Week 85 Elder Andino se va a Mexicó

Elder Andino se va a Mexicó 

Probably the fastest change on my mission. These six weeks have been steller. Opening an area is rough. The first day you are just, well we don't know anyone not even the branch pres. But in just these six weeks we have taught so many people and had countless spiritual experiences. But the greastest thing that happened this change is that I got to be comps with Elder Andino. At first I was SO confused as to why pres had called me to Flores to be with a mini missionary. I was uhh hello pres. isn't there some other missionary that can do it. I viewed it as a punishment or something like that. My pride of the calling I have had in the mission really got to me. The Lord truly knew exactly what I needed. I will be forever greatful for the time I had with Elder Andino and all that he has taught me. 

Not a whole lot happened this week. I am going to be with a different mini missionary for just this week and then for the other five weeks they are going to send me a different mini missionary jaja. I really love it. It's like training missionaries before they even go to the mission. 

ELDER THORN

 

Week 84 Triplets and a Puppy

Triplets and a Puppy 

Sometimes the mission is really confusing. When you think you are going to have ten people in church, no one comes. When you think you aren't going to have anyone in church, everyone and their dog comes. Literally. As I sat in sacament yesterday I had 3 five year olds all over me and eating my tie. They are the kids of this less active that recently moved to Flores and is living with the son of a different member. As one of the triplets started drawing on my shoes I looked under my seat to find a lil puppy. And the lil girl of the triplets put her finger to her lips and told me to not to bug him. Really one of the better days I have had in church. When I thought that things couldn't get better I realized that a handful of other investigators had snuck their way into the back of the chapel. But then came some of the hardest news I had heard in my whole mission. The branch pres and a counselor from the stake informed us that the new husband of the mom who has the triplets, has AIDS and that the wife has no idea seeing as they only have a month living together. At first I was confused. When we got back to the house I realized the relality of what I had just heard. Sometimes here in the mission I have been in the middle of things that really make you wonder why. Why does stuff like that have to happen. But what a comfort it is to know the plan of salvation. Not sure what we are going to do or what is going to happen but I am sure that our Heavenly Father has a plan for her and her five kids.

To add to all the craziness. The stake pres of my comp called and told us that his call is in Tegucigalpa. He is so hyped to see where he is going for the next two years. We are going to get it at like 3 and then open it together. Here is a lil pciture of him. Honestly the most heartfelt kid I have met here in Honduras and I feel so blessed that I had the chance to be with him and learn form him for these six weeks. 

ELDER THORN 

Probably the strongest members in the branch. We went and saw their lil ranch and visited some less actives that live near by. 

Week 83 The Extra Mile

The Extra Mile 

Bare with me as I try to remember everything that I felt this weekend. Really have gained a new love for conference. I think when I was at home I watched maybe 1 or 2 sessions. Here in the mission we had to bring an investigator to the afternoon session to be able to attend and I was dying to make it happen. In the end I got to attend all the sessions, including priesthood, which was a huge blessing. During the conference I had a lot of impressions of things I need to do here in the mission. But more than any other is that this truly is the Lord's work. When someone accepts us, they accept the Lord. When someone rejectes us, they reject the Lord. Sometimes here in the mission it's so frustrating when people lie. When they say they are going to do something and they don't do it. Then I started to think to myself, how many times have I told the Lord I was going to do something and I didn't do it. More than a couple. 

Maybe my favorite of all the things that were shared was Uchtdorf`s talk and his example of reconstructing the building. I have felt that recontructive power that the Lord has in my life. I have felt and been trapped in that lie of satan that it is impossible to become clean. But as Uchtdorf spoke, all those who truly wish to change can achieve it through the atonement. I leave my personal testimony to that claim. The Savior can heal the most injuired soul. He healed and saved mine and I continue to feel it in my every day life. 

ELDER THORN 

We ran into these guys from swisa who had been traveling the americas for 9 years.

We went and milked cows again, but this time we made chocolate milk.

Week 82 He Lives

He Lives 

Decided that the mission is the koolest thing anyone can do. 

This week went super fast and most of the time we are in lesson. I really try not to waste my time here in the mission these day. In the start of my mission I would try really hard to study and learn a bunch of stuff about the Bible to help people learn the truth. But if someone doesn't want the restoration to be true, can the spirit testify that it is. Nope. And when I learned that I really started to focus more on finding people withe a corazon quebrantado y un espíritu contrito (broken heart and a contrite spirit). It makes the mission a lot more fun and a lot less frustrating. My comp and I focused on testifying of the Savior this week and helping everyone we came in contact with to have a humble prayer with our Heavenly Father. How sad is it to think that almost all of God's children don't know how to communicate with him, or have a distorted idea. 

I just wanted to give my testimony about the Savior here on the Blog. He lives. Surely he does. There can be no doubt that he rose the third day. I feel it. I know it. He is the Savior of the world. When we come to know this great truth for our selfs we understand how beautiful this life really is. 

4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

ELDER THORN 

We went and helped a member pluck mangos. 

We got a solid 1,500 mangos in like 2 hours. 

Yepppp. Needless to say I was hyped. 

milk mustache.

Week 81 Members are Life

Members are Life

This week went by so fast I am not too sure what to write. My comp is a stud. The kid served eight weeks in the other mission and now will be here six weeks with me. He is going to be the best missionary ever in his mission.

We are finding a ton of people. For those of you that know me know that I love talking to people and getting to know people. Maybe that is why pres sent me here. I really enjoy it. I love talking to people about the Gospel and helping them understand our message. I got hold of this awesome dvd that is an introduction to the church that we are using a lot. It really helps people realize that we don't worship Joseph Smith and that we don't have seven wives. We have two families that are really progressing and I really hope that the Lord will bless us with the baptism of at least one. 

This lil mirror someone put on the tree by the bus stop.

lol I hope you can see the trash burning in the sunset.

our Zone is just Elders (zona sacerdocio)

Tree House 

Week 80 Flores

Flores

If you guys at home only could comprehend the struggle of computers in Honduras you would start to understand what it means to be frustrated.

I have a solid six dias here in Flores and it's been hands down the hottest days of my life. Just give a lil look at the weather here and I swear it doesn't go below 90 during the day. Long story short I no longer use a backpack. The members here have received us really well and have shown us the whole area. It's super little town on the side of the highway. Like think of when you are driving to California and you are in the hottest place on earth and then out of no where there is this town and you think to yourself whatttt why would anyone want to live here. That is Flores, Comayaguela. But the best part is that there is a killer lil branch that only has a couple years and has some of the strongest members I have ever know. My comp is Elder Andino from Las Tores en Tegucigalpa. Super stellar kid. He is waiting for his call and probablamente will get it in these coming weeks.

Had a really special moment my first day here. I was feeling really confused as to why pres. didn't let me stay in Taulabè and why he would put me in this lil town with a mini missionary. Got a little home sick for the first time in a loooong time. I thought to my self, everyone is just enjoying life and doing all this kool stuff and I am in this dusty hot lil town. As we started carrying all the stuff into our new apartment I became frustrated that someone had burned all this paper and garbage right at the door of our house. As I looked down again I noticed the small burned paper was in English. I picked it up and my body just filled with chills. 

Heavenly Father truly knows us on a personal level and I know he has something very important for me to do here in Flores. 

ELDER THORN 

Hermana Janet that gave me food everyday for three months 

Freddy and Eduardo. Honestly some of my best friends here in the mission.

The Avilas

Hermana Karla with her daughters

Week 79 Adiós Taulabé

Adiós Taulabé

Got the news just now that this week was my last week here in Taulabé. Not something that I expected in the slightest but the Lord´s plans aren't always our plans. I will be going to another new area to open it, with a mini missionary (member that will act just like a missionary). It will be really interesting and I am excited to have the chance to help the church grow, and more importantly spread the Gospel. Elder Lopez will be coming here to Taulabé which made me really happy. Super kool kid from Arizona that will be perfect for Elder Co. I feel like I have been here in Taulabé for a solid two weeks. Just a testimony of, you never really know when or where the Lord will call you to go.

This week we really tried to help everyone keep their commitments of reading the Book or Mormon. We ran out of "saldo" (honestly no sure how to say that in english. It's like to run out of minutes) which had never before happened in my mission. We got alll of our investigators to read at least the intro to the Book of Mormon. Really made me so happy to see people start to get an idea of what the Book of Mormon is and where it comes from and what it can do for your life. We brought four people to church, which was a multi stake conference for all of Central America, and it was a little boring for them. They had us in this hot little room watching a TV. aka nap time. Half the members were out cold haha. But the good part was that the other elders had a baptism before it started, so they got to see a baptism service. 

Had a kool experience today on the bus talking to this girl that was born in London and then lived in Canada and then Vietnam and then France. She had been helping with women's rights here in Honduras for the last six months. She told me how her mom was currently a nurse living in France but travels to Switzerland every day for work. Her dad lives in Botswana and has lived there for 15 years. Her brother teaches english in Vietnam. Out of no where I had the impression to start talking to her about rock climbing. At first I shut it out of my mind and was like come on Elder Thorn think of something spiritual. I started sharing with her a little bit of my story and how I had fallen in love with rock climbing. She looked at me all confused and was like wait what? I thought you were like a monk. I busted up laughing and the whole bus just stared at us. After that we chatted for a few more minutes and I started to talk to her about the Book of Mormon and where it came from. She told me how religion has never been a part of her life and that no one in her family was religious. As a struggled to explain the Book of Mormon in English I managed to get across my testimony. As I got off the bus I realized how perfectly God knows his children and how he uses us to help each other. 

Forgot my usb cable today but I took some awesome pictures.  

ELDER THORN