Week 49 - Jesus da Calor

Many change of events this week, and pleasant surprises!
Well I continued to be sick throughout this week, and just this week I have gotten to a normal state. Its been some rough rides, but I think I had it coming because of karma. Before leaving to Honduras for my mission, I prided myself of being very sick prone, and claimed this feat from allowing bacteria sometimes to enter my body, to create more antibodies, ultimately making me stronger. I figured that the bacteria here in Honduras is probably the strongest, most potent substance that could attack the human body. So if I allowed myself to be a little sick here in Honduras, and created the Honduran antibodies in my system, I could possibly overcome any sickness, making me a superhuman. Well recently, Honduras has been winning this battle, and has knocked me in the butt, literally and figuratively. I have learned my lesson for sure. But I took some strong stuff the other day the medic told me to get, and I think Im all fixed up.

This week I got moved to a new area named Jesus de Otoro, or otherwise known as Jesus de calor, and its hot as Satan here and ill explain why:

There's an area in my zone, and a new guy came in to be district leader named Elder Pollock. Well what happened is that his comp, that he just got done training, has a colon problem and cant drink coke or eat greasy foods. The last night before he had changes, he drank coke even though his trainer, elder Pollock, told him not too do it because he would get sick. Well the idiot did it anyways, and the next day the kid was in the hospital, and has been for like 4 days. The problem is, the new person that arrived in place of Pollock is a new missionary, and doesn't know the investigators nor the area or how to be a missionary, and the other kid had like 2 or 3 surgeries and might have to go home, so this elder Pollock kid had to go back to his old area. they sent me here to be Zone leader and District leader, and sent a so so missionary with elder Austin in my area because they don't trust him to be district leader apparently, so ill be in a new area for a week or 2, they ill return back. Fun and super interesting, I know.

This week a member in our Branch that I am in here, a 35 year old single mother of 3, passed away from a heart attack. This was a family I was very close with, and it was very unexpected. I was in this new area, but when I heard I took a bus back to go to the viewing that same day. The heartache I felt for these three innocent children who had just lost their mother. As missionaries, we teach that God has a plan for each and every one of us, and that this life is not the end. Before this life we existed as God spirit children, and all of us chose to come to this earth, gain a body, and choose between good and bad, as well as experience it. But we know as we all pass on through death, that it is not the end. As Christ has already paid the price and been resurrected, not talking on the matter of our eternal happiness, but we shall all also be resurrected as well. What does this mean? We will see our loved ones again. All I wanted to do was comfort the pains of these kids, the same pains I have too felt, but I thought to an example of Christ. The story of Lazarus, which contains the shortest verse in all of scripture. "Jesus wept." When Christ was told that Lazarus had died, and his sister mourning knowing that had he arrived days earlier, Christ could have saved him. Now Jesus knew the plan of God and Salvation better than any man on earth, and knew very well that Lazarus was not truly dead, nor would be with his help. What we see in Christ's example of perfect love in this story, was he didn't try telling them everything was okay, but he comforted them and understood their pains, and mourned and cried with them. Where am I going with this? When we pass for these unexpected and unwanted trials and losses, sometimes we have no place to turn, and feel just lost. I have felt that way myself. But when we feel like no one could understand our pain, we have one purpose who does. Its Christ. Turning my life more towards Christ has helped me become a stronger person, and more loving as well. Because of him my wounds can be healed, and I can continue on here in Honduras helping other come unto him as well. Christ loves each and every one of us, and he lives, I have no doubt about it. I love you all.

Elder Butler