SHAKING HANDS

November 9, 2016 - A Love Of The Scriptures

Hello All,

So this week was awesome. i really have learned to love the scriptures. i have been really studying them lately. not just reading them but praying and pondering about them. i have grown very close with my companions through the scriptures. during personal study we are constantly throwing back and forth scriptures that we find and like. it is my favorite thing to do here. i have never had the strongest testimony of the scriptures, but in the 5 weeks i've been out, i have gained so much and i know that there is no way that these scriptures are not of God. i encourage all to study and pray about these words. they will guide you in your lives and they will help you with everything! 

some scriptures that i liked this week were 2 corr. 5:7 it says... porque por fe andamos, no por vista(if you want it in english you got to look it up haha)  it really hit me. we have to walk by faith. we need to trust in heavenly father's plan for us and have faith in it. another that i really liked was Philippians 4:13. 

Last night was probably the highlight of my week. I had he opportunity to give a blessing to a sister in my district. a blessing of comfort and strength as we go out in the field in like 5 days (I leave on monday i think). it was the first blessing ive given, and i had no clue what to say. as i started so many thoughts of blessings came to mind. i could feel the spirit guiding me as i spoke. it was such an awesome experience to have especially because it was in english haha. i got to be able to do it in spanish soon... we will see how that goes. the spirit is amazing. i have been feeling it more and more, and my love for the people of El Salvador is growing every day and i havent even left guatemala haha. 

the language is still coming. it was cool i was sitting with a latino at lunch and he was saying that he thinks what we had learned in 4 or 5 weeks would take a normal person a year to learn. that reall helped me see how fast we are progressing. by ne means do i hae spanish down, but it feels good to know im progressing. i love you all and keep the letters and pictures. if i dont respond just know that i got it and it made an impression on me. if i dont have time to read them in my short time on the computer, i take pictures of them and read them throughout the week so i do get to read them! again i love you all and thank you for your love and support. prayers are going up for all of you from down here in central america.

-Elder Adams Jr.

November 2, 2016 - Setting MTC Records

Hey all,

Hows it going? the mtc down here is the same as it was last week. its been a struggle with all the companion problems. so the record that i currently hold is with number of companions. ive had 7 since ive been here its been wild. i was with the first ones and then with elder rohde. he is home now but he was a stud while he was here. i didnt have a companion for like 4 days but i was paired with 2 elders in my distriict. i wasnt technically their comp but i count it. then i got my new companions that i have now. im in a trio again. 

my companions are super cool. one is from utah and plays hockey. his name is elder prime (all the latinos say oh like optimus prime haha) he is super quiet but  he comes alive durring lessons and when hes talking in spanish which is dope because most people are the other way. my other companionis elder stockton from north platte nebraska. he is a typical red neck its awesome haha he has the most knowledge of the bible i have ever seen. he always has a scripture to share with me and he always has to explain tome the deeper meaning haha. 

On another note i was reading alma 17 and 18. i love the story of Ammon and King Lamoni. i really want to be like ammon and share the gospel with everyone. he was a stud of a missionary. i want to be like ammon and always give glory to God. when king lamoni was giving him praise, the first thing he thought to do was to give all the glory to God. he didnt think about himself at all and turned it into a missionary experience. a really cool experience that we had this week was they let us out of the walls and we go to go talk to people and hand out copies of the book of mormon. we met a guy who was extremely excited to read the book of mormon. he said he is always willing to listen to someone that is talking about Christ. he was stunned when he heard us say that Christ visited the amwericas. before we asked him to read ponder and pray about the book he said that he can know that it is true by asking God. he was like the perfect investigator it was awesome. i doubt ill hear what comes from it but i know that he will recieve an answer that the book is true and is the word of God. 

Another little spiritual note... we had a devotional on sunday given by the presidents wife. she told stories of the pioneers andrelated us to them. it really gave me the little push i needed to get through this week so far. she said how tough it was for them. i know that if they can make it across the plains to Utah, i can suffer a little bit here before i get out to the field. we are pioneers in the gospel still. the church is growing and growing. we are the chosen generation and we are spreading the word to everyone. i dont know ifthat will have an impact on you guys but for me it was awesome. i know i can push through and do amazing things. for halloween we didnt do anything hahah i have 2 matching ties with super heros on them and elder junior and i wore them. after like 45 minutes we had to go change them. the rules are a bit excessive but its all good. 

Thats about it for the week. im still pushing through. it is and has been a struggle with different companions but i know i wouldnt have been put through this if i couldnt push through it. the language is still progressing and getting a bit easier every day. i love all you and im praying for all of you. PLEASE PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE send pics from your weeks and pics of us together i can put them on my camera and have them throughout the week when i need a little pick me up. love you all.

-Elder Adams Jr.

October 25, 2016 - Finally Getting Used to This Place

Hello all,

Much love coming from down here in Guat City. so im just going to apoligize now these computers are in spanish so they say i spell everything wrong anyways so its hard to actually tell and sorry about not capitalizing things i got to type fast haha. so this week was pretty good. im getting used to my new district and the people in it but... my companion is leaving tomorrow morning so ill probably be the first elder in MTC history to go through all 3 districts and have all the teachers haha. i hope i can stay in one for more then like a week but i know its strengthening me. 

We had a devotional on companionships and what i got from that is the Lord has a plan for every one of us. each companionship is put together for a reason. i know i am getting moved around for my own benefit. it is making me stronger and i get to practice my spanish with more people. so besides that, today was really the highlight of the week.we went into down town and went and got to pass out books of mormon or book of mormons or whatever it is. it was awesome being able to talk to real people and it kind of was a humbling experience seeing that everyone doesnt just say yes to everything. 

The first family we talked to was very nicwe but at the end of our conversation we tried giving them a book and they would not take it. no clue why im sure they said why but it was real hard to understand. after that family we talked to another who was very receptive and we had them read the last paragraphs of the intro where it says if you read ponder and pray you will recieve an answer if the book is true and you begin to grow your testimony. this family actually took the book so that was awesome. we only had like 40 minutes for that and then we went to the market. the market is like little T. i got a sweet tie for $4 but i bet it will fall apart in like a week. we went down stairs where all the food is and there was tons of cuts of meat just hanging everywhere and pig heads and body parst so that was a taste of the culture haha. 

We then toured a catholic church(no clue why but it was very pretty) and on the way back to the mtc (on a bus) we stopped at wendys and got somewhat of american food. alright i know this is all over the place but going back a couple days (im just writing what comes to mind havent really planned it out at all. our lessons with our investigators have improved greatly this week. one lesson we had 5 minutes to plan for so we didnt have any notes and we winged it. that lesson was the best one we had had yet so elder Rohde and i decided that we will still plan but we arent going to take any notes in to our lessons. the lessons have started to be more guided by the spirit rather then just reading. i feel that the language is starting to come more and more. 

We had another district meeting and we talked about obedience. we all came to the conclusion that the more obedient we are the easier the language is and the more blessings we recieve... funny how that works out. this little meeting was right after our companionship meeting and it really hit home for all of us. i was talking about how i know i was put in this district for a reason and that elder rohde is here for these 3 weeks for a reason too. he was sent at this time to strengthen fe and better prepare me for what is about to come. even if he cant come back out because of medical reasons, his mission was a success. 

New topic... some funny things that happened this week. elder junior was giving everyone haircuts and he was half way done with his companions when his clippers died so he had to wait overnight for them to chage so he had a chunk missing for a while. im gonna have him give me a fresh cut tonight and i dont care at all if he messes up haha. another funny thing is theres an elder in my district that sounds like kronk and is real serious but if he starts laughing he sounds like a 6 year old girl. we got him to laugh a couple times and then everyone just dies. i know that doesent sound too funny. i guess its just one of those things where you got to be there. 

Lastly, last night was the last night all the other elders who were 3 weeks ahead of us. we decided that we would sing the national anthem one last time and we were going to sing as loud as we could. the zone leader(straight from utah) was setting a great example and he said he wanted us to sing so loud that the president would come running up and yell at us. be careful for what you wish for. not the president but hermano garcia, the most arrogant and toolish teacher here was up on our floor in 10 seconds flat it was amazing. he threatended that we could all get sent home and we all just laughed. thats about it for the week i know ill have more to write about when im in the field. i love and miss you all. i know this work is true and i would do anything for it. thank you all for the support much love.

-Elder Adams Jr. 

ps we went to the temple at 6:50 this morning so it was an early morning so thats probably why nothing was in order or made sense.

October 19, 2016 - 2 Weeks Down, Plenty to Go

I dont know where to start for this week it was crazy. 

So my mom told me that i never said who elder junior reminded me of sooooo he reminds me of my brother kevin hes a stud. going off of that i got transferred out of my district into a totally new one with a new companion elder rhode but who knows for how long. he is really sick and they dont know what is wrong with him. luckily it doesnt seem to be contagious but he hasnt kept a meal down in over a week and he has lost like 35 pounds since hes been here and he was pretty small to start with. he is the biggest stud though he is always pushing me to be a little stronger, a little better, and to try a little harder. i know that i was transferred out of my old district into this new one so i could learn patience and how to put up with some people haha. my whole district is extremely goofy but they are pretty alright. 

this week has really been a struggle. i have been having a really hard time getting the language down but i keep telling myself that ive only been here for two weeks. ive probably already learned just as much in these 2 weeks as i learned in 2 years in HS. i love it though i can not wait till it starts to click a little more. 

so the more spiritual side of the week was yesterday. we had a testimony meeting and elder rhode hit me hard. he told us how when he was going into 8th grade 3 kids in his school took their own lives. 2 of them were his 2 best friends. to make long story short he had always thought it was his fault because he had never felt worthy or had never been strong enough to share the gospel with them. that is why he is out here. he wants to be able to share it with everyone and try to make up for it (even though it was not his fault). he is pretty bummed that he has to go home but he is going to get back out as soon as he can. i dont know if i would be strong enough to go home and get used to my normal life again, and be able to say goodbye to my family and all my stuff at home. i know that it is the right thing to do but wow its hard. 

surprisingly i havent cried myself to sleep yet but i have had some times when i just want to be back with my family and just hang out with them. so get ready in 2 years we are just gonna chill and do nothing. i love you all and i know that i am out here for a reason. i know i can learn this language. God has called me to serve in a spanish mission and he wouldnt have if he knew i couldnt get it down. it is hard but im putting my shoulder to the wheel and im not going to stop pushing. 

i cannot wait until i get to the field and get to serve the people of el salvador. speaking about people of el salvador ive been hanging with an elder from santa ana, el salvador. hes the nicest guy ever. elder rosales. his visa didnt get cleared to go to honduras so he is most likely to come to san salvador east. hes super funny but in testimony meetings and devotionals he is super spiritual and i know he is going to be a huge stud (even though i can barely understand him) well i dont have mush else for this week it was a struggle but it only gets better haha i love you all and thanks for supporting me 

              -Elder Adams Jr.

October 11, 2016 - I'm Alive and Still Kicking

Hello all, 

So im still alive but this week has been crazy to say the least. Im going to be all over the place so sorry, but i need to get the hang of this. So my flight got in at like 6am local time and we went straight to the CCM (MTC). We went straight and ate breakfast and then had an interview with the CCM president. the first day we filled out medical paperwork and did a bunch of random stuff including them chopping my hair as short as possible even though i got a haircut the day i left. its ok though i dont have anyone to impress haha. 

Well it was kind of a tough first day it felt like it was 12 years long. we had meeting after meeting with the CCM president, nurse, teachers , and honestly some that i dont even know who they are. the food is a bit odd they try to make american food all the time and we have potatoes with almost every meal. it is nice we get fresh fruit with what ever meal we want. the latino food that we have is so good but we have had 2 latino meals out of the however many meals i have had so far. i feel like i am always eating. 

Ummmm what next. oh so there is an odd number of elders in my district so i have 2 companions right now. so one of them, elder owen, is from utah like salt lake area hes nice and fun to be around but he is on his own time schedule and he makes it a bit hard to be places on time and he is usually just chatting so its a little hard to focus. its ok because i have another companion from canada who is your typical canadian, elder nelson. he says eh all the time and sorry but he is the best. he is struggling with the language and im  trying to help him the best i can. i guess im struggling with it too haha. 

My district is super cool, the only english elder that i have met that is going to my same mission is the sickest kid ever. he reminds me so much of Kevin its crazy. his name is elder junior and he has such a cool conversion story. he was baptized at 8 but like a year later went inactive. just in january he went back for the first time and now he is like the strongest elder in the gospel ive met. he is our district leader and we always play volleyball and workout together. we both are just stoking on getting to the field but both of us are not having the best time here. we are doing good we just want to get out of here and serve the people its hard being locked up in this place for 6 weeks when we look outside and see so many people out side we just want to go talk to. oh yeah mom im only here for 6 weeks not 8 so that is kind of nice. i wish it was like a week and a half like kevin but i totally need the language training. 

Well ive had a few really powerful experiences here that have given me the drive to keep going. the first one was on sunday. after church and testimony meeting (all in spanish and hard to understand the natives) we had our other classes. then we had a district meeting where we went around and each said why we are out here serving the Lord. back to elder junior haha he had me all emotional but all 11 elders in the district were tearing up. i know you all dont care much about him but he really is a stud and im stoked that we are both serving together. the other really powerful experiences we had were both today. one elder in my district got sick so this morning we gave him a blessing and the spirit was so strong there. that carried into going to the temple and that was just amazing. all the natives and workers are hard to understand but they are all just so nice and are just trying to help us out with anything we need. the natives all just grabbed headsets so we could listen in english and wouldnt have to wear them. 

Well thats pretty much it here in the Guatemala CCM but its fun. the food is good the spirit is strong (at times) and we all love our heavenly father. the language is a struggle but i cant wait to be able to just have a conversation and teach a lesson and rely on the spirit for answers rather then just reading it all. Well i love you all and i love my Heavenly Father. 

Thank you all for the support and love. ill hopefully have a bit more time next week. i would send pictures but they are really strict on not sending pictures while youre here who knows why but im following all the rules as close as possible. feel free to send me a little note whenever ill try to respond to all of them but im sorry if i cant just know i got it and it made an impact on me.

-Elder Adams Jr.

ps its still real weird saying that but its awesome at the same time 

Elder Adams Is Off To El Salvador!

Hey Everyone!

This is a blog for Elder Mark Adams to share his weekly letters, pictures, and spiritual thoughts. Check up each week for a new post to see how our favorite Elder in El Salvador is doing. He will love getting emails or notes from you, so drop him a few lines whenever you get a chance!

You can email him at Mark.adams@myldsmail.net