I have always believed in the revival type lets go down to the river to pray, kind of attitude and knew it was dominant amongst all kindred tongues and people. However Honduras perhaps has but some new age spin on the idea of worshiping our Lord. Personally I'm not buying it, however if you ever find your self stuck in Honduras and need to go to church, here are some quick little apostate things you can do to make your time of worship more Honduras like
1.Whoever said crosses were an apostate worship of the weapon that killed are Lord is sooo missing out. My first piece of advice is Deck thy self with crosses. Now I know what you might be thinking what if all my cross t'shirts, earrings, bracelets, and pants (no joke pants too) have gigantic images of the bleeding and suffering Lord affixed on the weapon of Satan? Well to this question I answer with what better way to invite the spirit than with images of the dieing Lord! put it on and get over here!
2. Modesty is always in style.... kind of... I mean its like a good idea and all but is it really necessary for church. I mean shouldn't it be fine to have cleavage, short skirts and tank tops abounding in a house of prayer and worship. So put on your "daisy dukes" and go to church.
3. Perhaps you have the question "my child may be the kid from The Omen, is it okay if I bring him to church and let him run free? To this I respond "Why not, he can join the rest of the demonic children running freely about"
4. Conversations during other peoples talks or lessons are not discouraged, but are actually encouraged. but please, don't lower your voice, we would like you to ruin the spirit for everyone else as well!
Oh the many more things I can write, but of one event I must call special attention. The realization of just how apostate Central American church can be all donned on me in one moment. The queen of all harlots of apostasy!
Perhaps she thought that the shiny rhinestone bunny with a bow tie was cute, that her short skirt was her "formal wear" and that her white tank top with the cute little owl on it was "conservative" however it does not matter what she thought. I just held in my laughter with all my might as she strutted into the chapel with a white hooters tank top... this of course went into my journal as one of my many "where am I moments..."
That's cool you saw the swim team and all of them!!! How are they doing* Gosh I am probably so dead to those people!! Scott who? Any ways things are going amazing in Honduras. I am so shocked at what doesn't even phase me anymore. Just the other day I was able to make a contact, and scorn a nasty drunk for touching me all in the same breath with out even getting flustered or losing track of my conversation with the contact. Its moments like that when I feel like a good missionary.
Elder Eslava my new comp is a fabulous teacher with abounding faith in me and my ability. However he strictly believes that when some one does wrong, they need to be punished. He has steps for everything
7 steps how to start a lesson
4 steps how to teach a principal
4 steps how to share a scripture
5 steps how to verify some ones commitments and whether or not they are keeping them
and 4 steps to make an appointment.
However these are subject to change due to the situation. If I mess up on a single step, the second we leave the house he just lays into me. Just says crazy stuff like why cant you remember that, and why do you forget this, what were you thinking? All that jazz. Even when I feel like I do all the steps perfect and teach a really good lesson he will find something new to rail on me for.
Now my feelings on this are mixed. It the end of each day I just want to scream. I feel like the worst missionary in the world, and that I suck at teaching. However due to his incredible ability to be displeased by my efforts, my teaching, and my Spanish are improving super fast. I am shocked at how fast I am learning and growing with him, even if that means taking some hits. I have just decided to accept it because in a round about way it's totally a blessing and helping me become a better missionary.
Well I don't know about you, but I am feeling depressed by my own email, so I guess this is the part for an uplifting I have faith story, so here we go!
(sorry it totally starts depressing, so please endure)
So Saturday I had like a "I want to go home and have Christmas" breakdown just lay there and want to die experience, but I was like "hey tomorrows Sunday, I will have like 15 investigators come to church, and I can just get lost in the work and forget about here and there apostate ugly Christmas." However my faith and hope was answered with trial. We invited scores of our investigator's to church, and many assured us of their coming. They were sincere and some had even come the week before, so I felt them coming was a given. Not one showed up.
So I sat in the new to the gospel people class zoning in and out of the lesson, I was just keeping myself busy being suicidally depressed. I thought about your story mom, and all the starfish. I was just upset cause I sat there at church and didn't have one stupid starfish to even try to throw back in the ocean. I felt worthless and home sick. the night before I prayed for some faith in my works, and I had received none.
The lesson was about family, and my one convert Hermana Sara Del Carmen Vasques was there. This precious lady has grown so dear to my heart. However one thing about her is she never prayed, or bore her testimony in front of people. It was always just a thing of hers. She just has a lot of attitude, and that's probably why I love her so much. Either way she raises her hand and begins to speak. Spanish never sounded so pretty, and I recognized it as a testimony. I decided to stop being so depressed and listen. She proceeded to bear a testimony that only Spanish could make so pretty. She talked of her family, and how the gospel was blessing her life. Suddenly her eyes began to fill with tears, and she started shaking. I couldn't believe. The rock, the practically cold, attitude filled, very distant around groups of people Hermana Sara was crying. Through her tears she continued to speak of her love and gratefulness to her God, for her family and his church.
I had to fight back tears of my own as realized the answer to my prayer. That my work wasn't a waste at all. That the one star fish I helped throw back was growing like none other I had seen before. That through my works one of my sisters was learning and growing and loving the gospel I thought her once seed of a testimony was now growing into a tree a the heights of which might exceed all others in this forest of people.
When life gets hard and we look at the long road up the mountain ahead I believe it is more then okay to take a look back. See where this journey of life has already taken you, the lives you have changed, the things you learned, the people you loved, helped, and those who have loved and helped you. With that strength and power those memories bring it is then time to shout "all is well" and press on. So that's what I have decided to do. Whenever things get hard I am just going to remember her dark Indian skin clothed in white standing in a baptismal font, and her beautiful testimony offered up to God as if no one else was in the room. As if she wasn't even talking to us, but simply letting us overhear the prayer and strength of her heart.
Put your shoulder to the wheel,
Letting you know all is well in Zion
Elder Scott Wayne Morris
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