Wednesday, August 5, 2015 -- Week #25 - Day #170 - Santa Cruz de Yojoa

Today was cambios! And it was crazy.

Woke up, got dressed, packed away the few last things I needed this morning, studied in Acts (well, Hechos, as I was reading in Spanish) about the Apostles (who are super awesome, by the way), took some last pics with Hna Robles, and headed over to the Benque.

Had a ton of people all over the place and it was super crazy, but we got our zone together in one of the classrooms and the new companionships and areas were announced, and everything got crazier. My new companion is Hna Rosas, and I am now in Santa Cruz de Yojoa, which is about a 2 hour bus ride from San Pedro Sula in the specially commissioned bus to drop us off at the churches which translates to something around 3-4 hours in a normal bus. When Pres. Dester took us to Copan, we got there in almost exactly 3 hours, in a bus it takes 6 hours. Gotta love public transportation!

President Dester actually pulled me aside for a few minutes before we went in the Benque to tell me that I was going to have a special assignment: since I have 3 cambios, and my new comp has 2 (aka, just finished her training) there won't be a senior-junior companion relationship, we'll be equals, which I think is a wonderful idea. Technically I'll be "acting senior companion", but I gotta get to know the area a little bit and get a feel of what's going on over here in Santa Cruz. So this is gonna be a very interesting few weeks! Looking forward to it though, after the first few hours it starts to grow on ya.

San Pedro Sula is basically the only exception to the highly rural-town-pueblo type of living that is typical of Honduras. I feel like I'm in the middle of nowhere, it's kinda crazy after being in a city for all this time and now I'm not in a city. Weird. Basically everything that was in SPS is the opposite everywhere else. Our area has hills, 45 degree inclines, rock roadways (you can literally feel every little rock and pebble through your shoes) a TON of grasses (almost never saw grass in SPS), lots of dogs, not a whole ton of people out on the street, lots of hard rain at night, not a lot of street lights, lots of mototaxis (didn't exist in my zone) and lots of sun in the afternoon. It feels cooler than SPS, but somehow I still sweat a TON. Probably because we seriously are constantly climbing and descending all over the place. And we also don't currently have investigators. Hna Cruz, the madre of Hna Rosas (her trainer) was here for 6 months and just had her first baptism here last Saturday before changes and she left and I came. Pres said he was excited to see what Hna Rosas and I are gonna make of the area, and I'm determined to work this happy piece of land we got here. I don't know, Smith feels super easy and soft compared to this area, definitely is gonna be a challenge. Good thing I'm ridiculously stubborn, right?

1st night in new area:  Santa Cruz de Yojoa

I'm on the top bunk, sometimes it's hard to try to climb in and out
without falling when you're really tired!

Unpacked and moved in!

Living with members until the end of the month.

Anyways, got to the house, dropped my stuff off, headed back out to have lunch, walked a good 15-20 min to a cita, walked another 15-20 min between some other citas, went and visited a family that just had their second baby girl at 5:00 am, so I got to hold a 14 hour old baby...I haven't held a baby in a loooong time, I miss those little guys! Walked around some more, and headed back home. Planned, got unpacked, got ready for bed, and slept in my bed to some very heavy rain. Good times.