December 10, 2012

Well transfers happened.  Sadly but excitingly I am out of Comayagua.  I miss the area and the people but the new area is great.  I am in an area called Campamento.  It is a tiny branch of the church and is a little pueblo.  My companion is Elder Portillo and he is from San Pedro Sula.  It has been an interesting week with mixed feelings.  I wasn't super excited for the transfers but now I know it will be good and I know that God has put me here for a reason.  It will be super interesting to see the area when I leave that is for sure.  I came to the area and there are maybe 5 investigators and a lot of wasted time in the past.  Now we are making changes and we are starting to knock doors and look for investigators.  They have been super focused in the branch that they have let the investigators go pretty much but that is alright we have to start somewhere.  I was a little frustrated at first to see it but then I know now that God put me here for a reason and we are going to see many miracles here.  I have been really humbled with the transfer and it just makes me realize how well God knows each and everyone of us and puts us in situations to learn and to grow.  Just in these couple of days that I have been here we have made so many changes and I am helping my companion a lot to learn.  One thing I have learned so far in my mission is that I am nothing, I am nothing but the dust of the earth but if I keep my self obedient and trust in the Lord and always try to strengthen my faith I can do miracles.  I really am nothing but the Lord has made me strong and is helping me complete my purpose.  I was studying today and just happened to have the best study of my whole entire mission.  God really answered my prayers and my study was awesome!!!  I was reading the talk by President Monson from conference in the Priesthood session and it was just an answer to my prayers.  I also was reading a scripture in 2 Timothy 1:7-8 . . . I Loved IT!  God has entrusted me with power and love and not with fear.  He has done that with all of us.  He has given us power to do all things.  I know that if we trust in him we can do miracles.  The work isn't easy but it sure is worth it.  Keep reading the Book of Mormon and wait for the miracles in your lives.  I know you will be hearing about miracles here soon!

December 3, 2012

What a week!  It was pretty crazy!  We had a plan to baptize two of the Bishops nieces but it didn't happen.  Their grandma died this week and so we didn't have contact with them from Thursday until Sunday!  Sadly Claris and Genesis weren't baptized.  It was a little sad and we were a little down for a day but all is well.  We invited them to be baptized for this Saturday and they accepted!  It looks like this month will be a great one for this area!  We have transfers this week and I am pretty sure I am heading out of Comayagua and who knows where I am going.  I will go and do what the Lord commands.  Yesterday we had the chance to go to the First Presidency Devotional and I loved it a lot.  I loved their words that we just need to accept the things that people are giving!  It's so true we expect to give back something bigger and more expensive!  It shouldn't be like that it should be focused in the Savior!  We should all try and give the greatest gift that we all have and that being the Gospel!  There is nothing better than someone can receive the gospel.  I am looking forward to the greatest Christmas of my life to keep working and giving the people what they really need!  The Gospel!  There is no greater gift of happiness that you can get!  I invite all of you this Christmas that you can give a Book of Mormon to someone that you know!  You all know someone that needs it!  Find them!  Give it!  Remember "True love is a reflection of the Savior's love" (Thomas S Monson) - it is true!

November 26, 2012

It was a super great week!  The work is awesome.  Yesterday Paty got baptized at 7:30 in the morning!  It was an awesome experience after months of teaching her she finally got baptized and it was the most amazing baptism I have had in my mission as of right now.  After she was baptized and changed and came back out we gave her the chance to share her feelings and testimony and when she got up to start talking she just started crying and crying.  When she regained control she started to tell us what happened.  She told us when she came up out of the water she looked where everyone was sitting and in the front row she saw her parents sitting in the front row.  The crazy thing is her parents died years ago.  It was one of the most amazing experiences I have had.  I was just full of the spirit.  It was just a testimony to me that really there are angels working here among us preparing the hearts of the people to be baptized and to come unto Christ!  This work really is the best!  Gods hand is in the work and his angles are supporting us.  I know the angels are always around us and now I have a confirmation of that.  I hope you are having experiences with angels in your lives as well.

November 19, 2012

Well it was a great week! The work of the Lord is seriously the greatest thing in the world!  Danis was baptized Saturday and it was a super awesome experience - I got to baptize him.  I love just knowing that we have baptisms because that means we are completing our purpose.  The work is great!  Things are looking great right now!  With Danis baptism Saturday and with the plans of putting 4 or 5 more baptism dates this week!  Things are looking great!  Sunday Paty is going to be baptized!  Wahoo!  After about 2 months of teaching her she will be baptized!  It is amazing to see the changes she has made in her life from a sad and quiet woman to now she is super happy and she always talks with us now!  It is a miracle to see how the gospel changes the life of someone!  She really is the best!  I love seeing the changes that she has made it really is so exciting!  It was awesome - I had a huge testimony boost that this is the church of God and that the spirit is real this week!  We were visiting with Paty and we were just talking and she just started telling us that since she started reading the Book of Mormon she has always had questions and so she has been asking the sister that she lives with for answers but she told us that every time she asks a question the next time we come we talk about whatever her question was!  It was a huge boost and to know that we are really following the spirit and doing the things that god expects of us.  This work is real!  The fight against Satan is real every day and the great thing is we know the outcome of the war!  Satan loses!  Sucks to be him and great to be us because we have the knowledge we have!  I know this gospel is true without doubt and I know that without doubt when we pray and ask for help from God he will respond through the spirit!  I hope you are all praying to have experiences with sharing the gospel.  You can measure your conversion to the church by how much you share the gospel!  Get converted or what are you doing in the church.

November 12, 2012

After a rough October things are looking up!  I have been working like crazy trying to keep positive but to be honest - October sucked!  Things are great now I learned so much.  The Lord really teaches us a lot in the times of hardships.  He was trying to help me be humble!  We had a great day in church yesterday.  We weren't expecting many investigators to come to church but it ended up about 10 people came and a couple of them were rejecting us and didn't want to hear us but they came and now they are telling us they want to be baptized!  It really is a miracle how the Lord works!  It really is great this week we have plans for baptisms and next week another and if all goes well this week we are going to put at least 6 more baptism dates.  Hope all goes well with much prayer and fasting all these people will accept baptism dates!  He is teaching me a lot and trying to help me be better as a missionary and a priesthood holder.  I cannot explain with words how much he has taught me about partaking of the sacrament!!  It is really something that I depend on week after week at times that is the best way to get motivated.  I learned a lot this week from my Heavenly Father and can without doubt tell you that he lives and loves each and everyone of us and always answers our prayers!  He really works especially in the changing of the hearts of the people!  I have seen him change so many people and it is awesome!  I hope all is well wherever you guys may be at.  I hope you are all feeling the love that God has for all of us!

November 5, 2012

Well what a week! it was a great week! Walking a lot talking a lot and

having a lot of fun! I love the work of the Lord at times it is

difficult especially when you see peopple fall into temptation! I cant

imagine how Christ feels because it destroys my heart seeing members

afll into temptation! Words of advise dont be stupid and commit big

sins! Or any sins for that matter! It was a great week! We were

contacting and we went and were walking a street that I had never

walked and I was just looking down a hill and watching this family

just stare at us so I went and talked to them! We have now been

teaching them a couple times and they are the best the wife is a membe

rthat was baptized a long time ago and the husband is an awesome man

and they have a lot of potential for progress! As for one of our

investigators that we are teaching! Paty she is the greatest! She is

going to be baptized the 25 of this month! The date she chose! She

started reading the Book of Mormon about 4 weeks ago and has now

finished Alma and is reading a lot! She really is awesome she has

suffered so much her father was murdered when she was 15 her mom died

when she was 16 she doesnt have any brothers or aunts or uncles and so

she is literally alone! Well now she lives with the Bishop and his

family and is super great! At first she hardly spoke with us but now

she talks with me a lot! It is a amazing just the difference of

reading the book of Mormon can make in someones life! I can see the

difference in my own personal life! I finished the Book of Mormon in

Spanish for the first time! I know that book is true and if there is

anyone who wants to change their life read that book and you will make

changes and have the strength to keep going on in this life! I know

the Book of Mormon is true and I know this is the work of the Lord!

Like President Nelson said in Conference THe misionaries can help! I

love you all! keep praying for us here!

Love Elder Lake

October 29, 2012

As for this week! Life is great here in Honduras! It was the first
week in all of my mission that I have eaten dinner everyday! I forgot
what that was like but I am super happy for that! Them members are
super great they are preparing basically all of the food that we eat
and it is awesome! So this morning was pretty awesome as well we
learned how to make horchata and not the crappy kind that you can buy
in the states either! It was super good! I love the culture here in
Honduras it is a lot of fun! THe people here really are the greatest I
have looked back at this past month and it was a real struggle sin
success and really difficult for me but I learned a lot! I really am
learning what love really is and how to love people! I get so
frustrated sometimes because their just isnt enough time in the day to
help everyone! Thats alright I wil find a way to do it! This week we
also had a baptism and it was awesome! He is a boy of about 13 years I
believe he is awesome he was a reference from the other elders in this
same city and so it was simple they taught him basically everything
and we just had to repass a couple things with him and ya he was
ready! It was super awesome I had the oppertunity to baptize him!
Highlite of the week one of the inactive sisters that we are teaching
is going to have a baby(kind of sad she is 14 years old) but she is
going to name her baby after me! Success!!! hahaha :) I hope all is
well for you guys! THings are all looking up day after day! PRay for
us here in the work I know that god is answering the prayers and
reallly is blessing us!