Week 50

So I'm sure there's a bunch of election buzz right now, which is no different in Utila. Sadly, it's for the Honduran elections, so I don't really know what's going on. The only thing I do know is that people are putting posters and flyers EVERYWHERE. So I'm seeing a lot of guys named Miguel and Juan, but I have no idea who they are. I have heard quite a few arguments about politics though, which just goes to show that politics make people crazy in all parts of the world.

As far as missionary work, it's been a mixed bag. I've mentioned that we're basically here to find a Branch President right now, and we kind of failed with that goal yesterday at church. There were six men in church yesterday- me, Elder Skousen, three guys visiting from the States (who happened to be returned missionaries, so that was cool), and Lee. Lee would be the ideal fit for a new Branch President if it weren't for his divorce/marriage issues. But since that's not gonna be solved in the near future, he's not really a serious candidate. Also, I think it's ironic that five out of the six men we had in a Honduran church were from the USA. In another bit of bad news, our one serious investigator Mariela told us she didn't want us to visit her anymore. The frustrating thing is that she knows the church is true. She even wants to get baptized. But apparently, her parents would freak out if she got baptized into the Mormon church. Skousen and I are pretty annoyed by this considering she's 27 years old and her parents are still running her life. Maybe we were just here to plant the seed or something.

In the happier news of the week, we had 33 people in sacrament meeting yesterday, which sets a new personal record! We even got Janet to come, who is the mother of this GIANT extended family of inactive members. So we're hoping that helps activate some more people, specifically her kids. Also, Preston, the 13-year old we're teaching, continues to progress. He also came up with a brilliant nickname for my companion- "The Russian." It just sounds awesome. People continue to call me "Pajaro" or "Pajarito," which mean "bird" or "little bird" (people tend to confuse birt with bird). I think it's kind of cool, especially when the 3-year old son of my cook (who is hilarious!) calls me Elder Pajarito. Also, Elder Skousen and I continue to have a blast! It's gonna be a shame when one of us leaves :(

Ok, that's all for this week! Stay safe and have a good week!