Week 53

Hey everyone!

This week was very busy for us.  We attended a multi-zone conference on Tuesday.  I really enjoyed it.  It helped me to know the correct motive for my missionary service- love for God and others.  I learned that obedience is important, but to produce the right results, it needs to come from a sincere love for others.  I was also able to see Elder Sigler, an old friend from home.

We put on two activities for the branches on Saturday.  We made tacos for sale to help raise money, so the members can make the trip to the temple in August.  Then, later in the afternoon, we put up a 'tarde de películas' that included acts from many different cultures of Latin America.  It included an ending act about the Book of Mormon and Jesus Christ and how those cultures are connected today.  Both activities were a success.

We continue to work with four families towards the goal of marriage and baptism.  All are making progress and confronting difficulties.  We are planning an activity to help motivate and help them to continue forward.   We are excited as always to help these families progress spiritually and receive blessings personally and as families.  It comes poco por poco, but everything will work out well if we do our part because the Lord has already promised His part through His grace. 

I have been serving a mission for a year now.  I have learned many things and been able to help some very amazing people, and for this experience, I don't have words big enough to thank my family and my Heavenly Father for this opportunity to help His children here in Honduras.  Serving a mission is a difficult, but very rewarding experience.  I hope to give my best in the next half of this adventure!

I thank every one of you for your support, prayers, and emails!  They help keep me going every day!

Aaron and Elder Sigler

Week 52

We have the multi-zone conference tomorrow!

I'm doing well, but I haven't had the chance to take any pictures so sorry for that! But with the multi-zone and this week, I'll have the chance to take a lot of pictures!

We invited many people to go to church, but there was the 'carnaval' Saturday night, and 5 investigators who promised to go didn't go ugh.  

BUT, We have two sisters who we are going to get married and baptized in August (marriages are free in August)  and another possible family.  We are going to put up a special activity about marriage and the blessings of an eternal family.  We're planning on inviting a lawyer to help these families know how to do the paperwork (most people here have never done paperwork in their life).  We're very excited for them.  

This Sunday, we ate lunch as a district with President Klein in the house of Elder and Sister Webb.  It was fun.

Week 51

Hey everyone!

I got transferred to a new area.  It's a small, touristic beach city. There are a few hotels and resorts here, but the biggest attraction is the beach. It's very pretty.  There are two branches here, and both belong to the mission. The area is quite big and there's a lot of work to be done here, so I'm very excited to be here.  My new companion is Elder Durán from Chile.  I am excited to work here with my new companion and new area.  

It's mango season.  I'm having lots of fun picking mangos and eating them every day.  

Saying goodbye 

Aaron and Elder Duran 

District on p-day

Week 50

This week was nice.  We are teaching many people that desire to learn more about Jesus Christ and live his teachings.  A. will be baptized on July 4th!

This Sunday was really awesome because we were able to bring two new people to church, A. and B. We invited both earlier in the week, and both agreed to go.  We picked up A. and as we were heading for the chapel, I felt the impression that we needed to pick up B. even thought he told us he would go by himself.  When we got there, we found B. sitting in a chair without a shirt.  We told them that the Lord doesn't look at our appearance.  He then went to talk with his mother for what seemed like a while.  I prayed while they were talked fervently so that his mother would soften her heart and not oppose her son's decision.  The Lord had heard our prayers and B. left to go to church with us.  They both met new people and learned a lot.  

A joven from the ward was murdered last week.  It's very sad to know how  gangs, violence, and crime rob so many lives of young people here.  Please pray for their families.

Week 49

This week was good except for the two days in which my companion was sick.  We started English classes on Saturday.  I hope they turn out well.  We also did a service project with the zone leaders that consisted of breaking down a dirt wall and moving the dirt.  We were able to find new people to teach in the week, but unfortunately, some of the investigators that were progressing have stopped progressing.  The biggest difficulty seems to be going to church.  We'll work hard to help the investigators go to church this week.  

The best experience this week was finding a new family.

On Wednesday, we were contacting in one of the neighborhoods in our area to find new people to teach.  We met one family and shared a small lesson with the people present. After ending with a prayer, we felt pressed to ask if they knew anyone near their house that we might visit.  They said yes and gave us the reference of their neighbors.  We went to that house and were answered by a 15 year old boy named A. with his father.  They let us in, and we talked with the whole family.  We shared a small lesson with them and got to know them a little better.  A's mother has been a member for a long time and her oldest son also, but due to a severe leg injury they became inactive.  To resume the proceeding events: A. has been going to church with his uncle for a long time, and has a strong desire to follow Jesus Christ and to be baptized.  We later met the older brother, E, who had retired from the church for a while.  He really wants to return to the Church and put his life back on track for his family.  We are really excited to teach the families of A. and E. and know that this has been an answer to our prayers and efforts to find new people and families to teach.  

Aaron and Elder Soleis made banana bread for Elder Tello's Birthday.

Week 48

Hey everyone,

This week was good.  We have been working hard getting to know more people and teaching investigators. I got to know better some of the Elders in my districts doing divisions.  There was a baptism in the ward this weekend, which was awesome.  His name is E, and the other missionaries from the ward had been teaching him.  I met him months ago, so seeing the process of his conversion was special.  

We also participated in the stake talent show with the ward. This p-day we went to the beach to play soccer. It was the first time that'd I'd touched the beach here in almost six months.  Thank you for all your support and love!

Élder Peterson