Hello and a big oi to
all my family and friends on the "solid ground!" Here we are out on
an island burning up under the sun, but enjoying in the amazing people and
amazing experiences to be had as a missionary. I also would like to wish a
happy Father’s Day to the best dad out there! Even though the day isn’t as big
as Mother’s Day, you all can take pride in knowing a day was set apart in which
you still have to work and fulfill all the responsibilities back home.
I must say, it is
quite different being with a gringo companion. We share too many interests and
have things that we can actually talk about from before the mission, instead of
trying to come up with things to have a conversation with your companion, haha.
Well, this week was
quite interesting. I am a little unhappy to hear from my mother that I am
looking like a native companion in comparison to my gringo companion...I blame
the excruciatingly hot sun of Roatan for that (honestly, if you read that the
temperature of Roatan maintains itself between 85 and 92 degrees, don’t believe
it).
So, we had been
receiving all of our meals from the relief society president, Hna Sorto
beforehand. But, she said that she was worried about us going far away just to
eat (which is true, it was a good walk), so she hooked us up with an eating
schedule with the sisters of the branch. SCORE! It helped me to go around and
get to know the members a lot more. I find that a very good thing considering
that my companion is finishing his mission and I will be here for another
transfer after this. 6 months may feel like it will be a long time right now,
but I don’t know if I could think of a better place to be for 6 months. It also
gets me excited to be able to eat a variety of delicious foods :-)
So, for the sake of
time, well, I shall speak of the most memorable moments.
We gave quite a few
lessons in English. It was really hard for me before, having to do it by
myself, but now that I have my companion who also speaks English I find it to
be substantially easier.
We went to a place
called Marble Hill Farms to eat lunch one day. It was pretty far away, but they
brought out a MONSTER of a pizza that we (myself, Elder Roper, my companion,
and Hno Molina) then had to eat. We downed it all, and they also brought us a
delicious sweet and spicy sauce that I could not stop putting on my pizza.
Everyone was joking about how I couldn’t even taste my pizza, but I just could
not stop eating this delicious tropical sauce! I want to go back and buy some!
Also, that same day, as we were eating dinner with another sister, we heard on
the news that they were out "rescuing cadavers" and we had a good,
morbid laugh at the thought that you can’t rescue a cadaver!
I saw the first few
minutes of The Best Two Years, and I laughed quite hard with the knowledge I
now have of the life of a missionary. It just is funnier when you have lived
all of the experiences!
I did splits with a
member who is getting back into activity in the church. It was a little tough
for me to think of where to go, but I gained a powerful testimony of the
guidance of the Spirit, because he knew some people that I went to go see, and
they let us in because of the fact that he was with me! We shared a great
moment and got a follow-up appointment, and then we even went to another
appointment where I challenged them to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon,
and asked the member how he was able to gain his (in the hopes that he could
realize that he truly did have a testimony of it) and it turned out amazingly.
We have been studying
Spanish in the morning with the Ropers, and it always ends up being a hilarious
twist of confusion and hilarious comments that they make.
I met a crazy man that
told me that the day didn’t exist, and that sequentially, he or I didn’t exist.
Then he asked me if you can drink ghosts...
The chapel filled up
again yesterday, and it was such an amazing feeling. I really love to see all
of these people that I have come to love so much realizing just how important
these things are in their lives. I love being a missionary. I love seeing the
changes in the lives of people. I love seeing the changes in my own life. I owe
a lot to my new companion, who, with his experience, is teaching me so much!
Love you all! I will
send pictures next week!
Elder Tinkham
