.: LAUGH or CRY

Well, it was a hard week! But, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Right?

Hermana Leyva and I have worked really hard this change to turn this area around. We have seen a lot of miracles. We know that the Lord is preparing people in our area! We have seen fruits, and while we might not be baptising a lot, I feel good about our work. We have reactivated MANY!

RESCATAR. I love to do it! This people have forgotten the covenants they've made and we need to remind them! We have reactivated the Chaperno family, Alma and Claudia. It is definitely not easy to reactivate but wow...It is so worth it to see the power of the atonement work in the lives of these people!

Every change I have in the mission I feel like there is a theme. This change:

The Commandments

Every day I bore my companion to death with long rants or lectures about the commandments and how we should keep them (I think I am turning into my dad). Seriously, I have seen people truly suffer here as a result of ignoring the commandments of God. They are just so simple. They really are easy to keep if we make the firm decision today!!

Sundays are the hardest for me. Especially in the morning as we round up people for church. I always want to pull a Jay Minnick and say, "I'm not asking you, I'm TELLING you!" We have to keep the Sabbath Day holy. Its simple.

This change I have also warned the people a lot. Sometimes I feel like I am scaring them, but someone has got to let them know the consequences of what they are doing!

This change I've also said to myself, "Hermana Minnick, you can laugh or you can cry. You choose." (From Tami: Should I be worried that Whit is talking to herself???) Sometimes I laughed. Sometimes I cried. Sometimes I laugh/cried. It was always better when I laughed.

So, here in Guatemala EVERYONE knows the missionaries. EVERYONE! I am pretty sure as an army we have contacted every last house in Guatemala. So, we have had to come up with more creative ways to get people to listen to us...

One night this past week I walked past a house and thought I saw a naked man. I almost fainted. But then, I realized it was just a "wooden man" and it was all good. In order to get in this house we told him how beautiful this wood man was. I told the guy that I was going to bring him some clothes on our next visit. (From Tami: Props to Whit who DID NOT SAY to this contact, "We were walking by and saw a naked man on your porch..."
Also, below is a picture of Hermana Minnick holding the hand of the "wooden man". PROGRESS! :)

I love my mission. I am eternally grateful for the impact the Guatemalans have had on my life.

I love you Mom, Dad, Weston and Zane! Every day I become more grateful for you...I hope that makes sense...

Love from Retalhuleu,

Hermana Minnick

Shoutouts!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARA WASHBURN!

Learning to play church songs on an electric guitar!

The transportation in Samala. It's a little bit dangerous....We don't have tuk tuks! I have wondered my whole mission....
"How am I going to lose this weight?"
Walking. Walking. Walking. Hermana Walking Minnick