Merry Christmas

December 22, 2014

Hey Everyone,

I just want to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Here it has been pretty interesting. We are currently trying to move houses, so everything is kind of crazy. All our stuff is packed and ready to go, but we just got a call saying that maybe we will have to wait a few days. Maybe. Haha. We'll see how it goes.

My new companion, Elder Flores, and I had an insane week. We pretty much just contacted, and I can count the amount of times people rejected us on one hand! It was a amazing. We found 15 new people to teach. It was a great week.

I am starting to really be able to teach. We did special visits yesterday, and I went with a priest to visit the people who didn't go to church, and I totally lead the lesson. It was a pretty cool experience.

We also played soccer this week again, and I was once again the star. I hope you all are following my progress, because one day I'm going to be the best soccer player the world has ever seen ;)

I encourage you all to look up "He is the Gift" on YouTube (El es la Dadiva in Spanish). It's a great video that really brings the Spirit. I love the Savior. He isn't just there to take away your sins, but to help take away pains and heartaches (and even homesickness) caused by everyday life. He is the gift that never expires and never runs out. Use it often.

I love you all and wish many happiness upon you and your families this Holiday Season.

-Elder Aldrich

New Adventures

December 15, 2014


Hey Everyone,

As I have said previously, this last week was changes. My companion was changed, and I now have Elder Flores as my companion. He is from El Salvador as well, and he was even companions with Elder Diaz in The MTC. He's cool. He is great at teaching and especially with service. We have contacted a ton of new people to teach and we have probably moved fifty pounds of dirt for several people.

Olanchito is pretty cool. By pretty cool, I mean freezing. I don't really know where the cold came from, but it's here. I had to use a long sleeve shirt, and I almost used my suit. Who said Honduras was hot?

We played soccer today as a zone, and I totally rocked, just saying. I scored a few goals, then saved some as goalie. It was super fun. We have an awesome zone, and I think this will be a fun change.

That's all I have for this week. Our days have been filled with walking and visiting every house I have ever been to. I can't wait to share all our awesome stories from this upcoming week with you all. I love you all.

-Elder Aldrich

¡Somos Famosos!

December 8, 2014

Hey Everyone!

I hope everyone is doing well. I personally am doing great, and we are in Christmas Mode here in Olanchito. I've learned all the Christmas songs in Spanish, and we even went on TV to sing some Hymns. It was cool, and all sorts of people have been stopping us saying, "We saw you on TV!"

We've had a week full of service. On Friday we visited the Old-Folks home here in Olanchito and cleaned. Elder Gibbons found an old guitar and played each one a song on it. One guy took the opportunity and begin to sing at the top of his lungs an opera about the Holy Ghost. It was strange, but he was happy, so we all just listened and smiled. Haha.

On Saturday we built a "Bathroom Hondureño," which is basically a giant hole in the ground covered by a slab of cement. We used coke bottles to put holes in the cement for the toilet pipes and everything. It turned out pretty well if I do say so myself.

During a lesson Saturday afternoon, a dog peed on my leg. He somehow did it from behind, and under a chair. I didn't even see him. It scared me pretty good, and I got to make a mid-day wardrobe change.

I am seeing miracles here in Olanchito. My companion and I have been teaching a man that we never expected to accept us. He is the husband of a recent convert, and when I showed up in August, he wouldn't even shake our hand. However, he decided to listen to us in the beginning of November. Now, he has a baptismal date December 27th. We have truly seen the power of fasting and prayers offered by his wife and other family members.

I would just like to finish with one thought. It isn't just important that we do things. We need to do them happily, with faith in God. What's the difference between Nephi and Laman and Lemuel? They all followed their father, went back for the plates, crossed the ocean, endured hunger, and set up a new home in the Promised Land, but we all want to be like Nephi, not like Laman. I leave you all to think about that and hope you all work through your daily trials a little happier ;)

I love you all so much and am so grateful for your support. Have a great week.

-Elder Aldrich

My Main Man, Dengue

December 1, 2014

Hey All,

Unfortunately, my week has been very boring. I have a sickness called "Dengue." Pretty cool right? Basically it's a fever, joint pain, and boredom. I was told by the Mission Nurse that I should be be better by Wednesday. I have been ordered to stay in bed, and drink as much water as I can.

I have left the house since Thursday, but it isn't all bad. I pretty much read Preach My Gospel entirely, and I got to hang out with a priest named Jose. He just put his papers in and is awaiting his mission call. He stayed in the house with me so my companion could visit our investigators.

This experience has definitely given me a new perspective. Time flies when you're working hard, and crawls when you have to chill in bed. Moral of the Story: Work Hard. Haha.

The one really interesting thing that happened was today. We played kickball as a zone today (I watched), and pretty much all of Olanchito came to watch us. They were so confused, it was genuinely entertaining.

Also, my companion and I are preparing our investigators for the very strong possibility that Elder Diaz will be having a change. The good news is this has scared them into learning my name. Haha. Changes are next week, so we'll see how this goes.

Anyway, I'm really so my email is so short and lame this week. I'll be sure to make it twice as good next week. There will be car chases and quadruple back flips and everything. Promise.

Love you all. Stay awesome :)

-Elder Aldrich

Monkeying Around

November 24, 2014

Hello Everyone,

 I held a monkey. It was awesome. Be jealous. For P-Day today, we washed a horse. At first I was like, we are wasting our time. We can't even ride this thing, but after we finished, the man offered to take us to his friend's house to see some animals. His friends OWN THE ZOO! There were all kinds of animals, and they were awesome. My favorite was the monkey. The Zone Leader gave him the planner, and we made  few lame missionary jokes. IT was definitely enjoyable.

This week was fairly uneventful on my side. Really, the most exciting thing that happened was divisions on Tuesday. Elder Gibbons and I taught together so that my companion could go with Elder Rodriguez. Elder Gibbons and I were in the MTC together, so it was pretty interesting. We did awesome. I was originally pretty worried that we wouldn't be able to understand completely, but the Gift of Tongues helped us out a ton. It was cool to watch how much easier it got to speak and understand as the Spirit got stronger in the lesson. It was an amazing experience, and I learned a ton.

My companion and I watched Tangled last week in Spanish. It was awesome. I understood everything, which was even more awesome. Unfortunately, Flynn Rider is less funny in Spanish (especially at the beginning). Just thought you'd all like to know. Haha.

Tomorrow I have to give the thought in Zone Meeting, and I decided to give it on Humility. Interestingly enough, humility isn't just understanding that you have faults, but sometimes it means that you have to understand that God's plan might differ from yours a little. If you can go to our Heavenly Father humbly, understanding that He knows best, He is a lot more likely to help you out. Humility helps us to accept God's plan, and follow it to the end.

I love you all, and hope you have a great week. Happy Thanksgiving!

-Elder Aldrich

All Things Through Christ

November 17, 2014

Dearest Friends and Family,

This week has been great, and I hope it has been the same for all of you. Unfortunately, I don't have any crazy/hilarious stories to share, but I have learned a ton.

This week we contacted. Basically our entire week consisted of contacting, teaching new people, and asking for people to teach. We found eight new people, three of which came to church. The most interesting thing to me, is that the people who progress, always seem to be the references.

We found a woman this week, who was super Evangelica (if someone can provide a translation, I'd be really grateful, because they're super hard to teach). We saw that she didn't want us there, and she wasn't very nice, so we shared a scripture about Jesus, closed with a prayer, and asked if she knew anyone who would listen to us. She directed us to a house and said, "go there. They need Jesus." So we went. And we found some awesome people.

We have again seen some great progress in the less active members here. We had Hermana Martha in church again this week, which makes three consecutive times. She was baptized as a child, but her mom sent her to live with her grandma, where she never went to church. Now, at 25ish years old, she's starting to gain a testimony for herself, and it's awesome to watch it happen.

My companion would like me to note that he beat me at pool today. I was winning, tried to do a goofy trick shot and sunk the 8 Ball. He ran around the table like a plane six or seven times, and told the story to President Klein. It looks like I'm bringing joy to more than just the people we teach.

To finish up, I found this scripture during Personal Study this week.

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." 

Philipians 4:13.

I thought it was pretty cool. Just remember that it isn't important how hard something looks, or how impossible it seems. Christ is our strength, and through Him we can do ALL THINGS. All of them. It doesn't even have to be spiritual. Jesus Christ will help us and guide us in all things because he loves us.

I love you all, and hope you take the time to bring the gospel to someone this week.

-Elder Aldrich

Lost Sheep and Oreo Pancakes

November 10, 2014

Hey Everyone!

It's me again, you're favorite Honduran. This week has been fairly eventful.

First of all, I had another run-in with America Lady, but she didn't recognize me, so my companion told her I was from Canada. At first, she looked sad, then she quickly began to explain that I really shouldn't feel bad about being Canadian, and that lots of people are Canadian, and that really we all have the same heart. Then, she thought about it, and decided that she wanted to buy me some pity-bread.

I did not eat the bread.

I made pancakes for our district last Monday because I was bored, and they were awesome. My companion liked them so much that he woke up early on Thursday and made Oreo pancakes for us. It was awesome, but he made 15 for each of us, and pancake flour isn't really cheap. But it's the thought that counts, so yeah. Haha.

Lately we don't have many investigators, and contacting isn't really going super well. Since we don't have many investigators, we've just been visiting inactives and less-actives. Firstly, there is a certain missionary who was here about a year ago who baptized almost 45 people in Olanchito, and 1 is active right now. Anyway, we've made some new friends, and we've really been working hard with these people. Yesterday, we had 3 investigators in church, and my companion was pretty down about it. We were expecting more like 6 or 7, but only 3 came. He saw that I was pretty pumped, and he asked me why. I had him look around the room. There were almost 15 of the less-actives that we had visited during the week in Sacrament Meeting.

I tell you this not because I'm just that awesome (because I am), but I tell you that because we saw a huge change in the hearts of these people. We've been working and praying and teaching these people, and we finally got to see some of the fruits of that. What's even better, is that through these less-actives, we have found many more people to teach, and the work is continuing. Never doubt the power of visiting someone. One of these ladies hadn't been to church since 2005, but with the help of the Holy Ghost, she came yesterday, and plans on coming next week.

I love being a missionary. I feel like the weeks are flying and the Spanish is almost here. I have learned a lot so far, and I am so excited to continue learning. I love you all.

-Elder Aldrich

Halloween in Honduras

November 3, 2014

Hey Everyone,

Hope your Halloween was awesome. Mine was certainly interesting.

For those of you who don't know, Halloween doesn't exist here (lame, right?), so I had to improvise. I used my towel with my name on it, and became Super Aldrich. Basically my costume beats yours because I've got a fancy name tag. My companion really wanted to participate, so he was Santa Claus. He lathered a large amount of shaving cream on his face and walked around saying, "Ho Ho Ho," for like twenty minutes. Haha. One of the youth in our branch here in Olanchito, Josè, visited us at our house, and wore a bag on his head as a mask. I am teaching these people things. You should all be proud of me.

It has started to rain as I expected it. Non-Stop, with pauses to trick missionaries into putting away their umbrella. It started so quickly one time this week that I was thoroughly soaked before we could take the five steps into the house. Olanchito's drainage systems don't function, so the roads become rivers. We bought some stylish black rubber boots. They're pretty awesome, and are awesome for river-jogging.

I locked our keys in our house this week. I had to very shamefully walk over to the lady in charge to give us her spare set. The problem was that the spare set doesn't exist, so she broke through our window thing we had and, with a long stick, broke into our house in less than five minutes. I fixed the window, netting, and removed the ability to open our door with a stick. The goal now is to not forget the keys again. I've been successful so far.

I don't remember if I had already shared this story, so I will share it. We had a girl we were teaching, who accepted to be baptized, but then moved to another part of Honduras, outside of our mission. Yesterday, we visited the family she was living with, and we asked about her, we received an interested response. The little girl smacked her forehead and said, "Oooh Hermano. She got married!" Even more surprising, she moved in next door. They seem happy enough. We still haven't decided what to do there.

I want to finish my email with an invitation. I would like you all to listen to (or read, watch, etc.) a talk by Elder Jeffrey R Holland from the October 2009 General Conference. (the link is https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/safety-for-the-soul?lang=eng) It is a seriously amazing talk about the Book of Mormon. If you feel as though you are struggling with a testimony, or struggling with anything else for that matter, the Book of Mormon is the key for you to find the help you are looking for. This talk is a powerful testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, and you really should listen to it.

That being said, I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I don't just say it because everyone else does and I don't want to stick out. I've read and prayed and read again, and I know that it's true through the Holy Ghost. This talk by Elder Holland is excellent, but it won't give you a testimony. You have to pray to Heavenly Father and ask for one. They begin small, and grow gradually (see Alma 32), but they are there, and they are gifts from God.

I love you all, and I hope you guys all take the opportunity to share this wonderful Book with someone in the week to come.

-Elder Aldrich

A Very Valuable Lesson

October 27, 2014

Hello Everyone,

Wow. It's almost November. Time flies super fast here in Honduras.

Our week was kinda rough, to be totally honest. There was tons of walking, not much teaching, and I don't think I have ever been rejected more in my life. It was super interesting. We had three families, four individual investigators, and one recent convert drop us. Basically that means we walked clear out to their house, knocked on their door, and were told that they don't want us to come back. What? First of all, that's really strange for a person from Honduras to be upfront and direct like that. The first time, it actually scared me. Happy Halloween. Haha. Secondly, it's really sad for me to watch a family refuse the most helpful thing they can ever receive. Sometimes the most frustrating thing in the mission is peoples' agency. It a curse and a blessing.

So why do I include that sad piece of information? Because I learned a very valuable lesson. Two weeks ago, a similar thing happened to another area here in Olanchito, but these missionaries just accepted their fate, and refused to work. Two weeks later, they have four investigators, and if someone in the ward has a referral, they give it to either my companion and I, or the other two missionaries, regardless of where the referral lives. My comp and I saw this, and we decided to handle our week differently. We contacted, asked for referrals, and are reteaching Old Investigators from our area book. In this last week, we have an entire new set of investigators, and almost all of them are progressing, including a man they call "Chungito."

This dude is the husband of a recent convert, and has never accepted the missionaries before. However, for some reason we "fall well with him" (that's a direct translation that basically means he approves of us) and he agreed to listen. He comes to every lesson with something that he is sure will stump us and turn us around in our lies, but all it ever does is impress him, and through the Spirit, we have answered all of his questions, and even gotten him to read the Book of Mormon. He's read all of 1 Nephi. What?

He isn't the only beacon of hope we've found this week, but he's the most exciting. I know that more will come. Moral of the story: When rough times come, we have two options. We can lay down and die, or we can kick some butt and come out happier in the end.

On Friday night, my companion gave me a little advice, and I would like to pass it on to you. If you are struggling with finding a girlfriend or boyfriend, and feel like you need a little extra help, read them 2 John 1:5. It reads, " And now I beseech thee, lady (or you could use man, but the scriptures say lady), not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another." It'll work. Promise.

Also, for those of you who are curious, I can officially make tortillas. It's pretty awesome.

I am definitely loving it here, trials and all. I love and miss you all. Good luck in all of your endeavors.

-Elder Aldrich

The companion of Elder Diaz

October 20, 2014

Hey All,

So I would like to begin with a pretty cool story. About 3 weeks ago, there was a baptism on a Saturday. We walked all day inviting investigators and members, but no one would be able to come. It was pretty frustrating, to be totally honest, but we pressed on like the valiant missionaries we are. We visited the house of some awesome recent converts, and invited them. They told us the couldn't make it, but that we should invite the kid sitting on the porch. So we did. I was pretty doubtful when he told us that he would go. Here, people just say yes so you'll leave them alone. Needless to say, I was very surprised when he wandered in about 5 minutes before the ordinance. Afterwards, he pulled me and Elder Diaz aside and asked, "What do I need to do to be baptized?" What? That doesn't happen.

But it did. We started teaching him, and learned his mom had taken all the lessons, but decided she didn't like the guy she was living with enough to get married. She didn't get baptized, but Denis had heard all the lessons and he liked what the missionaries had taught. Then his mom tried to send him to the states. He made it to the border, but was sent back. He started working for the wife of a recent convert, and that's where he met us. He studied between lessons, prayed with power, and always had questions for us. This guy pretty much baptized himself. What's even cooler, is that he has been teaching his family the lessons using the pamphlets we have given him. His cousin and sister also want to be baptized.

Yesterday, we baptized Denis. We had to baptize him on Sunday morning so his mom could come. My companion and I woke up at five, ran to the church to start the font, went home, showered, changed, and went back to the church. The font was full and ready to go, except the water was an awful black color. Nasty. The good news is that the water doesn't have to be clean for it to work. My companion got to baptize him, and it was so cool.

As for my funny story of the week, it came immediately after. He asked Elder Diaz to confirm him (if you hadn't already guessed, Diaz is the favorite). The Branch President announced, "Elder Diaz will now do the confirmation with the help of (some dude I don't remember) and... and..." There was a long pause as he tried to remember my name. Finally he said, "The companion of Elder Diaz." It was pretty funny. Especially because about seven seconds later, he remembered my name, jumped up and yelled, "ALDRICH!" into the microphone. That got a good solid laugh.

In other news, one day this week I forgot my tag when we left the house. We started walking, and we had even made it to the road when my companion turned to me, saw that I had forgot my tag, and said, "Brother Aldrich, have you seen my companion?" I thought it was pretty clever.

I scored two more goals in soccer, in case anyone is curious.

Directions here are nuts. We had someone give us directions to their house like this:

Walk to blocks that way, turn right, walk for a little until you can see the pulperia, turn left. My house is the green one after the tree with three coconuts, but before the one with two. We found it. Go us.

There is a little boy here who is four years old. Both his parents were born into the church, fell away, got married, and then welcomed him to Honduras. The missionaries contacted their house, and during their first conversation with the missionaries, they learned that the other was LDS. First of all, how does that happen? Second, they took that for a sign, and came back to church. He now serves in the Elders Quorum Presidency, and they're awesome. Tomorrow they will be sealed in the Tegucigalpa Temple, and this four year old is beyond excited. We call him "Torito" because he looks just like his dad, who we call Toro. I include this story because I think it's interesting and because Torito is our best friend haha.

I love you all, and I love to read your emails. Have and awesome week.

-Elder Aldrich

This is Torito. Torito means "little bull," but I don't think that's a completely correct usage.

Cats, Again

October 13, 2014


Hey Everyone,

As always, I would like to begin with a story. It's a scary story, so little ones, close your eyes. Haha. It was a dark and stormy night, and the great and spacious building decided to pump up the Halloween jams (I have no idea why. Honduras doesn't do Halloween). It's 10:30, and my companion was fast asleep, when I heard some noises by the front door. Figuring it was just the wind, I rolled over and tried to go to sleep. Then, I heard it again, but it was a little braver, but I decided to ignore it once again. After about a minute, there was a noise, and what seemed to be a man fell from our roof. While I had no physical evidence that it was a man, I was very convinced. Absolutely terrified, I ran to the window to see what had happened, but there was no one there. In order to look out the window, I had to kneel on my companion's bed. He woke up, and was pretty angry to find a gringo in his bed. I quickly calmed him down and explain the situation. He decided to call the lady who owns the apartment, which was as good of an idea as any. She answered, and sent her drunk husband to see if there indeed was a man outside of our house. When he found none, he very angrily returned to bed, leaving us to fight this invisible threat all by our lonesome. At this point, it had been fifteen minutes since the fall, so we figured he had left. Armed with the iron in hand, we bravely opened the back door, and looked out the door. In the fresh mud were paw prints. Seeing no other prints, we calmed down, realizing the cat to be the culprit. The cat later actually shoved itself through the broken window of our neighbor to escape the rain.

Can I just say one thing? I have a newly renewed hatred for cats.

We had a great week, but this coming week is going to be better. We have a baptism this week! I am so excited, but not nearly as excited as Denis (that's his name). We have to have the baptism on Sunday before church so his mom can watch. I expect that it will be very cool. So yeah.

Other than these few adventures, there really isn't much else. I ate an apple, which was absolutely fantastic. I found a doughnut shop, which is awesome as well. I am so grateful for all of your support and prayers. Being a missionary is awesome, and you all should be jealous ;)

-Elder Aldrich

The Struggles of a Gringo in Honduras

October 6, 2014

Dearest Family and Friends,

During this week, I have been reminded time and time again that I am not Honduran, and that basically my skin is like unto a beacon that says, "Look Here! But remember to squint and look confused!" One of these great reminders came on Saturday and Sunday during conference. First of all, I want to say that I love the new "speak your own language" idea. It's seriously so cool. Anyway, when the Spanish speakers talk, all the gringos exit the designated gringo room, and make the small journey into the chapel, where we are greeted by a burst of whispers that basically translate to, "Oh my eyes!" We all listen to the talk in Spanish (it was so cool, I totally understood!) and then quickly walk (or more like sprint) reverently back into our sacred room of English. I feel as though the people here resent us a little because the majority of the speakers speak English, and as you have all now heard, it's boring to listen to a translator. Anyway, that was interesting.

My other great story about my gringo-ness is especially awesome, because I am now a very funny part of the legend of "America Lady." America Lady is a legend around here, not much different from Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. Not only is she very terrifying and mysterious, she's very real. The legend goes like this:

There is this creature, with blues eyes that extend clear up her forehead, and black, leathery skin. (She has freaky blue make-up above her eyes that, very literally, touches her hairline, and she wears a nasty black leather jacket.) On one lovely Sabbath Morning, she entered into the Bella Vista Chapel, and took a seat next to an Elder from the United States. "Where are you from?" she asks, shaking with anticipation. "Utah," replies the Elder. Suddenly, with the speed of a fast animal, she lays one on him. I assume that the Elder probably didn't respond at first, but I know one thing for sure, the other people did. The members literally pulled this lady off the poor Elder, and carried her out of the building and locked the gate. The Elder was quickly exchanged for a new Latino, and the lady was never seen again. Until yesterday.

I would like to take this moment to explain that there have been other sightings recently, like when she dressed as an old women with a walker in order to see a gringo. She was discovered as she, in what could only be a miracle, left her walker behind, and walked across the building at the first sign of a gringo. Luckily for this guy, one the the members of the Branch Presidency had seen the previous incident, and escorted her out, thus saving the unsuspecting Elder from a new experience. I also am now a new part of this legacy.

Yesterday, during special visits, Melvin (the second counselor in the Branch Presidency) and I were visiting a family. The visit was short, simple, and spiritual. When we left, we walked for a while, and then, we saw her. She was about forty feet in front of us, talking to a taxi driver. We quickly crossed the street, and I kept my head down. Unfortunately, she saw us, and quickly began to follow us. Luckily for me, we were able to get into the church, lock the gate, and go into the church before she reached the gates. Laughing, Melvin told me to give him his backpack, grabbed the Branch President, and they headed out to talk to her. I could hear her screaming (yes, screaming), "I saw one! You had one with you! He's inside! He had a backpack that was from America!" The Branch President then proceeded to explain that it had been him, and that the backpack was a gift from a missionary, but that there were none in the building.

The entire branch and district presidencies were there with their wives, and we all had a good laugh after President Dormes returned from his 20 minute talk with this woman. Now you may be asking, why on Earth did you take so long to explain this? The answer, my friends, is that nothing super awesome happened this week, and I find this absolutely hilarious, so hopefully you do too. :)

I will close by saying, I love conference. It is such a great experience, and I learned so much. I love Elder Bednar and Elder Holland especially. These truly are inspired men, called of God. I hope you all took the opportunity to watch it this passed weekend. I love you all, and I can't wait to share more awesome stories and to hear yours.

Elder Caleb Aldrich

"Gringo" missionaries watching General Conference in English (Elder Aldrich is not pictured, he is taking the picture).

Hold fast to your faith

September 29, 2014

Hey All,

This week has been a serious roller coaster, and unfortunately, not in a good way. But I'll begin by saying this, if my companion has a change, I will probably die. Seriously. We find out in like two hours who has changes, and I am seriously terrified that he will have a change. He's never had a companion for more than one change, with the exception of his trainer (but in this mission it's normal to have your trainer change). He rips through companions, and I think it's because President wants as many people as possible to have the chance to serve with him. He absolutely drives me insane, he's one of the most tone-deaf people I've ever met, and I love him to death. He can bring the Spirit into the lesson like no other, and what he lacks in directness, I make up for because I only speak direct Spanish.

Anyway, we lost our two most promising investigators this week. One, our one baptism date, is moving to Comayagua, and the other family had a fight, and the wife left the husband. It was seriously sad when we showed up at their house and it was just this man, his bed, and a Book of Mormon. We worked really hard this week to try to reinforce him spiritually, and when we returned on Saturday, he had actually gone to his wife apologized, and she decided to move back in. Happy Day! Right? Kinda. The problem now is that the husband won't get baptized without his wife, and the wife decided that she thinks God is God, and our church is too far away... So we'll figure that out. I wish I could explain the frustration of watching someone who had the truth right in front of them, reject it. Ugh.

However, I learned something really great form this week, despite the disappointments. Every day of the mission, there is something great. There is always a reason to stay. There is always a piece of hope. I feel like that really fits into real life pretty well too. Therefore, I have this small piece of advice to those of you who can read this: When times of trial come, hold fast to your faith, even if it's a little wobbly.

I know that times get tough, but through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we can do anything. We are on his team, and He is rooting for us in everything we do. With that being said, I love you all, I love your emails, and I love the Lord. Peace.

-Elder Aldrich

Honduras and Tennesee

September 22, 2014

Aloha! (Or Hola, but they're close enough)

Can I just say that there are 13 Hondurans staring at me because I laughed so hard at that. I am glad to see my friends are still dorky and hilarious without me around. Haha.

Anyway, I have another awesome story, but first I need to clear some things up. For those of you who are concerned with me ironing shirts, I iron my shirts. We actually borrow this lady's iron frequently, which made this story even stranger. However, I did buy us an iron for our apartment to prevent future events like this one. And as for "she's our cook", I guess I should let you all in on the secret. I practically eat bugs here. The rice and beans are cool, but for real, the bugs are insane. I don't like to talk about it because it is super nasty and I like to try to not think about it.

Anyway here's my story. We had splits ( here it's "devisiones") and I got to go with Elder Neuberger, who is seriously the COOLEST missionary I have ever met. When we started walking, he said, "Elder Aldrich, I have a present for you. We're going to teach a lesson in English." Needless to say, I was absolutely pumped as I could be to hear this. All two and a half months of my training had obviously been leading up to this moment, but I realized that we had no materials in English. That was a problem, but we solved it because I'm awesome and, for some reason, had one of every pamphlet in English and one of the blue Books of Mormon. So anyway, we went to this appointment, and it was awesome. But first, some background.

Familia Alaya is a family of four, a husband, wife, and two little niños of 4 and 2. The husband used to work in Knoxville for a construction company where he did acoustic paneling and other internal structuring. He met the wife, they got married, had two kids, and he was caught and deported. She then followed him to Honduras to hold her family together. Seriously brave if you ask me. She speaks not one word in Spanish, which made it really easy to visit with them because we speak English.

Anyway. this lesson was seriously awesome. Elder Neuberger and I, in our rusty English, explained the Restoration, the Book of Mormon, and the Prophet Joseph Smith with insane power. I'm not even kidding. These guys were so ready and prepared to hear the gospel, but it had to happen in Honduras, because in Knoxville, "if the Mormons try to talk to you, you run!" But this lady wanted so badly to speak English, she let us teach, and the mission president was actually in town yesterday, and his wife translated all three classes in church for this lady. Talk about lucky (except luck doesn't really exist for missionaries).

Anyway, that was really the only super cool thing, but it was super cool, so I think it counts. Also, my companion loves Despicable Me, so his speaker is a minion. Said minion also doubles as our investigator during companionship study.

I love and miss you all. Stay strong, drink some Coke, and do something awesome.

-Elder Caleb Aldrich

Offically Catratcho (Honduran)

September 16, 2014

Hey All,

So, I've finished another week in Honduras, and I have seen many a great thing. However, I would like to begin with another fantastic story.

On Tuesday, my companion needed to iron his clothes, so we borrowed an iron from our cocinera. We stuck it in my laundry bag with my laundry and carried it back to our  house. At our house, I took out the iron and handed it to my companion. I started to fold my clothes on the table, when my companion plugged in the iron. This of course is the turning point of the story, so I figured I'd add a pointless sentence in here for dramatic effect. Anyway, he plugged in the iron, and after about 30 second of the iron heating up, the iron released what had to be 150 ormigas (ants) that were bigger than any ants I had ever seen onto our table. I honestly have no idea how they all fit in there, or why they were so insistent on being in our house, but that wasn't really important at the time. What was important for me was getting my clothes off the table before they could hide in my shirts. While I scrambled to kill the ants and rescue my clothes, my companion just stood, horrified. I actually don't know why he looked that way, but it was pretty funny. Anyway, when it was all said and done, it kinda sounds like the beginning of a bad joke or a riddle. "A Gringo and a Latino are standing in an apartment in Honduras with an iron, 50 pairs of clothes and a bunch of dead ants."

In other news, I'm still a boss at Football, and by Football, I still mean Soccer. On Saturdays we play football, but this Saturday we had what my comp calls "lluvia de miedo" or in English, Rain of Fear. Basically the rain was so torrential, it flooded the church and people couldn't drive. It was awesome. Anyway, we decided to just go buy some dinner and then see if we couldn't scavenge up an appointment before bed. After dinner, we were walking back by the church, and the court was dry, and our investigators were playing Football without us. So naturally, my companion wanted to run home to change our clothes, but I didn't hear him because I was already out on the court with Elder Gibbons playing in missionary attire. My companion apparently accepted this, because we challenged the investigators to see who could beat the team of missionaries. Needless to say, Elder Gibbons and I tore it up, more or less. I had two goals (giving me a grand total of 5 in Honduras) and an investigator told me not to look so surprised when I score. Anyway, this pretty much means I'm Catratcho (another name, not offensive, for Hondurans) and I'll replace Jozy Altidore in the next world Cup.

And finally, we had the Children's Day celebration. Here there is a Children's Day just like Father's and Mother's Days. We had a super big party with some recent converts, and just got to take a deep breath from all the strange things of Honduras. There was even a pinata. It was super cool. Anyway, these are my stories and such for this week. I love you all, and love to hear from you.


-Elder Aldrich

Todo Es Increible (Everything is Awesome)!

September 8, 2014

Everything is Awesome!

In case you were wondering, we watched Lego Movie in Spanish for P-Day. I could understand the whole thing because I pretty much have to whole movie memorized. Whether not that's sad or super sweet is a decision for you to make.

Anyway, I would like to begin with a short story. It's a beautiful day in Olanchito, 200 degrees, pouring rain, and two absolutely devilishly handsome missionaries are knocking on the door to the house of an investigator. Unfortunately, no one is home. This is their fourth appointment in a row to fall through. Pretty discouraged, they turn to face the street. Then, to lighten the mood, the missionary with darker skin picks up the cat on the porch, and in perfect English (so perfect, I think he's prayed that he would know how to say it) yells, "FLY, KITTY, FLY!" He proceeds by throwing the cat across the yard and over the fence.

The reason I tell you this story is because it describes my companion pretty well. He is a missionary, and he works hard, but he is a child as well. This was probably the funniest thing I have seen since we've been here. I really needed a laugh after such a frustrating day, and man he brought it. I don't think it was a super great thing to do as a representative of Jesus Christ, but I think he repented, so we're good.

In other news, people here are rude, but they don't mean to be. I can understand almost total conversations now, but I really struggle to speak. Anyway, because I don't speak much, I think the people think I don't understand. They often in the middle of conversations ask my companion questions like if I make him speak Ingles or if he likes that he has to talk so much. People on the street are fascinated by gringos, and always ask my companion questions about me. Finally, my companion has stopped explaining and just calls me over to explain myself and answer questions. I can't answer all of them, but I answer them enough that I get an awesome shocked face from them and me and my companion laugh about it.

On Thursday we had "Divisiones" with the district leader. Our district lead is 6' 9" and white, so we were quite the pair roaming downtown Olanchito. We had fish for lunch, and I got to practice my kissing a little.

Today I bought a Honduras jersey, and what I think is a Dodgers hat (sorry dad) that's a little too big for my head. The choices were Yankees or Dodgers, and I think there is a rule about missionaries wearing Yankees gear. I also bought a super cool watch. All are fake, and all were ten American dollars (200 Limps). I'll keep you all updated on how long they last.

Anyway, that's my week. I miss you all, and wish you luck in your daily adventures. You're in my prayers.

-Elder Caleb Aldrich

John (Elder Aldrich's dad) asked him a few questions.  Here are his answers:

*We leave at 11 every morning. We have to study the First 12 Weeks and do language study on top of the normal companionship study and personal study. Then we get one hour for lunch and one hour for dinner. We have lunch everyday at noon, and dinner at 8 at night. 8 is rough because I'm usually starving by then.

*We contact door to door, but it doesn't work. If people won't let you in right then, they won't answer the door when you go back two days later. We have one family of three we found and taught lesson one the next day, but if they don't answer today, we're gonna wait a few weeks and try again.

*We are starting an English Class this Saturday at 5. I'll let you know how that goes haha.

* We have 16 investigators. The problem we have here is that no one has cars, and most of our investigators either own pulperias (small convenient stores every 50 feet) or live more than 25 minutes walking distance from our Chapel. The other problem is that when it rains on Sundays, lots of roads are impassable, so we are averaging one investigator in church per week. He is awesome. He lives almost 40 minutes walking from the Chapel, and wants to be baptized, but his wife doesn't want to get married, and he has three kids,so we are kinda stuck...

*We set up to teach about 7 lessons a day, but only teach an average 2 or 3. People are never home when they say they will be, or as previously mentioned, or just don't feel like it and leave us in the rain.

*I feel like my challenges vary from day to day.  I'm just learning to cope with things and enjoy the challenge of missionary life. It's hard to be too stressed when you're always 30 seconds from an ice-cold Coke in a glass bottle for the equivalent of 15 cents. I feel like that is something Grandma Aldrich would've loved, and I can't help but think about her every time I have one.

Anyway, I really do love it here. I love the challenge of learning the language and dealing with companions. I can't wait to tell you guys about baptizing my first family and all that awesome stuff that is coming up.

Mission Blog

The Honduras San Pedro Sula East Mission President's wife has a blog where she post pictures and information about what is going on in the mission.  Her latest blog includes the missionaries that arrived in August.  There are pictures of Elder Aldrich!  The link to that blog is located on the right margin of this blog.  Just click on "The Mission President's Wife or go to http://themissionpresidentswife.blogspot.com

Coke is Life

                                                                       

                                                                                    September 1, 2014
Hi Everyone,
Guys! I'm in Honduras! It still hasn't sunk in yet, but I can honestly say that I love it. It's hard, and some days are super long, but every day has something that reminds me of God's Love for us. For real.

Anyways, I seriously love it here. My companion can be a pain, but I love him to death. He is the nicest, hardest working dude here. He just wants to make sure he trains me to be just as good (if not better) than him. He is THE MAN.

Coke is Life. Sorry Sports Fans, Ball is not Life. Here, if a family has 20 limps and needs to feed their family, they buy two 2L bottles of Coke (or Pepsi, but those families are confused...). No joke. It's more common (and often more safe) than water.

So the food is nice. It's super good, and always a little sketchy. This week I had Spaghetti Tacos, accompanied by an awesome side of refrigerator grease. My cocinera dropped my tortilla between the fridge and the oven, tipped the oven, grabbed it, and just tossed it on my plate. Delicious. And we had this weird "bone soup" stuff. It was good, but super strange. Oh, and if I ask my companion what something is, he only says, "No se precupen, es super rico!" Rico means tasty, and I honestly don't care. Hahaha.

We had a Multi-Zone Conference in La Ceiba this week. It's a 3 hour bus ride there at 4 am, and a 3 hour bus ride home at 8ish. I was asleep when we reached good-old Olanchito, so my companion threw my bag on my lap and ran to get off in time. In my running, my watch disappeared. I consider it a donation to the kind people of Honduras. I miss it, but I'll move on and find another that will stay with me longer.

It rained Saturday. I broke the "No Swimming Rule," as seen in one of the pictures below. It was a torrential downpour, and I loved every  moment of it. I love the rain, and the Hondurans think I'm nuts when I walk around soaking wet instead of hiding under the umbrella with my companion.

I love the mission. I learn something new every single day. I can now understand Spanish if they don't mumble. Speed isn't an issue anymore, but the Hondurans don't seem to know what an "S" is... Anyway, I can understand a lot of the time, but now find my usual comments to not be sufficient. I am so ready to share the gospel, that I feel like I'll explode some days. The Spanish comes in pieces, and I am always waiting for the next piece. I have Faith.

That's all for this week. I love you all so much, and I love to hear from all of you.

-Elder Aldrich

Santa Baca (Holy Cow, but that isnt a phrase here...) I'm in Honduras

                                                                      August 25,2014
Hey All,

I'M IN HONDURAS. Like for real. This is insane. Rule number one of Honduras, there are no laws in Honduras. None. Stops signs are literal jokes. One member said, ´I haven´t stopped at a stop sign in 6 days, but my record is 9.´

I´m in Olanchito, look it up. They have two branches Olanchito and Buena Vista. My companion is Elder Diaz, and he is the most kind man I have ever met. I honestly can´t even describe him to you. I love him to death. I'm in the same zone as Elder Saunders of the CCM, and Elder Gibbons is in my district. I am honestly so grateful for him. He keeps my spirits lifted and he´s super funny.

I have taught lots of lessons, experienced the high of obtaining a baptism date, and the low of the lady skipping out on church the next day. However, the most important thing is that I scored three goals in soccer Saturday night against Latinos. We played Gringos vs. Latinos. Latinos killed us, but I scored on an all Latin team. I was stoked, to say the least.

Our house smells really bad. I wish there was a better way to say it, but there isn´t. I have 6 pet lizards in my house, and my record for cockroaches killed in one night is 6. It would've been seven, but one cowardly one got out the door before I could squish him. I shower from a bucket with a bowl in a eeny shower. Water comes from a hole in the wall with the broken end of a broomstick shoved into it.

Our cocerina is amazing. She is so nice, and her food is amazing. Actually, all the food here is dope. "Dope" is word here, but only for mssionaries. So is "freaking", but no one uses it right. It´s absolutely hilarious. I can speak the language! but only that. I surprise people when I speak, because it takes so long for me to understand what they are saying. But once I know, I speak fast and clearly, and I even surprised our zone leader. I´m pretty pumped.

The lights go out about twice a day. Once around 10am and again around 6:30 pm. The sun goes down around 6, so when the lights go out at 6:30, we´re in for the night, which is kinda nice right now because even though I'm in the safest area of Honduras, safe is a relative term. I'm sure that will be more disappointing when I feel more comfortable. I love emails. Even short, dinky, "Hey Man, We miss you."

Anyways, that´s all my info for today. I love you all tons. I look forward to talking next week.

-Elder Aldrich

Giving Away the Book of Mormon

                                                                                                              August 12, 2014

Hey All,

So for all of you that were wondering, I leave the CCM at 3 in the morning next Tuesday. Get out a map really quick, because this makes me laugh. We ride in a bus from Guatemala City to San Salvador, El Salvador, then jump on a teeny plan to San Pedro Sula. The buss ride is 7 hours and the flight is four. They have to bus us to El Salvador because the planes in Guatemala are too big to land in the airport. My guess is it isn't even paved, so that'll be a pretty sick story.

So for my first update of the Week, I gave away two Books of Mormon with Elder Adams. Let me tell you, it absolutely terrifying. I actually seriously disliked it up until this guy accepted it and actually asked when we could tell him more. We took his address and gave it to the missionaries. The second time was better, but I was still terrified. I said a short prayer as we walked up asking for help with speaking, and my prayer was answered, but in an unexpected way. Elder Adams and I talked to this guy (or at least tried really hard) for like five minutes before we realized it wasn't gonna work. He spoke too quietly and we had no idea. Right as we were about to give up, a member walked up, and bore her testimony to this man and the Spirit was so strong! Now I'm not as terrified to talk to people because I know that we are out trying to help people find salvation, and God won't just let us fail.

Oh and our weekly total is 15.

We went to the market on Tuesday, and it was super cool. Elder Adams and I are seriously kicking butt with this whole Spanish thing. We talked to people and Elder Adams even negotiated with someone to get his bag for cheaper. Haha. We had Wendy's and I took a sweet picture of Elder Adams teaching Elder Cox how to give away Books of Mormon.

Ok, my companion is so awesome, he really deserves his own paragraph. This kid seriously works his butt off, talks to everyone, and pushes me to do even better than I already do. hahaha. I don't really have a ton to say about him, but it's worth mentioning that he's the man.

Finally, I'd like to end with a Spiritual thought. It isn't long, but it's something to think about. This Sunday we watched Zion's Camp, which is a super cool movie. Anyway, when they ask these guys who leads the camp, one boy steps out and says, "The God of Israel leads the camp." And that struck me. Along with my story about the lady, there are countless stories about miracles happening to help progress the work.Heavenly Father leads the Camp, and he leads the Missionary Effort. Whether you're on a mission or at home, if you try to spread the gospel, Heavenly Father will lead you through it somehow, and it probably won't be how you expect it.

Alright. I love you all, and I'm keeping you in my prayers. I love reading your emails.

Stay Strong,
Elder Caleb Aldrich

Learning the Language

     

                                                                                                       August 4, 2014
Hello All,

We are going to the Central Market tomorrow, and on a tour of the city, so I am on earlier than normal. 

First off, the Frat Casa is still a dump, but our district placed 6 Books of Mormon this week, so its worth how dumpy it is. The water only works every once and a while, and today it turned off when I was all soapy, so I smell extra soapy today. Also, I've stopped seeing bugs all together, which sounds good, but I'm pretty sure it just means that I'll get to meet the one eating all of the little spiders. And for the final comment on the Frat Casa, when we walked in on Friday night, we were welcomed by 15 of the most ancient people I have ever seen, all in their nicest garments. That was something I didn't want to see, and hope I never witness again.

I accidentally swore at my teacher during a lesson this week. Punto means point, but if you forget the N, its a no no word, so that was funny. Hermano Morales just laughed for fifteen minutes, so we ended and decided to try again later hahaha. Oh, and I would like to share the only 3 English phrases he knows.

1. Is important. It's and is are the same word for him, and he says this fifty times per day.

2. I tink is a good idea. "Th" is not a sound in Spanish, so he can't figure out how to say it. This is used only slightly less than is important,.

3. You need to help the persons, always. This is my favorite, not only because its important, but because its funny with his accent.

Oh, and he makes us pay him under the table with Peanut M&Ms which he just calls peanuts.

When we talk to Latinos from San Pedro Sula, they always apologize, then try their very hardest to explain ridiculous heat and gigantic spiders in broken English

Finally, I really hurt my back playing basketball on Saturday. Like, I could barely breath, and I could barely walk to the nurses office. Even she didn't know what to do. So she gave me some ibuprofen and some ice. After an hour of that not helping, I decided to have Elder Adams give me a blessing. It was so cool. I wish I could explain the Spirit in the room as he put his hands on my head and gave me a blessing. It immediately got better, and hasn't given me any problems since. 

Anyway, that's it for this week. I am so excited to finally get out of here so I can teach some people and send some pictures. I love you all so much.

-Elder Caleb Aldrich

Adventures at "Frat Casa"

                                                                                                July 29, 2014

Hello Everyone,
So first, we moved to the "Frat Casa." Fraternity in Spanish is Fraternidad, so we called our new apartment the Frat Casa. It's a dump, but it's nice to leave the CCM every day. I'm the designated cockroach killer, and I'm at 6, all of them massive. I practically need a mop afterwards to clean up the mess they make. I've found 4 spiders in my bed, and 2 have crawled out of my shirt, while I'm wearing it. I've adjusted quickly though, the scream the second time was quieter than the first! ;)

My companion is super ambitious, and it drives me nuts. My Spanish is now the best in our district, but I'm still not confident that I can properly portray what I want to say, so I let my companion talk. Listening to him is hilarious because he just fires out infinitives until the people nod like they understand. However, he managed to place a Book of Mormon on Thursday on the way to the CCM. I was pretty mad because he didn't take me; he took Elder Lessard instead without even giving me a shot. haha.

While I'm talking about mi compañero, I'll tell you a quick story.  So while we were teaching Ines, one of our new investigators about the Word of Wisdom, he accidentally committed her to live the Law of Chastity. Chastity in Spanish is Castidad, and Wisdom is S-something, so I have no idea how he did that but it was hilarious. And then yesterday while teaching Gabriel, Gabriel was telling us how he liked church, and explained he loved how everyone shook his hand and was friendly, and Elder Adams thought he said the members attacked him. He will get Spanish someday, but it won't be tomorrow. Hahaha

We got a new teacher. He used to play for a Guatemalan soccer team and on the Guatemalan national team, but when he got back from his mission, he decided he didn't want to play on Sundays, so he started teaching at the CCM. None of our teachers speak very good English, so it's hard to communicate at all sometimes because no one in the CCM can explain "hay," and neither can the dictionaries.

On Thursday during personal study, I was trying to memorize hymns that I could sing, and some Hermanas overheard me. They came and had me sing for them (which was super awkward) and they wrote down my name. Turns out they told Presidente and Hermana Cox about me, and you'll never guess who sang Joseph Smith's First Prayer (en Ingles) during sacrament meeting Sunday. It was awesome. The first verse was shaky, but then this super cool peace came over me, and I even got one of the nurses to cry. I'm pretty much the man now down here. haha, j/k, but it was super cool.

On Sunday morning, a lot of the guys were feeling really down, so we had a makeshift testimony meeting in one of the extra rooms. I shared my dad's "Work Hard, Play Hard, and Let the Rest Roll," and I had four of the seven kids tell me how helpful that was, and two wrote it on their planners as a reminder. I just thought that was cool.

Someone, anyone, please look up

Lluvia de peices (Rain of Fish) and send me some information on that. We have a running bet as to whether or not that exists.

Speaking of rain, it poured last night. Like, I was pretty sure people were drowning just by standing in it. It took out the power for a while, and when it came back on, it only stayed on long enough for us to get back to the Frat Casa. If they place wasn't creepy before, imagine 7 scared misioneros walking around with flashlights in the dark trying to get ready for bed. it was hilarious.

Anyway, I just want to close by saying how much I appreciate you all at home. I pray for you all every night and you're always in my thoughts. Send me a letter anytime. It takes s ten days to get here, so I'll get it if you send it within the next 8 days ;) It’s so cool when a missionary gets mail on a Friday out here. haha the address is

Elder Caleb Aldrich
Centro De Capacitacion Misional
Bulevar Vista Hermosa 23-71
Zona 15, Vista Hermosa 1
Guatemala City, Guatemala 01015

I love you all so much, and I can't wait to share all my great experiences with you.

-Elder Caleb Aldrich

Second group photo taken with the new incoming missionaries

On the Move

     

The picture of Caleb's group when they arrived at the CCM (The Guatemala MTC).
Caleb is on the top row, just left of center

                                                                                                           July 22, 2014

Hey Guys,

Thank you all so much for the emails. We are moving out of the CCM today because we are short 17 beds.  My district was chosen to move into some apartments next to the temple. Since the Guatemala Temple has been my favorite FOREVER, I'm stoked. However, we have to move in 30 minutes, so I will probably only have time for one mass email.

My companions name is Elder Adams. He's a stud, and we get along great. We actually taught a lesson yesterday so well that our investigator (our teacher) accepted a Book of Mormon and the challenge to be baptized in the second lesson, instead of the third like he was supposed to. He said that if he hadn't have accepted it wouldn't have been realistic because he could feel the Spirit so strongly when I bore my testimony IN SPANISH!!! Out of our 3 companionships, Elder Adams and I speak the best Spanish, but we still aren't fluent.  I think it’s because we pray harder than anybody each night. Like seriously, this kid prays like no other I have ever heard. It’s so cool.

On day one, they shaved my head, and took my camera. While they seem unrelated, my hair was so short, I wanted to send a picture, but I couldn't. Trust me, I looked ridiculous. My hair is back to a reasonable length now though. Mostly.

Our Latino roommates left for their missions this morning. They were so cool. They taught us so much, and I am so grateful for them.

We play basketball for deportes (sports) every morning. Don't worry. I still shoot rainbows, they still go in, but only once for every twenty shots. I do really well at knockout though.

Our teachers both served mission, Hermana Alvarado in Las Vegas, and Hermano Morales in Guadalajara. He baptized 35 people in one month there. He said that people sometimes baptize more in these missions down here. I’m so excited to teach and baptize.

Look up a video on YouTube. it’s called something along the lines of “ The Atonement in Missionary Work” or something. It makes me cry every time. But don’t tell anyone.

In Honduras there is a thing called Juevia de Peisces. When spelled correctly it translates to Rain of Fish. Look it up. I need to know if this is a real thing. Hermano Morales swears on his life it is.

We live next door to a sports bar that turns into a club on Saturdays. It was nuts. At midnight they had a fireworks show. Kids literally dropped to the floor thinking there was a gunfight going on outside. I was so freaked out I couldn't go back to sleep, and I almost fell off the top bunk. hahaha.

The CCM has already taught me so much. I sing constantly, and Elder Rietze sings for 40 minutes in my room with me each night. Before I could speak any Spanish, it was the only way I knew how to bring the Spirit before lessons because I couldn't understand the songs or prayers. I had to speak in church on Sunday (which was terrible, no matter what the Latinos say) and I told El Presidente afterwards that I would rather sing next time, haha.

Seth, when I play investigator for other companionships, I'm always Juan. Just for you.

I love it here, but I miss all of you so much. I can't wait to get out in the field so I can bless the lives of people and give them what we have. I know this letter has been super random, but I'm almost out of time. I love you all so much.

-Caleb