Making a Difference

This week has been pretty exciting.  We´ve really gotten to work, and have seen some great differences in the area.  I truly have faith that our actions really can change things.  I´ve never in my whole mission seen my actions actually change things like they have here.  I see that the members trust us, and the work is really advancing.  It´s miraculous.  Sometimes I don´t understand how God is so merciful and kind as to let people like me participate and share in His divine power to save.

We have some excellent new investigators.  One was from a recent convert from San Pedro name George.  He´s only been a member for less than a year, but when I met him, I thought that he was an ex bishop or something.  This guy has the "makings of greatness."  Just a profoundly deep testimony.  He´s here for work and for his mother, but in a couple months he´s going to be sealed with his wife and children who are living in San Pedro still.  His mother´s name is America (what an awesome name!).  ´Merica!  We started teaching her, and she seems so happy and smily, it kill me.  My favorite old lady in the world!  She´s very smart, and always reads.  We challenged her to baptism, and she accepted.  We then tried to set a date, and she just about died of shock.  haha.  Not really, but lots of laughter (the nervous kind).  She didn´t really accept, but she´s reading and went to church yesterday, so I have great faith that she´s going to get baptized.  I already love this lady to death.

Another guy that we found is a 17 year old kid of African decent.  He´s a midget!  So cool.  Like two feet tall.  Probably the funniest person on the planet earth, and he also went to church yesterday.  I hope that we can put a date with him this week.  Super fun.  His dad seems receptive too (but he might be baptized already... that happens sometimes here).

Another investigator that we´re working with is name Jessica.  Her husband is a member, and they need to get married still.  That´s really all that´s holding them back, because they´ve gone to church a million times and have had three pairs of missionaries.  But we actually get work done.  haha.  It´s actually nothing that we did.  It was all the Spirit.  We just showed up and you could tell that from the last visit to this one, the Spirit had been doing work.  At first, they were just fine with delaying the marriage and all for other stuff.  This last time, she had tons of questions about all the stuff that she needed to do to have an eternal family.  It got to the point where she just broke down into tears, because I think that she finally has realized the gravity of her sin, and wants to repent.  Please read 2 Corinthians 7:8-11.

I love and miss you all, and love this work.  I wouldn´t be anywhere else in the world right now!!!!!

Elder Thalman

 

Look! The Beach

This week I got transferred. I didn´t really think that was going to happen, but whatevs. The last area I was in was too fun. But now I´m really far away from San Pedro again, like normal. That seems to be where the president likes to keep me. haha. I´ll miss dos caminos, and my son. I hope he´s alright... haha.

La Ceiba is full of culture, and lots of African people. They´re super awesome, and they speak Spanish... but they still make it sound black. I think that if we all just had darker skin complexion, the world would sound a lot better. cheles...

My new companion is named Elder Gobea. He´s pretty much one of my favorite companions ever. he´s from Panama. One of very few if not the only Panamanian here in the mission. I like how he speaks.

The ward (first time ever that I´ve been in a ward) is really really strong. Insane. Tons of priesthood. But I think that they are just used to having a really strong ward and not baptizing. So we´re going to have to change a lot of things here. The zone is also a little down, so that is something that we´re going to have to get going. I´m so old in the mission. There are only two missionaries in the zone with more time than me. It´s ridiculous. I feel so old.

Big news that I got was that the family that I was teaching with Elder Young back in Florida, Copan (Denis and Ana) are getting baptized this week if I´ve been informed correctly. I really hope that that´s true. I love them so much, and he should either be getting here, or is already here in Honduras again. That would probably be the best convert I´ve had in my whole mission.

I love you all! Don´t think that I don´t want letters just because my time is running out. haha.

Elder Kent Thalman

Youth of Zion

This week we had a baptism for Gerson.  He's a young man, and really cool.  We had the luck to plan his baptism at the same day as a youth activity, so there were basically all of the members of the young men and young women at his baptism present.  A lot of support, which was cool.  While he was changing, we just had all the youth come up and bear their testimonies.  The meeting was presided by the teachers quorum pres.  hahahaha.  That's what's up.  But it must have been impressive to his mother, because afterward, she told us that now she wants to get baptized too.  And all of Gerson's little girl friends too.  haha, they're just his neighbors.  But is was a cool experience.

We read ch. 8 of first Nephi with Hno. Cano.  This is a family that would be baptized already if he didn't study on Sundays.  But in the future, the missionaries are going to be thanking me.  haha.  But this guy is really smart, and already has a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon.  We read the chapter with him, and then after, I asked him where in the vision did he think he was.  He, with little if any hesitation, said, "grabbing on to the end of the iron rod."  What a perfect answer.  He was literally holding it in his hands.  Some reap, and some sow.

This Thurs, it got to literally 100 degrees F and 98% humidity.  Killer.

But lately it's been a little cooler... but my comp cant tell the difference yet.  haha.  He's pretty much just always dying, and sweating like crazy. haha.  poor guy.  And the hunger has finally hit him.  That happened to me my first area.  He still can't eat much though.  yesterday we had to eat dinner from a lady unexpectedly.  No big deal.  Thanks hermana.  Then we left for our really dinner appt.  We get there, and she puts the plate in front of us... my comp just gives me a look of death. hahahahaha.  So concerned.  I ate mine like it was nothing.  Spencer Vance... trained me well.  Mission prep baby!  But this poor kid was dying to get that last bite down.  Good times.

My mother has told me to go into fifth gear and stay there until the end.  I've never had the opportunity to drive stick, so I assume that means work really, really hard.  haha.  Can do.  Rather than make any dumb eleventh gear phrase, I'll just say, I'm going into 110% mode.  I don't really want to do anything less.

I love being a missionary.  I love it more than any other thing that I've ever done in my life.  It is the most challenging thing I've ever done.  I don't even think that I have it all down yet, and I'm supposed to be helping other missionaries figure it out now.  But may God send me angels and may His Son's Atonement make my weaknesses into strengths.  Let me be better, and maybe you'll see the difference when I get back.  I know that Jesus Christ has called me to this work.  I know that this is His mission.  I'm just participating.  But whatever effort I put into it, is the measure of joy He will grant me therein.  I love Him.  I love these people, my brothers and sisters.

Elder Kent Thalman

P.S.  Funny quote from several months ago: "I really don't feel like beating my head against that dead wall."  Sometimes I get tired... I think there were at least two idioms mixed in that sentence.  :P