ride back in the back of the truck! Ha ha!

The next one is for Abby.
I thought she would love the baby chick!
Tell her hi for me and that I love her SOOOOOOOOOOO much!
...and I never got a chance to thank her for the note that she sent me. Tell her thank you soo much and it was my favorite! It helped me out a whole lot and made me super happy!!!.

Then the next one is this GIANT caterpiller that we found in our house the other week!

And then the other two are of one of the tarantulas
that we found in a corn field a couple weeks ago.

This is the second one we found.
The first climbed up the pant leg of one of the kids that was with us
 and he had to grab it in his pants in a wad
and then take his pants off and shake it out! Ha ha ha!

These ones are of a service project 

we did in Mopan a few weeks ago.

The first few are of the jalón ride up.

The kids went with us to help.

And yes, that is cow crap im standing in! Ha ha ha. 

I have no idea what I'm laughing at but I really liked this picture. Me with my machete eating my cañon. (sugar cane) That is what that plant is behind me. It is the best. Whenever we go and work in the fields we just chop down a stick of caña and suck on it while we work!

Now, Mom to answer your questions.

I loved  my packages! Everything was the best, the laundry bag is PERFECT! And the food is incredible. Everything got here including the cheese—and the jar was unbroken.

As far as the weather, it's not cold anymore.

As far as books or stuff you can send.... other study material isn't allowed. But thanks! If it's like stuff to teach —like that that would be awesome! Can you get Queq´chi stuff?! I dont think that I am going to be speaking it too much— but today I talked a little with our guides in Najtunich with the little that I knew. I love it SO much! It would be cool if I got sent where I could learn it and speak it!......Yeah, but they usually don't send you up if you already have as much time out as I do...but that would be awesome. And like if you could send little things like examples that would make things easier to teach so they can understand that would be awesome! Because it is for sure a lot easier for a lot of the people to learn if they can see it.  

Changes aren't this Wednesday but next — I have no idea what's going on this change. I think it might be a crazy one either way...   

You know me mom......I am not OK......Not great....... OF COURSE...... I AM  AWESOME!!!!!!!!

And last but not least: 

YOU BETTER SEND ME PICTURES OF THAT BABY!!!!   

LOVE YOU MOM!!!! I GOTTA GO! I will try to send more pictures again next week! 

I love you all!!! 

Talk to you next week,

Elder Welch

Lot's of photos this week!

The Village of Mopan

A beautiful morning in Guatemala.

These pictures were taken on our way to Mopan.
 Mopan is the village that we have to walk 2 hours to get to.

Mom—I thought you would like this one!

Playing Soccer in Mopan

This is a picture of us playing soccer with the kids in Mopan.
Elder  P. is on the left and I am taking the picture.

We brought the soccer ball with us.....they had so much fun playing with a "real" ball.

Some of the people from the village. 

Planting Corn

This one is of me with M. sharpening our machetes.
Yes, now I really do have my own. I got sick of borrowing one. 

Then there is one of us ¨chapeando¨ 
We had to clean the land of all the weeds and brush with machetes so he can plant his corn there. 

We didn't finish the work, but the last picture is the 'after" photo of when we had to stop.

Then one of me dipping my head in a river on our way back from the service....
.... cuz it was SO— hot. It felt SO— good! 

My Companion

Me and my companion Elder P.

One with us and all my loot! Ha! Ha! With our PEZ´s Ha ha ha ha!

 Teaching Music

Me teaching music!
One of the people there was messing with my camera and took this picture.

 The Talent Show

The Talent Show!
These are some of the kids that I teach music.

This me playing my song for the talent show.
Lead by example Right?!? I just HAD to play!

Dancing....it turned out well.

And Last —but not least—

Mom's favorite photo of the day! :) 

Ha Ha! As Hayden would say....

Then there is one of another snake I killed on the way to the service. Thought you´d like that one mom. But don't worry—It´s not the FIRST most dangerous snake in Guatemala this time.......only the THIRD—!!!!
 But it was just a little guy so don't worry. That is Elder P. with me. He's in my district.

Hey,  I'm almost out of  time because I sent so many pictures. But, for my letter this week I will  try and give you a quick overview of the week. 

Monday I didn't write because of the zone acitivity. We  went to a full sized soccer field and played soccer and frisby and  two hand touch. It was super fun. 

Sunday was the best! We had twenty six people in church with eight investigators!!! and that was even with the elections. Seven of the eight were people from Mopan, that little village.  We went there this week and taught a ton of them and we  brought a soccer ball and played with them on this little dirt  field they've made in-between their houses. They were so excited to have an actual ball and to play with us! We have a family night planned for this Friday with three of the families that live out there and I think it is going to be awesome! And they  all said they are going to come next Sunday too! Woohoo!  

We also went and did a lot of service this week. I would explain but I dont have time—. But  let's just say I could probably run a corn farm when I get home!!!! Ha ha ha! 

Thank you so much for everything! I love the pictures! Oh I got the two Halloween  packages and one Thanksgiving package. I still haven't got the vans and  I'm pretty sure you sent those before— if so , I'm pretty sure they're gonners.  That sucks. 

Anyway, oh super random, but I forgot to tell you last week that I saw a real true live robin!!!—In Guatemala!!!! it  must have  been in route flying south just passing by... I thought you would enjoy that Mom.  Ha ha. 

Oh and the music classes are going well. I am  actually teaching myself a ton by teaching it. I more than any thing just teach one kid  so I'm not sure it's worth it to keep doing it —but we'll see. 

Oh and we had our talent show last week. That went really well! I did a song and so did the kid that I'm teaching! Ha haa! It was super cool. 

But I'm running out of time so I better go. But I am doing so much  better now. So don't  worry. I am doing so  awesome! 

Oh and I was going to tell you too I went on divisions with Elder T— my ZL. I found out that he is family of all of the T's and Winterton's in Heber! Ha ha ha! Just thought that was funny.

Alright I better go. I love you so much! Talk to ya next week!

Elder Hayden Welch