Week 9: Wisdom from the Italian Stallion

Entonces (So) this week was a fun one. We had zone conference where we got kind of chastised for our numbers, but president loves us and shared multiple ways to have more success, and it worked! We got two baptismal dates for the 22 of March, which is so exciting. It means that the Spirit is testifying and my Spanish may be improving. Dioni the lady who cooks for us only does lunch and dinner, and for the next two weeks it will only be lunch, so breakfast and dinner will be "fend for ourselves", but Elder Giraldo and I can make some pretty decent meals - so there is that! 

We had some cool experiences finding some new investigators with prayer. So, we are walking up our street. It´s 8 to 8:30 and we are contacting or finding... we get to two houses with the doors open and the light on, which in Honduras is really the norm. So I said a quick prayer and we chose one of the houses. There is no knocking in Honduras, you simply yell, or say "BUENAS" depending on how far the door is. SO I said it and this lady walks up and says hello, I responded "Hola hermanita como está" She responds "mas o menos" and I continue "nosotros somos misioneros para la iglesia de Jesucristo de los santos de los últimos días y nosotros tenemos un pequeño mensaje para usted. ¿Podemos compartir este mensaje?" and she says yes! We are invited inside and are pleasantly surprised to see that her mother and daughter in the living room. So a day with no new investigators, changed to three at the end of our night, which was crazy! We shared the gospel of Jesus Christ and said that we would come back around the same time next week, and they responded happily, "yes, of course!" So, we have some pretty enthusiastic new investigators! I love this work and the people. Whenever we are allowed in, the people are so kind and happy to listen and answer. We hardly ever run into people who want to bible bash. 

Anyway about our area... and a kind of frustrating story with an investigator. We called her and wanted to make an appointment. We made the appointment at this river where she would be washing clothes. The river is River or Rio Armendarez. We didn´t realize how far this stinker was at a 1 hour walk! So we are walking and the entire walk is just up and down these hills, so going back isn´t more downhill, its equal so it sucks. When we get to the meeting place and look for our investigator she isn´t there. So we have to turn around and walk all the way back with no rest. This experience reminded me a lot of Trek. Just when you finish something hard and think you´re pretty much done... you start your next leg and realize that you have to tackle something just as hard or harder! Elder Giraldo and I didn´t lose hope. We journeyed the hour back to Campamento and then went on another 20 minute walk to another investigator. They were there! We taught them which was a nice break. Saturday was the hardest day of my mission thus far.  I haven´t lost hope though, because the Lord is blessing us with continued success. I´m quite content. I´ll gladly take on more walks through the shadow of the valley of death if we can be rewarded with success in the end. 

I love this work and the people! It is trying and aggravating at times, but I still love to work and teach. When I get to sit down and teach I am rejuvenated and full of hope for more success! 

Love you guys!  I want you guys to know that I love hearing from you. Keep the emails and the letters coming. I can´t send them right now, but I get them at every zone conference, I think, or they send them to the zone leaders and then they distribute them. I´m so looking forward to what next week will bring, and for your new letters to come in! 

Love all of you, keep trucking and you´ll be continually blessed. It is my testimony, I know it´s true, and I have received blessings and help with my work here in Honduras. When life is hard and gets you down, keep getting back up! I owe that line to Rocky, it gets me through the hard days... and the easy ones!
Hasta Luego!!!

"Life's not about how hard you hit: it´s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.
How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done." ~Rocky Balboa
(or just hold a puppy)

main road in JUTICALPA

agua for all that walking!

PURIFICADORA DE AGUA of course!