This week's Q&A is all about Elder Baller's companions:
1. What was your favorite memory with Elder Speth?
Finding him giving a peck to a picture of his girlfriend one night.
2. What was something Elder Alarcon did that made you laugh?
He was probably the most flexible person I have ever met and so when we did exercise in the morning, he would just stretch and I was always like.... What?
3. If you could spend one day with Elder Valladares after the mission, what would you do?
Playing soccer. He is awesome.
4. What is something you learned from Elder Quintanilla?
A lot about how to be a better missionary. To just not be nervous and just go for it.
5. What is a quality that Elder Jones has that you'd like to emulate?
He just loved life. He just enjoyed the mission and everything. I want more of that.
6. Tell us five interesting facts about Elder Santos that you've learned so far (where he's from, his family, etc.).
He is from Mexico. He is the only member in his family. He worked in a hospital as a nurse before the mission. He LOVES to sing and listen to music. He worked in the temple before coming on the mission.
Monday, June 27, 2016
WEEK 51 - Photos
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| Porfirio's baptism |
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| Elder Jones and Porfirio |
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| Elder Jones, David, Porfirio, Norma, Elder Baller |
WEEK 51 - Update
This week was good.
Tuesday
Tuesday we had a surprise baptism, Porfirio, (David's dad) in the evening. We had actually just both felt inspired to ask him to be baptized after saying goodbye to them on Sunday night. Elder Jones called him and invited him to be baptized and he said yes. We spent the whole day getting ready for that, and then had the baptism.
Wednesday
Wednesday was pretty normal. I said goodbye to Elder Jones. Received my new companion, Elder Santos. He is from Mexico. He is really cool. Kind of quiet but really cool and a great missionary.
Thursday
Thursday we contacted quite a bit. We ended up finding some really good people and a few less active members.
Friday
We had a district meeting. We also went to visit our convert, Josefina, and her daughter was looking really interested. We have started teaching her daughter, and she is going to church frequently. We taught two of the people we contacted, Noreli and Israel. They are both really positive and were very interested.
Saturday
We taught Ramon and Susanna. They are a couple, Ramon is a member and Susanna is his wife. They would have to get married, but we are working with them. We contacted two people we thought were investigators but they ended up both being members, so we had a little lesson with them.
Sunday
Sunday we had a ward conference and there were more people there than I have ever seen in this area. Us and the members worked really hard to get a lot of people there. We also taught another lesson with Josefina's daughter, Madeline.
Great week.
Elder Baller
Tuesday
Tuesday we had a surprise baptism, Porfirio, (David's dad) in the evening. We had actually just both felt inspired to ask him to be baptized after saying goodbye to them on Sunday night. Elder Jones called him and invited him to be baptized and he said yes. We spent the whole day getting ready for that, and then had the baptism.
Wednesday
Wednesday was pretty normal. I said goodbye to Elder Jones. Received my new companion, Elder Santos. He is from Mexico. He is really cool. Kind of quiet but really cool and a great missionary.
Thursday
Thursday we contacted quite a bit. We ended up finding some really good people and a few less active members.
Friday
We had a district meeting. We also went to visit our convert, Josefina, and her daughter was looking really interested. We have started teaching her daughter, and she is going to church frequently. We taught two of the people we contacted, Noreli and Israel. They are both really positive and were very interested.
Saturday
We taught Ramon and Susanna. They are a couple, Ramon is a member and Susanna is his wife. They would have to get married, but we are working with them. We contacted two people we thought were investigators but they ended up both being members, so we had a little lesson with them.
Sunday
Sunday we had a ward conference and there were more people there than I have ever seen in this area. Us and the members worked really hard to get a lot of people there. We also taught another lesson with Josefina's daughter, Madeline.
Great week.
Elder Baller
Monday, June 20, 2016
WEEK 50 - Q&A
1. Cole: How good are you?
I am so good.
2. Brooke: Are you having fun in Honduras?
I am having so much fun.
3. Brooke: Who are your best friends there?
My best friends are the missionaries. Especially my companion. And David.
4. Brooke: Who is your most loving friend in Honduras?
My most loving friend in Honduras is probably David.
5. Andrew: What have you learned most about the gospel?
I have been able to see the real application of it and how it actually changes lives.
6. Andrew: What is the weirdest thing you have seen while there?
Saw a pig strapped on a wood plank on the back of a bike once.
I am so good.
I am having so much fun.
3. Brooke: Who are your best friends there?
My best friends are the missionaries. Especially my companion. And David.
4. Brooke: Who is your most loving friend in Honduras?
My most loving friend in Honduras is probably David.
5. Andrew: What have you learned most about the gospel?
I have been able to see the real application of it and how it actually changes lives.
6. Andrew: What is the weirdest thing you have seen while there?
Saw a pig strapped on a wood plank on the back of a bike once.
WEEK 50 - Update
This week was good.
Tuesday
We had a visit with an inactive member, Pedro, and he was super cool. He promised he would go to church and went, so that was great. We had a Family Home Evening with a couple members in one of their new houses.
Wednesday
We met with a member and his wife for the first time. He was been a member for about 20 years and showed up to church one day so now we are visiting him and his wife. We also went to Frederman's, one of our converts, and visited a little with him.
Thursday
We visited one of our other converts, David, he is one of the coolest kids that I know. He is super fun.
Friday
We had a district meeting. Elder Jones gave a beautiful class. In the afternoon it started raining super hard and rained for about 2 hours.
Saturday
We had a very normal day. We just did some visits.
Sunday
We had church. 5 of our investigators came. Elder Jones gave a talk. I taught a class. Very good day. After that we got with 4 members and divided ourselves to visit some people. We visited some less active members.
Elder Jones goes home this week and I will be staying here. I will be receiving Elder Santos. Looking forward to it!
Elder Baller
Tuesday
We had a visit with an inactive member, Pedro, and he was super cool. He promised he would go to church and went, so that was great. We had a Family Home Evening with a couple members in one of their new houses.
Wednesday
We met with a member and his wife for the first time. He was been a member for about 20 years and showed up to church one day so now we are visiting him and his wife. We also went to Frederman's, one of our converts, and visited a little with him.
Thursday
We visited one of our other converts, David, he is one of the coolest kids that I know. He is super fun.
Friday
We had a district meeting. Elder Jones gave a beautiful class. In the afternoon it started raining super hard and rained for about 2 hours.
Saturday
We had a very normal day. We just did some visits.
Sunday
We had church. 5 of our investigators came. Elder Jones gave a talk. I taught a class. Very good day. After that we got with 4 members and divided ourselves to visit some people. We visited some less active members.
Elder Jones goes home this week and I will be staying here. I will be receiving Elder Santos. Looking forward to it!
Elder Baller
Monday, June 13, 2016
WEEK 49 - Q&A
(All questions this week were provided by Elder Baller's Uncle Ryan - THANK YOU, Ryan!)
1. What could your Young Men and Sunday School classes have done differently to help prepare you to be a missionary?
I feel like they did a really good job. I would say that any lack of knowledge I had because of my own lack of effort. Maybe they could have forced me a little more to work and learn the gospel.
2. When you wake up each morning what part of your day do you look forward to the most?
Just getting out and working. Teaching this beautiful gospel.
3. What part of your daily routine do you least look forward to?
Not a specific thing, but about 3 in the afternoon is always a tough time. Just hot and we always get tired right then.
4. What do you admire most about your mission president?
He is a very sincere person. He is honest and lives the gospel.
5. Who is your favorite bald uncle on your mother's side of the family?
Hahahaha. Ryan.
WEEK 49 - Update
This week was pretty good.
Tuesday
Divisions with our Zone Leaders. That was interesting. It was fun to be able to work with them a little bit.
Wednesday
Wednesday I hit 11 months in the mission. It has gone by so fast. We went and did some service for a member. A 'lets move some wood planks' project turned into 'lets cut down all the trees in my yard'. So we cut down a bunch of trees with machetes. We also taught Porfirio, David's dad.
Thursday
Thursday was a normal day. Nothing really too special.
Friday
We had a district meeting. We helped a member with some English homework that he had. It was raining super super hard and the power went out. The wind actually took a roof off a house and knocked down some power lines. There were branches all over the road.
Saturday
Saturday we visited quite a few members and invited them to church. We also had another great lesson with Porfirio.
Sunday
We had church. It was good. Nothing special.
Have a great week!
Tuesday
Divisions with our Zone Leaders. That was interesting. It was fun to be able to work with them a little bit.
Wednesday
Wednesday I hit 11 months in the mission. It has gone by so fast. We went and did some service for a member. A 'lets move some wood planks' project turned into 'lets cut down all the trees in my yard'. So we cut down a bunch of trees with machetes. We also taught Porfirio, David's dad.
Thursday
Thursday was a normal day. Nothing really too special.
Friday
We had a district meeting. We helped a member with some English homework that he had. It was raining super super hard and the power went out. The wind actually took a roof off a house and knocked down some power lines. There were branches all over the road.
Saturday
Saturday we visited quite a few members and invited them to church. We also had another great lesson with Porfirio.
Sunday
We had church. It was good. Nothing special.
Have a great week!
WEEK 49 - Photos
We got a bunch of photos from Elder Baller this week! He didn't include captions for the last few. He has LOVED his time with Elder Jones and is sad that he only gets one change with him.
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| Burning trash |
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| Burning trash (with our baptismal clothing drying in the background) |
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| Elder Jones' clock - 111 degrees in the house |
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| Elder Jones, David and I walking through a dried up riverbed looking for lizards |
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| Elder Jones shooting his slingshot |
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| Elder Jones looking back....looking good....looking cool |
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| David with the iguana we caught. David is one of the coolest kids I know. He was baptized on May 7th. He wants to be a missionary. I love him. |
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| David kissing our iguana |
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| Kissing the iguana #razorburnneck |
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| Elder Jones holding our iguana. You can see David's sister's hand from inside. It looks like she's in prison, but she's not. (ha ha ha) |
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| David's peace sign (I didn't even know this picture had been taken) |
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| David's sister, Norma, was afraid of the iguana, so we were sticking the tail in the window to bug her. |
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| Me, Elder Jones, David and another kid who is a really good slingshot shooter. He shot the iguana about six times before it fell out of a tree. |
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| Here is the dead iguana with all of our slingshots. The one on the top is David's, the one on the left is Elder Jones', the one on the right is mine. |
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| This is a jaguar skin. There is a guy here named Nelson who makes belts and lots of stuff. Elder Jones is one of his "clients," so he brought this over. Pretty cool. |
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| It started raining one day. This is the front of our house. I had to step down into the water to close the gate. We jumped over the water to get into the house. I took this picture from the house, looking into the street. The water hit me at about mid-calf when I stepped into it. |
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| This is of the side of our house. It was like a swamp. |
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| The water was about six inches deep. |
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| This is our lunch one day. These are whole shrimp. They are super, super good. We ate them with beans, ensalada (tomatoes, onions and jalepenos) and tortillas. The shrimp are super good. Some of them have heads on them. You just pop the heads off and eat them. Some of them are already unheaded. :) |
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| We went to a kid's house who just got his mission call to see if he wanted to work with us one day. Here is Jones reading his mission packet. |
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| Here is Milito with his call. he's a really cool kid. He's going to Mexico. |
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| This is Jones and the bishop on the roof. We all got up there to try to fix the power when it went out. |
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| Selfie with David |
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| Another selfie with David. You can see our phone in the foreground and a flashlight my trainer gave me. This is at David's house. |
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| Weird faced selfie |
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| David chillin' with a weird baby on the shelf. Ha ha |
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| David chillin' with a weird baby on the shelf. Ha ha |
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| Norma in the hammock |
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| My pants after sitting on the roof |
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| Jones holding two geese. When you walk toward them, they put their heads down and you can just grab their necks. |
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| Another lunch we had - fish! |
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| Another lunch we had - fish! |
