The Plan of Salvation....One of My Favorite Lessons to Teach

01/12/2015

Well... I have no time because I had to go to the migration office today... and the secretaries were late... so ya not much time. Anyways, so we had a lesson with the family Blas like I mentioned the other day, and we went back this week, and unfortunately she hadn’t read the Book of Mormon.  It got soaked by the rain... but we did get to meet her husband.  We had another really intense discussion about why they need to come back to church, and then the mom said that she wanted us to fast for them.   We left them with the invitation to read and pray about the Book of Mormon, and to pray and ask God if this church was where they needed to be.  So we fasted and we went back and they said they had taken the decision to go back to church.  So I was a little surprised, I’ll be honest, that’s not what I was expecting. So we will see if it’s an honest commitment and if they follow through.

As for the news, I now have a new comp. He was born in Colombia but grew up in Canada, so another Latino, which is awesome!  And, he’s been skiing at Whistler, which is like a dream for me, (ha ha) so that’s awesome too, and I’m excited to keep working with him.  

Other than that nothing new to share.  Today for p-day we hiked a huge hill with a rock that has Che Guevara on it, and my camera was dead.. so I don’t have photos... sorry dad. [Note from mom:  I looked up Che Guevarra on the internet: Ernesto "Che" Guevara, commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist.]

I just want to share again.... my love for this gospel.  This is the best thing for every person here on this earth.  I just love reading about the prophets and the scriptures and the stories they have.  They inspire me to be the best that I can be.  I hope you all can have that inspiration by reading the words of the living prophets and the prophets in the scriptures. I know that through faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, we can be partakers of the conditional mercy that Christ offers us through His sacrifice.  Another part of the gospel that I love so much, is the Plan of Salvation.  I have always struggled teaching that lesson in Spanish, but it has become one of my favorite lessons to teach.  To teach the people why they are here and how they can come back to God, and it’s only through Jesus Christ. As I read the examples of the prophets and apostles, and think of my purpose here in this earth, it makes me want to dedicate my life to serving the Lord.  I’m glad I have at least two years to really do it!  And after these two years it definitely won’t be ending.  I hope you all can do the same and dedicate your lives to serve the Lord, so that we can receive all that He has for us.  More than we can even imagine.

So just that. I hope you all have a great week. 

Elder Ollis

[Another note from mom:  I asked Elder Ollis to describe the area he is working in.  His answer was: "Well my area...let's just say it's about a forty year old rural town that they tried to rebuild after Hurrican Fifi destroyed it in 1974."  So I did some research.

Hurricane Fifi hit Honduras in 1974.  It reached intensity with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph just before hitting Honduras.  Although it affected much of Central America, Hurricane Fifi devastated the coast of Honduras.  It dropped 24 inches of rain in 36 hours over the northern, mountainous regions, triggering mudslides, flash floods and swelling rivers and streams.  The rain, coupled with intense winds, destroyed 182 towns and villages in just 24 hours.  In the market town of Choloma, 2,300 people were killed when a natural dam created by landslides gave way.  About half of Honduras' food crops were destroyed by the winds and flooding.  The fishing industry also suffered.  

Along it's path, Hurricane Fifi impacted nine countries, causing over 8,000 fatalities and $1.8 billion (1974 USD) in damage.  Much of the loss of life and damage occurred in Honduras.  Due to the extreme damage and loss of life, Hurricane Fifi was retired from the list of Atlantic hurricane names, making Hurricane Fifi the first Category 2 storm to have its name retired.    (Source: http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/1970s/fifi/ )