Week 26 (June 30th- July 6th)

Week 20 in Honduras

Hola!

This week was good!  but also hard. We worked hard to find new investigators and visited a lot of people but that also meant a lot of walking around in the sun and not knowing where to go. But we challenged TWO of our investigators to be baptized and they BOTH said yes! so that was awesome!

I got my package! that was fun. pretty much the best, actually.

It really hard to type on this keyboard because it pretty much doesn't work so i don't know how uch i m going to gt to write to you guys today. unfortunate technical problems are unfortunate.somthig funny is that every single word i write is underlined in red because i am writing in english haha

so aparently they dont celebrate america´s independence here lol. but i celebrated by enjoyin my box, wearing red white nd blue, eating watermelon and ice cream. it was nice. 

my new compnion, Hna. Osorio, is very nice and is very patient with my spanish. she is from el Salvador and has 16 months in the mission. she is very helpful, especially in companion study where we practice in ways that will help me explain and teach in espanol. i also am helping her learn english. 

tomorrow, july 8th, i compelte months! that is one third of my mission, which is crazy. but i guess before i know it i will be saying the same thing about having six month left and then six days haha.

love you!

-sam

Week 25 (June 23-29, 2014)- Cambios!

Week 19 in Honduras

so i recounted all the weeks this morning and this is my 19th week here in honduras which means its my 25th week in the mission. i think. haha. but yeah i will have 6 months on the 8th of july. eeeeep. what. yeah it feels like a long time. time has gone slow, im not gonna lie.

but yeah this past week was good. we had transfers and so hna saldate and i took te long trip to teguc to changes. and i got a new comp. her name is Hna. Osorio and she is from el Salvador and does not speak very much english. fun times are had by all in our companionship. by that i mean that there are a lot of language and cultural barriers. but its okay. its been good. but i feel like i've learned so much in just these few days with her already. 

work in our area has been hard. we don't have many investigators even  though we are walking around talking to people all day long. its okay though. it will happen soon enough.

i taught the lesson in sunday school on sunday and it was crazy. kind of a disaster in my mind but other people said  i did great and that my spanish was good. there were a trillion people in class because it was ward conference so more people that usual came. i think i did okay. the lesson was on sacrifice. 

hope everyone is doing well. love you!

love, sam

Info de cambios:
Area: Yusguare (still)
Companion: Hna. Osorio =]

Hna. S's last day in Yusguare

Crush chillin like a villain 

bus ride to cambios

I saw Hna. Young at cambios

Week 24- A Language Experience

This picture is hanging up in the house of a family in the ward. We visited them, I think, the first week I got here. When I saw this picture I had no idea what the words said. I thought to myself, "The day that I look at this framed picture and understand the words and understand how it relates to that bird, will be a good, good day”. Also I will know that when I understand this picture, I will have learned Spanish. We were in their house again eating a few weeks ago and I looked at the picture and understood it right away and I understood the bird. It really was a good day. Because I could remember trying to figure out what it said when I first got here and now it just made complete sense. It was a way that I could see an actual progress in my learning. We went back to their house last week and I took a picture to share this story!

"Si amas algo, dejalo libre. si regresa es tuyo, si no, nuca lo fue."

Sent on June 23, 2014

Week 24 (June 16-22, 2014)

Week 18 in Honduras

This week was full of walking back and forth all over town.
I have two fun stories of things I really enjoyed this week.

First: we went to contact someone who went to church with a family member last Sunday. She was visiting her grandma who lives really far away but still in our area and so we went to go find them and we had never been to that part of our area before, it took about 30 minutes by bus so we had our lesson with them and were there for a long time because there was this really old man there who just wanted us to convince us that we needed to force his granddaughter to get baptized. The granddaughter liked our message but said she really did not want to get baptized. After about one and a half hours we left. We wait for a bus we saw a wooden bridge that was really high above river/rocks, the bus never came so we walked like two hours back to town. Without water. So that was interesting.

Second: yesterday the power went out at 8AM, we needed the power at the church so we could get water in to the building because we had a baptism scheduled for 4 pm. We couldn’t fill the font because there was no water. Everyone around town was telling us the power was going to come back at a certain time, each person we talked with said something different.

We needed to have the baptisms that day because it had been really hard to get permission from parents and to find a time where the parents would not be working and would actually be willing to see the baptism, also because Nicol and Noe did not want to reschedule for another day. We were trying to figure out what to do the whole time during church. in the end we were either going to have their baptism in a river (10 minutes away) or wait around and hope the water came before too late. If we had it at the river the parents would not be willing to go so we decided to wait. So we waited. And finally it came on at 6 pm but the faucet was not working. We filled the baptismal font up bucket by bucket.

And then it started to storm very hard. We needed to pick people up for the baptism and it was dark and raining. So we ran all the way across town trying to find at least two witnesses for the baptism. We ran from house to house to house of members in our neighborhood but everyone said no except the bishop so we just hoped someone else would show up. So we ran some more to pick up the people who were giving the talks, and then to pick up the families. Everyone was soaking wet by the time we got to the church which was around 8 pm. Right after we showed up, the other Hermanas from our zone showed up with a, investigating, family and so we had enough people to have the baptism, witnesses, and confirmations. The baptism was amazing.

Nicol and Noe were baptized and Nicol's grandma was there. Alex, who was baptized in March, gave a talk about baptism and Estiven a kid from an inactive family who is friends with Nicol and Noe gave a talk on el Espiritu Santo. Even though they are both kids, the talks were amazing and their testimonies were powerful. Then my companion sang “Hazme andar en la luz” (Teach me to walk in the light) for Noe and Nicol. Half way through the song nicol, just sitting in her chair looking at her feet, started to sing along with Hermana Saldate. It was so cute. The spirit was so strong during the baptism, Nicol and Noe weren't discouraged that the rest of their families or friends couldn’t make it. The power was flickering and there was a huge storm outside with HUGE loud thunder but everyone was just glad to be there.

Those are the two big stories that happened this week. There were a lot more but I have no time to write them all.
I hope you guys all had a great week too!

Love, Sam
sent june 23

Adventure to el corpus

Baptism of Lizzie:

Baptism of Nicol y Noe:

Week 23 (June 16, 2014)

Week 17 in Honduras

Hola everyone,

This past week was good. My companion has been sick for almost a full week now. Which is not fun, but we have had a lot of fun times this week. One of our investigators, Betuel, is progressing really fast. he has read all of the folletos (pamphlets) for each lesson and read all of the intro pages to the book of Mormon, two chapters in the book of Mormon, and even looked up answers to his own questions using the guia de las escrituras (kind of like the bible dictionary that they have in the Spanish BOM). He is, pretty much, teaching himself. He always has questions and wants us to give him more chapters to read. he says he is going to come to church this next Sunday. It’s great.

It has been raining a lot here in Honduras, when it rains it rains harder-than-hard haha. It is almost impossible to teach because everyone has tin roofs so we can’t hear each other talk. But it’s been good, we played futbol with our zone this morning that was fun. Do you want to know what else is still fun?....washing clothes by hand haha just kidding.

I hope all is well in the United States and that you guys are having a good summer. SEND ME LETTERS!

You can also use dearelder.com to send letters tooo.

Sam
sent june 16, 2014

I saw Hna. Young at Zone Conference!

Zona Ciudad Nueva 

Taking a Picture with an elder who admired the craftmanship of our dresses made by Hna. Saldate's sister-in-law (photobombed by our zone leader, elder boe)

we arrived ready to win. arrived late but looked awesome. they ended up playing more at the church.

Week 22 (June 11, 2014)

Week 17 in Honduras

Sam's companion is very sick and so they did not make it into town to write. They wrote for a little while from the bishop's house, but Sam did not write a big email for her blog.

Updated later with Pictures from the week before (June 3-11):

Hna. Maldonado aka the nicest lady ever. She's always making us food. 

IT IS STILL ALIVE THAT IS WHY MY FACE IS LIKE THAT

CRUSH.

=]

Week 21- A Miracle

Hi everyone. Here's a really inspiring event that happened and wanted to share.

We had a good week. Last Monday (June 2, 2014) it was storming and there were no Moto-taxis going from the area where we were to our area, and the bus doesn’t go there. We were on the bus and it starts storming like crazy and we know we aren’t going to be able to get home unless a miracle happens. So I say the most sincere prayer I have said on my mission, probably. So, it was raining hard and storming and dark and the road is about a mile and is super dangerous even during the day so we had no idea what to do.

We were just sitting on the side of the road under a roof of a pulperia (small store) about 15 minutes later a moto taxi pulls up to the pulperia and it is a guy who we know very well who always gives us rides! He said he wasn’t working (just like all the other Moto-taxies they are on strike for reasons) he was just buying a few snacks for his kids! But there he was someone we knew who would drive us all the way home! Oh and our phone wasn’t working at all this whole time so we couldn’t call anyone. Basically, it was a miracle.

I really wanted to tell you that all week. I told it bad because I don’t have much time. But I thought it was amazing. Have a great day tomorrow I love you all!
Love, Sam

*Moto-Taxies are like motorcycles but with three wheels, they are enclosed and have two seats in back

Sent June 11, 2014

Week 21 (June 2, 2014)

Week 15 in Honduras

Hello!
This week was a full week but not of the normal stuff.
I was sick for five days, and didn’t start leaving the house until Friday!
It was a full week of sleeping. I did not have dengue, which is a good thing. I did have heat exhaustion and extreme dehydration. Not fun. I am all hydrated now and not so exhausted haha. I am all better and back to doing normal Missionary stuff every day, which is nice, because being sick as a missionary is not as fun as being sick at home. No watching TV or reading or even the comfort of a blanket. It’s too hot to use blankets here. I slept in a hammock everyday at a member’s house so my companion could go out with a different member to keep visiting our investigators. I am glad to be better, though.

On Sunday we had an event, after church at one of the ward buildings here in Choluteca, for all our investigators here in the South. Our mission president and his wife gave messages and there were musical performances. It was really cool. We didn’t have any investigators come which was a disappointment but we had Alex, who was baptized a few months ago, Lizzy (who just turned 8 and is going to get baptized), and Francisco who is a member who helps when we need someone to come on visits with us. It was nice, we all enjoyed it.

I saw Hermana Young while we were there! It is always super fun to see Hermana Young and Hermana Bleak when I can. I miss them so much! We had so much fun when we were companions.

On the bus ride to the event, a butterfly flew into my hair! That was fun. On the way home it rained hard and we walked all the way home from the middle of town to our house in the rain. I was cold and tired the rest of the night haha. And there was no power. But it was fun. Overall it was a good week.

I felt a little homesick but it was another good week.

Hermana Jaquez
sent 6/02/14

Week 20 (May 26, 2014)- I'm really sick

Week 14 in Honduras

Hi guys. I am so sick. Everyone, including the mission nurse, is saying it’s probably dengue. I have no idea but I don’t feel great. I just want to sleeeeeeeep, which is what I have been doing all day today and yesterday. I have a huge fever and it’s been constant all day. It went down one degree from yesterday so I guess that is good.

This past week was good. We taught a lot even though we missed two days because my companion was sick last Wednesday and Thursday. Nothing major happened but it has been really hot here, like unusually hot. my companion was sick with heat exhaustion. Not fun.

I hope you are all well. I think of you all so much. Especially these past two days being home sick I constantly look at my photo book that has pictures of you guys, haha.
One thing that I miss is being sick in the comfort of my own home or in a place that is not so hot haha. When I was sick at the ccm it was the same even though it wasn’t hot. But I just think when I am sick away from home it’s not as good because I don’t have all the familiarity haha.

We were walking home a few minutes ago because the power went out and we thought I wouldn’t get to finish writing and we were using our cell phone as a flashlight and we almost stepped on a HUGE toad it looked like a rock. Haha. But when we got to our house the power came back on so we walked back here to the bishop’s house so I could finish writing haha.

Details sent in a different email:
so i got really sick yesterday and could barely walk or get through church. and it was rough. and the mission nurse says i probably have dengue. so yeah. not fun. ive been sleeping all day and my temperature has been at 39 deg celc all day and yesterday it was 40. so its pretty bad. but we went into town today to get a blood test taken. it was a weird experience. basically it was like in one room with a desk and a lady sitting there. and she didnt wear gloves OR wash her hands first. and it was kind of scary. im scared im going to get some sort of disease. because i dont think she cleaned the needle beforehand, either. i almost cried afterward. but this is honduras so yeah haha. 

Have a good week!
Love, Sam

sent 5/27/2014

enjoying the air from the fan while trying to cool off. super sick.

the moment the power went out when i was emailing. a face of unbelief and exhaustion hahaha.

fan-enjoying in action

Week 19 (May 19, 2014)

Week 13 in Honduras

This week was very busy. We got one new investigator each day, along with our other investigators we have been trying to teach everyone frequently. It has been nice though because it means we are always busy and always doing something, instead of wandering around trying to find someone to listen.

Neither my companion nor I got transferred! We are still companions and still in our same area! We were both happy about it.

Oh, in our town, yusguare...they started paving a road! In the center of town. It’s so exciting and it’s going pretty fast too. It’s funny because there is dog foot prints all over it already haha. They keep fixing it but before it dries another dog walks on the wet part haha.

Frequent questions I get about my time in Honduras:

What kind of food do you eat? Honduranian food. The most common foods eaten here are: beans, rice, and corn tortillas. That is what we usually get from members, also baleadas but not as frequently. I prefer balaedas because they are made with a flour tortilla...yum. Everyone here asks what the common food in America is and I have a really hard time telling them that we don’t eat just the same foods over and over. Then I usually give up and say we all eat spaghetti every day. Haha.

How is your Spanish? It’s good. I learn a little bit more each day. I can understand almost everything people say to me, but talking back is a lot harder. Tenses are easier, Past tense is a struggle. Overall it is good. Sometimes I get really frustrated but then I remember that five months ago I didn’t know a single word of Spanish. I don’t think I could even count to ten in Spanish back then. The bad thing...I think I have almost completely forgot how to speak French.

How is the weather? Very hot! My area is in the south of Honduras and it is hot every day and every night, in fact I think it is just as hot at night as it is in the day. There is usually no clouds haha. And it’s hot when it rains too.

Do you have running water? Nope, not really. We have a pila (big tub like thing in the bathroom) and once every few days we get running water that goes through a pipe and into the pila. And then we use that water until the water comes again. So no showers. Just bucket showers.

How about electricity? Yes yes yes we have that. But it goes out a lot. haha.

What do you do on Pdays? We usually do laundry...by hand which takes forever, clean our house, do an activity with our zone we usually play sports or go hiking, E-MAIL, and buy food. The fun part...feeling the air conditioning at the grocery story. ME GUSTA!

This week was nice; we didn’t have changes, we taught a lot of people, some members fed us at least once a day, and yeah. Good.
I miss you guys a lot and I hope you are doing well. Love you!

Mission Info:
Mission area: yusguare
Mission zone: ciudad Nueva
closest big town: Choluteca
sent 5/19/2014

A Pila full of water

The craziest full moon i've ever seen. Francisco insisted I took like 10 pictures.

My bed with NEW SHEETS. thanks mom. <3

My cat, Crush. He's the cat of the Maldonado family. They said I can adopt him. xD