Week #12--Chickens have large talons

Gringo Selfie

Emma's investigators Hector and Nancy

Hector

The Hermanas of Olanchito

Emma's favorite Chapin

P-day!

Mas P-day!

Hello, everyone!

Here's a joke that was on the inside of my coconut-flavored sucker wrapper this week:

¿Como se dice perro en ingles?  - Dog

¿Como se dice veterinario en ingles? - Dogtor

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

I can't believe that I'm already almost done with my second transfer.  Time is going by so quickly!  I feel like I just started my mission yesterday, but I'm already in my 12th week in Honduras, and my 18th week overall (I don't remember English very well, so I don't know if overall is one word or two.  I tried Googling it but Google here is in Spanish and I'm too lazy to change it to English.  HOUSTEN WE HAVE A PROBLEM).

As you all know, I spend most of my day teaching people about the gospel.  I realized this week that I haven't really talked that much about the people that I've been teaching, so I thought that I would take some time to introduce some of them to you.  I love them all, and they're each so unique and special.  LATINOS ROCK.

- Hector Martinez:  Hector is the funniest 50 year old man I've ever met.  I've been teaching him the whole time that I've been in Olanchito, and he knows a lot about the gospel.  He always has really good insights when we're read The Book of Mormon, and he wants to be baptized!  Sometimes he's like, "Hermanas, I don't have time for a lesson today, but blah, blah, blah, blah, blah" and then he'll talk about how his belt is from America for like 30 minutes.  And it's like, "Oh really, Hector?  You don't have time to talk about the gospel for ten minutes but you have time to talk about your belt for half an hour?"  Este chistoso hombre.  And then once I was like, "How many kids do you have, Hector?"  And he was like, "19."  And I was like, "AÑSDLKFJASD FASDAASLDKFJASJFF WHAT SO MANY."  And he was like, "Don't worry, they're with lots of different women."  And then it's like, #facepalm #lawofchastity.

- Ingrid:  I started teaching Ingrid with Hermana Muñoz.  We've taught her the Restoration and she's come to church with us once.  Last week during one of our lessons, she said that she prayed and got her answer that this is the path that our Heavenly Father wants her to take and that this is the true church.  #winning

- Alex:  Alex is an 11 niño.  His mom is a member, but she's been inactive for basically her entire life.  But Alex is amazing!  He's so excited about the church and the gospel.  He loves singing the hymns, has come to church with us twice (he even has a white shirt and tie now!), and is reading The Book of Mormon!  And he gives the most beautiful prayers.  Que masiso este niño.

- Nancy:  Nancy is 23 and is basically me in Latino form.  Aka she's super sassy and sarcastic and I love it.   

- José:  José is amazing!  We started teaching him last week, but we've already challenged him to be baptized and he's accepted!  He's prayed and knows that this is the true church.  When we started teaching him, he didn't have a job, but since he's been taking the lessons, he found work!  This was such a testimony to me that this gospel really blesses all aspects of our lives.  Heavenly Father is answer José's prayers and blessing him as he moves forward in this gospel.

- Josue:  Josue is really cute.  But I'm a missionary sooooooooooooo.  But lemme just say that if I was gonna marry a Honduran, it would be him.  So yeah.

Hermana Muñoz and I have lots more investigators, but you guys probably don't wanna spend all day reading mini bios about the people I know here in Olanchito.  But now you guys know a little bit more about my family here in Honduras.  I truly love the people here.  I love walking down the street and knowing everyone.  I love walking down the street and having little kids scream "Hermanas!!!!" and come running up to hug you when they see you.  These people are my family.  

Hermana Muñoz and I started teaching a new family this week, and the second time we went over to visit them, they were like, "Hermanas, we need your phone numbers and your emails before you leave Olanchito.  Never forget your family here."  How amazing that I grow so close with these people so quickly.  I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY.

This week in Honduras:

- I saw a dead animal in the street while we were walking to church on Sunday.  And by dead animal I mean I don't know what kind of animal it was but it was the size of a cat and it had the tail of a rat.  And it also had other rats crawling around it and eating it and crawling inside its organs and stuff.  Super yummy.

- An investigator gave us a drink called pinol this week.  It's basically corn meal dumped in a class of water and it's really not good.  Like at all.  But when they ask, "Hermanas, do you like it?!", you smile and say that it's the best thing you've ever tasted.  Let me just say that my acting skills have come in handy down here.

- A cow literally almost killed me.  We were sitting on a bench outside an investigator's house (and by bench I mean log) teaching a lesson, and all of a sudden this cow comes running, AND I MEAN RUNNING, CHARGING, GALLOPING (idk if cows can gallop but please humor me) AND I ALMOST DIED.  The end.

- I was helping Maria de los Angeles make tamales this week and there was a chicken leg in her pot of meat.  Not like a chicken leg like "Oh, I'm gonna eat a chicken leg from KFC" chicken leg.  Like an actual chicken leg.  With the talons and stuff.  And in response to your question, Napoleon, yes, chickens have large talons.

- Hermana Muñoz and I saw Jevovah's Witnesses in the street the other day.  And it felt like one of those Star Wars moments when the bad guy and the good guy see each other and then whip out their lightsabers.  Except we don't have lightsabers: just Books of Mormon and umbrellas.  But it was like an epic struggle between good and bad, truth and lie, life and death.  Just kidding.  Jevovah's Witnesses are fine.  It was just funny cause like, lol Jevovah's Witnesses.  This was funnier in my mind.  Sorry guys.....I'm not funny.......

- Someone call 911 cause I'm actually starting to like Honduran food.

May the force be with you.  And sorry that this email sucks this week.  But you know you love me.  Xoxo.

Hermana Holdaway

"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ." - 2 Nephi 25:26