Week 52 Wait What...That Was a Year

Wait What.... That was a Year! 

I am hitting my one year mark this week and I feel like I'm still 14 years old.

I really am not the same kid that left Utah a year ago. Not even close. I will wish I had a solid hour to write about all the things that have changed in my character this past year. But I think something that sums up it all is that I know the Atonement is real. That Christ fulfilled that demand of justice and knows me personally. When one comes to understand who Christ is in even the slightest understanding you begin to make drastic changes in your life. And that is exactly what has happened to me this last year. I have gone through some of the roughest times, times when I was sure I just couldn't and that it would be better if I just went home. I have had times where I honestly wasn't sure who I was or what I was doing. On the flip side I have had times that I felt so close to my Heavenly Father I was sure he was sitting next to me. Times when I could see that all this, alllll the walking, contacting, teaching, testifying, planning, etc. is all a test to see if I really can be trusted with the power of God. 

I love the mission so much. I love the people of Honduras. I hope a few of you can feel a little of what I feel here every day and I challenge you to get into the mission if you are a worthy young man. 

We had a "noche blanca" this week and it was the greatest thing that has happened in my mission. As I flipped though the fotos I saw the foto of me and the family and I thought you guys might enjoy the difference in this year and last year. 

ELDER THORN

Day I left on the mission.

Lime peels

Me kissing Elder Lopez

The old district

 

My planner one year apart...I think I am getting better.

Week 51 Elder Russell M. Nelson

Elder Russell M. Nelson

The president of the 12 Apostles came and visited our mission this week. He shook every single one of our hands (over 400 missionaries). As he shook my hand he looked at my name tag and smiled at me while saying Elder Thorn. I felt so at home as he looked at me. Something so simple but so welcoming. That same day we heard from Elder Duncan who is the presidente of Central America. They really are changing our focus soo much as missionaries. Before it was baptize baptize baptize and almost nothing else. 

Elder Nelson said to us "I don't want baptisms, I don't even want converts, I want people that are going to go to the temple". He continued to talk about the lack of men that hold the Priesthood here in Honduras and really challenged us to help ALL those we teach get to the temple. He finished with the the most power words I have ever heard. He said " with the holy apostolic keys that i hold I leave a blessing on you missionaries that you will be attractive to all those who will have the opportunity of speaking with you" and then blessed us with countless other things that i don't dare write because I don't want to mess them up.

Everything else that happened this week doesn't quite compare. We brought over 20 people to church as a zone to the stake conference (where I got to hear Elder Duncan again) which isn't a ton but it was more than we had planned. And alll of our recent converts came. OH and Fam Goldinez (a family that was baptized the week before I got here) went to the special conference with Elder Nelson for couples and they called us crying saying they know the church is true. There is nothing like the mission. I have never ever come close to feeling how I feel right now in my life. I testify that there is a happiness that is found in the gospel. Its the happiness that our Heavenly Father enjoys. And his whole purpose is to give that happiness to others. That is what I am so desperately trying to do. 

ELDER THORN 

Here is me and the comp(:

This is Hermana Zonida. haha she is nuts. She has like 7 kids and they are so funny. She was baptized a little over a year ago. 

We planned this lunch with the stake pres. and all the bishops with the other zone and it turned out super awesome. Trying really hard to help the church here be more active with the missionaries. 

Week 50 Ana Rosa

Ana Rosa 

Had my first baptism here in Santa Fe this week and it was so special. The Lord blessed us with the privilege of teaching the sweetest old lady alive, Ana Rosa. A good half of her family are members but she never wanted to hear about anything that wasn't the bible....whats new though. Her grandson (Christian) got home from his mission 5 months ago. But she still hadn't visited with missionaries till about a month ago. When we started teaching her she always read what we gave her, had questions, was willing to give up coffee, was honestly too perfect to be true. This whole week she had the biggest smile on her face and kept telling us about the new people she had invited to her baptism. 

Part of my new calling as a zone leader is the that I have to lead zone meeting (duhhh) but we had a multi zone this week. 3 zones and like 50 missionaries all together to have one big meeting. Elder Rosales and I had to conduct it haha. It was aweome. I really love the new Presidetne and I am learning soo much. I feel so blessed to know the Lord trusts me that I will do the right thing and that I will consult him to know what he needs of me. We taught the three zones about L5 which has a lot of things but we taught more about the temple and getting families we baptize to the temple ( because sadly it doesn't happen a lot)

Last thing I what to write here is that this week was hard for me. Sometimes I think to my self if I am really happy here in the mission. I don't have my family. I don't have my friends. I can't go skiing or climbing, people don't want to listen to us, people don't progress, people straight up lie to us, it's hard. But I found the greatest thing this morning by Neil A. Maxwell.  haha but I read it in spanish so I am going to put it here in spanish " si de menera egoísta siempre estamos tomándonos la temperatura para ver si somos felices no lo seremos"  its in the liahona for the month about patience. read it. 

(translation: If we are always selfishly taking our temperature to see if we are happy, we will not be)

My new comp is the nicest kid alive. He irons my shirts and shines my shoes. 

LOVE ELDER THORN 

Week 49 Santa Fe---Zona Country

Santa Fe---Zona Country

Well I am sitting here writing with like 20 other missionaries and I am about 10 minutes from the biggest market here in Honduras. No joke I am now in the opposite of Marcala. My new comp is Elder Rosales! I knew him a lil back in my training. He has been a Zone Leader for over a year and is going to turn me into a new missionary. HE is the First Comp I have had that really loves the mission and the missionaries. I only have had a week with him and I feel like I learned more in one week than my whole first 6 months in the mission. He's from Guatemala City.

We have a fecha for every single week until mid sept! Which is nuts and the Zone had almost 100 new lessons this week. I feel like the Lord really pushed me to the end and taught me the importance of WHY we do things and WHY we are here as missionaries. And now he is pouring out all the blessings from these last few months of hard work. The zone is super new. Or sea I am the second oldest here in the mission....makes me feel whack. Three of the comps are in training which makes me so hyped to see that pure faith of new missionaries. 

 

Went to a real Ward yesterday. Was soo weird. Every class had a teacher. We just showed up with our investigators and everyone was like hey what's your name, come eat dinner at our house, and our investigators are just like uhhhhhh mormons are different. This week was whack, but I would be lying if I didn't say I don't miss Marcala a little. It's weird in the start of my mission I would have dreams about the fam or friends and now I dream about my friends here in Honduras.

ELDER THORN

I am on a computer from the 1920s so I honestly have no idea what these fotos are going to be but haha here they are. 

(NO PICTURES CAME THROUGH)

Week 48 Last Week in Marcala

Last Week in Marcala

The power has gone out twice in my time writing today so I figure I better write this fast.

Well got the call about an hour ago that both the sisters and I have changes! Super strange. First we all stay and now we are all leaving expect my comp (because it's his last change in the mission). I have so much to write and even if could write all day I wouldn't get the slightest into words. I pray I will never forget the things I learned here in Marcala. 

We celebrated the birthday of Fredy this last Monday and Jaja one of the funniest days of my life. We tricked him into coming to the house of Efrain and then smashed some eggs on his head (it's a thing they do here) and then ate some fake chinese food and played Life. As I was sitting there thinking about the lack of success I have had here in Marcala number wise the spirit testified to me that my Father in Heaven was indeed proud of what I had done. Fredy also bore his testimony Sunday. He was almost crying, it's something to watch a grown man cry. He bore his testimony about the Book of Mormon and how he has had literally alllll his friends and family criticize him for joining the church. But he bore the strongest testimony that he knows his example will lead his family into the church as well. He then thanked Elder Lopez, Pres Diaz, and I (a few others as well) for being his friends and helping find a new level of happiness. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up being a bishop or something one day, lol just needs to get that next step and get married.

I set the goal this week to try and be 100% obedient, and it honestly hurts. or at least that's what they say in Spanish. There are just a few little rules that are really hard to keep. I am not perfect but I feel good when I say this week was the most obedient week of my mission. It helped Elder Lopez and I immensely. He still fought a little this week and well all I will say it's hard to break old habits at the end of your mission.

I wish to write about allll the people that have shown me love here. Because there are people here that have shown me love like my own family. Given me food, called me to ask me how the day went, brought us food to the house, youth calling us to go teach their friends or just be with us (including today when we went to a waterfall). I hope my Heavenly Father will bless me with the means to come back here one day but for now I am so excited to see where and what I will do in this next area.

Elder Thorn

This is Renato and Ever, both will be in the mission field this next year. They were inactive when I got here and now they leave with us almost every day. I love them.