YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE THIS!

Hola Familia!

Well, I´m sitting in a little internet cafe thing, with some latino music playing and big souped up school buses driving past! They literally are school buses, just all painted and totally decked out with stereo systems and what not, it´s incredible. I really am having a hard time believing this!

I loved all of your emails this week! Hey little Critty, thanks a ton for the email! I totally appreciate it! I´m so glad keeping Christ at the center of your life has been helping, I really don´t want to be all preachy and be constantly telling you what to do, but I kinda wished I had an older brother telling me stuff when I went through high school! Let me know if I get annoying :) We watched a movie the night before we left the CCM about Joseph Smith, and Presidente told us to pay attention to the role Hyrum played in Joseph´s life. I was thinking about you the whole time! You and Tanner are such great brothers, and I´m SO thankful for the love both of you show me! I love that we are best friends, there isn´t anything better than that. I miss you two so much!

Grandma sent me an email about getting $100 put into her hand! I loved that! That´s so funny, if there is anyone that deserves something like that to happen, it´s my sweet, loving grandma. I´ve been thinking a lot about my grandparents while i´ve been out here, and I am so lucky.

The Guatemalan Temple President and his wife both took classes from Grandpa Melville at BYU, and they had nothing but nice things to say about him, and I´m so thankful for his example. I feel him in my life so much, and I think about him ALL the time. I can´t even describe it. I can´t even start to describe the influence Grandpa Savage, Sherrie, and Bob have had in my life as well, I´m so thankful for them. 

Everything went well on my transition from the CCM to the field, We got to go spend some time at the Presidente´s house (Beautiful, I felt like I was back in Utah when I walked in there) and guess who came to pick us up? The one and only Elder Jesse Lanham! It was SO good seeing him. He is the coolest elder ever, and Presidente had nothing but EXCELLENT things to say about him in my interview. So while all the missionaries were getting their interviews we got to play ping pong and visit with the Assistants and Office missionaries, as well as Presidente´s wife! So I not only was able to see Elder Lanham, but I got to spend a day with him! How awesome is that? That´s not even the clincher though, just wait!

So after we all had our interviews, Presidente took his time (FOREVER) deciding where we were going and who would be our companions. (Ok a stray dog just came walking up and is standing here sniffing around right next to me... ha They´re EVERYWHERE in Guatemala. This is real!) So when Presidente was done he called the Assistants into his office, and Elder Lanham came out with a huge grin and kept telling me how excited he was for me! Presidente brought out a topographical map, and showed us where we would all be going. I was one of the last ones to be read off, but found out I would be living in a house with 2 other companionships! Guess who? ELDER LANHAM! So not only did I get to see him for a day, I´m living with him! I get to see him every day! I´m still in shock, everytime we see eachother I just think, ''wow, what are the chances!?'' He made us a nice healthy delicious breakfast this morning, and lets just say everything is awesome. I´m just thinking how they usually put the trouble missionaries with the Assistants... Uh oh... haha I´m being obedient I promise!

So i´m serving in a place called El Carmen. It´s right outside the Capital, and I´m staying in the nicest house in the mission. Everyone keeps telling me how lucky I am to be living in the nicest house, with one of the best trainers! We went right to work last night and it was crazy! I was teaching and bearing testimony (mostly bearing testimony, the teaching part is still coming) in spanish to people, and it was unbelievable.

My companion(my ''dad'') se llama Elder Muñoz. He is from Panama, and i´m pretty sure he speaks a lot more english than he will let me know about... Basically, all we speak is spanish. He is way nice and friendly, and he said when we found out, that when he saw me at the Presidente´s house he knew we´d be companions! He´s a hard worker and has already taught me so much! I´m SO thankful to be so blessed.. Seriously, it´s incredible. I´m EXTREMELY happy to say that so far I haven´t had a canche companion yet! (canche means white... at least that´s what they call me. haha) So from Tongans to Latinos, i´m doing just fine!

I love hearing all of the updates, they´re so great, and i´m SO thankful for all of the prayers, I can feel them! Keep them coming, but just know Í couldn´t be happier, and i´m just loving everything about this mission thing!

I asked Presidente about emailing friends, because i´m trying to be 100% obedient (it´s a lot harder than it looks) and he said that we can email other missionaries with his permission, but no one else other than family. So, i´ll be using slow mail for everyone else! Sorry! I love getting letters though, keep them coming!

Please tell Sherrie thanks so much for emailing me, it means so much! I love getting her emails, and I will email her back one of these days when I get a spare few minutes on here! Just make sure she knows I really appreciate it. (I just saw the coolest bus drive by)

Elder Lanham will be sending you a picture of us together, so keep your eye out for that! I´ve gotta go get some groceries, love you so much, keep on keeping on, and I´ll see ya soon!

Elder Micah Melville