This week was another great week. I am having so much fun in Honduras being a missionary and preaching the gospel. I love the people, I love the culture, and i love the food.
On Tuesday we had interviews with the President, which we have every other change. My area is only 30 minutes from San Pedro Sula, which is where the office is, so I didn't take that long. We spent most of the morning in the office with our zone. Hermana Veirs made a lot of amazing brownies, and i had 6 because they reminded me so much of my Moms cooking. My President is amazing and really nice, and I love him so much. My zone is really great, and i love being with them. I have gotten to know them really well. Hermana Juarez, who is my "mom" in the mission. she is my mom because she is the oldest hermana in our zone. My dad is my trainer.
On Wednesday I had divisions, and I stayed in my area with the district leader so that he could interview Manuel for his baptism. I was very surprised of how well I already know my area. It was fun having a Latin comp the whole day, and I was able to communicate very well. with him we contacted 38 people and found 3 new families to teach, which is crazy! We found a family that was moving houses so we stopped and helped them and served them. They were very grateful for the help, and they were interested in what we had to say because we were so willing to help them. There are so many ways to contact and find people, and it is very important to follow the spirit. I am so grateful for the spirit, because I know that I couldn't do missionary work if I didn't have it.
We are teaching an amazing lady named Georgina, who is a golden investigator that we contacted. She has a baptismal date and is so excited. The only thing she is waiting for is to go to church 2 more times. when we went to go teach her, two of her friends were there, and we taught them too, and she pretty much taught them the first lesson. She then gave us two more references for us, and they all are interested because of how happy the gospel has made Georgina. She is really funny, and she always cracks jokes with us. She is amazing, and I already have a deep love for her.
We have many other great investigators that we are teaching. I feel like there is not enough time to teach all the people that we have. It is such a big responsibility, and we have to work really hard. One thing that is really hard for the people here is keeping their commitments. They always say that they will do it, but they hardly follow through. All of our investigators said that they were going to church, so we were expecting 10-15 people to show up to church, and only Georgina showed up. Agency is so frustrating sometimes, but that just means that we have to work extra hard to get them to come. they cannot progress if they dint go to church. sometimes i wish that i could make them come so that they can fell the spirit and blessings that come with going to church.
We had a baptism this Saturday for Manuel, who was super excited for his baptism. One of the members baptized him. the member is 5 ft 120 pounds, and Manuel is 5.5 ft 180ish pounds. He had to dunk him 5 different times because he either didn't go all the way under, or he said the prayer wrong. Once he finally did it right the spirit was very strong. We had a lot of great support from the members, and it was a great baptism. We gave him the holy ghost during sacrament meeting, and it was great. its great to see the end result of a lot of hard work. I know that there is no way that we could have done it if we didn't have the spirit. I am so grateful for the opportunity to preach the gospel. It isn't easy, but i can see the many blessing that the Lord has given me every day.
One of the great things about Honduras is the crazy drunks. and when I say drunk. I mean wasted. there was one guy that was following us, but luck for us he couldn't walk straight, so we just walked fast and lost him. Another drunk came up to us asking for money, and when we said we had none he started yelling at us and cussing at us in English (i am pretty sure every Honduran knows how to cuss in English, its awesome). A lot of people like to use great English words when we pass by. There was another drunk that was a friend of Georgina that was really nice, and he really wanted to change. WE helped him out, taught him about word of wisdom, and he asked us to pray for him. we went back to teach him later in the week and he hadn't drunk in 4 days. we taught him some more, and he really likes how he feels when we are there. I know that he was feeling the spirit, and i am so grateful for the influence of the spirit and how much it helps Gods children.
One thing that i really love about Honduras is the food. I really try to do everything i can to enjoy the culture, and a big part of the culture is the food. My favorite is BaleadasPastalitos. It is flower tortillas stuffed with chicken, rice, and other great stuff, and then they fry it with oil. its really fatty, but it is soooooo good. I am going to have the Hermana teach me how to make that too.
The Temple in Honduras is going to finish early next year, and we are handing our pictures or the temple to all the members and investigators, and they are all so excited about it. I cant wait until the temple is finished so that the members can feel the blessings of the temple.
One thing that has helped me so much is reading the Book of Mormon. There are so many great things to learn in the Book of Mormon. It has blessed my life so much, and i promise that if you read it that you will be blessed in ways that you cannot comprehend.
"There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your loves the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the straight and narrow path." -- President Ezra Taft Benson
"In a world ever more dangerous...The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ has the nourishing power to heal starving spirits of the world." -- President Boyd K Packer
The Book of Mormon is such a wonderful tool in conversion because it is physical evidence that our church is true. everything in our church is centered around if the Book of Mormon is true. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon, and i know that it is truly the words of God.
overall, I am doing fantastic. I love what i am doing, and I love being here in Honduras so much. It is such a wonderful experience. I am grateful for the opportunity i have to be hear, and I have never been happier in my life. Thanks for the support, and I love you very much.
Elder Travis Jay Ward
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