Week 18: All You Need Is Love

Yo yo yo

Shorter email this week but we started off with going to La Entrada for interviews with our mission president and we played a ton of basketball at the church there which was so lit (there are no courts in Copán☹️). Elder Peterson played all through high school Evanson might play college ball after the mission so needless to say it was legit.

We then had interviews the next day and it was awesome to receive training and council from president that was very helpful for me to hear.

This week, an 11 year-old girl named Karla who has been taught by missionaries for a long time got baptized. Her mom and brother are members and she literally knows everything about the Gospel but was hesitant to get baptized due to very controlling extended family who are a part of a church she was baptized in over a year ago. Here, many people believe it is an unforgivable sin to be baptized more than once, no matter who or how you were baptized. She made the choice to be baptized in the same manner as Jesus Christ and immediately faced extreme opposition and hatred from family members. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. This girl has such a strong testimony and cannot wait to serve a mission and needs all the love you can share through your prayers!

Quick other stuff:

---One of the APs (assistent to the president) asked me if I spoke Spanish before the mission because he was impressed after a practice which was a dope confidence booster because sometimes I feel like my Spanish is absolute trash.

---Ate 4 dinners in one night this week. Had a very happy stomach that night.

Played fútbol with a couple of our new amigos and they are ridiculously good so that will be lit.

---Absolutely destroyed a kitten in 2 staring contests at a member's home. Home boy ended up falling asleep so that is like the ultimate win right?

I want to bare my testimony of the power of the Holy Ghost. It truly is our guide that gives us so much strength and so much direction. And oftentimes, we don't even realize it is the Spirit giving us all of that help. I have seen the power of the Spirit in my missionary work this week and also in the example of Karla receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and how much strength it is giving her in this hard time.

I also want to invite you all to find ways you can express love instead of judgement, criticism, and contention. This week I have seen how much contention destroys and how much love fixes. And even if it doesn't fix everything, it is what Christ would do and he will bless you in due time for your efforts.

Much love,

Élder Snyder