Hola!!! :)
Hey-o! I loved hearing from yousies. I always love mondays
because I get to know a little more of what`s going on back on the homefront.
It`s weird, but I almost can`t remember what it`s like back home. I vaguely
remember, but when I think about home, about Las Vegas, about Provo, about SLC,
about all of those old stomping grounds, I feel like they`re from an old dream.
Something that never quite existed. It`s like seeing a flashback in an old
movie where everything is slightly foggy and sentimental, but it`s nothing so
tangible. Sometimes I wonder if it really existed at all. I`m beginning to
understand better the veil of forgetfulness between our premortal spiritual
life and la vida mortal. We`re so focused on what we`re doing right now, and
what we`re doing now is so different from what we were doing before that we
hardly remember that anything else ever existed. Sometimes we get flashes of
what we were and what we did, but it`s distant and foggy. It`s amazing how true
is the statement: Lose yourself in the work. I`ve completely lost myself here
in Honduras, but the beautiful thing is that, just as the scripture promises,
I`ve also found myself. I love the mission so much and I can`t even begin to
imagine anything else. 15 months have gone by way way way too fast. I wish I
had 15 more.
This week was another normal week. There were lots of
miracles, but there are always lots of miracles, so I don`t really recognize
them with so much surprise anymore. One really great moment was with a
less-active named Henry. We`ve been working with him a whole lot to get him
back to church as he is actually a recent convert of about 6-7 months. He`s
super great, but has pulled away from the church because he hasn`t had great
family support. He`s had the opposite, actually. Anyway, we re-taught him
lesson 1, The Restauration (my very favorite lesson. I`m obsessed with it. I`m
pretty sure the whole mission knows that that lesson is all mine). It was so beautiful
to look him in the eyes as he remembered those beautiful truths he had so
quickly forgotten. He just looked at us with wonder as we taught and testified,
and at the end he thanked us for reminding him of what he already knew. He`s
now preparing to serve a mission when he hits his 1 year mark as a member of
the church.
God changes lives.
Something fun that happened this week is that it was my
companion`s birthday. We completely spoiled her (me and my housemates) and we
had a really good time. It was a super fun day. The only bad thing is all of
the balloon scraps that are strewn across the house. haha. We cleaned it up,
though.
I really didn`t understand what they talked about until I
got out here, and now I`m beginning to truly understand the kind of men they
are. I think of David`s stories of things that happened and I realize that we
will end up with a lot of similar stories that we will never tell our mother
hahahahahaha. I think of Andrew who had to speak more than two languages in the
mission, and who walked through freezing temperatures every day for two years.
Then I think of Greg. Good ol`Greg who, if I may say, had the hardest mission
of the four of us. Greg who helped and served and loved for two years of
horrible heat and below-freezing cold in areas where the church was probably in
his very hands more than those of anyone else, who served for two long years
and didn`t see as many fruits of his labors as he deserved to see. I think of
those three men and, understanding what it means to be a missionary, I
understand exactly the kind of men they are. God sends big brothers to be heroes
for their little sisters.
Anyway. I really liked the story of Henry B. Eyring. I think
that one will probably stick with me, too.
I didn`t understand the subject line of the email for today,
but I have to tell you, it surprised me a little bit because last night I had a
dream that we were in Disneyland and a lion was running wild and attacked us
and he scratched your head then I beat him up and told him not to mess with my
mumsie. You haven`t gotten attacked in the head by a lion, have you? I hope
not.
Anyway, that`s too bad that dad`s been sick. If I had a
lempira for every time someone here was sick with a stomach problem, I`d be
rich, even with the lempira to dollar conversion rate. Seriously. I got like
three calls this morning.
As far as Katerin goes, she will be baptized this saturday
at 3 pm. :) Her mom revoked permission until she had gone to church a little
bit more, and even though Katerin is a legal adult, her parents are paying for
her everything, so she felt like she should obey. Also, she wants to show that
she`s changed, and disobeying her mom would be the opposite of that. But all`s
well that ends... in a baptism. haha. So we`re stoked for that. She`s 20 years
old and we met her in the church haha. Love when that happens. She was more
than prepared. In fact, she met with missionaries (my good friend Elder
Bergquist, in fact) about a year and a half ago, but wasn`t ready then. Now,
after all this time, she`s ready. It just goes to show: even if we don`t see
the fruits in the moment, we never know when missionaries are going to show up
again and reap what we`ve sown.
That makes me sad that Enoch has RSV. I guess it would be
spring there, so there`s probably quite a few bebesitos with respiratory stuff.
I`ll pray for him for sure. Lil Enoch. I`ll be excited to meet him.
Greg`s thesis sounds super interesting haha. Exactly up his
alley.
That`s cool that you`re still doing the marriage class, and
I love the proclamation for the family. I always use it to teach the law of
chastity. I tell them if they want the blessings of an eternal family, they`ve
got to live an eternal law. We read the responsability of parents and children
and then we talk about the sacred powers of procreation. It`s a pretty sweet
lesson. Now if only we could rent out a hot-air-balloon and a loudspeaker and
preach it to all of Honduras. haha. You have no idea how many times I ask
people if they`re married and they say no, then I ask them how much time they
have together and they say, for example 34 years. Then I tell them that they
have very beautiful grandchildren and they thank me. Then I ask them why they
haven`t gotten married or if they`re willing to get married, and do you know
what they answer? That they don`t know if they love each other. I tell them
they have 34 years of proof and they tell me that all of their friends who get
married get divorced and marriage is something sacred so they don`t want to toy
around with it. I tell them they`re dummies. Not really. But I`d like to. If
you don`t want to toy around with the sacredness of marriage, don`t toy around
with your boy or girlfriend before marriage. Is that really so complicated, old
people?! hahahaha. They`re so crazy. I hear that response like four times a
week.
Anyway. Rant over. The housing business sounds good.
Anything is fine.
I hope your jury duty goes well and that pops feels better
soon.
Love you all tonsies!
Hna Pilas
This little girl`s dad killed this iguana with a sling shot.
They were about to eat it, so I asked if I could touch it. It was really cool.
The poor thing had already lost his tail, but he was really pretty. Too bad
they were going to eat him. Also, can we please not focus on my dorky glasses
tan-line? I`m trying to get rid of it by not wearing glasses. haha.
Love yàll!
