Things are looking up!

Hello family and blog viewers! I think my last email was a little bit discouraged (well, I know it was because I was, a little bit), and thank you Mike and family and Marcie for your emails. I can´t even believe how much love I´m receiving from home. I know I don´t deserve it.

I got un montón de cartas ..er.. I got a whole lot of letters from pouch, including from Gabe, Paul, 2 from mom, Aunt Fae, Aunt Joann, Sis. Harker and Bishop Payne. Thank you so very much! I don´t know if my snail mail will ever reach ya´ll so you just need to read my blog and know I love you.

It´s was actually a little bit cold in this part of Honduras! Either that or I´m becoming Latina little by little. Hermana Rosales and I were sleeping with several layers of pants and shirts and socks and even a jumper too. We finally got some blankets, hooray! It was funny to be out contacting people wearing hats and coats when really it´s probably as cold as Sept. 16th in Utah. Hermana Kochevar in Santa Rosa was using her blowdryer to warm up her bed. Haha..

Funny story.. we were on our way to an appointment doing contacts and we started talking to a couple sitting on the sidewalk holding hands. I started sharing my testimony (zealously) of families and how they can be happy and together forever in the gospel of Jesus Christ. They laughed nervously, and my mind left the missionary mindset for a second and I thought about how awkward that would be if that was me and my boyfriend being preached to about families. As we left we heard them laughing and we were laughing too... how awkward but also how true. They CAN be happy and together forever.... someday. I think I jumped the gun a little bit.

We had interviews with President Cruz, which are always great as I feel the spirit so strongly, feel so motivated and feel so inspired by him. He told me that I´ll be staying here in La Entrada for my next transfer but receiving a new companion. I´m praying and working to try to be ready... to know the streets, the ward members and the area, and to be learning Spanish as fast as I can. We´ve been promised a ward mission leader and Pres. Merren (the new Branch President who lived for a while with his family in Utah) is great! The whole Branch feels a little more structured and I have great hope that with their help we can do miracles in this area.

I´m reading the New Testament in Spanish and it´s been wonderful. SOmetimes I doubt my Spanish abilities when I make so many mistakes and am still so innocent and weak in teaching, but then am surprised how much I do understand. Every time I try to do my personal study in Spanish I feel I am developing a little more faith. Little by little, right? If I was the perfect missionary with all the knowledge in the world right now, how boring would that be? I need to learn and grow and progress and I knew it would be challenging.

I´m learning the importance of punctuality and feeling a little guilty about how late I always was before my mission... ha ha.

Hel. 14 vs. 30 and 31. How beautiful is agency and the ability to choose to be happy and learning in every circumstance.

I love you all! Thank you for your prayers and support and for everything!!

¡Nos vemos! Xoxoxox Hermana Francis

PS... ya´ll are writing Hermana Rosales pouch letters, right? Thank you.