[This is a Q&A exchange because Kollin was feeling pretty
exhausted from helping in efforts from the day before. He said it has been a very sad situation
there in Guatemala, and the two areas affected the worst that were destroyed
were both areas he has served in on his mission.]
Mondays are my p-days with this transfer, but this past
Monday we went to Esquintla to help with the volcano efforts. Hopefully, Braeden gets his stuff (Visa)
soon. He will finish his mission after
me now, huh?!? That’s crazy. I am hoping
Dalton will let me Facetime when he opens his call since I received permission.
That will be awesome! And, I’m going to beat you in finishing Jesus the
Christ. There is so much information in
that book. Thanks for all your support.
Q. Did you get pictures yesterday? And how is it going?
A. Nope. And por alli.
Q. What does that mean?
A. Por alli means like, around there. Not sure how to
explain it. Haha. It kind of means “more or less.”
Q. Would you please write about cleaning up? And a little
about what your comp is like? Did you see any friends when you went to clean up
(like elders/sisters)? I don’t want you to forget.
A. I won’t forget. Ever. It would be difficult to.
Q. What did you work on? Sweeping/shoveling ash? Were the
people hopeful or just very sad?
A. It wasn’t clean up. We moved a ton of water, truckloads
of it, to a warehouse for storage for all of the people. There were more than 50 missionaries helping
and they were all from only our mission. I helped unload the trucks and helped
in organization. It was funny because I took charge in a lot of it. Haha. We
didn’t see the people, but I’ve seen the news.
Lots of sadness.
Q. Were any of the areas off limits or still hot to the
point of melting shoes? Is there anything needed that or YM/YW could work on
for kits or shoes or anything or is the church and outside groups helping?
A. Nope. EL Rodeo is destroyed; covered in ash. L Everything is being
taken care of by the church here as well as other groups. The church in Hunapu was set up as a medical
center and the stake center in Escuintla set up for housing. A lot of orphan children that need homes.
Q. I’ll bet it was an amazing site to see all of you working
together. Can you get your hands on any
pictures since yours were erased?
A. I’m not sure. But,
yeah…it was a lot of fun. Lots of sore
muscles. We worked, literally, all day.
Q. Did the children lose their parents or were many already
orphans? Will they not let the missionaries in to the areas of destruction
because they’re still dangerous?
A. They lost their parents. There were many infants found
grasped in the arms of their mothers and were protected because of them. SOOO many babies and children were found. And
I think it is because it is still so dangerous that we cannot go help there.
Q. Is anyone from El Rodeo that you knew missing? Was El
Rodeo closest or were there closer areas affected?
A. No. All of the members, I think, got out safe. El Rodeo
and El Zapote were both destroyed. I
served in both places. ;/
Q. Where were the other missionaries who were currently
serving in those areas at the time it happened?
A. They were in Hunapu at the time. For church.
Q. How far are you from Lake Atitlan? I read it is
considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. And what is your companion like?
A. I’m pretty far from the lake, but I think we will be able
to go there. My comp, Elder Chavez, is super cool. He’s from Honduras, and he’s
super short. (Editor’s note: As opposed to the other 4’10 Guatemalans? ;)) I’ll
send pics next week.
I hope all is well at home. I have to go, but I love you
all! Bye!
Elder Whelan
