60: Se Va La Bissell

A week of hard work and a lot of goodbyes. It is a lot different having your companion leave the mission rather than changing areas. Lots of crazy, lots of emotion, and an incredible amount of love shown. 

I will miss Hermana Bissell so much! She has worked hard until the end. She and Hermana Gonzalez leave their areas tomorrow in the morning so today is basically their last day. I could say a lot of nice things about them, but I just hope everyone reading this knows how much I love them and have learned from them. They are fire missionaries and incredible disciples of Jesus Christ. But for now, its just hasta luego!

Hermana Conza is coming here to be my companion! I am super excited! She is from Peru and I honestly dont know that much about her. Just that she is great. We are going to light Los Prados on fire this next change.

Not much to say. We are struggling to get people to go to church. That is always a bit of a struggle on the mission, but we still have investigators that are so close to having a real baptismal date. We all just need a little more faith.

Something that really impacted us this week was last night when we were visiting the Galo family. We had just started visiting them a few weeks ago, and have only been to their house about 4 times. But they would come to our minds every now and then and we would visit them. Last night they came to our minds again, only the daughters were there but their mom called in to say goodbye to Hermana Bissell. Everyone was teary, especally the mom and her daughters. We left a little surprised, because we felt like we didnt help them that much, but we surely came in a time of need. They have been going to church now for a few weeks, and the daughter is preparing to get sealed in the temple at the end of the year.

Jesus lives! The church is true! Read the Book of Mormon!

Nos vemos!

1-2. Making Catrachas with Hermana Rosa

3-4. Last district meeting

5-6. All the street ice creams and popsicles that we can

7. Part of the familia Ramirez 

8.  Letty and Isabela

9. Doesnt do it justice, but we have some pretty incredible views from the mountain part of our area

10. Pamela and Jose got sealed! Some of our favorite members

11-12. Familia Galo

13. Hermana Bissells goodbye FHE last night with the Molina and Montoya families 

59: Potencial

This week we finished divisions! First with the sisters in Valle de Angeles, then with the sisters in Miraflores.

Not much to share this week, we have a lot of investigators that are so close to getting baptized, but something always comes up Sundays in the morning. We have taught a lot about the Sabbath Day with investigators and members this week promising the blessings that come from setting aside that day. I am a fan of the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 59 that promises us abundance if we keep the Sabbath day holy, and that is something that everyone needs, not just here. The Lord promises that if we dont work, well have more. It may not make sense to us, but our God with ALL WISDOM makes it possible.

But, we did have a really really positive investigator in church this week, Jorge. We found him knocking on his door about 2 weeks before semana santa. The gospel really is the answer to the search he didnt know he started, as it says in Preach My Gospel. We had a baptismal date with him before and it fell, but we are going to prayerfully invite him again this week. He really seems prepared for this moment.

I have been reading the beginning chapters of Alma this week when he and the sons of Mosiah go to preach the gospel to the lamanites. Something that impressed me is the exact thing were focusing on in the mission: baptism. We are here to find, teach, baptize, and by doing so establish and edify the church of the Lord. That is what they do, they go from land to land, fufilling that purpose. And when that purpose has been fufilled in each land, they find somewhere else do find, teach, baptize, and establish the church. What a blessing to have a perfect book like the Book of Mormon to teach us the fulness of the gospel! It applies to everyone, it changes every life who diligently studies it.

Hermana Bissell and I this morning were talking a lot about what weve learned from each other. Something I stuggle with as a missionary and as a person is getting upset wen I dont reach my high goals. She explained to me that she stuggles seeing the potencial she has and setting higher goals. She has helped me to understand my dependance on the grace of Jesus Christ when I dont reach my goals, and Ive helped her to realize the potencial she has to be the disciple Christ wants her to be. She has been a great blessing to me. I cant believe she and Hermana Gonzalez are both leaving next week! The Lord has blessed me with some of his greatest as my companions.

1. The house in Valle de Angeles. Que inspiración!

2-3. Divisions with Valle

4. Not waiting the day of our repentance...not waiting until we have 25 pairs of dirty socks to wash them...

5-6. Divisions with Miraflores

7. I got a new plaque! 

58: Consejo, Girasoles, Santa Maria, Pikacho

It was another full week! We started in leadership council, then straight to...

Divisions in Girasoles!!!! We both went to their area and it was a blast!!! And of course a learning experience. I was with Hermana Gonzalez and Hermana Guzman, and Hermana Bissell was with Hermana Avila. I got to see Esteban and Veronica AND the Tercero family. AND we bought our favorite paletas from that area. So many blessings. I love Girasoles! They have been able to baptize some fo the investigators I left there and some are still in progress. It really is a blessing to go back to your favorite area. No matter who you see you are so happy to be there. And its even better with your old compa.

We had divisions with Santa Maria this week too, I was with Hermana Itzep and Hermana Centurion! They are in a trio as well because Hermana Wengert arrived there a week ago. She is supposed to be training this next change! I am so excited to have my Hermana Wingers back in the city! But I really love being there with those two Hermanas. They are baptizing like crazy so it was good to go and see what theyre doing to accomplish it.

Were still trying to change up things here in Prados so we can be baptizing. We havent quite figured it out yet, but we think were close. We have a lot of investigators that are incredibly positive, we just dont understand why theyre not progressing toward baptism. But its okay. Not hard, just challenging.

Lots of pictures. Happy week!

1-2. Las Hermanas del Consejo

3. Esteban and Veronica and more of their family that the Hermanas are now teaching :)

4-5. THE TERCERO FAMILY!!!!!

6-9. Las Hermanas de Girasoles

10. Divisions with Santa Maria

11-12. Tu y Yo 

13-20. Pikacho: Zona Villa Olympica

57: Presidente Nelson, Te Sostengo

What a week! Semana santa, conference, and an extra zone conference. Where to start!

This last tuesday, after having our zone conference the week before, Presidente Chase invited our zone and the other zone with us to the other city zone conference to receive more instruction. When we heard that, we were a little confused, but we all went ready to listen. He had received results from a worldwide missionary survey we took that pointed out lots of things, but most of all that our focus has not been on BAPTISM. He talked about how missionary work was organized to BAPTIZE, it has many other side affects, but our most important purpose is getting people to perform that ordinance. He requested that in our weekly email, we write him if that is our number one reason to be here in the mission. This is what I wrote this morning:

Estamos aquí para bautizar, yo lo sé. No hay ninguna duda acerca de eso. No he tenido mucho éxito personalmente con ese indicador en la misión, pero yo sé con lo que he hecho en la misión, mi enfoque siempre ha sido bautizar. 

We finished SEMANA SANTA. I attached the document that explains all we did. We didnt quite get to the goal, but given as our investigators and more than 50% (no joke) of our area left, we did a lot of door knocking. Los Prados now has a lot of new investigators! Given that, no investigator updates.

And CONFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!

Best ever! You should have seen us every time announcements were made. We went crazy! ESPECIALLY for the temple in Nicaragua, they have been waiting for a temple for so long, they all come to Tegucigalpa to do their temple work, which is a long and great sacrifice. What a blessing all of these announcements and changes, this truly is the church of the Lord, and is progressing rapidly to prepare for the coming of the Lord.

Favorite Talks:

Elder Bednar: all about meekness, more submissive, more like the Savior

President Nelson: revelation, I need that! A lot of that! All the time! And so do you!

Elder Gong: his testimony might have been what impressed me most of all. His will to dedicate everything he has to the Lord, to him family, his quorum, and the spreading of this gospel struck me. 

What an incredible example for me and for every acceptor of this gospel. And now, nothing is more important than spreading this gospel to CADA RINCÓN DE LA TIERRA. What a blessing it is to consecrate this time of my life towards that, and continue the work even after I take off my name badge.

Feliz semana!

1. Fresa

2. Knock doors so hard (just kidding this comes from cleaning our bathroom so hard on Pday, but we did knock a considerable amount of doors)

3-4. Los gringos de la zona Villa Olympica, eating taqueritos until their tongues are red and canned cinnamon rolls until their stomachs hurt

56: SEMANA SANTA

Happy HOLY WEEK! This is typically one of the hardest and hottest weeks of the year, but this year the hermanas in the city are changing that. Hermana Bissell have been planning a challenge for our hermanas since two weeks ago. We want everyone to focus on the Saviors atonement by studying it EVERY DAY and searching for new lost sheep EVERY DAY. President Chase is focusing more on CONSTANTLY FINDING, so that is just what well do to remember the sacrifice and resurrection of our Redeemer Jesucristo.

Bad news, Karla feels confused and no longer wants us to visit her. She has a lot of things on her head right now, her boyfriend serving a mission, her mom not wanting her to get baptized, etc. Not excuses to forget everything, but we are giving her time right now. Its okay, another moment soon will be hers.

Lots of our investigators have left for vacation this week. But when I mean lots, I mean almost all of them. So we will be searching hard for new people all week! I love contacting, it will be great.

Saturday we participated in our wards talent night to celebrate fathers day. The Elders put together a skit - Nefi and his honduranean brohers getting the plates of brass. All thanks to the elders it was pretty funny! I was Nefi. The funniest part was that the word for "plate" in spanish is "plancha", as is the word for "iron". So the biggest joke was that we brought him an iron instead of the plates of brass. 

I was studying 2 Nefi 9 all week, about the infinite atonement of Jesus Christ. As I was finishing it, I was reading what Jacob says about having no fear of the judgement day. We want God to judge us with his all searching eye because he is the only one who can do it perfectly and justly. I am so grateful that he has those characteristics, and that even though I am not perfect, I can look forward to that day with gladness, with "a perfect brightness of hope" that comes from the grace fo our Redeemer and Advocate Jesus Christ.

And....an invitation to all to watch general conference this week! Invite your friends, but dont just invite them on facebook, invite them to your house! Testify of the truthfulness of the gospel! Testify of gods love manifest though a living prophet. 

Love you all! Have a great week!

1. Hermana Benson and Hermana Galster before they left

2. Brown bananas + no oven = stovetop banabread. Pretty decent!

3. Finishing divisions with La Esperanza in Gelateando :)

4. Okay this pictures needs explaining. The word for water is AGUA, so one time  we were all doing impressions of honduran people selling things in the street. Elder Cherry did the impression of how people sell water in the south, they will just leave of the first letter and shout what sounds like "GUA GUA GUA GUA". Probably funnier if you were there when he did it, but this sign made us laugh pretty hard.

5-6. Divisions part 2 with La Joya

7-11. Talent night in Barrio Prados Universitarios