ONE YEAR OUT & a great week it was!

HOLA MI FAMILIA Y MIS AMIGOS!!! I hope that this letter finds you all doing great. I loved all the emails that I got about the fourth of July and all. Don’t you worry, we made everyone here know that it was the fourth of July back in the promise land! HAHA They all thought that we were crazy HAHA but my companion and I had a great time to say the least! This week was one of the best weeks of my mission. We had a ton of work and absolutely got after it. We were running with our heads cut off every day. So lets get down to it shall we!

Monday we went to the local park and played some basketball against their ¨team¨ that they have here in Talanga. It was a blast! Other than being out of shape we balled them up. We found some new people out of it too, so that was good. My companion and I really enjoyed it and it was a good time to say the least!

Thursday we had interviews with president! All I can say is that he is a stud. He is a man full of such insight and all and I love it. I want to be more like him. So that was a privilege to be able to ask him some questions and give him my insight on some things. We had a good talk to say the least. He’s a great man! Gotta love Papi Fortuna. 

So this week we were preparing for three baptims that we had this weekend! One was of a familia, familia L, and the other was a man named K. K. is a familia friend of the L. familia! It was a great weekend to say the least. We were very focused on them this week but still had time to have about 20 other lessons, we are literally killing it right now.

So Friday we had the wedding of the familia L. They got married Friday morning and then about two hours later we had their baptisms. It was the BEST way that I could have spent my fourth of July here in Honduras. Marrying a couple and baptizing them all in one day was so great. The husband gave up some strong habits in order to be baptized. He went weeks preparing and it was amazing. We are so proud of him.

One could feel the spirit so strong and can see the Lords hand once again in our work. Once again the spirit testified that this is the Lords work. I am so happy to be a part of the Lords army helping my brothers and sisters come unto Christ.

So Friday morning was the wedding and the baptism and then on Friday night there was a party for them. All the family came and it was amazing! There were about 50 people there. It was sweet! It gets better! One of the familia members asked us if we could share a message with everyone that was there, I was like, HECK YES, I can!

So the first thing I was thinking was that the spirit is going to blow them away so I said a quick prayer and asked the spirit to be with me and got after it. I was in front of about 50 people, doesn’t get much better than that! Many of them we didn’t know but what a great opportunity to share such a great message. So fun to say the least and I was grateful for the opportunity to do it.

I talked about families and the importance of having Jesus Christ in our lives. I shared my favorite scripture - helaman5:12. It went so well. After I shared my message we ate some amazing food! Then we busted out the cakes that my companion and I bought for them! We bought three huge cakes just for 25 bucks... good deal huh, and they were amazing! Overall it was SUCH a great night! I loved every minute of it! So that was Friday! 

Saturday we had another baptism, his name is K. He is a family friend of familia L. It was wonderful. He’s a stud! He wants to leave and serve a mission with O! His familia came to the baptism which was really cool for him too. I just love all these people.

I also had the privilege to do a baptism of a person from the other ward here in T. I had the opportunity to do his baptism interview and then he asked me to perform the baptism so that was really special. His name is J. I am so thankful to be doing the Lords work and there is nothing better. I know that this is the Lords work, the Lord has testified to me time and time again. When we put everything into things spiritually the Lord will bless us more than we know. 

Thanks so much for all of your love and support while I am here on the mission! It means a lot to me familia and friends. I want you all to know that I love each of you very much and am so thankful to have you each in my life. I am learning more than I ever thought that I would learn here on my mission and would not want to be anywhere else in the world than here right now at this time.

As a representative of Jesus Christ I know that the Lords lives, and that he loves each of us so much, and that he has a PLAN for each of us. I know this to be true. I know that The Bible and The Book of Mormon are sacred scriptures that we must read and edify our testimonies to withstand the windstorms that are trying to blow us over. I love each of you so much and want the best for each of you. If there is anything that I can do for you , let me know. LOVESLOVESLOVES

Make it a special week, do something different for the better. Aim high in all that you do and put your best foot forward in all that you do as well. 

Com mucho amor,

Elder Long!