Hello once again to all of my family and friends out there wherever you are! I would just like to start out by saying I love you! I care about you and I hope that wherever you are, you are safe and happy. I would like to report that I am safe, and happy. I love the work of the Lord, and I wish it would never end!
This week has been probably one of the busiest of my mission life, but as they say...a busy and active life is a happy life. Elder Sinclair and I have tried our hardest to do absolutely everything within our grasp to be successful missionaries. To start off, we were able to find 17 new investigators this week. Something that I have never before accomplished in my mission! Especially in Comayaguela....which is basically double what I had previously reached. I don’t really know how to explain it. My companion and I have been trying a simple tactic...finding by the Spirit. No longer do we waste our time knocking on doors just to knock. Instead, we have been trying to “Feel” where to go, and it has worked. We have found a ton of people to teach. There is not enough time to explain them all, but we are excited. With these 17 new investigators we found, the ones we are already teaching, and our Zone Leader responsibilities, you can see what is filling my time these days, huh?
I have also decided on a new thing that I am going to begin to implement in my studies as a revelation helper for me. Lately, it’s been a little bit difficult for me to be able to recognize the impressions of the Spirit. On several occasions this week, things happened that I thought were just coincidences, that just happened to have the involvement of the Holy Ghost, I just didn’t realize until later on. As most of you already know (especially you guys, mom and dad) I have quite the bad short term memory and tend to lose things often. So what I have decided to do is maintain a “revelation journal” next to my knees as I kneel down to pray. In this way I will be able to always remember and recognize the impressions that I receive, without questioning if it’s just coincidence or divinity. I really think that it’s going to help me lift my faith and efficiency as a missionary.
I’m not sure if I told you guys last week, but I was chosen by President Flores, along with a couple of others from our group, to sing a special musical number when Elder M. Russell Ballard comes in 2 weeks. Haha, so we are a little bit nervous for that one, but we are going to try and make it as spiritual as possible for the meeting. We are singing “Be Still My Soul,” and we had our first practice this week. Things are looking pretty good so far, and we are really excited for this amazing opportunity that we have to perform in front of an Apostle of the Lord.
In unexpected news, in our Comayaguela house, we had some unexpected emergency changes this week where one of our missionaries, Elder Martin, had emergency changes and was taken out. The motive was because there were 2 missionaries that were coming in from other missions, because they had their mission call changed and were sent to Comayaguela. Well..the missionary that was supposed to come instead of Elder Martin...never showed up. We don’t exactly know why, but anyways some double emergency changes had to be done and now one of the Elders that was working in the office of the mission has been placed in our house. So, sadly we don’t have a completely white house anymore, but the cool thing is that the other 2 missionaries that live in our house have both worked in the mission office, and so they know a lot about some small details that us “field elders” sometimes forget about. It’s a good asset.
I’ve had some people ask me how I feel, knowing that I will be coming home this year (in 5 months to be exact). The truth is, I don’t like to think about time. After you complete around 18 months, time becomes your worst enemy as an elder. With the experience that I have gained here in Honduras, I know that I cannot waste 1 minute loafing, slacking, or doing sub-par work. This glorious time that the Lord has given me is running out, and I am determined to “take it all one day at a time.” The one thing that I am going to work on as a personal trait for the rest of my mission is my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Preach My Gospel chapter 6 under Faith in Jesus Christ...it explains that there are certain results that you can see when one has faith. 1 - You accomplish what the Lord wants you to accomplish, 2 - Perform miracles according to what the Lord permits, 3 - You edify the other missionaries under whom you serve...etc. That is the goal I have for the rest of my mission, to put my trust in the Lord, and I know He will bless me with what I need.
I know that this gospel is true. The Book of Mormon is true. No mortal man could have written a book such as this, there is just no way. I know that God lives and that Jesus is my Savior. Thank you all for your support and prayers, because I can feel them pushing me forward. These are my New Year’s resolutions, and I hope that you have made yours too!
Vaya Pues!
Elder Tinkham
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