Friday, April 24, 2015 -- Week #10 - Day #67 - San Pedro Sula

7:28 am

Soooo we didn't get to bed until about 11:30 pm last night, guess who was thrilled to get up this morning? Not me! We're having divisions today with the Sister Training Leaders (I think that's what it is in English), so we needed to plan the day and lessons for 2 companionships, coordinate hospital visits with E Markus (our General Secretary of Finance, awesome guy, reminds me a lot of E Roth) to go in our places today, all the normal nursing calls (you don't have to ask permission to take Tylenol, you guys), planning for Halsey's baptism on Saturday, trying to get E Moes (one of the General Secretaries) to call and remind all the missionaries with dentist appointments at 8:30 am today, and we made PB&J's for dinner... so it was a crazy night.

Forgot to mention that peach thingy is like a little jello fruit cup,
kinda tasty, but still tastes like peach plastic!

We had interviews with Pres. Dester yesterday, and what I remember most was that our Heavenly Father will not take away our trials, but He will strengthen us so that we might withstand them. To have patience, with myself, the language, the people, adjusting to working as a full-time missionary and nurse's companion and just how amazed and proud he is of me for hopping into the swing of things and not complaining and performing so well. And if we need anything, always let him or Hna Dester know, and since we talk to them on an almost daily basis, that isn't too hard. So that was a good little boost, I like Pres. and Hna Dester. I've been trying to roll with things so I don't get knocked over, and I think for the most part I'm doing pretty well. But sometimes it's tough, but the Desters or Hna Robles or the youth that we go bring to visits with us help me get excited again and I can recognize that I'm happy to be here, in spite of everything. I'm not quite sure how long the normal adjusting process is to all this craziness, but I hope to keep getting the hang of things and make some good progress.

Funny story, as we were walking to a lesson yesterday we passed the group of guys that we had given some pamphlets (in Spanish it's "folletos", weird having to use the English!) to a few weeks earlier, and I guess they wanted some more "Jesus reading material" (they were happy-drunk at 2:00 pm in the afternoon...good times) so we gave them the "Restoration," "Law of Chastity," and "Word of Wisdom" pamphlets to (hopefully) read...and one of the guys started getting all excited about the little lamb in the arms of Jesus on the cover of the "Restoration" one and started giving it kisses...so that was interesting. 

Also, we visit a less-active guy that's getting reactivated, and every time we end the lesson, he looks at me and goes, "Will you testify to me of these things? Do you know this is true?" and so I assure him that I know what we shared that day was true and of God, and then he's happy...it's interesting because you get really firm in your testimony and know things are true when that's all you're studying, reading, teaching, talking, and praying about, pretty submersive atmosphere here. But it's good, always makes me smile when we visit him.

Abinadi before King Noah, by Arnold Friberg

Also, we won't have the opportunity to go to the temple in Tegucigalpa during the mission, so that's a little sad, but hopefully Hna Kleinman can since it's in her mission. I miss my little CCM district, it mimics my district here as we have 2 companionships of elders and 1 of sisters, as well, we're pretty small. But I love my district here, it's half latino / half gringo, and we have a good time together. 

10:40 pm

The day is still going, the Sisters are staying the night with us, and then will leave tomorrow morning after studying, I'm not quite sure exactly what's happening with this whole divisiones experience mostly because I'm so new and still don't have a fantastic grip on the language and where all our people are, and we have the baptism tomorrow, and it's just crazy in general the past little bit. And I missed Hna Robles today, probably because she's really the only constant in this whole mess of a few days, so being without her was a little tricky. But today was good, a lot of work and walking around and mental gymnastics, but in the end was good.

Haven't had any mosquito bites the past few days, either, so that's a blessing, too. And I finally painted my toes again the other day, they're now a wonderful orangey color, quite cheerful. And, what else...my hair is getting a little longer, so that's exciting. I discovered that the picture I submitted for my mission papers (my blue plumbago family portrait...we also have plumbago here, too) is on all the directories and the companionship board in President Dester's office, so that's funny because I look nothing like myself in that picture...everyone's shocked that I have bangs and short hair since I wear it up pretty much all the time (oh yeah, because it's hot), and I'm somewhat whiter than I am right now. Like I said, I'm always full of surprises, it seems. So yup, pretty much ready for bed, we're trying to assemble a fan so we can have a tad more air movement to sleep tonight, as we just doubled our body heat in our room, but we should hopefully get that done soon. The joys of living in Honduras. Goodnight!