Week 2, Guatemala CCM (Missionary Training Center)

July 24, 2019

YAY!!! We were all able to conference call with Elder Walbom on a video chat using Google Hangouts this week!!! We were very happy to be able to see and speak with one another this week (last week was such a disappointment). Elder Walbom did not, however, have time to write a group email (their time on P-day to correspond is very limited because there are so many missionaries in the CCM that need to use the few computers to write emails or video chat). I will share some of the things he talked about during our conversation.

Apparently there were some very big changes to the missions in Guatemala this week!! A new 6th mission was created and his mission lost over 100 missionaries to the new mission and no longer goes down to the Pacific coast. In fact, it pretty much just covers Guatemala City and is now called just GUATEMALA CITY MISSION (not South). One very positive note to this change is that the city is more modern than the remote towns, so there is a good chance that he will always have electricity and running water, contrary to what we had been told to expect by others who had served in his mission. Also, he may not have to hike as far every day, even though we got him super nice shoes to last the whole 2 years walking 10 miles per day. That being said, it is still a lot of walking because there really isn't a reliable bus system and the missionaries don't have cars.

Elder Walbom (far right) and the other missionaries that are in the Guatemala City mission were able to meet their mission president (Pres. Lee M. Shumway) this past week. It is the same president that was previously over the Guatemala City South mission.

Elder Walbom is doing much better this week. He seems very happy! He introduced us to his companion, Elder Hunt, with whom he gets along well. (He couldn't send any pictures he took on his camera due to a computer virus scare at the CCM, so we did a screenshot below complete with "volume" overlay :) which we didn't notice until now, and the pic above was sent to him in an email by his mission president, so he just forwarded it to us.)

He said that he really likes everyone in his district of 10 elders. He also confessed that the food at the CCM in Guatemala, minus some fried plantains which are still foreign to him, is actually very good (and that he always adds an unknown thick, green and delicious sauce on his eggs now). He said that his classroom is also pretty nice-- it is on the "good smelling" side of the building and has doors that open up to the outside, so sometimes they have class outside. As for being outside, he said the weather is amazing (better than Alabama even). He said there have been some afternoon downpours, but the rainy season is pretty much over and won't kick in again until around November. Hopefully the weather will remain pretty nice year round-- I know they don't really have a cold winter season.

He spoke to us in Spanish a bit, and it seems to be coming along well, though he asked us to pray everyday that he would have the gift of tongues to enable him to quickly learn the language.

Elder Walbom also pointed out his colorful "Guatemala" tie. Even though we bought 20 ties which he took, he said he wanted to buy one in Guatemala to wear. :)