So we had the transfer meeting this morning! So good and so much fun. It's always so so nice to get together as missionaries, because no matter how hard the days, I’m reminded that I’m not doing it alone :)
So I didn’t have changes and neither did my comp! So we've got 6 more weeks together which we're both really happy about and we're praying for baptisms to come through. So everything is super tranquilo. It’s the best to go to changes without maletas and to go with your comp and come back with your same comp. But it was HOT today. Blazing hot! But H. had changes to Roatan and now I’ll be...drum roll....living with three Latinas! The new comp has the same time as my comp, almost 5 months. She was in Tela before. Let’s just say we might need to be working on our patience a lot this change. But let’s just say goodbye to my English skills yeah? But since I’ll be here another 6 weeks with my comp who was “born here” (her first area in the mission). I’m thinking she'll have changes this next transfer and I’ll stay here another change after to show the area and then leave...but we'll see how things play out.
As far as the special musical number of "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" by Sally Deford that I played with Hermana H? Let's just say we played better for the conference with Elder Amado....hermana got a little lost and that stressed me out cuz I didn’t know if I should stop and go back to start a section again cuz it was just done for, so we actually did stop and start a section again. SO EMBARRASSING!! But it was worth it and it’s always good to do something nerve wracking as if every day isn’t like that haha. Nah but really though you get pretty comfortable as a missionary with your routine. I was given the idea of having a day of not planning citas necessarily and just being guided by the Spirit as to where we should work and go...interesting yeah? I really want to try it. My comp is scared of contacting so I think we're going to work on that too.
I never told you guys but my comp is a convert of about 3 years! So I have to remind myself
sometimes that we're both still learning together, that of course she doesn’t know all the hymns, and of course we won’t always know all the answers to these people’s crazy questions.
Some of the typical things we will hear from people during our lessons "pero es lo mismo dios" "todas las iglesias hablan de dios" "ya me fui bautisado" "y de que pais es usted?" "andan cansadas verdad?" (claro que si) "mira hermanas, fijese que" (I’m still working on my patience as people give us excuses like I’ve never heard before, still working on looking at them as if they were in white or as Heavenly Father sees them, as his children :)
So as far as actual missionary work goes ;) We went to initially visit the girl that told us we bring her happiness, but she wasn’t home. But the less-active Hermana R. You guys it broke my heart. She changed completely. She had told us the last time she was going to another church that her daughter or her daughter in-law is going to so she can support her and then bring her back to our church...right....good plan flirting with Satan there....but this time around she 1. was really defensive 2. wouldn’t look at us 3. was acting super nervous. She kept telling us "no estoy en error, no estoy en error" and I couldn’t help but think about an addict who won’t admit that they have an addiction or that they need help. Interesting yeah? I never took my eyes off of her as she was talking so I could really get everything she was saying with her words and her body language, and we just listened. then I told her straight up "Hermana, usted es diferente ahora....yo puedo ver que está nerviosa, qué algo pasó..." It was just so sad to see her totally different and I could sense that she just didn’t want us there, that she was uncomfortable. She started to tel us that we were telling her that she is sinning and I was like "Hermana, Jesus Christ went looking for the lost sheep, he didn’t just leave it out there". She also kept saying "yo tengo Jesus en mi corazón, yo tengo Jesus en mi corazón" Then she got all weird and started telling us she was the church, that she was the temple, that God has never left her. I’ve found that here we've had to go back to the basics and verify with people that God and Jesus Christ are different personages, that they have their own bodies but that they are one in purpose. Super interesting yeah? We've gone back to nursery, but it’s good, it’s really really good. One of the most powerful things to say I’ve found is to just be like "hermana, usted sabe esas cosas..." as sad as it was to sit there with this sister we almost had returning to church, it was such a good learning experience. anytime people are having issues, anytime they’re struggling, we ask them if they’re praying and reading the Book of Mormon and guess what? surprise surprise, they’re not. Actually its never a surprise. What more proof could you want or need that the small and simple things matter? Scripture study, healthy food, exercise, sleep, prayer, church, general conference, family home evening....it’s all essential!
I found a quote in an Ensign that I really liked and I wanted to share it with you guys
"Each of us faces an uncertain future. But when we face it, remembering what we already know, we face it with faith. We face it with good cheer. We face it with confidence" (April 2010 Ensign, Elder Lance B. Wickman) You’re gonna think I only ever read Ensigns here, but we do work I promise! It’s just that we have to get back to the house pretty early since it’s so dangerous here...
Well it’s just another week here in Santa Rita! So happy to be with my comp again in our area, I think we'll have a lot more success this time around, but once again if we do all we can. We won’t be disappointed in ourselves. This area is rough. It’s hard and everyday brings new challenges, but we're still laughing everyday and smiling and I’m still having the time of my life serving the Lord on my mission in Honduras :)
Con todo mi amor!
Hermana Despain
