30 Sept 2013

Mi querida familia,

Hey y`all. How`s it goin in Gringolandia? It sometimes blows my mind that yàll all in, like, autumn or something... we`re still in summer here, but the wet version. And after that, we`ll switch over to summer... the dry version. hahaha. Anyway, things here are going. Allan got baptized Saturday and that was really awesome. He received the gift of the Holy Ghost and then the priesthood yesterday. So awesome. :) I can`t send pics because I forgot my card reader today, but I`ll send somethin next week I think. 

This birthday was... well... I think it was the worst day of my whole mission. hahahaha. Maybe I`ll explain someday, but no worries, it would have been a bad day even if it hadn`t been my birthday. I just don`t have the time or desire to explain right now. Mumsie, I still haven`t received the package or the envelope, but I`ll keep my eyesies open. :) Eileen, I did get your package and your card. Thanks so much. All of us office people ate all the candy in like 2 days flat. 

I`m excited to see my hump day pic, and I`m glad Sister Luker could use my letters in RS. If I could give a 10 minute speech to the church as a whole on any topic I wanted, it would include visiting teaching. 

I`m glad to hear that G and G are healing up better. I wish I could be there to help them out and all, but I`m glad that they live at least relatively close. Maybe they will be able to move closer so y`all can all party it up in Vegas.  

That was cool to see all those sisters singing for the SocSoc general conference. I didn`t cry, but >I did see two of my friends who I didn`t even know were going to serve missions, so that was AWESOME. (p.s. did Sarah-bear ever decide whether or not she wanted to serve?)

I hope yàll enjoy soCal. Sometimes Honduras reminds me of California (specifically LA and Valencia). Maybe yàll will think of lil old me. 

Lovesidoodledoos!

Hey, speaking of your friend Jeff Stewart, I`m friends with one of the nephews of one of your friends. haha Elder Bergquist, who also works in the office is the nephew of Mark Dixon. He also lived 5 minutes from us back home and went to the same high school, but we never met before the mission. haha. It`s fun talking to someone from home. It`s weird, but awesome. 

Sorry your finger got hurt. I have a hurt finger too, and it`s a bummer (part of the birrthday of doom hahahaha), but at least I don`t have to do dental work or type usually. 

That`s cool taht you got to teach and all. And even cooler about my scoot scoot registration. Does that mean that nobody`s been using it this whole time? What a shame haha. It`s like the funnest thing in the whole world. 

I think your thinking is great with the whole moving G and G down to vegas thing, but I don`t know what they`ll think about that. They tend to like where they are and everything. 

Your right about me being stoked for conference. I am so excited. And I`ll even get to listen to it in English. That`s what`s up. haha. We`re definintely inviting our investigators. There`s nothing like teaching someone about modern day prophets and then getting to show them who he is and what he`s talking about. We`re gonna get as many people there as we can. It`s gonna be so awesome. 

 

I love Primary. If every member had the faith and the excitement of the Primary, the church would move forward without obstacles into every nation and every corner of the world. The other day we went to visit a recent convert from the elders and her grandaughter gave the final prayer. In it, she said, ^please help las Mormonas to come back tomorrow and help them so the rain doesn`t fall on them.^ I was laughing, but it was honestly so sweet. The rain is a beast here. 

I`m glad you liked the pictures. Meylin is doing well, although she`s got a couple of questions and doubts. We`ll hope she goes to conference to get some awesome answers. :)

Elder John is a nice man. He`s Heidi`s uncle, too, which is kind of fun. we`re almost like family haha. 

I loved the women`s conference. I loved the emphasis on covenants. So cool. 

Love a dub dubsies!

 

Anyway, this week there are changes. My companion and I don`t have changes, but we`re really looking to move in this change. It`s killing us living so far from the area. It`s workable, but it`s a pain and it`s so expensive. We`ve got six of the new sisters staying with us starting tonight and tomorrow. the other three are going to stay with president. 

 

Anyway, what I really want to tell you all about today is Joel. Joel is someone I`ve now been working with for 3 months, and he still hasn`t returned to church, but this week something amazing happened. We went to his house with a friend and talked about the atonement for about a half an hour. Then we gave him a book of mormon and promised him that he would be able to solve all of his problems if he read the whole book through. Then we returned a week later, and after a week of reading the book of mormon, something had completely changed inside of him. He had such light in his eyes and for the very first time in these three months, he smiled a real and genuine smile. I don`t know what`s going to happen with Joel or if he`s going to come back to church in my time in La Primavera, but for one small moment, I saw change in him, and that is exactly what this gospel is about. Success in the mission is immeasurable. It is those small and tiny moments when God`s hand captures the weak and hopeless and turns them into something eternal and full of light. 

 

Anyway, I hope you all have a great week. I love yàll oodly doodlies. 

Hna Bayles

 

p.s. Tell Jordan I got his last letter and I`ll be responding one of these days soon.