The Beautiful Work of Temples!

This week I have been thinking a lot about the Savior Jesus Christ and everything he has done for us. This probably started when I started reading the Pearl of Great Price. I love the Pearl of Great Price, it is absolutely beautiful! Lucky for me, my comp started reading it too, but she is about two chapters behind me. So during companionship study, I get to break the ice and tell her what happens in two chapters, and she gets to remind me about what I read the day before. I love it because truly we learn so much about the creation and the manner of God. Also, about the power of Christ and the power of Satan, and how both of them are working hard-- one to save us, the other to destroy us. I also love how in these chapters we learn about the Plan of Salvation and about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Truly the lessons we teach every day God taught Adam and his family. However, my favorite part is in Moses 7 when we learn about Christ, and his ministry, and also about those who were in prison being released (Moses 7:57) ¨And as many of the spirits as were in prison came forth, and stood on the right hand of God¨ Truly the plan of God all works together.
So I have been thinking a lot about the temple, and the saving ordiances we do there. This Sunday the youth came back from a temple trip. To go to the Tegucigalpa temple from here in Santa Rosa is about a 9 hour bus ride. To be able to go without paying each one had to index 1,000 names! On Sunday each youth and leader who went bore their testimonies. It was absolutely beautiful as each one shared their testimony about indexing and how powerful it was to do the work for their ancestors. Truly temple work is powerful and a way people can be saved! Which just made me miss the temple so much, but it is okay because luckily in Utah we have a million, and I can visit all of them after :)

After church we had our mission meeting with our branch mission leader. He is super awesome, and he got to go with the youth to the temple. He was telling us the different stories of things that happened while they were in the temple, and other stories that he had heard. Truly this is the work of the Lord, and the people in the Spirit World are much closer than we can imagine!

This week also went well. This past Sunday we had three different less active families in church! We were so happy. Each week we are seeing the miracles that God is blessing us with! This is truly the work of the Lord. I love getting to feel the Spirit every day, and getting the opportunity to testify of the truths of the gospel. I am falling more and more in love with this area and the people here. Right now the flowers are absolutely gorgeous here in Santa Rosa, and sometimes there is a million butterflies and it is absolutely magical. I love getting to serve here in Honduras, and truly I have learned that the most important things in the world is God, the church, and our families. Here so many people live on so little, and they are extremely happy. So many times we get lost in the things of the world, and what we need to do is refocus on the things that are important. Because truly what will we take with us when we die? What do we want when we make it to the other world? We will want to be with God and our family, and the church is the way we get there. Happiness in this life is only gained through living the gospel and being close to those we love.

Well I love you all, and I hope you are feeling the Spirit of Elijah like I have been feeling lately since listening to all the testimonies this past Sunday :) Happy Pioneer´s Day!

This photo is because I am madly in love with the Tegucigalpa temple, even though I have never been there :D One day! 

True Shepherds

Well this week on Wednesday we had a night of games with the branch. I have to say, at first I had a bit of fear as six o clock rolled around and there was almost no one there. However, by the end of the night, our sacrament room was full of people! We had a bunch of less actives and non members, it was great! And we found a good handful of new people to teach which is wonderful! Then, yesterday, for our sacrament meeting, our sacrament meeting was FULL. There almost was not an empty seat! Such a MIRACLE!! We had 126 people in our sacrament meeting, which was such a miracle! For lunch in our apartment my companion and I did our freak out dance of joy. 

I also have to say, that I have found a huge change in this area. The first few weeks I was here, it felt like we would contact, contact, contact, and everyone would reject us. Now, it feels like almost everyone accepts us to let us teach them! Catholics, evangelicals, grandparents, creepy men, it is great! Even yesterday during the finals of the World Cup we found people that would let us teach them. Sometimes if we can feel they are super anti we just share a scripture in the Bible or story of Jesus Christ to help them feel that we too believe in the Bible and Christ. I also got hugged twice this week. It was a little ahhhhh. But one was by a cute grandpa who did not really understand, but the other one was by a friend of a member which was super awkward. Luckily my companion understands the work "awkward" so we just go around saying that every time people start doing things we do not approve of. Awkward! Awkward! 

We also have some investigators that are progressing nicely, which is great! We also have a few families that need to get married, so we will have to be patient and search for Gods help. We have also been finding a bunch of less actives which is also super great. We have just been contacting, and then, out of nowhere "oh yeah, I am a member of your church" What?! So we are excited to try and help people come back to the fold. 

This week I was studying on how to better help less actives. I had a thought of a talk that the bishop{s wife had shared in Relief Society in my old ward, "True Shepherds." I rememberd that the lesson was super powerful, and that I only understood half of what she was saying since I was still a newbie in the mission. I scoured my Liahona{s and found the talk. I read it, and came across a super powerful story that drew tears to my eyes.
"Home teaching answers many prayers and permits us to see the transformations which can take place in people’s lives.
An example of this would be Dick Hammer, who came to Utah with the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Depression. He met and married a Latter-day Saint youngwoman. He opened Dick’s Café in St. George, Utah, which became a popular meeting spot.
Assigned as home teacher to the Hammer family was Willard Milne, a friend of mine. Since I knew Dick Hammer as well, having printed the menus for his café, I would askmy friend Brother Milne when I visited St. George, “How is our friend Dick Hammer coming?”
The reply would generally be, “He’s coming, but slowly.”
When Willard Milne and his companion visited the Hammer home each month, they always managed to present a gospel message and to share their testimonies with Dickand the family.
The years passed by, and then one day Willard phoned me with good news. “Brother Monson,” he began, “Dick Hammer is converted and is going to be baptized. He is in his90th year, and we have been friends all our adult lives. His decision warms my heart. I’ve been his home teacher for many years.” There was a catch in Willard’s voice as heconveyed his welcome message.
Brother Hammer was indeed baptized and a year later entered that beautiful St. George Temple and there received his endowment and sealing blessings.
I asked Willard, “Did you ever become discouraged as his home teacher for such a long time?”
He replied, “No, it was worth every effort. As I witness the joy which has come to the members of the Hammer family, my heart fills with gratitude for the blessings the gospelhas brought into their lives and for the privilege I have had to help in some way. I am a happy man.”
As I read that he went to the St. George temple to receive his endowments, where I too received my endowments, touched my heart so deeply. I love this story and the perseverance and love of this man! May we all put this same love in our hearts and minds as we serve and visit others. Maybe it will take them until they are 90 years old, but one soul that comes to Christ is worth every effort! I also found another great talk by Elder Eyring where he talked about the blessings he had when he was a Priest to do visits with the Bishop of his ward, and how they visited many people who he had never met or seen at church. Yet, they visited with love and perseverance. As I have had the opportunity to work with different leaders here, I have seen a huge difference. One of my heroes here on the mission was the Stake President in my old area. He was super young, I am pretty sure he was younger than 30, and he had two young children. Every Sunday when he could him and his wife visited less actives. He was always so willing to leave with us, and he knew so much about Christ and the scriptures. I have also seen other leaders, that as we talk about less actives, look at us and say "they are never coming back" and not even believe it is worth the effort. However, I know that they are the Lord{s children and it is our job to help bring the Lord{s children back to him!

I know we are here to be the Lord{s hands on the Earth, and that through visiting others we can truly bring them closer to Christ, and that there is never an effort that is wasted! 

Love you all!

My old zone!

Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad

JULY! I cannot believe it is already July. Today I was counting on my hand how many months we have already past in the year, and it is SEVEN. SEVEN MONTHS have already passed, and here I am HALFWAY with my mission. What has happened?!? Suddenly I have no desire to ever end my mission and just want to hang out here in Honduras forever, eating baleadas and pollo con tajadas. 

This week we had eight investigators in church! Seriously it is higher than I ever imagined. I was in awe as more and more kept trickling in. And, one of our families who haven´t come to church for probably a year came yesterday! I was pretty much freaking out with joy and happiness. I have to say these moments make up for it when you pass by for people before church, and suddenly they are ¨going to go wash clothes¨or she told me to tell you that she is sleeping. What was amazing was that the wife of a member came to church. He is super inactive, but we have been visiting them when we can find them. On Saturday we went and they told us they weren´t coming to church because they were going to go grocery shopping. Suddenly we started trying to explain all of the blessings of the church and why they should come. At the end the husband told us that they were going to come. He didn´t come, but amazingly she chose to come with her daughter. So awesome! Also one of our youth that we were ready to stop visiting came (Finally!).

This past Sunday we did a fast as a mission to be able to find the Lord´s chosen and to have more baptisms as a mission, especially as the Lord is hastening his work. I truly believe the Lord answered our fast quickly as he prompted and helped people to come to church!

This week I suddenly realized something. It is no longer hard for me to study for an hour personally and for an hour with my companion. I love it. I look forward to it. The rules that used to be so hard and annoying to obey have suddenly become easy and non important. I have truly seen the blessings that come as we are obedient, even when we do not understandy the reason why we need to be obedient. Suddenly I think of my Savior and my Heavenly Father, and how I do not want to dissapoint them. I do not want to ever look in the eyes of my Father and see dissapointment or sadness. Rather, I want him to look at me with joy for everything I have done. I have made a new goal for the last half of my mission, to truly come to know my Father and my Savior. I want to say that I truly know them. This verse struck me so hard the other day when I read it, ¨This is eternal lives—to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he...¨ (D&C 132:24). We can start our eternal life here if we know God and Jesus Christ. And truly, I know that we can know them if we choose to draw near unto them.

In honor of yesterday when it was Fast Sunday, I want to bear my testimony that I know God lives! I have felt his presence so strongly in my life. I know my brother, Jesus Christ, is my Savior and redeemer, and that through him, I can become perfected. I know that only through this gospel can we be truly happy and feel the joy of the Heavens. I know that as we draw nearer unto them, our lives will be filled with joy. I know Joseph Smith prayed and saw God the father and his son, Jesus Christ, and that later he received all of the keys and ordiances of the gospel. I know President Monson is our prophet, and that he leads the church under the direction of none other than our Savior Jesus Christ. I know that this is the gospel of Jesus Christ, and this is a gospel of joy! 

 

I love these words from Joseph Smith in section 128

 22 Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and beexceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was,that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.
 23 Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills,flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars singtogether, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear fromheaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!
 24 Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and likefuller’s soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord anoffering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in hisholy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.

This one is a huge butterfly we found outside our apartment.

This one is my companion and I doing service. We moved all of these blocks (yes, my arms are sore today)!

This one is when we were eating today for lunch.

The BIGGEST BALEADAS in the Worrrrrld

Halfway?!?

This week we got to go to San Pedro to here a beautiful message from none other than Elder Ochoa! It was beautiful, he talked about faith. Faith is something that I feel like we can never truly understand, and we can never have enough faith. We can always build our faith more. He also said that there are thousands of prepared children of God, but many times we, as missionaries, just need to exercise more faith to find them! His message was absolutely beautiful. 

This week we have made some changes, we have stopped visiting quite a few people, in pursuit to find new people. We found one of them the other day as we were walking. He was sitting on the side of the road, and we decided to contact him. He told us that he had heard about the church, and that one of his familiar had invited him, but had never told him where it was or at what time. We quickly told him all of the above information, then we had a lesson about how important it is to act. On Sunday he showed up at church with his daughter! 

We also were walking, when someone told us "goodbye Hermanas!" I looked at him and had no idea who he was. I went back to talk to him, and he told us that he was here from Tegucigalpa with his family. He is sick and he is here in Santa Rosa for treatment. We invited him to come to church, and I thought he was a member. He showed up with his daughter on Sunday, and we got to talk to him a little bit more. He said that he is not actually a member, but wants to get baptized here in Santa Rosa. 

We are also teaching another hermano who knew the Elders when he was a boy in Ocotopeque (Ocotopeque is about 2 hours more in the mountains from here in Santa Rosa). He has a lot of interest in the church, and this last Saturday we got to meet his wife and his son.  The first time we had a lesson with him we didn´t go because something came up, and when we went the next day he asked us why we hadn´t come. This is a strange thing, very very rarely do people ask us why we didn´t show up! 

We also contacted a girl who was standing outside of her house, and she was super sweet and wanted us to come. As we were walking away a man walked up to her and started saying all sorts of things about ¨ those Mormons.¨ It was crazy seeing how much hatred he had. Truly, this gospel is a gospel of love, not of hatred. 

It is interesting that out of the twenty people we talk to a day, maybe one will be receptive and want to hear more. Truly sometimes God wants us to work hard to see the miracles! But I know when we work hard, and when we exercise our faith and open our mouths, he will bless us and help us find his children.

Yesterday we got on the spot opportunity to give talks in church. It was great having the opportunity to testify that truly I know, Jesus Christ is my Savior, and that this is his church. The Lord does not change, and even if we stand alone, we must stand strong and proclaim the truth. We truly need to have more faith and search more for the Savior. I know when we do this, he will create miracles in our lives. He is our Lord, and our redeemer, and I love my Savior.

Things which cannot be taught, but can be learned

So this week was my companion´s birthday! We went and ate Chinese food as a district, and I had it all planned that we were going to a members house for cake. However, Honduras happened to be playing in the World Cup the same day as her birthday (thanks a lot Honduras!) So we were sent to our apartments. We bought two slices of cake and celebrated missionary style. On Sunday I had it all set up with our member to go over, and then surprise two friends of my companion came into Santa Rosa! So we had pizza with them, then after we went to the members to the biggest plate of noodles I have seen in my life. I did not know if they had the cake or not, and I assumed no since they did not say anything. Then after, when I thought I was going to die, in came the cake. Ahhhhhhh. We left walking like rolly polly s. Then, in our next appointment, it was the birthday of the mom, and so they gave us more cake. I tried to tell them we had an appointment and had to go super quick, so they just decided they needed to feed us faster. My companion and I looked at each other, convinced that we were going to die! 5,000 calories later, we decided that it was the prime opportunity to fast, because there was not going to be any eating after the massive feast we had just had. 

We also had a miracle yesterday. One day about two weeks ago we were walking in a road (it is not quite a road, more like a dirt path) and there was this lady with a daughter with blonde hair. Every once in a while craziness happens in Honduras and they have a child with light hair, who has light hair until they turn 12 or so. Anyways it is always the joke that they are my lost children. So we went to go and talk to her and ask her why she had my child. Come to find out, it wasn{t my lost child (crazy, right?) but she did tell us we could come and visit her. We found her house about a week later, and she was not there but three of her sister in laws were there. We shared a small message with them. They did not seem too interested, but we set another appointment. They also were so sweet and fed us lunch, which always makes me so humbled when I see people who have almost nothing sharing with us. It makes me realize how much more I need to share, and how selfish I have been my whole life. 

More craziness happened, a trip to San Pedro for immigration, and Honduras playing in the World Cup, so we did not make it back to visit them until last Friday. We met the dad and the mom. The dad is super crazy and funny. He used to be a drunk, but he has cleaned up his act! He works chopping grass with a machete in the mountains (cool, right?). He was super excited for us to be there, and they told us they would come to church. So we went and passed by to walk with them to the church, and the mom and dad and one of the daughter in laws came to church with us this Sunday. That morning I had prayed to help the Lord help me see his miracles. As were were walking to church they found a bag in the middle of the street full of food. It had lettuce, cilantro, and some other things in it. It was a pure miracle! Elsa (the mom) said it probably had around 100 limperas worth of food inside. For a lot of people, 100 limperas is a significant amount of money (and especially for them). Actually, for me too 100 limperas is a lot. It is funny how your perspective totally changes. But it was such a sign to me that God truly is a God of miracles, and he truly blesses us immediately when we obey him and his commandments!
And this Sunday, we had a breaking six investigators at church! I was way excited. Yes, I know six is not amazing (nothing like my old area in Campana) but it is amazing for here. We also had 120 people in Sacrament meeting! Wahoo. Last week we were so happy with 106, and this week totally beat everything. When I was here in Santa Rosa in November we usually had around 70 or 80. Such a change! The goal is for Copan to become a Stake, and to be a stake we need 120 people in church every week to be able to become wards and stakes. So we are working hard to make it happen! 

We also had God leading us this week. Our lesson fell through, so we went to go and visit a different investigator. We rang the doorbell, and no one answered, and we saw a woman carrying a bunch of bags. So we ran to go and help her. She told us that she lived far away, and we were like, hey, we have got time right now. So we walked with her and her bags to her house. After we shared a small message with her and left. When we left, we realized we were two doors away from a less active hermano. We had never actually met him, but a member had shown us where he lived. We had passed by another time, and we had had him in our agendas to visit him almost every day, and it just never happened. Well, God definately wanted us to visit him because there we were two doors from his house. And miracles of miracles, he was there! We found him and his family. They did not quite make it to church this Sunday, but we are definately going to work on it.

Also today for my personal study I was reading in the general conference Ensign (because we finally got it! Wahooo). And I got to read the talk The Witness by Elder Packer. I watched all of conference in Spanish, so it is nice getting to read in English and understanding some of the things I totally missed the first time. This talk is so powerful! The last two paragraphes are absolutely stunning as he witness that he truly knows the Savior. I love it though because before in the talk Elder Packer gives us the formula of how we can know the Savior too. He tells us that these are things ¨...which cannot be taught but can be learned¨ He explains that we need personal prayer and pondering joined with fasting amd scripture study. After the Holy Ghost will teach us precept upon precept and help us learn more and more about the Savior, until we too can come to know the Savior. So powerful! So my new goal is to do more prayer and pondering, and scripture study with fasting. (Maybe not as much fasting, a lot of times when it is fast sunday I feel like I am going to die here on the mission), but I am definately going to try.

Well I love you all! I hope you are all doing your best to help one another and be kind. I also love the talk by President Monson where he tells us that we will never regret being kind!

Have a great week! 

Love,

 

Hermana Harmon

See people as they may become

So I have a new companion! She is an adorable Chapina (Chapina's are people from Guatemala) and she is shorter than me. Yep, I am taller than people here (I know for some people this may be hard to believe!). This week we have decided to seriously kick it up and talk to everyone. Of the fifty people we talked to, we found someone absolutely amazing! Her name is Keisa (Lets be honest, I have no idea how to spell her name). On Sunday she was up and ready to leave with us, and in Sunday School she had the best comments and commentary. She is so legit. Sunday evening we went to visit her. Our sita was a little crazy, including her dad confessing his love to me in his drunken state (Thanks! I am pretty sure the whole time my companion just thought it was hysterical). But in walked in her aunt, and I kept starting at her, and I finally said "I know you, right?" and she said yes! We were walking one day and I told her how beautiful her hair was, but she lives way up high in the mountain where it is dangerous and we don't go. Then a few minuets later walked in her brother, and he kept looking at me, and then he said, "Don't you remember me?" And then I felt so bad, and was like "truthfully, no..." but then he reminded me how I knew him and it was all joy and happiness, and they are so amazing. The Lord works in miraculous ways! We are super excited to teach everyone. We are contacting like crazy, and our new goal is that everyone will know who the missionaries are! In my old area almost everyone knew who we were, and all the kids knew us. Here, some people know us, but it is a lot less. So we are going to try to contact like crazy. 

Also the other day we were walking. Normally when we walk past a group of men it is normally to here a bunch of cat calling and craziness. Sometimes if I feel like it I go give them a piece of the gospel to change their lives, and let them know we are representatives of Jesus Christ and their actions are not appropiate. Other days, it just doesn't happen. Yesterday we walked past a group of men, and one said "guapas!" and the others started repeating "guapas! guapas!" And then one got super creative, "guaponas!" Oh so creative. We were about two feet away and trying not to laugh hysterical. So now my companion is mi guapona :) 

Other than that things are going great. I will soon be a catratcha and receive my residency here in Honduras (say whaaat?). Also I was super excited to find out that the two new hermanas here in Copan are two of my great friends! The awesome thing about when there aren't a bunch of hermanas in the mission, and there aren't very many safe areas for hermanas, you all become friends and cross paths a bunch and it is awesome. 

GREAT NEWS I JUST RECEIVED!!!! Christian from my old area is getting baptized this Saturday!!! I am so happy I could cry. 

I also read this story this past week in a past general conference Ensign from President Monson, and it has totally changed my perspective on missionary work. 

In one particular meeting, N. Eldon Tanner, who was then an Assistant tothe Quorum of the Twelve, had just returned from his initial experience ofpresiding over the missions in Great Britain and western Europe. He told ofa missionary who had been the most successful missionary whom he hadmet in all of the interviews he had conducted. He said that as heinterviewed that missionary, he said to him, “I suppose that all of thepeople whom you baptized came into the Church by way of referrals.”

The young man answered, “No, we found them all by tracting.”

Brother Tanner asked him what was different about his approach—why hehad such phenomenal success when others didn’t. The young man saidthat he attempted to baptize every person whom he met. He said that if heknocked on the door and saw a man smoking a cigar and dressed in oldclothes and seemingly uninterested in anything—particularly religion—themissionary would picture in his own mind what that man would look likeunder a different set of circumstances. In his mind he would look at himas clean-shaven and wearing a white shirt and white trousers. And themissionary could see himself leading that man into the waters of baptism.He said, “When I look at someone that way, I have the capacity to bear mytestimony to him in a way that can touch his heart.”

We have the responsibility to look at our friends, our associates, ourneighbors this way. Again, we have the responsibility to see individualsnot as they are but rather as they can become. I would plead with you tothink of them in this way.

Well I love you all and hope you have a great week!! 

Here is a picture of some of the Hermanas in my zone. My companion is the first one to the left on top from me, the first one to the left is my dear friend from Campana, more to the left is my ex companion and amazing trainer, and the other gringa to the right was my companion for 15 days in a trio! Yeah. 

My new comp and I! And some other missionaries that wanted to be in our cute photo. 

Grace for grace.

This week I have learned lots of cool stuff, especially in the D and C thanks to an old D and C manual I found in an old box of books underneath our sink. And lucky me, this week I got lots of quality time studying as my companion was out for a few days (you gotta look on the bright side of being locked in an apartment when your comp is sick... :) The one thing that I kept seeming to learn over and over again were three distinct themes: Before this life we were pre destined and pre ordained, and the Lord gives us trials to strengthen us, and everything we learn in this life is based on our diligence and obedience. 

I read D and C 93:12-14, which talks about the Savior. 

12 And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first,but received grace for grace;

13 And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued fromgrace to grace, until he received a fulness;

14 And thus he was called the Son of God, because he received notof the fulness at the first.

I knew that the Savior didn`t always know about his divinity, nor of his role here on the Earth. However what really hit me was the verses afterwards, which talks about us. 

 19... that you maycome unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of hisfulness.

 20 For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of hisfulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, Isay unto you, you shall receive grace for grace.

I suddenly realized something I never realized before, that we too, like the Savior, need to learn our role here on the earth, and of our divinity. We too were pre ordained and pre destined before this world. How do we learn our role, and receive of a fulness? Through our faithfulness in keeping the commandments, and through our obedience and diligence. We too need to receive of "the fullness" as the Savior did, but we too, like the Savior, receive "grace for grace." However, it is our responsiblity to learn about our life before, and about our mission here on this life, because as it says in verse 24 "Ye were also in the beginning with the Father..." I read all of this on Friday. Somehow the Lord just likes to connect all of the little dots in my brain, when for Sunday the President of the Rama decided to teach our class Principles of the Gospel for our investigators (this is pretty rare.. like the first time ever, in my time here in Santa Rosa). We read in Job 38 "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?...7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of Godshouted for joy? 

I suddenly realized, where were we when God created the Earth? We were there. We shouted for joy. We knew of our plan, of our mission on the Earth. I have always known this, but somehow, I never quite believed it. I never quite believed that I was once there, shouting for joy as the Earth was created. We were all there. Then we came to Earth, and we forgot everything. We, like our Savior, our older brother, are here, on the Earth, living with the veil, trying to learn our mission. We too are here learning grace for grace, line for line, precept for precept. It is our job to learn. And if we don`t learn? We become the tares that are thrust out and thrown into the fire, or the seeds that never quite grow into plants. We have to keep learning, we have to keep growing through our faithfulness and obedience. And while we are here the Lord likes to try us an test us, to make sure that we are worthy. In D and C 98:14 he says: 

"...for I have decreed inmy heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things,whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that youmay be found worthy."

The Lord will prove us in all things, to know if we truly will be strong. This scripture was given to the Saints as they were in the midst of some of their heaviest persecution. The Lord will ask us to be a standard of the truth, and he will ask us to be strong and proclaim his word, amidst hardship and persecution. One of my favorite scripture heroes has always been Abinadi, as he stood for what was right while no one wanted to listen. When Abinadi died he had no idea that someone (Alma) had actually taken to heart what he had said. Yet he stood as a standard of truth, and he abided the Lords covenant, even unto death, and was found worthy. 

There are some days on the mission where you end the day, you go home, plan with your companion, then get into your bed, and think "man, this day has been rough." Yesterday was one of those days. We had a planned baptism, a pila that was full of water, a room full of people, and no baptism. Afterwards we went to the hospital to visit a member who, if I understood correctly, had a blood clot in his brain and now is in very fatal condition. I had never been to a hospital in Honduras, and lets just say, it isn`t really a sight that I ever want to see again. The thing that is heart wrenching, is that I know that people are lucky to be in that hospital, and it is probably a decent hospital for here. 

I didn`t realize how fatal this Hermano was. It was hard seeing him, in a state where he couldn`t interact with people. There were tubes all over his body, and his three children were there in a state of panic. What was even harder was seeing the line of beds, each a foot away from the other, all filled with men who were in fatal condition, suffering. Some how imagining our Savior suffering for every persons sicknesses and heartaches has suddenly becoming very more real for me. And doing the Father`s will? Even more real, even harder. The Lord doesn`t just ask for a little, he asks for everything, he asks us to give it all, and to give it willingly.    

Also this week one of the days my companion was sick one of the other Hermanas in the other area in Santa Rosa was also sick. So us two went out together, and I got to go back to some of the parts of my old area. It was definately a lot of dejavu going back. The people we once visited have long ago been dropped, but there is something about walking a long the same dusty, rocky, street and seeing the same teal house-- and realizing what a different person you have become in just seven months. How the things that once mattered have long ago been forgotten, and how things have truly been put into perspective. Sometimes as I pass people, and watch them as they stare at me, I think of our Savior, and how people must have stared at him. How he must have felt as people would draw near unto him, learn a little, and then just as quickly, reject him. We passed one house of an old investigator, and I saw her little girl run outside, and I felt my heart hurt a little, for how much I loved that little girl, and realizing that they had never accepted the gospel. How the Savior, too, must have hurt, and how he does hurt, for each one of us. 

I know that our Savior lives and that he loves us. I know that we are here for a reason, and that before, we lived, and we knew of our life here on Earth. We rejoiced, and we prepared. I know the Lord will try us in all things, to make sure that we are worthy of his Celestial glory. I know that we need to learn and grow. I know that this is the Church of Jesus Christ, and that he restored it through his servant, Joseph Smith. I know that we have a prophet today. I know that the gospel must be spread to every person, here, and in the after life. I know that we have so much work to do, and that the Lord is calling each and every one of us to join in the ranks, to lift those around us, and to help one another. May we be a little kinder, help one another, and never forget our brother who may be struggling.