Srength In Porportion to the Work to be Done

So this week I´ve learning some pretty powerful lessons.  More than that, I feel like I´m really becoming someone that I might actually like to be.  I hope that doesn´t sound prideful.  Let me explain.


I was reading in the book, Our Heritage this morning about the early saints, who forged their faith in God as they forged through difficulties in the planes of America.  While their trials make mine pail in comparison, I felt so powerfully the ability to relate to those early saints, that I started to nearly cry.  Sometimes things are just so hard that the only thing that keeps you going is the powerful Spirit of God constantly reassuring you of what you are becoming.


Not to make you assume that this week was all blood, sweat, and tears.  Mostly just sweat and tears with a tiny bit of blood (got a bloody nose on Thurs for anyone who cares to know).  This week was actually the most successful week I have ever had on the mission.  I couldn´t really believe it.  While the trials were well enough that I can´t properly describe in this blog, our success was really quite miraculous.  Right up until the end.  Finally, when it comes down to seeing who finally comes to church in the end, no one did.  We passed for a whole bunch of people, and no one wanted to come, not withstanding the fact that they had all committed to do so.  Finally, we went to the house of Josué.  His mom is trying to reactivate, and he is only 11 years old, but he wants to be baptized.  He´s doing a great job showing that he´ll be active despite his lack of support at home, so I think we´ll do it.  We passed by his house, and although we were late, he came.


We were kinda bummed, but happy that we at least had one.  Our goal was five.  Half way through the meeting, Josué wanted water, so I walked him out.  A sister came up to me; ´´¿ellos son sus investigatores?´´  ´´Are they your investigators?´´  I couldn´t believe it.  The one family that we forgot to go invite in the morning had come all on their own.  More than that, the wife brought a friend!  Haha.  It was great!  We walked them into the meeting, and they stayed for Gospel principles.  In gospel principles, there was another Family!!!  We hadn´t even recognized them in the Sacrament meeting.  We had received their information from the elders in our neighboring area.  Elder Gomez had contacted them while on splits, and I had never seen them before.  We couldn´t pass by their home because of how far away they live.  They paid for a taxi to get there.  Happy.


So there we seven in the end, and two families!  I was more than happy.  The Lord pretty much taught us two weeks in a row that he will pretty much send who He wants to church.  All we have to do is keep working.  We´ve decided to change the way we work to put more priority in those progressing (coming to church) and less on everyone else.  Kinda makes sense huh....?


Really, it was pretty humbling.  The Lord super effectively and basically showed us that no matter how effective we are as missionaries, it doesn´t matter.  The work is entirely in His hands.  So the only thing that you can really do is focus on how you can be worthy enough to receive the blessings.


I wish I could go into all the details of the week.  More specific histories were sent to individual friends and family, and any historian (that´s you Mom) wishing to chronicle the details of this week would benefit from compiling these records. :)


I just want everyone to know how much you are missed and loved.  Specifically, I am praying for my friends in the McIntire family, who are going through some tremendous challenges at the moment.  I hope they don´t mind my publicly expressing my love for my friend Michael and his family, and asking publicly that you all remember them in you prayers.  More importantly, those nearby, please remember them in your services.


For those of you who may miss me, please keep in mind that I miss you more.  I´m also happier than I´ve ever been.


I love you all.


Les quiero un montón,


Elder Kent Thalman

One down and who knows how many to go.

This week was pretty crazy.  All sorts of stuff.  Elder Polendo se fue and now I´ve got a newbie.  On Tues, we dropped the poor guy off, leaving Olanchito for good.  So sad, but we did hear that he is now District Leader.  Hahahaha!  He doesn´t want to climb the ladder, but he is like the youngest DL in the mission.  Everyone knows that he´s gonna be an assistant.  That´s my Dad!  :)


The rest of the day on Tues and all day Wed, my comp was... Elder Skousen!  Pretty fun for just a little bit.  We´re still in the same district, which is great.  Not so sure that we will every really be companions, but it was fun for at least a day.  He´s a great missionary, and I hope I´m making all of you who know him jealous that we hang out often.  Haha.  I actually think I see him here more frequently than before the mission.


My new comp whom I met on Wed is Elder Gomez.  He´s from Guatemala, and he´s crazy.  Haha.  He works hard, and is a great missionary.  The branch seems to really like him a lot, and I can already feel the increased support we´re going to receive.  I am confident that we are going to see some great success this transfer.


Side note:  I ate a ton of food yesterday.  Like a lot.  I really love the food here.  All that worrying before the mission.  I´m actually one of the only people I know of who hasn´t gotten sick yet at all on the mish.  Even some of the latinos get sick, but I´ve been just fine.  The MTC was actually way worse as far as being sick all the time.


Dont you all worry.  I don´t think that I will gain any weight out here.  We work too hard.  I´ll be as good looking as I was before.  Sorry for those of you holding out for an improvement...


So, we have a little quadrito where Elder Polendo and I liked to go and teach like 3 families at the same time.  It was fun once or twice, but we decided that we´d start teaching each one separate. 
Way better.  We started teaching a woman named Suyapa, and after she told us her husband died a few years back, we jumped right into the Plan of Salvation.  She was REALLY receptive.  We explained to her the spirit world, and how her husband will have a chance to accept the gospel and how her family can live together forever.  She was all lit up.  Totally changed.  Super cool.  So she accepted baptism, and we now need to set a date for sure.  I feel good about it. 


She´s pretty much my best pal.  Last night we visited her, and she was asking about missions and missionaries, etc.  Normal stuff.  We explained it to her.  I was explaining how I have a sure testimony that while I´m away from my family just for a few years, I will have all eternity with them.  As a missionary, I´m helping other families attain the same blessing.  How great will it be to see those families after this life together with God!  She responded, ´´Que bonita su vida.´´  haha.  She´s like awesome.  Don´t know why, she just is.


So this is possibly a little shorter, but I´m sure that I´ll have tons to report next week once Elder Gomez and I have more of a chance to show Olanchito what we´re made of.  Stay tuned.


Love and miss you all greatly.  Thanks for all the letters.  I got a stack of dearelders this week from Anna, Mitra, John the Ross, and others.  I am eternally grateful.  I´ll confess that I haven´t sent a single written letter yet.  This will change.  I have already started responses, and they should start to travel the world soon.  Please don´t feel like I´m not responding.  I am.  And I love and appreciate the updates from each one of you.


Les Quiero bastante,


Elder Thalman

Sweet is The Work

Greetings Everyone from the greatest mission in the world! We are here, wishing that you all remember us, and continue to let us know, that we may labor with a brighter hope of having friends in two years. As for me, I´m just getting started here, so I´m not too worried about all that. I feel bad for the Elders registering for classes, etc. Chasta.

Saturday we baptized Familia Wilson!!!!! First ever for me, and it was a family. An incredible one! They are unbelievable. All three (and baby Wilson) are all so wonderful. They were not only super receptive, but ready beyond all belief. We found them, taught them, and baptized them in three weeks. They were confirmed yesterday, and they fit right in at church. Everyone seems to really like them, and Hermano Wilson is always participating in the classes. You´d think this family was born in the Gospel. They truly are a wonder to behold. And there truly is a love that penetrates their home. I am confident that of all the families I will have the opportunity to teach, this one will stand as one of if not the best. I love them so much.

This morning, we got the call. Elder Polendo is being transferred. It was pretty inevitable. However, we all have really mixed feelings. I´m honestly a little excited to work with someone new, but I have a lot of doubts that they will be as good as he was. And He´s worried because Olanchito was his first area, same as me, and this is his first change. He´s not sure what to expect, and will miss it here (as will I when I leave).

However, he´s also a little tired of the area, and excited for the change. Will keep everyone updated on all that happens!

So, speaking of mixed feelings, that seems to have been the theme of the week. We worked hard all week. We had some really stellar days. Others were really awful.

Wednesday morning, we were fasting from the day before as a zone. We were super tired. We went to an excellent family, and the father was still at work unexpectedly, so we just talked with the Mom. There was an elementary school recess behind the house that was super loud, and her own toddler was possessed by a demon, jk. It was the worst lesson we´ve ever taught.

In the end, she gave us back the Book of Mormon we gave her. I couldn´t believe it. That family was baptism ready for sure I thought. I will probably go back, but it was a horrible experience.

Then we were contacting a reference and we got yelled at by some pastor. It was the first time here I was directly persecuted for my religion. Eld. Polendo enjoyed the little 5 min. battle, but I just felt hungry, Spiritually drained, and miserable. We went home, ate, and then slept because we both felt really gross (sick). We did however finish the day, and I´m pretty sure that everything went fine Wednesday in the end.

However, the whole week was not doom and gloom obviously. We worked super, super hard on Friday, and we destroyed our goals. Things were looking awesome. I got to direct a few lessons working on splits with a joven here named Daniel Castro. He´s going to Columbia on his mission reporting on May 2. He´ll be incredible. However, he doesn´t talk much, so I had to take the lead.

We went to find an inactive woman, but instead found her daughter. I didn´t really want to spend much time with her (the last lesson with her wasn´t that great and I didn´t think she was going to progress), so we sat down to teach a quick lesson and split. I felt quickly that she needed lesson three, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Weird. Why would she ever accept baptism if she doesn´t understand authority? Everyone here is already baptized and needs to learn that. We started, and the lesson was really great. She was pretty receptive, and her 11 year old son was perfect.

In the end, we discovered that neither of them were baptized in any church, and they actually accepted in the end. The inactive Mom is also doing much better emotionally after loosing a son, and she seems willing to start coming back to church. We think we can get this whole family coming to church and baptized. How cool! :)We taught another wonderful lesson after that, and I felt great. I´m learning how to act around these people, and how to take the lead with the lessons.

It´s nice to feel a little less side-lines if you know what I mean. The Spanish has its good days and bad, but always improving.

On Sunday we went to pick up a bunch of investigators... and not one was willing or ready to go. Lots had excuses. Some were better than others. I was pretty bummed out. We went to church, and found three people that we didn´t even know at church. I was pretty shocked. One was an acquaintance of Hermano Justo from his work. In the middle of Gospel Doctrines class, she said something incredible. We were talking about the Fall of Adam, and she was talking with the instructor, ´´at the other church I didn´t learn any of this. I´m learning stuff that I´ve always wanted. Usually the pastor just talks and talks about the same stuff.´´

Elder Polendo leaned over and whispered to me, ´´baptismo.´´ Haha.

Afterwards, we were talking to Justo about her. She came to church because she wants a new one and thought ours was pretty. She came with Justo to feel more comfortable. She has a family, but isn´t married to the man (this is normal). She wants her and her family baptized! So this means we need to teach them, get the husband off of drinking, marry them, then baptize them!

Pretty wild. Sometimes you just work and work. It all goes down the drain, and then God just opens up the right door and says, ´´good work. Here it is.´´ I really hope this family follows through.So that´s pretty much the week.

I´m really learning to just love the work. We got all of the numbers this week again (I´m not sure how), but I´m learning that more important is the Spirit of Promise. The Spirit that tells you after you´ve done all you can and it seems like you´ve failed that your works have been consecrated unto God for your welfare, and they are acceptable before Him.

That feeling is what will keep me going til the day I die I think. Because there is nothing else like it.I know that this church is true. That means that I know that it is the kingdom of God on earth today. This gospel is the only thing capable of leading mankind unto salvation through faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.

I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I´m learning that this mission is the longest prayer I´ve ever said in my life. haha. This mission is my prayer of repentance. And I feel the love He freely gives me.Let the ´´Amen!´´ sound all our praises again.´´

I bear witness of these truths in the Sanctified name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I love and miss you all. Thank you for your love and prayers. I know they are not unanswered. Please know that I always need them.

¡Les amo mucho! Elder Kent Thalman

Oh; What Joy

So I am just beside myself with glee right now. I can´t even keep it in.

First, right now I just got pics from my sister Raeanne with her fiancee. So wonderful. I´m way excited.

More than that, let me tell you about the week. Monday was Pday, and we went to Trujillo. There is a beach there, and we went. You all know that missionaries can´t swim... don´t worry, we didn´t. We ate at a restaurant on the coast and just chilled as a zone. I´d had kinda been too wound up, so that was super nice. I actually can´t tell you how powerful that recharge was.

Elder Polendo (my comp) and I have been getting along super duper this week, and I feel like he´s becoming one of my best friends. We got WORK DONE. It was nuts. We got stuck in Trujillo late, and missed our appts. that night. Kind of a bummer. And then we were late getting in on Tues. We worked hard and made up for lost time. Wed we couldn´t work the morning bc of District meeting. We still worked hard and met all of our goal that day (more or less).

Thurs is weekly planning, so we couldn´t work the morning again. We honestly lost a ton of time this week. Some of it was normal, but a lot of it was just weird.

But Friday we smoked it. We really had great stats that day. Saturday too, dispite the complications. By Sat, it was obvious that we were going to meet every single goal for the week, and we were super happy. The biggest worry was if we would have investigators at church the next day. If they don´t come to church, they´re not progressing. To put things simply, we haven´t had any progressing investigators officially on the mission yet (he has obviously, but I haven´t). You can guess what we fasted for.

Sunday, we went for investigators. We already knew that Fam Wilson (Vallecillo) was going to make it. He went with them to find a dress for a recently activated sister. She wants her two sons to be baptized! Score.

I went with a brother from the ward. The first investigator didn´t show... her boyfriend answered the door... great....Then we went to the Banegas´ house. They are a bunch of Women who live together (a mom and her grown up daughters). Two of them finally came with three kids (two of which are baptism age) after we waited forever for them. We ended up missing the first 40min of Sacrament meeting. Haha. But is was worth it bc we had a total of 8 investigators in Sacrament meeting yesterday!!! It was so great.

And there were 145 total people in church. Our goal was 130 and the average is 120. Probably a Semana Santa thing (Easter), but it was a great testimony meeting. Familia Wilson is set for baptism this Sat. They are still great. They are accepting everything we throw at them, and Hrm. Wilson is answering questions in church like he´s already a member. His 8 year old daughter even said the prayer in primary and she already has a bunch of friends. They´re too perfect to be true. I described them to Elder Savage, and afterwards he told me, ´´yeah, they´re probably selling drugs.´´ Haha.

On Saturday night we celebrated a bit early and bought baleadas in the Centre. They were the best I´ve ever had in Honduras. So good. After counting the numbers on Sunday, we broke every single goal for the week! We were so giddy. After closing the longest fast I´ve ever done (or least what felt like it), I fell on the couch and couldn´t stop smiling. It was the best week of my life I think. I finally can say that I am truly enjoying the mission. It was always a Spiritual experience, but the field is hard. This week has made up for all of it. People who say that the MTC is the refiner´s fire haven´t been to The Honduras, San Pedro Sula mission. haha.

Yesterday we visited a family we found this week. Familia Posa Martinez. After talking for a bit, the Dad said, ´´yeah, I´ve been to church before. I was baptized at 12 or something like that.´´ We were pretty confused, and had to clarify it yesterday. He is infact a member. His four or five sons and one daughter have never been to church. He went inactive what seems to be two years after baptism when he was about 14 because of his parents. He is not married officially to his wife. We talked to him, and he was super receptive. I told him super straight forward, ´´we´re here to help you come back to church and unite your family. Is that something you want?´´ He responded surprisingly in the affirmative, and said, ´´yeah, I feel like I´ve spent enough time away.´´

His family was dressed surprisingly nice when we got there, and it turns out that they were ready for church, but were going to be late, and didn´t want to show up late. I was surprised, but very pleased. We can help this family. They have DESIRE. We are going to help them get married and then baptize the wife and 2 or 3 of the sons. Then get them the priesthood. I haven´t been able to stop thinking about this family for most of the morning. I´m very excited.

March, we had zero baptisms. April, It looks as if there will be about five. I think that May will have eight or more. I really do.

I´m afraid of what I will do when Eld. Polendo leaves (probably in two weeks). I hope my next companion will work, because this place is ready for the sickle. To give you an idea, this area was closed for a while. Then there were no baptisms for six months. My comp. had about 7 or so when I got here, and that was after 4.5 months. We´re going to have 5 together it looks like, and then it will only go up from there. I hope I´m not killing you all with the numbers. We´re excited, and trust me, we´re not just crunching numbers.

These are outward indicators of success, and we LOVE these people. I have never loved so many people so much before. It was hard at first becuase the culture here is so laid back. But Elder Polendo is teaching me how to work with them effectively. I love my companion. I love these people. I love these FAMILIES. and I LOVE my Savior Jesus Christ. It feels great knowing that we are helping Him place these families on the path to eternity. I can see these people changing this nation. I can see their daughters marrying in the temple. I can see their sons serving missions. I can see our reunions in the next life and the joy we will have together. One more full week ahead. Let´s work. ¡Les Amo! Elder Kent Thalman