Mason's letter -- June 21, 2010

Hey familia.

This week was a lot better. We made it through changes and I'm still here in Castaños with Elder Simón. I thought I already had told you guys about him, and thought that you would like to hear more about me... but I guess not haha. Well he is from Tegucigalpa, is my age, and I'm his 2nd companion. His first area was here, so he still is learning a lot. I'm trying my best to teach him all I know and he is improving. We get along good, but I normally get along with anyone. He just struggles a bit with his own testimony and faith. Sometimes it seems like he really doesn't care about the mission, like when he walks super slow or zones off in the lessons, and he has a lot of fear to talk to people. So I really have tried to help him with his testimony. I can see him changing little by little. although this morning he changed the alarms to go off at 7 instead of 6 because he wanted to sleep in and didn't want me to wake him up... but we are good friends and he's a cool kid. I love him a lot and need to learn a lot from him.

But we got a new zone leader this week and it's Elder Brown! My comp from La Ceiba. So that was really exciting. Me and him are really good friends and I'm stoked that he's now my ZL. Our converts are doing great, with some trials but still going to church in La Ceiba. so thats good news.

But this Thursday the son of our converts here had his birthday. They are a super poor family... like the poorest people here in Honduras. He is turning 6. and he has never received anything for his birthday.... never ever. Also he barely has clothes and his sandals have holes in the bottom and they hurt his feet. So we decided to throw them a birthday party. We bought 3 shirts, some new shoes, a big toy truck, and some cake and pop to give to them. It was really cool and he was really excited to get all that stuff. But he refuses to wear the shoes around, except for on Sundays at church. That's the only time he will wear the shirts and shoes. I will send some pics of the party and you can see a little bit of how poor they are. but I felt a lot of Christlike love and charity this week from that little act of service.

Then Friday morning we did a really sweet service project. The ZLs invited me and the secretaries to come and help them with a service activity. We were told we were going to teach little kids how to play football and baseball and stuff at a school. We thought it was going to be a little school activity, but we were wrong. It was a big event and was super legit. It was like in a high school here and was a big camp thing. We got there and they gave us a sweet polo shirt like all the other coordinators. There was a bunch of banners and like 2 thousand kids. haha and they treated us like we were professionals. They called us the American Selection haha. and the other coordinators were actual retired soccer professionals. A couple of them were starters for the national selection that went to the 82 world cup. But we taught little kids from kindergarten to 9th grade a bunch of sports and races and stuff. It was really cool and at the end we "the American Selection" played a team of Hondurans in basketball in front of all the kids haha. We destroyed them because we were way taller and faster than them haha. It was really cool and I got a nice free shirt out of it all. And we got the addresses of the professionals and the ZLs are going to go teach them the gospel.

Then on Saturday morning we went to another service project. Me and my comp went to a really poor member's house that lives close to our converts and helped him rebuild his house. That might sound hard, but it really isn't when his house is made out of scrap metal and random wood pieces. So we spent all morning with that, and got a good piece of a house built. Later on Saturday we had the baptism of Zoila. She was the lady that was supposed to get baptized last week. She passed her other interview this week and was baptized. It was really good and she gave an awesome testimony.

So this week was looking better and we have found some good new people. We just have to keep working hard and change our strategy a bit here to be able to have success. I really tried to follow the Spirit this week and anytime I had the slightest impression or thought to go somewhere or talk to someone I followed it. I followed a small impression I had to turn around and knock on a really big house. We knocked and nobody answered for like 5 minutes but we stayed there and finally the maid came out and we started talking to her. We set up an appointment in her own house for yesterday and went there and found that she lives with her cousin who has like 8 kids and is married. So we taught all of them and they want to visit the church. So that was a blessing. I really want to learn better how to hear the Spirit and recognize him. This week I will continue to do that.

Well that's about it for this week. Happy Father's Day dad. Sorry I can't really give you much. But I love you a lot and you are a great example to me. I give thanks to our Heavenly Father every day for the family and the parents that He has given me. I feel way too blessed to have you as a Father, dad. it makes it easy for me to testify of the blessings that the gospel can bring to a family, and the blessings of a Priesthood holder at the head of a home. Thank you so much for being that example and wonderful father to me. You really emulate to me the love that our Father in Heaven has for his children.

Love Elder Mason Cardon