Doctor visit and transfer to Quetzaltenango.

Hola familia,

Hey well, this has been a crazy week. I have been all over the mission and had all sorts of changes. First of all, I did receive a lot of packages and letters this week. Thank you, to all who sent me stuff! It was great and I can't thank you enough. It was kind of weird because all the missionaries received their monthly money 3 days late. Strange, because it is automatically done from Salt Lake so all my Latino companions were having me call Elder F--. He is the financial guy for this mission and he is from the States so they wanted me to call because I can speak English. Eventually it was all worked out and it is back to normal but I think it was good for some missionaries because they learned the importance of the recommended emergency fund. A lot of missionaries don't have emergency funds because they want to spend, but it was a good lesson.

The week was a bit different as we came into Xela (Quetzaltenango) to talk with President and to have a doctors appointment for my leg. We got on a bus in Huehue and the capacity for the bus was 40 but we had about 80 or 90 passengers. That is just how they do it down here. So that was a fun experience especially when the rides are like Indiana Jones.  It's like jello the whole way, but we arrived and went to the doctor. The doctor we saw was very good. She studied here for 4 years and like 6 or 8 more in California and she spoke perfect English...so that was nice. She checked out my leg and measured the diameter and it was 4 centimeters smaller than the other one so she said I need an MRI. She called the clinic where the MRI is and asked when they could get me in. They said in 10 minutes or 2 days, so we were like shoot. We need to call the doctor for Central America, we need a signed paper from the president, and we need to get there. The Church employs a taxi driver and he was there in like a minute and we were off. I had my MRI after about an hour of waiting and it took about 30 minutes longer than I thought it would. Then we had to wait an hour for them to develop. So...the results are that while in the MTC I tore 2 of my quads and because I kept walking on them and didn't immobilize them, I stretched out the muscle and the lump in my leg is a hematoma. It's pretty big and she was surprised I was walking with it. The doctor wanted me in a hip to ankle cast for 4 weeks then after physical therapy, but the Church doctor has some other stuff in mind. I don't have all the details yet, but I will let you guys know next week. The good news is that I don't need surgery which all the nurses thought I was going to. I was ready for anything.

It was pretty late after all this was done, so we called President and he said they had a hotel for us because we wouldn't be able to get back that night. The next day we woke up and went with the assistants to Huehue for our bags and to pay our rent and all sorts of stuff. After that we drove 3 hours to Quiche and came in the back way to Xela, which was the most beautiful drive! It was awesome. Yesterday was great because I got to ride through the whole mission and see everything. I am grateful for the opportunity to spend some time with the assistants and get to know them. They are great missionaries. So, now I am in the office and I am seeing my fate for the next little while and I don't know what to think about it yet, but I like it so far. Also, I am grateful for the opportunity to get to know my mission president. He is an awesome man and is called of God. I am loving getting to know him better, but I am learning a lot from my trials. It is all for the better like it says in D&C. It says it's how you endure the trials and only after your trial of faith will you receive an answer and blessings. So I am keeping strong and my spirits are high. Always have the big picture of our life here on earth in your sights, because from that understanding comes the details and direction to achieve your ultimate goal.

Love you guys and talk to you next week.

Love,

Elder Reinhold

View of Huehuetenango.

Had a couple of Mexican companions this week.  We had fun.

First snake I've seen and it's a little guy.

With Moker Donald.

(Comment from Jake's mom:  We talked to him on the phone this morning.  He sounds great.  He is in a house right near the mission home with the APs, secretaries, and another injured missionary who is his companion.  He has a broken leg.  I think I need I photo of this!  He was telling us about driving through Guatemala and this little bit made us smile.  When he was in 6th grade he was at a charter school and he had a hard time sitting at a desk so he would bring gadgets and things to play with or take apart inside his desk.  The inside of his desk looked like a junk yard.  His teacher was accommodating and put him at the back of the class so he could tinker.  The administration was not accommodating and made her move him to the front and they were ordering him a special desk.  It was quite a problem until there was a power outage and he was the only person in the building with a flashlight! :)  He has quite a flashlight collection.  In fact, his dad ordered a flashlight from China to be sent to him in Guatemala for Christmas because it can't be Christmas without a new flashlight.  He said the roads are so narrow and winding that even on the highway a normal car wouldn't be able to make the turns.  One of the APs in the car got so sick that they had to pull over so he could throw up, but it was really dangerous at that place in the road because there were semi trucks and things speeding by.  He said for some reason they weren't very visible but LUCKILY he had his flashlight with the strobe on it!   It's justification for his love of and the usefulness of flashlights on a mission.)