Week 18 - Pictures of Honduras

Hey guys!

I want to tell you guys about a ton of excited things this week, but nothing too crazy has happened, so this email is gonna be a little shorter and I am just gonna send a few emails with more pictures because i got a ton of good ones that I want to share!

Tomorrow my comp and I are BOTH LEAVING OUR AREA! really crazy, we were so surprised. What normally happens is every 6 weeks one companion in an area leaves to a different area, and one person that knows the people in the area stays to teach the new companion the people and run the area. Well, we are both leaving so I don't know whats gonna happen now, they call it Whitewashing an area. Usually because there are people who planch or there is no area, but we work hard and are having success, so revelation I guess. My area isn't easy, so I am not devastated to leave, but I am really sad that I am leaving some of the people that I have grown to love here. I knew it was gonna happen, just in like 6-12 more weeks is all! Oh well! Also we found a dead body on the road today in our tiny town, with people just starring at it. Looked like a motorcycle crash, and wasn't wearing a helmet. The thing is, the roads are so bad in the town that you cant go faster than 8 miles per hour, and there are absolutely no cars so we aren't really sure what happened. Really sad though.

Being in Honduras is such a weird and crazy unique experience. Sometimes I need to stop and remind myself that I'm in one of the most impoverished place in the world! And not only that, but I get to serve the people, feel their love, and share the Light of Christ with the world. Never is easy, always tired, but I have more happiness inside myself than I would have if I were doing anything else! 

Felt like I should share my testimony on something this week just about life in general. A lot of times, this life is HARD. You pass through hard things, fail an exam that you studied all week for, lose loved ones, don't get success in something you have worked so long for. Even if you are the most positive person in the world, its hard not to get down on yourself. We just keep waiting and waiting for things to get easier, for the tides to turn. The thing is, this life will never be easy. It is a constant battle, a continuous struggle to find our ideal "happiness" that we imagine in our head. I have thought a lot about this, what happiness really is. I don't know everything, in fact I have excepted the fact that I know very little, but one thing I have realized is I have never found happiness after doing something that was "easy". I never was super happy after beating a team in football 50-0. Never felt accomplished after walking a mile, but going to Philmont and backpacking through the mountains for over 100 miles was what gave me the sense of accomplishment. We pass through trials and tribulations, because without them, we cant find the happiness we have been searching for. This is the plan God made for us. Sometimes we just have to learn to rely on him, trust in his plan for us, and JUST KEEP SWIMMING. 

That's my little motivational thought that has helped me a bunch by being here! I know God has a plan for us and I know he loves each and every one of us. Christ suffered every Pain, trial, sin that we could possibly ever experience in this life because he loves us. If we ever are hurting and feel alone, we need to turn to the one and only person who could fully understand us, and that is Jesus! 

Love you guys, here are some pics! 

Elder Butler

Week 17 - Chillin Out Ballin

Hey there guys, not anything super interesting this week unfortunately. :/  Just been out here working. Texas is #6 which made my week, so Hook EM'! My foot has been hurting me, but I'm not a baby so I just tough it out and take Advil haha!

This week we have been kinda at ground zero with our work because a ton of investigators dropped, so we have been trying to get creative with how we work now. Contacting and knocking doors sucks and is super inefficient, and we try to work smart, not hard. We've been focusing a lot of our attention to trying to play basketball or soccer to find people to teach. On Friday in out white shirts and ties we played 2 Latino guys. We saw them and bet them a coke if they won, but if we won we got to teach them for 5 minutes about Christ. I know its bad to gamble, but its for a good cause, and we usually always beat Latinos in basketball here, so it was a for sure thing. WELL, these two guys played basketball for the university, so they actually weren't bad. We barely won 15-13, but it was close. We play younger kids and have been trying to teach their families too so that's good!

Just want to share a short testimony about how I love my mission. It is hands down one of the hardest things I have ever done. I am constantly exhausted, walking up mountains to peoples houses only for them to tell us to come back tomorrow, then lie to us the next day. People that are progressing so well just get blessed and drop. But this experience has already been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in my life too. I have felt so much love and happiness here. I have witnessed people who have changed their lives a whole 180 degrees and have seen how much happiness we can get when we come unto Christ. Its just so awesome. Sometimes I get so caught up in working, that I have to stop and take a second that I am just out here in a 3rd world country, in one of the poorest missions in the world, in the mountains, speaking a foreign language and living like its normal! So COOL!

I don't have much this week, I just wanted to share a short message! Love you guys!

Elder Stevo

Week 16 - Rain, Beans, Sopa de Mondongo

    Yo whats good everyone, its Elder Steven Butler here coming to you live from Honduras, where the beans are just alright, trash is burned in the streets, and dogs are multiplying on every street corner! ;)

       So basically its been raining every evening here this week, and to make it better, I lost my umbrella on a bus too. I have a rain jacket though so that helps. To keep out backpacks and scriptures from getting soaked, we just put our backpacks on our chests, and zip up our backpacks over them. Its a pretty clever idea if I must say myself, but we look like pregnant goons walking around in the streets, and my area is filled with gangsters so people probably think "What are those freaking Gringo locos doing?".  Might bring down the Rep, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

      This week we got to go to the Temple as a Zone (Peep the photos)! Such an awesome experience. The Honduras Temple is one of the most beautiful things I have seen, its on top of a hill overlooking the city. Such an amazing experience, you can feel the spirit very strongly all around the temple grounds. Such an awesome experience!

      This week was pretty just okay. Almost every appointment for like 3 days straight fell through. People here in Honduras tell you things and make commitments with you, but half the time never keep them. Its just the culture here, its not because they are bad people, but this really frustrates me sometimes when people say they are gonna do something and then don't do it. Its always been a pet peeve of mine my whole life. Even when My friends would bail, always frustrated me. Just a test of patience I guess, I'm trying to love the people more, even if they curse at us in English or ask us if we want coffee in the streets. Usually works better if you joke back at them haha. I'm liking this place though, and love the language.

       Had another Baptism this week with a Kid named Ever, so that's some sweet news! We had to VROOM VROOM down to another church building in a different area with a baptismal font because here in Babylon, nothing works. Our Baptism font has a ton of leaks in it, so when we try to fill it up it gets to about 1.5 feet of water, and then starts to lose water faster than it enters. We were determined, so we got permission from the parents, And hoped on a bus to Zambrano where the Sister Missionaries live. When we got there, it started pouring. We ran like a mile in the pouring rain and showed up to the church dripping head to toe, so thats why we look wet in the picture before the baptism.

Okay so last night I had my most interesting meal yet. Its a native Honduran soup called "Sopa de Mondongo". Mondongo is the Stomach lining of a cow. Tested just how you would imagine the slimey inner lining of a cow stomach  would taste, with the texture of chewing gum. Haha Frodsham has always wanted to try it, so he had been asking every member and person if they knew how to make it, until one member told us they would buy it for us. Pretty nice of them because its a delicacy here I guess. Pretty funny experience.

Don't have much else this week, but here are pics! Love you all, write and send pics if you love me too!

      

    

Week 15 - There's a snake in my boot!

Hey guys, you'll never guess what happened this week!!!

      I did not have a snake in my boot. BUT last week I got to go to Dennys!! Sounds pretty bland, but if you've been eating beans and rice and tortillas for literally every single meal, (not an exaggeration btw), then you guys would understand that this was the greatest meal in the mish so far. Sorry mom, I spent 300 limperas, which low key is really only 12-13 bucks haha. I ordered two meals knowing I couldn't eat all of it because I couldn't choose between what to get. It was sooooooo good! We don't usually have permission to leave our area to go eat somewhere, but a guy in our district had his bday, so president gave us permission so that's cool!

        UT WON BABY! To all of my OU friends, I can ship you guys some kleanex if you want, straight from Honduras (Especially Matt Mills). I saw the highlights, Kyler murray is raw I will say. All Im saying is since 2011, I have been saying that Texas wins a national championship in 2019, so vamos a ver.

      And hey, The wife of my mission president had her baby which is pretty cool! Apparently a little premature, but I believe is healthy! So that's cool! 

       I have 3 weeks left in this change with Elder Frodsham, then most likely he is leaving the area and I am staying. There are 17 new missionaries coming in this change, so I have been told that more than likely I will be training someone. A little nervous in all honestly because at times I feel inadequate, but this last week has helped a ton because the Lord has blessed and reassured me that I know this language. I am proud to say that I am at the point where I understand basically 100% and am pretty confident in my speaking, solo necessito aprender mas palabras a veces, pero bueno! I don't like to write these emails in Spanish that much because I know it can be annoying if you don't understand haha. Today, I am going to write a more spiritual message, but invite all to read!

       This week was a busy week. We didn't get to spend a lot of time in our own area, which kinda sucked, because we were spending time helping people in other areas! We also did a big service project for a person with a ton of missionaries! We basically build stairs in front of this persons house, which my experience with concrete came in handy which is always good! As a missionary, I{ love to serve the people here. Yeah, we are here to teach people, but we are also always searching for opportunities to serve anyone we can. Sometimes people don't want to hear our message, but ask if we can mop and sweep their floors, and so we just go ahead and do it. Its amazing to see how someones attitude can change when you serve them. It is such a great feeling. 

        There is no one that has served me personally more in my life than my mom, but I am going to have to say that the greatest example of service I have seen in my life is from my dad. I spent a lot of my childhood accompanying him to service projects, visiting old people in retirement homes to help them, helping someone move out or move into their house. I want to say I was always super enthusiastic about these experiences, but honestly a lot of the time I would have rather have been hanging out with friends or something like that. Sometimes I even opted out of it and my dad would go without me. A lot of the time, he would be the only to show up to help someone in need. It always bugged me when I was younger that "why did my dad always have to be the one to volunteer for everything, why couldn't someone else take a turn?". Sounds a little selfish, but it was something that a young 15 year old version of me asked from time to time. 

       As I have been on my journey growing closer to my heavenly Father and learning, studying, and teaching about the Savior, Jesus Christ, I have seen one pattern that he showed us. Charity, Love, Service. As we look at his life, Christ spent his time serving the poor, sick, needy. Healed the sick, performed miracles, suffered for our sins , and died on the cross, and was resurrected so that one day we can be too. 

        I have gained a testimony of Jesus Christ through the example of my dad. His example is why I am here today, serving the people of Honduras. I have found more happiness in hardships when I have been serving someone. My invitation to everyone, is that if you are struggling, down, exhausted, depressed, try and find a way to serve someone. It doesn't have to be big. Buy someone food. Help someone with their homework. Mow the lawn for your dad. Things like that. I know that Charity and Service is the true love of Christ, and as we strive to do this more we are becoming more like Him. And that's the goal right? If you believe in Jesus, then you believe he was the one perfect person to ever walk the Earth, the LITERAL son of God. He put an example for us, a perfect example and path for us to follow. And it all starts with love,charity, and service. Go out there and serve someone!

      Okay guys, a little more spiritual message today, I promise I am still normal Steve though! Missionaries are actually not what you would expect, they are normal people. Behind the scenes, we are basically always gooning around, doing hoodrat stuff haha, its actually so fun. I am loving Honduras, this place is a straight jungle. Getting a little tired of 50-60 year olds breastfeeding their grandchildren in front of me all the time. Doesn't matter if your in church, Eating, teaching them, in a bus.   I have had a few gagging experiences lol. My advice to all the young moms out there with babies, please use a blanket or something. I say this out of love, but also am very serious. 

      Survived working in a tropical storm for 3 days, low key kinda sucked because I was soaked 24/7, but we workin out here. Also conference was awesome, 2 hour church! I saw it coming! Watched most of it in Spanish, but I understood perfectly! Go watch the talk by Rasband if ya'll have the chance!

That's my message for the week!! Love you guys, hit me up if you get the chance!

Elder Butler

Week 14 - Nothing New, BUT BAPTISM

Hey guys, its ya boy Steve!

This week was a pretty good one actually! We have a new gringo in the district, and hes from HTOWNNNNN!! Honestly was so pumped when I heard that! There are 4 guys in the mission now from Houston, so we are out here reppin guys!!

2 Sundays ago I forgot to tell you guys, but I gave my first talk in Spanish. Didn't know until the morning of, so I had like 20 minutes to try to prepare something. Basically, I had to go up on the stand in church and give a 12 minute message to the members in Spanish. Now I am perfectly comfortable speaking in Spanish by now, but 12 minutes is a long freaking time. SOooo yeah pretty nervous experience. I felt like I walked off the stand and asked myself "Did I just say anything correctly??", haha but people told me I did good sooo yeah!

We had another baptism as you can see in the picture! This will be my fourth one here, but October we are trying ot have more than 3 so vamos a ver! We baptized a 32 year old man named Alan. This guy is one of the most faithful people I have met. We found him about a month ago because he contacted US!! Crazy, like he literally walked up to us and said "can you guys prepare me to be baptized in your church??" like literally that's how it went. 

The adversary is definitely trying to work haha. This week before his baptism, we went to his house and a group of Jehovah Witnesses went into the house and tried to convince him not to be baptized. He told us he stood his ground because he has a testimony that the things we taught him are true. Scared the poop out of us low key. Its funny, almost every time without fail, when we teach someone about Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon for the First time, firecrackers go off, or a baby starts crying in the other room, a bus honks its horn for a minute straight, just things like that. Obviously if what we teach is good, then the opposition is gonna try and stop us. But This is literally Gods work, and if the people have faith, The Devil cant do nuthin!! HAHA!

I have felt the spirit so strong being out here, and I am still the same person with the same personality, but I have such a strong testimony of Jesus Christ. I have always believed in Christ, but being out here, relying on God 24/7 with prayer because its so hard, I have come to know Christ personally, and I know he knows me too. I testify that he lived on this earth, suffered for our sins, died on the cross. I also testify that He Lives. He was resurrected, and for that, we have the opportunity to live with God, with Chirst, and with our families for forever. His sacrifice was the greatest act of love ever shown to the world, and for that I am out here in a foreign country because I want to share that love of Chirst with everyone. I love you guys.

Hey I'm cutting the email short because I wanna reply to more people! I'm trying y'all, love you guys!! I always appreciate your emails, they make my week! Keep it real my dudes!

Elder Butler