This week was a little bit slower. We had a lot of meetings in Tegucigalpa, so we didn't have as much time to teach and it is just better when we can work hard for the whole day and not just a few hours. I think our investigators suffered a bit from the lack of attention. No one came to Church this week. ZERO investigators. Woohoo. But we will kidnap them this Sunday. 

One of the meetings was for the hermanas. That was the reason I wrote on Tuesday. Then we had a meeting on Wednesday for all of the new missionaries at our 6 week mark. I love these meetings and I think it is great that Presidente has them. I can feel his love for us and I know that he cares. And I now know how to make my way through Tegucigalpa which makes me really relieved. 

The first part of the meeting was him speaking. He spoke about obedience. Then the sister leader trainers reviewed 12 semanas with us and how we can use it better, then the assistants taught us how we can plan better. I loved it all. Then Presidente has a time when all of the trainers leave the room and he talks with the newbies. This is when he asks about any concerns or questions. It was kind of intense this time. Basically he figured out that the trainers aren't using 12 semanas or following the schedule. Out of all the new missionaries (over 20) my companion and I were the only ones who followed the schedule exactly and did our study time right. We need to be obedient, because we need the blessings. But this knowledge resulted in an extra hour of training for all of us. Poor Presidente. He looked pretty worried. 

Zone Conference. 

Presidente talked for an hour. Powerful. Then the sister leader trainers taught and then the asistants. All followed the modelo de capitacion. And then Hna. Fortuna taught us. I think about how to recognize the spirit. It was really good. I will have to look at my notes again. Then we had lunch. The Zoneleaders provided it. Rico. Carne asada tacos and rice and heaven. And tres leches. Then presidente talked to us for an hour about simple things like being clean. He told us we need to shower in the morning and in the night. 2 times. That is going to be the hardest rule to follow. 

I have realized that work is the best medicine. It was flattering. My companion asked if I had always been this diligent. Considering I was feeling pretty lazy in that moment, I felt pretty good. I was even more motivating. She hasn't seen anything yet! But Time goes by way faster. 

I am in love with the hills. I get excited every time. The view is always wonderful and my legs can feel the burn. 

I ran out of time! Love you all! 

Michelle

PICTURES:

You know, just the average walk to the house of a member of the branch presidency. No big deal. Through a river and up a mountain. 

I am not quite sure what type of fruit this is. You eat the white part. And my face really isn't this red. I just got done playing ultimate frisbee.

Tell me I don't live in Paradise. I dare you.

Lots of Blessings!

Dear Family,

Sorry that I didn´t write yesterday. We had a reunion con all of the Hermanas. There are over 40! Sis. Fortuna talked to us about how we could control stress. Then a lot of the sisters presented a little bit of their culture from their country. SKits, songs, dances. THen they fed us. Food is happiness. 

Pero, this week was a week of miracles! Let me list them for you so you can enjoy my JOY!!!

1. I GOT THE PACKAGE FROM MOM!!! I have never been so happy in my life! IT HAD PEANUT BUTTER!!! I am cherishing it like gold. It was my comp´s birthday the next day so I let her try pb and oreos and basically she loves me. It is so good. THere was also a mini beach ball that I have used to teach English and PRimary. GRACIAS!!! There was also sunscreen that is my new best friend. It is way easy to reapply. And oother cosas of happiness. 

2. We started an English class and it was successful! 3 investigators came! And a menos activo entered the Church for the first time in 15 years! We are going to continue becasue we don´t know Spanish, but we totes know English! If anyone has any tips on how to teach it, feel free to send it my way! 

3. We are finally learning to use the members! Hallelujah. We went on splits with the RS last Thursday. They are so helpful. There are no addresses in Honduras so it is crucial to use the members to find menos activos. We are doing more today. 

4. WE HAVE 3 BAPTISMAL DATES FOR THIS MONTH! THat will double the number of dates for the YEAR! I am so excited. 2 of them committed the first time we taught them. Most of their family are members, but they haven´t been to Church in over 10 years. But they are way nice! 

5. We had 67 people in the Iglesia this week. THat is double the normal number. And we had 7 investigators, 8 with the Elders, and 2 menos activos in the Church for the first time in over 3 months. One of our investigators raised her hand in Primary when they asked who wants to serve a mission when they are older. I am not sure if she completely understands, but I am taking it as a promise. 

6. I LOVE PAPAYA. This may seem simple but before my mission I thought it tasted like an awful mix of vomit and dog food. Now I inhale it like candy. I wish they had more fruit in the town, but I think they send it to the city. 

7. I had my first almost warm shower. I believe in miracles. It was totally random, but I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to actually stand under the water. It wasn´t quite warm, but it wasn´t frigid. 

It has been such a great week. We had a zone conference the last week and basically I learned that I am a representative of Jesus Christ and my every thought, words, and actions should represent Him. Such a great responsibility, but I am up for it! And I love goals and this way I should never run out of them. 

Love you all dearly! I am sending letters out today, so you should get them...eventually. Love you all to pieces. Thank you for your prayers, I can feel them strengthen me. 

Rewind----Back to the MTC and Tangled???

When Michelle was in the MTC she and some of her fellow sister missionaries changed the words to one of the songs from Tangled to an MTC version. I don't know the name of the original song, but I am sure you will recognize it if you are familiar with the movie at all.

And so . . . .here is the Guatemala CCM version!!!

Six thirty a.m. is the usual morning line up
Start on your knees and pray 'til your minds all clear
Shower in 5, find laundry, then throw the hair up
Grab your bag and by then its like 7:15

Chorus
And so I'll read a verse or maybe two or three
I'll add a few new words to my vocab'lary
I'll conjugate some verbs and wait for emailing
Just wondering when will my mish begin.

Then after lunch its classes and songs and teaching
¿Cómo está? What did he just say? "Bien?"
Volleyball and deportes don't hit it over
Then we stretch, yoga sesh, run 2 laps its the best

Then helados next if there's still room to spare
I'll learn a few new words, my dictionary's there
And then I'll cram and cram and cram and cram my brain
Feels like the same thing I've always done
And I'll keep wondering and waiting and praying and crying
When will my mish begin?

Tomorrow night chocolate fountain appears
Just like it does cada fortnight we're here
What is it like out there in the true field?
When its been 6 weeks
PRESIDENTE, WE'RE OUTTA HERE!!

And a picture!

Letter From Sister Fortuna (Mission President's Wife)

We may not have heard much from Michelle this week, but we received the sweetest letter from the wife of her mission president. Plus she sent a couple pictures from their zone conference. I sure appreciated receiving the letter and the pictures!

Hermana Wagner:

Soy la Hermana Fortuna.   Le cuento que hoy tuvimos conferencia de zona en T, que es donde está Hna. Wagner. Ella estuvo muy participativa. Estuvimos conversando y ella está muy entusiasmada y animada,  dice que le gusta su área. Ella  es muy buena, muy inteligente y tiene mucho deseo de servir. En días pasados tuvo intercambio con una de las hermanas líderes entrenadoras y fue muy buena experiencia para las dos. La hermana líder entrenadora nos dijo “la hermana Wagner si que tiene el Espíritu, dijo exactamente lo que los investigadores necesitaban escuchar”.

Hermana, tenemos mucho amor por  los misioneros, en especial por los de la Misión Honduras Comayagüela y por la hermana Wagner, cualquier cosa en que podamos servirles, sólo escríbame a mi o al Presidente Fortuna. Oramos para que la Hna. Wagner continúe con el ánimo y  el deseo de seguir predicando el Evangelio de Jesucristo a nuestros hermanos de Honduras, ella es una  gran misionera de Jesucristo.

Con cariño

 Hermana Fortuna

Misión Honduras Comayagüela

A simple translation: She was telling us that they just had a zone conference in Michelle's area and Michelle participated a lot. In talking with her, Michelle said she was very enthusiastic and happy and liked her area. She is a good and intelligent and has a lot of desires to serve. In the past, she went on a companionship exchange with a sister leader trainer and it was a good experience for them both. The Sister Leader told President Fortuna and his wife that Michelle had the Spirit and said exactly what the investigators needed to hear. 

She then tells me that they love the missionaries very much, especially those in their mission --which included Michelle and that if there is anything they can do to help us, we can write either of them. They pray that Michelle will continue with her enthusiasm and her desire to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to her brothers/sisters in Honduras. She is a great missionary of Jesus Christ.

Lots of Pictures, Very Little Letter

This is all the letter we received from Michelle this week. A little bit of a disappointment. (She is getting very far behind in answering the questions we have for her:-) But she did send several pictures so they were fun to get.

This week we got a baptismal date! 17 de Agosto. It will be a miracle if it all works out. But We are praying hard. We had a zone meeting on friday, today we are meeting as a zone to play frisbee and eat tacos and tomorrow we have zone conference. It is pretty expensive to travel so much. I am gettting good with buses. Yuck. I will say more next week. Love you! 

And here are the pictures:

The elders in her city made them lunch one day. (They have to do all their own cooking.) They are from Mexico so of course they made tacos!! Michelle said it was like a taste of home. 

 Michelle and her current companion--her trainer.

 Some good friends from the MTC. I like the skirts.:-)

 Here are all the sister missionaries in her group in Guatemala that went to Comayaguela. They elders that also went to her mission were trained in Provo.

 This is the view off the back of her apartment.

 And the view from the front.

She lives over the medical center for the town. I guess it is always good to be close to medical help.

 Back to the CCM

 And another picture.

 And one just with her "twin".