Week 91 Last Week of Changes

Last Week of Changes

Probably one of the fastest weeks in the mission. I also took a bunch of pictures. Elder Salgado is off to Guatemala tomorrow! Honestly one of my best comps. Never stopped laughing. He really is going to be the most stellar missionary. I feel really blessed that I have been given the opportunity (three times now) to be the first comp of a missionary. Its just so awesome to set the bar and help them make their first mission memories. We had a bunch of people come to church on Sunday. Which was kinda sad because it was stake conference and we had to watch it on a TV with the worst internet ever. But testimony builder right! Hyped to get my new comp and see who else is going to be coming to the district and zone. Also had interview with presidente this Sunday. He loves all the missionaries soo much and I don't understand how he keeps up to date with everyone lives. He gave me some stellar advice and told me to work hard so that I get find a beautiful wife one day. Probably the best advice there is. 

It finally rained here in Flores and everything just blossomed

Also found this butterfly, legit died in my hands.

We went and milked cows with an investigator at 5am and He didn't come to church jajaja

This is marañon. andddd the little nut is where chasews come from

Other kool fruits in Honduras. Everything grows here.

This is Reina y familia. They cooked us steak yesterday! She is leaving the the states to visit her husband on the 14th of June, and won't be coming home till the 7th of September...

Selfie(:

 

Week 90 Right Place, Right Time

Right Time, Right Place

I cut this ladies front lawn this morning with just a machete. She gave us beans and fried plátano for breakfast.

This is my last week with Elder Salgado. He really is such a stud. Things are going good here in Flores. We did splits twice this week with the elders quorum pres. and a few other elders in the branch. Went really well and really let us be in two places at once. Flores is really small but the thing is that most of the members don't live in Flores jaja. EVERYONE rides a bike. I will put a picture of this guy that came to church this week with his kids. It's so rad. They put up to five people on just one bike. We are teaching a a solid five families but they struggle to come to church. Sometimes I think it's just a lack of willingness, but this week the Lord showed me the other side.

During one of the splits we had this week we went to visit one of the families that lives about 4km outside of Flores (the brother of an active member). As we showed up I noticed that he was in the canal bathing. I laughed a little to myself and thought how kool would that be if I could just take a bath in the canal in the morning. We sat down and talked to him for little about how things in the family were going and if he was committed to coming to church on Sunday. He told us no, because there was no way he could bring the seven kids that far by himself. I assured him that with the help of his wife they could do it. He responded by telling me that his wife had been drinking for the last three days straight and hadn't come home. As I watched him bath his little three year old in the cement canal (it's the water they use to water the rice fields) the spirit really testified to me of the love the Savior has for everyone of us. We talked a little more and he expressed how frustrated he was with his life and his family. He told us how he doesn't drink or smoke or do anything like that, should he have to deal with seven kids by himself? When he can barely provided for himself. I had no idea what to say. The elders quorum pres (who is only 23) shared his testimony of the Savior and all that he had to suffer in this life. The spirit was with us on that little dirt road on the side of the canal that day. He came to church on Sunday with all his little kids. That is true faith. 

ELDER THORN  

This was this morning here in Comayagua. Honduras really is so pretty its just that my camera doesn't understand

We got to play paintball last Monday!

A bunch of drunk dudes playing with a few garrobos

So the lady that gave me food for the first 6 months of my mission (who isn't a member) sent me this package this week. almost cried. The people of Honduras are soo loving. She is católico. Notice the cross jaja. So awesome

 

Familia Avila sent me this the other day.

Week 89 Barefoot Children

Barefoot Children

I learned a lot this week and I doubt I am going to get anything across in this letter. The Lord really is so involved in the missionary labors. Sometimes I feel like the Lord of the vineyard in Jacob 5 when he says 

 now it grieveth me that I should lose this tree.

It's rough when investigators don't want to listen to you anymore. It's just like uhh why like wait no. Stay a second. uhh. Honestly there have been more than a few investigators in my mission where I totally finished the day bawling because they were so close. Soooo close to being happy. Spent a long while studying Jacob 5. There is just soo much there. So many things that I see every day in the mission that the spirit accelerates my heart in excitement at how REAL the Book of Mormon is. That Jacob was a REAL person, and not just some made up story. We spent a long while finding new people this week, and we found four new families. One of which the husband had read half of the Book of Mormon. He explained to us how much he had enjoyed the words of King Benjamin and how it had brought him comfort. How it had inspired him to be more charitable. Was a good day. Was a good week. I feel so happy. 

We had a bunch of activities with the branch this week. And it really helped to unite the lil branch. The sacrament attendance is growing. My comp is the koolest kid and makes me laugh every day. We found this scripture in our comp study and it helped me realize a lot about the Savior and why He gives us trials. Oh I put the title as barefoot children because we walked like 5km to go visit this less active and this lil kid walked almost the whole thing with us barefooted and kept telling me that he couldn't wait to be a missionary one day. 

 And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men.

Elder Thorn

I go to the soccer field every morning to run and stuff and got bit by some ants. My hand was huge!

Week 88 Perfect Mothers

Perfect Mothers

I was going to write a lil thing about the women of the new testament but seeing as a only have a few minutes I will save it for another day. But in short I just want everyone to know that I have the most perfect mother on the planet. I feel like the biggest gift the Lord has given me in this life is to have been taught the restored gospel of Jesus Christ by a loving mother. There is no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't be here in the mission if it wasn't for my mother. I am sure that I would of long ago lost sight of what is really import in life. I would of long ago opted for a much different life than the one I am currently living. My Father in Heaven knows me too well and for that reason sent me here to a mother who would stop at nothing to help me stay on the path and not lose sight of my true purpose in life.

This week was full of miracles and powerful lessons. I am trying my absolute hardest here in Flores to make something happen, despite the countless challenges that face us. This week we taught a handful of new families and I could learn a lot from every one of them. The Lord surely has the secrets to happiness. There doesn't exist any other way than the Lords plan. A lot of the new families we found have problems with drugs or alcohol. How sad is it that Satan can ruin an entire family by something so small has a few grams of cocaine or a bottle of liquor. It breaks my heart to see others and children suffer because of impulse decisions that the husband makes when he gets his pay check. The Lord has a better life waiting for all those who are willing to give it a chance.

ELDER THORN

Week 87 The Book Of Mormon

The Book of Mormon

 Well I was going to send home a million fotos this week but my camera got some virus and who knows when I will be able to send pictures home.

 This week went by so fast. Not sure why but these last few weeks I legit haven't been able to stop reading the Book of Mormon. I get so caught up in the stories sometimes I honestly feel like I know the people personally. We had a kool experience this week with a familia we are teaching. We have about a month teaching them and they are stellar. But they have pretty big responsibilities in the church that they are currently attending. And before they were Catholics and have gone from church to church for many years but now have about 6 years attending their current church. They always have a million questions and sometimes it's hard to keep the focus on the subject. After about twenty minutes of trying to explain the organization of the church, with out any success. I had the impression to ask the mom how it went reading the Book of Mormon. She responded in a way that I didn't expect.

"I have only read ten pages of the book and I'm not sure if the church is true. Or if a lot of the things you have explained are true and honestly I have a lot of questions. But I am absolutely sure that the Book of Mormon comes from God and that it is true. I asked God to help me understand why He would send me from church to church looking for the truth but until now He sent me you two. I'm not sure how easy it will be for me to accept all this. But I know with out a doubt the book comes from God."

The Book of Mormon is the Lord's tool to convert. Use it. 

ELDER THORN 

Week 86 Third Times a Charm

Third Times a Charm
Long story short I am training again. Had to laugh a little when they called me to give me the news. Training is the best thing in the mission because it's like you are starting your mission again, but in a good way. There is no time to think about home or other distractions. My comp is Elder Salgado. He is from Tegucigalpa and is going to Cobán, Guatemala. He had some problems with his visa and has to stay here for a little bit. We had a baptism this week! So I think Elder Salgado broke the record for fastest baptism. He legit had 5 days in the mission. Was a really special day for me. I haven't had a baptism in over eight months and I had been pretty hard on myself. Trying to figure out what I was doing wrong or what more I needed to do to show the Lord that I really wanted to help him baptize at least someone. In the end I realize that this is the Lord's work and I haven't done anything ¨wrong", or it wasn't that the Lord was punishing me, and that is why I hadn't baptized. It simply was that the Lord had a lesson to teach me and saw fit to let me wait a little. I also finished Jesus the Christ this week (took me about six months) and my heart really filled with this joy that Christ lives. I think here in the mission I honestly can picture better the day that I return to my Heavenly Father better than I can imagine the day I return to my earthly father. 

 

ELDER THORN

 Bryan is who we baptized. I haven't wrote much about him because we haven't had to do that much. His grandpa is the other in white that baptized him. Really stellar grandpa. Legit taught him everything and would always read with him. Made our job really easy.

This is two lil girls of an investigator that we have. so cute 

We packed 24 people into a 15 person van for the baptism. 

 Lil girl took this selfie on my camera. Best photo I have.

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