Week 12: 6 weeks in Honduras

So this week was really weird, last Pday after I wrote you guys we played soccer and I got this weird pain above my left leg. It made walking up the hills and mountains of Campamento super painful. It took a lot out of me for two days. I don´t know what it was but it was pretty scary. I was super worried because of all that had occurred before my mission. I don´t want any of that stuff coming back from the dead! I asked for a blessing from my companion. He gave me one and all has been getting way better. I even talked to the mission nurse and she says it´s probably a muscle and it´s normal, but to watch it. So I have, and slowly but surely we´ve been making our way through the streets of this pueblo this week. I´m fine now and can go the distances we need. It was probably just the muscle.

This week Dania (a less active member) and Ariel (an investigator) who we thought were separating are getting married! It was a surprise. We went to Dania´s house on a prompting of the spirit, and there she was happy, smiling, and putting nail polish on. We asked her what has changed and she said she was having a special dinner with Ariel. I didn´t want to ask further, but my companion did!  She said “I´ve seen the ring basically, and he´s been really excited”. So this is cool. It means we can teach them both, and hopefully turn them into an active family who will endure to the end. That´s my hope for her. She is a very happy person and has been lost for a bit. I hope she will come back to the path and hold to the rod with her soon to be spouse. 

I´m sitting next to Dania and Ariel.
The others in the picture are Alexander and Soleny.

A couple of nights ago we found some spiders in the back yard. I have a video of us "exterminating" them which was really just me with my redneck flamethrower. My companion hates Spiders, so I took a can of OFF and some matches and went to work. (see spider picture, nasty little arachnid)  Elder Giraldo thought it was super cool and was laughing like a little kid after. 

doomed spider

roberts' makeshift redneck flamethrower

I had inter changes with Elder Zachreson (he´s from Kingman, AZ) in Guiamaca which was fun. We talked in English and taught the gospel. We had some good lessons. One of them was with a guy named Jorge Rivera. It was really a lucky call.  Jorge had just got home from work and was getting ready to go to sleep. We were able to catch him right before... we taught him about the restoration and we later had the impression to challenge baptism. Crazy, I know... we did, and he accepted for the 22 of April! Super CRAZY! It was my first time challenging someone to be baptized in the first lesson. Jorge is super excited. 

eating dinner with Elder Zachreson

We had a district conference yesterday (Sunday), which was cool. We traveled to Cata Camas for free. We had a whole family show up randomly because one of the people who we gave an invitation to had thrown it out and the invitation found it´s way into one of their hands and they decided to come. This was super cool, a whole family who have been Catholic all of their lives show up to a Mormon District Conference (which is kind of like a Stake Conference for you guys). Something that doesn´t happen very much. They even said they enjoyed it and thanked us. We just have to find them again which will be a little tough, hoping the Lord provides a way. 

Sunday night we were talking with Carla Murrilo about the plan of salvation which went really well. I was leading the discussion and bore my testimony of this plan with some tears because thoughts of Grandma Julie came up. I testified about how grateful I am for the chance to be with her and grandpa Mark again. Then I asked the question "how do you feel when we are here?" and she said, “calm and happy”. I then testified of the spirit and how it is testifying to her through our presence which was super cool and awesome. I asked her if she will be baptized by the proper authority when she receives an answer to her prayers, the answer was yes. 

me with my Grandma Julie (it's been 10 years since she passed away)

I know when we testify we change lives, the Spirit is felt. It has a stronger presence than us just reading scripture. A testimony is something special and individual to every person. When we share our testimonies we are doing so because of love, and want others to feel the Spirit so that they can be strengthened and grow through our personal experiences. This I know, testify and the spirit will be there. Even if a person is kicking you out of the house, testify and their hearts change. Be a disciple as Stephen in the Bible just a man in the face of execution, a disciple, not an apostle testified and placed the seed in the heart of Paul. 

Testifying is hard and a bit awkward, but bear your testimony.

Love you all, have a wonderful week, and stay happy!