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