March 20, 2017 - 6th Companion

Hey fam!

So this week was pretty long and difficult not going to lie. We didn't have any success in any facet of the work. Well, today we had transfers. Elder Tapia left for Ibague this morning. My new companion is Elder Mann. He is from Montana, USA and he has 17 months in the mission. He was in my Zone in Villao for 3 months so I know him alright. He is pretty cool and a hard worker so I am hoping that we can have some good success here. But we don't have anything right now so we are going to have to work like crazy to better the area. Anyway, we had a decent number of transfers in the zone. We now have in the zone 11 Gringos and 11 Latinos. Today for P-Day almost all of my time was spent helping with transfers because I was the Zone Leaders comp because his comp finished his mission. We went to the offices of the mission in the North of Bogota which has a crazy amount of security. It is kinda funny. Also, today we ate Dominoes in our apartment with the ZLs and one other missionary who is waiting for his comp to get here. So that was fun. My birthday is on Saturday! That is somewhat exciting! We gonna party that night after we get home! I think that is all that happened this week. I love y'all tons and I hope y'all have a great week!

Matthew

Elder Tapia and I on Sunday

Ward Party Sunday Night

March 13, 2017 - 8 Months and English Class!

Whats up!?

This week was pretty quiet. Not much happening here. We had a pretty decent week. We found 5 new investigators, but none of our investigators went to church so that was pretty disappointing. Anyway, this week we had a ton of rain! 2-3 hours every single day. Elder Tapia and I got super wet a few times. Also, something I forgot to tell y'all about is that we started an English class which is going well. We have classes every Tuesday and Friday night. There are 2 classes. One for adults with an English Professor who lived in NYC for 30 years and one for 10-16 year olds that I teach. It is honestly really nice to teach them. I didn't realize how bad I was missing teaching my swim lesson kids. It is super relaxing for me. It's fun to hang out with them for an hour. Um what else is happening here right now? I hit 8 months in the mish today! That was cool. We find out about transfers on Sunday. So there is potential that I will be writing y'all on Monday with a new comp. I'm starting to get super excited for General Conference in a few weeks! Sorry these are always really short, but I can't think of anything else happening so... I love y'all and have a great week!

Matthew

March 6, 2017 - Sickness and Rain

Hey yall!

How goes the living? This week was pretty slow. It rained almost every day. Elder Tapia was sick Tue, Wed, Thur so we didn't have a lot happening. Plus, literally none of our investigators could meet with us so that was a little difficult, but I'll live. But now I'm getting sick which is just super awesome. We had an investigator in church who is on track to get baptized on March 25th... If all goes well my first baptism in the mission will be on my Birthday! That'd be cool! Her name is D... and she started learning about the church in my first area (Marruecos 2) about 3 month after I left. She is 20 years old and is getting married to a less active guy so we are waiting on their marriage documents, again. For P-Day we watched church videos and ate inside. I don't think anything else interesting happened. I love y'all tons! I hope y'all have a great week!

Matthew

February 27, 2017

Hey y'all!

Not a lot is happening. We might have a baptism not this week but the coming week! We are pretty pumped about that! Her name is C... and she and her husband, who is a member, just got their documents so they want to get married this week then she can get baptized! Here are some pics! 

Love yall!

We raced GoKarts today for P-Day.

GoKarting was pretty fun. I was so happy to drive a little!

Villavicencio Zone before transfers.

District Esperanza (Hope) before transfers.

District Esperanza (Hope) before transfers.

February 13, 2017 - One Week in Luna Park and 7 Months!

Que mas!?

One week here and all is well in Luna Park. Also, today was 7 month day which is weird. Time flies like crazy here! The area here is pretty cool. It is a pretty chill part of Bogota which is cool. The ward is good! There are some awesome families here! We don't have a lot of investigators here, but we are going to change that.  There are 3 people who will probably get baptized in the next 3 weeks or so! Today, I found out that one of our investigators in Villao got baptized this week! I was talking to one of the Assistants and he told me about it! I was pretty happy, but a little sad too because once again the week after I leave my old area one of our investigators gets baptized. But what is important is that he got baptized! Um not much else is happening here. Yesterday, we went to try and visit a member who lives ridiculously far away and in the only dangerous part of our area. We walked 45 minutes to get there and the area was way sketch! Then they couldn't meet with us so we had to walk all the way back! But we are not going back over there! A. Way far away. B. I am way too white! Haha gringo problems. I had to bear my testimony in church yesterday, but the microphone holder was tiny so I had to hunch over the pulpit. I always try to get the congregation to laugh in my first testimony in the Ward/Branch and I was yet again successful! Anyway, that is all I got for y'all. No photos again this week. Sorry! I love yall! Have a great week!


Matthew

February 6, 2017 - ¿Guess Who is Back in Bogota?

Familia,

So I don't have a lot of time to write y'all and I don't have photos for y'all yet, but transfers came last night. I got the call at 930 pm that I needed to be at the bus terminal at 7am the next day. So that night I called a few people and packed then left the next morning at 8am. In the bus terminal I found out that I would be going to Ciudad Jardin, Bogota and my comp would be Elder Tapia. Elder Tapia is from Lima, Peru. He has been out in the mission for 20 months. And apparently there is a good chance he will leave in 6 weeks so that is awesome... gotta learn fast. It was sad to leave Villavicencio, but I was ready to leave. I promise a longer group email next week. Thanks for everything y'all!

Matthew

January 30, 2017 -

Hey y'all!

I hope you guys had an awesome week! This week was finally a little more interesting than normal. So first off Tuesday and Wednesday we had Splits with the Assistants that went really well. We have 4 Assistants here in Bogota South and 2 of them right now are just traveling around doing splits, primarily with missionaries who have less than a year and a half to help them grow as missionaries. But on Tuesday I was with Elder Stewart, from Colorado. Wednesday, I was with Elder Espinoza, from Ecuador. They are both really cool and excellent missionaries. Also, on Wednesday there was a worldwide missionary conference. It was about 3 hours and was awesome. They announced a change in missionary schedule which should be interesting. We don't officially have our new schedule until Friday after the mission leadership conference. Then I'll let y'all know exactly what's happening because every mission is going to have a different schedule. Today for P-Day we got to play bumper cars which was so fun! I ended up mostly just driving around trying not to get hit because it was fun to drive! I miss driving!!! Transfers are next week so we will see what happens with that. I finally have the computer that has an SD card portal so I'll send some pics! I love yall tons! Exitos!

Love Matthew

Elder Roque and I eating at this crazy expensive Peruvian place a few weeks ago!

Standing in the river in front of the Familia Gonzalezs' house (the white one).

Us with the Traveling Assistants!

Personal Study every day.

January 23, 2017 -

Alo Familia!

I hope all is well with all of you. This week went pretty well. We have some solid possibilities to have 2 baptisms next month! We had a branch missionary work activity last week where everyone in the branch was supposed to bring a friend and come and watch the Testaments. There were about 20 people there in total, which was better than the last one that we had! I love Colombia and Latinos!!! Other than that, nothing really happened this week! Tonight and tomorrow we have 2 of the 4 Assistants in our area working with us which should be interesting. Anyway, that's all I got for y'all this week. Sorry it isn't a lot. There just isn't much happening here right now. I love yall tons!

Matthew

January 16, 2017 - 6 MONTHS!!!

Hello,

Well, this week was really boring. Not much happening in general. We are contacting like crazy right now. I had intercambios this week so I went to the area of Elder Roque which was fun. For lunch that day a member with a lot of money took us to a Peruvian Restaurant because Elder Roque is from Peru and it was waaaaaay expensive! I felt so uncomfortable there! It was the most expensive place I have visited in about 6 months and it was just so weird to be there! On Friday I hit 6 months! Already! Time flies so fast here! It is crazy! It is weird to think about all the stuff that has happened in the last 6 months! It is cool to see the changes in yourself like that because usually you don't see it! It is funny that the Sisters that are just now getting here will leave with me and my group! Other than that not a lot happening. Still just working hard. Love yall tons! Hope all is well!


Love Matthew

January 2, 2017 - So I Baptized Someone This Week... But They Weren't My Investigator...

Hey y'all,

This week went really slow. Everybody here was drunk almost all week so that was a little hard. My new comp is doing all right. It is weird having a gringo around again. Almost all of our Zone right now is Gringos which is weird. They are always speaking in English, but it is fine. Pretty much nothing happened this week. On the 31st the Sister Missionaries in the Branch had 2 baptisms. An old guy who had one of his sons baptize him, and a Sister they have been teaching who wanted me to baptize her which was pretty cool. We spent the whole day cleaning and filling the font and other logistical stuff.  Other than that not much happened this week. I'm hoping we can get back to normal life this week, but we'll see. Anyway, love y'all and I hope y'all have a great week!

Elder Gardner an I with Eliana (The Sister I baptized)

Elder Gardner an I with Eliana, her sister and her niece.

December 26, 2016 - PHOTOS!!!

Hey, so I talked to y'all less than 24 hours ago so I don't have a lot to tell you, but here are a butt ton of pics. I'll send another email later with a pic and some info about my new comp. Love yall!

Elder Hernandez teaching the Law of Chastity to a dog of a member family!

Elder Hernandez walking in my shadow because the sun here is crazy!

Christmas with the Gonzalez family!

We were excited about the box!

CHRISTMAS!!!

I love air conditioning!

December 25, 2016 - Merry Christmas to the Mom!!!

We had a wonderful Skype call with Matthew today! He is doing really well and it was comforting to see him and hear his voice!

Matthew on Skype at Internet Cafe

We also received some pics of his Christmas from the family that he had Christmas with and that feed him every day! 

December 19, 2016 - BOOOOOORING Week

I literally can't think of anything that happened this week so here are some pictures! I will be Skyping at 5pm on the 25th!


Matthew

When it's HOT in Villia!!!!

Elder Hernandez and I in front of the Temple.

 Blurry but still, AMERICA!

Merry Christmas from President and his wife!

We got SOAKED the other day!

We saw a freaking Iguana while were walking this week!

December 12, 2016 - I Forgot Lots of Things About Bogota Since I Left....

Hola Familia!


I hope all of y'all are doing awesome! This week we went to Bogota to go to the temple and have a training with the whole mission. 200 missionaries! So we left on Tuesday at about 4pm and got into Bogota at 830pm, but we were sleeping in Soacha which is 2.5 hours from the temple and an hour from the Stake Center where we had our meetings, so that was fun. The temple on Wednesday was good. My first time in 4 months so that was nice. Then Thursday was our meeting as a mission. That was kind of crazy, but pretty cool too. I got to see all of the people in my group and from my last zone. The trainings were okay. Nothing special but good. At the very end we sang Called to Serve in Spanish the whole mission together which was crazy powerful! 200 missionaries singing Called to Serve super loud. Then we went to the bus terminal at 5pm that night and went back to Villavicencio. Got home at 1030 pm. So yeah nice trip, but I had forgotten so much about Bogota! For one, how cold it is (it's not but I have adjusted to the climate here)! How ugly it is. And way more! Also mama I got my Xmas box while I was in Bogota so thank you for that! Elder Hernandez is trying 2 or 3 times a day to get me to open it... But I am waiting for Christmas for it. I just don't know right now if I will open it at 12am like they do here or early in the morning of the 25th like they do at home so idk... Anyway, other than that not much happening. We have transfers in 2 weeks so that will be fun. We had the District Conference of Villavicencio on Sunday. The missionaries were the choir... And we had a special musical number which I had to sing a solo for 2 parts which was just awesome! Other than that, I don't think anything is happening. I can't send pics this week because my computer doesn't have a slot for an SD card so maybe next week. Love yall tons! I hope yall have a great week!


Matthew