Week 13

We had baptisms on Saturday! Our investigator Manuel for baptized and two of the investigators of the Elders. IT was really great! It is so great to know all the blessings that they are gong to receive.

Unfortunately, Selvin and Elizabeth didn´t get baptized because they didn´t get married on friday. Elizabeth´s dad couldn´t come sign the paper giving permission for her to get married because he had to work that day and he lives two hours away. We are going to try again this week. Pray for a miracle.

I had my first real power outages this week. The power has gone out before but only while we´re asleep or in the middle of the day so it´s never been a problem, but this week the power went out at about six o´clock and the rule is we have to go home when the power goes out, so lit some candles and sat around in the dark. That happened twice. The good news is we were all told the power was going to go out staurday at six so we were super strassed about how to do our baptisms since we had them planned for six, but then the power never went out that day. Tender Mercy.

We still don´t have a phone. Most of the people in town haven´t had a cell signal in almost three weeks. It makes missionary work a wee bit more difficult.

La familia Castallón are some of my favorite people in Olanchito. The grandpa is ninety something and the grandma is seventy something. They are the sweetest people. ha ha Hermana Castallón told me that if I want to find a husband I have to go to La Ceiba because the men are better looking there than in Olanchito. They have two grown children and their son has 11 kids and they all live in the same house. I love it when we go to the Castallón´s house.

I have offically gained an inch around my waist. Now I actually have to start paying attention to what I eat and exercise in the morning and all that junk. Oh, well.

I am surrounded by people relaxing in hammocks all day long, but I never get to sit in one.

On Wednesday we had an acitivity for all the investigators of the missionaries in our ward and for the members, so they could get to know people and we could gain some references. We played soccer at the church and I realized that I love sports! All sports, soccer, pingpong, whatever, I´ll watch it. I sat on the grass (or the closest thing they have to grass) and watched and it was so fun. Also, it´s funny because even the latin guys who don´t really like soccer are still really good at it because they´ve been forced to play they´re whole lives.

The sister training leaders came on friday and we had no idea they were coming because we don´t have a phone. I went out with Hermana Hill again. It was really great. I learned a ton of stuff that I can do better. But I also gained a lot of confidence since I had to take the lead in all of the lessons we taught. It was a really awesome day.

Elder Real was going to perform the baptisms on Saturday so he was standing there in his all white clothes and his companion Elder Passey walked by and said "Daaang, girl." I laughed so hard I cried. The next time you see the missionaries remember that, yes, we are representatives of Christ, but we´re still just a bunch of punk kids.

Also, I learned the correct way to cut a tomatoe. The mission is making me a better person in so many different ways.

Have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Odekirk