Adventures and miracles

July 13, 2015

Hola familia!

Thank you so much for all of your emails. I am so happy to hear that you all had a great time at the family reunion. All the pictures are beautiful.

Things are going great here in Honduras. The time is fyling by so fast and we are trying to enjoy every momemt and give our all. Yesterday was a lot of fun because we went to Pico bonito with Pres. Klein and the other zone leaders. It was so beautiful. I will send pictures. I also got to see Elder Solano because his area is close to where we went. It was great to see him. He is training a new Elder from Guatamala! The trip was also very tiring because we woke up at 4:30am and were in a small bus for around 3 hours to get there. We made it back home at 6:30 yesterday and then our stake presidency took us out to dinner for the baptisms we had in June. It was a really fun but exhausting day. 

Miguel and Marta Carbahal (Christians parents) have started taking out their papers to get married! We are doing an activity to help raise funds so that they can buy all the needed documents. The goal is that on July 30th they will get married. Wahoo! Miguel still hasn't been able to get work off on Sundays to go to church but we continue to pray for him. 

Carmelo and Cristina made it to Church on Sunday but so far haven't been able to take out their papers. The goal is also that by the end of this month they can take them out. 

The recent convert Fanny's parents, Rosa and Mario are also starting to progress. Especially Rosa. She was going to a evangelical church but for months we have taught her and invited her to pray to know if the church was true. Just recently she received an answer to her prayer to know if the church is true. She told us she felt love after she prayed and asked. She told us that she hadn't ever asked specifically but now that she did she knows. She went to church and she is now testifying to her husband Mario of the truthfulness of the Church. It is so awesome! The great thing with them is that they are married! Rosa has gone to Church a few times and has a baptism date for August 1st. We are trying to help Mario make it to Church. Fanny is so happy her parents are opening their hearts and receiving the gospel. 

We are also teaching a girl named Brandy and her family. She is 12 yrs old. She has a baptism date for this Saturday! Her Mom Ivis has read and prayed about what we have taught and also recieved an answer to her prayer of the truthfulness of the Church. Brandy has been going to Church the past weeks and Ivis made it this last Sunday. Brandy was a reference given to us by Michele and Nicole who are 14yr old twin sisters in the Ward. Ivis is willing to marry her husband to repent and be baptised. Brandy's Dad told us that some years ago he was listening to the missionaries. They are an awesome family! 

We truly are so blessed to have the knowledge and testimony of the restored gospel. I am so grateful to be a missionary. I love helping families come unto Christ. I know the Church is true and that President Thomas S. Monson is God's prophet on the Earth. I love and am so grateful for each one of you. I hope you have the best week ever! :)

Love Elder Conover

God bless the USA!

July 6, 2015

Happy late 4th of July family! I love you! I enjoy reading your emails so much each week. Keep being so strong. The gospel of Jesus Christ has and continues to bless our family so much. The gospel of Jesus Christ truly is the only way to true happiness.

Things are going great here with my companion Elder Rodriguez. Carmelo and Cristina are back together and they have started the process of taking out their papers to get married! They came to Church on Sunday and they are reading! They are awesome! We are so happy for the great choices they are making.

The Mejia Carbahal family (Miguel and Marta) is doing good also. Christian blesses the sacrament every week and even though he is going to turn 18 before EFY the Stake President gave him permission to go. They go in December! Marta almost always comes to church and Miguel is trying to get work off on Sundays so that he can join his family. The members have been visiting a lot this family and it is helping a ton! They are feeling the pure love of Christ as members visit them. They are so grateful they have found the true church and they have very strong testimonies. They too need to take out their papers to get married.

We have a goal to always find at least 10 new investigators each week. This transfer we have passed our goal everyweek!

I love sharing the gospel. Many people need the light that comes from the Atonement in their lives. I know the Book of Mormon is true. Today in the bus I talked with a man named José about the Book of Mormon and gave him a copy. He told me he will read, ponder, and pray. I wrote down his information so that the missionaries can go visit him. He seemed very interested. I know that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and that it leads us to all truth and righteousness. I love you all so much. You are in my prayers everyday. I hope you have another great summer week!

Love Elder Conover

Hello from Honduras!

June 29, 2015

Hola familia!

This week went really well. I continue to learn everyday. Today was fun because we went and played soccer on a big field with the zone. It's been a while since I've played on a big field. It was tiring but a lot of fun! I love the feeling I get after excersising really hard. It reminds me of crossfit. :) 

Saturday was awesome becaus
e Elio, Marcos, Astrid, and Densel were baptised! Elio is a young man who is 14 yrs old. He lives near by us. He goes to seminary and learns really fast. Marcos, Astrid, and Densel are three kids who live in a home where many of the people are members. Their aunt and cousins are members. We have been teaching them my whole time in this area but until now they have been consistently going to church. They are great! It was a special day! 

Carmelo's wife Cristina left him on Saturday. He is really sad she left him and their little daughter but supposedly she will be coming back...He came to Church on Sunday with his little daughter and his sister. We visited him after in the afternoon and had a great lesson! He told us that he knows now that this is the true church. He has the desire to be baptised but wants to wait for his wife to come home and get married with her. They have a baptism date for the 25th of July. Hopefully his wife Cristina can make it home soon. 

We are actually teaching 12 different couples! They all need to be married! haha We are trying to decide who will progress most and focus on helping them. It is a great blessing to be teaching so many families. 

I know that we belong to the true Church of Jesus Christ. I know that He lives and loves us. I know that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan for each one of us. Yesterday I felt the need to repent of some things so after church I knelt by the side of my bed and prayed sincerely to my Heavenly Father pleading for forgivness. After the prayer I could feel the power of the Atonement working in me. I know that Heavenly Father forgives us of our sins if we repent. 

I love you all so much and hope you have the best week ever! 

Love Elder Conover

Open thy mouth and fear not

June 22, 2015

Dear family,

Today is going great! We woke up and did some exercise, studied, got our hair cut, bought some groceries, cleaned the house and now I'm here! I love sharing the gospel with the people. My favorite part about being a missionary is being out in the field talking with people and teaching families.

On Friday we had a multi zone conference with Pres. Klein. It was great! He always helps us increase our faith in Jesus Christ and our charity. Elder Rodriguez and I are getting along great. We love doing this work. Since the zone conference we have started to open our mouths more and look for more opportunities to serve others. We explain to all people that we are disciples of Christ and that the message we share will bless their lives. In various occasions we have challenged people to be baptised after just a couple of minutes talking with them. We have felt the great power of our calling as representatives of the Lord and we feel a sense of urgency to help this work move forward. Everyday we find new people to teach. It is a great joy and blessing!

I have been reading the words of the Savior in 3 Nephi during my personal study as well as the Liahona from this month. There are some great articles in the Liahona!

I don´t think I told you guys that the daughter of Luis Torres (the man who was baptised in the Ceiba that was in a wheelchair) is receiving the sister missionaries and she was baptised a few weeks ago!

We are teaching so many couples who need to get married. It's hard but we are trying our best to help them. We know that we are planting many seeds for future missionaries.

I can´t believe how fast time is going by. I love you all so much and am so grateful to hear from you each week. Keep having a wonderful summer! :)

Love Elder Conover

Hey family!

June 15, 2015

Hello family!

Things are going awesome here in San Pedro Sula! Uncle Josh is going to be happy to hear who my new companion is. His name is Elder Rodriguez and he is from the Dominican Republic. He is super awesome! We are getting along really well. He knows the scriptures very well and teaches with great power and authority. I am already learning so much from him. The crazy thing is that this is his last change! That means that most likely I will finish here in this area with one more companion after him. 

Great things are happening here in our area. We have many less actives, recent converts, and investigators that we are working with. I have felt the spirit lately testifying to me of the truthfulness of the restoration. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that he restored His Church through the prophet Joseph Smith.

I love you all so much. I wish that I could share more but I'm out of time. Have a wonderful week! Keep pressing forward!

Love Elder Conover

The super week!

June 8, 2015

Hey family!

This last week went really good! We set incredibly high goals and we didn't reach all of them but we did have great results. We were able to find many new investigators to teach, we helped two families move homes, and the happiest part was Christian Mejia our recent convert baptised Abigail! A girl that his aunt takes care of. Abby lives in an extra room behind Christian's house. She is basically a sister to him. The Aunt that takes care of her is named Iris and she was less active but now she has gone two Sundays in a row! The baptism went really good. It was very spiritual and there was lots of family and friend support. Christian also blessed the sacrament yesterday for the first time. He now goes to church with a white shirt and tie. It is so special to watch the converts progress in the gospel. Fanny Días another convert (the young women who went to the temple) bore her testimony yesterday. Her testimony has grown so much! The girl we baptised a couple months ago named Laura gave a talk on the gift of the Holy Ghost at Abby's baptism. It was awesome! Laura's less active brother Josue Manuel also for the first time all my time here made it to church on Sunday! The work is going great! :) 

I am so glad to hear that you are all having a great Summer! As I type this it is pouring rain outside. It's really nice to have a break from the heat. Today we went to Progresso and I bought some new shoes to work in. Sadly the shoes I bought in Ceiba are worn out now and I have blisters on my feet because the sole of the shoe is all worn out. I had to buy new shoes. I found a pair of black and a pair of brown shoes. They seem pretty good and I was able to get them both for 45 dollars. It was hurting to walk so it feels really nice having new shoes! :) I also saw Henry (our convert when I was in Jazmines) while we were there walking in the street. It was awesome to see him! 

This wednesday we have transfers. My companion Elder Monterrosa heads home to Guatamala Thursday morning. The chances of me being transferred are basically zero. I wonder who my new companion will be?! I can't believe how fast time flies by. I LOVE YOU all so much. Keep having a super great summer! 

Love Elder Conover

Crazy pigs, spies, and working hard

June 1, 2015

Hey family!

I LOVE YOU! Happy start to SUMMER! I am so happy to hear that you all are enjoying your summer. I'm especially happy for you Matthew graduating from High School! Wahooo! Way to go! Emily, I'm so happy you are having the best summer ever! Sounds like you are having quite the adventures! :) A.J, nice job on the mtn bike! You are a stud. I'm glad you didn't get hurt too bad when you fell. I think it's awesome you are going off sugar for the summer. Great goal! Miriam and Abby, Have a blast at Nauvoo! You will love your first plane ride! :) I remember when Matthew and I went. It was a great experience. Dad and Mom thank you for always strengthening me with your strong testimonies and love. Thanks for always leading our family in righteousness. Brothers and sisters please enjoy and be grateful for family scrips, FHE, prayer, and dinner together. When away from home you will look back and these will be some of the greatest memories. Enjoy every moment with the family. I love you all so much and you are always in my prayers.

This last week went really great! We were able to find many new investigators, many of which seem really open to receive the gospel. One afternoon we were walking in the street and out of no where three boys with ropes tied to the necks of huge pigs came running down the street! They were running and whipping the pigs and the pigs were runnning fast! It was so random and funny. :) Right after this we found a man named Alan Mayes who has been less active for around 20 yrs. He was really happy to receive us. Christian the recent convert has been going out with us in the afternoon to visit. He has a great testimony. We put a baptism date with his Mom and Dad (Bro and Sis Mejia Carbahal) for July 4th. They have many obstacles in front of them but they are willing to work towards this goal. We are so happy for this family.

Yesterday we were on divisions with the Assistants. I went to their area with Elder Parraga from Ecuador. It was a good experience! We were contacting a house and two little kids came out and we started talking to them. We asked them if they could have their parents come to the door so the little boy ran inside, we heard him talking to a man and the man said that we are spies! hahaha the little boy came back out and went to the little girl and whispered in her ear ¨shhh they're spies¨haha we were laughing so hard! We told the little boy that we represent Jesus Christ and only want to share a short message about Him so the little boy ran back inside. They didn't let us in but it was a really funny experience. :)

This week we are going to go all out! Right after we finish writing here our super week begins! This morning we helped a family move. They are less active. It was great! WE ARE PUMPED! Our goal is to find 50 new investigators this week! I love you all so much! Hope you have a super week as well and that you too can find opportunties to share the gospel! I know the Savior Jesus Christ lives. I know that He knows us and can help us change for the better.

Love Elder Conover