More Baptisms

 

Starting the Process for Transfers

Every 6 weeks, some missionaries go home, some new missionaries come to the mission, and some missionaries get new companions, or new areas to work in.  The process is called transfers (or cambios) in Spanish.  We are losing 10 missionaries and getting 7.  The AP's came to our home and we spent the entire day today playfully trying to figure out the best place for all the missionaries to serve.  We read letters from the Zone leaders (we have 8 zones and each zone has 2 leaders over it) about their recommendations for the missionaries in their zones.  We read the Hermana sister leaders letters about their recommendations about the sisters they lead.  We shared the information that we learned about them from the interviews that we did at the zone conferences.  The AP's shared what they knew about the missionaries from working with them and doing exchanges with them.  Information leads to inspiration.  And then we started making changes.  The transfer board is now digital so we had it on our TV screen and could drag and drop the missionaries into new areas, with new companions.  It took the whole day, but we got most of it done.  We are all going to keep looking it over, and pray about it to make sure the decisions we made are the best for each missionary.  

We fed the AP's while they were here

I was teasing the AP's that they were getting soft and didn't know how to do real missionary work anymore, so they sent me pictures after they left they house of the missionary work they were out doing.  They really are the best AP's!

 

Cinco Semenas

When the new missionaries come to the mission, it can be very overwhelming.  So they get just the basic, abbreviated orientation, and then they are sent out to work with their trainers.  After they have gotten a feel for how the mission works, they come back to the office after being here for 5 weeks.  They get more intensive training about how to be a good missionary along with their trainers so they will know how to best train the new missionaries.  The AP's, zone leaders, and hermana leaders run the training.  It was a great day learning how to be a better missionary!

 

Zone Conference with The Santa Rita, Palermo, and Progreso Zones

We had the last of the 1st round of Zone conferences today.  We have now met all of the 156 missionaries in our mission!

Santa Rita Zone

Progreso Zone

Palermo Zone

Hermana Navarro from Panama.  Kirt served in Costa Rica with Herman Navarro's mom, Hermana Batista.  When our daughter Katie was serving in Panama, she served in Hermana Navarro's ward and knew her and her family.  When we picked up Katie in Panama from her mission, we met Hermana Navarro's mom, dad, and brother (Hermana Navarro had just left on her mission.) 

Elder LaFrance.  We met his twin sister in the MTC.  And another crazy story.  Elder LaFrance's companion is Elder Marvilla.  Elder Marvilla's sister and Elder LaFrance's twin sister are serving in the same mission in Guatemala, and they met each other and sent their brothers a picture.  

Elder Barclay who from our home town, Spokane Washington

Elder Milla and Elder Ortiz

 

P-Day Hike for our 30th Wedding Anniversary

I can't believe that we have been married for 30 years.  It seems like yesterday and forever all at the same time.  Thankfully today was our p-day and we got to hang out together.  We hike up to the Coca Cola sign in San Pedro Sula.  It's a 4 mile hike (2 up and 2 back down) with a good view of the city of San Pedro.  You can't really see the Coco Cola sign at any time, but you hike right above it and off to the right of it.  It is on a "paved" road ( I use the word paved because there were a lot of places that were not very paved any more) because there are houses up the road.  If you live up there, you can drive up.  The rest of us had to walk.  

Here is a shot of the Coca Cola sign from below, but like I said you can't really see it on the hike. 

The "paved" road

The entrance to the look out spot

After the hike we ran to the store to get a few things.  While we were in the store, it started pouring rain again.  We did not learn from our first shopping experience-don't go in the afternoon.  This time we did not have a nice Honduran worker to help us, so we just had to run out to the car in the rain.  We got absolutely soaked.  

 

Driving Home from La Ceiba

We drove home from La Ceiba to San Pedro today.  It seemed like a very long drive.  We are glad to be home. 

Sign outside the hotel in La Ceiba "Hotel Quinta Real"

We stopped in Tela and walked out on the pier. 

Elder Paredes was very interested in the people fishing on the pier.  He was asking them all kinds of questions.  

It started raining a ton on the way home.  It's crazy how fast the streets fill up with water when it rains.