29: El Arrepentimiento

This week Hermana Wengert and I repented and changed a lot of things!

First thing is: teaching doctrine. We were talking with President Chase a few days ago about Lesson 1 The Restoration and he mentioned that he was worried about the way some elders taught it the other day. As he was explaining, we realized we were teaching it the same way, because thats what our trainers taught us, so we figured it was right. I wont go into explaining it, but the way we were teaching it we are under-appreciating the role of Jesus Christ and making it seem like Joseph Smith is someone that we worship. Not true! We dont want that! All of our studies the next day were devoted to fixing this problem, and we have already seen the fruits of this change. We are truly testifying of Christ as our Savior in every lesson and of the important role of prophets in preparing us for the coming of the Savior. We also realized a few other doctrinal things we had been teaching wrong this week and talked about how we can fix it and teach pure doctrine. We are grateful for repentance!

After thinking about all of that, we came to the conclusion that at some point missionaries came up with this new, easier, but mistaken way of teaching lesson 1 so that more people would understand. But that is not how doctrine should be, that is actual apostasy! We changed something pure to meet our needs and go against the will of God. What we should do is teach doctrine, always. If the people dont unsderstand, maybe it isnt their time to accept the gospel, or we need to simplify the way we teach. But never change the doctrine.

Another thing Hermana Wengert and I decided to do was have companionship inventory every night. We discuss what we did well that day, in what things we can improve, and how we can better manage our time and the needs of our investigators. This has been incredible! We are so much more efficient and willing to fix our mistakes.

We also use the Book of Mormon from the very first time we meet someone. That has been an emphasis in our mission for about a month, and we truly have seen the power of the Book. Like in DyC 4, it is the sickle! Or for us, es nuestra hoz!

Erick - still a bit of a rollercoaster! He didnt come to church and we got really worried. We visited his house and his mom said that he had left out of town without saying where or when he would get back :( After knowing him for some time and trying to help him with his difficulties, we are convinced he has either a psychological dilemma or he literally has demons that he cant let out of him life. We talked to our President about what we can do to help him. We want him to be baptized, but more than anything we just want him to be aleiviated from him burdens that may not be his fault. He shared with us many things, but the most important is the power of fasting. In Matthew 17 Jesus casts out a demon, and says the reason the disciples could not cast it out was for lack of their faith, but also...

"Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."

So we decided we needed to explain to him better what fasting was. Erick, Our ward mission leader and us decided to fast yesterday specifically for Ericks problems. We are meeting with him tonight!

Jorge - Honestly a surprise. He has stopped drinking, smoking, everything. He reads everything, and he even showed us early to church without anyone passing by his house to pick him us. He even had a soda and chips ready for us when we went to teach him yesterday :)

Cesar - We made a calendar for him to have consistent goals as he quits smoking. He has been smoking around 6-8 every day for a while, so we just have to get him to keep decreasing little by little until he stops completely. But he is incredible, he also reads everything and has been going to church for about a month now.

This week President and Hermana Chase invited everyone in the office to have a family night with them, which was wonderful. They are always too nice to us. Before dinner President Chase told us "take out your scriptures, you all know your scriptures so well I want to hear about your favorite attributes of Christ". So we had an open discussion about Christ-like attributes for about half an hour. At the end of the night we all kneeled to pray and it was so powerful. We are led by an amazing couple, and surrounded by dedicated missionaries who love the Lord.

And HAPPY CONFERENCE!!!!! All of you eat some cinnamon rolls for me these next few weeks :)

Hast El Fin.

28: ¡Levántate!

​It has been a week! As a nurse and a missionary it has been a rollercoaster. Hospital visits, divisions, conferences, office time, baptismal interviews, new investigators, priesthood blessings, everything.

This week we had 3 investigators in church: Eric, Cesar, and Jorge.

Jorge: Is, interesting! He is an old man who has a few problems with the word of wisdom. All the members have told us that he has been to church with missionaries a lot of times already, but well see how we can help him.

Cesar: Smoked only SIX cigarettes the other day!!! That is progress!!!!! I was so happy when he said that I didnt have words. The other night he got a blessing from a few members in the ward and Im so excited to see him tonight. He is the sweetest old man. We are hoping he is clean to be baptized this next week.

Eric: Here is the roller coaster part. His baptismal date was today, so we have been seeing him almost every day. Last Saturday we went with the Bishop to see him and give him a blessing. He came to church, then we couldnt visit him until Tuesday. That night we were in divisions, so Hermana Wengert and Hermana Ordoñez went to visit him that night. That day he drank coffee and he had been having a lot of doubts about baptism and his past sins. so he told them he didnt want to be baptized anymore. They left him Alma 36 to read before we would visit him the next day. Wednesday we arrived and talked about the chapter, amd he said Alma 36:8 spoke to him, which says - 

"But behold, the voice said unto me: Arise. And I arose and stood up, and beheld the angel"

He then started to cry, and told us he was ready to be baptized, and that he had repented of all his sins. In that moment I could see him truly experiencing the power of the atonement and I started to cry. This night was probably the happiest of my mission - it says in the introduction of PMG that this work brings no greater happiness, and its true! We left 2 Nefi 9 for him to read about the atonement, and talked about that and went over the baptismal interview questions with him the next day. That same day, Thursday, our ward mission leader gave him another blessing. Friday, yesterday was his interview, so we arrived with Elder Lapicola and Elder Roskos and the first thing Eric said was "I decided I dont want to be baptized, Im too scared of failing and sinning after". I just wanted to cry, again! We sat there sharing scriptures, sharing testimonies, and Eric kept saying "I dont know if I can do it, it just seems too hard", and I explained to him that Christ passed through everything, and he wanted to give up, but he said "not my will, but thine be done". After a while, Elder Roskos asked him if he would like a blessing, and Eric kept denying it, but after some silence Eric started to cry and agreed. As soon as the blessing started I started to sob, I couldnt picture losing Eric after how much he has changed and repented. Two seconds after the blessing, Eric said "what time do I have to be at the chapel tomorrow?"

WHAT

I wiped my tears and could barely talk. After that he had his interview, and we decided it would be best to wait until next week to have his baptism after so much back and forth this week. But he has repented, and is ready!

That has been the biggest thing I learned this week, the atonement is so powerful, and once we start to experience it we understand just how great and merciful our God is. Nothing brings more joy.

And pictures! Stolen from Hna Wengert :)
1-3. Last Pday making brownies with Cathryn, the daughter of President and Hermana Chase
4-6 Divisions! I was with Hna Nuñez but I had to take some pictures with my mamá Hna Ordoñez
7 Hermana Beltran from my group :)
8 Lunch after Zone conference with all the zones in the city and oriente
9-10 More after conference
11 Hna Morgan in action :) prelude for leadership council

27: Yo Os Mostraré Un Dios De Milagros

Our God is a God of miracles. Moroni knew it when he wrote that scripture in Mormon 9:11, and I can also testify of it this week in Girasoles.

We thought we might have a less-busy week away from Enfermera stuff, but no! We should have counted how many hours we spent on the phone with doctors, with leaders, in and out of the hospital. We even had some hermanas come from the South to get some tests done, so they stayed with us 3 nights.

But with all of that, it is truly unbelievable that we have investigators progressing, going to church, and preparing for baptism! This week we had 4 investigators in church!!!!!!! Wooooooo!!!!!

Cesar: Still the sweetest old man. We found out this week that he has troubles smoking, so we are trying to help him come over that. He is really motivated, and we hope he is baptized the 23rd. 

Alexis: An investigator that Hermana Wengert and Hermana Gomez visited a few times while he was smoking a lot, but dropped. We passed by his house the other day and he has almost completely stopped smoking! He is always talking about how he wants to go the the US to work, so we are almost using that as his motivation like "if you stop smoking and repent and keep the commandments God will bless you with work!!!" haha.

Eric: Ah I love Eric! He has truly changed. He read the whole Book of Mormon and is now preparing to be baptized the 16th! His trouble is that he always talks about devils distracting him...so we promised him that with this gospel and with this covenant that hes about to make he can overcome these worries. Were planning on giving him a bunch of pictures of Christ to hang up in his room so his focus is always on Him.

One thing I loved from this week is a lesson we had with Eric and a few members. Hermana Wengert and I are trying to do more dynamic lessons, so we made baleadas to represent the gospel of Jesus Christ! Faith = tortilla, beans = repentance, baptism = mantequilla, the gift of the holy ghost = queso seco, enduring to the end = continuing to eat baleadas, because we will continue to be hungry for the rest of our lives. It is PERFECT, because you CANT make a baleada without any of these ingredients - it wont be the same. Ands these baleadas are what we call "sencillas", or simple, and the gospel is simple!

And about the miracles. My favorite from this week - the other day we were searching through the area book and pulled out a few names, one of them being Karen. A few days later we were contacting a not-so-random house and taught someone named Karen as well. I thought I recognized her name, so I pulled out those papers out of my backpack and there was her name. On the back it said "find her and baptize her! She couldnt be baptized before because she had troubles with her work, but she is golden". She accepted a date for the 23rd in that lesson :)

These things happen every day for us. It makes me want to cry every time. The Lord understands our desires and our circumstances and not only blesses us but gives us miracles! We were in a trio that day with Hermana Fifita, and all three of us were just awed after the lesson. If you want to see a God of miracles, ask a missionary and they will show you.

Still no camera, still no pictures!

Hasta el Fin.

26: Por Bendiciones Que Me Da, A Él Daré Loor

That has been our theme song for this week, practically since Saturday afternoon we have been slammed with mission nurse work; in the office, going to doctors appointments, in the Chases house helping Hermana Chase. I forgot to say, like every mission has assistants to the president, we are basically the assistants to the mission presidents wife. Its a lot of work, but we love it and we LOVE Hermana Chase :)

This Sunday was the Tegucigalpa Stake conference. We ended up having a few emergencies and stayed the night with President and Hermana Chase, and werent able to visit and remind investigators about church the next day. We showed up to the conference and had NO investigators. We were so frustrated and discouraged in the moment, but used that to fuel weekly planning after church. But the best part is - the next day we got to the office and Elder Cherry and Elder Cuevas tell us that one of our investigators walked all the way to their building because he was confused about where to go to church. WHAT?! That doesnt happen!!!!

His name is Cesar, I dont know if Ive mentioned him before, but we sware he is a golden investigator. He is about 50 years old, very humble, and takes everything we say to heart. He is reading, praying, always ready and dressed up every time we want to take him to a members house, he is our favorite :) He has a baptism date for the 16th!

Our other investigator who is really progressing is named Eric, other missionaries have taught and dropped him, but this Sunday we saw him outside his house and he told us he FINISHED the Book of Mormon. Also something that nobody does as an investigator! With the lessons we had with him this week he really opened up about his worries about attending church, and we are truly hoping for the best for him. 

Something that has been hard, especially this week, is finding time to teach. With our assignment we have only been in our area a few hours at night, if were lucky, every day except yesterday. But the lessons we have in those hours make everything worth it. We find people who are truly prepared, were able to bring members who can testify exactly to the need of the investigator, we get investigators to commit and follow through with invitations. The Lord is aware and He is blessing the little time we have to bring more children unto Him. For that, we are always singing "por bendiciones que me da, a el dare loor" (from the spanish version of There is Sunshine in my Soul Today).

A funny enfermera story this week - we had a missionary who was very sick and needed to see a doctor, so we figured we would try out a new general doctor with Hermana Chase. This is Hermana Chases first week of driving here, so we truly had an adventure trying to track down this place as none of us knew where it was and there are no addresses or directions in Honduras. We ended up driving outside the mission for a while, but we made it! And it was almost a hole-in-the-wall clinic which we will never use again, there was even blood on the floor when we walked in, I wish I couldve taken a picture of this place. Lots of new experiences as an enfermera!

Speaking of pictures, lost my camera! Hopefully some pictures...soon!

Hasta El Fin.

25: Las Chicas Super Poderosas

Hola from la 21 de Octubre, Girasoles, Tegucigalpa, Honduras!

Wow this week has been so fun! Our missionary work has been a lot of what I was doing in Yusguare - buscando nuevos y abriendo la boca! Hermana Wengert keeps saying she feels bad becuase the week I came all of their investigators progressing or with a baptism date fell through. But that is our life, and we keep on working.

Erica: Our only investigator right now with a baptism date. I honestly think she is a golden investigator. We were contacting last Saturday and knocked on her door, and not by chance has a friend who had already given her the pamphlets that we pass out because she told her that she "loves to read". Good thing we also love it when investigators read! She accepted a baptism date that first lesson and should be going to church with us this week. Super excited for her!

Eduardo: Hermana Wengert and Hermana Gomez taught his family one time before and didnt seem too positive, but we kept running into Eduardo throughout the week this week (not by chance!) so we taught them all the first part of The Restoration last night and they invited us to eat dinner with them :) Blessings. We are hoping that the family all wants to keep listening and come to church, but we feel like this is the time for Eduardo especially. So well see what happens!

Other than that, lots of new investigators. We set the goal to have 5 investigators every week in church, progressing, and with a baptism date, 12 new investigators every week, and 3 baptisms this change. We are hoping to start meeting these goals in the next coming weeks. Our nurse work is slowing down so we hope with the extra time we can really get to work here in Girasoles.

We had an extra special zone conference yesterday - with Brother Brough from the Young Mend General Presidency! He served as president of the Guatemala City Central mission a few years ago so he and his wife have been visiting around here for a few weeks to speak and hold conferences. He talked a lot about how our purpose is teaching repentance and baptizing converts - nothing else. If we arent using every minute possible to fulfill that purpose, we arent doing everything we were called to do. No time for laziness! He also talked about our language as missionaries, referring to how we talk AND body alnguage. We practiced with reciting the first vision - just imagine, how would Joseph Smith describe the first vision if he were here? I think he would be at the point of tears, he would be emotionally invested bearing that testimony, as should I.

We also had interviews again with president last night - Hermana Wengert and I spent a lot of time yesterday talking about the counsel he gave each of us and what we learned in the conference. We want to be Hermana Alma and Hermana Amulek - missionaries with power and authority. We want to walk down the street or into a home, and people to recognize us for not only the spirit we bring, but they power that we have been given to teach this gospel. Queremos ser Las Chicas Super Poderosas! (funny because that is the name of the Power Puff Girls in spanish)

And today for Pday we went to Valle de Angeles - its the most touristy place here in the mission. It is up higher in the mountains of Tegucigalpa so it is cold. There you can find the best souveniers, food, parks, it is beautiful!

Hasta El Fin.

1-2. Last Pday, we went to Tacontento!

3. Toilet got clogged. Located a plunger. Plunged. Working toilet!

4-5. Went to visit an investigator from the area book, and dropped her again in that visit. But took pictures with her bird!

6. Hermana Claus bringing pepto bismol, bug repellant, and ibuprofen to all the first aid kids of the mission Honduras Tegucigalpa.

7-8. Baleadas Kennedy! Didnt like it that much but Im always in favor of trying a new baleada.

9-10. Valle de Angeles :)

11. Tourist traps

12-13. Our hearts are locked we swear

14. Savannah Banana

15. Ran into the Hermanas from Cerro Grande because their investigators are getting married today!

16. And we had to buy them. El mejor compañerismo gringo en Honduras!

24... todavia: Soy Enfermera!

Surprise! Pdays for everyone in the office are Fridays, so for the next few months I will be writing every Friday.

Tuesday was a long day of goodbyes and packing before leaving early in the morning Wednesday for Tegucigalpa. Every time there are changes we wait outside the mission office for the bus from the south, the bus fron Danli, and everyone from the city to get there to exchange companions and head to our new areas. That part is so fun, because we get to say one more goodbye to everyone leaving and talk with our old comapnions and people from our old districts and zones while we wait. And at 12:00 I found Hna Wengert and we got straight to work!

As a mission nurse what we do is pretty different. We have an area, Girasoles (sunflowers), but we also have the responsability of going to pharmacies, delivering medications, going to all the doctor visits of everyone who isnt in the south, and just whatever else we have to do to make sure everyone in the mission is healthy. Nurse things are our priority, and our area follows, so our schedule is filled with emergency calls and runs to the mission office. 

This means that we hardly ever set lessons at specific times, which makes it hard to find people in their houses. But this week I have learned a lot about the power of prayer and listening to the Spirit to guide us in our path and know when to find people in their houses. We have the challenge of other responsabilities, but the Lord blesses us more than you could imagine.

Annnnnnd HERMANA WENGERT! I love Hermana Wengert! She is from Arizona and has one more change than me. She is an incredible missionary and loves this work so much. We are so similar, we get along like weve been friends for years. This change is about to be incredible.

Another thing is, since were both English speakers, we started talking in English for the first few hours together, and it just felt weird! We started talking about it and decided we are going to speak 100% spanish, in the street, in the house, everywhere except when people want to talk to us in english over the phone to describe their symptopms or with our leaders in the office. We have already seen blessings come in our communication because of this. The gift of tongues doesnt keep coming if you dont work for it!

And I have to admit, we are priveledged. We wash our clothes every week with a members laundry machine, we have a hot water shower, a toilet that flushes, I finally use my blanket at night, and President and Hermana Chase made extra dinner last night so they invited us over with the office to eat with them. And sent us home with extra food. They felt like my Honduran parents before, but now that we see them all the time they truly are my mom and dad here :)

Amo este evangelio! Dios responde a oraciones! Siempre somos bendecidos!

1. The relief society president of Yusguare, Rita and her daughter.

2. Map making until the last second, hoping nobody gets lost down there in Yusguare!

3. In Yusguare, Ani

4. Last lunch with Hna Josfina :(

5. Alma y Amulek...digo Hermana Morgan y Hermana Wengert :)

24: Me Voy de Yusguare

This week we were all over the place in Yusguare. With changes coming we werent sure who would go, who would stay, if we would both go (they are closing 5 areas this change because fewer missionaries are coming this time) so we have been just trying to work with the investigators we have to get them to progress. 

We met with a woman this week named Daisy, and every aspect of her life defines the word humble. They live in a cement house, which is falling apart, They dont have electricity, or even impure running water. The other day after one of our lessons we ran into her in the street and she said right after the lesson, she found 18 extra lempiras in her house, the exact amount to buy a bundle of drinking water. This week, her and her 3 children came to sacrament meeting. Sounds simple, but they live about an hour and a half away by foot, so they have to come by mototaxi. 60 lempiras for her family round trip, AND she didnt go to work that day just to go to church. I was thinking about her and her situation all day yesterday; I almost feel guilty asking her to come to church when she barely has the means to feed her family. But the Lords commandments require sacrifice. And when we sacrifice something for the Lord, we are becoming more like Him, He who sacrificed everything. And we are blessed! 

We are still trying to get permission to baptize the twins Jefferson and Josue, maybe this week! Also the little girl Rosa, who was also going to be baptized this weekend, didnt end up needing missionary lessons, so her baptism will take place in the next following weeks.

And today, I thought Id share the story of my Yusguare miracle, Hermana Blanca. Hermana Ordoñez and her other companion were doing visits one day with the relief society president and passed by the house of Blanca, when the RS president said a less active member lived there. One day Hermana Ordoñez told me about that as we passed by Blancas house, so we visited her and shared a scripture. She was so unmotivated to go to church, she had problems with the bishop in the past, and didnt feel any desire to return. So we kept meeting with her. Every week there was a new problem, her children left, she had to work, someone in her family got sick; we were losing hope that she would ever come back to church. But my second Sunday of this change, she came! And I was the happiest I think Ive ever been in my life. SHe has come to church every week since, we continue to visit her, and she has come to every movie night with us in the church. And just yesterday, when they changed the bishopbric, we asked her what she thought. She only had good things to say about the old Bishop. I was shocked. This gospel truly changes hearts. And now she is helping re-activate her children as well!

Speaking of which, they changed the bishopbric here in Yusguare yesterday...after NINE YEARS serving as bishop. Bishop Garcia was great, but change is just what this ward needed to help this area grow.

And...four months later and I am leaving Yusguare :(

...to be a mission nurse in Tegucigalpa! My area is called Girasoles, and my new companion will be Hermana Wengert. And the area Yusguare is staying open! So happy, I cant wait to hear all the success Hermana Cabañas and her new companion will have.

1. Noche de Cine this week: the twins, a friend of a member named Antony, Blanca, and her grandaughters

2. Los chanchos!

3. Rugy and Ana Gabriel, one of our favorite member families. And they make the best food.

4. Daisy and two of her daughters

5. Andrea and her neice

6. Okay I dont know if I talked about this before, but in the CCM my district always sang this song that goes "Dulce canta el burro al ir a comer / Si no lo cuidamos el rebuznara / Caji cajo caja / Caji cajo caja / Caji cajo CAJA-ah / Caji cajo caja" (to the tune of itsy bitsy spider).

7. Delma and Ariana :)

9. Hermana Fifita, me, and Hermana Moreno (who leaves this week for her house in El Salvador! I will miss her so much)

10-11: ZONA CHOLUTECA (minus a few)