So Excited For Conference

Jake's birthday is October 17.  His address is below if you can send him a card - that would be awesome!  He is so happy!

Elder Jacob Stiles
PO Box 79
San Ignacio, Cayo
Belize, Central America

Hey Everyone,

First of all before I get started I would like all of you to watch General Conference and write a question down that you would like answered by the Prophets and I promise that it will be answered! But I hope you guys are excited because I sure am!

Well this week I had to start really working on my work permit so we had to make a trip to Belmopan and also Belize City! On our way to Belize City there was a lady was sitting next to me and randomly she elbowed me in the chest for no reason! She didnt even say anything after! Crazy! Lets just say I didn't talk to her the rest of the ride home!

This week has been really slow... no one wants to talk to us nor go to church. But it's alright because we are looking forward! But I'll just share what happened to my companion yesterday! We were riding along and dogs started chasing us... First they went for him, then me and then back to him. As he was trying to kick the dogs away he jerked his wheel and went straight into the ditch. His front wheel got stuck in the first slabs and he went over the handle bars into the ditch. He couldn't move his hip for a while. We ended up pulling him out and sat him down in the chair. We took him to the doctor and they fixed him up! He got 2 stitches in his hand and his hip is really bruised. We ended up not working the rest of the day. So we wont be doing much lately...

I also sent a picture of a 94 year old man in our ward helping the blind man in our ward get to his car. True friendship there!

Well today the Hintzes are doing a family night and coming over! So we have lots to do today!

Love, Elda Stiles

PS - To say God in Creole they say "Fadda Gaad"

QUESTIONS:
Are there many places there to use you debit card and buy things if you needed to?   Well I don't think that we use the debit card much.  We just pull out money each time. It doesn't cost anything.


Did you ever buy another backpack to replace your bag?  I bought a tiny little bag that I carry all my mini scriptures in.  It's pretty cool.


What places do you shop there in San Elena and San Ignacio?  We basically just shop at all the Chinese stores, because that's all there is.


What is the distance between the two towns?  It's probably like 10 miles between towns 

(click on photos to enlarge)

94 year old man helping his blind friend to the car.

 This is the spot where Elder Leslie wrecked while being chased by dogs.

This is the ditch he fell in. YUCK

ALL SMILES!

Dash Dat Beer Brotha

Jake's birthday is October 17.  I know he would love, love it if you were able to send him a birthday card!  He says that in the mission field it is so awesome to get actual snail-mail!  It can take 2-4 weeks for it to arrive in Belize.  You can pick up an international stamp at the post office for $1.20. 

Thanks! Angie

Elder Jacob Stiles
PO Box  79
San Ignacio, Cayo
Belize, Central America

Jacob.Stiles@myldsmail.net

Hey Everyone,

Well so I'll start off at P-Day! We went to the branch president's farm in a place called Bullet Tree. They have a lot of land and we ate chicken with beans and tortillas. They were cooked really good and with some Belize BBQ sauce! I didn't have any other shirt or shorts, and neither did my companion so we just wore the shorts of another kid. We chased around a cow and some of the girls stuck their feet in the river.

This week was super slow.. Like the slowest week in the mission because no one was home and we just went from house to house and nobody... One thing that I really like was I was reading in the talk that President Firmage gave, that I sent a picture of, and it's about the importance of the Book of Mormon in your life. One thing I like is that if you study the B of M for 30 min every day like it says you simply won't have the temptation of evil in your life.  And I can testify that that is true. This book is so important and sometimes I feel like people underestimate it. It was literally a book put together FOR our day so we can endure this life and it's so amazing! Everyone should study it as much as they can and I promise you will see your happiness increase! 

But also Yesterday was Independence day here in Belize! Super cool experience but nothing really got done.. We tried working but everyone was drunk so it was an interesting and slow day.  We went to a member's house to talk to him as the parade went on and it was super bad... Well it was good in the sense that it was well put together but the fact that everyone was drinking and smoking was bad.  Also, every girl from the ages 12 to like 30 that danced and was in the parade twerking so we didn't see most of it.. The day mostly consisted of us passing out Word of Wisdom pamphlets and telling people to stop drinking and doing stupid things. The interesting part was you go up to someone and look them in the eyes and say "Dash Dat Beer Brotha" and a lot of them do it.  All in all I'm glad it's over because hopefully people will actually be home. Super happy this week! Also my comps bike broke yesterday so we were foot missionaries for the day!

I sent a pic of Creole pamphlet from the Jehovah Witnesses so you guys can get a picture of how it looks like. I sent a pic of my missionary box that includes my scriptures, pamphlets and a pass along B of M.  Also another picture because here in Belize this is how we picture the Missionaries in the states (haha)  because no one here has a couch.  We mostly just sit on buckets...

Love Elda Stiles

...and that's what they call us here is "Elda"

QUESTIONS:

So what did you guys get to do for the holiday?  Holidays were kinda sucky cause no one was home.  So finally we can work all day! Super excited.

Did you ever run into Rambo Man again? We never saw rambo man again.  Guess it was a one time thing.

Was Elder Leslie carrying a live chicken, or a dead chicken, or one that had already been butchered?  The chicken he was carrying was a frozen one.

(click on photos to enlarge)

 P-Day at Bullet Tree

This is how we picture Missionaries in the States because no one here has a couch... We mostly just sit on buckets.

 Creole pamphlet from the Jehovah's Witnesses

Letter from President Firmage and the Star Stake Presidency

Missionary box that includes my scriptures, pamphlets and a pass along B of M

Party Week

Hey Everyone,

Jake's birthday is coming up on October 17.  I'm gong to send him a package this coming Friday.  I would love to send him a bunch of birthday cards from everyone in the package - I know he would love it!  If you have a card that I can include, or photos (He says pictures are the Best!), or if you want to send him a little gift then could you bring it to me by this Thursday.  I can even come pick it up if you want.

Thanks! Angie

PS:  I'm really noticing from Jake's letters that he's having a hard time separating the languages.  I uses words in his letters that don't really make sense to me and he says it's because he is always listening and speaking Spanish, bad English, and Creole that is all spoken together in the same sentences.  It's pretty funny!

Jacob.Stiles@MyLDSmail.net

QUESTIONS:

Where do you go  to write your emails each week?  We write our emails in a library which is nice cause it has A/C and fast computers.

Can you take more pictures there is Belize?  Umm, here in Belize we can take our camera with us everywhere but its harder to take pics cause we are always on our bikes... so it's harder at times.

What is your companions name? My companions name is Elder Leslie

PARTY WEEK:

Well this week was basically the party week... Not for us but for the whole country of Belize (Belize Independence Celebrations). Which for half of the week we had to be inside the house at 6 pm. So that really put a damper on our days when we heard about that. But this week was really good... we talked to so many people and found a ton of people that were crazy positive so I hope that we can get them progressing soon. The only problem is that people don't want to come to church here it seems like. Not much happened this week because it seemed like most the time we spent just studying the scriptures and other books we have in the house because of our curfew but it went good! The only thing that wasn't the best was that everyone is busy so its hard to find people in our plan. One of our jobs is to visit the recent converts or the less actives.  The problem is that there aren't much so we have been going around everywhere to try and find them!

One thing that was funny that happened this week was we were teaching a lesson when all of a sudden we heard someone yelling and one of the girls just said, "Oh no, it's Rambo Man again!"  We looked over and there was a shirtless, drunk man standing on the wall with a machete. One of the girls went and yelled at him to go away but he got mad a threw his machete. He was so far away it just landed in the grass and he jumped over the other side of the wall. Kinda weird but it was super funny! Also my comp and I were delivering chicken so we were going down this really big hill and my comp had one hand on the chicken and one on the bike and when he hit the curb he went flying over the bike and basically did a superman slide till he hit the curb! He was fine but he scraped up his arms and ripped two holes in his pants. He completely ruined his shirt but it was really cool and he is fine now!

That's basically what happened this week! oh and the pics are of a bridge, the sisters fixing up the elders battle wounds and me with a Rasta Man.

Love you guys!

Elder Stiles!

(click on photos to enlarge)

Battle of St. George's Caye Day Celebration

Jake's House

Bridge

Elder Leslie after his bike accident

Jake & Rasta Man

Cayo Beach...Not Really A Beach

Questions:

Does Charlie follow you when you go places?  No Charlie just chills at our house most the time. He usually greets us when we come home at night and wake up. 

Is the house you are living in the same house that other missionaries have lived in?  Yes, our house it the same as the others. 

What did you think about the rocks from the Meridian Temple site that was in your package?  The Rocks were super cool. I think that it was a really good idea. A lot because there is no temple here it would be a good reminder to the people! 

Tell me about your companion, and about some of the members, and some of your investigators.  My comp is super cool he is from Springville Utah. He used to play football and I'm pretty sure he was like All State or something like that but he is really humble and he really loves the people here. The members are super awesome here some of the Best I've seen! President Moody is the best! He has such a strong testimony and does everything for everyone! Our investigators are super cool too! They have super cool testimonies and we are trying to find all the people are ready. They live very humbly and are really funny. 

Have you been eating weird things?  Not really weird things. It's pretty normal.  We eat lots of oatmeal. 

Do you remember Elder Chapman, Elder Wright, and Elder Edralin?  Yes, I remember them all!

The Story:

Hey,
Well this week was super cool! Hardest I've ever worked in all my mission! We ride around everywhere and talk with literally everyone on the streets. We have focused on doing short quick lessons to find the people that are ready and if they accept it we know we can go back. Lots of people have been fighting with us and lots of people have just a hard heart. So hard that even if Jesus told them himself they just don't have the faith which I feel like is crazy. A couple days ago was that we had a discussion between a 7th day missionary and a Mennonite. In the end they both rejected to pray to their Father in Heaven and ask him if our message was true and it was super sad. Just like before it's the saddest I've ever been is when people just straight up reject our message.

The Monday Before we went to Cayo Beach! Which wasn't really a beach.  It was a pond that was really muddy.. It looked super cool if you weren't a missionary! We built Sand Castles!

Not much happened just because we are trying to get to know our area but we will have an awesome week this week!

Love you all!!
Elder Stiles 

(click on photos to enlarge)

Ummm, Huge Spiders!

jacob.stiles@myldsmail.net 
While you're reading this just remember that Jake has always HATED spiders! Angie

QUESTIONS:

Tell me more about Elder Reyes and his family?  Elder Reyes live on the beach and his mom and bro are members of the church. I don't really know much because he doesn't talk much about his life back at home.

Do you have air conditioning in your house? Our house does not have an air conditioner. 

Is it just as hot and humid there in Belize? Yeah, it's hot and humid here.  It's like an oven but it's alright because we are on bikes.

Have you seen any cool animals? Well there are giant lizards that live in our backyard, but other than that no.

Have you found any investigators to teach? We have found lots of new people but the people are so relaxed here that sometimes it's hard for them to keep commitments.

What are the members like?  The members are super cool! A lot of them have moved from the US to here but all of them have really cool stories and they are all very different!

THE STORY:

Well I realized that I have lost 15 lbs in El Salvador but I'm sure I'll be gaining it back anytime now that we are on bikes.  The Coke is addicting here.. The first time I was told that I was like "oh whatever" but it is so much better here!  It's made with actual sugar and it's really good.

I've noticed that now when I talk it's so different.. I have started saying "I have hunger" and "what hour is there" because that's how it's said in Spanish translated. Also here they say "that's why" all the time. Even when it doesn't make any sense they just say it and I've already started saying it. I have also started saying "That's nice" instead of "good". So instead of saying the food was good you say it was nice. They also say "next" instead of "other". and "drop" instead of "fall".  So when I come back I hope I'm not too weird.

The one picture of the kids is from an investigators house and his kids. The next one is with our bikes and our dog "Charlie".  He's not really our dog he just hangs out on our porch all the time. To strengthen our district we played Chubby Bunny where you basically try and fit as many marshmallows in your mouth as possible.  I think I only got 9 but it was really hard. The next pic is of us in zone meeting and then the spider!.... We were in the church with all the members and my companion noticed this tarantula and it was huge!!! Now I have a hard time thinking cause I feel like they are under my bed... The next pic is of Fish Head Soup.. When I first saw it I didn't know what I was going to say, but now that I've been on my mission this kind of stuff doesn't bother me anymore and it was actually really nice! I also got the package and it was really awesome.  I loved the ties and all the snacks!  Nutella is like Gold here because its like $15 here.

But yeah, that was the week. We met lots of new people and have been working really hard! They messed up on changes which are tomorrow so I already know who my comp is... Welcome Elder Leslie to Santa Elena! We're going to kill it here!

That's all for now! Thanks for all the love and support! I love you all!

Elder Stiles!

(click on photos to enlarge)

English Mixed with Spanish & Creole

jacob.stiles@myldsmail.net

QUESTIONS:

What type of plane did you fly over in?  I don't remember the plane.

Did any other missionaries go with you? I was the only one.  I was an emergency transfer.

Are there any leaders there who supervise you?  Just the missionaries, and a senior-couple missionaries. The opera singer from Eagle will be our new senior missionary which is cool.  She's the one that led the music that one time.

Who picked you up at the airport?  The senior missionaries and my comp.

Who is your new companion? My new comp is Elder Reyes from Nicaragua.

Was it hard to say goodbye to Elder Calero?  It wasn't too hard because I was too excited about going to Belize.

Where are you living?  We live in a little yellow house in Santa Elena.

What is your house like?  The house is nice just plain.

Do you know why President Hintze chose you to go to Belize at this time?  I'm not sure why he chose me so young in the mish but it's cool he did.

How did you find out that you were going to Belize?  I found out because an assistant called and said that I had to be in San Salv the next day at 8.

What language will you be speaking mostly? We mostly speak English but we also speak Creole and Spanish.

Are you worried that you won't get to practice your Spanish?  Yeah it kinda sucks that I don't talk as much but I'll go back to Salv one day.

THE STORY:

Well I'm in Belize! It's super awesome! I got the call Wednesday saying that I needed to be in San Salvador the next day with all my bags so I packed all night and I didn't sleep at all.. I'm not sure if I was too excited or what but we went to San Salv to get all my paperwork done then I went out with a missionary all day. I had to leave a bunch of things behind because my suitcase was too heavy but I'll get it all back when I return to El Salvador!

The plane ride was really short.  We went up and then just went straight back down. The Senior missionaries picked me up and we did all my paperwork so I could be legal and then I went to the house to drop off all my stuff. We went and ate fried chicken and then left to get to know the members. Then we ate with the zone and they are super cool and funny! Here we ride bikes and we also get to use our sunglasses because its sooo hot and bright outside. We had a sports night with all the members and a bunch of people came! A lot of the people here speak Creole and we can't understand them. The Branch is super small and they need a lot of help from the missionaries so basically we are the branch presidency. But everything is new here and we use Spanish and English a lot - a lot of times in the same sentence... like  "bwoi vamos a church"

I've only had a couple days here so not much new. I'll have more next week! love you all!

Elder Stiles

(CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE)

 Goodbye El Salvador

 Street in Belize

 Branch President in Belize