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| La Ceiba |
First of
all, I just want to say the support I've received this week has been amazing.
Thank you to all my friends and family that have sent me little reminders of
why I’m here.
Okay,
checké
This week
has been so much better.
We played
soccer on P-day (because the basketball hoops had been stolen). It was kind of
like cage I guess... Anyway it was a good way for me to relieve stress. Oh! Haircuts
here are 15 Limps (75 cents) which is awesome. Oh and another thing... I ate
Horse. It was really weird. It’s like
really tough steak.
Tuesday
was district meeting, so we went to La Ceiba again. The ocean breeze is so nice
there! When we got home it started to rain buckets. 4-5 inches in the streets.
It rains every day pretty much now. I don’t even use an umbrella or raincoat
because by the time I leave the casa, I’m pretty much as wet from sweat as I
will be in the rain.
The next
day we taught an English class to around 20 people. "Hello. My name is___,
What is your name? My favorite sport is___". It was weird teaching English when I need them
to be teaching me Spanish!
The next
day we did a service project for some members. We cleared a field and cut down
huge trees with machetes. It was awesome, but my hands are so blistered now. I
have a video of the biggest tree falling. It was massive. I never knew that you
could cut grass or trees with a big knife so to speak. But I guess so.
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| Andy and his Companion |
Oh we ran
out of toilet paper this week. That was fun. Pieces of journal paper... (Note: Andy will be receiving a new journal
for Christmas!)
We also
went on a run this week. It was weird thinking that I was once the Cross Country
captain at East, and now waking up to run is super strange.
We then
had lunch with Dan (a 70 year old American). He moved here and married a 19 year
old. He now has two kids and his wife is still only like 23. He also doesn’t
speak any Spanish. He doesn’t even try. He just reads all day, so I gave him
the English Book of Mormon I accidentally bought in Mexico. I guess it was for
a reason. He doesn’t believe in God, but is willing to read and pray, which is
everything we ask. He made us fries and pulled pork sandwiches. So, so good.
Sunday
was fast Sunday. Ultra vez. I actually really don’t mind fasting. I feel closer
to God when I have a prayer in my stomach. Anyway, I blessed the sacrament with
Elder Reese, and I bore my testimony in testimony meeting. Our church is a
lean-to in a field. There were 20 members present (including us 6 missionaries)
and I’m pretty sure there were more dogs and chickens present. But I could feel
the spirit, so I know the catrachos (Hondurans) could too.
I found a
really good scripture for me to apply here to the people of Masica. Its Mosiah
4:26.
26 And
now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the
sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye
should impart of your substance to the poor,
every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked,
visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and
temporally, according to their wants.
It has
been such a humbling experience just being here for two weeks and some change.
I walk around every day and mope around, when I should be eternally grateful to
have the life I have. Why do I need to worry about myself? The answer is, I don’t.
I need to focus on the needs of the people I am called to serve and not on
myself. Focusing on me is one of the most selfish things I could do. Especially
here, on my mission, in Honduras. Fight for every inch.
I just
had to put this quote my cousin (Elder Venn in Mexico) sent me...from a talk by
Elder Jeffrey Holland.
"Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have
occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why doesn’t it go better? Why can’t our
success be more rapid? Why aren’t there more people joining the Church? It is
the truth. We believe in angels. We trust in miracles. Why don’t people just
flock to the font? Why isn’t the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia
from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismal font?
You will have occasion to ask those questions. I have thought
about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced
that missionary work is not easy because salvation
is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was
easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great
Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never,
ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to
spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders
have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary."
I hope
that we can all be missionaries in some way, because it has blessed my life and
I know it can bless yours.
Tomorrow
is October the 14th. That’s weird. I would probably be going to a haunted house
in a sweatshirt and jeans right about now. Where am I?
I miss
you all, but I know that you all are hanging in there. Thanks again for the support.
Please pray for Elder V. and me. I love
you all. Pray always...work hard...play hard.
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| Andy's back yard |
Elder
Smart
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