May 11, 2015

Hope ya got treated well. Sorry we couldn't talk, just tell me when and I'll make it happen. (Scott couldn't talk on Mothers day so we scheduled it for May 16th - I can't wait!)

I sure got treated well for mother's day though. The average Honduran women really gets the shaft most of the time but they do Mother's day pretty well. And it was really cool because we ran out of money this week-I had to buy some contact solution, moving expenses, and everytime we have a baptism here the missionaries pay the bus fees (it's a rough life huh, so many baptisms we're running out of money) and long story short, I found myself with noooo money and half a loaf of bread, two cartons of milk, and oatmeal-and I've still got it. People have fed us every day this week, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Lord will provide. People just inviting us to eat. So full. Full meals, cake, eating high on the hog. The best meal I've eaten in my whole mission was just the other day, with an old couple we're teaching that have been married for almost 60 years, and they grow their own corn, own beans, own bananas-everything. It was just corn tortillas and beans and eggs but my gosh it was to die for. Fresh ground corn, freshmade beans-authentic as could be.

Just finished the New Testament this morning (in time for my interview tomorrow, didn't want to tell President I couldn't finish the NT in three months) And I loved it and learned alot. I love the Gospels, Hebrews, and the Epistles of Peter and John. Sometimes I have to suffer through the babblings of Paul but he's got some good one liners. Hebrews is probably my favorite book in the New Testament because it's so Christ centered and reminds us to focus on Christ and not the Law-or in other words, to keep in mind that our works alone can't save us, no matter how righteous we think we are. My perspective on that is really changing too, kind of like what you told me with Abchekus-how much we rely on grace and that the Lord is really at the helm, regardless of our imperfections and weaknesses. I'm a southern baptist at heart.

And the other thing this week-we've seen alot of miracles here. Physical miracles. Everyone talks about miracles about people going to church and stuff like that but nah, I'm talking about healing miracles. We have honestly healed probably 10 people in the past couple weeks, of all kinds of infirmities. The most recent was a woman, a kind of investigator, that had a growth on her stomach. We gave the blessing and the next day it was gone. Just like that. Like, whaaaa?? I can tell you first hand that miracles don't produce faith nor convert people (even with me, I still always have that little voice saying "nah, this isn't gonna work"but sure enough, it does every time. I never thought I'd see things like that. Power of the Priesthood, according to the faith of the people being blessed. I think thats what makes the difference, they fully expect to be healed and they are.

My perceptions of honduras change every day. Feeling more and more like home. I don't even use a fork to eat anymore, just the tortilla, like a real catracho. The people are a lot more white, I actually know a lot of green eyed and brown haired people. Lots of Spanish/European descent here.

Little story for the week. With our house, right? the owners left their guard dogs-huge rotweilers. tried to kill us the first time we went into the house. They kept them in the back fenced in, so I didn't really worry about them. But then, the other day, I left the bedroom in the morning, not paying attention, and I look down and on the floor sprawled out is this 150 lbs Rotweiler, just looking at me-he escaped and came into the open door, and we're just staring at eachother. I have no idea what to do, I'm just frozen thinking of my options-Then I get down on my knees and call the dog over to me-he gets up and paws his way over to me, looks me in the eye, we're face to face, and then...licks my hand. I start petting him and then 5 minutes later we're best friends, and he's sprawled out over my lap with his paws on my shoulders. I call for my comp to come out, slow, and he pokes his head out and shouts "Your mom!" and slams the door. So now we're friends and we basically have two pets. I play with them and everything, these killer dogs. They wait for us to get home every night and they always pounce on me, which just about knocks me over. Who woulda thought.

Anyway, do you all know Hobson's in Las Vegas? I was chatting with another Elder from Vegas and they're best friends with Dix and his house was in a sunburst commercial.

Speaking of Sunburst, I don't know why I complained so much, I actually really liked it. Driivng the truck, traveling, part of the family business-and then fishing on the weekends, that was the life.

Also we joined a gym this week, waking up every morning at 5:45-I'm sore! Getting back in shape though.

How's everybody doing? What's everybody up to? Any updates on sunburst? Summer plans?

I'll be here for a while, so I'll probably remember somehting else and send it off to ya.

Love ya'll!