BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Brace yourselves, grab some chips and some Pepsi (like a good catracho) because this is a long one.

BAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! Tha's how I have felt the last 26 ours of my life. Yesterday was branch conference (which was wonderful) so Presidente Klein came. I walked into church and went to say hi to him. I shook his hand and said, "Presidente, como esta?" and he just smiled at me without showing his teeth like he does when he is about say something really important. He said, "Your dream is coming true." "what dream?" ÿou know what dream." So I said, "This means I have changes?" and he said, yes. "I'm going to train?" I asked.  He said, "Yes, you're a good missionary. You need to be training, but I need to take you out of Tela in order to do that."

I SSSSOOOOOOOOO sad to be leaving Tela. I absolutely love it here. I loved Olanchito but I would pick Tela any day. I've seen so much amazing growth here, in the branch and in myself.

Famila Sosa was baptized in May. a family of five. They are working in their callings and Nahomy on her Personal Progress. They are working on their family history to go to the temple in a few weeks and do baptisms. Hermana Sosa always tells us that their house it our house and it is true, I feel like I am with family when I am with them. I can't wait till they get sealed in a year.

Angel y Zulma were baptized in May. They two of the greatest kids ever, and I'll always miss singing I Stand All Amazed and doing our secret hand shake with Zulma.

Horus was baptized in June. I had to say bye to him last night and it was rough. I cried. Then he cried (then he suddenly went into the kitchen for a minute then came back. I think he was trying to gain his composure because he didn't want us to see him crying) then he cried again. His imediate family isn't very happy that he got baptized but he knows he made the right decision. I've loved seeing how strong his testimony is.

We reactivated Familia Garcia. Hermana Concha is second counselor in the RS now and Hermano Max was sustained as second counselor in the branch presidency yesterday. Max was giving his testimony about how they were inactive and they had all these problems but then the sister missionaries came and now their family is so much better. Presidente Klein was sitting on the stand listening to Max and he looked at me smiled and then I cried a little bit.

Familia Almendarez, Vanesa, Fausto, Marvin. Beh, now I'm getting all sad.

When I got to this branch there was an attendance of about only 50 people and yesterday we hit 100!!!!!!!  WE FINALLY DID IT!! 100 PEOPLE!!! IT was so amzing I can't even describe it. Presidente Klein said this is the only brnach/ward that has doubled in size in the last year. This branch is going to be become a ward some day, and I am so grateful that I have able to be a part of the work here.

I love this area so much, and I am so grateful that I'm going to have the opportunity to be a trainer even though I have to leave. Presidente Klein told me that my greenie is from Puerto Rico and that we've never had a missionary from Puerto Rico before. I AM SO EXCITED TO MEET HER!!

Now, onto the funny stories. I found a bunch of dead ants inside my pen during personal study. It was gross.

Before District Meeting on Tuesday we were chatting and some how we got on the topic of how awesome my dad because he's a pilot and Elder Nichols said, "All my dad does is pull out teeth all day." Then Elder Esplin said, "All my dad does is pull out babies all day."  Whaaaaa?  "... my dad's an obgyn."

The branch president wrote out the agenda for sacrament meeting and where it said who is going to lead the hymns it said, Hermana Odequier. Yep. I have name tag for a reason.

Also, I became ward choir director this week. That was a new experience. They wanted a choir for the conference and they asked me to be director. We sang I Know that my Redeemer Lives. It went really well. That's what I love about being in a tiny branch like this: I get to be a part of every facet of the ward. I've been ward choir director, sunday school teacher, family consultant, everything. It's been so cool.

Also, you know you're a spanish speaking missionary in Honduras when: on pday last week you all make baleadas and then Elder Esplin pulls out Elder Webb's 501 Spanish Verbs and then you play a game where Elder Esplin goes, What's the pasado perfecto subjuctivo de escribir? and then you have to give him the correctly conjugated verb. It got pretty competitive.

In my almost ten months as a missionary I have learned one thing: the church true.

Love,
Hermana Odekirk