Hola
familia y amigos!
Well,
the question is, “Were they the best two years?” Let’s take a look....
MTC (2 months) It was
tough trying to learn to work with someone else and have same goals in mind. I twisted
my ankle as an unexpected answer to a prayer and I was able to go and sing in
General Conference. I learned a lot from my teachers and met a whole bunch of
great elders and sisters.
Bella Vista (4 ½ Months) There I
learned how to be a missionary and how to teach people the message of the
restoration from a great trainer. Despite the short amount of time I was with
him, I learned a great deal. Next came the first challenge of having a
companion that didn’t really want to work and I had my first Christmas in
Honduras filled with tamales, fireworks, and chickens everywhere. I learned what I didn’t want to do or be as a
missionary and after several problems, received a new companion for a couple of
weeks and baptized a members husband, who is now sealed in the temple.
Cerro Verde (6 Months) Here I learned
how to work and work hard! Every day I came home tired, but this area is where
I had the most baptisms and where I had some great companions, including one
who was a repeat, which was a bit difficult. Here I learned how to study, how
to teach, how to help people get ready for baptism, and I opened up a bit to be
a little more bold with my companions. This is where I found one of my greatest
converts and is an area that I have missed for a long time. It is nice to know that
a lot of the seeds I planted in this area were later harvested and those people
were able to be baptized. Here I became a senior companion and learned how to
be responsible for my work and how to better manage time and efforts in the
work and I learned a great deal from each of my companions.
6 de Mayo (4 ½ Months) Here I became a step dad and
learned how to manage with someone who was fairly new in the mission and area.
This is probably one of the most dangerous parts of the country, but we very
blessed and never had any problems with anyone. We baptized some great people,
even though one went inactive due to medical issues. I learned how to have
patience with members, especially our neighbor, but learned a lot from Nephi,
to not let my enemies get to me, even if they are members. I trained a great
elder and although it was difficult and a challenge for me, I learned a lot in
the process on how to really focus on him and not on me and to try and better
myself every day. This was a great area and I was able to gain the confidence
of all the members very quickly, especially the bishop, despite his lack of
trust in the missionaries due to some past problems. I saw great examples of
faith and again some of the seeds I planted were later reaped by others. Gina's
husband was baptized recently and now they are looking forward to the blessings
of the temple!
Puerto Cortes (3 Months) I was not
in this area for very long, but it is one that I treasure greatly. There I
became district leader and learned how to help not only my companion, but
everyone in the district. I had one companion that I had a lot in common with
and another one not so much, but I learned to love them both. The members here
were great, especially the ward missionaries and Madaleno Thomas who soon
leaves for Tijuana, Mexico. I learned a lot from the stake patriarch and his
family. I also learned that not everything happens on our time, but on the
Lord's time, because the baptism of the Alvarez family was 4 months after we
had planned it, but they never wavered and are still strong in the church. I wanted
to be here longer, but the Lord needed me somewhere else.
Santiago (4 ½ Months) This was definitely my 'purifying
fire' as this was my hardest area, not only for baptisms, but also because it
tried everything that I had, including my patience like never before. I thought
from past experiences that it would be easy to work with the branch president,
however, things got out of control and there were multiple times where I just
wanted to quit. The members were great and despite it being a small branch,
they have a lot of faith. It just hurts when pride gets in the way of charity
and really being concerned for the people. Fortunately we worked through the
problems and had some great baptisms here. It was great to see how the message
of the restoration really blesses people’s lives.
Montecristo (1 ½ Months) The
area with the least amount of time and where my mission comes to an end, but it
was one where I learned a great deal and tried my best to be diligent and to
work, work and work. We covered 2 Wards and an extension and this was my
biggest area and we had some challenges because of how big it was. We have been
blessed with some great baptisms here, one being Nidia, who walks 6 km to go to
church, (and she’s pregnant!) She has a great deal of faith! This last weekend
we were able to baptize Antonio who recently had 2 strokes that left his left
side slightly paralyzed. Now a month later he is walking so much better than
before. His wife waited 25 years for him to get baptized and now they have
their eyes set on the temple! Finally, tomorrow, my last day of work in the
mission, we have one last baptism for Iginio. His wife has also been waiting for
many years for this day and now they have their sights set on the temple as
well. It was a short time here, but I worked hard and love this area.
So
were they the best two years? Of course, without a doubt! I have learned so
much, and have grown so much. I love this country and I love the people and it
hurts me to have to leave. I want to keep sharing this gospel, which is what I want
to do when I get home. Thank you all for your love and support and I hope that everyone
is ready for when I get home!
Hasta muy pronto!
Elder Neher
Elder Neher
