I believe this is the view from the balcony of Graig's Apartment
Space is limited here from all the houses, so if you want to build a house, you find a friend, and build it on top of his house. It sounds mildly dangerous, and it probably is, but this is HONDURAS.
We do not live in such a house, we live in a carefully designed apartment. It is TINY, but comfortable. We are just waiting for the mission to send us Roperas (Wardrobes) because I am sick of living out of a suitcase.
In general, this week had its high and low points. We spent a lot of time finding a bunch of the old investigators of the Hermanas. They didn´t really leave us addresses (which annoyed me, because La Kennedy is the first place in Honduras that is actually organized by blocks, meaning you actually have an address that is not just directions). They left the names of people, and told us that they live by them. So, first of all, we had to find the people, and then we had to find the investigators.
There are a lot of people here, and things are pretty busy and crowded. The funiest part is in a barrio (neighborhood) called San Angel. There, they built bunch of parking lots, counting on like 1 out of every 10 houses on having a car. but now, EVERYONE has a car. People park whereever they can, and signs that say ¨Don´t park here¨ are common, as people try to save their spots. I want to get pictures at night, but there is one area where the cars are as close as possible, parked so that you can barely squeeze between them. The only way to get your car out is to wait until everyone behind you leaves. I Know that causes problems!
I met my first totally golden investigator this week. His name is Elvis, and he attended our church for a year, and was going to get baptized, but moved before he could. So he arrived here, and although we technically have to teach him the charlas (informal word for lessons), he is ready to be baptized. He even read about and started living the word of wisdom (usually a large difficulty for Hondureños). We are really excited to teach him.
His sister is the same, but we just have to babtize her husband too, because they have to get married. The goal is, that before the end of this month, we will have a wedding and a babtism!
I have continued to see miracles in this area, though I am still adjusting. I feel like I´m teaching in the Dorms at BYU, because EVERYONE is going to the nearby university that lives here (or they are professors). The nice thing is that everyone is educated, so it is a little easier to have a discussion in a lesson.
On that note, I had a long talk with a Pastor the other day from another church. We talked about the differences between our religions and I asked him if he knew that Christ came to America. He was really interested, and I left a Book of Mormon with him. The goal is that he reads it and becomes a more active investigator. I couldn´t help but think of the scripture in the end of 2 Nefi, when Nephi talks about how any person that really believes in Christ and his mission would accept The book of Mormon as from God. I hope he reads!
My feet are still doing much better. I still have a mountain of stuff to do to care for them.
The truth is, although this week had some low points, it was interesting that while preparing my weekly dats last night, I felt satisfied. I remember something that Elder Cameron (my teacher in the CCM) said. If you look at your progress day by day, minute by minute, you will see nothing. The time period is too small. But if you extend your gaze, to weeks, months, and eternity, you see change.
For all of you guys that are preparing to go on a mission, or are thinking about not going, I guess I can only tell you this. If you are looking for a 2 year vacation, don´t go. But if you are looking for an experience that you can never have in any other place, that will change you to your very core if you let it, that will bring you a satisfaction and joy that Video games or parties could never bring. Go on a mission.
I want to give my testimony of this work, that God loves his children, and that he knows them. He knows every missionary, and he knows how to succor them. He knows when you are at a low point, and he know how to lift you up again.
I got an email from Whitney today that I would like to share part of, because it made me think.
*Keep looking for the little signs of God's hand in your life, and the lives of your investigators! They are everywhere!*
I know that this is true. We all have darkness in our lives, but we also have so much light. You just have to look for it.
I love you and I feel your prayers. Live the Gospel and you can have more peace and happiness that you can have anywhere else. I know this because I live it.
Elder Henrie
More pictures from Graig's new area:
