Learning to Be Tough

Dear Family,

What's up everybody? We are just killing it here just outside of Guatemala City. My area looks over the capital so that is always cool to see at night. Anyways we had a great week last week. We are just doing a lot of learning here. It was really hard when I first got here, but we are learning and my companion and I are getting better together. One funny story is that a huge rat got into our house and I seriously did not like it at all. We have been going to war with it here and I am seriously praying that it doesn't get into my food. Another funny story is that on Saturday night I tried to make a small chocolate cake in the microwave and let me say that it did not work out at all. We kind of put it in the microwave for too long and the whole house started smoking up we could hardly sleep that night because the smoke would not leave our house.

Anyways things are progressing here. My comp and I have been focusing a lot on the difference between being on a mission and just being here. Really in life we can do our best in every single thing that we do or we can just kind of go through the motions. The best advice I think that I received before my mission was from our cousins Cade and Ryan that a mission will really change your life if you let it. I have seen that a lot here. I want to use every second here to prepare me for the rest of my life.

Elder Castro and I have been talking a lot about learning to be tough. I'm sure the whole family will laugh about that because I was never a good example of that at all. But sometimes things are really hard here and things can get really hard for my companion. But we talk about being tough and remembering that with faith all things are possible, I love 2 Nephi 27:23 when God says that He is a God of miracles. He doesn't need us to do his work, he has just given us the opportunity to play small roles in it for our benefit. How thankful I am for that. I love you all and am thankful for your examples.

Elder Wilkes