I am in Honduras!

Hola!

So I am in Honduras! I am in a city called Santa Rosa, which is about three hours from San Pedro Sula in the mountains. We flew in last Tuesday and it was absolutely beautiful flying in. We slept at the Presidente's apartment, which was absolutely lovely and beautiful and the bed was soooo comfy. 

Let's just say I am so grateful for every single lick of Spanish I had before the mission, because mi companera is from Panama. I have been learning a lot of charades and how to figure out what someone is saying when I do not know any of the words they are saying. It definitely does not help when they have no teeth. Luckily though I know that I know a lot more than the other new missionaries. Usually I can figure out what is going on, so that is super good. My goal is after one month here to be super profficient :)

There is a lot of work to do here! There are a lot of inactives in our little rama (branch). We have visited quite a few of them and a lot just do not seem to have any desire to change. We also have a good amount of investigators, but it is very hard because many of them do not fulfill their compromisos (I can't remember what that is in English... like reading the Book of Mormon or going to church). Also many people work every Sunday. It is crazy. It is very hard. We have one investigator who wants to be baptized, but she never reads and you have to come to church three times before baptism, and she has not come yet. We also have another investigator who we invited to baptism, and she said yes, but she works every Sunday for the next month. There are definitely a lot of challenges here.

Anyways a little about life here in Santa Rosa. It is really poor, and a good amount of people cannot read. This makes things even harder. Also, for the next eighteen months, I have decided my hair is going in a ponytail with a braid. I get.... a lot of stares. One day I wore my hair down, and I think it was one of the worst decisions in my entire life. Mi companera is good about taking care of me though :)

I love being in lessons and teaching people though. Despite the hardships, there is still something magical about teaching the words of God. The other day we were in a lesson, and it was a bedroom (which is many peoples houses) and we had three people there, and then mi companera and I. We were teaching about the first vision, and the sweetest most powerful Spirit came into the room after I read Joseph Smith's experience. Another day we were in another house that is the size of a bedroom, and there were three people on one bed, another person and mi companera and I on another bed, and then three others. It was pretty intense. Every time I visit someone I am reminded of the countless blessings I have. On Sunday we went with a member to an area we are not allowed to go to unless we get a referrel. We went there, and I realized that the people I was suprised by before, are actually really rich compared to others. We have a lot.

This week the Lord has taught me so much. I have learned that the Lord is definitely going to be trying me and testing me the next 17 months. Every day I find myself with a new challenge and hardship, but I know the Lord is by me the whole time. The other day I was reading in 2 Nefi and it said you are the work of my hands. I realized that the Lord did make me, and he is still changing me, and he is making me into a new work. A lot of times it is really hard though. In one devotional we watched in the CCM, Elder Holland talked a lot about how the Lord wants our hearts as missionaries. He wants all of us, and how so many times we focus on the investigators (which is important) but we forget that the Lord is really shaping us. I have been thinking a lot about that this week, because in this first area I may not get a baptism, and I may not increase the attendance in our rama (although I hope to) but I will give my whole heart to the Lord. 

Well I love you all! Hugs and kisses. 

P.S. My P days are now on Mondays all the time! Except for next Monday, it will be on Tuesday, but then after that it will be back to being on Monday.