MOVING DAY

The time has finally come for us to move into the new office.  But, we aren't the only ones who are moving.  President and Sister Veirs were asked to vacate their home so it could be spruced up for the new mission president who is going to move in there. 

Box after box of personal goods and souvenirs were boxed up and prepared to be shipped back to their home in the states.  It wasn't long until the house was completely empty.  Arrangements had been made for them to stay in the Panarama condominiums for the two weeks or so until the new presidents come to replace him.  These are the fanciest living accommodations in all of San Pedro Sula.  They deserve it. They have worked hard.

They are on the 8th floor.  President and Sister Destler, the new presidents for the West mission, will be staying on the 22nd floor of this same project.  The view is incredible, the facilities are the best I've seen, the security is tight, the staff is polite and professional.  The Church didn't go to a great deal of expense to furnish the home because they will only be here for a couple of weeks, but what they did put in here was nice. 

This view was taken from the balcony of the 22nd floor apartment where workers are busy finalizing everything for the arrival of the Destlers.  This is the area of Jardines del Valle (The valley's gardens).  The red roof you see at the far left of this picture is the security building for the project where we live.  We are no more than one minute apart. 
     After having the mission office in our home for nearly three months it has felt good to finally get all the computers, tables, supplies... and yes, missionaries, out of our home for awhile.  We're not completely settled into the new office yet, but we're getting closer.

One of the biggest challenges we have faced is what to do with all of the missionary supplies.  Well over 100 boxes of pamphlets, scriptures, journals and garments were shoved into the office.  These were just the things that we had formerly stored in our home.  We still have all the Book of Mormons there.

West office storage area.

There simply is no room for all the stuff we have.  So, while Wayne was trying to train a new financial secretary for the East mission, and undergoing a 2-day audit by the chief financial officer from Tegucigalpa, LaRae met with a Brother Bonilla from the Central LDS Distribution office from that same city.  They made a detailed count of every item we had and arranged to send them all to the distribution center in exchange for credit.  From now on we will be using their services as our main storage center.  It will be tough for LaRae, but there really was not any other option.  The puny sized storage areas in the office will not sufficiently house all that we maintain. 
     Slowly everything is coming together.  The old makes way for the new.  It is the natural course of life.  We have been so busy these past three weeks that there just hasn't been time to enjoy the process.  Outfitting the new offices, training new secretaries, being audited, trying to split the files, divide all of the beds, refrigerators, tables, chairs, stoves and stuff, and get them all moved to the right areas has been tough.  To make it worse the Church continues to send us more missionaries than we need to maintain our numbers.  This requires the opening of new areas.  Each time an area is opened it requires the rental and furnishing of a house.  It is a major hassle. LaRae still hasn't been given anyone to train in what she does.  This means that the East mission will be starting next week with only two trained secretaries.  All we can say is "good luck with that!"

    This coming week we will be losing only six missionaries.  Twenty-two new ones will be arriving to replace them.  The six that are leaving have all been zone leaders and are some of the very best missionaries we have had.  Their leadership and example will be very hard to replace.  Elder Jacob McNeil from Salt Lake City has been a zone leader for most of his mission - longer than any other current missionary.  He is such a happy, cheerful young man.  His zone loves him.  He has led with example and an energy that has been contagious.  In our opinion, he has been one of the very best!

Elder Daniel Benitez

Elder Colter Shirley

Elder Jacob McNeil

Elder Daniel Benitez from Guatamala has been a zone leader for over eight months and has been one that I could always count on doing things right.  Elder Colter Shirley, from Idaho, has also served as zone leader for that same period of time.  He has been an extremely dedicated servant of God.  His service has been quiet, steady and consistent.  Very few missionaries will go home with more to be proud of than he.


Elder Joshua Peterson

Elder Alex Williams
 

Elder Joshua Peterson, from Orem Utah, has served as a zone leader for eleven months now - nearly as long as Elder McNeil.  Elder Alex Williams, from Ohio, has been in the trenches for six months.  He is one of the very few missionaries who has had his girlfriend wait the entire two years for him.  We have truly enjoyed working with him.  He is very intelligent and has been true to the cause. Every one of these Elders has proven time after time that they can be trusted to do what is right. 



Finally, Elder Aaron Roper, the real happy guy on the front row will be leaving after having served in leadership roles for more than a year. This picture is of a zone leaders conference that was held this past week. We have loved working with him.  He has watched over the missionaries in his zone with great concern.  He has been a truly fine missionary. 
    All in all, six Elders will be leaving on Thursday.  They have a combined experience of over five years of serving as zone leaders.  Even though we love and appreciate all of those who come here to serve, we don't get to know all of the missionaries as well as we have come to know these six.  We love them and they will be sorely missed! 

SOME HELPFUL HINTS FOR MISSIONARIES ABOUT TO ARRIVE

It sure would be nice to have someone explain a little bit about what is and is not available in Honduras.  We remember, all too well, when we received our call we struggled to know what to bring and ended up bringing a lot of stuff we didn't need, and left home some others that would have been real nice.  So... here are a couple of suggestions. 

You can buy clothes down here, perhaps even cheaper than where you live.  "Camisas 2x100" would be translated as "Shirts, two for $5.00" Finding, however, modest clothing for the sisters is a bit more of a challenge.  The young LDS missionaries are asked not to frequent the malls that are found in San Pedro Sula, so the clothing shop that is pictured here is as nice as any that you will be able to access.  P-day clothes won't be your problem.  You barely have time to wear them anyway.  Save the space in your suitcase for something other than lots of P-day clothes.  Missionaries have access to a LDS Distribution center in Tegulcigalpa.  It takes a week or so to get things from there, but you can get them.

Food is tricky!  (Notice the fly inside of the wrapper on the right).  All of our missionaries have a hired cook that prepares them lunch. It is usually a member of their ward.  They pay $1.75 for this lunch and it is well worth it because (1) it saves you from having to eat on the streets where you will see nothing better than that above, and (2) you will get, at least, one good solid meal each day.  Every house is furnished with a little refrigerator, hotplate stove and a microwave.  We encourage all missionaries to have a hearty breakfast.  Eggs, juice and bread are relatively cheap and they are the staple of most missionaries.  Dinner is another matter all together.  We encourage missionaries to cook something up in their homes, but most eat dinner out on the streets to save good proselyting time.  If you do this you have to be careful.  Unfortunately, the sanitation practices of the street side vendors isn't always the best.  Fruit is plentiful 12 months per year.  The watermelon, papaya, mangos, oranges, bananas and grapes are divine but they need to be washed carefully.

This would be considered a relatively affluent area of town.  Probably 75% of the missionaries who arrive will work in small towns with no real shopping area.  Quite a bit of your food will be purchased from local "pulperias."  These little home-run stores are on nearly every corner.  What they lack in options they, sadly, don't make up for in great quality.  You will be able to buy toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo and any other personal hygiene item an elder or sister may need.  You may not get the brand you are  accustomed to using, but they are good enough.  You will need to be aware that you are going to walk on dirt roads much of every day, so your shoes are a major concern!  Our mission nurse has a nearly constant line of missionaries passing through the office to receive minor surgery to fix an ingrown toenail.  A lot of this can be solved by purchasing shoes of the right size. Sister John wears Crocks, the Mary Jane style because they conform with the missionary standard of shoes and they are washable. Even though the packet speaks of no sandals for the sister missionaries, sandals down here are a girl's best friend.  We have run this by President Veirs.  You can wear your sandals.  Most sisters do!  COMFORTABLE is the key, but remember that you are going to be walking several miles every day. It rains down here quite often so mud is a concern.  We have yet to visit anywhere outside of San Pedro Sula itself that doesn't have a lot of hills.  They get slick when it rains.  Being in pretty good physical condition will make the hiking a lot easier.  Bringing an umbrella is wise, but it's way too hot here for a overcoat type of raincoat.  And, girls, the only time you'll wear nylons is on the plane coming down here and on the plane going home - if even then.

It is hot here all of the time.  We have been here a year and haven't ever come close to needing a jacket or coat.  The real problem is wearing clothing that is cool enough and yet sturdy enough to last two years.  Elders will want a single long sleeve shirt for baptisms or special occasions, but they wear short sleeves out in the field.  Sisters wear skirts and tops, but they have to be sturdy enough to take a lot of washing.  You can see examples of what the sisters wear by searching through some of our other blog posts.  The only thing Sister John regrets not bringing is her favorite perfume.  Now, this is important: don't bring valuable jewelry or watches.  A $10.00 Walmart watch is your best option.  Leather bands rot in the humidity, so metal or plastic bands work best.

     It's gorgeous here, so a camera is awesome.  However, cameras are a favorite target of thieves.  So if you bring a camera it seems to be best if it is small.  Devices that can access the internet such as I-phones that can also serve as a camera are not allowed.  It's best not to bring anything like that as you will be asked to never use them. 
     Don't bring down very much USA currency.  You don't need it down here. You will receive all that you need. If you bring money you will simply have to hide it somewhere for two years. Many missionaries bring some sort of a debit card from home which they use when they want to buy souvenirs or replacement clothing.  Occasionally they will take a few dollars out of their accounts to treat themselves to a McDonalds burger or the like. 
     The mission nurse is responsible for dispensing all medicines, so unless your physician sends you with a prescription, don't worry too much about bringing things like aspirin, Ibuprofen or cold tablets.  You can buy basically anything over the counter here.  A small personal supply for a couple of weeks would probably be smart.
     Learn how to do laundry without a fancy washing machine.  Learn to cook without an oven.  Learn how to press your clothing without an ironing board.  Learn how to make the most out of tough situations.  And learn to smile even though you haven't understood a single word for the last ten minutes.  Learn to pray for someone other than yourself and your family.  Learn to talk to perfect strangers and somehow love them instantly.  Learn how to actually fast and to not even once think about food.  And learn how to be grateful for adversity, appreciative of even the smallest gesture, and respectful of cultural differences. Learn how to do something in a microwave other than heating up Spaghetti-Os.  Learn how to get up early and be awake.  Learn how to use the internet as the mail system here is expensive and not dependable.  If your parents don't have an email account, help them set one up.  Doing so will save you a lot of money and it will assure that they get to read the letters you write.  And learn how to budget your money as you will not have much.
    Oh, you are in for a wonderful experience.  You will fall into bed exhausted every night.  Like most of us, your journal will start out with long entries, but fairly soon be full of entries that say only, "Great day!  I'm tired, so I'll write tomorrow."  Being a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in San Pedro Sula, Honduras is a spectacular way to spend the next two years.  Invite your friends to join with you.  And, we will see you soon. 

Love, the Johns

LIFE BOTH AT HOME AND ABROAD

When your birthday pinata is bigger than you are, you know that life is good!

It isn't Alex Almendares' birthday today, but he has been delegated to blow up the balloons for his one-year old nephew.  This little family has grown to be one of our favorites.  After many years of membership in the Church they had grown tired and had fallen away.  Our visits seemed to reignite a little flame. Alex has now put his papers into President Valladares to serve a mission.  We are so proud of him.

Ismael, Fanny, Sister John and Osiris Almendares

We dropped by for Ismael's birthday party but because of another engagement we couldn't stay long enough for Sister Blanca Alemendares' famous pizza.  She has made pizza for her family on the 18th of each month now for many years and lots of people know it, so they drop in for a slice and a quick visit.  Why the 18th?  It was the day of their baptism long ago.  Traditions are amazing sometimes.

We had been invited to participate in a round table discussion about marriage.  This little ward in Puerto Cortez has been having troubles and the bishop (seated on the right hand side of the table in the white shirt and tie) decided to have a series of seminars on marriage in hopes of strengthening the families in his ward.  We were the second couple he had invited to present to them our ideas.  We had prepared for a few minutes, but largely we just let the Spirit direct our words.  We spoke with them and answered their questions for two hours.  They would have loved to have had us stay longer but it was a long drive home and it was already dark.  The young couple that is seated directly across the table from LaRae asked if they could take their picture with us.  They told us that they hadn't been coming to church for a long time, but after hearing us speak and seeing how we treated each other they decided right then and there that they were going to get back to doing what they should be doing.  It doesn't get better than this.

We will be moving the office from our home into the newly constructed office during the next few days.  It's definitely time for this move.  Elder Cannon and Elder Rangel have been incredibly tolerant of the somewhat difficult situation we've had, but this week we have had others in our home being trained, and others just hanging around occupying space.  Movers have been in and out all week long which also added to the confusion.  A quiet moment is rare, but when one comes we take advantage of it.  Here Elder Cannon slumps down into his seat to try to find a little bit more comfortable position.  He truly is one of the finest young men we have ever known.  We love him deeply and appreciate all he has done to make this mission a better place for everyone.  His health still isn't the best but we have never heard him complain or seen him slack off.  And, Elder Rangel isn't a step behind him.  We have been blessed to have had these two fine young men in the office these past months.

We haven't entered a blog for the past two weekends because we went home for a daughter's wedding.  It didn't take very long to get right back into the swing of being grandparents.  Oh my goodness, how we have missed those tiny little ones.  For eight days we surrounded ourselves with loved ones.  We took advantage to have teeth cleaned, get a couple of chiropractic sessions in and to pick up a couple of items that we just can't find in Honduras.  Our big purchase was a queen sized foam pad - Memory Foam - for our bed.  We are hoping that it will help us rest a bit better and to avoid the soreness that has accompanied these past months.  It filled an entire suitcase to bring back, but after only a couple of days we can honestly say that it was well worth it.  

   We have missed our family, but we have been somewhat adopted into other families here in Honduras.  There truly is no other manner of life that is better for a older couple like us than to serve as missionaries.

  

Our family has now grown to include 263 missionaries from all over the United States and Latin America.  We eat together, play and pray together.  We are in this work together.  Like any family we have our weird ones, but we love them all.  

   The move to the office is fully underway now and by the middle of next week we will be there full time.  It's lovely and we believe it will service our needs adequately.  The storage space is smaller than we would like, but the offices will be comfortable.

Photo taken from inside the West mission office looking towards the East mission office

We'll be full!  Especially when all the cases of scriptures arrive.

President Dester's new office.  Very nice.  

Well, we're back in the swing of things after our short visit home.  The work continued while we were away, but it was kind of nice to get back and realize that we were missed.  

SPECIAL COMINGS AND GOINGS

This was a week full of arrivals and leavings.  On Monday night and Tuesday we received 28 new arrivals.  On Thursday we sent home 13 faithful young men and women.  Those that arrived were full of anticipation and concern.  Those that left were full of experience and faith.  We could see the difference in their faces.  The new missionaries were tired because they had flown all night long to get here; the old ones were tired because they had finished well their fight. 

Because the office is still under construction we have no spot to train these new ones better than in the home of President and Sister Veirs.  This group is historic.  This is the first group of USA missionaries to arrive since the lowering of the age requirement.  Sister Aubrey Palmer (front row, second from right) called her bishop the very afternoon of the announcement.  She is nineteen years old.  Sister Marissa Hill (second row, middle) is another first for me.  I am 99% certain that I taught her mother in seminary.  Another first: Elder Ben Zitting (second row, fourth from left)  is the first of our 18 year old USA Elders. Welcome to Honduras, you faithful generation.



Those that are leaving represent a special group of faithful missionaries.  They will be missed.  From left, front row: Elder Muralles, Elder Chen, Sister Rodriguez, Sister Jenkins.  Second row: Elder Ames, Elder Matta, Elder Ehlen, Elder Rojas, Elder Michelson, Elder Tulafale.  Back row: Elder Peterson and Elder Giles.  They each have a story and each deserve special mention.  They will always have a spot in our heart.

Elder Mario David Chen
from Coban, Guatemala holds a special spot in our hearts.  He is a tiny man with a giant spirit. He served faithfully in every position in the mission, from trainer, to DL, to ZL to AP and finished up strong as ZL in Festirahn.  We truly loved his contagious personality and laughter.  Everywhere he served they met with success.  He now returns to his homeland, a faithful young man.
   With the arrival of new missionaries there is so much to do. Homes need to be rented, furnished, and prepared.  Assignments are prayed over time and time again.  And there is the seemingly endless stream of training that has to happen.  Along with President Veirs and the APS, each of us in the office have our little part to teach. It is getting easier each time we do it, but we still have our challenges.

Even with all of the work that goes into this week of arrivals and departures, we try to find the time to remember to be nice.  LaRae doesn't pass up on an opportunity to show these elders that they are loved.  Elder Rangel celebrated his birthday on Mother's Day.  So while he was talking on the phone to his family we popped in with a birthday cake and a rendition of "Feliz Cumplianos a Ti."  They appreciate these moments.  Some of them have never blown out the candles on a cake before.  It took Elder Rangel three tries to get them all out, but to our laughter and applause he finally succeeded.
   With our new assignment to do special teaching throughout the mission we are finding ourselves even busier than normal.  This week we traveled to La Lima to teach a seminar on money management and to Puerto Cortez to teach a seminar on happiness in marriage.  We missed a third one because Wayne was working feverishly to finish all of his financial dealings before the Church shut down their financial programs for two weeks.  This put a lot of stress on Wayne this week.  Hopefully, all got done, and done correctly.  We didn't have internet service for three days this week, and so Wayne had to go to President Veir's home to finish up all of his duties.  It really made things tougher this week.
    The power grid system of this country is in shambles.  We seem to lose electricity, internet, or water a couple of times each week.  Sometimes, we lose them for entire days.  As we were driving down the street this week we got a glimpse of one reason there are so many problems.

This spider web of cables are all stolen electrical lines leading to little tin roofed shacks out by the river.  They all connect to the power line that is just to the right of this picture.  By doing this people can light their homes, run a TV and a fan without having to pay for the electricity. The problem isn't the stolen power.  The problem is the stolen cables.  They will steal a cable that connects to another home to run power to their little place.  It is hard not to feel bad for them.

Changes bring new faces.  Elder Nicholas Hebert was called to be one of the two new APs.  He is one of the happiest young men we've ever met.  No one seems to ever have remembered seeing him without this smile.  Even doing the dishes doesn't seem to phase this powerful young elder.

This is our new office staff - sometimes goofy, sometimes serious, but always willing.  We love the feeling of unity and love that exists among us.  This is the group that will be responsible along with President Veirs to split the mission this next month.  Truly heavy is the burden that lies upon their noble shoulders.  From left, front row: Elder Nicholas Hebert (AP West mission), Elder Mosiah Polendo, (AP West mission).  Back row from left: Elder Braxton Buffet, (AP East Mission), LaRae (mission secretary) Wayne (finances), Elder Hunter Cannon (mission secretary over nearly everything.  We call him "Cannon-can!"), Elder Jose Rangel, (Mission secretary over immigration) and Elder Sergio Moreno, (AP East mission).  It is a privilege to work with them.

The celebration of Mother's day wasn't much different than it is back home.  Stores were crowded with shoppers searching for a special bargain for their mother.  In Church the mothers received a tiny plastic and silk flower. However, no talks were given about motherhood and other than the sign on the whiteboard, there really wasn't much mention of it.  In priesthood meeting the men teased each other about having to cook dinner AND wash the dishes. This is something that they just don't do very much down here.

On Wednesday morning nearly 200 excited young missionaries crowded into the chapel at El Benque to learn where they would be serving for the next few months. We now have 263 missionaries in our mission, but only those who are being transferred to another location come to these meetings. As always, some were very excited and happy while others were a bit disappointed. With each new assignment there would be cheers and squeals of gladness. The majority of these assignments will determine which mission they are going to be in when the division occurs in six weeks.
 

NOT EVERY WEEK IS EXCITING

Not every day, or every week, is exciting.  Most days I do exactly what you see here. You can learn a lot about me by looking at some of the details of this picture.  (1) I'm waiting for something to download.  A lot of time is wasted doing exactly that.  (2) My little black box is full of money.  All of what you can see here is money that has been returned by missionaries over the past couple of weeks. (3) The sign on my printer reads: ¨Missionary (noun). Someone who leaves their family for a short time, so that others may be with their families for eternity.¨(4) All the sticky notes are witness to my every shortening memory.  (5) The priesthood manual under the stapler and my scriptures under the money box are what I do when I am bored or waiting for a program to finally download.  (6) My grey hair speaks for itself.

17,423 Lempira.  This is the money that has been returned to me by hard working, honest missionaries over the past couple of weeks.  It looks like a lot, but it is only $850.00.  Still, it represents sacrifice and a growing understanding of what missionary service ought to be.  We are so proud of these missionaries.  It took the bank teller a full five minutes to count it all.

Our future office is nearing completion.  The first coat of painting is all applied.  The colors you see are the colors that it will remain.  This picture was taken inside of my future financial secretaries office.

This week was so normal.  On Monday LaRae packaged everything for the missionaries that would be sent out the next day.  I spent five hours running errands, going to the bank and another six or so on the computer.  We worked from 7:30 a.m. until nearly 9:00 p.m.  We do this every Monday.  On Tuesday we got up at 4:00 a.m. to drive to the airport. As soon as we got home we jumped in the car and headed out to deliver the packages LaRae had packed the day before.  This takes us until 1:00 p.m. and I consider it the hardest five hours of the week.  Usually we stop and eat lunch after this, but this Tuesday we didn't have time to eat.  Computer work until 7:30 p.m.  Wednesday was also normal.  LaRae spent most of the day entering baptismal records. I spent the day renting out new houses, paying bills and doing errands. We did have a couple of teaching opportunities that day. Thursday was tough because the electricity was off from 8:00 until 3:00.  So while it was off we ran to the post office, the bank, the Fed Ex office, a little store named Tehcnigrafics where we are having 300 mission pins made that were designed by Elder Cannon, the grocery store, and more.  When the power finally came back on LaRae spent five hours preparing a list of the charges made by the missionaries. Friday was more of the same.  I spent 12 straight hours on the computer inputting charges.  LaRae finished the baptismal records and sent them off to the Area Offices in Guatemala.  All in all it was a pretty normal week.  Five days, twelve hours a day.

Two more were baptized in El Carmen tonight.  Brian Salgado (center) was baptized two weeks ago.  Today his parents were baptized largely because of his example and the things he has taught them.  He was their missionary. Sister Aguilar and Sister Zelada are doing such a good job in El Carmen.  We love them both.

In between all the normal we do get an occasional opportunity to do something fun.  On Wednesday we drove to Villanueva to teach a seminar to the missionaries of that zone.  They have been struggling with money.  LaRae taught for fifteen minutes about how to fill out correctly baptismal records and then about their purchases from our little distribution center.  I then taught them how to make a workable missionary budget.  We answered their questions the best we could.  It was a sweet experience.  That same night we were asked to teach a lesson about marriage to a couple in the Fesitrahn zone who would like to be baptized but don't want to get married.  They were a cute young couple with a one-year-old son.  We did our best, but I don't think anything changed in their minds that night.
    We enjoyed this week.  President and Sister Veirs were out of town so we didn't get our normal Friday night game night with them - and we missed it! The APs were also out of town visiting Roatan.  With the new missionaries arriving next week and all the transfers and changes that are made next week that left a ton of things to do.  The work load is increased because of the imminent mission split and the preparations needed to make sure that they land on their feet running.  We had to rent a huge home in the other mission boundaries to be used as the home for their APs and Secretaries and the storage of all their materials. We sent Elder Cannon and Elder Rangel out to buy mops, brooms, buckets, pots and pans and stuff for the new homes.  Because of the huge increase in the number of missionaries we will open up another six new areas next week.  LaRae had to make an order of all the materials the other mission will need to get started in their office and in the field.  It's busy.  We rarely have any free time.  We are happy and well.  Our official "hump day" is this coming Monday.  YEAH!

A NEW ASSIGNMENT AND HISTORY IS MADE

EL CARMEN.  This little branch does it right!  They don't miss a beat in the way they do things.  The very day after Melbin, (seated here) Brian and Cristian were baptized, they were all confirmed members of the Church and given the priesthood. All of the ordinances were performed by the members of the branch.  The way they welcome the new people into this branch is incredible.  Arms are extended, homes are opened and bonds are forged.  The feeling of "family" is so strong that only two days after Brian was baptized, his parents asked for baptism.

Sister Lauren Aguilar and Sister Martha Zelada are working with them now so that they will be prepared for the 18th of May.  We are happy for them.  Brian came to Church for months all alone.  At the time, his mother felt that we were some type of a club,and so forbid him to be baptized until after he turned 18.  His faithful persistence has now paid off.  In just a couple of weeks his entire family will be members of the Church.

This week was a historic week in the Church - at least, in the San Pedro Sula Mission.  Due to the huge number of young women who are applying to serve missions, the Church has decided to have young women serve as zone leaders (or their equivalent) in an attempt to better train and assist these young women. All of the zone leaders and four selected sisters were called to a training meeting in San Pedro Sula this Thursday.

The four sisters selected to lead the sister missionaries of our mission were Sister Lauren Aguilar from Utah, Sister Alejandra Fernandez from El Salvador, Sister Diana Lira from Nicaragua and Sister Jenny Espinoza from El Salvador. Due to the dangerous circumstances of Honduras only 15% of our missionaries are young women.  These four young sisters will do much of the same work as the zone leaders do who are seated behind them.  They are amazing missionaries.  Sister Fernandez is our top baptizing missionary.  At this meeting they stood and told the Elders what it was that the sister missionaries needed from them.  It was awesome!

President Veirs asked the question of the young men leaders.  "Should our expectations for the sister missionaries be any less than it is for our Elders?" Obviously, it should not be. I am thrilled by this change in the missionary program.  They are going to bless us all, but especially the young women who have been called to serve in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

Rangel, Buffat, Michelson and LaRae

Here they are - the cream of the crop.  Twenty-eight zone leaders, four sister zone leaders, our two little secretaries (Rangel and Cannon) sitting in the back, and President Veirs standing behind them to the left.  We each took our turn instructing them.  LaRae only took about ten minutes; Wayne took about 30.  Wayne told them that because of the changes that had been made in the financial workings of the mission, we had saved enough money during March and April of this year to completely pay two missionaries to serve their entire missions and still have enough money left over to take out 273 partidas.  They were thrilled.  Wayne has asked sacrifice of them and they have responded.  In two months the savings to the mission have been 241,000 Lempira = $12,050.  We can do more, but we are on the right track.  After our parts we were responsible to pick up some lunch.  Typically, we get pizza, but this time we sprung for Subway sandwiches. They were all thrilled.  Many of them haven't had a Subway sandwich since they left from home.
   Elder Carlos O'Campo, our area Seventy, came and spoke to us for about half an hour.  He spoke of a meeting he attended recently with the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve.  They expressed concern for the youth of the Church.  His words were about that subject.  What can we do to strengthen the youth of the church in Honduras?  Many wonderful suggestions were offered.  However, my favorite suggestion was offered by Elder Tinkham (He is the missionary to the far left on the front row above).  He said, "No one falls out of the Church who is praying, studying their scriptures and attending Church. If we can get the youth to continue to do those simple things they will be fine."  We agree 100%.

The rest of our week was pretty much normal. 40-50 hours on the computer, 10-12 hours running errands, and still trying to work with members when we can.  We had a new assignment announced at this meeting.  They announced that from now on we don't have an assigned area, but rather we are at the beck and call of all the elders in the mission.  If they have a tough family that just isn't progressing and needs a special push, they are to call us and let us have a shot at them.  This could get overwhelming.

This picture is of an open manhole drain in the middle of a road in SPS.  There are hundreds of them.  People steal the covers to sell for the cost of scrap metal and thus the open holes remain with gaping jaws to swallow up unsuspecting motorists.  At night time they are hard to see.  I'm sure that more than one motorcyclist or driver has lost their life to these holes.  That is kind of how we see our assignment as being right now.  It is a gaping wide black hole that swallows up all of our time, our talents, our resources. There doesn't seem to be any way to fill it all. We're tired, but honestly, it is better than sitting at home watching TV.