This is what my house looks like when somebody breaks in!

                                                   The new clothes that Grandma sent me!

hello mom! I am so sorry I didn't write yesterday! I was so worried that you would be worried or think that I didn't write you or something, I had to go to Guate so thats why I am writing today instead of yesterday. I saw Hermana Minnick yesterday and she said that she told her mom to call and tell you so I hope she did, whitney always has my back, I love her! So yesterday I got robbed of Pday, my comp had to go to the capital to sign papers for her visa so I had to go with her. We made our way to Reu sunday night and slept in a hotel with 6 elders, all of them Mexicans, I LOVE Mexicans. at 3:30 in the morning the elders from the office were pounding on our door to wake us up so we could catch the bus that would take us to the capital by 4 am. Then we drove four and a half hours to the capital, I am really glad that we went with Elders because my comp does not talk ever and also Guate is like really dangerous. So anyway. We got there and my comp went with some hermana in the south mission and I hung out with her comp. We walked around the capital and I was so totally freaked out, I was surrounded by tons of cars, busy rich people, big buildings, stop lights, grass, and there was not garbage everywhere. I honestly felt like I was in New York City. Reu is nothing like the Capital, it is like two different worlds. It was fun to spend some time there, I felt like I was on a fancy vacation. We went to their mission office and I saw Elder Monson from my ccm district! We got all caught up on all the people from our group, it was great! Then we went out to lunch, got on a bus and drove back, we got home late so we all had to sleep in the hotel in Reu again. So I am pretty much exhausted from traveling for 9 hours in a bus and not sleeping at all for 2 nights straight because Elders are obnoxious. but now I am back in nice tranquilo San Martin. 

      Oh yeah guess what!! I moved. On Wednesday we were eating lunch at the bishops house and he got a phone call from one of our neighbors telling him that someone was trying to break into our house! So we peaced out mid bite and ran home. We barged in through the front door and when he heard us he ran out the back and broke right through our big black metal partition  out back. He had hopped the fence and broken the bedroom window to get in. Luckily he didn't take anything because he didn't have enough time. So I guess he had been watching us because he knew when we went to lunch and stuff and did it during the middle of the day when all of my neighbors can see him because he knows we are home at night, or maybe he’s just really dumb I don't know. So all the neighbors called the cops and we called the zone leaders. There were about 12 cops, the four of us, the zone leaders, and just about every active member of my ward all in my tiny house. They all said it was my fault because I’m the only canche and canches have money... ha ha. So Elder Campbell (who is probably my very favorite person in the mission) said we had to move like right then and there and went house shopping. All of the pilas cool guys in our ward showed up and helped us move our fridge, beds and other big heavy things to our new house. We were all situated in our new house right before bed time. my new house is great! it is cuter, cleaner, less ghetto, and we live with a really cool member, its like a duplex house type thing. 

      So the next day we had a multi zone conference with president duncan who is the area of the 70 here in guatemala, he’s from Sandy. He gave a really awesome workshop and they gave us really yummy food, I miss good food! It really pumped me up to be better and work harder and stuff. 

   Last Sunday my golden convert Jorge got the priesthood and he is preparing himself so he can be the one to baptize  his wife and his other daughter next week. I love this family more than I can even express. I have seen all of them completely change in almost every aspect and it is such a blessing. I am so glad that the Lord is in charge of my mission and not me because if I would have had it my way I would have stayed in coatepeque and I would have never met Jorge, Blanca, Laurdes, and Maria and them, and them alone made every hard day on the mission worth it. They are incredible, seriously,  I am flying back to Guatemala in one year to see them get sealed in the Xela Temple, I already promised them! 

    Alright well my comp is good, besides the fact that she doesn't talk and is as boring as a stick. I love you to the moon and back! until next week 

xoxo

Hermana Outsen

                                                mi hija mexicana
                             Goodbye Hermana Prince, watch out for her in Utah

                                               Goodbye Hermana Minnick

               me. my mission mom, my mission grandma, and my mission daughter. I have latina blood!...
                                          That's my new companion
 this is my district when we performed our hawaiian dance for stake cultural night. ps those are the girls I live with, I love them!! they are awesome!

                      me and my hija. ha ha ha just kidding thats not my hija thats yoda. 

                                                       After the battle

hello mum. sorry I am writing so late, we went paintballing as a zone today and it ran a little late, but it was a blast! We played as a zone and we put on the whole gear and everything. I got shot right in the head by the biggest and most disobedient kid in the mission, ha ha, it hurt. Before I forget, I got the video of Calvin and oh my goodness, IT WAS THE MOST ADORABLE THING I HAVE EVER SEEN EVER IN MY LIFE! I loved it. He is the cutest, I cant believe how much he has grown. 

    Well we had changes this past week. Sadly they separated me and hermana Minnick,  I LOVE HER, she rocks. I am so excited to hang out with her after the mission! So I got a new companion, fresh from the ccm! yes, I am training. which means I got a new nickname, my zone no longer calls me sunshine, they now all call me mama Outsen. When they told me I was going to train I was a little nervous because I am a total id and so unqualified, I am the first person from my group to train and I really hope I don’t screw it up. three new hermanas came into the mission this change my hija (when you train someone everyone calls you their mom and they are your daughter, I am sure you remember from Fusis letter that hija means daughter) is from Mexico! She is really sweet, super calm, and very humble. She just follows me around and does whatever I do so I am trying to be the best I can be and set a good example for her so she can start off the mission solid and pilas. Training is pretty cool, except I talk A LOT, like a lot a lot. I think I have talked more in these past four days than I have in the entire rest of my mission put together. Oh an one of the first things I noticed from having a newby as a companion is that I do not speak spanish, I speak guatemalan. Just about half the words I say she doesn't understand because they are only said in guatemala, and I had no idea! and the mission has its own language in and of itself. 

    So about my hija. Like I said, real sweet, real easy but she is hands down the quietest person on the planet. She literally never talks. I ask her question after question and nothing gets her going. My mission leader calls her hermana Shy. So we are basically opposites in every way and I am pretty sure she is scarred of me... today while we were playing paintball she got hit right in the neck and she cried for a solid like three hours. I had no idea what to do. I tried to be really nice and nurturing and stuff and I felt really bad, well she will  never forget her first pday in the mission thats for sure. She is a very sweet girl and I am going to do my best to make sure that she is happy and enjoys the mission because the first three months are the hardest. Speaking of my first three months... my trainer, hermana Sanchez, had changes and is now in my zone watching me train. its super cool because she is like the best human alive, I adore her. 

   Well I am sorry this email is super scattered and all over the place and probably really boring too, I didn't have much time today. but i have tons of pics so I will try to get them sent. I love you to the moon and back and I love that you and hermana minnicks mom are friends, keep going to lunch! hermana minnick and i cant wait to join you two for lunch in 7 short months, time is FLYING! xoxoxoxoxo. 

con mucho amor

hermana Outsen

hi mom!! I LOVED skyping you with all my heart. so glad the whole family was there so I could see everyone, you all look great! That meal looked so incredible! I would die for a meal like that! Okay, well I don't have much to say because I just talked to you yesterday but here are some weekly highlights.

on friday we had a wedding!! It was amazing, made me so happy. My comp and I decorated the chapel and bought a cake and their kids came and a few cool couples in my ward and it was super cool! it was jorge and blanca. Jorge is incredible! definitely my very best convert, he is going to be an amazing member, he’s so pilas, I love him. a member in my ward went over to their house before the wedding to help blaca get ready so she showed up in a fancy dress with her hair straightened and her makeup all did up, it was so cute because she just like rolls out of bed every morning. so the wedding went well and it was an honor to be a part of. 

Then on saturday jorge and his daughter laurdes got baptized. and it was just so sweet for my little eyeballs to see because he really is just amazing, he was so prepared and he worked really hard to prepare himself to be baptized, because he was basically breaking every single commandment that you have to keep to be baptized. now he is super solid and it was so cool to see him change so much so fast and I feel so blessed to have been able to teach him and work with him. his wife and his other daughter are going to be baptized on the 31st of May, cant wait! they are a stellar family! 

then on sunday was the confirmation and then I got to skype! yay! oh and this week I was blowdrying my hair and a cockroach flung out of my blowdryer and landed in my hair. but don’t worry it was dead. I have not used my blowdryer in like..um.... 10ish months because I never get ready. well that was my week, it was a good one. love you to the moon and back, adios, love

hermana outsen

here is a pic of the family at the wedding.

                                                            Me and my companion

                                                            Guatemala is so cool

 here is an awkward picture with an awkward story to go along with it. so on tuesday it rained really really hard, like dumped! so we were soaking wet. But we had to go to a baptism at 7.  We got back to the house at like 6:58 to change into dry clothes and look semi presentable for the service (ps this is my presentable look, how pathetic is that) So I was very rushed and forgot to change my wet bra. So my boobs were wet, and only my boobs, for the baptism. My comp and I got a good laugh out of it and just had to take a picture.

Thank you for the detailed wedding email, that little snippet about the temple trip had me rolling on the ground laughing! I CANT WAIT FOR THE VIDEO!! and more pictures once you get them (don’t forget!) and I totally know that Havasuapi place. Stan went there one time and showed me pictures and told me about it. He said it is unreal, like the most incredible place on the planet! I am so excited! 

     Well, just another normal week here in the mission. Still love my comp, still love guatemala. We share the area with two other hermanas and we live with them and this week us four started our zumba class. There is a gym right by our house and some super skinny, spunky, gay guatemalan who is packed full of energy gives us a private zumba lesson every morning from 6 to 7. its a pretty sweet deal. Hermana Valeriano and Hermana minnick are both dancers and hermana peguero is black so she just has that natural touch, they all look cute and graceful, then theres me. but I have a good time so its whatever. One morning when we were gone to zumba a cat entered our house and left a little surprise. We have a bunch of windows in our house, and when I say windows I really mean giant holes in our wall and all sorts of weird creatures wonder in. So we came home to find a huge fresh pile of poo right on my comps backpack. President came to our zone meeting the next day and we showed him the picture and then he bought her a new bag, so I guess it was worth it. We are also now back in rainy season so the streets flood every single day just like the good old days when I first got here. I don’t mind the rain, its nice to cool off a bit, but the whole hole in the wall windows thing becomes a bit of a problem at times. 

    So i am sorry I’m writing so late. We had a super cool p-day! We went to Retalhuleu and spent the whole day at presidents house with president and the office because our zone bap the most this month. So we watched a movie in his super nice, air conditioned house, I GOT TO SIT ON A COUCH AND EVERYTHING! it was so comfortable. Then we played sand volleyball, tennis and soccer in his private recreation center type thing and it was super fun because my zone is huge and the office people are a blast and Hermana Prince was there and it just felt like a big giant college party or something. Then he fed us good food and we didn't leave till now. it was super fun! 

     This week we have a wedding and a baptism and IM SO HAPPY YAY!! he is going to be one of those killer converts and I have worked really hard with him. His name is Jorge and we found him when I was with hermana Pacheco and we are still working with him. He is super awesome and he had to quit drinking alcohol, ask for work off on sundays, quit drinking coffee every morning and he had to get married. and this friday he is going to get married then on saturday him and his daughter are going to be baptized! Hopefully his wife will follow shortly after, she still lacks that whole church assistance thing. but we will get her there, de repente... I really hope that it all works out, I just love the guy. He takes his book of mormon to work everyday and reads it during his lunch, cool huh! 

     Well that about raps it up. and oh ya, Im going to skype in like 6 days! we are ids and haven't planned where when or with who yet... but we are thinking I will go second so probably at around 5 or something, or probably sooner, we will figure it out. oh and it will be on sunday. IM SUPER EXCITED! I am glad everything went well with the wedding, I wish I could have been there but Im glad max and steph are happy and if they're happy im happy. love to the moon and back, ttyl! in 6 days! 

love

hermana OUtsen