I fasted for a couple things yesterday but I especially fasted for a miracle that I might be able to understand the Honduran people, and seriously the miracle that I begged for HAPPENED. I am still not perfect but I am understanding so much more. Before, I couldn't understand anything a Honduran person said.
We had the coolest storm this week and the lights went out of course. It was SO HOT for 24 hours straight because we didn't have power for our little fans. We couldn't buy cold water or Topogigos either. It was a super cool storm because it made me think of 3 Nephi 11 when there was 3 days of darkness and the storms. I am actually living where the Book of Mormon was written and I just could imagine what that was like! The lighting was so cool. We had to plan with candles so there are cool pictures from planning in the dark on dropbox.
Sometimes our water turns off while we are taking our bucket showers. This week it turned off when I had soap in my hair....that was a bummer. Ah, Honduras. Why do I love you so much?
When this storm came in, it came in fast. We only ever teach outside because it's too hot and too small to teach inside. Anyway, we were in the poorest part of our area when this storm came in and their tin roof was flapping around. I was like, "Wow, this roof is going to fly off and decapitate me." Then this big gust of wind came and the roof flew off and BARELY missed me. Prayers answered.
After planning in the dark we just sat and listened to the rain. (There is a video of the sound of the rain.) So here we are... no power, no phone, no lighs...nada. We were laying in bed and we had our window open because it was so dang hot. Hna O moved the curtain and slid the screen over so we wouldn't get eaten alive while we slept. Then I SAW TWO PEOPLE RIGHT OUTSIDE OUR WINDOW staring in and not moving. It was so creepy and I told Hermana O to look, but she just screamed and dropped the curtain so she didn't see. Finally, I got her to open the window and look but they were gone. However, her umbrella had been moved to halfway inside the window instead of outside. I stayed calm and shut the window while the Hnas cuddled together creeped out. Then someone banged on our window in the other room. I got up, locked all the windows, and bolted shut the doors with all the locks, but we couldn't see anything at all. We couldn't call anyone because we didn't have power for our phone either. Then someone banged on the window again. I just said Hola? Nobody answered. Seriously, so creepy. We gathered in our room and offered a prayer. I didn't like that since we had a candle and they could see into us, but it was so dark outside we couldn't see them. It was this super eerie feeling here in the murder capital of the world. Then someone knocked on the door. I was the only one brave enough to walk over and say Hola? The other hermanas from our district answered back. We opened the door and told them to come in quickly and then they busted up laughing. It was them the whole time. They were just bored because when the power is out we have to come home extra early! hahahha. We had a good laugh about it and sat outside on our porch and watched the rain and talked until it was time to go to bed. TOO FUNNY.
We are teaching the best lady ever. When we were going to teach the Bautista family they ended up not being home. However, the lady that lives right next door to them was outside and we asked if we could share a message. She said yes. She is Catholic. Mas o menos. Anyway, we taught this super awesome restoration lesson and when we taught about the Book Of Mormon she ran into her house and got this super old crumpled copy of the BOM. We were so suprised. The missionaries taught her once a while ago. We think she just wasn't prepared then, but now she SO IS. We can just feel it. The best part is that she's not living with a man. That never happens. That makes this so much easier. She has a teenage daughter. Anyway...she's so prepared. That was Saturday so we invited her to church and she came with the Bautista family and sat by us! We were so happy. Pray for her. Se llama Maria Joquina. She's literally so sweet. She is a lot like Grandma Rose. I love her!
Someone in the Elders area got a washing machine (no dryer) and all the members were walking over to their house just to look at it! HAHAHA.
There is this family with 4 kids. The oldest is 16 and the youngest is like 8? Anyway, they got baptized a little bit ago but now they are inactive. We go visit them a lot. They don't have parents. Their dad left forever ago and their mom is living in the states somewhere. They just take care of eachother. Can you even imagine?? They're never home all together. What a life.
So everyone here has clothes that are used and sent over from the states. They have shirts that say Houston Basketball game 2008 or what not. Super funny. The worst is that they don't know what their shirts say because nobody speaks English so everyone is always asking me to translate it. This girl brought me a deep conditioner bottle and asked me to translate it. haha. So the branch president's wife is the best . She looks exactly like Lucrecia. I love her. Anyway, she was wearing this shirt that was pink with a bow. It said something SUPER inappropriate in English but nobody knows because nobody can understand English. Well, nobody can really even read Spanish let alone English. Hna O and I got a good laugh out of it. It happens a lot around here. We even saw this boy on the bus this week on our way to El Progresso for a meeting that had a mormon boys shirt. So funny.
Okay, at church we have this little branch of about 50 people including the 7 missionaries. The first two hours were awesome. I even got to teach the second hour about prayer. I was so nervous because I can't speak that much Spanish but it kind of rocked and I loved it. During the third hour it was POURING rain so the branch president said we all needed to meet together. Normally YW, RS, and Priesthood meet outside but since it was raining, we all got to meet together inside.
Alex y Catia are about 18 years old and they are about to have a baby in June. They're adorable but SO YOUNG. We are trying to get them married and baptized before the baby comes, but they won't come to church! Catia says it's too hot for her to sit in church without AC and it's too far to walk because she is SO pregnant. Alex is always working on Sundays. He is afraid to ask for Sundays off because he can't lose his job before the baby comes. I really like them. Alex told us last night that he prayed about the BOM and the church and he knows they're both real and true. We just need to get them to commit to getting married. Catia is more hesitant but she's adorable. Their cousin Miley is a less active and they're always with eachother. It makes it hard because she isn't a very good example to them. I really love them. Their young cousins are about Sophie's age and they always sit in our lessons and go buy us cold coke and stuff. They won't come to church because Miley and Catia and Alex won't...UGGHHH. We fasted for them last Sunday though so hopefully things will start looking up.
We taught the Familia Bautista last night. They have a little more money than most people in Mezapa but still not much money. They're backyard is HUGE though and full of huge palm trees, horses, chickens, turkeys, etc. Anyway, last night we all sat outside and the weather was perfect. For once we were not sweating our guts out. We taught about heaven and the plan of salvation. They had a lot of questions even though they are already members. Anyway, when it got dark enough the fireflies came out and they were swarming all around us while we were teaching in their perfect backyard. They have hammocks and literally it's beautiful. Green everywhere. The fireflies here are about the size of a nickel. HUGE. So while we taught about heaven, we had a little bit of heaven on earth. I couldn't be more thankful to be here in this beautiful country among some of Gods most humble people. I never want to go home! I feel like my life is the music video for George Strait's song "I Saw God Today."
I forgot to tell you how we ran out of food!! We don't have a super market or an ATM in Mezapa, though. We couldn't get real food even if there was a store because we didn't even have money to buy something--not even at the little pulperia that we call Walmart, but it's just the size of a closet. We lived off my bland corn flakes with water poured in it for like 3 days!!!! hahah. It was quite the adventure. Then we ran out of clean water so then we just had cornflakes with nothing. We just had to laugh about it. Finally, we got to go to El Progresso for a secratary meeting because we are the secretaries for the zone and our whole district gave us their cards to get money at the ATM there. We were all practically starving to death haha. Gotta love this mission!
Constantly the hand of God is in His work of salvation. I know that this is the only church with the full priesthood of God. I know that only through baptism and other ordinances performed with the authority of God can we return to the highest kingdom of glory in Heaven. There are scriptures that say we will sit down with those that are the fruit of our labors in Heaven. I just hope one day I can be as humble and as close to God as these people of Honduras are so that I can be worthy enough to sit with them in the kindom of God. The work of salvation is easily the hardest thing I've ever loved to do. I absolutely love every moment here and I couldn't be more thankful for this oppertunity to serve among some of God's best people. CATRACHO LYFE PARA SIEMPRE!
Love you guys to Honduras and Back!
