Everything is Good

Hey Maham hey Daddy-O, 

What's up guys hope everything is good I'm doing swheet excited for Christmas... but it doesn't really feel like Christmas here because its still freaking hot. But everything is good. I got the package from Brother Dyer and I already opened it.  Thanks for everything. The Sisters in my district are going to make the cookies tomorrow. It should be awesome. I still don't know what time we will Skype you guys, but on Friday I will email you guys in the morning and tell you what time.

This week we are going to have a baptism of two sisters.  It should be a good experience. Elder R and I are working hard and I'm feeling pretty good about the language. On Wednesday I will finish my training and be a real full blown missionary whooooh!! 

This week we had a multi zone meeting. It was really cool we got presents. Mostly just candy but I'm not complaining. We also all got letters from the first presidency t'was pretty sweet. Also in my stake there was a Christmas choir where a bunch of chapins (locals) sang Christmas songs. They tried to sing some in English but it didn't really work out very well.

On the topic of my baptismal pants I don't think I ever brought them. But my normal pants size is 32 the length doesn't really matter. 

Pictures next week 

Anyways love and miss you guys, 

Elder Tagg 

Same Comp and Going Strong

Hey Maham y Daddy-o

This week was real special. First of all I'm still here in Sam Isidro with the same comp going strong.  We had another baptism this week of the couple that got married. It was a really cool experience. We also have another baptism this Friday of a family that we found.  Well really just the kids not the Mom, but we will work on it. 

I'm doing good. My comp is doing good, and every body is happy. I'm still working on the package thing and I don't think I will get the package from Brother Dyer soon because there are no missionaries coming here from the CCM right now. But if you could send baptismal pants and another one of those dog dazer things, because mine got wet. Try to look for one that is stronger... Please and thank you. 

we have the option to Skype either on the 23rd or the 25th but the 25th works better for my comp's family so we are going to do it then. I still don't know what time but I'll try to figure everything out so everything can go smoothly. 

Sorry not much to report this week. More next week. Love you guys

Elder Tagg

I Know Why I'm Here

Hey Maham y Daddy-O 

This week was pretty great. We had two baptisms Os... and Mi... It was awesome. I baptized Os... it was a really happy moment.  Ja... and Ma.... got married so we are going to baptize Ma... this next Saturday. Changes are tomorrow. I don't know what is going to happen. I want to stay but if I go that's cool too.

I haven't sent the package yet so I will look for a nativity set but no promises... I will try to send it in the next 3 weeks but it probably wont get there for Christmas. I have been writing in my journal but only like once every week. I will try to do better. 

We got to watch the Christmas devotional. It was really good but in Spanish. I understood most of it though. I really liked Uchdorf's talk.  But watching the devotional reminded me of home and the Christmas season. I miss all the traditions and every thing, but I know why I'm here, so I'm happy. 

siempre recuerdan que ha nacido un salvador por cada uno de nosotros. El ya apago y ya sufrió nosotros o necesitamos sufrir gracias a el estoy tan agradecido por el porque yo se que El es nuestro redentor del mundo 

En el nombre de Jesu Cristo, amen 

(Always remember that the Savior was born for each one of us. He already paid and suffered for us so we don't have to. I am very grateful for Him because He is the Savior of the World. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen)

love you guys,

Elder Tagg

About an hour after hearing from Elder Tagg I got this letter from his first companion Elder Go...  I wept with joy!

HI SISTER TAGG I AM ELDER LENER GO FIRST COMP OF ELDER TAGG I am very grateful to my Heavenly Father for the opportunity to serve with your child. I think Tagg Elder was the answer to my prayers. I am sure God will hear them because I wanted a partner to help me focus on his work and Elder Tagg was very helpful for me. Our time was very short but it was so that I could learn enough to go ahead and finish my mission as God wants it to end ... He has a very responsive to the spirit and hard working super son. I can say that I love him and always will be my brother even though we are from different nations.

Thanks for the package you sent. Thank you very much and God stroke him more blessings you already have 

with much love Elder Gongora 

pddt : sorry for my english is not perfect

All That Jazz

Hey Maham y Daddy-O 

This week was pretty awesome, but nothing really special happened. I really enjoy the photos that were in the package and the reindeer food. Elder Ro...really enjoyed his stuff too, but I think he thinks our family is really rich now. I kinda feel bad about that, but whateves. 

This week we had stake conference. During the talk by President Ruiz, I went to the bathroom and vomited like three times.  I don't know why... but I felt fine afterwards and haven't thrown up since so I think it was just a one time thing.  Other than that, the meeting was really good. We had five investigators at the meeting.  Their names were Oscar, Micheal, Madalene, Marisol and the daughter of Marisol. I can never remember her name. But I think we are going to baptize them all. The only thing hanging us up is that Madalene isn't married. We are hopefully going to marry them this Saturday ... We have been working with her for a really long time, so pray for Madalene and Javier that they can get married and everything goes smoothly.

I think that this next transfer I'm going to leave San Isidro I don't know why, it's just a feeling. But we are going to see what happens. If I'm not transferred that means I'll stay for another 8 weeks, which means I will have 4 and a half months here but that's okay because I think this is one of the best areas in the mission. 

I haven't sent your package yet. I'm still preparing everything, but it is going to have things from Guatemala like that shirt I had on that you liked and some ties that are made out of a fabric called corte and maybe some purses or scripture cases. You know -all that jazz. 

but... 

Tha th tha th tha th tha That's All Folks 

Love You guys and miss ya 

Elder Tagg 

This is what 10 Elders stuck in an elevator looks like

At Least Elder Tagg is smiling still... They were stuck for over an hour

Evan said one of these Elders has a football scholarship and is Samoan.  Good thing a member found them and let them out with a special key.  Hopefully lesson learned here : )

Christmas in November!

Maham y Daddy-O

This week has been really good.  First of all, I got a package!!! But it's not my birthday package, it's the one you sent for Christmas and I already opened all of my presents. THANK YOU sooo much. I feel kinda like a jerk here though because I have already gotten 2 packages in my first 3 months and some people haven't gotten any through their whole mission.  But that doesn't mean you should stop sending me packages...

My comp and I went to Reu for a meeting with all the people still in training.  It was really cool to see all my friends from the CCM, but we couldn't get back to our areas because of a road block that the police put down because of "demonstrations" in the streets of some of the cities. So we slept in Reu in a hotel. That was awesome because we had hot water and twin sized beds and air conditioning.

We also had a funeral here this week because the Abuela of a member family died. It was really sad, but it was a teaching experience because the Abuelo of that family is not a member. So we started teaching him about how he can see his wife again. He was really receptive. I told him about uncle Eric and bore my testimony that I know we can see him again and I think it really helped him to see that there is hope.

This week we are going to have a Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and everything!!! Presidente Ruiz really pulled through for us. Woooo!!! My comp and I have really been working hard and I think that we are going to have a lot of success here. Next week we're going to have a wedding on Saturday. It's a girl named M... that we have been teaching and now she can get baptized sooo that's exciting... 

This week I learned that the Chapins (locals?) stink at basketball.  We have been playing at the church in the mornings and my comp and I dominate it's really actually pretty sad, but they are really good at soccer.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. I'm grateful for everything!

Miss you and love you,

Elder Tagg

cool selfie

I assume this is rain

He's pretty tall compared to the locals

Dangerous Eyes

Maham y Daddy-O

This week was great the big thing that came to pass this week is that I got a new companion his name is Elder Ro... He has ten months on his mission and is from Mexico.  He is really cool and we work really hard. This week I had to teach him the area and Elder Rosales doesn't speak English, but we got through it. Elder Go... left and went to zone San Marcos which is in the mountains and really cold but that will be good for him.  He also got moved up to district leader so that's cool.

This week on the day of transfers I went to the temple that is in Quetzaltenango.  That is the mission that Matthew Helton from our stake is serving in. It was a really cool experience even though I didn't get to go inside. It was awesome.

A story- We are teaching this less active family that has two sons that haven't been baptized. So we challenged them with a baptismal date and they accepted!!! It was really cool. The Mom of the family told me that she wants to cut my head off and keep my eyes in a jar because she thinks my blue eyes are really cool. (yikes!)

Also we found a dog that restored my love for dogs (Evan loved dogs before his mission but he says the dogs there are really smelly and awful so he's had a hard time loving them as before) his name is Capitán and he is a chihuahua I'll send a picture.  

I'm really sorry to here about Uncle Eric, but at least he isn't suffering anymore.

Love you guys and miss you,

Elder Tagg

Capitan!

I accidentally sent his email to the wrong address so he sent me a "Sad Evan" photo in this camisas tipicas which just means typical shirt.

New companions! 

Trapped in an Elevador

Mahm y Daddy´o 

This week a lot happened, but first let me answer your questions.  First I am more feeling adjusted. I feel pretty normal as a missionary now. I'm pretty much over the culture shock but there still are things that I'm still like... "what the freak are these people doing" about.  Like all the body language the people use here.  They use it for everything and I don't understand. My language is getting a lot better.  I can hold a conversation for like five minutes without an awkward pause so that is a good thing!!  I'm working hard but sometimes it's difficult because Elder G has 21 months and sometimes he doesn't want to work very hard. But I think he is going to have transfers. I do remember reading with you when I was little.  We read Harry Potter. That was awesome. And thanks for the advice about not doubting my self. I think that is a problem I have had my whole life. 

Anyways this week was awesome I went on divisions with the companion of my district leader, Elder Ga... He is really cool but a really serious guy.  I get that missionary work is serious but that doesn't mean that you can't have fun while doing it. Anyways something really memorable happened this week. So we have zone meetings every week on Tuesdays and we have them in the stake center which is like the nicest building in the whole city because it has an elevator. It's only two floors so the elevator is really small... So after our zone meeting my comp yelled "everyone in the elevator!" So 10 Elders, including me, my comp, and Elder Ngu... a Tongan Elder who has a scholarship to play football as a defensive lineman after his mission at Texas State University piled in the tiny elevator and started to descend.  When we were almost at the bottom we all heard a loud banging noise and the doors opened and we were trapped beneath the first floor by like five feet.  Nobody could move because of how packed it was. The good thing was that the elevator had AC so we didn't suffocate. We where all stuck in the elevator for at least a hour before the 1st counselor to the bishop came with a special key and let us all out. Luckily nobody was hurt. It was pretty scary. One of the Elders took a selfie of all of us in the elevator. I'm going to have him send me it and I'll probably send it next week to you guys. At the least it was a memorable experience. 

Also this week we had a surprise visit from the president and he told us that we needed to work harder and find more new investigators this week so me and Elder Go worked harder to try to find new people and we found a family of four all over the age of 8. After teaching them they told us they knew that everything we were saying was true, and that it was a miracle that we were there. I think for sure that we are going to baptize them they just need to hear all the lessons. This week we found 13 new investigators with just 2 families. 

To close I just want to say that I love and miss all of you guys 

Elder Tagg