I'm in La Justo! and I never want to eat at McDonalds again.....

Pues... I get to write again because I´m in a new area. We get an hour to write here: 45 minutes for family and 15 minutes for the President. 

Yesterday was busy and a big change for me. I am still in a dream-like state from it all. Yesterday we left a bit after 8 am. Right before we left, I started playing hymns on the piano and then everyone started coming in. Then they wanted to sing. I played, and they sang, "Para Siempre Dios esté con Vos", which was a pretty cool experience. President Baldwin and wife came to pick us up- us that are in the Central mission- and all of us 5 girls rode with them to the mission home. At the mission home we had some meetings, took pictures, and had some free time, and had interviews with the president. Then a bit later we went to eat. It was the first time I have eaten mcdonalds food and I never want to eat there again. Then a while after that we went to the mission office and met our companions.

My new companion is Hermana Earl. She is from Utah, is 24 years old, and is a nurse. She´s also the mission nurse of our mission. My area right now is La Justo, within Guatemala City area. We took a taxi to get to the apartment and the taxi driver drove fast and crazy, but got us there safely. We left a Book of Mormon with him. Our apartment is on a second level- basically all the houses are placed together so that houses are stacked. It´s not the cleanest place, but it´s not too bad. Our sink is outside for the kitchen and the stove is a gas stove... I need to figure out how to use it. 

It rained a lot last night and my feet got soaked. There were rivers down the street, but we went out to teach and meet people nonetheless and it was a fun experience. I couldn´t understand hardly anything and the only thing I could share all night long was my testimony. I felt bad for Hermana Earl because she had to do all the talking. 

Somethings are really different here. In the CCM my district had high standards and we had rules that we followed with exactitud. Here Hermana Earl says we really need to follow the rules with exactness but sometimes that´s hard to do. Last night we were supposed to be in at 9 but were not in until 9:30 because we were eating at the Bishop´s house. They served us beef (with a lot of fat), rice, and lechuga. The lettuce has to be washed a special way, but luckily the bishop´s wife knew how to prepare it. I figure whatever Hermana Earl eats is okay for me to eat because she knows what things can or can´t be eaten. 
 
We had a district meeting today, which will usually be on Monday or Tuesday... I can´t remember which, but that day we also have email and pday. I get to learn how to shop today because there´s not much food at our apartment. For the district meeting, first we had a zone meeting. Elder Lontine´s in my zone! I don´t feel so... I can´t think of the word in english- like being the outcast or misfit? But I know I have a friend nearby. He said he´s doing well and last night he got soaked because it was raining a bunch and he didn´t have a jacket or umbrella. 

Hm... What else can I say to you all? Do you have any questions for me? There aren´t too many bugs that I have seen yet. I haven´t had problems with fleas.

Yo sé que el Señor me ayudará en cualquier cosa y es posible para preserverar hasta el fin. Hay personas que están listos para escuchar el mensaje del Señor. Hasta la proxima semana, Love Hermana Destinee Park

 

President and Sister Baldwin

D034D585-5259-E93B-CCEB-BD7D4C1EB62B

1.02.28

Destinee's last email from the CCM

Hey. We get to write today because we are leaving tomorrow at 8 am. We said goodbye to everyone else today. It was really sad because I have made so many friends from this group. I had many of them sign my librito so I can keep in contact with them after the mission and took lots of pictures at the temple on Sunday. I will sometime send the card home with a list of everything and who´s who. I received the card today and was so excited to see the puppy. He´s adorable. Is he just cocker or a mix? I didn´t get the chance to read the card yet though. The day after last pday we went as a district and sang "I need thee every hour" to the other district. It was a really spiritual experience. Our district has become like a family but today it was no more really because Hermana Pond left. Now Hermana Moeai is my companion again. This weekend we baptized many people. The two APs were baptized and 4 other elders from the new North Americans. We have some sisters that will be baptized this week (ha ha). It´s fun teaching here but I am excited to teach in the real world. I took pictures of our fake investigators too, which you´ll see later too. It´s weird but the elders in our district remind me of Kade. Each has some characteristic like Kade. By the way, I believe you have it but the webpage for the CCM is www.guatemalaccm.com. I love it here and I am excited. I hope all is going well for you at home. I am sorry I don´t have much time this week to write, at least here, but I will send you more when I find out where the next step of the mission takes me. I love you all much. I have seen so much progression with everyone in my district that I have no doubt that the gospel changes lives. This is truly the work of God. I will leave you with a poem that President Steimle shared with us: Don´t set low goals. They have no magic to stir mens´souls. Buena Suerte in all things. Love Hermana Park.

I cannot help people if I don´t understand what their needs are 7-21-10

It sounds like a busy week for you and a very hot one. I am glad it never gets that hot here. It is strange how long Kade´s illness was. So it is the last week and I started cleaning up some things. We went to the Centro yesterday again to contact. Also we have been teaching many lessons (usually 3 or 4 each day) to the other missionaries here. It is interesting how real some of them seem. It gives me a lot of practice and makes me more excited to go out into the field and teach people, but I still have trouble understanding the language. It is the hardest thing sometimes because I cannot help people if I don´t understand what their needs are. Also yesterday in the Centro, the mother of a family we talked to kind of made fun of me for not being able to understand the language, and here if you don´t understand the language you don´t know how to speak it and whatsoever is said is as if it wasn´t said in Spanish at all. 

On a positive note, we get to go to the temple later today, which is a great thing because it has been closed for the past couple of weeks. Oh yeah, our dearelder letters always come the day after pday.

Sunday was quite interesting. It was normal of course but I had some cool things happen later on in the day. We had a devotional and movie. Before the devotional 2 of the elders rode on one of the machines, I think it´s called an elliptical? But they looked like rabbits and it was hilarious. I really wished I had my camera that night. We watched a Book of Mormon documentary which talked about the evidences here that the Nephites lived in this area. There was a time when the movie mentioned Christ´s visit to the Nephites, and then I remembered something from earlier on when I was reading in 3 Nephi about that experience. I remember how I had some sort of a daydream or imagination or something and pictured myself there, watching all of the Nephites being invited unto Christ. Then Christ invited me to go forward and feel the marks in His hands. Then it hit me that I am here where that took place. That now, not only through a vision, but in actuality, I have been invited by Christ through a prophet to come here where Christ once stood. To me, it felt as if I had been invited again. During the devotional, Elder Hatch told us that we need to have a high goal with baptizing because anything is possible. So I guess we´ll see about that.

We have a new rule that if we don´t arrive on time to class we have to roll a dice and the number determines our punishment. Well, not too long after we had that rule we were late to class. Hermana Pond rolled and her punishment was that she couldn´t have ice cream that day. Before I rolled I prayed that I would get the number that would benefit me most. Then I rolled and my punishment was that I had to sing the hymn solo. So we chose the shortest hymn and I sang it. It wasn´t too fun, but wasn´t terrible. Afterward I wondered why that punishment and then felt impressed to turn to DyC 25. Part of this section talks about being humble. The day before I had been studying how to be more humble, so I guess all worked out for my good. I truly did feel humble afterwards. I am grateful I am here and there is nothing I would rather do. I don´t know if I will even want to come home after all is done, ha ha.

I think also that if it is possible that (someone we know) is putting in (their) papers for a mission, that hopefully (someone else we know) will come to the point where he knows that he has a testimony and will have the desire to serve as well. This is truly the work of the Lord. I don´t have full control about my outcome here but I know that with the Lord, I can do all things. God loves all people and wants his children to come here and help bring people to him. This is something I wouldn´t trade for anything. Jesus Christ lives. The Book of Mormon is true. I love you all and hope you have a great week to come. Kade and I probably need your prayers more than anything at this moment. Have fun. Love Hermana Destinee Park. 

Platana, hiding talents, and singing for Elder Fallavera

Yay! Buddy sounds like a good name. It takes about a week and a half for normal mail and a few days for Dearelders. At dominoes I could only eat 2 smaller pieces and then I was full. The rice and beans and change of diet make it harder to eat americanized food I suppose. I really like the frijoles here because they are my favorite type of bean: black. They have some interesting food here. I try not to eat the chicken so much because we have way too much of it, but we have lots of vegetables and rice. There is an interesting sort of food that is popular here that a lot of the North Americans didn´t like or want to eat at first, at least for the first few weeks. More of them are eating it now. It is a fried Platana. It is pretty good. The first few bites were strange when I first ate it, but I like it much now.

Our calling involves... Well, we had to make it up because we are the first ones. We had to come up with the ideas and write down what we wanted to do for it, and then President Steimle cleaned it up for the leadership papers. We have to enforce the rules and watch after the sisters, get information to them, we welcomed all of the new sisters, and we have interviews with them so we can set goals for them. We are kind of like AP`s but for the sisters. The new missionaries are cool- both the north americans and the latinos. Everyone is really friendly. There are 2 elder garcia`s that we met that are brothers. There are quite a few of the latinos that speak english too. A few were stranded for a while. The last sister to come in was Hermana Phillips because she was stuck in Texas. I was going to say, Happy Birthday, and then I kept forgetting to write it down in all the letters I sent. I am glad it was fun.

It is hard to write in english or speak english and then spanish. We haven´t been so diligent as a district with keeping the rule not to speak english. But then someone shared a scripture in DyC 60:2-3,7 {But with some I am not well pleased, for they will not open their mouths, but they hide the talent which I have given unto them, because of the fear of man. Wo unto such, for mine anger is kindled against them.  And it shall come to pass, if they are not more faithful unto me, it shall be taken away, even that which they have. And in this place let them lift up their voice and declare my word with loud voices, without wrath or doubting, lifting up holy hands upon them. For I am able to make you holy, and your sins are forgiven you.} and we were called to repentance. 

I have had a lot of spiritual experiences over the past week. Our first interviews with the sisters we didn´t have anything planned but during the interviews both me and hermana pond said the same thing to the sisters. I know with certainty of the truth of the scripture: D y C 100:6. {For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.} The spirit will tell us the things we must say to others. Also I came across 2 Nephi 33:10-11{And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good. And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness.}

I am running out of time so I will send a story through the letter to Kiana. Esta iglesia es verdadera y soy llamado por Dios para servir la gente de Guatemala. El Espíritu nos dirá las cosas necesitamos decir. Sé que José Smith fue un profeta y que el Libro de Mormon es verdadero y contiene las palabras de Dios. En el nombre de Jesucristo, amen. I love you all and will write again soon. Love Destinee   

A few minutes later she sent an additional email.

Last night Elder Fallavera (not sure if that´s how it´s spelled) and his wife came to speak to us. Elder Fallavera is in the first quorum of the seventy. We got the chance to sing for him. Our choir group was composed of mostly the new north americans, 4 latino elders, 1 latina sister, and hermana pond and I, with two elders from the other older district- one playing the piano and one conducting us. We sang the EFY melody "As sisters in Zion and Armies of Helaman" but in spanish. It was an awesome experience. I can´t wait until I get to send home pictures but it might be a while... not sure. Buena Suerte todos!

Here is a picture of the Guatemala MTC President and his wife, President and Sister Steimle

                                 And a picture of the 
               Centro de Capacitación Misional Guatemala

                                    And the cocina

Relieving pressure, the mercado, and the cucaracha

A new dog! Wow. We get dearelders at the most 1 week. Not very often. Our Pday is today because we had a different schedule this week. All of the missionaries that have been here longer went out today so there is only 23 of us here right now. The new ones come later. We got to go on a tour this afternoon. We first went to the huge relief map and that was awesome. One of the police people there told us about the volcanoes and said that Pacaya´s erupting is a good thing because it relieves pressure and takes away energy from the Earth. Sometimes in life there are things that seem bad, but in the end they are good, kind of like the volcano. Often the pressure placed upon us that seems to stop our life for a short while, really is relieving us of the pain or pressure we will feel later in life. After, we went to the mercado or city market where there were so many things it was crazy. Some places did not smell very well either. Then after that and lunch (we went to Dominos and I could not eat much) we went to the museum. We took pictures on that one hill that is seen in a lot of the missionaries´ blogs. Right now my clothes are fine and we have washers. We have the chance to wash once a week. I have not gotten sick yet, luckily. My new companion, hermana Pond is going to nicaragua on her mission. She has all sisters and likes futbol. Hermana Roney is coming in tonight, at least we expect. Same with Hermana Amber Phillips. Our district is so awesome. We have learned a lot about each other and have worked to keep our goals high.

We have new APs called, from our district, which are Elders Johnson and Pulsipher. We also have Zone leaders, also from our district, which are Elders Ogden and Peterson. And then we have coordinating sisters as well, also from our district... Me and hermana Pond. We got called this weekend and we are in charge of welcoming the new hermanas. We are the first Coordinating sisters called here at the CCM, so we have to set the bar. We were feeling inadequate after the call because we did not know what to do, but some elders from our district gave us blessings of comfort. Elders Lontine and Porter gave a blessing to Hermana Pond, and Elder Porter said it, and Elders Wilkinson and Bench gave me a blessing, Elder Wilkinson saying it. It was Elder Porter´s first time giving a blessing. Also, a lot of the things Elder Wilkinson said while giving me the blessing were things that have been in a lot of blessings, including the setting apart blessing. The blessings reminded me of when I was set apart and how Kade got to stand in for my blessing.

I saw a cucaracha for the first time yesterday- a dead one in the Casa de CRE and a live one inside the CCM last night. A lot of spiritual things occured but I do not remember them right off. I did write them in my journal though so when I have that I will write you about them. I bought a journal that a teacher´s father makes so now I write one journal in Spanish, which feels much more natural to me, and I write the new one in English. The English one is huge so it will last me my entire mission I think, and it now has a picture of our CCM group. There are 3 more weeks left of the mtc. I am excited to go out and teach. My spanish has improved quite a bit, and I am beginning to understand it well. I still need more work but I am sure I will have it down more in 3 weeks. Tomorrow we will be going to the temple, so I cannot tell you about that this week. The spirit really works in mysterious ways but it is amazing the things that we can learn through the spirit

Este evangelio es verdadero y es nuestra responsibilidad para enseñarla. La Iglesia es la iglesia de Dios. Dios es nuestro Padre Celestial y Jesucristo es nuestro hermano y salvador. José Smith fue un profeta y trandujo el Libro de Mormon.  El Libro de Mormon es la palabra de Dios y contiene la verdad necesitamos en nuestras vidas. En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen. 

"I look forward to hearing your talk,"

This weeks email--June 30th, 2010

Hola family. The weather was awesome on the plane ride here. There was a huge lightning storm and bunches of rain. The lightning lit up the sky. This past week has been interesting. We teach much here in both the CRE, which is like the TRE in Provo, and we teach other missionaries here because we do not have anyone else to teach but have an indicator goal of 4 lessons per day. 

The funny thing about our compañerisma is that Hma Pond understands Spanish and I can speak it but we both have a hard time doing the other thing. Last friday was a spiritual day. We had a teaching appointment and planned something for it, but when we went upstairs to teach it we found out that we were going to teach something completely different, so we had to rely solely on the spirit. Also that day 2 of the elders had the chance to teach a guard outside who has been investigating the church. They had not originally planned on bringing a Book of Mormon but had grabbed one and found out that this guard needed a Book of Mormon. They did not understand what the guard said but they were told what to say by the Spirit. 

We have left the CCM area a few times: Once to go to the mercado (mall) and twice to go to the Parque Central where we contacted. It was awesome! On the bus back to  the CCM yesterday from the PC, I wondered why anyone would want to hear us and know more about people they have never heard of before. I thought of Alma 32 about the Zoramites. 

Sunday I gave a talk. Talks are not forewarned. We prepare for the topic and then find out during sacrament meeting that we are speaking. I will send home a copy of my talk later. Before the meeting, Elder Lontine came up to me and said, "I look forward to hearing your talk," shook my hand... and then I was called to give a talk.

This morning I went through my first spanish session at the temple. We had to go at 6:30 because today is what they call Holy Day and everyone goes to the temple.

As for other things... The best meals here are huevos and frijoles or pancakes for breakfast, tortillas and frijoles and rice for lunch and dinner. One night we did have fish. There is just one choice for a main dish, which is fine, but we have meat for almost every meal with some vegetables, and twice we had hamburgers and fries. Many missionaries have gotten sick (not many in our district, luckily) and there are 3 ways for these illnesses: Throwing up, everything going through (some call it montesuma´s revenge), and the cold. Our district is very careful though. 

Yo sé que el evangelio de jesucristo trae felicidad in nuestras vidas. El Espíritu me ha testificado esta semana pasada más fuerte que otros tiempos que el Libro de Mormon es otro testamento de Jesucristo y contiene las palabras de Dios. Yo sé sin duda que es verdadero. José Smith fue un profeta y vió Dios y Jesucristo. Todos necesitan oir el evangelio. Dios quiere que todos escuchen a su evangelio y regresen a Él. Os amo y Espero el mejor por vosotros. Con Amor, Hermana Destinee Park

Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee with warm hearts and friendly hands.

 I have been out of town.  This is Destinee's email from last week, June 23rd, 2010

Hola mom. It has become more fun here. Our wash day is not the same day as Pday. Pday is Wednesday .

We went to the temple this morning and it is cool. It was small, but beautiful.

There are very noisy birds here. We do not see many insects here but I have heard of cucarachas in the cocina at night. It is hard writing on a spanish keyboard. There are 12 people in our district- me and hermana Pond, who is awesome. She is very musically talented, and is from Bountiful Utah. There are 10 elders: Elders Peterson, Ogden, Porter, Lontine, Pulsifer, Johnson, Briggs, Crittenden, Bench, and Wilkinson. Elder Lontine is our district leader and he is awesome at it.

Sunday was busy. We had meetings all day. At night we had a district meeting where we shared testimonies and why we were here on missions. It really helped our district understand each other better and become closer. Our district likes to sing. The first half of the week here was very difficult, but now I love it. The food is good but there is a lot of meat. I do not understand all of the Spanish, if any and I do not speak it well, but I am learning and improving. We have a lot of free time during the day, especially between 2 to 5 where we have our MDT or missionary directed time. It is a lot of time to study. In class we are covering everything my district covered in Provo, whether in grammar or doctrine. It is a good review, though. There is a teacher that is crazy here that comes into our classroom often and talks to everyone. He asks a lot of random questions. Often he greets everyone by saying "Mormon guys", which now includes girls too.

Our district-@top E. Pulsipher, E. Johnson, Elder Ogden, Wilkinson, Petersen, Bench, Crittenden, porter, Briggs, Lontine, y me, Hermana Ayala (teacher), Hermana Pond

Destinee had a couple of experiences with a particular scripture this week.  It was D y C 121:7-9.  She had a few occasions to refer it to someone and that other missionaries had also had enter their head at various times.

I will have the chance to stay until December 13 instead of coming home in November. I do not know if you have found that out? Well, I pretty much ran out of things to write about for now...

We have guards or policemen surrounding the CCM and they have the charge to watch over us and protect us. We leave the CCM grounds for practice contacting.

I love you all and wish you well. I know that this church is true and that there is nothing better than serving a mission at this moment. The Lord protects his missionaries and he truly guides us as to what to say. The scriptures contain powerful information. I have learned that no matter how much I know or do not know the spirit is what matters in this work. I love you again and I will write to you later. Love Hna Destinee    
 

The day before......

This letter was written Tuesday, the 15th, the day before Destinee went to Guatemala.

I am writing this really early in the morning because we just sent Hma Stokes off.  I leave tomorrow.  She was the only one going to her mission.  I don't know when I will have P-day but I will let you know when I get there. or I will call from the airport.  Almost everything is packed away again. 

I played the piano Sunday for Sacrament meeting.  I wasn't my best but I think my biggest mistake was not knowing "sweet Hour of Prayer" has a 3rd verse in Spanish.  

As for this past week, there's been some funny things that have happened.  It seems that one of the Elders in our district sleep walks.  He woke up one night, well not really woke up because he was still asleep--and yelled out, "Elder!  What is Hermana Park doing in here?"  His companion told him to go back to sleep.  He had dreamed that I had come into their room to tell them they were late for a service project.  The next night my companion woke up at 2 am and thought she was late getting up.  She turned on her light and realized how early it really was.

I have been playing lots of fun sports here during our gym time.  I play basketball a lot-I can shoot a 3 pointer now but it is nothing compared to Hermana Moeai's half court shot she made yesterday.  THAT was the coolest thing I've ever seen.  I've also played volleyball and foursquare and Frisbee.

I am keeping busy and learning fast.  Our district has covered and learned more Spanish in these last 3 weeks than I thought possible.  I've laughed a lot and finally got to know everyone on an individual level in my district from doing teaching activities with them.

First email from the CCM

Hola! i have fifteen minutes to write to let you know I am doing well. The second plane ride was fine and it was dark by the time we arrived to the airport. I met and talked to Elder Lontine. Me and hma Moeai gave a book of mormon to a lady on the plane and many of us missionaries taught lessons.

The food here at the CCM is good, better than that of the Provo mtc that is. We have more studying time here. Elder Udall acts like a little brother. He´s not in my district but whenever he sees me he makes sure I´m doing well and tells me about the most random things, such as today when he told me about an ant hiding from termites in a bed of soil.

I have a new companion. Her name is Hma Pond. She arrived in Guatemala 12 hours before our group did.  She´s from Bountiful.

There hasn´t been too much rain yet. The first day was difficult because I was tired from getting up early and I felt completely lost. We ate at about 10 and I didnt get to bed until after 11. Now I´m doing better. I can speak some spanish, but everything basically left when i got off the plane. The only thing I can do is bear my testimony in Spanish, and I can hardly understand a word of it. It´s difficult.

Pictures can only be taken on our pday, which I think is wednesday still. Mail will get to the US by someone bringing it to the border. The most reliable mail way is dearelder.com.

Guatemala is an interesting sight. There are strange bird calls in the morning and I haven´t seen too many insects here yet. I sleep on the top bunk again but this time there is no railing so I will have to be extra careful.

We have strange people in our district, which is called Abraham (districts here are by names and not numbers). There are only 2 of us hermanas in our district and 10 elders. There are four n. american districts and the rest are native speakers. We don´t have classes with them.

I can´t think of more to write so I will write later. I love you all and tell kiana to have fun at girls´camp. Love Desty

In flight to Guatemala

Destinee flew out today to Guatemala.  She will be in Guatemala at 8 pm tonight.  I talked to her on the phone just a few minutes ago and she said she got a little sick on the plane. 

I hope her flight from Dallas to Guatemala goes smoother.  She said the group of missionaries she is flying to  the CCM consists of about 27 missionaries, Including her and two other sisters.  The majority of them will be Guatemala missionaries.  She said some of the Elders were already sharing the Gospel on the plane.

Destinee and her companion were both pleased with last night's dinner--it was Kahlua Pork and rice and sweet potato slices.  Both of them liked it because it was something their moms made at home. (remember Destinee's companion is Hawaiian)