Conference Week

I wrote this poem this past weekend;

I am the governor of my tomorrow and God is the lawyer of my today.

Loosed from the chains that kept me down.

Grew my wings on the whisper of the spirit.

Only I can hold me back, occupying human limitations as my restraints.

Yet, 

I know that limit is a lie.

For I live limitless.

Godliness is my glory and mortal life is my training ground.

Nothing can hold me back.

Nothing can tie me down.

Free to exceed my human possibilities because I am a god,

instead of training wheels I walk on mortal feet. 

I follow no man, 

I am my own.

With nothing but time to dictate my life

And through obedience to the Almighty I shape my being.

I know who I am, for He knows who I'll be. 

Forever exceeding power is the potential that I have been chosen to hold.

However I am the same as you, My Brethren.

One day I will bow at his feet,

Finally called to my eternal assignment.

Hi :) This last weekend we have had the chance to listen to conference and it was awesome!!! The main focus was around love and the power of the priesthood. My companion and I went all around inviting EVERYBODY to watch it with us and had a little success. But the Spirit was awesome. 

This keyboard has an awful spacebar and I have little time and patience but this last week was great:) at least for me haha. 

This week we went to the beach. here are some pictures. Last week I was super dirty because I dug some holes. Made a shake with beans and eggs but ended up dumping it out, it wasn't actually that bad though. Love you! gotta run! 

Picts and a Brief Convo

[Editor's note: This week Braeden and I exchanged a few emails but he didn't really send a long email. Feel free to email him to give him a nice but stern scolding :) ]

Braeden: HI dad! What are you up to?
Dad: living the dream! Students left half day today, mom picked the boys up from me, then took us 
         to Taco Bell, Just downed a Nacho Bellgrande without spilling anything on my tie so winner! 
         How are you?
Braeden: SAME!!!! haha but I had a meaty burrito and a crunchy taco
Dad: Bet you don't feel as gross as I do right now, sitting on my butt in front of a computer, doing 
         nothing to help digest that fake mexi food. :)
Braeden: hahah basically the same but I had to walk half a mile to get to the internet place haha. 
         Cool, the house looks great! its coming along soooooo well. 

Dad: Any fun plans for conference? Watching at the church?

Braeden: we are going to set up a projector in the little chapel that we have to watch it. 

Dad: Make sure you explain a little about these picts. What the crap is on your tongue in that video?

Braeden: Ink... I will but next week. Gotta run! Love you!!!!

[Editor's Note: We are deducing from the sequence of pictures that what we're looking at in this cup is a product of what was in the blender. Enjoy!]

Humble Hello and a Smile

This past week has been a little crazy but successful. My companion went to Guate on Monday and got back on Tuesday, yesterday so we didn't get to do a lot of work for the bus time that we had to travel. BUT, he have been getting work done, which is great. We are gaining the trust and support from the branch president and working a lot with the members. its guuud. 

If there is anything that I have learned in my mission it is that people will always, ALWAYS be more willing and softer hearted if you treat them from the first second that you make eye contact with them, how Christ would treat them. With a humble hello and a smile. Our Lord and savior Jesus Christ has taught me a million lessons here in Guatemala, and this is something that has helped my soooo very much. Humility and love. Yes, I am light skinned and have lighter brown eyes and light hair, but I am no different from you. Yes, I have challenges that I face everyday, so do you. I am NOT perfect, but through Christ I strive for perfection, and you can too. I may appear to have money, as I hide the holes in my shoes that make my left foot filthy. You may think things of me, but I have grown to love you before I have met you. 

We are teaching a woman named Enidalia and we started with the Book of Mormon. It was an amazing lesson and she is going to read the Book of Mormon and prepare for her baptism after praying to know if it is true. When she left her from door, she found a humble hello and a warm smile. 

I JUST SUFFERED THE WORST CRAMP OF MY LIFE!!!!!

Our Father in Heaven and Lord and Savior Jesus Christ love us unconditionally. (like the Katy Perry song) Trying to be like them helps us have success as missionaries and as members. Love everybody no matter what. If they are dirty, tatted up, talk weird, have a potty mouth. Doesn't matter. they are children of an eternal God that loves them just as much as he loves you. Prey and strive to be like them, I will finish with a short testimony in a beautiful language,

Yo sé que esta es la lección que mi padre celestial quiso enseñarme a mi. Yo sé que el libro de mormon es un libro perfecto en la faz de la tierra. Yo sé que un día yo estaré allá con mi padre celestial dando me cuenta de lo que había hecho yo aquí en la tierra. Yo no soy perfecto, pero mi padre celestial y Jesucristo si son. Ellos les aman a ustedes, ellos me aman a mi. somos hijos especiales de ellos y quieren que vivamos bien y que podamos regresar con nuestras familias eternas después de esta vida. "Olvídate de ti mismo y ponte a trabajar" y amar. Les doy muchas gracias a ustedes por sus ejemplos y oraciones. Les Amo.

-Elder Darling

photos, we went out to eat after the soccer game and i took some pics:)

 

Still in El Codo

HELLO!!!!!! How art thou bretheren?? Life is good:) I have a new companion, Elder Leishman from Paradise Utah. He is super funny and excited to work! 

Our area has a branch and the Branch President apparently didn't get along with the last few missionaries that have been there and even with my last comp, Elder Gonzalez. So when I passed by to introduce my new companion he got excited and set a date for us to meet and talk about plans that he has for the branch, it was super weird but COOL! now we have support and help from the branch prez. 

I honestly had been a little baggy (trunky) near the end of the last transfer to the point where i wanted to go home. I didn't feel excited for the work, I was only thinking of the house and work and school and things that I could be doing there and with family and friends. I was.... done. I had been praying for help and inspiration and emotion to work, and I didn't feel anything. then we had changes, I felt the same. But Elder Leishman sat down with me and told me that this was his last chance because he had some things happen and president gave him one chance and it opened my eyes. He is my last chance too. I am nowhere near perfect, nor a good example haha. But President trusts me to help my companions to be good missionaries for some reason and the Lord does too. 

We are all loved children of God, he doesnt care how imperfect we are, he knows and trusts us. I love my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the example that he gave and gives me of living a perfect life as an example for us to follow. 

"Venid a mi"- Jesucristo. 

Come unto him, share your worries, and stresses, and heart aches. He wants to help you, you WILL find peace in christ if you come unto him. I know it, and you will know it too of you try. 

-Elder Darling

I had to sew my shoes, purchased a new watch, this is my Mamá and one of her little daughters.

Bought a shirt off a guy's back...

Hi mom! I am going to answer your questions and write my big email at the same time:) two birds, one keyboard. First of all, I am good:) and my week was good as well:) The area that I am in is easily in the 100s right now and we are about to come up on rainy season here in a month or two. Our area is right next to the beach so on p-days we can go to the beach. other than that its kicking rocks between my comps legs, and chasing chickens around, haha, which i do very frequently. 

I did give the belt to a member and he wears it everyday haha. His name is Temo. People in my area are very humble and open to hearing the word of God. Everybody here in Guatemala knows who Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father are, but the hard thing is getting them to really open up and go to church and stuff like that because there are churches here literally on every corner. It's like Utah, but different churches haha. That was funny. I laughed out loud...

I was thinking the other day and I really miss you guys and my friends but thats about it. I can last a little longer here in sunny B. E. A. Utiful Guatemala. 

I am looking forward to conference, its going to be great. I might cook something:) I am surprisingly a good cook haha. Fo real doh. 

Do I need anything from you??? Your prayers for my investigators, my companions, and I. More pictures of stuff would be nice too:) like the house, Selah, lax, Idk.

OHHHHH!!!!! Before I forget!!! Today, we had lunch as a Zone and they ordered food to be delivered, and the guy shows up to drop off the food wearing the SICKEST LAX t-shirt. So I bought it from him, right there off of his Body!!! HHAHAHAHAHAHA It was AWESOME!!! He actually let me buy it! I am so happy, I have been looking for a good shirt, and here it is haha. Can you believe it!?! I bought it off of his back! hahahahaha. ahhhhhhh it was cool. [Editor's note: 😬😳]

Thanks mom, I love you!!!!!!!! Tell everyone hi!

-Elder "Weirdo"

My Birthday and Poo-Pourri

[Editor's Note: We didn't receive much from Braeden via email this last week, but he did send us videos using the Poo-pourri he received for his 20th birthday. In case you're not familiar with Poo-pourri, you spray before, use, then enjoy. We believe Braeden is demonstrating this very sequence.]

I love being back in the field!! Thanks for the email, Dad. Yes, Mom, I got my package. And Mom, thank you for shaping me into somebody that's self-sufficient and ready to take on the big bad world. I love you two. My birthday was great:) In the nighttime we went with my Guatemalan "mom" haha and she made us dinner and spent like 4 hours making the most humble cake. I hugged her for her love and I could feel you. I have not really missed my family, until now. I miss you a lot. I have a lot going on in my head right now, but I know a few things. Jesus lives, and YOU are my eternal mother and we have an eternal family. Thank you!! 

Before

After

Hodge Podge

[Editor's note: we didn't receive an official email from Elder Darling this week, but a series of short emails responses to questions and such, hence the title]

Q. So how is your area? 

A. Hot, dusty, but great. The members are really amazing and help us out a ton! 

Q. How is the weather and your companion and the work?

 A. it is really hot and dry, and there is dirt and dust everywhere. yes! the field is sooo much better than the office! haha. My comp is awesome. He's from Honduras. 

Q. Any crazy things happen this past week? 

A. not really. 

Okay, Guatemala is crazy but organized. If you were to ever have a random urge to do something crazy, this is the perfect place. The kids are a little wild and always dirty, but so cute!!! sometimes they are real turds haha. the cities and towns are normally really dirty and there is garbage everywhere, but outside in the nature is super super super pretty. 

Hey dad, yeah valentines day here is Love Day haha. glad to here that things are going well. Your birthday package (which includes stuff from the Selah 1st ward YM) got here but i haven't picked it up yet, so THANK YOU!!!!! I love you!