Machetes, Marshmallows, and Missionary Work

Hola from Honduras!

The weeks here literally fly by. Seems like I was here writing the last email home 10 minutes ago. At this rate I will be home by next week. Anyways, this week was pretty crazy. We lost almost two days of working because my companion was sick, but we had 17 investigators at church on Sunday! 17 investigators in a ward that usually has 70 people at each sacrament meeting! This week we had 91 attend! It was crazy and a real testimony of who is at the head of this work--Jesus Christ. This is His church and He wants way more than us missionaries for His children to have the blessings of His restored and full gospel here on the earth. Those who want to find truth and are willing to search, ponder, and pray about it are going to receive an answer. Some people we hadn´t even talked to for several weeks showed up, and it was a testimony meeting so it was super powerful.

Also that Sunday we taught a lesson on missionary work to the Relief Society because the president said that was how we could help her. We have tried to change the mentality of the ward leaders from them helping us to us helping them, because we are there not to be a burden, but to be a blessing and leave the ward stronger than we found it, and each of the leaders thought of ways we can help them. I am seriously convinced that this ward is going to grow miraculously. 

 My companion, young friend, beach ...

 and mountains of beautiful LaCeiba.

Every Thursday we have a fun and spiritual activity for members and investigators and this week we had an activity about how the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way we can be firm in this life and support the sometimes crushing weight of temptations, trials, and problems of the world. The three teams first had to try and build a tower with only marshmallows to support the weight of some pamphlets, and no one could do it because their towers kept collapsing under the weight. This is like our lives without the gospel. Then we gave them chocolate squares to use with the marshmallows and everyone was able to build tall towers that could withstand the weight placed upon them. Along with the story of the wise man and the foolish man in Matthew 7, we shared this scripture in Helaman 5.12 in the Libro de Mormon:

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Our Thursday night activity this week for church members and friends, 

titled "Supporting the weight of the world," or "Mantiendonos con el peso del mundo"

I am not here in Honduras for the yummy baleadas or for the beautiful scenery. I am here because I know that only by building our lives on the teachings and church of Jesus Christ can we have true stability and peace and happiness in our lives. I know that this is true, and I love spending all day every day helping people and families realize that. 

Funny story of the week: We were meeting with a family whose mom was baptized when she was 14 but has not since gone been active in the church. They are a super awesome family and they really want the blessings that the church and the gospel have to offer them. Anyways we were meeting them and she sent one of her kids to buy us something to drink and he returned with a bottle of Lipton Iced Tea as we were leaving. Paula, the mom, poured us both glasses and we were like "ahhhhh what do we do?" because this mom is super nice and just wants to help us and we didn't want to embarrass her and make her feel like some sort of sinner for just offering us iced tea and we were panicking and she saw our faces, which probably looked like we were in some late stage of constipation, and said, "Oh are you Elders fasting?" And we replied, "Si, Si Hermana!! Forgive us!!" and she was like, "Oh, no problem at all" and we left. Oh my!  We will definitely explain the word of wisdom to her a bit later but we didn´t want her to feel like a terrible church member for knowing that we don't drink tea. No, it was not a lie, it was a loving bending of the truth as it was Fast Sunday that week so...

Interesting lunch combo

Also my companero and I spent about 6 hours using machetes to cut a backyard for an investigator. It was like the worst and most inefficient thing ever. If you want a nice dose of empathy for everyone here, because no one has lawnmowers or anything, try taking a sword (or a pair of scissors if you don’t have a sword) and cutting your entire lawn. It is super fun, I promise. 

Doing service ... cutting a lawn... with machetes. Don't try it at home.  

It makes mowing the lawn sound like a reward for completing your other chores.

Super long letter but so much happens each week I can really only ever give you guys a Costco sample of life over here as a missionary. 

Livin and lovin da mishionary life. I really do know that what we teach is true!

Love you!

Elder Moffitt

La Ceiba at sunset. Beautiful.