Good day to all of you family and friends out there in the world, how are you all doing? I hope well.
Alright, lets see if I can figure out where to start. The first 2 days of the week we spent running around teaching brief lessons, and saying goodbye to everyone for Elder Lopez and all that stuff, so all normal there. Wednesday morning, I left real early and traveled all by myself about 4 hours to pick up my greenie, very boring was that trip let me tell you. I finally arrived at the house of President Flores to pick up my new companion, and I got a surprise. To answer your question mom, he´s not gringo or Latino. Well, I guess technically he is Latino, but yeah let me explain. He is from Nicaragua, a city called Bluefields. In that city they only speak Creole English. He is really dark skinned and all of you who have no idea what Creole English sounds like, just imagine that I have a Jamaican companion. They speak kinda like that, but with a really thick accent and a whole lot of words are different. So he is learning Spanish just like me, it's kind of interesting that President Flores placed me, by far the youngest trainer of the group, with the only Latin who doesn't speak Spanish haha. Since the other trainers that are gringos are a released AP that is about to finish his mission, and the other that has about 18 months in the mission. Yeah, talk about how unqualified I feel as I have never even been Senior Companion.
Anyways, this week has been filled with big challenges. I'm gonna be pretty blunt and honest haha, I don´t like my companion very much. Lets just say he does not like to talk, and doesn't like it when people talk to him, and doesn't have a lot of interest to get to know people. It's kind of a lonely feeling when you don't have anyone to talk to all day haha. But let me explain a little bit more, because maybe this is all for a purpose.
So, this week I'm almost positive that I have learned more than all the other weeks in my mission. Why? Because I have really had to focus myself on the work. I am now doing all of the contacting, talking, directing, and all that, and those first few days of the week, my stress level was reaching danger points. I am doing all that I can possibly think of to help my companion out so that together we can have success in the desert of Juticalpa (by the way, forgot to mention, its HOT here. Just started heating up, and let me tell you, its HOTTTTTT). As of today, the relationship between us is getting a little bit better. Right now I went from not liking my companion at all, to being indifferent. I'm hoping that next week I can jump from indifferent to liking and then loving my companion, cause that's what it's all about. I'm trying to use every tactic that I have ever used here in the mission with my other companions, because as of this point I have loved all of my companions. I hope to continue saying that eventually. Anyways, now I'm sure you all think I'm a mean person haha.
Amidst all of this, we are seeing results here in Juticalpa. We have lined up three Young Women aged girls that have the desire to be baptized that we are beginning to teach, so we should be seeing baptisms soon. Just to finish up, I have been searching a lot for solace in the scriptures and the Liahona this week, and I found something in the Saturday Afternoon session that I really love. President Uchtdorf spoke about The Love of God, and I just want to share a quote that really struck me this week. God the Eternal Father did not give that first commandment because he needs us to love Him. His power and glory are not diminished should we disregard, deny, or even defile His name. His influence and power expand through time and space independent of our acceptance, approval, or admiration. No, God does not need us to love Him. But oh, how we need to love God! For what we love determines what we seek. What we seek determines what we think and do. What we think and do determines who we are and who we will become. I know this Church is true, for that reason I know that all of these challenges are for my good, and I continue on. Through challenge after challenge, I continue onward.
Vaya Pues!
Elder Tinkham
Monday, January 25, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
January 18
Good Morning and hello out there to all of my family and friends. This week has been an interesting one, and I hope it also has been for all of you. How is the snow treating you? I think I can point out a few vultures that are waiting to pick at me about now because of the weather here.
Anyways, well...you know how I was talking about last week how in a branch like this a missionary gets discouraged really easy and I was going through that? Well, this week I have been convinced that the Lord has a sense of humor. This transfer will be finishing up on Wednesday, and we found out that Elder Lopez will be leaving, and I have been called to train a new missionary. I don't know anything about him or even who he is, but I'll find out when I go to pick him up on Wednesday.
I was thinking a lot about the assignments the Lord gives to his people, and how they often come when the person does not feel prepared. I am definitely one of those people at this moment, who knows what will happen with me being the senior companion and trainer, but all I can say is, this is going to be quite the humbling experience.
Anyways, this week we had a small missionary activity to increase the investigators in my area. All of us 6 missionaries walked in splits in our area and contacted different barrios (neighborhoods I think). We got a whole bunch of referrals out of it, and have started to contact a few of them to see how it turns out. We will see if we can find anyone who wants to listen to us out of that group, so that we can have some investigators who want to progress and come to church. Our 2 major investigators have been gone this week. Yuliza left with her family to visit her grandma in a tiny village and will be gone 2 weeks, and Josè Martinez (part of the giant family of 20) has been impossible to find. So we have been starting anew this week. We decided as a companionship to branch out a little bit further and try contacting in the areas that are a little bit more out there. Since our area is so big, we have normally been sticking to the areas a little closer to the church, because since no one has a car, this is a big bonus for them to come. So we have been walking a whole bunch this week, really getting our exercise haha, to contact. It turned out that we had some success because we found a family that before had listened to the missionaries, and were about to get married so that they could be baptized, but it didn't work out because at the time she was about to have a baby and was always in the hospital. Later the 2 missionaries got transferred, and she was forgotten. Interestingly enough, we are now in the same situation. She is pregnant and about to have another baby, but we have started teaching the lessons to her and her husband, and they are quite positive. We are helping the husband Ramon quit smoking and he is taking it really well, he has got a strong will to stop, since he has already quit drinking, and quit doing a lot of other things.
This last Sunday we had a District Conference where my companion and I were in the choir. President and Hna. Flores came and gave small talks, and we also got to listen to Elder Don R. Clark, a member of the 70 who is in charge of Central America. It was really, really awesome. I learned a whole lot from that meeting because Elder Clark has a way with teaching the Latin people. He's the direct kind of speaker, kinda like Richard G. Scott, finger pointing direct "change your ways" type of speaker, but also finds a way to throw in a mountain of love as well. I hope to apply all of what he taught to my work here.
Anyways, that's about all I have for you guys this week, The work is moving. Maybe like a snail but hey it is moving, and I have the hope that one day it will flourish. I thank you all for your prayers, I feel them so warmly especially in this time when I will be training. I love you all and pray that you're doing well.
Vaya Pues!
Elder Tinkham
Anyways, well...you know how I was talking about last week how in a branch like this a missionary gets discouraged really easy and I was going through that? Well, this week I have been convinced that the Lord has a sense of humor. This transfer will be finishing up on Wednesday, and we found out that Elder Lopez will be leaving, and I have been called to train a new missionary. I don't know anything about him or even who he is, but I'll find out when I go to pick him up on Wednesday.
I was thinking a lot about the assignments the Lord gives to his people, and how they often come when the person does not feel prepared. I am definitely one of those people at this moment, who knows what will happen with me being the senior companion and trainer, but all I can say is, this is going to be quite the humbling experience.
Anyways, this week we had a small missionary activity to increase the investigators in my area. All of us 6 missionaries walked in splits in our area and contacted different barrios (neighborhoods I think). We got a whole bunch of referrals out of it, and have started to contact a few of them to see how it turns out. We will see if we can find anyone who wants to listen to us out of that group, so that we can have some investigators who want to progress and come to church. Our 2 major investigators have been gone this week. Yuliza left with her family to visit her grandma in a tiny village and will be gone 2 weeks, and Josè Martinez (part of the giant family of 20) has been impossible to find. So we have been starting anew this week. We decided as a companionship to branch out a little bit further and try contacting in the areas that are a little bit more out there. Since our area is so big, we have normally been sticking to the areas a little closer to the church, because since no one has a car, this is a big bonus for them to come. So we have been walking a whole bunch this week, really getting our exercise haha, to contact. It turned out that we had some success because we found a family that before had listened to the missionaries, and were about to get married so that they could be baptized, but it didn't work out because at the time she was about to have a baby and was always in the hospital. Later the 2 missionaries got transferred, and she was forgotten. Interestingly enough, we are now in the same situation. She is pregnant and about to have another baby, but we have started teaching the lessons to her and her husband, and they are quite positive. We are helping the husband Ramon quit smoking and he is taking it really well, he has got a strong will to stop, since he has already quit drinking, and quit doing a lot of other things.
This last Sunday we had a District Conference where my companion and I were in the choir. President and Hna. Flores came and gave small talks, and we also got to listen to Elder Don R. Clark, a member of the 70 who is in charge of Central America. It was really, really awesome. I learned a whole lot from that meeting because Elder Clark has a way with teaching the Latin people. He's the direct kind of speaker, kinda like Richard G. Scott, finger pointing direct "change your ways" type of speaker, but also finds a way to throw in a mountain of love as well. I hope to apply all of what he taught to my work here.
Anyways, that's about all I have for you guys this week, The work is moving. Maybe like a snail but hey it is moving, and I have the hope that one day it will flourish. I thank you all for your prayers, I feel them so warmly especially in this time when I will be training. I love you all and pray that you're doing well.
Vaya Pues!
Elder Tinkham
Monday, January 11, 2010
January 11
Good Morning Good Afternoon and Good Night to all of you guys out there wherever you are. I am happy to be writing to you today and hope that all of you are doing well. This week has been, well...alright I guess. Let´s see...where do I start.
Since our area is so large, it includes a few small villages outside the city, and we tried our first time going out there this week. Our ward missionary leader lives in one of them, so that makes a great bonus. This last Wednesday we visited the Sosa Lobos and La Granja (the farm). It is really sweet over there and Elder Lopez and I loved it. The people are incredibly nice. La Granja is actually anything but a farm haha. It's just a really small village out about 20 minutes from the city where there are a bunch of nice houses. You guys should have seen the pathway we have to take to pass from the Sosas to the Granja. When I have my new camera I will take a video of it and send it because it looks like I'm walking through the Amazon! It's a small dirt path in the middle of a small forest. But we visited a family that have been investigators for about 2 years (that just have problems getting married) and as well a member that lives that far out who want to go to the temple. The only problem over there is the transportation to get to the chapel. They have to take a bus to get to Juticalpa, and sometimes on Sundays the bus does not come to the villages (the people actually keep the Sabbath Day Holy here pretty well). If they walked it would take about and hour and half, trust me I walked back from the villages and it's tiring. We felt really bad for the members and investigators over there, and we are thinking about ways to get them to church. We have seen a few people that own small buses, and we are going to try and ask them if we can pay to bring people to church on Sundays with our own money. Who knows if it will work, but we just feel so bad because these families want to go to the temple, but aren't really worthy for a temple recommend because it's so difficult to get to church. Were going to do all we can with that.
With respect to the Joseph Smith movie we showed on Thursday, it was a big hit. We had just as many people present as there are in a normal sacrament meeting! The sacrament room (I forgot how to say that in English) was full to packed (well...its really small haha). But all I can say is that it was awesome, because hardly anyone had ever seen it before, and it really strengthened their testimonies of the true prophet of God.
The English classes have been suspended a bit, due to the fact that these last Saturdays we haven't been able to do it, firstly because Elder Lopez was sick, and this Saturday we had a Stake, well, District Leadership meeting in the neighboring city that we were invited to go to. There we talked to the members of the 3 branches here about how they can help out the missionaries. This zone is the most difficult zone in our mission, which averages about 3 baptisms every 6 weeks in the entire zone. So we took this opportunity very excitedly and did all we can to excite the members into helping us out. But we're hoping to get back on the English teaching soon. Haha except everyone wants me to start teaching piano lessons instead of English lessons because we have been singing in a choir these last 2 Sundays. We're going to sing for District Conference which is coming up, and of course everyone wanted me to play the piano, why is it that this talent must always be revealed to everyone!
Other than that, the work is going very slowly. Missionaries often get discouraged out here in the boondocks when the work is slow like this, but we´re doing all that we can to keep ourselves excited over here. With Yuliza, I'm not really sure what's going on, one day she has tons of questions and says that she prayed and knows its true, and another day she has no desire whatsoever to go to church. So, we still don't really have a baptismal date because things are going like a roller coaster with her. I'm really hoping that one day I will have some good news for you guys about the people here in Juticalpa. I was thinking a lot this week with a mind a little bit discouraged. "How is it that our Savior can love these people when their minds are the furthest thing away from living a gospel oriented life?" I went a whole day thinking that, and then something hit me... "How can a sinner such as I was and am, be qualified to preach the gospel, am I really qualified to do this kind of miracle work?" I just would like to say that the scriptures have the answers to everything. In Alma, Chapter 14 the prophet Alma explains that angels are preparing people out there for us to teach. They are being prepared to receive the gospel of Christ. All we need to do is repent daily, live a pure life, and love the work we are doing. I challenge you all to apply this in your lives as well, as the prophet Alma as well has challenged us.
I love you all, and I'll talk to you next week!
Since our area is so large, it includes a few small villages outside the city, and we tried our first time going out there this week. Our ward missionary leader lives in one of them, so that makes a great bonus. This last Wednesday we visited the Sosa Lobos and La Granja (the farm). It is really sweet over there and Elder Lopez and I loved it. The people are incredibly nice. La Granja is actually anything but a farm haha. It's just a really small village out about 20 minutes from the city where there are a bunch of nice houses. You guys should have seen the pathway we have to take to pass from the Sosas to the Granja. When I have my new camera I will take a video of it and send it because it looks like I'm walking through the Amazon! It's a small dirt path in the middle of a small forest. But we visited a family that have been investigators for about 2 years (that just have problems getting married) and as well a member that lives that far out who want to go to the temple. The only problem over there is the transportation to get to the chapel. They have to take a bus to get to Juticalpa, and sometimes on Sundays the bus does not come to the villages (the people actually keep the Sabbath Day Holy here pretty well). If they walked it would take about and hour and half, trust me I walked back from the villages and it's tiring. We felt really bad for the members and investigators over there, and we are thinking about ways to get them to church. We have seen a few people that own small buses, and we are going to try and ask them if we can pay to bring people to church on Sundays with our own money. Who knows if it will work, but we just feel so bad because these families want to go to the temple, but aren't really worthy for a temple recommend because it's so difficult to get to church. Were going to do all we can with that.
With respect to the Joseph Smith movie we showed on Thursday, it was a big hit. We had just as many people present as there are in a normal sacrament meeting! The sacrament room (I forgot how to say that in English) was full to packed (well...its really small haha). But all I can say is that it was awesome, because hardly anyone had ever seen it before, and it really strengthened their testimonies of the true prophet of God.
The English classes have been suspended a bit, due to the fact that these last Saturdays we haven't been able to do it, firstly because Elder Lopez was sick, and this Saturday we had a Stake, well, District Leadership meeting in the neighboring city that we were invited to go to. There we talked to the members of the 3 branches here about how they can help out the missionaries. This zone is the most difficult zone in our mission, which averages about 3 baptisms every 6 weeks in the entire zone. So we took this opportunity very excitedly and did all we can to excite the members into helping us out. But we're hoping to get back on the English teaching soon. Haha except everyone wants me to start teaching piano lessons instead of English lessons because we have been singing in a choir these last 2 Sundays. We're going to sing for District Conference which is coming up, and of course everyone wanted me to play the piano, why is it that this talent must always be revealed to everyone!
Other than that, the work is going very slowly. Missionaries often get discouraged out here in the boondocks when the work is slow like this, but we´re doing all that we can to keep ourselves excited over here. With Yuliza, I'm not really sure what's going on, one day she has tons of questions and says that she prayed and knows its true, and another day she has no desire whatsoever to go to church. So, we still don't really have a baptismal date because things are going like a roller coaster with her. I'm really hoping that one day I will have some good news for you guys about the people here in Juticalpa. I was thinking a lot this week with a mind a little bit discouraged. "How is it that our Savior can love these people when their minds are the furthest thing away from living a gospel oriented life?" I went a whole day thinking that, and then something hit me... "How can a sinner such as I was and am, be qualified to preach the gospel, am I really qualified to do this kind of miracle work?" I just would like to say that the scriptures have the answers to everything. In Alma, Chapter 14 the prophet Alma explains that angels are preparing people out there for us to teach. They are being prepared to receive the gospel of Christ. All we need to do is repent daily, live a pure life, and love the work we are doing. I challenge you all to apply this in your lives as well, as the prophet Alma as well has challenged us.
I love you all, and I'll talk to you next week!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Feliz Año Nuevo to all
Hello and Welcome to 2010 everyone! I am glad to be writing you today, so I'll start to get straight to my points of the week!
First off, one of the biggest news of the week, on Tuesday I had the opportunity to have interchanges with guess who? Elder Cardon! Him and I were reunited once again as he got to come over to my house and chill for a whole day while we labored in the work of the Lord. We even had a lot of success together finding people to teach and having the Spirit in our lessons. We loved the time we got to have reminiscing of the MTC, of our first areas, experiences we've had, and all that jazz, oh we also talked about the Utah Jazz (shhh).
Anyways, that was about the high point of the week, because the rest of the week was actually really bad haha. The next day, we met up to switch back companions at a service project, and I found out that Elder Lopez was sick. He got sick that night and couldn't sleep very well. I didn't think it was very bad, and I thought we’d just stay in the house for the afternoon....but we ended up stuck in the house for 3 days! He was in the bed the whole time and very sick. I have no idea what he had in English but he had Empacho, or was Empachado. So Dad, there's your duty of the week to figure out what that was.
{Phil: Empacho is a gastrointestinal illness which can affect anyone but is most common in children. It is characterized by abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. It can be associated with an intestinal blockage or can be caused by swallowing food that is hard to digest; like popcorn hulls, chewing gum, corn husks, etc. It can also be caused by eating spoiled food (food poisoning). It usually will not go away on its own and needs to be treated. Common treatments are; massaging the abdomen to manipulate the blockage, laxative teas, enemas, and some pretty dangerous folk remedies that contain lead (but these are not very common anymore).}
I felt really bad for the guy and spent a lot of time praying for him, I think it was because he ate something really bad. He didn't eat for 3 days because with the sickness he had an extreme sharp pain in his stomach, and could not go to the bathroom, and everything he did eat he just puked it up. It was quite the nasty experience because none of the pills he took worked, and we were about to have to leave for Tegucigalpa to go to the hospital, but a member came over and gave him this crazy massage, because all the people here know this sickness and they say that apparently doctors don't accept it. But he finally recovered about Saturday, and we left to work again slowly that night. So I passed December 31st locked up in the house with absolutely nothing to do. The worst part about it all is that I was locked up in the house for 3 days without anyone to talk to at all, it was like solitary confinement haha. But I'm sure it wasn't as bad as the experience of Elder Lopez.
Anyways, other than that the work is going really slowly because not much was done this week. We have been working with a girl named Yuliza who is family of a recent convert here so that she can be baptized. She is really awesome and understands a lot that we teach, but the only problem is she is incredibly shy and just did not want to go to church because it scared her. But we FINALLY got her to come to church and she just loved it. I hope that we can build off of that experience.
Because there usually is not a lot to do here in Juticalpa as it is probably the hardest city for missionary work, we are finding other ways where we can help people out. We have been doing a lot more service projects, I have been teaching English and that is going alright, and the Latin’s have started to teach how to read while we’re teaching English. We are also going to have an amazing activity where we’re showing the Joseph Smith 2-hour movie in the chapel on Thursday. We invited practically the whole city and really hope it will strengthen the testimony of Joseph Smith of the members, and win over the investigators as well! I have also been helping out with the ward choir, since, um...they really need it haha, and they are ALWAYS asking me for my suggestions! Thanks a lot mom! (wink)
Anyways, that's all I got for you guys this week. I hope you are all taking care. You're in my prayers -
Vaya Pues!
Elder Tinkham
First off, one of the biggest news of the week, on Tuesday I had the opportunity to have interchanges with guess who? Elder Cardon! Him and I were reunited once again as he got to come over to my house and chill for a whole day while we labored in the work of the Lord. We even had a lot of success together finding people to teach and having the Spirit in our lessons. We loved the time we got to have reminiscing of the MTC, of our first areas, experiences we've had, and all that jazz, oh we also talked about the Utah Jazz (shhh).
Anyways, that was about the high point of the week, because the rest of the week was actually really bad haha. The next day, we met up to switch back companions at a service project, and I found out that Elder Lopez was sick. He got sick that night and couldn't sleep very well. I didn't think it was very bad, and I thought we’d just stay in the house for the afternoon....but we ended up stuck in the house for 3 days! He was in the bed the whole time and very sick. I have no idea what he had in English but he had Empacho, or was Empachado. So Dad, there's your duty of the week to figure out what that was.
{Phil: Empacho is a gastrointestinal illness which can affect anyone but is most common in children. It is characterized by abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. It can be associated with an intestinal blockage or can be caused by swallowing food that is hard to digest; like popcorn hulls, chewing gum, corn husks, etc. It can also be caused by eating spoiled food (food poisoning). It usually will not go away on its own and needs to be treated. Common treatments are; massaging the abdomen to manipulate the blockage, laxative teas, enemas, and some pretty dangerous folk remedies that contain lead (but these are not very common anymore).}
I felt really bad for the guy and spent a lot of time praying for him, I think it was because he ate something really bad. He didn't eat for 3 days because with the sickness he had an extreme sharp pain in his stomach, and could not go to the bathroom, and everything he did eat he just puked it up. It was quite the nasty experience because none of the pills he took worked, and we were about to have to leave for Tegucigalpa to go to the hospital, but a member came over and gave him this crazy massage, because all the people here know this sickness and they say that apparently doctors don't accept it. But he finally recovered about Saturday, and we left to work again slowly that night. So I passed December 31st locked up in the house with absolutely nothing to do. The worst part about it all is that I was locked up in the house for 3 days without anyone to talk to at all, it was like solitary confinement haha. But I'm sure it wasn't as bad as the experience of Elder Lopez.
Anyways, other than that the work is going really slowly because not much was done this week. We have been working with a girl named Yuliza who is family of a recent convert here so that she can be baptized. She is really awesome and understands a lot that we teach, but the only problem is she is incredibly shy and just did not want to go to church because it scared her. But we FINALLY got her to come to church and she just loved it. I hope that we can build off of that experience.
Because there usually is not a lot to do here in Juticalpa as it is probably the hardest city for missionary work, we are finding other ways where we can help people out. We have been doing a lot more service projects, I have been teaching English and that is going alright, and the Latin’s have started to teach how to read while we’re teaching English. We are also going to have an amazing activity where we’re showing the Joseph Smith 2-hour movie in the chapel on Thursday. We invited practically the whole city and really hope it will strengthen the testimony of Joseph Smith of the members, and win over the investigators as well! I have also been helping out with the ward choir, since, um...they really need it haha, and they are ALWAYS asking me for my suggestions! Thanks a lot mom! (wink)
Anyways, that's all I got for you guys this week. I hope you are all taking care. You're in my prayers -
Vaya Pues!
Elder Tinkham
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