Day #508 | Week #73

Elder Kevin R. Duncan, First Quorum of the Seventy

This week was good. Our mission had a conference with Kevin R. Duncan of the Seventy.We learned a lot about goals and what we should do. 

We also have been looking for new people and have found a few good investigators. We also have a Christmas dinner this Saturday and we have a lot to do. Today we were just help to paint a house with the owners.

Elder Shoaee

Why We Need a Savior — A Christmas message about our Savior Jesus Christ. #ASaviorIsBorn.

Week #72

This week went well, Elder Coc and I were inviting everyone to our Stake Conference so we reached out to a bunch of less-actives and investigators. I will be in this area for another 6-weeks.

It has been raining a ton here and the river a few blocks from our house overflowed, it was crazy. 

Also, we watched The First Presidency Christmas Devotional on Sunday. It was awesome to see the apostles and prophets. We are still looking for people to teach and to try to activate the members in the area. 

Elder Shoaee

Day #494 | Week #71

This week was a little rough. We had a bunch of new investigators from last week, but a lot of them weren't there and the rest of them weren't interested. I know there are people ready to hear the message but we also need to encourage the members to go to church. In our area, there are 164 members and only 25 are active. We are going to see what happens this next week. 

A little missionary humor...  "Tracking Bingo"

A little about my companion, Elder Coc, he is super chill and he's a recent convert. He was studying chemistry before his mission so he's pretty smart too. 

Have a good week!

Elder Shoaee

Week #70 | 16 Months Mark

This week was awesome! Time flies... I have 16 months in the mission and things are going well in the Jutosa.

Elder Coc and I have divisions and our zone leader came to the Jutosa. He taught us a lot of stuff that we can do to improve. So for the rest of the week we have been working on those things and we have been having some amazing results. Also we found an amazing investigator named Karen. She is progressing a ton and we will see what will come this week.

Lastly, we are always finding huge bugs in our house in the morning, so its always fun to kick it out of the house. ~ Elder Shoaee

Day #482 | Week #69

This week was rough. Almost everyday this week our appointments fell through. And we were trying to stay positive, but it was difficult.

One night we felt that we should revisit an old investigator and when we got there we saw that her mom was worried because she (our investigator) was not moving. We didn't know what to do in the moment, but we felt that we should give her a blessing. We explained that a blessing is given by a Melchizedek Priesthood holder, by the laying on of hands and by inspiration, to one who is sick or otherwise in need of special counsel, comfort, or healing and if the blessing is for this sick, consecrated oil is used (James 5:14-15). Afterward we gave the blessing. Moments after the blessing she was the same, but then she started moving again and she was moving her eyes. It was a amazing experience to be able to use the priesthood. 

This week our church attendance wasn't as high as last week, but it was higher than normal. Also I just finished reading Jesus the Christ. It felt good to have finally completed reading the book.

Elder Shoaee

Day #475 | Week #68

Thank you for your prayers!

This week was great!!! Elder Coc and I contacted a ton this week and we found some amazing people. We talked to this one lady who was super interested in our message and what we believe. I was happy that we were able to answer all her questions. 

This week I have been focusing a lot on questions and how I can use them effectively to help people resolve their doubts. Also we had an amazing lesson with an investigator, who is named Norma. We asked her some questions and what she thinks about churches and God. We also taught her the Plan of Salvation and helped her realize the importance of reading and praying and how we need to act on our faith if we really want to progress in this life. 

This Sunday we had a huge success! 58 people showed up at church!!! That is almost double the amount of last week. I hope we can keep progressing in this work.

Thanks again for praying for us!

Elder Shoaee

Day #466 | Week #67

This week was a lot of walking and working. Elder Porter had changes so i got a new companion, his name is Elder Coc from Guatemala. He's a very humble guy, has only 4-months in the mission, and this is his second area.

This week I have been showing my new companion our area. We have had some appointments fall through and we went to find new people and reactivate less-active members. We visited all the people that I know, but we still had the same amount of people come to church. Right now we really want to find some new people to teach.

Please pray for my companion and I that we will be guided to the people in our area who are seeking truth and righteousness.

Thank you,

Elder Shoaee

Day #460 | Week #66

This week's report:

Elder Porter and I have been trying to activate everyone in this area, help people to continue to go to church, and we are trying to find new people to teach, but its not easy. Our branch president invited us to a seminary graduation on Thursday and we got to eat pizza! We also gave talks on Sunday during Sacrament Meeting, I think a few people got something out of it. This week is changes so we will see if Elder Porter gets transferred to a new area or not. Whatever happens will be good. 

 

We had some "friends" come into our yard and drink water out of our pila.

 PS (I killed a tarantula that was by our pila.)

Elder Shoaee 

Day #452 | Week #65

This week was alright. The baptism fell through. We didn't get permission to baptize her,. Since she is underage, she needs the permission of the parents. It was disappointing, but maybe this week we'll see what happens. 

Its been raining like crazy here. There has been so much water in the streets. 

We found this cool family this week and it would be great if we can get them to go to church this Sunday.  

Elder Porter and I are looking for more new people to teach in the Jutosa. The stake president came on Sunday and called a new elders quorum president. He lives in another town so we'll see if that help the branch more.

 Elder Shoaee

Day #445 | Week #64

Sindy's Baptism - 10/10/2015

Another chill week in the Jutosa. Elder Porter and I are working with a lot of less-active and non-active members. Sindy, one of my investigators in Campana, my last area,  was ready to be baptized and chose me to baptize her! I was given the opportunity to go back and do the ordinance for her. It was a great experience. 

Nauvoo Illinois Temple Baptistry Stained Glass Window

Also we have a baptism scheduled for the Jutosa this Friday. We are going to baptize an investigator named Ceily. She is awesome and really wants to follow Jesus Christ. We are doing all we can to help prepare her for that day. 

Sindy's Baptism - 10/10/2015

Elder Shoaee

Day #438 | Week #63

This week was a busy week. On Tuesday we had interviews with President Dester which he gave me some insight on the area and what things I should focus on. Also, we had divisions and I went with Elder Lopez to an other area. I got to know a few new people there and we had some good lessons. 

The next day I headed back up the mountain to the Jutosa. On Saturday Elder Porter and I headed to Puerto Cortés to watch General Conference in English. The talks were amazing! I really enjoyed the all of the talks. They were so focused on the Sabbath Day, Faith, Keeping the Commandments, and Living the Gospel the way we should. It was a good week. 

General Conference at a Glance

Elder Shoaee

Day #432 | Week #62

Elder Shoaee & Elder Porter 

Week two in Jutosa. We had some cool experiences this week. We are trying to activate lot of less-active members in our area by inviting them to go to church. We had 31 people at church which is a higher number than last week, so that's progress! Also we have been teaching some investigators. 

We had a funny experience, it was nighttime and my companion and I were going down a hill when a dog comes out of nowhere and starts chasing us.  I just took of my back pack and started screaming to scare it off. Also we chilled with a monkey that a member has as a pet. 

Elder Shoaee

In the Middle of the Mountains In Our Area 

Leche Burra "Milk Sweets" is probably the most known Nicaraguan typical candy.
t's made with cow milk, unrefined sugar cane, coconut, cacao, vanilla and others.

Day #424 | Week #61: Ch-Ch-Changes

This week there were changes. I am still in the same zone, but in a different area. I am in Jutosa, a place in the middle of the jungle. It's a rural town about 20 minutes up a dirt road and into the mountains. 

Jutosa Honduras

My new companions name is Elder Porter from Roy, Utah. He has 18 months in the mission. 

We are in a Branch in the Jutosa. There's not a ton of members, but there's work to do. We have had some good lessons and there are a lot of investigators. We have 3 baptismal dates for the 10th of October. I am still trying to get to know the area, but it will come in time. 

That's about it.

Elder Shoaee

Casa

Pila aka Washing Machine/Shower

Day #417 | Week #60

This week was good. Elder Soto and I have been working with our investigators and helping them with their struggles. Also a investigator that we were previously teaching called us and wanted us to start teaching her again... so that was awesome! 

We helped a recent convert who is 103 years old clean up his yard and cut a bunch of weeds. Then there was a baptism for the sister missionaries so we helped them set up and organize everything. On Sunday all the missionaries, including me, gave talks in Sacrament Meeting.


Elder Shoaee

  

Elder Soto & Elder Shoaee

Day #410 | Week #59

This week was a little crazy. My companion's brother got injured while serving in the other mission, so my companion left for a day to check on him. Fortunately everything is going well with him. 

While Elder Soto was gone, one of the secretaries, Elder Nuñez, came and we worked in the area. We started visiting some new investigators and trying to find more people who are ready to teach. 

We had a Family Home Evening with recent converts in our area, it was awesome. Also we are trying to motivate a part-member family, the Marques', to get married. We will see how things go this week.

Elder Shoaee

Day #403 | Week #58

This week was good! We worked super hard this week and found a bunch of new people. We are working hard with members and we were also able to do some service. 

We are teaching the Marques family and are trying to get them married. We have had some spiritual lessons with them. 

We also helped some people bring firewood from the mountains to their house. It was intense, but super awesome to be able to serve.

Elder Soto and I are getting along. We both want to have more success in the work. We just need to continue to work hard.

Elder Shoaee

Day #396 | Week #57

This week was cool. We had a multi-zone conference with President Dester where we learned a lot and had a few workshops so we can learn to work more effectively.

Also, we had a mission conference via satellite. Elder Nelson spoke from Tegucigalpa. It was great. It focused a lot on the temple and how we should focus on helping our investigators and the members get there.

Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple

Elder Soto and I are contacting more so we can start having more people to teach. 

Elder Shoaee

Day #389 | Week #56

Elder Shoaee - Tamale King

The past week was good, Elder Soto and I helped with an fundraising activity (making and selling tamales) to help a part-member family so that they can can get married and then the husband can get baptized.

Hermano Carlos

We are starting to look for more people to teach that are ready for the message. Also this week we are going to have a Zone Conference and on Saturday. Elder Nelson is going to be in Tegucigalpa so we are going to see him via satellite. It is going to be awesome!!!

Today we went to Omoa which was the last Spanish stronghold in Central America after the region declared its independence. The Spanish fort was captured by the Central American Republicans under Colonel Juan Galindo.

Fortaleza de San Fernando de Omo

Day #382 | Week #55

This week was awesome and things are good except that our baptismal date with Sindy fell through. Hopefully it will be rescheduled in the near future.

The good news is that we are going to help get a part-member family married that have been wanting to get married in order for the husband to be able to get baptized. Also, we are starting to contact to try and find more people that are ready. We found a bunch of members in one of our areas, so we are starting to work with them also.

Pupusas

I made pupusas with my companion, it was fun! Pupusas are like a tortilla stuffed with cheeses and beans. We made them for a birthday party of a awesome family in the ward.

Elder Shoaee

Day #377 | Week #54

"Holy" Shoes  ;^)

This week was pretty good we were working hard to finish this change successfully. We had some good successes and our baptism for Sindy is scheduled for this Saturday! 

Also, we have some new investigators that we are working with that are starting to progress. 

Lastly, we helped with a funeral of a elderly lady that died on Sunday. We helped by singing hymns and I had the opportunity to dedicate the grave. It was a great experience.

That's about it.

Elder Shoaee

Day #368 | Week #53

This week was awesome. The baptismal date for Sindy is getting closer (August 8,2015) and she is progressing a ton. She is 17 and she makes hammocks.  We started teaching her family, but all of them that we were teaching moved away.   Right now she is the only person we are teaching in her family. Also this week we had some amazing lessons and we taught this one guy who grew up in New York. 

One-Year Anniversary | 07/23/2015

Elder Soto's (my companion) brother started his mission in the Honduras San Pedro Sula East Mission so President Dester gave us permission to go to the airport to see his brother. It was a cool experience.

We also started teaching a teenager who's called Naun, he is super awesome. I feel like we'll start seeing progress with him.

Elder Shoaee

Week #52 | One Year Down & One To Go!

This week was chill. Elder Comin had emergency changes and now I am just with Elder Soto. 

We are teaching an investigator named Oscar, who lived in New York for 12 years. He is awesome and he has a bunch of questions. 

Also we are trying to find more people to teach. We also had a ward activity this Saturday, it was pretty awesome. That's about it for this week, not too much happened.

Elder Shoaee

Day #354 | Week #51

This week was super different, it was a really satisfying week. We have found many new people that we started teaching. 

Also the sister missionaries had a investigator that was one hundred and three years old. I had the opportunity to baptize him on Saturday, July 11th, it was a cool experience. 

Also we cleared a ton of doubts that people had about our church, plus we are getting better at teaching the lessons in a trio companionship.

I am almost halfway done with the book, Jesus the Christ. It is an amazing book and I am really learning a lot. 

Another cool thing is that we found out that marriages are going to be free in August. There is this one lady that is 80-years old and her papers were burned in a war so we are trying to find a way to get her married to her husband.

That's about it.

Elder Shoaee

Day #347 | Week #50

Alma 60:27-28

This week was cool! We had zone meeting on Tuesday, then on Wednesday we had interviews with the mission president, President Dester.

We contacted in an area that we have never gone before and we found a bunch of people that needed help. We were able to teach them and give a few of them blessings; it was an amazing experience. 

Then we contacted in some areas that we didn't know that well and we also helped one of our investigators build his house by digging out the foundation. Also we cleaned out our area book. We are just trying to get more organized so we can work more efficiently.

Elder Shoaee


7/07/2015 | Happy Birthday!!!

Jordan: Even though we are miles apart, I'm right by your side, thinking of you on your birthday, I hope your day is el grande! I heart emoticon U!!! xoxoxo... ~ Mamacita

Day #340 | Week #49: Compañerismo Trío

Elders: Comin - Shoaee - Soto

This week was awesome! There were transfers and my old companion left, but two other missionaries came. One is Elder Comin from Alberta, Canada and the other is Elder Soto from El Salvador. They are super awesome! It is interesting to teach with three people, but there is power in numbers and we can help give insights on different things. 

I have been showing them the area. It's a little difficult for me because I only have been here for one change, but I know that the spirit helps me remember who's who and where everything is. I also was promoted to Senior Companion, but Elder Soto is our District Leader. This last week I was showing an area and we found this one guy who lived in the states for 12 years so we were able to teach him in English. He was so interested, I felt so good. 

That's about it.

Elder Shoaee

Day #334 | Week #48

Elder Jordan Shoaee

This week was pretty awesome. We worked on finding some people that were referrals and we went to a lady's house. She was super interested and we taught her about baptisms for the dead and also the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

After we made a cheese grater out of a tin can by hammering holes into it with a nail. Also we went to San Pedro 
Sula. There is a cool store called Uncle Sams, they sell American stuff. It was awesome to go there and get some things.

Also this week is changes. I am not sure if my companion will leave, but we'll see what happens.

Elder Shoaee

Puerto Cortez - Omoa Beach

Puerto Cortez - Omoa Beach