Week 95 Christ Visited the Americas

Christ Visited the Americas

Sometimes I just smile when I realize that I am a missionary. Feeling really blessed this week to have a testimony that Christ lives and that this is His church. Feeling really grateful to have been born to such loving parents. Feeling really grateful to be able to communicate with my Heavenly Father when ever I feel a need or desire. Life truly is a blessing.

This week was stellar. Denis (the 18 year old kid that came to church last week) came to church again. We also took him to a baptism the Elders had in La Villa and he loved it. He has been the answer to months of earnest prayer. Since I started my mission I have asked the Lord to guide me to some kid that needs help and that I could share my testimony to help him get on a mission. To give him the same hope and joy that others helped me find. He is progressing so much and it's a miracle. His mom owns this bar place that is really famous here in Flores for being  the worst place in Flores as far as drinking and everything that has to do with maldad. We are going to take him and Maria (who is getting baptized this Saturday) to our branch presidente's house for a lil Home evening fire, the hype is real.

Totally cried the other night reading this in the Book of Mormon. Alma 5:16 

"I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?"

The Savor is real. He lives and to try to grasp what the day will be like when I get to see him again brings me so much joy and hope. Love all you guys and hope that you can find something to look forward to in life.

This morning we went hiking to this place where they think some natives over 1000 years ago lived. Took us 3 hours hiking and as we got close we got lost. After about 30 minutes we decided to bail and hike down. As we started down this old guy walks up and in English says HELLO ELDERS. I just started laughing and we asked him if he could help us. He started to tell us how he was the guide to the site but it was now abandoned because there wasn't any money to keep it going. Then I asked him if he could at least show us some stuff. He responds "your standing on it". I looked down and realized that I happened to be standing on some weird looking rocks. He showed me this rock that had a hole in it while he showed me how they use it to degrain corn and make flour.

We went around for awhile looking at the foundations to old houses. Really wasn't much. A few years back a bunch of people came and stole almost all the import objects and ruined all the standing homes. And even worse the plants had grown so tall that you couldn't see anything until you were standing on top of it. I started to talk about the Book of Mormon with him. When I told him that Christ had visited the Americas he just stopped me and was like No. Don't make things up that aren't true. I felt a little offended but didn't respond. As we walked over to a different wall he was staring at me but I didn't want to look at him. Then he asks me, "how do you know that Christ came here?" I told him let me visit you in your house and I will show you how you can know too. We will be passing by this week.

ELDER THORN

 

This is a less active family I first started teaching when got here to Flores. They invited us to eat on Sunday and we went to pluck bananas and take down coconuts.

Elder Carlos Jose Molina from Chiquimula Guatemala

 

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

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.

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