February 6, 2016

It did get here fast! Now that I've spent a little time in the office I've come to realize that the slowness isn't the governments fault for once haha. 

BYU housing-no idea. All my friends in the mission are going to USU or the U or other colleges in Utah. I don't have a clue who I'd room with! And I'm not opposed to an apartment. Save money. As long as its not a total dump. And being with sophomores is just fine. The kids my age are married haha.  

I'm excited to see pictures of this stoneworking thing! sounds pretty cool. 

And no, Hodson still has a week left. We are super busy but I was still more stressed as a zone leader. Maybe I'm just in my rythm. The secretaries have a car and we drive it a couple times a week. They made a policy change on a worldwide level and now the APs don't travel as much, they just bring zone leaders to them so the zone leaders learn from the example of the area of the APs. And It sucks! I was so excited to go visit all of my old areas. I'll still have the chance but not as much as I was hoping for. So yeah, we definitely have an area and our job is to have the best area in the mission and be able to use it as a training ground for zone leaders. I like what I do though. I'm doing my best to break the whole stuck up pharasaiacal reputation of APs. Last night we had Navas and his new companion come down and we did divisions in our area and had a blast. Focus of the mission is on preaching repentence and getting people to the temple. We're kind of on a back-to-basics kick and I'm a big pusher of it. Keep it simple. Book of Mormon and revelation. We're having all the missionaries re-visit the training courses we do in the first 12 weeks on the mission. Not trying to reinvent the wheel. 

These past couple of weeks have been a blur. I really can't recall much-old Vidal is doing great and loving his calling and he got the priesthood the other day, and we have a baptism for next saturday. The members are great and they work. We have a very effective ward. And yes, I'm always focused. Always baggy but it doesn't hold me back! I'm gonna buy a journal so I can start journaling again. Nothing crazy happened this week. We had a zone leader meeting in pico bonito back in la ceiba and I directed the meeting in jeans and a tshirt out in the jungle and it was the best meeting we've ever had. We are always still in the same-invite people to change, get them to read the book of mormon and feel it's power, get them to pray and feel something from above, and get them to open their minds and their hearts a little bit. We also have had a couple funerals this week. And gosh dang it I almost cried in one of them. Young mother in the ward passed away and I watched her husband explain to their six year old son over the casket what had happened. Really makes you appreciate the gospel and the security it brings us. We get content and casual until something shakes us up and makes us see the eternal picture.  And then the other one wasn't quite as sad because it was an older lady that had been sick for a long time but her granddaughter was all alone when she died and didn't have any other number to call but ours so we went to her house and helped arrange the body and funeral operations and called up the members to help and pay for a funeral. The church really mobilizes here, it's nice. Some units here get really stingy and forget the reason that we pay fast offerings and the reasons the wards recieve a budget. so, it was a first time experience for me dealing with a body and finding a coffin with a family that has no money. And then we spent a couple hours just talking with the granddaughter giving her a little love and support out on lawn chairs in the lawn. This life isn't the end! 

I think that's all I got for you all. Love you all!