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.