Monday, August 22, 2016

Week 103 Mis Dos Años

Monday, August 15, 2016

Week 102 The People of Honduras

Monday, August 8, 2016

Week 101 Every Single Door Will Be Opened

Every Single Door Will Be Opened
We have a solid two weeks with out a single person telling us no. Honestly not even sure how to put into words all that is happening here in Flores. It's as if the Savior himself is walking in front of us talking to the people before we get there. Maybe it's all the missionary´s prayers in Europe that are having a hard time. Just feeling so blessed and lucky to be here. The other Elders had a Baptism this week. The district, we are three companionship, has 7 weeks in a row with baptisms. Pretty awesome.
This week our new investigator came to church. Long story short after seeing a Mormon kid pray on his food she starting investigating the church and got in touch with this Elder that finished his mission here in Honduras a few months back. After about two weeks of doing her own research she agreed to meet with the missionaries. That's when we got a message with her number and her name. This doesn't happened that much in the mission so at first I was like uhhh Lord bless my Spanish so she will agree to let us visit her (almost anyone will hang up the phone when they hear an accent). The second after I introduced myself as the LDS missionaries she is like umm it would be awesome if you passed by Saturday at like 6. UNREAL. I was so hyped. The lesson Saturday was even better. She had read almost all of first Nephi and had watched the Joseph Smith movie. Sunday she showed up all by her self and I sat down to explain the hymns. As sacrament started I remembered that the branch had gone to the temple on Saturday and it was also testimony meeting. The first few people gave great powerful testimonies of how they felt closer to heaven in the temple. Then this little 12 year old girl gets up  "I went to the temple yesterday, it was amazing. I was baptized for 42 DEAD PEOPLE¨. I about fell out of my seat and our investigator just looks at me like ummmm waaaitttt. Later we passed by for her house and everything turned out good. life is good. the mission is the hardest greatest experience on the planet. lovee your guys.
Cant wait to hug my mom in two weeks. lol
ELDER THORN
cows
Jenga

guayaba (I really hope I can find fruits in Utah)
 

Monday, August 1, 2016

Week 100 Denis' Baptism

Denis´ Baptism
This week was one of those weeks in the mission that makes you forget about all the let downs you've had in months. I had the privilege to baptize Denis on Saturday. The other Elders here in Flores also had a baptism. A bunch of members showed up and the little bus we took to la villa (we have to do the baptisms in the other chapel because the chapel here in Flores doesn't have one) was packed full of all the youth of the branch. As we were taking pictures before the baptism Denis turns to me and is like I'm going to throw up some gang signs for the last time (picture included) I started laughing so hard and realized for a second how much I really care about him. Really has been the best investigator. He showed up on Sunday with a white shirt, tie, and a Book of Mormon in his hand. For those of you that haven't been to Honduras I doubt you will understand how brave you have to be to do that. 
There really are people out there that are just looking for the truth. WE have to find them. It honestly doesn't matter at all if you look all day and night for weeks, months, or years when you finally find someone and watch them gain a testimony, it's priceless.
¨Whatever our age, capacity, church calling or location, WE are as ONE called to the work to help (the Savior) in His harvest of souls until He comes again¨ Henry B. Erying
Elder Thorn 
Tag challenge photo
This week was the fair here in Flores which consisted of a parade, drinking, miss Flores, drinking, fried chicken, drinking, trampolines, drinking, hanging a wire off the road with a live duck hung by it's neck and racing on a horse to see who could rip it's head off, anddd more drinking. oh and fireworks.

Beef Soup
Here in Honduras they brake eggs on the heads of people when it's their birthday! It's awesome. Action foto


 

Monday, July 25, 2016

Week 99 Did You Hear the Good News?

Monday, July 18, 2016

Week 98 Testimony Push Ups

Monday, July 11, 2016

Week 97 Last Six Weeks

Monday, July 4, 2016

Week 96 Maria's Baptism

Maria´s Baptism
Saturday at around three I told my comp that we should pass by for Maria´s house just to remind her to bring a towel and extra clothes to change into after. We passed by a member's house first (where we have taught her all the lessons because she spends more time in their house than her´s) and they looked at us all worried. "We haven't seen Maria all day! She didn't even show up in the morning to drop off her daughter." Elder Molina and I went off running to her house only to find all the doors locked with padlocks and no lights. We spent the next 2 hours looking all over Flores, asking everyone if they had seen little Maria. At 4:45 I was feeling like we were going to get stood up and was about to call the guy with the bus and tell him not to come. When the other elders called us and said that they had found her sitting on the side of the church building with all her stuff. I laughed a little and asked Elder Molina where the ONLY place we hadn't searched, and he is like the church. We both laughed and everything turned out well. The baptism was so full that almost half of the people who came had to stand outside the room.
Last night I had one of the most precious moments of my mission. At about 7:45 last night we were feeling really tired and our last appointment had fallen through. My comp wanted to visit these less actives but I said no because it was too far away and we would waste the little time we had left. I could tell he was really bugged and so I knocked on the closest door I could. The family invited us in and just happened to be a nephew of one of the most active members in the branch. The lesson was horrible. But when I say horrible I mean horrible. I was so happy when we finally finished the prayer. I could tell my comp was frustrated with me and the choice I had made. We got back to the house and planned. After planning we talked for awhile and he expressed a lot of things he had wanted to say. I waited a second and asked him why he hasn't been studying (for this past month I have been studying alone and spend most mornings waiting around until he showers and gets ready). I expressed my concern about the people we were teaching and how our study as companion effects everything we do. After talking I felt better but found myself thinking this isn't how I want to finish my mission. After calling the district and noting some datas I walked into our little room to find my companion kneeling and crying in prayer. As I sat looking at him for a moment I saw things from a different perspective. My mind became full of all the times I had wanted to do better but felt inadequate. I knelt down and prayed with him. After quite sometime we finished and said our nightly prayer. I felt so different then earlier that night or really how I have felt this whole month. All of my frustration and bitterness changed to compassion and love. I really feel like we are going to have some amazing baptisms these coming weeks.
ELDER THORN 
 
This is our zone
 

Monday, June 27, 2016

Week 95 Christ Visited the Americas

Monday, June 20, 2016

Week 94 It's Not About You

It's Not About You 

My new favorite thing to do is hitch-hike. Today we are in La Paz and normally we have to take two buses. 10 limps each and at least an hour waiting in the hot sun. Today I thumbed a ride and the family was going to San Pedro and the brother of the guy driving is a bishop. In the ten minutes driving we were able to talk to him about eternal families and committed him to go to church on Sunday. The second guy who gave us a ride got his legs cut off by a train in Mexico trying to get into the states. He had this crazy metal thing he had welded together to help him drive. We taught him about the resurrection and he got all teary eyed with us and told us how scared he was that he never would have his legs again. In short, hitch hiking is the best, because someone that give you a ride is bound to have felt some kind of impression by the spirit and for that reason they picked you up.

This week this 18 year old kid came to church with us. We had a member that was going to pass by for him but at 8 the member called us and was like hey I'm sick I cant go to church. We left sprinting from the house to pass by for him, but when we got there his cousin told us he had left. I felt a little bummed out. Honestly nothing worse in the mission than when someone says YES I WILL GO TO CHURCH, and then Sunday morning they make up the lamest excuses. We passed by for the less active who lived near by and he decided to come with us. As we walked into the chapel the 18 year old kid was just sitting by himself. Legit jumped for joy. As I sat down by him he says, "duude you said that you were going to pass by at 8:30 and it was 8:32 so I went by myself". I laughed a little as he gave me a hard time about keeping commitments as we had taught him.  
This week I realized that very little has to do with me here in the mission, and everything has to do with this grand work the Savior has been doing since the time of Adam. Really felt the spirit this week and pondered about my purpose here in life. I invite you to take 10 minutes and just think about the plan of salvation. We all have an important part. 

 30 Y ocurrió que cuando oyeron esta voz, y percibieron que no era una voz de trueno, ni una voz de un gran ruido tumultuoso, mas he aquí, era una voz apacible de perfecta suavidad, cual si hubiese sido un susurro, y penetraba hasta el alma misma; 
(Helaman 5:30)

ELDER THORN


Thought I would send this home so everyone can see how almost everyone showers here in Honduras
just scoop water out of a 5 gallon bucket with a bowl

Monday, June 13, 2016

Week 93 My Shoes Have Been Wet Since Monday

My Shoes Have Been Wet Since Monday
The weather here has been crazy. We even had a little earthquake'. like 6.1 or something. Someone can check that because that's just what they told us. But legit the roads turned into rivers this week and me with my ¨holy¨ shoes wasn't the best combo. hahahah I can't stop laughing.
Weellll probably the hardest week of my mission this week. I think the hardest part of the mission for me is feeling like I am not really doing anything. Some of the people we are teaching really need help. We went to visit this lady and her eight kids this week and when we showed up I realized that they we eating corn husks. My heart just broke and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. As a missionary I can't give food or money to anyone, and sometimes it just really stresses me out. This week I got really caught up in that and started thinking it would be a lot better if I was here with a medical group or something. Even worse when Sunday rolled around and all the people that we called Saturday, that said they would come, didn't come. The mission is confusing sometimes. I guess I still have a lot to learn. We did a ton of service this week to not feel so trapped in the house. My comp is a stud. I guess at the end of the day everything works out. There is a lot of people here in Flores that I really love and care about. Sometimes I laugh because even after 21 months I still can't write a decent email. 
ELDER THORN



I put up my hammock today. Life with a hammock is less stressful.


Monday, June 6, 2016

Week 92 Maybe I Do Love Honduras

Maybe I Do Love Honduras
So the guy that is using the computer next to me is a white dude from New York that sells hangers and is a pastor. Only in Honduras.
This week was awesome. Honestly the families we are teaching are so sincere and I feel so much love for them. I feel like I was the most unloving person before my mission and now it's like I love people the first time I meet them. We have five families that are reading the Book of Mormon. But really struggle to come to church. The thing about Flores is that it's tiny and so the second you visit someone, everyone knows and gets on their backs about being Mormon and Joseph Smith.

This morning, as I was sitting down to study, I felt like I had forgot to do something. So I got up and brushed my teeth sat back down and still felt like I had forgot to do something. Then my Comp says, "hey there is some kid smoking weed on our back door". I starting laughing and was like bueno lets see what we can do. I opened the door and he almost took off running. I laughed and was like "hey chill sit down". We talked for a little and he told me he is just visiting some family but lives in Tegucigalpa. I told him a little about my life before the mission and he really warmed up and starting sharing some of his feelings. He told me how he had felt this empty space for almost all his life. How his parents haven't ever been around and how he had pretty much grown up in the street. I really felt the love for him and the need to explain how much our Father in Heaven loves him. I explained a little about the plan of salvation and where we come from. He stopped me mid sentence and was like "waaaiitt what? I was with God before I was born?" Totally in shock he says to me. "NO ONE has ever told me that". Then he says, " how do you know this. who told you. where does this information come from and where can I learn more?" I run up stairs and found a folleto de plan de salvation. As I run back down stairs he just starred at me and says "I really feel like you are someone important. Do you think you could come to my house and tell me more?" I got the chills and was like what is happening. After 21 months of knocking doors someone knocked MY DOOR. I wrote down his info and will give it to the other missionaries that live in his area. God knows us. HE really loves us and is trying to guide all of us back to his presence. I feel the spirit in my life and I feel happy.

ELDER THORN 

We went and got mangoes from this tree of an investigator this morning.

Two of the greatest families here in Honduras. Neither are members and they gave us SOOOO much food on Monday before the other Elders left the area.


I got to milk cows twice this week with a members son, and he came to church!
Hey look what I found