Cow Foot Soup

Hey Family!

So I don't have a ton of time but I finally got another letter! The one that you sent with the newspaper clipping! Here's a funny story real quick...but before let me give you a background story. So for lunch we eat at a members house that doesn't have much. That's why we pay them to cook for us and stuff. But anyway, we eat a lot of soup and stuff which is really good. And every once in a while she puts pieces of meat in there and just remember it's not super expensive meat so sometimes I've always wondered what part of the cow I'm eating haha but have never had the courage to ask. So one time I found myself gnawing on a weird piece of meat that looked kind of like a hoof...hmmm...

So yesterday an investigator invited us over for...yep....what they like to call cow foot soup. They cook a soup that usually has the foot in it but sometimes it's the stomach or other part like that but yesterday we ate the foot. It was a little bit more prepared so it was easier to eat and it wasn't quite the hoof. But I liked it! It was also really fatty and came right off the bone! Super rico! I've eaten some interesting things here and there are times where I just have to keep my head up and not look at what I'm eating or just tell myself it's not that bad or that it's just a regular something else haha. I miss and love you all!

Love Elder Markham

Garrett's testimony of why he is serving a Mission

Hey everyone!

This week was awesome! I completed my training in the mission and Saturday was my 4 month mark! Pretty fast and crazy huh? We get....the call...tomorrow night if we have changes. I am excited to see more places and stuff but I will be very sad to leave many people like the Zepeda family. But I guess that's all part of the mission. So I was lied to last week haha. They said we were going to a professional stadium...that just means renting out a nice small turf thing to play on. It was still super fun though! And hot . I got a little red. Today we are going to eat at burger king. We got coupons and I'm going to have a feast!!!!! Then we are going to a nearby lake and take pictures and stuff so we'll see how that goes! My Spanish is a little better every week but still kind of stressful since I just want to be the perfect missionary already. I have to remind myself that I can only do my best and that I've still got time haha. But I've become pretty good at taking what I can understand and guess at what the people are saying! It works most of the time...This week we taught a bunch of people. I've been able to feel the love for every investigator that we have and it helps me want to help them more. One investigator has come to church the past two weeks and a baptism. He is doing everything we invite him to do including all the reading and praying and we are even tying to help him overcome his addiction to smoking! He is progressing so much but he doesn't quite feel ready to accept a date for his baptism yet. He doesn't have a whole lot and lives with his sister. He's about 40 something. He also explained his story about his brother which made me so sad but it just helps me love him more and I am so thankful for this chance to bring happiness to these people. There's nothing else I would rather be doing then this work right now. I know that this church is true and nothing could ever make me say otherwise! I love you all so much and miss you all!

Love Elder Markham

**Garrett explained further to me that they past a couple of guys on the street that were talking and they just said "Hi" as they past.  One of the guys was this gentleman's brother and he told Garrett that his brother says very unkind things to him and doesn't treat him very well.  This is very heartbreaking to Garrett because he has such a close relationship with his own brothers that he can't help but feel very bad for his friend.  It is experiences like this that help Garrett love his mission and be happy to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and have the opportunity to teach people how they can be with their families forever.

Learning to make pupusas

Hey Family!

This week was great! This next week is my last week of training so I'm very excited to see what awaits me next week! This week we went to the Zepeda house and they showed us how to cook pupusas! They were so good and I got the hang of it pretty fast! I can't wait to make some for you guys! So we made a bunch super quick...then it quickly turned into them making all of them and me eating all of them haha. But it was great! We had chicken and cheese pupusas, onion, and pumpkin pupusas! I'm not a fan of the pumpkin pupusas because they make them from the green pumpkins...haha but I love the chicken and onion pupusas. We can't eat the pork ones or we get sick. I don't have too much time today because we are getting ready to go play soccer in a professional stadium! I love you all! 

Love Elder Markham

Happy New Year!

Happy 2015!!!!

This week was crazy! We couldn't sleep New Years because of all the fireworks and stuff going off! But Saturday we had the baptism for Karen Zepeda! It was great! She was crying after we confirmed her and she is a huge example to her family. This week we are going to try to set a date for her sister to be baptized. She had a question about baptisms for the dead so she wasn't sure but I think we answered the question last night and hopefully after that and seeing her sister baptized she is ready too!

We found a less active family this week and we are bringing them back to church! We talked to them for the first time last week and already they came to church twice and I think two or three baptisms! They also have a son who isn't a member and his wife who isn't a member. The mom really wants him to be baptized so we are going to start teaching him. It's just very hard to see the state they are in right now. They don't have much and they are all very sick. But I am very glad to be one of the people to bring the church back into their lives and help them because I know that this Gospel blesses lives!

We didn't have that ping pong tourney last week sadly....maybe today...And I am enjoying all the yummy food you sent! My Spanish is getting better every week but slowly. I have tons to learn still! I miss you all and love you all so much!

Love Elder Markham

Loving the work...and play!

Hey family!

So first me and my companion must have eaten something on Christmas because we were a bit sick but still happy and working hard! We had the baptism of Ronald Jefferson this Saturday and Sunday! And no he's not American. I got to do the confirmation and that was hard! But only because my Spanish isn't quite perfect yet. But it's 100 times better! I can talk and have pretty good conversations with people but it's still far from perfect. This Saturday is the baptism of one of the sisters in the Zepeda family and she wants me to do the baptism! I'm so excited! Its going to be my third baptism! I'm hoping that after her baptism, the rest of the family will want to be baptized!  Also on Sunday I had to direct the music during sacrament meeting which was weird because the person that usually does it was sitting in the front row! So while I struggled she sat there and laughed at me....don't ask me why haha I will never understand this country. haha. The other week I played basketball with a guy that played on the national basketball team. He was soooo good..(they usually only know how to play soccer) But anyway, the guy was good but he was better than Stephen or Trevor. I'm also very bad at basketball right now because I haven't played in forever. I'm also losing all my muscle and my legs are getting very small. How much did you guys get to workout Brock and Brad? Today for this pday we are having a ping pong tourney! I'm excited but well see how it goes since its been a while... I love you all! 

Love Elder Markham

Rigged out of his clothes!

Hi family!

So this week was awesome! We had a fun little Christmas thing on Wednesday. We played tons of games, ate amazing food, and had some Christmas plays.

The games were awesome! We played hugger mugger! I should have won but in JJ's words...I got rigged out of my clothes like 1982! I lasted for a while and could see the finish line ahead...then they called the number and everyone fought for their place. But since no one would let go, they decided to count off random people that would stay in instead of letting us fight to the death. So yes I was unlucky and was kicked out because they didn't count me...Puchica!!!! We also played human Foosball and dodge ball and stuff. Which was also rigged because I was one of the last people on my team in. There was maybe one or two others and the other team had a bunch. I was getting them all out then the person called time and since the other team had more people they won. 

Then on Saturday we helped the Zepeda family make bread. It was soooo good! Then they let me make whatever I wanted so I made a missionary and Santa. Then they put frosting on them and they were so good! 

So here's the big news! on Christmas morning we are going to skype at 8:45 our time. I don't know the time difference. All i know is that its 10:45 here. SO how's it going to work? Are you going to call me when I log on? Please write back quickly!

Elder Markham