News from Sister Dannee E. Clay: Landmark Week

I love my family!

This is a landmark week, más o menos, because it is week 21 in the mission, week 18 in Honduras, my second and final change with Elder Tarver, and my fourth and final change in Monte Carlo. We find out about changes tomorrow. I am 100% sure that Elder Tarver and I are going to stay together here in Monte Carlo. I like that nothing will change!

This was a great week for a few reasons. One primary reason is the incredible amount of FREE FOOD that we received. I thought I had a testimony of the importance of free food before the mission but I now know that Free Food is true. Among the free items: oranges, suckers, charamuscas, bananas, homeade donuts, papaya, juice, cookies, and yesterday a meal! What a great week! I must report that I have discovered the greatest thing ever. They sell here what is called a pumilla. It is basically a lucky charms marshmellow almost as big as your fist. I want that in my cereal. More good news regarding food. We found a lady who makes homeade tamales with enormous pieces of chicken in them. Every Wednesday we can buy enormous tamales for only L..9 each! Also Tuesdays she makes donuts. Upon request she makes cakes. Good find. Now it is time for the bad news in the food department. The ladies in the branch we were paying decided to try and make a profit off of us and raised the per plate price for lunch from L. 25 to L. 30 for no where close to that actual value in food. Rice, beans, and tortillas are basically free and since they have large families we seriously doubt they sacrifice anyway! The portions are small! We are no longer taking lunch again.

We made a decision that is going to revolutionize the missionary work here in Monte Carlo. We bought a detailed map of the colonia and now we can mark where people live so that future missionaries can find everyone! There are no addresses or street names here but with the help of the map and phone numbers the work will only progress more. I will send a picture of the beauty next week.

Awkward: Tuesday night we were asked by a family to begin their daughter's fifteenth birthday party with a prayer. What?!? It was sort of dance party ish too!

The relatively new family that we've been teaching is excellent. (Se llaman Juan Carlos, Edith, and Carlos, the son). They read and study the Book of Mormon, ask intelligent questions, they are married! and Juan Carlos and Carlos came to church yesterday! That was super excellent! If Edith comes to church next week they will be baptized this month! I love people who are married!

There is a very very sad story this week. There is a very inactive member who has the most precious two year old daughter, Fernanda. She is absolutely precious. The bad news is that the terrible mother doesn't love that precious daughter of God. She sleeps with and is fed by the neighbors who gratefully care for her. She might be put into foster care. I wish that it wasn't against the rules to get involved in adoptions because she is the sweetest little girl and I am going to be so sad if she gets thrown around her whole childhood through foster care....

A great moment from Thursday: We had a thirteen year old kid ask us when we were going to baptize him. I like when people ask that question.

Bad news: one of our investigators dropped us because she goes to another church and her Mom decided we are a bad image because the apostates that attend their church hate us.

We did divisiones on Friday/Saturday. I went to Los Llanos with our ZL, Elder Wedemeyer. He completed 24 months on Friday and got to see his Mom yesterday. It was awesome because he is not even baggy at all! He is going to work all day tomorrow and finish his mission with honor. One day it will be my turn. At the rate the time is flying that turn will come soon.

Baptism of Lenin Almikar Tercero Casco- 8 years old (and no, I am not holding hands with the grandmother)

Saturday we had a baptism. Hermana Mercedes's nieto, Lenin Almikar Tercero Casco. He is a small 8 year old. The good news is that his mom and dad are coming in November because they want to get married and baptized. Hermana Mercedes is amazing. She is putting her family together to learn about the gospel. I love working with her and her family.

Sunday was the best day for attendance and investigators! We had 54 total with 7 investigators! WHOA!!!!!! SUPER AWESOME! Things are getting better! But the bad news is that we're not going to be organized as an official branch in November like we'd hoped.

One of my favorite experiences in the mission happened last night. We are visiting Hermano Noé who was baptized a year and a half ago every Sunday to teach his friend from work who lives with him the gospel. I told you about him last week--Miguel. Well the best thing was the dinner, not just because it was free food, but because it was my first time in the mission eating at a table in a family like setting. We prayed together and ate together. I miss that. Honduras has many cultural short comings and one of them is family time. I have seen zero families eating dinner together! I loved that.

This morning we went to the PRISON of Choluteca. They have the best makas there and Elder Tarver wanted one! So we went! Let's just say that security is pretty week. We were asking probing questions about procedures, firearms, numbers of guards, etc. We walked right through the front gate!

In our english class to some members/investigator teens we taught "howdy" and "y'all" I MISS TEXAS

Saw some Americans here today on a mission trip. They're wimps though. They were staying in a nice hotel and traveling by private bus! Also they didn't buy us anything in the grocery store! But one was from Dallas. That is positive!

This week we miraculously got mail. The road to Teguc has been out for a while due to the rain. Letters from Mommy and Dannee (2). Hoping for packages on Thursday!

Our "winter" is now over. The "summer" season begins now. That just means no rain until May. It was still be cold in December, etc. but just dry.

Being a missionary rocks. I wish you could be living each moment with me. I miss you family and love you so much.

Katri - Congrats on the MUSICAL!!!!

Dannee - Get that scarf to our idol at all costs.

Dad - Stick it to the Man and Take of KM

Mommy - I love you. Thanks for being my Mommy. Only 55 days until the phone call.

Prae - I know English is terrible but you can do it! Love our family!

Your missionary loves you so much,

Elder Clay

p.s. Elder Poffenbarger is dominating the MTC and leaved December 13 for CA. Here is a quote from him:My companion is pretty good-he knows the gospel very well, but knows about as much Spanish as a hamster, so it's hard to teach with him sometimes. He can't follow the conversation, and his pronunciation reminds me of a drowning baby...But he'll get it eventually, I know that-he's trying very hard. I miss that guy. Alma 17:2-3.