Guatemala!!!

Hola everyone! 

Hopefully you all got my last quick email, but im here and everything is going great! So when we all first got here wednesday morning, they gave us some time to unpack and to take a nap, but i was so hyped up about being here and unpacking that i didnt sleep at all, so i just stayed up all day Haha. So they put us in new districts and gave us new companions. My new companion is Elder Martinez and he is from Vernal Utah, and he is really good at espanol which is awesome because he has been helping me out. We still dont have a district leader but we are getting one right after this email. 

So about Guatemala... i dunno theres a lot i could say, but it actually has not been hot at all the 3 days that ive been here, and it really isnt that humid either, in fact this morning it was kind of  chilly and rainy. Big surprise i know! but its super green here and theres random skyscrapers poking out of the forest and houses on the side of Volcano looking hills. its pretty epic and its surprisingly really urban. The rule of the streets apperently is that the bigger car wins. people dont use turn signals, they just honk at each other, and you pretty much just hear the screech of tires and honking all day. road rage is way worse here than in america for sure. 

Our teachers pretty much talk to us all in spanish, and sometimes i have to ask them to repeat what they said like 4 times before i understand, but its esta bien (it's all good), and im learning so much. we get gym time everyday as well, and the best way i can describe the gym field is a prison yard haha. we are surrounded by concrete walls and gates, and its just a concrete arena if you will. theres basketball court and a volleyball court. but basically we just play futbol (soccer) with the lations on concrete, its pretty crazy, the latinos are way good, but i can actually compete with them which is a lot of fun especially when they are shouting at you in espanol and you have no idea what they are saying but esta bien (it's all good). Us nortes (northerners) cant drink the water out of the taps, so we have to drink out of jugs that are filtered, so i have had to be careful because i dont want to get a parasite as you know, and its especially tricky in the shower trying to not get water in your mouth. and yes they do have modern showers and toilets here which is really nice. the food here is awesome and not quite as exotic as you may think, like the other night we basically had a guatemala version of meat and potatoes which was pretty good. the fruit here is fresh and completely amazing and the cooks here make their own juice, which tastes a ton different than juices in america, but they are 10 times as good! there is me and elder martinez as well as 2 latinos in my room, and its really fun to try to talk to them at night when neither of us really know what each other is saying, but we were trying to teach one of the latinos cool english phrases last night. 

So apparently the mail here takes forever. i have to send written mail through the pouch system which takes about 2 weeks, so you guys wont be receiving anything from me for awhile sorry, and im not sure how long it takes for you guys to send me stuff. as of right now i dont think i need anything, becasue they actually have people come on fridays and set up a little market outside the CCM for us, and they pretty much sell everything im going to need right now like soap etc. and they sell some sweet nike shoes and handmade scripture cases which im totally going to buy becasue its way cheaper and theyre sweet! 

so pretty much everything is going well, im continuing to learn a lot and im healthy as of right now. i see Elder Chambers everyday even though we dont have class and everything together, but he gives me some good pointers on staying healthy and learning espanol so its been really fun talking with him again. Oh and on the flight here, me and this other elder were talking to a guy named fernando, and we talked to him about our beliefs and the book of moromn, and he was totally willing to take one! the bad news was that we didnt have one to give him, so we told him to go to Mormon.org so who knows if that will turn into anything, but it was cool to kind of have my first contact. Oh and theres also armed guards around the CCM, so we are well protected when we go out to the temple and stuff so dont worry. The schedule here is the same mas o menos (more or less) as provo, so its a lot of class and teaching time, next week we get to teach actual guatemalan members which will be awesome. Im doing well and i have to go, but ill try to write as soon as possible, but it will be awhile. Love you all!

Elder Henderson