Monday, April 26, 2010

Well whats the hizzapps in the good ole u.s of a. were hearing on the news here that you guys are having a little bit of trouble-protesting with the whole Arizona laws going on, yes we do here about that. but don't worry the people here couldn't care less.
          mom you can totally tell me about the big breakfast analogy because you forgot, I dont like breakfast food. now if it was pizza thats another story. honestly when I get home that first night i just want my own personal rosattis deep dish pizza, and just sit there eating not talking to anybody. no just kidding (about the not talking, not the pizza)
                        it is actually really weird, when we start the mission we think like wow 2 years, and it really does feel like a long time, now that Im  basically at a year and  I think just a year more, its way way fast, it dosent even feel like a long time, I actually think it feels shorter than anything, heck in october Im going to complete my 21 years and Ill be home before I turn 22, so its really weird. but Im not even worried about time, Im just trying to live day to day here with elder fletcher. not to be or sound mean, but really the only time I think about you guys are right here in the cybers on mondays, there is just way to much to think about and do, Im just glad elder fletcher is a super hard worker and is keeping me from just being lazy and not doing anything.
             speaking of super stressful gray hair making work the work here is going good like that. actually this week has been absolutly horrible. we went from 6 secure baptisms to now only 2. we were supposed to have a baptism on saturday, the first was the brother arturo, he had his interview and everything, he was completly ready he had recieved his answer, and we went to his house on friday in the night, when I asked him how he was feeling for his baptism he said ¨bad¨ he then proceded to give a bunch of excuses about his awesome family and how he wanted to change his wife, I then proceded to talk to him about his moral agency and how salvation is personal, he then just looked at me and was like ¨stop, Im not going to be baptized, I hope god forgives me¨ so you can see he had his answer and denied the holy ghost, I was really really disapointed in him, I had put over 2 monthes of work into him and he just decided to use his moral agency for bad, but I guess thats why we have moral agency.
               then we had 2 other investigatores manuel and cecilia, they are a couple, and are good friends with our bishop they needed to get married so bishop interviewed them on sunday, well the brunt of the matter is that they dont want to get married because they are afraid they will meet their soulmate 2 months later. OH YEAH did I forget to mention they have 2 kids together, I mean seriously 2 kids and they are afraid someone better will come along, at which point they will just go off with the other person and live with them,
                  yeah so not to be depressing but thats basically the kind of crap that i have to deal with here. and also as senior comp, with a comp that is still trying to learn the language I have to be infront of it all taking all of the trouble and talking with the people here. but I have another investigator Geronimo, he is absolutly amazing and is super excited to be baptized this saturday, so Ill let you know how it goes these next weeks.

             MOM I agree with you, I think dad should build a fence and paint it white, that would be so cool, its not even hard to do, just put hinges every 5 pickets and it can turn in between the fence and the grasses, DAD just stop being lazy, its not hard and you know it,
          about the box, you know what I want, pics, priesthood line if you have it. beefjerkey, other stuff that you think wouuld be good to send and if at all possible a rugby ball. I know that they used to have them @ atown sports, you could go see how much they are and if its too expensive, just dont worry about it. And Letters from everybody and I mean everybody, and send it on friday ;)

I want to see that new controller it sounds so cool, all motorized and such, but ill probably be afriaid of it figuring I am in a area of the world that still burns witches ( im not joking, they do it in the mountains), and i saw a ghost the other day, so i am totally turing into the technological retards that they are here

I hope you get that bike dad, just bid smart, and did I tell you taht i am totally getting my own bike when I get home, that way Ill have my baby when it rains or looks like its going to rain, and my bike for when its good days. so I let you know how that one goes.

Dad I also think you are giving me way too much credit, you know that those 2 girlfriends taht I had were basically pure luck, just ask any of my friends they will tell you the truth, that I seriously was one of the shyest boys youll ever meet.

 well I love you all very much and I hope you have a good week going on, stay safe and read your scriptures daily,
Love
Elder Match
Mission Ecuador Guayaquil Sur
and next week I tell you what telephone number and when to call,
love
JON

Monday, April 19, 2010

Well First off,
             WOW Im so proud of you steven, who ever gets to say that they go to anything nationals, and now you get to, in your junior year might I add, you get to go. so study hard, because this isnt an opportunity you get everyday. really you know Im so dissapointed that I didnt do the whole clinicals thing while I was in high school. instead I just wasted time, didnt study and and took 2 off periods my senior year. seriously steve, dont waste time, but seriously Im so freaking pridefull right now. I have a brother thats going to a national competition in a medical program, its so cool.
             And dad way to go seeing a good money making oppurtunity when it comes in the way. that should be cool your getting a 300+ dollar payout for something you just bought on a whim, but that is also the magic of ebay. and mabye they werent stolen, but they were parents selling something that their son bought and really had no idea how much he paid for it. so seriously way to go for taking advantage of something good.
             Look at all the blessings you are getting from me being here eating rice. and making you spend 400 dollars a month. No but seriously I am so greatfull for the sacrifice you  guys make just so I can be here doing to lords work.
Its so true, this church isnt just a religon you can have, it has to be something you live, thats the biggest problem that the people have here, they just want to have their church and not do anything else about it. but Im here to change that. It is actually quite funny when I see the change people have in the attitudes. ¨its like wow faith without works is dead, I never knew. crazy I actually have to work for my salvation¨ wow. no but the people here are really good people, they just have a few quirks about them that just want me pull out my already falling hair. like the teenagers that have like 16 years, they all just care about drinking and football. but then you just get the one that doesnt have his head in his butt, and he is just so ready to accept the truth. but even with all of their problems i still love them.
         Im so glad the work here is finally progressing. the other elders that were here before me had hurt the work here a little, with disobedience and other things the trust of the members when I got here was basically nonexistent, but now finally after 2 monthes here they are finally opened up to me and are going out w/ me and elder fletcher.
           we have a new investigator that I absolutly love. because finally in my whole mission I have a challenge, i get to use the years of useless studying doctrine. His name is Cristofer Leon. he is a retired air for officer, he was in the ecuatorian air force for 25 years, and now he retired and bought a cacao plantation, he is absolutly awesome because he is smart, and gives us all the fruit we can carry. hes going to be a hard one becaues, he cant come to church. on the plantation they have to constantly watch it because people jump the fences and steal the cacao, so he always walks around with a gun, and its cool. he has dogs that he lets out at night but cant during the day because they would bite them. heres a kicker, he actually knew what raytheon is. who knew. but that was cool were going to have to see what happens with this guy. it should be fun our teaching.
          in the next couple weeks we are also going to have  a couple of baptisms so pics will be coming. So you know what else is coming, Mothers day, yes thats right I said mothers day. i know i wont be able to get you a gift mom, and Im sorry for that, but its ok, and We are going to get to talk on the good ole telephone. actually Im not a big fan of talking to you guys vocally, its makes you too trunky, dont get me wrong I want to, and we will I just know the side effects of said calls.
            So I dont think Ive ever told you guys,but did you know here, we dringk quite a bit of tea. yes i said tea, its all herbal and its a huge part of the culture, to the point of right now in my house I have tea my favorite is an herb called manzanitta and miel. its great. cinnamon is also good. so dont be suprised if I come home and am still addicted to teas.

well nothing else for today. I love you all very much and hope you all have a good day, stay safe, keep the faith
Elder Jonathan Match
Mission Ecuador Guayaquil Sur.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Wow sorry to hear you guys are so sick, I know how that is is not too fun.
So I had no idea that they were going to send you guys a bill saying that I had pneumonia, I didn't even know that I got pneumonia, I thought the doctor only told me it was bronchitis, well I guess my Spanish isn't that good after all :) jk.

not alot is going on here right now, me and elder fletcher are in find mode, we dont have a very strong base of investigatores, there are only a couple and only one of them is of a really good quality.

dad about the car putting stuff togther, there are really only 2 things I want you to put back on before I get back home, 1 the fuel line, I´ll let you do that on your back messy job, and 2 get the doors put back together, I dont care about all of the other little parts, I already know and want to work on them, but the doors I just really dont want to deal with, so not to be all weird figuring that im on another continent, but if you could do those 2 things it would be good. also I just remembered after writing these last 2 paragraphs, one of the front bumper ends has a tear where it connects to the car, so mabye you could also try to find a way to get it epoxied (sp) or something. and two things you need to start thinking of saving up for, the new seats or new leather, and 2. the carpet kit for the car, we have a year before I get home and those 2 things will cost money, so mabye you could start looking to find a deal for those I want white leather for the seats (not sure if im joking) and basic black carpet, also ask brother Bass, and tell him I say hi.
you also said it will wait for someone who loves it, that makes me think you dont love my baby, your 4th grandchild, father I literally take offense and dont know if ill ever talk to you again Jk

it really is so freaking weird the time, I already have 2 monthes being here in milagro. it seems just like yesterday i was in the cyber for the first time writing you guys telling that I was here in another city. I can honestly say Im away from all appearence of homesickness, or feeling like I want to be home, there is nowhere else i would want to be right now but in ecuador. I wont lie there are those days when I think of home but its not like a trunky kind of thinking its more of like thinking of old rugby games and jokes and things that we did so yeah it is a little crazy. so dont be worried about making me trunky, it dosent work the same anymore.

so Im sorry you guys had to sit through ANOTHER of one of moms girl movie marathons, I still dont understand how she is able to watch that garbage, I´m  here in ecuador and I´ve learned to understand why these people can live in cane houses with plasma tvs, but I still dont understand how mom could be entertained by that, no just kidding mom I know thats what you like, I mean look at me I just wrote a giant paragraph on what I want dad to do a machine sitting in my garage 2 continents away, so really the adage its true ¨to each his own¨ right.

Mom why were you cooking for bro wetten what happened, did his wife get sick or something, Im just a little confused at the situation I just dont knowwhy. but actually this general conference was really good. I had 2 favorite talks, the first was by that member or the presiding  bishopric, and the other was by elder holland ( as always) right now I dont remember what they said I just remember that they wre good, Im still waiting though to get the liahona in english so that I can see and read what they actually said, as of right now I just got out of it what I understood in spanish.

Like I said the work here is going a little slow, we have right now 2 investigatores with a baptismal date right now the only problem is that one of them didnt  come to church and so he was going to get baptised this saturday and now I dont know. Im even thinking that were going to have to drop him for a while.so you can see the little bit of stress that im having to deal with, especially now that I am making the majority of the decisions, I have my friend arturo, and I have to decide, If im going to keep trying to bring him his personal salvation, or if i just drop him and hope that it all works out in the end, this is the worst part of missionary work that we almost never talk about, all these stupid, idiotic gut wrenching decisions.
I also have another investigator named geronimo, yes said like the people yell when they jump. but he is really good, he was an ex investigator and we had to drop him for a while because the wife is absolutly crazy, like seriously she is an anti christ, she has a pesonal vendetta against us just because we are mormons, she has never listened to us and I dont know if she ever will, about a month and a half ago, she came out and was yelling at  us saying that we were only trying to take her husband to the church so that he could meet other women. so yeah shes a little crazy. but hes great and I dont care, were going to baptize him.

today was cool, as a district we all went out to the finca, it was basically a fam that one of the branch presidents own. and it was super cool because there was everthing, miles of rice fields and all the different fruit trees, I took a bunch of pics, but the freaking cumputer Im sitting at dosent have  a usb slot so pics to come, but we climbed up these hills and when we got to the top, we found out that they are actually burial mounds of old ecuadorian indian (lamanite) leaders, the govermanet had already takin out like 3 people and there were still more, burried with all their treasure and booby traps in the hill, so it was really cool. then we went to this cane house that was up on stilts, and  looked at all the cool artifacts that they had found, beads, and plates, and teeth, way cool stuff.

its so weird but just fyi elder fletcher is like my coolest best comp ever, I want to know if the others that trained felt this way
 about the box the pics you send, just to remind you Id like like 2 or 3 of me playing rugby, just so I can brag.

well thats all Ive got for right now, I hope your all doing good and are safe, and staying out of trouble,
I love you all and hope you have a good week,

Love
Elder Match

Monday, April 5, 2010

Hi Family hows it going. I just got your letters and im not going to lie, mom and stevens were ok, but I couldnt really understand dads. It didnt really make sense. Im just hoping that thats from the meds hes on from being sick.

So this week has gone pretty good, Im just getting settled in with elder fletcher and things are going really well, he has a strong desire to work and dosent like being lazy. but also hes just so tuckered out at the end of the day that we come home plan and then he passes out. I remember the beginning of a mission is hard. you dont know whats going on, the food is different and you dont really understand anything they are saying. but hes dilligently studying the language and in a month or two he will be fine with the spanish.
but really its so weird to have a gringo comp. hes new and just always suprised at everything, I know I was the same but its still weird to be seeing it happen.

Speaking about weird food, one of my favorite things to eat here is called guatita (gwa-tee-taa) and its made with potatoes and a penut sauce and the best part is the tripe ( for those of you who dont know, Cow stomach) I dont know why you would think the combination of those things would be really gross, but i love it, it has a good taste and the only thing wrong with the tripe is that its a little rubbery and the texture is the same as like tounge ( also really good) so thats just one of the weird things that im eating all the time here and just have never bothered to tell you guys about it.

so it was so weird I was sitting in the priesthood session of conference and I realized wow dad and steven are sitting there listening to the exact same thing Im hearing just like 3000 miles away. really I am so gratefull that you guys actually took the time to raise me well and teach me the gospel. if you never did I would not be sitting herer right now in ecuador typing this. I would probably be a t college doing bad stuff and just trying to get on with my life, I am so gratefull for all of the blessings that have been coming with the mission. mostly my personality has been changing, Yeah I still joke around with my friends, and now that elder halls lives next door we are constantly joking around. but the change of person that I have had and the change that is still going on in me is amazing. sure I still have my little bumps and imperfections, but everyday those are going away as I am here walking and preaching the gospel. and just think If you guys never taught me the gospel all that and this would never have happened, so really thank you.

during the conference sessions. me and fletcher decided to just stay and chill watch the news and whatever else came on. after the report it was a church school propaganda video. talking about the byu schools and what was there. wow it was so freaking trunky to watch that, I had to force myself to just sit there and remember, jon you still got a year left of this. but that was just one of the funny things that happened.

so the thing about here is the people dont really care about conference all that much. on saturday at the 2 sessions only like 50 people were there. and thats from all of the city, not just our ward.then priesthood there were a little more, then it his easter morning, more than 700 people came to the first session of conference, and yoiu know how many came to the second... like 75
in total, it was like the people were like ok I went to church in the morning, its done now I dont have to go again, think only 10% Of the people that came to the sun morn session came to the afternoon session. so it was a little wake up call, I was a little weirded out.

well thats all thats going on in my life, Im still going to be sitting here at the comp for a little bit, so if youve got a question or comment speak it now. or forever hold your peace ( forever=next monday)

I love you all very much and hope you have a good safe week
Elder Match