Guatemalan Creme

So this week started off just fantastic with a very, very bad stomach problem. A member's husband was visiting Guatemala and brought back some homemade Crema from her mother. She is just the nicest lady ever and made my favorite food cause she knows how much I like it (its called Tinga, its mexican but she learned how to makes it for me, how nice is she) well Hispanic sour cream is soooo much better than the crap we have in the states so I was excited. It tasted sooooooo good I was just loading it on there. Well the next morning I was woken up at 4 am with a big problem. And thus it continued for four days of just the worst runs i think I've ever had. I thought I had a stomach virus at first, Started feeling a little better, then wham it hits again its now been a week and I'm still having issues (so is Bakes) so I think the cream might have had something in it and we might need to seek medical help because its so scary being out working and not knowing what might happen (no accidents so far thank goodness).

Other than that its been a good week. A our main investigator got out of jail last week and I was on exchanges with an Elder who is going home this transfer (oh it was such a nice change to be with him for two days) We taught A and it was a great lesson. She is so awesome and has so much faith.

We got in a couple lessons this week. We got into a little prank fight (can't give details) but we will just say that the Elders dominated and the people who attacked us ran off in shame ohhhh it was EPIC. 

That was not this last week but the one before that. The computers were down so I couldn't email. 

This last week we taught A again and it was a really good lesson. She is very close to a baptismal date. I had a lot of prayers answered lately, it was a really good week. God answers ours prayers on HIS TIME well this week our schedules were on the same page cause it all just worked out. A got out of jail and was not deported, her boyfriend who was her main block at progressing more in the Gospel has now softened and is even willing to listen to us and let them go to church and apologized to her for everything. He had her phone while she was in jail and I think he saw that we really cared about her and it softened him. He is a really good guy takes care of her and her kids and her two nephews. We texted her phone to try and get an appointment and he told us the news, so got all the info he had on her asked how the kids were and if they needed anything then just kept checking up on them throughout the week. He was very helpful and not rude at all I didn't even think it was him until Araceli told us. 

We have been working a lot with some less active families which is always fun! The Lfamily is really active We are trying to get her a calling. She is even taking the Temple prep classes. Her oldest son who is not a member just moved back in with his wife, might be some work to be done there. 

The M family is going back to church now. They live in our same complex so yesterday at 8:30 AM we went by and woke them up so they'd be ready to go at 10:30 when the ride we got them showed up. Her husband owns/runs two food joints and works every Sunday and he takes the car cause they are in the next town over. He is the one who originally joined and got the family to join. He gets mad when they don't go to church but he never goes himself. We are starting to have family home evening each Monday with them, he is normally home on Mondays so it works out.

F is a returned missionary he is like 50 and is taking care of a 5 year old child his x-wife adopted. Such a great guy he has learned how to take apart and put back together every single transformers toy because that's what Kevin likes to do. He learned how to play video games for him even. He always is feeding us just a really great guy. Really lazy though. Sundays he gets to sleep so that's what he does. We had a team up from the elders Quorum go with us who speaks Italian (it is so close to spanish its unreal) and we had just a really powerful and spirit lead lesson. We started in Jacob 3 then went to heleman and ended in alma ch.5 it talks about him fasting and praying and getting a witness from the Holy Ghost, So I asked him how he got his testimony, He told us about how he got it and it was on his mission and he told us another story of how he helped a companion from Idaho get his testimony or at least stay on his mission. Then I committed him to coming to Priesthood session on Saturday he started making excuses then changed his mind said it was only two hours and he'd take his 16 year old son Pancho with him (Pancho hates the church, their divorce really messed up the family a bit) I'm excited he is getting his Gahanahs back (desire).

Both the wards are really getting on board with us this past two weeks our calendar has been full of English members dinners and one family is even giving a referral for 7 homes on their street that are the same spanish family. Thats like 35-40 people. They are going to have a BBQ or something to have them all over. They are all really starting to back us. We have English Classes set up to start in two weeks. Have the teachers, the materials everything. They are really backing us. 3 Transfers of work is really starting to show. Its been such a blessing that I have gotten to witness it. 

Glad to hear everyone is doing well. Oh p.s. the ward mission leader in the Cartersville ward Brother Weber got a job that he starts in July working in the federal prison teaching institute classes so He will be working with Grandpa lake, small world eh??

Love you All

Love Elder Charlesworth

Moving vans,Kudzoo and thorns

We moved on last Monday to a much nicer  apartment. We live right near the Zone Leaders so that is pretty fun. We don't see a ton of each other but we do say hi every once in a while. It took so long to get everything unpacked because we still had to do Missionary work and never had time to sit down and take the time to do it. (we are now totally unpacked, we just don't have a couch) I was very sad to see Elder Klus go. We got along great and always had so much fun. I really thought that he would be here with me for one more transfer. He is back in Atlanta now, lucky guy!

Transfer meeting was on Wednesday. I knew what was happening since like Friday so I was just sitting there waiting until they told me I was getting Elder Bakes. Elder Bakes is a really good kid. Has great desires to work and is very obedient. Hopefully I will rub off on him a little bit, just in the way that he will see missionary work can be fun and you can be obedient and be yourself at the sametime. He asks a million questions which is good,  Bless his little heart, on Sunday I was cooking and he asked if I needed help, I said no man just relax, chill, go take a 10 minute nap if you want while this finishes cooking. So he sets his alarm for 10 minutes exactly. This is how he is in everything. If he does not lighten up he is really going to not enjoy his mission and will burn himself out in the process. He is a great kid though and we get along fine.

 This week was a little different because of the transfer, we got out and did some work though. Found out that our investigator A the one who is our most progressing got arrested for driving without a license. She was in jail and today is her court date so hopefully she just gets a fine and we can keep teaching her and her kids.

Last night we had a good lesson with a less active family. I love seeing the spirit work with people. I really don't say anything that really influences them its the spirit that tells them what they need to fix. The mother has not been coming to church and has been drinking a little bit. I shared 2nd Nephi 32 where it talks about angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost which are the words of Christ so that lead into praying, keeping the commandments. I just asked questions and sat back and let them talk it all out and figure out what the Spirit needed them to hear. It was not a huge giant powerful experience but I did feel the Spirit and I feel it made a difference in their lives even if it was just a small one.

On Saturday we did some service for the English Elders in my District's Investigators. We cleaned out a giant pile of kudzoo vine, thorne vine and trees. I cut down probably to wierdest tree I have ever seen I wish i had my camera with me because it was so odd. Its so hard to describe the way it looked. It looked like a tree that should be in Africa or something. Just so odd. It was fun though cause I used a machete. Elder Fruean an Elder from Samoa was there with us, he grew up in Samoa so he was pro status at the Machete. He made us all look like kids compared to him haha.

Did I ever tell you about the day that I had a Piano dropped on my foot and got electricuted all in the same day? Well I started having really bad pains in my left foot where the piano got dropped. I was the one lifting it up the stairs I was holding on to it right below the keyboard and having to lift it step by step there were people below me pushing but I was lifting all the dead weight so I was having to go one foot at a time well they decided to push before I got my foot onto the next step. I shook it off and went on my way. Well it really started to hurt when I would move my foot and it would send a shock down my whole foot. Well Randi and Traci called the doctor and forced me to go. Turns out its not broken I just crushed the nerve and bruised the bones bad. The shock and numbness was from the nerve waking back up and trying to heal itself. Its feeling much better now,it still hurts but does not feel like it did wednesday. The hole in my foot is basiclly healed already it was supposed to take 4 weeks. I think one big reason I healed so fast is because I have cut out soda entirely I have not had it in  almost a month now and feel so much better. I drink a lot of water and its great.

Well everything is going good here. I love you all, miss you!

Love Tanner

**Tanner had to have a plantar wart removed off of the bottom of his foot last week. He is supposed to have the other foot worked on in the next couple of weeks.

This is what serious missionary work does to your feet.

The surgery went well. It is healing at a crazy ridiculous rate. I will send pictures soon, just forgot the camera today. I had a nickle sized hole in my left foot and it was a good couple inches deep. The hole is already filled up. Its not healed yet but the hole is filled in less than a week. Pretty crazy!! I have not even had any pain, even after the numbness wore off. Its uncomfortable to walk on so i have been wearing slippers haha pretty funny but hey no one has even said anything or if they did i just said I had surgery and then its all good!

This was a very long long week. Had surgery and then couldn't do a whole lot for a couple days. We worked and I just got yelled at the whole time for being out and on my foot. Oh well no problems with it and I'm fine! So don't worry! Still waiting for that get well soon package hahaha just kidding. I don't need anything I'm doing great.

 The rest of the weekend was spent mostly packing and cleaning the apartment. We visited some people in between but that apartment was wild! It has been a 4 man apartment for around 3 or 4 years so there was so much random junk!!

I have bad news :( because we were moving and I'm tight with the AP's they told me who was leaving this transfer. Klus is gone and I am staying here for another one. So basically I have a feeling I will be senior companion for the rest of my mission and the "easy life" is totally gone. No crutches, just me trying not screw up the freshly trained kids.

 I am very sad Klus is leaving me. He was really starting to come along. Open up and talk to people. Such a  good kid He is like a little brother to me. I am going to miss him and worry about him when he leaves.

Armies of the Lord?

I did realize something though. Well was thinking about it the other night. That God puts all these people and experiences in our way to shape and mold us, also to shape and mold other people. So it is my goal to always do what God wants. Be shaped and to shape and help others the way God wants me to. To "give and take" what God wants from me. Its not easy. My own selfish desires get in the way. I think we all struggle with that. I have said it many times before though God will always give us what we need not what we want. If we align our lives with God though we will understand and everything can be "easier" not easy but easier. The mission is not easy at all. It is simple though. Very direct and straight forward what we need to do what our job is and how to get it done. As "men" we get in the way of that and complicate it. Life is not that complicated either though when you think about it. Its when we make it a big deal that we get overwhelmed. One day at a time and it will all work out. I will be feeding myself my own advice all of this next Transfer.....Wish me luck!!!

Jared good job in California. Sorry you had a couple rough patches. Keep working though its going to be alright!

Glad you all got back safe. I love you

Dad consider getting a real GPS its so worth it. Trust me!!

ps... I also forgot to mention the crazy weather we had!! We had Tornado's warnings all Friday night. It was insane. Sirens going off all over. A Tornado touched down in the town next to us and there was all this warning going on people were hiding in shelters and everything. Then the storm shifted up north it was headed straight for us at full speed Tornados and everything then it just went north and the cold front dropped and took most the momentum with it so the storm calmed big time, the only thing we got was tons and tons of rain that night it poured. The lighting stuff is really cool though its purple and lights up the whole sky and well its a little bit scary when they announced to seek shelter Klus and I went on our deck to watch it. He said he was pretty worried I just thought it was cool! haha we all survived didn't even have to hide in the bath tub!!!

I really am not a huge fan of the South, I'll be honest... I'll stick my my west coast weather please!

Love Elder Charlesworth

Papa Bear

This week was really slow. Elder Klus was very, very sick with the flu or something like that. So we spent almost the whole week in the apartment. We did get out a little bit are were able to do some service for the L Family. We painted the walls that we sanded a couple weeks ago, We did it green and brown it actually looks really good!

 

Just a Warning this one will probably be really short. It was a very tolling last couple days. I'll explain why.

After Elder Klus started feeling a bit better we went to church. It was a pretty decent Sunday, very calm the usual slow Sunday (especially with 5 hours of church) During Sunday school Aunt R texted us and said the Papa bear (her dad Gene) still was not feeling better from last night. He was Parkinsons and Lou body Demensia. He said he was feeling really dizzy, he didn't get up until 12 pm he is normally awake at 4am. So we told her we would leave the second class was over. We ran over there and he just didn't look right. Aunt T started to clean out his ears with peroxide to help make him not so dizzy. Soon after she finished his eyes glazed over and I knew instantly what it was from seeing Brennen have them so much, he went into a seizure. It only lasted about 2 minutes until he fully came out of it. The first thing he said when that happened was "where's my boys at?" he calls us missionaries his boys. We called an ambulance and they were going to take him to the Rome hospital about 25 miles away then R said oh shoot he can't go there, if he gets there and realizes his missionaries are not there he will flip. He needs his boys.

We got there shortly after he had got into a room and there we stayed until late that night. He has never had a seizure before so they are trying to figure out what caused it. All the tests have come back with nothing so far.

 

Even after all this has happened G is still in there making us all laugh our heads off. He is so witty at times, its so funny. We sure love our Papa Bear.

 

The Hospital did bring some very interesting experiences though. We walked out into the waiting room to let a couple more people go in to visit him. The first thing we see and hear when we walk out is a doctor trying to talk to two spanish guys. He asked if they speak english and he said "no" so I said "hey I speak spanish" the Doctor got kinda freaked out like what the white kid speaking spanish? So I translated for him. His hip joint hurt so bad he couldn't walk and he has not had an injury to cause it. As we were sitting in the waiting room still, they got called up to check in so iasked if they wanted help again. The kid who was hurt has been here from Guatemala for less than two months, he  speaks zero english.

 

We started walking back towards the room when a guy grabbed us and asked what church we were from. We told him and he asked if we could say a prayer with his wife. A horse had fallen on her and she shattered her ankle. She said the horse hit a ditch and then just rolled on her. She told us she needed our help real bad because she has 3 kids to take care of that are in elementary school. She asked for a blessing. We explained the two parts and what the priesthood is and then gave her a blessing. Its interesting to me how people turn to God mostly in time of need. We are all guilty of it. Something goes wrong then its "oh,hey I need help, I guess I'll start praying, start relying no God now" He will always help us no matter how much we have not looked to him leading up to that time of need. She thanked us and we went on out way to get back to G.

 

The hospital was a great experience despite what took us there. We went by to see him this morning and he had been telling all the nurses about us starting at about 6 am he says "the men in black will be here soon" "those are my boys" "they call me Papa Bear" He is such a strong saint. He is doing well and he is ready to get out of the hospital as of last night. He is such a brute.

Spreading the "light of the Gospel?"

Cute cake made by a member

Keep Papa Bear in your prayers please. And Elder Klus, he goes in for an Echo Cardiogram today. He has been having chest pains really bad and based on his family health history they want to make sure its nothing serious.

We are doing good though.He is not sick anymore and we are still working hard (well trying too, this week was rough) it is so much harder to stay in the apartment all week than it is to work all week. Working is so much better.

 

Love you all, Jared go kick some butt in Cali at that meet of yours. Tell him he had better win so I can brag about him!!

Send my love to everyone

Love Elder Charlesworth