Week #105 - The Best Two Years?

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