A few miracles.

Welll...here we are.... another week and we are in November!

So for the most exciting and greatest news we had a BAPTISM!! Katie got baptized. Everything went well with her baptism :) and yesterday she was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! Her confirmation blessing was beautiful, full of rich blessings like a mission and marriage :) Probably one of the most powerful I have heard. 

Other than that we had another miracle. We were in the bus, and in came a women. We were talking to someone, and she sat down and asked us where the church was. She told us that she was a less active, and had been baptized as a little girl and wanted to go to church. Well, we asked where she lived and went to go visit her. She has a cute little boy, and is expecting another baby! She also lived with her little sister and her husband. She wants to bring her family to the church. She is so sweet, and we are so excited to teach her family. It is amazing how God works.

Also as a big surprise President Dester came to our zone meeting Tuesday. At the end he gave a few of his thoughts. He talked a lot about charity, and how we should always love one another, especially our companions and those around us. I love it when President Dester talks. I know this may sound a little crazy, but I would rather listen to him than a general authority. He just always know exactly what to say and how to say it, in a way that I need to hear it and apply it. Almost always I come out of an interview teary eyed because he is so loving and caring and knows what we need to hear. It always amazes me to see someone so in tuned with the Spirit.

We have also been teaching a super sweet family of evangelicals. She is such an inspiration to me, because she read the entire bible in a year, reading 10 chapter a day. Talk about dedication! She always leaves me thinking. Sometimes we just talk about bible sections an doctrine. It is really interesting.

Well I love you all. The gospel is true. We have to move forward one step at a time. Something that hit me in the baptism is a member was giving the welcome for Katie, and she said we will always have trials and difficulties, but at least the gospel makes things a little more manageable so that we can handle things a little better. Remember to Stay in the boat and hold on! as Elder Ballard said last conference. 

Have a great week!!!!

"levantar el rostro en alto porque el cielo esta nuestro recompensa"

Sometimes we find green friends in the streets of Honduras :D

The Power of Service

This week was super great :)

The rain started to pour, but we didn't get too drenched, so that was a blessing.

Yesterday was a crazy, beautiful day. We woke up to the rain pouring! And, our church starts at 8:20, and we needed to go pass by for Katie to go to church since the member who usually passes by for her was gone for vacations. So, we bundled up in our raincoats and umbrellas to fight the rain. And, victory! After our 30 minute walk to get to her house we fianlly got a ride to the church. We were only a little drenched :) And, she is SO EXCITED for her baptism! It is adorable. 

Well, we went to the sacrament meeting (which is our last hour) and it was fast and testimony meeting. I have to say, I have never felt more loved in my life after a sacrament meeting. It started with Alejandro, who had left with us the night before, and went up and bore his testimony,and said how grateful he was for us missionaries who work so hard to share the gospel, and that he can't wait until he gets to serve his mission. I was feeling pretty loved and special. Then, another youth got up and bore his testimony. We visit his mom because sometimes it is a bit of a struggle for her to go to church. One day we had visitied her, and quickly we had shared one of my favorite scriptures in Matthew 11 28 ¶Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and Iwill give you rest.

 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek andlowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

When we had shared this scripture, we were just with his mom. But, apparently he was in the other room listening. He said that he was in the middle of examins, and he was studying for math and science, two of his hardest subjects. He realized that he needed Christs' help to study and do well. He prayed and he was able to do well on his tests. 

Then, the last person to bear their testimony, was our cute Katie! She bore her testimony and said how grateful she was for us for coming and sharing the gospel with her so that she could know the true church. Then, she invited everyone to her baptism. It was adorable :) It filled my heart with happiness.

After church we were visiting people, and we passed by someone we had contacted before, and helped her clean. Well, then we were cleaning for two hours. But it felt great! I love doing service. And actually, it was super crazy, because Hermana Moron and I had contacted her daughter like a month ago, and had never gone back since she didn't seem too interested. Well, we were contacting again with Hermana Roca, and we contacted them again, however they had moved. And when we contact, we don't contact every house. It more happens, like we are walking, and I am like "let's contact that house" or she is like "let's contact that person." Ad then we do. Well, I felt like if we had contacted them twice randomly, it probably wasn't quite so random. Yesterday she asked, "so, when you aren't helping random people clean, what do you do?" It was nice to hear that we were able to give an example before anything else :) 

We also had another great experience with service. We are teaching a girl, and her family moved to another colonial (neighborhood). We also helped them clean and move. Before, her sister and mom had never listened to us. Last night, the mom and sister were waiting for us to come. It was crazy! Oh the power of service! I think when we take the time to help people, it makes them realize that we are sincere, and truly want to help them. 

I am also learning a bunch from my hija. She reminds me all the time about stuff and I am like "oh yeah..." so it is good :) I am also almost 100% catratcha. I am starting to be really cold too haha. I know when I go back to Utah, I will DIE. I think I was made for tropical weather. 

We also had a bunch of great times knocking doors! I have to say, this is my first area where I have knocked doors. This weekend was worse since it was a four day holiday, so a bunch of people left! But we got to meet a bunch new people, and get rejected by a bunch more. I have to say though, it doesn't bother me anymore when people reject us. I feel like it is just so, normal? I think when we work hard, and do our all, God blesses us with a really great reference or someone who really needs our help.

For the spiritual thought of the week, I want to share part of the general conference talk of Elder Holland called "are we not all beggars?" about the fast, since yesterday was Fast Sunday, and Fast Sundays rock since we get to fast and call down the blessings of heaven. "I bear witness of the miracles, both spiritual and temporal, that come to those who live the law of the fast. I bear witness of the miracles that have come to me. Truly, as Isaiah recorded, I have cried out in the fast more than once, and truly God has responded, “Here I am.”¹⁷ Cherish that sacred privilege at least monthly, and be as generous as circumstances permit in your fast offering and other humanitarian, educational, and missionary contributions. I promise that God will be generous to you..."

I LOVE YOU ALL!!! :) HAVE A GREAT WEEK :)

Last week of October, and it is a chilly 80 degrees :)

Well!!! Here we are, in the end of October. Sadly, Honduras doesn't celebrate Halloween, but at least that means that there won't be any distractions and people should still be in there houses to teach them :)

This week we have met a ton of new crazy people and been enjoying life. Since my new companion is in training, we are going through all the principles of Preach my Gospel again. One of the principles I had forgotten was to invite people to be baptized in the first or second lesson. Well, we have started to do so, and BOOM it is great! We are really able to see their potential and who they can become as members of the church. They also get excited about it, and if not, they often share with us their doubts/concerns/fears, which is also super great. 

We have started teaching a crazy awesome man named Porfirio. I love this man! He is an older man. We met him a little more than a month ago one day when Hermana Moron and I were helping someone cleap up their leaves in their lawn. He was quite impressed by us, and told us where he lived. Everytime we passed by the house was always dark and there was no one to be found. Well, one night with Hermana Roca all of our lessons had fallen through so we went searching for him again. This time he was there! He said he had been thinking about Moron and I, and was super happy we were there. He is learning Hebrew, and knows A TON about the Bible. I think he is Jew? But we aren't really sure. All of our lessons are hard to teach anything, but it is okay since we learn a bunch too! The other day he told us that soon after he had met us, he had a dream that he was in a Mormon church. So we are praying hard for him :) We are also super excited for our cute Yuber. I always think about the first time I met him! We are teaching his aunt Kimberely, and this day she wasn't there, just Yuber. He didn't want to let us in, but I told him we would share something really quick about Jesus Christ, and I promised him I would show him a picture of my little brother who is his same age (thanks Daxton! :P) And now he is getting ready to get baptized, reading the Book of Mormon (little by little, but reading :) and singing hymns in his house. So legit. 

We are also still working Jose. He came to church yesterday, and he has been reading a lot, which is great. I think one of Satan's biggest weapons for us, and for everyone, is to make us feel that we aren't worthy, that we can't change, and we are stuck as who we are and where we are. He told us he feels like he is all dirty. We talked a lot about Jesus Christ, and how much he can change us. I love Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: thoughyour sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though theybe red like crimson, they shall be as wool."I know that is true, that we can truly change and have all of our sins washed away. 

I love the story about how we found Jose. It was one of my first weeks in the area, and there was some boys sitting on the side of the road. So we went to go and contact them. They looked a little sketch, but hey, we were desperate for investigators, and didn't Christ come to call the sinners to repentance? Well the one was super friendly, and invited us to come back. We went and visited him once, and he was super great, and he told us his cousin lived a few houses down. We decided, well, might as well go contact her too! So we went, and there is where we found Jose. The second time we went to visit our inicial contact, well, he didn't answer for us. My companion was super bummed, and I was like don't worry, he is probably hung over or something, it is probably a good thing he didn't answer us. Well, I was talking to Jose about him, and he told me he was a straight up Honduras gangster, and maybe we shouldn't ever try visiting him again. Well, all I have to say, is God works in miraculous ways!

Also yesterday we got to visit the amazing Nelson! Nelson rocks. I love him. He is so great. We met him one day looking for someone else, and put another lesson with him, and forgot to go back. Usually people don't care too much, but one day he found us in the bus and asked why we had never visited him! So we went back, and our first lesson was great! Yesterday we had our second lesson, and he accepted baptism, and it was absolutely beautiful. He is so so great. 

Things have also started getting a little chillier here! Last night I was a little cold! And today, at 80 degress, some people had their jackets on. Welcome to San Pedro Sula, where if you are not sweating like a pig, something is wrong :) :) haha. 

I read this quote this week in the Liahona, and I absolutely love it. I think it is something we can all apply in everyone of our lives. 

“The Savior [was] the Master Teacher. … We wouldsee most of His ministry being teaching. And yetalmost none of that teaching was done in a churchbuilding. His teaching was out where the peoplewere. It was in highways and byways and hillsidesand seashores and in homes.”

So we should truly teach in all areas, no matter where we are. We should always follow the example of the Savior and teach in all places, and always try to help others.

Well, I hope you all have a great Halloween! And don't freeze to death like all the people in San Pedro :) 

I AM A MOTHER!!!

Well... another week in San Pedro Sula!

and....

we had changes. It was super hard seeing Hermana Moron leave. But, luckily we are going home together to Utah so we will get to be companions one last time for a day :) 

And... I am training. AHHH!!! I was kinda freaking out of nerves. I never thought I would train because we receive so few sisters in the mission. But... yes. Here I am. My new companion is super cute though. She is from Guatemala, la Hermana Roca. She was the only sister that came this change. So this week has been a little exciting teaching her all about the missionary life. Whooo! Things that are so normal to me I am realizing is not normal and is new for many people. But it is a great opportunity to learn and to grow. I had pictures... but some kids accidently deleted them. So I will have to send ya'll photos later.

Experiences for the week?
Well Tuesday we went to say goodbyes. We went to visit a family who is less active/active. The hermana was having a really hard time and a lot of weird things were happening. I don't know why, but I feel like the lesson was so spiritual. We knew exactly what to tell her and what scriptures to read. We called some member to come give her a blessing. Thursday we were waiting for the bus (with my new daughter) and she drove past and gave us a ride. She told us that she had been feeling so much better, and had been reading the scriptures and praying, and that the blessing helped a bunch. I know that the power of the Priesthood is real, and when we have time for God, we have time for everything else. And, they came to church this Sunday. Whoot!! 

We also had our cute investigator, Katie, who had a bunch of homework. She was planning on going to church on Sunday, then Sunday morning she called us and said she didn't have time. We promised her that if she went to church, she would be able to get it all done, and promised we would go help her. A few hours after church, we went over to help her. Yep, I was there, back to the grind, doing good ol' homework. But, in Spanish. Well, by 7:30 we had helped finish her big project and most of her English homework. Today we are going to go by to see how it all went :) But, other miracle, as we were sitting outside, getting eaten alive by mosquitos doing her homework, someone walked by and asked me what I was doing in Honduras. This actually happens quite often. They see a white girl sitting on a rock or on the dirt and are like, what the heck are you doing? But, we started talking and he is a magazine editor. And he wants me to write a piece about what we as missionaries do! So that is super great. 

We also were walking and I saw someone standing outside a house. My old companion had once told me that someone super great lived there. When we went back the mom said that he had moved, but she didn't know where, so we were pretty sure she was lying. But we found him!! And he is great!! He said he has been reading in Ether and he loves the Book of Mormon. It is just that the church is too far for him. We are going to visit him tonight and have a family home evening, so hopefully everything goes well.

Yesterday in the afternoon we were also walking and found two great people! The first one we contacted because her dog was so cute!!!! She had lived in the States and said she used to go to church with a friend. The other one was the cutest family putting up lights for Christmas. I had never seen anyone put up lights for Christmas in Honduras, so I started freaking out a little. But they invited us to come back! Yeah! Which is super great, because sometimes we knock doors, knock doors... and nothing. But hey, we got two yesterday :D

Also, we are slowly by slowly giving Jose more and more hope that he can change. Little by little. We had our first lesson with him last Wednesday, and he said he felt like the church was only for people with cars and nice houses. So we explained more about the church and the love of Christ. Yesterday our lessons went a lot better and he promised he was going to come to church again, and bring a friend. We are also trying to teach his wife, so hopefully they can get baptized. Keep them in your prayers!!

Today I was reading M. Russell Ballards "Our Search for Happiness." It was beautiful! I have never picked it up before. I loved how he was talking about Jesus Christ. I have a new goal, to come to learn more about the atonement. The first thing Elder Ballard talks about is Jesus Christ, so it was absolutely beautiful. He said something that I love that I have heard before, the reason we should be obedient is for our love of Jesus Christ. We should do all we can not for our love of others, or for fame, but our reason for doing good should be for our love for our Savior, and because he gave all for us. I know, and I testify, that Jesus is our Christ, That he lives and loves us, and that he would do, and does anything and everything for us. Jesus Christ is a real person, and one day each of us will bend our knee, and bow to him. Our Savior, and our king-- but most importantly, our redeemer.

I hope you all have a great, wonderful fall week :)

con mucho amor y besos