"Oh-oh we're halfway there, oh-oh living on a prayer!"

COMPLETED ONE YEAR IN THE MISSION!!!!!! 

Such a crazy day. You only complete one year in the mission once in ya life, you know, so Elder Brimley and I decided to make it a day to remember. Here is how the day went:

On the hike to the mountain, I saw a pillar of light, directly over my head, 

above the brightness of the sun which descended gradually until it fell upon me...

5 am - We woke up and got changed into white shirts and ties, full mission super-suit. Threw some peanut butter and bread, scriptures, and cameras in our bags, strapped on our machetes, and headed out to climb the mountain that is in our area. Not sure what the name is but we call it the Hill Cumorah. 

Climbed up for an hour and a half, ate a lovely breakfast by a stream and then, dodging big spiders and cows, we machete'd our way up to a sweet plateau and studied the scriptures, prayed, reflected, and pondered on our missions and what we want to improve and accomplish this next year in the mission while gazing out over the Honduran countryside of Yoro. 

How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet (and machetes?) of those that proclaim the gospel of peace.

10 am - Headed back down the mountain, helping a family carry their firewood on the way down. SERVICE!!

12 pm - Ate a delicious lunch of carne asada.

2 pm - Did divisions with Elder Brimley and went to teach. I love teaching. It is funny to think how much I dreaded going to do home teaching with Dad for just a few hours on Sunday afternoon and here I am loving to spend my entire day all day every day for two years visiting and teaching people about Christ.

8 pm - Came home for dinner. Cooked sloppy joes using a seasoning mix-recipe that my mom sent me for my birthday. So. Good. Also washed it down with an entire bottle of Welch's red grape cider. SO. GOOD.

9 pm - Planned for the next day, and then took out the PINATAS. Yes, you heard me, missionary PINATAS in the form of Elder Brimley and I (the one that was supposed to be me actually looked a lot more like a Frodo missionary, or Elijah Wood as an missionary, but hey, I'm kinda a hobbit too). We took some photos with our celebratory pinatas, and then hung our shirts on them and lit them on fire.

...

no, but seriously we lit them on fire. And then beat them repeatedly with our machetes. IT WAS AWESOME! Flaming machete pinata beating. It was so fun.

(It is a missionary tradition to burn your tie when you complete 6 months, and burn a shirt when you complete a full year. That is why we burned the shirts.)

Yep, it has been an incredible year in the mission. I have learned so much. I have changed so much. I wish I had the time to just explain everything that has happened to me on the mission but it would fill up the internet. I know that Christ is our Savior. I have gotten to know Him on an entirely new level. I know that this is His church, that He literally is at the head of it and directs it through living prophets. I am so grateful for the scriptures and the messages of peace and love that they bring to my soul when I am tired and lonely. I know that afflicions (afflictions) are only for a moment. I know that we can repent and be forgiven. I know that baptism is a step absolutely necessary for all men to enter into the kingdom of God. That is where I want to go, and I want to bring all my friends and family and all of Honduras with me.

See you all in one year! Start working on that welcome home banner now!

Hurrah for Israel!

Elder Moffitt

Photo from Elder Brimley from Arizona: On the top of the mountain looking down at our area. For the one year in the mission mark, Elder Moffitt and I hiked up to the top of the giant mountain that overlooks our areas to do our personal study and companionship study. It took about three hours to hike it, which is considerably fast for how high it goes and for how long the trail was. but of course our Eagle Scout blood that runs in our veins made hiking it a synch. Well it was awesome.