Changes Otra Vez‏

Pues... here I am in the beautiful town of Santa Rita. Today was the craziest changes of my whole mission.

I woke up at 4:20 and just layed in bed awake until 5.30 because I was so nervous I couldn´t sleep. WARNING: This next sentence gets a little graphic. My poop has been kind of diarea-ish the last few days and I think it´s from all the stress and nervousness of this cambio. I felt like I was going to puke the whole morning, but I didn´t.

We got to change meeting all normal. Right as they were about to start annoucing the changes I starting getting super excited and punching the air like I do when I¨m super excited. Then Presidente Klein got up to the pulpit and reminded us to maintain reverence during the meeting. He said, "I know you´re all excited but I don´t need to see it." and he was looking right at me the whole time he said it... oops. 

OH well, I met my new companion and she´s awesome. Her name is Hermana Ardújar and she is from Puerto Rico. She is 21 and graduated with a degree in biology. Her family has been members since she was 1 so she is my first companion that isn´t a convert. She has pretty good english since she is from Puerto Rico. 

We left the reunion de cambios and went to Progreso for lunch before our treck to Santa Rita. It started raining during lunch and didn´t stop for a couple hours. Normally that´s not really a problem but we had all of our luggage. The Zone Leaders were traveling with us since I don´t know the area. We didn´t want to walk to the bus terminal with all our luggage so we were going to take a taxi, but then someone said we could catch a bus outside the antorcha. So we waited there for half an hour getting all wet in the rain before Elder Moreno said that he didn´t think a bus would come and that we should go to the bus terminal. 

We found a taxi to take us there so Herama Ardujar and I got in the tazi with most of the luggage went to the bus terminal to wait for the elders to come after the taxi went back for them. I was really proud of myself because I when we got to the terminal I was talking to all the bus conductors and taking care of the situation all by myself. I can totally do this.

We finally got to Santa Rita and Elder Moreno said he was going to call a member with a taxi to take us to our house, only they don´t really have taxis here. All they have are those things you see on the Amazing Race in Asia where it has three wheels and isn´t fully enclosed. 

We live in the same house with two other Hermanas. The house is so huge!! It is biggest house of all the missionaries in the mission. It´s awesome but it doesn´t feel homey.

Yesterday, the RS president, Vicky, and the familia Garcia and the other missionaries in Tela surprised me with a birthday cake since I¨ll be in Santa Rita for my birthday. IT was really nice. Hermana Cuc and the elders smashed cake all ove my face.

I miss Tela a ton, but I´m tring to keep a good attitude about being here in Santa Rita. Now I just have to figure out what we were going to do at six o´clock when pday is over and we have to go work... Ay no!! I´ll go take a look at the area book and see what there is. e´ll see how this goes. Pray for me.

Have a great week!!

Love,

Hermana Odekirk

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

No Title

This week was great. I am constatnly reminded that I made the right decision by coming on a mission, even though not every moment is perfect.

We met this lady on the street the day of transfers in July (it was funny because she asked Hermana Alfaro in english if she speaks spanish. Yeah Hermana Alfaro speaks spanish... she is from Costa Rica). Her husband died about four months ago so naturally I was really excited about teaching her the plan of salvacion. We got to here house and I was pumped up to have a "this is why I came on a mission" moment and bring joy to this mourning woman. She had questions about baptisms for the dead because they had mentioned at church on sunday. I normally don´t to talk about baptisms for the dead because it weirds people out but she specifically asked about it so we answered her questions, and she was all, " I don´t believe that. I would never be baptized for my husband." She also said that she has prayed about being baptized and feels like now is not the time. I guess you can´t win them all.

We have this family who has a date to be baptized but the parents have to be married first, and let me tell you after them talking to us about all their marital problems I will never become a marriage therapist. They already have 12 years together and August is free weddings at city hall, we just need them to realize how much the gospel will hep them in their marriage. But I´ve never been married, so what do I know?

The power went yesterday morning in the whole town so we had church without lights or fans or microphones. It kind of hindered our attendence. We only had 61. Poeple don´t want to come if there aren´t fans, but we are working on fixing the generator.

There is this adorable three year old girl, named Fanny, who is the duaghter of some investigators and everytime she sees us she looks up at me and whispers "quiero que me canten una cancion." It is so cute. So we sing her the first verse of I am a Child of God and she smiles. I just want to see her sing it primary some day.

Happy Birthday to my Dad!!!!

Love you all. The Church is true. Peace out.

Love,

Hermana Odekirk

I hit nine months this week. Normally I´m the type of person who is super sentimental and I would spend the whole day reflecting on the last nine months, but I didn´t. We didn´t do anything special either so... sorry this paragraph is really boring. I´ll do better in the next one.

Apparently no one understood what I was saying about ALma 26. I meant that I would´ve been really annoyed that Ammon went on and on for twenty minutes about how he glories in his God. I just forgot that molested doesn´t mean annoyed in english. Shout out to Elder Sailsbery in Peru who laughed when I used the word molested.

ON friday I studied a lot about the preisthood (I almost wrote sacerdocio) and I learned lots of cool stuff, including how to write the word Mechizedek. Yep, that´s right. I just typed the Mechizedek without looking it up. I know, I know. It´s super impressive, you can all calm down now.

My study of the priesthood also lead me to a question. What exactly is the ministry of angels? The aaronic priesthood holds the key of the ministry of angels but I don´t actually know what that means.

My recent convert Daisy Sosa now has a calling in the primary presidency! Familia Sosa is progressing so well. They are trying to go to the temple in Tegu in a couple of weeks!

My investigators Marvin and Carlos were playing on Playstation 3 when we went to visit them one day. I told them about how when I was little I played an original playstation and THEN I saw that had Rayman!! I loved Rayman when I was little. My sisters and I played it all the time. It was a happy moment.

We only had an asistencia of 76 yesterday. Not our goal, but it is at least still an improvement for three months ago. I´m happy about it.

Onto my favorite moment of the week.  We were in RS yesterday and hermana ALmendarez shared an experience she had on thurday. She had been sick for about three days and had been in bed the whole time. She said she had prayed for help and just a little while later she heard, "Buenaaaaas" and the sister misionaries (Hermana Cuc and I) showed up at her house. We asked her what she needed and she said a blessing, so we called the elders. Before the blessing she had been moaning and breathing heavy but after the blessing she calmly fell asleep, and by sunday she felt well enough to come to church. She said that the missionaries were the answer to her prayers. That´s why I came on a mission.

Well that´s all for the super interesting stories. Except, I really had to go to the bathroom about twenty minutes ago. Normally I try not to use public restrooms in Honduras but this was an emergancy, so I used it anyway. I attached a photo of the bathroom. At least they had soap and little bit of water so I could still wash my hands.

Saludes a todos.

Love,

Hermana Odekirk

"I expect full participation!" Do it if you know it.

"I expect full participation!" Do it if you know it.

So, a couple of weeks ago the door to family history library at the church broke so we had to start emailing at the internet cafe, which isn't as good because this one room in the church has air conditioning and we use the computers for free, but an internet cafe no. I was all excited because the elders told us the door was fixed, but we got here and we can't get the air conditioning to work so we're super sweaty. Oh well.

The RS president texted us this morning and told us that Hermano Rosales, one of the members of the branch died. We went to the family's house this morning to help however we could. I realized I've never seen that part of the preparation for a funeral. We walked in and Elder Lopez and Hermano Mynor we putting cotton balls in Hermano Rosales's mouth. Elder Nichol's looked at me and said, "Have you ever cleaned a dead body before? I checked that off my list this morning." Hermano Rosales looked really cute lying there in his white temple clothes. It's happy to think that he is probably enjoying being back with his wife. 

We were in a lesson with one of our progressing investigators. I've been working with this guy for about two months. He told us that he has some sins he needs to repent of before he can get baptized. He also tried to tell me that he doesn't think he can repent of this. He asked me if I have ever done what he has done. It was a real testimony building moment for me. Even though I've never had his experiences I have a testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I don't know exactly how he feels, but I have seen the affects of Christ's Atonement in my own life and I know that it covers all sins and all people.

I've been taught my entire life that faith is like a little seed, and while I'll gladly say that that's true, let's all get one thing straight: Alma never said that. In Alma 32 he compares THE WORD to  a seed. If you give place to the word it will grow. You need to nurish the word. Alma never says that faith in like a seed, he is talking about the word. 

We went out with the Webbs again on wedenesday. I have to translate sometimes and I really enjoy it, it's fun, but sometimes I get really confused. The thing is that sometimes I don't actually translate the spanish into english, I just say it more clearly and slowly so the webbs can understand. So, we were visiting the familia Sosa and Elder Webb said something in english and I started saying it to Hermana Sosa in english again just more more slowly and clearly like I do with the webbs sometimes, but the problem is that Hermana Sosa doesn't speak englsih. She gave me a really weird look and then I realized my malfunction and said it in spanish. She just laughed and put her arm around me, and said, "you're getting a little confused with all this translating" It was super funny.

We had interviews with Presidente Klein on saturday. Can you believe it's already been another three months? Holy moly! This 3 months was WAY faster than the last 3. It was absolutely wonderful, like always. 

Every interview I have I see Klein with his cheat sheets that have info about all the missionaries on them, so I finally asked him what's on there. He has two different ones. 

He showed me the first one that just has basic stuff like my companion, area, time in the mission, birthday, I play the piano. ha ha It also says that I like the snow and twizzlers. At one point he said, "I have something for you, what could it be?" I just smiled as he place that bag of christmas tree twizzlers (because when christmas comes and they haven't sold all the tree ones yet they ship them to Honduras) in my hand, and said "That's why you're the president." 

I asked him what the second cheat sheet has on it. He said that this one is more private, so he would only show me the line about me. It talked about how my parents are active members, I have my patriarchal blessing, I was baptized at 8 (you would be surprised how many missionaries in my mission got baptized when they 16 or 17 or 20 or 21 and then came on the mission. Awesome, huh?) I asked, "what's this box where I don't have anything?" He smiled and said, "That's where I keep track of how many times you've been robbed." I looked up from the paper up at him and then we both busted up laughing. He said, "How many mission presidents have to keep track of that??" Apparently there is one missionary who has been robbed five times. 

The Church also must really be true because Klein said somethings to me that I swear he only would have said if he had been prompted by the spirit. He also said some things that are super similar to my patriarchal blessing. I was thinking about it later, and the Church must REALLY be true because when I got my blessing I had never even met Patriarch Flint before but he said things about me are totally true. Entonces, I hope you all know the Chruch is true. and Presidente Klein rocks.

Also, later in the day Klein gave me a reference of a guy who lives in my area. I asked where he got this reference from and he just said to me, "I'm a missionary!! I'm always contacting people where ever I meet them." The referral is of a guy named Marco who lives in front of the Maxi and I was in shock because I've received a referral of this guy before!! I kept saying that marco is the uncle of someone I just can't remember who! I went home and checked my old planner and there it was: he is uncle of Carlos. I felt like an awful missionary for not going to look that guy up sooner. So we went on Sunday but he wasn't home so we are going to try again tomorrow. I really want to find this guy because he seems really prepared. The church is true.

Yesterday we 86 people in church!! I'm super excited that our sacrament meeting attendence hasn't dropped that much. Presidente Valledarez says if can hit 100 next week he is going to ask Klein if he can take us to Progreso to go get Pizza Hut. and if we don't hit 100 we are still going to Pizza Hut except we have to pay instead of him. Woo hoooo!! We are totally going to get free Pizza Hut. 100 people in sacrament meeting, vamos a hacerlo. It's been so amazing to see the growth of the branch here in Tela during my time here.

Baleadas: 218  

Love,

Hermana Odekirk

Just another week in paradise‏

What uuuuuup, hombres? I may be a representative of Jesus Christ but sometimes I still like to talk like a hooligan.

Yesterday was another awesome sunday! We had an asistencia of 84!! Not bad at all. Familia Garcia came to church again. The Relief Society president asked us to visit some sisters with her after church and one of the women was Hermana Garcia. That´s where Hermana Cuc and I found out that the RS President Hermana Vicky called Hermana Garcia to be her sencond counslar. Woo hoo!! Serving fully in your calling is the best way to keep yourself from going inactvie.

Speaking of service, we were walking to church and we saw Dixon, one of the young men, riding his bike the other direction. Then a couple minutes later he passed us again only this time he had Ozman, another one of the young men, sitting on the cross bar of his bike. (It´s a common thing here to see two people, even two grown men sharing a bycicle) That my friends is preisthood serice: a young man riding his bike to go pick another young man so that they can go pass the sacrament. It was a happy sight.

We left with the Webbs again on Wednesday. They are super fun. Sometimes working with them makes me baggy, because I think, "Man, it´s going to be so cool when I serve a mission with my husband some day... man it will be so cool when I have a husband some day... it´s going to be so cool when I get home and can date again" ha ha Don´t worry, I´m in no rush for all of that.

Okay guys, on to the cool stuff I h have studied or thought about this week. 

   1. "The keys and Authorityof the Priesthood" by Dallin H. Oaks. So flipping cool! He talked about how a lot of members assume that all the priesthood keys have been restored to the earth, but that´s not true because we don´t have the keys of creation nor the keys of resurrection. MIND. BLOWN. En serio, I don´t think I`ve had my mind blown like that in my whole life. Do you guys even realize how cool the Resurrection is going to be??

   2. According to dictionary.com, consecration: to make or declare sacred. to set apart to the serice of Diety. Sometimes we talk about consecration like it means to share something, but that´s not it at all. When we lie the law of consecration we are making our money, time, talents sacred, and therefor dedicating them to the Lord.

  3. Alma 19:16 WHO ON EARTH IN ABISH´S DAD??  What is his story? Footnotes provide no help.

   4. Alma 30:10 All through out human history there are things that have always been illegal, such as murder, stealing, adultery. For thousands of years in all cultures that I know of, but TODAY there is one thing that is no longer illegal: adultery. Today you still can't kill people or steal, but adultery is differnt. It is frowned upon, but isn't really illegal according to the government. I just thought it was interesting that only this one thing has changed.

   5. Alma 26: If I were Aaron I would have rolled my eyes about a billion times if I said, "Ammon, I think you're getting boastful." and then he went on for an ENTIRE CHAPTER about how he glories in his God. I would have been super molested. But I'm not Aaron, so I think it is awesome.

   6. Why do horses wear shoes? I've had this question my whole life but never asked anyone.

We go grocery shopping at the Maxi Dispensa and every week there is this 2 lb. bag of Hershey's miniatures. Every week I want it (it's kind of hard to find chocolate here) but I always forget to bring enough money for it, because if it 435 limps. That's more money than I usually spend on my entire week of groceries. I finally bought it today (and i'm super stoked about it) and I was reading the ingrediants and saw this: nonfat milk, milk, milk fat Why use nonfat milk when you are just going to put milk fat in it? 

Have a great week!! Enjoy having running water 24/7!! Execpt for Herana Turner in Morazan, I don't think she has water.

Also, I've eaten 212 baleadas.

Love,

Hermana Odekirk

 

 

91

Yesterday was the greatest sunday of my whole mission!!!! WE HAD 91 PEOPLE IN SACRAMENT MEETING!!!!!!!!!!! That´s the highest I´ve seen it since I´ve been in Tela. AND Horus blessed the Sacrament!! AND Angel passed the sacrament!! AND FAMILIA GARCIA CAME TO CHURCH FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS!!!!! I was walking on air all day yesterday. It was amazing!

And Familia Garcia live right by a family of our investigators and he is all excited about it wants to invite them over for a family home evening!!

And Horus is the greatest convert ever!! He was talking to this guy at work about something or other it ended with him giving the guy a pamflet of the Restoration. Then a few days later the guy was like "Dude, what´s the Book of Mormon? Can I get one?" Horus was telling me this story and he said, "I always carry my BofM in my backpack when I go to work so I pulled it out and showed it to him and told him I would get him one.  I am contantly in shock by Horus.

And he had a bracelets made for me and Hermana Alfaro. Mine is red white and blue (´murica) and it says Odekirk on it.... only he spelled it OdeRkirk. He felt really bad, but I´m happy about because now I have a bracelet AND a funny story 

AND I just got an email from Hermana Zamora in Olanchito saying the Edgardo and Ramon (who I taught and they got baptized right after I left the area) are going to go the temple today!!! Woo hoo!! Mis niños

I have so much respect for my companion Hermana Cuc. Like I said last week, she learned English here in the mission. I thought my first months were really hard, but I at least have 40% of the missionaries in the mission who speak my native language. I could talk to Hermana Holdaway or Elder Kesler She had zero. No one else in the mission spoke her native language when she got here. The don´t print Preach my Gospel in her native language, she just has a spanish one. I can´t even imagine how hard that must have been for her. I´m eating a good old slice of humble pie.

The saddest story I´ve ever read is found in Moses 6:31, which reads, "I am but a lad, and all the people hate me." Ouch.

We went out with Elder and Sister Webb yesterday. It was really great. We took them to meet the members and less actives and converts in our area. They are going to do really great things for the branches here is Tela.

There is a scripture in DyC that I really like, but I realized this week that it is actually two different scriptures that happen to be about the same general topic. Dyc 122:7 and DyC 127:2

I´m in a really good mood right now because we are in an internet cafe that I´ve never been to before and the internet is really fast here. I haven´t been able to upload my photos to bropbox in weeks!

Well, that´s it. Vayan a trabajar!! Pray we can keep the asistencia up, here in Tela. Love you all. Heavenly Father loves you all. I know it with out a doubt. Have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Odekirk