12.07.09

Family in the promised land of America that is awesome-

Haha, someone asked me what we eat in America this week. I sighed and thought really hard and was like, "well... we eat food." Haha, it was so funny. I laughed way hard at my really funny joke.

One of my converts who is 8 years old walked up to me and innocently asked me if I had any shoes that were his size. He just walks around the dirty, dusty streets of Honduras bear foot. I really am a sap for kids and I felt so sad for him. I was so sad. So I of course had to go buy him shoes and I got him socks too. He really likes them and runs around and plays soccer in them. So much poverty here.

This last week, we also found a really cool girl. She is 11 years old. She is very, very smart and remembers everything we teach her and her dad doesn't have a problem with her going to the church. She reads all the chapters we leave in BOM too and can tell us exactly what she read. She is awesome. We're hoping to baptize her this week.

I am really enjoying the Christmas season here in Honduras. People put up lights but it's nothing huge. Really simple and not very many. Alot of people have trees too. I had a really neat thought come to me this week. Jesus Christ's whole life was an example for us. He unceasingly, unselfishly, and always helped people when given the opportunity when he was here on the Earth physically. He suffered and died for us so that we can obtain forgiveness and have eternal life. He helped everyone he could when he was here physically in Jerusalem, and he continues to help everyone when he can, not only in Jerusalem but in all parts of the world, every single one of us, when we will let him and when we give him the opportunity, he lives still and lives for us. He will bear our burdens, he will comfort us when mourning, he will help us be happy, and he will carry us in the journey of life when we cannot do any more.

I have learned that it's not too complicated in missionary work if someone wants to gain a testimony. If they read the BOM, if they think on it, and if they pray SINCERELY, they will gain a testimony. This is something we've explained to our invegstigator like 90 times and he still doesn't ever read the BOM and says he's tired Sundays so he can't come to church. He says Sunday is his day of rest so that has been a challenge. We've been teaching him Sunday is a day of God and stuff. He says that he likes the Bible but doesn't want to read the BOM because "he doesn't recognize the books in the BOM." I thought when he said that, "I have a good idea , you can read it to get to know them." But we lovingly told him he's gotta start somewhere and I read line upon line precept on precept scripture 2 Nephi 28:30. The BOM is pure greatness. God is a pretty good author, I must say. Probably the best that I know of.

I will always work hard. But anyways, we contacted a guy who let us come into his shade tree. We started sharing a message with him and he anwered the questions like a golden investigator. But then some guy comes up and is like, excuse me but out of respect for my mom, can you 2 leave? She is a Jehova's witness and we don't want anyone thinking that she has changed her belief and don't want anything bad to appear. The guy started arguing with her and I was just like ok, lets all calm down, we don't want to fight. So we respectfully left and got a return appointment with the guy somewhere else. But that was completely idiocracy that she would be worried about us. Everyone has agency though.

We contacted a really cool family this week. They are the parents of the wife of Jose Quiroz. He is the second counselor in bishopric and was my counselor. The wife, Reyna, she has been a member for 19 years and was just inactive. But her parents are die hard Catholic and we talked with them for about 15 or 20 min. E. Velis just straight up told them that their baptism is false right off the bat and it's not valid. I was worried they'd get offended but they didn't. They actually came to the first presidency devotional when we invited them. They liked it. I asked them both that we know Jesus Christ established his church with 12 apostles and a prophet. Now, can you tell me or do you know of a church with 12 living apostles, and a living prophet? They both thought for a while and said no. So I said, it's in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and we'd love to talk about this with you this week. So, I have high hopes with them because their kids are all members.

Oh yeah, and this week, I found the place where Captain Moroni is looking off into the distance in that one picture. I got a lot of pics but dang it, I forgot my camera cord! So next week I'll send them.

Can you send me some snow? I would like to touch it. Haha, just kidding. Actually you could send it in an ice truck. Just ship it on over to Honduras, ok? Yeah, we watched the First Presidency message. All I can say is that Jesus truly is a Savior. He saved us and continues to do so.

I think it still stays hot, like 90 degrees or so. I know that I've come a LONG way. I really have learned so much and I owe it to exact obedience (haha I have already gained a reputation for being really anal about the rules, to me that is a compliment) and hard work. The Lord will always help and support us but our job is to just put forth our best effort. Next change meeting is December 30. I am pretty sure that I'll leave but it's not for sure. The norm for the first area is 4 and a half months. But yeah the appointment thing is really frustrating at times but I just try to remain happy and un-frustrated and try and find someone to talk to if the appointment falls through because I learned in the MTC that the Lord always knows where we're at as missionaries. Maybe he's preparing someone else in our path and not the appointment.Mandy, haha errba da derr.

If we want to have JOY in our lives, first we put Jesus in front, then Others, then You, or ourselves. I thought it was really true. What would Jesus do? He would help OTHERS. And dominate Satan like I am trying to do right now.

Bryan, that's a really good idea to take pictures of Christ around to investigators and share the Christmas story. I'm thinking of what we're going to do. I think we'll do something that has to do with Jesus Christ...haha. I really have been thinking about what Jesus has done for me in my life and how he has helped me up to this point and my testimony has really grown this week. When I am feeling frustrated or stressed, I feel comforted when I think that there is always Jesus Christ, my allaby and Savior who loves ME individually and who desires my happiness and through him, I CAN be happy. It really gives me comfort and the desire to keep moving forward because I know he's with me. I am hoping to give my investigators a taste of what Jesus has done for them too. Two degrees huh? Wow, that is really cold. I'm jealous. People fix shoes, drive taxi, work as teachers, etc. It's really just normal jobs. Not too many really unique jobs.

But I love you all and I'm thankful for your support. You're awesome. Here I go to defeat Satan and smite him down and smite down false doctrines and ideas.

Elder Goodwin