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.

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