April 25, 2011

ZONA CELESTIAL!!! (WE GET TO EAT WITH PRES. AND HERMANA VEIRS...YUMMY)

This week was pretty good minus the Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebration part because nobody was home or even in the streets.  Everbody goes to the beach during this week.  But we really worked hard anyway (some of that might be because the zone leaders said they would buy lunch at Applebee’s for the ones that reach their goals because the work is hard during Semana Santa).  We found some good people; the problem was that nobody likes to go to church at this time.  We’re really trying to focus on families.  We found a really good one too.  The wife is a member and so is the hija (daughter) but the dad isn´t.  The problem is that the husband and wife aren´t married and they didn´t go to church this Sunday.  But they said they will for sure go this second week.  We also have another really good possibility this week named Jose.  We have an appointment with him tonight although I think his mom might be a little against it.  His cousins and other relatives are members so they are helping us.  He is 19 years so I´m pretty sure we can still baptize him because he can choose for himself now.  So that’s who we have to teach right now and one more guy that has been going to church for 3 weeks.  However, whenever we call to go teach him he says we can´t come because he is busy.  But he really likes church but I think he has a few problems to work out because he is always in talking with the bishop.  We’re doing some things in the ward to get the members more involved because the members haven’t been too involved yet.  So we have an activity this week on Wednesday.  All the different groups are going to do a talent act and some little messages just to get them involved and to bring some friends.  Also, we are doing this thing every week where a family in the ward gets to give a Book of Mormon to another family and then on Sunday they share their experience in Sacrament meeting.  Then they get to choose a family to do the same thing.  So we hope that we will have some success with this.

I saw 2 weird things this week - one was part of Semana Santa.  A group of people were walking down the street singing then when they got closer we saw they were caring a casket with a mannequin type thing that was supposed to represent Christ.  It was a little weird.  Then yesterday we saw a guy chase some other guy with a machete but the guy got away so he didn´t get him - haha.

I hope you guys all had a good Easter and had the chance to remember what Christ did for us.  I spoke a little bit in church about the atonement and resurrection for about 15 to 20 minutes.  That´s a lot in Spanish -  haha.
Dad I liked what you wrote about the house in Idaho getting built soon and that you are ready to start that and have to get some jet skis but you forgot one thing... the boat! - haha.  Mom, I haven’t received the last package yet but we have interviews this week so I´m sure I’ll get it.  The mission only has 1 car so I haven´t received anything for a while so I´m pretty sure it´s in the office.  I am officially half of the way through the Book of Mormon in Spanish now.
Thanks for all that you guys do and Happy Easter.
I Love You All!!!
Have fun in Virginia, Mom and Dad
Cuidense, (take care)
Con Amor (with love)
Elder Kapple

April 18, 2011

 Pictures of the new apartment....

Hola como estan
espero que todo este bien

This week was good but the work is definitely a lot different here in Los Castanos (which I found out means chestnuts or a chestnut tree).  We spend a lot of time traveling to different areas in our area.  But we went to some different ones this week and found some people but the problem is that they’re pretty far away so it’s hard for the people to go to church.  But we did find some new people in these further out areas so hopefully we can still get them to come to church.  We taught this guy yesterday that was really cool.  He was into to the lesson and said that he really wants to learn more.  He lives close to our house.  I talk more about it in the recordings.  So this week was really crazy and I tell the entire story in the recordings, but yes -  it was just a crazy experience.  And because of the experience, I went on divisions with my zone leader and I learned a good lesson.  We went to teach a lesson #2.  But they just ended up asking a bunch of questions and we taught a really good lesson about what they need to do to receive a testimony and we ended up setting a date with them to get married and then baptized.  It was really cool and I learned a lot  - to just listen and follow the Spirit and teach to people’s needs.  So, we have some new rules with the internet so this might be short.  We can only be one hour on the internet.  We can only write family.  I think there are some different problems going on in the mission so that President Veirs is cracking down a little bit.  There are some missionaries with cell phones and other things so I think that’s why he is making some changes.

I hope everything is good back in good old Ogden and Virginia.
I love and miss you all!!!

Con amor,
Elder Kapple

April 11, 2011

 Elder Kapple and Elder Hafen

 Hike to the Coca-Cola sign

Elder Kapple and Elder Nelson receiving packages from home.

Hola familia como estan

Wow -  what a change and what a different area.  I’m a little disappointed that you all already knew thanks to Pres. Veirs – haha, - no, but it is really different.  From the small and dusty streets of Pineda, to the huge and busy area in San Pedro Sula.  The area is called Los Castanos.  I do not know what that means though.  But it is huge, we have like 20 colonys and the people are so different.  There are a lot of rich people in this area too.  We only had 86 people at church yesterday and the church is really small.  The members are a lot different here too.  I really liked the members that we had in Pineda so I think we’re going to try to do some different things to get the members more involved in the work.  If you have any ideas let me know.  Dad, I just looked at that Google map you sent and our area is way from there.  That map is like where the mission office is and our stake center but we are up from there on the map.  I still really don’t have any idea of where because I’m still way lost and have only been to a little bit of my area.  But I’ll let you know more next time.  My comp., Elder Barrientos is way tight and really chill.  He's the district leader and from Guatemala and wants to learn English.  He can say a few sentences but that’s about it.  He has one brother and one died while he was in the mission but he hasn't said much to me about this.  He has 16 months in the mission.  I really like him.  We had a baptism on Saturday.  A man about 45ish and his family member.  It’s not his son but it might as well be.  He turns 12 this week.  This guy is awesome and quit smoking to do it.  I talk more about him in the recordings.  My comp only has one change here and only had 1 baptism during that change. Before that there wasn't a baptism here for like 5 months so this area is really hard but we’re hoping to change that. Today has been pretty cool.  We came to the stake center to email.  Then today we hiked up to the Coco Cola sign that is here in San Pedro.  It's like the Hollywood one.  I’m sure there is a photo on Google Earth.  Then after that my zone leader, Elder Anderson and I went to the top of the moutain where there is some antenna.  It was fun but I am super tired and we’re still going to play some soccer I think.  Other than that, not much happened.  Just the changes and everything.

I got the package with the books, treats sent with the Castro’s which also included the e-mail copies from Elder Ben Buck.  Thanks for those. Dad, I wanted that book because one Elder in La Lima was talking about it and it sounded cool and I could study Gospel things better and faster with it.  But I don’t know much about the area and how you can find my area on Google Earth but I’ll let you know.  We live in the colony Rio Blanco.
Thanks for everything.  I’ll check my email again in like a hour i think.  It depends how long we play soccer.
I Love You All!!!
Con Amor Elder Kapple

April 4, 2011

 Nathan burning a tie in celebration of being on his mission for 6 months.

 A frog in the bathroom

 Sergio, he is awesome, he wants to serve a mision. He was baptized a week before I got here but his brother was my first baptism.  I’ll miss him, he goes to church with us every Sunday.

Hola como estan,

This week was pretty good and conference was awesome.  All the speakers did really well. We had the opportunity to watch it in English so that was really great and that way I could understand it all.  This week we didn´t have any baptisms because we can´t confirm them yet but right now we have one fetcha and we should be able to have 1 or 2 more.  Esperanza still won’t give permision for her 2 kids but they still went to church yesterday.  We haven´t talked to hermana Esperanza but we have a hermana helping us and she tells us she still won’t. This week we really had a lot of different things happen.  I felt like we were barely in our area this week. We had a lot of new investigators and we have a hermana right now that is really progressing.  The hardest part is to make these people understand that this is the only true church that there is. Down here, they just think that if it´s the word of God then it´s all good.  Some of the churches have hymns that say it doesn´t matter what church you go to - just as long as you go to church.  It´s wierd.  We have to teach the great apostasy sometimes like 3 times to have people understand.  There is a hermana Sullapa ( su-ya-pa), the missionaries have already taught her but her husband didn´t want to get married.  But right now they’re not together and she said that she really liked church and is going to keep praying to know the truth.  Some of her family members are members of the church but inactive but this will still help us.  The sad thing is that I do have a transfer coming but at the same time I am very excited just to have a new area.  It will be sad to leave here but I am excited for the change.  Mom,  - I do want you to try to send a few things with Elder Castro if you can.  I want the book -  Mormon Doctrine and the book Articles of Faith and whatever else you want to send.

Well that´s everything for this week and I hope everything is good and still a little cold,  - I would switch you weather right now if I could.  Good luck with taxes Dad.
I Love You All!!!
Con Amor
Elder Kapple