Week 69: Divine Timing

What's good everyone

This week we had another full week of interviews, trainings, and Hermana McClellan's brownies so it was basically the same as last week in terms of office business and it was lit getting to see Elder Evanson and Elder Cano again and catching up with them.

This week we had to find as much time as we could to get up the mountain because Teresa is getting baptized today (in like an hour) and we wanted her to be fully prepared and fully excited for this special moment! Because of that baptism this email will be a little rushed but I just want to share a couple of miracles that happened this week...

Last Sunday, we visited an inactive family that lives at the literal top of the mountain (it is a full on hike to get to their house) and we planned to have a family home evening with them and all of their extended family yesterday. During the week, we texted them many times trying to confirm the appointment because we were not trying to hike all the way up there and find an empty house (that happens far too often). Well, they never responded so we started planning on not going but as we started working yesterday, we both just had the impression to keep our word (shoutout former Elder Perry, Brother Samuel now). So we just bit the bullet and made the trek up there and guess what we found... a very empty house! We were like "welp we tried" and started heading back down the mountain. We saw a light on in the house of a very inactive member and just decided to try visiting them instead. After about 2 minutes of talking with the dad, his daughter came racing into the house with pure fear in her eyes and hyperventilating. She said there was a huge pain in her chest and she couldn't breathe. We gave her a blessing and immediately her breath slowed, she calmed down, and her pain went away. God works in mysterious ways. He didn't send us up that mountain to visit the family we were planning on visiting. If they had been home, who knows what would have happened. God is a god of miracles.

About a month ago, we found a super awesome teenager who is a cousin of some of my converts in Jardines and she was super excited to learn more about the gospel and get baptized. Well about 2-3 weeks ago, she dropped of the face of the earth and we could not get in contact with her. Two nights ago, our plans fell through and so we started knocking doors around 8pm. We talked with a few people but no one was interested, so we looked on our phones to see if there were any inactive members that lived nearby. We found one and started walking there, taking a way that passed by our lost friend's house. In the exact instant when we passed her house, she walked outside and happily greeted us, invited us in, and we were able to reestablish her interest and we will be able to continue to teach her. I love being a missionary and getting to see the Lord's hand so frequently in the grand scheme of time.

I know He lives, I know He loves his sheep, I know He keeps his promises.

With much love,

Élder Snyder

Week 68: On The Road Again

Hola people,

This week was pretty cool, pretty different. President McClellan goes zone-by-zone and does in-person interviews with all of the missionaries in the mission once a transfer. As he does all 170 of those, Elder Dávila and I run a training for all of the other missionaries and this week we started that process and we traveled to a different zone almost every day this week to do so. It was so awesome to be able to see so many missionaries as well as learn from all of them and their ideas. Our biggest focus right now is involving every member possible in missionary work and we are already seeing the fruits of it in our area. 

Had my big church news debut. Look out world. I'm just glad they got my good side.

This Sunday was the temple dedication! It was a surreal experience and some of the talks were especially powerful. Elder Renlund spoke about how he has a sure testimony and witness that Jesus Christ lives and how now we all need to develop our own, 100% sure testimony that he lives. He explained how temples are the fastest way to do so and how every covenant we make (and our faithfulness to said covenants) is absolutely essential in knowing Jesus Christ. His testimony was tangible. It was so powerful. It was a great reminder and motivator to continue trying to do more and more as a member of His church.

I heard something else this week that really impacted me. As we were doing our training about developing the correct trust, one elder shared a story of how some other elders received a very strong impression to contact a woman but didn't end up doing it. After that, they were not able to find anyone new to teach. They prayed for forgiveness and were still not able to find anyone all week. They prayed for forgiveness again and promised the Lord to find that woman. They ended up finding her and then began to find other people who showed interest in the gospel. The Lord blesses us with the guidance of the Spirit and then he trusts us to listen and follow. I found a quote I love by Elder Maynes of the 70 that states, "Being a man of integrity simply means your intentions, as well as your actions, are pure and righteous in all aspects of your life, both in public and in private. With each decision we make, we either merit more of God's trust or diminish His trust". It's truly incredible the potential trust we can have with the Lord when we try to be pure, kind, righteous, and loving with all people. 

With much love,

Élder Snyder

Week 67: Kaboom!

Transfer week and it was lit

Tuesday we chilled at President's house all day and babysat all of the missionaries who went home this week. It was really bittersweet because the one and only Elder Perry was a part of that group. It was so lucky to be able to serve so close to him in the office for his last transfer and be with him for many of his last moments in Honduras. So shoutout Elder Perry, my father.

Wednesday was transfers and like half of the mission had to get vaccinated for Rabies so that was a nightmare to organize and try to get everyone out of there as fast as possible but it all worked out and now dogs don't got nothing on SPSO 💪

The new missionaries got here and they are all absolute studs. We went out teaching and it was just incredible to feel the spirit and excitement they have for missionary work. I got to take Elder Condie out into the Wild West that is Honduras for the first time and it was awesome. Shoutout to Elder Condie (Brazil) for having a brother who is so similar to you.

This week we put Teresa on baptismal date! A few weeks ago, I mentioned a woman we met at the open house whose daughter was baptized about a year ago and due to changed circumstances, she now wants to get baptized. She has such a sincere desire to continue to change and we are so excited for her to continue to feel the peace of the Gospel.

On Thursday, a house a couple blocks away from the office completely blew up in flames and it shook the whole office so that was pretty Honduras.

Yesterday we did a bunch of trainings for the new leaders in the mission and then had lunch with President. When we got back to the office President went crazy cleaning and organizing and we ended up doing a super deep clean of the office because President said, “if Elder Renlund comes here this weekend it's gotta be clean” because the temple dedication is tomorrow!! 

I am so excited to experience this event for the first time in my life but I am even more excited for the blessings that will be showered down upon this city for the fruits of this event. It's a surreal time to be a missionary here and the miracles do not cease. I love the Gospel, I love learning more every day from the scriptures. It's just happy knowing the truth and knowing the peace of the Gospel. President Nelson said in his latest General Conference address that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will be a happy day for the righteous, and I believe that every day is a happy day for the righteous. 

With much love,

Élder Snyder

Goodbye Elder Perry

Elder Condie (little Bro)

Week 66: More Temple Miracles!

MLC

Yoooooo

What's up everyone, pretty chill week... finally haha

This week was actually so awesome. The temple is continuing to provide more and more miracles in the work of the Lord.

I had the privilege to go on a couple of exchanges this week. One with Elder Alvarenga, he's from El Salvador and is quite possibly the funniest guy I have ever met. His assignment is to contact and filter all of the references that the mission receives from social media. We spent all of our time together making calls and talking and laughing a tonnnn and although it is a very different side of missionary work, we were able to talk with many people who appeared to be very interested in the Restored Gospel and ready to meet with the missionaries. 

The next day, I went to an area called La Lopez with Elder Wallace, a missionary who goes home in 2 days. It was amazing to learn from him and all of the experience he has and we experienced one of the many temple miracles. A 22 year-old woman visited church last Sunday in a different ward than the one where she lives and her information was sent to La Lopez. When I was there was the first day the Elders were able to meet up with her and I don't know if I have ever met someone more prepared than her to receive the Restored Gospel.

We asked her how she found the church and, you guessed it, the temple. She was invited to the open house and she told us that the moment she entered she felt an overwhelming peace that she had never felt before, but had been looking for. When she sat down in the Celestial Room, her eyes filled up with tears and could not stop crying as she felt a warmth and love that she could not comprehend. She told us that she knew that those feelings were God calling her. She asked us what she needed to do to become a member of the church and how to do it in the best way possible, in the way of the Lord. In La Lopez, church starts at 8am and she told us that she will from now on always wake up early, set apart that time, and go to church every single Sunday. My testimony of the Spirit, the hand of the Lord preparing His people, and the power of the temples grew that evening under a tin roof.

We had MLC this week and I spoke of the pioneers and the courage they had. Thanks to that courage, we have the beautiful gospel and church that exists today. Today, with that same courage we can help grow the Church, just as they did and we can feel the hope and peace in the storms of life just as they did as they gave their lives for the glorious cause of truth. 

This week we had our transfer meeting and President McClellan mentioned something that I loved. "To receive revelation, worthiness is required." I took that to heart with General Conference approaching the following day. Daily repentance is a gift and one of the most effective ways to be humble and to be worthy to receive personalized guidance and love from the Lord. 

All of General Conference was incredible and one of the strongest impressions I received was the importance of taking a step back, and then another, and then analyzing our situation. In this life, we have many free moments every day and endless opportunities to serve and progress. One of my new favorite scriptures that was on repeat in my head during General Conference was 3 Nephi 12:6 "And blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost." Taking a step back and looking for ways to help others and love God is how we can grow to have this hunger and thirst for righteousness, for true happiness.

With much love,

Élder Snyder

Family

Exchanges

La Primavera

A typical lunch with Elder O'Ryan and Elder Muñoz