This week was so great. I am starting to get into the groove of things finally. My Spanish is coming along. Basically I just have a list of things to write this week.
The first is the I have realized that we have the true gospel, we can be bold and confident with our message.
The second is that on Tuesday and Wednesday I went on divisions with our ZL Elder Dalgo. I learned a lot and that really boosted my confidence. While I was there I ended up showering with a pila for the first time. I filled up a bucket with water and used a pitcher to scoop it onto myself.
The other things are there are ants in our apartment, all the time. And spiders. And geckos. What the heck.
On Friday, we had interviews with President, which was awesome.
One day this week, I can't remember cause the days all kinda blend together, but one day we went to a store to get some copies and the lady spoke more English than Spanish, the first person I have found. YAY.
I love writing in my journal. I have never kept a journal before and it is so fantastic. I am so glad that I'll have these memories forever. I also love reading my old entries. In my humble opinion, I am hilarious.
The people here basically worship corn. The festival of maiz was in august. The people are crazy. They love corn so so much and no one really knows why.
The food here is so awesome. Everything I have had, I love. Especially the random combinations that we are able to come up with. Weird weird stuff. I can't even remember what they are.
I am reading the New Testament this transfer. Wow. Good stuff.
Last Thursday, we played soccer with an investigator and a member in the street, it was a very different experience.
The next part is about Sundays. Yesterday they basically asked me to teach piano lessons to the ward... UMMMM no puedo. No no no. But I can kinda play so they asked me to. Also on every 5th sunday of the month, they cook a meal and after church everyone eats in the gym. It was so weird.
The next is about the bathroom. The shower is COLD, which isn't too bad now that I am used to it. The door only decides to close when it wants, which is never. The toilet decides to flush when it wants to, which is very rare.
One family we are teaching, the Valladares family. Oh, they are awesome. They have tons of questions about the gospel. And one of the daughters is learning English, so I am helping her a little bit. Another investigator, Sylvia, wow. She is super buena. Most of her family are members, and she has a son on a mission in Peru. She also has tons of questions about the gospel. She is so good. And another family, the Martinez family. They have a picture of the Honduras temple in their house. They are so prepared for the gospel. I love seeing how the Lord prepares people for the gospel.
A couple other random things. We did service last week -- we dug a hole for this guy cause he is building a house. Yesterday we got into a lovely discussion with some pastors. They basically just wanted to tell us we are wrong. But the stuff they were saying made no sense at all. After, we talked about how they really don't know their church is true, they have just studied so much that they have knowledge.
That's all I have for this week. I love you all and miss you all so so much!
Love,
Elder Baller
Monday, August 31, 2015
WEEK 8 - Q&A
1. Best and worst parts of the week?
Best part was finding a bunch of new investigators. The worst was I got a little bit of a fever one night.
2. What is a typical day schedule for you?
Study in the morning. And work all afternoon and night until about 8, when we have dinner.
3. What is the favorite thing you've eaten since arriving in Honduras? Least favorite?
Baleadas. WOW. The worst thing was a cup of mashed potatoes... I think. That I got at a party at the church.
4. Does your companion speak English at all? Do you have a hard time communicating with him?
He does speak a little English. I am teaching him quite a bit of English. Not really.
5. How was church? How is it similar or different from church at home?
Church is different. Mostly cause I don't understand a whole lot, but it is great. It is still church, just different classes and different setup. It is hard to explain.
Best part was finding a bunch of new investigators. The worst was I got a little bit of a fever one night.
2. What is a typical day schedule for you?
Study in the morning. And work all afternoon and night until about 8, when we have dinner.
3. What is the favorite thing you've eaten since arriving in Honduras? Least favorite?
Baleadas. WOW. The worst thing was a cup of mashed potatoes... I think. That I got at a party at the church.
4. Does your companion speak English at all? Do you have a hard time communicating with him?
He does speak a little English. I am teaching him quite a bit of English. Not really.
5. How was church? How is it similar or different from church at home?
Church is different. Mostly cause I don't understand a whole lot, but it is great. It is still church, just different classes and different setup. It is hard to explain.
Monday, August 24, 2015
Week 7 - Q&A
1. Tell me about your last day/night at the CCM - what you did, what you were feeling, etc.
My last day was awful. I was so sad that I had to leave all my friends there. But we just had orientation stuff and packed and watched Meet the Mormons.
2. Was it hard to fit all of your stuff back in the suitcases? Any problems with weight of the luggage?
Yes, it was so hard. I didn't have too much problem with weight but I was like freaking out cause I didn't know what to put where.
3. Tell me about your first 24 hours in Honduras.
Hot, Tired. Sweaty. Basically sums it up.
4. Did you get your package? Did you have more than one?
Yeah I got one. They told my I had another one but I never got it.
5. Are you happy?
Just exhausted. Always. You don't know what tired is until you go on a mission. But yeah I am very happy.
6. Do you eat with the members? What do you eat?
Yeah we eat with members. Pretty often. They love love love to feed us.
We eat baleadas, carne asade. Stuff from pulperias. Pulperias are like little stores on the street, look up pictures. There are tons. We buy stuff from those and cook it at home.
My last day was awful. I was so sad that I had to leave all my friends there. But we just had orientation stuff and packed and watched Meet the Mormons.
2. Was it hard to fit all of your stuff back in the suitcases? Any problems with weight of the luggage?
Yes, it was so hard. I didn't have too much problem with weight but I was like freaking out cause I didn't know what to put where.
3. Tell me about your first 24 hours in Honduras.
Hot, Tired. Sweaty. Basically sums it up.
4. Did you get your package? Did you have more than one?
Yeah I got one. They told my I had another one but I never got it.
5. Are you happy?
Just exhausted. Always. You don't know what tired is until you go on a mission. But yeah I am very happy.
6. Do you eat with the members? What do you eat?
Yeah we eat with members. Pretty often. They love love love to feed us.
We eat baleadas, carne asade. Stuff from pulperias. Pulperias are like little stores on the street, look up pictures. There are tons. We buy stuff from those and cook it at home.
WEEK 7 - First Week in Hondo
Well... This is it. I'm here. It is pretty fantastic. It's hot.
When we got here, we got to go to the stake center in Tegu and had a little orientation thing. The flight was reaaaalllllyyyy short and the landing was super duper sketchy. I ended up being the lider de viaje, so I had to be in charge of all the missionaries on our flight. Gag. But it was alright. After the orientation, we got to take a nap, hallelujah. That was so wonderful. Then we had dinner at President's house. President and Hermana Bowler are AWESOME. After that we went to bed. Early.
The next day was changes. Ahhhh. It was great. They show them on a powerpoint, your picture pops up and then your companions. I am with Elder Alarcón. He is from Peru, he has 20 months in the mission. After he trains me, he is going home. Our area is in Danli, it is Danli A. We are basically opening a new area. It is very very confusing. I'm not really sure what happened. But our area is really really nice. It is giant. We have San Angel, Quiquiske, Araulin, San Marcos Abajo, Urutia, Colonia de Maestros, Las Colinas, and Buenos Aires. We also have la estaca in our area. It is down the street from our house.
There is quite a bit of work to do here. Some of the missionaries that were here before were baptizing just to baptize, they didn't really teach a whole lot, so A LOT of the members are inactive. But we are working. And the members here are awesome, they help us with like everything. Our ward mission leader, Samuel, he is awesome. He just barely got called so he is kinda learning along with us but he is so great. We have found a couple girls that their families are members but haven't been baptized yet. One is 8 and one is 9. So we are working with them to get them baptized. We also contacted San Marcos yesterday. We found a familia that is basically prepared for the gospel. It really showed me how the Lord prepares people. They had so many questions that basically led the lesson.
I am trying my best not to get frustrated with my Spanish, it is not what they taught me in the CCM. I can understand a lot but I hardly know what to say. I don't say much. But the first week here was so so great.
Love you all. Miss you all.
(I had talked to several mission moms in Aidan's mission this last week, so knew that Russell M. Nelson was going to be visiting their mission a few days after Aidan's arrival. SO COOL! So, when he didn't mention it, I wondered if it had really happened. I asked him about it and he replied with the following.)
We all got to shake his hand. It was so, so great. I could feel the power and authority right when he walked in.
When we got here, we got to go to the stake center in Tegu and had a little orientation thing. The flight was reaaaalllllyyyy short and the landing was super duper sketchy. I ended up being the lider de viaje, so I had to be in charge of all the missionaries on our flight. Gag. But it was alright. After the orientation, we got to take a nap, hallelujah. That was so wonderful. Then we had dinner at President's house. President and Hermana Bowler are AWESOME. After that we went to bed. Early.
The next day was changes. Ahhhh. It was great. They show them on a powerpoint, your picture pops up and then your companions. I am with Elder Alarcón. He is from Peru, he has 20 months in the mission. After he trains me, he is going home. Our area is in Danli, it is Danli A. We are basically opening a new area. It is very very confusing. I'm not really sure what happened. But our area is really really nice. It is giant. We have San Angel, Quiquiske, Araulin, San Marcos Abajo, Urutia, Colonia de Maestros, Las Colinas, and Buenos Aires. We also have la estaca in our area. It is down the street from our house.
There is quite a bit of work to do here. Some of the missionaries that were here before were baptizing just to baptize, they didn't really teach a whole lot, so A LOT of the members are inactive. But we are working. And the members here are awesome, they help us with like everything. Our ward mission leader, Samuel, he is awesome. He just barely got called so he is kinda learning along with us but he is so great. We have found a couple girls that their families are members but haven't been baptized yet. One is 8 and one is 9. So we are working with them to get them baptized. We also contacted San Marcos yesterday. We found a familia that is basically prepared for the gospel. It really showed me how the Lord prepares people. They had so many questions that basically led the lesson.
I am trying my best not to get frustrated with my Spanish, it is not what they taught me in the CCM. I can understand a lot but I hardly know what to say. I don't say much. But the first week here was so so great.
Love you all. Miss you all.
(I had talked to several mission moms in Aidan's mission this last week, so knew that Russell M. Nelson was going to be visiting their mission a few days after Aidan's arrival. SO COOL! So, when he didn't mention it, I wondered if it had really happened. I asked him about it and he replied with the following.)
We all got to shake his hand. It was so, so great. I could feel the power and authority right when he walked in.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
He Made It To Honduras!
Hey, I'm alive. In Honduras. It is amazing here. I love it. Right when we got here we took a picture and had a little meeting. Then we went contacting. I was with Elder Padilla. It was awesome. The first time was terrifying but after that was great. We taught a lesson and gave him a Book of Mormon. Then we referred him to the Hermanas and then found the Hermanas and they went and taught him. Anyways. I will write you more next week.
Love you!! Miss you!!
-Elder Baller
Love you!! Miss you!!
-Elder Baller
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
WEEK 5 - Q&A (Aunt Edition)
This week, I decided to ask some of Aidan's aunts to write the questions for the Q&A. I only gave them about 30 seconds to give me questions, but they did an awesome job! Enjoy!
1. Susan - What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Language. Good grief. It is so hard to just be thrown into it and be expected to speak it all the time.
2. Susan - What is your favorite thing about Guatemala?
The weather. Wowza. It is perfect. It is about 80 degrees all the time. And it rains. A lot. Like a lot.
3. Susan - If you could bring one thing home with you from Guatemala, what would it be?
My companion. He is awesome. He has become my best friend over the past couple weeks.
4. Susan - Who is your favorite aunt?
I am not allowed to pick favorites cause I'm a missionary. ;)
5. Sharon - Who would win this fight: Elder Speth, the guy who gives the buzz cuts, or Presidente Cox?
Elder Speth. That guy is a rock solid. He is like the buffest kid that I know.
6. Diane - What do you like people to email you about?
Pictures. I always always always love pictures. But just about life too, because I never know what is going on so it's nice to see what is going on at home.
1. Susan - What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Language. Good grief. It is so hard to just be thrown into it and be expected to speak it all the time.
2. Susan - What is your favorite thing about Guatemala?
The weather. Wowza. It is perfect. It is about 80 degrees all the time. And it rains. A lot. Like a lot.
3. Susan - If you could bring one thing home with you from Guatemala, what would it be?
My companion. He is awesome. He has become my best friend over the past couple weeks.
4. Susan - Who is your favorite aunt?
I am not allowed to pick favorites cause I'm a missionary. ;)
5. Sharon - Who would win this fight: Elder Speth, the guy who gives the buzz cuts, or Presidente Cox?
Elder Speth. That guy is a rock solid. He is like the buffest kid that I know.
6. Diane - What do you like people to email you about?
Pictures. I always always always love pictures. But just about life too, because I never know what is going on so it's nice to see what is going on at home.
WEEK 5 - FIFTH WEEK IN THE CCM
This week was so awesome! We are getting to the end of this experience and I am so stoked to get out into the field and serve people. I have been praying for opportunities to serve people and boy did I get it. On Friday, they make assignments for new District Leaders and President came and got me, everyone thought that it was going to be me, and they were wrong... I got called to be the Zone Leader for Rama B. Basically I am in charge of the third floor and I have to go around and night and make sure everyone is in bed at the right time. I also have a Botiquin, which is a medicine box, and I have to give out medicine to people who need it. I also get to turn off all the nights at night. It's lovely. It actually is a great experience because it is teaching me patience and service.
We had a devotional last night from President Duncan, he is the Area President for Central America, it was awesome. He talked about how this mission isn't our mission. Which is true. This mission is for all the people we will help and all the people they will help. The church is true. Nothing else really happened this week. This is the last time I will write from the CCM so that is soooooo fantastic. Much love. Miss you all so so so much.
Love,
Elder Baller
We had a devotional last night from President Duncan, he is the Area President for Central America, it was awesome. He talked about how this mission isn't our mission. Which is true. This mission is for all the people we will help and all the people they will help. The church is true. Nothing else really happened this week. This is the last time I will write from the CCM so that is soooooo fantastic. Much love. Miss you all so so so much.
Love,
Elder Baller
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
WEEK 4 - Q&A
1. Describe a Sunday in the CCM.
We wake up and have personal study for an hour and a half. And then we have district class, where we teach each other about how to be better missionaries. And then we have priesthood class, which is just like home. And then sacrament, where they chose 6 random people to speak and you have to have your talk ready. And then we just have devotionals the rest of the day.
2. Have you received any physical letters/packages yet?
Yes, I have gotten quite a few letters. Everyone in my district hates me cause I get tons and they don't.
3. What's the best thing that happened this week?
When we taught our less active.
4. What is your district name? Are any of the missionaries in your district going to your mission? Where is everyone else going?
Malaquias. I am the only one in my district going to Honduras. Everyone else is going to Ciudad de Guatemala Sur, Reyu, or El Salvador San Salvador Este.
5. Who are your closest friends in the CCM?
My closest friends are my comp, obviously. Elder Baldwin. Elder Stephan. Elder Adams. Elder Anderson. And my district.
We wake up and have personal study for an hour and a half. And then we have district class, where we teach each other about how to be better missionaries. And then we have priesthood class, which is just like home. And then sacrament, where they chose 6 random people to speak and you have to have your talk ready. And then we just have devotionals the rest of the day.
2. Have you received any physical letters/packages yet?
Yes, I have gotten quite a few letters. Everyone in my district hates me cause I get tons and they don't.
3. What's the best thing that happened this week?
When we taught our less active.
4. What is your district name? Are any of the missionaries in your district going to your mission? Where is everyone else going?
Malaquias. I am the only one in my district going to Honduras. Everyone else is going to Ciudad de Guatemala Sur, Reyu, or El Salvador San Salvador Este.
5. Who are your closest friends in the CCM?
My closest friends are my comp, obviously. Elder Baldwin. Elder Stephan. Elder Adams. Elder Anderson. And my district.
WEEK 4 - Week 4 in el CCM: Earthquakes, Spiders, and Disease
This week was just splendid. Apparently last week we got a 5.1 earthquake that no one felt. Maybe Presidente Cox is just crazy, but he said there was one. And then we had a marvelous conversation with Hermano Morales about the spiders here. That are as big as hands. And are too fast to kill. And they jump. And if they touch you, you get a rash. Yay. And then last week, just about everyone got THE ICK. The ick consists of cramps, diarrhea, some puking, and stomach pains so bad most people couldn't get out of bed. Luckily, only one person in our district got it because we are amazing.
This week did have it's good parts though. WE ONLY HAVE TWO WEEKS LEFT UNTIL EL CAMPO. And the Latinos that come tomorrow are the ones that will leave with us. That is crazy. I also got to pass the sacrament on Sunday, which was an awesome experience. And we had a testimony meeting, which was very spiritual. Also on Sunday night, we got to watch Ephraim's Rescue, which was wonderful. And then after that, Hermana Hatch was having really bad flu-like symptoms, so she asked for a blessing. Elder Speth had the opportunity to give his first blessing and it was amazing. The spirit was so strong, and like the Spirit directed him to say, she was healed almost fully by the next morning. The priesthood is real, it is the power of God.
When we taught our less active on Saturday, we were kinda just talking about the importance of continually praying and reading the Book of Mormon, and she said she didn't have one. So Elder Speth had followed a prompting and brought an extra one, which we gave her. About ten minutes after we finished, our teacher brought it back, so we thought she didn't want it. But she wanted us to write our testimonies in it!
A couple other random things of this week. I did some surgery on one of my ties this week because it didn´t have the little back thing that you put this skinnier part through. So i took one of those from a tie that had two and sewed it to the other one. Grandma would be so proud. Right? :)
I love you all so so much! Miss you all!!
Elder Baller
This week did have it's good parts though. WE ONLY HAVE TWO WEEKS LEFT UNTIL EL CAMPO. And the Latinos that come tomorrow are the ones that will leave with us. That is crazy. I also got to pass the sacrament on Sunday, which was an awesome experience. And we had a testimony meeting, which was very spiritual. Also on Sunday night, we got to watch Ephraim's Rescue, which was wonderful. And then after that, Hermana Hatch was having really bad flu-like symptoms, so she asked for a blessing. Elder Speth had the opportunity to give his first blessing and it was amazing. The spirit was so strong, and like the Spirit directed him to say, she was healed almost fully by the next morning. The priesthood is real, it is the power of God.
When we taught our less active on Saturday, we were kinda just talking about the importance of continually praying and reading the Book of Mormon, and she said she didn't have one. So Elder Speth had followed a prompting and brought an extra one, which we gave her. About ten minutes after we finished, our teacher brought it back, so we thought she didn't want it. But she wanted us to write our testimonies in it!
A couple other random things of this week. I did some surgery on one of my ties this week because it didn´t have the little back thing that you put this skinnier part through. So i took one of those from a tie that had two and sewed it to the other one. Grandma would be so proud. Right? :)
I love you all so so much! Miss you all!!
Elder Baller
