Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Well, my new area is intriguing. To answer some of Dad´s questions, the branch has about 80 registered members, but today we had an asistencia (I forgot the word in english) of 19. That is counting four missionaries and a district presidency member. So there is much work to be done. I am finding out that a lot of the inactives had a lot of problems with the prior branch president, and in place of fixing it or asking for forgiveness, they just inactivate. Oh well. I am learning a lot about how to teach primary. I taught both hours because the 22 year old assigned to be the primary president who also had third hours lesson didn´t show. We officialy had two primary girls. Luckily, you learn very quickly to just prepare both lessons, so i had no problems. I am slowly learning that the point of being here in branch has to deal with making the members and the branch grow. I am helping these people to not depend on the missionaries. That being said, We have a very, very, very long way to go. For the dedication of the temple, President Hernandez said that only those who have been paying tithing consistently for four months seguido can have a recommend, so that officially qualifies one member of the branch. I told the president, Elder Gomez, about back paying, but then I realized that nobody here has money to do that. haha.

This week we had dedicated to meeting members, inactives, and trying to find investigators. My comp is Elder --------, who was in my zone in Choluteca. We are getting along okay. He is very much about trying big exorbitant things to find little amounts of investigators. For example, he is trying to start a five week soccer tournament that includes about 100 people and paying refs and stuff, just to have the people supposedly come to church and lessons on nights that they don´t have a game. In his last ward, it bore one fruit. One of 100. I am completely opposed to the idea. I told him it was a waste of time, and that one in 100 is not using our time or efforts wisely. Then he told me that I didn´t have any faith, because I wasn´t willing to act. I replied that I have plenty of faith, I just don´t use it in stupid endeavors. We dropped the situation so as to not lose the spirit, but you get the picture. And I have a feeling that I am changing a little bit. I can´t give ground to him, because if I do, he takes the mile of the inch I gave him. So this is just a straight up no. I will say that he always finds a way to help me stay animated and excited, and I am constantly ironing his shirts and shining his shoes to help me to not kill him when he tells me I have no faith.

We also last Monday bought pancake mix, and I have had pancakes all week. Krusteaz ones. Not bad. I have not received any packages or letters, but I have to go to Teguc tomorrow to hand in diezmos and ofrendas (tithes and offerings), so we are going to the office, and I imagine they are there because there is money gone out of my account. They have to pay to get packages from the airport, so they use the account money of the Elder who they are for. On that note, speaking of money, I am going to be taking out of my gringo card more often here, because we are forty five minutes away from the nearest cajero (atm), so I can´t run out of money here. That would be bad. Buses start at like 30 limps and I don´t like hitchiking.

Well, for spiritual stuff. I have been reading last conferences talks every night before I go to bed, and I love one of them by President Monson. Called Consider the Blessings, its from the Sunday morning session. It talks all about how we can respond to promptings and be the answer to prayers. Well, I prayed to be able to understand the spirit better, and then I read my patriarchal blessing. It says (more or less) that I am blessed to understand the still small voice. Wow. So I doubled my praying efforts. And just yesterday, I was walking with my comp. We saw a little alley that we hadn´t seen before, and I thought- or had the thought, it wasn´t mine.- that we needed to walk that road. So we did. I just started down it, and comp had to come follow me. Well, we didn´t see anyone, no houses were occupied, so I started to think that we had just given the biggest turn in the world, as it was a detour out of our way. We then saw a group of people all looking at the HUGE fire that someone lit right by some houses, most likely to burn trash, that threatened pretty much everything here. We started talking to some of them, and really talked to a señora that was there. She was super smart and super friendly. super involved in like save the planet and keep kids out of smoking and drinking stuff. Well, come to find out, she is a MEMBER!!!!Iinactive from years. From San Pedro Sula. She went inactive there because the buildings were all in the most dangerous parts of the towns, and when she moved here, she went a few weeks before she had problems with some members but has been thinking about coming back. She is MARRIED, which never happens, and has one son that isn´t a member, and neither is her husband. I walked away from meeting her just thinking, Wow. I listened to what I thought were my own thoughts, and they definitely weren´t mine, and was led to someone who God needs back in church, back to help build his kingdom. She would be a HUGE asset to the rama (branch) right now, and so we are working with her. Or we will start to this week. Strengthened my testimony about listening to the spirit so much, and I am working hard to be better at it.

We also went to the temple on Monday!!! it was so cool!!!!!! That building is one of the prettiest temples I have seen. It really is what is said in psalms, ¨for who will come up to the mountain of the lord?¨ it is up on a mountain, and just emits a feeling of quiet power. I don´t know how quiet is a feeling, but there is no other way to describe it. And inside is so ornate and intricate.  This land will truly be blessed by this great building here in Tegucigalpa. I will send pictures soon. There was a just a calm, peaceful feeling inside. I understand better now, after 8 months here, the importance of the temple, and the importance of family. It talks about my family in my blessing, and I truly appreciate the chance I have to have the family I do. Really, in comparison to where I have been for 8 months, That is one of the main things I have realized. I will never take for granted what it means to be part of a family ever again. I can really see here how Satan works against the families. And the sad part is, he doesn´t even have to work that hard. After studying about the celestial kingdom, and having been to the temple, and realizing what it really is that we do with the priesthood, and the commandment that God has given us to have a family, I look at it differently. To be able to say that my parents are sealed,.....what a blessing. You remember when we all promised to make it back to one another in Sharon?? Well, when we made that promise, I didn´t make it with the intention of keeping it. Just to keep you guys from asking questions about where I was as a person and spiritually. But I can say that Now, I intend to keep it with everything I got. Everything. Venga lo que venga, sea lo que sea, with everything I got. Love you all.

That´s really it. I will tell that lady you found an ancestor, but if you could let me know where he was born, that would be great. Find out if he was ever in Kansas, or if there was a Lathrop in Kansas, please?? She would appreciate it. Ever since I told her about this, and that I have a line to this guy, she calls me Primo, which is cousin. everybody else is Hermano, but she calls me Primo. haha. makes me laugh, 

I really don´t have much else for this week. We went and visited some waterfalls, that were totally lame. TOTALLY lame. Ran through a bunch of tall grass, checked myself for ticks, found a ton in my clothes and none on my body. made me think of the brad paisley song Ticks. Look it up.....tomorrow. it is not a Sunday song. But singing the chorus in the shower made me laugh.

That's about it. Read D&C 19 when you get a chance, and then listen to the forgotten carols song Arise and shine forth. Thought about that this week. Don´t know why, but I did. And the lesson I taught in primary was all about Jesus being tempted by Satan, so no coincidence there.....

Love you all!!! have a fantastic time in Mesquite, and don´t let Cody drive home.

ZACH

Monday, February 11, 2013

HOLY CRAP!!!!!! I had some crazy intense changes. But first if you are wondering why I am writing on a Sunday, I have permission. from our branch president, Elder Gomez. We are going to be going to the temple on tours for the next three Mondays, so we probably won't have time to write.

Well, I am in a place called Yuscaran. I am in Valle Verde district. I am junior comp to Elder-------, who was with me in Cholu Este. He is DL. We are opening an area. HAHA. So much fun!!!!

We are in a branch of about 20. There are two other elders here, Gomez and his kid, Guzman. Gomez is Branch Pres. Right now, we are living in the chapel, and they have an apartment, but seeing as how he is BP, we are switching tomorrow. Don't worry I took pictures.

I am definitely on quite the adventure in this place. Yuscaran was founded for mines, and has tons of gold and silver still in them. It was the first city in Honduras to receive electric lights, and is super colonial like. But there is just one problem. We sit about two hours out of Teguc, and there are hardly no buses that go in or out of here. District meetings are like half an hour away, and we end up having to get rides in truck beds most of the time. There are also two factories of alcohol here in Yuscaran. So remember when we went to Salem in Mass. and we walked past that brewery and it smelled awful? Imagine waking up to that in the morning. Its terrible. Also, there is the river where they dump all the excess and waste from the factory, and that is in our area as well, so we have to cross it. and it smells even worse. But I am super excited to be here. It's cold here, like I have to use blankets at night, and i love it!!! After coming from the south and dying all day, its super fresco here. Also, both houses have hot water, because the apartment is super nice and the church used to be a hotel. so, it's all dandy in the morning showering with hot water.

We are trying to find more members to fill gaps. for example, I am temp. sec of branch, and training the primary president how to teach a class of 3 niñas and 3 babies. Harder than you think. She practically just reads them the primary manual. So, I am going to be helping her a lot. Also, we are trying to find more priesthood, and more families. The advantage is that there are a ton of non actives that live here, and a lot of them have families, so we are focusing to trying to find all of those to teach them, because then we accomplish both goals with less work.

Also, mother., you will never believe what happened this week. I FOUND SOMEONE WITH THE LAST NAME OF LATHROP. IN THIS LITTLE COLONIAL TOWN: Yeah, I know. Her grandfather is a gringo, from Kansas, and came here to mine, and had one child-her father. her grandfathers name is David Lathrop, and her great grandfather's is Virgil Lathrop. They are from Kansas. And left an inheritance for her Father that they will sadly never probably be able to claim. But I explained to her who John Lathrop was, and she is dying to know more. Please see what you can find.

I know you all probably have a million questions. I will answer a few quickly.

Our apartment is DOPE!!!!! It is easily the nicest house in the mission. We have a washer, dryer, stove, oven, microwave, blender, and tapwater we can practically drink. It is a really, really, really nice house. Like, states standards nice. I would live there to go to school no problem. So, can you put together some easy recipes, and send them my way?? I started the Sunday tradition of cooking a big meal for the three other elders and myself, and made homemade burgers today. Even made french fries and fry sauce.and put eggs on the burgers. But like, the pancake recipe that we have, easy pastas, meats maybe even some dessert stuff. like, i don't know. just see what you can find. That would be more than helpful. THANK YOU.

Umm...I don't know what else you want to know. Ask me this next week, but if you can send the letter earlier than Sunday, that would be great. I will send pictures next week, I hope. Hope.

Well, just one or two spiritual experiences.

I was thinking about it today while my comp was speaking in sacrament meeting. This town is full of precious metal. Makes me think of D and C when God says that if they go to a certain town, which I am pretty sure was Kirtland, they would find great treasures. Something like that. and I was thinking about what we are going to do to find all that treasure. Like, its probably hidden. We don't know anybody, or anything, we are going to be lost, the area is huge, and yada yada yada. I was thinking about that today as I was reading D and C 124. Jjust flipping through it, trying to find something else. Then I read verse 44. I don't know it in English, I was reading in Spanish, and the Spanish is ¨Si trabajáis con toda vuestra fuerza, yo consagraré ése lugar para que sea santo.¨ Pretty much, if you work with all your might, I will consecrate this place, so that it is sacred. I think that is pretty literal. But holy cow, that got me. I realized that I just needed to work, and if I worked hard, with all my might, and gave it all 110% of me, and more, that the lord will sanctify this town.

Sanctify it.

I prayed then to thank Him, and to let him know that I would do everything I possibly could to sanctify myself, so that He could work wonders through me. Joshua 5, I think. but that's for sure in Joshua. By me working hard, and sanctifying myself, he will sanctify this town. And That's what I plan on happening.

I love you all!!! I hope you all have had a great week, and that this next one is even better. I am going to the temple tomorrow, so I will let you know how it is.

Zach

Monday, February 4, 2013

Hola familia!! y todos.

I hope that you all had a fantastic week, and that the super bowl party was a blast. I don´t want to know what the food was, that will only make me jealous. I had chorizo, beans, eggs, and cheese with tortillas and some orange juice. I am sure that what you had was better.

Well, the weather up there sounds crazy. I am a little jealous, I want to see some snow so BAD.

So, this week was good. A little sad, but good.

This was the hard part of the week, and then I will talk about the good.

This week I learned what it means to be stiffnecked and heardhearted.

Heardhearted.

Well, we had a cita with the half family we are teaching. we watched the hour long restoration movie with them, hoping that that would change or soften the mother´s heart just a little bit. and it didn´t. Not that I can see. She won´t pray to get an answer.  She is sure that her answer will come just at some random moment. She also got mad at us because she doesn´t like it when we say that this is the only true church. Well, she is sort of angry at us for the main point of our message, my comp apologized for it sounding like that, but I didn´t. Christ never apologized to the Pharisees or the Sadducees that they couldn´t accept his message, and that they were in the wrong. So, I don´t apologize for saying truth. She was sort of offended, but I wouldn´t take it back. She asked me if her mother would be saved (her mother is a baptized Jehovah´s witness.) I said that she hadn´t been baptized by the proper authority, and in the correct manner, and so as of right now, she couldn´t enter god´s kingdom, following Juan 3:5. Well, she then asked me if that meant her mom was wasting her time. I said yes and no. I said that she wasn´t looking in the right place, she didn´t know where to find the truth. She got more offendded, and then we left. She won´t ask God. She talks about this great faith she has, but I have yet to see evidence of it. James 2:17-18

Stiffnecked.

We were teaching a staunch ------- about the restoration, and we got to prophets. The words that came out of his mouth, and I quote, were ¨I don´t know if I can believe in prophets, it seems too confusing.¨ Really?? No offense to -------- reading this, but you believe in Trans-substantiation, superogation, praying to Mary, indulgences, papal line of authority, beatification, the trinity, and that God is a mystery, and Prophets, something outlined in the BIBLE very CLEARLY is too confusing?? Amos 3:7, Ephesians 2:20 and 4:11-14, Exodus 33:11 and hebrews 5:4. And then the fact that God has been the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8. Well, we asked him if God had changed, and he said of course not, so then we said, sir, you just contradicted yourself. If god hasn´t changed, then prophets still exist. If you don´t believe that prophets exist, then you are saying that God has ceased to be God, due to a change. He responded with something irrelevant, and then we brought up the plan of salvation. He was a marriage counseler for the ------- church, but doesn´t believe in marriage past the grave. So we asked that if God had put families together, why would he give Peter the power to seal on earth and in heaven if there was nothing in heaven?? He said that we were just going to be spirits, but I said that if Christ said to be like his father who is perfect, and Christ has a body, and is perfect, and is the SAME as the father, then the father has to have a body, and by default, we will have bodies. He just said, well, the priest said it wasn´t like that, soo.....it can´t be. So entrenched in his own stuff that nothing can possibly ever change.

Now, the good stuff.

We found new investigators!!! We set dates for the 16 of February, and are working with them. Seven and two would be a family, so it´s good!!! I will include more about them next week, or when I have sent you pictures with them. So next week, hopefully. Don´t have a whole lot of time left.

Also, the bishop invited us over for dinner,. we got there, and there was nobody home. WE WAITED FOR 30 MINUTES AND NOBODY SHOWED. and we went back at 830 and still noone. Then, they show up at our apartment, with obviously bought food, and the wife says, ¨So why didn´t you show up, elders?¨ Excuse me? I waited for 45 minutes, knocked, and nobody. I told her that, and she didn´t seem very happy. Oh well. When you tell four elders to come over for dinner, and then nobody is clearly home, and then we have to go invent food because we were planning on eating something good, you have four unhappy elders.

I know that it sounds like I was sort of angry this week, but it´s quite the opposite. I have actually been really happy, just sometimes I need to vent to people. So that was this week. I LOVE being here, and working and doing the things I am doing. I am so excited to be moving on to a new place, even though this is going to be hard to leave. I wouldn´t want to be doing anything else with my life. Its sort of weird. I am pretty much happy all the time, but the times when I get frustrated or angry are so few and far between, and generally make pretty good stories. I learn alot from looking back at myself and recalculating. It´s something I learned from a talk by Elder Wirthlin, or an article in the Liahona. To be better disciples of Christ, we have to be constantly changing and growing. The gospel is a gospel of progress. If we don´t progress, we aren´t living it right. And we measure progress personally, not against other people. If we do it like that, against other people, we are like mason driving in the car- always in 3rd or 4th or 5th place, and never in first. I am honestly in 1st place right now, because I am a better person than I was yesterday, a week ago, a change ago, 8 months ago, and a year ago. (its been a year since I got my call, fyi) So always try to progress. It´s what the Lord wants.

Oh, and Family. Isn´t it about,....time?? I thought that "Progress, it´s what the Lord wants" would make a good slogan for the church. So that´s where that comes from. And that, ladies and gents, is my blue coming out.

Tell everybody thanks for writing me a little, it was super great. I need some help from uncle dave.....As of late, people have been asking if I speak English, and I say yes, and then they talk to me in something that resembles chinese ( I think.). So, I am just going to tell people I am German. So I need German phrases in order to hold up the facade. A little help? Just some simple phrases. Thanks.

Love you guys, have a fantastic week, and see you in about 16 months.

Zach

Actually Monday, January 28, 2013

Well, this week was good. A little rough, but good. we had interviews with the President this week, and of course, like everything else, we had them scheduled for Tuesday, and actually had interviews on Thursday. We had to emergency fill 2 days with work. So we ended up teaching a lot of lessons we weren´t planning on.

Well, our one family that we have is good. The mom was due this week, but didn´t give birth. She wants that little sea monkey out the oven, I think. Now it´s just getting in the way of her life and other stuff she has to do. I feel bad for her, nobody should have to be pregnant for more time than the doctor says. But they didn´t come to church yesterday even though Alexander said that they were going to, which makes it hard to progress. We are sort of in a crucial spot with them right now, where we could lose them or keep them depends on this week.

We found ------- in the -------- this week, and we didn´t say anything about it till the next day, and we gave him the chance to tell us, and he lied. So we told him we found him, and he was just sort of like, uhh, well, I don´t know what to tell you. And then my comp says, How about the truth!!! So we shaved him. I talked about how if he really appreciated what Christ did for him, he would stop sinning, because sinning over and over again is just ridiculing the atonement and Christ death for us. He got kind of somber, and then we brought him back. We played sort of good comp bad comp, but we both sort of gave him a machetazo and then helped him to believe in himself again. I shared with him in 3 Nefi 9:13-14. I cried sort of while I read it. It meant so much to me in that moment, and I know he could feel the spirit as well. Incredible.

Our half family is growing slowly colder, just like we told them they would if they didn´t commit to baptism. Like yesterday, they missed the bus, and when we called to ask if we could come get them with Carlos Maldonado in his car, they said no. They had already changed clothes, and had stuff to do. We are going to watch the restoration with them this week, but if things don´t change, we will have to drop them.

And we fasted to get permission for Kaylet (pronounced like Kaylee) this week. She lives an hour away from her parents, and the only way that Carlos and Carla could sign is if the parents say yes first. although she told them that God told her through the spirit that she needs to be baptized again, they were like, well, you were already baptized, so sorry. So, I think we are waiting till she turns 18 in March. Well, Caal is waiting. I won´t be here. Also, Carlos is officially an Elder in the Mel. Priesthood.!!!!!!!!!! I love those guys so much. I am hoping to be able to be in their sealing in a year. I have to behave well so that pres will let me go.

Speaking of pres, as I said we had interviews. we set some goals for the year, and a few of mine are to read the BofM everyday, finish all the canonical books in English and Spanish, and to help me keep a clean mind, and occupied, memorize a new scripture EVERRRDAY. So far, since Thursday, I have three, and am working on today. Then he and the Hermana took us to dinner. We had Asian food. I don´t know what it is about this country, but they love Asian food. but I had an interesting experience with President. I asked him if I was leaving, and he said yes, and then I asked him if I could ask him something. He just looked at me, so I asked if It was possible, to make me stretch. Send me somewhere to make me stretch. He just kind of smiled, and said in a gently reprimanding way, ¨Elder, esta bien si yo le mando donde lo necesita a usted el Señor?¨ (Translation: Elder, is it okay if I send you where the lord needs you??)  Way better than what I wanted right?? But then he got really serious, and looked me in the eye, and asked, Elder, does it matter to you where you go? I replied that it didn´t, that it would be fine. He continued with ¨and you won´t complain or ask why you are there?¨ I said, ¨Well, no, because I know that if the Lord needs me there, what's the point of asking why?? I would just go to work.¨ he nodded with some satisfaction, and said, ¨Very good Elder. I am glad that I can trust you.¨ Well, I really want to know where I will be going. I know that it will make me stretch and grow, but I just want to know where. To answer dads question from last week, yes, I do suspect when I have changes, but that´s just because president has a four change rule, and Ii have four changes here.

Petey!!! love you bud. mornin. I know you can do it. And, I have a way to make it interesting. Get a red pen, Like a Bic. And every time it says the name of God or of Christ, in any form, circle it in red. Lord, Savior, Redeemer, however it appears. And then when he speaks, underline it in red. you will find how often the lord speaks and how often he is mentioned. It is literally almost every page. Do work son, I know you can do it.

Mason, I remember one klondike where we stayed in the bathroom the whole time, hitting the hand dryer, because it was the only thing that was warm in the cold wilderness. This one sounds like a lot more fun.

Well, I will let you guys go. I hope you have a good week, enjoy the snow, play some soccer, and drink a lot of mate. I sure am. just the drinking mate part. Say hi to Kris Evans for me.

Love you all!!!!

Zach

Monday, January 21, 2013

Ha. Hola fam, it´s been an interesting week, so I will cut to the chase.

We had a baptism!!!!!! Her name is Sara, and she is 8. Her mother is not a member, and even though all her cousins and everybody is, since her parents aren´t members, she counts as a convert. So, we found her last Sunday, and she was baptized on Saturday. We only had to teach some stuff, because she doesn´t really have any sin. it was good!!!! pictures included.

I also went to Teguc and fixed my bridge!!!! The doctor that did it said it will happen again, just it´s a matter of time, and I agree. I have to get a night guard made to keep me from grinding my teeth, I think that is what does it. See how that goes.

I also have 7 months, and will be moving to area two shortly. Oh boy. So far both my comp and Elder Herrera, the Mexican Elder in the ward with Sorensen, have both had dreams that I got changed to the office as the financial secretary, which is scary because the fin. sec has changes this change. haha. I would live in a sweet house and have ac for semana santa, the hottest week in all the year. I think I would be okay with that.

So, sad news, our half family doesn´t want to get baptized. I think I mentioned that last week. The mom is super like, ¨its all too fast!¨I used every way I could to show her that fast doesn´t matter, but she won´t listen. So, both me and my comp felt like teaching them the plan of salvation again would be a beneficial task. So we did. Pay attention.

So, we decided to teach them with the emphasis on why baptism is so important, the key being that without it, we can´t enter the celestial kingdom, and we will never have eternal life, and all that stuff. The lesson was going super good. Or well. Whatever. Anywho, the lesson was going well and then we got to the part about the celestial kingdom. (hint, of the three I always talk about that one last. it builds suspense and helps them to listen to the other two) and then we talked about baptism, and the mom STILL said ¨uhh,,,maybe, too soon....¨ I was just super like, crap. what do I do now?? What else does God want me to do with this family????? and then, a voice came to my head. A voice, that wasn´t my voice, came to my head. And I just heard-felt the words, ¨I AM PLEASED WITH YOUR WORK HERE.¨ So, I figure that if they get baptized or not, their sins will not stain my clothes, like King Benjamin says. I did my part to help them hear, they rejected (so far), but I feel like I did my part with them.

That's really it this week. We started teaching Keily, the house keeper for Carlos and Carla. She wants to get baptized as soon as possible, so we will see. She lives with them, but her parents say no. And her parents live an hour away. So, we will see.

Oh, and Cody, I don´t think that song was written about a sandwich. Sorry bro.

Good job Erin with your tourney!!!! That sounds awesome.

And everybody, welcome to the world of weird food!!!!!!!!!! That sounds like a good soup!! I firmly believe that eating is all mental, especially after some of the stuff I have eaten.

Love you all!!!!!

Zach

Monday, January 14, 2013

Well, it sounds like everybody had a great week. 

Well, we went and talked to ------- again. and he confessed that he had had alcohol, but that he was working to overcome it. So, we visited him some more, and then, on Saturday, we were walking to a cita, and we turned a corner,....and there he was. Drunk, almost falling over, and without pants. He kept insisting that he wasn´t drunk, but Caal and I both knew better. So, we took him back to his house and put him to bed. the bad thing is he fell into this all over again, but the good thing is with us there, was pretty ....not docile, but more obedient. his wife sort of flipped at him....needless to say, They will never be getting married. He will have to move out to be able to get baptized and get a job. Which gets him money and time alone, which is a recipe to fall. But we are trying to be positive.

Also, the half family we were teaching, ----, ------, and -----, well... ----- won´t be getting married, because she doesn´t love her husband, ni him a ella. they stayed together for the kids (name that band), but we were hoping to baptize her kids. Well, she thinks that three weeks is way too fast to act. She says that her kids don´t know what they want. So, I played a little game. It´s called, make up an example in your head, and hope that when it comes out it makes sense. Well, I first asked her 15 year old daughter, ¿Que quiere? ¿100 lempiras o una paleta? What do you want? 100 limps or a sucker?? she said 100 limps. I asked the same thing to her 12 year old son. 100 limps was his choice. then, I asked the 4 year old. (his answer was crucial, because if he answers wrong, screws my example.) he said a Paleta!!!! he wants a paleta!!!! Well,, I just sort of looked at the mom, and said, your kids know what they want. I just asked them. We explained the whole over 8 years old, but she has all sorts of crazy ideas. like, if her kids get baptized, they shouldn´t watch any tv or listen to any sort of worldly music, or do worldly activities. We are saints, not extremists or fanatics, was my response. She seemed really surprised that someone who was a missionary would have listened to music and all sorts of stuff before the mission. Well, long story short, she still doesn´t think they are ready. So, we are working with them more.

And we also found some new people!! Their names are Zulet, Raquel, and Alexander. Raquel is 17 and pregnant with Alexanders (22) baby. Zulet is the 14 year old cousin of Alexander. They are super great. live all together, and are mostly maintained by parents who live in the states. They feed us all the time, and when we are over at their house, it feels like I am just talking with friends. Its so nuts here, people just get pregnant left and right. The difference this time is that the dad stuck around, and I respect him SO much for that. That doesn´t happen a lot here. So, we will let you know how teaching them goes.

Also, we were talking this week with Norde and Glenda, because their younger sister and her now husband got married and sealed in El Salvador. Norde was happy, but Glenda wasn´t. At all. even though they are both like 24, they should have waited another like 6 years. In her opinion. she also is super ticked that she couldn´t go to the sealing, and she didn´t understand the whole deal about the temple. We explained it to her the best we could, but she was still not convinced. Then, I made her kind of angry. On accident. We went over the next night, on Friday, the day of the sealing, and the two getting married were still gone. Glenda started talking about how beautiful the ceremony was, and all that (of the civil wedding, they got married civilly Thursday and went to the temple Friday) and I said something to the jist of ´´yeah, but the part that matters happened today.¨ She sort of looked at me, so I explained the whole deal that without a temple marriage, and without being sealed, you can´t enter the kingdom of God. She was like really? and I was like yeah, so that whole thing on Thursday was pleasant, but enfrente de los ojos de Dios, Casi no vale. She got mad and left, saying things like she would never want to get sealed in the temple. Well, sometimes when people get mad, they learn, so I am hoping that she learned something.

Awesome to hear about Casey!!! I am so glad he is home and safe.

Speaking of questions, Alley?? Ready??

Okay. My advice would be to go out with the missionaries as much as possible. If you can. If not, read the Book of Mormon. over and over and over. Well, do that one regardless. I didn´t take one mission prep class that helped me much. Sorry. I will also say that if you don´t speak perfect Spanish after 6 weeks in the MTC, DON´T PANIC: it´s normal. Use your 6 weeks to study the gospel and the lessons, you will have 17 ish months of language study in the field. And pray for everything. Even if it seems insignificant, pray.

Well, I hope that everybody is having a good week. I love you all, and hope that everything is going well, and that you aren´t freezing to bad. because I am definitely not doing that. I am dying of heat. We did like 8 hours of service on Saturday, and 6 of those hours involved cement and huge rocks and wall forms. dad, remember the last time we worked with cement?? I still hate cement. but it was good. Blisters and all, it was good.

I am also sending the pictures of the baptism from the end of December. Hope they come through.

Love you all !!!!!!

have a fantastic week.

Zach

 

From Paula.....  Another almost two for one week.  Sorry.  Not sure what is wrong with me....

Sunday, January 13 2012 (letter from Monday, January 7)

Hey guys!!! sounds like all of you had a good break, and got some stuff done. I am a little jealous that you could all just sit around, that kind of time doesn´t exist in the mission. Well, it does, but only if you aren´t working. So for me, it doesn´t exist.

Well, this week was interesting. for New Years we visited some people, they stuffed us with food, and our neighbors had a rousing party, so it was hard to sleep. We didn´t sleep much that night. also, we found out some good news and some bad news.

Good news is that Elder Holland will be speaking to all missionaries in Honduras, and speaking with and greeting all of them. He does that sometimes, and they send people home afterwards. Apostles have this way of knowing when people are sinning or fornicating, so I am definitely glad I am not doing any of those. I am trying a little bit harder, and hope that he doesn´t shave us too bad, but I know he will.

Bad news is more prevalent than the good news. and it weighs more.

Remember --------, our investigator with whom we had all sorts of problems?

Well, we are finding more problems.  We went and saw him on Tuesday, and I kept having this nagging feeling to ask him about how he is doing the with the word of wisdom. But, I didn´t heed the prompting. He was behaving sort of weird, not holding his gaze on us, super jumpy. The next day, we saw his wife, and she told us that he was in a cantina. Now, if you are in a cantina, you are only doing one of a few things. Pool, drinking, smoking, or drugs. Well, turns out it was drinking. and when he drinks, he drinks alot. ALOT. So we passed by his house later to see if he was there, and he wasn´t. Then, I found out that when he gets really drunk, people give him ----- to make him crazy. So, he fell. hard. we went by Thursday to see if we could get something out of him, without accusing him directly. We did the baptismal interview questions, and pretended like he was getting baptized this last week. Nothing. He did, however, keep talking about how if you hide something from man, you can´t hide it from God. and then, we kept trying. We talked about how if you take the sacrament unworthily, its super bad, about how if we don´t repent we suffer what Christ suffered, in d and c 19, and still nothing. We couldn´t get anything. but he was still behaving weird, and not looking at us, and he didn´t take the sacrament like he has been doing on sunday. I am super sad about that, he was doing so good. I think that was the first time in my mission when I have just felt so terrible, and so sad, for someone else. When his wife told us about the -------, I literally started to cry. You work so hard, and you see somebody change so much, and then to have them fall back.....I don´t know how to put it in words. I lost it that day. To see them fall, it hurts you and you feel so bad for them because you love them so much. I literally just sat down in the road and cried. Not like weepy, but tears left my eyes, and I just sat trying to figure out what to do.

But, with the gospel, for all the bad or hard that happens, we are rewarded with blessings, and I could see that. We found 4 new investigators yesterday, and are super stoked to teach them. We are working hard to find new people, it is so rewarding. Contacting is a double edged sword. It is hard, and gets discouraging, but if we are discouraged we don´t have faith. So I try to always stay positive and it´s paying off. I will describe them in coming weeks as we start to teach them.

Well, that is pretty much it. I love you guys, and hope that you are enjoying the snow, and the cold, cuz I miss it.

Enjoy the new car, and don´t let cody drive it. haha

Love you all!!!!!!!!!

Zach