week 12

Dear Family and friends,

How is everyone? I hope everyones happy. 

Life in Honduras continues! And its just great. I cant believe I left home 3 months ago. Feels like 2 days and feels like a century haha this week was really great and I want to share a few experiences.

First a funny experience. We have a family we are teaching, and the mom only wants for her kids to be in a good church, and her kids love it, so she loves it. Theyll get baptized for sure. But she has a 5 year old named chantal. Shes incredibly smart. We asked her why shes so smart and she responded in perfect grammar but her precious high voice "Because I grew up with the internet" so funny.

We had a multizone conference for 10 hours this week and it was great and I learned a ton from president klein. Hes awesome. 

My favorite experience from this week, 3 weeks ago we found a lady named cassandra who is 100% golden. But after 3 lessons she moved, and we had no idea where. So one day this week, we went looking in the morning. Walked a ton, but miraculously found her little sister in the street who then directed us to her house. We knocked on her door and she was SO surprised. She had been praying that the truth would come find her, and that she had been looking for us but couldnt find us. She said that when the jehovahs witnesses came by her house, she didnt want to talk with them because she already had her witness of the truth. So we had an awesome lesson with her and her little sister. Her little sister asked about us and cassandra answered her question by teaching her little sister the entire lessson of the restoration and about the book of mormon!!! It was awesome! It had been 3 weeks and she still remembered almost everything! The lesson went awesome, and were gonna have to give her to the sister missionaries because she doesnt live in our area. But something funny happened at the end of the lesson... She started chastising her sister!!! "Does your church have a prophet?!" "yes" "well, that prophet is false. Because the church of jesus christ of latter day saints has the real prophet and God only has one prophet on the earth" HAHA!!!! I was shocked really haha I was so proud haha 

But the lesson I learned this week is that when people are searching for the truth, and are praying for it, God will send us somewhere. When people really want to know the truth, God will give them exactly what they want. Its one of his favorite questions! 

The mission is awesome. life is great. Love you all. 

Elder Hodson

Pics 1. Cant pass up an opportunity for a sweet picture in a street full of water. Took a long time for my shoes to dry after this haha 

2 y 3. Fernando. I treat him like my little brother. Hes awesome. His baptism should be in 2 weeks. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 11

So this week was weird. But still great! It was weird because I WAS COLD! It rained a ton this week, so when it wasnt raining it was quite nice! and in the night it was actually cold! I TURNED OFF MY FAN!!!!!! haha quite strange. haha

so last pday we bought some terrible ugly ties and a pokemon hat. for like 50 cents. super awesome. attached are the photos. things are always fun here haha. 

So first, my funny story. We were in a lesson at night on a porch. and this drunk guy came and says "Im jesus the christ. and the 3rd day i was ressurected but on the 4th day I sinned, I drank beer." he then proceeded to pull out a mini conch shell on a necklace and play us a little song. I was in absolute shock. But I about peed my pants. haha 

This week I want to testify of the power and authority that we hold as missionaries. And because we have this power and authority, we should exercise our faith and be bold in our lessons. I can now testify that being bold in lessons really does work. and that when we are bold, people can feel our authority, and their walls inside their minds come down. Of course, we must be loving, but when we are bold, we demonstrate that our faith is unshakeable and then in turn our faith is strengthened from bearing a bold testimony. Be bold. People can sense if we have fear of sharing the gospel. Fear is the opposite of faith. I know that all of you can have success in sharing the gospel if you will be bold with your friends and family. Not harsh. Loving and bold.

For example, we taught a couple whose grandchild had been murdered. we taught them plan of salvation and she absolutely believed and received peace from her suffering. Our next lesson we taught the restoration. Very quickly she said "I think its great what you teach but I go to an evangelic church" I responded with "Sister, believe that the plan of salvation is true?" "yes of course" she responded. I continued " Sister, The church of jesus christ of latter day saints is the only church has this knowledge. And the only church that has the authority of God to baptize. And the only church on this earth that Jesus Christ leads". We saw in her eyes that her mental walls broke down and the lesson went amazing after wards. 

Well. The mission is awesome. If any of you have desires to serve. You are called to the work. If you dont have that desire. Read the Book of mormon. Pray. And gain the desire. 

Love you all

Elder Hodson
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Week 10

Family and Friends!

 

Happy mothers day! How grateful I am for my beautiful mother! And being able to skype in an airconditioned room? Nothing better!!!! haha 

 

Mothers day was great here. We had 10 investigators at church this sunday. Our gospel essentials class was so large we had to move outside under the shade of a tree! Pretty awesome. We brought a brand new investigator, her name is Isamar, to church. Very sincere nice girl. Shes 21 and loves her family and is very interested in the fact that families can be together forever. Church started perfect with sacrament being all about how the gospel blesses families, then 2nd hour about eternal families (perfect!) but then the 3rd hour....... They started talking about baptisms for the dead, not terrible, but the teachers were nuts!!!!!! Speaking all kinds of crazy deep, halfway false doctrine! So yeah. Luckily isamar was in her own world in the third hour, so she still is interested in the church haha

 

So this week was strange. We had all sorts of zone activities that were a grand waste of time. We really dont have enough time in the day as it is!!! Then, we waste more time with  the zone doing nothing. But, this week I had an interview with my mission president and got to know him better! Hes super smart and is really loving. Hes awesome. 

 

So I had a bittersweet experience this week. We found this lady, named Cassandra, who was just starving for the truth. She hollered for us from her balcony, thinking we were jehovahs witnesses! She just wanted to hear the word of God! So we taught he the restauration and she was blown away and without even hearing about the book of mormon she knew joseph smith was a prophet! But one of the first things we found was that she was gonna move soon. After our third lesson, she moved out of our area. But shell get baptized. I know it. 

So funny story but testimony builder. Today, we ran out of money, so I went to a bank to try and change us dollars into honduran money. Were at the counter, and the teller is saying that without my passport he doesnt know if he can change the money. So the whole time im praying, because we needed money! He comes back and says no, but not ten seconds later his manager comes by and says whats the problem? Theyre missionaries! Change the money! haha!!! Super awesome. The Lord watches over us for sure. Even in little ways.

 

So this week I studied the talk the 4th missionary again. All need to read it. it has changed my life. again. haha

Well, love you all! 

 

Elder Hodson

 

photos:1 My comp doing what he does best! Balancing things on his head

2 Me doing what I do best; being weird. haha 

3 Spike, our neighbors dog (But really im taking him home with me)

4 My comp hit 6 months in the mission, we had to burn a tie

5 This awesome spider outside our house. Super cool. We were about to hang our clothes up to dry, but decided eeeeeehhhhh better not.

 

 

Week 9

Dear family and friends,

2 months. crazy to think I only have 11 more of what Ive already done.... IT ALREADY SCARES ME!!!! I love it so much here. The mission is so amazing. So as of right now we have some pretty amazing investigators, and I wanna talk about two. Familia Davila is a great hard working family who are 1000% golden. They are so prepared to receive the gospel. They need to get married and we´ll head straight to the baptismal service! haha. Last night we had a lesson with them in the pouring rain on someones porch. Super awesome. We were basically shouting to hear each other. When it rains here, IT POURS. Honduras really is a beautiful country. Basically everyone has a giant green tree on their property. Im super jealous because at home we live in a desert. 

Our other very special investigator is Fernando. Hes 14, hilarious, a giant of a teenager, and basically my surrogate little brother. I love that kid. Hes ALWAYS prepared and dressed to go to church and mutual. Hes awesome. And for the first time in my mission, I was able to see in someones eyes that they knew that the Book of Mormon was true and that they wanted to be baptized. My comp sat back and let me invite him to baptism and set the date. May 17 cant come soon enough!!! Were working with his mom, shes a little aprehensive, but in a good loving motherly way. The book of Mormon is so true and Ive already seen the change in peoples eyes. That one experience made every drop of sweat this week worth it.

Funny story. I have two. We started playing a game I played in high school called Birdman where we put our hands on our face (see attached photo) and if we make direct eye contact with another person they have to stop EVERYTHING theyre doing and do a push up. so funny all the time in the street and its a hilarious ice breaker with new investigators.

2nd. We were in a lesson with a girl named fabiola, and her two neighbors, who are absolutely nuts. Fabiola recieved an answer to her prayers about the book of mormon, and I wanted to talk about that with her. As we were trying to talk, one neighbor, maria, would interrupt and say something insane like "I met a man who had 5 bibles and the bibles transformed into a snake and a girl with large tusks" SCHWAT THE HECK?!?!?! After dismissing that question we continued on only to be interrupted by the other neighbor who wanted to flirt with us. Needless to say I was super frustrated, and the whole time Elder Perdomo couldnt say anything because if he opened his mouth he would lose his mind laughing. So I was left out to dry, in the strangest lesson of my life. Pretty hilarious.

Still, the church is true. The mission is the greatest. I fall asleep everynight tired, but incredibly happy.

Well family and friends. Love you all! 

Elder Hodson