Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Christmas 2010

Wasn´t that crazy talking over Christmas. I feel like it wasn´t even real. When I hung up I was just like "wow, I just talked to my family on the phone...." (hahaha) Then after, I was going to ask you more questions because I forgot to ask but decided against breaking the rules. I´m such a good kid huh... (hahahhahhahah) But yeah, talk about weird. I could just imagine all of you sitting at the table talking on the speaker phone. How weird. =P

Well the way you're telling me, it sounds like you didn´t do anything super fun for Christmas because I wasn´t there!!! I know that's a lie but thanks for the thought. =P Eventually something fun has to happen while I'm gone so you can´t hide it forever. I´m just teasing. But I really like the pictures that you sent me. I have the pictures from last year's party at the PEAK. Good times. It's weird to think that I'm going to be in El Salvador this WHOLE year! The mission kind of messes with your mind, but the good thing is that I'm going to stay super busy so supposedly it's going to go by fast.. =) But just for the record I loved all the presents that each of you gave me! I´ve played with/used them all!! It made my Christmas feel at least somewhat like it.. hahaha =)

1 - How did the baptism go on Christmas day?

Well now that is kind of a sad story. I had all my baptismal clothes at the church and all that jazz and the sisters showed up without the girl who was supposed to be baptized. They proceeded to say that she is in San Salvador in a hospital and super sick! So NO BAPTISM... sad day for us... but we´re hoping in January!! (if she gets feeling better) Pray for her.

2 - What did you end up eating for you special Christmas dinner/food?

Hopefully these pictures will all work but yeah we had the whole mission party thing called The Multizona Navideña. where everyone in our mission went to a huge stake center and ate. We all got some cool soccer jerseys for Christmas then at the end we went and watched movies that the missionaries had made for Christmas. It was super cool!! Then we had a dinner that a rich member made for us like the 23 or something... hahah Then on the 24 (aka their Christmas) we ate at a members house! =) So I'm all fat and happy from Christmas. (hahaha)

Well I'll tell you guys a cool story that just happened last night. Deal!

Well about like 10:20'ish last night my comp got off the phone and was in his bed praying and I was laying out in our cool hammock writing in my journal about all the stuff we did when all of a sudden I heard some weird scratching coming from in our room; I thought it was my comp just scratching himself (haha - we found out he might be allergic to something here and has all these spots that are super itchy on his body) when all of a sudden from out of our room comes this HUGE RAT!!! I sat there still in my hammock watching it. This thing was huge though! Not like our other one that we killed but huge! So I told my comp and the rat went and hid among the boxes in our back corner. We both decided - we´re not going to sleep with this thing alive so we started to take out the boxes really slowly so not to scare it. My comp had this huge shovel and when it bolted we almost killed it. It ran out and into our drain and was sitting in there. So we tried everything to get it out. We used my peanut butter, tried throwing things at it but no. So at this time it was way late so we decided to block it off and kill it tomorrow (Today) So we got these huge bricks and put them in both the entrance in our house and in the drain in the street... So this morning my comp checked and someone stole the brick from the street and it escaped!!!!!!!!!!!!! Someone took a BRICK!!!! Man, everything here gets stolen!!!!! (hahha) That was the most resent and quite a long story but that is funny...

Well, it was awesome talking to you on the 25th and really I appreciate all that you all are for me. You all help me in a special unique way. Thank you.

Love Elder Sutton

Monday, December 20, 2010

December 20, 2010

Goodness goodness goodness...... Where in the world did December go?????????? Like literally I remember getting your package at the beginning of December and thinking, "Man, christmas is forever away. I don´t need to even worry about it" and now it feels like I was transported to the week of it!!!!!!!!!! Flippin crazy if you ask me.. Well we have transfers tomorrow and here is the news with me.............
=============================News==========================
We officially don´t have changes. Both me and Elder Winters are going to be together for another change!! =) I´m pretty excited but at the same time kinda bumbed I didn´t get to a new area. But literally it's going to be great spending Christmas here in my area and then also his birthday and maybe my birthday. He kinda is feeling like my brother that I never had... (thanks alot parents =P) I hope he doesn´t mind being with me another change. hahaha. Plus we get to go to people´s houses on Christmas and Christmas eve and all that such. =)=)

OKAY, I´m going to explain the Christmas season here and what everyone does. =)
Alright so first off all they try and make everything all pretty by painting the trees in the side walk white.. It just turns out looking funny but they try. Some people have like one string of lights. Like the most lights that I´ve seen here is one string on someone´s banister of their house. hahah they would be blown away if they went to the states and saw ours..
Next they all party! Like that's what they do. Like in the states it's a little more reverent and all that. Here they have HUGE fireworks like every night and huge dances and all that. So like the 24th is when they do everything. Open presents. Party. you know the whole thing we do on Christmas back in the states... lol Well then Christmas is like the day that everyone rests. Me and my comp call it the day that they sleep off their hang overs.. hahahah But yeah basically it's a reason for them to party!! hahaha but it's all good. hopefully a member will feed us and we won´t have to be in our house all Christmas then go out and work..... =) but it's all good!!!! =)

OKAY. update with the temple here. they almost have finished the outside. Like they even put up the angel Moroni and all that stuff! One member here works on the site and showed us the pictures. It's so cool. He is in charge of all the electrical and all that stuff here. =)

Man it's crazy to think that christmas is this week. But I´m glad that I´m here and going to experience this. It´ll be all for the good. =) and Jayda??? What??? no one bothered to tell me that April was even that pregnant! But now we have someone else in our family. Cool! Someone should send me pictures of the party!

hahaha Megan on a date. That just sounds funny to me!!!!! Does she even have a facebook yet? Lol I remember her wanting one all the time but mom wouldn´t let her. It's crazy to think that she is going to be a Senior when I get back. hahaha

1 - Have you been enjoying the 12 Days of Christmas?  Anything stand out as being more fun?

But yeah we have been enjoying the 12 days of Christmas!!! Literally it's like the highlight of our night! My favorite so far is the coloring book... hahah I´ve already colored like three of them... lol I do it while my comp is calling his district so don´t get to worried. hahaha

2 - Details for our upcoming chat with our favorite son?

Well details... Um... I´m going to call in the morning on Christmas. I think that is like set in stone but I don´t know of anything else. There are still a lot of options and I´m going to go get everything in order so don´t worry too much. If there is anything you wanna talk about write it down so you don´t forget. haha I know mom is super organized so she might already be doing that. =P love ya mom... Besides that I think we´re good. I don´t really want a lot of people. hahah if anyone really wants to they can talk but yeah you know. =)

3 - Will you ask the mission president's wife to add us to facebook?  (Dixie said she actually posts things once in a while so I think that might be neat - even in Spanish)

Well I´ll try and ask her but I dunno if she will remember. Like I´ll talk to her when we all get together for the multi zone activity this week. It should be pretty sweet. =)

4 - Are you still on track for upcoming baptisms?

Well those baptisms fell.... =( =( like we don´t know what happened but they decided that they didn´t want to be baptized anymore... we think they talked with some other people about it but it's okay. The work still goes forward. We found a girl this week who had been taught by other missionaries before and almost was baptized but just didn´t feel ready. So we´re working with her to baptize her. =)

Well I can´t think of anything more to write you guys.... =( I know that I´ll remember something as soon as I send this letter but it's all good. =) There is always next week. Hahah remember I´ll be here for two years. =P hahaha 

Feliz Navidad a todos y espero que todos disfruten esta epoca a recordar nuestro Salvador y Redentor. Sin el somos nada en esta vida y después tambien. Un buena escritura a leer es Lucas capitulo 2. Sobre el nacimiento de Jesús. Que Dios les bendiga siempre y les guarde.

Elder Sutton

December 13, 2010

Feliz Navidad! Honestamente no puedo creer que casi es la navidad.  Realmente el tiempo está corriendo como loco!!!   Haha-  well just a little Spanish to throw into you guys.  Really easy translating so you can have some fun with that.  (hahahaha)  Man we´re going to be talking on the phone in like two weeks.... It feels like I just got here!!!  Literally, the time is running away!  But yes, don´t worry, I got the most wonderful package from you guys ever.  I love the rice crispy treats with people´s comments on them.  :)  :)

Wowwwww!!!!!!!!!!!  Look at our house!!!  Where did our dungeon go?????  Like I totally can remember there being nothing down stairs and I didn´t recognize our basement for like 20 minutes!  I thought that you were in some other room or something!  Then with the huge television and the leather couches and all that..  Man!!   Why didn´t anyone tell me that we were rich?!?!?!   I would have bought tons of stuff growing up like an I phone!!!!   (hahaha)

 I miss petting dogs like it's my job!!!!!  It's a rule here that we can´t touch pets of any kind!!!!  But I'm going to confess that I have pet a dog before... :(   I´m a sinner....  But p.s. I love your pictures so much!!! One day I'll be back there with you guys.  :)

So you actually received my memory card????? Legit!!!  That's awesome.  I was hoping that it wouldn´t get stolen or anything like that.  I just sent it through regular mail..   My old companion was crazy; I'm not going to lie. 

1 – Are you calling home on Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve) or on Christmas Day?  Have you purchased your phone cards yet?

Well, I'm going to call you Christmas morning and I hope with my companion, Elder Winters, so then you can hear him too.  But yes, we´re talking to the members about finding the cheapest way to call - like buying phone cards or all that jazz.  Don´t worry, I'm figuring it all out.

2 – Where did you come up with your wacky, first companion?  We were just awed at him in his special music video…..(Josh Groban sing-a-long). It’s all fun!

Hahah - Elder Choc............. He really liked Josh Groban, but he had no idea what he was saying.... Definitely a......................... Special missionary.................... hahahahahahahah

3 – Have you bought anything for yourself for Christmas? (I put $100 in your account just in case you want a machete or something…. J)

Really??? So I can like buy something with the money?  Like maybe I'll buy some egg nog cause it's like $4 for a little.... I miss it.... =(  

HEY!!!! Remember to take pictures of the party and send me them. The Christmas parties.... =)

4 – Is there anything you want us to tell the family at the Wiggins’ Christmas party at the Peak this next Saturday? 

Tell them that... I miss them very much...  Everyone. Cheyenne, DeeDee,  The Harveys... all of them. Tell them that they all should have tons of fun for me and remember that with our family we can experience some of the best times in your life.  I know I have.

5 - How about the Suttons whom we will be hanging with on Sunday at their party?

Well maybe tell them that I miss them..  Tell grandma that I think about her too.  And I hope that she got my letter.  That I´m trying to have some fun too but that I'm working really hard to make everyone proud of the Sutton name. =)

Well I'm going to sign off so I can go and buy food for the week....  I just want to say how much of a deeper gratification I have for the Christmas season this year.  All the other years I guess I just took it for granted like just for the presents.  Now this year when I don´t have nearly as much (thankfully some, love you mom and others!!) I just realize that it's not about presents.  We hear that all the time but until you don´t have it, you don´t know. I love everyone of you guys..
Love you all friends, family... Megan, Amanda, mom and dad (even Maggie). 

Smile for me and remember to have some fun for your little brother in Central America. 
Don´t forget that I love you. really

Elder Sutton

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Derek and the Volcano

Thanksgiving in Elder Winter's old area


The crazy volcano we hiked to in our suits


The district


Elder Winter's and I in front of our house

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

December 7, 2010

Well hopefully you guys got my 3 pictures that I sent to you.

- The first photo is of us when we went to Elder Winters’ old area for a baptism. His bishop then went and got a turkey and the whole ordeal for the missionaries - that was my Thanksgiving!!! It actually wasn´t bad. (hahah) I still missed the real one, but my companion was really missing it. Every single year his family goes to the dunes and has Thanksgiving there with all his family and this was his first year not with them. He and his family are HUGE riders, 4 wheelers, motorcycles, etc. I tried to cheer him up. J

- The volcano of doom was the next photo! Man, I still feel tired from that trip and it was a week ago!!!! That was an experience that I’m not all that ready to do again. This next p-day we´re going to be chilling in our stake center playing ping pong and lacrosse and maybe get some food. (hahah) You should have seen us coming off that mountain. On the way back in this small village in the mountain there was a store, and we all went and cleaned the whole place out buying soda and chips and everything this guy had!!
J

- This photo is us in front of our house. We had to take a picture for the Christmas video that the zone is making. I thought it was funny so I sent it to ya’ll!!!!!

Well guess what??? We have a baby Christmas tree that my companion got from his ex-comp - it’s pretty legit. In our house we have a corner of Christmas stuff and lights. I think it’s pretty cool. It’s a lot better than other missionaries at least.

December 18 for Megan’s date? That should be fun!! Hopefully on that day we should have some baptisms! (cross your fingers) I remember the good old days of dating.... Sometimes I miss it and then at other times, I’m way happy I don´t have to deal with all that garbage!!!
J

Why haven´t you sent me a picture of Maggie in her new hair!! For all I know she is dead!!!!!! Man, I’m dreading one of these emails where you tell me that she is dead.. I think you should just lie to me and tell me she is forever alive and just buy me a new dog in her place! (hahahah - kidding kidding....)

OH, speaking of dead - my comp smashed a rat´s head in yesterday with a broom! Okay so here is the story. We have this giant whole in our house and two drains so that the water can leave when it’s raining. A rat came into our house through that whole.. My comp was on the phone when I saw it and so I was quiet and once he got off we got this ancient trap from inside our house and tried to set it up. It was too old to work so my comp decided to be Rambo and I gave him a broom, and he proceeded to chase after it with that broom until he finally trapped it in the corner and then proceeded to swing at it and making the funniest sounds I’ve ever heard. I can only compare them to like a ninja or something. I was laughing so hard. On my camera I have pictures but that’s at the house so another day you can see it.

Cut & Paste:

1 – Did you ever get cookies from your Grandma Carlene? (she sent something else off to you yesterday for Christmas but I said you hadn’t mentioned it…..?)

Nope... I haven´t received anything from Grandma Carlene yet. It’s probably in the mail as we speak. J But I’ll look forward to an awesome package from her sometime soon!!! HEY plus I sent you guys my memory card through the mail, let’s hope that it doesn´t get stolen!!! J J J

2 – Have you taught your companion how to use a lacrosse stick yet?

Of course I’ve taught him how to play! What kind of companion would I be if I hadn’t? (hahaha) He actually likes to play it so that’s even more of a bonus. One day we went out in the street and threw the ball. He wasn´t too good but the people were definitely watching us. J

3 – Are you getting to be a shoe shining fool?

Yeah I’m definitely a pro at shining my shoes. Man I almost do it every day because I want my shoes to last longer. I don´t want to have to go get new shoes for a while... because A. I don´t want to spend money on shoes and B. they aren´t all that great quality shoes here. (hahah) Oh but this week we tract into a guy who makes shoes. He was making them as we were talking to him. He had been doing it for like 50 years!!!! He definitely was pro at it.

So it must be true that Megan is starting to like basketball more than soccer right now. She must be doing good at it..
J I never was excellent at basketball so maybe all those genes went to her... THANKS ALOT PARENTS....... (hahahaha)

Well, we watched the Christmas devotional yesterday too. That kind of made me baggy (homesick), but it wasn´t terrible because it was in Spanish. I´m definitely improving because I understood a lot more than last time I watched conference. When it came time to sing the words were in English so my comp and I were the only ones singing; we sang loud!!
J

Well I just want to say that my family is the best.. Like I told you before my comp is what we call rich...... (haha) and he has always had all that he has wanted all his life and I just feel like I appreciate things a lot more than he does. I´m grateful for that!

So I’m throwing out ideas, but I might want to go out of state for college. Not too far but like maybe Arizona, California, or somewhere. I´m sure mom is opposed to that, but I just want to get a feel for real life out of flippin’ UTAH. (hahaha) Tell me what you think..
J

Love you all..
Elder Sutton

Sunday, December 5, 2010

November 30, 2010

Man do I have some stories this week but I don´t want to type it all… J I´m working on trying to get my hard drive and my pictures on the same but this computer I’m using is terrible and I’m probably just going to go to a members house where their computers aren´t 50 years old! I´ll answer the questions right now so that I can tell all the stories!

1 – Do you and your companion have a cell phone or a house phone (either)? How do you communicate with zone leaders, etc.?

Well only the zone leaders and the assistants get to have cell phones so that is sad, but we actually have like two phones; one is a set line and one is a ¨tellular¨ (it’s like a cell phone but bigger like a regular phone). We usually use the land line because its tons cheaper!

2 – What time do you get up in the mornings – leave to tract – come home in the evening/night?

Well we get up at 6:30 every morning and we eat, shower in the cold water and study until like 11ish then we go and do all the work until 1:00 and eat. We eat dinner at like 9:30 when we come back. That’s not always the most fun but sadly it’s a rule not to eat dinner until we come back at night. L

3 – Have you done anything fun on your p-day (checked out some topless babes or anything)?

Well really we haven´t done anything super crazy but our volcano experience. I’m going to write about that in a minute. J

4 – How was your interview with the mission president? (did he give you a promotion?)

Well it was really boring. He sat us in there and prayed, asked if there were any questions and then we bore our testimonies in English (I think he wanted to practice his English) then he shared an experience in Spanish then sent us on our way. Nothing really special. I don’t know, maybe I just haven´t done anything wrong. But it was lame!!! (hahaha)

(Hahah) Black Friday! I forgot totally about that! I definitely don´t miss doing that! It’s more of a girl thing then a guy thing I think. I still am not that all into shopping. J

Well let’s start off Sunday. First we went to my companion’s old area because he got to baptize his old investigator and so we went to our sacrament meeting then ditched to go to Atikisia. That was really legit! (It was tons of fun going to his area.) We went to see members and friends he had and all that, but it literally was a jungle! Like dirt roads and bridges and cows and farms and all that in the mountains! Then we went to the church building and it was tons nicer than the one that we have here!!!!! (hahahaha crazy) That night was the best. We ate Thanksgiving dinner with the bishop over there! Like turkey and potatoes and all that! It was our own Thanksgiving! J

Okay so yesterday we went to hike the volcano near Santa Ana! It was really legit the only problem was that it took us like 4 hours to get to the top and we got lost on our way up! Our so called ¨guide¨ got us lost and then some parts we had to crawl on our hands and knees! To top this all off, we were wearing church clothes because it is a new rule in the mission to always be wearing church clothes!!!! Let me tell you we all almost died. We didn´t plan for being out there all day long! We left at like 8 am and got back at like 6:30! (hahaha) I got some pictures! But everyone is dead today! Let alone my shirt is super super super dirty!!!!! Man, this story doesn´t even give it justice what we all went through!!!!!!

But all in all we got a great story and some pictures!!!

All is good here though. Christmas is coming up and we´re seeing Christmas lights and all that more and more every day. It’s crazy to think about how long I’ve been out on my mission already.. (hahah)

Love you all.

Elder Sutton

Monday, November 22, 2010

IT'S BLAZING DOWN HERE

Well Buenos Dias from the surface of the sun!!!!!!!!!!! Man it's hot here today! I don´t even know what that white stuff is on the ground in your pictures!! To me it looks like a dream almost. It's IMPOSSIBLE to imagine snow right now. (hahaha) I had to stare at those pictures for quite some time to realize that was frozen water from the sky!! Crazy - Man I really do want to print out some pictures to put in my little book. I´ve shown all you guys around here to all the members and investigators and all that jazz so you're pretty famous here if I do say so myself. =P Hahaha - Megan wants more snow? WAIT you said "we" would prefer 80 degrees. Are you talking about dad or who? I thought he liked the snow????


Dang it sounds like Megan is being as creative and as sporty as ever. She has to take the place of me while I'm gone. So how is Megan functioning with my cell phone? I imagine that she is doing quite well being able to be in touch with all her friend at the touch of a button. (The good old days when I could just call anyone that I wanted or text someone whenever I wanted. It feels like a century ago that I had a phone.) :( hahahahahah Let's all take a moment and cry for Derek....:(

So where is the place to eat now that all the good places are being burned down? My companion was way sick Saturday and Sunday and man we thought it was "dengay" or whatever the one that you get from mosquitoes and your bones and your joints hurt and all that.. He is deciding that today he isn't going to be sick and so far so good. Maybe it's all in the mind? We´ll see.. But still I'm in perfect health. =P ( Knock on wood for me.)

Well you seem to be working as hard as ever! You better not get all burned out by the time that I get back or I'm going to have to do all the work around the house. ( hahahah) But you´ve always been the one to work super hard. At times I want you to come here and teach some of these missionaries what you taught me!!! Maybe you could come here because it's so hot!!!!! I´ll trade you how does that sound. JUST KIDDING... I really do like being here. :)

BUT MAN!!! Thanksgiving. That's so weird. It doesn´t exist here at all... . I honestly forget about that holiday. The days kind of mush together except Wednesday because there are district meetings, Sunday because there are meetings, and Mondays because we are here (p-day). Besides that, it's all the same!!!!!!!!!! (hahahah) My companion and I are changing that. We are trying to make the very best of every day and make it memorable. Elder Winters is way better then Elder Choc. Okay, well just more friendly. Not better. =)

1 - Do you ever see any lizards or iguanas around?

Well that's the thing; I see tons of lizards and geckos here especially in our house. They make this funny sound that sounds like a bird at night. (hahahahah) I still haven´t seen iguanas around anywhere.

2 - Do you ever wear your suit coat or do you leave it in your apartment? (When Mike VanDusen went on his mission, his mission president made him leave it in the mission home until he went home.... weird)

The only time I use it is on Sunday. We all wear it to sacrament and the meetings and then after, it just stays in our closet until the next week. ( haha) That would be weird what happened to the Bishop's son. Wait, he is still our bishop right? Is there anything crazy in our ward? Anyone new?

3 - Do you miss Megan? (That is a real question she wanted to know....)

HAHAHAHAHAH oh goodness, Megan. Yes I miss you!!!!! I´m not a heartless beast like I pretended to be before my mission. I really do miss you. =) I show your pictures to the other elders and they all tell me to see if you have a boyfriend. SO - if you get letters from anyone in Spanish, just throw them away. HAHAHAH KIDDING!!!!!

4 - Is there something you have seen in El Salvador that you have never seen before in your life?

Well let's see. Lots of the fruit and like brands I've never seen before. There is this fruit called "lichas". OH MAN THEY ARE GOOD!! We call them alien brains because they come in this little red outer shell that has like tentacles all over it. It's like the size of a tangerine or smaller but really really really red and you tear off the top and suck out the middle which is kind of like a grape without the skin. It tastes so freaking good! (hahah) It's hard describing things. The food is a lot different, especially because they all have weird names!!! I´ll try and take pictures of it so you can see them.


Well this week was lots of fun and lots of stuff. We had some interviews to do for baptisms and we went traveling a lot for those but our area is still pretty dry. (Or not finding a lot of people.) I´m in the second capitol of El Salvador so people here have some money and really don´t want to listen to the gospel. But my companion and I are keeping our heads up and praying that we will be in this area for Christmas.. (hahaha) Who knows what the Lord has in store for us... Only one way to find out. Continue with a big smile. =) We have interviews with the mission president tomorrow so we´re hoping that our district isn´t in trouble. I doubt it, but you never know.

Hahahahaha - my companion almost got kissed by a topless drunk women this week!!!!!!!!! That was super hilarious and then another day he was working with the zone leaders in their area and got punched by an old guy and a box of tools!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA I literally laughed out loud when I heard that. I´m trying to make some good stories so you can all laugh and have a good time with me.

I pray for everyone of you guys and from what I can tell everything is working out there. Or maybe you´re just keeping the bad from me. =) Either way I think about you every day and one day I'll be comfortable on my mission and then I'll have to leave!

Love Elder Sutton

Monday, November 15, 2010

New Companion

Well I looked on my bill this week and I wrote down where they put it so here is exactly where our mail comes....
5 Avenida sur 19/21 OTE Lado oeste, Santa Ana
That is what it says so that should get you close if you look on Google Earth, I hope. We are kind of by the corner of the street. There is a store on the corner where we can get this stuff called pan dulce, which literally translates to sweet bread and it’s really cheap so I could live off of that for quite some time. My new companion actually is teaching me the food and such so I’m running with fire now!! And, I realized why I could hardly understand people; it’s just that they all use words called caliche. So that’s like the slang here; for instance, a dog in Spanish is perro. We all know that but they call it here a chucho. (Ha-ha) They all understand perro, but it’s like our words that really don´t make sense like “what’s up?” that doesn´t translate to Spanish. You can say “How are you” or “what are you doing”, but what’s up is different - it’s “Qué Hondas”. (ha-ha) I’m understanding a lot more thanks, in part, to my new companion. Plus he actually takes the time to sit there and explain things to me. It’s totally awesome!

So let’s see, this week was pretty crazy – I’m not going to lie. With changes and all things just were so crazy! Elder Choc was packing the night before until like 2 in the morning but I crashed long before that. Then I met this new guy that I’m going to be living with for 6 weeks again! (Ha-ha) talk about starting all over!
J This is how it is in the mission; I’m getting used to it.

1 – With your change, did you move or did your companion move into your house?

Well my change was really good. Only Elder Choc left and he actually went to San Salvador and my new companion, Elder Winters, came from Atikisia. That area is very poor. The first day in our area he told me that he saw more cars that day then he had seen his whole mission! And Santa Ana, where I’m at, is the second capitol of El Salvador. (I didn´t know that.) He also told me that there in his old area he would walk around dirt roads and everyone would listen to him and that no one would have doors but here it’s all totally different!! J

2 – Where is Elder Winters from and what is he like?

Well Elder Winters is from Mesa, Arizona, so that really is pretty sweet. He has been on his mission for 6 months here and 2 months in the MTC. He tells people that he is from Achacuapa which is a city here that actually has some white people like us and he has such good Spanish that he can almost pull it off. J He is one of those guys that just picked up Spanish and man he is pretty good at it. I think that it is awesome that I have a walking dictionary now and I don´t need to find a new one. J I´m just trying to learn as much as I can with him. He actually rides moto cross with dirt bikes kind of like Jeff, and so that really is cool. His family has a nice house and he has a girlfriend and all that... Let’s just say he isn´t hurting for money if you know what I mean. (ha-ha) He actually started a business when he was really young cleaning re-possessed houses for the bank and he got a lot of spending money from that. He definitely is a smart guy. J

3 – If your cook makes your lunch, what kind of things do you make for your dinners?

Well that’s the thing. We both are running out of money right now because he paid bills in his old house and I paid the bills for our house for this month. We´re trying to bug the members for food as much as we can. =P We don´t always, but really I’d rather bug some members and get food then not eat!!! I´m assuming you´d agree with me huh - mom? BUT, I love eating these red beans in a bag that you can just put into a pan and heat them up, make some eggs and then it’s all good! OH, I even made some home made french fries which were really awesome!!!

I think that you should send me some easy recipes so that I can cook some other stuff. I should have brought my little book of recipes - but remember that usually we have to do them from scratch so that’s the only problem. It would be amazing!!!!

4 – Have you had to get another haircut and who does it for you?

Well yes, I got a hair cut here and man was it awesome! My favorite part was when he cut my side burns down and used a literal razor and man was that a close cut. It was sooo smooth after. I might want to do it again today. It’s like $1 for a hair cut here. J Don´t you wish it was like that in the states. (Besides that one day at dollar cuts.)

OH the JAZZ. So are the play offs going on right now or what? I think the Suns are playing because my companion keeps asking the members about it. They don´t seem to be hurting too bad without Boozer. They are better off without him I think.

I took money out of my account to buy myself a pillow which is quite the investment, and I’m way happy with it. J

But really this change is already going by so fast. I think it’s my attitude because I want to be with Elder Winters because he actually talks to me and tries to be my friend and man does the time go so much better. I even feel better. We are making better friends in the ward and the bishop likes us more. It just all works out when the two missionaries are in harmony and both are trying to work hard. The ward can see the difference and they support us. We have times all this week to work with some of the members from the elders’ quorum. Things are working out. I realize that you have some good companions and some bad companions. I just have to live through the bad and cherish the time with the good.

Well I’m hoping that my family is having some fun for me. The mission is one of the best/hardest things that I’ve done in my life.

Elder Sutton

Monday, November 8, 2010

New Companion Soon

Well this week was actually really good! The funny thing is, it got really cold here and everyone is walking around in long sleeves and hoodies and pants, but it’s not cold at all!!! (HaHAHA - so funny.) I keep telling the people that back home it is ten times as cold as it is here and they told me they would die! But right now it’s supposedly the winter even though it’s hard to tell the difference. The only difference is if it’s raining or if it’s all sunny.

It sounds like you all are doing quite the work on our basement! Dang! I´m missing everything here. BUT I am taking lots of pictures and I turned up the resolution on my camera so the pictures should be a lot better than the ones at the MTC. I´m planning on sending them (memory card) in a package this time.. I'm going to like use one card each exchange if that makes sense; then I’ll send them at the end of the change. If you have any better ideas on how to do it, feel free to let me know! So have you put up more walls in the basement or have you just kept it the same and are painting the walls? (I´m kind of curious.)

Well this week we actually had a baptism which was pretty awesome even though we had so many problems get in the way! Okay I’ll relate the story:
So two Sundays ago a young boy came up to my companion (I was playing the piano for another ward, and Elder Choc was on splits) and said he wanted to be baptized so we told him this upcoming Sunday. We taught him and we got him interviewed and everything. I asked my companion 2 days before if there was anything that we had to do to get ready for it, and he said no that the ward mission leader was going to do it. So we show up at the time and guess what...... The font (Pila en Español) wasn´t full!!! There wasn´t even water so man we had to start filling it and it was supposed to take an hour to fill up.... Luckily they hadn´t shown up. Okay, so after we filled all that up and were just about ready (at this time it was like an hour past our time), the boy who was supposed to be baptized didn´t show up with his family. We couldn´t get a hold of them either. One of the members in our ward finally got a phone call and they told them that they were lost in San Salvador and didn´t have a way home so that Sunday at 8 they were going to do it... OKAY.... so we left the water in it and left to work. Sunday rolled around and we got there and the member that was going to baptize him had his clothes to baptize, but the boy didn't have any and the zone leaders weren´t answering their phone to bring some so somehow we scrunched up some clothes from a brother and finally he was baptized!!!!!!! hahahahah What did we learn from this...
1. The font takes over an hour to fill up
2. The people here are pack rats and you can find just about anything you need (including baptismal clothes)
3. Never trust your Guatemalan companion!!!! hahahahahahahahah

OHHHH!!!!! Tomorrow is our first change!!!!!! And my new companion is....
DRUMROLL PLEASE
..............................................Elder Winters!! I´m going to get a gringo companion!! I´m really excited and kind of nervous at the same time! I know I’ll be able to learn a lot from him because I can actually ask him in English and he can translate. My walking dictionary!! (SIDE STORY: I lost my dictionary that the MTC gave me on a bus and I got a new one from one of the members in the ward but some of the words you can´t read so I’m going to get a new one.) But I hear from the guys in my district and zone that he is way cool and has a lot of money. HAHAHA Most of all I hope that he wants to work like I do.
J

OH! Well I remember Emily telling me that she was practicing for the play but I didn´t know that the play was actually going on right now and it’s almost over. Some days are like months and the changes are like a week! We´ll see about this change.. (hahah) Well If your reading this Emily, I know that you did amazing even if I couldn´t see you.
J

Black ops..... UGH! Man, some days I just want to sit my big bum on the couch and watch TV. That’s what makes missionary work fun! NO REST.
J

1 – Do you have warm showers or is there not a water heater in your apartment?

Well that’s the miracle; I have a water heater which is attached to the shower head.. Weird I know, but the problem is that it only works for like 5 minutes and it’s either scolding hot or cold. J Sisters missionaries used to live in my house before so that’s why we have it. No other houses have heaters for Elders, SO I’m treasuring it for now...

2 – Is it still raining there or are you moving on to the HOT season?

The season is WINTER technically which means you only sweat a little at night. (hahaha) No, the raining season is all over. My first days in my mission it was the end of the raining season so it rained 3 or 4 days. J

3 – Are you able to find a specific address for your apartment? (Maybe there really aren’t such things…. J)

Well no I still have no idea, BUT the people here call the place I live San Miguelito. If that helps you at all find out where I’m living...

JEEZE!!! Sam’s getting married all ready. I could tell that he wanted to get married all the time I was with him. But still, why in the heck hasn´t he written me?!?!?!? Someone punch him out of his girl daze please!

Well Megan, I think that is an amazing idea to go into Spanish Club for the soccer game. (hahah) I would have done it also if I had time. Maybe you´ll learn a little in the process. J

OKAY!!! My question time.. =)

1. I need a new journal soon. No lie. I can get one here from the distribution center for like 7 bucks which isn´t terrible but it takes a while. What do you suggest I do? Look in other places for ones?

2. I want to know if someone can send me some piano music. Maybe dad or mom but like scan the John Schmidt music and send it to me and also CLAIR DE LUNE!!!!! I want to play those so bad. I have been playing my church books too don´t worry. But the members tell me they want to hear other music too and I don´t have much of it.. L If you could do that please....

Thank you for all your prayers for me - every single one of them. I really need them and trust me they help. I´m working on smiling all the time. It’s not always easy but then again what worth would anything be if it was all free?

I love you,

Elder Sutton

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

November 1, 2010

Holy cow! For real - Taco Time burned down? That is almost hard to believe! Honestly when I read that I thought that you were joking with me! No lie.... Wow, so they can give it a whole new look. (Dang talk about changes.) I have yet to see a Taco Time or an Arby´s here in El Salvador. =P It’s all good; I’m poor so I wouldn´t be able to eat there anyway. (hahahahaha)

Oh it was Great Grandma´s birthday this last week?? Dangit – Happy Birthday.... My brain is turning into mush! I´m losing English and learning Spanish. Sometimes you should hear me speak in English; I’m pretty bad! Sunday some members thought I was from Puerto Rico so that must means I’m progressing, but still it’s tough. I´m working on the language and all that jazz. Don´t worry I’m not slacking off too much - not at all actually!!!!

Well today we got up at 4:30 and went to San Salvador to play fútbol with the other elders. Apparently our zone baptized the most so we got to go play!!! WINNER!!! The president even came around, and it was fun to let loose and not have to worry about anything for a few hours. I was goalie today because they found out I could stop a ball. I think I’m probably good enough to beat Megan. I haven’t eaten yet so I could eat a cabello and drink un lago! (hahah) Basically I’m going to eat everything in sight! On the way on the bus there was traffic so it took around 2 or more hours to get there, but on the way back about 1.45 hours. There was a movie playing on the bus “2012” about the end of the world; man it was hard not to watch. I couldn’t really understand what all was said but it was crazy?

I got to see Elder Schaugaard and Elder Galvin again this week! They are still awesome! They were just a little surprised to see me this time. =P (hahaha)

Well I almost forgot that it was Halloween on Sunday! Flip! Well here they don´t celebrate Halloween; they celebrate Día de Los Muertos (that is today I believe). They go to graves of ancestors and put food and flowers and sit there all day long. There was a cemetery near the fields we played soccer today and we could see people over there playing music and eating. It’s a little different here. They call Halloween sometimes Noche de Brujas or night of witches - cool huh!

Amanda wrote me a letter and said that she partied too during Halloween just like Megan, but they both are babies. Okay maybe I’m a baby too. I´m not a fan of all the scary stuff; you know that!! Jurassic Park still scares me! One day we´re going to be eaten by dinosaurs!

1 – Do the streets have pavement or are they mostly dirt?

Well basically all the streets are dirt. The huge major ones are real streets but the huge majority is just dirt so my shoes get dirty and I have to get my brush out and clean them just about every single day! (Sad face) But at least I have shoes!

2 – Without curbs, where does all the rain end up?

Well you see that is the problem. It doesn´t end up anywhere. It just falls and stays there until it evaporates! When it pours, it just stays there and that is why I needed those huge boots to wade through the water. =) Right now I would love to have some rain. Goodness it’s blazing hot out here!

3 – Have you been in to teach anybody this week?

Well we usually try and teach like 20 lessons a week but this week we were having some problems. Our lessons and appointments fell through a lot so we went and knocked doors a lot this week. Not my favorite thing to do. =( At times it is necessary. I was thinking about how far I walk in a day and it’s a ton. I´ll look for a cheap pedometer so I can tell you how long I have walked if they exist here! (hahaha)

4 – Do people have family pets and if so what type?

There are tons of dogs here because no one spays or neuters their dog! Besides that yes people have dogs for pets too! Some have some birds and a few have cats and one had fish that I saw. =) It’s kind of funny how they have pets and cell phones and TV’s but tiny houses. =) Surprisingly they have video games and such here! But like game cube and the old consoles here! I saw a poster for Call of Duty Modern Warfare1 on a wall here, and I really kind of missed it.

5 - On a normal day, do you ride the bus or just walk?

Normal day I walk all day long. No buses. =) Our area is long and it takes like 1 hour to get from one side to the other side if we walk really fast. I don´t like to do that plus we don´t usually walk from one side to the other. We contact and teach and such. There are tons of buses here and usually they cost 20 cents to ride the bus. =) But I am saving my money. 25 cents buys me a little bottle of orange juice called del valle and that is a nice treat!

I’m grateful for the update on the sports! One of the elders from the USA asked me who won the super bowl and NBA draft and I had no idea.. I totally spaced it. J But I’m grateful for the updates. J

I ended up writing all my friends and such back this week and man that took all last p-day. Either I better write one at a time or something else because waiting a month for me to respond to everyone was a bad idea. BUT I had a good reason. I was kind of awe struck for the first few days - weeks. (Hahaha) Some people should be receiving some letters in the next decade, but if I forgot someone I’m sorry... L

We found out yesterday that we are going to have a baptism this Saturday for a man named Abillo Roca. He has been attending church for a little while and just told my companion that he wants to be baptized by his brother who is a member so we told him okay. I play the piano in church and some members roped me into playing for their ward choir practice because without it..... Poochica!!! They really don´t have much tone! Thank you again mom for the TaVaci classes.... :) :) :)

SO this is my last week with Elder Choc. I can totally communicate with him now... sort of. Yeah, I can express what I need to do and he talks to me and helps me out when necessary. I hear some different things but most likely he is going to leave and I’m going to get a new one. Some people say that he will stay but a guy in my district assures me that he is going to leave. Who knows? Only the president and God know that one. That will be weird getting used to a new companion, but don´t worry I’m easy to like. (kidding - kidding.) I try to be nice to everyone!

I also received a letter from Holly saying that she wasn´t allowed to see my posts on my blog so tell Holly my address so she can write me! Pronto por favor!!! Muchos Gracías!

Well also guess what???? In the other ward there is this little white girl who can´t be more then 1 year old! At first I thought she was from Honduras because they are a little white there but no! She is adopted from SANDY, UTAH!!! (hahaha) While I was playing the piano for a different ward´s meeting, she came up and just stared at me for a long time! I don’t know if it was because I am white or just because I was playing the piano but that was such a huge shock for me!

This week we are going to have a ward day called Missionary Sunday where the people in the ward are going to be taught a little to share their testimonies with their friends; ultimately we hope to receive referrals from them. ( man my English is bad!) But who knows, we have been planning this for quite some weeks and hopefully it will all work out.

Well I just want to say what a blessing my family is in my life and how much they mean to me. I´m thousands of miles away from them and yet they still affect my decisions here. Talk about something powerful. Even some of the world’s strongest magnets can´t do that. Families are sent to each of us for a reason. Good or bad we learn just about all we know from them and in my case I owe more then I can give to each member. I’m not going to lie; this is one of the hardest things that I’ve ever had to do in my life but at the same time it’s going to be one of the most rewarding. If nothing else, it´ll bless others’ lives. If nothing more - that is worth it. I´m forever grateful!

Elder Sutton

Monday, October 25, 2010

Real Milk This Week

Wow it sounds like I missed all the party with Brooke Walker!! Dang I want to be on TV. Maybe I’ll just do something crazy here and they'll put me on the Spanish TV. Okay just for the record we went into a member’s house and I watched a little TV. GASP!!! Yes, I’m a sinner but I don't know if it counts if I can't understand it. I can basically understand all the words that people say to me but the news is flippin crazy!!! Goodness!!! I can just imagine how a sports game would sound! But how did you work out the whole Brooke Walker thingy? It sounds like you were in the right place at the right time on this one! I've always wanted to be a movie star. Well there always is after my mission. =P

OH!! Before I forget, does anyone have Tyler Conrad's email? I got a letter from him finally, and he said that he hates writing and is going to start emailing from now on but I think that he might be writing to one of my other email accounts... =( Sad day....

So speaking of the Mo Tab Choir, I have a new profound love for them here on the mission. We are allowed to listen to other music here, but ALL of it is slow and they sing about sad things.. Mo Tab is always way fun to listen to because they are more up beat!!! (Hahahah) I'm growing more and more appreciative every day of the things I used to have. Even now I’m sleeping on my spare mattress sheets as a pillow because I don't have one. HAHA It’s not bad I’ve been doing it for 4 weeks or something.
Dang! We have changes in like 2 weeks! That went by way fast! I figure that when we work hard, everything goes by way faster! Church goes by faster, p-day goes by faster and even the weeks go by relatively fast! It’s really a whole new world out here on my mission! It doesn't feel like real life! AH! I probably have said that before but it feels like I’m on a vacation right now and I’m going to be back like next week. HAHAHAH SURPRISE - I’m really on a mission.

Well so you're having some chilly weather. Let’s see right now it’s like 75 and it’s going to get hotter and lets see..... Yesterday.... the SAME!!!! And the day before that.......... THE SAME!!!! It’s so flippin hot here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I don't want to hear about this chilly weather such because I’m sweating my face off every single day!!!! HAHAHA =P
Everything is going to change though in the raining season. I can tell you right now it’s going to rain buckets. Literally; EVERYONE has huge buckets in front of their houses. (hahaha) but guess what, no snow... =( I'm going to be having a scolding Christmas. =( Maybe you could send me some snow? kidding kidding.

Oh speaking of which mom I got the Halloween package from you! Okay I love you so much. Literally, when I get back I’m buying you a car and another house.. You are the best ever!!! We all love the Halloween pumpkin. My comp had no idea what it was but I do. =) That was our Halloween present. =) Plus the candy. I am sharing a little with him. (hahaha) I also got some letters from you and Amanda. I wish I could do something for you guys. Literally you guys made my day!!! =)=)=)=)

1 - Do you have a specific street address for where you live? (we got on google earth and want to see your approximate location) Are there any special “city” landmarks around you?

Ah.. Good question I really have no idea what our specific address is. They don't really tell us and I don't know why.. But look for our stake center. I don't really have any other way of getting to my place then that.. Well there is a big cathedral in the center of town and also a big mall! The city is Santa Ana and our zone is Modelo my area Independencia. =) I'm kind of lost in this planet of El Salvador. Hahaha

2 - Have you found that there are certain foods they DON’T have down there that you miss?

Well let’s see they basically don't have everything but they have Pepsi and Coke. That’s for sure and besides that, if you can find it American here it’s flippin expensive! Like name cereal here is way expensive so I don't get it. I get this random kind here with an elephant on the front of it. I don't really remember what it’s called. There is no canned soup here which is weird. This week I’m going to buy real milk!!!! =) no more powder milk for me for a little while. (hahaha) I’m so excited!!! They don't have all the candy that we have there in America. They love crackers and cookies here so those are really cheap and I get tons of them.

3 - Does your companion come from a big or a small family, members or non-members?

Well actually my companion was nacio en la iglesia or was born in the church like I was, and he has a lot of brothers and sisters - I don't remember exactly how many but a lot. He lived in the mountains in Guatemala so it was freezing cold at his house and no one had electricity so that was weird, but they just finished building a church in his town and the church has electricity so that will be a surprise for his family!!

4 - Have you seen any more giant bugs lately?

Well let’s see there are tons of those giant bugs but my companion hasn't killed any yet. He tried to kill a gecko with one of those bottles of insect killer but that just made it mad and it ran away. He really is crazy. I told him that if he killed it that he had to eat it. =P

5 - Are you a regular playing the piano in church yet?

Oh yeah I am definitely a regular at the piano there. Everyone expects me to be able to play all the himnos here and so far I have done a good job at it but who even knows about next week. I'm just waiting for one of those hymns that are only in Spanish to show up and I’ll have no idea how to play it!!!! (hahaha good times. =P) Yet again mom I owe you another house and a car for making me take and continue piano.( hahahah)

6 - Did you have your meeting with the general authority yet or is it this week?

Yes, Elder James Martino came and we spent the whole day talking with him. Our zone and like 2 others in our stake center. It was way awesome! Both he and his wife came. They are right now living in Guatemala because he is in the area presidency over those areas too. =)


My week was pretty good. I really loved the general authority who came. He was really powerful and I wrote and learned a lot about of things that I need to do better and what I need to study. I still love the members. I´m alright with the walking a lot, but I definitely get tired through the week. (Hahah - especially Sundays =P) Well I’m trying to get a little better every day with Spanish. Some of the members say that I’m learning really fast, but I don´t know if they are just being nice or what....

I´m looking forward to our call on Christmas to hear your voices.

Adios,

Love your son
Derek

Monday, October 18, 2010

Vegetable Soup - Yuck!

Buenos Tardes de Santa Anna!

Well Yes, I did actually get to see Bryant Schaugaard! It was pretty cool. Honestly I was in shock to see him. I had no idea that I was going to see him that day. We were going to a follow up meeting for all the “newbies” and their trainers and out pops this red head! (hahah) Literally I was in shock to see him. I could barely talk in English. He told me that I look a lot different and that he almost didn´t recognize me. Which is weird; I don´t think that I look any different but that’s probably because I have to look at myself every single day. Dangit.... =P But yeah from what I hear we get to have a Christmas party with all the missionaries which should be lots of fun. I´m still not sure what I should do about presents or if we are even allowed to have any presents. I don’t know. I don´t have any idea what things I would want.. hahah. I´ve just been trying hard to remember the people here and their names and where they live let alone think about what I want for Christmas.... Its going to be soooooo strange having Christmas in the blazing heat... I can´t believe it, but it´s going to happen twice so I better get used to it. =P

So it sounds like the construction project for the new room is under way and I’m assuming that dad and yourself mom are the main work force with Megan and all her projects and stuff every single day. Who knows? OH, one thing that I would really like that I told Amanda and I’m gong to tell you. PLEASE take pictures of the project while its under construction and all that stuff. I don´t want to be left out =(..... That way I can have some sort of idea what’s happening over there in never land. I remember the time I went and helped Graydon and Kevin strip wall paper from a house and that was tons of fun!!! NOT!!!! So exactly what are you going to do to the whole house??? Or just the family room or the basement or what???

1 – How is communication coming along with your companion and the people in your area?
Well the communication is coming along. It’s not perfect because he can´t speak English but everywhere I go I have my little note book and my dictionary and if there are things that I don´t know I write them down and when I get a second I look them up. All the natives steal my dictionary to look up dumb words and then proceed to yell them at me in terrible English. HAHAHA its way funny. =P

2 – What is the best thing you ate this week? (We hope you are eating more food than less food – you don’t have room to loose….)

Well the best thing that I ate this week.... Probably two things: First I ate this stuff last night for family home evening where they got eggs and put like chili on it and stuff. It was quite good actually. (I still have yet to get sick. =) knock on wood) hahah Second our cook made this potato stuff which I really liked! It was made with like cream and all this stuff. Very good.

I did find something that I didn´t like though. They call it sopa de vendura (vegetable soup). It’s got all types of squash in it and meat and this stuff that was nasty. I recommend no one try it. Hahaha

3 – What is the best thing that happened for the week?

The best thing that happened to me... Well I’ll tell you two things one about our investigator that we found. He lives in this house kind of by Carmen Ordonez whom we are teaching. He was sitting out there one day and started talking to me in English, and I thought it was yet another drunk trying to be funny. So I just ignored him until I realized that he actually could speak English. So we went and talked to him and he was kind of drunk so that was fun. But we convinced him that we would stop by a few days later. Then this week we stopped by Carmen Ordonez´s house and he was out there so after we went and talked to him, and he apparently lived in the states for quite some time until he was deported. (hahah) All the drunks here were deported from USA. (Not really but it seems like it.) But eventually we got to talking and he is very interested in the church and actually came to sacrament meeting for an hour the day before I even taught him part of the lesson in English!!!!! Way awesome!! It was the primary program too so I hope that he liked that yesterday... Talk about difficult though. It’s hard understanding grownups speaking to me let alone little kids who can barely speak themselves!!!! It’s all good; one day I will be able to understand everything. Spanish is coming along.

4 – Who does your washing? (you or is there a member you pay)

Every Monday morning we get up and at seven walk to this lady´s house that does our washing for us. So to answer your question, a lady in our ward does it. So it’s the Elder´s quorum president´s wife. =) If that makes any sense to anyone. She does a very good job too at it. All the dirt in my collars is gone the next week so that is amazing in itself!!!

5 – Do you know either Elder Preston Ferrin or Elder Finlinson?

I do know elder Finlinson!!!! (Hahaha) He is in my zone and when we get together we always talk!! He is pretty cool! That missionary mom´s website is quite something! But I don´t know Preston Ferrin... Never heard his name before.... =( Santa Anna is pretty big and I don’t know all the missionaries in it. Just in my district and zone. We don´t get to see many other missionaries. Elder Finlinson went to the capital today to fix his police report because they were having some problems.

I just want to take the time to say how smart you are mom. How you had me pack all these things that I would have never in my life thought of it and then had to come down here and use my money to buy... Let’s just take one example: Q tips. I used those this week and I would never have thought about it. It’s quite crazy. There is a reason that you’re my mom. I´m glad that you made me think of those things ahead of time. It still feels like I’m on a vacation right now. Like in a week, I’m going to come home and keep going to school. I don´t know how to explain it. It’s one of those “newbie” things. I’ve been talking to Elder Finlinson about this, and he feels exactly the same way as I do. It’s almost not real. When the day comes that it does feel real, I’m going to be almost done with my mission. That’s why I’m doing my best now to work hard, obey the rules and have a little fun. =)

I want to see the front yard all dug up. All I can remember is all the flowers. I can´t believe that it’s getting cold there and going to snow in the winter. People here think of snow as in the fairy tales and such... Like not real. My companion lived in a small town in the mountains of Guatemala and his parents told him last year that "it fell snow" as they say here. And people were like shaking their heads because they didn´t believe it!!!! hahahha

Oh I got your letters mom. Well two “Dear Elders” talking about before Megan’s party and then the other one was about after the party. I kind of laughed because of how I got them both at the same time. At the same time it made me realize that life is still happening back at home without me. Why didn´t you stop time, mom?? I thought you were going to do that for me???? hahahah I bet you´ll get right on that. =P

Wow Brandon is home now. That feels like such a long time and yet such a short time that he was out on his mission. Did he like it? What did he have to say about it? I have been receiving a few emails from Jared just simple chats and he seems to be doing pretty good. It’s almost a third world country in Chile so he almost knows how it is here. =P You don´t really know what poor is until your sitting in a shack on the side of the road, and they use what little money they have and get a soda pop and put it in a refill mug because its the best they have. =) Yet the people here somehow find a way to still give. They have nothing but still give everything. We could learn a lot from mimicking the people here.

OH!!! You looked up where I live???? It is pretty cool huh. =) Well I live really close to the stake center. It’s called Modelo and my area is Independencia. If you can find that then your really close to my place like 4 blocks away. (hahaha) You should look it up on Google Earth and next week I can direct you to my house. I bet you’re at Taco Time right now with grandpa and grandma... How are they doing? What is happening around the family? I want to know!!

Oh that is what my blog looks like!! Dang, I had no idea. I don’t know if I can look at my blog, but I did anyway. (hahaha) You should tell my friends and everyone about my blog, mom, because it’s really really really hard to find time to hand write on p-day. I don´t know if you understand, BUT ITS REALLY HARD!!! Don´t worry I make time for you guys in email. But yeah I loved the letters you sent me. Also, Paul Wood sent me a little letter and I finally got that. If you get the chance tell him how much I really appreciate hearing from him even if it was just something they had to do for elders quorum; I still really appreciate it.

Well this week a councilor from the area presidency is coming to the stake center which happens like twice a year and we get to attend it!! This really is a huge deal here. The mission president, who lives 2 hours away, drove up here yesterday and is coming a couple more times this week to prepare for him. I don´t remember his name but he is white and speaks Spanish and English so I hope that I can hear a little English but I doubt it. There are some people here that speak English but it’s broken and not so good. It helps though that they try. If anything the members are patient with me. It’s hard. I don’t know if anyone can really understand unless you have experienced it. It’s funny to see all the heads turn and everyone look at me and my short little companion. =P They are really funny. When I talk to them you can tell they really pay attention because I’m a big white guy in a shirt and tie. OF course they are going to listen to me. I just need to speak some more. My companion is pushing me to talk to members which is good. I know having him as a companion is helping me learn in more then just one way.

Well also I just want to say how much it means that you write to me. Some of the elders here don´t receive letters from their parents or anyone and they just write things to their family and hope that they get them; they have nothing to look forward to on Monday besides just resting. I almost just want to give them your email so you can write them but they only speak Spanish. If you learn fast, I will. =P If anything you won´t forget about me huh mom. =P

So we are hoping for a baptism this month. I found out that this area that we´re in is one of the tougher areas so that is part of the reason why we aren´t baptizing like all the other elders. We have people they just give us a time to come teach them when they know they aren´t going to be there. It’s pretty sad because we waste time just looking for them. Oh well: I’m still doing this for God. If nothing I’m learning how to speak Spanish and you guys can have the blessings. =)

I hope that the food is good at Taco Time and that you ate something for me, mom. I hope that Megan is doing well in the boy department and in school. Remember that I survived school and that means you should pass with flying colors. Just don´t take it for granted; you only get high school once. =) Dad, I got your picture from work and I sent you email back but you weren´t on... =( Just remember, dad, that I’m always going to be your son no matter where I am in the world. Amanda, I just wrote you but remember to have some fun. Life is nothing without laughing. =)

I pray for you all every day.

que les vaya bien.

Elder Sutton