Week 23: See and Feel Differently: Be Different

December 3rd, 2013

Hellllooooo! Wow can’t believe we are in December. The Christmas lights are going up in Honduras! I’m not kidding people are putting up Christmas lights. I’ll try to send you a picture. First off thanks for the package, I got one, the one with the Christmas tree cut out! Thank you so much I took a picture after I set it up and will send it to you. Thank you so much for the gifts! Sounds like you guys had a great week and your visit to temple square to see the lights.  I laughed quite a bit at the faces of Beck. There is a kid here named Jassel who is identical to Beck’s personality and everything. I will try to get a picture. As for the reason I am having my Pday on a Tuesday. On Saturday I received the exciting and some what nerve racking news that I am going to be training this next change or in other words about a week. ya I am expecting a child (in misión terms) haha! So yesterday I had a training mtg with the president about trainers. It went really well and I am really excited and at the same time nervous to be training. Some interesting facts, the majority of trainers only have about 3 months in the misión so I will actually be one of the older trainers. There are 2 trainers that only have 6 weeks in the misión, with 1 that only has 3 weeks. This past couple of days were really awesome and were filled with miracles. Our president has been here in la Ceiba since Saturday and went back yesterday, because of stake conference and this trainers mtg. I learned a lot during this mtg and also during stake conference. 

As for this wonderful couple of days. We had 2 experiences that really touched me and just like always strengthened my testimony that Heavenly Father knows His children, is preparing the hearts of them, and that this is His work, not mine. The first came on Saturday. We contacted this house about a week ago and put a cita for Saturday. When we showed up we began talking with this family. The whole family is from Roatan so they all speak english, which helped me relax a Little bit more and have some more confidence in my spanish. I tried to speak english to them but it was really weird and difficult so I kept speaking Spanish. Also the english from Roatan is a Little difficult to understand. This family lives in a Little brick house out in the middle of nowhere. It has rained quite a bit and to get there we had to walk through a ton of mud. We got pretty dirty. haha it was a lot of fun. But when we showed up, the mom began talking about the problems that were happening in the family, how her dad and brothers died, mom has cáncer and so on. We listened to her as she told us all of these difficult problems that she was facing. My companion asked some very inspired questions that led into talking about the plan of Salvation and the Atonement. We testified of the divine role and misión of Christ and that He knows her personally. The Spirit in that room was so strong that it’s hard to explain. I also talked about Grandpa and how I know that we are going to see him again. It was really powerful and my cry baby came out. And mom you would be surprised how often I cry in lessons. It’s always a good sign to be a little emotional because the Sprit is in the room. One of the many fruits of the spirit is that it’s not difficult to speak or to find things to talk about. The words just come from either my mouth or from my companion´s. She told us how she and her family wants to change their lives, follow Christ and how they want to go to church. She asked for us to come back! During this whole time I was in awe that this was actually happening. I kept thinking of that poem that Hrma Simonson wrote about having doors open so fast asking us what took us so long. This family was literary like that. I don’t think we could have found a more prepared family than this one. They were truly prepared by the Lord and we saw and felt that when we came into the house. I will keep you posted on the progress they are making. I hope they can progress and hopefully make the decisión to be baptized.

The second experience came last night as we were wandering around contacting trying to find people that would listen to us. As we were walking down the road about 5:00pm, with about every one of our appts fallen through, I felt an impression to pray to find some families because right now we don’t have hardly any investigators. I remember the words that came to my mind and my heart as I prayed in silent ¨please put a family in our way on this next coming road. After I said those words I began searching around and paying close attention to my feelings and thoughts knowing that Heavenly Father would answer my prayer. As we were walking I remember looking down a road and knowing that down that road we would find a family. We turned and went down this narrow little road and as we were walking my companion stopped and began contacting a house. Sure enough it was a large family and they invited us in and we began asking inspired questions and began teaching through the scriptures and testifying to them. I was a powerful lesson about the Atonement of Christ and about God's plan. We asked if we could come back and they accepted. From this experience I learned some very interesting things. How the Spirit worked through both of us to find this family. We were both in tune with the Spirit. Also if we ask in faith and are willing to act on an impression our prayers will be answered. I was reminded of that last night. God is literally preparing the hearts of His children. I can testify of that. That’s my invitation for you guys this week to pray for missionary opportunities and pay attention to your thoughts and feelings and act on them. I’m not going to lie I too have fears about talking to people but once you open your mouth I can promise you words will come. The joy, peace, and satisfaction you will feel are indescribable. You will begin to see people differently, feel differently and more importantly be different. As we reach out, serve and help others, we as a result are changed.

Well thanks guys always for everything, yet again. I don’t know how else to express my love through words anymore without sounding repetative. Thanks so much for that package, and for the tree. How creative!! I love you guys always remember that.

I love you guys

Love Elder Neuberger