Week 31 - Emergency Changes

Well, hey everyone. This week was wildin. Well I thought I was going to be staying with my gringo comp Elder Murphy for another 6 weeks, but one Wednesday night I received a phone call... I was told that Elder Murphy was leaving and that I was getting a new comp named Elder Cabellero from Mexico, and that we were both getting moved up to Zone Leaders. (I was District leader before, who are in charge of a group of missionaries, and Zone Leaders are in charge of 2 or 3 districts usually.) I am probably the youngest person in the mission to be ZL, and Ill be honest, feel a little inadequate. There are people who kiss butt to try and work their way up the chain of command for some odd reason. I am actually the opposite haha, I have always not been afraid to speak my mind to my leaders, and sometimes bonked heads, but now I am here. Cant say that being a leader in the mission has been my dream since forever because it hasn't. Honestly if it were my choice, I would just be a normal missionary and not have to worry about these other responsibilities. But the thing is, God and My mission President believe that I can do it, so I guess I'm gonna trust in them! My short message for you all this week, is just something you have to trust in Gods plan that he has for us!

I thought last change was themed Jesus Take the Wheel, but Ill have to reinstate the theme for the rest of my mission I guess. Shout out to Carrie Underwood for that one

Thought of the week: I heard the song "Africa" by Tito in a bus this week. I don't understand how it was the song of the year in 89, but I guess its a banger.

We only had 2 baptisms this week, which I am grateful for! We were supposed to have 6, but couldn't get permission for 3 of the younger guys, so we planned there baptism for another month. The other named Karla called us on Saturday and told us she would arrive, but never came. Weird, but we are trying to figure out if anything happened.

Today there were a bunch of helicopters and military vehicles in my area. Honduras has been in a lot of political protest, more so in the city than in the little villages. I got a call from one of the assistants, and he told me he was in the streets when he got attacked by tear gas grenades. He was talking to me crying, (a little bit funny, a little bit crazy), but we both kinda laughed at his pain, and I told him to douse his eyes with milk. The problem is, houses in Honduras are not sealed, nor have air conditioning, so if smoke or gas is outside the house, its inside too. Don't worry, I have been all safe, but pray for the rest of the city if ya could!

My comp is pretty cool, from Monterrey mexico. My first Latino comp! I'm pretty used to talking Spanish 24/7, and I have no problem whatsoever speaking so I'm fine with it. Even though hes Mexican, hes whiter than me. His ancestry is from Switzerland apparently but like 200 years ago or something. Must have been some white dude that looked across the Rio Grande from Texas and liked what he saw in mexico, and went and got a girl or something.

Here is a story in an email my mom sent me this week about another missionary serving in Utah:

Yesterday we had a great sacrament meeting.  The two elders in our ward spoke.  One is from Blackfoot Idaho and has been out almost a year.  The topic was on Gratitude.  He told a story of at the beginning of his freshman year in high school, his grandfather who he was super close to suddenly passed away.  He was devastated and angry with God for taking him.  He didn't know how to deal with it and just turned off inside instead of turning to God and seeking answers.  He said he did a 180 with his life.  He didn't go into detail.  Then during his junior year, his sister and her friends borrowed his car to drive to SLC to go to a concert during winter weather and hit ice and slid off a bridge, falling 50 feet down into a dried up river bed onto big rocks.  He said the car was completely unrecognizable.  He said the whole front end was inside the car.  He said somehow his sister and her 3 friends walked away from it with minor scratches and bruises.  that is it.  He said he was totally dumbfounded.  He said he just stared at the photos for days in his room wondering how it could have happened that they survived.  One day his sister came into his room and said two words.  "You Know"  then walked out.  AT that moment, the spirit came into him strong and he knew Heavenly Father had protected them and saved them miraculously.  At that moment, he was able to turn back to Heavenly Father and Jesus and change his life back around.  He is eternally grateful for that miracle in his life."

This story touched me. More than a year and a half ago, my best and more dearest friend I have ever had, Brody passed away.Only a few months ago my other dear friend Alex Rayton passed away as well. In the moments in my life where i have felt the most alone, I have felt the comfort of the spirit, in the most literal sense of a warm hug. There were times where I had to leave social situations just to go to my room to cry alone. I write here and testify, that when I prayed, I was not alone. God is real. He loves us. Jesus is the Christ and I believe with all my heart soul mind and strength that this is the true church, this is the work of the lord, and that because of Christ, I WILL see my loved ones again. You are never alone.

I testify that God is real. He hears us, and if we can hold on the the faith that we have, he will always be there for us

Well Ill send more pictures next week because I'm not on a computer where I can connect my camera. Buuuuuut I love you all!!!! Ill put some of some pictures of my Sister Morgan who just got ENAGAGED!!! Shout out to her and her fiance Nathan!!! Love you both!

Elder Butler

Week 30 - Gringos, gringos, gringos

Hey guys, looks like I'm staying in my area! Im super happy about it, I feel a peace about it and we are working hard! Today we are gonna have a baptism for Kevin, and we have 5 more planned this weekend. So work wise, we are doing pretty good! 

Also some good news... As of right now I am weighing 168 lbs, which is crazy cause I was about 190ish when I left. Senior year I was about 180ish, so I guess if you eat Chickfila and Tbell daily, you gain some weight. Well I'm back to weighing the same amount as I did when I was like 15, so that's cool! I actually just realized in like 5 months I will be turning 21, and trust me it doesn't feel like it one bit. I am pretty sure I will just stick with 18 the rest of my life, and keep working towards my goal of being a really cool uncle when I grow up.

This week was a super crazy week! I worked super hard this week, not knowing if I was going to leave or stay. We put like 6 more baptism dates with people this week, and all are positive and progressing. It brings me indescribable joy to see people follow the light of Christ. 

Well we heard this week that there were a bunch of gringos here in my area serving a mission trip, doctors and dentists, to help the poor people that cant afford dentist, medicine, doctors, all of that jazz. They were set up at the Big Green Methodist church (right next to ours lol), and we just walked on in and started talking. A lot of Latino people from the church gave us the eye, but I got to talking to a couple of ladies and they were so impressed with us, that they took us to the head guy, "Jim", who is the architect of the church and the head of the organization for this mission trip! It was a huge opperation, and was so cool to meet some many people who gave up their time and money to come help the people here in Honduras. You could feel their love! Well we got to talking to Jim, we shared our story about why we are here, and he shared his story about how he started these mission trips. Hes 82 years old, and such an awesome guy, I'll share the name of their Facebook page later. We got to talking and one cool thing he told us is "I don't know why, but there is something about you guys and your church, I just feel it right now. You guys are literal angels here." Bout nearly broke my lil heart. But for real it was really cool. He told me how  he had been feeling pressure from the leaders of this church here that he created, and called them "modern day pharisees". He began to cry and asked me to say a prayer. So here we are, in another church in Honduras, with a group of gringos, and I'm saying a prayer. You have to remember that I am pretty out of practice on my prayers in English, but I gave a prayer. The spirit was for sure there, and Jim told me afterwards that he felt at peace. Way cool experience for sure! 

One of the investigators and friends that is going to be baptized is named Elvin, but his nickname is "Choki". I have known this guys for months. occasionally played against him in basketball on Pday, and joked around with him a lot, but never really thought anything of it. I didn't know why, but one day I felt an impression to talk to this kid, and share just something small with him. Now remember, First time I met him I tried sharing something with him but he kinda resisted, so I figured yeah whatever ill just move on. But this one day a couple of weeks ago I had this impression just to talk with him one more time. Wasn't anything long, or incredible, I just simply told him that God loves him, and that if he prays he can feel that love that he has for him. Then one day we were actually on the way to visit Moreno, and we ran into Choki again. I asked him if he prayed, and he said yes he did. A little surprised, but blinded by my scheduled mind, and only thinking in the things I had to do, I told him, "hey man we have an appointment right now, but well talk later or another day more". And walked up to Moreno's door. I entered, my comp entered, then I looked behind me and Choki entered too. I was shook. He came and sat down next to us. I didn't have anything in particular planned to talk about with Moreno, but I decided just to share a short message. I asked him to come to church, and he came. Asked when he could go again, we talk to him daily, and he always wants to come with us to visits during the day.

 A couple of days ago, he came to us a little quiet than usual. I asked him if everything was okay, and he just shrugged. I felt impressed to just ask why he even listened to us. A 17 year old kid, family is super evangelical, and his brother is a pastor but hasn't gone to a church in 5 years. I wanted to know why he decided to listen to us. His response was that it was because he has known so many people talk about Christ, but never had anyone taken such attention and interest about him personally and his progression before. I cant recall my exact response, but I asked him why he felt that way, and assured him that It was because Christ loves him and because what we are teaching is the truth. He began to cry and told me that hes done with walking in things of the world, and said he would like to serve a mission too. My heart was filled with indescribable happiness.

I know for a fact that the usual 17 year old kid is thinking about having fun, things of the world. This is why I am here. Things of the world can bring us pleasure and temporal happiness, but if we seek Christ we can find true joy in him. I know that Christ lives, and that through the restored Gospel, we can live in his light. I love you all, To all the friends out there, if you ever have some free time, hit me up with an update and some pics, it would make my week! love ya'll!


Elder Butler

Week 29 - Houston, We Gotta Problem

Hey everyone, hows is goin. First off , I titled this email what I did partly because I love Htown, but also because I we may actually got a problem. Let me tell you about my problems:

Well this change has been quite a tiring one. I have been in my first area in Honduras for 6 Months, and let me tell you, that's a long time. I only lived in Utah for 10 Months and I lived in Houston for about 19 years and a few months, so 6 months to be in one area just for me is pretty long. WELL, This last Friday I asked my mission president permission to stay in my area for 6 weeks longer. 

Afterwards I sat down and meditated about why I would do that. I'm tired, my leaders kinda bug me, there's a lot of hard things about my area. There are 2 things that I have come to an conclusion: One, I love the people, and We are about to have a bunch of success; Two, I think I just don't like change. I never have. When I was little and my parents would change the TV provider, I would have a fit. Just the thought of having to pack my bag, get to know new people new comps, I'm honestly comfortable where I'm at! I actually enjoy my area despite the difficulties. I have honestly noticed a love that I have grown for the people here. It hurts when I'm let down, but it brings indescribable joy to see other people find Christ. That is why I am here serving this mission, that's why im spending 2 years in a foreign country, to help others find the joy that I have found through the light of Christ and this gospel.

Well there's a spiritual message right there, but for real I am pretty nervous about myself in the future with this struggle I have with change LOL. I don't know what's gonna happen when like my future wife decides to switch from whole milk to skim milk, I'm gonna snap or something. 

This week we have plans to baptize 3 people and 2 more the next week. For the first time In a long time, I feel like we have found some "escogidos", or chosen people. One of them is a kid I have known for months, named Elbin, but we call him " Choki". I went a while without teaching, just thinking, nahhh hes not interested. Well one day I just invited him to church. He accepted, like all people do, but he actually came. I was like hmmmm interesting. Well this kid came to church again, follows us to lessons, went to baptisms that happened in another area yesterday. Its crazy, but God is good.

Also I attached some pictures of a carnival that came to Ciudad Espana, but its the most sketch thing I have ever seen. I might be hitting up the ferris wheel, so pray that I don't somehow die.

Here's something my mom sent me that I wanted to share with you guys. Love you all

"Elder Renlund and his wife talked on how to deal with doubts.  They used the allegory of someone who falls out of a boat in an ocean and is all alone and struggling to unsuccessfully to get to the shore.   A lone fisherman in a small boat sees him and comes up to him and pulls him in his boat and gives him water and crackers.  At first the water and crackers seemed like heaven and were so satisfying.  But then, the boy realizes that the water tastes bitter and the crackers were stale and plain and wishes he had better drink/food.  Then he looks around and sees the boat is old, paint faded, the fisherman isn't that well kept or great looking.  The boy decided the boat/food wasn't good enough so jumps out and probably drowns.   They likened this to someone who comes into the church and at first everything seems great, then they look around and start seeing faults with  with leaders, see imperfections with other members, and dwell on their doubts instead of concentrating and building upon their faith.etc.    They spent the rest of their talk describing difference between doubt and faith.  The two cannot exist at the same time within us. One or the other at a time.  Questions and research (at appropriate avenues ie, not non-lds stuff)  are good and can help our faith grow, but having a doubt (negative) and seeking to prove our doubts with whatever we can dig up just feed the doubts."     

Elder Butler

Week 28 - Houston Born and Bred

Hey yall, another week down. 2 More days and I will only have 17 months left in the mission. It is so crazy to think about how far I've come in such a short amount of time, and also how fast time has flown bye. This experience is definitely been amazing, and I'm happy!

Well well well, what happened this week. Texans lost in the wildcard game, which confused why they were in the wildcard when they clinched the division, but kinda depressed about that. UT beat Georgia, which was a crazy win, so I'm excited for them to be in the national championship next season even though I wont get to see it. Heard James Harden is making a historical run right now an beat GS in OT on a 3 pointer so that nuts, love my rockets and love my City!! HTOWN!!

Fun fact for the week: So I've told everyone how my little pueblo is run by the MS-18 gang, well on Saturday there were like 3 news stations and like 30 cop cars in my little area. We were in a members house for lunch and they turned on the news, turns out that the police found and killed like the second in command of the gang in Ciudad Espana. Pretty crazy stuff! The streets were dead and they canceled all the soccer games in the fields for the weekend which was weird because there are always a ton of people outside watching them on Saturday and Sunday. rumors are they found a graveyard of like 60 people on the outskirts in the mountains outside of my area.  But, I guess another spot opened up, maybe Ill try and work my way up in the ranks ;) 

But for real this week was pretty good actually. Last week was kinda depressing, we kind of ended the week with almost having nobody to teach. I was honestly really down because we had worked really hard but no results came. Well when my comp and I were planning for the week, I decided we needed to get back on our feet, trust in God, and get to working even harder. We started just basically trying out everything, talking to every and anyone that we saw in the street (because knocking on doors doesn't work, and is inefficient, and is for children ;) )   I decided to go back and talk to some people who were old investigators, and work with them again. I don't know what happened, and am confident when I say me and my companion are not the best missionaries at teaching, but God is for sure throwing out miracles left and right. 

Life is kinda just like that. I have had a childhood filled of disappointing experiences where I've put in all my effort and still have ended up falling short. I'm sure we all have experienced that because that's pretty much what life is. Its the only way we learn. How to walk, how to wake board, how to hit a baseball, everything is based off of failure. What do we have to do after? Get back up, and continue going. If we have the faith in God that he is going to help us, then he will. Simple as that.

I know that God lives and that he watches over us. I know that if we have faith, all is possible. Love you all, Peace out.

1. Christmas night we received secret Santa gifts- uniforms of our fav Honduran team
2. Random horse in the street
3. The district
4. H-town respect for win against warriors
5. Elder Mesa, from Mexico

Elder Butler