Monday, October 28, 2013 - Not his regular CCM P-Day!!

 

Looks like Elder Lovett is learning Spanish much better now since he figured out that he needs to work for it!! 

 

Hola mi familia, nesicite saber que aqui es muy fantasico. Yo aprendo la idioma, y la comida es grandioso! Amo esto Evangelio, y estoy muy agradecidoporla Expiacion del Salvador.¿A donde es mi amigos?

 

Yeah the food here is really good.  The cooks try to mix American food with native cuisine as much as possible to ease our way into the culture. A lot of the food is pretty similar to American, we even had bugers and fries yesterday! All the food is just different, and it really is great!
 

Make sure that you tell Becca that I said Happy Birthday.  It doesn´t quite feel like Halloween time because there are pretty much no decorations. Every once in a while you have to tell yourself what time of the year, and day, it is and that you are really in Guatemala.

(Here you go Joe, some Halloween decorations for you!)

Could you do me a favor and take my leaf from the Sacred Grove and laminate it for me?

Joe's leaf from the Sacred Grove in Palmyra NY.  EFY August 2013

 

So mom you were right. We had our class last night on how to be safe and healthy. She went through all the things that could get you sick, or hurt,or killed, simple things like that. We sure all felt great after that class. As it turns out, you do sleep underneath a mosquito net that should cover your entire body. So Mom, good guess, you done good getting me that hat.  (That makes a mother feel REAL good)

 

Tomorrow will be the most exciting day of our entire stay here, and you know what the President is going to allow us to do? We get to go to Wal-Mart! Yes! Who could ask for a better day?

The CCM is definatly difficult, but other than studying, and, well ya know, learning a language, not a whole lot happens here, so when you go write in your journal, p.s. mom I have another one here, it can be a little dificult, but you will always find something from your day. For example I walked out of my room three different nights, and Elders were getting their hair cut.  Boom, in my journal. So yesterday I asked a missionary if I was in their journal, just because, and she told me that I wasn´t, but because I asked, I would be put into her journal tonight. Ha so funny!

 

There is a program online that you can write a letter at dearelder.com where they will print it out in

Provo as a real letter, and they will send it to the CCM, and I tell you that the best thing that could happen is getting a nice physical letter from home!

 

Don´t worry about me. Just remember what a Missionary from Guatemala said ¨Just be smart¨ I am being taught how to do that, and even though it´s not the easiest country in the world to live in, the best thing to do is turn to the gospel and your faith. Look up Deuteronomy 4: 30-31 As long as I am obedient the Lord will help me through.

 

Deuteronomy4:30:31

 

30 When thou art in ^atribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the ^blatter days, if thou ^cturn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;

31 (For the Lord thy God is a ^amerciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the ^bcovenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

 

We´ve got this guys, don´t worry, and thanks for your prayers.

Email:  Tuesday, October 22, 2013 First Week Done!!

Susan and I were thrilled to get the letter below.  Not that we got a letter from Elder Lovett, but for the simple fact that we actually GOT A LETTER!  He's never been a good communicator, so we were excited to think that he may actually write us while he's on his mission!!

From Elder Lovett:

Every once in a while I kind of have to think about it, and realize that, dude I´m in Guatemala!! So weird. The CCM is like a relly big bubble that holds all the missionaries in one spot. Protecting them from the World across the street. Every once in a while the cops drive down the street sitting in the bed of a truck, with AK-47´s. If you imagine that you were in one of those movies where they go to a place like India. the sights , sounds, and people are pretty much the same. The food is awesomely delicious, and the president is amazing.

You can see the temple out of my window, we even went today. Every night it´s hard not to look out of my window and see the temple in front of this GIANT HILL. Moroni is higher :p

I was called to be district leader, and there are about nine people, including me, in our district. I was even asked to play my "Armies of Heleman" song in sacrament. Let the pressure begin!

I was not as ready to learn spanish when I came. I thought that it would come so fast, nooooope. I had to learn a humbling lesson the first few days.  I wanted someone to tell me that it would be hard to learn spanish before I came. Everyone told me it would be so easy, boosting my ego. Then at sacrament meeting, I pictured Todd Moran telling me ¨Face the fact that it´s going to be hard. Now get over it, and learn the language. Now spanish is coming Much better.¨

Tell those people at home to write me!!!!!!! Send my love to Rachel, Mckenzie, Eloy, Ryan and John. I got yo back guys

Great view of the Guatemala City Temple

from Elder Lovett's CCM dormroom window

October 15, 2013, about 10:55 pm

 

Elder Joseph Bjorn Lovett

Guatemala Retalhuleu Mission

October 2013 - October 2015

 



Well the four months from receiving Joseph's call has come to an end, and a new adventure has started for Elder Lovett!!  After being set apart as a Full-Time Missionary by President Wilson Monday night, what a wonderful Tuesday we spent together!  Joseph was so excited throughout the day, but when it came closer to going through sceurity, he was staring to show his emotions more clearly!  Susan and I got hugs like we've never gotten before!  After spending Tuesday afternoon in the Los Angeles Temple, he was so ready to get started sharing his testimony with the people of Guatemala!  He joined about 14 other missionaries at the gate and then took off a minute after midnight.  His anticipated arrival in Guatemala City was 5:43 am on Wednesday October 16, 2013.

As you may imagine, all of our emotions are all over the place.  Happy and Excited for the experience that he will undoubtedly have, but sad and fearfull as parents!  Susan and I spent a tearful Wednesday, but felt much better when we recieved an email from Elder Lovett.

"I arrived in Guatemala and I'm learning Spanish already!  My P-Day is Tuesday"

Short and sweet, but it provided a tremdous amount of comfort to Susan and me knowng that he's off and running, doing exactly what he has been preparing to do for so long!!  Almost a year to the date of President Monson's age lowering announcement, our 18 year old son has started his mission!!!!!  WE ARE SOOOO PROUD!

Look forward each week to new posts of Elder Lovetts' Guatemalan Adventures.  And as I get better at this "blogging thing" the posts will get better as well!

Thank you all for your love and support of our boy!  We love you all and will be so excited to share this experience with you!

GOOD LUCK ELDER LOVETT!!  WE LOVE YOU AND ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR THE CHOICES YOU'VE MADE!

Love, Mom and Dad!!