One Year

So, how is everyone´s week? My week was pretty awesome.

We played soccer last Monday and I got an injury that makes it look like I played hard. (It looks weird because I put a medicine I still have from college that puts an artificial skin over your injuries to protect it. You put it on in place of a band-aid in places that it would just rub off, like...your knee). The truth is I was diving for a ball as goalkeeper, and...I missed. Oh well!

Other than that our week was good. We spent a lot of time getting to know the area slowly, by contacting. I learned one important thing. People like to talk to people that make them feel good, not to nervous wreaks. I took a tip from a Drama teacher I had a long time ago, ¨If you are nervous, act like you`re not, it helps¨. I learned it is important to share about yourself and become aquantinces very quickly. I used our family photo a lot, saying...¨Look, I am a normal person just like you, I have a family too!¨. It helps people see you as a person, and not as a Mormon, which can shut doors and hearts in some cases.

We almost had some investigators come to a baptism of some other Elders. Hence the pictures with large amounts of Elders together.

Yesterday we got to see our new bishop in action. It was interesting to see how a guy that is a police officer in his day job run a ward council. He was very down to business, to the point. It was great.

Other random things that happened....oh yea, I hit a year in the mission.

WHAT!_"_·Ñ¨·_

Yep, I hit a year. That`s REALLY weird for me. Like, major weird. I am officially counting down (though I will proudly still count up). I feel a little lost.

I made a few goals, to work efficiently, and to do more remembering. My daily journal had become a once a week thing, so I now put it on my pillow, so that it again becomes daily. It also means my birthday is in less than a month...I will be 20...I am old.

At least that's how I feel, the people here in Honduras are always really surprised that I am so young. They have a problem here with wayward youth and even if people don`t want to be Mormon, they have a lot of respect for the missionaries.

In general things are good...any more questions?

Elder Henrie

Good and Bad Surprises

This week had a bunch of surprises. Some of them good some of them bad.

Tuesday, they announced to us that we were going to the temple, and I was of course, excited. All went well getting there, we all crammed into a small rapadito (type of bus) and walked the last bit to the temple. I was behind my comp talking to other missionaries, I watched him walk in, then walk out. So I asked him what happened.

He had forgot his recommend.

It was an interesting paralel to me about how maybe the judgement will be for some people. They want to arrive and live with God, and then they realize they left something important behind. Maybe they didn`t live the law of chastity, maybe they didn`t live the word of wisdom. It doesn`t matter, God can`t let them in. I`m sure he may want too, just as the temple worker probably wanted to let a missionary it, but he can`t. Because in the end, everyone will know about the gospel, everyone will know what they needed to bring, and if they don`t bring it, or do it. They stay outside.

We had just had interviews, so we tried to get the president to let us in, he warned us that he had not given a temple recommend interview to my comp, so he couldn't let him in. So we were left outside. I couldn`t leave him alone, and he couldn`t enter. It was an interesting mix of feelings I had. I was sad, but I also had peace. I knew, that although I couldn`t enter, I was worthy to enter, and that was good. Although I couldn't help another person receive an important ordinance, I have already received it.

In the end we went to buy food and we started divisions with the ZLs when they got back. We had some fun divisions. I went with Elder Ward, who is almost finished with his mission. The new president authorized Caffiene. So Elder Ward and I bought Dr Pepper, and I drank it happily.

The rest of the week was kind of a blur. The other shaping event was on Saturday, when Daniel (our Ward Mission Leader) called us to tell us that Evelin had died. I was kind of shocked. I had seen her on Sunday, and we had left her soup. She seemed fine. Apparently on Tuesday she got worse and returned to the hospital. Strangley, again I felt peace. I know where she is, and I know I did what I could. God is now taking care of her.

Other than that we had some great lessons and nice investigators. I really felt the power of the Prophet when we shared several conference talks with the sisters Gisela y Lideni. We are really doing everything for them. 

It was a standard week. Work, sweat, and work. It was a good week.

Elder Henrie

Good and Happy

I am good and happy.  We did a lot of working this week.  We didn`t have a lot of wasted time, which is always good.

There is something special about finishing a week and knowing that you spent it in almost the most effective way you could have (we were at like 99.99%).

So, in the end, it means not many new pictures.

This week Evelin got home (recent convert).  She was in the hospital, and wasn`t doing very well.  She was still very sick.  Yesterday, we did divisions with the bishop, and Christopher and I made her a soup.  We were both very proud of how it turned out.  We blended it because she told us her trought hurt and she couldn`t eat stuff with a lot of chunks.

We put potatos, garlic, corn, chicken flavor, and rice.  The point was to giver her something that had a lot of nutrients.  She is very thin.

Other than that it was kind of a boring week.  Lots of work.

We will go to the temple tomorrow!  WAHOO!

We had a baptism this week, but it was one that we helped the ward with.  

Elder Henrie

Picacho

I don`t really know where to start this week.  It was pretty busy.

We spent most of the week doing normal missionary work.  We did divisiones on Thursday.  One of the Elders was sick, and neither of the areas had saldo (Honduran word for minutes on your phone) so I set out (deciding it was an emergency) to buy a chip (usually very expensive).  Luckily they rejected me and a member lent us a phone.  It luckily turned out to only be Influenza. (We were worried it was denge!).

We had a pretty good week, despite the fact that I had a cold.  I hit my low point on Saturday, and kind of felt like a zombie.  Luckily Parker took over, telling me that I could rest until about 10:30 and that we were going to contact.  That attitude found us at least one new positive investigator.  That's part of why you travel as a companionship I suppose.

Today, we went to picacho.  I had already gone, but I had missed out on a lot of fotos.  So I took un monton (a lot)!  I took like 80 photos today!

In general I am happy and healthy.  My gripe (cold) has gotten much better, and I have become a person again (not a zombie).  Things are good here in ¨La Honduras¨.

I didn`t do anything for the 4th of July.  The truth is that I forgot hasta un miembro (until a member) asked me what my family did to celebrate.  I had to pause for a moment to think what we were celebrating and then explained that we usually went to my Great Aunt`s house.  It was kind of wierd.

It was a great week!

Q & A with Mom:

Q:  Any missionary stories for me?  Are you still teaching the sisters?  

A:  We are still waiting for them to receive an answer.  Gisela went to church again and we arrived before la santa cena (something that can be difficult in our area).  She listened to all the Fast and Testimony meeting and I think it made a difference.  It really is powerful to watch small children to walk up and bear their testimonies.  I know it will help her.

We found a new investigator two weeks ago and she said ¨I don`t understand why all churches don´t use the book of Mormon!¨ Those are words sweet to a missionaries mind!

Graigry's zone went on a field trip to Picacho for p-day today.  He took lots of pictures in the "Philosophers Garden"

Picture and Bio copied from the press release found LDS.ORG

Kendle Bowler, 58, and Robin Lynn Howell Bowler, four children, Meadow Valley Ward, Elko Nevada East Stake: Honduras Tegucigalpa Mission, succeeding President Carlos A. Hernández and Sister Ana Rivas de Hernández. Brother Bowler is a former stake president, bishop, stake Young Men president, elders quorum president and missionary in the Argentina Buenos Aires South Mission. Ranch owner. Raised in Gunlock, Utah, by parents Guy Wilson Bowler and Gertrude Jensen Bowler.

Sister Bowler serves as a counselor in a stake Young Women presidency and is a former ward Relief Society president, ward Primary president and counselor in a ward Young Women presidency. Born in Salt Lake City to Jerry Mads Howell and Patricia Ann Mollerup Howell.