The Report From the Fork in the Road, Ed 25 Agosto

Well Fan Club,

This week was pretty amazing, not going to lie. Really fast but really good. So first of all we have been advancing with out big groups of investigators towards baptism. The sad part is seeing the people who were so interested and I know the Gospel will change their lives but then the big ole LAZY BUG gets a hold of them and they just don't pray or read or do anything to find out the truth. But hey just have to help them with what I can and sometimes it just isn't some people's time.

So as with every week before it was really stinking hot. I mean hot, hot. Hot enough to make people not leave after lunch time because it is so hot. So we have been like always trying to combat the heat. Also on an unrelated note we finally received pots and pans. Before this week we were always cooking on what once was nonstick cookware but after a bunch of Latin missionaries who don't understand how nonstick works attacking with metal spatulas thus ruining our only way to cook and eat fast and efficiently. Sucks but now we have new pans that have made our lives just so much faster and easier. I finally have been able to cook pancakes and show the Latin in our house what a normal breakfast is like. Nothing like a good breakfast of pancakes and eggs and bacon. Mmmm...man life this week has been great just for that one fact.

So this week that is coming up happens to be my birthday but like my whole streak of luck that has been and seems to always be a little crappy. On Wednesday is a meeting with the 70 of the area who is come to talk with us and capacitate (not sure what he means by this...) us. That is not a bad thing but a really cool thing but the bad news is that all these families in the area wanted to throw a bunch of party bashes but the meeting will last almost all day long. Well I guess we can try and reschedule them. But eh...it's only one day. Such is life, right?

Well that has been all that really happened this week. Except for just dominating the elders in the house in Monopoly and Uno and other card games. It's good to be a champ. Ahahahahahahah! Well I will see you all next week when I am 22. Gosh I am the old guy in the mission. Well see ya next Monday.

Mike

The Report From the Fork in the Road, Ed 18 Agosto 2014

Well peeps of the internet,

This week was a very quick one. Let's just sum it up. It was hot, then a couple huge storms, then more hot and boom! here I am. Well we will see you next week.

Well now I will actually get into more detail about what is going on. So this week we have been yet again seeing the results of hard work. We now have a whopping six people preparing to be baptized and that is just awesome! After a long drought. But here is the good news we are keeping strong even though this week was unbearably hot. So it was horrible all the beginning of the week but then about Wednesday a huge storm came in and just destroyed the dirt roads around here. As in there was flooded streets will with what has to be the single most disgusting mixture of rainwater and aguas negras I have ever seen. But hey, it's called a diary entry day. Well this week we also got to do a lot of service with the members. This week was once again building fence week: so we just built a big ole fence and gate for this old lady, Justina. She is like 90 years old and is just a ball of fun. She always makes my companion laugh so hard. He has, as of yet snorted water out of his nose three times thanks to Justina. One time was actually Pepsi that came out his nose so it was painful but furn for all of us.

Really that has been about it. Oops well I did forget about the talent show that the gringos blew away. So the church here has a talent show that we totally dominated. So our talent/act was about us thinking about what we were going to do for the talent show. So we had had twenty minutes before to plan this so we just had the show be what really happened only funnier. So we started with brainstorming songs to sing then we ended up with "In the Jungle" from the Lion King and just was a hilarious ball of fun the whole time. Good times. Good times.

Well that is about all the news that is news for this week. We'll make sure to have more adventures this upcoming week. Love you guys, can't wait to hear from you next week,

Mike

The Report From the Fork in the Road, Ed 11 Agosto 2014

Well this week was a really fast one. But really good at the same time. So the big news is that the work is progressing the whole time. Bad news is the Honduras just likes to cut the power here in Dos Caminos. As in almost every day it has been going out. And to top that all off it has somehow found a way to get hotter here. So with the power out that means that there is no way to abate the heat with fans. So it has been a week of suck at night. We are sweating so dang much. But we manage to live. The big news is that we have been finding a ton of people who God prepared to receive the Gospel. So as of before this week we had a whopping zero prospects for baptism as of this last week we now have seven people who have accepted to be baptized this upcoming month. It has just been a little frustrating up to this point because there has just been so much work as of our part and then all of a sudden it finally paid off and we are getting to see the fruits of labor. Now that the fire has started it is time to keep it going and work harder.

In other news we have been having fun while working. So yesterday my companion was playing with a little kid and the kid stole his name plaque so he grabbed him and pulled him into his lap to get it back when this kid just farted right no my comp. Everyone just died laughing and my comp had this look of "did that really just happen?" on his face. Also so we also pulled a prank on the other elders. So we had borrowed their phone and changed our number in their contacts to our mission president's name then called them up and told them to come into San Pedro for an interview. So then the elders after getting off the phone came in all shaken from the call and were telling us the story of how they now have to go talk to the president. My comp tried to keep it together but just started laughing so dang hard. So now a war has started in the house when we are home trying to get the other missionaries. In other news that is about all the adventures that we have had for this week. I will keep you updated on full adventures that we have. I love you all and can't wait to hear from you all soon. Until then,

Mike

The Report From the Fork in the Road, Ed 4 Agosto 2014

Well this week was a really good one. As you already remember from the last week our time here is getting to be pretty hard but we are finally coming through. This week there were some great miracles to come through for us. So we have been just hitting the road hard and literally talking with everyone and their dog but not getting any real success. But this last week we finally started to see the fruits of our labors paying off. Well we started by going and doing a whole lot of service for the members in our area to get them all happy and animated again. Our area seems, well not seems, IS is a more proper way to say, our area is neglected by the local church here. All the members live a little bit far away from the church so they just get abandoned and then don't feel at home in the church. It has been such a sad thing to see here. But we have finally got them to be really animated. We have been having activities with them and really just getting them to remember why they were baptized in the first place. It's been painful but hey we are not seeing the fruits coming through. But the really great miracle this last week was finally finding people who are prepared to hear the word and are now preparing to be baptized at the end of the month. It has been making the pain and effort worth it to now help people come to the truth of the restored gospel of Christ. Totally worth everything.

In other news the gringo team in our zone is still undefeated against the Latin team in soccer. Last P-day we swept them three games to zero with scores of 5-0 every game. Yes we have been making it rain here. Saddest part is that they are just way too serious about the games and we are just chillaxing and having fun and dropping bombs. So my one memorable goal happened when I came out of the goal and took the ball all the way to the net unassisted with a gol-aso top right corner. Broke some kid's ankles (not literally just juked them out) passed the ball to myself by kicking it straight into another elder's face and catching the ball for a score. Just so you know some elders were hurt in the making of this goal. Well mainly the elder who took one to the face.

Also as you will see I now have a tattoo of a dragon...hahahahahaha! No this less-active family we have been working with has a young 6 year old daughter who wanted to put a washable tat on me cause she thought it fit me better than her. And who can say no to a cute little girl. But yeah that is about all that. Then at the end that is about all that has happened this week. I will keep you all updated with the next week's adventures.

Oh for all of you that don't have it the following is permanent address that you send things to for the whole time I am in Honduras,

Elder Michael Duff
Honduras San Pedro Sula West Mission
12 Calle Ave. Circunvalacion SO
Edificio Yude Canahuati
Nivel 3, Oficina 4
San Pedro Sula, Cortes
Honduras

And that will never change until I get back home. Just so you all can remember to send me any and all thigns America and yummy. Well I love you all and keep up the good work or I will hunt you down and make sure you keep it up. Loves,

Mike