Time is Flying

¡Buenas!

Another quick week here in the mission field. We started out on Tuesday with a Zone Meeting where we talked about a zone fast (which we did at the end of this past week) in order to help the stake grow. There are some goals for the end of the year that we have to achieve. 

On that same Tuesday, I went and did divisions in La Aldea with Elder Cotí from Guatemala. He is the DL there and we actually came to the mission field together. It was a good day, but it rained really hard. It was interesting going from the city back to the pueblito, but I always loved being in La Aldea and Ocotillo a year ago. We taught some quality lessons, but I went primarily for the baptismal interview. It went well and the candidate was really nervous but I did my best to give encouragement.

On Friday, we had a leadership council in Benque with the APs, ZLs, and DLs of the mission as President led asking how we can improve as a mission. We focused a lot on how we can improve the sense of urgency here in the mission. President Duncan (the area president) had said that we should be warning the people as if a tsunami were coming. We should talk to as many people as we can because more than a tsunami is coming and we´re running out of time.

After the council, we again did divisions with La Ideal, but I stayed in our area with Elder Wight from Oregon (I had been on divisions with him while in Santa Cruz when I was in Río Lindo). The day went pretty well. We taught an English class with last second preparation. We taught a good lesson with a somehow pilas Roberto and Sullapa who live close to Johnny Rockets, and we finished the night with a good cena and a lesson with Josue and Wendy. Wendy is a member and we are working with Josue, but he works a lot. Other lessons that day fell so we contacted a lot.

We have seen a lot of progress with Familia Darce. The kids were baptized a year ago but the parents didn´t because they had problems getting married. The dad is from Nicaragua and needs to get divorced from someone first. The lawyer who they payed 7 months ago hasn´t done anything and he is asking for more money. We are thinking of changing lawyers and doing a fast. They have faithfully come to church the past two weeks as a family. We hope to have them married and baptized by the end of the year.

I hit the 21 month mark on Sunday. Wow. Converts Elio and Deisy from Ocotillo got baptized exactly a year ago but have had issues with despair since she miscarried in May/June. I am talking with the missionaries in Ocotillo right now and they are working with him so that they can hopefully be sealed by the end of the year. FYI, 73 days in counting...I´ll send the plane ticket when I get it later today.

Anyways, that´s all I have. Have a great week!!!

-Elder Lund

San Pedro Sula 1, Zona San Pedro Sula 9/21/15 - 9/28/15

San Pedro Sula and the "Benque"

¡Buenas!

Well, first things first...I had changes. I´m with Elder Purcell from West Valley City, Utah as a ZL in San Pedro Sula everything (Area San Pedro Sula 1, Zona San Pedro Sula, Barrio San Pedro Sula, Estaca San Pedro Sula). In other words, I am going to finish in the very heart of the mission. Our capilla is one of the biggest stake centers in Honduras, "Benque" as they call it which is takes up nearly the entire block at the corner of 12 Avenida and 6 calle. I´ve known Elder Purcell from early on and we´ve been in all the same zones together. It is now one of the biggest zones in the mission with 32 missionaries since we absorbed Zona El Carmen (Ocotillo, one of my old areas) this change.

Life in the city is a little different. The missionary work is a little different from what I´m used to in the pueblitos. Our area is a commercial sector so we contact people who live in other parts of the mission and the SPS East as well. Nevertheless, we still have people to teach and the members are excellent from what I´ve seen so far. At church, we have air conditioning...I was shivering a bit haha. It will be a good area to finish the mission.

It was, as always, a little tough to say goodbye to people in Cofradía. The toughest was familia Martinez/Zuniga Chavez...Mari Zuniga (my only convert) started crying near the end...it was tough, but we´re going to keep in touch with the family through FB when I get home.

We had neat experience while we were saying goodbye. Monday night, we were going to head out early to say goodbye to some people we had planned out, but a thought came to mind to go visit la Familia Tampán and people who lived close first. Well when we got there, the power had gone out and it was super super hot. Hermana Tampán has a newborn (1 week) who was sick and she was not doing too well either. She was there with her two other sons and nephew, but no one was helping. She immediately asked for a blessing and we were there to give it to her and her baby. The next day when we went back to take the photos she and the baby had improved a lot and we washed the dishes in the pila. It´s always nice to be in the right place at the right time.

Well, we had 3 at church this week. We have a lot of work to do if we want to see baptisms, but I feel like we will have great support with the members.

That´s almost all I have this week.  I have a lot of other goals too, but I will tell you next week. CHEQUE PUES!

-Elder Lund

San Pedro Sula 1, Zona San Pedro Sula 9/14/15 - 9/21/15

Mistletoe

¡Buenas!

Another quick week here in the field. We had some ups, but we also had some downs.

E was preparing to get baptized this past Saturday, but his family came into town the Sunday before (30-31 de Agosto) and probably said something because on Monday he didn´t receive us, on Tuesday his heart was totally hardened, and on Wednesdayhe said he doesn´t want anything and gave us the Book of Mormon, folletos, the Liahona, etc. "I´m already baptized, and I don´t want to play with the things of God!!!" Even though before he had had that concern, but when we explained he readily accepted without contention. Our other families still aren´t married yet so there will be no baptisms this change.

CONOZCA A LOS MORMONES!!! Ya, we had a ward activity where we watched Meet the Mormons. We worked with the ward mission leader to put it on. It was a success. We had 14 or so investigators and many members. We were helping with the popcorn and drinks so we didn´t get to see much. I did see, however, most of the coach´s part and Bishnu as well. Cool stuff.

We had a leadership council this Friday with President, the APs, and the ZLs. After we went to lunch at Johnny Rockets (soooo good) and I went to the office to get my temple recommend renewed and my companion went to migracion for his residency.

N had baptisms on Saturday and we went to give the interviews. I interviewed the daughter, N, who is turning 9 in November. It was good interview, but I felt like mom in the primary. N "confessed" the sins of her member friend Adela. "Adela, who is like this tall (she put her hand up to show how tall she was)...do you know her? -no- Oh, well she´s baptized, but she says bad words -oh, well, we shouldn´t say bad words and if we do we should repent- oh ok. But also, she ...." It was precious.

Good turnout at church...6. At church, the chorister was wearing a shirt that said "mistletoe tester"...I don´t think anyone understood it but my comp and I.

The Familia Z is progressing well. We put a fecha bautismal with them for October. The mom couldn´t come to church, but 4 of the 5 kids came. They are reading the Book of Mormon and really like it. 

Well, that´s all I have this week. Nos Vemos!

-Elder Lund

Cofradía 1, Zona Cofradía 8/31/15 - 9/7/15

One Empty Chair

The Zone with President Dester--Missing Sister Dester as she had to be with some sick Elders at the hospital.

¡Buenas!

Another quick week here in the mission field. We did divisions with Paraíso 2 on Tuesday and in Santa Barbara on Friday. I was with Elder Vasquez (from Ecuador)on Tuesday and we had a great work day. Although several citas fell, we were able to find teaching opportunities.

In Santa Barbara, I was with Elder Tomas (Guatemala) and Elder Navarro (Panama) who both actually arrived at the same time with me to the mission field. We taught some good lessons. The best lesson was with la familia A. Look up the daughter M and I´m sure you´ll find out pretty fast who the family is. Ya...the family of Miss Honduras. There were a lot of pictures framed and I saw the big trophy. We taught all the living members of the family...Teresa the mom and Cory the oldest daughter and her two boys. The mom, the current relief society president of the branch, was baptized 3 years ago and the two sisters who were killed got baptized (not sure exactly when) before the tragedy. Cory still has had doubts about José Smith. The dad died 3 years ago before knowing the church and Teresa plans to be sealed to all of them in the near future. We taught the Restoration and had a great, peaceful, spiritual lesson. Teresa came to tears near the beginning after the hymn and prayer. They have been through a lot, but the gospel has blessed her a lot.

We found a quality family this week - Familia Z. There are 5 kids from 8-18 years old, the single mother, and a friend René who is frequently there (he´s 50 something and is actually the brother of a member family in the ward). We visited them Sunday night with the ward mission leader and they have desires to know more and get baptized. The biggest problem is that the oldest daughter works at Popeyes in San Pedro on Sundays and A, the mom also works Sundays right now because her boss recently had an operation. But, the work will go forward.

We saw good progress with E (the 80 year old). He was struggling with keeping his thoughts clean at his corn grinder in front of his house (he sees women pass all day long in front of his house and women visit him to get their corn grinded to make tortillas...he described their immodest dress. To help out, we gave him another folleto of Plan of Salvation and put the painting of Christ in Getsemaní up. We told him whenever a women walks by or into his molino and he starts to lust, all he has to do is look at the foto of Christ. We followed up on Saturday to see how it was going and he loved it. He was very happy with the progress and talked about the principles from Mosíah3:19 (his favorite scripture from the Book of Mormon). Unfortunately, he did not come to church the next day because family came to visit. That happens a lot here...family comes in to visit and they skip church (investigators, menos activos, and even members).

We had a good turnout at church with 7, but we still have a lot to go to see baptisms. Anyways, I think that´s all for this week. Have a nice week!

-Elder Lund

Cofradía 1, Zona Cofradía 8/24/15 - 8/31/15