Week 23: FELIZ NAVIDAD (Merry Christmas)

Best week ever!!! 

We had so many Christmas activities!! On Wednesday we went to sing to all the people in front of the hospital. There are always a lot of people outside cause no one is allowed to enter unless they are the ones getting operated on. So we sang hymns and gave out book of mormons!!! 

Then we had a multi zona de navidad!! We had so much fun because every zone created a skit and presented it to everyone! Our skit was about missionarys trying to convert the grinch to be baptized hahaha 

A couple days later I got super sick and threw up everywhere!!! Probably because I got fed in every single house we walked into!!! I have never eaten so many tamles in my life!!! 

On Christmas eve and Christmas we basically just walked around to every member and asked if there was anything we could do to serve them hahaha but most of the time they just invited us in for dinner. In total between the two days we at 9 dinners!!!! So brutal! 

But Christmas here is sooo different. They all stay up till 12 am on Christmas eve and then they shoot of fireworks for like 20 minutes!!! That was so cool to watch because we went to our roof and watched it from a 360 degree angle! Then they all open presents in the middle of the night, then they all sleep in until 12 midday on Christmas!! So when we left the house to start working for the day there was literally no one on the streets!!! 

But I got to talk with my family!! It was so much fun but 40 minutes was not enough time at all!! 

Being on the mission during Christmas has taught me a lot about sacrifice. Yeah its weird to be out of the country during my favorite holiday but its all worth it because I am sacrificing for a greater cause. The mission really is all about sacrifice. We sacrifice our time and lives to serve our heavenly king. But really it isn't a sacrifice at all, because we are just trying to attempt to pay back the price that can never be repayed, which is the atonement of the savior. I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to sacrifice one Christmas away from my family, to help other families come unto Christ. 

Con amor, 

Hermana Salisbury 

Week 22: FELIZ 5 MESES (Happy 5 Months)

Ok literally I blinked and now I have 5 months on my mission!!! It is seriously the weirdest feeling how fast time flys by on the mission. 

SO it has been my job to coordinate a family night with every member of the ward for every night of December. So we have been going to these family nights for light the world, and the family invites an investigator. So it has been super cool having family nights every night of December! 

This week we had interviews with President Goodman. Interviews are always my favorite cause I get lowkey roasted but it always motivates to work harder!

If you guys remember from one of my past emails I helped a kid cheat on his English homework, well now we are teaching him!! And we had a lesson this week and we had just read the first vision and I asked him what he felt when we read it and he said I FELT NOTHING hahaha I seriously just busted up laughing in the middle of the lesson hahaha

This Sunday I was SOOO mad because one of our investigators who lives SOOOO far told us he would go to church. So we got up extra early on Sunday to literally HIKE to this guys house and right when he get there the members of his family tell us he cant come!!!!!! I hiked down that mountains so mad! But we walked into sacrament meeting like 10 minutes late because we had to walk so far but when we walked in we found one of our other investigators there!!! MIRACLES! 

It is low key sketch on the streets right now. Cause a lot of people who are outside at night, during Christmas are drunk. So we have had a couple of incidents but we are all good! 

I seriously love this season of Christmas because it is the celebration of the biggest act of love the world has ever known. A loving heavenly father sent his son to pay for our sins, so we could have a way to return to him. I hope you guys have the BEST Christmas! I will be here in Guatemala eating tamales ALLLL DAY hahah! 

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Salisbury 

Week 21: Viaje a GUATEEE (Travel Guatemala)

Hola a TODOS!!! 

Y saludos a todos! Espero que ustedes están disfrutando su navidad en los estados!

So the trip to Guatemala city was BRUTAL. We had to go there to do something with our VISA'S. It was 11 hours in bus there and then 11 hours back!!!! But I got to go with all the other missionary's from my group in el CCM!! So it was worth it haha but when we got to the capital we basically got locked into a hotel for two days cause it is so dangerous there. But I realized how cut off I am from the world when I got to the hotel cause my jaw was dropped walking into a nice hotel seeing jugs of water and complimentary breakfast hahaha Our first night we heard 7 gun shots outside the hotel haha Then the next morning we went out to explore down town (such a dangerous idea) hahaha 

Then we went to the immigration office and ALL of the kids from the CCM were there!!!!! IT WAS CRAZYYY! It was so good to see everyone from my district! It was crazy to speak Spanish with them cause the last time we spoke Spanish together we were TRASH!! hahaha 

Then we went to a mall and once again I experience cultural shock. I didn't even know how to go into a normal shop and look at the clothes like a normal person! 

Then we traveled back to good old SAN MARCOS! While we were traveling we were getting off and I happened to be a couple people ahead of my companion, and right when I got off the bus TOOK OFF WITH MY COMP and I just stood there in the middle of xela without a companion! hahaha but long story short we ended up finding each other haha

Then when we got back one of the Hermana's in my zone was walking down the stairs and slipped and literally BROKE HER BACK and couldn't move for 2 hours. SOOO bad and SOOO scary. And it is so hard to speak Spanish in emergency's! SOOO HARD cause im just thinking 1000 miles per hour in english but i have to talk in a different language! But she is doing a ton better! 

But this week was CRAZY! It is so weird how the language was my biggest concern for 3 months but now its on the back burner hahaha There are so many more things to worry about out here!! 

People are always saying "Hermana salisbury you are always laughing and smiling ALL day how do you do it??"  Which is a really good question cause missionary work is HARD WORK. But I think the answer is I am SO happy to be here doing the work of the Lord. And there is no reason to ever have a bad attitude or have a bad day here because I am taking part in the greatest work on earth, the salvation of souls! There is no place I would rather be than here talking in Spanish, teaching about a savior, here in San Marcos Guatemala!

Hope you guys have a good week!! Light the world this week by serving someone like the savior served!

Con amor,

Hermana Salisbury

Week 20: Estamos echando FUEGOOOO (We are on FIRE!)

HOLA Familia y amigos!!!!

This week was another crazy week on the mission!!!! 

We traveled down to REUUUU again!!!! For the almuerzo de nuevos! It was so fun to talk with all the girls in training and receive advice from our mission president! 

But the best part about traveling is taking the CRAZY buses. Just imagine the most old ghetto buses from the 80's and those are the buses here in Guatemala. But we decided to BUSIARRRR!!! This means we get up in front of the entire bus and introduce ourselves and then talk with every single person on the bus! It is SOO hard not to fall over and hit the ground with all the crazy turns but its wayyy fun hahaha basically we talk with everyone and invite them to church, baptism, to read the scriptures, etc. At the end of the trip we had talked to 85 people and invited 14 of them to be baptized!!! 

We had a girl committed to be baptized with a fecha fija y todo but we got a call on Saturday night that she didn't have permission to get baptized. And after I heard that I just CRIED. I realized in that moment that I actually love the people and I care for their salvation. 

But with every trial comes the miracles if we work hard and be patient. We had the biggest miracle in church on Sunday because we had 7 INVESTIGATORS in the church!!!! It seriously was the best feeling ever!! I can testify that if we are patient in our trails we will see the miraclesALWAYS!!! 

Then I got a call on Monday saying I need to travel to GUATEMALA CITY today!!!!! For my visa! I am sooo not pumped to travel for 9 hours there and then 9 hours back but I'm ready for the adventure hahaha So I'm in reu AGAIN waiting for my bus to Guatemala City right now. 

But this week I realized that as a representative of Jesus Christ and as a disciple of Him, we need to be willing to forget ourselves in the midst of our HARDEST trials. Because He did the same for us, while he suffered for us he thought about every single one of us, during His hardest moment ever. We need to be willing to think of others during our trials and then we will see the blessings and miracles in our lives. I testify of the saviors love and I testify of the importance of His example. 

LES AMO MUCHO!!! NOS VEMOSSSS! 

Con amor, 

Hermana Salisbury 

Week 19: Semana una como entrenadora!!! (Week One As a Trainer)

WOW I have been talking in Spanish ALL week and it feels so good to at least type in English!! 

I forgot about Thanksgiving completely until some other Americans in my district reminded me hahaha It is super weird because people don't really decorate here or talk about holidays like they do in America so I forget about the up coming holidays in the world! haha 

But training una CHAPINA has been so fun!! Talking in Spanish all day has been really good for my Spanish! But it is hard!! I have officially started talking to my self in English when I get the chance hahaha I might lose my mind these next couple months!! hahaha not really! It has been awesome! I wont lie there is a lot of stress because this area literally is on my shoulders because I am the senior companion, but I am learning to handle the responsibility. 

Then we had the MOST HORRIBLE NIGHT hahaah on Sunday we had appointments with members every hour of the day. And THEY ALWAYS force us to eat something at the end of the lessons. And we had at least 5 appointments on Sunday. And every single house gave us bread or something, then at the last house when I was already completely full and ready to throw up, she had made us a full course meal with chicken, rice, potatoes, bread, jello, and hot coco. And I seriously thought I was going to barf all over but somehow I ate it all. And right after we walked out of the house I could barely even move hahaha We had to stop at least 6 times while walking home because I thought I would throw up!!! I am honestly still not hungry hahaha 

But anyways this week was easily the hardest week of my mission. Spiritually, mentally, and physically. It has been so good for me to have this challenge. Missionary's wont tell you this but the mission is hard. It FOR SURE is not something fun to do for 18 months. You are constantly being shown your weakness everyday and you learn to improve them quickly so you can work on your next weakness. Now I understand why my dad always said the mission will "Move you forward in life". Because being shown my weaknesses everyday helps me progress so much faster as a person. I am SO thankful for the mission. It literally has changed my life and I am so excited to put all the energy I have into the last 14 months!!!!! GOZO!!!! 

Con Amor, 

Hermana Salisbury 

Week 18: JUST FINISHED TRAINING, AND NOW I'M A TRAINER.

CRAZIEST WEEK OF THE MISSION BYYYY FARRRR!!! 

So someone tried to get into our house super late at night!!! Some random guy kept knocking at our door for like 10 minutes and would not leave!! And he kept saying he needed us to open the door! It was so weird but all is well!!

 I got to go to the temple in quetzaltanango this week!!!! We got special permission to go there from the president of our mission! Usually we cant go because it is outside of our mission, but we had to travel through Quetzaltanango to get to Retalhuleu. It was seriously the best thing ever!! 

Transfers were this week and I got called to TRAIN!!!!!! President Goodman called me Saturday night to ask me to train and of course I said YES! So I packed my bags and went down to Retalhuleu Monday morning! Since I went down earlier I got to work in one of the areas on the coast and WOW I am sooo not ready for the heat down there. It was so hot it was hard to breath hahaha

 But on Tuesday I got to meet my NUEVA!!!! aka MI HIJA!!! Her name is Hermana Morales!!! She is from the capital of Guatemala!!! I am so excited to train her for three months!

 

It is SO much responsibility to train. President always says it is the most important calling in the mission! And I can totally see why!! I honestly feel a little inadequate to be training so early in the mission, but I know that the lord will always push me out side of my comfort zone so I can grow. I am so grateful for the trust heavenly father has for me to be a missionary everyday and teach His children here in Guatemala! PRAY FOR ME THIS WEEK AHHHH

Con Amor,

Hermana Salisbury

 

Week 17: ADIÓS ENTRENAMIENTO (Goodbye Training)

WOWWWW what a week!!

I finally found something I am good at this week!!! Helping kids with their English homework! hahaha It is soo much fun! Random kids will walk up to me on the street and ask for help! It is the best! 

My first convert Hermana Flor de Maria is doing great!! But SHE LOVES telling storys. She goes on for SOO LONG and it is the same stories everytime! hahaha so this week we were in a lesson with her and she seriously told a story for at least 40 minutes and their was no end in site, so my comp leaned over and said END IT in English and I never acted faster to do anything hahaha All I said was BUENO PUES HERMANA vamos a terminar con una oracion, esta bien. hahaha  

We had interviews with our mission president this week, and I can assure all of you BIG THINGS are coming for me this next transfer!!! But nothing is for sure till next week so I wont say anything yet!!! 

This week I got a little discouraged about not being able to find new people to teach. But I kept working really hard being diligent and patient and I can testify THE LORD BLESSES US!! We have found a lot of success the past couple of days!! Everything works through patience and diligence! Always strive to have patience and diligence through your trials and you will see miracles! Choose to push forward! 

Sorry I don't have too much to report this week but I'M DONE WITH MY TRAINING!!! I am so happy! I have grown soo much! and learned SO much! 

Tengan una semana feliz!!! Les amo MUCHO!! 

Con Amor, 

Hermana Salisbury 

Week 16: Dia de los Muertos!!! (Day of the Dead)

HOLA!

This week was super calidad! I got to experience dia de los muertos for the first time!!! It was so much fun! 

Basically here in Guatemala they have the tradition of going to their graves and painting them. Then they all fly kites together and eat FIAMBRE. LET ME TELL YOU. Basically fiambre is cold veggies with cold meat. And it is EVERY TYPE of meat and vegetable you can think of. And when they serve it here it is like A MOUNTAIN. We got fed fiambre 4 DAYS IN A ROW. And every time I had to act SOOO PUMPED to eat it when in reality I wanted to throw upppp! 

One day we had fiambre in a members house with the other missionarys in our ward and the member left the house for a couple of minutes, and one of the other missionarys,straight up, went and got a plastic bag to throw away the fiambre BECAUSE WE HAD SOOO MUCH!! And right as she did that THE MEMBER WALKED IN ahahhha it was SOOO bad and so funny hahaha

We have been working SOO hard out here that I almost fell asleep during a lesson. It was the end of the day and we had walked all over creation that day so needless to say I almost fell asleep and I got caught hahaha

But really walking missions are NO JOKE. I wake up every morning and my feet are BEYOND sore. I seriously wake up barely being able to walk normal just cause I am sore from the day before!! But it is THE BEST! I would not trade it for anything!

Life is not always easy. Everyone has problems and challenges. But this life is not for us to focus on the negative of these trials. This life is for us to learn how to grow through these trials. Every challenge is an opportunity to grow. See the JOY in this life!!!!

ADIOS!!! Heres to another crazy week in SAN MARCOS GUATEMALA!!!

Con Amor, 

Hermana Salisbury 

Week 15: MI PRIMER BAUTISMO (My First Baptism)

Hola!! QUE GOZO ES BAUTIZANDO!!

But really this week was so awesome! 

We had a multi zona in Malacatan which means we had to take the super steep trip down the mountains of San Marcos!!  BUt the ride there is SUPPPER curvey and down hill and the drivers speed like mad men! But on the way down one of the Hermanas got sick and THREW UP ALL OVER ME!!!!! hahaha I was covered in pink throw up when I showed up to the conference!! But I am counting my blessing because we at least had water when we got home so I could shower haha Guatemala life.

 

Miracle of the week was when me and my companion were walking down the street in the dark on a Friday night past a group of men drinking and while we walked past one of them took their glass bottle and SLAMMED it down at our feet right as we walked past and not one piece of glass hit us, or cut us even though it was all at our feet. SO CRAZY. God is always looking out for his missionaries. 

Anyways HERMANA FLOR DE MARIA GOT BAPTIZED!!!! She is 67 years old and cannot read and has some kind of a disease. She has SO much faith. She was not able to read the book of Mormon which is a huge part of being converted so we had members go read with her and she gained her testimony this way. Sometimes we would call her to remind her about church and she would give an excuse but then in the end say that she knows she has to come because it is what God wants for her. She has been such a good example to me to trust more in the plan that God has for all of us! Her baptism was really special and I will never forget it!

 

The language is really coming along. I am able to say most everything I need to say. I have caught on to the grammar and I am able to understand almost anyone except people with different accents haha The only thing I still struggle with is talking in past tense, but it all comes with time!

There is so much joy in this gospel. We have the knowledge of a savior, a savior of the world, for our sins and pains. There will ALWAYS be a second chance because of Him. This is all possible through the love of God, because He was willing to send His son. May we never forget this ultimate act of love and sacrifice. May we always remember we need to come unto Him and make use of his atonement, because he cannot use it for us. I am forever thankful for this pattern of love. 

Feliz semana a TODOS!! DIOS NOS AMA!

Con Amor, 

Hermana Salisbury

Week 14: Yo soy una CHAPINA (I am a Guatemalan Girl)

Hola!! Feliz Pday!!! 

Yo espero que sus semanas fue SUPER calidad y GOZOSO!!

Pero, this week was so awesome!! It went by sooo fast!!

Earlier this week I got really sick, and I received a priesthood blessing from my AWESOME Zone leaders!! I am feeling 100 percent better now! 

So we have been scared of dogs lately because one of the Hermanas here got bit and had to receive 7 shots for rabies!!!! But this week one dog cornered me and Hermana Hernandez into an ally and we had no where to go!! So we said a quick prayer together and then tried to figure something out, and right after a group of ward members happened to be walking by and helped us get the sketchy dog away!! hahaha miracles!

We were in a taxi and the guy asked if we were from America and I said yes. And he went off yelling at us about our country and how our president is so messed up to everyone else. and as missionary's we are not allowed to talk about politics so we tried to tell him we are missionarys and we are here to spread the gospel and he would not stop! SO i went BEAST and I said, SIR we are not representatives of our country we are representatives of Jesus Christ. DROP THE MIC hahahha but that was just scary, that just because i am from somewhere I can be put in some danger with people like that. 

This lady was looking at our family picture and she kept calling my dad GUAPO OVER AND OVER SOOOO AWKWARD and then she asked how old he was and laughed REALLY hard. Yikes. 

But I am sooo happy to announce that I am FINALLY having my first baptism THIS SATURDAY!!! I was actually the one that found her in September and now she is getting baptized! Her name is Hermana Flor de Maria!

We also had intercambios this week which means I was in charge of my area this week!! I had to run all of the appointments and lesson! I really did not know if I could do it or not with my Spanish! But it was such a cool experience because sometimes I would not completely understand the questions I would be asked in lessons but every time I opened my mouth to respond my mouth was filled with the right answers. I am sooo grateful for the love god has showed me by helping and guiding me through the spirit.

I love the story in the bible when the 4 friends of a man suffering palsy brought him to Christ. Something that this man could not do for himself. They cared enough for their friend to bring him to the light of the world. These 4 men are such great examples to us. We have the ability to bring others to Christ by sharing the gospel with them. They are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it. Always be willing to show your gratitude to the Lord by sharing the gospel. 

Les amo MUCHISIMO!! Tengan feliz semana!!

Con amor, 

Hermana Salisbury 

Week 13: FELIZ 3 MESES (Happy 3 Months)

Hola familia y amigos! 

Yo espero este semana fue SUPER calidad!! 

So this week me and my comp got sick! We only had to stay in the house for a day and it was torture not being able to be out and about talking with people! So I had a full day locked in the house so I read EVERY conference talk we had haha missionary life. 

After we felt better we got the WORK the rest of the week! 

I got a kiss on the hand from an OLD MAN and it was just horrible. I swear I am getting more action on the mission THAN WHEN I WAS AT HOME hahaha 

I learned this week that everyone really likes my long light-ish hair haha I got a lot of compliments on it this week and I even got an offer to cut it so someone could make a wig out of my hair hahah yikesss

We had lunch this week with a family and they fed us the biggest plate of food!! It was so hard to eat cause I was so full and I seriously thought I was gonna throw up, and right when I had this thought one of the kids THROWS UP IN FRONT OF US and then I was like oh no I am gonna throw up in front of this family right now. But I had the strength to keep it down hahaha

Rejection is SO REAL out here!! I get rejected everyday!! I will invite someone to church, or to get baptized, or to pray and they will say no and I just say bueno esta bien!! I also get laughed at sometimes!! And I cannot help but smile to myself when that happens because I know that even though I just got rejected I am still apart of the greatest work in the world, bringing souls unto Christ!!

I think the language is coming along! I got told I sound like a CHAPINA!! So I am PUMPED!! (Chapina is basically a local in Guatemala)

But YAY 3 MONTHS!! I have learned SOO many things in this time on my mission. But something I have learned a bunch is we always need to trust in and be willing to follow the will of the Lord. We naturally as humans want to take our problems into our own hands and try to figure it out on our own. But what I have learned is when we have trust in the lords will, and let Him take care of our problems, there is so much more joy in life. Rest from your burdens and seek this JOY!!! 

QUE GOZO ES EL EVANGELIO DE JESUCRISTO!

Con Amor, 

Hermana Salisbury