Week 59 Dona Chocha

Dona Chocha 

The mission is the best place on Earth. I have been studying the Atonement this week and I'm starting to understand how much my Savior really did for me. I have been reading Jesus the Christ these past few months and I won't even attempt to write about how much I have learned. The book is massive. But I would encourage you to read just the section that starts with the Santa Cena and go from there. 

This week we had a few things that were unexpected. The Husband of Ana Rosa (or what ever familia says Chocha) died this week. He worked with cars his whole life and developed a strange condition in his lungs. We were passing by Wednesday to visit Ana (never have had the chance to visit with the husband) and there were like 15 cars outside the house and allllll these people. First thing I thought "birthday party what up" and as we got a little closer I realized that everyone was in black and sobbing. We decided it would be best to just call the relief society and pass by a letter in the week. The son called me Friday (he is a member but hasn't been to church in 10 years or more) and asked if we would be willing to pass by Saturday and share a little message, I said of course and that was that. We planned a little lesson with Ana's grandson Cristian, who also baptized her, about the plan of salvation and showed up around 6:30. When we got to the house there were a soild 40 people. and within another 20 minutes another 20 or so. Elder Meads and I both looked at each other smiling as we began to realize what a special opportunity we had. We sat down with the whole family. Only about 5 being members and opened singing " Que firmes Sentimientos". (How firm a Foundation) 

The spirit filled the room and I felt so blessed to be there with my companion. I start off talking about how life started long before this life we can remember. That long before we are born we were with a our loving Heavenly Father in our spirit bodies. I continued with Adam and Even and the changes that came about with the fall. Everyones attention was on us as my companion testified out of the Book of Mormon about the atonement and the joy that comes from knowing that all live in Christ. That all the pain we feel, the sicknesses that we will pass through, Christ knows them all, and descended below it all. Cristian then finished with Christ lives. That he rose the third day and that because He lives we all too will live. It was an experience that I will never forget.

ELDER THORN

Elder Lopez came to visit me this week, for about 30 seconds, but it was great to see how much he has changed. Love the kid!

This is abuela Leyte that has a son who is the mission pres in Costa Rica. She loves us and horrible mexican music. 

  

Week 58 Your Girlfriend Loves My Car

Your Girlfriend Loves My Car

One of the better weeks in the mission this week. Elder Meads got a package with american candy.

We are working so hard here in Santa Fe and it just seemed all week that everything was falling through and no one was keeping their commitments. We are teaching a pretty wide variety of people. Old to young, single to a big family, Catholics to pot heads and everything in the mix. I feel so blessed to be a missionary in the time of "teach people not lessons". I honestly love planning wacky lessons to try and get the attention of the person we are teaching. Or how we can best adapt the Gospel to THEIR lives. That being said we really have be working like mad this week with helping people ENJOY reading the Book of Mormon. But Saturday in the afternoon we hit a wall. We had been teaching all week and still didn't have anyone committed to church. We said a prayer and told our Heavenly Father that we were ready to find the people that were going to go to church this Sunday. First we went to Efrian and Yohana, the couple that went to church two weeks ago. We showed up and they were super busy fixing these air compressors. We set down our bags and went to work. Finished teaching out of the Book of Mormon about the atonement of Jesus Christ and they committed to come to church. 

About two months ago I started making lil comments to this dude in our area that has this slammed teal colored Honda civic. We always would joke around but he never wanted to come to church or listen to us. We went to his house and they invited us in. For the time I can't explain everything, but he and his mom have gone through some really hard times. They committed to come to church and showed up in his slammed honda with a million stickers. The biggest of all "your girlfriend loves my car" on the front windshield. Needless to say when he pulled into the parking lot at stake conference the whole 1000 members couldn't stop staring at his car.

I really need to start writing better. Hate that I can't get everything across that happens in the week.

Had interchanges with Elder Corey this week. We started the mission together and it was sweet to see how much he has changed. 

ELDER THORN 

Elder Corey

Week 57 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father, which is in heaven, is perfect.

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father, which is in heaven, is perfect.

Looks like I got the slowest computer again today... #badmissionhabits

To write a little bit of what my week was like, I filled 30 journal pages. And that is being modest. I really felt so close to my savior this week. I felt that he was guiding my studies and my words in lessons. I felt as I followed the spirit, he trusted me to and gave me even more impression (as was talked about in conference). I think that might be the most special thing that I have gained in the mission, to know when my Heavenly Father is talking to me and when He needs me to do something.

I wanted to write a little today about the first talk that was given at conference. Elder Uchtdorf explained that we shouldn’t complicate things. It was the first of many answers that I received this weekend. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is so simple that even a child can understand it. Why make it any harder. Our Father in Heaven has had the same plan since the beginning. And it could be explained in just one phrase " if you love my keep my commandment " (lol I hope that’s what it is in English). If you love God, you believe in his words, you trust in his promises, you wouldn’t do anything that is contrary to what he has said. I invite you, member or non member of the church, to strive to TRUST in the promises God has made with the prophets of old and modern. That you TRUST fully that he will come though even in the darkest hour. God is an exalted man, "that is the great secret" - Joseph Smith. Is that not what Christ meant when we spoke the words in mat. 5:48. He loves us and has given us all we need to become like him, even His only begotten son Jesus Christ.

ELDER THORN

Week 56 Pancake Flop

Pancake Flop

The city is really starting to grow on me. 

Had a really special moment this week that might just be the only thing I share.

A few weeks ago Elder Rosales and I where looking though some old records in the area book. We prayed to know who was ready to receive the Gospel now. We searched though about 100 records at took out about 5 that seemed mas o menos bueno. We set the goal to at least find these 5 people. Haha it didn't go as planned. Out of the 5 we only could get a hold of 1, and it wasn't even the investigator it was their friend that for some weird reason had their number. When we finally found their house (that wasn't even their house, more of a parking garage that they work in) they didn't really want to listen to us. That was that and Elder Rosales and I let them go after trying to teach them 3 times. Elder Meads and I passed by their house this last week and they pulled out a few chairs and listened to our message. We testified about the Book of Mormon and the restoration. I asked my companion what he thought of them and we both agreed that we felt the spirit and should try to go back another day. We set the goal this week to at least pass by the parking garage every other day. We passed by and verified how reading went. Nothing. They didn't read a single day. This Saturday we sat down to teach them again and I was feeling a little tired of not seeing people understand how special this all is. We continued talking about Joseph Smith and a few questions he had (he knows a lot of anti mormon stuff). Then the spirit brought to light the most clear message I think I have received in my mission. That this was indeed the last time the Lord would be sending missionaries to their home. I began to explain the story from the beginning. That I had prayed and asked the Lord WHO was ready to receive the Gospel, and that the Lord had selected THEM out of more than 100 records. I testified to them that this would be the last time they would have the chance to accept the message of the restoration and be baptized, before the Lord Jesus Christ himself would come to redeem his people. The spirit guided my words and touched their hearts to the truthfulness of what I was saying. They accepted a baptism date for October and came to church this Sunday. The spirit is everything in this work. With out it we are simple speaking; and speaking will never be enough to truly convert someone into being a dedicated follower of Christ.

Had a paint fight with the zone today. 

Elder Meads and I kickin it 

ELDER THORN 

Week 55 ELDER MEADS

ELDER MEADS

Well I got the computer from 1908 today and I can't even really see

what I am writing but I don't have that much to write today :)

I received ELDER MEADS who started the mission the same time as I did!

He has been in the office of the mission for the last 5 months or so

doing all of the financials, which is awesome because he knows a lot

about the tech side of the mission. Like wedding and dumb laws here in

Honduras haha. It's super weird to be with a white kid again. Like

I can't even tell you how weird it is when he starts talking to me in

full blown english.

The zone got a ton of new people and another sister in training haha.

Ya we have the youngest zone in the mission by far! But they are

working super hard and I think that October is going to be steller. OH and

Elder Corey (who is also from my MTC group) all jokes aside my MTC

group is like the heart of the mission. Every one of us is a leader or

training. Never has happened in the history of the mission. hasta yo

se haha. Elder Corey is a district leader here in the zone now

which is awesome. He is with Elder Quispe who I trained back in

January.

This week has been really different and I don't want to write a lot

here but I do want to say a little something about getting ready for

the mission. I have had a ton of people write me when they get their

calls! It's sooo awesome, and they all ask me for advice about what they

should bring or what could help them get more ready for the mission.

Bring a tesimony. Get worthy.

ELDER THORN

Week 54 ADIÓS ELDER ROSALES

ADIÓS ELDER ROSALES

Man I hope everyone knows that Elder Rosales is the most steller missionary in Central America. This week was our last week together and I am pretty sure he is going to finish his mission training. Which is a miracle if it happens. The world needs more missionaries like Elder Rosales

We worked the hardest this last week out of all the changes and it paid off. We found a bunch of people who met with the missionaries a long time ago and went to church, but for lack of communication they never progressed or continued in the church. Lol one of the moms is named Milagro (miracle) haha I laughed. We brought only three people to church this week but with all the crazy things that happened Sunday it was good we didn't have a lot of people to look after (investigators in church are like taking care of newborns). The ward had planned to have the stake the next week...but the stake had planned it yesterday. They all showed up and everyone was just like uhhhhh why are you here? The bishop was moving some stuff for his house (he is leaving to live in the states in like 3 months) and didn't even show up. Needless to say the Stake President wasn't happy.

Things are pretty whack here in the zone right now. I think two more of the missionaries in the zone are going to train here. So basically I am going to be a grandpa watching after all of them. hahaa it's awesome. I hope my new comp is as motivated, hard working, and just happy as this change has been.

I forgot my camera today.... we took apart a roof and built a cement wall for this lady whos' house legit fell apart.

Week 53 Meet the Mormons

This week was full of all kinds of madness. We planned this awesome ward activity to watch "Meet the Mormons". We got someone to lend us a projector and a laptop, donate drinks and popcorn, and printed invitations. The ward here is super awesome and really loves the missionaries. But the day of or say Saturday morning EVERYTHING went wrong. The lady with the projector was like uhhhh I let someone else borrow it. No biggie we called the Stake President and he was super busy and couldn't help us. The other Elders lost all of their invitations. We ended up running all over the place looking for a projector. Then they told us we could just use the one in the sacrament room, then an hour later, said no. Then we couldn't find a microwave to do the popcorn. THEN the Stake President called us to tell us the stake youth had an activity at 5 (the same hour we had planned). In the end everything went super well and we brought like 40 people to watch the movie. Super funny by the way if you haven't seen it, do it.

As far as the work is going it's a little rough. The biggest problem is helping people realize that not all churches are true. Here they say things like, well it's all the same God and so its not that important. It's just sooo deep in the culture. But we continue to find people that truly want to find an answer from God. We are teaching this mom named Vanessa who has 4 kids and her husband is a member (but super inactive, he punched a missionary like 15 years ago or something) but her daughter Natali is reading the Book of Mormon at school.... like I hope you guys realize how crazy kool that is. All of our recent converts are coming to church. We leave every Sunday with lil Jose David who is 15 and was baptized two months ago. Funniest lil kid.

Elder Rosales is probably leaving this week... might cry. All jokes aside I freaking love this kid and I feel like I can be myself with him. President put a new rule in that no one can finish their mission with an assignment. Can't be a leader, can't be an assistant, can't be in the office, can't be training. A bunch of missionaries are a lil whinny about it but whatever.

Oh haha I got to go the mall today and the office for the first time in like 9 months. Felt so weird to be in a mall and uhhh like people have this I'm better than you face. Doesn't fly with me.

LOVE ALL YOU KIDS

ELDER THORN

Celebrated my one year mark.

In the mall at the food court.