Hola from HOT Monte Maria!

Hola Familia,

Hey! Can I just tell you THANK YOU SO MUCH! Haha I saw the bag and thought to myself, “Haha! NO WAY!” I heard it was big, but that bag is BIG! Thank you so much for everything, I really appreciate it. I know that you had to have put a lot of time into it, and you have no idea how awesome it is. I think you went way overboard, but hey, no worries! My companion insisted on carrying it on the bus and the way home, i´m surprised he´s still standing. Haha Poor Brother Redd, tell him thanks a million! We´ll be eating very well here for a nice long time! Also tell Uncle Nathan and his family thanks a ton for the tie, notes and the chocolate covered cinnamon bears! They know me way too well, that´s my favorite! I love the tie so much!

So it sounds like you had an interesting experience in Las Vegas! I can not stop laughing thinking about Dad and Tanner in the pool trying to have a nice relaxing time with a bunch of HUGE women all around in bikinis. They probably could have crushed you two! It´s a good thing you left. Haha

Christopher, I was really bummed to hear about what happened at the tournament! Did you drink enough water? Are you taking creatine? Be careful with that! Something that i´ve learned on my mission is that EVERYTHING happens for a reason. We need to recognize the hand of the Lord in our lives, even though it may be extremely hard. I´ve had some of those days where I´ve just wanted to sit down and cry and ask why? But there´s always a reason for why things happen. Remember that! It´s hard to accept, but possible! You don´t want to sign an acceptance letter too soon, maybe a better offer is on the way? Haha jk. Have fun in Bear Lake, be careful!

So I just have a few funny stories to tell you this week… I forgot how lively and funny things were in the capital! I´m going to start with one of the funniest… SO last Monday after internet and lunch my companion and I were going to our appointments, but they were falling, a guy came out to give us the Book of Mormon back telling us he didn´t want us to come back, and a whole lot of other stuff was happening. My companion got frustrated and said, “This day couldn´t get any worse!”

Well, we were contacting trying to find people to teach, and we went down this path to some houses out on the mountainside. As we walked we just kept passing dog after dog after dog, and they started following us and running around getting a little excited. We went down this path to a house and my companion started contacting the guy who lived in the house. I was following behind trying to scare a dog away who was right on our heels barking and growling and stuff. I went to pretend to throw a rock at it and it came running at me! Haha I jumped down a few stairs, the dog ran right past me and bit my companion in the leg! He´s not the most patient person ever, and I was just waiting for him to go off and start throwing some dogs. He did really well though, and with bloody pants and a red face finished the contact. We went and called the nurse and now everything is good. Haha I am still laughing about this one.

I forgot how funny the Bolo´s are here in the capital! As we were walking down the street the other day, a bolo stood up, spread his arms apart and YELLED, “WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE!!!” in English. I´m sorry but I could not stop laughing.

Yesterday we made a cake for one of our investigators because it was her birthday. We took it to the family and they were happy and all, but they went and stuck a CD in the cd player. My companion and I were a little worried because we can´t listen to music… When they put in the Barney soundtrack in Spanish. Haha Let´s just say that was a quick appointment.

Well, It´s been an awesome few weeks, with a lot of hard work. I feel so tired when I get home at night, but it´s a good tired, because it means we´ve given it our all and we´ve worked hard. We´ve had some awesome situations where we´ve seen the hand of the Lord guiding us, and helping us through the work. He is protecting us and we are constantly receiving reminders of that. I love this work with everything I have. Even though it´s so hard sometimes, I love it! I´m still trying to come to know Christ better, and I know that through being obedient, i´ll be able to keep coming closer and closer to him. You too!

I love you all so much, and miss you like crazy. Thanks for everything!

Elder Melville

P.S. I love the CD´s, thank you so much! Good Job Mom! I´m impressed. I knew you could use the computer, this mission thing is just what you needed!

Hola from Monte Maria!

Hey Family!

So, it´s awesome to hear about everything that is going on in Utah. This is my favorite part of the year, so enjoy it for me! I think that´s really awesome that you´re doing a golf tournament for the basketball team! I hope, and i´m sure it was a success. It sounds like you´re keeping busy!

It´s been such a week here in Monte María! We´ve been working really hard and doing our best to use every moment in a way that will help us to help others come unto Christ. I am so happy to be back to the days where the whole day is full of appointments and we´re just running from one to the next. There is nothing better!

We had some interesting experiences. I love being here because the lessons can be taught in a lot more depth, and the people understand it better. We´ve focused this past week on The Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is basically the first thing we teach. When we are contacting people we put it in their hands and let them feel it and explore it. While we´re walking down the street we carry it in our hands just to bear testimony as we go from appointment to appointment. I know that we can find the answers we need in our lives through prayer, reading the scriptures, and receiving revelation. There´s a quote that I really like that says, “If you want to talk to your Heavenly Father, pray! If you want him to talk to you, read the scriptures!” I know without a doubt this is true! If you want to see if it´s true, try it! It´s the only way we can know the truthfulness of the book. We can come to know Christ so much more from this book.

Someone very wise told me in an email, that they´ve noticed that there are a lot of the things we do in the church that are just way too casual. It´s funny because i´ve thought about that a lot over the past few weeks. Sometimes we need to think and remember, that when we pray, we aren´t just praying. We are talking to our Heavenly Father, and if we do it with faith, he´s listening! When we take the sacrament, every week we are renewing our covenants with him! When we need an answer to our questions, we can receive it! We just have to do it with a sincere heart and faith, and we´ll be able to see and FEEL the difference. I love that!

Thanks for sending the bag! I can´t believe you sent a bag so full! I have no idea where it is, but I hope i´ll be able to find it soon, because it sounds awesome. Haha


Answers to all of the questions:
1. My new companion is awesome. He played football at Hunter High in West Valley City. We have already gotten really close and I think he´s awesome. There´s only one thing I´ve found wrong with him – he´s going to the U to play football after he gets back… It´s ok, we´ve put it behind us and we´re buddies. Look for Cade Cunningham when everything gets up and going, I bet he´ll be playing really quick. We´ve been doing a little bit of exercise in the mornings, and it´s been a lot of fun.
2. I´m remembering why I love the city! We had 26 lessons in total the past week, which is a bunch. My companion says it was the most he´s had in this area, but I want to say, that´s more than I had my whole time in Patzicia… We visited a lot of members in Patzicia, but not counting those, and only counting less actives, I really think it´s pretty close. We´re working like crazy, finding a ton of new investigators, and teaching a lot of lessons, that´s what it´s all about, and that´s the secret to happiness in the mission.
3. We´ll see what happens with the bag... You sent a bag that weighs 50 pounds!? Haha I feel bad for Brother Redd, AND my poor little companion or whoever has it. I´m trying to figure out how i´ll be able to find it.. I´ll call the secretaries today and they´ll be able to find it for me.
4. I think we´re the luckiest here in the Central Mission, because we have both Antigua, and Lake Atitlan here in the mission. Those are 2 of the biggest tourist spots in Guatemala, and they´re awesome. All of the missions have good stuff though i´m sure.
5. Yes all of my clothes are way too big now, but we found a lady in the ward who is going to tailor them a little bit so they´ll fit a little bit better… haha
6. It is a little bit harder when you know your companion is going to go home after this change… With Elder Cano he was ALWAYS thinking about home and the situations at home and stuff, so that was pretty hard trying to get him to work. With Elder Cunningham it´s been a lot easier in the aspect of working, because he wants to finish strong. The thing that´s going to be hard with Elder Cunningham is the fact that he´s going back to UTAH! Haha Really though, it´s not too bad.


I love you all so much, I miss you all like crazy but there is nothing I´d rather do! It´s hard, tiring, but one of the most rewarding experiences i´ve ever had. Thanks for your prayers, I´ve seen and felt them manifested in my life! Love you all so much, see ya soon!

Elder Micah Melville

Here you go!

Hola Familia,

Hey! How´s everything going? I really appreciate your emails! They are always so awesome, and I love the little details, like always. I got a lot of emails from friends as well, thanks a million! I can´t write back through email, but i´ll see what I can do about getting some letters sent out. I´m glad to hear Christopher is getting close to his camping merit badge! Keep working hard. Tanner, you put underglow on the golf cart? Ha Sounds like something you´d see here in Guate.

Well, it´s with a lot of sadness and a whole lot of excitement that I have the opportunity to tell you i´ve been changed! I received the phone call from the zone leaders and before I knew it I was in change conference! Saying goodbye to the people of Patzicia was one of the hardest things ever, and I feel like i´m leaving a bunch of my family behind. Even though that area was a definite challenge, I had some of my best learning experiences, and i´ll always remember the charm of the mountains. Hermana Per gave me a handstitched piece of Corte, and all the little kids were giving me a bunch of little odds and ends(marbles, stickers for the back of my plaque, etc...). Can you believe how giving and humble they are?

So here I am, RIGHT in the capital. I thought I was in the capital in Boca Del Monte, but now i´m right in the thick of it. I´m not going to lie, even though I was only in Patzicia for 2 changes, I was getting used to it, and now I feel a little strange here in the city. I´m not too worried about it though, that´s one thing i´ve learned, is how to adapt to the drastic changes in the mission. My new companion is Elder Cunningham, and just like Elder Cano, he´s on his way home. This is his last change, but instead of thinking a lot of home, he´s thinking about how hard he needs to finish his mission. I´m SO thankful for this, because he´s an excelent missionary, and an incredibly hard worker. Usually i´m the one doing the pushing, I can´t wait to just get out and GO! We´ve already had the amount of lessons we would have had in a weeks worth in Patzicia, and we´ve only been together 2 days. The Lord is blessing me, and i´m so excited. Elder Cunningham is from SLC, and reminds me A LOT of Jordan and Jason Melville, I just can´t decide which. Probably more like Jason. He loves snowboarding and wants a Subaru. I´m so lucky, he´s awesome. The area is a pretty good area, It´s called Monte María, and it´s really close to everything in the capital. There are even grocery stores close! Ha How weird is that?

Even though this has been a little bit of a surprise, i´m really excited for the change, and way excited to see what the Lord has in store for me. I know that i´m here for a purpose, a reason, and i´m willing and ready to work hard and give it my all. I have received SO many blessings, I owe it to my Father in Heaven to give it EVERYTHING I have. Thanks a ton for all of your support, just know I love you all so much and I think about you a ton.

I talked to my companion in Patzicia, Elder Arias, before I left, and he said he would be ok with getting the stuff that Brother Redd brings to me. The only other way would be to leave it in the CCM, but they will have to pay a small price. Maybe they can try to leave it in the CCM, and if they let them, great, if not, they can give it to Elder Arias and he´ll send it to me. Tell him to tell Elder Arias to take it to interviews. Really, honestly, you don´t need to send me much at all! I´m happy, healthy, and working hard. I don´t need any more clothes, just a lot of letters and pictures... There´s nothing better! The new lacrosse head would be awesome, and the shaft doesn´t matter, maybe just not the weird shaped debeer one... Obviously i´m going to need a ball or two... Don´t worry too much about sending me stuff, I can only have 3 bags. Keep it small!

Oh, by the way. Elder Lanham is my new Zone Leader and we´re going to be going on divisions again! How cool is that? He was just sitting right next to me at internet, but he left. You have no idea how much I love Elder Lanham, and how much he has influenced me and my mission.

Well, It´s time to go, but just know I love you all so much! The Book of Mormon is true, and I´m still learning like crazy! I´m so thankful for my savior Jesus Christ. I know he lives and loves us.

Elder Micah Melville






Hey family, here are some pictures of my most favorite family ever, the Per family. They have 3 missionaries out right now. One in Ecuador close to the temple. Tell Aunt Susan thanks a million for the email! Also, Tell her if she sees Elder Per, she needs to talk with him and tell him thanks for sharing his family with me.

Hola from HOT and Sunny Patzicia!

Hola Family,

Hows everything going? The Internet has been going weird AGAIN, and so far I haven´t been able to read your emails, but I decided I was going to start writing, and copy it over when the internet becomes available. Can I just tell you how CRAZY the past few weeks have been? I have had some really interesting stuff to tell you, and of course, the weeks when I have the most to say, I have the least time, or the internet decides not to work. Oh well, that´s life, and i´m still just loving it!

So two weeks ago, we woke up and went outside of the house and we saw a bunch of the ward members out in front of one of the non-members houses across the street. I saw a garbage bag in the shape of a bowtie outside of the house, and a big blue tarp tent in the front yard. Whenever you see a garbage bag in the shape of a bowtie in Guatemala it means someone has died. Well, the wife had given birth the night before, and within minutes the baby had passed away. We were given the assignments to speak at the funeral (In their front yard) and then we went to the cemetery. It was pretty sad but really interesting to see how they do everything here in Guatemala. The awesome thing is, that the members helped! Your prayers were answered, and the members helped this family, who just a few days before we had knocked the door and didn´t want anything.

I talked to the Dad at the funeral, and he said that he would like us to go over to his house and have a “Prayer” with him and his family. How awesome is that!? ¡GRACIAS! to the members, we found a new family to teach, and we had the opportunity to go and teach them the Plan of Salvation. We have been teaching them, and although things started out really positive, the members started gossiping, and broke this poor Dad´s heart. Now he doesn´t want us to go visit him thanks to the things he heard the members say, and we´re continuing our search for new investigators. This is something that I´ve learned to accept… Not our will be done, but the will of our Father. Thanks to the example of Jesus Christ, we can learn to accept things like this and move on.

Ok, so that was 2 weeks ago. Last week, a young single adult in the ward died in an accident on a motorcycle (Please be careful). Just like the tradition follows, we went to his house the night after, where there was a service. A bunch of ward members gathered in his house, and our ward mission leader gave a talk, as well as another Brother in the ward. They asked me to direct the music in the service… haha I was pretty nervous for that, SO MANY PEOPLE and it was all a capella. There were a bunch of people crowded into the house, and I thought to myself, ahh I´m so lucky to not have to be giving a talk here, this is a BIG funeral.

Well, I thought too soon. The next day they had a service, where upwards of 500 people showed up at the church, the majority non-members. The bishop decided it would be awesome to hear from the elders. I was SO nervous and couldn´t decide what I wanted to say. Obviously I was going to teach the plan of salvation, but how!? I was so nervous I could hardly focus on preparing. I got to the funeral feeling VERY unprepared. Thanks to that humility I felt like I had the spirit with me and just got up and taught the plan of salvation with everything I had, and it turned out alright! Even though I felt like I was teaching the whole pueblo and their dogs, I felt calm, collected, and just let the spirit guide. I´m so thankful for this blessing I was blessed with. I know it wasn´t me, but it was a blessing from my Lord and Savior.

We have been working hard and we were blessed with the opportunity to find a family of 5 yesterday, with the potential of more. They seemed really positive and had a ton of questions. The investigators i´ve taught with the most questions are the ones with the better probability of being baptized. We did something this week and found 12 references, and i´m SO excited for what lies ahead. The changes are coming and I don´t want to leave Patzicia. I don´t want to leave and I´m pretty sure that i´m not going to leave. We´ll see what happens. Not my will but the Lord´s… remember? Haha

I received an email from Brother Redd, and i´m really excited that they are coming! Here are the answers to his questions.
1. The Stake Center is located in the exact same place where the Randall Ellsworth chapel was located, It´s really big with a green roof. To get to the Stake Center you just need to turn left on the street after the Puma station in Patzicia, at the bottom of the hill. The other chapel is located up towards the volcano. To get to that chapel they need to turn left right before the little bridge to cross the road. There is a sign that says “Acatenango.” They need to heads toward the colourful cemetery, it is to the right and a little further above if they are facing the cemetery.
2. I don´t have the addresses of the buildings right now… Would they be located on lds.org? Sorry! The addresses here are way confusing, we just ask people in the general area if they know where we´re trying to go. Everyone in Patzicia knows about the “Iglesia Mormona Arriba” and the “Iglesia Mormona Abajo.” The church up on the hill is smaller and older, and the church down below is the Stake Center, where the old chapel was.
3. As long as there aren´t changes, and as long as they go to the meeting at 10 AM in the Stake Center, we´ll be able to find them after the Sacrament Meeting, when we finish in our ward at about 11.
4. The wife of the Stake President says she knows where to take everything to find the families who are really in need. She says she can help find all the families members/non-members if you would just want to leave it with her, and we can help her. I´m still trying to figure that out.
5. We talked to the primary president and they are trying to figure everything out to sing for the tour. If not, my companion and I will do it! Haha. They like chocolates (Snickers, Twix, etc…)


You have no idea the problems I´ve had with internet, I´m going to have President Cua call Brother Redd. Every time I try to email this email the power goes out. I didn´t get to answer all of the questions but hopefully they´ll be able to resolve it when Presidente Cua calls! Love you all so much and i´ll see you soon. Every day i´m trying to get to know Christ a little bit better… Get to be more like him and REALLY know him. I know he lives and loves us all. I love you all so much and i´ll see ya later!

Mom, I don´t need anything! I´m happy! We´re visiting 2 member families tonight who have plans for my birthday… I just keep getting blessings!

Love you all so much,

Elder Micah Melville

Hey!

Family... I´m so sorry. I had an email written but I lost it. Something happened... Here are the answers to the questions and I have to get off.


I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! YOU¨RE AWESOME!

Answers to questions:
1. We are here in Patzicia, and it has it´s own stake. Some of the outlying areas have wards and branches in the stake, as well as missionaries. There are a TON of members here in the ward, we had 275 people come to church a few weeks ago, that´s awesome, but a little hard for the leaders to support that many people. The members are very loving, but VERY prideful. There are a lot of people that go to church just because that´s what their family does… It´s the custom. Not all members are like this, but a lot. There is a family called the Family Per, and they are INCREDIBLE. I love them so much, they wash our clothes and she cooks our almuerzos. She reminds me of you Mom! Don´t worry, you´re not replaced… But the lord has been blessing me a lot.
2. Sorry for not sending a lot of pictures, that´s something I need to do better. I´ll see what I can do! Our new house is a lot better… The toilets flush with the switch, (the others in the other house you have to just dump a bucket of water in the toilet after and that´s how it flushes… haha). The showers are pretty good, and Elder Arias and I are just enjoying it.
3. Elder Arias is an awesome missionary, an awesome worker. I love Elder Arias and we´re working way hard. We saw the best numbers I remember seeing this week in Patzicia.
4. If the Guatemalans have a siesta time we aren´t allowed to know about it… haha We work all day long.
5. Transfers are the 12 of July… SO if I get changed I won´t be able to see Brother Redd… But i´m about 95 percent sure i´ll still be here in Patzicia.
6. I heard that Elder Hautau is an AWESOME missionary. I haven´t seen him for a while but i´ve heard he´s speaking Spanish, is really obedient and is working hard. Elder Misini is just an awesome missionary like he always has been.
7. I miss the baptizing that goes on in the city, but I LOVE the mountains. I´ve fallen in love with Patzicia and the way of life here, I´m going to miss it when I get changed. The work is a lot different, but we´ve still been able to see some fruits of the work in seeing some Less-Active and Inactive families start coming again, it´s been incredible. We don´t have too many investigators… That´s our big challenge right now, trying to find new investigators! There are a lot of people here that just don´t even want to give it a chance… But we´re finding the people who will!
8.You don´t need to worry about sending any more medicine or anything like that, I´m doing ok! Ama Ama is my favorite, and if it isn´t too big of a hassle you can keep sending that, as well as granola. I love granola. Licorice sounds good too. I´ve forgotten all of the good stuff there is at home! It probably wouldn´t hurt to send some protein if there is space. Maybe just a bunch of burnt church CD´s would be awesome in a little pouch? You really don´t need to worry about sending me too much, it´s ok!


Love ELder Melville

Hola from FREEZING COLD, BUT AWESOME Patzicia

Hola Familia,

Well family, I hardly have any time at all! It´s been AWESOME reading all of your emails and finding out what is going on at home. I love hearing about you all and what you are doing. Keep working hard all of you, and Christopher, just go ahead and take a break from basketball… Have fun, enjoy life! I heard a quote once, Happiness isn´t a destination, it´s the journey. Something like that. Just love life.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for my birthday package! Can I just tell you how awesome you are? I opened that package with all of the pictures, good food, ties, and everything, and couldn´t be any happier. Those pictures are SO awesome. It´s crazy to see how many people have changed SO MUCH. (Sister McKinlay, I didn´t even recognize her, Cody Madsen, it took me a good minute or two to figure out who he was, Lacee Brown, wow she´s changed, Kali Persons, WOW everyone is growing up!) At the same time, It´s been so fun to see how many people haven´t really changed!

Well, I already have to get off of the internet, but can I just tell you the difference a week makes! We received 7 references from members, through activities and everything. THIS WARD IS CHANGING! I´m so happy, all of your prayers are working. Thank you for your faith and everything. I love Patzicia!

Dad, I love you much and I hope your fathers day was awesome.

Love you all so much, and I´ll see you soon. Keep sending quotes and recipes! They´re awesome. I love this place and love this challenge that i´ve had in my mission.

LOVE YOU MUCH, SEE YA!

Answers to questions:
1. We moved in with the Stake President, but we live in a part that is really separated from the family, They live downstairs, and there are two little rooms upstairs where we live. It´s been awesome living with this family. They´re great. Supposedly they were going to have someone email you because they want Brother Redd to bring a laptop computer… Has he been able to get a hold of the President? I talked to him about everything, and it sounds good. He wanted me to tell Brother Redd that they don´t need to bring any women´s clothing… Almost all of the women use Corte… haha
2. I found out that I can get vitamins and allergy stuff from the little pharmacies, Thanks for everything you´ve sent, and now just don´t worry i´ll see what I can do here! Sorry it took so long for me to figure that out!
3. I haven´t gotten a duffle bag yet, but i´m going to see what I can do about that. I haven´t gotten new running shoes, i´m just going to use the ones I have for now, but i´ll let you know if I need some new ones. I think I might get some soccer shoes. Ha! Who´d of thought. My clothes are all doing really well, I´ve been trying to take care of them… So no worries! The only thing I can think of clothes wise is ties, but I´ve got a bunch and i´ll just trade them when I get sick of them…
4. I´m glad you found the plantains! Now fry them up with some sugar and oil and make some eggs and refried beans, you all will be puros chapines! There are some weird vegetables and stuff that i´ve eaten but i´m not sure what they´re called. Our cook gave us this thing that kind of looks like a green pumpkin… I thought it was pretty weird tasting with the texture and all…. Then I realized I was eating the outside peel part that I wasn´t supposed to eat… ha oops. Nobody said anything.. thanks a lot! Haha
5. I received an email from Brother Redd. I realized that there will be changes before the Sunday that they come, but i´m expecting to still be here in Patzicia. I think i´ll probably be here a while, so no worries. I can´t email Brother Redd back, but there are a few things that maybe you could tell him for me:
For some reason a LOT of people on tours like to come to Patzicia and give away the “Goods”. The wife of the stake president told me that a lot of the time the bishops go through it and pick out the good stuff and then leave the rest for the other people here… Then the members who really might not need it as bad come through and take the rest. If they really want to give it to the people who need it, they need to find a way to talk to Presidente Cua and his wife, and they can help distribute it better. They don´t have internet so they have to go to a internet café… He sends his son to go check the emails and stuff. So Email might not be the best way to go. He´s the type of person that is really hard (OK, borderline impossible) to get a hold of unless you show up at his house… Keep emailing me and i´ll keep trying to help!



ELDER MELVILLE

Hola from PELEANDO Patzicia!

¡Hola Familia!

Well how is everything going? I just want to say thanks a million for all of the emails! I received an email from everyone in the family today! You all are awesome, thanks for that! Like always, it sounds like everything is going good! I´m just REALLY glad I wasn´t there when Dad found out about the broken frame on the golf cart. There isn´t much that frustrates Dad, but that´s JUST the type of thing to make him start breathing heavy and leave the room… haha Love you all, and miss you so much.

Ricky, I´m way impressed that you didn´t take that tournament too hard. I´m not going to lie, that sounds pretty frustrating. Those are some of the most intensely difficult feelings, when things aren´t going the way they need to go, and you feel like there´s nothing you can do about it. The thing is, there is always something you can do about it… Even if it comes to just falling down on your knees and just praying for help, there is always something, and always someone to help you. That´s awesome though, you´re going to become so much better from that tournament. Those are the times when you can really learn and grow… If you won all those games would you be practicing hard right now? I think not. Haha I know I wouldn´t be.

Tanner, I´m glad to hear that you´re taking off to go to scout camp! You´ve already gone and you´ll be reading this when you´re back in a week, but it sounds like a lot of fun. If Brother Wise is the cook and you´re going with Brother Nelson…. Wow talk about luxury! Mom, don´t worry, he will be fine!

Well, here I am, still just working like crazy in Patzicia! I´m happy, and a little bit healthier than 2 or 3 days ago so everything is good! Haha I´m not sure what happened, but let´s just say I set a personal record for time in the bathroom… I´ve never felt ANYTHING like that before. I was sick for a little bit, but I got better fast and we´ve had some awesome days since then. I´m happy and healthy and still working like crazy.

Really though, I´m just loving life here in Patzicia. A week ago they told me that I would be speaking in Sacrament Meeting about missionary work. I was pretty excited to get that opportunity, because there have been a lot of things i´ve noticed I wanted to talk about. Then, I asked them how long they wanted me to speak. The secretary said, “Well, probably 25 minutes.” Haha I seriously had no idea what to say when he told me that. 25 minutes of the sacrament meeting? Well, It turns out that on the agenda yesterday was a youth speaker, and then to take up the rest of the time was Elder Melville. Well, the youth speaker got up and spoke for what seemed like 30 seconds and there I was, in front of the ward, speaking until the end of the sacrament meeting. It was pretty intense, but I actually went over! When I finished the girl who was directing the music got up with her “I heart AC DC” shirt and we finished the meeting. Can I just tell you, the English shirts we see here are always so funny, they almost NEVER match their owner. One time I saw a guy walking down the street smoking, but was wearing a shirt that said so and so “cheerleading.” Haha I love Guatemala.

We had a bolo show up at church yesterday with about 5-10 minutes left in the meeting. We took him in with the Hermanas to sing the closing song and have the closing prayer, and we have an appointment with him at the Stake President´s house tonight. We´ll see how that goes, it should be pretty interesting. Ha, you should have seen the looks on the faces of all the people when we came marching in with this bolo.

So I´m finally starting to figure out why the work here isn´t functioning well enough- it´s not that the members aren´t helping. There are members who are willing to help. The problem here is the reputation that the members have in Patzicia. The people here have heard about the “Mormons” from their pastors, and of course that starts it off bad, but the example that these members are leaving isn´t very “Christlike.” After sitting through a ward council yesterday and listening to the different groups just fight and point fingers and throw the blame all over the room for almost two hours, my companion went into depression and it really made me think. It finally got so bad that the secretary who was trying to take notes stood up and said VERY strongly that he couldn´t even write the things that they were saying because it didn´t make sense and that he wasn´t even going to keep trying anymore. The gossip, the pride, and the lack of love is killing this ward. Someone died in the Colony of Zarahemla, and the family isn´t a member family (You wouldn´t BELIEVE the incredible missionary opportunity this could have been). Someone went to tell the bishop and he said, “They´re not members, why would we go help them?” When I heard that the Relief Society was over there fighting with the family over pans they wanted to borrow from the church, I just wanted to sit down and cry. Haha How are we supposed to bring people into this ward when the Sisters fight in Relief Society until people leave the room early, and priesthood is a big meeting of “Let´s see who knows more.”

Family, we have a big responsibility ahead of us. My companion is coming out of his depression and we HAVE to help this ward. We´re going to do it, but i´m going to need your help and prayers. I´m actually really excited for this opportunity, and the challenge that lies ahead. I just need your advice and prayers and everything you can give me. Dad, you know how a ward works, help me! Just know even though this is hard, I´m a lot happier than even other times in my mission. I love my companion, and love this ward. Jesus Christ lives, and with him ANYTHING is possible. How awesome is that.

Our ward attends the Stake Center. We start at 8 in the morning, and the other ward starts at 10 in the morning. Either way i´ll be able to see the group, i´m really excited. The stake president is in our ward and actually this week we are moving to live in his house. We´re really tight with the stake president and i´ll give him the heads up! So the opportunities are 8AM and 10AM.

I have to run, but just know I love you all so much, and I´ll see ya later!

Elder Micah Melville

Hola from hot and sunny-get ready for rain...Patzicia!

Hola Familia,

It´s been another week already! The time is flying by, and a WHOLE lot faster with Elder Arias. He´s awesome. I said Patzicia is different, and it´s true, it seems like a whole new Patzicia, but we´re still in the same place. It´s amazing the difference a change makes.

I love hearing from all of you! Your emails are the best, keep them coming! I love hearing the news in a minute and seeing all of the fun things that are happening there. It sounds like you all are enjoying every minute of it. I still wouldn´t trade you though, I love it here!

Ricky Chiky, you´re such a punk, I can´t believe you dunked twice! I´m so impressed. Keep working hard, but enjoy your summer! Don´t get burned out. How are all of your girlfriends, is there any time to do anything other than basketball? Ha you should have heard me when I read that you dunked twice in a game. All these Guatemalans probably think i´m a crazy Norte with all the noises I was making… haha Thanks a ton for the email.

Tanner, what´s going on? It´s been a while! I hope everything is going great with you and your summer! Be careful on that golf cart, I still think you all are a little crazy! Haha

Well, here we are in Patzicia working hard. I don´t have any huge news or anything like that, we´re just trying so hard to figure out how to find new investigators. The members all are telling us that they have people for us, but we´re really having a tough time getting them to give just the information to go teach. We´re teaching them, visiting them, doing service and everything. I know that it will pay off. The blessings will come.

This ward is a very weak ward. We had an assistance of 275 yesterday, which is HUGE! The only problem is the members don´t interact if they don´t have to other than on Sunday. There isn´t hardly any ward unity or love, so we´ve decided that needs to be our focus. We´re hoping to strengthen the members, so the real converting we´ll be doing will be here within the ward. Hopefully through that the referrals will come. I´m really excited to see all of the changes that will happen here soon.

Answers to Questions:
1. I wouldn´t be surprised if Jerry Redd´s tour came right through Patzicia. Call him and ask him! There is a main highway and everything. Do they want a tour of the site where the chapel caved in during the earthquake? Haha Probably not, it´s just a normal church now (It´s a Stake Center, it´s big and really nice).
2. Fried Plantains are like bananas, but bigger with a little difference in taste. Wow, I love them. They´re called Platanos here, I bet you could find some up there if you look really hard.
3. Everyone in the Zone gets to go to President´s house when they win most successful zone. Hermana Baldwin and their cook person made us breakfast and lunch. We play sports in the backyard and stuff. It´s pretty fun, but a long trip!
4. My i-pod does have a bunch of pictures on it from home, just the ones I had on my computer and maybe the house computer too, I can´t remember. I do have a CD player here, so you all can decide what you want to do. You can send the old one that doesn´t have pictures? It´s not too big of a deal. Don´t stress!
5. Elder Arias is from Honduras, and he has 18 months in the mission. He just barely went up with me, this is his first time being senior companion. He´s a great Elder, I´m not sure what the other Elders were saying when they said that I´d need to help him… He´s not a District Leader, Elder Muñoz´s old companion Elder Carpio is now the District Leader here. They are working in an area here close by called Zaragoza. He was Elder Judd´s companion.
6. I looked for a bunch of colors in the Temple, and it wasn´t too colorful! I´m not sure where or what they´re talking about… Who knows. It´s still way pretty and awesome. I love it.


Well, It´s time to go, but I just want to say thanks to all of you. I feel like that´s something I didn´t do enough. I really appreciate all that you have all done for me, but I didn´t say thanks, and demonstrate my love and appreciation to all of you. Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, Mom, Dad, Brothers, Teachers, Friends, Everyone, I just want to say thanks. I know that I am who I am because of you. I still have a LONG ways to go, but I just want you to know that I can feel your prayers and support and i´m really thankful for that. Just know that I´m so grateful for ALL of your examples to me. I miss you all like crazy, but I know that it will be soon enough that I can see you again and say thanks in person. I just had to get a nice cheesy paragraph in… It wouldn´t be a good email without one! Haha No but really, I mean it. Thanks.

I love you all so much, thanks for everything. Talk to you later!

Elder Micah Melville

Hola from DIFFERENT Patzicia!

Hola Familia,

Well, I´m not even sure where to start! It sounds like so many interesting things happened this week with all of you! Christopher you fell off the Alpine Slide!? Haha! That´s terrible. So funny though. Thanks a million for the emails, you all are incredible! Know I read basically everything and really thought they were awesome. Tell Christian Ledek to stop being so lazy and write me a letter like he means it! Haha It´s something I tell people sometimes while we´re contacting… Time isn´t something we have, it´s something we make! Thanks for sharing all of the emails and the stories, I think you´re all awesome and miss you all like crazy.

So today you should be receiving a phone call from one of Joseph Smith´s grand daughters. I´m not sure how many generations back or anything, BUT we met her in a little town called Panajachel, on the banks of Lake Atitlan. She is a member of the Community of Christ Church and is from Ogden. It was a little interesting but she wanted our phone numbers so that she could call you and tell you that I´m alive and well… haha

So yesterday we went to Panajachel, it is a little tourist town with 2 tiny little branches on the banks of Lake Atitlan. We just went and sat on the shore of the lake and took pictures and just got to enjoy it! It is one of the most beautiful things I´ve ever seen in my life. You can imagine how the glassy water was driving me CRAZY! I wanted to be out there so bad. It made it a little bit better to know that there were just tour boats and stuff, I told myself that no one was out there wakeboarding so it was all ok. Just a few minutes after I told myself that, a ski boat comes flying around the corner pulling a tube! THEN, they were pulling someone who was waterskiing. Ha, yep, that´s when I was driven to pull out the Book of Mormon and start reading. I read about Alma baptizing in the waters of mormon.. AWESOME! It is INCREDIBLE though. There is nothing better. It was so weird seeing all of the white people! Lets come back, what do you say? It was a really fun day, we ate at a really nice restaurant.My new favorite breakfast is a nice big plate of beans, eggs, and fried plantains… Nothing better!

We got to go to President´s house again because this Zone was the most successful. Elder Lanham has been telling me to get a lacrosse stick for the longest time, and I finally decided I´d ask President to see if by some CRAZY reason he would let me have one. Well, He thought about it for a second (It felt like an eternity, he´s really strict) and said yes! So there´s an idea! You can send me a lacrosse stick. I have permission to use it in the mornings during exercise time. If by some way you can figure out how to send it without paying a ton, send me one of the nice cool ones!

Also, I found out my iPod is against the new rules because it can hold pictures. SO, i´m going to have to send it to Presidents house or send it home. It would be way awesome if you could send me a bunch of those CD´s I bought before the mission of church music. Don´t send the actual CD, maybe you could burn a copy and just send me the copies in one of those little CD binder things. I´m a little desperate for music now, so if there´s anything you can do that would be awesome. Don´t worry too much though! Do we have any CD´s of Peter Breinholt? I´ve heard some of him out here, that would be awesome. Also, ´This is the Christ: Testimonies of the prophets.´ Maybe there are some old EFY cd´s lying around?

We go together to changes as a companionship. I went to changes, and received an Elder Arias… Straight out of Honduras! There are a ton of Honduranians here, it´s pretty fun. (I was totally asleep when the earthquake hit, but supposedly it hit here too) All of the Elders were telling me… ohh you are with Elder Arias… You´re going to help him a LOT! Just help him…. Haha I don´t know what they´re talking about. This Elder is AMAZING and we are going to work like CRAZY. I´m really excited about this change. It´s true Elder Lanham was really sick… He´s now a Zone Leader in the capital. I miss him SO much. Please email him and tell him I feel SICK that we didn´t get to talk enough at changes, we had to go before he came out of the meeting. Tell him I love him and miss him. Thanks!

Elder Cano and I went through the temple (In Spanish! Wow, that was intense)


We can´t ask for money to give to charities while we´re here on the mission. Can I wait until after then send it?

I have to go but I just want to tell you all that I love you so much! I miss you a ton and can´t even believe the news I heard (Jason Lamb.. I feel bad! Where´s he going to coach next?). But really, just know I love and miss you all, and I want to leave you with a commitment that we leave with the investigators in our first lesson. Will you read 3 Nephi Chapter 11 and pray to know it is true? Do it and let me know how it goes. I know you´ve already done it, but why not?

Love you all so much. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

See ya soon,

Elder Micah Melville

Hola from SOAKING WET Patzicia!

Hola Familia,

Hey hows it going? Wow, Thanks a million for all of the emails! You´re all so awesome, and I´m more than happy to get as much advice and knowledge from you all as possible! Ýou´re all just so smart, teach me stuff! Send me your testimonies! I really appreciate everything that you all are doing for me, even though you´re kinda far away right now!

Christopher, Thanks a million for the email. You´re awesome and I´m way excited to hear about all of the stuff that´s going on. Just the little details are what matters the most! I love that. Keep on the look out for the girls! haha Ok, so this is probably going to be annoying, but LEARN from Sister Wise. LEARN from Brother Perkins. I´m not even kidding, take a pad and paper and take notes. THAT is my best advice, LEARN EVERYTHING you can about the gospel, ESPECIALLY Chapter 3 of Preach My Gospel. People told me that before my mission, and I always thought, oh of course i´ll study a little bit... haha I didn´t know enough. I still don´t. STUDY! LEARN IT! The thing is you won´t understand until you´re here in your mission... It´s ok, keep doing what you´re doing, and make good decisions, you´ll be great for your mission. Start planning now though, there isn´t ANYTHING better you could do with your life. Stop getting so tall and strong, I´m getting a little scared to come home! haha

Tanner, What´s going on? How´s life? I just want to tell you that I love you man. Use all the advice I gave to Christopher, Seriously. DOn´t worry about what other people think of you! Just be yourself and love life. Ok, sorry I´m just full of weird advice today, I´m not sure why! Just know I love you all so much.

I have been learning SO much lately! I have so many different things I want to tell you, but I know i´m not going to have time to tell you everything. I´ve had my troubles, challenges, struggles, and just plain hard times. I´ve also had some of the best times ever, just walking through the streets of Patzicia, teaching people and learning from their examples. I love it so much.

One of my biggest struggles right now is being "Exactly Obedient" without being a robot. I want to be obedient with EVERYTHING I have, but sometimes it´s hard to just be myself. It´s not worth it to break the rules and not have the spirit. If anyone has any advice on that one, you´ll definitely have to let me know.

Right now we have a bunch of families who right now are preparing referrals to give us. I feel like we´ve worked really hard to get the trust of the members, and it´s slowly but surely starting to pay off. The members are saying, "Oh hey, so there is this one family...." and "If you need anything, I want to come out and work with you!" and things along those lines. It´s been really exciting to see the progress here. Right now we still don´t have too many people to teach, but I´m really looking forward to what the Lord has on the way.

So, Right now it´s POURING rain here in Patzicia. When it rains the streets start to turn into rivers, and it´s nearly impossible to stay dry. Elder Cano and I have had wayy too much fun in the rain. Like I say, this area is a little bit harder, but we´re finding ways to enjoy it.

I received my package on Thursday at Zone Conference. Thanks a million, It´s been awesome having a little bit of snack food around, you all know exactly what I like. I got my shoes and they are working great! They seem a lot tougher than my other shoes, we´ll see what happens.

I just want to tell you all that I love you so much. I just want to say thanks a million for EVERYTHING that you all have done for me. I am NOTHING without all of you, and i´m so thankful to have my family. We´ve been teaching a lesson to all the members about the Mansions we will be able to receive in Heaven if we are faithful, and that how we will be able to live with our families forever(It´s a GREAT lesson to get referrals!). I´ve really felt the power of that part of the doctrine, and I´m so thankful that if we are faithful we will be able to live together forever! Ha, Oh Ricky, I´m sorry but the late night fun fests are just NEVER going to end! haha Love you all so much, thanks for everything you do.


Well, my time is up on the computer. The next time we write I will know who my next companion is and everything. Keep prayers in your hearts and we´ll see what happens! I love everything about my mission... Even the hard times. Thats when the real learning begins.

Love you all so much,

Elder Micah Melville

Hola from Patzicia.....

Hola Familia,

How´s it going? Thanks a ton for the emails, it sounds like things are going pretty well back in Orem! I love to hear all of the little details, and I love the ¨News in a minute!´´ Keep it coming! Christopher, I´m way excited to hear that you´re STILL playing basketball. Keep working hard. Tanner, I haven´t heard anything about you... What´s going on? How´s life? How are all the girlfriends? ha! Not until you´re 16! I´m sure that´s pretty tough while all the girls are wanting rides in your Golf Cart… ha

I don´t need other glasses for now... There are places here where I can go and get glasses if/when I need them. The thing that I know I will need for sure is Veramist. My Eyes are doing great because I haven´t been wearing my contacts. The muddy buddies were really good when they got here, they were a little melted, but still tasted great! Thanks a million for that, by the way.

It´s been a really interesting week. Our numbers were INCREDIBLY low, and really kind of pathetic! I felt like we were working pretty hard, and I know that it´s not all about numbers, but it´s still a little disheartening. It´s been quite the task trying to keep from wasting time here in the mountains. I´ve realized how great we did in Boca with our time... Here I feel like we waste WAY too much time, and I´m trying so hard to change that. It´s one thing when you have bad numbers knowing you´ve done EVERYTHING possible... When you´ve been wasting time trying to push people along... It´s another story. My companion is awesome but that´s something I really want to change. We´ll see what happens! I think he´ll be married before I get off of my mission. ha

Yesterday Elder Judd and I sang a duet in Stake Conference... There were between 700-800 people there, maybe even more. President Baldwin and his wife, as well as the temple President´s wife was there too... I was SO nervous! There was a part where I just sang alone and everything. My voice was a little shaky from the nerves but I think it turned out ok!

Last night we had SUCH a good night with the members, they´re really starting to help and support us! We were asking for referrals, and they are EXTREMELY receptive! I hope and pray and really think that things will just be able to explode here with all of the help from the members. I was so happy to be working and doing my thing last night, there is nothing better!

Just like I explained in the MTC, I´ve learned that whenever the good times come, harder times are around the corner, and vice versa. Today has been a little bit harder. We had a district meeting and the numbers of the whole district are way down too... My companion got up and was talking about how the mission isn´t how we think it is... We aren´t just going to baptize everyone we see and things like that. I felt like the meeting was really negative... We´re servants of the Lord, and if we are positive and if we do what he would have us do, we´re going to find and baptize the people who are ready... The secret is to WORK! haha

Dad, I´m learning Kaqshikel but at the same time i´m trying to keep my Spanish going... It´s really not required to speak Kaqshikel here, because almost everyone speaks Spanish. It´s been pretty interesting, but I´m definitely trying to put Spanish first. At the same time i´m just doing my best trying to enjoy everything that comes my way! I KNOW the Lord is guiding my life... Everything is happening for a reason, hard times, good times, EVERYTHING. If I just make the most out of everything I do, the Lord will mold me into who he wants me to be... I love that.

I love the Atonement. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love that my Savior knows me. He knows what I feel, he knows what I like! Never was the Gospel of Jesus Christ ´´Easy.´´ Elder Holland said, ´´Salvation isn´t cheap.´´ It´s so true... Salvation
isn´t cheap... but It´s possible. One day, after all of the trials, after all of the problems, after all of the sweet spiritual moments and tender mercies that come to help us keep going, we´ll realize that we have learned so much. We will have been through the required process it takes to become someone incredible. We will become SO much more than now in this state. We just need to come to know Christ in ALL that we do. We need to remember him and know his attributes. We need to remember and trust that we´re in his hands. We just need to learn from EVERY moment. One day, one incredible day, he will call for his sheep... If we´re faithful until that time we will be among those sheep. I love that.

I love you all so much. Just know I´m working hard and I miss and love you all like crazy!

Elder Micah Melville

Mom, just send everything to the mission home still... They´ll take care of it from there... You´ll be able to do that the whole mission. Love you much.