La Ultima

Latins greet each other by kissing each other on the cheek. To be perfectly honest, I hate it. When I'm talking to other north american hermanas I like to take the opportunity to not kiss them on the cheek, but last week I saw Hermana Haight and it was just so instinctive that we did it and as we back away she just looked at me said super seriously, "What did we just do??" Ya somos catrachas. 

Remember the Ferviente Oracion song I love so much. Hermana Vasquez has it on her flash drive but it's in english and let me tell you it is WAY batter in spanish.

Our shower head isn't glued on or anything so sometimes when I turn on the sink in the morning the shower head just falls off and the whole bathroom gets wet and then I get all wet trying to put it back on. I love Honduras.

Our neighbor was burning trash the other day (a common occurence in Honduras) and the smoke came in our apartment and all my clothes smelled like I just got home from Girls Camp! (Hna Holdaway: Turn down the mormon)

On Thrusday I did my very last weekly planning session. We were making  our personal and companionship goals and I looked at Hna Vasquez and jokingly said, "I'm going to go on a date on Saturday!" haha I'm so funny! Aren't you all glad I'm going home and now you can all enjoy how funny I am. ;) 

When I got to airport in Mexico City my very first day of my mission we were all pushing our luggage up this HUGE ramp and the sister behind me said, "I can do hard things." In Olanchito I always said that to Hna Holdaway and this week she texted me and asked if we can just freak out because we're almost done with our missions and then she said, "WE DID HARD THINGS." Freak. I want to cry.

I called Hna Andujar in Tela yesterday to ask a medical question and she mentioned that Tela had a sacrament meeting attendence of 102 yesterday!! I'm so happy they are still progressing over there.

Today is April 27, 2015. According to my missionary certificate thingy the church gave me in the CCM today is my last day as a missionary. I just don't even know what to say. There were days before I came that I didn't want to come, but I felt so strongly that this is what my Heavenly Father wanted of me and now I know exactly why. There are things I learned here in the mission that I could've learned somehwere else. 

I'm trying so hard to put my gratitude into words and I just can't! Like Nemo. 

I just know that God loves me and that this is His church. Through Juses Christ we can become clean of our sins and become better people. WE can change. 

I love you all.

Love,

Hermana Odekirk

P.S. I've eaten 461 baleadas.

No english, no snow, no sinks

This week in District Meeting Elder Morales was teaching the part where the latins learn english but we gringos need help. I know that "there's" is a word, but is "there're" a word. All the gringo Elders said it's not a word, but I think it is. No one remembers english.

I heard it snowed this week. God had a funny sense of humor. I literally prayed for it to snow before I went on my mission so I could see it one last time but it didn't anow until the day after I left! It's okay, I still know God loves me.

Today's happy/funny email comes from Kelene Fletcher who is currently sering spanish speaking in Virginia. i had told her last week that I heard that George Michael we love when I was in the centro and this week she wrote me this:

    "HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAA. that makes me so full of joy. When I get back, that's going as my ringtone. And on a completely slightly related note, I wonder if Guy on a Buffalo is still Bub's ringtone for me, haha. Remember when we watched that movie?

     I can't believe you are done. I'm dying. I still have a year left. WHAT IF YOU GET MARRIED. That would be exciting.

Also, the only thing I know about Honduras is what all the Honduranians here say, "It's a bad country, but I love it." Maybe I'll visit one day, haha."

     So everyone needs to watch Guy on a Buffalo. I literally can't stop laughing and I'm just remembering it. 

      So... let's just not think about getting married yet. Deal?

       That's a very true statement about Honduras. This country is terrible, but I love it with all my heart might, mind, and strength.

The last few weeks we've been helping a lot of people simply learn time management because they claim they didn't have time to read their scriptures. It just made me so greatful for my education and my mission and my family who taught me simple skills like that.

Go look up the word Charity in your Bible Dictionary. Right now. Did you do it? Bueno. On the mission I've learned about Charity. Charity is the higher law of love. It is what Christ feels for us. We are trying to get a couple married (what else is knew) and I finally realized they need to decide if they simply just love each other or if they have charity for each other. Charity is what builds real, lasting relationships among men. Charity isn't just giving service, it is learning to love people the way Christ loves them. 

  The first great commandment is to love God, which is faith. The second to love man, which is Charity.

Today I was reading the talk "The Priesthood Man" by President Eyring because I remembered that there is a really good part about prayer in there. I really love this talk, I don't even know how to explain why. Just go read it.

We went to Tocoa this week on divisions. I was doing companionship study with Hermana Bacon, who is from Provo and she shared that she read about the priesthood that day and how when she got set apart both of her grandpas participated and her stake president told her that she should appreciate that because on the mission she is going to meet so many people who are first or secong generation members and don't have any priesthood holders in their family. I felt so humbled as we sat and talked about how grateful we are to have so many wonderful priesthood holders in our lives.

We also went to Trujillo on divisions.... with Hna Babb and Hna Turner from the CCM!!! It was a wonderful reunion. But let me tell you, those two recently moved apartments and they now have the wost missionary apartment I've ever seen. In the whole apartment there is no sink. They have to wash dishes and brush their teeth in the shower. The funniest part is when I saw it all I wasn't even struck by it because I"m so used to Honduras. haha 

I've eaten 448 baleadas.

Have a great week!! 

Love,

Hermana Odekirk

 

 

Baggyyyyyyyyyyyyy‏

This week I´ve been kind of trunky for a number of reasons, one of which being that I received an eamil this week titled "Welcome back to Utah State University" Ay no, voy a llorar. On wednesday i took some time (with President Klein´s permission) to reigster for classes in the fall. Yep, it´s crazy.

On wednesday we were in Missionary Leadership Council and Presidente klein was saying that we aren´t allowed to watch disney movies on pday anymore and he explained it in this manner, "If you were going to go on a date you wouldn´t take a girl to the movies, right? How are you going to get to know each other in a movie? So how is your zone going to get to know each other better if you just go to the church and watch a movie? You should make pancakes!" so naturally hna Petersen and I were talking about how bad it is to go on a date to the movies and landed at "We should go on a double date when we get home!" Yep, she´s just as baggy as I am. ahah

Hna Vasquez and I had to spend the night in La Lima because I had to have my final interveiw and go to the doctor in San Pedro. I was talking President Klein about how he promised we could a have aFHE at his house but it never happened and he said we could do it that night! And he and Hna Klein said we could spend the night the night at their house!!!!! In most missions all the missionaries know the president´s but here in SPSEalmost no one gets to see president´s house before their last night when you eat dinner there. needless to say we had a say full of adventures!!

Presidente and Hna Klein gave a lift to doctor. When we came out the office elders were there! We waited for their appointment and then they gave a lift to the office. Yay for no rapiditos! Then we talked to President klein and I told what the doctor said and he said that having surgery in Honduras is not an option so it will happen when i get home, and I don´t have to go home early! THEN he took us to go grab Wendy´s AT THE MALL!!! We aren´t allowed in the mall without permission so I felt really weird. Then Hna Klein picked us up and I ate chicken nuggets and fries in the back seat of their car. It felt so normal, like something nromal people do. THEN we went with them to visit an Hermana who just came home from her mission that day. This Hermana lives in Satélite!!! All the members were shocked to see us because there are no hermanas in the whole stake of Satélite because it´s so dangerous.

THEN we got to their house and Presidente and Hermana Klein gave us ice cream and twizzlers and hot chocolate, and President asked me to play the piano. We slept in room with air conditioning. I used a BLANKET for the first time since the MTC!

In the morning we woke up, got ready, ate cereal with Hna Klein and then she took us to the mission office so I could have my final interview with Presidente Klein. I cried. THEN Presidente Klein took us to his favorite bakery and it was delicious! Then he took us to the bus terminal and we went home. It was a grand adventure.

Thursday and Friday were boring because the doctor said I needed to rest until friday so I just around and wrote in my journal and read Jesus the Christ and thought trunky thoughts. haha

I was thinking about it this morning and I want to go to Classic Skating when i get home. No one goes there anymore! I hope it´s still open. Rolling skating it totally under  appreciated in our society.

17 days.  Love every moment.

Love,

Hermana Odekirk

The Church had a new inciative this month: Because he lives. We as missionaries were supposed to have pass along cards and videos and we have to give a report every week and how we are using the iniciative. Well, our pass along cards never came, we downloaded the video but none of our ivestigators have computors or tvs that work, so... we just didn't get to do it. #honduras Oh well, we just taught a lot of lessons about the Atonement. 

Bednar gave a talk once called The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality and it is life changing. Then this month in the Liahona there was an article about the difference between sin and weakness. I've been working on focusing more during the sacrament and these talks helped me remember that the Atonement isn't just for sins, it's for weaknesses, so that Sacrament is a time for self reflection about our weaknesses not just our sins.

I called the mission nurse on saturday to talk to her about a problem and she asked me "How much does it hurt from 1 - 10?" and I almost laughed out loud because i remembered how much my sister Hollie HATES that question. haha

I had to watch most of conference in spanish so i didn't feel the spirit as much as normal. I also didn't hear it when the people opposed the sustaining. The translator on saturday morning was obvisouly from spain because he basically spoke with a lisp the whole time and it was really distracting. I don't have all my notes with me so i'l give my confernce commentary next week.

We were teaching this old lady and her tv was really loud. WE asked her to turn it off, but she said she would just turn it down, but her remote wasn't working. We tried to tell her that she didn't really turn it down but she didn't believe us!! We tried to keep teaching her but it was too loud. We asked her to trun it down again but just yelled "I've already turned it down a ton!!" It was super funny.

We went to the Stake Center for the very last session so I could watch it in English and I ran into Aaron!!! He went to all four sessions and he has been going out with the elders. It was so great to see him again.

I have my final interview with President Klein tomorrow. Hijole!!

Have a great week.

Love,

Hermana Odekirk

Untitled Work

So this week not much eventful happened.

This week Hermana Vasquez and I did divisions with the sisters in good ole Olanchito! I love Olanchito with all my heart. It´s just a small friendly town. It was so sad to know that this really was the last time i´ll see Olanchito, and all the people there.

On Tuesday we had a really  inspiring Zone Meeting and I just kept thinking "maybe I should extend another month" and then we did the divisions with Hermana de Leon who was supposed go home with me but she told me she´s extending!! So on friday I shot President Klein a text and asked if it´s too late for me to extend and he called me and just said, "youre telling me this now??" We talked and... it{s too late because the church already had my plane ticket booked, so don{t worry. I´m coming home April 30.

It´s official: Olanchito is WAY hotter than La Ceiba. I was dying when we did divisions. I love Olanchito but at this moment I´m grateful to be in Ceiba where it´s not as hot.

On my ipod I have a song by Motab "Old time religion" and it says basically that the religion of Moses is "good enough for me" and I thought: APOSTASY If that were true we wouldn{t need a modern day prophet. 

Hermana Vasquez and I have been working really hard and it feels so good. I loved Las Colinas but it got me really disannimated. Being in this new big area has given me more ganas (I don{t remember how to say ganas in english... I´m not sure it exists)  to work. WE have a lot of new investigators but not a lot of progressing investigators. We two with a date, but our most promising has a problem and we all know what it is: he needs to get MARRIED!!!!!!!!! But really though this guy is amazing. He comes to church, he reads all his assignments and I know sometime his girlfriend will turn around and realize they need to get married. I have faith.

One the young women in our ward has a friend who is a foreign exhange student from ITALY. It was so cool to talk to her at dinner last night. It made me trunky because someday I´ll make it over to Europe.

Hermana Vasquez went to visit a family of members because he is the Elders Quorum President and she is the Relief Society President. It was such a great experience to be in their home. We walked in just instantly felt good, we felt the Spirit. They were all so happy and you could see that it is because they are living the gospel in it´s fullest. I wish ever home could be like theirs.

Yes, today I complete 17 months. NBD

Baleadas: 436

Enjoy General Conference. Eat lots of Rice Krispey Treats. Cuidense mucho.

Love,

Hermana Odekirk

Confused

The mission is a year and a half of awkward and confusing moments. This week was full of those.

I was with Hermana Orosko for a few days leading up to transfers. I really clicked with her and was really hopeful that she would be my new companion. My ZLs never told her where she was going nor her ZLs so we assumed she must be coming with me!! About 10:00 the day of transfers I called my new ZLs in La Ceiba to ask something about my apartment and I mentioned that we were planning on getting to Las Acacias about 1:00 but Elder Vargas was all, "Hermana your new companion isn´t here yet" and I asked him, "what are you talking about? Hna Orosko isn´t my companion??" "No, hna Vasquez is your new compnaion." "Entonces, where is Hna Orosko going??" "um.... I don´know let me call the APs" There must have been a last minute switch. So we put Orosko on a but Mezapa and I´m here with Hermana Vasquez. It was pretty stressful morning.

On tuesday we had the trunkiest district meeting in the history of district meetings. Elder Hansgen decided we need to live what we teach (which is true) and he wanted to focus on lesson 5. So do you know what he had us do? He made us each write a list attributes of the "ideal mariage" (because lesson 5 is when we teach about eternal families)  then we all had to go around and share what we wrote.

We got to our new area on Wednesday went to look in our area book and let me tell you, getting white washed after elders os AWFUL!!!!!!  They had about five teaching records, their progress form most recent was in october and the teaching records of the recent converts don´t have telephone numbers!!! It´s a little frustraing but we are making it work. They also left the house really dirty , but whatever, it´s all good now.

Sunday we went to church and it was so weird. Las Acacias is a ward of about 200-250. I´ve never been in a ward this big before. I felt really unneeded. In some wards the missionaries have to do so much but here they all function just fine without us. It´s wierd but it´s really great. They´ve already given us lots of refernces and we already have a full dinner schedule set for this week. What more can a missionary ask for, right?

I am now missing TWO girls scout cookie seasons in a row. So i need people to but aa box a thin mints and save me some!!!!!!

I was browsing through this book called "honduras and the world" and it said that there are only 6 continents because south and north America are just one continent. That´s not what I learned... 

hermana Zamora taught a new phrase I really liked. "El es mi gallo" o "He is my rooster" It´s saying that you put your trust in him, he´s a really a good guy. If he were a rooster in a fight you would put money on him because he is your rooster.

Now that I am serving in a richer area of Honduras i see lots women with really pretty clothes and it makes me really baggy. Sometimes I really excited to go home and where high heals again. and drive a car, and bake cookies and all that jazz.

I´ve been thinking that last couple of months that need to improve my sacrament meeting worship. Not just show up and listen, but really think about the Savior during the Sacrament and think about how I can improve. It´s a work in progress.

Enjoy your week! Love the snow.

Love,

Hermana Odekirk

Betooooooooooos!‏

These last two transfers I have been craving a egg and ham breakfast burrito from Beto´s all the time. Zamora and I were talking with a member who happened to live in utah for a couple of years and she was telling us this story and she was all "  We were at Beto´s, do you know beto´s?" I almost screamed!      "When  you feel Beto´s you Beto´s, but when you don´t Beto´s you don´t Beto´s." -Deanna Wilson

She was at the drive through at Beto´s and she didn´t speak english yet. She was there with some women who had been the states for years so she assumed they spoke english but they didn´t. They wanted 4 burritos so one of them said "how do you say burritos in english? I think it´s donkey" so they askedthe lady at Betos for 4 donkeys! Then the lady asked if they spoke spanish and they ordered in spanish. Hermana Leti and Zamora and I laughed pretty hard.

I want Beto´s so bad!

I went to Las Acasias twice this week to get to know the area. It seems really great! I actually feel a little intimidated because it is a ward of over 200 people and they want to divide it soon. I´m excited for another adventure.

yesterday Hermana Orosko and I (not Hermna Zamora because she´s ending her mision so I¨m with Orosko until wednesday) were coming back from Las Acasias in a taxi and I noticed the taxi driver had a Real Madrid Sticker AND an F.C. Barcelona sticker. For you Americans who don´t know soccer (like I was) they are the biggest rivals int he world. So i asked why he has both of the stickers and he laughed and said, "because I don´t who is going to get in my taxi!" He said that if a Real sees that he only has a Barcelona sticker they´ll find another cab so he has to have both, but he´s really a Barcelona fan. IYou had to be there. I love Honduras.

I SHOOK THE HAND OF AN APOSTLE!!! We got up at two in the morning to take a bus to San Pedro. We had a conference with "la otra mision" San Pedro Sula West. It was really good. I really loved that Elder Anderson only talked about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Sometimes in this Church we get so cought up in planning activities and procedures and all that jazz that we forget the point of it all: strangthening our Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement.

A received her mission call yesterday so we thought "yeah we can take 15 mintues to go watch her open her call" but we didn´t know how the catrachos do it. Her brother stood in front of everyone in the house said, "wlecome to this mission call opening. I am conducting. We aer going to have an opening hymn and opening prayer by tal person." Then we listened to a talk by her cousin about missionary work, then there was a musical number, then we all guessed where we thought she was going. I thought she was about to open it but then her mom did another musical number! She finally opened it but there wasn´t time for being all excited because then her grandpa spoke, then her grandma gave a talk, then her dad , then her mom, then her aunt, and then Hermana Orosko and I were all "whoa, Ain´t no body got time for that. ya nos vamos." and we left. 

This paragraph was really long because I want you all to feel who long the mission call opening was. (She is going to Guate East btw)

I start my last transfer this week. It´s weird.

I´ve eaten 427 baleadas.

Love,

Hermana Odekirk