With the Big Boys Now

Pretty normal week this week. And honestly I cant remember very much haha.

We were pretty busy this week because we had Stake Conference this last weekend. So we spent a lot of this week meeting with inactive families and investigators inviting them to Conference. The ward made some cool invitations that we could hand out to all of our investigators. On Saturday was the first general meeting and their was a bus to pick up all the ward members. Not very many people that we invited ended up going which was a little disappointing. But the conference was really good. A seventy of the area came and spoke. I really enjoy it when I get to listen to a person whose second language is spanish. Even though the 70 was fluent in spanish it is so much easier to understand gringo spanish rather than latino spanish if that makes any sense. On Sunday we had to get up a little earlier so we could meet up with the bus and start picking up members. We had a much better turn out on Sunday which was great. 

The investigator of the week is Francis. We met her while we were contacting houses. She recieved a small lesson from us while we stood in the dark because she didnt have chairs and only had one dim light. We made a second visit and at that visit we met her husband Joel. Well not husband. Their not married, which is normal. They have been living together for a few years and have 2 little kids.  Anyways we taught them again and made a follow up visit. Well  this week when we arrived her house we saw that Francis was sitting outside her house with her two kids. We realized quickly that something was wrong and that she had been crying. She told us that her husband had left and that he had been gone for 3 days. She was miserable and scared. She said she had been praying for someone to help and was so grateful to see us. So for a lot of this week we have been visiting with her and have brought her some food for her and her kids. She has been expressing a desire to change and is so ready to be baptized. She has since found a job and has been recieving some help from her brother. 

I have learned a lot of things from these experiences with Francis. First I cant help but think of Alma 32. In Alma 32 Alma is talking to some Zoramites who are too poor to worship with the others. And Alma "beheld them with great joy; for he beheld that their afflictions had truly humbled them, and that they were in a preparation to hear the word." Now I´m not saying that what happened to Francis is a good thing. It is a horrible and awful thing. But, at the same time she has been prepared to hear the word. Everytime we come she asks to make the follow up visit for the very next day. She wants to listen and wants to be baptized. It hurts me see that she has gone through so much but I know that she is growing and truly has been humbled. 

The second thing that I have learned is how superficial some of the things in life are haha. Before my mission sometimes my biggest worry was whether I was going to be able to eat 3 chik fil a sandwiches in one sitting. Now since I have gotten here I have dealt with problems I never imagined I would deal with. Getting couples married, building houses for families without one, and helping find jobs for single moms. These are big boy problems. It has really helped me to understand to not worry about the small things and understand that there are much bigger problems out there that we can help with. 

Anyways, thanks again for all the prayers. I love you all and hope your weeks are great!

Love 

Elder Gessell

The hills of Honduras

Beautiful and green everywhere

Just some of the hills we climb everyday.