Life here is a whole lot better here. Let's just say Elder Holmes and I get along SO well. Elder Holmes is from Layton Utah and is a GREAT missionary. He only has 6 weeks left before he goes home. He goes home about 5 days after Christmas. The great thing about it is that he and I are having to learn the area together! We would NOT be able to live without the GPS. But, I couldn't ask for a better companion to go through this process with. Life here is GREAT!
I totally had a paper with some things that I was going to tell you about, but I left it at the apartment. So this email may be a bit scattered.
Yesterday was a great day for us at church. We had 6 investigators show up. Laticia and Angie, Manuel, Jorge, and a couple others we found this week. This "couple" we found this past week is....... INTERESTIING..... to say the least. To back track for a second. Elder Roberts and I were trying to see a family that is Less Active but they weren't home. So as we were leaving their apartment there were about 7 Honduranian men drinking away at the bottom of the stairs. We started talking to them and it was probably the funniest conversation I've ever had in Spanish in my whole life! They all said they love Jesus and yadda yadda. So we gave them a pass along card for a Finding Faith in Christ DVD. Well a couple days went by and we recieved this referral from BYU saying someone wanted the DVD. So we went over and guess who it was? One of the Honduranians! His name is Antonio and he has been kicked out of his last apartment. So he is now living with a PURE white American lady who doesn't speak a lick of Spanish and he doesn't speak a lick of English. Any who we've been teaching them for a week and they also came to church. Quick story though- On Thursday (transfer day) I was without a companion and was in a 3 some with the other English elders that we live with. Well at noon we had an appointment with Antonio. So therefore, I was the only one in the home that spoke spanish and I had to teach him by myself. That was an experience and a half. But I KNOW that the gift of tongues is real and is possible to obtain. I know that I said some things in that home that I couldn't say now. I know that the scripture in D&C is sooooooo true. About not worrying before hand what to say but that the Lord will tell you in the very moment that you need it what to say.
Laticia and Angie are progressin along very well. They both have a date for the 11 of December. But, they're definently ready. Manuel is "progressing" he still has not yet recieved that answer about the Book of Mormon. He believes that the Bible and BOM both teach the same things of God. So why does he need another book. We are still working with him. He came to church yesterday.
On Thursday (Thanksgiving) we are going to play Turkey Bowl with one of the Wards here. (Football). Later that day we get to go to the mission home to eat Thanksgiving dinner with President and Sister Merkley. They invited all the missionaries in the area to come over. So that will be a neat experience. We also have someone from the ward signed up to feed us that day and a Branch party at the church at 7. So it will be a good day. It's definently going to be different not being at home for it this year. But, all will be well.
Elder Holmes and I had quite the experience tracting the other day. We were knocking doors and all we were finding were white people. So we decided, that if the next door wasn't "hispanic" then we were going home. We knocked on the door and a kid answered and said that, "Now's not a good time. We just had a tragedy in the family." So we asked what had happened and he said that his uncle was walking down the street in Mexico along the border and was shot and killed. So we talked with him about the Plan of Salvation on the door step. We asked if we could go in and share more about it with him. He said another day because his parents only speak Spanish. We told him how he was in luck that we speak spanish. He said, "A little or a lot?" So we went in and everyone is just bawling. It's a family of 5 or 6 and the man that was there is the brother to the guy who was killed. We shared the scripture in Alma about the spirit world. We had him read it, but he started to cry and had to have his wife finish reading it. After we shared it they thanked us and said how we had come just at the right time and that was just what they needed. We have an appointment to go back and teach them this week. It's one of the most spiritual experiences I've had while I've been here. It just reminds me that things may be tough for me to be away for so long, to not know anyone, to struggle with the language, but experiences like that add fuel to the fire of missionary desire. It's what keeps me going.
Overall, things here are going well. I LOVE serving with Elder Holmes.
But, all here is Well. Week after week we teach half of the lessons in our district. The past week our district taught 40 lessons.... we taught 18 of them. The next closest was 8 for our district. Elder Holmes and I should also be having a couple of batisms here soon. So life is definentley better. The only thing that I have to complain about is Elder Holmes is a Ute fan. And you know what this weekend is... The Holy War. Be sure to let me know who wins. Hopefully he and I will still be talking Sunday.
Well, I don't have too much time left so I had better run. Thanks again for the emails. They make my day/week.Take Care- Feliz Dia de Accione de Gracias!
Love----- Elder Stoddard
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