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.