well dont have as much time as usual... i leave tomorrow for the
mission field! way stoked about this and really am scared. prayers
would be nice!! i hope my trainer is good and will push me to where i
need to be a great missionary. nothing really interesting happend this
week. we watched the new joseph smith movie yesterday.. way good i
remember when we went to see it at the JS building and saw uchdorf..
or how ever you spell it.. i really miss you all.. and im going to
miss going to the temple every week.. i should of prep more... i gotta
go times up i really miss you!!! i love you write more next week love
you elder crockett

Last week at the mtc!

well its my last week here in the city.. i leave on tuesday on a 4 to
5 hour bus ride... it really cool im stoked to go and get on with real
mission stuff...
so this past week we got to go prosolying at the plaza... it was
really cool i really had a blast... so monday we got up got our
supplies and i get a latino comp for the trip and as a big group we
piled onto a city bus.... well lets just say it wasnt the safest way
to go to the city center but was cheap. we were staning in the isle
and holding on to what ever we could there were some missionaries who
could only have one foot on in the door we were that packed... really
funny but cool. the bus bottomed out on the way over going on a speed
bump. the driver was really crazy. we eeventually got to the plaza and
me and my comp. elder piñon we out on out journey, first we talked to
two guys. one not belief the other catholic... really neat and got me
pumped. but one problem.... i couldnt understand a thing he was
telling me... it really sucked but as the president her taught if all
else fails bear your testimony in which i did... it was cool. finnally
i told the latino that we could give away our BOM. or LDM. he didnt
know... really stuggled for about a half hour then i felt the
impression to talk to this one guy... he was all coyboyed up and we
got to know him a little bit. didnt attend any church and was looking
a little bit. it was really cool. i explained the book of mormon to
him and he took it from me... i placed my first book!! i was so
excited to give it away but what was even better was that 20 minutes
later he was reading the book!!! ireally hope he takes it and the
missionaries contact him. i just pray he is receptive to the gospel.

any ways for mailing purposes  i suggest using the pouch! dear elder
is the best way to get to me and its free.. thanks to all the friends
who have been sending them to me they really help me out and i love
it. so tuesday is the day for departure. im nervous and hope my
spanish improves in the next month or so.. this missionary out here
who has been out for 3 weeks had a baptism so i hope my mission is
like that too.... they say about every other weekend you have one. the
average for a missionary is about 60 to 70 people... so ill have a
great 2 years i hope. if not i have learned alot and it has been worth
my time... . i really miss you all and love the gospel. hope your all
reading your scriptures!!! love elder crockett

Another week

hey fam this week is really nothing special. we just had classes and
taught some lessons. the weather here has been really weird.. we have
had sunshine all day which is out of  the norm of things... i really
am getting sick of this place and want to move out. thankfully i have
less than 2 weeks here. the food and stuff is awesome and i love going
to the temple but im sick of being confined to a block space and not
doing my own thing and teaching people. cool thing that happend... the
other night we were talking about one of our latinos and how hes been
shot 13 times. yes thats right 13. and low and behold we heard 5 shots out
side of the ccm. or mtc for you non spanish folks. yeah it was really
crazy. tomorrow is guatemalas independance day so thats why i have
pday today.. the temple was really nice today. i like going to spanish
sessions and such. its the only way to really go. this week we don´t
have anything out of the norm. we normally wake up and play sports
which we have basketball and a weight room and such. so i have been
doing the elliptical in the morning and blowing everyone away. yeah i
know im just like dad. then after that we have breakfast. the usual for
breakfast is  oatmeal stuff and eggs and beans! yum!! im still getting
used to the beans in the morning. after we good to the capilla or
chapel for study and also instruction. lunch is next and its almost
always chicken rice and icecream! we have 2 icecream machines here and
get one every lunch and dinner... after we have personal time and get
to teach people like the trc and do personal study. after dinner we
have more class then bed time snack. the best is when they give us
candy bars or doughnuts.. yeah its americanized.. but thats how things
go when there are more white people then browns. so today being pday i
got to buy some ties. they were really cheap and im going to send one
to you kevone for your bday when i get out of the mtc. i really enjoy
it here. oh before i forget. feel free to send stuff the the mission
home!! dear elders will work for me untill saturday night after that
ill miss them!!! so after saturday send them to the pouch!!! so i can
have mail after i leave here and don´t miss anything! i hope all is
well. my times almost up and im talking with davy so have a good one
bye love ryan

first off thanks lowy for the pictures.... second thanks poop... (connor)for wearing all my clothes... any ways today was fairly epic we got to go to the market and spend lots and lots of money!! yeah it was good... we woke up and said goodbye to all the elders and latios. then waited for the catering co. to bring breakfast. turns out they never showed... so what did president steimly do? yeah thats right we ate McDonalds.. they deliver here! it was fairly epicp i really enjoyed it. the bus finally came and we went to a topographical map of guatemala! this map was as big as 4 or 5 basket ball courts. it was amazing there isnt any other map like that in the world! i took a bunch of pictures and such! ill send some when i am out of this place! so anyways after that we went to the market! we took our charter bus there and got to see some way interesting buildings on the way... was really cool how all the houses are stacked up on eachother... anyways. we get to the market and have to walk across the plaza to the center... on the way i stopped and picked up 3 soccer jerseys. yeah there the legit ones too.. you jealous davy? i bet you are. they're better than DI. after that we got lost and couldn´t find the market... then after looking around and telling my comp to chill we crossed a street and lo and behold there it was... anyways the market was huge!!! about the size of the walmart but had about 100 shops! we looked around and saw all the shops... its was way cool . i bought a long/half sleeve shirt cause i don´t have one here. it was 50Q or about $4.50 pretty good deal eh? we walked around even more and talked with some more elders. many bought hammocks cause they're almost manditory to have in my area. yeah thats right i have my own!! who came prepared!! anywho... after the marked we went to the mall....  yeah it was a legit mall! way nicer than the provo or universitiy mall!! it had 6 levels from what i counted and marble floors.. it took me some time to think that i was in guatemala and not the states... its really nice here i am loving it and enjoy the rainy weather... here in guatemala when it rains its winter time or something like that... odd group of people... it rains in the city from may till january then its summer those months. then winter.. there is no fall or spring... anyways after the mall and eating we left for a museum... or how ever you spell it. it was really cool. we got to walk ontop of this hill which was an ancient building from 600ad. then in the museum we got to walk under the hill and see a burial sight... way interesting!!! on the way the way to and from everywhere there are people packing guns.. we saw a pick up truck filled with army and there aks. and then a coverd trucks with additional men... in some of the allys there are people with assualt rifles and such.. so yeah you got to watch out what you do here and how you look to people... this week is great! temple tomorrow i look forward to that! i love it here. the spanish isnt coming as fast as i would like it but ill get it eventually!! i really enjoy the time i get to be here! i hope everything is well... i heard about byu and them pulling out and being independent and such! send me some dear elders!!! NEXT WEEK IF YOU WANNA SEND ME REAL MAIL I WOULD SUGGEST SENDING IT TO THE MISSION HOME AND NOT HERE!!!! SO I WILL BE ABLE TO GET IT!!! DEAR ELDER WORKS GREAT I GET THEM THRUSDAY AND THEY PRINT THEM OUT ON SUNDAY TO SEND ME SOME MAIL!!! THANKS i love you all and hope the best!!! happy late bday Kevone!! ill get you some guatemala goodness eventually... soccer jersey?? idk... love you all elder crockett

well this week has really been a challenging one... i got the flu and the runs... o well thats life i guess... funny story about the flu.. so on saturday feeling good and all pumped about sunday the next day. i ate lunch and all that stuff... but yeah i was feeling great after that we had some personal study and such... i was starting to feel the pain then. dinner came and i didnt eat anything really. only 2 bites feeling like i was about to puke... well we had a mock lesson and it was 20 minutes long. i said a prayer to my self and went on with the lesson hoping that i could make it thorough with out puking... well i checked my watch and me and the comp had 10 minutes left... i was struggling. i was going to write my comp a note telling him i needed to puke but knowing him he would of not been able to hold him self. finally at 18 minutes i say sorry or compormiso nessisto el baño. get up and puke in my mouth... yes i know gross... but anyways i get through the door and am running down the hall but oh NO... BLEHHHH! i puked in the hall of the church.. good thing it was tile floors and finally make it to the baño to let out a couple more bursts. i had puke dripping off of my shirt all over my shoes everywhere too. me and the comp went back i showerd and such, felt great, carried on with the rest of class till bed time.... that was a big mistake there.... i felt horrible and went straight to bed. that night i woke up and fought the urge to puke again... finally i gave up and 1230 i let another one go... to the 3 stalls next to me there were elders puking too so i didnt feel so bad... sunday rolls around and what do i get to do all day long that missionarys dream of???? thats right i got to sleep all day long and into monday afternoon where i decided enough is enough and to suck it up and get on with life... thats my exciting story for the week hope every one else had something cool too.... so the letter process here is slow... dear elders ship out i want to say saturday and we get them on thursday. i think thats the best way for you to send me mail!! so do that! letters take about a week or so. there should be one coming by some time soon. the language is coming slowly but surely. i taught a lesson all by my self which is a huge achievement! im stoked but have a long way to go... the food is alright. im doing portion control so i dont get huge. i have lost a little weight and i heard my area is the hottest and that i should expect to lose 20 more too! good news for me... any ways times running out. i love you all. feel free to send letters to me any way you want keeping in mind the time it takes for me to get them... i love you have a good one!! im still trying to get everyones email in the list.. sorry if you're not on... ill try again next week. my time is limited of course. love you, elder crockett