Hello Guatemala, Volcanoes and Hurricanes Included (Rebekah's first week out in "The Field")

So, Guatemala. I'm not even sure where to start. I wish I could take lots of pictures so you could visualize this beautiful and very different place. But, cameras are a hot item here, so we have to be careful. But by the end of a year and a half, I should have plenty.

OH IMPORTANT!!! My mission president says he'll do is best to have me come home the very same day as Daniel...but I need to let him know fairly soon what day that is. Cool right!!! That made my day when he said he could try to arrange it. Yay!!!

I imagine you want to know about the hurricane. Aside from the 48 hours of literally constant rain, it was fairly uneventful here in Xela. The mountains saved us. I've heard from members that about 20 people died in Guatemala City from the Volcano and that about five died in Xela from the rain. (Editor’s Note: According to news reports, more than 100 have died.) Considering the size of Xela, that's very few. I don't know how many people live here, but it's much bigger then I imagined. The volcano that erupted is one of the most active in the world. It was a small eruption. We're three hours away and can see no sign that anything happened.

Today the weather is so so beautiful! The sun is shinning for the first time. I love it. There's just a happy energy in the air.

The mountains are very different from the ones in Utah. They're covered in trees and just pop up suddenly. There's no "mountain range" just one pointy mountain after another. A few of them, I've been told, are volcanoes. They look like it.

We get around on our feet. We walk everywhere. I love walking. The mission has a few cars, but only Elders ever drive, which is a blessing. I sure don't want to drive here. The roads are very narrow and crowded.

I'm in the outskirts of the city Xela (or Quetzaltenango.) The sisters pretty much stay in the city. But it's not like a city in the States. No one has land. The houses are all made of cement and painted with many colors. There's one house followed by another. The streets are all stone or brick in my area, or dirt of course. The street is lined on both sides by cement house fronts. The doors are more like metal gates. When you enter a house in my area, you are usually greeted by an area with a dirt floor and no ceiling. It's kind of like a 'court yard,' kind of. Then you find a cement hallway with one or two, maybe three rooms. The families all sleep in the same room, with three or four to a bed, including the parents. There another room with everything else: the kitchen, the table, the wash table (where clothes, dishes etc) are washed. The clothes hang all throughout the house. It's all more like a shelter. We live better when we're camping. Or at least it seems that way. But these people are used to it. They spend generations in the same cement dwelling.

I've heard that my area is one of the least favorite among the missionaries. The ward member that I've met are super great. Every one else seems to be Catholic, they think it's a sin to talk to us. But yesterday we obtained a couple new investigators that I like a lot. We had a few progressing investigators, but they stopped progressing, so now we have none.

My primary purpose these first six weeks is get used to the food and culture, learn the language, and strengthen the ward members. I'm really looking forward to learning the language so that I can put into practice all of the great missionary ideas I have.

I love you! I love being here! My companion is great! All the Guatemalans are very nice and the sun is shining beautifully!
Love, Hermana Finch