San Pedro Sula Smith 2 Week 3

I like the mountains with the cool clouds

Hey family!

It looks like everyone is having a great time this holiday season at home! Is it cold yet at home? This week has been awesome! We didn't see the sun one time and it was chilly. All the people here were freaking out and had like 4 sweaters on haha. They all hate the cold and just sit in their houses all day, which makes it hard to contact. And when we put our clothes on the line to dry it takes like 5 or 6 days to dry because there is no sun haha. My comp and I are doing good! He's my first quiet comp so its just different. But he's obedient so that's really all that matters! We still get to see Elder Olivas for lunch everyday so that's good. 

Had my first experience of getting robbed this week. I mean it wasn't anything big but this 6 year was really fast. I was buying something from the pulperia and when I was handing my money over, this crazy kid behind me grabbed the money out of my hand and took off running. I didnt even move or open my mouth. I was just so confused that a child would rob 20 lemps (1 dollar) from someone that is bigger than them haha hes lucky I'm not use to people robbing me! I just hope he used it to buy some food or something. This is a good example for why the gospel is important!

We have an awesome investigator named Alberto that is the grandson of a member family that is inactive. He's 21 and at a perfect time in his life to receive this gospel! His aunt is his same age and always sits in with us during the lessons. She was bapstized when she was 8 but now goes to some other random church. We had an awesomeeeee lesson with them this last week. Pretty much cleared up all their doubts and talked about the organization of Chrsit´s church. At the end they were saying things like "How come our church doesnt have that? If the bible says this why does my pastor say differnt things?" It was like their minds were racing and they just had a 100 questions. Which as a missionary is our favorite thing. I hope they start to progress. Hardest part in the mission is when people that understand everything don't end up progressing.

We had an appointment in the Smith with the other two missionaries and were going to meet up at Olivas´s house. But when we got there they hadn't got back from there other appointment. The landlord was out front and we are great friends so he let us in the house of the missionaries. And of course the first thing that came into my mind....We have to scare them. So we hid in the 2nd room and when they got home 3 minutes later, they came in and sat down at their desk waiting for us to arrive. We waited a couple mintues and then BAM jumped out. I still dont think they have recovered. They literally screamed like a couple of sister missionaries! hahaha should of recorded it. Who says the mission isn't fun?

This week was the week of conferences. We had 2 stake conferences for the leaders of ward council and we had the general stake conference. They were awesome!! They were all focused on the work of the Lord. Trying to motivate the members to help the missionaries and support our investigators. I have been waiting for them to say this forever. I'm so tried of my investigators not coming back to church because they feel like our church is like the Catholic church because no one talks to them. President Dester spoke at stake conference and man was it good. He's such a loving guy. When he talks everyone listens. A great example for us missionaries. 

We had a awesome Christmas party with the ward! We got to bring some investigators and they got to have a great time. There was a Latin Santa Clause so that was new for me haha. 

We have been trying to work with some of the inactive members in our area and man is that rough. They straight up tell us they will never come back to the church. Man what do you say after that? We can only testify and invite. Which is more powerful than teaching sometimes! Well I love all homies back in the states. Thanks for your support and your prayers! Merry Christmas! 

-Elder Sessions

I love this dog!

Porter had these made for us!

Making dinner at the Pena's (Riiiiiight Jarom....)

San Pedro Sula Smith 2 Week 2

Jarom with President and Sister Dester

Hey family!!

Man that week just zoomed by! So many blessings this week. I didn't get the blessing of a new fan but I'm learning patience. Working with Ibarra has been great. He has one transfer less than me and is more of quiet person but he really knows his stuff and is a great teacher. I am learning alot from him. I am so glad that I keep getting new comps all the time because I learn so much from each one! We started out this week with divisions with AP Nichols. He is such an awesome guy. He's like 6'5". It's like walking around with a giant. He was able to help us in our area for a day and really taught us alot. One of my favorite parts of the mission is getting to know all these new people that make an impact on my life.

In the mission is it so easy to see when Satan does something so we don't have success. Our neighbor has a pulperia which is like a little store and we have been passing by to teach him. But while we teach him he still has to watch his little store and sells the food when someone comes up. And its not even funny how everytime when we try to testify of something, someone comes to buy food in his store and we have to wait a minute or two. Very easy for the spirt to leave. He even said, " Wow, I never get this many people, you guys need to come around more often." How more direct could the devil be! It's like he just puts thoughts in everyone's head that they are hungry and they just need to buy chips this instant haha! It's okay because we have the Lord on our side and will always come out on top!

We had a conference this week on Family History and I loved it! We really can't work on our family history in the mission so the focus was to help investigators and recent converts do their family work! They say when a recent member does the temple work for their family, they almost never go inactive. Its such a great tool to help bring the spirit into lessons when we talk about their grandparents or parents that have passed and they have the opportunity to help them. We just started working with it so I hope as time goes on we can get better at teaching it and use it more when we teach! A recent convert in my area has many relatives that have passed and she has been able to find alot of names and is getting ready to go to the temple to do the work! She has had more difficulties than anyone I know but she has one of the strongest testimonies of this restored goespel that I have seen. Really her example teaches us so much I feel like she is the missionary haha!

We also had our multi zone conference this week with president Dester! It was a Christmas themed conference and it was awesomeeee. We started with learning about the new video He is the Gift. I think thats what it is in english. But it's the video that the church as made to help with the work of the Lord and to help everyone remember what christmas is really about. We use it alot when we contact and teach and its great! I really hope you guys can all watch it and tell me what you think about it. The talks where all centered in Christ and they were really great. One other thing that I have loved about the mission is that im getting to know my Savior more. Its been such a great blessing to study His life and teachings and to really have a relationship with Him. I had a great opportunity to recieve another answer to my prayers that Jesus Christ lives and loves us. And that His church is here on the earth today. I am so thankful to be his servant here in Honduras! I love you all I hope you have a good week and have the Christmas spirit!

-Elder Sessions

Elder Lyon and I at Multi Zone Conference

End of our area with my friend Jenifer

Man I have lost weight!

San Pedro Sula Smith 2 Week 1

Elder Porter and I posing for Christmas Photo

HO HO HO

Missed eating turkey with the family so to make up for it the whole zone went to Fridays! Wasn't the same but my bacon cheese burger was still really good. 

Well I guess I will start at the beginning. I had transfers! and I got moved to the distant lands of the Smith 2! YaY! I'm opening the area and we extended it more. My comps name is Elder Ibarra and he's from Panama. He's a cool cat. Different from my other comps so it means I will learn a lot! I'm going to miss being with Olivas but he's close by so we will be able to talk still and hang out. Our house is sooooooo far away from the church and from everything so its alot of walking everyday. There aren't many active members or investigators in our area so we got a lot on our plate!

Our house is super tiny but its clean and nice so that's all that matters. We don't have a bathroom door or shower curtain so that's been interesting as well. We had to spend a whole day cleaning the house and moving all the stuff in and putting all the beds and dressers together. And when I put my brand new fan together and plugged it in it worked for 3 seconds than made a noise and started to smoke and now it won't turn on. My luck with fans in the mission has just been the worst. Every single fan I've had in the mission has broke its such a joke haha. But we got one of the new fridges with freezer so now I can buy ice cream! 

view from our apartment

We have spent most our time this week getting to know the area and getting to know some of the active members that can help us find all the inactive members. Its been kind of stressful because our ward is really struggling right now and its rough trying to excite them to help with the work. But I know the Lord will bless us with His spirit and prepare the way for us. So many blessings are waiting for these people!

Well it was bound to happen some time....a dog bit me! We were walking to a house from their front gate and the guy had his dog away from us but he looked away for one second and this crazy dog bolted straight for me and gave me a good one right one my calf! one long tooth got in good and the other went in a little and scratched down. It stings some times but it will be ok ha. They said the dog doesnt have rabbies so I guess im good? haha I'm just super scared of dogs now... And now that the dog had a taste of gringo blood, he is bound to tell his friends to come and get a taste. I walk around with a rock in my hand for protection now so don't worry. And yes mom I put some of your magic oils on the holes on my legs. I'm ahead of the game. 

Well I'm excited for this next week to really start to find new people and help the work of the Lord! Thank you guys for all of your support and my mom has the mission office address if you want to send me Christmas things....just saying....love you guys!

Elder Sessions

FHE in old area

New Comp!

San Pedro Sula Week 12

Elder Porter came to hang out this morning and we played some hard core soccer!

Dear home!

How's all the Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations going along? I miss those. But its all good because we will have Thanksgiving dinner with a family! yayaya! Hows everyone doing? Awesome week for Aubrey! Baby girl! That's great news but now she can't name her first child Jarom so we have to wait for the next one. One of guys will name a kid after me I just know it haha. Super busy week for Elder Olivas and I! Prepping the house for the new guys and looking for new people to teach. We have been really blessed to find a couple of new people to teach and help and its been great! We have been bringing all the youth with us this last week that are preparing for the mission and we were able to meet alot of their friends and help them understand the life of a missionary.

So this week has been getting hotter and as luck would have it the plug for my fan broke off in the outlet and I almost had to sleep a whole week without a fan. But I think my year and half working electrical and with ceiling fans was all to prepared me for this moment. I just cut the wires and shoved them in the outlet haha and it works like a charm. I refuse to sleep without a fan!

My sad excuse for a fan plug!

My comp and I were walking in this little street all chill one day and all the sudden this huge crazy dog started walking behind us giving us the stank eye. So we started to walk a little faster and the dog started walking faster as well. Then all of a sudden another dog that looked the exact same came out of the corner of the street and stood in the middle of the street ready to trap us. My comp yells " they are working together!" Then they came for us and we ran like ningas over some fences and lost them. What is the world coming to when dogs have gangs and want to attack missionaries? Its ok because I got to work off all these beans I eat everyday.

The Hermano Ronald and his wife were not able to have the wedding this last Saturday because something lacked with the papers but now all is good and set for this Saturday! More time for them to prepare and be ready for baptism. Our area is veryyyyy old and we have been working with our area book to find the members that have not been coming to church. We were able to find a family that was baptized 7 years ago and we were able to pass by and get to know them. They have a grandson living with them now who is 21 and wow what a prepared person for this gospel. He was able to come to church with us and loved it! Such a great blessing the area book and working with members!

I had the opportunity to baptize the twins in our ward this last week! The homies that I help with their English homework. They have become my great friends and asked if I could baptize them! It was amazing!

The twins are 8 and they are named Angel y Rosendo Enamorado!

One of our great friends in this area is this family Peña. They have just recently been coming back to church. The daughter who is 22 yrs old has a problem with gluten and can't eat one piece of bread or has to go to the hospital. So for the sacrament she brings a tortilla and they use that for her. She had the amazing experience to have a dream of the savior sitting at a table with the sacrament and told her if she eats the bread it wont hurt her at all. This was a huge act of faith for this sister. When Sunday came around, she didn't bring a tortilla and when her brother saw her eat the bread he started to freak out and wanted to take her to the hospital but the bread didn't do anything and she never felt any pain. What an example for all us of the power of faith! And the Lord is always testing us. This experience has helped me so much here in the mission.  

Awesome week! Love you all! Have a good Thanksgiving! Thanks for writing me!

-Elder Sessions

p.s. Note: I asked how his Spanish was going and he said...Spanish is going great! Still need lots of work but I understand everything and I can speak well. 

Week 11

Hey Homies!

It was great to read all your guys letter and see your pictures of this last week! Im so blessed that you guys didnt forget about me when I left for the mission. You guys are the best! But for the ones that don't write me....you know who you are... Different kinda week but successful! I had to go to immigration and get my pic taken and fill out some stuff. I am now a resident of Honduras! yayayaya yippy. The weather has gotten a little hotter but not too crazy so thats been good! Sometimes I use my sheet because it's a little chilly in the night haha.

The week started out with zone meeting where we were told to go house shopping....because 2 more missionaries are coming to the Smith! I'm so excited! They will be coming in the next change at the end of November. We had to spend alot of time searching for apartments or little houses. It was super tiring because we couldn't find anything in the price range. But after many days of walking up and down every street we found a couple that could work! Blessing from the Lord! 4 missionaries in the Smith is going to help so much. We have alotttt of inactive members and our area is massive so we are going to tear it up! Praying for gringo missionaries haha

So I've been in the mission for about 8 months now and overall its been pretty calm. Last night we had our first crazy dangerous experience. We were in the street thinking about where to go and a huge man came up to us and started to say rude things. He started to pull on my comps tie and when I said ´lets go´ my comp for some reason shook his hand. But the man wouldn't let go. When my comp finally ripped his hand away I shoved Olivas back and ran down the street. Olivas was all fired up so we took a right down another street and the man was there coming after us! We booked it hard core through some streets and lost him and chilled at a members house till we felt good to leave....Super crazy! Later a family told us that they saw us run past and the man came after started asking people where we were. We were protected by the Lord that night.

Luis Diaz is progressing great! He's reading the Book of Mormon and already has a great testimony of this Gospel. If all goes well with his papers he will be baptized in December! Ronald Enamorado is doing awesome as well! He will be married and baptized this Saturday! So exciting! Even tho this week was different and so many appts fell through we were still able to have great experiences help the work of the Lord. I'm reading in the book of Alma right now and for the first time understanding and learning from the sons of Mosiah. They are perfect examples of missionaries! They put everything they have to do to the will of the Father. Makes me animated to work harder and maybe I can baptize a King or two ;) Love the mission! Hope you guys have a great week! Christmas is coming don't forget to send me goodies haha

-Elder Sessions

My left shoe from one pair and my right shoe from the other pair....
They just exploded and the foam just started to deteriorate haha It stinks!

We had the primary sing us songs this Sunday! So awesome.
I have a sweet video but I dont know how to send it :(

The Rios Family had us over for dinner!

San Pedro Sula Week 10

Hey family!

Really can't believe it's already Monday!y...Time is just zooming by. We had an  awesomeeeee week! We were able to find a lot of great new people to teach and we have people progressing! We had divisions with one of the APs this week and that was a good time. Super chill dude from Texas. I learned a lot from him and the way he teaches and says things. So many examples of great missionaries in my mission! Everyday is an adventure with Elder Olivas. He alwayssss pulls pranks on me and jokes with me its the best! But when its time to be spiritual and to teach, he has one of the strongest testimonies I´ve heard. I hope we don't have changes at the end of this month!

I will start off with a story that was super trippy. So we had a dinner appointment with this family named Alcerro and after we had time to teach a little and get to know them more. They have a daughter on the mission in Argentina and the mother started to show some of the pictures that they had received from their daughter. Then she showed one with companion she has right now.....Kalie Harper!!!! whattttttttt!? My next door neighbor!?! I was so shocked! But it was really cool. If someone could get me her email that would be great :)

Kalie Harper!!!

We were contacting a reference one day this week and they wouldn't come outside so we decided to talk to this woman that was outside cleaning her porch. We started to get to know her and it was all good then all the sudden we noticed she had a CTR ring (in spanish) and we were like " hey your a member!" her response was "dang you caught me" hahahaha loved it. She said she hasn't come to church in a long time but likes her ring. My comp and I just couldn't stop laughing at her response! We had a good talk with her and we got to see her in church this last sunday! Funny great experience and seeing the hand of the Lord helping us.

I had a one of my favorite lessons that I've had in my mission this last week with Luis Diaz. So we started out all normal and then it got real. He pulled out a list of things he read on the internet that he read about mormons that were made by anti mormons. At first I was shocked but that's where my awesome comp came into play. He didn't talk about one of thing from the list but just bore his testimony of his conversion and of his experience with the same types of things. We were able to feel the spirit so strong and he just threw the list away at the end. Such a strong tool that satan uses and it has pulled so many people away from the truth. It was a great experience and I'm so thankful for the spirit during our lessons!

The family Enamorado with the son we baptized are doing great and progressing a TON. They all have such strong testimonies and they all went out and bought white shirts and ties for church! Love it! Love you guys thank you for all your support! Don't forget...christmas is coming up...love you...:)

Elder Sessions

With a family for family night

Amanda's birthday party (she is the the returned missionary that helps them so much!)

service project cleaning up a house full of dead animals and cockroaches

playing basketball in the stake center today!

helping the twins with english homework!

San Pedro Sula Week 9

Booooo ( its a ghost because halloween)

What a great week! It was so great to see all the pics of the new Phx temple! I wish I could have gone through the open house! The weather this last week as been unreal. It was still really humid but I haven't seen the sun once!   Its been a big blessing because when that sun is beating down, you just lose all your energy. Hope it stays the same this next week! It slightly rains throughout the day and there is wind! One night I got a little chilly and turned my fan down from high to medium. It was a big deal. First time in the mission my fan wasn't on full blast!

So Elder Olivas and I were talking about how much we loved halloween and that we were so sad that almost no one celebrates it here honduras right when we walked by T.G.I. Fridays. And it was alllll decked out with decorations and halloween stuff! So naturally we had to go in and get a burger. It was so great to see all these families with their kids in costumes. We took a ton of photos with all the kids and staff who were in costumes and the best part was that at the end we met a family that lives in our area that we are going to visit tomorrow! Great to celebrate a little bit of halloween :)

 A sister missionary in our ward came home recently and has became our new best friend. She has all these friends and references for us it has been amazing! She comes to teach with us sometimes and really has been a great example for the ward and her inactive family. And for the last 3 weeks our teacher for the class of investigators hasn't shown up and this return missionary just stepped up and started teaching! Member missionaries for life ;)

Really cool experience with our investigator Luis this week. He's new and was a reference from a member. His wife is a member but has been inactive her whole life. He told us he has been praying that the missionaries would come to his house and help his family get baptized. Then 3 days later we called him! It all started with a member in our ward that saw the need of the gospel for this family. And during our first lesson he had told us that he has read the whole Book of Mormon! He is very prepared and has a strong strong testimony of the gospel. One of those investigators that is a like a breath of fresh air. He constantly talks about getting married in the temple and how that's his biggest goal. I love it! I think my comp and I have permanent smiles when we teach him haha.

We had the baptism of Jorge! At the beginning we really wanted him to wait for his dad and mom to get married in December so they could be baptized at the same time but he came to us and said that he had prayed and received an answer that he needed to be baptized as soon as he could. I really think it was a good idea because now he is a great example for his family and they have grown even more closer through his baptism. I had the opportunity to baptize Jorge and it was so beautiful! Such great support from the ward too. Jorge is one of those people in the mission that I will remember forever. He's really special and has helped me just as much. I love this gospel so much!

Love you tons keep them pics coming! And send me candy ;) Have a great week!

Elder Sessions

In front of our church

Juicing fruit for a family who sells juice!