Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Address in Belize!!!

Dearly beloved family..

So as you all can see today isn’t Monday so I’m pretty sure that you are all wondering what all happened to me and why I didn’t email you yesterday. So the p-days here are really weird like we do all the regular stuff on Monday like p-day - buy, clean all that just on Tuesdays we write all our families. The thing is that there are some areas like Corazol that are 3 hours away in bus one way! So it’s 6 hours of travel here. So we do everything on Tuesday like we meet together and talk about our investigators and all that, then we go and write...

BUT today was extra special and extra crazy. We had thanks giving dinner. Well Belizean style. It was actually really nice. The senior missionary couple here did the whole thing and then we just ate some good food. Not quite as good as your rolls mom... MMmmmmmm, but still way better than just plain beans! (haha) The food here is a ton different. They don’t really eat beans! So, I’m afraid that I’m going to get even skinnier.

FAMILY AND FREIENDS!!!!!! READ THIS

If you send me mail from the regular address of the mission it won’t get here only when president personally comes here on a plane. So send it to the P.O. box here!

P.O Box 1123

Belize City, Belize, Central America

1 – Did you get a bike?

Yeah, I finally got a bike. I didn’t have to walk for the first time in my life!! I love it, but man it definitely works different muscles. The bike looks a lot like the bike that dad has but they don’t have gears. Not many people here have mountain bikes and stuff like that. OHHH but also, my house is soooooooooo nice. I can see the ocean from my house and it’s so beautiful. I could say that we have one of the nicest houses in the mission. Finally running water and a shower that I don’t have to dump out of a bucket!!! I’m working on the pictures and stuff.

2 – Are you still using your Spanish or do you speak that foreign language “English”?

Well as you know my companion, Elder Rabanales is from Guatemala. Yes, that’s my 4th from there, but he lived in the states and studied there with his family. So he speaks English perfectly, but he sounds like a gringo. =) He was from Sandy then his family moved to Alpine, Utah. But I speak to him a lot in Spanish so I don’t lose it. But a TON of people here speak like 2 or 3 languages. Like all the stores here are owned by the Chinese or the people from India. There are a lot of Latin people. There is a Latin branch here in the same building and then all the people here speak Kriol.......... Man that language is going to be the death of me. Literally it’s a language. When I heard before the mission about it, I thought it would be a lot similar to English - BUT ITS NOT... SURPRISE!!! Sometimes in a lesson a guy will talk to us and tell us a story and I just sit there and I have to look at my companion because I didn’t understand a word of it.... I bet it’s worse because I come from El Salvador and just speaking Spanish, but seriously it’s soooo hard.. hahaha.. but really fun. I love the people here.

3 – Is church big enough for a ward or a branch?

Well, all the churches here are Branches. There aren’t wards here. They don’t exist. But there are two branches in my building - one, English (me) and then the other Spanish. But I love my ward. A LOT of people came this week, 112 people. The church here is so new. It’s been here for 30 years, there are 12 branches and 2 districts, but it’s 3 times bigger than El Salvador and there are like 28 missionaries. (hahaha)

4 – How’s the temperature compared to El Salvador?

Well like these last few days it’s been sooooooooooo cold. Man I have slept with all my clothes on and all that. It’s like a cold spell here but the temperature is about the same as Sonsonate just it’s a different type of heat. Like it’s more of a burning heat and not a humid heat.

5 – Any basketball?

As of right now I haven’t played. We have a basketball court right next to our house and I’m going to play with some of the members here one day. Hopefully on Friday! But the problem is I don’t have shoes...... hahah… I had to leave the ones I bought in El Salvador back there because I was over weight in my bags.... and the problem here is that everything is so expensive here... haha (I don’t mean to whine to you.) It’s just part of life. Maybe I’ll just use my church ones and be intelligent. =P

Well the problem is that Elder Finlinson and Elder Brimley are in the other zone here - Cayo. I’m in Belize City zone. So I don’t see them much just Elder Mendenhall and Elder Winters. Some others too but I’m not sure you know them. =)

I love you all so much and I hope that you had a great Thanksgiving holiday.

Elder Sutton

PS: So put on the "to eat list when I get back"
1. Your cinnamon rolls
2. Your regular rolls with butter. =D
Love your hungry son,
Elder Sutton

Monday, November 21, 2011

Transfers!!!

Goodness! Today I have like a billion things to say to you and such a short time- like in Alyson and Wonderland (Alice in Wonderland). Haha - I’m sure that I didn’t spell that correctly. Well the first thing I’ll tell you are the big huge news. So this week was changes in the mission and yesterday President Cordon called me in the night time and told me he is going to send me to BELIZE!!!!!! Man, this Tuesday I have to be in the office and have all my stuff ready. So I only have today to pack. The thing is that I’m going to be in the area Belize City. So I think that’s good. But the bad is that I have to leave my comp and this amazing area behind. Seriously we are going to have some awesome baptisms in this area this month and the problem is that someone in Belize needs my help. Whomever that is? But I have to be there for Christmas. That’s the problem too. It’s very inconvenient for me right now. But it’s what the Lord says

I need to do, so now I have to do it. Right? But man, I’m going to miss Elder Diaz. We had so much fun these last days. Then all the people that I’ve gotten to know here and the people that have been baptized. I’ll miss them a lot. Who knows maybe it’ll just be hotter in Belize. But at least they play basketball.

Well supposedly they are going to have a thanksgiving thing here, but I’m sadly going to be in Belize so I’m not so sure what’s going to happen there. Or for Christmas for that matter. Then the package that you sent me.... Lots of questions huh? BUT I can only take 2 suit cases there so I’m going to drop off my small one with a member here that I can trust. =)

1 – Any words of wisdom &/or thankfulness you want to pass along to your “readers” (tis the season - hahaha)?

Well things I’m thankful for. Man I could go on for hours, literally... Well the first thing I’d say would have to be my family. Like all that they had to do so that I could have all these opportunities in my life. Seeing the people here and they just dream of all the opportunities that I had daily in the USA. That and the knowledge of the gospel that I have. How what I’m teaching the people here is the best thing that they could find in their whole life. Not because it teaches them how to earn more money, or just to find more food, cars, but it teaches them that it’s possible to be a good person and keeping the commandments of God and then do more, be happy and content with whom I am. Learn how to progress spiritually then physically. I don’t know, I just wish I would have had this knowledge before my mission. Ha-ha

2 – Have you done any fun/interesting service activities lately?

Any activities lately... well really nothing. We have been eating pizza the Mondays but really not a whole lot. Um - we have been sweating a ton but that’s nothing new. (haha) Even in the night time you wake up and I’m still wet from sweating while I’m sleeping.

3 – The ward choir sang today in church. Have you ever vocally performed in a sacrament meeting? (That would be fun!)

Well kind of, I have sung as a group for the choir like as missionaries but that and only for Pres. Eyring. That’s it. I really do like singing because I’m like a super star here because I can keep a tone. But really I think that I could bring the family here and we could sing on the corner and we’d be millionaires. Hahaha I love the people here but that isn’t the blessing they have received - musical training. =)

4 – Have you had any good soccer games lately? What else do you do on p-days?

Lately we haven’t been playing soccer. We have had to go to Santa Ana a lot recently and we don’t have time in the mornings to invite all the kids to go and play. And when we do play they show up and no one has a ball. But I’m slowly getting better. I still think I could beat Megan. =P

Well it’s quite the exciting week this week. The next time I’ll be in Belize if all things work out. But man I’m sure that I’m going to have to drink even more water or just die. hahah Because it’s tons hotter there then it is here. I think that I need to brush up on my English. Play blow the dust off my Spanish scriptures. (?) Man it’s going to be quite the experience. =)

Wish me luck.

Love Elder Sutton

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

New Family - Navas

DANG look at how great my family is. All the bishops knew that my family was the best so therefore they made you all talk! But this is like the first time that you have talked in church in quite a while huh, mom? How long has it been? But yeah, I think that my family is the best. My comp also spoke in church here. It was like missionary Sunday here to get the people helping us in the missionary work. =)

1 – You haven’t spoken too much about your companion only that he’s from Panama – what is he like & do you work well together? Are changes coming soon and will lose him?

Well my comp is ending the mission in February so that’s not going to be a lot of time left. I’m almost sure that we are going to be together for another change, but nothing is sure in the mission. He is from the capital of Panama. He loves to play sports mainly soccer and he is pretty good at it. We work soooo hard, he is actually a little down on the weather. But he likes comics which isn’t a problem - I like them too and we laugh a lot. He is the second missionary from his family and he got baptized when he was 11 years old. He thinks that Japanese girls are attractive and wants to marry a white girl or a Japanese.... Weird huh?... but he loves being serious with the elders and sisters in the zone but really he just puts on an angry face and then with me we just have fun. We are working hard in the sun and he says Panama is really hot too. Lots of gringos and lots of Chinese people, because of the Panama Canal. I told him when I’m presidente of the USA I’m going to invade Panama and make it the 51 state. (hahah - just joking.) =P . (Oh, by the way, we have another baptism for this Saturday with a kid named Carlos.)

2 – Do you still have the opportunity to play the piano in church?

No, sadly we have the stake president’s daughter to play. She isn’t good at all - just the right and the left hands play a basic cord, but I told her that she has to do it so that she can get better. Playing in front of the people is the best way to learn. THANKS MOM. =D

3 – Are you allowed to go over to the temple ever on your p-day or any other time?

Supposedly we were going twice in these last months before the new year, but we haven’t gone yet. There is a rule for us that we can only go 2 times every year because the temple is in the other mission..

4 – Have you been on any adventures (like when you went off to the volcano) since you’ve been in this area? Are there even any landmarks that are neat?

Adventures… I haven’t had yet... I feel like my area is an adventure because we just barely got more! So there used to be elders in my area and another area called Santa Emilia. The thing was that president took the elders out of Santa Emilia and told us to go there including our other area so we are running about a million miles an hour to try and cover them all. But Santa Emilia is really poor. Lots of houses made of bags and not a lot of people work.

5 – Were you able to get your pictures copied from your memory card by your friend? Are you saving them all to your hard drive? (We’ve only received pictures once since you’ve been there – you are still there ?.?.?) :P

Well I still haven’t gotten it back from him yet. I still need to pay him for the DVDs. But as soon as I have it I’m going to send it. JUST DONT LOOK AT THEM YET!!!!!! I want to do something cool with all my pictures when I get back and I don’t want you all spoiling the surprises of my pictures. =D

So this week we found lots of people and had lots in the church so if all works out how we plan it then we are going to do some baptizing. But we found a new family, Navas, and they are awesome. We have taught them like 4 times and as soon as we taught them about the Book of Mormon, the girl who is 17 took it to school to read it and she went to church with some of her family.

Well just so you know, grandma I did get your package with the lotion and cologne in it - thanks. And also I’ve gotten some dear elders from Emily and Carissa and I already sent off some letters to Amanda and other people in the family and friends. =) Cool huh?

But yeah, I love the mission. I know that I’m helping people out here to understand how to get the eternal life. It’s not hard to love them. The only hard thing is being in the right places in exactly the right time.

I love you all. I hope we all can receive the blessing that God has for us.


Elder Sutton

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

A Few Infirmities?

Good day, family of mine, back in the hills of Utah!!!

It really has been a while since I've been able to talk to you guys!!! So that’s really funny that someone has been saying stuff like that to you guys. But you should tell me who is saying it so that I can beat them up! (haha) As you know, I kind of got sick in church or something.... Not a huge deal or anything - I was just sick due to quite a few infirmities. =) They all combined to make me really dehydrated and then after that I got light headed in church. I DIDN'T FAINT! I just got light headed or something but man everyone really kind of freaked out.

So on Monday when I got back from the doctor, I got to baptize 6 people - our investigators (the Sanchez family and the Esquivel family). It was quite the coming home party! I love it. But really you need to tell me who is this elder or sister is. The gossip flies faster than the internet... haha

Man it sounds like Megan is going to do what Tasha used to do, or something like that. I can see her having a blast though! Plus she will be getting an income so she can buy her favorite brother a sweeeeeet cell phone when he gets back from his mission!!!!!! =D

KEITH IS BACK! Man, I feel like he just barely got out there!!! You’ll have to tell me how his talk is going to be and all the stories. Like he served in Russia right? Sounds like a tough mission, but Keith is an amazing guy. I’m sure that he baptized all the world of Russia.

Kyle Smith and Miles Penrod!!! Man that’s so cool that they are going on the mission! I love hearing people talk in Portuguese because they sound like Spanish with rocks in their mouth. I can understand it; just a few words change. But it’s awesome that Miles is going state side. He’ll baptize like 9 million people.

Kathy’s birthday huh? No one invited me to go to the party and have fun on a birthday. How was it? Did you all have tons of fun? I hope she had a great birthday!

BOX ELDER LACROSSE IS THE BEST TEAM EVER IN THE WORLD!!!!!!

So I did just get a little sick and all that jazz but I’m better. I need to drink more fluids.... Maybe if you guys could send me a cool water bottle for Christmas or something!!!!

Well I’m happy and I've learned my lesson and I’m going to drink more fluids.. Don’t worry mom. Thanks for caring about me =)

Elder Sutton