THE DIVERSITY OF OUR CALLING

As a senior couple serving a mission we find that our duties are so diverse that we don't have time to get bored.  We do so many things.  This week in addition to the normal hours of financial reports, delivery of supplies throughout the entire mission, the mail runs, recording of all the baptismal records, office staff meetings, and everything else we do, we found the time to do a bit more. 

BABY SHOWER



We still try to get out and do a little bit of the regular friendshipping that the young missionaries do.  These are our neighbors, Eric and Naty.  They are expecting their first baby in February and they invited us to attend their baby shower.  We had such a pleasant time with them.  They are both from Peru but have made Honduras their home for several years.

 

MISSIONARY SUPPORT.

These two sweet sisters missionaries, Sisters Jimenez and Tercero, were robbed this week and it left them feeling nervous as you could imagine.  So, we traveled to Puerto Cortez to spend a morning with them, give them a priesthood blessing, change the locks on their gate, and just try to help them feel safe again.

 

SAYING GOODBYE

The missionaries come and go so quickly.  We are now saying goodbye to missionaries that arrived after we did.  Sister Abrica from Santa Rosa, California was the latest to leave.  When the missions divided last June we lost many of the missionaries we had loved.  About the only time we get to see them now is when they come into the office to leave.  It is kind of sad.

 

VISITING THE BRANCHES OF THE CHURCH

We typically attend a different ward or branch every Sunday.  This week we traveled together with President and Sister Dester to Nuevo Ocotopeque on the very far outskirts of our mission.  This is the furthest area away from the mission headquarters.  There we met with sixty-four awesome Latter-day Saints.  We had both been asked to speak.  Our sweet children, Alan and Danielle, had sent us 30 "Choose the Right" rings (Spanish versions) for Christmas.  LaRae went into the Primary and youth Sunday School classes to give them each a little ring.  It brought such excitement.  She had parents running all around looking for her because their child arrived late and they wanted a ring. 

After church we just waited for President Dester to finish up his interviews with the missionaries and with a few people from the branch.  While waiting LaRae and Sister Dester were surrounded by the little children.  It was cute.  Even though Sister Dester can't yet speak much Spanish, the little ones feel comfortable with her.  Love is its own special kind of language.

INSPECTING MISSIONARY HOMES

 

We still get out and do a few home inspections.  They range from pretty dang clean to the absolutely embarrassing.  It's pretty rare that we don't require the change of something: for example, defrost a fridge, take the tape off of the walls, clean the toilet, do the dishes  etc. We also check for needs such as a new mattress, stove, fan, etc.

 

HEALTH ISSUES ARE CONSTANTLY PRESENT

 

LaRae and I really don't do a lot with health issues, but the missionaries like to use us as a sounding board.  Here Elder Vasquez had an ingrown toenail removed.  He was bravely trying to wear his normal shoes, but they were killing him.  LaRae told him to wear his sandals until the toe was healed.  Sometimes age offers a little bit of common sense as well as wisdom.  We have so many health issues in the mission.  They range from rabies shots (honestly!), ingrown toenails, dengue fever, sunburn, athletes foot, regular flu and much more.

 

GENERAL AUTHORITY CONFERENCE WITH ALL OF THE MISSIONARIES

 

This last Thursday we had the opportunity to have Elder Adrian Ochoa of the Seventy and Elder Ullises Soares from the Seven Presidents of the Seventy with us.  Both the West and the East Missions were invited and we had over 300 missionaries there.  Some couldn't come because of the distance and the difficulty of returning home so late at  night.  It was a spiritual feast for us all.  Elder O'Campo, our Area Seventy, conducted the meeting.  Testimonies were born by both the Desters and the Kleins (the East Mission president and wife) and then by both of the wives of these two general authorities.  The theme of the meeting was obedience!  Elder Soares told us that he was impressed that there was a great need in these two missions for an improvement in the area of our obedience, dedication and focus upon the work. 

Wayne tried to take a couple pictures of the group.  These are the only two pictures he was able to sneak before he was asked to not take pictures in the chapel.  Maybe if you are lucky you will be able to spot your child here. 

 

 

 

Three hundred!  Just as the Spartans who famously held off the onrushing Babylonian hordes, this little group of 300 daily stand toe to toe against the evil of this world.  They do a great job and it is a pleasure to associate with them. 

SAN PEDRO SULA, HONDURAS.

San Pedro Sula really isn't very large.  We thought you might be interested in seeing where some of the major places we frequent are located.

Bus terminal

This picture is looking due north towards Merendon and Villanueva.  The bus terminal is the main hub of action for this city.  Literally hundreds of buses come and go from there every day.  It is the mail delivery system of this country. We put letters and packages on the buses and the missionaries pick them up at the local bus stop in their cities.
    The Catholic cathedral pictured here is the second largest one in the city.  Directly in front of it is what is called the statue of the mother.  It creates a roundabout for traffic.  Junior's grocery store is probably the second best grocery store in town.  We shop here occasionally.  The pyramid looking building is Banco Occidental.  Wayne does quite a bit of business there.  Directly behind it is the Intercontinental Hotel and a little mall.  The City Mall is beautiful.  It has just about every American brand name I can think of: Cinnabuns, Victoria Secret, Jareds, Florsheim Shoes, and just about every fast food place you can name, etc.  And then there is our office.  It is actually a Ford dealership.  Our office is on the third floor.  The San Pedro Sula East Mission office shares a reception area with our mission office.

Main Catholic Cathedral at city center

This picture is looking due west.  This picture shows the absolute dead center of town.  The Catholic Cathedral shown here is very large - a full city block.  This pictures shows it from the back.  Spanish culture always places the cathedral at the very center of town. Just to the right of the cathedral is the town plaza.  At one time it was probably a very beautiful place, but it is not kept up very well.  The Boulevard Morazán is what we would call Center Street in Utah. It is a very congested two lane road that runs east and west through the city. Both to the north and the south of this central boulevard the streets begin to number up from one.  Often banks are the largest buildings in town as is shown by the size of the main Banco Atlántida office building.  Every transaction involving money must be done inside of a bank.  Often - very often - the waiting line to enter a bank will be a hundred or more people.  We spend a lot of time waiting in bank lines.

This picture is looking south towards Fesitranh. The main road on the left is the road towards the bus terminal.  The other main road to the right is the Circunvalacion. (The belt way road that goes around San Pedro sula like a ring).  Our office is just barely outside of this picture to the left.  The white tower in the background is the Panarama tower where President and Sister Dester live.  Our house is in the trees just to the right of President Dester's tower.  It takes us about 15 minutes to drive to work.  It is about 6 miles - but only about two as the crow flies. 
    This is the city where we have lived and worked now for nearly a year and a half.  We have come to know its meandering streets quite well.  We know the areas to avoid and the areas that are relatively safer.  In just a couple of hours yesterday we drove nearly every single road shown in the pictures above to go to the post office, drop off some name tags, carry some papers to the Benque Stake Center where a zone leaders council was being held, pick up some office supplies, drop off a package at the bus terminal and more.  However, we spend the majority of our time right here in good old Bosque Real - our home away from home.  Our house is the one you see just to the left of the club house.  It is a wonderful place to live.  We need to take advantage of the pool more than we do, but by the time we get home from the office and cook some dinner we are usually too tired to swim.  Oh well, such is our life and our city - San Pedro Sula.

THE FUTURE OF HONDURAS IS BRIGHT

There are so many reasons to wring your hands and to say all is lost. The world is, obviously, going to the birds and most here in Honduras feel the same way about their country.  Crime, poverty, the destruction of the family and a hundred other factors sometimes blind us to the reasons for optimism we should have.  Several times since we arrived here we have read newspaper articles that tell us that San Pedro Sula is the murder capital of the world.  We should be terrified, but we are not.  Just take a minute with us and let us mention a few of the reasons we have for believing the future of Honduras is bright.

 

THE CHILDREN:

 

 

Their faces shine with joy! Each is a living testimony that love still exists in the world.  And so does hope!  These children come with divine potential.  In our opinion, as long as there are children there is a reason to be optimistic about the future.  Here in Honduras our LDS primary classes are full of laughter and smiles and song.  They sing with radiant happiness and a certain God-given knowledge that they are a "Child of God."  They don't doubt for a second that He will "lead them, guide them and walk beside them." In 20 years they will be mothers and fathers themselves.  They will have been raised with a solid foundation of truth.  They will not be blind to the evils of the world, but they won´t be participants in them either.   The future is bright.

 

 

Four LDS young lady wearing their Young Women's medallions and a recommend for the temple dedication

 

2. WILLINGNESS TO WORK

 

The people of Honduras feel that eight hours is a good start!  Many of them work twelve hours each day - often in strenuous, physical labor.  They work for pennies, but they never  miss a day of work.  They view work as a blessing, and if they are among the lucky ones who have a job they never fail to offer up their thanks to God for it. 

 

 

Day after day men and women are at their posts.  Even those who beg for a living never miss a day.  This fellow has been a familiar fixture for us here in San Pedro Sula.  He walks up and down through traffic in hopes for a penny or two.  Even on days when no one else is working we will see him.  Every time we offer him a tiny token he returns the favor with a cheerful "May God bless you."  We think God has blessed us to get to know these people and to witness their willingness to work.  The future of Honduras is bright.

3. THE GROWTH AND SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL 

 

Everywhere you look you see evidence that the gospel is rolling forth to fill this land.  Just last week the Fesitranh Stake was divided - the first stake division in fifteen years.  In March the first temple in this country was dedicated and the people are sacrificing of their time and means to frequent it.

 

This is the Leon family from Copan Ruinas.  They were the very first people baptized in that tiny little city.  Their daughter, Rosa, was set apart as a missionary this week by President Dester.  We were told that she is the first missionary to ever leave from that branch of the Church.  Their story of faith is so impressive.  While talking with him he explained that they had to walk 90 minutes to church every week, but that they are always there.  I exclaimed, "Ninety minutes!"  He calmly said, "It only takes 40 minutes on the way home because it is all downhill."  With people that have that kind of faith, the future of Honduras is bright.

4. THE AVERAGE MAN.

Honduras is home to drug cartels which traffic billions of dollars of illegal drugs throughout the world.  There are two rival gangs - both known by numbers: 18 and 13 - which cause certain areas of our city and this county to be terribly dangerous.  But, the average person here in Honduras is kind, a little bit shy, and quick with a smile and a warm hello.  Given the chance, they will open their hearts and their homes to people who are complete strangers. 

The Paulino family and the Rodriguez family from El Carmen

We have been welcomed and loved by these people.  They would do the same for anyone who came to their door bearing them no ill will.  More than any other reason, we believe the future of Honduras is bright because we believe in the overall goodness of their people.  The truth is that we will never fully recognize all the problems that exist in Honduras nor be able to express all of the reasons there are for optimism.  But, we believe in these people, and we believe that Heavenly Father has a special role for them to play in the unfolding of future events.  It has been an honor to be here.

OUR LAST HONDURAS CHRISTMAS

We are old enough now that we feel we can say with a high degree of certainty that some of our Christmas traditions are never going to change.

 For us it just wouldn't be Christmas without our salami and cheese hoagie sandwiches and our nachos.  A&W root beer isn't available everywhere, we're sure, but we were able to get a couple of cans of it this year which added even more to our Christmas eve's traditional meal.  LaRae's homemade candy filled the house with Christmas smells and filled our tummies as well as those of many missionaries.  We had to search far and wide to find cookie cutters, but LaRae's cookies were delightful and were enjoyed by all who were lucky enough to get one.

Our most special holiday tradition is to get together with family and that is what we did this year as well.  President and Sister Dester and President and Sister Klein have become like family to us.  Sister Klein wasn't with us for this Christmas dinner because she has flown home to her daughter's wedding reception.  Our time here was so sweet.  There was some "shop talk" that went on around the table as one would expect, but most of the time we just talked and laughed about family and former things.  After dinner there was time to sit out on the patio and relax in our 85 degree temperatures.

 

Gift giving is, of course, a tradition for us.  We kept our Christmas tree from last year and reused it with an equal amount of appreciation.  This year we gave chocolates to all of our guards (eight of them) and LDS Christmas DVDs to our eight neighboring townhouses.  In some cases it was the first time we had met them.  We had wonderful chats with them and look forward to getting to know them better.  LaRae and I exchanged tiny gifts - fridge magnets, necklace, nuts, candy and a tortilla saver.  We received a wooden countdown marker from Jennifer.  "Ninety-six days until we Return With Honor."  It was sweet.  We'll get the rest of our gifts sometime in January.  Oh, the "snail-mail" in Honduras!

The highlight for us was the privilege of being able to talk to family.  We spent from early morning until late at night talking with each of our children, and our Dad and brothers and sisters.  Skype is a modern miracle and makes serving a senior mission far easier.  We were able to see a portion of the joy each family was experiencing.  For this  blessing we are particularly grateful. It was nice to see that many of our Christmas traditions are being continued into the next generation. 

Otherwise, Christmas down here is just about the same as it was back home.  We didn't see Santa very often but we did see him once in the streets as we drove by.  The real question is...who is that "green man?"  The big malls were decorated with trees and ornaments and school choirs sang Christmas carols in both English and Spanish. The local Walmart (Diunsa) was almost completely emptied out of merchandise with the rush of their version of Black Friday. 

 So, from all of us down here in Honduras who are doing our best to offer the gift of the true gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, we wish you a Merry Christmas.

A MISSIONARY CHRISTMAS

 

Most of our missionaries would agree that the two hardest days of their missions are the two Christmas days that they miss being with their families. They dream of the Christmas days of the past whether they were white like the ones at our home, or hot and balmy like the one we will have this year.  At Christmas time there is nowhere like home!  We do our best to ease the loneliness of their situation and spread a little cheer.

Several times we have stuffed our car to the brim delivering Christmas packages that have come from families.  Back and forth to the post office, and up and down our office stairs we have gone in order to bring a smile to the faces of those who receive them.  Very few packages arrive for those missionaries who serve here from Latin America, but they often get to enjoy the treats that their companions receive.

This week we had a Christmas party for all of our missionaries.  We met in the chapel for a brief devotional thought by President and Sister Dester, then sang Christmas carols for about thirty minutes.  After that we had a very nice luncheon and topped it all off with a showing of "It's A Wonderful Life."  LaRae and Sister Dester made brownies and a big scoop of vanilla ice cream topped it all off.

Brother and Sister Kemish and Ana Martinez did the catering of our luncheon.  They always do a great job.  This time we had chicken cordon bleu, rice, potatoes, carrots, beans and rolls.

We joined with the Desters for an evening to tie ribbons around a special message for each missionary - green was in Spanish and red in English.  A candy cane went with each.

Zone pictures are a favorites souvenir of missionaries.  So we took photos of each zone.

Zona San Pedro Sula

Top left: Elders Hernandez, Baird, Ramirez, West, Woods, Hernandez, Roberts, Lui, Shuga, Zitting, Coronel, Alonso, Cani, Camacho, Cochran, Chajon, Lane, Alonso, Martinez, Jordan Garcia, Castillo.

Seated from left: Sisters Curtis, Marroquin, Escalante, McCuistion, President and Sister Dester, Sisters Morales, Joaquin, Vance and Bayles.

Zona Valle de Sula

From left back: Elders Fitzgerald, Palma, Contreras, Jaurez, Rios, Chuquisala

Seated left: Elders Novoa, Gomez, Garcia, President and Sister Dester, Elders Esperanza, Cortez, Galarza.

Zona Cofradia

From top left: Elders Erickson, Parada, Soto, Amescua, Maradiaga, Gonzalez, Valdez, Ollis, Reyes, Madsen, Scott, Cantarero, Duff, Shumway.

Seated from left: Elder Navas, Pineda, Lindsay, Rodriguez, President and Sister Dester, Sisters Moron, Pons, Elders Mower, Loyo.

Zona Merendon

Top left: Elders Dorrough, Estrada, Chub, Vermont, Stutzman, Cabrera

Seated left: Elders Cruz, Jimenez, Estevez, President and Sister Dester, Elders Zura, Lorenzo, Chanchavac

Zona Choloma

From top left: Elders Rodriquez, Guevara, Roldan, Lopez, Arnold, Morales, Jimenez,Williams, Pace, Hernandez, Quispe, Ramirez, Bailey, Best

Seated left: Sisters Johnson, Reyes, Harmon, Pickett, Gardner, President and Sister Dester, Sisters Vasquez, Castaneda, Jimenez, Tercero

Zona Yojoa

Top left: Elders Remington, Chapeton, Ramirez, Bryce, King, Marrero, Gutierrez, Monge, Rodriguez, Martinez, Passow, Itaehau

Seated left: Sisters Lopez, Marley, Luna, Alvarez, President and Sister Dester, Sisters Ramirez, Lopez

 

Zona Villanueva

Top left: Elders Van Neck, Ayala, Fetzer, Figueroa, Taafua, McRae, Ro

Seated left: Elders Chrisostomo, Merlos, Paredes, President and Sister Dester, Elders Santiago, Pacheco

Zona Fesitranh

Top left; Elders Sibrian, Castro, Moreno, Palma, Chavarria, Dawson, Holmes, Daniels, Espinosa, Meono, Miranda, Eulogio

Seated left: Sisters Porter, Grondel, Andrade, Dominguez, President and Sister Dester, Sister John, Elder John, Sisters Bahr, Whittle.

 

Zona Copan

 Back Left: Elders Vasquez, Loyo, Avalos, Coc, Dean, Aiono, Moes, Bingham, Larsen, Permann, DeGriselle, Young, Lyon, Mower, Nichols, Wing, Pablo, Giron, Melendez, Vargas.

Second row from left: Sisters Neibaur, Cumatz, Cardona, Miller, Robertson, Zelada, Arcia and Gisseman.

Seated: President and Sister Dester

 

From the 177 missionaries presently serving in the Honduras San Pedro Sula West Mission we send our love and greetings to all the families of missionaries who follow this blog.  We wish you a Merry Christmas.  We, of course, would love to be home with you, but for this short time we are grateful to be in the service of Him whose birth we celebrate at this season. 

STAYING SAFE IN HONDURAS

Much is made of the fact that Honduras - and specifically San Pedro Sula - is the murder capital of the world.  You can't dispute the facts.  Day after day the headlines of the newspapers announce another tragedy.  However, our missionaries are safe!  They are protected in a hundred different ways.  For example: health. 

Some people fear for their health when coming to Honduras.  We are careful with what we eat, and have never had much problem.  However, health issues are a part of mission life.  Beside the normal bouts with stomach problems we deal with a lot of ingrown toenails, athlete's foot, sun burn and heat rashes, mosquito bites and more.  We provide medicine every week to those in need.  Occasionally, someone has a serious problem.  This week Elder Rivera had to have his appendix removed and we were able to spend some time with him as he recovered.  The hospital was clean and orderly and the surgery went off without a hiccup.  President Dester stayed with Elder Rivera until he came out of surgery and was sleeping soundly.  We were there the next morning so he wouldn't be alone.  Elder Palma had a problem of a different kind.  He got bit by a rat.  We were positive that he would need rabies shots and so he was taken to a rabies clinic to begin the process.  They insisted that a tetanus shot would suffice.  So our nurse, Sister Bayles, purchased the injection and that is what he got.  Our whole office got a great laugh watching him squirm.  We love these missionaries.  P.S. He is fine!

Secondly... where the missionaries live. 

More and more, the communities here in San Pedro Sula are placing security guards and gates around their homes.  There are literally hundreds of such gates and entrances.  They check your identification when you enter, and call ahead to the family you intend to visit.  Inside of these places it is pretty safe.  The majority of our missionaries live behind some sort of security gate.

These security gates come in all shapes and sizes - the determining factor is how much money the tenants behind the gates have.

 

Thirdly... they (we) are protected by the people - most of whom are wonderful, kind and loving.

This week a hardened gang member stopped at the home of two of our missionaries and warned them that a rival gang was going to be there that night dressed in white shirts.  "To avoid being hurt," he warned, "you need to stay off the streets tonight."  Every single day people watch out for the missionaries of this Church.  A complete stranger walked up to us after we had just taken money out of an ATM that is visible from the street and warned us that we should never use any ATM that is so easily observed by those who pass by.  He added, "You need to always go inside of the bank." He then told us that his father had been killed doing exactly what we had just done. The lesson was learned.  Taxi drivers warn us of areas that are too dangerous to enter.  Members of the Church call frequently warning that a missionary was late getting home that night.  The local people know the dangers and they keep us safe.

Fourth... we are protected from above.

We are going to speak of this factor very reverently.  We recognize that there may be some who read this blog who are not of our faith and may not fully understand these words.  But, all we say is true.  God protects these young missionaries - often in very mysterious ways.  Elder Williams told of a time he missed his normal bus and had to wait for the next one.  He fretted for the fifteen minutes that he waited because he knew it would make him late.  However, only five minutes down the road they passed the former bus which had been hijacked.  People were both robbed and shot.  Elder Shuga left his backpack on a crowded bus. It contained information that he needed for the work.  Three hours later he saw a bus that he thought looked the same; he flagged it down; and there it was - his backpack!  A simple phone call was what got us out of our house the night thieves broke into our home.  Quick words of counsel, when heeded, have protected these missionaries for thirty-eight years!  No LDS missionary has ever been killed in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.  We believe that God guides this work and those incredible men and women who are called to preside over these missions.

These eight wonderful missionaries are living proof of all we have said.  From left: Elder Guaran, Elder Barba, Elder Funes, Sister Tolliver, Sister Lopez, Sister Cifuentes, Elder Lucas and Elder Garcia.  President and Sister Dester are seated.  They leave their very successful missions healthy and happy, having met every challenge with courage and safety. We are so proud of them.  Goodbye, our friends.