That's crazy mom I can't believe you got that picture from Elder Barton ya he is the AP and he speaks such good Qeqchi but wow that's weird and cool.  I want to see that pic but ya that's by the familia Ical´s house they are recent converts and we have a fecha that lives there too so that's where that is at!!!

Alright so ya it is soooooooo hot here and its not even summer.   People just tell me mas coc li ru which is your face is sooooo red and I just say I know and your face is brown hahaha it sounds racist but its really not, here the Qeqchi´s are crazy people really joking and funny.

Alright so kind of a big man up week for me so we had divisions and I stayed in Canlun with Elder Resinos and he has been in Polochic for 4 months and he doesn't know any Qeqchi so I had to take over and teach and I learned a lot but man it was so hard but I got through the day.   Then Elder Griffiths called and asked if I could do it for one more day and I was like we have to go to the mountains and teach investigators like really important appointments and he said dude just go and do, and so I did.   The next day I took Elder Resinos into the mountains and he wanted to hike but I said no we are teaching and I went and taught and even found this way cool family up there.   They are young and come to Canlun every Sunday so looks good but then we had to return to the valley and we taught Cesar.   He is 16 and was a new investigator and it was our first lesson with him so I planned a good lesson then I felt like we should invite him to baptism so we did, and he said....YES.   I was so happy oh it was a big step in my Qeqchi but all is good with him so that was a big man up or sit at home situation but I trusted in the Lord and it paid off and I was helped a ton.

It was weird at church this Sunday so none of our baptism date investigators came to church.   We have 7 and nobody came but we had 8 investigators who weren't progressing came to church so what did I learn?   That the weak are stronger than you think and the strong are weaker than you think.

I had probably the most spiritual experience yet on my mission yesterday. I have become good friends with this young man in our branch named Juan and he was at church and then he just went home and I didn't think anything of it.   Later that day we got a call from the branch president saying that Juan wanted a blessing and so we went to his house and he was just sweating and couldn't speak and he just looked bad and so we told him about the two parts of the blessings and he asked me to give the blessing.   I did but like after I just felt like such love for him and like the spirit was just so strong. I don't know like not a huge deal we give a lot of blessings but man I don't know something was different and I have never felt the spirit so strong so ya that was good!!!

Well everything is going good its super hot but me and Elder Griffiths buy coconuts like crazy.  It is coconut season and we just buy in bulk and put them in our fridge.  I remember I used to hate coconut water but now its so good, got to love Guate!!! Well thank you all for everything for the prayers and just everything you guys are great!  Love ya all!!

Nakatinra Elder Barker

 

 

Polochic River

 

Mountains!

 

Mountain Villages

 

Freddi and Lester

 

Well this past week was a good week we worked like Kawachins this past week I pretty much destroyed one of my shirts, not really its just yellow and brown hahaha!!!

It is sooo hot here!  It is only February but holy cow its sooooo hot you just step outside and the sweat just starts.  I love Canlun and the people there so I will endure the sun! Mas tik li saqe.

Nothing super exciting happened this week Marcos didn't drink for a whole week then his mother-in-law told him he won't make it and he broke and went and drank.  It sucked he got so hammered its just sad to see but we are going to try to get him to pick himself back up and keep going.  But I know he probably won't get baptized in my time here but I have faith for him in the future.  Marcos and his wife Amalia are going to get married in March and I hope I get to see her get baptized as well.   Drinking is not a easy thing to stop doing but he can do it with the Lords help.

We went on divisions with the AP´s this week Elder Barton came with me and Elder Griffiths and he was in the Polochic his whole mission too so he knows such good Qeqchi like it blew my mind.   

We have been working hard we put two more baptismal dates with investigators for March and they all came to church and we are planning on putting 3 more this week.  The people here are so prepared for the gospel its amazing of course there are those heard hearted people but for the most part Canlun is a chosen land.   I love it here!!!

Qeqchi is going good, everyone has told me that I am learning really fast but I know its not me.  I just put effort and whats hard and seems impossible one day is super easy the next so the Lord is helping me a ton.

Well just some advice for my man BK when he leaves for his mission and learning a new language.  Study like a Kawachin (like a old Guatemalan man who works his butt off).  I know that if you study and put your study into practice you will learn Spanish in 3 months just don't get discouraged.   Study when you wake up, then at language study, then practice throughout the day, then before you go to bed its a proven technique oh ya and the most important pray like a Kawachin also!   Good luck don't be disobedient, be a flechon or follow the rules to exactness but have a blast.

Well I love u all sorry nothing super huge but good week.  Be safe and continue forward in the gospel love you all.

Love Elder Barker

 

What the heck Pa brought out his banjo hahaha!!! I was reading on Ricky´s email and he said something about a banjo hahaha!! sweet!!

Alright so life is good here and I know you guys wouldn't be able to find out what pur is -  it's snail soup hahaha!!!  I have eaten it twice and I actually don't mind it. The tortillas are a blessing cause I just suck out the snail then take a big bite of tortilla and I can't taste the snail hahha!!  Also this week we ate at a families house and we ate chicken head caldo it was good.   I ate everything, the eyes, the brains, the spinal cord, everything!  It was actually pretty good but never again will I ever complain about any food ever again but ya the members feed us good!!!

Well this week has been good.  Elder Grifs and I are killin Canlun.  I love the members every time we ask for a reference they are like yep we have one and let me know when you want another so its going good!!!

Marcos our investigator that we are trying to help stop drinking asked us to give him a blessing on Monday and my comp did it all in Qeqchi.  My comp doesn't know Qeqchi super good he knows a heck of a lot more than me but the spirit was really strong... later on Saturday we came to check on Marcos and he was drunk.  We were devastated oh it was terrible we just saw him all bolo and what not and we just oh it was terrible we just left!!!

We came back Sunday to talk to him and we had a really good talk with him.  My comp kind of chewed him out but it was good.  He wants us to come chat with him everyday so he doesn't go drink so we are going everyday to just hang out with him. He cried in our lesson last night because his wife just said to him these missionaries love you so much you should have seen thir faces when they saw you drunk, this got to him he gave us a hug and told us he is trying to stop, but I understand its hard but I know he can do it.

To Rand and Stacee the Corndog Song is all over Canlun.  The kids and families ask us to sing for them in English so I sang Corndogs hahaha! Every time we go to a family I have to sing it to them hahha they love it here!!!!

It is super hot here I am in like the second hottest place in our mission and March to July is summer but its sooooo hot I don't stop sweating ever here.  Even at night I have my fan on high but to no avail the heat is a killer hahaha good times in guate!!!

My Qeqchi is coming I am helping in lessons so that's good.  Heavenly Father is really helping me big time with this language everyone tells me I am learning super fast but I know its all Heavenly Father helping me!!!

Well I love you all so much enjoy life and be safe!!!

Love Elder Barker

 

Looking over San Vicinte

 
Our House
 

 

PUR!

 

Baptism

 

Crossing the river

 

Chicken Head Caldo and us eating it!