Hello once again to all of my family and friends. I have almost been in Honduras for a month now, and the time has just flown by! This week has been pretty much the same as others, but there have been a few more twists and turns to it.
Last Tuesday we had interviews with the mission president, President Flores. That was really awesome to be able to talk to him, and I'm really glad that he is going to be my President for the whole 2 years, because he is amazing.
On Wednesday I took part in my first service project, wow...haha. The service project basically included destroying an old house of one of the members. It was really dangerous and hilarious but all is well with us, no one got injured. We basically were ripping off the laminate (I don't know if that's right in English haha, but it's called lamina in Spanish) and piling it up for future usage. There were a lot of cinder blocks that we didn't know about on top of the roof, and a lot of electrical wiring, but that's what made it fun! Especially because, well, as background, Latino people have a hilarious image of gringos.
Everyone here thinks that gringos have no idea how to work, and all day they just sit on their couches and push a button while their houses are cleaned and their food is cooked. So every time we do any kind of service, they always have me do the hardest work or the most grunt work, because a gringo cannot do it. But I sure do enjoy proving them wrong every time!
I also witnessed my first government protesting group this week. As you know, there are many political problems around here. On Thursday the main Boulevard was clogged with cars with red flags and people wearing red rebellion clothing and shouting nonsenses. It was impossible to avoid them because the boulevard is the main road, but I didn't run into any problems because I'm a missionary!
Another first this week, I taught my first English class to the ward on Saturday. I was really nervous for that and I tried to figure out what to teach, but it turned out that only 2 people showed up so it was really relaxed and there weren't any problems. But when more people show up, yikes it's going to be scary trying to teach them!
One of our new investigators of the week is a pastor of an Evangelical church. We were a bit nervous to teach him and everything, but after the lesson he committed to read and pray about the Book of Mormon, so who knows! I believe in miracles! The benefit is that he preaches to a congregation of about 80, so in the next month I could have about 80 baptisms or so! Who knows, right?
We are getting really close with our investigators Edwin and Fransisca. They are just like diamonds in the rough of tons of people who do not want to listen to our message. I truly believe that they are developing a testimony about the gospel. Tomorrow for family home evening we are going to watch the movie THE TESTAMENTS with them, they have 2 little children who are really cute and like to watch movies, so we are trying to please the whole family. Besides those 2, we have a few other investigators.
Joel and Jenny have been listening to the missionaries for a really long time, well Jenny has. They have a lot of fighting in their relationship at the moment, and are not married, but Jenny wants to be baptized. They have 2 beautiful children, so we aren't taking separation for an option. So we have spent a lot of time praying and trying to be marriage counselors for them. I hope that one day they will work out their problems, because they are great people.
That's about all for this week folks, things are going great for me here in Comayagua. Thank you all for your support and prayers. I love you all and miss you all, the work continues!
Love,
Elder Tinkham
Monday, August 24, 2009
Buenos Dias Friends and Family!
Hello to everyone! Another week has flown by, and it´s time for me to give you some more information.
This week has been quite disappointing for my companion and I, but we are learning a lot from our recent experiences and hopefully it will get better. This week, we started out really great. We were overachieving our daily goals, and our investigators were showing interest. We had plans for about 7 investigators to come to church, and about 4 less-active members, but in the end, only 2 investigators came, and no less actives. It was a very difficult day for us, because also that day we gave our final lesson to Lincoln, one of my favorite investigators who just isn´t progressing. We did all we could do for him, taught him all the lessons, answered all his questions, the truth is that he is just not working towards his conversion. I have come to know that it is very difficult to receive a witness from the Holy Ghost that things are true if you don´t do any work to find out for yourself. He hasn´t been reading his scriptures, or going to church, and I think he was selected to play soccer in an advanced division that plays on Sundays. Elder Cobo and I were very sad to let him go, because he is a great friend to us, but our work is not progressing very well here, so we need to start fresh.
The Honduras Comayaguela mission is the 11/11, in other words, the worst baptizing mission in the Central America area missions, and Comayagua, my area, is low in our mission itself. Our ward hasn´t seen a baptism in a real long time, but as far as I am concerned, I am up for the challenge.
We had a family, Edwin and Fransisca, that were scheduled to be baptized this upcoming Saturday, but they failed to attend church as well, so we had to push back their date for the 12th of September. It was really frustrating for us, but I am confident that they will be baptized, because they are the humblest of people, and I love them to death. They love the Lord and I truly believe they are ready for baptism.
Other than that, the work is pretty much going the same. In culture news, the food I eat here consists mostly of: cereal or granola with milk for breakfast, and then we have a different member for every day of the week (so 6 families, minus p day) that cooks us lunch, and then we pay the Torres family to cook dinner for us every day, because my companion is very lazy and doesn´t like to cook haha. The food is always something with eggs, rice, beans, tortillas, or something of that sort every time. Occasionally there is spaghetti, but that is the only foreign food they really have here haha. Brother Torres is a hilarious guy, and I don´t understand a WORD he says, he is pretty old and speaks super fast. I always tell my companion that the day I can understand Hermano Torres, is the day I have received the gift of tongues!
In this email I have included 2 photos, just silly ones this week. It expresses many themes of Honduras, the extreme heat and the many various animals that are always walking through the streets.
Thank you so much for your prayers everyone, the church is true! I know it to be true and I´m grateful for the opportunity I have to serve the Lord in Honduras.
Vaya Pues!
Elder Tinkham
This week has been quite disappointing for my companion and I, but we are learning a lot from our recent experiences and hopefully it will get better. This week, we started out really great. We were overachieving our daily goals, and our investigators were showing interest. We had plans for about 7 investigators to come to church, and about 4 less-active members, but in the end, only 2 investigators came, and no less actives. It was a very difficult day for us, because also that day we gave our final lesson to Lincoln, one of my favorite investigators who just isn´t progressing. We did all we could do for him, taught him all the lessons, answered all his questions, the truth is that he is just not working towards his conversion. I have come to know that it is very difficult to receive a witness from the Holy Ghost that things are true if you don´t do any work to find out for yourself. He hasn´t been reading his scriptures, or going to church, and I think he was selected to play soccer in an advanced division that plays on Sundays. Elder Cobo and I were very sad to let him go, because he is a great friend to us, but our work is not progressing very well here, so we need to start fresh.
The Honduras Comayaguela mission is the 11/11, in other words, the worst baptizing mission in the Central America area missions, and Comayagua, my area, is low in our mission itself. Our ward hasn´t seen a baptism in a real long time, but as far as I am concerned, I am up for the challenge.
We had a family, Edwin and Fransisca, that were scheduled to be baptized this upcoming Saturday, but they failed to attend church as well, so we had to push back their date for the 12th of September. It was really frustrating for us, but I am confident that they will be baptized, because they are the humblest of people, and I love them to death. They love the Lord and I truly believe they are ready for baptism.
Other than that, the work is pretty much going the same. In culture news, the food I eat here consists mostly of: cereal or granola with milk for breakfast, and then we have a different member for every day of the week (so 6 families, minus p day) that cooks us lunch, and then we pay the Torres family to cook dinner for us every day, because my companion is very lazy and doesn´t like to cook haha. The food is always something with eggs, rice, beans, tortillas, or something of that sort every time. Occasionally there is spaghetti, but that is the only foreign food they really have here haha. Brother Torres is a hilarious guy, and I don´t understand a WORD he says, he is pretty old and speaks super fast. I always tell my companion that the day I can understand Hermano Torres, is the day I have received the gift of tongues!
In this email I have included 2 photos, just silly ones this week. It expresses many themes of Honduras, the extreme heat and the many various animals that are always walking through the streets.
Thank you so much for your prayers everyone, the church is true! I know it to be true and I´m grateful for the opportunity I have to serve the Lord in Honduras.
Vaya Pues!
Elder Tinkham
Monday, August 17, 2009
Hello again to all of my friends and family! This week has gone by much faster than the last week, probably because I am starting to get used to the culture shock it is around here. The work was very up and down for my companion and I. Originally, we had tons of appointments and tons of new investigators AND progressing ones. But on Saturday, we lost almost half of them. It was a really disappointing and stressful day for us. For me especially because I really wanted to help my companion and say something to them when they turned us down, but it is very difficult. But, our spirits were raised on Sunday when one of our investigators that we thought was going down the drain came to church! It was a delightful experience and we know that the Lord had blessed us.
My Spanish is slowly starting to get better and better, I still have a long way to go before I start really understanding the people, but this week, sometimes when they ask me questions I can answer them! Haha that is the achievement of the week.
Most of our really strong investigators we didn't see much of this week. The couple Edwin and Fransisca are really great, but Edwin was gone for the whole week because I believe he works for a taxi company in Tegucigalpa, so we didn't get over there. Lincoln, one of our other investigators was gone most of the week as well, I don´t know where but we will see him tomorrow.
I can´t remember if I told you I was moving houses in the last email or not, but originally we were. Because there are a lot of teenagers who smoke and have parties in our little...I don't know what to call it...half house. The other house we found was really nice and perfect for us, but I guess the zone leaders are giving it to the sisters in our district, because of course sisters are always first! But oh well, I don´t care all that much.
This week I had my first Zone Conference, this last Friday. It was really great (the parts that I understood) and President Flores is a great guy who really loves the Lord. It was about 7 hours long haha, and since it was in my area and in the church building I attend, Elder Cobo and I had a whole bunch of work to do in order to get ready. We got up at about 5 in the morning in order to get everything ready for it to start at 8. But I learned a lot and got to meet a lot of the missionaries that are in my zone, and the zone right next to me. We also have interviews 2 weeks after zone conference as well, so I get the opportunity to have an interview with President also.
Let´s see....on P-days we always play soccer, what else is there to do? haha. But maybe I´ll have some skills when I get back. We play at the church, because in the churches here there aren't basketball courts they have soccer courts! Technically it´s a soccer-basketball combo court, but I doubt anyone has ever shot a basketball on that court. Someday I will do it. We also go out to eat somewhere like Wendy´s, Burger King, Pollo Campero (KFC), or something of that fast food sort. Because the fast food restaurants are the fancy restaurants around here. They have security and people that take your order, air conditioning, and all the works. It´s quite the lovely experience and I think it´s hilarious. Here in Honduras and probably many other countries the security consists of a guy with a bulletproof vest standing by the door holding a huge shotgun or machine gun...and I´m pretty sure they don´t know how to use it...lol.
Also, yesterday I found out I might be teaching an English class to people who want to learn in the Church on Saturday nights...yikes....I will keep you posted on that one.
Other than this, the work is all going just fine. I´m still getting used to it all, and have some work to do, but it´s good. The Spirit is there in our lessons, I know that to be true. But the people just don´t seem to feel it or don´t seem to care. They all live such simple lives, and all are very humble. We just have to figure out how to approach it differently. We have a lot of people to teach, just nobody is really progressing. This is our focus this week that we will be working on.
I love you all and thank you all for your support. I hope everything is going well, and I will talk to you next week!
Elder Tinkham
My Spanish is slowly starting to get better and better, I still have a long way to go before I start really understanding the people, but this week, sometimes when they ask me questions I can answer them! Haha that is the achievement of the week.
Most of our really strong investigators we didn't see much of this week. The couple Edwin and Fransisca are really great, but Edwin was gone for the whole week because I believe he works for a taxi company in Tegucigalpa, so we didn't get over there. Lincoln, one of our other investigators was gone most of the week as well, I don´t know where but we will see him tomorrow.
I can´t remember if I told you I was moving houses in the last email or not, but originally we were. Because there are a lot of teenagers who smoke and have parties in our little...I don't know what to call it...half house. The other house we found was really nice and perfect for us, but I guess the zone leaders are giving it to the sisters in our district, because of course sisters are always first! But oh well, I don´t care all that much.
This week I had my first Zone Conference, this last Friday. It was really great (the parts that I understood) and President Flores is a great guy who really loves the Lord. It was about 7 hours long haha, and since it was in my area and in the church building I attend, Elder Cobo and I had a whole bunch of work to do in order to get ready. We got up at about 5 in the morning in order to get everything ready for it to start at 8. But I learned a lot and got to meet a lot of the missionaries that are in my zone, and the zone right next to me. We also have interviews 2 weeks after zone conference as well, so I get the opportunity to have an interview with President also.
Let´s see....on P-days we always play soccer, what else is there to do? haha. But maybe I´ll have some skills when I get back. We play at the church, because in the churches here there aren't basketball courts they have soccer courts! Technically it´s a soccer-basketball combo court, but I doubt anyone has ever shot a basketball on that court. Someday I will do it. We also go out to eat somewhere like Wendy´s, Burger King, Pollo Campero (KFC), or something of that fast food sort. Because the fast food restaurants are the fancy restaurants around here. They have security and people that take your order, air conditioning, and all the works. It´s quite the lovely experience and I think it´s hilarious. Here in Honduras and probably many other countries the security consists of a guy with a bulletproof vest standing by the door holding a huge shotgun or machine gun...and I´m pretty sure they don´t know how to use it...lol.
Also, yesterday I found out I might be teaching an English class to people who want to learn in the Church on Saturday nights...yikes....I will keep you posted on that one.
Other than this, the work is all going just fine. I´m still getting used to it all, and have some work to do, but it´s good. The Spirit is there in our lessons, I know that to be true. But the people just don´t seem to feel it or don´t seem to care. They all live such simple lives, and all are very humble. We just have to figure out how to approach it differently. We have a lot of people to teach, just nobody is really progressing. This is our focus this week that we will be working on.
I love you all and thank you all for your support. I hope everything is going well, and I will talk to you next week!
Elder Tinkham
Friday, August 14, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
First email from Honduras
Well... it seems like an eternity has passed by since I wrote my last email. I have been in Honduras for a couple of days now, and time goes by slow when you don’t understand anyone haha.
After about 32 hours of no sleep, we arrived in Honduras, and were met by the Assistants and President Flores at the end of the airport. The whole first day we had some training in the office, and interviews with President Flores. During the interview, he told us our areas that we were going to serve in. I was chosen to serve in the area Comayagua. It’s a small city about 2 hours away from Tegucigalpa and Comayaguela. Haha and my companions name is Elder Cobo from Guatemala. He is a great guy and a good missionary, but he speaks almost no English. We are really good friends, but it is difficult to communicate sometimes.
But seriously, I can’t understand anyone here haha. But that happens to everyone. I can catch a few words here and there, but I have definitely not experienced anything like this before.
The people here are very poor. There are a few paved roads, but that’s about it. The apartment I live in is very small and quite the interesting place, I forgot my camera or else I would have pictures of it! I will try to remember next week so I can put a bunch of pictures on my email.
One big event is that I already had my first baptism! It wasn’t for one of our investigators, but for the Hermanas which are in my district. My district consists of Elder Cobo, me, and 4 Hermanas. All from Guatemala or El Salvador.
I have already gotten straight to work out here. We have appointments from about 2:00 till 8:30 every day. We have 2 investigators with baptismal dates, and I really hope that it continues.
There are no addresses in Comayagua. The only way for me to get mail is through DearElder.com and sending letters to the Mission Office, which you can find through my Madre or the blog I would guess. Because there are no roads, there are no addresses haha. My lifestyle has changed so much, that it is really hard to get used to. I´m sure that for almost all missionaries the hardest time for them is the first few months, because I cannot understand anyone that is speaking pretty much, and it is really frustrating. It’s a lonely feeling being the only one that speaks English around me, but I know that the Lord will only strengthen me for this purpose. One day I will be able to understand the people in Spanish...one day...haha.
The main things I have eaten so far are... sopa de mondongo (cow intestine soup), sopa de Costilla (soup with some other random cow part) and rice and beans. It’s quite the diet change, especially with the heat and the mass amount of walking that I do. We will see how much weight I end up losing.
Despite the mass poverty of the people here, they are really nice. Tons of people invite us in, even if they aren´t really interested in our message, they just like to talk about Jesus and their Salvation haha. Yesterday I also had my first experience at a Spanish ward. Of course I’m the only one within a 100 mile perimeter that knows how to play the piano. So I am now the sacrament meeting pianist, should have seen that one coming. But we had 2 investigators come to church.
Some of my favorite people to visit are Suellen and Milton, they are members and they are very nice and they are close with Elder Cobo and I. Fransisca, she is an investigator with a baptismal date, shows me mercy and says she enjoys when I teach because I am so slow she says that she understands everything. I don´t know if that’s true, but her and her husband Edwin are great investigators and I hope they get baptized soon. Lincoln (and yes, a ton of people have American names around here, it´s pretty funny) is about 20 and his brother is a member. They are fun to hang around with (missionary type hanging around haha) and to teach.
It is almost impossible for the people of Honduras to read the name Tinkham, haha so that is also another funny thing. But finally some of the investigators are starting to remember.
That’s about it for this week. I will have more to share about the work next week! And I will also try to include some culture shocks I keep running into every week as well. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts, I know I definitely need them here.
Love, Elder Tinkham
Part 2 to the family: Hello to my family back in good ole South Jordan, boy how I miss that place. Everything is going fine for me here in Honduras. I´m just going through the normal stressors of a new missionary. Make sure just to keep me in your prayers so that I will be strengthened, and everything will be alright with me for sure.
I´m going to try and remember to get my camera chord so I can give you some pictures for next week. I have some pictures of my little apartment and its wonderful bathroom, and a few other things. One thing I forgot to add on my email is that on our first and second days in Honduras we had dinner with President and Sister Flores, and she cooked us some really good food, I will never have food that good again for 2 years basically haha. And that first night all 15 or so of us slept on the floor of the home of the assistants haha, and then the next morning we got up and walked back to the mission office, had some more training, and we met our new companions and prepared to leave to our individual areas. Most of the areas are in or nearby the city of Comayaguela right by Tegucigalpa, but my area, along with 3 or 4 others are farther away. There is La Paz and Comayaguela by me, then there is another area farther west called Jesus del Otoro about another hour away. And one random area about 6 hours east of Tegucigalpa haha! My companion and my specific area is called Piedras Bonitas, but there definitely aren´t any pretty rocks haha.
Well I have got to get off, but remember you can write to me through the mission office, and I will get a letter eventually when I go back to the office.
I love you all!
Love,
Elder Tinkham
After about 32 hours of no sleep, we arrived in Honduras, and were met by the Assistants and President Flores at the end of the airport. The whole first day we had some training in the office, and interviews with President Flores. During the interview, he told us our areas that we were going to serve in. I was chosen to serve in the area Comayagua. It’s a small city about 2 hours away from Tegucigalpa and Comayaguela. Haha and my companions name is Elder Cobo from Guatemala. He is a great guy and a good missionary, but he speaks almost no English. We are really good friends, but it is difficult to communicate sometimes.
But seriously, I can’t understand anyone here haha. But that happens to everyone. I can catch a few words here and there, but I have definitely not experienced anything like this before.
The people here are very poor. There are a few paved roads, but that’s about it. The apartment I live in is very small and quite the interesting place, I forgot my camera or else I would have pictures of it! I will try to remember next week so I can put a bunch of pictures on my email.
One big event is that I already had my first baptism! It wasn’t for one of our investigators, but for the Hermanas which are in my district. My district consists of Elder Cobo, me, and 4 Hermanas. All from Guatemala or El Salvador.
I have already gotten straight to work out here. We have appointments from about 2:00 till 8:30 every day. We have 2 investigators with baptismal dates, and I really hope that it continues.
There are no addresses in Comayagua. The only way for me to get mail is through DearElder.com and sending letters to the Mission Office, which you can find through my Madre or the blog I would guess. Because there are no roads, there are no addresses haha. My lifestyle has changed so much, that it is really hard to get used to. I´m sure that for almost all missionaries the hardest time for them is the first few months, because I cannot understand anyone that is speaking pretty much, and it is really frustrating. It’s a lonely feeling being the only one that speaks English around me, but I know that the Lord will only strengthen me for this purpose. One day I will be able to understand the people in Spanish...one day...haha.
The main things I have eaten so far are... sopa de mondongo (cow intestine soup), sopa de Costilla (soup with some other random cow part) and rice and beans. It’s quite the diet change, especially with the heat and the mass amount of walking that I do. We will see how much weight I end up losing.
Despite the mass poverty of the people here, they are really nice. Tons of people invite us in, even if they aren´t really interested in our message, they just like to talk about Jesus and their Salvation haha. Yesterday I also had my first experience at a Spanish ward. Of course I’m the only one within a 100 mile perimeter that knows how to play the piano. So I am now the sacrament meeting pianist, should have seen that one coming. But we had 2 investigators come to church.
Some of my favorite people to visit are Suellen and Milton, they are members and they are very nice and they are close with Elder Cobo and I. Fransisca, she is an investigator with a baptismal date, shows me mercy and says she enjoys when I teach because I am so slow she says that she understands everything. I don´t know if that’s true, but her and her husband Edwin are great investigators and I hope they get baptized soon. Lincoln (and yes, a ton of people have American names around here, it´s pretty funny) is about 20 and his brother is a member. They are fun to hang around with (missionary type hanging around haha) and to teach.
It is almost impossible for the people of Honduras to read the name Tinkham, haha so that is also another funny thing. But finally some of the investigators are starting to remember.
That’s about it for this week. I will have more to share about the work next week! And I will also try to include some culture shocks I keep running into every week as well. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts, I know I definitely need them here.
Love, Elder Tinkham
Part 2 to the family: Hello to my family back in good ole South Jordan, boy how I miss that place. Everything is going fine for me here in Honduras. I´m just going through the normal stressors of a new missionary. Make sure just to keep me in your prayers so that I will be strengthened, and everything will be alright with me for sure.
I´m going to try and remember to get my camera chord so I can give you some pictures for next week. I have some pictures of my little apartment and its wonderful bathroom, and a few other things. One thing I forgot to add on my email is that on our first and second days in Honduras we had dinner with President and Sister Flores, and she cooked us some really good food, I will never have food that good again for 2 years basically haha. And that first night all 15 or so of us slept on the floor of the home of the assistants haha, and then the next morning we got up and walked back to the mission office, had some more training, and we met our new companions and prepared to leave to our individual areas. Most of the areas are in or nearby the city of Comayaguela right by Tegucigalpa, but my area, along with 3 or 4 others are farther away. There is La Paz and Comayaguela by me, then there is another area farther west called Jesus del Otoro about another hour away. And one random area about 6 hours east of Tegucigalpa haha! My companion and my specific area is called Piedras Bonitas, but there definitely aren´t any pretty rocks haha.
Well I have got to get off, but remember you can write to me through the mission office, and I will get a letter eventually when I go back to the office.
I love you all!
Love,
Elder Tinkham
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Letter dated 8-3-09
Dear Family,
Well, today is the day! I am leaving for the airport tonight at 8:30. Things are getting a little bit stressful trying to figure out how to pack all of this stuff and make it work, but I'll be alright. If worse comes to worst, I will throw away a few things of low priority.
All I can say is, I am excited. I am scared going through the airport, but I'll be fine. By the time you get this letter I'll have already talked to you at the airport. So some of this might be old news.
I had fantastic experiences this last Sunday where I just feel ready to get out there in Honduras. My Spanish is definitely not good enough. I'm pretty sure they will be able to understand me, but I doubt I'll understand anyone. That's where my companion comes in haha. I have had a wonderful time here in the MTC. My district was closer than any other district than my zone has ever seen. It's rare that all of us are going to the same mission because that normally doesn't happen for some reason. It looks like Honduras's last few batches of missionaries have been 1 - 4 people at a time. This will be the biggest rush that they've seen in awhile, and Honduras doesn't know what's about to hit them.
This Fast Sunday I finally got to the point where I am ready for anything Honduras has to offer me. After my fast, I know that none of this is about me. I heard that sometimes in some areas they are so poor that they don't get water for awhile so they go days without showering, or shower in a muddy river, and I don't care! This is about the people of Honduras, and the Lord has helped me realize that.
I have no idea how the mail situation is going to work out down there. I just don't know how reliable it's going to be to get mail, but we will find out! Who knows if I even get to email, but I probably will. As soon as I have P-Day in Honduras you will find out how to get in contact with me. I will let you know as soon as I can. But just know that I am safe, all is well, and I'm not a nervous wreck, everything is going great! I love and miss you all!
Love, Elder Tinkham
Well, today is the day! I am leaving for the airport tonight at 8:30. Things are getting a little bit stressful trying to figure out how to pack all of this stuff and make it work, but I'll be alright. If worse comes to worst, I will throw away a few things of low priority.
All I can say is, I am excited. I am scared going through the airport, but I'll be fine. By the time you get this letter I'll have already talked to you at the airport. So some of this might be old news.
I had fantastic experiences this last Sunday where I just feel ready to get out there in Honduras. My Spanish is definitely not good enough. I'm pretty sure they will be able to understand me, but I doubt I'll understand anyone. That's where my companion comes in haha. I have had a wonderful time here in the MTC. My district was closer than any other district than my zone has ever seen. It's rare that all of us are going to the same mission because that normally doesn't happen for some reason. It looks like Honduras's last few batches of missionaries have been 1 - 4 people at a time. This will be the biggest rush that they've seen in awhile, and Honduras doesn't know what's about to hit them.
This Fast Sunday I finally got to the point where I am ready for anything Honduras has to offer me. After my fast, I know that none of this is about me. I heard that sometimes in some areas they are so poor that they don't get water for awhile so they go days without showering, or shower in a muddy river, and I don't care! This is about the people of Honduras, and the Lord has helped me realize that.
I have no idea how the mail situation is going to work out down there. I just don't know how reliable it's going to be to get mail, but we will find out! Who knows if I even get to email, but I probably will. As soon as I have P-Day in Honduras you will find out how to get in contact with me. I will let you know as soon as I can. But just know that I am safe, all is well, and I'm not a nervous wreck, everything is going great! I love and miss you all!
Love, Elder Tinkham
Monday, August 3, 2009
Hello once again to all of my family and friends! My final week in the United States has passed me by, and I will be leaving for Honduras on the Red Eye flight later tonight (or tomorrow morning). Honestly, I'm not going to know what hit me until I walk out of the airport into my new home that this is actually going to happen. It's going to be a scary experience going through a foreign airport not knowing what in the world to do! It's going to be quite a ride for me tonight.
But one thing I do want to let everyone know is, I am ready. Those Catrachos (Honduran slang) don't know what is about to hit them. My amazing district of 10 valiant servants will be arriving shortly, and they are ready to preach. My Spanish is still pretty iffy. I'm pretty sure they will be able to understand what I am saying, but as for me, I anticipate understanding them somewhere around Christmas time haha.
This week was a really long week, but in the perspective of things it also went by pretty fast. We went to a lot of meetings this week that have to do with us leaving. We went to a health and safety meeting, and they told us about all of the elaborate crazy ways that there are to get sick, and how careful we need to be. He basically said it this way, "As long as you think something through every time before you do it, you shouldn't get sick or injured." But what does he expect, we are a bunch of 19year old boys! The doctor said that almost all of us would get sick, but that it's never that big of a problem, just a one day type of suffering. I won't go too much into details with that. We also went to a meeting in which they tried to train us on how to have language study out in the field, since we won't have TRC tasks to plan for anymore, or teachers to ask a million questions too. It was a very nice meeting.
This week has also been an amazing building week for me. As my time has gotten more and more slim in the MTC, I have tried to work harder each and every day, and I think I have been blessed for it. Yesterday (Sunday) was a memorable day in my life. We had some members of our branch presidency teach us a few exit lessons which they do traditionally, and they were really uplifting. We also had a great fireside from the Mills Family, they were recently released as the Mission Presidents from a mission in Japan. They talked to us about their experiences with missionaries, and how a mission really changes people. They were both hilarious, and I don't think I have ever laughed that much at a church fireside, but on the other hand, I really learned a lot from them.
But the real money-maker of the night was right before we went home. Our district decided to have a testimony meeting with each other just to share our thoughts about our whole experience in the MTC. It should have been a sad experience, but it really wasn't. We all felt the Spirit so strongly in that room, but it wasn't the sad-departure-type of Spirit. Hardly any of us cried, we mostly laughed. It was a Spirit of absolute joy that we felt in that room. We were all so excited to get out there! I hope I can remember that in a day and a half when I'm in the middle of nowhere, with no running water or carpet, and talking to people in a language I don't know! Boy am I excited. I really figured out that day that I am ready to get out there, no matter what challenge awaits me. I truly feel the strength of the Lord bearing me up, and through Him nothing is impossible.
The MTC is not about getting you to learn a new language. Sure that is one quirk of it, but the truth of it all is that a missionary learns how to recognize the Spirit. That is how I would put it if someone asked me. Because everything we do as a missionary is based on following the Spirit, and if you can't figure that out, you won't be fulfilling your purpose. I have figured this out, it may have taken awhile, but I finally got it. I am prepared to face anything they have to throw at me, and you guys will be along for the ride. I'll try to include the best of times, and the worst of times, because there will definitely be a little bit of both every week.
Thank you to all who sent me letters or prayed for me while I was here in the MTC. Obviously it will be a little more difficult to get in contact with me in Honduras, but the best way to do that would be through my mom. I wish you all the best of luck throughout this next week.
Hasta Ver! Para Siempre Dios este con vos. (hymn for God be With You Till We Meet Again)
But one thing I do want to let everyone know is, I am ready. Those Catrachos (Honduran slang) don't know what is about to hit them. My amazing district of 10 valiant servants will be arriving shortly, and they are ready to preach. My Spanish is still pretty iffy. I'm pretty sure they will be able to understand what I am saying, but as for me, I anticipate understanding them somewhere around Christmas time haha.
This week was a really long week, but in the perspective of things it also went by pretty fast. We went to a lot of meetings this week that have to do with us leaving. We went to a health and safety meeting, and they told us about all of the elaborate crazy ways that there are to get sick, and how careful we need to be. He basically said it this way, "As long as you think something through every time before you do it, you shouldn't get sick or injured." But what does he expect, we are a bunch of 19year old boys! The doctor said that almost all of us would get sick, but that it's never that big of a problem, just a one day type of suffering. I won't go too much into details with that. We also went to a meeting in which they tried to train us on how to have language study out in the field, since we won't have TRC tasks to plan for anymore, or teachers to ask a million questions too. It was a very nice meeting.
This week has also been an amazing building week for me. As my time has gotten more and more slim in the MTC, I have tried to work harder each and every day, and I think I have been blessed for it. Yesterday (Sunday) was a memorable day in my life. We had some members of our branch presidency teach us a few exit lessons which they do traditionally, and they were really uplifting. We also had a great fireside from the Mills Family, they were recently released as the Mission Presidents from a mission in Japan. They talked to us about their experiences with missionaries, and how a mission really changes people. They were both hilarious, and I don't think I have ever laughed that much at a church fireside, but on the other hand, I really learned a lot from them.
But the real money-maker of the night was right before we went home. Our district decided to have a testimony meeting with each other just to share our thoughts about our whole experience in the MTC. It should have been a sad experience, but it really wasn't. We all felt the Spirit so strongly in that room, but it wasn't the sad-departure-type of Spirit. Hardly any of us cried, we mostly laughed. It was a Spirit of absolute joy that we felt in that room. We were all so excited to get out there! I hope I can remember that in a day and a half when I'm in the middle of nowhere, with no running water or carpet, and talking to people in a language I don't know! Boy am I excited. I really figured out that day that I am ready to get out there, no matter what challenge awaits me. I truly feel the strength of the Lord bearing me up, and through Him nothing is impossible.
The MTC is not about getting you to learn a new language. Sure that is one quirk of it, but the truth of it all is that a missionary learns how to recognize the Spirit. That is how I would put it if someone asked me. Because everything we do as a missionary is based on following the Spirit, and if you can't figure that out, you won't be fulfilling your purpose. I have figured this out, it may have taken awhile, but I finally got it. I am prepared to face anything they have to throw at me, and you guys will be along for the ride. I'll try to include the best of times, and the worst of times, because there will definitely be a little bit of both every week.
Thank you to all who sent me letters or prayed for me while I was here in the MTC. Obviously it will be a little more difficult to get in contact with me in Honduras, but the best way to do that would be through my mom. I wish you all the best of luck throughout this next week.
Hasta Ver! Para Siempre Dios este con vos. (hymn for God be With You Till We Meet Again)
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