CRAZY GUATEMALA

 

I found a Guatemalan Peewee!!  (like Parker's cat I used in my Grad Photos)

a little dog belonging to a family

Hey FAM, hows it going??

Just to let you know i got the letter you sent with your talk in it and picture of my friends. they´re all lookin great. so i never know what to say in these cuz wierd stuff seems normal to me now, and also i never want to say anything that might worry you haha, but I'm fine and safe always. i did have a funny experience this week, while teaching a man. i wrote about it in my journal so i just took photos of my journal that im sending to you so i don't have to repeat it all.

We were contacting the other night and a man passed by, and we were pretty sure he was drunk, like half the Guatemalans at night. he yelled out. you guys are mormons! and kind of lifted up his shirt to show he had a machete, and pulled it half way out. at first I'm kinda like, wow buddy, you have a machete, half the people in this town half a machete strapped to their belt at all times (because they all work in farmers fields basically) and i said what do you want, with my arms out kinda confronting him, but then i thought no thats stupid, lets just go. he followed for a little but we lost him. but i mean he's not gonna do anything, there are people around that would stop him, so don't worry!

also twice now we have been walking to this guys house at night for an appointment, but there has been people shooting in the corn fields we have to walk by, because people steal the corn, so we haven't been able to go over there for a little bit.

I tell you things not so you worry, but because you always want to know what its like down here. but we always feel safe, and always are safe. the Lord protects us.
The other day we were on this street, where they was just a ton of little little kids. Of coarse they always shout out all the english words they know, and ask us to give them something. My companion pulled out a pamphlet and started showing them pictures of Jesus and teaching them a little about baptism. There was like 15 kids all crowded around us, it was really funny. they all wanted pamphlets, so we gave them some, one for each family, and told them to show them to their parents and that we are going to come to their houses and teach them more. There was even some adults that came up after asking for a pamphlet. and now whenever we come to this street the kids come and give us awkward leg hugs cuz theyre all so tiny ha.

Yesterday for church there was a broadcast for all the stakes in Guatemala, where president Uchdorf and Elder Holland spoke. it was really good. Elder Holland said a few sentences in really horrible sounding spanish, it was funny. Also they said something interesting about tithing (because there are so many poor people here so they don't pay their tithes) they said if the situation comes down to either paying your tithing, or being able to feed your family, Pay your tithing, and talk to the bishop for help with feeding your family after. This really shows the importance of this commandment. Dios dice, probadme ahora. y abrire las ventanas de los cielsos y derramare bandiciones sobre vosotros. or something like that. ha.
thats cool that some kids are up north for the week because of thanksgiving. i held some baby turkeys the other day. its so crazy that hardly any of my friends are even in calgary. i guess the world really does keep moving as I'm here in Guatemala. crazyyy. im glad I'm here and don't have to adapt to the changes back home for now ha.
So the photos i sent this week... one with some cute little dog of a family, nothing really to explain ha.  two of a place called cerro de la cruz, or hill of the cross in english, overlooking the city of Antigua, and the big volcano covered by clouds in the back. in one of the photos you gotta search for where i am. its a game called 'Wheres Elder Hopkins.' And in one of the photos i think i found Peewee, the cat of the Steeles that i used for my grad photos. and then there is the photos of my journal so i don't have to write that stuff all over again.
also theres a tailor that lives next door that is taking in some of my pants and shirts. he only charges 10 Quetz. or only like a dollar twenty five to tighten a pair of pants. how sweet is that! so i got a few pairs taken in so they're slimmer.

Well thats all thats new here basically.
love you all so much, have a great week.
from guatemala, with love,
Elder Tanner Hopkins

Story from his Journal:           November 18, 2011

Today we had a real interesting lesson.  Basically it ended up being a guy trying to prove us wrong.  At first the lesson was going well, then we asked him if he had any questions so far.  We hadn't even taught about Joseph Smith yet and he asked us the dumb question that many people ask, "why isn't Joseph Smith in the Bible?".  He ended up having a sheet of paper with questions written down, like do we believe in other scriptures besides the Bible.  I answered, "absolutely yes".  He asked us a really dumb other question too, "do you believe Jesus had a wife and kids?"  of course no one knows, maybe like the Prophet, but us no.  Basically he just kept arguing with us and trying to fight with us.  He said he had read the Book of Mormon, then we asked him if he prayed about it, he kind of hesitated, obvious that he hadn't, but then lied and said he did and that God told him it was false.  He said a lot of other dumb stuff, like God changed, He is really blinded from the truth.  It was funny, he was saying anything that is not written in the Bib is not true, and that he would only believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet if it was written in the Bible.  Then I asked him if he knew what faith was.  HE said things that are hoped for, but are not seen, and was mad that I asked that question.  My companion then asked him "But if you could see it and read it in the Bible, then you would believe it?"  Then he held up his bible and yelled out "This is faith!!, the Bible is faith!".  So the people in ancient times that didn't have the Bible didn't have faith?"  The Bible was put together many years after the lives of Christ and his apostles.  We stumped him on a lot of things, but the time came when we had to go to our next appointment.  We asked if we could leave with a prayer, and he said only if he could offer it. He prayed that God might open our eyes and that we might stop preaching false doctrine and teaching about Joseph Smith amongst other things.  After the prayer, I turned to him, shook his hand and said "Just so you know, I already know that what I teach is true, and I hope that some day you can know it too.

It was a pretty funny little lesson, and this guy did not want to learn at all, it was as if the time between we contacted him and the lesson (a week ago we contacted him) he spent all his efforts to find things he could argue about to us, to try and shake our faith.  But what I know, I know is true, and no one can change that.  He'll be sorry when he finds himself at the  Judgement seat of Christ.  Crazy Guatemala, Feliz Noche!

A place called Cerro De La Cruz, or hill of the Cross overlooking the city of Antigua and the big famous Volcano covered by clouds in the back.

this picture is a game called "Where's Elder Hopkins" ha ha