Week 48: a witness

This week we had a baptism that was really exciting. It was a really cool experience. We talked to the ward council about the upcoming baptism in last weeks ward council meeting. A lot of the members said that they would be coming, so we didn’t worry about having enough people there to help with the ordinance. When we got to the chapel on Saturday we started to fill up the font and clean a little bit. With all that done we then went to type up the agenda/program. Well, not shortly after that Javier, our baptism shows up. Elder Banda and I got up to show him around, we showed him the font and where to get changed and ready. When we got into the room where the font was we see that the font hadn’t filled all the way. We started looking to see what stopped the water from filling and we found no answer. So we went out to the cistern, I think in english it is where all the water is. We looked inside and there is a bunch of water! We couldn’t figure out what had happened or how to fix it, so with the help of the sister missionaries we all took bucket after bucket of water, and filled the font. After that it was time to start the baptism. We look around and there is no one there to be the witnesses. I was already dressed in my whites ready to perform the baptism. (you can see in the photos since we took them before the baptism) Elder Banda and I thought only elders could be the witnesses. We found out later that priests can witness them as well. It was too late. Well, the Lord blessed us with a priest in attendance.  Javier Reyes, a newly ordained priest and recent convert of the sister missionaries here in Juticalpa comes walking in in his white shirt.  We asked him if he wants to perform a baptism and he says sure.  We called his Branch President to ask for permission and we got it. We then got Javier dressed in my whites and he was ready. We started the service and it was super cool, really spiritual. It was a great experience to be able to be a part of and witness. The sisters were super excited to have had the chance to see one of their converts exercise the priesthood and it was cool for me to see the change that had passed in our recent convert Javier Lopez.

The guy has been an investigator for about three years. He knew a Hermana Moore and a Hermana Portillo. They visited him often and tried to get he and his wife married, but they never had the means. Javier has two kids and was living happily until the pastor in his “girlfriends” church came and started telling her all the sins that she had with the biggest being fornication. She took it hard and then a day later separated with Javier. Javier for a while was heart broken, but he understood that he needed to obey the commandments. He looked forward to the visit of the missionaries and the day he had decided to talk to us we passed by his little shop without knowing. He came out and called to us, we turned around and began talking to him. He had planned to be baptized the next year, but we exhorted him to do it as soon as possible.  He prayed about it and the Lord told him that the 25th of November was the day he was to be baptized. That’s it for my week.

I hope you all had a good week and a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope you all can give thanks for all that the Lord has given and provided you with. 

I love you guys and hope you have a great week! Keep Truckin’ 

Hector Javier Lopez Navas was baptized on November 25.

 Javier Reyes arrived just in time to baptize Javier Lopez.  Elder Banda and I were the witnesses.

Hermana's Gamez and Latimer with our convert and theirs.

Hermana Gamez, Da Silva, Laz, and Elder Banda.  We ate lunch after our district meeting at a members restaurant in the Hermana's area, Belen (another area of Juticalpa). I don't know the members name or the name of the restaurant. The food was okay. Elder Valadez, Sullivan, and Hermana Latimer aren't in the picture, but were there too.

This is the backside of Elder Valadez. 

Elder Gonzalez and Valadez are the district leaders right now in our zone. There is 2 districts in my zone right now.  As far as the number of missionaries in a district and zone, there isn't a set number (there can be 20 in a zone or there can be 10, it doesn't matter, the minimum can be 4:2 companionships) its whatever the Lord directs to the mission president. When I was in the Bulevar zone there were 8 missionaries in my district. My district right now has 8 missionaries as well. There are 2 companionships in Juti and 2 in Catacamas. Transfers are tomorrow. I am still the zone leader.  The new missionaries in my zone will be Hermana Bravo, Elder Tun, Elder Garcia and Elder Gonzalez.

This is where Elder Banda and I study in our apartment in Juticalpa.

This is our kitchen. We have a fridge, stove, and oven here. Most of the time we eat with members. They give us little take home dinners and lunches in tin foil.  We are cleaning out the fridge in this picture.

This is our closet area. The apartment has those little washing machines that you have to add water to, but we take our clothes to a lady in the sisters area once a week, she cleans them better.  She charges about 104 lempira for 5 pounds of clothes. She is funny, she is catholic and says that she is born catholic, raised catholic and is going to die CATHOLIC!

Where I sleep in Juticalpa.

The bathroom with a shower. 

Elder Banda in his street clothes.  He changed into them because he was waiting for his clothes to dry.

I was teasing him and took this picture because I think he looks like a Jehovah Witness.
Transfers are tomorrow: Elder Banda and I are going to stay together as well as Hermana Gamez and Latimer, but other than that the rest of the zone has changes.