This week was another great week for my companion and I. We are really working hard and I feel that the Lord is pleased with me and my efforts. I am striving each day to work harder and I know that if I do so the Lord will bless me with all I need in my life. I think that it will be best to wait until January to start school but with that being said I'm still not sure where I want to study. BYU is a great school and I wouldn't mind studying there but they don't have wrestling and I really miss wrestling. UVU is also a great school and they have wrestling, but I'm not sure if they have the classes I need for Physical Therapy. I know that I want to study physical therapy/personal training, the question is where.

I hope that next week you have some pictures for me :) I'll be waiting for them. And just so you know next week I will be writing Wednesday because there is another meeting on Monday so we won't be writing that day. It sounds like you have a great week planned out and I know that you will enjoy it, just be safe and remember the things that are most important. I'm jealous that you are going to the temple because I don't get to go that often and with the new president even less often, only 2 times a year. That's great to hear that Kort got his license and that he has his little beauty up and running with a/c. Hopefully he will understand the responsibility of having his own car now and I'm sure you and dad have already talked all about it with him.

We are now working hard to "weed out" the families that we found last week so that we can focus on those who are really going to progress and help them get closer to baptism. One of the families that we found is super positive although they profess to be Catholics. This sunday 3 of the children came to church with us and we had 11 investigators total in church. I feel that with the parents it is going to be a bit of a challange but the fact that they let their children come to church is a great sign. We are also striving to help a lady who has a baptismal date progress so that she will be able to get baptised at the end of this month. This past Friday my companion and I were contacting, knocking doors, to find new families and as we finished talking to a lady we saw a young boy walking away from the store and we started talking to him and he led us to his dad. We shook his dad's hand and asked him how he was. He asked us if we were the Mormons and when we replied yes he said "follow me to my house. we need to talk." We got to his house made of sheet metal and he invited us in. As he opened the door the door fell right off its hinges. We walked in and sat on a mattress which was the only thing that he had. We started talking and found out that 2 years ago the sister missionaries were teaching him and his family but the sisters both got taken out of the area and he lost contact with the missionaries. In the course of the last two years his wife got really sick and died of cancer. He told us that he wanted to go back to the church and that he really wanted to hear the message again. He came to church on Sunday and today we have an appointment to teach him. I know that had my companion and I not been prepared spiritually and had we not been worthy of the spirit we would have ignored the young boy that was walking out of the store and we never would have found this man.

The church is true and is the only church that has the priesthood authority. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and I know that the Lord allowed for it to come forth in this the fulness of times to guide us in these dark times. I love the Lord Jesus Christ and I know that He is my Savior. He died for our sins and was resurrected for our eternities. Serve Him with all your heart.

Elder Turner

Digging a septic well for a family

Elder Turner's old companion

Elder Turner's current companion

A volcano Elder Turner can see from his house

I am loving my new area. It's weird to think this or maybe even believe it but I already enjoy this area more than my last but I know that it has a lot to do with the success we are having. I feel like in my new area, Ciudad Vieja, the people are much more prepared and willing to hear the gospel. I liked what you said about the spirit, how we must have the spirit to be an effective instrument in the Lord's hands. This week was a testament to me of the truthfulness of that statement. It all begins in the companionship and my companion and I are getting along great so the spirit is able to be with us. We are able to work more effectively with the Spirit and I saw that in our dates for this week. My companion and I set a mission record this past week in "new families found in one week" with 20 new families. We found 54 new investigators. How did we do it? By the guidance of the Spirit. I feel like this week was a fulfillment of the scripture I chose for my mission in bringing thousands of souls unto repentance. I know that all was possible as we put our faith in the Lord and as we set goals and strived to reach them. This week we also put a baptismal date with a sister that we are teaching named Aura. The Elders have been teaching her for a while and it was an entire family, but the Sunday before I got there her husband passed away. We have a baptismal date with her and her daughter for the 31st of this month. Keep them in your prayers :)

That is a crazy experience you had mom with the dust storm and thanks for always being an example and looking on the bright side of things. I am glad that I don't have to deal with that or the heat, all I have to deal with is the rain and the streets that turn into rivers when it rains. This week it rained super hard on Thursday and we had to get to an appointment that was down a hill and the only way to get there was to walk in water up to the middle of my calf. I got completely soaked, but I loved it because I know that it was all for the Lord. I know that He has felt worse.

I'll be excited to get pictures and to hear about all the fun you are having in Utah. I hope that your vacation goes well and that you all stay safe. I'm sure it will be good to get out of the heat and enjoy some weather similar to Guatemala just without the rain :)

Mom are you crazy ? :) I can't believe that you are mentioning me coming home!!!! I still have 13 months left. But I know that preparations need to be made. I have thought very little about what I'm going to do but it has crossed my mind to wait until January to start my classes for the reason of finding a job and working to save a tiny bit of money before I go to school. What do you think?

I love you all and I hope that all goes well this week.

Love
Elder Turner

From July 4, 2011

Well I don't know if you have been waiting to find out if I had changes or not, but I have been waiting to tell you. I left Patzicia this past week. It was a bit tough to leave because I had really gained some great friends and relationships with the members and converts, but it is what the Lord wanted and it was my time to go. I was there from the 1st of December 2010 to the 29th of June 2011, 7 entire months. That's quite a long time, but the Lord was working with me and forming me into who He wants me to be. Patzicia was a tough area. In my last 6 weeks there we didn't find a single new family to teach, but in my new area, from Thursday to Sunday we found 7 new families to teach. That's just to show you how hard it was to work in Patzicia. My new area is called Ciudad Vieja (Old City) and it is located about 30 min outside of the biggest tourist city in Guatemala, Antigua Guatemala. My new companion is Elder Ruiz and he is from Nicaragua. Before being his companion I was a bit nervous because everyone says that the Nicaraguensians are pretty crazy and disobedient, but he is one of the best latinos that I know. We get along super well. We have a lot of things in common and one of the happens to be that we both love pitbulls. It's kinda crazy because we get along so well but I'm not gonna complain. He is a great companion, very obedient and loves to serve the Lord. He is a very hard worker and in that sense we mesh well. We are always talking to people and he has a gift of creating a bond of confidence with the people very quickly which allows us to find new people to teach very often.

This week we also got a new mission president, President Brough. He is a young guy, 39 yrs old, and he is very compassionate. On friday we had a meeting with him and we were able to get to know him and his wife and daughter better. He loves the Lord and he loves missionary work. He was called to preside over this mission and the Lord will guide him as he serves the people in Guatemala. This coming Friday we are going to have interviews with him and be able to get to know him better.

Brooklyn, How are you? How is summer?
Mack, How is summer going? are you ready for Aprende?
Zack, How is summer school going? How is wrestling?
Kort, How is the Workout program coming along?
Kya, How is summer? Are you studying? how are the guys?
Mom, How is work going? How is the missionary work goingin the ward?
Dad, How is work going? Are you doing any summer wrestling?

I hope that all is well and that you continue working in the service of the Lord so that He will bless you according to your obedience.

Love
Elder Turner