HOLY GUACAMOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO WAY!!!!!!! THATS CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!! You were in Guatemala!! like 12 hours away from me!!! (driving wise) I cant believe you went on a day trip to guatemala!! That is sooo exciting! But thats so awesome.

I LOVE my new area!! Yeah it is pretty remote, but the house is sooo pretty! I need to send a picture, but i forgot to take one, its a legit house, has a kitchen, living room, a bedroom and two baths , and a room with a big pila to wash clothes, its really pretty. I will send pics next week to show you smile emoticon I have everything i need, and i got my connections to get the stuff i need if i am desperate. Thats awesome that you got to see the video haha, Ive wanted to send a video but i dont know how because it ends up being to big to send, but i will see. I made one but from mothers day haha.
My companions name is hermana Escobar she is from panama (so dont worry I am speaking spanish) and hey! como sabe si mi gramatica es mala, no creo que es tanto, tongue emoticon creo que se equivoco con mi gramatica de ingles eso si es malo haha
Voy a salir de aqui olvidando ingles y voy a tener accento guatemalteca hahaha nah es broma pero talvez si voy a olvidar ingles....
This week has been great, there is a lot of potential here in dolores, but the branch is small, that will need a lot of work and mostly with the members because they dont practice the charity here, they like to gossip and back talk about others and just say things that arent true, which is hard because thats how so many are less active and its really hard to change a person. So I have been really praying to receive direction in the most effective way to work and gain success in this area to increase the branch and so the thought came to me to read jacob 5 so ive been studying that and have been receiving ideas. The most that this branch has for assistance is 25 that was recent, but this sunday that just happened, there was 12 and thats including us 4 missionaries and the branch president, so if you do your math only 5 members came.... thats really sad. (It was also day of elections Speaking of elections, mom were you watching the news, keeping track? It was actually really calm yesterday in dolores, but we also stayed away from the center, so thats why, otherwise in the center there were crowds and crowds of people voting. But today it was a little bit more noisy with fire crackers and they actaully blocked the main street. That made it harder to get to poptun (thats where we go for pday) but we made it, and today we played soccer

So that was my week, looks like there might be a baptism this week, but we have to get papers fixed because the lady needs to get married first but she is pilas and her husband is less active, so killing two birds with one stone i hope haha. her name is marisol.

I love you guys very much, trying to kick it into high gear and working on being obedient with exactness for these few months that are left :,(
I love you guys sooooo much! I hope you have a wonderful week! And hope everthing goes well in your work mommy, and pops.
LOVE YOU!
Hermana Riley

Im doing good, I am Healthy for the most part hahah and well my hands are just there haha I dont really know if they are getting better or not. About the spanish, no i don't speak it with her (oops)

The political stuff hasn't really affected us here in Peten but we have been given precaution and told us to be on our toes and prepared, the other day there was a parade for a political party but otherwise that is it. We will see what happens this weeked.

But Hey GUESS WHAT?! So this week we have changes AND I GOT CHANGED!!! I have only been here in Santa Elena for 6 weeks! frown emoticon It makes me sad a little bit frustrated but its okay the Lord has a plan for me and I have been doing my best just to Follow his will and be humble, and so far its been working out for me, when one does that its a lot easier for them to have the peace and strength one needs to move on and get through the change.
Im staying in Peten! Im going to Dolores (president is now putting another pair of sister trainer leaders in peten, i will be training another sister, Hna Andersen is staying in Santa Elena, and my hija hna perez will be her companion, she is moving up! So proud of her, she is pilas! :D) So I will be like 2 hours away from the center. President wants me closer to the other sisters that are down there. we'll see what happens, I might end there in dolores, but one never knows! Im excited smile emoticon I atleast got to finish this change with a BAPTISM! grin emoticon His name is Jose Luis he is 19 and he is so prepared, one day he will serve a mission smile emoticon Such a great kid!
And now i have to share the spiritual message of the week. Okay So on saturday we went to the biggest one year old birthday party i have ever been to, there was a baptism yippee!! but thats not it. So after the baptism my companion was really wanting this type of cookie called champuradas, she has been craving them for a bit she really wanted one that night so we were looking for a panaderia (bakery) but it was already late so they were all closed and there was nothing, so went home a little down but not without finishing the day with a Sarita (the icecream store in guatemala, speaking of, there are new flavors! atol de alote (Corn) its sooo gross tongue emoticonarroz con leche(Rice pudding) and caramelo (caramel with nuts) So we got home finishing our icecream, sat down at our desks and all of a sudden the daughter of our dueño (Landlord) comes (like 30 years old) ansmile emoticon

d guess what she has in her hands?! A BOX OF CHAMPURADAS! We were so surprised, literally Heavenly Father was listening to the desires of my companion and blessed us. And it wasn't the biggest thing in the world we would have been fine until we found them, but the Lord blesses us in mysterious ways and in the right moment, we shared that story with the lady and even she recognized it was Heavenly Father. It was soooo awesome! Thats why i call them our miracle cookies, because that was a miracle. Im really trying to notice the little things that heavenly father does for us. And I am so greatful for Him, I LOVE the mission! It is the best! Its a great learning experience

Well Have a great week! Feliz cumpleaños a mi prima Genesis!!! darla un abrazo de mi parte
LES AMO MUCHO FAMILIA!!!!!!
SE CUIDAN!!!!!
mwah hug hug kiss kiss

HEALTH CONFERENCE

Okay so the highlights of my week!

On Wednesday we had a conference about health and the doctor for all the Central American missions came up to Peten, and he gave us a lecture (our mission is the number one most sick mission, we top everyone with parasite problems.....haha) And after the conference, the missionaries had a chance to have a one on one with him about any problems so I went to him with my hand problems. Then guess what?! On Saturday we had a mission conference with Elder Russell M Nelson and the are 70 Elder Duncan with all the missions in Centro America, it was a broadcast, I went into it fasting, and got a lot of council and answers to my prayers! it was so cool to see an apostle, too bad he didn't come to Guatemala, shucks. But oh well, this is better than anything, because how many times does an Apostle come down here, not too often, so it was awesome! My district had to go down to poptun to the conference, which is like a 2 hour drive from here. Also this past weekend, we put a fecha with our investigator Jose Luis and will be getting baptized this Saturday!!!! Woohoo a baptism, after 5 months! this is super exciting, this area is prepared and there are a lot of good potentials, we found 18 new people to teach, and within that 3 new families. I love Santa Elena, it's the best! So this week i made my one year mark!! wookoo!!! And I celebrated by doing divisions with the Sisters from Flores, and at night with my companion, she made me a card and got me a pinata (which i always wanted) and we got licuados, it was a really good night!! I can't believe how fast the time has gone, SUPER FAST! i don't even feel it, now only 6 months left and got to turn on the turbo boosts to finish strong until the very last nano second.

I can't believe someones robbing our house! NOT COOL! I will for sure pray for you guys, better be more cautious and secure with the stuff family!!
So proud of you mama on your tests, keep it up!!!!
So just found out it is 102 degrees here, wow cant believe it! I guess im just getting used to it, but the sun is blistering. Today for pday, we had a slip n slide (my idea) it was so fun, although it may have been a teensy bit dangerous, hit my head once, but i am all good, we also played with water balloons, and we had a picnic ( we just ordered pizza and had chips and a drink) it was a really fun day, especially in the heat.

Well so far i am survivng the mosquitos, keep praying for me I will make it out here alive from the chikungunya!

I LOVE YOU GUYS SOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!
MWAH! HUGS!
Lve
hermana riley

AUGUST 17

1 YEAR MOM!!!!! I am a survivor!! haha
now its really down hill from here, I'm actually scared, the time is speeding by unsure emoticon

I am doing great! I'm feeling wonderful!
I'm healthy, strong, and sweaty hahaha

okay let me tell you about the highlights of my week
so on tuesday we found this evengelical lady, she was pretty good and listened to us, at the end of the lesson we asked her to give the closing prayer. She started praying, she was speaking very loud, I took us by surprise, I opened my eye and saw that she had one hand up and the other touching the head of the member accompanying us, I was like oh no, she is going down the line, she kept praying and said some funky words I didn't understand and then she came to me! I was actually scared, she placed her hand on my head and then started shaking it! i said a prayer in my heart " Heavenly Father please protect me!" this lady was crazy and i was a tad scared hahah it was an interesting experience, okay on Wdnesday we had a skype meeting with President and we talked about some issues in Peten about health and obedience and what we can do to improve the sickness, so that was interesting. On Thursday we had divisions and i stayed in my area with hna. caudillo and at night a member invited us for dinner, which was good so that i could gain confidence with them ( they had already known hna caudillo for that reason they invited us over, so it was my ticket in smile emoticon )
Okay on friday, we have this investigator and his name is Jose Luis, he is progressing and wants to get baptized, just has been waiting for a response about Joseph Smith whether he was a prophet, so for this lesson that night we decided to watch the full length version of the Joseph Smith movie, wow I could really feel the spirit and at the end he told us that he believes that Joseph Smith was a prophet it was super cool, he is awesome and a really good kid! Also that day while proselyting we found this guy and he had a guitar so we started talking to him and he sang a song for us that he was preparing for his church service, he had a good voice! I've never been sang to before hahaha On saturday there was a baptism of the sisters in santa elena that we went to ( i have taken part in the teaching when i did divisions with them, so it was cool to see the lady get baptized, her name is rosalydia)
On Sunday we did everything to bring our investigators but no one came, not even our pilas jose luis because he slept in frown emoticon so i was a little bit bummed, when in gospel principles class we see a couple and we didnt know who was teaching them, when we asked we found out they live in our area! we had tried to visit them before but we never found them or they were too busy, we didnt even recognize them but it was a miracle because they came on their own will. Oh yeah! and during the day we went back to that evangelical Lady's house and her brother was there, they invited us and listened to us but it was really hard to teach because they were always talking trying to prove their knowledge about the bible, so it was hard getting words out, but we managed somehow, and at the end we were going to close with a prayer this time we did not ask them to do it haha so I offered a prayer but its kind of frustrating praying with evangelicos because they pray at the same time as you so they cant hear you pray and its like your praying to a wall..... so because of that I stopped saying the prayer in spanish and said the prayer in english because they couldnt hear me anyways but I ended in spanish, it was super funny, they didn't even notice. We are going to have to teach them about prayer next time....
So today for pday, me and my companion woke up early with some other missionaries to jog to flores to see the sunrise, it was super pretty!!! and today we went to petencito, a zoo, i will send those fotos next week!
but it was a good day today and an interesting week.

I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!!!!
take care, and keep going strong in the gospel!
(good luck on your work mom!)

love

Not much time left!

CHIKUNGUNYA

August 13th

This week in Peten:

We went to Poptun to have a zone meeting then one of the sisters got super sick and ended up going to the clinic and on Friday morning we went to go visit her and then after that we went to work! Later on the Zone Leaders called us and asked us to go back to visit the sister missionary who was ill so that we could do splits I stayed with her at the clinic and my companion went to work with her companion this happened on Saturday I ended up staying all afternoon with her, even though the situation wasn't good for her we still manage to have a good time, we talked a lot and we got to know each other more, the time passed by somewhat fast! I feel bad for this sister, this is the second time that she has been admitted to the clinic.

There is one being that has become the enemy of the missionaries here in coban (yeah we know already the adversary is the main culprit) and he is sending as part of his army a tiny little thing called (zancudos) mosquitoes. More and more missionaries are falling ill with Dengue (which is aweful) and CHIKUNGUNYA also know as (the breakbone fever) this makes you feel even worse than Dengue and the symptoms can last for months. A lot of our fellow missionaries are getting sick including the members. Mom, I ALWAYS put repelent on and I am always reapplying I really don't want to get chikungunya, it's aweful but unfortunately repellent is not 100% effective. I only 6 months and I want to be healthy to continue to work hard, this is the Lord's time please pray for us so that we don't get this dreaded disease.

On sunday as you know we had a District Conference and I was so happy to see a lot of people I knew, it was the BEST!! Especially Amanda and Jorge, and a bunch of liittle kids I knew, swarmed toward me and gave me hugs! it was the best day ever. Presidente and Hermana Curtiss talked and Elder Morales a seventy. AND! the best part yet, President invited us to have breakfast with him, it was us and the Zone Leaders, it was the best, that was this morning, I have a pic, but that will have to wait until next week. It was a good week, found lots of new investigators and have really good potentials. Oh yeah also did divisions with the San Benito sisters, so it was cool to work in the old area again, woot!!

Things are going well here, one thing I should start applying is sunblock, I'm getting super tanner than you mom, i believe haha

So you wanted to know what we eat for breakfast and dinner?

For breakfast it is something simple like yogurt, cereal, fruit, jello stuff like that, for dinner, just water or maybe chips or granola bars, it's never a lot, or if peole gift us stuff. Right now for lunch we have been eating in Comedors but we have asked a member to make lunch for us. so we will start with her now. I actually don't eat a lot of beans, crazy right?

Well that's what's going on right now, I love you guys so much!!!!
Hermana Riley

PETEN, COBAN, PETEN

Hello! I am writing from Coban City we had to come to the  Leader's Council Meeting. The Zone Leaders, Sister Leaders, Missionary couples travel from their areas to gather at the mission offices in Coban, we left this morning at 3 a.m.  I slept most of the way  but we had a pit stop and we ate a small breakfast I don't know what happened but I got car sick, and I NEVER get car sick,  my companion also got car sick and she never does either, it was weird but we didn't throw up just got queezy. We got here to coban safe and sound!! I feel like I never left (I was just transferred from here last week) Our meeting is tomorrow Tuesday so today it will be a normal p-day for us.

Things I am learning as a missionary:

I now know how to study my scriptures better and dive deep into them, I have found them WAY more interesting its awesome. I have developed better habits and overcoming my weaknesses such as my timing! :) I have learned things that make me want to be a better person when I get home, more friendly, outreaching to everyone, more obedient to the commandments, and being a true member missionary. But the thing that has changed the most is my testimony. It is a lot stronger and firmer now. I truly love the mission and will be one of the things i will never forget in my life and will always be eternally grateful! 

I am deeply grateful for the Atonement I have seen how it has really blessed the people that I have taught and gotten baptized, they are no longer weighed with heavy burdens and just have a brighter light in their lives. Also I have seen the Atonement with some less actives and even members, but some are still in the process :) I have learned a lot about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how to apply it in our daily lives, it's MARVELOUS! Everyone should study it more and understand it and then apply it daily in their lives, its what makes an unfair life seem better, that's a promise. 

 

So about my week: Everything is going great, I LOVE Peten! But it is sooooo hot there, literally sweating bullets it's crazy, but im getting used to that no biggy.  Last week, we did divisions in three areas, San Luis, Poptun and Dolores. We went to San Luis fisrt, the sisters are opening that area, it's the first time that sisters are going there, it usually has been elders. They have a lot of work to do to organize everything and help the branch out (because its not that strong) but I have faith in my sisters! excited to see their progress. I went to Poptun and my companion went to Dolores, I got to see my hija (Daughter) (they refer to the Greenie Missionaries as Daughters, and the trainers are the Mothers)  Hna. Perez! got to be with her, I'm such a proud mommy, she is such a determined hard worker, she is doing great things in Poptun. When I was there I got to learn some Mayan :D that was cool, we also went with a Q'eqchi family, I was practicing some of what I know (which is very little) and they were speaking to me full out thinking I knew it really well haha I kept telling them only poquito! but it was cool.  The rest of the week we were able to work in our area, things are going well in Santa Elena, we are teaching a lot of great people and excited to find more! 

We walk everywhere EVERYWHERE! but sadly here pedestrians never have the right of way, my companion and I think that we can educate this drivers and will show them that they have to wait for us, (we'll see how that goes) My comp came up with a quote:

Changing Guatemala one street at a time ~ Hna Andersen

hahah

I love you guys SUPER much!!!!!!

have a great week

love }

Hermana Riley

LAST SUPPER IN COBAN

NEW COMPANION ON THE WAY TO PETEN

NEW DISTRICT IN PETEN

NOT THE COT!!!!

During Splits (divisions) spending the night.

LOOK AT WHAT WE FOUND!!

HELLO LITTLE FRIEND!!

BYE LITTLE FRIEND!!

PIT STOP ON OUR WAY TO 

COUNCIL MEETING IN COBAN

OH THE THINGS SHE FINDS AMUSING!!

COBAN MISSION LEADERS

SISTER TRAINER LEADERS

PINATA TIME!!

PRESIDENT CURTISS AND SISTER CURTISS

MISSION PRESIDENT

GOING BACK TO PETEN!!

FIRST WEEK IN PETEN

My first week back in Peten:

My new companion is Hna. Anderson she is from Utah, (first American companion on the mish!) I'm still a Sister Trainer Leader and yes we will have to travel back to Coban for Leadership council meetings on a regular basis, as a matter of fact we are scheduled to go next Monday but it will be ok Mom don't worry because we will be traveling with the Senior Missionary couple (The Bakes) and they take really good care of us.( MOM HERE: I expressed concerned because as a Sister Leader they have to travel to Coban 6 hour drive on a regular basis for meetings and the roads are not very good) ANYHOW, Hna. Riley continues>>. I LOVE Santa Elena, because I love Peten and we have seen a few members that live in San Benito which has been super exciting because I love San Benito too and yes, it is HOT as Hades! we are sweating bullets everyday here, but it doesn't bother me because I still LOVE Peten, it's my favorite place. There is downside here though....we are surrounded by a beautiful lake and being a swimmer by nature and with this heat it just makes me drool for a swim on that lake but for now I will have to stick with my semi cold showers haha.
And don't worry we only go to eat with hna blanca on Sundays, and with how much I am sweating I will probably get skinnier (fingers crossed hahaha)

We have some really good investigators here, and I am excited to find more! little by little we are getting to know the area more we are both new in the area but the sisters before us left us notes, and we have been pretty successful finding the people they left. During these days we have ran into members from San Benito which has been exciting!

On Saturday we had correlation (meeting with mission leader) as we were walking to the church, there was a whole on the ground my comp tried stepping over it but her skirt restricted her and her foot didn't get a good grip on the ground so she tripped and fell, in front of everyone (it was at a stop light) she was fine, just scraped her hand kind of badly. After our meeting we were heading back, as we were walking there was a man right on the side of the road who decided to go to the bathroom right then and there and my comp made a comment about it and I told her that's not anything new here, and as I was talking to her I see this odd looking woman on my right side she looked like she was crazy (literally) I noticed that on the corner of my eye she was bending down and we kept on walking when we heard the woman yell and one second later I felt something hit my ear, and I realized it was a rock! (she threw a rock at me) I looked at the woman, and she had an angry face and grunted, I was so surprised and I can't believe she hit me, that old lady had good aim! First my companion falls and then I get hit by a rock! It was actually pretty funny but crazy! Then later that day we went to part of our area and there is a detention center! that was scary, we even saw people outside chilling, and that's when i used the phrase "chilling like a villain" it was creepy, needless to say we didn't stay there too long So yeah that day was full of weird stuff.
On Sunday we had church, we had an investigator his name Jose Luis, he is pilas, he will get baptized soon I know it! and then for lunch went to Hna Blancas house to eat, that was amazing, that made my day! I was so happy to see her family! and at night we ate tamales with Fam Rodriquez another family from San Benito, that we would always eat with. it was the BEST DAY EVER!!!

so that was my week,so happy to be here in Peten!, I love you guys soooo much!!!!!!! Take care fam!!
love
hna riley

P.S. Did I mentioned how happy I am to be in Peten? hahaha

CORTE & HUIPIL

TRADITIONAL MAYAN DRESS

REPRESENTING COBAN

OUR SWEET INVERSTIGATOR

AND

MEMBER MISSIONARY

LOVELY FAMILY

WORKING ON BRINGING THEM 

BACK TO THE FOLD

VERY DEAR TO MY HEART (Hna. Riley)

Their Mother recently passed away and

now they were teaching them the

Plan of Salvation

A DEAR FRIEND

THE PATRIARCH AND HIS FAMILY

ANOTHER WONDERFUL FRIEND

A FABULOUS MEMBER MISSIONARY

SHE IS INSTRUMENTAL TO THE WORK

SHE IS AN INTERPRETER FOR THE MISSIONARIES

IN Q'EQCHI

COBAN 1ST WAR

RELIEF SOCIETY

MY SWEET PEQUES (Little ones)

AFTER A STREET GAME OF SOCCER

THIS IS THE ELDERLY WOMAN

THAT THREW THE ROCK AT HNA. RILEY