Week 25: "Animo" for missionary work

Wow crazy I almost have 6 months!!!!! Where did the time go?! Everything is great here in Buenos Aires 1 (this is the area in Honduras Kaden is serving) with my new kid!!! Sounds like you guys are doing great! Before I start I’ll tell you guys about my new comp, Elder Bajana from Ecuador!!! He is 18 years old with a burning testimony and a huge love for the people and for this work. Even though we have been together for only 4 days I have learned so much and it has been so exciting!!! We really have bonded a lot and find ourselves talking about our investigators and our ward late into the night! He has some awesome ideas for missionary work and I was able to see many changes in people since he has showed up! 

Kaden and his new companion, Elder Bajana from Ecuador.  Elder Neuberger: the trainer!!!

Also my Spanish has really shot up and I can barely write in my journal let alone this email. Been having dreams in Spanish so that has been cool! I had a lot of confidence boosters this week when people told me that I knew Spanish and were surprised at the progress I have made. So that was really great to hear that. Man I hope I never get transferred from this area. I have grown so close to all of the people here and have seen so many miracles in the lives of these people. Being on my mission has really made me think about things that I wish I had done before my mission to share the gospel. Our president told us that we only have 30-40 min to talk and that we should stick to that time. I will let you know when I find out. I couldn’t wait on the ties so I opened them and have worn them. My older ties are pretty dirty (I have been washing them so don’t worry). But thank you so much for the stuff you sent me. Tell grandma that the pine nuts she sent me came as basically a big bag of mold hahahaha. I opened it last night and after a couple I realized that they were moldy. But really thank you so much. There isn’t a lot of missionaries that receive things for Christmas. The love I felt as I looked through the packages and read your letters was the best present I could have asked for. I loved what Beck said ¨I mostly pray for you¨. Thanks for that support. As for our zone, we really had an extremely strong zone, which I believe is thanks to one Zone leader, Elder Cortez. He is AP right now but really was the reason for a strong zone! 

Kaden and Elder Ampie at Chinese Restaurant.  Chinese food in Honduras?

Wow what a crazy week we had! First off we had a good last couple of days with Elder Ampie. As a farewell, some of our converts took us out to lunch at a Chinese restaurant (ya pretty crazy I ate Chinese food in Honduras). I’ll send you guys a picture. I really enjoyed changes and my new comp is so pilas!! It has been super awesome and also at the same time difficult to be a trainer! I think the best thing about being a trainer is that you get to feel that excitement again. That ¨animo¨again for missionary work. Now everything is so exciting!!! I feel like many times Elder Bajana is training me. We had some wonderful experiences this week and I learned a lot. Man I don’t really know where to begin. As for my companionship, I don’t think I have been in a stronger companionship until about now. First off we as a companionship have been trying to practice more during our study sessions, challenge more for baptism, and ask for references from everyone. I have really seen a dramatic change in our teaching abilities from these practices. We receive much more guidance from the Spirit because we put forth our effort to prepare for these people. We have also been trying to challenge for baptism more. I feel like that question can help us know what the people need more than anything. You can learn so much about a person by the way they respond to that question and helps us, the missionaries, teach them and not a lesson. Also we have been asking from references from everyone. This week we left quite a bit with some of our recent converts who literally led us around to different houses that they have been teaching!! Also having them in lessons is so much more powerful because they understand the investigators concerns. Yesterday we had a lesson with a lady who is going to be baptized the 11th of January and also with a recent convert. The lady told us her fears about baptism and our recent convert was able to answer her concerns with personal experiences (which for me is one great way to teach). We also found a lady yesterday who has been a member for about 15 years, has gone to the temple, is sealed, and right now is completely inactive. And the saddest thing, no one has visited her for 7 years. We were the first people to find her in 7 years or so. And when we asked the members they didn’t know who she was. Even though it was really sad to hear her story I was really happy that we found her when we did. It was truly a miracle. We also had an experience this week that has really bugged me and has also helped me learn a lot. On Monday we stopped by an investigators house and she told us that there is a family that wants us to come and visit them. So we went thinking wow how cool but when we showed up the lady told us a big long story about how the husband never was recognized in the country, so he doesn’t have papers, cant get a job because he doesn’t have papers, they can’t get married, and the kids also aren’t recognized in the country. This family is extremely poor to the point that the husband goes and fishes everyday to catch the food they are going to eat for the day. I was extremely humbled by this family. The family also told us that there is a member family that told them that the church could help them. I sat there listening realizing that they reason they looked for us is to receive financial help. He started asking us what he needs to do to receive that help, if he needs to be a member or what. We told him that we would have to talk to our leaders about it and also invited him to church, which he readily accepted. After the lesson my comp and I both agreed how we did not feel good during the lesson. I feel so sad thinking that they just want to use the church like that. Yesterday this whole family went to church and really enjoyed it. We spent the past two days studying, praying and practicing on what we should say to this family and how we should tell them that the church can’t help them. As we studied I learned something very interesting and was able to look at things from God's perspective. That the help they want from the church isn’t the help that they need. My comp and I practiced and practiced and realized together that the help they need is to strengthen their faith first and not to receive money. One member put it this way; sometimes the best way to help a person isn’t what they exactly want. It made me think of our Heavenly Father and how many times we want something but need something different for our eternal progression. Heavenly Father gives us the things that we need to progress, which at times aren’t, the things that we want. We prepared fully for this lesson and when we showed up they weren’t there. I realized how careful members and we need to be about the church and the help it provides. Many people will take advantage of it. Now the majority of this story is what I think. I could be wrong about it. But I feel that this family could be a strong family in the gospel. We are going to keep working with them and hopefully we can lead them to strong, dedicated service in the church. We as missionaries have to be very careful about this because there are families and missionaries that will baptize people who aren’t ready, people who get baptized for other reasons. It’s extremely sad and this past week my eyes were opened to that. Anyways we had many more miracles this week and many more wonderful experiences as a companionship!

Kaden and his zone before changes on Wednesday.

Thanks guys for everything. Don’t worry about me, even though it has been difficult to adjust being a trainer, the things that always helps me is to remember that I have a comp; who like me, is going through a lot of difficult times, I have ward members and investigators that I love and that love me, a family that support and love motivates me, blesses me, and also blesses the lives of the people here, and I also have a loving Heavenly Father that will always listen to me and helps me. The support I have received here from everyone especially you guys is something I can’t explain. Thank you so much for that. Thank you so much for supporting me and allowing me to do this that has blessed my life immensely. Everyday my love for this work grows and I am so grateful for loving parents that helped me make this decision and set the way for me. I am having the time of my life. Everyday I see the weirdest things, meet the nicest people, and feel purest love. Dad please keep me posted on Grandpa, let him know that he will be in my prayers. Thanks for letting me know. I’m also going to send pictures and a little letter to Ellie. Thank you so much. I love you guys

Love Elder Neuberger