Week 4 (10-23-13) 

Wow! Tons to read this week! Thank you for all of the updates!! Cant thank you enough for all of the support. It really keeps me going throughout the week. This has been the most up and down roller coaster of a week. I have had the highest highs and some of the lowest lows. It’s been interestingly great. 

Super spiritual this week. As I've said a thousand times already, my testimony is growing every second. It is what keeps me motivated, and what keeps me focused on what I'm here for. Sometimes I feel like I'm glowing because my testimony is going to burst out in a blast of light or something. I love being immersed in the language and the spirit. It's probably one of the most pure experiences I've ever had. All the devotionals are really great, I love hearing the messages that are shared here. Last night we had a member of the 70 come and share a message. He talked about enthusiasm and not being discouraged. It really helped me out. Last.... Thursday maybe.... I can’t remember the day, but we watched a devotional given at the MTC in Provo by Elder Holland. It was one of the most powerful talks I've ever heard. It was so spiritual I felt like Lehi having to return to bed because the spirit was so powerful. Dad, if you can somehow find that talk, I plead you to watch it. Incredible stuff. Like I said it was by Elder Holland, given at the Provo MTC on January 15, 2013. It may not be available cause it's missionary stuff but still try. 

The schedule is becoming super repetitive for everyone and its hard keeping motivated sometimes, but we're all having a good time. I've had some of the most hilarious experiences in my life here at the CCM this week. It was Saturday evening and we had been planning to play hide and seek for some time so we finally just did. We turned all the lights off and had a few rounds. Then we remembered that we have 8 other Elders in the same casa. We devised a devious plan to get them. Quickly we all went to work. We had the couches from the living room toppled over and had the cushions strewn all over the place. We took some chairs and put them all over the place too. We got a speaker and put it in a far room and put on an almost creepy hymn and switched the breaker off. We all hid in our places and waited for them to arrive. When they got in there they tried turning on the lights a thousand times, but it wouldn't work. Then they started getting scared. I started to make some creepy noises from the far room and then they just went silent. Elder Duncan flickered the lights on and off and they ran to their rooms. Elder Duncan ran around the side and started ringing the doorbell and ran back. Elder Thiel was hiding on a bunk bed facing into their room underneath a blanket so only his eyes were visible. So when they looked over with their flashlights one of them let out a scream. Soon enough they found one of us and then we all came out and had a good laugh. They were pretty scared. We laughed about it and realized only 4 came in, so we ran and got into positions and waited for the other 4. They came in and tried the lights and obviously they wouldn't work, so they waited a while. Then elder Duncan flickered the lights and that revealed the scene in the living room and hallway. Then the unexpected happened. One of them gasped and said to the others, ''GUYS, WE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE, NOW! COME ON, LETS GET OUT OF HERE!'' They started running out and we had to chase them down. Oh man, we were laughing so hard. It was a really good time. 

Its been raining here a lot for the last few days, it rained for about 7 hours straight yesterday and the CCM was pretty much entirely lakes and rivers. Crazy stuff, this more tropical weather is fun. The Gortex rain suit is almost too good. I can’t wear just the coat because it blocks everything and then it just runs down onto my pants. 

Friday was really hard for us because Hermano Polo showed us an interview video made by Hermano Leon as he was acting as Guillermo. He said that he wasn't feeling good about the discussions, and that he didn't feel like the missionaries cared. He said that he wasn't getting any problems solved and he didn't really want to do it anymore. We were DEVASTATED. Hermano Polo taught us about how we could do better and we were sad for the whole day. That night Hermano Leon came to teach and he asked why we were so sad. We told him we saw the video and we were devastated about it. We all though Guillermo was so easy to teach he always sat back and just listened, and pretty much just accepted everything. It was almost too easy so we were bugged. He then told us that he had recorded that two weeks earlier after our first lesson we had taught and we weren’t supposed to see it that late. He said that we had gotten much better and that we were doing great, and Guillermo was as well. We were all relieved. But it was a really interesting experience feeling what is going to happen when someone rejects what you've been teaching. It’s heart shattering. I've got to be prepared for that. Through faith though, I've learned to be inspired enough to keep going. 

Everything is going well, from laundry to house keeping. We've got it down. Strange thing is Mexico doesn't have stain fighters or even dryer sheets. It sucks, but we've been able to manage. Now I'm out 3 and a half pairs with the hemming thing. But I'm gonna work on it today. Wahoo. 

I got a really short haircut at the barber shop last Wednesday, it looks nice. 

Man, I'm learning so much here. I'm learning how to completely rely on our Savior and Heavenly Father. It is such a crazy experience. Spanish has been good this week, and I love learning it. Sometimes I get really tired of speaking it and struggling but I’ve gotta keep trying. I love talking to the Natives here at the CCM, they are fun loving and huge characters. Its way good practice for Spanish too. 

Its good hearing about the sports. Hoorah for BYU! I'm definitely going to have to watch that game when I'm back!

Off to another week! I cant believe that I've been here a month! It is so crazy to think about the time that's gone by so fast. Every day it gets crazier, and I feel more pressure to do better cause in two weeks, I'm going to have to talk with and teach Chileans. Crazy to think about. I hope you have a great week guys. I love you so much! And I miss you! 

Love as always, 

Elder Haws