Week 2 (Otra Vez)

This week was good. I had a lot of ups and downs but I always got through my challenges (mostly language related) with prayer and my desire to keep serving and become a better missionary. 

We had two opportunities to go to the temple this week.

I had a wonderful spiritual experience in the temple that renewed my faith to serve and that verified that I am where I am supposed to be. Sometimes it can be hard to forget home life and my family and my own hobbies and desires and to just serve the lord with complete faith. But I received that guidance and assurance that I can do this and that I will be happy and successful if I just serve con todo mi corazon, alma, mente, y fuerza. I am grateful to have had that experience at the beginning of my mission because I know it will help me throughout my time here in Honduras and give me strength when I need it most. 

We went to the temple for a second time the next day (saturday) but just to feel the spirit outside the temple with our investigator, Melchor. He was supposed to be baptized this upcoming saturday but he is having a few difficulties that are holding him back. The spirit was strong as we sat and prayed for guidance with our investigators and I know that even if Melchor doesn't get baptized right away, he will always have that spiritual experience to lead him to the right decisions. 

I hope you are all doing well and that your summer is great.
SEND ME LETTERS IN THE MAIL PLEASE.

<3 sam

Week 32 (August 11th-17th) in pictures

Week 26 in Honduras

good morning: so happy for morning study lol

mi cometido: memorize if you are serving in honduras

we ordered pizza for lunch before our trip to the temple

enjoying pizza while we study

we ate the whole thing

at the temple with our investigator Roger

companions

:)

a storm was coming

tegucigalpa honduras temple

Week 28 in Honduras (July 14th- July 20th)

Week 22 in Honduras

Hello!

This past week was super busy... lots and lots of traveling! 

On last monday I spent my P-Day traveling to and from Tegucigalpa, where i submitted my esidency information. Hna Alvarado (another hmn from our zone who came at the same time as I did) and I traveled together and spent the entire day sitting in the immigration office. but it was exciting. (But I think I posted about that last week!)

On tuesday my companion and I worked hard and taught a lot of our investigators and it was a very nice normal day. Sometimes I love normal days. 

On wednesday our new mission president, Presidente Bowler and his wife, Hna. Bowler, visited our zone and we had get-to-know-you interviews with each of them. They are from Colorado and are super nice and have the strongest testimonies ever. 

On thursday we went to the temple! it was super great and fun. We left at 3 am and got back to our our zone at like 9:30pm. But it was fun. I am glad I had motion sick medicine this time. 

Friday was a normal day and we got a lot of work done and met with a lot of people and got ready for Ana's baptism!

On sadurday Ana was baptized! The baptism was amazing. We spent all morning filling the pila bautismal because there were technical problems and water problems but things worked out great in the end. The spirit was so strong and Ana's mom and dad were there and it was great. 

Sunday was great too. We had three investigators at church and Ana was confirmed! Marbin showed up two minutes before the sacrament which was so lucky and such a blessing because if he didn't arrive for the sacrament he was going to have to push back his baptism by two weeks. But he was there and he is going to be baptized this upcoming saturday! There was no power all day and we forgot to buy food for dinner, but one member ended up inviting us to eat dinner at her house and it was another blessing! 

so over all the week was great and i had a lot of good things happen. 

love you! 

-sam

Starting our journey to the temple in the madrugada

Almost Sunrise

My Companion and Me

Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple

Me, Ana, Ana's Mom, and My Companion

Ana and Me!

Week 17 (May 5, 2014)

Week 11 in Honduras

Hola!

On Monday, before we returned from Tegucigalpa, we helped out at one of the ward buildings. American dentists were there to do dental work for future missionaries around this area of the country! and since we were already there and just waiting around (our ward was there getting work done and they were our ride home) we helped translate. Translating from Spanish to English was easier for me than translating from English to Spanish, it was great practice though. Of all the doctors, doctor AJ really helped me a lot by having me translate for him...even though he already knew how to speak Spanish. Dr AJ I was a new missionary and wanted to help me out by throwing me in the deep end haha. Also, he loves Hawaii and wanted to talk about Hawaii the whole time ha-ha.

The rest of the week, we focused our teachings on temples! Because as a zone, we took all of our investigators to visit the temple! we had activities and lessons prepared for our trip to help them feel the spirit and learn more about the temples and about the gospel. The trip was great, and a success for all the people who went. Our zone had three yellow school busses, full of people! At the temple we had four lessons and rotated in groups around the four sides of the temple for each lesson. Our Mission President, President Hernandez, came and gave a talk and helped motivate all the people who were there.  Overall, I really enjoyed the trip and I know our investigators could feel the strong Spirit and love de nuestro padre celestial on the temple grounds. 5/2

The next day, Saturday 5/3, one of our investigators, Luis, called us early in the morning and said that he wanted to get baptized on Sunday after church. We have been teaching Luis for a long time trying to prepare him to be baptized. He has had a lot of challenges in life and changing his lifestyle has been a long journey for him. But I know he has a strong Spirit and a testimony of the Gospel. We were so happy that he finally felt ready and willing to be baptized. The Baptism went really great! We had it after church yesterday. I gave a talk about the Holy Ghost. I wrote it all out but I didn’t even end up looking at it while giving my talk. Cool. After he was baptized, Luis looked so happy walking out of the water. He bore his testimony afterward and everyone could feel how genuine his testimony was. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to help him progress and learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ. This week was really good.

It rained for the first time on Tuesday! and almost every day afterward. The night we got back from the temple it was raining so hard while we were walking to drop people off at their houses and to our house, by the time we got home we were soaked. Even though it was storming it was hotter than ever. Haha.

I love you guys, and I think of you always! Thanks for always being so supportive and loving!

Love, Sam

Temple with Investigators:

Luis' Baptism:

Haircut this morning:

so ready for this

oops

realizing i made a horrible mistake

I GOT MAIL:

the happiest sam in all the land

Week 15 (April 22, 2014)

Week 9 in Honduras

This past week was kind of busy. We did so much. It was exhausting but also exciting.

On Monday was pday and we went on a hike, but I already talked about that.

On Tuesday we woke up at 4 in the morning to make 500 donuts. I was dead all day from lack of sleep. We, our whole zone, were trying to make money to take investigators to visit the temple. So we made donuts and sold them to members and friends of members. I think we made enough.

On Wednesday we went on a hike with our ward as an activity. It was an activity to help investigators and less active members find friends in the ward. It was really great and a lot of people bonded. The hike was hard but we had a lot of fun. I was really exhausted when we got back and I got kind of sick.

On Thursday we had our zone meeting as usual. And that was nice because we got to be together as districts and as a zone to learn more about being missionaries. It’s always nice. After that my companion and I went back to our area because we had a lunch appointment. And afterward...I got sick. I couldn’t eat for three days. It was really bad. But I am okay now.

On Friday we woke up at 2:15 in the morning. To go to on a temple trip with our ward. The trip was really fun. We all took a bus there and the roads were so windy and the trip there was super fast. Our driver was driving like crazy. We got there as the sun was rising and it was beautiful.

Saturday and Sunday were normal days. Excited! Sunday was Ashley’s birthday! The whole day I was thinking about how excited she must be to finally be sixteen! Haha.

On Monday, yesterday, we woke up early to take the long trip to teguc again. But this time it was because my companion needed to get her wisdom teeth removed. Her bottom ones have been growing in and bothering her a lot. The bus ride took forever and it was super hot. But we got there and were picked up at the bus station by a family from Hermana Saldate's previous area. The family took us to a relative of theirs who is a dentist, to see what was going on and what would need to be done. They confirmed that she needed her teeth removed and that one of them was growing in crooked and that was why it was hurting her so much. After that we went to their house, which is where we are staying while we are here in Tegucigalpa since presidente and hermana Hernandez are not in town, they were super grateful for this family for taking us in.

The power went out for a while and we could see the forest fire that is happening on the mountain near their house and it is so sad but at night with no power, it looked really cool.

This morning, Tuesday, we went to the dentist and my companion’s wisdom teeth were removed. We think we are going to have to be here until Thursday at the least while she recovers. Good thing I brought my English scriptures haha.

So yes this past week was suuuper busy. But it was also really fun and very spiritual.

donut making:

 hiking:

temple:

Teguc. Trip So Far:

Ashley's Birthday:

Week 4 in CCM Mexico (continued)- Mexico City Temple

bus ride to the temple

i got money out of the atm

bus ride back to the ccm

matching liahona necklaces!