Guatemala Guatemala City South Mission

Misión Guatemala Ciudad de Guatemala Sur

Free resources about the Guatemala Guatemala City South Mission:

Aquí están algunos recursos gratuitos sobre la Misión Guatemala Ciudad de Guatemala Sur: 

*Other Mission Pages: Guatemala LDS Missions.



Guatemala City South Mission Address

Here’s a recent address for the Guatemala City South Mission. We try to keep this info up to date, but it’s a good idea to check the address with several sources, including your mission packet or the mission office.

Guatemala Guatemala City South
Apartado Postal 340-A
01909 Guatemala Guatemala City

Pouch Mailing Address:

POB 30150
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150
USA

Mission Office Phone: 502-2331-8611
Mission President: President Lee M. Shumway

Guatemala City South Mission Map

Here’s a link to the mission map for the Guatemala City South Mission (LDS). To access the official, up-to-date LDS.org map for the mission:

  1. Log into your LDS account here.
  2. Click here.

Videos with Guatemala City South RMs

Here are in-depth YouTube video interviews with returned missionaries from the Guatemala City South Mission.  We interview hundreds of returned missionaries each year, so check back regularly to see new RM interviews.

mission interview  mission interview

LDS-Friendly Videos about Guatemala

Here are LDS-friendly educational videos about Guatemala. We scoured YouTube to find the best quality videos about Guatemala, that are free from inappropriate music, immodesty and profanity.

LDS Church  places  history  food  Storms and Natural Disasters  language  Social Issues  time lapses  nature  Traditions  Cities  Spanish LDS Hymns

Guatemala City South Missionary Blogs

Here’s a list of LDS missionary blogs for the Guatemala City South Mission. This list includes the missionary’s name, URL and when their blog was updated.

*Send your missionary a gift (mission-specific shirts, ties, Christmas stockings/ornaments, pillowcases, etc.)

Elder Joseph Semus  https://elderjosephsemus.wordpress.com 2018
Elder Grant Baldwin egbguatemala.blogspot.com 2017
Elder Joseph Semus elderjosephsemus.wordpress.com 2017
Sister Rachel Townsend rachelsadventureinguatemala.blogspot.com 2017
Elder Gustavo Purcell mymission.com/eldergustavopurcell 2016
Elder Donavaghn Jarvie elderjarvie.blogspot.com 2016
Elder Frank Mattiaccio eldermattiaccio.blogspot.com 2016
Elder Kristopher Gruber elderkristophergruber.weebly.com 2016
Sister Amelia Campbell sisterameliacampbell.blogspot.com 2016
Elder Connor Wallace elderconnorwallace.blogspot.com 2016
Elder Benjamin Jackson benjaminjosephjackson.blogspot.com 2016
Elder Jared Dabel elderdabel.blogspot.com 2016
Sister Mary Mackelprang adventuresinyavin.wordpress.com 2015
Elder Brendon Ryan elderryanslifeinguatemala.blogspot.com 2015
Elder Ryan Mcfadyen eldermcfadyensemails.blogspot.com 2015
Elder Tyler Monson eldertylermonson.blogspot.com 2015
Elder Nathan Walton elderwalton.blogspot.com 2015
Elder Colton Slade instagram.com/coltonslade 2015
Elder Jordan Fraughton missionsite.net/jordanfraughton 2015
Sister Sarah Juarez hermanajuarezinguatemala.weebly.com 2014
Elder Samuel Butler eldersamuelbutler.blogspot.com 2014
Sister Cailey Gurule sistercaileygurule.blogspot.com 2014
Elder Nicholas White eldernicwhite.blogspot.com 2014
Elder Justin See eldersee.wordpress.com 2013
Sister Meghan Ramirez hermanamramirez.blogspot.com 2013
Elder Nicholas Banks eldernicholasbanks.blogspot.com 2013
Elder Allen Cox elderallenkennethcox.blogspot.com 2013
Elder Chad Call elderchadcall.blogspot.com 2013
Elder Austin McKell missionsite.net/elderaustinmckell 2013
Elder Skyler Hayes missionsite.net/elderskylerhayes 2013
Mission Alumni mission.net/guatemala/el-salvador 2012
Elder Scott Knutson elderscottknutson.blogspot.com 2012
Elder Jacob Rasmussen elderjacobrasmussen.blogspot.com 2012
Elder Austin Woodfield missionsite.net/elderaustinwoodfield 2012
Elder Mason Eyre missionsite.net/eldermasoneyre 2012
Elder Jace Chambers missionsite.net/jacechambers 2011
Elder Paul Oakey elderoakey.blogspot.com 2011
Elder Seth Price seth..citysouthmission.blogspot.com 2011
Sister Jennifer Keele hermanajennykeele.blogspot.com 2010

Guatemala City South Mission Groups

Here are Guatemala City South Mission Groups- for LDS missionary moms, returned missionaries, mission presidents and other alumni of the Guatemala City South Mission.

  1. Mision Guatemala Ciudad de Guatemala Sur Group (371 members)
  2. Guatemala City South Mission Keith Layton Group (250 members)
  3. Guatemala City South Mission- Kenneth Turley Group (182 members)
  4. Guatemala City South Mission- George Lyman Group (99 members)
  5. Mision Guatemala Ciudad Sur Facebook Group (60 members)
  6. Guatemala City South Mission (2002-05, Tolboe) Group (9 members)

Guatemala City South Mission T-Shirts

Here are T-shirts for the Guatemala City South Mission!

Shirt designs include Guatemala City South Mission logo/emblem shirts and Called to Serve shirts. The shirts make great gifts for pre-missionaries, returned missionaries and missionaries currently serving. LDS Mission shirts come in all sizes: Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, up to 4XL.  The mission designs are printed on white shirts and are shipped to you.

*Simply click on a shirt design to view the details and submit an order. The designs on mission t-shirts may also be printed on other LDS mission gifts, including: Guatemala City South missionary aprons, Christmas stockings, ties, pillow cases, teddy bears and Christmas ornaments.

*Click here to browse Guatemala City South Mission gifts



Guatemala City South Mission Presidents

Here’s a list of current and past Mission Presidents of the Guatemala City South LDS Mission.

  1. 2017-2020, Lee M. Shumway
  2. 2014-2017, E.J. Caffaro
  3. 2011-2014, Larry R. Stay
  4. 2008-2011, Herbert E. Alvarado
  5. 2005-2008, Ronald Rex Bennion
  6. 2002-2005, H. Rand Tolboe
  7. 1999-2002, Keith N. Layton
  8. 1996-1999, Kenneth W. Turley
  9. 1993-1996, George Lyman
  10. 1990-1993, Gilberto Cerda
  11. 1987-1990, Adolfo Avalos

Guatemala LDS Statistics (2015)

  • Church Membership: 255,505
  • Missions: 6
  • Temples: 2
  • Congregations: 421
  • Family History Centers: 0

Helpful Articles about Guatemala

Guatemala City South Missionary Survey

Here are survey responses from Guatemala City South RMs, to give you a snapshot into what it’s like to live in the mission.

*Click here to take a survey to help pre-missionaries going to your mission.

When did you serve?

  • 2006-2008 (Huss)
  • 2006 to 2008 (Brandon)
  • 2008-2010 (Luke)
  • 1989-1991 (Sergio)
  • 2005-2007 (Russ)
  • 2012-2013 (Melvin)
  • 2013-2015 (Claudia)
  • 2010-2012 (Daniel)
  • 2013-2015 (Tyler)
  • 2010-2012 (Christopher)
  • 2001-2003 (Brian)
  • 1996-1998 (Rosa)

What areas did you serve in?

  • El tejar (chimaltenango) chinique, joyabaj (el Quiche) Mariscal, Santa Marta and the mission office in Guatemala city, Hunapu (Escuintla). (Sergio)
  • Oratorio. Morales. Lo de coy. Primero de Julio. Zacapa. Tierra Nueva. (Russ)
  • Las Brisas y El Pajon. (Melvin)
  • Monjas, Mesquital, Vista Hermosa, Mixco and Santa Catarina Pinula. (Claudia)
  • Mixco, San Francisco, Oratorio, San Jose Pinula, Trebol. (Daniel)
  • San Juan Sachetepequez, Jutiapa, Montufar, El Tesoro, San Cristobal, Panorama, Castillo Lara. (Tyler)
  • Guatemala City, Fraijanes, Bareberena, Don Justo. (Christopher)
  • Jalapa, San Pedrito, Caminal Juyu, San Jose de las Rosas. (Rosa)

What were some favorite foods?

  • Corn tortillas with eggs and beans, hilachas, pupusas, baleadas, atol, chile rellenos. (Huss)
  • Pollo campero. Platinos Fritos. (Brandon)
  • Beans and rice, tortilla de harina, fruit. (Luke)
  • I like it all (Sergio)
  • Papusas. Fried plantains. Fresh tortillas con crema y queso. (Russ)
  • Beans and rice!! Tortillas!! Fried Chicken. (Melvin)
  • Mole, pepian, chojin. (Claudia)
  • The soup, chicken, beans, eggs. (Daniel)
  • I was pretty worried about the food, since I’m generally a picky eater…but there wasn’t much to be worried about at all. The most common dish was probably eggs, black beans and fried plantains…which turned out to be one of my favorite meals! Also, I really liked the El Salvadorian Pupusas. (Tyler)
  • Caldo de res, platanos fritos, pizza. (Christopher)
  • Atol de platano Churrascos. (Brian)
  • Ponche and sweet tamales, tamalitos de chipilin too and all fruits. (Rosa)

What was a funny experience?

  • An investigator gave us a sea food soup that had snails in it. I really didn’t want to eat it but when I wasn’t looking my companion threw her snail in my bowl too. When I tried to put it back, she told on me and I had to eat both of the gigantic grey snails. (Huss)
  • Eating fiambre for the first time! (Brandon)
  • Falling in a open sewer on the side of the road. (Luke)
  • Teaching a family the first discussion, when my companion asked about who Joseph Smith sought, he structured the question in a way the sister didn’t understand, and to make her find the answer he added “who has a beloved son” *quien tiene un hijo amado hermana* and she responded…I do * Yo lo tengo.* (Sergio)
  • Watching 40 Guatemalans try to replace a pole holding up half the city’s power lines. (Russ)
  • Taking the bus, I think that is funny cause you got to run every single time you took one. (Melvin)
  • Just being with my companions walking between houses. We played “soccer” with rocks and as you’re walking, you had to kick the rock between the legs of each other to get a goal. It gets pretty intense. (Daniel)
  • We found this man knocking on doors and taught him about baptism by the proper authority. When the lesson was over we challenged him to be baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints…he said: “but, I already AM baptized” We thought we hadn’t been clear enough with him and asked him what church he was baptized in. He said that it was OUR church he had been baptized in a few years ago by a different pair of “Elders.” We had found an inactive member without even knowing we had! (Tyler)
  • Once a missionary in my district complemented a drunk man on his American flag t-shirt. The man proceeded to take it off and say “Here, it’s yours”. The missionary responded that he didn’t want it and he was okay, but the man threw it at him. (Christopher)
  • Well, we were serving in Jalapa…it is around 4 hours from the capital city. We had to go to a conference in the capital city and all the district use to travel together…so we left at the same time. My sister was my companion by the way. Well the members of the ward knew about the trip to Guatemala City so some of them ask the Elders if they can buy some of the church books in the distribution center. Well they did it as the members asked them. We went to take the bus back to Jalapa and in the bus, they set the box with the books on a kind of shelf the bus had over the seats. Well it was 4 hours so we tried to be comfortable. Like one hour before we get to Jalapa, a book, hit my face. It was one of the books the missionaries bought. I told Elder Bosswell, and they looked and looked for the box of books and they asked the driver to stop the bus and they walked backward to see if they could find the books. They run backward but nothing. The bus waited and the people started asking what happened and the driver got tired of waiting so the bus left and the missionaries were running behind the bus for a few minutes, they gave up looking for the books…(Rosa)

What was a crazy experience?

  • A man was shot about a block from our apartment one morning. We usually always walked that way to catch a bus but as we left our apartment that morning, we were prompted to go check on an investigator who lived in the opposite direction. It was scary to know we should’ve been there at the exact same time as the shooting occurred, but we were comforted to know we were watched over and protected. (Huss)
  • I have confessed and forsaken these and remember them no more! (Brandon)
  • I got in a bus wreck; we were okay but the cars we hit were not. (Luke)
  • Going to teach in the highlands of chinique walking between the soldiers and guerrilla. (Sergio)
  • Almost falling out of a mini-bus… Several times! (Russ)
  • Walking on the route is dangerous, especially at night in areas without street lighting. (Melvin)
  • A drunk guy followed me with a gun and wanted to hit me because I entered an investigator’s house. He was not related to the investigator. He just asked me who I was looking for and I did not answer because I got scared. (Claudia)
  • In Esquipulas when elder Oakley got attacked by 2 lions. (Daniel)
  • The bus system is always an adventure. You never really know who is going to get on with you…just be careful in the Red city buses because they tend to be a little bit more rickety and dangerous than others. (Tyler)
  • I fell out of a bus once. It wasn’t going too fast and I got scrapes on my hands. (Christopher)
  • One day my companion and I had to give a lesson to a young man named Walter and he used to go to the Catholic Church because his father gave him doctrines in there… Well we found Walter and asked him if we could share a message with him and he said yes.  Great, we got an appointment that day and we asked to come back, he said yes, okay and we went the next day, but guess what, his father was waiting for us with an enormous machete. My companion was scared and I was too… but I told him with authority that he cannot touch us. (Rosa)

What was a spiritual experience?

  • We were teaching a man who was a soldier in the army during the Guatemalan Civil War. He said he was made to do a lot of awful things and didn’t believe he could ever be forgiven. He barely slept at night because of the pain and torment he felt because of what he had done. He told us that after we taught him how to pray, he went home that night, got on his knees and prayed. He said that night was the first night that he actually peacefully slept in years. (Huss)
  • Bautismos! (Brandon)
  • Every day getting to serve the humble amazing people of Guatemala. (Luke)
  • All my mission was full of spiritual experiences, but this was very important for me, finding this family in which everybody was deaf and speech impaired, we were able to teach with sign language, which we had never learned, they understood and were baptized. (Sergio)
  • Teaching the people there is always a spiritual experience. (Russ)
  • The whole mission is a spiritual experience. If you follow the Spirit, you will have lots of that. One of the most powerful spiritual experiences I had was fasting for a investigator to come church, and when we saw her coming, it was an clear answer from the Heavens. (Melvin)
  • I was conducting an interview with someone and when I walked in they started crying. I asked what was going on and she said before she started having the missionaries come over, there were 3 missionaries in her dream. Two missionaries showed her a book – that was the missionaries who taught her. After they showed her a book, she was shown the way to a door. She walked through the door and there was another elder who asked her questions – that was me. After she was asked questions, she walked to another room and saw Jesus. She told me that in her dream she saw the two elders who taught her and me very distinctly and couldn’t believe that she was seeing us in real life. (Daniel)
  • I had just received a new companion in an area that I had been in for 4+ months already. I was convinced that we had already knocked on every door possible and was playing the Devil’s Advocate…but my companion wasn’t worried by that at all. He just kept being upbeat and cheerful knocking on door after door, and after a little bit of griping I started to follow his lead. It wasn’t long until we found a wonderful little family who invited us in. That family went on to be baptized a month later. I was so touched that the Lord wanted to teach me to double-check places for answers and miracles…that sometimes we may have overlooked some of his missing sheep. (Tyler)
  • Once at the Guatemala City Temple, my companion and I shared a scripture with a prophecy about people from all parts of the world coming to the house of the Lord with a man visiting from Honduras. He began to cry. My Spanish wasn’t that great but I believe he said that this prophecy was coming true in his country and that the Lord had blessed him and his people so much. It really opened my eyes to the importance of what we were doing. (Christopher)
  • Hna Edmunds and I were knocking at the doors and we found Otilia in a house. She was a nurse and was taking care of a woman and she asked for a Book of Mormon and we gave it to her and shared the first short lesson. She was very positive so we visited her the next day and we gave her another lesson. We gave her 4 lessons and she told us that she had to move so we were really sad but anyways, we gave the address to Elder White and his companion in the area where she will be living.  One of the sets of missionaries found her and she was very happy. It happened a few months after we met her. The missionaries baptized her and family…in total, if I am not wrong, there were 11 baptisms. It was really great to see all those baptisms. (Rosa)

What are some interesting facts about the Guatemala City South Mission?

  • The ruins are incredible. If you get a chance to tour south with your family after the mission, you will visit some of the most beautiful places on earth. Guatemala is el alma de la tierra – the soul of the Earth. (Huss)
  • It’s awesome. (Brandon)
  • It’s the best mission ever. (Luke)
  • Knowing that I was representing the Lord Jesus Christ, That I was preaching among the descendants of the Lamanites, Having places which were proposed as sites were many events of the Book of Mormon came to happen, Having very strong members and humble investigators. (Sergio)
  • It has lots of different areas, one change you can be in a kind of rich area and next change you’re in a really poor one. Guatemalans are very humble and almost everybody believes in God and Jesus. (Melvin)
  • We were the only mission in Guatemala that could drink Coke. (Claudia)
  • For a tiny country, it has a population of 13 million plus. The government is corrupt. It can be a dangerous people but people respect missionaries. (Daniel)
  • The central chapel in Montufar is where the first stake in Central America was established! There’s a lot of Mayan heritage there and some deeply Catholic traditions woven in. The mission has 12 Zones, 9 in the City and 3 outside of it. (Tyler)
  • It borders with two other countries. Most missionaries are in the capital. It is not a jungle like many think: It has a climate similar to California. (Christopher)
  • I got my own conversion. I served the Lord. This time was my best years too and it was the time when I was a real saint. You really pray as the scripture says in all moments and in all places… you read and nurture your life during the day. You share your testimony about Jesus Christ more than seven times in the day. (Rosa)

What was the weather like?

  • Some places were crazy hot. But the city is a constant 70 degrees. And get ready for the rainy season! (Huss)
  • Hot really hot and humid. (Brandon)
  • The capital was very nice, the mountains were amazing and cool but the coast was extremely hot and humid. (Luke)
  • Cold, in fact it was there where I had the coldest night in my life, opening the area in El Tejar, Chimaltenango, not having a place to dwell and sleeping in a little corner provided by an less active member. (Sergio)
  • Outside the Capital, it is hot and often humid. Inside the capital, the weather is fantastic. Lows in the 50s with highs in the low 80s (Russ)
  • Guatemala has a really good weather, when it is supposed to be cold, it is, but it is not that cold and it is the same with summer. You will enjoy the weather there. What you won’t probably like is the raining in Guatemala…there is raining for 6 months from May to October, but at the same time, it is funny to work while it is raining. (Melvin)
  • The cold weather. (Claudia)
  • Humid but usually in the 70s to 80s. Dry from October to April and raining all the time from April to October. (Daniel)
  • It feels like spring time all year round. From June(ish) to October is the rainy season where it will rain A LOT. Bring more than one pair of shoes. (Tyler)
  • In the capital, it is nice all year round. At lower elevations such as by the ocean, it is pretty hot and humid. Since Guatemala is in the tropics, there is a dry season and a rainy season. When it rains, it pours. Some of the streets turn into rivers during heavy storms. (Christopher)
  • Very hot in Jalapa, and fresh in Guatemala City. (Rosa)

Any things you really like about the area/people?

  • EVERYTHING! !!!! The people are so humble and giving. They are incredible! I made eternal friends!! (Huss)
  • They are full of love. (Brandon)
  • Everyday was an adventure. The people were amazing and very receptive. (Luke)
  • I love everything, I learned to love the people, and most of all having a personal relationship with my Savior, and learning that our prayers are answered. (Sergio)
  • People are willing to listen. They don’t want to change, but at least they’ll listen. (Russ)
  • Like I said, they all believe in God, they have great faith and are very friendly with people who are preaching the Gospel. (Melvin)
  • Such a humbling experience. Some people have dirt for floor and even use mud to build up their home. Very, very poor people but the most loving people ever. I love those people so much. Money is not important to them. Family is what is important. (Daniel)
  • The people are humble and receptive and VERY religious. And the environment is BEAUTIFUL…there’s always a sense of adventure that you really can’t find anywhere else. (Tyler)
  • People are pretty nice! I only met one man who said that he was an atheist. The people have a strong faith in Jesus Christ and their culture revolves more around it. People expect you to be social and talk to them, whereas that is less common in the United States. People are also very humble and that makes them very nice. (Christopher)
  • They love the missionaries and they said we were angels. (Rosa)

Any packing/clothing advice?

  • You do get very sweaty so having extra pairs of garments was so great. Girls take dresses that are easily washed and line dried. (Huss)
  • Cotton shirts are a must. Get really good shoes…like 4 pairs of them. (Brandon)
  • Good boots because you will walk a ton and it rains and turns the dirt roads to mud. (Luke)
  • It’s too general, it depends of the area (mission where you are called) basic things, warm coat, umbrella (buy it there it’s cheaper) good socks and resistant and comfortable shoes to walk. (Sergio)
  • Only bring 2 pairs of pants. The rest you’ll end up getting made down there. Bring enough shoes to last 2 years. The shoes down there are awful. (Russ)
  • Umbrella, boots, raining coat. (Melvin)
  • Rain coats and rain shoes. (Claudia)
  • You can buy everything there. Buy your clothes here in America but your toothpaste and pillows or sheets. You can buy all that there. I packed my house when I left and I didn’t need to. (Daniel)
  • Don’t overpack. Dragging all of your stuff from area to area can become a pain if you have too much stuff. Bring a lot of shirts because those wear out…and know that there’s a Wal-Mart there (there’s actually 3 in the South Mission) where you can buy the stuff that you need. (Tyler)
  • Don’t bring big rubber irrigation boots. I would suggest not bringing boots at all. It is good to have 2-3 pairs of dress shoes. If they get wet, you just set them out to dry for a day or two. You can always find places to buy new shoes to replace your old ones. I bought two suits to go out with, but I only took one with me which was perfect. Don’t buy clothing that is larger than you currently wear as you won’t be gaining any weight. Packing flea collars is good in case you get fleas. (Christopher)
  • Dont leave your luggage in the bus there…especially in public places as in restaurants etc. I lost mine in my changes when I went to my first area. (Rosa)

What blessings did you receive from serving a mission?

  • Everything I hold dear is a direct blessing from serving an honorable mission. I have an incredible husband and children. We are raising our children to have a testimony and to share their testimony often. And our marriage is strong because of our shared love for our Savior and the experiences we had by both serving him during our time as missionaries. (Huss)
  • A smoking hot wife! (Brandon)
  • Everything good in my life has come because of my mission. (Luke)
  • The Lord strengthened my character, softened my heart and spirit and gave me the ability to serve regardless what I am asked to do. (Sergio)
  • I’m a Spanish native speaker, so I learned English and now a have a better job. The biggest blessing I received from serving a mission was meeting great friends for life, and I gained a knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ, my testimony got stronger and my family was blessed as well. (Melvin)
  • Become more tolerant, get a job. (Claudia)
  • I don’t feel any more special serving a mission than if I didn’t. For those who couldn’t serve a mission, I feel like they are looked at as not as blessed or righteous. That is not the case at all. Every one can have the same blessings all around. From my mission, I learned skills though that changed my life such as learning how to live and understand the Spirit. This has helped me choose which school to attend, the girl I am about to marry, and it is helping me in my job search right now. (Daniel)
  • Stronger testimony, life experiences and a closeness with the Savior that is really hard to experience anywhere else. (Tyler)
  • I can speak another language and therefore connect with more people! I got to see the beauty of how the Gospel can affect people from a place that didn’t begin with any Mormons. It laid a Gospel foundation in my life that keeps me close to the Lord. I learned how to be more on my own. (Christopher)
  • Work, health etc. (Rosa)

What are some skills you gained?

  • I became very bold and very confident in myself and the decisions that I make. Also learning Spanish has blessed my life immensely with jobs and other relationships. (Huss)
  • Spanish and how to talk to anyone. (Brandon)
  • Fluent in Spanish and mad soccer skills. (Luke)
  • Communication, organization, discipline and public relations. (Sergio)
  • Speak English, I used to be too shy and now I can talk without shame. I learned to smile all the time. (Melvin)
  • Language skills, people skills, leadership skills…there was so much that I learned there. It’s really a great place to learn. (Tyler)
  • Spanish speaking, introducing myself, more confidence with dealing with people. (Christopher)
  • Patience, love for people, punctuality, and to be firm in my decisions to pray daily and to read daily and especially to recognize the Holy Spirit. (Rosa)

What do you wish you knew/did at the beginning of your mission?

  • How quickly the time really passes. In the beginning when you don’t understand Spanish, the day seemed very long. But after about 6 months, the language fully came and the days pass by too quickly. I remember asking for more time. (Huss)
  • Spanish and how to talk to anyone. (Brandon)
  • I wish I would have known that the beginning of the missionary work has more challenges than we think. (Sergio)
  • Figure out what the most effective tool is to teach people. Everyone is different. Videos can be a huge tool, but can also be a waste of time depending on who you’re teaching. (Russ)
  • Mission was going to be hard. I’m telling you because everybody around me told me just the good things, but now I know it was because after our mission, we can only remember the good things that happened there…no the bad ones. (Melvin)
  • Spanish haha, took me about 5 months to get the hang of it but it was frustrating in the beginning. Also a deep knowledge of the gospel. I had a small testimony compared to when I came home. (Daniel)
  • I wish I had paid more attention in the MTC about learning the language and how to teach lessons to REAL people. It can be intimidating. Also I wish I had read the mission manual in ENGLISH before I went (it really does help). (Tyler)
  • I wish I knew Spanish better and I wish I realized that I would be doing lots and lots of contacting. (Christopher)
  • Just that I was there to serve the Lord. That I was not there for anything else. (Rosa)

Any advice/testimony for pre-missionaries going to Guatemala City South?

  • You only have a short time to serve. The mission is not about you, it is about bringing blessings to your family and to those you are serving. You can have a lot of fun on your mission while being completely obedient. Serve with your whole heart and come back without any regrets. (Huss)
  • Go ready to work! (Brandon)
  • You are the luckiest person in the world, you will serve the best people in the world, be a great missionary for them. (Luke)
  • If you don’t have the desires, pray so you can understand why you need to serve, don’t go just to please your parents, don’t go to gain a testimony, work to gain it and go and make it stronger. -Commit yourself to the Lord, learn to love people genuinely not just to convert them….seek for the Spirit, and be familiar with doctrine and history of the church. (Sergio)
  • Not all missionaries are good missionaries, or even good people for that matter. Don’t worry what others are doing. Do what you know feels good and feels right. (Russ)
  • Keep working hard from the beginning to the end and ENJOY THE MISSION. (Melvin)
  • Be obedient. Be obedient with exactness. You will be so grateful you were obedient. The temptation to go home early or sleep in or other stuff that is out there is real, don’t fall victim. The smallest distraction will take you away from being a servant unto the Lord. It’s 2 years. It flies by. Love every single moment of it. Write in your journal every single day…not everything that happened but only the positive things. My fiancé reads my journal and she loves hearing how positive I was and she thinks I never had a hard day. One day when my kids or grand kids read it, I want them to think the same thing. I love the Guatemalan people. They have a very special place in my heart. You’ll love them too. Just be obedient, work hard, get your contacts in and you will baptize. Elder Nelson came to our mission and blessed us that as we do our contacts and lessons and keep the goals we have set as a mission then each companionship would baptize every month. Keep that obedience and you will find success. Baptisms aren’t numbers but souls that are being brought back to Christ. They are our brothers and sisters. (Daniel)
  • Just make sure your testimony is sure and steady! You’ll do great, its a wonderful country and there’s so much to do there. Don’t expect success unless you’re willing to work for it. (Tyler)
  • The Gospel is true, so remember that those who really desire to follow the Lord and find answers will find those answers. They will find joy in the Gospel. This is the most important work in the world. (Christopher)
  • Yes, nowadays you have to be sure you have locked your heart, and don’t think about anything else in that time because that’s the time you promise to Heavenly Father, and don’t think about having a girlfriend or boyfriend even by mail. It distracts you and you start giving time to that..and that’s the Father’s time. (Rosa)

What was a funny language mistake?

  • I had several language blunders. But none that I can write down here. Just make sure you watch for where the accent goes on words. (Huss)
  • There are certain hand gestures one must learn that involves the Guatemala equivalent some of our not so nice gestures. (Brandon)
  • Too inappropriate to tell but let’s just say pineapple sounds similar to something hilarious. (Luke)
  • In the beginning I was having a hard time and so I wanted a soda. We went to the store and I said I wanted siete up “7up” and the guy at the store was very confused. My companion was laughing and then I pointed at it and the guy was like ohhh seven up. Haha the soda seven up is called that in Guatemala and I was trying to say the seven in Spanish. That didn’t help my frustration ha. (Daniel)
  • “Baking” and “Urinating” sound really similar in Spanish, and I accidentally asked for “Urinating Powder” at the store…my companion never let me live it down. (Tyler)
  • I once told a recent convert that I had been sick, but the mission nurse gave me cakes and then I felt better. She looked confused for a bit, but then realized I confused the word pastillas (pills) with pasteles (cakes). We laughed for a while. (Christopher)