See me on the right?
My CCM group for the first three weeks, June 20-July 4 2012
I’m the tall one in the back row
My address for the rest of my mission!
Hey everyone–
If you write me letters through the Postal Service (which I highly recommend you do!), it will take long enough now that they won’t reach me while I’m still in the CCM. Send your letters to this address and they will get to me because I will be out in the field by the time they reach Guatemala!
Elder Aaron Jacob SnowGuatemala Quetzaltenango Mission
5A Calle 14-35, Zona 3
09001 Quetzaltenango
Guatemala
You don’t need to be good with words to make a friend
Hey, second to last full week until Xela [Mom’s note: Xela is another name for Quetzaltenango]!
Interesting week…not… it actually was not super interesting, BUT, I hear the bugs are out in Vegas now. I miss that awful noise. We have bugs here too now… and they are gross… if you wanna find out more you’ll have to write me because I don’t know if its cool to talk about these things via the blog where lots of queasy people can see. But anyway… so this week was actually pretty boring. We got to the point where we caught a fly, froze it for five minutes, took it out of the freezer, tied some floss around its neck, and after it thawed it started flying around again…but it had a leash! So we could keep track of it and hold on so it wouldn’t fly away. So we had a pet fly for about 2 hours! Yeah yeah the handbook says that we can’t have pets… but luckily flies don’t last very long anyway. So that was fun.
Breaking the rules, but gaining a little friend…
I have been getting international letters! Mom, I have your second letter, the kitchen looks great, so it certainly is possible to send international letters. And I recommend it after I go into Xela on the 31st.
So I’ve learned an interesting thing since I have been here and since the new Latinos have been swashbucklin around. You don’t necessarily have to say anything to make a good friend. Most of the time I talk to Latinos as much as a can to practice and get to know them, but some of the funnest and funniest times I’ve had with them were when neither of us had said a single word. I have made more Latino friends here than I have Nortes. Kind of an interesting fact… you don’t need to be good with words to make a friend. Just thought I’d share that. Interpret that however you want… but I have certainly learned that here.
We go out and proselyte one last time this Monday, except this time we have NO Latinos to help us. Just our companionship. I am nervous and excited… I love being outside… I love speaking Spanish… And sharing the Gospel is pretty dang cool… the only problem is
understanding what the people are saying. My vocabulary is still very low (what can you expect after 7 weeks, Spanish has 200,000 words) but I can almost say anything I want. (At least get a point across) But the people here have had their whole lives to learn big words and especially how to slur them! It is very very frustrating… but I have learned a lot, that’s for sure. I think being on a foreign speaking mission has been a blessing for me that has been manifest in many ways. I am learning to listen more intently, and am deciphering how I can best help someone else… I have not learned this yet… but am in the process. So please keep us Elders in your prayers. We want to be effective and we want to change lives, but we can’t do it on our own. And especially keep us in mind on the 31st. That has been the major conversation topic all week. Xela looks absolutely wonderful from the
pictures… and hey! next Saturday I can send pictures! (….hopefully) But we are all anxious to get there and get to work.
So good luck with Batman… I hear that didn’t have a good start. But someone please watch it and tell me how it is! Everyone have a great summer (while it lasts… luckily Summer for me has taken FOREVER! So I hope it has been the same for you all) and be safe! I love you all very much, and you are missed. Have a great week!
-Elder Aaron Jacob Snow
Something about being an example and loving and leading
Hey how are you? I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that we got double the new Latinos this week so our email schedule is different… most likely every week, but I have good news as well.
This has been a VERY interesting week.
First, I am my districts new District leader!! Not sure exactly what that means, something about being an example and loving and leading etc… whatever that means, but hey! Shouldn’t be too bad.
“Yes, I WOULD like to read the Book of Mormon!”
Second, one day of class, we learned how to do quick street contacts concerning the first lesson and Book of Mormon. So, our teachers told us… get up… lets go outside and place some pamphlets! We got 2 pamphlets about the Restoration, and a Book of Mormon. My companion is much better at Spanish than I am, and placed the first pamphlet easy, then I saw a guy in a van with a security guard jacket on, eating a cheeseburger, holding a shot gun (these guys are everywhere around here, Guatemala security is top notch since the drug cartels have been aboot) and so I told Elder Smith to follow me to go talk to him. He introduced our message, he said his name was Eddy, I told him about the Book of
Mormon, had him read a few paragraphs from the introduction, testified of its truthfulness, and gave a personal experience, then asked him if he’d read it, and he said he would! He was very interested for a security guard (they are usualy quite surly… no matter where you live in the world that’s for sure.) So I placed my first Book of Mormon!!! It was amazing!! I never really appreciated proselyting before until that point… it was really cool. Anyway… next thing…
Like I said, we got a lot of new Latinos, but not many Nortes. The Latinos are great (as usual) we’ve even swapped foreign money with each other as a memento for remembrance. However, this bunch is particularly disobedient for some reason. Luckily they have a lot of time to learn how to represent the Lord. Don’t get me wrong, they are
all super nice. I love em to death…. but still.. come on guys… you’re on a mission. BTW when the old Latinos left, they certainly DID lock us up in the kitchen until they had left. Just for security reasons. Kind of an interesting experience.
Possibly the coolest part of the week was on Tuesday when we got to go into the
city to this GIANT topographic map of Guatemala and see all the missions, cities, and physical representation of all of the zones. I got to check out what Quetzaltenango is like, and my mission is VERY VERY mountainous. In fact I have talked to lots of Latinos who say that buying boots in the states was smart because I will USE them… a lot. Man I’m so excited… President Nicolayson came with us and told us why he thinks the events described in The Book of Mormon could well have taken place in Guatemala… and he could be right. It was very interesting seeing it explained in person. That wasn’t the best part though. We got to eat lunch at Wendy’s.. AND shop at the markets there!! There were lot of interesting things there… so if anyone has a suggestion for something they want from Guatemala, WRITE me and I’ll get it for you when I get back… but while I was there I bought a Guatemala iFutbol Nacional! jersey Jacket. Ohh it’s nice too… the lady had to get out this long stick so she could get it… maybe because I’m a monster and the only size they had left was at the top… and I’m pretty sure it was the last one. It doesn’t fit me perfectly, but it works and it is beautiful. Anyway… shouldn’t be proud for my material things… Gospel is true!!
Well that’s the update. I got some letters this week to which I was very VERY happy to
receive. Thank you so much to those of you who have taken time off of your summer break to write. The longest day for us in the CCM is Thursday because we are all anxious for our letters we get that night. Dead Elder is great… but you only have 2 more weeks to use it
successfully! After that… normal letters are said to be better. I go to XELA on the 31st. Once again thank you so much… and I love you all. I hope everyone is having a great summer. Keep in touch… have fun… and God bless!!!
-Elder Aaron Jacob Snow
P.S Picture on the way Mom and Dad =)
The Uncle Sam Hat Cake
Hey everyone! This week was crazy go nuts. Why? we got to go proselyte on Monday!! They stuffed 3 districts into a local city bus, (almost smashed my head into the light on the ceiling about 8 times) and it drove us to a random part of the city. We were given 9 pamphlets about the plan of salvation, gospel of Jesus Christ, and the restoration,and 3 Books of Mormon. I was companions with my companion Elder Smith, and our Latino roommate Elder Cortez. Elder Cortez did most of the talking, but I participated as much as I could. I explained what pamphlets said, what the Book of Mormon was, bore my testimony, and said prayers from time to time. I even answered some questions,which was awesome! I still have a lot more Spanish to learn, but I’m getting there! I was able to say things. We gave all of our Books of Mormon away, and contacted 9 people! We got 5 people’s information for discussions with the missionaries. It was interesting to see what people believed, but it was a lot more fun telling them about out Gospel. They either were very interested, or were just being nice. At one point, a gentleman on his way to work was about 20 feet ahead, and I decided that I’d like to talk to him anyway. I started walking faster, and my companions did too… but he was still walking too fast, so I decided to use my legs and started running, I eventually caught up to him, but my companions were still behind me, so I just talked to him for a while and asked him if we could talk to him about our church, and he responded very well. I guess it was worth the work!
It was the 4th of July here, and it was actually very nice! One of the chefs here made a giant Uncle Sam hat cake, and we got to eat it for dinner, and we had paninis and steak and all this other crazy American food. Baked potatoes (the Latinos have never seen those before, and did not eat them ha!) Apple pies, and all sorts of great stuff. It was really
special.
Pros about this weekend. So we get our cameras this weekend! Ima take 1,000,000 pictures or so, so that will be nice, and on Tuesday we get to go out into the city with the president and shop at the markets and take pictures and eat at Wendy’s. Yesterday we
learned how to barter with the marketers in the bazaars. They will see our white skin and blonde hair and think… MONEY!! So we had to learn how not to get ripped off. I will be sure to bring lots of souvenirs home. I’m soopour excited!
Cons about this week, all of our Latinos are leaving on Monday and Tuesday. We have made really good friends with them =(. whats funny is that the other American elders that leave this Monday we don’t really care about. They weren’t very nice, however, the Latinos will be missed. We’ve already started the goodbye notes in their journals.Ha! 3 more weeks then that will be us!
I’m super ready to go into the field, I can’t wait to get this language down, make friends with investigators and companions, and most of all preach the Gospel! I’ve learned so much myself while I’ve been out here, and I can’t wait for someone else to know what I know. BUT!! until then, I gotta survive 15 more 10 hour class days so I know what these people are saying to me.
That’s the update. Letters have started coming in! Thank you so much! However I recommend dearelder until I leave for the field. Therefore, I will receive them before I leave for the field. Ha! Please write!! We only get mail once a week, and the weeks
we don’t get anything are very sad =(. I miss you all, and hope to hear from you. I hope everyone is having a great summer. You’re about half way done! Make it count! Anyway, Guatemala is great… food is great… people are great… Gospel is great… can’t wait… that
rhymed. Awesome.
Take it easy! I love you all.
Comer Caballo
Hey! I’m sorry about Bill Maycock 😦 Sister Maycock will be in my prayers. Hey so I looked on my email today and I saw 14 new emails! Some were unsuccessful dearelders, and idk how to fix them, and so I will try to respond to as many as I can, but FIRST! This was our 1 month anniversary week! We have officially been in the field for 30 days. Just 1 more Olympics, 2 Christmases, 2 birthdays, 4 phone calls, 15 transfers, and 23 fast Sundays to go!
ANYWAY! So here is the update. A bunch of Latino Elders did not have dentists where they came from, so about half of them had to get their wisdom teeth out this week. Lots of sad swollen faces everywhere. HA! Luckily they seem to all be recovering very quickly,
so no worries there. It has been pretty stormy here. We had thunder that shut off power,and even had hail too! The natives say that this is nothing, and that we’re in for a treat later on this summer, and ESPECIALLY in the field.
Sorry, everyone. Couldn’t resist.
For all you horse lovers, I’m sorry, but we were surprised with horse a few dinners ago. We thought it was steak at first, so we ate it, but it still tasted funny. It was good! Don’t get me wrong, but it was just different. A few minutes later, an Elder got out his dictionary and looked up the word for horse, and told us what we just ate. HA! So now I can say that I have had horse!
So apparently there was an Earthquake in El Salvador, and it was felt here in the city. It was at 1am so I didn’t even feel it, nor was I awake. But yea!! Earthquake. Pretty legit!
So a lot of families from Honduras and El Savlador saved up enough money to go on a trip to the temple here in the city for endowments/sealings/marriage, and part of our lessons this week were to talk to them, get to know them, and ask for a referral. That was super fun! Latino members are the best. Super nice. They say Spanish is easy, and for how much we know after 4/5weeks,we will have it down in 2 months! Heck,I certainly hope so! I can’t wait to be completely comfortable with what I am saying. 4 more weeks then I’m in! We
Nortes have the special opportunity to preach the gospel to the Latino Elders as well! Not like teaching the lessons exactly, but teaching them deeper Gospel concepts, (in Spanish) and doing what we can do deepen their knowledge of the Gospel, and add to their testimonies. We are teaching a great guy, Elder Salgado, about families tomorrow, and
I’m excited to teach about the huge blessing families are. DAAA!
Hey have a great summer one and all. Thou are much loved! Keep in touch!
-Elder Nieve (DAAA Snow)
Hey, I am a beautiful woman!
Daaaa I get the shirt! That is so funny!! I 8 sum pi. I love that. My
companion is a math whiz and he enjoyed it as well. But Anyway,
Hey! I’m in Guatemala! I hope that I can remember everything that has happened so far. It has been a super intense week.
First off, it is so green up here. I love it. Every breath of air is so clean and pure. We arrived at the CCM, put our stuff away, and they IMMEDIATELY took our passports and cameras. So no more pictures for 6 weeks =(. I got your email about theft, and it is absolutely true. They figured that you don’t need your camera that much here so they take it to make sure it is safe, and on our third PDay when the Latinos leave for the field, we get them back for the day and take lots of pictures then, ha. We also have locks on our closets just in case. I’m trying very hard to make sure everything is safe. Hopefully that lasts throughout these 6 weeks.
Fun fact for the week, as of this coming Wednesday I am 4.5% done with my mission! (Or just about one month down). I certainly cannot say it is flying by, but I’m sure it will at some point.
Hello! I’m related to Joseph Smith!
So! My companion’s name is Elder Smith (he says he is related to Joseph Smith) and he looks like the guy (I don’t know his actual name) Todd Packer from the Office. If you don’t know who that is, he played the guy with the cowboy hat in Anchorman, and if you have seen Balls of Fury, he is the guy who has the cockatoo at the casino. That’s the best I can do, ha! But he is a great companion. He took 2 and a half years of Spanish, most of it at Snow College, so he knows a lot! He has been very helpful. Anytime we are teaching an investigator, I know that I won’t say something stupid, or he will correct me at least.
Speaking of something stupid, pretty much only Spanish is spoken here, and any English is said either by us gringos, or by the teachers if we really have no idea what they are saying; and one time our teacher was making fun of us for not looking good enough while in our suits and I accidentally said, ”Hey, I’m a beautiful woman!” She had a good laugh, but humility and making mistakes are the best way to learn your Spanish. We have super cool native roommates, and my companion and I talk to them all the time! I was talking to one of them about guitar and he says that he really likes Steve Vai, so naturally I told him about Buckethead, HA! But he is way cool, and we try to teach him English words from time to time. He is getting the hang of it I think.
Even though we have to eat ALL our food (or else we get a sock in the mouth) it is delicious!! Everything is made fresh, and natural. I don’t think I have had a tastier carne asada in my life! There are some shaky ingredients sometimes, but I’m gonna have to learn to eat gross things anyway, but the food is usually delicious. It is kind of weird, but I miss Provo a lot. We had a lot more places to go, and we could go outside and stuff. The CCM is just a box, and we rarely go outside. I s’pose it is for safety reasons, but it is so nice
outside =(. However, we got to go outside to do some service this morning, and it was awesome! Guatemala City is beautiful, and the people are so short and friendly. We got to sweep up a local park. I still can’t wait to get in the field and hike around the mountains all
on my own. But I gotta learn the gospel and the language first. 5 more weeks! Almost half way done with my MTC tenure!
P.S. after those 5 weeks, do NOT send dearelder letters. They take much longer to get. Post MTC it is better to send normal letters. Dearelder letters are given to the CCM first, then sent to Zone leaders, and they deliver them the next time they see you, which could be a long time. I feel like I am ordering everyone to write me, ha so maybe I should say if you ever feel like writing me (please do btw!) and it happens to be post CCM, make it a normal letter. That will be great. Thanks so much.
Gah! Out of time already. Just wanna say that I love all of you, and thank you for all of the encouragement I have gotten thus far in the mission. I hope to hear from you often! Don’t worry about the Snowman, Guatemala is awesome! But I still miss you all a lot. Take it easy. And have a great Summer!
My Guatemala MTC Address
Check my ‘Contact Aaron‘ page for the best way to contact me, but here is the address to the Guatemala MTC where I am currently staying until August of 2012:
Elder Aaron Snow
Guatemala MTC
Bulevar Vista Hermosa 23-71
Vista Hermosa I, Zona 15
01015 Guatemala City
Guatemala, C.A.
Hello from Guatemala!
Hey I made it to the CCM! They are giving us 10 minutes to send a
quick email. The flight was nice, and the people are so short, but
wonderful! In our travel packet we got a Spanish pass along card, and
so I talked to a random guy named Juan in Spanish, told him who I was
and what I was about, and gave it to him! It was awesome!! He was uber
nice.
Anyway it was so great to talk to you. What a rare but precious
opportunity. I´m also sorry that I didn’t have much to say. I was just
caught up in the moment I suppose. Hey I also got your picture! Ethan and Kat look awesome!
I have a new companion named Elder Smith, he is pretty cool, and looks like… crap I can´t think of the movie right now, but I will update you on Saturday (Our P Day) if I remember what character this kid looks like. I have been here for a few hours and can already tell it will be interesting but fun. 
We had our first breakfast, it was amazing! Real eggs that come from real cheekuns are super good. But if you don´t eat it all, the chef will take it as an
insult! So we have to eat it all! I had way too much on my plate so it was very hard to eat it all, but I managed, and I do not think the chef wants to beat me up…yet.
Gah the enter button does not work so this is just one huge block of an email [note from Mom–this was fixed in blog production :)], but hey it was great to talk to you again. I hope you had a great trip, and have a safe week! I´ll give a better report on Saturday. I love you guys so much! Thanks for keeping the letters coming. I´ll try to send one today! Bye! ❤
Elder Snow
Commencement for all of us
Listen to any run of the mill graduation speech, and invariably a speaker will remind the audience that the word ‘commencement’ doesn’t mean you’ve finished your degree, it means you are beginning something new. We graduate as changed people, ready for something bigger. The University of Oregon Commencement ceremonies were lovely. And, at this point, I could list all of the wonderful things Kathryn has accomplished during her four years as a Duck–it certainly has been wonderful watching her grow and develop (just look at this brilliant post that she wrote a few weeks ago). While it certainly does feel like my daughter is commencing some new, interesting adventure with a new set of skills, I couldn’t help but think about what has changed for our family as a result of her decision to go to a PAC 12 school.
As we commence on our new phase of life as the Snow family, with this college graduate within our ranks, we are different. We are now Ducks Fans (and because of that, we also developed some disdain for certain teams and not just because they have blue football fields). We have a new appreciation for the charm and personality of Eugene and Florence, Oregon. We are open to getting our news from Comedy Central. We love Epictetus and discussing philosophy, and we love knowing that one of our presidents was drunk at his inauguration. Mostly, we are different because we have learned from a certain young lady that hard things are worth doing. We have preached and practiced that sentiment all our lives, but watching someone go through it they way she did just adds depth to that belief. Way to go, kiddo. We are changed, and our world is bigger because of your choice. Thanks for the ride.
Cheryl
Jacob
K
Aaron
Ethan
Ride the Wave 