74: Toño Carcamo

This week...Toño got baptized!

His name is Cesar Antonio, but Toño for short. Being the gringa I always wrote and said his name 'Tonio'. When I wrote that on the whiteboard in district meeting everyone made fun of me...that joke is going to stick with me until I leave I think...

But Toño is incredible! This past week was crazy, we were in our area only hours this week. Lots of medical appointments, and for a few days we were in another area to help a sister staying with us whose companion had gone to Tegucigalpa. THEN the day before his baptism, Toño had to stay over night in San Lorenzo for his work, his phone died, and we ran around all day saturdauy looking for him. He showed up an hour before his baptism and still hadnt had his interview. But he showed up! And the rain came. Not a lot of people were able to attend the baptism, and the power went out halfway through, but it was the best baptismal service weve had in Porvenir yet. Peaceful, full of testimony and people that truly love and support him. Aaaaaand my camera wasnt working, so well hope the bishop can send the few pictures we took next week.

We met Toño one of our first weeks in Porvenir because the releif society president took us to see his less active mom. All of Toños siblings have been baptised but Tono never was, hes 22. we didnt see him again until about a month later, with a powerful lesson about the restoration, we challenged him to baptism and invited him to church. He said he would pray about baptism and would not be able to go to church that week, until the next week. But by the hand of God preparing the way for him, everything cleared up and went to church with some members that have always been his friends. That week, without even inviting him to do so, he left alcohol, worldly parties, and bad friendships because he decided to come unto Christ. We had plans to invite him to be baptized this coming saturday, but as he heard in church that sunday about the wards temple trip this thursday, he asked to be baptized before. 

We continued teaching him, and members started to tell us stories of how they looked after Toño and his brothers when they were young, teaching them the gospel. Then when he was a teenager, the missionaries would teach Toño in the houses of these members, but Toño was still not ready to be converted. But now, with the help and in the houses of those same members that have looked after him and taught him the gospel for years, he could feel the Spirit confirming the truths taught to him. He was prepared for this moment. 

What joy!

I wish I had those pictures, this saturday was a truly joyful day. for all of us there.

Ahora seguiremos chambeando HASTA EL FIN.

-- 

Hermana Morgan

73: Nelsoncito

This week, we Nelson was baptized!

He had been taught by missionaries recently, but they left him and his family for a while before we got to the area. We started teaching the Reyes Colindres family our first Sunday in the area, and finally Nelson arrived to the waters of baptism! We are anxiously waiting for the rest of his family to follow his example.

He is nothing but excited to live the gospel. He left coffee, left working and buying on sundays, and is truly converted.

Im serious I have never met so many prepared people in my life, God is putting them in our path left and right. I am always quick to point that out to Hermana Dueñas because it is the biggest blessing He has given us. This weekend we are hoping for two baptisms - one is certain one is not so certain. Toño has been prepared and fellowshipped by members for years, got lost for a while, but has truly left his old life and decided to follow Christ. Even before explaining the commandments he prayed for strength to leave old habits and make changes in his life, he is incredible.  The other who will be baptized is Jafet, who is 9 years old. There were a few complications this weekend and he couldnt attend church, so thats why the baptism is still uncertain. We are praying that he will be prepared by this Saturday. 

One week into my last change. ¡Prediquemos y bauticemos!

1. Remembering Hermana Wengert, she left this week and left me this skirt and the green one in the baptism photos.

2-4. Baptism of Nelson

72: En el Nombre de Jesucristo

This week, we had a baptism! Nicol got baptized on saturday by her uncle Amado, she is the custest. Of all the people Ive helped get baptized she really completes with the greatest requirements of  "mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that stand in need of comfort, stand as a witness of God at all times". She is a light in her house and her family. And now she is a new person!

And it was the best birthday present for Hermana Dueñas...FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS HERMANA DUEÑAS!!!!!!

We also went to the temple last tuesday. We are so blessed to get to go every 6 months. Just putting peoples names on the prayer roll I think helped us a ton. And temple inspiration is the best inspiration. 

This week I gave the class in relief society from Elder L Tom Perrys talk Behold, The Lord Hath Shown Unto Me Great and Marvelous Things and I thought Id share a part that I loved...

"Following the law of obedience comes the requirement to give of ourselves in service to our Father in Heaven’s children. Sacrificing what we have to benefit our brothers and sisters is the crowning test of the gospel. One of the purposes of the mortal experience is to see if we will follow the Savior’s counsel to “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matt. 6:33.)

We live in the most glorious era in the history of mankind. The opportunity to reap the blessings of the Lord has never been greater, as is the opportunity to serve Him and experience the eternal satisfaction which comes from that service."

This is the great and marvelous work! We are in the last days! Are we ready for the Lord to come in this moment? Are we sacrificing our desires to follow the will of the Lord? Eternal satisfaction, eternal happiness, and eternal life are at stake. What can you and I do this week to seek first the kingdom of God?

1. Preaching the gospel and a truck with one of my favorite families from Girasoles passes by, best surprise!

2. Familia Corrales

3. First time trying sopa marinera

4-7. Temple

8. In front of the temple, Tegucigalpa

9. Jose Luis, we helped him write his testimony this week

10-12. El bautismo

13-14. Birthday food :)

15-16. La playita

71: ¡Hoy Sí!

Yesterday we ended the day watching pure miracles come to pass. We were stressed all week with people not progressing and baptismal dates about to fall, but we ended the week with ¡a tortilla miracle! An incredible amount of people in church and with a baptismal date.

Our leaders have been asking us and weve been asking ourselves, what did we do different? How were we able to take so many people to church and commit to a baptismal date? Two biggest lessons this week...

1. Careful planning - even without the ward renting a bus this week to take everyone to the church building (its a little far away, we normally rent a bus) we had more people in church than Ive had in all my mission. All week we were preparing members and the people were teaching to make these commitments of church attendance and baptism. Its not a complicated algorithm, but it does take thought. It has been a lesson for me that careful planning brings success. Not just in the mission field, ubt in this life and the next. God has a PLAN. It is a perfect plan. And it does not have an end, it progresses into all eternity.

2. Understanding the Spirit - Every day I get better, I wish I would have been able to discern the Spirit better at the beginning of my mission, but were all improving every day. I know exactly what I need to say to help these people in the right moment. I know who is progressing, I know who has stopped progressing, I know what members can lead us to find new, prepared people. Im not perfect at it, and I still need to get a lot better, but being worthy of and understanding how the Spirit talks to me plays the most important role in this work.

God is gathering his children - now! So we should all have an attitude of ¡hoy sí! There is no time to wait. The restored gospel is here upon the earth, and I testify that it has been restored by Joseph Smith, a prophet called of God. I can share that testimony every day and so can you.

So lets plan! Lets listen to the Spirit!

I cant get my pictures to upload, but Ill send them next week with...pictures from the temple! Were going tomorrow!!!!!!

¡Feliz semana!

70: Yo Lo Eligí

Lots of things going on this week: zone conference, interviews, moving into our new house, new PREACH MY GOSPEL, new PEOPLE, new baptismal dates...

Can you beleive it? We wont be able to have the new preach my gospel in Spanish until next year, but all english speaking missions now have it online. Some significant changes...

Theyre no longer called investigators, theyre people.

There is no longer a missionary reference library, only the scriptures and Preach My Gospel.

It is no longer district meeting, but rather district council.

A few more things changed but those are a few changes that, even though we wont have the new Preach My Gospel for some time, we are applying to our mission now. I am SO EXCITED for these changes, I only wish I could be here longer to see it in play in la mejor mision en mundo.

Speaking of this mission being the best mission in the world, we have acheived over 100 baptisms for 3 months in a row, something that has never happened here for more than 4 years. As President Chase was explaining all the new dats of our mission, it is clear that something has changed. We understand the doctrine now, because we have an incredible mission president who loves the Savior and knows His doctrine. We all have the same focus. 

And the best part, President Chase said that as he was calling the missionary department to receive this months dats they told him "if you want something to motivate your missionaries to continue in this pattern, tell them that the whole missionary department has their eyes on this mission Honduras Tegucigalpa".

Pure chills.  How grateful we are for President Chase and Hermana Chase and the love they have for this work.

Apart from that, this week has been a great week. As part of our 12 week training program we have been studying lesson 2 - The Plan of Salvation. We teach it more than anything with the pamphlet, because it helps us focus on CHRIST as the principal part of the plan. Lots of times using pictures and drawings to describe this plan we lose the focus on Jesus Christ. As we were practicing and working through a few difficulties in our teaching, I got teary reading the scripture Alma 22:13...

And Aaron did expound unto him the scriptures from the creation of Adam, laying the fall of man before him, and their carnal state and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name. 

We chose him! We chose Jesus Christ even before this life! How special it is for us to share that information with people that dont know. This week, it has been a pleasure for me to say "I chose Jesus Christ before this life, so did you. You are here to continue choosing him and live his gospel". How special is that?

1. El Carreto

2. Patacones 

3. Nos guapeamos

4. Hna Villanueva helping me with new words

5-6. Zone Conference

7. Nicole - getting baptized the 14th!

8. Lunch with the Garcia family

9. Hno Quiros has a twin

10. Its a tortilla miracle! The biggest tortilla I have eaten in Honduras

11-12. This morning cleaning the house we got locked outside in the bakcyard...so I scaled the side of the house and climbed on the roof to get our neighbors to help us, But before we tried to break in cutting a little hole in the door...didnt work.

HASTA EL FIN

69: ¡Its a Tortilla Miracle!

Living in a house with two comapnionships is the craziest life I have ever lived I think. Last night we were in our beds for half an hour talking and joking around. I read this articlefrom an old liahona and we decided that whenever something good happens to us well just say "ITS A TORTILLA MIRACLE!" Its like were saying "its a christmas miracle"...but catracho :-)

This week was our ward conference, so we did a lot of visiting ward members and investigators in divisions with the sisters in our ward. We had over 160 people attend church yesterday, thats incredible! Both sets of missionaries had investigators as well. ¡Barrio Porvenir tiene buenas cosas por por venir!

We will be chambeando all week to invite more people to baptism with a baptismal date. Right now, Estefani and Yajaira will be baptized at the end of this month, and we have in plans a few more along the way.

I have been studying and trying to develop more the Christlike attribute of patience, and reading in Alma 32 this morning helped me understand why it is so important to be patient along with being dilligent, faithful, etc...

41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing upunto everlasting life.

42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruitthereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

43 Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.

• 
  

Everything I desire is most precious, sweet above all sweetness, white above all that is white, pure above all that is pure. It will not come until after I have planted the seed and worked dilligently, patiently, and faithfuly. But one day we will all reap our reward. If I want the purest sweetest fruit, I have to give my purest, sweetest work, in every aspect of my life and not just missionary work. Nothing less, because nothing else would be worth it.

I know that Christ lives! All my inperfections can be made pure and white through Him. He is the Redeemer of all sin, all weakeness, and all tribulation.

1. Her first Wendys frosty :-)

2. Guatemala proud

3-4. Distrito San Luis

68: Take It Easy

Days and weeks are flying faster now, I cant beleive were here in Pday again...

I didnt take a single picture this week...me arrepiento.

Highlight this week: Our wards temple trip on Saturday. Two of our investigators went! We did not have permission to go with the ward, but the members took good care of them thw whole day. Estefani and Yahaira came back but SO excited to live to the gospel and get baptized. Temple trips with investigators work miracles. They both have a baptism date for the 28th of July.

We have been visiting a lot with different members of the ward and I have found my favorite member already: German Gonzalez. He is awesome! He has the thickest southern honduras accent which makes his little english phrases even funnier, my favorite "take it easy!" We went on a few visits with him the other day and contacted all of his neighbors. Pilas.

Training is still a lot of fun, it is pure teaching, both investigators and my companion. This week our focus was Alma 10:12. How can we ASTONISH people? How can our companionship astonigh people. In the MTC they show us a talk from Jeffrey R Holland where he says "go astonish people!" and that is our goal as we preach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Alma and Amulek did it sharing parts of their lessons and testifying of the words of their companions. The few words that we share with people should be the most powerful words they hear that day, and we should plan well enough that they really are FEW words. Menos palabras, mas poder.

Good week, preaching repentance and soon to be baptizing in Porvenir B.

Hasta El Fin :-)