Mission Zone

Mission Zone

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Week 60

9 Day Week

Dearest Family and Friends,

Its been a long 9 day week and pday is finally here! But its been a great 9 days. as always. 

We had a reunion in La Ceiba with all the mission leaders. It was AWESOME!!! I feel super excited to work even harder. President talked about how he really isnt just focused on baptisms. He wants us to be able to do EVERYTHING well. Not just two or 3 things super well and everything else is crap. So it helped me a ton.

This week with my district we put a new goal. To find 60 new investigators this week. And so everyday at 430-530 we all go contacting. Its the best hour to find anyone. And to make it more interesting we have key words we have to say. Yesterday was "pidgeon" or in spanish "pájaro" today is the word "chuleta" tomorrow. Who knows what itll be! Its a blast really.

Andy is doing better! He told us that he wasnt going to church because he felt terrible for some sins he had commited after his baptism. We helped him to speak with the bishop this sunday and now he feels much better! Repentance it what helps us to love the lord, and then its much easier to be obedient! That is why it is so important that everyone repents of their sins and gets rid of their guilt, because then they will really grow their love for the lord and they will want to be obedient! 

WE HEALED A BABY THIS WEEK! Well I know it wasnt me who healed him it was God through his priesthood but still it felt so awesome to work a miracle and be an instrument in gods hands! Rafaels 3 year old took a hard fall and split his head open. He was running a terrible fever when we passed by his house and Marin had the prompting (of hunger) to ask for an empanada. We entered and blessed the baby. I could actually feel what the Lord wanted me to say and we finished the blessing and walked out back to help rafael build his house (yes ive done everything in my mission from wash dogs to build houses) and the doctor was already on her way to see the baby. When she got there, there was no need to give any medicine to the baby, because his fever had already gone down and he was sleeping peacefully. The priesthood is real. Never forget it.

So funny stuff. I was getting fat so last week we started going to the gym. For 5 dollars a month I have full gym access and a personal trainer hahah how cheap huh? Well Im getting in good shape again and with being in good shape comes immense hunger. I cannot stop eating. I am ALWAYS hungry. My parents sent me 4 bags of beef jerky and two bags of peanut butter m&ms. Gone in 4 days. hahahaha Ive gotta figure out a way to control myself haha 

Well. Im loving life still! pumped to leave this area next week but i will always love this place. Nuevo San Juan will always be my pride and glory,

I love you all!
Elder Hodson

fotos:friends and president klein at our meeting. I put my comps new shoes tied to my face, its my drug. And a sweet moon pic.
 




Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Week 59

Week 49

Dearest Family and Friends,

How is everyone on this fine monday? This weeks letter will be a little short, in reality I dont have much to say! Its been an incredibly fast week, I dont know where the time went! We worked hard this week, more families to teach, and always some funny experiences.

ive been really focusing on two things in this last transfer. Strengthening my converts before I leave, and finding plenty of new investigators for the next missionary. Were doing pretty well on both aspects. Its a little difficult, the mission. Its hard to figure out how to manage your time in finding new investigators, teaching those who are progressing, strengthening your converts, all the while trying to strengthen the love between the ward members! It throws my head for a spin sometimes. The question ive learned to ask is "what is the most important thing I can do right now?" But 2 elders is not enough for this area. thats for sure. 

Some of my converts are doing great, others, not so great! haha Dunia and her family have been hit hard since their baptism, yet their faith never fails! They keep going to church no matter what! Ana Paola is losing her ability to walk because of a bacteria in her bones, and the doctors are gonna be able to fix it but shes in plenty of pain. But yet they still all make it to church! Regardless of pain! I love it. Theyre reading their scriptures like crazy and Dunia is about finished with the Book of Mormon already. She reads like 10 pages every day. On the other hand, I feel like Andy got baptized just because it was something new in his life. He has a testimony, but he gets distracted very easily from whats important in this world. But we cant abandon him! And I wont! Just like Elder Nielsson said in general conference, we never give up. we never stop loving. one day theyll figure it out! 

Well, thats all for this week, ill try and write more next week! love you all! 

Elder Hodson

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Week 58

Conference

Dear Family and Friends,

How is everyone? I hope spiritually uplifted from conference! I know I am! I learned so much from conference. I could share all of my personal revelation with you but Im sure thatd bore all of you. Its personal revelation so itll only be revelant to me. All I know is this we all needed to learn. Marriage is incredibly important and our spouses our even more important than our own children, and Im super pumped to get married hahaha! Baggy. And that our lives our too incredible and short too spend them glued to a four inch screen! If we cant sit through church without our phones, then we are literally breaking one of the 10 commandments by worshipping another god! I NEVER want to fall into that habit again.

We had a great pday. One of the funnest. We went to the beach in tela! We played beach volleyball all morning. It was great. 

I had an incredible week as always, The mission is awesome. I love it always. We found 14 new people to teach this week! Of those 14 we have a new complete family! And the father of this family, Rafael, is incredible! finally weve found a good man in san juan! haha Theyre awesome. Rafael is like alma the younger and paul of tarsus. He used to be a drug addict and a thief, now he has his family and works his butt off! Hes awesome. 

My highlight of this week was definitely our ward activity night in san juan. This week we did the dynamic of the atonement of christ where everyone gets a donut (instead of donuts we bought empanadas de leche from rafael) and I had to do 10 push ups for every empanada. Even if they rejected it, I still had to do the 10 push ups. In a short 5 or 10 minutes I did 240 push ups. I was dying. The members were trying to stop me telling me they understood the meaning and that it was enough, that I could stop suffering, but we werent about to stop. I suffered not even the smallest fraction of what christ suffered, but it definitely helped open my eyes to see the atonement from a better perspective. As I would get exhausted and want to quit, christ would come to my mind and remind me, "what wouldve happen if christ quit?" and I would keep going. It made me so sad when they would reject the empanada, because I was still going to suffer! I at least wanted them all to enjoy the sweetness! My comp told me that he noticed that I was sweating from every single pore on my body, and I could only imagine if those drops were blood. I can only imagine how discouraged Christ mustve felt as he saw us in his mind as he suffered, and he saw that the majority would reject that atonement for which he was suffering! How could he have kept going?! Only 3 or 4 said no to the empanadas, how could he have kept going when 99.99% said no to his atonement?! It made me so grateful to know that he suffered for all so that the few could be saved. I love him. And I know his atonement is real. I know he lives.

Always,
Elder Riley Hodson 

fotos. Elder Marin and my best bud in the mish elder criddle.