Talk About A Change

WELL HI.

Wow where to begin.

Thank you all for the emails, as always!  Steph, Joy, Jessi, Lizzie, Blythe, Kaya, Megan, Allison,  and Lara and the Fam (I AM SO PROUD OF ALL YOU ARE DOING!!!). I love you all, and I hope you are all doing great!  Stay strong, keep working hard, and FREAKING ENJOY CHRISTMAS TIME.

Quick shout out to a few of my beloved friends...  We have seen the worst of each other, both mentally, emotionally and physically, as well as the best.... of the same three.  This group of friends has blessed my life in so many ways, and I share things I learned there and from you all frequently during my time here in Honduras.  Dance Co.... Girls? And Gabe and Austin and Kimie?  I LOVE YOU ALL SO FREAKING MUCH.  I hope everything is going fantastic.  I can't wait to show you some of the dance stuff they do here.... It's hardcore latin and FREAKING intense.  But anyway.... I love you guys.  Dance your hearts out, every day - and don't lose a moment on the floor.  I know that for many of you, dance is a way of life..... SO KEEP DOING TO THE FULLEST.  Okay?? I love you all - keep it up.  And yes.... I have done our snail/catepillar move a couple times while here. Cuz why not?

And now.... Onto some crazy stuff.

Saying goodbye to Elder Roldan

Well.... Elder Roldan is currently in his home in Guatemala.  And I am still here in Laconse with a new comp.... But not just any new comp.  I am not senior companion... but we both have less than 6 months in the mission.  And we both have fairly new spanish....

Yep.  Guys, for my first change after training, I got another gringo for a comp.  Elder Tuft, my new white companion, comes from a familiar city.... of Springville Utah.  He knows a number of my friends, and I know a number of his.  He started his mission a change before me.... So.... We are both VERY new, and both VERY North American.  

Pretty great right?  

AND.... He looks like Kirby Heyborne.  LIKE.... BRO.  EXACTLY.

Say Hello to Elder Tuft!

But really, it is awesome. I am serious... IT IS FREAKING GREAT. We work WAY hard and we are doing some good things for the area I think.... He is an incredible guy and we get along really well.  We have had some incredible experiences already.... One of which I want to share with you.  

We had a day CHALK full of citas (appointments).  We were finishing up before heading to dinner, and we decided to start walking toward the area.  Then we passed this door.... I remembered it vaguely, sure that we had been there before.  I actually was pretty sure it was a member, but I hadn't seen her for a while and I didn't remember the house well (out area is freaking huge).  In fact, the member I was thinking of was one of the first blessings I ever gave in Spanish.  So... We kept walking, for only a few steps.  But those steps felt like a lifetime.... I knew we needed to visit that house.  So I told my comp that I was sorry, but we need to go back to that door.  He was willing, albeit confused by the abruptness of my change in direction.  He asked who it was, and as I knocked on the door, I started to say that I thought it was a member.  Within a second, the door opened, and there was the elderly member, in a really nice dress, staring at us as if she was quite sad seconds before our entering.  She invited us in, and then told us a story about that morning.

This woman, for background, has had some problems with her kids.... Several were members that then left the church after missions, or who just went off the deep end before she could help them.  She is a very lonely woman, as far as I remembered.  We were planning on visiting.... But we just never found the time.

Back to the story now.  She invited us in, and began to talk with us, but really just small talk.  We knew that something was a bit off.... So we asked, and she then revealed to us that the ward temple trip was that same morning.  We were aware, and asked if she went.    

She told us that someone from the ward had passed the previous day to ask if she wanted to come.  She had had a hard week, so it meant a lot that they would ask her to take part in something with the ward, as if they hadn't forgotten her.  He said he would be by in the morning then to bring her.  Well... The bus leaves at 4:30 for ward temple trips, because of the distance to Teguc.  So.... She got up at 3:00, got into her favorite dress, and began to wait, SO excited for the opportunity to go to the temple again with her ward family.  So... She waited.  Then passed 4:30, 5:30, 6:30... At about 8:00 of waiting by the door, she realized that they weren't coming. 

Now, as a note.... I do not write this to criticize the member by ANY means.  Life happens.  I only tell this because she was heartbroken the whole rest of the day. And... We stopped by.  And we gave a lesson that ended in tears.  And we are about to start teaching her (fallen away) daughter and son in law the gospel this week.  We talked about the atonement and love of Christ, the power of healing, the blessings and problems of agency, and we expressed the importance of forgiveness through the example of our Saviour.  In a nutshell.... She was at church and things were reconciled, she will be given a calling soon, and she has had two other visits with members as far as I understand since our first visit.  

Well.... I think I love being a missionary.  And I love Elder Tuft.  (Elder Tuft and Huff.... Or, Oof and Toof.  Fun stuff, huh?)  And honestly.... I love you guys.   I will keep you posted on big happenings.... as always.  But for now, I only wish to share my testimony of the whisperings of the spirit.

Frankly, this has been one of the big quesitons of my mission. You all hear the crazy stories of the times they listened to a prompting and how it changed their whole lives and such, right?  And I have always asked.... How will I know??  How do I recognize it when it comes?...

Well.... The scriptures explain it this way, in Moroni 7 if I remember right.  All things that are good come from God, and when following the 'good' feelings, you will inevitably being doing the right thing.  Emerson called it the Oversoul, and CS Lewis called it the Law of Human Nature.  And finally I have started to understand.  Literally.... God works through those 'gut' feelings, and the more you follow them... the more you will get.  And the more you get, the more you recognize the 'good', the 'better' and the 'best'.  And that is what I am currently trying to cultivate and connect to my heart and mind.... But it is REAL.  I can testify of that.  

JUST DO IT.  Whatever 'it' is, YOU KNOW.  JUST DO IT.  

I love you all.  May you all be safe and happy... And in this time.... Remember what the greatest gift of all really was - whose birth we celebrate this time of year.  

Til We Meet.

Elder Huff

Song of the week Nice Dream by Radiohead