Riley Proud --March 11

Well, the truth is the time flies and I don't know where it goes, but I feel like as the mission goes on the time will go faster.  With the bag it was for a family, the husband called me at like 10 in the night and asked if I could help his wife who is pregnant. She is super small, so i said yes and it kicked my butt it it's all good. It was fun. 

So this week I had 3 babtisms, in this picture the little girl and the chubby boy are the converts the other kid is 8 years old, so he is with the ward. The family was less active for 2 years, but they seem really happy in the church and the members are already visting them so im pumped for that! i still have 2 dates forbaptisms  this month so im really prayng and that we can get them. The family of 5 this week we didn't visit them. We always had an appoitment when they asked us to come but they said that this sunday they want to go to church with us so im pumped for that!! My neighbors are both RMs so they are pumped also. They said that they never accomplished a family, but its my goal. Today we went to the temple as a zone and it's my goal to go to the temple with this family. They are super golden. I had the babtism of A sistrer named Delfina, she is about 50 years old, but for some reason my camera wont let me see the picture i took with her so next week i will send the pic. I'm super pumped for this area, the members are getting better, we are finding more people and we are baptizing so im excited. Thanks for all your prayers and support! Love you!!

Riley Proud!

Elder Riley

Miracles do happen! --March 3

My comp and i and then the other is like the bag that we used with the pheseants and its full of food that i had to carry a solid 2 miles for a sister in the ward. That bag is full of rice and beans and flower. killed me!! im out of shape. 

Well this week was pretty good. My comp and i have 11 investigators progressing and the goal is to have all 10 babtized this month of march. If all goes good we will have 3 this week and we have a family of 5 so that is my focus. My comp loves to find new people but im trying to help him see that right now we have a goal that is super high and this family is the key. So thats what my focus will be this month.

Also this week we had a meeting with president as a zone and i had to do D&C 4 and our purpose and i can do it just fine but usually we say D&C 4 before our purpose but i said it the other way and everyone had a huge smile even President so i hope it was good. haha 

So the crazy story of the week!! A sister that is 17 years old came to church. We had never met her but she came and said I've been reading the Book of Mormon and I'm in 3rd nephi and i want to be a member of your church. Super crazy!! but she is under the age of 18 so she has to come 7 times to the church before she can be babtized but she is pumped so that is the miracle that happened this past week and im super pumped. She is almost like the story of alexander from my last area. Its a great blessings to know that the lord is preparing people for us. THis is his work and like it says in Alma 29:9 that the joy is to be a instument in the hands of the Lord. Not to much happened just working hard and doing my best to be 100% obedient. 

Love you!

Elder Riley

Golden Week--Feb. 24

 Thanks for the letters. Well, here in my new area we dont have a set time to write because the computers are in the chapel, so we dont have to go anywhere. it will usally be around 1-3ish so just prepare for that. ha

Well mom from your letter that is great that micah and micah both got first in wrestling. I cant believe that it was 1 year ago that i finished that sport it seems like a  good 2 months but its been a year. As much as i complained and didnt want to go to practice because i knew it was going to suck, i miss it. There are many times that i dont think that i can go anymore and im just drained. But just a quick look back and i look when we had to run the hall sprints and i get my self going. I cant believe im 1/4 of the of my mission already. The time flies and there isn't a day to loose but it all just goes together. 

 The members are getting better, from what the other missinaries in the ward have told me is that the memberes here always judge at first so in these weeks I've  been working as hard as i could. If you guys remember president put the goal of 20 new inveigators and this week we worked like crazy. WE knocked doors for 20 hours and we found 23 new, but for them to be new all we had to do was say a prayer, teach a principle, and then they had to say that they would keep the commitment-that was the hard part- but of these 23 i think we can retain about 12 of them. We found a family that is Golden and some youth that really seemed interested, so we are super excited. Now all we need to do is get them to church.  This week every night i crashed when it was 10:30 but the fruits of hard work show. It was a great week and i can say that it is worth it. I wanna keep the same work. One of the families we found there are 5 people in the family. The father about 1 year ago almost died from drinking alcohol to much. The family had a huge house and all the things they wanted. They had to sell it all to pay so the hospital could do the surgery so they moved to a smaller house in my area. We saw them unloading a truck, so we went and helped. We set a time to return and there at the 5 pm was all of them ready to listen. We taught about the family and it's importance and then the father said, "i really like this message how can i know what is true and what isnt."we read in luke 11,because they are catholic, where it says ask and recieve, knock and it shall be opened up unto you. They all said they would pray. i can tell that they are super greatful for their father in heaven who provided the way for them to keep their father alive. 

IT was a great week!!

love you guys alot and hope all is good at home!

Check this out!! 

A Test of Faith--Feb. 17

Family De la Cruz.. in english family of the cross..they are from my other area! 

so this week flew by!! the area is alittle hard, we had 3 lessons with members so its pretty hard. But im trying to work hard and keep up the courage. Presidnet Watts set the goal for this week that every area has 20 new investigors. The zone leaders are really pushing for the that. They told us it doenst matter if you have 30 hours of looking and 1 lesson with a member. The important thing is that we  get these 20. So thats the goal. With this goal it really makes me look and see where my faith is. The promise is that the field is white and ready to harvest. I know that president watts isn't just throwing numbers i know that this is something inspired, but at the same time this week where we had 2 new it's alittle hard to see that vision of 20 new. So i was reading and in 1 nephi 3:7 we know that nephi says i will go and do..becuase i know the lord never gives commandments to the sons of man without preparing the way. BUT in verse 5 it talks about how lamen and lemual rebelled and all that. President told us at times i feel like this: that i say something and you rebell. That kinda smacked me in the face because it's true. The goals he had set are from prayer, so there is a way to accomplish them. I told my comp that tuesday we are going to do a fast for this cause.

 

Not to much more has happened. Trying to get this area moving and keep up the courage. Thanks for all the pics and your prays. I know that if we are obident the Lord will bless us and more if we are obident with exactness we will see miracles in our lives!

Love you tons!!

Elder Riley

 

p.s this pic is of my first babtism this kid is named angel in the red. this family is super poor, but they love the church and they are one family that i miss from my old area.

New Area Yikes!! --Feb. 12

I'm in this new area and i feel like I'm in the states and it's not the Guatemala that i know. Im in zone 4 and there is a Walmart in my area, pizza hut, and just about everything that there is in the states. Oh and a payless shoes. I don't feel like I'm away from the states. My comp is Elder Azevedo from Brazil. He speaks Portugues and I speak English, but we speak Spanish so thats kinda funny to think about. He has about 1 year and a half in the mission, but i feel like i have to do all the teaching. He is a great guy, super funny, but at times he doesn't catch on to the things but its fun. There is only one thing with him that makes me alittle unpatiant. Hedoesn't  use his personal study alot so when im studding he is eating breakfast making noise but with alittle time i want him to help me so that he can understand and see the importance of our studys. I'm going to say this area is the riches area in my mission. There are people here driving BMW lexuses and just about all. cuff link shirts. its pretty crazy.

It was pretty hard to say goodbye to my other area. Im not a fan of that at all. The last night i was with a family called Barillas Artiaga they are my converts and their mom got baptized  this past saturday. I did not want to leave them but it was alright. I only cried in one house out of the nine that i said goodbye in, so im improving there. I've received a few things from the members so to close my suitcases got a little tricky, but its all good with my new backpack i fit it all in.

My area right now is pretty dead and its been stuggling for some time. Its hard to contact because its a rule of the area where there are security guards we cant contact. that kind of sucks. im trying my hardest to gain the trust of the members fast so that we can get working with them, but not to much has happened. i like my new area. I'm excited to work and all i ask is for are your prays. 

Love you!!

Elder Riley

This sunday we had an activity as a stake for all the seminary students. I was nephi in the beginning of the BOM. We had about 2 minitues to tell a story about 15 times. All the missionaries in the stake dressed put as a person and the event was called. Who is your super hero!?!?

I shook Elder Cooks Hand!! (: --Jan 27

This week was super great for me. I got back over 220 officially, so I'm happy about that. I didn't know how hard it was to keep weight on but its fun. I cook lunch and dinner almost everyday. Last night i made jello. Super yummy and i had chicken and some 7up. That's the good stuff.

The important and the best part of the week was tuesday and wednesday. On tuesday for the first time in my mission's history we met as a mission. We met in the chapel where my ward attends church and president talked alot about faith and how we can know if we are true representative of Christ. It was a great meeting and was super sweet to see all my freinds from the CCM on the day after we completed 5 months. This little time and has flown like crazy.

On wednesday we went to a different area and ELDR COOK came and visited us with some other Elders from the quroum of the 12. It was so great and once again Elder Cook talked about faith alot and also how we can know if we are searving with all our heart. I learned a ton!!! We heard from Elder Amado and in english that means Elder Loved. jajaj. His first words were smile!! his talk I liked alot. Then he said you Elders are to serious you need to relax. He talked about the happiness and how we can find joy and more joy in the mission. HE also talked about prayer and the importance that we teach our investigators to pray correctly. This was one of the best days of my life. Before we started the meeting Elder Cook asked us all to make a line and he wanted to shake all of our hands. This meeting was with Mission East, South and Central. That's alot of missionaries. He was super exciting. I was sitting about 15 feet from them! They have a spirit that i want to have!

BUt the crazy thing is that the monday before this week i read in Ether 12 about faith. THis week has been a faith week. Almost everyday all the appointments have fallen but it's the faith to keep working. The verse 20 something in Ether is amazing that says with faith miracles happen. And if we dont see miracles it is becuase our faith isn't where it needs to be.

Great week, learned alot, love my mission, and love you all.

Elder Riley

My new car!!! --jan 20

Broom broom only $23.00

This is my awesome companion loving my cooking skills!! 

Boy do I love black licorice!!! 

Jan 17 -- What a Great Week Jack!

This week flew by and it was a great one! Last monday we went hiking like I told you andI have  photos so i will send some after this weeks email! I also baught a backpack. It was super cheap like all the things and its great. I didnt have a problem with the side one but i decided to buy a normal backpack. 

This past week we had interviews with President Watts. I can honelty say I've never met a man that has the spirit so strong in his presence and has such love for all. I still don't  know President very well but it seems that when we talk he knows almost everything about me. Super Crazy! He is a great man and i love him. His wife does scare me a little with how crazy she is. She like grabbed my backpack and drug me into the room where we talked. The heart that this woman has for all her children is amazing! She just wanted to know about my health and gave me a cook book so i can gaina little  weight back which i have. I'm back to 220 so im pretty happy and I think i'll stay here for the rest of my mission, I hope. Sister Watts is so great.

We did get a new phone this week and our numbers are so great. We have been conctacing like crazy and now that we can call and organize our time we can actuallly work effectively. The phone is crucial here because people, most of the time, don't remember that they had anappointment  with us.  Well we are working hard like always and there are times that I feel I'm not working and not stressed with the language and it's amazing to just relax and share pamphlets  with everyone. 

Dad how was your talk? I'm really missing the snow.  I'm already sweating again. 

Love you all!!

Elder Riley

Christmas!!

(I don't have his past letters) 

Dec. 30 

how are yall all doing?. hope christmas was great and it was the best gift to get to talk to all you! I love each and everyone of you so much! 

How are you doing in reading the book of mormon everyday? and least one verse.?

Well this week has been great for me here. We will start the day of christmas. So it was like the best thing ever and probably one of my favorite christmass of my life. yes i am like 5 hours away in airplane but that day and those two hours that we skyped i felt like i was with yall. It was so great to hear all your voices and seee your smiling faces. Its super nice to see my family and hear them. When i have a bad day i always go to my photo book mom made me and look at all the family smiling and it always remindes me that yes I am the only Riley here in Guatemala but yall are here with me in heart. I know this is true. So after christmas talking with yall my comp was sick so we went to the house and he slept. i didnt want to sleep because i didnt have a reason. So i studied almost all of 3rd nephi. i might say that third nephi is my favortie book. I read chapter 11 like 3 times to really drill all the doctrine in my mind. i love the example of the wise man and the rain and the rocks. ITs 100% true. what i shared with you guys in the 25 i know is 100% true and only through those things we can live as a family forever in the presence of our heavenly father. It was so great to spend the whole day reading the scriptures and listen to the motab. IT wasn't super eventful day but it was legit. This week was pretty slow with lessons. For one my comp was sick all week so we would only work 5 hoursa day  becuase we was throwing up from eating one tamalli. Not sure how that happens becuse he is latino but i  love those things. lol. This week we did find 2 new familys to teach and they are both super good. This week we want to put a baptismal  date with both families. ITs great. The ward is kinda getting started to work with us but its hard to work with them when we always ask them and always say.. im to busy. in d&c 11 we read in one of the last verses and we must work in the lords vineyard to have our salvation. Its a powerful scripture. 

Mountains to Climb Nov. 18

Well this is week has been awesome and also one of the hardest weeks. Good first.  I had the babtism of the young man alexander who is 24 years old. It was such a great eperiacne to see someone who isnt a youth the change there life. It was kinda my first babtism where they werent surrounded my memeber. We didn't have to many people at the babtism but it didn't matter. Alexander only wanted to be babtized because he knew it was the right thing to do. After he was babtized he got up and bore his testimony. It was oh so simple but very sincere. He is just great to his heavenly father for all he has been given. He doesn't have the support from his family but he knows that the lord will always listen to him and that is what Heavenly Father wants from him. 

   On sunday he was comfirmed a member. The patriach perfomred and the ordinace and me and my comp stood in.  Also on sunday we had the primary prgram. IT was so awesome and definitly what i needed. The songs are the same here. I couldn't understsand the kids singing but i knew the songs in engish and i love it. The spirit was so strong! It is amazing the tesimony and the humilty we learn from the little kids. The son of the bishop got up and his line was amazing! HE said. mommy pappi, guide me, show me what i must do. i know you know, im putting my trust in you. I love you mommy and pappi. These where his words. These words hit my heart! I didn't really think about the rest of the program. Their words were in my head and weren't leaving. I want to say mom and dad. Thank you for guidding me to where i am now. I know you know that this is what i need and i hope feel the love of our Lord Jesus Christ everyday. Thank you for being the exampes in my life. I know that if i followed i would be happy. This is what i have tried to do. I love you mom and dad! 

    This week was alittle hard though. I can tell that i can understand the poeple alot more. i know what i need to say, its just to get the words out of my mouth is so hard. I know the words but many times and i cant speak. It is so hard at times but i know this is a trail of my faith that the lord put in my way to strengthen me. This is why we have trials and they are hard but we can overcome them with the help of the lords. I must say that the plack that says, Finishers Wanted is a huge blessing that i have to have that on my desk. There are many times when i just feel hopeless but when i read this plack i know that my dad and my brothers felt the same way that i am feeling and if they fulliled a faithful mission so can I. 

It is such a blesssing i have to be a missionary right now. The lord is hastening his work but so is satan. Satan knows the weakeness of our investigators and is drilling them. BUt i know with the help of the lord we have more power. 

I love you!

Elder Riley

My birthday week Nov. 11

HI!!

I dont ever spend much money of my own. Usually its all the mission money.I haven't baught anything that is for me. so im doing good. The president said if you have extra money use it for what you need. he said to buy things to help you teach so i have a few picture books. 

This week I had the babtism of a young kid. The family is all very active and he has been going to church  since birth but his father lives in the usa so he hasnt been babtized. He is 11 years old and  his dad finally said that he needs the help of the spirit in his life and he needs to be babtized so we had the chance to do it. IT was awesome to have a huge family and to feel the spirit so strong at this babtism. This family is pretty much my family here in my  area. They are so much like our fmaily. Always busy, always talking loud and always going different directions. I love them.

I had my first encounter with someone who wanted my money luckly i had a few quets, which is the money here to give the driunk dude. If they dont get money they just take our bags so i always cary about 5 quets. 

The weather here is aweome i guess it is hot here in the capitiol right now and its going to get cold. i love the weather. ITs almost always blue skys and the clouds are just beautiful. I do sweat but im pretty sure thats just a family thing. 

Sorry i didnt tell about alexander. alexander is a golden investigtor. We were walking down the street when he stopped us and asked if we were members of the Mormon church. I ask what he knew about us. HE said not alot but he wants to know the chapel and see what the church is like. we gave him a tour and set a time for the first discussion. He accepted that babtism commitment that i extended and he is just awesome. He reads the book of mormon all day. We met him 2 weeks ago and he is getting babtized this week. I am so excited. His family isn't the most supportive of him but is all for the gospel. HE calles me the giant angel. He knows so much and always when we explain something even before we start to tell him and share scriptures about blessings he said and these are the blessing i think we receive. He is a genius

. I am so thankful for this man. We have one family that has a past with alcohol and alot of it. they have a goal for the 30th of this month for babtism. Family Varias. If you could pray that they could feel the support that the lord has for them that would be muchly appreciated. My district spoilled me today with food and all. i had beans torillas and STEAK! Its the fullest ive been since i left. i love my district leader. He is going home in decimber but he is such a great man and i want to be the missionary he is.

Love you!!

Elder Riley

My temple week!! Nov. 4

Hey don't worry about the packages I'm doing great here. I haven't ran out of anything so I'm good. I don't need anything here in this area I kinda have a walmart soI'm  doing good.. I dont know if they take American money or not but im good. I found a scale today and if i loose 5 more pounds I will have lost 20 pounds. I don't feel super hungry, and it is a blessing from the lord that i don't feel hunger. I feel great though. 

The plan the our mission has is all with members so we try to support the members }. We have the job to look for 3 hours everyday. 1 hour with a leader of a organzation and 1 hour for any member and then the last only my comp and I. I love missionary work when we have a member in the lession. Its always goes so much better I feel they help the investigator feel more comfertable. I usually have a hour of language study in the mornings but when we have meetings i don't get the hour of language. Im trying to wake up at 530 so i can study more. It is a rule that goes if we have a hispanic comp and they want to speak english in the house they we speak english. 

Right now we have about 8 progressive investigators in our pool. It is pretty hard to keep them keeping commitments, but we pray for them always for the help of the lord to help them.  I had the chance to go the temple today with my zone. It was all in spanish but i understood alot of what was said. It is the old video but it is great. I love the temple because i always feel the spirit and feel so much closer to god in the temple. 

Love you,

Elder Riley 

Hey Jack - Oct. 28

This week has been awesome, but hard at the same time. I had another babtism of a little girl named Melanie she is nine years old, her uncle fredy babtisded her, It is alwayts bettter to have family babtise. My spanish is definitly improving all the time. at times i stuggle to understand but i know the lord had a plan for my language and will help me with my work. 

Satueday night here in the city in my area was crazy. Justin beber was in concert the street was full of people and nobdoy was home,. everyone was in the street wating for him to start those who couldnt pay for a ticket sat in the street and listened. IT was hard to do work that night and day. At two in the afternnoon the street was fiulled and he didnt show up until eight... six hours of girls screeming. 

You will be proud of me. I eat all my vegis all the tomatoas and almoist evertthing i get, it is hard but eggs beens and a tortoea are pretty nice. i am loosing weight i can tell becasue if i walk without my belt my pants fall.

My first baptism!!

October 14, 2013 
I love it here!! It rains all night, so I hear the rain on the tin roof!! It is a little hard not knowing what people are saying, but I know the lord will bless me. I think I'm loosing weight now here in the feild. 3 meals of beans, eggs with 3 torillas, and ALOT of walking. he works so hard help me with whatever. The best trainer i could ask for. He wants to learn english so much so in the house we only speak engish and in the feild only spanish- He is awesome. He is very well off and has everything he needs.

The poly kid is from hawaii his name is Hunter Vincent. I was at walmart and ran into him, but right now Walnart is not in my area so I can't go there. There is a member here that can take american money and transfer it to guatemalal and buy stuff for me.

So a typical day.. Wake up 6:30 work out till 6:50.. use a bucket every other day cause the shower doesn't work. Breakfast at the comedor..a lady feeds us every meal we want for 10 quets. About 1.15 in american money.  Study until 11 thats personal, companiship, tranining, and idioma. Then we work street contacting until lunch at 1 ish. We then have lessons till 9 the ward memberes are awesome and we have a awesome ward mission leader. 

My area is alittle rough after about 6. I cant wear my name badge after 6pm. But its all good. For smaller white people it is dangerous but for me since im the biggest in the zone its not to bad. 

Then best part of my week was i had my first babtism!!!!!! Angel Marroquin. He is 9 years old and his family was less active. Angel was babtized and his family, is going back to church. It was such an awesome feeling to see that. I feel like  real missionary. 

We have three more dates for this month so me and my comp are working our tales off to get them. 

2 crazy things. First I had exchanges with a elder prom panama. They speak so fast so it was really hard to understand but i got through the day. The next day I ate steamed beats for dinner. That was a killer!! And the other was cucumber with lime.. The food is crazy and I think the taste buds here and in north america are really different. I love you!!!

Elder Riley

My awesome companion!!

October 7, 2013

My new comp Elder Rivera from Honduras. He has been in the field ten months. He is amazing! Emailing for the first time in the field!! I'm in the city and my and my area is Santa Lauisa! It is so crazy being out here. But i love it. My comp is Elder Rivera from Honduras. He does speak a little english and he wants to learn more so in the house we only speak english and outside is only spanish. It is alittle frustrating not knowing what is going on, but I know with time and if I keep working the lord will utilize me and help let me speak spanish. Working with the members is the greatest way. It is a mission goal that every night we have a member with us for lessons. It truly helps because the investigators can see what a member in there area does. The members here love to help out. It is alittle hard right now because the last missionaries that were in the area weren't  the best so me and my comp are trying to get the trust back. We have about 5 progressing investigators, but we need a lot more. 

Conference was awesome! I didn't think I was going to be able to focus and not think about not having alot of food, but I loved conference. I learned so much from every apostle and I got to listen to it in engish! I loved it. I don't remember who but someone said if you want more investigators you have to talk more. My comp and I set a goal for each day to find 2 new people to teach. I'm super excited for that!

The house I'm in is pretty nice for here. We are in a gated community with guards at each gate, so it safe in the gates. We have a fridge and a microwave and our shower works every other day. We fill a buck up and that's our water. It is so freakin cold!! There is a lady here who washes our clothes; Hermana Galan is so sweet. We pay here 120 qets which is not alot every 8 qets is 1 dollar. We pay her that once a month and we get it reimbursed. She is awesome.   

Well I love it here. It is very humbling to see the places people live and my comp is amazing. The scriptures say the strength comes after the trial of your faith. Love you!!

Elder Riley

My last week in the MTC

 Sorry I'm a little behind!!

Sept. 25, 2013

      The power in the mtc was still on, but the other building where we go to email was out and so was some other buildings around us. My spanish has improved alot this last week. It has been very hard, but i know I will be blessed for my efforts. I am getting nervous for the field, but I  am so excited because I finally get to be a real missionary after being gone for a month.

      We learned this week about how to involve the ward  members and that is definitely something I want to do. Speaking of conference, I don't think I will be able to watch Saturday and not sure if I can get to watch Sunday in english, but I really am praying hard so that I can find strength as I am totally confused for my first month or two. I am going to miss the big breakfast and all the family, but I know that I am where I need to be at this time in my life and that I hear something that will touch my heart and be able to help me.

  I do have pictures of me and companions and people but we have to give the ccm our cameras because they get stolen so often, so when I get to the field next week I will send home a bunch.

   A little info.. I have stayed the same weight so far. still at 240 which is crazy cause I only get 3 meals a day. This last Sunday I got to pray in spanish in sacrament meeting it was super cool. I can say alot of what I  want when I pray.  Elder Ochea that was at our stake conference when it spilt came and spoke to us this last night. He talked alot about faith which i have found is huge. as long has we have faith that our heavenly father is aware of us we have nothing to fear. He wont let us fail. I found to awesome scriptures this week. D&C 15:6..Alma 29:9  I love these.

   I don't know what will happen if I get all wet. keep working i guess, that's what I'm here for. There was a elder who had been in the field for 3 months and he had to go home cause of stress and depression problems, but he said that he had rain water but to his knees one day. He isn't in my mission but it is crazy rain here. We also had a huge thunder. We were teaching and the hole building shuck from the boom that the thunder put off.

   Well that's all that has happened. I am super glad I  am here, but am very nervous for what is to come. I know that I  keep moving forward and keep trying to stay positive the lord will bless me and give me guia(guidance). I am excited for the chance to go help people find happiness and come unto Christ.  I know this church is true and that Pres. Monson is a prophet of god. The temple here is awesome. Super small but I feel the spirit so strong and is a good reminder of how I need to live to receive those blessings.

Best Week Ever!

Sorry for not emailing when we were supposed too. Thats what happens
in 3rd world countries. The power goes out for like 3 days. No
biggie.  So, this week was awesome so much happened!! There were some
little kids that came on a tour of the ccm and they walked through out
classrooms and we got to talk to them all and I  can say right now my
spanish is about what they can speak and I think they are in like the
3 grade. I've got work to do. haha because my district wants to learn
spanish bettter we are only speaking spanish. (solo espanol) it is
super hard, but I can already tell it is helping me a lot! I also
experienced my first earthquake which was so weird. I was eating
dinner when it felt like I was going to pass out then I looked around
and poeple were moving and I had no clue then the mission president came in
and yelled for us to go out side. It was just under a 5.0 here in the
city, so where it was strong was around an 8.. not sure what that means,
but it was strong. We also had the oppertunity to go to the mercada
which is like a china town, but its 3 floors below ground level of
these china town shops. They have like a meat seccion where no joke
cows and animals are just hanging and poeple get there meat cut off
right there. So weird!! But it was super. The poeple are so short! I
cant tell how old anyone is!! We had lunch there... at the Wendy's
which is clean! They have seccurity guards and it is scary because
they stare us white people down. Doesn't help i'm the biggiest in the
hole ccm. My companion and I finished lunch and we had a LDM (BOM) and
so we went out and for 20 min with our broken spanish tried to place
it. Right when we about had to go back to the bus a family of 3 walked
past. We got to talk to them and I gave them a book of mormon and said
that in this book it talks about how families can be together forver
and the moms eyes got huge! It was so cool. They promised to read what
we asked and we went our ways. I forgot to get the reforal stuff so
oops...:(  so thats that. A couple more things. I still havent gotten
grandmas package.. Elder loveland is here!! When the bus pulled up i
stood next to the door and waited for him. It is so cool to see him
here!! Also you have heard the stories of people messing up spanish
words.. I did this week. I was teaching my teacher and I  meant to say
we are so excited for you and your babtism date. excited is
imotionado. Well I didn't know that, so I used my dictionary. I found
the work and it said excitado. It looked right, so I used it and well
no I know that exitado means excited, but in the not good way... also
ask glenny if she knows a vagas family for the DR there is an elder
here who is from there. He's from santiago. Oh and mom the reason i'm
not using paragrahs.. I don't have a return button!! sorry! I love you

guys so much!      Elder RIley

Hey Everyone!

Hey! This week has flown by! It is crazy how fast time goes! This week has been super awesome. I can understand more and more about the language. I learned how to do a street contact and place a Book of Mormon in spanish so that was super cool. I didn't even need a script.i talk super slow but I gotta start somewhere so I'm super excited.

Yes the investigator thing was fake, but they do it to all the new missionaries besides the hispanos because they are only here for 2 weeks.  She is now my teacher and I love her teaching so much. My teachers are very patient with me. I do have a hard time memorizing things like D&C 4 in spanish.. it is a killer,  but it a challenge and I will beat it. My  companion and I are working hard and about every 3 days we try to only speak spanish which is hard, but i know the lord will bless us for our efforts. Nothing real exciting happens here in the ccm besides us learning more and more everyday. I love god. I know he lives. I can see his hand in my life so much already and I know as I keep working hard and doing my best to serve others the lord will bless me. I had  diarrhea all week, but its gone now. I'm getting used to the small food portions and I'm starting to already love the hispanic culture.

Elder Riley's First Two Weeks

    Well, Elder Riley has made it safely to the Guatemala MTC. He has been there just under two weeks. I miss him so much, but I know he is doing what is right.

                               
Here are the first two letters home to me.
      #1 I feel like i'm in a spritual prison here. (12 hours of classroom study)  There are only 80 missionaries here in the Guatemala mtc, so it's pretty small. I love being a missionary. We have a investiagor and her name is Alegajra, she is a chef at the mtc. We have taught her 4 times and 3 of them we have been told to do as much as we can in spanish. I stink at spanish right now, but the lord will bless me as I work hard. We comminted her to babtism, so that was a huge blessing as I have been feeling alittle home sick. I love each of you and I cant wait to hear about what happens in sports and want to wish you the best as you continue to go to school. Make good friends. I miss mine like crazy, but they mean the world to me.

Just some of Elder Riley's friends at the airport. 

                                                     
  #2: My spanish is coming slowly, but I think I've learned more here than I did all 2 years of high school spanish. I know the gift of tounges is real and the lord called me here for a reason. Guatemala is so awesome! The weather is super nice and the humitity isn't bad at all, but i'm in the city. Out on the coast and where there farms it is super hot and alot of humitity. I love this gospel. The church is true.
          Elder Riley is such a great example to all of us here at home and hopefully to all of you readers as well. I'm sure he would love to hear from all of you, so write him and give him some encouragement.