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 14- extra message

Hi,

I hope your week has been great. I miss you guys and think of you always.

Things here, in Honduras, are good. I am ALWAYS thinking about you guys. And my testimony of families has grown so much. I hope you guys pray and read the scriptures together every day. Even if it is hard to find time. I promise it will bring blessings and help strengthen our family relationships. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot.

I love you and hope you guys have a great week!

Love, Sam

Week 14 (April 14, 2014)

Week 8 in Honduras

This week was crazy. And it felt super long and super short at the same time. I don’t know how that works out. 

Monday, we went back to our area and worked for the rest of the day. Nothing major. Oh we had family home evening with an inactive family and they didn’t have electricity so it was all in the dark using cell phones as lights. 

On Tuesday we had another service project, we helped a member family haul sand from the river up a huge hill to their house so they can finish building walls for their house.

Wednesday, President and Hermana Hernandez came to our zone. We had a meeting in the morning and learned about some stuff. Haha. They then went to each area to check houses and have interviews. We are probably going to need to switch houses but that’s okay. Our interviews were good too. Since they were at our house we each went and had our interview in the car, air conditioning. Yay. Haha.

Thursday at our zone meeting we had a really good lesson, by our zone leaders, about how to study and how we can help prepare others.

Friday I think this was our one normal day and we did a lot of studying and it was great because we felt really prepared for our lessons and it felt awesome haha. I love it when we can prepare lessons for each person individually. We met a family and the mom was really receptive but the dad wasn’t. In the end the mom and daughter accepted our invitation to be baptized.

Saturday was a reaaaaaally busy day but we got a lot done. Our schedule was so crazy but we visited a lot of people and talked to a lot of people on the streets. Overall we challenged six people and five accepted. It’s okay though because those who did accept seemed like they found us and they were already prepared to hear and accept the gospel. 

Sundays we are always busy because we have to leave super early to wake people up for church. Overall only one of the ten people we visited came to church, but that is okay. We tried not to get discouraged. Church was good. I liked the lesson on repentance and the third hour lesson on family history. 

Aaaaannnnnddd....

Today, Monday, we went HIKING. Legit hiking and it took forever.

The truck ride there in the morning was a real adventure because it kept breaking down and it took forever but it was fun. 

The view at the top was amazingggg. And super pretty. We had a spiritual message, sang a hymn, ate lunch, and played some games and then left. It was super fun.   Mom, you would be proud because I wore pants (“always wear pants to hike”) and I didn’t get cuts on my legs like everyone else, and I brought a lot of water and still had some at the end when we got back down and everyone else was dying of thirst. I shared. It was a fun day.

Overall this week was so busy and I think next week will be just as busy. But it is fun because it seemed like we are working super hard and also doing a lot of fun things as well.  

Love sam

Service Project:

Hiking:

Dog encounter

We were walking home, escorted by a member Hermano Zambrano and his girlfriend, Marlin who we are teaching, because its peligroso to walk alone at night. A family and their dog were walking down the street too, all of a sudden the family’s dog ran over and started biting me.  Jose kicked the dog but it wouldn’t stop, my companion was pulling me away while Marlin and Jose were trying to push the dog away. The dog finally stopped and ran away to his owners, they didn’t do anything, just kept walking the whole time.  My skirt and slip were ruined but I am glad that it was just my skirt that the dog bit.  I am okay. 

Mom comment: What an experience!

Week 13 ( April 7, 2014)

Week 7 in Honduras

Monday, last P-day, we did laundry for four hours and that was the big event. We made the decision to pay someone to clean our clothes. XD

Tuesday, we had a service project to help a family in the ward take down their roof and some walls, so their whole house. It was fun and they gave us food after. We had a lunch appointment and ended up eating at both places, it was so much food. We were completely sick for the rest of the day.

Wednesday was a normal day, and it was unbelievably hot.

Thursday we had our zone/district meeting we met the new members of our zone. Afterward we had a lunch appointment so we didn’t go eat pizza with our zone. I was kind of disappointed haha, because pizza.

Friday everyone fed us, almost every house we visited someone gave us food, and the food wasn’t full meals just snacks so that was okay. Haha.

Saturday we left super early in the morning to remind people about conference, the entire town and all surrounding towns lost electricity. No conference, sad panda.
As conference was starting we got a call from the zone leaders saying one of the church buildings in another town had their own power source, and thus...conference. We took a mototaxi and a bus and got there one hour late but got to see the second hour of the Saturday morning session. For the afternoon session, we brought a few investigators and got a ride with a member and went to the same building as the morning since we were still out of electricity. We ended up getting power for two hours at around 6pm but then it went back out at around 8 while we were teaching a lesson to a family outside. We finished the lesson in pitch black.

On Sunday we left super early again to wake people up for conference. But the electricity was working so we only had to go to our ward building! Yay. It was nice, but different because our building is a baby so we watched it on a wrinkly tarp and the speakers were muffled but it was okay because a lot of people got to come since it was in our building! Overall we had about 11 investigators come to church!

How did you guys like conference? I thought was great. Even though I am sure I missed A LOT because it was all in Spanish haha. But I loved it. Especially the talks about families! And learning and studying together if we estudiamos the escrituras como una familia, we invite el espiritu santo into our homes. This is something everyone should understand the importance of.
I also really loved how much faith and hope were discussed. Especially about hope and the power of the atonement. Really beautiful.

Overall it was a good week. Apparently this week is going to be the hottest week of this year in this area so we shall see. Haha.

Love you, Sam

Week 12 (March 31, 2014)

Week 6 in Honduras

Transfers are this week, but my companion and I did not get a call or were not told about changes, looks like we are together again for another six weeks! I expected it since I am still in training.

This week was good and full. We had citas every day which was crazy. the funny thing is that some people are very particular and wait for us to get there and some people don’t remember at all, and some people make up a time different than what we said ha-ha. It’s all good.

Fun things that happened:
-we taught a lesson on the steps of the catholic church in our town
-we ate a giant lizard. It tasted like a mix between chicken and fish; it was slimy and was cooked, of course.
-I think I reached my breaking point and don’t know if I can eat anymore bananas. Especially fried bananas, they are eaten at every meal here. Ha-ha.

On Saturday Christian, the son of a less active member of the ward, was baptized. We have been teaching him the gospel for a few weeks and he is so adorable. He is 11 and is always enthusiastic about learning and always has his own input during our lessons. The spirit was so strong during his baptism and it was really great. Afterward, he bore his testimony. It was so sincere and so special and you can really tell he got baptized for his own reasons and not his parents. He has a strong testimony of heavenly father, Jesus Christ, and the importance of living the gospel. It was really great.

There are so many stories and stuff that happens every week but it is so hard to remember when I am here writing. Ha-ha, trust me, fun stuff happened, hard stuff happened, and there were a lot of serious moments.

I am so grateful that I grew up in the U.S. and for my family. I am so grateful for the experiences and privileges I have had. I am Grateful that I can experience the lifestyle and culture here in Honduras. It is a great experience to be able to teach others about the gospel of Jesus Christ and to just be there for them when they need us is something so special and so unique. I am learning to love it more and more each day.

Have a good week!
Sam

Christian and his uncle Ronny

Christian's sister and their cousin

Week 11 (March 24, 2014)

Week 5 in Honduras

This week was full of ups and downs and new experiences. We taught people and got rejected a few times and walked probably 100 miles. One of the hardest things is being right next to someone all the time. I know it is for a reason and I am so grateful for my companion. But I kind of want a moment to myself haha.

On Wednesday we had a meeting in Tegucigalpa with all the trainers and new missionaries who have been here since January. It was really great to go to Tegucigalpa so we could leave this hot weather. Ha-ha. The meeting was good and we learned a lot, and best of all....guess who was there? Hermana Bleak and Hermana Young! It was pretty much the best to be able to see them again. Obviously we spent the entire time together. It was refreshing to hear about all the crazy stuff they have been doing and to know that they were feeling some of the anxieties that I am ha-ha: Like bucket showers and getting sick from drinking pila water. hahahahaha.

We ended up staying the night in Tegucigalpa, by the time it was time for us to leave the bus would have gotten to Choluteca at 9:30pm and then we would have no bus or anyway to get us to our area and it wouldn’t have been safe for us we got permission from the president to stay with a family that my companion taught in her last area. Their house is amazing, it was COLD! and it had a shower. They live in the mountains in Tegucigalpa. It was so beautiful. We visited a few families while we were there. Overall the trip was great the trip back was another story...four hours in a bus with no air conditioning and it kept breaking down. ughhh. I almost died. We got back so late in the morning and missed most of our zone meeting too.

The rest of the week was good. We taught a lot of people and walked a lot! The thing about my area is that it is allllll walking. It’s a small town but big enough that it is exhausting walking to and from places.

One of the most spiritual experiences of my time here in Honduras happened yesterday (Sunday). We taught a family, inactive members the wife is not a member. We have been trying to teach her but she has been really unreceptive and has even hid in the back of the house when we visited the family, but last night she came out and listened and even participated. We read a lot of scriptures, I think she liked it. She asked a lot of questions and was really interested in learning about prophets. This was GREAT, because I love talking about the great apostasy and the restoration. Aaaaannnnddd, we invited her to come with us to church for general conference and she said yes. We invited her to be baptized and she said yes if she gets an answer after praying and feels good about it. We were there for a long time but the spirit was so strong and it was a really great experience.

Before I end I have to tell you about what happened yesterday at church....I gave the lesson in Sunday school. Eeeep. I was so nervous because I didn’t get to prepare at all, we have been so busy and it’s been hard to even get in study time in the mornings. I felt good about the lesson my companion helped out a lot. After the lesson someone commented about how my accent was really good. They had initially thought that another Hermana was being trained by my companion and not me because my accent was better than the other Hermana´s. Interesting. Ha-ha. But it was good. I am glad I got that experience.
This week was very long and a lot happened. it kind of felt like a month even thought it was just one week.

Don’t forget to be kawaii
Love Sam

Week 10 (March 17, 2014)

Week 4 in Honduras

This week was good. I took notes but it would take forever to transpose them all ha-ha.
On Monday last week we had a water balloon fight, I think. On Tuesday we had a very normal day... oh but our zone leader came with us to one of our lessons and helped us out. The lady, we taught, said yes to get baptized but then when we came back the next day she told us not to come back again and that she was going to the Catholic Church. Sigh...
Wednesday we had a looooong day there was a lot of walking. By the time the sun sets everyday I am practically dragging my feet from being so tired of walking ha-ha. But it’s okay.
Thursday we had our zone meeting and then we went to Choluteca to eat. We ate at KFC hahahah. The air-conditioning was nice, definitely worth the trip. After we got back to our area we had a few appointments and it was nice.

On Friday all I wrote in my notes was that I wished I had more time for personal study haha. I really do.

On Saturday I wrote “some days are rough and today was”, but I can’t remember why. Ha-ha.
On Sunday we had stake conference and it was an absolute disaster. They had technical problems and we were just all sitting there for 45 minutes in the hot building and the kids were screaming and it was pretty funny. But we had two investigators with us so it was not funny at the same time. When we got back we ate soup called sopa de mondonga which has a unique meat in it haha.
And today! Today is my companion, Hermana Saldates birthday. We played futbol in the field in our area which means we got extra time to do stuff this morning. By that I mean that we slept in, ha-ha. The field we played on is full sized. It was really fun and I wasn’t sure if I was going to play the whole time but I did. Even though it was a trillion degrees outside. A lot of the elders in my zone are very good and wish I had their skill. Before we changed we lost the keys to our house so Hermana Saldate and Hermana Randall ran back to the field to find them. The elders bought eggs at the pulp next to our house. It’s a tradition here in Honduras to crack eggs on people’s heads on their birthday, So that happened. We then went to eat at a Guatemalan restaurant ...my companion chose since it is her birthday. And the elders got her two cakes! And we sung to her.

Things that have happened this week
-we climbed through a barbed wire fence.
-we ran over a mile in our skirts
-I pet a huge pig that is bigger than I am

Honduras is very different that the United States and I am still getting used to it ha-ha, but the people here are friendly most of the time and my Spanish is improving; slowly. On Friday, we had a goal in our zone to have ten baptism desafios, we only got 3. This week our zone had 101 desafios. Which is a lot ha-ha. It’s pretty cool.
This keyboard is almost broken so please excuse this horrible grammar and spelling!

Sam

laundry day

self reminder

christlian

zone- played futbol in our area and it was funnnn

our street

trying to all fit in one mototaxi

it was hna. saldate's birthday

leonarde and alex

scenery from our area

more of our area

Week 9 (March 10, 2014)

Week 3 in Honduras

This week has been full of missionary stuff, as you might have been able to guess. haha. we taught some people and visited some members.  really enjoy teaching the restoration. because its what makes our church different and it just connects everything and is such a  testament to the truthfullness of the gospel. my companion likes to teach the plan of salvation. but this week we taught a lot about the gospel of jesus christ. i think the thing that is easiest is bearing my testimony because i have so much practice and experience already from the ccm. teaching is difficult in a second language but i am getting plenty of practice everyday. my companion, hermana saldate is always there to help and always knows what i am trying to say xD

on wednesday one of the hermanas in our zone (hermana alvarado from costa rica) was told by hermana smart (the physician, health person) that she could not walk for three days. she has been having trouble with her feet. so i stayed with her in their house while my companion and her companion worked in their area. i didnt realize it until after that it was the first time since before i left home that i had a while day of not "working." even when i was sick at the ccm i went to classes and lessons with investigators. 

on saturday alex got baptized, he is 12 and none of his family are members. he is kind and well behaved and has such a desire to live the gospel of jesus christ. 

the weather here is hot and it gets hotter everyday. apparently march is the hottest month of the year in this area. haha. this should be a really fun week. i just wish there was air conditioning. we did a lot of work this week and did a lot of walking. one thing that is hard is that no one wants to pray or go to church. they say they enhjoy our message an want us to come back but then they dont want to pray even with our help. sigh. its okay though. because at least they enjoy what we are saying. 

i am happy that there are so many friendly people in our ward and in our area and that they are all patient and excited to help me learn spanish. this week i kind of learned how to say "thank you, but i am full" but i cant remember right now haha. i will ask my companion later lollll 

i hope you all are well!

love, sam

the biggest water balloon of them all during our zone water balloon fight

Week 8 (March 3, 2014)

(2nd Week in Honduras)

This week has been so busy! My companion, Hermana Saldate, is so nice and her Spanish is amazing she is really helpful and patient, which is good because I ALWAYS need help. Siempre. Pero, I think that everything is good. Everyone says that their first few months were rough with the language so I am not too discouraged. Our days are long and we do so much but the time passes very quickly.

It’s hard to find people who agree to come to church because they work on Sunday! We have visited one family two times this week who say they aren’t interested in going to church with us because they belong to a different church. In Kansas City! But they agree to listen to us talk...so we have been teaching them ha-ha. They seem to enjoy listening to our messages. This is really good! They speak English and the daughter, Jennifer grew up in Kansas City so she is fluent in English. It’s nice to be able to bear my testimony in English ha-ha.

I am so happy that you guys have gotten my mail! It’s harder to send mail from here so I don’t know when I will get to send another letter, maybe later this week or next.

Things here, in Honduras, are so different than home but one thing that is the same is the church. And that is truly a comfort. It is nice to be sitting in church and be doing all the same things and learning the same things and singing the same songs. Even though I may not know the lyrics in Spanish, hearing the familiar tune is comforting.

We finally got a fan and a microwave and a new stove and some dishes for our house! This is exciting because now we can eat foods that can be microwaved and not just beans and eggs ha-ha.

This past Thursday we had zone conference with all the zones here in the south and it was very fun. The mission president came and we met for pretty much the whole day. It was super nice. There were a lot of talks and helpful lessons. And the chapel we were in had AIR CONDITIONING; me gusta. Also I got to see Hermana Young!!!!! She is serving in a different zone here in the south about 40 minutes away. It was so nice to see her and talk to her even though it had only been a week since we saw each other ha-ha.

I love you guys so much and I am so grateful to have family and friends who are so supportive of me and I am so happy to be here in Honduras, even when I feel tired and hot. Ha-ha.

I love you!

me and my companion!