Week 47: Bounce Back

Yoooo whats up

The first few days of this week were pretty slow because I was still sick but now I'm totally back to normal and Elder Dávila and I are gonna finish out this transfer as strong as we can.

Thursday I was finally able to work a full day and it was hectic as we were preparing Darwin for his baptism that happened on Saturday! I was soooo excited for this baptism. Darwin has always been sooo enthusiastic about the gospel since day 1 and is the most punctual Honduran there is. He showed up about 1.5 hours early to the church for his baptism and was at church before us on Sunday for his confirmation. He amazes me and has an inspiring light and love for the gospel.

Sheyla finally came back to the city and we started teaching her again! And she said she feels ready for baptism! Please continue to keep her in your prayers so her family can understand this decision she wants to make!

Our pensionista (lady that makes food for us) came back from a 4 month vacation to Italy and now she is cooking up an absolute storm of the best food I have eaten on my mission. Literally a mirror image of my mom's cooking and I already know I'm gonna gain some shameless pounds but as we say in my family, “eat good food and enjoy life”. 

We have had a new friend come to church two weeks in a row and she has sooo many interesting questions and it's so fun teaching her. Normally we teach a few principles each lesson, but with her it's just question after question of pure desire to learn more and understand the details and she accepted the baptismal invitation this week! It will be a process but I am so excited to keep teaching her.

Other things:

---Zone pday today and we played some basketball which was lit.

---We were knocking doors one afternoon and no one opened their door so we passed by the temple which is always lit and then we were hyped to share the good news.

---The power goes out every other day in our house but each time it has come back right when we need to sleep. God truly is a god of miracles that answers prayers.

This week I had some extra time to study and recently I've been praying more for the desire to learn and hunger to read the scriptures. I found a verse that I absolutely love that helped me grow that desire. 

2 Nephi 29:11 “For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.”

The scriptures are for everyone and are the perfect guide for our lives. Studying them every day is how we can change our nature and become the trusted and worthy servants the Lord needs. I love the gospel and being a missionary is truly the best. The Book of Mormon has helped me find this love and truly strengthens us and increases our desire to share the love of Christ with all.

Love you all so much!

Élder Snyder

Darwin

Week 46: Boogie Fever!

But replace “Boogie” with “Dengue” and that's what I got 😎

So yeah this week was pretty slow. On Thursday, dengue hit me like a bus when we were in the part of our area that is the absolute furthest from our house and I barely made it back to the house alive thanks to some awesome members who came to our rescue. There are 4 different types of dengue and I think I have one of the more mild ones so that is a huge blessing because I won't have to go to the hospital. Hopefully we'll be able to get out of the house soon and start working again🤞

Friday was spent all day in bed but on Saturday my inner Michael Jordan emerged and we changed the iconic “Flu Game” into “Dengue Baptism” and Francis got baptized! He was absolutely trembling as he was in the font but afterwards expressed how incredible it felt to be baptized. The next day in church, he was confirmed and offered to give the closing prayer in a combined Sunday School class. Francis might live in one of the hardest situations I have ever seen in my life, but the faith he has is unbreakable.

Before I got sick we had our multizone conference and it was so good. I got to see my kid and grandkid which was dope. Every single time President McClellan speaks he answers the question I have had in my mind all transfer. This time around, I have been thinking a lot about the person I hope to be when I complete my service here and how far I am from being that person. President told a story of how he had a moment on his mission where his life changed in various ways (all of the ways I want to improve) and it was when he chose to be exactly obedient and to do it all out of love. That idea hit me like a bus and the moment I am healthy I am locking in. I also sang a duet with Elder Porter at the multizona which was super fun.

I got to run some divisions with Elder Grant again which was fun and awesome to see our progress since MTC as well as continue learning from him.

This week, I have been attempting to study more of the Atonement of Christ. I say “attempting” because the more I read and ponder this great action, the more incomprehensible it becomes. However, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are so blessed to have a greater knowledge and focus on this unfathomable act. Thanks to the Book of Mormon, we learn more truths of what Christ suffered and how He can help us. We learn of how the Atonement encompasses not just helping us heal but helping us progress. Only by the Atonement are the sacred ordinances of salvation possible and only by the holy priesthood authority of God are these ordinances sealed for eternity. It is impossible to count my blessings being a member of this church. And for that reason it is so important to share this gospel. D&C 82:3 “For of him unto whom much is given much is required.” As I have learned more of Christ's Atonement and how it is only possible to experience the true power and expanses of it as a member of His true church, this verse echoes in my head. Through consecration to Him by love and gratitude for our blessings, we can do what He requires of us and experience the power of the Atonement constantly.

The gospel is mind-blowingly true! Study it, cherish it, share it.

Love you all so much

Élder Snyder 

Francis

Week 45: The Flare!

Copan Squad

Heat. This week we cruised at a solid 120⁰F every day with 80% humidity but we stayed grinding because there's nothing else I would rather do. I am a firm believer that in the days when it is the hardest to leave the house and the hardest to walk around, the Lord provides the most blessings and tender mercies. And He did just that this week.

We had leadership council and I was able to reunite with Elder Evanson after a long 2 months apart and got to see the whole Copán squad✊️ We were able to learn a ton about humility and how that helps us become better missionaries, leaders, and people. A lesson that is always very much needed.

Did exchanges with Elder Lopez and it was a rollercoaster day. We visited an old lady in our ward and I will only say she is crazy, her house is a literal oven (sweat dripping from my chin as if you left the water running in the sink), and we will never be going back there again😁 But then we called a reference we received from YouTube and it was a total miracle. Not only does he live in our area, but he is SO interested in how God can help him overcome his trials. We have a lesson with him tonight and I'm so excited. 

One day, Elder Dávila and I spent about 2 hours in the beautiful solar flares of San Pedro knocking doors and we spoke with 2 people that didn't really want anything. Exhausted but still with faith, we decided to go visit Justin, who got baptized a couple weeks back, because he is just the smartest kid out there and fun to teach. A different kid opened the gate. I say “kid” because he is 13 but I swear he looks like he's 18 and has the maturity of a 23 year old. He is Justin's uncle and lives there with him and told us he is really interested in baptism! He studies and works so it is hard to catch him at the house but we are so excited to help him learn more!

This Sunday, we had 9 of our new members in Sacrament meeting despite many being away for the holiday of Mother's Day! Alejandro and Alan also passed the Sacrament for the first time! I was asked to give a talk the night before and I spoke about what my mother has taught me in regards to gaining and growing a testimony. My mom has always been a perfect example of love for the Savior and always remembering to put Him first. I owe much of my testimony to the example she has set for me and I continue to learn from her and I am more and more grateful every day. Thank you Mom, love you❤️

Other things:

---Just ate all you can eat sushi again and I'm dying.

---The power is going out all the time which is lit.

---The contamination in the air here is wild and it looks like the sun is setting at 3pm but we just don't think about what we're breathing in and it's chill.

---It sounds terrible here but for real I love it all. Never have I grown or learned so much and I am so happy.

---I learned a very good and unforgettable lesson of actions speak louder than words. In fact, they heal.

2 Nephi 9 is loaded. Read verse 41. Before my mission, I thought I could get away with not being completely honest with God in my prayers or actions and the Spirit was always telling me to change. This verse helped me realize the importance of honesty with God in everything we do and the more honest we are with Him, the more He blesses us, despite what we may have done. This gospel is the way and the Atonement is how we move forward.

If it's possible for you to go to the temple, please go. I miss it but the dates for the temple here should be coming really soon!

Pray for Francis Perdomo so he can be ready for his baptism this Saturday!

Love you all so much! Give it all to the Gospel!

Élder Snyder

Week 44: Fire

This week I struggled with a random surge of lack of motivation and it was difficult to find that “fire” to share the gospel that has changed my life forever. I still don't know what exactly caused this slump, but I do know how it was fixed.

Prayer, trust, fasting, and faith.

This week, I realized my prayers had been pretty lousy the past couple of weeks. The change was made and I can truly testify that the prayer of sincerity, humility, and faith is an instant catalyst for hope and strength. When life is hard, open up to God. Tell Him everything. Watch yourself be filled with the Spirit and watch the Lord do his work through you.

This week, I was able to spend a lot of time with my mission president. He hit the streets with me and my companion on Thursday and taught with us for half of the day. Friday we had interviews and he was very honest with me and gave me many counsels for my life that were very needed in that moment. Trusting in his inspired guidance has already blessed my life and my faith. Trust in those who love you and are in tune with the Spirit. Trust that the Lord is working through that person to speak to you.

I had one of my favorite lessons of my mission last night. We have been working with our recent converts Alejandro, Alan, and Aaron to start reading the scriptures consistantly. Their neighbor is an inactive member who is 17 but wants to prepare to serve a mission. She started reading the Book of Mormon and in our lesson with the 4 of them, she was just spitting question after question and I don't know how, but we didn't answer a single question with our own words. The spirit guided our minds to scripture after scripture to answer each question and the excitement and spirit these young people felt was unforgetable. They all are so excited to read after seeing how much wisdom is contained in the Book of Mormon. Pure joy and pure Spirit.

In our fast this week, Elder Dávila and I fasted to find new people to teach. The Lord is unexplainably and unfairly merciful. In the second hour of church, towards the end of our fast, we received a blank text message from an unmarked number. We responded asking who it was. He shared his name, which we had never heard before, and asked when we could visit him. That afternoon, the three of us were seated in the chapel. After years of trials and preparation from the Lord, he knew he needed to find God. He told us that a neighbor of his and a “member of our congregation” gave him a Bible to help him start this journey. He proceeded to take a Bible from the religion of the Jehovah's Witnesses out of his backpack… I almost laughed out loud because so many people think we are JWs out here. We politely explained that we were not Jehovah's Witnesses and he said something that I will never forget. “That's not a problem, I am here to learn.” After teaching him of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the Gospel, he stated with such excitement and a smile I will never forget, “I never knew that all of this happened, God led me here to you guys for a reason.” The faith of this single father humbled me to the dirt. 

Just like this faithful and imperfect man, if we are looking for peace and we trust that God is guiding us and others to help us, we will receive the help we need.

In a mission-wide devotional on Saturday morning, President McClellan shared a video of Elder Bednar that changed my perspective drastically. If we are striving to keep our covenants and do what is right, trust that every thought we have to do something that is good is from the Spirit and will spring forth joyous results.

The gospel is true. It solves our problems.

My favorite verse from my favorite hymn states “The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose / I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes; / That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, / I’ll never, no never, I’ll never, no never, / I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!”

Don't give in when it gets hard. Pray, trust, fast, and have faith and watch your fire grow.

Much love

Élder Snyder

Inside the elevator of the big high rise bldg

With Pres McClellan