Sunday June 2, 2024

We had to make another trip in to San Pedro Sula this past week so we took advantage while there and we went to see the new temple.  It is finally finished and they have announced the open house which will be in September.  There is no other feeling anywhere like there is at a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ.  Even just being outside the temple grounds, it was amazing the feeling that there is there.  When we went there last, in November with Marleen, when she came to visit us, we were so lucky to get a little tour of the inside of the temple, and that was great, but now that it is finished it has a such a great spiritual feeling just to be there close to it.  I am glad that we took the time to drive over there and see it.  We of course will not be here when they do the open house, but I sure hope that they let all the missionaries go to that and to have that experience.  

We were in San Pedro because we took the hermana's, Hermana Chajchalac to a Dr appointment at the hospital so when we got finished with that we took the time to drive up around the new temple.  We all enjoyed the short visit there.  We have to go back on Wednesday of this next week to take Hermana Chajchalac to the hospital where she is going to have her gallbladder removed.  They will do the surgery Wednesday morning and then we will bring her back to Tela on Thursday.  They tell her it will be a two week recovery and then hopefully she will feel like getting back to missionary work.  She has been very careful about what she eats but she is feeling much better than the last two weeks, which is when she had Dengue besides the symptoms of the stones in the gallbladder.  I feel like she was sent to Tela so that we could be here to help her to get through this difficult part of her time her on the mission.  If she were an any other area of the mission, she would have to get on a bus to get to and from the hospital.  I am glad that we are here in the same place so that Hermana Chappell can help her through this. 

We had Zone council this past week on Wednesday and we got a picture of our new district....

Of course Elder Henderson, the Elder who took the picture just had to be in the picture as well.  So on the top picture from left to right,....  Hermana Chinchilla from Costa Rica, Hermana Chajchalac from Guatemala, Los Chappell, Elder Cruz, from Dominican Republic, and Elder Slade from Salt Lake.  This will be our district until we go home on the next transfer on July 2, 2024.  It seems rather surreal that we are that close to coming to the end of our mission experience here in Honduras.  

We had Branch Conference today in Tela.  Even though it was supposed to be fast Sunday.  They changed our branch conference because it was scheduled for the 16th, but here in Tela that is their annual carnevál, dias de feria here which is that whole week before and that weekend ending with a big bang on Sunday.  So it was definitely best that they changed the date.  I don't know how much that will affect church attendance, but it will probably be  a light week, so far as attendance goes.  We were lucky enough last year to experience this annual event, and we are not great fans of celebrating  with them.  They have a large stage, and food tents that they set up and move to three areas of the city and one of the places where they set up their stage is right outside our house.  Last year was an experience that we don't need to experience again.  They played music very loud music all night long,  I think they finally ended and turned everything off around 5:00 am.  the next morning.  Colleen said, "I am not going to go through that ever again!"  So this year we have a reservation at a hotel about 5 miles from here where there will be no noise and parade and most of all way less people (We hope) for that night when they are all celebrating next to our house.  

Colleen took a picture of the branch choir that I participated in today.  We had three songs that we sang, two of which I thought sounded ok, not great but ok, and the third one was a disaster, it was terrible to have to listen to.  The Hymn was "Baluarte firme es nuestro Dios" "A Mighty Fortress is our God". There was no accompaniment, and she wanted the first of the song loud and grandioos. With no note played to give us a starting point, and none of us being musically inclined, everyone started at a different note, all very loud like she wanted, it just got worse from there,  there is only one verse which was a miracle, but it was so very painful.  We had practiced several times in the last two weeks, but I feel like if we had just had a note played on the piano, which there is one  (an electronic keyboard) right there behind us, it would have been much closer to the right note to begin the hymn.  I'll probably think about this choir experience every time I hear that Hymn.  The thing is that it is not one that you hear very often anyway, oh well, another great memory of the Tela Branch Conference, June 2, 2024.  

Hermano Morales was released as first counselor of the Branch Presidency today because their family is moving back close to Tegucigalpa to be near Hermana Morales's family tomorrow.  He was also in the choir, the gentleman standing on my right.  So I was also released as second counselor, then I was sustained as first counselor and Brandon Castro was sustained as second counselor.  He is standing next to Hermano Morales.  He is a young man here in the branch that is preparing to leave on a mission, so this will be a great experience for him.  He is Andrea Castro's son, made of the same mold,   'I am right and I am in charge' personality.  They are great faithful members but they make it a bit hard for those who are more humble and want to participate without the judgement and condemnation and hard fist, and a do what I say personality.   Oh well, I suppose that most every ward has all kinds of personalities that we are here to learn from.  

I got a picture of our English class this past week, which we do every Tuesday, Thursday. Friday, and Saturday from 10:00 - 11:00.   I enjoy the discussions we have and the opportunity to get to know these wonderful young missionaries a little bit better, as well as help them with their English skills.  They do really well when they are committed and really want to learn.  The classes are on google meet, all virtual, and there are usually anywhere from 2 to 8 people there in each class period.  

In all the conferences Hermana Chappell tells the missionaries that because of the risk of rabies, that they are not to be petting getting close to the dogs and cats that are so abundant here.  So of course they being young and loving animals,  Hermana Chappell is always getting pictures from the missionaries of them with the animals that they love so much.  They all love the cats and dogs.  This past week Elder Rosario sent her this picture of the cute puppies, that are just so irresistible.  

Colleen also found some more murals here in town which we hadn't seen before.