17 June 2013

Dear Family,

First of all, next week on Wednesday we have transfers. Strange to think that I'm most of the way through my first transfer. But... you should know that I might not write until Wednesday. My understanding is that on transfers weeks p day becomes Wednesday. I think I'll probably stay where I am, but if for any reason I get transferred to an area really far away, I might not write until Thurs. The moral...write me and don't worry too much about when I write back.

Okay, so this week, we've had a lot of practice listening to people's problems. I don't fully understand the problems because of the language barrier...even my comp can't always make all the details clear. And what I do understand isn't necessarily for me to share. But let me just say that there are a lot of people with complicated financial and family situations. In some cases, we try to sympathize and encourage them to have faith. In one case, we had to teach that the best resolution to the problems would come by being obedient to gospel principles...especially the law of chastity....that's a real theme here.

This week I've actually done a little teaching in English. We found two teenagers who lived for much of their life in the states...in Provo. So I was actually living in the same city as them for a couple years, but I had to come to Honduras to meet and teach. Anyway, the older one likes to still use English and my Spanish must be painful for her. So I give my parts in English. She speaks both languages. My comp mostly understands what I'm saying and I mostly understand what she's saying when she speaks Spanish. How's that for complicated? I don't know that she's really interested, but it was  fun small world moment.

Later in the week, we took a morning to go scrub a house for a sister in the ward. The next day, when we came to teach, she opened up about the things that have kept her from being fully active, problems in her life. I think our coming to help her helped her trust us.

Today we had a hermanas p day in San Pedro to say goodbye to Hna Veirs. We sang ¨As Sisters in Zion¨ in English. For the last week, my comp and I have been walking the streets of our area singing the song so that she could learn and practice. My favorite part about the p day was that I got to see my friends from the CCM. The girls in the picture were in my district in the CCM. I also have pics with me, my comp and Pres and Sister Veirs.

As we walk around our area, lots of people, especially kids, will call out Adios Hermanas. At first I thought they were mostly members, but they aren't. Our area is really small, and lots of people recognize us. Sometimes I am shocked when we meet someone who has never talked to the missionaries before, but we're still finding them.

Love, Hermana Davis 

On Bikes!

With President and Sister Veirs

Hermanas from the Guatemala CCM

10 June 2013

Dear family!

This week has gone faster than the ones before. I am definitely glad I have sandals. It's almost as if the weather was waiting for me to have sandals before the sky just opened up and poured. On Tuesday, we had a really strong storm that dumped lot of water. The power went out about 4 pm and didn't come back until 9 pm. I was super grateful it did come back so that I could have my fan on while I slept!

On Thursday, I had my first mini lesson in making baleadas. We went to a member's house for dinner. She had already made the beans and eggs and had the dough ready for the tortillas. I got to practice stretching the dough out into a tortilla and putting in on the pan to cook. My first attempt was rather a disaster. I tried to plop the tortilla onto the pan and it folded over on itself and got all wrinkled. I learned, however, the art of carefully placing the tortilla. I still need to learn how to make the beans and the dough, but hopefully I'll be able to make baleadas for you when I come home!

Since arriving in Honduras, I have started reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning in English. I definitely read in Spanish, but sometimes I feel like I need to focus more on the message and less on the words. Anyway, I feel like right now, I really identify with Nephi's adventure of leaving the comforts of home in Jerusalem and going to the wilderness and the unknown. At one point, I kind of wanted to serve a mission in a church history site. But in some ways I think I am learning more about church history by being here than in a Visitors' Center. I am learning what it means to leave the comforts of home and rough it a little. The church is relatively young here, so I am learning what it means to work in a place where most of the people, including leadership, are converts. I am also learning some pioneer skills like washing clothing and dishes by hand and taking bucket showers. Luckily I don't have to haul the water from the river and we do have sources to obtain purified water! But back to where I am reading. I've heard this before, but I was struck by just how important it was that the Book of Mormon begins with the story of a family who was asked to leave everything for the gospel, because that's what was asked of every new convert. And even now when we don't ask people to load up their handcarts, we ask them to make a lot of changes. We asked them to get married and not just live together. Here in Honduras, getting married can be a financial hardship for a lot of people, and so often missionaries and wards help people raise funds. We ask them to read the scriptures every day. This isn't a culture where people read for recreation, so asking them to read is sometimes asking a lot. And there are more things, but you get the idea.

Saturday, we spent much of the day helping a couple raise funds to get married. We were a little more involved in commercial endeavors than I would have thought missionaries would be. In the US, I would never dream of helping sell stuff to ward members to raise funds. But there is a precedent for it here, so who am I to question? But the most interesting part is that because we had so many places to be on Saturday, we rode around on bikes. Let me tell you, a borrowed bike and skirt (with no helmet, because we don't believe in helmets or seat belts here) is not my favorite combination. But I didn't kill myself. It was also great exercise, because we were on the go all day. Bikes in the morning, walking midday, and back on bikes in the evening. Also, in the middle of everything, we had to dash to the chapel to speak at a baptism for a child in the ward. I found out about the talk right before we left in the morning, so I gave a short talk on baptism with zero preparation. (I looked for a scripture to use right before the service started.) So Saturday was exciting.

Hna. Davis

3 June 2013

Dear Family,

It's kind of strange to write this letter now, knowing that I get to talk to you in a few hours. I am super excited to get to actually talk to you. My companion is great and generally communication isn't a huge obstacle, but I feel limited in what I can really talk about. We can figure out when we are going where and what we are going to teach. But it's hard to express what I'm thinking and feeling. I can explain that I can mostly understand sister so and so, but that I only heard two distinct words from brother such and such, but that doesn't quite capture my feelings about a lesson.

Good news! I have sandals! I will show you them this evening when we Skype. I emailed Pres. Veirs, and he said I might have to go to the mall in San Pedro Sula. Missionaries generally aren't supposed to go there, but doors open when you ask. The shoes aren't perfect. They don't have as much arch support as I get with my inserts, but I think they'll work at least for rainy days.

We have one investigator right now, Angel, who is just amazing. He's sixteen, has almost nothing, and lives with his older brother. He came to church two Sundays ago with another boy we had invited to church. After that we started teaching him. Most people either don't read what we invite them to read or don't remember anything. However, when we started teaching Angel, I almost thought he had memorized the Restoration pamphlet. When we came to bring him to church yesterday, he wasn't there. After a moment of despair, we learned that he had already left for church! He showed up at church with a group of young men. Someone had loaned or given him a white shirt and tie. He totally looked the part. Then, he got up and shared his testimony in sacrament meeting. I'm trying not to have my hopes too high on him since I think we really might have trouble getting his mother, who lives in another city, to give permission.

On Saturday, I had a fun service opportunity. A lot of our service involves helping with washing clothes or dishes. I really don't have much skill washing clothes by hand or washing dishes in at a pila. Accordingly, I usually feel useless. But, on Saturday, we walked past a family that was moving a pile of dirt, some sort of regrading event, I think. We offered to help and they accepted. Let me tell you, I know all about shoveling dirt into wheelbarrows. I felt like I was at home all over again, working on some project outside. I was really grateful for that moment where I could feel close to home. I also felt a little ridiculous about shoveling dirt in a skirt and dress shoes. Only missionaries do stuff like that!

Other things about here. A lot of the buildings are made out of concrete. Concrete floors, concrete walls. The roofs are often out of corrugated sheet metal, like Dad described in Argentina, I think. Occasionally even walls are made out of corrugated metal. Some houses have some wood too. Usually the wood has some serious termite (or carpenter ant?) decay. Almost every house has a gate (with a padlock) and fence surrounding the property. In some houses the gate adds some security, in others, it's just there out of force of habit and is falling apart. Lots and lots of people have dogs, partially as pets and partially as security. Also, a lot of the cats here are really, really small. Like every cat is a kitten. Maybe they eat them before they grow? But I don't think so. In some areas, there are a lot of chickens that basically roam loose in the streets. Chicken is definitely a staple here along with rice beans and everything you can do with a banana. They even have banana soda here. The first time I tried it, I thought it was good but strange, but like every other missionary, I am learning to love it. The trees here include a lot of the palm variety, but also some deciduous trees that seem similar to ones we have at home. I'm not a tree expert.

Well, I love you lots and lots and I can't wait to talk to you!

Hna Davis

27 May 2013

Hola familia!

It's been a busy week. Last week after I wrote you, I washed my clothes by hand for the first time, and this morning I did the same again! I'm going to be pro at pioneer skills by the time I come home.

For lunch today, I had pollo con tajada. Tajadas are fried plantains or bananas. (It seems it can refer to either.) So you have a plate full of fried banana slices, a piece of chicken (often fried) and then some sort of sauce. I think it's tomato based. It's really good.

Saturday I went to my first baptism here, a mother and daughter. I claim no credit since they were essentially taught before I got here. Hna. Nuñez and I sang  "A Child's Prayer." She sang some phrases in Spanish, and I sang others in English. We went earlier in the day to get everything ready and clean. Someone else was going to fill the font for us. When we showed up, several people were mopping up the room because the font had overflowed. Always an adventure!

Yesterday it rained for the first time. I had my first taste of getting rained on, but I think it was only a taste. My hardest thing here is learning to open my mouth. If someone wants to listen, I'm happy to share, but I don't like to be pushy. I also don't like to pry into people's lives, but it seems that for the next many months, my job is to learn to talk to everyone about everything.

Last night we started teaching a new family. We contacted their son, Walter, several days ago. He committed to come to church. Not only did he come, but he brought his brother and a friend. Last night we had a lesson with his parents. Families like that make me willing to take bucket showers.

My bathroom is fairly standard. It has a sink (of sorts), a toilet, and a shower area.

What else? The people in the ward are really nice. We have dinner somewhere almost every night. For lunch we pay a ward member to cook for us. This morning I had my first adventure cooking in my apartment. I made just-add-water pancakes. It's simple, but it made me so happy to be cooking in my apartment.

I have a request for your next letter. I'd like everyone to send a favorite scripture, quote, etc., and maybe a brief explanation of why it's meaningful to you. Also maybe you could send it Dear Elder too so that I can have a hard copy. I think I'm going to get a nicer set of scriptures soon. I'd be interested to hear any ideas or suggestions of how you like to mark scriptures or what you think would work well. (Using different colors, how much to mark, etc.)

Well family, I love you lots and lots as always. I think about you every morning when I wake up, sometimes as early as five in the morning. We don't have daylight savings time here, so my room gets light around five. I stay in bed until 6 or 6:30, but I don't sleep as well once there is light! 

Love, Hermana Davis