"Prayer is something simple" August 13, 2012

This week seems like it went on forever! Being sick just made the days drag on and seem like forever, but a simple prayer and a change of attitude can change everything. It turns out that I wasn't the only one in the Zone that was sick, there was another Elder that had the same thing I had, but worse. We are both doing fine and are ready to take the week on head first. On Thursday I went on divisions to get to know a new area called Zamorano. It was fun, but there were a ton of hills! We went everywhere and I was able to meet their investigators and see how they are doing as an area. We visited a recent convert and she told me her story and how the Elders would always pass by her store and wave "buenos dias" and keep going on their way. She said that one day they stopped and asked her if they could share a message with her. When they offered to say the prayer, she said that she would do it, so she stood up and began to scream and yell the prayer at the top of her lungs. She told me she didn't realize that the Elders were squirming from the volume of her voice. The Elders then taught her the importance of prayer and how to pray. The thing is, here in Honduras many people always say that they pray everyday. But the thing is, people don't know how to REALLY pray. When we talk to our mothers we don't yell out, "Hey mom!! Wheres my food?" Or, when we are standing in front of our family and friends we don't scream and yell out so they can hear us. The same principle applies to the way we pray, it is the only "manera" (i don't know how to explain it in English) La oracion es la unica manera como podemos comunicarnos con Dios. Most of the time we feel like we are praying and just talking to our Heavenly Father who is up in heaven. But the truth is, heaven is closer than we think. We don't need to yell so that God can hear us. Prayer is something simple. When I say my prayers in the morning and night, I like to imagine that Heavenly Father is in the same room standing next to me. It makes the prayer more personal, I think. The convert said that when the Missionaries taught her about Prayer, she knew that something was different about the church, but it was something good.

While on Divisions, we finished the night by visiting the branch president of Zamorano and his family. When we came up, they were seated outside with two other women. We got to talking and I introduced myself and we found out that the two other women were cousins of the Branch President. So we talked to them and one of them left. So we were sitting there and the daughter of president looks in my lap and sees the Book of Mormon that I was carrying and said," Oh man, you weren't able to give your Book of Mormon today. Well, today is your lucky day, here, give it to my cousin!" I looked at the other Elder to see if he had talked to her cousin before. He gave me the sign, so I gave her the Book of Mormon and we explained it to her and told her what it was. We asked her if she had heard anything about it before and she told us,"No, I haven't heard anything about this book but that it's true. They always tell me that this book is true, but I never understood why. I've wanted one, but I've never have the guts to ask for one." We were all amazed when she had said that. We read Moroni 10:3-5 and also a section in D&C explaining that when you know these things are true, you shall feel a burning in your bosom (something along those lines) and she was excited to read and accept another visit from the missionaries. It was amazing how strong the spirit was while we were seated there outside on the porch, testifying the whole time that these things are true.