Work of Salvation

Today is Thanksgiving right?? Im not sure since they dont celebrate it here, but our cook made some pretty delicious tacos today! I cant be grateful enough for my calling right now. I am in a beautiful country with beautiful people, serving the Lord. I am especially grateful for the opportunity to learn humility and to make my weaknesses strengths. It hasnt been easy, but it will be worth it to become the person Heavenly Father wants me to be. When we put limitations on ourselves, we put limits on God.

Ether 12:27:

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

We had a Multi-Zone conference with President Klein last week. One thing he said is that "missionary work" has been changed to the "work of salvation". We have the chance to make an eternal impact in someones life. The reunion with our converts in the next life is going to be such a joyful experience. I love being a missionary because Im constantly reminded to have an eternal perspective. When we remember why we are really here, its  easier to set apart what truly matters away from all the worldly temporary distractions.

You guys are my motivation on my mission. I know theres a ton of blessings headed towards you too. I pray to Heavenly Father every day thanking Him for the family I have been privileged to have during my time here on earth. I love your guts!

Love,

Hermana Sherman

Hermana Klein

Two of the cutest grandmas ever! They are sisters and best friends

Hermana Antonia! She is 93 and a member. She said she felt like the ward and all of her friends forgot about her when we found her.

One night, Hermana Tamani and I sat down for 2 seconds and when we got up there were our back sweat marks on the wall

To change our light bulb I had to stand on a bed with 2 mattress` and a chair.

Progreso Norte zone

Multi-Zone Hermanas

Some of the Honduran beauty

 

Hoyyyyyy

Hola!! 

This week has flown by! We had divisions again and this time I was paired with Hermana Baltizar! Pretty sure we were best friends in the pre-existence. She knows her Nacho Libre and is hilarious. We had a blast all day as we worked hard. 

We received a reference from the President of the Rama for a woman named Antonia. We found her and she is AMAZING! She is 93 and is a member. She is also really sick. Her feet are swollen and infected and she has to sit in a chair or lay in her bed all day. She said that she thought she has been forgotten by the ward until we came. She loves to sing hymns, and I love listening to her sing. She sings with her whole heart and soul pronouncing every single syllable. Her daughter takes care of her and when we knocked on her gate and asked about Antonia, her daughter asked," Why are the Mormons looking for you?" Hermana Antonia said," Because I am one!" She is the sweetest lady Ive ever met.  

The vision for our mission is D&C 87:8  

Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord comes; for behold, it cometh quickly , saith the Lord. Amen.

I love it because the purpose of missionaries isnt to baptize as many people as we can and then throw them in the streets. Missionary work is eternal. We are focusing on helping others come unto Christ and endure to the end. The work doesnt stop after baptism, but we can only receive the promised eternal blessings if we continue to progress every day and stand in holy places, such as assisting church and temples and striving to have the Spirit in our homes.

I love being a missionary! Its the best feeling in the world and Im trying not to take for granted my calling, which is the highest calling I will have in this life. There is no better feeling than helping someone take a few steps closer to their Heavenly Father. The Church is true!

I wont be able to write next week but all is well! Love you all!

Love,

Hermana Sherman

When I first arrived in Tela, these two babies were newborns! They are cousins and a distraction during Relief Society because they are so cute.

Vanessa and her little sister moved out of our area this past week :( I will never forget them

When we had divisions and the Hermana Sister trainers came to our house, we didnt have power all night! We were a little toasty sleeping and smelt like a garden of flowers, 4 to 2 beds without showering all day. We had a blast though.

What truly matters...

Ok ok ok ok!! I dont even know where to begin! This week was the bomb dot com!!!! So, we were visiting with Fausto every day trying to get him pumped for his baptism. We visited him Thursday night to confirm his baptism on Friday. He said,"ohhh, Im going to Ceiba on Saturday, but will be back in time...". Saturday was pretty crazy already because we had 2 activities and only one free hour to do his baptism, so we decided to whip out the baptism on Friday! We had about 4 hours to plan everything and call all of our investigators and members here. It has been raining all day every day this past week and whenever it rains, all the dirt in the water tanks gets mixed up and the water through the pipes is not the cleanest. So, the water in the baptismal font was a little yellow, but pretty sure it works the same! The spirit was SO STRONG!! Fausto is indeed special. The members that were there said the Spirit was a lot different than any other baptism they've gone to. Fausto was confirmed on Sunday and it was perfect! We were doing his paper work in the morning and found out he has 9 kids and the oldest is a member! We are going to try and get in contact with him this week. I cant even begin to express how grateful I am to have the opportunity to do a small part in Faustos conversion. He was already prepared, and the Spirit did everything. 

This week has also been really humbling for me. I was reading Mark 10:13-25; when a boy asked Christ how he could receive eternal life. Christ answered naming off some of the 10 commandments and the boy said he already obeys all of them. It then says that the Lord loved him, then said,"One thing thou lackest; go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast; and give it to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross and follow me." It then says that the boy was sad at that saying and went away and grieved for he had great possessions. The Lord then said,"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." I have been thinking a lot of this passage and how much I am willing to give. Its so easy to let worldly possessions climb the scales of our priority. Now having my eyes opened to how little some people have, I now see what truly matters. 

I love being a missionary! I love Honduras. Yo se que vive me señor! The church is true!

Love,

Hermana Sherman

I LOVE this quote!

The Lord works from the inside out.

The world would take people out of the slums.

Christ would take the slums out of people and they would take themselves out of the slums.

The world would mold men by changing their environment.

Christ changes men, who then change their environment.

The world would shape human behavior,

but Christ can change human nature.

Ezra Taft Benson

 

I love being in Honduras!

Hola Hola!!

We didnt have cambios this week!! Woooohoooo! So Im still currently in Tela with Hermana Tamani! We are way excited, cause we get to work harder and have a baptism set this week with Fausto!! I have a soft spot in my heart for Fausto. He is a cute Grandpa who loves to read! We gave him 3 Liahonas last Sunday and he reads them all day every day along with the Book of Mormon! He now knows the Book of Mormon like the back of his hand. 

Yesterday was Fast Sunday and seemed to be one of the hottest days yet since Ive been here. All day half of the town didnt have power so we were all sitting in an oven during the 3 hours of church. During Sunday school everyone was getting a little slap happy from fasting and I dont even know how hot it was in the room, but we had a young man stand in the corner with a gigantic piece of cardboard fanning everyone. Aside from the heat, the Spirit was still very strong during Fast and Testimony meeting. I love hearing the experiences of the members here with their strong faith, even though they might not have things of the world. I felt the Saviors love for the people here in Tela and know Heavenly Father is aware of His children no matter what part of the world they are at. 

This past week Hermana Tamani and I went over to San Pedro Sula. Its about a 3 hour bus ride from Tela. We needed to see a doctor because Hermana Ts skin has been irritated since the day she got here. We first past by the mission office and President Klein treated us to lunch then to the doctors. I am so grateful to have President and Hermana Klein at the head of this mission. It is so comforting to know President Klein is in tune with the Spirit so that the Lord may direct His work. 

Hermana Tamani is awesome. She is so strong and is hilarious! She has a good sense of humor and we always laugh. which is a huge blessing for me. I Love being a missionary! I love being in Honduras! I love this work! The church is true!!

I love you all!

Hermana Sherman

Doing laundry at a members home

One of the cutest babies in the world!

Sometimes you have to pay to use the bathroom

Everyone has hammocks and they are the greatest invention ever

This is Christopher. He and his 12 year old sister were baptized by themselves, they're awesome

Vanessa

Hermana Doris

Doing a couple of chores

 

A sweet door at a members home