Week 46

Where to begin, where to begin? Well, I suppose the biggest news is Utila, my new area and also the most famous area in my mission. You guys will definitely be able to find it on the internet because it's an island 25 miles off the northern coast of Honduras with a ton of tourists. It's also completely different than any other area in Honduras for the following reasons:

 

1. Almost everyone speaks English. Apparently, Utila was a British colony until somewhat recently. So almost all the natives (and obviously all the tourists) speak English. The weird part is that they have a ridiculously strong accent. It's hard to describe, but it's like a mix of Scottish and Cajun accents that makes it difficult for Americans like me to understand. I'm still getting used to it. Also, I've already taught a couple lessons in English, which is just weird.

2. We're not part of a district or zone, and therefore don't go to any missionary meetings (also cuz we're on an island). This area belongs directly to President Veirs, the president of the mission, which means we talk directly with President Veirs and the missionaries in the office.

3. We're part of a branch where only about 20 people are active. Also, there are ZERO active, worthy, priesthood holders in Utila, which means my comp is the Branch President and I'm his First Counselor! It's one of only two areas in my mission where a missionary is the Branch President.

4. Based on past history, it's almost impossible to baptize here. This is one of the highest baptizing missions in the world (for example, we had 298 as a mission last month!), but Utila has only had 3 baptisms in the past year.

In other news, my new comp is Elder Jurado from El Salvador. It's his last change in the mission. We already have had a couple disagreements just because we have a lot of different ideas about how to do things. I honestly feel like he could be my favorite companion or my least favorite companion- it's just too early to tell.

Also, General Conference was awesome! Of the talks, I especially liked President Uchtdorf's and Elder Holland's. Although I have to admit that I had already heard Elder Holland's talk (from a recording of a talk he gave in the MTC) from a zone conference we had here in the mission. I hope everyone learned something new and enjoyed the spirit of the Lord's chosen servants. Now comes the hard part: applying what they taught.

Ok, I don't have much time left, but thanks for everything! Oh just a heads up: Letters are going to take a lot longer to get to me now because we only come off the island for changes or when President Veirs comes (AKA every 3-6 weeks). So don't get too antsy about letters because it's not my fault, it's Utila's ;)