Week 31: My first week as a ¨Dad¨

Meet Elder Navarro, he's from Puebla, Mexico like Elder Valdetano.  He is 18 years old and really good at teaching for a new missionary. (Brand-new, straight from the CCM!)

So this week was hectic and full of questions. My new companion is Elder Navarro and you’ll never guess where he’s from... Puebla, Mexico! That’s three companions in a row from Mexico and two from the same place (and no mom, they don’t know each other)!

On Tuesday I got up early and took Elder Espiritu to changes. We had to be there at 8:30 in the morning. I saw Elder Zachreson (my DL from Campamento) there and he has now been transferred to the area with the Tegucigalpa temple in it. I’m kind of jealous, but I have other responsibilities. 

At about 9:30 a bus came and took all of us that are now assigned to train a new missionary to the temple to pick up our new companions and have a little orientation. I had some serious flashbacks to my first day here in Honduras and really how little I understood. We were all a little bit bummed that President couldn’t be there because he was sick. There were new gringo missionaries paired with Latino companions. I had fun helping them speak Spanish to their new companion’s. They would look to me with probably the same look I had when I came.

After our orientation we went home, my companion unpacked, and we got to work. We went out and found 2 new investigator’s. It was funny because I did to him what my trainer had me do our first day out. It kind of made me mad because I felt so new. He made me contact the first house and then the second. I had Elder Navarro do the same. He did it, and he did well. There was some shakiness, but it all get’s better with time and practice. 

On Wednesday we had a meeting in the morning.  I had to try and navigate Tegucigalpa. It was way harder than I thought it would be. We got there just in time for our meeting. Our mission President wasn’t there for the beginning of the meeting. It was just a basic meeting of what training is for and how we as trainers do it. While us trainers had a class the greenies had a meeting on how to adjust to mission life. That’s when our mission President surprised us. He visited with us, still not feeling well, but showed us his faith and the joy he has in receiving new missionaries. He told us, ¨If I didn’t  come and visit you all today then I would have to visit you all in your homes and I know the last thing the ¨Elder Trainer’s¨ want is to have to scramble to clean your houses for my visit!¨ (haha) It made us all laugh, and my companion and I were shaking our heads in agreement. 

When we got home ¨my son¨, Elder Navarro asked, ¨Elder, how do you do it?¨ I have to admit I was a little surprised by the question and had to ask ¨do what?¨ he responded, all of it, everything we do as missionaries, and you do it with a smile on your face. I was really taken aback. He continued on about our house, and our living conditions, and all of the poor material things we have.  I was able to bear testimony to my companion. I bore my testimony of the service we do.  I said that I am so glad to have our poor living conditions because it humbles me and I turn to my Savior. I’m happy and want to leave the house because being in it for too long makes me want to go home. I’m so happy to leave and work for my Savior. I then shared the scripture about the Son of Man not having a bed to rest his head. My companion cried, and said it’s true, and promised he would focus more on the spiritual things than our temporal things. I am glad I was able to share that moment with my companion.   

We worked ridiculously hard for the rest of the week. Our work will hopefully result in two baptisms this weekend and more for the rest of the month.

I hope I can continue to be a good example for my new Elder.

Love you guys and 

Keep truckin’

Chinese takeout on Thursday (we almost always eat Chinese food on Thursday's)

Some Elder's writing their weekly emails home. There are only 3 computers. I have to wait for my turn. 

me on P-day, waiting for my turn to use a computer

Christian's birthday is on Friday. (Aug.4th)

He is not ready for Friday, he says he is probably going to get some eggs smashed on his head. It's a tradition in Honduras to smash an egg on the head of the birthday person. He is not looking forward to it, but will just go with it. ("When in Rome")

This week he is hoping to get permission to go to the Mercado. It is a busy place where they can buy clothes and souvenirs.