Week 42 -- My Lines Aren't Straight, but It's OK

Hola! It has been so dang hot this week! I think that it went up like 10 degrees or something, lol, but I broke down and took out my umbrella to use as shade like the people do here, lol, but I felt like a tesitigo so I put it away after like 3 minutes but it has been so hot... we saw a sign today that said 30 which is like 86 fahrenheit but it feels so much hotter!!!!! 

Anyway.... 

1.  What did you do for P-Day today?

 

This morning we went to the bank to pay the light bill... my comp is out of money and so I am paying for everything -- water, light and whatnot.... It's a good thing that I am stingy! Then we went to the stake center to play games like normal... we played slaughterball again, a little bit of basketball and we attempted to play Capture the Flag but it went down hill and so, yeah... then we ended playing.  And we went toWendy's and now we are here! And there weren't any repercussions from the broken door at the stake center. at least that we know o,f because they still let us into the building to play and everything but now they won't let us turn on the air conditioning because it costs too much.  Be grateful for air conditioning!

2.  How was church yesterday?  Did you have any investigators there?  Did Iris come to church?  How about Nakima?  How is Israel?  What about the "crazy lady" from last week?

 

Church was pretty good. Iris came to church! She is so going to get baptized! She is very shy, though, so I don't know exactly when she will get baptized but she looks so much happier now and her family is supporting her since her brother and his family are members now. That was it.... I was supposed to give the lesson yesterday but I got out of it, heehee. We had a meeting with our lider misional (ward mission leader) and, yeah...we haven't had contact with him really this whole change and we have met with him once.... so we met together yesterday and he proceeded to machete all of us and tell us what we aren't doing right and what we need to do and it sucked....  

3.  How are Hna Marcia and her family doing?  

 

They are doing alright. It was Steven's birthday this week and we got invited to the party so we helped cook and make the piñata-a minion from Despicable Me. And we got to hit it a few times, too!

4.  When are the next transfers? Do you think you or your companion will be transferred?

 

I think that my companion will have changes but we will see.... we find out tonight. I could live stay with her.  She's so sweet and a really good worker and now that we have addressed the fact that we need to share time in the lessons we have had REALLY good lessons and have found some great people. But I feel like it's time for her. Two new hermanas are coming so maybe I will train... I doubt it, though. 

5.  What kinds of places do you go contacting, or do you just go house to house?

 

In the street. We aren't allowed to go contacting like knocking on doors, or at least that's what I have been taught... so we contact people outside their houses or in the street. 

6.  What miracles and tender mercies have you seen this week?  Answers to your prayers?  

 

There area always little things like someone gives us food or juice when it's blistering hot or when we find someone super pilas! Or when the lights go out sometimes and we can go to bed a little early, lol. 

7.  How has someone else blessed your life this week?  How have you blessed someone else's life this week?

 

We did A LOT of service this week for the familia Castro (Andrea who lives below us and her mom). We washed clothes, cleaned the house, helped cook, helped make a traditional cape, headdress, apron and other little things for a competition for Dia Del Indio (the Day of the Indian or something like that). But it has been fun.. .except for the fact that we have NO water right now... and we have been without for 4 days now... yay.... Hna Juana the mom yelled at me because she yells at everyone and because it's part of the culture and I didn't understand and it made me cry a little bit... but whatever. We had Family Home Evening with them, too, and it was so good! One of the daughters gave the lesson about prayer and everyone shared their experiences and it was really beautiful. 

8.  What was the best thing that happened this week?

 

That we got to do a lot of service.

9.  How is it going, teaching English to Hna Ugarte?

 

It's going pretty well. This week we were a little tired so it's hard to study when you're tired so those days were a little rough, lol, but she is learning. 

10.  What was the funnest/funniest thing that happened this week?

 

Well, we were in a lesson with a preacher and he told us that he knew that Mormons didn't drink coffee and then proceeded to bring us coffee... and so we just looked at each other and then looked at him and looked at each other again and there was an awkward uncomfortable silence, hahaha, and after the lesson we just laughed and laughed. And we started making up different lyrics to the hymns to apply to missionary life like Dios Da Valor (God Speed the Right).... El Sol Da Calor. (note from Alyssa's Mom -- I have no idea what that translates to!) Things like that and it was really funny. 

11.  What did you do for your district meeting and zone meeting this week?

 

Wel, President Dester sent out a machete letter last week... like SUPER machete! And we reread the letter as a district this week and got more machetied... BUT I decided to raise my hand and share! WHAT! I never share! But it was something from one of the pages President Dester gave me. It was from a book by Michael Wilcox and in one of the sections he told a story. He was preparing a lesson for Sunday and he was marking in his scriptures, underlining and writing in the margin. He didn't really notice, but his 5 year old son came up next to him with his Book of Mormon. When he had finished he looked over at what his son had been doing. He had been copying every detail of the page. He had underlined all the same scriptures and marked them with the same colors. He was amazed that his son had matched his markings so closely. Then he noticed that his son started to cry and he said, My lines arent straight like yours, Daddy. He went on to say that our lines aren't straight. but that Heavenly Father really doesn't sit there focused on the fact that they aren't straight, because He knows that we will get them right in time. So I shared that with them... And I really like it. 

12.  What was the spiritual highlight of your week?

 

I think our district meeting... I think that we all left feeling like we really could be better. 

13.  What did you learn from your personal study this week?  How is your reading of Isaiah coming along?  

 

I am almost done with Isaiah! FINALLY ! Only like 5 more pages or something like that.... but I finished the Liahona for this month so now my study will be a liitle better, I think. But I was comparing this week King Mosiah with George Washington... and how Mosiah told the people that they should have a king and how he freed them and didn't treat the people like slaves or anything but out of the love that he had for them, just pure love, he gave them the system of judges and I was thinking about how George Washington must have cared about the people and the country to have given up the presidency and the power and how he set a good example for our generations of politicians.  

14.  Do you know that I love you SO much and I miss you?  

 

Always

.

15.  What has been the most beautiful thing you've seen this week?

 

The lights went out this week and while my companion was washing clothes I just laid down on an extra matress we have outside on the balcony and watched the sky and everything was dark and there were some clouds and it was really pretty and peaceful. 

16.  Did anything unusual or strange happen this week?

 

I ate cow udder.  I only ate two bites so let's not get too excited... the flavor isn't bad but the texture is terrible... it was like eating rubber.... ew!

17.  What are you looking forward to this week?

 

We probably have changes this week. Im not saying that I want to get rid of my companion! Shes sooooo great! But I always love any opportunity to see and listen to President Dester. But in fact my companion said this week that she has been able to be more obedient with me than with any other of her companions! That made me feel really good... . 

18.  What have you learned about yourself recently?

 

I was reading the talk again, "Becoming Perfect in Christ," and there was a part that said a missionary who wants to be perfect now may become anxious or discouraged when leaderships positions don't happen fast enough... I was thinking that that has been me and then I thought about what President Dester said to me in our first interview, that I would learn things in this mission that I wouldn't be able to learn anywhere else... and I think that this is one of them because maybe in another mission I would already be a trainer or a companion mayor (senior companion)...I don't know...but here I have the opportunity to better myself in this aspect and be more humble and overcome a little this deep rooted perfectionism. 

19.  What can we do to better support you as a missionary?

 

DO FHE and PRAY and READ THE SCRIPTURES AS A FAMILY. 

20.  What did President Dester have to say this week?

 

He talked about the importance of study and how really we need to be more strict in obeying the miossionary schedule and in having our studies. 

I hit 300 days in the mission this week!!! I can't believe how fast the time is going....I only have six changes left...that's so crazy.  I am finishing my 7th and I only have 6 left!  That seems so short to me!  I feel like time goes way too fast.  We are almost done with July!  Aaaaaaaaaack!

My companion never gets any mail from home or e-mails so if anyone wants to write to her, feel free!  (Note from Alyssa's Mom -- if you're interested in writing to Hna Ugarte, just contact me and I'll give you her email address, or you can send cards/letters to her at the same address on this blog, just addressed to her instead f Alyssa.)

 

Here is a quote from my friend Daniel's mission president:  "In this life, if we do not learn to work, there will be no place for us in the eternities, for even the devil works."

Well, I hope you all have a good week. And enjoy your air conditioners. 

Love,

 

Hermana Gisseman

 

 

Still an artist!

Our beautiful girl!

Making a pinata for Steven's birthday

The costumes we helped make

Week 41 -- A Baptism, Slaughterball, and a Haircut

Hola! 

1.  What did you do for P-Day today? 

Today we were going to play Capture the Flag in districts but not everybody came so I ended up teaching them how to play slaughterball... what we always played after mutual. And it was so dang fun!  Then we went to Wendy's to eat! And now we are here! 

2.  How are Hna Marcia and her family?  What kinds of food does she cook for you? 

She usually cooks some kind of meat, pork, chicken (but all chicken here is still on the bone which is so much work to eat!) or beef and rice, beans and tortillas. Sometimes she does spaghetti or like a fried rice or something.

3.  Did you hear that Germany beat Argentina and won the World Cup? 

Yeah, haha. We had to stay indoors from 1 to 5 pm for the final! But everyone here wanted Alemania (Germany) to win (haha) and we wanted Brazil to lose so most people here are pretty content, lol. 

4.  How was church yesterday?  Did you have any investigators there?  

Iris came to church  with her brother and his family! She seems to have real interest and still has the baptism date for the 2nd of August so we will see what happens... And another investigator, Nakima, came.  Three days ago we went to a cita and while we were waiting for her to come out I saw a lady sitting outside in the same living complex and I said that we should go talk to her. So we go over there and she starts talking to us and tells us her whole life story and how sad her life is and how she has no money for food and her sister is sick and she has to move the next day, she asked us if the church could help her and we talked about Christ and how He can help us in our trials. So Sunday rolls around and halfway through the meeting she came in... and I went to greet her and she starts talking about how the church needs to help her. And we were like...well, let's talk about this after Sunday School and then after Relief Society and at the end of everything she asked me again if the church was going to help her.  She said, "Well, never mind... I will just come back next Sunday". So that was interesting... but I guess she's   coming back next Sunday. 

5.  Did Karla get baptized?  How is Israel doing?  How is Iris doing -- did she come to church again? 

Karla did get baptized and it was very sweet. We decorated a cake for her (well, I did) and it was pretty cute but I forgot to take a picture of it. Her whole family was there to support her and it was nice. I got to play the piano for it, too. Israel knows the church is true but doesn't  want to act on that knowledge still... and he didn't come to church.  :-( 

6.  Are you working with any new investigators or less actives? 

Both. Mostly we are working with investigators... Not really new ones but we are looking for them. 

7.  What miracles and tender mercies have you seen this week?  Answers to your prayers? 

One morning I was so very tired and I slept through my alarm....I was so VERY, VERY tired. My companion woke me up and let me sleep a little so I woke up at 7 am.  I promise I was not planching (being lazy)!  But it was seriously a blessing to catch up on a little bit of sleep because I was so cranky. That extra 30 minutes did wonders for me.

8.  How has someone else blessed your life this week?  How have YOU blessed someone else's life this week? 

I let Andrea (the sister of Hna Marcia who lives below us) cut my hair! She also dyed my companion's hair twice... She cut it and I was really sad at first because she cut layers in it and they are really short (almost like side bangs) in the front, but then I let it dry by itself one day and it dries really really well and looks good so I am happy and it turned out to be a blessing because my hair really needed a cut. Hna Marcia and her family are just so good to us. This week we did some service. Hna Juana (Marcia and Andrea's mom) made pan de coco (chocolate bread?) and she's too old to mix or knead the bread because everything is done by hand here... no Kitchen Aids! And she's too old to do it alone now so we went and did some physical labor and kneaded the dough for her and then we got to eat some!!!! Hna Marcia made bread twice this week too so I got to eat lots of rolls.  We also did some service for a family this week and refolded and organized their clothes and then they gave us pancakes! I think that maybe it was just an excuse to give us pancakes, haha. 

9.  What was the best thing that happened this week? 

Karla's baptism!  It was really sweet and they already have plans to go to the temple in July of 2015 to get sealed! I love that she sees her baptism just as a step and that there really is more and she sees this as a true comitment and not just something to do.  (And getting to eat bread was good, too!)  Hna V sent me a really sweet e-mail this week and aid that I changed her life and that she learned a ton from me, and I really don't know how.  I didn't do anything but it's nice to know that she feels that way and that she enjoyed our time together, too!  I think that she will be one of my favorite companions because we worked so dang hard together!  And Jorge got the priesthood yesterday!

10.  What have you been grateful for this week? 

The language studies that we have. Hna U really wants to learn English so we have been using the book that the church gave to the Latinos to learn English and I have been teaching her! It's been really really fun actually and I think that it helps us grow as a companionship and I feel like she's learning so at least I'm helping someone.

11.  What was the funnest/funniest thing that happened this week? 

We did get to watch the video we made and it was pretty dang funny... but I don't have a copy. 

12.  What did you do for your district meeting and zone meeting this week? 

We had a zone meeting this week and it was really really good. We talked about how we really need to be inviting more people to get baptized because that's why we are here and nobody can get baptized unless we invite them first. And then we held a council. So we sat in a circle and talked about the things we can improve, what we lack right now. They showed us the standards for our zone and the dats (numbers?) from months ago and where we are at now... the mission really has fallen in its dats, especially in baptisms. But I loved that the Zone Leaders shared with us a real view of what's going on and what we can do and that we all shared together. It reminded me of a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants that talks about the saints counseling together.  We all left really feeling the spirit and the importance of our calling here. 

13.  What was the spiritual highlight of your week? .

The zone meeting, I think. 

14.  What did you learn from your personal study this week?  Where are you at in the Old Testament?  What else are you studying right now?   

I am still in Isaiah! But it's getting better because in the last few chapters he has talked about Christ and it makes a little bit more sense... I am in Mosiah in the Book of Mormon and in the Doctrine and Covenants I'm around Section 50 in Spanish... slowly but surely. I have too many projects that I want to finish and so I need to finish some of the ones that I am working on so that I can work on other ones!  

15.  Do you know that I love you SO much and I miss you? 

Always

16.  What has been the most beautiful thing you've seen this week? 

My new sheets on my bed!! You don't know how happy that made me! 

17.   Did anything unusual or strange happen this week? 

Not really.

18.  What are you looking forward to this week? 

Israel invinted us and Hna Marcia to have dinner on Friday. His aunt or something owns a little restaurant and so we will go eat there this week.  We have a Family Home Evening tonight with Andrea and I just love her! She speaks some English and she's just real.  I'm just looking forward to work in general! 

19.  What do you love most about the Honduran people? 

I love how they share everything that they have without expecting anything in return. And they are very open and aren't shy or embarassed aout anything. Well, sometimes it bugs me, but from a missionary standpoint we can ask pretty much whatever and they are very open and honest with us. 

20.  What do you love most about being a missionary? 

I love that I get a little taste of what the Savior's life was like. I get to help people come unto Him and be baptized and I get to teach like He did. And I even get to taste a little of the ridicule that He faced from others. I think it was Elder Holland who said that the mission is as close as we will get to live real life, His life. 

21.  What do you love most about Honduras? 

I love that it's hot and that it's a completely different world. I love the little things now even though they drive me crazy like the pilas, like dirt roads and no AC. i love tortillas and eating with my hands and jsut getting to live a different kind of life here! 

I got 3 packages this week. Two from mom and one of them was my birthday package and one from Grandma and Papa! THANK YOU!!!!!  And I got a birthday package from Melissa and Bryan, too.  Thank you!

My camera is fine now.  The bishop is a tech guy and he fixed it.  It had a few viruses on it but it works fine now.  I bought a new skirt today for 29 lempira, which is a little more than a dollar.  It's black with horizontal stripes.  I think someone had a maxi skirt and they just shortened it, but whatevs.  It rained a lot here yesterday...the street was flooded.  It's not fun when the dirt roads flood.

I hope everyone is doing well! I love you all!

Hna Gisseman

Gotta love my tan lines...


Celebrating my hump day on July 2...one of the elders helped with my cake....


















Yeah, I'm still goofy....


My happy nine months cake...they are so sweet to me!




The obligatory hump day picture...


Showing some love for Clemson....


Sculpted fireworks for 4th of July


With Hna U and Hna Pons.  Hna Pons made mangu for us.  It's like mashed potatoes but made with green plantains.


My haircut


New sheets and mail!!



Creative decorating....improvising a curtain.



Karla and her family at her baptism.






Views of our area...

Week 40 -- The Enemy that is Perfectionism

Hola!  Yeah, so I hit 9 months this week... I'm so old! But I feel like I have only been here 4 months and the time is going so fast!  But yeah... It was a really good week... Full of lots of self reflection...

1.  How are things going with your companion?  You said she's a hard worker and that she occasionally speaks a little English.  How is her English coming along?  Do you feel like the two of you are becoming friends?

 

She is great!  She is really sweet and she thinks I'm hilarious, lol. And she's very spiritual. I have been teaching her English during our language studies and she really does know a lot of English! And she has been talking more and more but still not a whole lot.  I really think that by the end of her mission, if she keeps speaking, she will be able to pass the English test to get the certification or whatever for Latins that says that they know English.

2.  How was your interview with Pres Dester last week?

 

It was great! It was exactly what I needed, honestly. President is inspired. He even took the time to copy two pages out of books he has for me to read and think about.  He told me that I worry too much and that some of the things that I think are important to God, well, they aren't at all. I shouldn't be so hard on myself because I don't have to be perfect. I should enjoy the ride, so to speak. He helped me to see that really the Lord loves me and that He won't give up on me ever. And I can make mistakes and learn and grow and sometimes fail and that it's okay and that that is part of the earthly experience. But the Savior won't stop working with us. This life is a process, progress is a process and things take time. But I don't have to be perfect. He put the example of a child learning to walk. That's us. We are here learning to walk. He asked, "Do you think that the parent ever yells at the child when they fall?"  I'm sure we all say no. The parent just keeps encouraging the child. "Come on, you can do it. Youre almost there. Get up. Try again."  And sometimes we say, "No, I don't want to" or "It's too hard."  But really God is there saying, "Get up, you can do it. I know what you can do."  And He really knows that one day we will walk and we just have to keep trying and I think that He will always be there to help us get back up when we fall.

3.  What have you learned about yourself recently?

 

I am a perfectionist. I think we all already knew that, right?! But I hadn't realized what that really meant and how I was really impeding myself and my progression. There was a talk in the Liahona of this month that talked about perfectionism...Becoming perfect in Christ.... and wow, it was just for me. I didn't realize the effect that this kind of thinking had on me and my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I think that I have been really unfair to myself. But it's time to change and it's time to be happy so I'm going to try to change.

4.  What did you do for P-Day today?

 

We cleaned. We went and played soccer at the church and volleyball and one of the hermanas made lunch for us and now we are writing. Not too exciting but it was pretty fun and I like being with the zone!

5.  Are the people of Honduras still totally wrapped up in the World Cup?

 

Not really so much now that most if not all of the Central American teams are out. They still watch it, of course, but it's not such a big deal now. And Honduras is out so there's not much to get excited about, hahaha.

6.  How was church yesterday?  Did you have any investigators there?

 

We had 3 investigators. Israel came to church and I think that he is really feeling the Spirit based on things that he says but I don't think he wants to accept the answer because he still doesn't know everything. But we are hoping that he gets baptized this month. He already has all the attendance and is living the commandments and everything but he wants time... we had a good lesson this week with him with a member and the member pretty much jsut asked him a ton of questions like therapy or something, lol, and it actually really helped and we found out what he wants in life and what his past has been and a ton of stuff that I think will be really helpful for us in our lesson plans and just how to teach him and stuff like that. And Iris came to church. She is the sister of one of the recent converts. And we passed by and she was ready for church and she came and stayed and she said that she liked it so... we will see. We challenged her to be baptized on August 2nd so she has a month to prepare.... so we will see.

7.  Did Karla get baptized?  How is Israel doing?  (I thought it was cute that he played some Adele for you!)  How is Delmis doing?  Did she come to church and is she still getting baptized?  How is familia Flores doing?

 

Complications with Karla... the ward went on a temple trip so we are having the baptism THIS Saturday for sure! She's so cute and she's so excited and he spouse got ordained and now he cam baptize her. Delmis... we haven't been able to find her. We are going to have to drop the Flores family as investigators but we will keep visiting so they know that we care.

8.  What miracles and tender mercies have you seen this week?  Answers to your prayers?

 

Getting to meet with President Dester and just that it was perfect. I know that there is a reason that HE is my mission president. Ther is not a doubt in my mind that he is called of God. Andrea (Hna Marcia's sister who lives below us) made cake and we got to help her eat it! Which reminds me, she loves to cook and would like recipes. She teaches English so she can read them in English no problem or I can translate. If you could send the recipes to anything homemade that we make that is like cake or cookies or cupcakes... so black forest cupcakes, rice krispies, pie, whatever.  She would LOVE the recipes. And Hna Marcia made me a 9 months happy birthday cake! They are so sweet!

9.  How has someone else blessed your life this week?  How have YOU blessed someone else's life this week?

 

My companion got sick and so I was able to help her wash her clothes and clean and jsut be there for her. But I always feel like familia Melendez is blessing me.

10.  What was the best thing that happened this week?  

 

Interview with President

11.  What have you been grateful for this week?

 

Cake, President Dester, and a little bit cooler weather.

12.  What was the funnest/funniest thing that happened this week?

 

On Monday we had a Family Home Evening with familia Melendez and we did an activity and everyone put their name on a paper and then we mixed up the papers and passed them around. On the paper we tried to draw the person, but only part at a time. So the first part, their head and then we passed the paper and then we had to draw their torso and then pass, then the arms, pass, their legs, pass. Get the idea?  So the drawings ended up being SUPER LOCO and really funny. So I have my picture saved in my baggy and it's just hilarious! We were all laughing and I couldn't even sing the closing hymn, lol.

13.  What did you do for your district meeting and zone meeting this week?

 

This week one of the elders made garlic bread for our district! And so we had garlic bread and beans and soda and it was really good... but because of that the reunion ended up being a little short but we talked about how we can use effective and inspired questions.

14.  What was the spiritual highlight of your week?

 

Interview with president and all the thinking I did afterwards.

15.  What did you learn from your personal study this week?  Where are you at in the Old Testament?  What else are you studying right now? 

 

I studied what it means to be a father and what kind of love and attitude he has for his children. I am still reading the conference talks and I'm still in Isaiah and I'm still in Mosiah... we really don't get much personal study here. But I did finish all of the major lessons in my lesson plans.

16.  Do you know that I love you SO much and I miss you?

 

Always

 

17.  What has been the most beautiful thing you've seen this week?

My new flip flops on my feet. Well they arent new, but since i brought 2 with me I saved one pair for when I hit the 9 month mark (hahaha) so I got to put those on and they felt sooo good!

18.   Did anything unusual or strange happen this week? 

 

Nope, not really....

19.  What are you looking forward to this week? 

 

We made a funny video this week in our district meeting but with the whole zone and hopefully we will get to see it this week!!!!!

20.  How do you feel you’ve done this week in being a better Consecrated Missionary and “the Fourth Missionary”? And how do you feel you've done at choosing happiness this week? I really don't like this question. Progress takes time and sometimes thats more than a week.

I got a letter from Mom, Grace Clark and Martha and Wandal! Gracias! 

Oh, and if you could send me one more package of makeup wipes... I don't know if you know this but one wipe lasts me four days... but that doesn't mean that you should send me a lot, haha, just one package for now but just to know that I have changed and that I DONT WASTE ANYTHING!

 

Sorry I can't send any pictures this week...they won't upload.  I think my camera got a virus so I'll try again next week.

Oh, the mission... one thing it said in the talk I read is that for perfectionist the mission is probably the hardest thing that they have done up to this point in life.... wellm I testify that that is true. Missions are hard, but they are also great and I know that I am here to change.

 

Love,

Hermana Gisseman

Week 39 -- Thoughts on Faith and the Atonement...and a water balloon fight!

This week has been better. I promise that things are getting better. My companion is great and I really have been trying more to get to know her and to talk honestly and openly with her and really she's great. She's such a hard worker and last night we were both so tired and to me that's how I know I worked hard, when on Sundays I have absolutely nothing left.

1.  You said Elder Ochoa from the Seventy was coming.  How was that?  What did he talk about?  What did you learn?

 

It was really, really good. He talked about faith unto repentance. And all of us had to prepare a 5 minute talk and he called on 2 people to speak (Hna C, my former companion, and one of my former Zone Leaders both got called on). But in preparing my talk I realized that it all comes down to the atonement. Our faith in Jesus Christ and truly having faith that He suffered for us and that He paid the price for our sins leads us to repent, because without the atonement we wouldn't be able to. I just thought a lot about that and how truly important the atonement is in our lives. But he talked about pretty much the same thing, about how our faith leads us to repent. He said some other really great things but I don't really remember them because it was on Wednesday and it's been a while.... but it was simple and then he opened it up for questions. And so a few people asked questions and he got to talking and answering them. Our mission numbers have been going down.... so that's not so great. 

2.  How were your divisions with the sister training leaders?  Were you with Hna Z again?

 

I went with Hna M. She's really sweet and pretty funny. I think that I am such a bad luck charm in Los Castaños because all of our citas (appointments) fell through and we did a lot of walking... like my week with Hna Z, haha. But it was good and we talked a lot. And she told me that she can see that I really am a good missionary and that I know the things that missionaries need to do and that I can do them.  It was fun to be with her but weird because I slept in someone else's bed with someone else's pillow and that's not really my style, LOL.... 

3.  Did you end up making carne asada for the elders last week?  How did it turn out?

 

Hna Marcia put all the spices and saucy stuff on the meat and we ended up cooking it.... Well, the elders did some, too.... It was really, really yummy. 

4.  How was church yesterday?  Did you have any investigators there?

 

Church was pretty good... they have been reporting 125 people at church but we didn't think that was right so we counted yesterday....it was 96.  So we have some work to do because for a ward that's not too great. But I had an expereience at church that made me quite irritated... they asked if either one of us (me or my companion) could play the piano and my companion proceeds to volunteer my skills.... and I tell them that I really can only play a few hymns. So they asked me to play prelude and I get up there and, first of all, I have to ask for a hymn book. Then the fans are on super high so I can't see the pages because they are flying everywhere so a little girl comes up to help me and she put her elbows in the way (she didn't mean to, I'm sure) and I couldn't see a thing. Then the counselor comes over to me and is like, "No, pick one hymn to play and the bishop is going to announce it."  What?  So I tried to explain to him how I do prelude and no, they did not like my idea of what prelude is.... so I picked one hymn and then they told me that it wasn't reverent enough... Huh?  It's a hymn -- how can it not be reverent enough?  And so I picked a different one but by this time I was frustrated so of course I go to play it and I mess up a bunch and the fans are going and I can't see the page and it was rough... I don't think they will ask me to play again, LOL!

 

Also, last Monday a man found us in the street and started talking to us. He was from the circus and wanted to know more abuot the church. He started talking, though, that he wanted to crucify himself on the White House lawn.... right.... crazy bin..... So we invited him to church and everything but didn't think anything of it. He said that he would try to make it. So then halfway through Sacrament Meeting he came!!! And everyone stared at him because he's from the circus and all... but he came all the way from Tela ( don't know where that is) just to come to church.... but we can't teach him since he travels and doesn't have a house here or anything and was jut passing through but it was really cool. 

5.  What are the names of your investigators, and what are their needs so that we can pray specifically for them?

Hna K! She is going to get baptized this week (we hope) she's totally ready but there was a complication... all the members will be gone Saturday because of the ward temple trip which we didn't know about so we are hoping to have her baptism on Wednesday instead. She's the wife of a now active member and really so prepared. I feel like we haven't taught her anything because she's just so ready. She's great. 

Hna D is the mother of a little girl who always comes to church. We just started teaching her but she accepted a baptismal date and only only needs to come to church one more time and finish the discussions. She wants to change and knows she needs to get baptized...

We have other investigators but they aren't really progressing... 

Brother I plays the guitar and he played for us this week! I got to hear some Adele, haha, and he has lots of questions. He is really smart and I think that he will get baptized with time, when he learns to rely on his faith. 

Other than that we have been visiting a family the familia F and the dad has an eye infection that impedes him from really doing anything. He's been going to doctors but nothing has really changed. I really don't think that the family will do anything until he starts to get better.... but we are hoping that they will come around. But that's about it... we need more investigators.... 

6.  What miracles and tender mercies have you seen this week?  Answers to your prayers?

 

I really don't know off the top of my head. I guess one is that I am doing better.... I really do write down tender mercies form each day in my journal but when I get here to e-mail I don't remember them.

7.  How has someone else blessed your life this week?  How have YOU blessed someone else's life this week?

 

I got a letter from Jorge this week. It was so sweet. Hna V says that he always speaks so highly of me. He says that we changed his life and that I spoke words of power, but I know that I hardly spoke at all because Jorge talked the whole time, LOL, but it was so nice to get a letter from him!  And I got to see Hna M and talk to her for a while and it was just nice to get to talk to my best friend in the mission. I don't know how I blessed someone else this week.... I taught my companion English this week. We had language study together and she was so excited because she's never had a gringa companion so I got to teach her and she was just so excited. 

8.  What was the best thing that happened this week?  

 

We had a Family Home Evening with the family who lives below us... the sister of Hna Marcia. She has 4 kids and her little girl always gives me hugs and she's so cute!  We had Family Home Evening with her and her family and made cookies and gave a little lesson and watched "The Other Side of Heaven". And it was just so great! I got homemade cookies! I ate like 15 of them, for real, because it has been so long since I ate real cookies and to just be in their home and feel the Spirit with them was so nice. It makes me wonder if you are still doing your Family Home Evenings.... DO THEM! They are important!  This week I have felt a lot of love for that family! 

9.  What have you been grateful for this week?

 

The conference issue of the Liahona magazine. I love reading conference talks and I am so grateful that we have a living prohpet and apostles who guide us in these times and I love that I can read and reread their talks. I love underlining things and analyzing how they write (haha, I'm such a nerd even on the mission!). 

10.  What was the funnest/funniest thing that happened this week?

 

The guerra de agua (water fight) that we had today! It was so funny! People were sliding all over the place and it was chaos but it was super fun and about the closest thing we get on the mission to swimming! And someone pulled a prank on me so bad! They told me to go to the girls bathroom to fill up more balloons so I went with one of the other hermanas and we walk in the bathroom and an elder was in there wearing this scary mask and he ran out and yelled and I screamed, LOL! Tthey recorded it and it's super funny!  I was soaked -- all the elders ganged up on the hermanas, and there are only four of us hermanas!

11.  What did you do for your district meeting and zone meeting this week?  What is the game "Noah's Ark" like?

 

Noah's Ark... animals are written on pieces of paper and there are 2 of each animal and somebody throws the papers up in the air and you have to grab one and start acting like that animal without saying what you are. So you have to make the sounds of that animal and you haveto  find the other animal like you and there are pairs of chairs set up but one pair short and once you find your pair you run and sit down together. The last ones left don't have chairs and so they are out and you keep playing, throwing the papers and getting an animal and running and so on until a pair wins. Does that make sense?

In our district meeting this week we talked about how to work with ward leaders. 

12.  What was the spiritual highlight of your week? 

 

We had a cita with Hna Marcia and because I love her so much the words just came. I focused on what she was saying and the words came and I didn't feel nervous about what i would say which happens sometimes. I really just loved her and listened and it was great. And I really want to work harder to have more lessons like that. She talked about not having the desire to do some things in her life, she doesn't have the desire to progress right now becasue of some hard things that she is going through. She was super excited and now she's just not... and I could totally relate! I knew exactly how she feels. And I could share a little bit with her and I really felt like I could connect with her and that there is a reason that I felt the way that I did and it wasn't just to help me grow but to help me to be able to help other people. 

13.  What did you learn from your personal study this week?  Where are you at in the Old Testament?  What else are you studying right now?  

 

I haven't had a ton of time to study since I've been here... but I'm in Mosiah in the Book of Mormon and in Isaiah in the Old Testament... Mostly I have really been studying the conference talks. Did you remember that we were challenged to read Preach my Gospel... are you doing that? But I really love the talk by Pres Uchtdorf about choosing to be grateful no matter our circumstances. I think that it was quite appropriate for me this week. But I had forgotten about it (how quick we are to forget) and it was just what I needed. So I encourage you all to be more grateful and to have an attitude of graitude even when times are difficult. 

 
14.  Do you know that I love you SO much and I miss you?

Always

15.  What has been the most beautiful thing you've seen this week?  

 

Homemade cookes with sprinkles on top  :-)

16.   Did anything unusual or strange happen this week?

 

Honduras played again in the World Cup so we had to stay in the house... but it wasn't really unusual. 

17.  How long did you end up being without water last week?

 

Four days... it was not fun. But now we have water and I hope it lasts!!!!! I hate bucket showers and I hate bringing up water from the pila. 

18.  What did you do for P-Day this week?

 

We had a guerra de agua... a water balloon fight or a water in whatever kind of container you can find fight. It was way fun and I'm sunburned and soaked but it was fun. And after we ate pizza! 

19.  What are you looking forward to this week?  

 

Hopefully a baptism... 

20.  Do you still have a baptism planned for the 5th of July?

 

Like I said above, there's a temple trip on that date so the date is up in the air right now. 

I cannot believe that I am going to hit 9 months. I really don't feel like I have that much time... it's kind of crazy. And June is almost gone now, too.... wow, I really can't believe it. And this change is almost half way through.... wow.... 

I didn't get anything in the ruta (mail delivery) this week. 

 

I love you a lot and just know that things are getting better.  And President Dester...well, he's worried about me, too, but we should have interviews this Thursday with him and he wants me to be happy, too, and not just endure my mission but enjoy it like the article said that you sent me.  I love you! 

 

Love you all and thanks for all your support. 

Hermana Gisseman

 

Our area

Cooking on P-Day....

Watching a World Cup game

With Hna M

Water balloon fight!