So, I feel like I need to start the count over since now I'm in the field. As most of you know I am now in Honduras. I arrived here 6 long days ago and am now an experienced missionary. And yes I was very surprised by Elder Hanks and I read his letter. It only got that way near the end for me, so elder good luck with 6 weeks of it. I don't have to worry about it For those of you who don't understand that... it's ok, don't worry about it. Let me start telling my story from the beginning with leaving the CCM.
So we woke up at 5:30 to get to the airport to catch a flight to San Pedro Sul airport. Then from the airport we caught a tiny plane to Tegucigalpa and the landing was one of the most fun things in the world (as in we were literally 50 yards above the houses right before the landing and then suddenly a airport appeared and we were jamming our breaks).
Then we got off and were hustled to the A.P.s house and we had our first meal with the president. This meal was very foreign and known as pizza. It was actually really good and just normal stuff. When I say we I mean the 16 gringo missionaries from Mexico. So.... 18 missionaries in one Honduran house.. amazing. The next morning we went to the Presidents house on the other side of town and just played... really hard first day. Then we met the Latino missionaries coming from the Guatemala CCM, there were 14 of them and 4 hermanas... yeah seeing trouble yet? that's 32 male missionaries... anyways they gave us the low down on the rules and the things we will need here (the nurses seemed to think we only needed two things: water and Pepto Bismol) and then we had Lasagna!!! ooh so good, then we hopped into two large vans but not quite busses, and went back to the A,P's house. It was nuts we somehow fit and found 32 beds in the house, luckily it had two floors and a semi open garage. But all of this is Honduran size remember so... small.
The next day we went to the changes meeting. I was assigned to my companion who is El Salvadoran, he's really funny and a great teach. He is the only member in his family and soooo strong in the gospel. He is my trainer and I am blessed. He speaks about as much english as I speak spanish soo.. it works We took a bus for 2 hours to Comayauga which is the area I have been assigned. They call this place a pueblito, meaning small village. It is in the center of Honduras and isn't small but it's not big. I don't know how to explain it. When we got back we went to visit with members seeking referrals. I had no idea what was going on. We met the bishop who all the missionaries agree kind looks like Will Smith, with a big smile, and they fed us.
So we woke up at 5:30 to get to the airport to catch a flight to San Pedro Sul airport. Then from the airport we caught a tiny plane to Tegucigalpa and the landing was one of the most fun things in the world (as in we were literally 50 yards above the houses right before the landing and then suddenly a airport appeared and we were jamming our breaks).
Then we got off and were hustled to the A.P.s house and we had our first meal with the president. This meal was very foreign and known as pizza. It was actually really good and just normal stuff. When I say we I mean the 16 gringo missionaries from Mexico. So.... 18 missionaries in one Honduran house.. amazing. The next morning we went to the Presidents house on the other side of town and just played... really hard first day. Then we met the Latino missionaries coming from the Guatemala CCM, there were 14 of them and 4 hermanas... yeah seeing trouble yet? that's 32 male missionaries... anyways they gave us the low down on the rules and the things we will need here (the nurses seemed to think we only needed two things: water and Pepto Bismol) and then we had Lasagna!!! ooh so good, then we hopped into two large vans but not quite busses, and went back to the A,P's house. It was nuts we somehow fit and found 32 beds in the house, luckily it had two floors and a semi open garage. But all of this is Honduran size remember so... small.
The next day we went to the changes meeting. I was assigned to my companion who is El Salvadoran, he's really funny and a great teach. He is the only member in his family and soooo strong in the gospel. He is my trainer and I am blessed. He speaks about as much english as I speak spanish soo.. it works We took a bus for 2 hours to Comayauga which is the area I have been assigned. They call this place a pueblito, meaning small village. It is in the center of Honduras and isn't small but it's not big. I don't know how to explain it. When we got back we went to visit with members seeking referrals. I had no idea what was going on. We met the bishop who all the missionaries agree kind looks like Will Smith, with a big smile, and they fed us.
The people here have almost nothing, you can buy a violin here for 100 american dollars. Nuts! They have tin roofs, cinderblock mud houses. Dogs wander the street, cars fly through the street at the same time as people cross the street. Soccer is in the street ( I love that part, one language I understand) apparently it's pretty sketch still, we aren't allowed to show our camera or anything like that.
Yesterday was church. We have a strong ward, of about 100 people, and this is where I noticed that we are very similar, except in sunday school. But I'll get to that. I had to give a talk in spanish and I'm pretty sure most of the congregation had no idea what I was trying to say..... I still felt good that they were nodding at me and the incomprehensible sounds I was making. Then we somehow ended up in primary singing I am a child of god and then to sunday school half way through the hour, I look behind and someone is just nursing... Yeah kinda freaked me out but... apparently it's not a big deal at all... I didn't look back again. Then we went to a member's house for lunch and they gave us a traditoinal soup called "mandoga". It's something they are all very proud of with corn, potatoes, rice, planotenes (like potatoes in the shape of a banana) and carrots and... Cow stomach. I didn't know what it was until after I ate it and my companion said something like "you handled that well for a gringo." I was like, "what, it was good". Then he told me what it was.... yeah definitely an experience to remember. It wasn't too bad, Ii just thought it was like pig or something... yeah no. Haha today I get to learn to wash clothes by hand!!! Yipee! I have way too many clothes.
I pray for you all and hope your doing great. I would love to hear from you guys! Thank you for writing me.
Love, Elder Johnson
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