Transfer to Senah, my area is called Chijolom

First I am not in Coban technically, but a part of the map called Senahu, and my area is called Chijolom. As you can see in the map it is in the deep mountains. Yes, I have a water purification kit and I use it. We have a bucket that has a filter in it and I drink filtered water so alas mother yes I will be as careful as your little boy can be. My ear has healed as far as I know but I dont know sometimes it makes weird noises that I dont like but I presume that it has indeed healed, and if not completely I know it will heal so I am not worried about it. As for the how to say the language. It is Ke-k-chi haha no t.

My companion Elder Legua is from Brigham City, Utah surpisingly enough considering to everyone else in the world he looks like he is from Peru so instead of trying to argue with people about where he is from he just says he is from Peru lol. He is a cool guy and was a soccer player before his mission. He can speak spanish and english fluente and he is working really hard on his kekchi and is actually a lot better at it than he is willing to admit haha. We, I am happy to say, are getting along just great and things actually are going pretty good for us. He helps me in the best way that he possible can, and answers all my questions about how to say stuff in Kekchi. I do not know very much about coban only that is it populated with many many different languages and cultures. As for up here in the mountains the main source of people are the kekchis and whoever else manages to come up. It is my FAVORITE type of weather, the colder kind so for that I am absolutely loving it up haha. Although it does not snow here as far as I know, Elder Legua and I are hoping for snow although they say it doesnt, but I did have a dream once that it snowed in Guatemala so I will keep you posted when I know more.

As for experiences I have had this week, it has been a really fun week for me and I honestly have no idea what happens in the lessons about 98% of the time, and often just look blankly at people when they talk to me because I have no idea what they are saying. Kekchi is a very complicated language and I can see why only those with the spirit can learn this language. To put it in perspective spanish is a breeze and a half compared to only the beginning of understanding Kekchi so lets just say it might be quite a little bit of time before I understand completely. However, one experience I had was very neat for me. My companion was teaching and I was practicing saying in my head a part that I had been trying to memorize, and during 10 seconds of my companion talking I understood what he was talking about. I was very shocked and then went back to not understanding anything. It made me really grateful to the Lord because I know only through him that I understood even the smallest part of what my companion was saying.

Elder Harmon

Elder in San Andres, Petan, Guatemala

The other day we were teaching an inactive member and as we were something caught my eye. I looked and I saw the gate that was outside the house and it was chicken wire. What caught my eye wasnt the gate itself but the memory or flash of some kind of memory that came attached with it. As I looked it over in my mind I saw myself chasing a little kid who was running and laughing and having a great time. I was a little bit later in my life as far as I could tell, and the feeling that washed over me was amazing. I felt like what I would have guessed would have been what dad feels when he expresses his love for me to others and how proud he is of me. I felt really the love of a father for his child. When I came back out of this flash of memory it happened just in time for me to testify to our inactive that we loved him, and that his father in heaven also loved him. I felt the spirit really strong and was really impressed by this. As I reflected it later, it gave me an even greater desire to learn how to love someone even more then my current capacity, and I thought a lot about how I had grown in my love for my companion despite our bouts of disagreement. This week has been a really good week for us and we have 4 baptism dates for investigators, and one of them is a family. I am so excited for them and to see if they will continue to accept the challenges and blessings that are waiting for them. This week has been really exciting and dang this change has been going by so fast. I cant believe that already I am in the sixth week which means that next week it is possible I might have a new companion, which makes me kind of sad because I am just beginning to get along with my companion right now. This week I have also gone to petencito which is a zoo in our zone. (thus explaining the pictures with animals) It was really cool to see all the different wild life.

Elder Harmon

New Area San Andres Peten, New Adventures

Happy Happy Am I!!

Might I say though that I have gone from one of the most dangerous areas to one of the absolute best in the whole mission. I now reside in the mission area of San andres, Peten. Eight hours from my last area. I have a new companion, His name is Elder Degraw and he is a very logical person.
I am seeing a lot of the blessings coming. Recently while teaching I have really felt the spirit helping me and guiding me as to what to say and here in Peten we teach A LOT more haha. Recently we had a lesson with a man named Adam and he was relatively uninterested in our message, but I tried really hard to keep him active in our lesson, which was really hard, and I began to use an analogy about the gospel that one, I have never use before, and two was really simple. This is with Air, hunger, and thirst. I talked about how without having the gospel is like our bodies without air and we begin to die in our soul, and how hunger is like knowledge and understanding, and water is like blessings, and I applied it through the spirit.
It was really cool and even now I cant really explain it exactly, which makes it so cool that the spirit helped me do it in spanish. Another experience I had was yesterday where we were talking to a guy and he asked me where god came from. Well...I didnt know the answer to that, but the spirit guiding me as to what to say. So the spirit whispered to me to tell him that right now our minds cant understand the principle of infinite which is why we learn the simple things first, and then when we meet before god he will teach us the things more complicated. Oh mother you should have seen the flabbergasted look on his face, and it was so neat to know the spirit guided me. I am really starting to know when the spirit talks through me to other people, and it is just really awesome to feel the spirit so strong. Even though I know right now that I am weak I know the lord will make me strong.
I begin to really recognize that I need the lord more and more just like the song of I need thee every hour. Being here on a mission is really beginning to put that into perspective for me, and the importance of listening to the spirit. I am trying really hard right now to put all things into practice so that when all falls I will have the spirit to guide me in all things. My spanish by far is not perfect at all and I struggle a lot to say certain things, but I know the lord will help me to be an instrument in his hands, and I will be sure to try my hardest to share my experiences more.
I have a testimony of the great work that I am striving to do with the help of the lord and that I know he is guiding me. I know these things of an assurety in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Elder Harmon Update

Jarediah isn't able to write on his blog anymore, so I am putting in the post that he gives me.

Well nontheless we have three dates of baptism in our area for a family that came to church on sunday. Well lets see what to say hmm. So I am glad to hear things are going good at home even though the details of good are very tiny. Anyway in other news I ran into a sister here in the mission who knew bj in highschool and says she was one of his good friends. I dont know her first name but her last name is Mitchell. She is the same age as bj and here in the mission and says she is going to try and write him a letter. She is really enthusiastic that she knows him and hopes he is doing pretty good. Maybe if bj can find her in the yearbook he could write her a letter. He can send it to the same address as me here in Guatemala if he wants to write her.
Anyhow things in guatemala are pretty good with the exception that a lot of people die in my area everyday due to gangs and stuff, but oh well what can you do right? Maybe it will help people wake up and realize that they dont have all the time in the world like they think that they do. I really like this new area we have. I have a really high hill in my area that when I stand on top I can see the whole area of alameda and into other areas far into the capital, it is really cool. I have attached pictures of me (an update), my companion (yellow tie in the one) and my new room and study room in which I live haha. As you can see it is a mess, advantage of living with a somewhat messy companion haha and having a companion that had a companion that left a ton of stuff when he went home. I have a slight cough that annoys me now and again but other than that things are pretty good.
Elder Harmon

Elder Harmon's Testimony

The other day we were teaching this man on the corner and my companion was talking with the lady we are trying to baptize. When teaching this man I taught with a lot of power and conviction and didn´t even studder on my words once that I can recall. This is an amazing experience and testimony to me because lol I have a hard time all the time saying things at times and understanding every single word, but through the spirit I taught this man and gave him a book of mormon with the challenge to read in the first lesson by myself. That never happens both giving a book of mormon and teaching myself. It was so cool for me because it showed that the lord was there guiding my words to help this man to understand the things I was teaching.
I am so greatful to be here on a mission because I know the lord is blessing me to be able to speak in the gift of tongues unto the convincing of people of the truth through the spirit and not through my words.
I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am out here helping these people to come unto christ and to learn of his true gospel. Everyday is a new conversion for me, and I testify mom that I know that the lord will bless my family to be ok and taken care of because everytime I think of home the lord reminds me that he is taking care of everyone. So I don´t worry because I know he is true to his word always and will never go against anything that he says. I know this gospel is true mother and I know that I am excited everyday not knowing what to expect but knowing the lord is guiding us to do his work and to bring others in the gospel.
I testify of these things in the name of Jesus christ amen.

Week 3 of change 3

Hello all boy am I glad to be writing you all this week. This week has been a week full of adventure and joy with many blessings of the lord. Although I don´t have much time to write I am going to try to send a good post. Ah man I am out of time, well I will try again next week. Love ya all,
Elder Harmon

Weekly Blog

With the aftermath of the Pacaya eruptions, and tropical storm Agatha, missionaries have found many opportunitites to help with the clean-up as well as bag supplies of basic necessities which were sent by the church to help victums who lost their homes or crops. The Church sent clothing emergency food, water and tools. Now don't I look cute, yes, I am hiding in the back, so you can't see me in that apron!!

1st week of 3rd change

Well ladies and gentlemen there was a volcanic erruption and as you can guess as I am writing this email that I am fine and that things are going pretty good. Other than a lot of volcanic ash a lot my area was basically uneffected by all the things going on, which is interesting because I am hearing rumors that we will be having another volcano blowing up this week and so I will update everyone the same day as always with the news. In other news I have a new companion as my mom said and his name is elder Mendoza. He is from Honduras and super pilas (super hard working and obedient) I am having a lot of fun with him as my companion and loving every minute of it with all the things going on.

I have been studying a lot in the bible and learning many many things about the things to come and the things that are happening in life. I am always increasing a lot in my knowledge and my understanding through the many blessings of the lord and his help in this marvelous work of his. The more that I work the more that I am learning to love the people and enjoy and all the cool things that they have to teach me, and I am also learning how to cook new and exciting things. This means my parents can expect some interesting meals for when I return (wink wink).

Anyhow the time is passing by really fast and I can hardly believe that I am already in my third change here in Guatemala. I hope that everyone else is having a lot of cool experiences also. I love you all. Love always,
Elder Harmon

May 24th

We had a change and I have a new companion now. His name is elder Mendoza and he is pretty cool.
I will tell you about a neat experience I had the other day,I was going about and I made a promise to a lady that if she read the book of mormon god would bless her to be able to read. I know this did not come from me but the spirit of promise, and shortly after we were talking to another lady that is living in much sin and it was like god took over talking to her.

He was talking about the eternities and how if she didn´t change I would stand as a witness to her judgement to witness against her, and a lot of other things that I don´t remember because of the fact that it was only for her. It was soo cool mom I have to tell you there is no greater feeling in the world then knowing that God is talking and the person is being moved. By the end of it she was close to tears. I am so greatful for the lord and his help mom and his many blessings. I don´t know what I am supposed to do that is not normally done but I gladly accept the will of the lord in all things and with this new companion I am going to do everything in my power to make sure we have unity. Love always,
Elder Harmon

Week 5 change 2

Hello all this week has been amazing one because we had two baptisms and two because I am seeing the miracles I have been praying for both with the people and with my own personal studies. It is awesome how we begin to see the blessings of the lord the moment we turn to him and ask him for help and guidance. It is amazing to me just the kind of things that happen when we have real intent and faith in his son Jesus Christ and rely on them to help us through our times. It is interesting to me all the things that I am learning that I never knew before in the bible and wow is the knowledge that the lord is blessing me with ever helping the people I am teaching.

The other day we were teaching the parents of a lady named Wendy and her father throughout the week has hit us with question after question but each time he has answers have both come from the things I am studying and a powerful testimony of the importance of prayer on his part. I know that this man is going to come to a knowledge of the truth the moment he hits his knees and prays. With the help of the Lord and the Holy Ghost my companion and I are understanding the things we need to do to be able to help the people come to the understanding of the gospel. It is sad to me how people who don´t know how to read only rely on the words of man to guide them and not on their father in heaven.

For truth is both something you can read in the scriptures, but also the feeling you have in your heart when you do as Christ directs and ask in faith, knocking to which it is always opened unto you until nothing is left in darkness. The more I read the Bible the more I understand the teachings of Christ and how to apply them in my life. Each day I am excited to study the scriptures and learn new things because 1 it increases my faith of the gospel and 2 helps me begin to understand the doctrine of Christ more clearly, and as it directs in 2 nephi dispell all confusions about the doctrines of Christ that he taught the people. I have a testimony of the gospel restored in these latters day through the prophet Joseph Smith, and I know he was inspired of God to translate the Book of Mormon which is another testament of Jesus Christ and his ministry here on earth.

I know Jesus Christ is the son of God and our savior and desires all to come unto him and take upon themeselves their cross so they took can receive the salvation promised by God and by him. I know these things with all my heart and through the power of the Holy Ghost in prayer that if we do the things the Lord commands us to do we will be lifted in our trials and in the last days. I testify of these things in the sacred name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Neat Story

Sunday we had a great experience. We were teaching three people and they were bombarding us with questions about things in the church. In this experience I used all the things I had learned with the corrolation between the bible and the book of mormon to show them we believe in both and my companion was using his experiences to teach the people about the gospel. Many many questions were answered and in the end my companion shared his conversion story and his testimony. I felt the spirit really strong and was super happy with the whole experience.

Another Week in the service of the lord

Hey everyone how´s going? Things here in Guatemala are starting to look up. Each day is a new adventure for me with talking to new people and also with working with my companion Elder Vindel. He is a really interesting fellow with a lot of brains. He reads Jesus the Christ everyday and for all those who have ever read this book it is one really deep and two very advanced in thought. My comp is a pretty smart guy and has many experiences with the gospel from being from the evangelical church before LDS church. I am learning a lot of things while at the same time trying to master the language we know as spanish. It is a fun daily task and let me tell you quite difficult at times, but non the less I am seeing many blessings of the Lord both with the people and with the language. I don´t have a lot of time to write this week as I have a lot of people to write but I will try to make this blog as edifying for all as I possibly can. I didn´t have a chance to download my pictures from my camera to my USB so I will not be able to give an update of my birthday pictures and others sadly but I will strive diligently to provide you all with the lastest here in my mission as I get the time to be able to accomplish exactly that. Just know I think about you guys and how you are doing and hope to hear from you and the adventures you are having as time goes on.

I am greatful to be here in Guatemala with the chance to be able to serve the people. I have a great testimony of my mission and the many things I am learning to be able to do here, and the blessings of understanding the scriptures boy am I ever learning things that previously I never knew and the funny part is that they were scriptures marked from seminary classes I had four years ago. What a testimony of the great work and how everything works in its own time. I want you to know that I know that this is the church of God with no doubt in my heart, and I know with all my might, mind, heart, and strength that this is the lord´s work and I am being an instrument in the master´s hands to bring many to a knowledge of his truth. I testify of this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Week 2 change 2

Hello everyone again. Time for week two of my series of blogs from my mission. I hope things are going good for everyone. This keyboard is really hard to type on but I will try to make good time on it non the less. This week has been a pretty good and rough week for me. Good because we are having a lot of success finding people and I am developing a growing love for contacting with a greater understanding and comprehension of spanish. I must say that I know nothing because I know that I am only learning like I am with the help of the Lord. He has been blessing my companion and I abundantly to be able to find people in my area. My area is pretty tiny but surprising with the help of the Lord many people are listening. I am going to be praying this week to be able to help the people we found to develop a testimony of the work and to help the progressing investigators to be able to grow and become ready for baptism. I have only had one but I have another one set for this weekend with a girl named Cindy Cux. Pretty cool the blessings of success the Lord is blessing us with. I am finding a lot things in the scriptures I never knew before.

I have decided that I won´t speak of the rough parts haha no need focus in on the less feasible things of the week. Anyhow I have a growing testimony of this work. Each day I grow closer to the Lord as he guides my companion and I to the people that we need to work with. I am grateful for my companion and his great love for the people and knowledge of the scriptures. He reads Jesus the Christ everyday. Talk about smart haha but ya he knows a lot. I just want everyone to know that I have a testimony of this gospel and I know with no doubt in my mind and with all my heart that the Lord is guiding his work and that he loves his children. I know that as we try to come closer to him he blesses us more and as we are obedient we see miracles happening everyday in the lives of others. I know these things are true in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jarediah's Moday Blog

If only you knew haha nah nothing is really different with the idea that tomorrow I turn 21 because age has no real play here in Guatemala, still the same missionary just another year older is all. Things are pretty darn good here I am having unbelievable success as my district leader would say, but as always with much success comes problems. So lately I have been having problems with my companion because he hates gringos, he hates the capital, and he has a bad attitude about working really hard with numbers. I can understand why he thinks the way he does because I talk to a lot of the other latinos as to understand the sitution. My spanish is getting a lot better and with it the confidence in the Lord of all things being possible in his hands. To give you an idea; each morning I wake up and ask the lord to tell me where I need to go for the day and he shows me an image of an area in my area to go contacting and then I write it down and go there. Lately with just that I and my companion have been having incredible success finding people. I know my companion has his problems but I still love him and respect the hard worker he is. Even though he kind of has a bad attitude he is a really good guy and has a good heart and cares about the people
I just simply pray for patience and ask the lord for help and he helps me. So don´t worry about things with my companion because they will work themselves out in the end. I want you to thank the Women of the ward for their care package and tell them I will use everythinge they sent and have already been using part of it. I will try to send a picture next week for them to see. I forgot my camera again so not able to send pics this week sorry. Now as far as the weather its good a little rain here and there but not much. I like the rain and do not get discouraged so I don´t know what weather is coming that is supposed to get me down.
Each day I am more grateful for the lord and his many blessing because I realize that without him I would not only be home by now but I would probably be no better than zac. Without the lord it is easy to get caught up in the world and lost and confused about everything going on because the only good life is the eternal life. I am reminded everytime I see something on tv for the couple seconds I allow myself to be distracted that the world is only there to confuse and to captivate the attention of others and drag them down into the distracted fray of human imagination. The world is filled with pain because it fills the minds of its viewers with an idea that never can be atained and so we have people stealing from others, countries waring with each other to be able to gain the things of the world. It saddens me when lives are lost because of the things of the world and families ripped apart by the worldliness that we are surrounded by. I often wonder how I thought I was ever able to make myself believe that I could live my life without the need for god or the need to be a light in the eyes of the lifeless and convince myself that I was fine as you said in the letter you wrote me. The reason I have not set aside you first letter is because it is not complete yet. The first part about zac will not complete until after the second letter you sent me. Kind of interesting to me and yet a testimony of everything with its time and place.Each day is a constant reminder that if you are not with the lord you are against his work. I see this a lot when others start disobeying or thinking that they know better. It is difficult for me to hear the things people say about each other and about others who achieve much. I am starting to understand the idea of envy in the eyes of the disobedient. I noticed it this week when I was talking to my district about the success I was having and the many questions of my leaders and other people. Many thought I was making up numbers as my companion was doing the very same, but they soon came to the realization that this was not so when I showed them with every number there was a name and an address to the person that we were teaching. It is difficult for me at times to explain myself in spanish but alas as with everything the lord is teaching me that through patience and perserverance all things are possible and attainable and so I don´t get discouraged. It is really cool to feel the spirit all the time and to feel the blessings that come when we are doing what we are supposed to be.
I really am excited for the things to come and I look forward each monday to the loving and awesome letters from you and the fam. I love you and can´t wait to tell you more about the things to come. Love always,Elder Harmon

Good ol Guatemala

Hey everybody this is my first post but nontheless I am going to try to include pictures as the future comes and as I remember to bring my camera haha. Anyhow I have had one baptism and it was awesome! Guatemala is a really cool place filled with much adventure and excitement. It is also a world filled with danger around every corner and much religious confusion, but that is the best part of being a missionary is having the honor to be able to serve these people and learn to love them all in their different ways. I bear my solemn testimony that I know this is the work of God and as it says in Alma 26 we are bringing the gospel to our brothers the lamanites and helping them hear the whispers of those in the past. I know that god loves each and every one of us and through our faith we have the ability to see him in our lives maybe not in person, but in his many blessings for families and each individual person.

What a grand thing it is to know that God has a relationship with each of us that is personal to each person. Each person is different and so the way that God has his relationship with each of us is on a personal level. I love the people here and I love serving them. I love the work of the Lord and I know through him we are experience much success. Success that can only be obtained through a faith in him. I am so very happy for this experience that I have and I look forward to each day. I know these things are true. I know that we have a prophet that leads and guides us in our latters days through the Lord and I know the Book of Mormon is a book filled with the testimony of the prophets and the words of God. I know these things are true and I testify that they truly are the words of Christ as in 2 Nephi 33, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

4/12/2010

Well as you can imagine I will start with the joy, I am sending you some pictures of a surprise I know you are going to love. Lol your going to wish you had been having those tune in moments but alas I will leave the joy for you to express in your next letter haha. Well that was a joy kill. I actually have more pictures but at the moment I cannot access them don´t ask me why. So I will just explain dang it right? Lol anyhow this last saturday we had a baptism in our area in the picture it is the woman on the left. Her name is Sylvia and I got to baptize her. I can´t tell you mother how excited I was or how nervous I was but boy it was awesome. I am seeing so many changes in her as well. That and her daughter wants to get baptized as well. I have a new companion as well his name is Elder Vindel and he is a latino from El Salvador. I don´t know much about him yet as I have only had him as my companion for a couple of hours but he is pretty cool so far. We have a lot of possibilities for baptisms in my areas that is if things work out right. Right now I have two families lined up for baptism as soon as they attend church and a couple of other people so I will keep you tuned in for how that all goes if at all. Other than that things have been pretty normal around here at least for Guatemala lol. It´s funny to me how time goes by so fast, I can scarcely believe that already I have three months into my mission it seems as though time is just a flying and my journal is suffering from that fact lol imagine that right? I try to write in it everyday but it is really hard when you come home and are really tired that and I have been working on memorizing a scripture everyday of the week and because of the help of the lord I am becoming successful at that. Also my spanish is coming along also another blessing of the lord.

Oh that I were an angel and could declare repentance to shake the foundations of the hearts of the wicked and bring them to a rememberence of their God and his mighty glory for he comes in a time we least expect him to and should we not keep our watchmen about we will so easily fall to the temptations that do bestow him in his very life. Oh that I could have set a better example and done more good then harm. Alas I am very grieved, but alas I know the Lord, full of mercy and love, will bring me out of this state and focus on the importance of his work as he already at this very moment is doing to raise my joy for the wonderous majesty of his awesome work. I am so happy to be here mother and I cannot tell you enough of the joy that I feel for being here to help these people come to a knowledge of their lord and savior. There are so many lost and its wonderous how some people can wrap themselves up into a world so filthy and dirty of crimes of all natures. I have heard many stories of those who claim themselves to be prophets, the incarnate of joseph, moses, and other such forms of trickery and wickedness and it doth sadden my heart.

There was a man that we were teaching that read and denied that book of mormon as a doctrine of truth right there in front of us. How is it that people can be so blind to see the words of god, so deaf to hear of his voice, so hard that they do not feel the truth. I stand in disbelief of the world around me. My heart is filled with joy for I do know of a surety that God is there and loves us. I do not remember if I told you but I had a dream where I saw Christ and he told me that I was wasting time. At the time I wasn´t getting out of bed in time or excersising, and making my studying effective and indeed he was correct. I do know mother without a shadow of a doubt in my mind that this is the gospel of God and that he works mighty miracles through our faith. I am trying each day to build mine so I can be an instrument in bringing light to the Lamanites to a knowledge of the truth as said in Alma 26:3. This truly is a great work and I enjoy every moment of it. There are times where its hot, times where we are tired, times where there seems to be no progress, but always without fail the Lord blesses us with strength, with temperance, and with a greater vision of the work we have to do.I know without a shadow of a doubt that the book of mormon is true and that I am indeed teaching the lamanites in their time of confusion and mass religious instability. I never knew people could be so closed minded and so hard hearted like I am seeing here in Guatemala, but even with the blindness and hardness the Lord is blessing us to be able to have success and teach those who need to hear his message.

I am not perfect, but through the Lord I am growing and learning things I never thought I ever would and receiving blessings beyond imagination. I love you and hope to hear from you soon. Love always your missionary son,Elder Harmon