Letter 13 - Week 14

Thank you momma for that letter. It really was an answer to my prayer. Although I know in my heart that it is necessary to pass through trials, it really is so challenging to keep moving sometimes. There have been a lot of moments where I feel so down because I’m not seeing the results in the way I want to, or just everything we have planned drops. It makes me think about if I’m actually working hard enough. 

I want to say that I’m doing everything I can, but it’s those trials that make me doubt myself. Working hard is a trait I think I earned from both you and dad, and it makes me feel so good to know that I put in 100 %. It’s hard to put in 100% here because I have to have enough energy for the next day. We work every single day and so I’m having to learn to pace myself and be happy with what I was able to get done. 

It’s a hard trial for me because I am, in all reality, a super inpatient person... I like to see results quickly and get things done fast... but that’s not really how it works out here... The work isn’t too super hard, it’s more about just being where the Lord needs you and loving and helping the people that he has prepared. It makes it hard for me to judge how hard I am truly working. I don't want to be lazy, but then again I don't want to kill myself trying to reach that level of approval from my own body that says you literally can't give anymore... it’s a weird concept.  

When I went with the zone leader (that was about to go home) I realized that he never was in a rush. He just took a step at a time and thought about what the next best option would be, and always smiled and chatted with people. It wasn't hard, it was just loving whoever he could find. I really want to try to follow his example. 

The weather is sooo hot, I guess we are in the summer months right now haha.  I don't know if I’ve talked about it, but the busses are sooooo crazy. If I could choose between going to six flags and riding a Guatemalan chicken bus, I would choose the bus. I don't know how many times I’ve hit my head on the ceiling. They don't have speed limits here and the roads are so windy and bumpy it’s ridiculous.

I’m out of time.  I love and miss you all so much.

Love,

Elder Dabel

Letter 12 - Week 13

That is so touching, thank you dad! (David sent him a copy of Aubrey’s Facebook post about how much she loved and missed Jared).   Make sure to let my sisters know how much I love them because I really do and I feel like I might not have shown it as best as I could have. 

It is true that the hardest days a lot of the time are the best. I love coming home to my apartment every night knowing I did my best and being so tired. I just lie down on my bed and pass out (after dats and planning of course.) The days have been moving by so fast and I always feel like I don't have enough time... it's a good thing though because then I don't have enough time to think about how much I miss home. 

Every week life gets better. It feels good to actually talk with everyone freely and not have as much stress on my shoulders of what the heck people are saying. I found that one of the hardest things for me to do is speak the truth and be blunt with the people I love. I really love all these people and wouldn't want to do anything to offend them, but is very necessary to to give them some chikote sometimes. I’m starting to find a good balance between showing love and being blunt at the same time. 

There is one family we have that knows for a fact that the church is true and has had dreams that are crazy. My companion and I have been working with them and haven't been able to get the true reason out of them why they wouldn't just take a step forward with faith and let go of all their little excuses. I mean not everyone in has that rare gift of revelation. We had divisions yesterday with the assistants who are sooooo cool... and they gave them some hard chikote.

The mom finally came out and said she wanted to be baptized so bad, but she couldn't because her husband wouldn't pay for them to get married. He said he didn't have enough money to pay for the party and a dress or even a cake for the marriage. It was so sad and humbling that it almost made me cry when I heard it. We offered to pay for the papers and that we could get the ward and other members of the church to put something together for a celebration. That was an awesome experience.

Oh, sorry about pulling out so much money. I bought an awesome bag made for missionaries and some new athletic shoes because mine ripped. They actually did in the MTC haha but I zip tied them together and that worked awesome for awhile. I still use them for running, but they can’t take the intense soccer we play here. My comp showed me where they sell zapatos de papi foot or soccer shoes for cheap :p

Love and miss you all so much.  

Elder Dabel

Letter 11 - Week 12

Thanks for all the good work back home. I’m so happy to hear how well it’s going. Pretty much now, as far as Spanish and teaching, I’m about set. My Spanish is doing really well and I have been able to teach the lessons fine. This week I did a lot of the leading and started lessons and can pretty much do anything by myself now. 

The work is starting to feel so much easier now that I have trust in my Spanish and the spirit in my teaching. So many times I am surprised by the things that come out of my mouth. Before I always worried what I was going to say and more specifically how I was going to translate it. I could spend forever trying to come up with something that would help the investigators. Now I just listen as best as I can and open my mouth and the spirit does the rest. 

I HAVE FOUND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO MAKE COVENANTS WITH THE LORD. My companion and I were struggling with making our goals. I talked to the President and he said that I should start making more covenants and it has helped so much. We work so hard all day and walk non stop, and just at the last minute everyday we make our goals. It’s like the Lord is testing our will to work hard the whole day and persevere before giving us the prize. 

I’ve also realized how perfect the Lord is and how he doesn't have a shortage of people that are ready for our message. He also knows how hard we are working and the ones that are working the hardest are the ones he is going to trust to teach these precious souls.

Another important thing I have learned is that we can have faith in the Lord, but that doesn't mean whatever we ask for in faith he is going to give us. If God were to take away our challenges simply because we asked he would in turn deny us of experiences necessary for our eternal salvation, experiences that are going to help us learn and grow. 

TO HAVE FAITH IN THE LORD IS TO HAVE FAITH IN HIS WORK AND THE THINGS THAT ARE OF HIM. If we truly have faith in him we ask in prayer for things that are inline with him. Many times people become selfish and ask for things that aren't  inline with his work and say they should receive because they have faith. That isn't faith..

This week has been so hard physically wise on my comp and I. Our cook has been out of town and we have had to walk soooooo far and long. It’s not horrible, but by the end of the day we pass out on the bed with blisters on our feet... I’ve never had blisters on my feet, not even when I did the 50 miler and I thought that was hard... that wasn't even hard... 

Oh make sure to tell Teresa thanks for every single one of her gifts hehe.. every one...

I love and miss you guys so much.

Love,

Elder Dabel

Letter 10 - Week 11

Hey dad, that is so awesome to hear about your job!  What a blessing I pray that you will enjoy it. Also that is so awesome to hear about Ana and Marisa!!! That makes me so happy =) 

My Easter was soooo awesome... well kinda. This week has been so slow because it is Semana Santa and the Catolicos celebrate all week and no one goes to work and every one goes to the beach.... so contacting has been absolutely useless. This week I have heard more fire crackers than I have ever in my whole life.... the people hear light em off for honor of Jesus and Mary... at 430 in the morning every freaking day.... and then all day whenever the feel like it... and not just one role... like 10 roles of fire crackers...

Anyways, besides the crazies the work has been pretty awesome because I’ve been able to get a lot of lessons in. It makes me happy to know that we have three or four investigators that are progressing that are my contacts. It’s hard because my companion teaches most of the lessons and I always bare my testimony , teach 1 or 2 points, and then always ask the commitments. he does most of the talking and sometimes it makes me feel a little down because I have so much I would like to share also but don't always have the words. 

Conference was awesome. I loved how much was said about families. It gets me excited for the time when I can have an eternal family, definitely something I don't want to rush, but I’m excited. There was also a lot about the atonement and faith. I like how it was said, (cant recall who exactly said it), but it is by the Lords grace that we are saved. In the end we are all sinners and we can’t trade our good deeds for the bad ones. It makes me think back to what mom said about how it’s basically those who have the desire to make it that are, because they are going to be doing the best with the knowledge they have. No matter what, they are still going to make mistakes though. 

Also, the talk about how we shouldn't give up on the gospel and doubt our testimony when we find something we don't understand. The story was given about the girl in the plane crash that saw the light and hiked her way to it with hope even though sometimes it went out of view. She pressed forward with the knowledge she had until she could see it again. I really loved this... also the talk about the medicine man in the hospital that said I can teach you how to dance but you have to hear the music. This parable or relation to the gospel life was awesome. We can’t follow the Savior and do the things we’re suppose to, or at least wont want to, unless we can feel the spirit, or the music. We don’t want to dance unless we have the music, otherwise its awkward and undesirable..

I gotta go, I love you guys. Oh, and this week my life improved by 100 times.. I found a water heater head at the black market and installed that bad boy.  Thanks so much for the pb and j and pancakes and nutella.....best Easter of my life.

Letter 9 - Week 10

Hey papa! 

That’s so cool that you shared my experience! There are so many parallels between our work and your work. Keep sending me spiritual thoughts because they do help! 

I was reading through moms letters and she talked about in D&C:88 how we are rewarded upon our desires. I believe this to be true and it makes me happy and sad at the same time. I talk to so many people here that know our church is true in their heart. We testify to them the truth and they feel it. They tell us in their own words that they believe that we are sent from God and they have so much respect and love for us. They feed us and give us water, they feel the spirit when they are with us, they see it.... but they are too stubborn to accept all of our message. 

Many of these people have desires of the world, they don't want to change. If they can find a loophole, they take it. They tell me that they are blessed and they believe that all we need to do is believe in God and we will be saved. James 2:14-26 “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” They love their churches because they are easier. It makes me so sad to have to just let it go and leave their house saying I did all I could.

I am learning quickly that this is going to be one of the greatest experiences of my life, not just fun, but most of all, a testimony builder. My faith and testimony grows each and every day as I practice obedience. It feels so good to be able to have confidence in my Heavenly Father that he is going to have a path for me to take and prepare the way. You are 100% right, about this being the perfect place to exercise agency and faith and test the principles of the gospel. There is no better environment than the field, where it's just you and the Lord. My testimony of obedience has grown the most.

Oh to answer some questions in letters: 

Grandma: so our area is outside the capital of Guatemala, right on the border of the jungle. Although, I don't get to go out in the jungle much because there isn't anyone out there to teach haha. We aren't close to the ocean right now. I would love to have an area near there at some point, but it’s supposed to be super hot and I don't do well in the heat. I love it up here in the mountains, where it’s warm and chilly haha. Oh, and yeah, the people here hate Mexico and Mexicans because Mexico stole Cancun or something. LOL

Thanks Aubrey for your letter about small and simple things and moving forward little by little! So true, but hard when you’re impatient like me!! I have to humble myself to your words constantly! haha

This week I had the opportunity to eat pigs feet... hairy pigs feet.. they tasted good, mostly just fat.. the little hair made it so hard to put down. The family just sat there and watched me with smiles waiting for our compliments haha...

Also, lately I have been eating a lot of fried platino (huge bannano looking things) with beans... it’s so delish...

I love and miss you all so much.

Jared's friend Donavaghn left for his mission in Guatemala a few months before Jared.  

They finally got to see each other and were really excited!

Letter 8 - Week 9

Hey Momma, 

This week has been pretty amazing. Man the time is starting to fly, we work so hard that we never have time to have time. As soon as I get to my apartment I plan, pray, and desmallarse en mi cama (go to sleep.) 

The spanish is coming, but there is just soooo much. I get really impatient and want to just have it all already. Right now I contact by myself and can do lessons by myself. Usually anything gospel related is cake, as long as I have the spirit with me. I can tell when I have the spirit guiding me because I’m not focused on what I’m going to say. Im listening carefully and respond with whatever comes to my heart. 

The gift of tongues is so real... many times a day I say things that come to my head that I’ve never learned, that just feel right. The other day our faithful friend and convert of three months, Marco Tulio, (who has an awesome story and is the coolest champine en todo el mundo) was accompanying us in our lessons. He said he was so impressed with my spanish and could tell such a big difference between my spanish in lessons where the spirit was present. 

It’s such an awesome feeling to understand what people are saying to me. This last week I’ve been pretty much able to understand anything said. I used to translate the spanish in my head, but now I don’t. This is what has helped me the most, being able to feel what they say like it’s english. Now when someone talks to me in english, if I’m not prepared, I can’t understand what they say because my head is just ready for spanish and I’m like “que manda?”.

This last week we had a huge reunion con missions este, sur, y central, and listened to Elder Anderson speak. I met up with Donavon which was awesome!! He is doing awesome and that really lifted my spirit a lot. 

Oh, also this week I got hit by van. That was scary. I was walking on the side of the road and its side swiped my shoulder. 

Three people got shot right down the road from our apartment.. that was a huge eye opener..

AND THIS IS HOW MY SON’S LETTER TO ME ENDS!  SERIOUSLY?!?!?!