Welcome Back...to Chalchuapa!

Well... welcome back to Chalchuapa Elder Crump!

Buena Vista, Chalchuapa is my new area! I seriously can’t believe I’m back in Chalchuapa again! There are literally a whole ton of areas in the mission and it’s insane that I was called back to Chalchuapa were I started out! Only thing is I know that there are people waiting for me here so I’m gonna give it everything I’ve got to be able to find them! It’s a branch here of about 70 people and the area is pretty small. It’s been super weird for me because the other areas I’ve had were massive and branches with like 180 people each week. My area is just outside the actual city of Chalchuapa and it’s just like a normal suburb area, the streets are all dirt and stuff but the houses are almost all brick or cinder block, so you could say it’s a little nicer housing than where I was in Pushtán.

My companion is Elder Hernandez from Nicaragua and he’s just starting out his mission. He was actually the companion of Elder Barrios in the CCM who I just finished training... He’s a little bit young but he likes to work hard so things should be just fine. He’s a recent convert of a little over a year and so he doesn’t understand a lot of the doctrine yet and can’t teach much either but it’s a great chance I have to teach him while I’m teaching the people in my area at the same time!

So saying goodbye to all the people in Nahuizalco was literally one of the hardest things I have done in my entire life. We only have one day to say goodbye to everyone so last Tuesday was the day to do it. We went to the family Cruz first, which are two of my converts Diana and Daniela and it was super emotional for some reason. The whole family was just like crying the entire time and it made me fell real sad. But they gave me a tie and told me some really nice things and stuff so that was awesome. We went to Jose Sanchez, which is a guy we reactivated and is now preparing for the mission. He was extremely grateful for the time we took to help him out and that made me feel awesome as well. We visited the Hna Blanca, which was hard for me because I love that family a ton and have spent so much time with them, but such is mission life as well. Pretty much the whole day I was just so sad but I know it’s just how life in the mission is. The hardest was saying bye to the Familia Tadeo, which is a recent convert family that just treats the missionaries so well. They make you feel like you are just members of their family and are literally there for any little thing you need. Every time I entered their home I could feel the spirit and they always brought a smile to my face. I bought a sweet plaque thing for them that said ¨Familia Tadeo Una Familia Eterna¨ and they loved it. The Hna Tadeo just sat there and cried for like 6 minutes solid. What I learned at the end of the day was that I really had come to love the people of Nahuizalco. Every single night I prayed to gain a true love for the people and I know I was able to get it in the end. I felt so sad leaving and being in my new area because I had just missed everyone in Nahui so much, but I know I now have to focus on loving the people here in Buena Vista.

The General Conference was SO awesome and there were so many talks that I just loved. It’s pretty much impossible to say my favorite but I’m pretty sure the talk that Pres. Eyring gave in the Priesthood session was my favorite. As missionaries we literally have to do everything possible to have the spirit with us every single second because it is so crucial for us to have the success we want. His message was so powerful and just really hit me hard to strive my very best to have the spirit with me in every thing I do. And it almost always starts with your thoughts, so this week I’m going to focus on keeping my thoughts as pure as possible to better have the spirit with me.

That’s all the time I’ve got this week but pretty much I love being a missionary even though its super hard at times, its worth it. I’m excited to work back here in Chalchuapa and know I will be able to find people waiting for the blessings of the gospel! Have a marvelous week family! Love you!

Elder Crump

"Saying goodbye to the Familia Bran, a family that literally lives on tortillas and beans every single day because they have nothing else to eat. But, boy oh boy, are they humble!"

"Saying goodbye to the Familia Cruz... Diana and Daniela were my converts and they just were crying like the whole hour I was there to say goodbye. Even the dad couldn't stop. It was a rough time for me."

Hna Blanca and her family.

Cake from the Familia Tadeo.

Familia Tadeo - "Familias Son Eternas"