WHITE CHRISTMAS IN MIAMI BEACH

Running away with the food

Hello Beautiful Mommy!!!

We do get a pday today, and i dont have much to write nor do i have senic pics yet but I love you guys alot!!! it was so nice to see you guys! I got a letter from Caileigh the other day with a christmas card it was nice to see that another person cares enough to write a handwritten letter lol. I have actually been writing her alot, i am still waiting on a letter from  EVERYONE ELSE!!!!! QUE PASO CHICOS:? oh well.

 well not much to write about, but that last night when i was working out i put on the yoda shirt the one that says, strong i am with the force, and did pull ups lol i took a picture of it too, so you will get it soon. but i am going to let my companion go at it with his family, but i love you guys soooo much, and until next week. Chow Pescado!

Yours Always!

WHITE CHRISTMAS IN MIAMI BEACH
Christmas Day baptism

Elder Maki


Elder Maki and Elder Bishop were privileged to have a baptism on Christmas Day!  

CHRISTMAS DAY

So today we had the awesome experience of a FaceTime conversation with Elder Maki.  I love technology!  Not only could we hear him but we were able to see him at the same time.  He has definitely gained some weight.  You can really see it in his face.  He and his companion Elder Bishop were at a recent convert's house for dinner and to talk to parents.  We were able to meet him and his fiancé while we were talking to Elder Maki.  We were able to spend quite some time with him.  It's nice to see that he is doing well.  We all gathered in front of the computer and chatted.  Tanner, a friend of Elder Maki's, who recently returned from Chile came over to talk to Elder Maki in Spanish.  It was fun to see him converse in another language.  He seems to get along well in Spanish.  He says he's not fluent yet, but that he can say whatever he needs to, just not fast like a native.  He really loves it in Miami Beach and doesn't want to leave.  I mentioned that he has been there for six months already and that there is a good likelihood that he will be transferred during the next set of transfers.  He said, "Dad, that's in the Lord's hands.  If he needs me somewhere else, then I'll go, but if not, I will gladly stay".  He has such a positive outlook on what the Lord requires of him.  He has grown leaps and bounds spiritually and relies on the Lord to guide his every step.  His service has been, is, and will continue to be such a blessing in our lives.

He said that Christmas this year felt 'weird'.  It is such a change from the Christmas we experience here.  He is concerned more for his investigators than he is of presents.  He also mentioned that it is weird to have Christmas when its 28 degrees outside and no snow.  We told him that we had no snow for Christmas and he felt a little better.

I will add some pictures of his Christmas experience as he sends them to us.

To be cont'd

FELIZ NAVIDAD

Hello mommy!

Well another week gone by as if it were a day. I have been so busy this past week trying to get investigators ready for Christmas, a White Christmas. but i guess they didn't want to because absolutely none of them came to church! ARARRGRH its so frustrating when they don't keep commitments, but at least we have one baptism next Sunday. So I believe I will be calling facetime at about 6 or 7 my time so 4 or 5 your time.  and i only have 30-35 minutes to call, so make sure that whoever wants to talk is there or they will miss me till next Christmas. i was so happy that i got those pics in the email. it has been forever since i have seen a happy picture of mom haha, where she smiling the beautiful smile and is just all round happy.  it is a little weird not being there for Christmas, oh and do not worry about the pkgs, if i don't get them time, i will still get them and all will be well. this next week is going to be hectic just will all the Christmas commotion.  I nearly got beat up the other day, but the Lord saved me from that, I LOVE SPANISH! you can say so many things in spanish that you cant say in English. it is so much fun.  Eduardo speaks very good English but is scared to talk to people on the phone, Giovanna however, speaks perfect English so i will give you her number, but Eduardo will probably talk on facetime too lol.  he is super awesome.  They will be home all day Christmas, so we will be there for a while on Christmas day, to eat and to talk with you.  Teiler whatsup broseph? it was nice to see the pic of you and i on the truck, it was also nice to see that you had a nice smile and not a faked smile lol.. just stay happy, i know you miss me and it is weird not having me there, but i only have just over a year left lol... dang that was quick.  but it is so weird not having snow here right now,  i am used to being surrounded by a lot of snow, but oh well,  i will still have a white Christmas, so how close is James to being done his papers, ?  That would be so awesome if one of my friends or family members came to this mission and I trained them, that would be AWESOME! Elder Bishop and I are getting along Great and we are tearing Miami Beach UP!!! again,  So with the call home, like i said, i will only have 35 minutes to call, which i am sad about but oh well, The whole snowboarding thing made me a little trunky lol, i miss the snow.  i miss the cold, it is still around 65-70 here which is nice but it is going to get colder, down to about 45 ish, anyway, the wind has been crazy lately, strong, and cold, and it sucks riding the bikes in it, we now have over 400 miles in a month on our bikes. lol we ride alot,,but oh well, 

An old one of me and Elder Stubbs.

 I cant wait to speak to Ryan after the missions in Spanish. it will be so much fun, and T.J too, whats up with that man?lol well i don't have pics this week, but oh well you will see my chubbifized face on Sunday lol... i am getting stronger Teiler,

Add caption

 hurry up bro! are you taller than me yet? you should be.  btw dad, i have a gift i will show you on Sunday, i am just waiting to send it because the post office is now out of boxes lol... go figure. Christmas in Miami Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! btw Teiler i have seen a couple celebrities here lately,  I have seen, Flo Rida (whatever his name is) Karl Wolf, 
Pittbul, Unfortunately Brittany Spears, i have seen. M Shadows, and Slash, i have seen 50 Cent, and a bunch of others. oh and Jim Carrey!! cool eh? ( YES STILL CANADIAN) anyway i need to go, necesito hacer mis compras.  I love you all, and i will talk to you in 6 days. and 4 or 5 your time, call Gigi first, to ask if we are there, and right after i will facetime you..

Yours ALways: All the faterness too

ElDeR mAki

OUR CHRISTMAS TREE

Hola mami!

OK so this week was a miracle in itself, the harvest was very well.. usually per month we get 5-6 blessings, this week we got 18!  What a great Christmas gift eh?  Btw i call / facetime home on Christmas Day at about 6 or 7 idk i will have to talk to Eduardo about it and see when they will be home. but it will be on Christmas day, just have everybody come to your house for Christmas ;) haha, jk jk, . oki doki this Christmas is going to be great! you guys freezing up there, and me tanning down here haha, suckers! lol jk. whats with all the letters i have been waiting for? i haven't gotten one yet, I want some letters! i am starting to think, that the rest of the Atwood clan just wanted to kick my butt into the mission field and then that is that, and then they wont talk to me until i get home.  I have been waiting for 8 months!  too long.  so there has been a lot of humidity this past week.  i don't like it!  it sucks haha. btw my companion elder bishop is the new district leader, so as a companionship we are very busy helping the other elders out.  to boost the numbers that are struggling.. 

Elder Eyring's "The Fellowship of the Unashamed"

so teiler whats up? Hows school doing?  dude go do the mission prep! it is soooooo awesome!!! like James said, you're never too young to prepare to serve a mission.   i need to end my letter. I love you all a lot, until next time. 

 

Yours Always, hahaha buffing up!

 

Elder Maki 

Improv Christmas Tree

SNOW?

Dear Mommy!

Oki Doki where to begin. well, I am sorry to hear about April but she is in a better place as we all know.  Yesterday was the First Presidency Christmas Devotional, and we were about to go if we had an investigator, so we talked to Eduardo and Gigi (Giovanna,) and they wanted to go to hear the prophets voice, they loved it. they speak English too so maybe on Christmas when we are at their house we will do some chatting and have them say something... yesterday Eduardo bore his testimony in sacrament meeting, I started crying as he told his conversion story.  it is such a special story.... i remember the "5 minutes" btw i will tell you that story.... ok so Elder sStubbs and i walked up to his door during the harvest.  and we knocked on his door, he opened it and i did the usual, "Hola somos representantes de Jesucristo, y el nos ha enviado aqui para dejar su paz y bendicion en su casa, podemos entrar consigo y dejar esta bendicion? (hello we are representatives of Jesus Christ and he has sent us here to leave his peace and blessing in your house, can we come in and leave this blessing with you?) and he replied, "cuanto tiempo" (how long) and i said, "cinco minutos" (five minutes) he allowed us to come in and leave the blessing which took exactily five minutes.  he told this story yesterday. he was crying and everyone else was crying aswell.. it was so special... that was the highlght of my week.  and seeing tiibo for the fist time in almost a year! dang it has almost been a year!!!! and I AM ALMOST 20 STINKING YEARS OLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i wont be a teenager anymore.. dang, christmas is almost here, and every day goes faster and faster.  ok so today in studdies, we were going through the names of people from different contries for example canadians are canadiense in spanish. and for guatamalans, it is guatamal, and we were talking how mal means bad, and peor means worse, so we were saying, "never call a guatamal a guatapeor, hahah," it was funny, you may not get it but spanish humouis strange anyway. So Teiler watzup broseph? this week was awesome for me, it sucks that  the ridge is burned to a "extracrispi satisfaction" rather than just crispy, anyway, how is everything? got a date yet? you should go on facebook, look for Kashmil Lopez, she wants to meet you, she is 15 and she is one of the people i baptized. tell her i said hi and tell her you are my brother and she will have a lot to say... haha, anyway, yesterday we had lunch with Cecilia, and she is officially crazy. i have decided,... but she is awesomly crazy.. saturday we had a sports activity, and we were playing basquetbol and i tried to get the ball before it went out of bounds, and elder bishop did too, we crashed and he landed on my hand and it hurts really bad now, it is swullen and bruised but the work continues haha, but mom, how dare you not send a picture of you to your son who hasnt seen your face in almost a year! (Pun intended) I ask for pictures of the FAMILY, there is a funny thing about the word FAMILY, it is spelled F.A.M.I.L.Y, which means, Full, Active, Members, In,,,something something something, sorry couldnt think of anything to come after members haha, but it means FAMILY (picture it said in a low deep slow motion kinda voice) , that means you too haha.ok i am gonna go but i will attach some pics of me holding SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

and of the sierra family before they moved to Utah, we were helping them move...

Yours Always, only if you send me pics of the FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!! haha

Elder Maki