A Very Valuable Lesson

October 27, 2014

Hello Everyone,

Wow. It's almost November. Time flies super fast here in Honduras.

Our week was kinda rough, to be totally honest. There was tons of walking, not much teaching, and I don't think I have ever been rejected more in my life. It was super interesting. We had three families, four individual investigators, and one recent convert drop us. Basically that means we walked clear out to their house, knocked on their door, and were told that they don't want us to come back. What? First of all, that's really strange for a person from Honduras to be upfront and direct like that. The first time, it actually scared me. Happy Halloween. Haha. Secondly, it's really sad for me to watch a family refuse the most helpful thing they can ever receive. Sometimes the most frustrating thing in the mission is peoples' agency. It a curse and a blessing.

So why do I include that sad piece of information? Because I learned a very valuable lesson. Two weeks ago, a similar thing happened to another area here in Olanchito, but these missionaries just accepted their fate, and refused to work. Two weeks later, they have four investigators, and if someone in the ward has a referral, they give it to either my companion and I, or the other two missionaries, regardless of where the referral lives. My comp and I saw this, and we decided to handle our week differently. We contacted, asked for referrals, and are reteaching Old Investigators from our area book. In this last week, we have an entire new set of investigators, and almost all of them are progressing, including a man they call "Chungito."

This dude is the husband of a recent convert, and has never accepted the missionaries before. However, for some reason we "fall well with him" (that's a direct translation that basically means he approves of us) and he agreed to listen. He comes to every lesson with something that he is sure will stump us and turn us around in our lies, but all it ever does is impress him, and through the Spirit, we have answered all of his questions, and even gotten him to read the Book of Mormon. He's read all of 1 Nephi. What?

He isn't the only beacon of hope we've found this week, but he's the most exciting. I know that more will come. Moral of the story: When rough times come, we have two options. We can lay down and die, or we can kick some butt and come out happier in the end.

On Friday night, my companion gave me a little advice, and I would like to pass it on to you. If you are struggling with finding a girlfriend or boyfriend, and feel like you need a little extra help, read them 2 John 1:5. It reads, " And now I beseech thee, lady (or you could use man, but the scriptures say lady), not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another." It'll work. Promise.

Also, for those of you who are curious, I can officially make tortillas. It's pretty awesome.

I am definitely loving it here, trials and all. I love and miss you all. Good luck in all of your endeavors.

-Elder Aldrich

The companion of Elder Diaz

October 20, 2014

Hey All,

So I would like to begin with a pretty cool story. About 3 weeks ago, there was a baptism on a Saturday. We walked all day inviting investigators and members, but no one would be able to come. It was pretty frustrating, to be totally honest, but we pressed on like the valiant missionaries we are. We visited the house of some awesome recent converts, and invited them. They told us the couldn't make it, but that we should invite the kid sitting on the porch. So we did. I was pretty doubtful when he told us that he would go. Here, people just say yes so you'll leave them alone. Needless to say, I was very surprised when he wandered in about 5 minutes before the ordinance. Afterwards, he pulled me and Elder Diaz aside and asked, "What do I need to do to be baptized?" What? That doesn't happen.

But it did. We started teaching him, and learned his mom had taken all the lessons, but decided she didn't like the guy she was living with enough to get married. She didn't get baptized, but Denis had heard all the lessons and he liked what the missionaries had taught. Then his mom tried to send him to the states. He made it to the border, but was sent back. He started working for the wife of a recent convert, and that's where he met us. He studied between lessons, prayed with power, and always had questions for us. This guy pretty much baptized himself. What's even cooler, is that he has been teaching his family the lessons using the pamphlets we have given him. His cousin and sister also want to be baptized.

Yesterday, we baptized Denis. We had to baptize him on Sunday morning so his mom could come. My companion and I woke up at five, ran to the church to start the font, went home, showered, changed, and went back to the church. The font was full and ready to go, except the water was an awful black color. Nasty. The good news is that the water doesn't have to be clean for it to work. My companion got to baptize him, and it was so cool.

As for my funny story of the week, it came immediately after. He asked Elder Diaz to confirm him (if you hadn't already guessed, Diaz is the favorite). The Branch President announced, "Elder Diaz will now do the confirmation with the help of (some dude I don't remember) and... and..." There was a long pause as he tried to remember my name. Finally he said, "The companion of Elder Diaz." It was pretty funny. Especially because about seven seconds later, he remembered my name, jumped up and yelled, "ALDRICH!" into the microphone. That got a good solid laugh.

In other news, one day this week I forgot my tag when we left the house. We started walking, and we had even made it to the road when my companion turned to me, saw that I had forgot my tag, and said, "Brother Aldrich, have you seen my companion?" I thought it was pretty clever.

I scored two more goals in soccer, in case anyone is curious.

Directions here are nuts. We had someone give us directions to their house like this:

Walk to blocks that way, turn right, walk for a little until you can see the pulperia, turn left. My house is the green one after the tree with three coconuts, but before the one with two. We found it. Go us.

There is a little boy here who is four years old. Both his parents were born into the church, fell away, got married, and then welcomed him to Honduras. The missionaries contacted their house, and during their first conversation with the missionaries, they learned that the other was LDS. First of all, how does that happen? Second, they took that for a sign, and came back to church. He now serves in the Elders Quorum Presidency, and they're awesome. Tomorrow they will be sealed in the Tegucigalpa Temple, and this four year old is beyond excited. We call him "Torito" because he looks just like his dad, who we call Toro. I include this story because I think it's interesting and because Torito is our best friend haha.

I love you all, and I love to read your emails. Have and awesome week.

-Elder Aldrich

This is Torito. Torito means "little bull," but I don't think that's a completely correct usage.

Cats, Again

October 13, 2014


Hey Everyone,

As always, I would like to begin with a story. It's a scary story, so little ones, close your eyes. Haha. It was a dark and stormy night, and the great and spacious building decided to pump up the Halloween jams (I have no idea why. Honduras doesn't do Halloween). It's 10:30, and my companion was fast asleep, when I heard some noises by the front door. Figuring it was just the wind, I rolled over and tried to go to sleep. Then, I heard it again, but it was a little braver, but I decided to ignore it once again. After about a minute, there was a noise, and what seemed to be a man fell from our roof. While I had no physical evidence that it was a man, I was very convinced. Absolutely terrified, I ran to the window to see what had happened, but there was no one there. In order to look out the window, I had to kneel on my companion's bed. He woke up, and was pretty angry to find a gringo in his bed. I quickly calmed him down and explain the situation. He decided to call the lady who owns the apartment, which was as good of an idea as any. She answered, and sent her drunk husband to see if there indeed was a man outside of our house. When he found none, he very angrily returned to bed, leaving us to fight this invisible threat all by our lonesome. At this point, it had been fifteen minutes since the fall, so we figured he had left. Armed with the iron in hand, we bravely opened the back door, and looked out the door. In the fresh mud were paw prints. Seeing no other prints, we calmed down, realizing the cat to be the culprit. The cat later actually shoved itself through the broken window of our neighbor to escape the rain.

Can I just say one thing? I have a newly renewed hatred for cats.

We had a great week, but this coming week is going to be better. We have a baptism this week! I am so excited, but not nearly as excited as Denis (that's his name). We have to have the baptism on Sunday before church so his mom can watch. I expect that it will be very cool. So yeah.

Other than these few adventures, there really isn't much else. I ate an apple, which was absolutely fantastic. I found a doughnut shop, which is awesome as well. I am so grateful for all of your support and prayers. Being a missionary is awesome, and you all should be jealous ;)

-Elder Aldrich

The Struggles of a Gringo in Honduras

October 6, 2014

Dearest Family and Friends,

During this week, I have been reminded time and time again that I am not Honduran, and that basically my skin is like unto a beacon that says, "Look Here! But remember to squint and look confused!" One of these great reminders came on Saturday and Sunday during conference. First of all, I want to say that I love the new "speak your own language" idea. It's seriously so cool. Anyway, when the Spanish speakers talk, all the gringos exit the designated gringo room, and make the small journey into the chapel, where we are greeted by a burst of whispers that basically translate to, "Oh my eyes!" We all listen to the talk in Spanish (it was so cool, I totally understood!) and then quickly walk (or more like sprint) reverently back into our sacred room of English. I feel as though the people here resent us a little because the majority of the speakers speak English, and as you have all now heard, it's boring to listen to a translator. Anyway, that was interesting.

My other great story about my gringo-ness is especially awesome, because I am now a very funny part of the legend of "America Lady." America Lady is a legend around here, not much different from Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. Not only is she very terrifying and mysterious, she's very real. The legend goes like this:

There is this creature, with blues eyes that extend clear up her forehead, and black, leathery skin. (She has freaky blue make-up above her eyes that, very literally, touches her hairline, and she wears a nasty black leather jacket.) On one lovely Sabbath Morning, she entered into the Bella Vista Chapel, and took a seat next to an Elder from the United States. "Where are you from?" she asks, shaking with anticipation. "Utah," replies the Elder. Suddenly, with the speed of a fast animal, she lays one on him. I assume that the Elder probably didn't respond at first, but I know one thing for sure, the other people did. The members literally pulled this lady off the poor Elder, and carried her out of the building and locked the gate. The Elder was quickly exchanged for a new Latino, and the lady was never seen again. Until yesterday.

I would like to take this moment to explain that there have been other sightings recently, like when she dressed as an old women with a walker in order to see a gringo. She was discovered as she, in what could only be a miracle, left her walker behind, and walked across the building at the first sign of a gringo. Luckily for this guy, one the the members of the Branch Presidency had seen the previous incident, and escorted her out, thus saving the unsuspecting Elder from a new experience. I also am now a new part of this legacy.

Yesterday, during special visits, Melvin (the second counselor in the Branch Presidency) and I were visiting a family. The visit was short, simple, and spiritual. When we left, we walked for a while, and then, we saw her. She was about forty feet in front of us, talking to a taxi driver. We quickly crossed the street, and I kept my head down. Unfortunately, she saw us, and quickly began to follow us. Luckily for me, we were able to get into the church, lock the gate, and go into the church before she reached the gates. Laughing, Melvin told me to give him his backpack, grabbed the Branch President, and they headed out to talk to her. I could hear her screaming (yes, screaming), "I saw one! You had one with you! He's inside! He had a backpack that was from America!" The Branch President then proceeded to explain that it had been him, and that the backpack was a gift from a missionary, but that there were none in the building.

The entire branch and district presidencies were there with their wives, and we all had a good laugh after President Dormes returned from his 20 minute talk with this woman. Now you may be asking, why on Earth did you take so long to explain this? The answer, my friends, is that nothing super awesome happened this week, and I find this absolutely hilarious, so hopefully you do too. :)

I will close by saying, I love conference. It is such a great experience, and I learned so much. I love Elder Bednar and Elder Holland especially. These truly are inspired men, called of God. I hope you all took the opportunity to watch it this passed weekend. I love you all, and I can't wait to share more awesome stories and to hear yours.

Elder Caleb Aldrich

"Gringo" missionaries watching General Conference in English (Elder Aldrich is not pictured, he is taking the picture).

Hold fast to your faith

September 29, 2014

Hey All,

This week has been a serious roller coaster, and unfortunately, not in a good way. But I'll begin by saying this, if my companion has a change, I will probably die. Seriously. We find out in like two hours who has changes, and I am seriously terrified that he will have a change. He's never had a companion for more than one change, with the exception of his trainer (but in this mission it's normal to have your trainer change). He rips through companions, and I think it's because President wants as many people as possible to have the chance to serve with him. He absolutely drives me insane, he's one of the most tone-deaf people I've ever met, and I love him to death. He can bring the Spirit into the lesson like no other, and what he lacks in directness, I make up for because I only speak direct Spanish.

Anyway, we lost our two most promising investigators this week. One, our one baptism date, is moving to Comayagua, and the other family had a fight, and the wife left the husband. It was seriously sad when we showed up at their house and it was just this man, his bed, and a Book of Mormon. We worked really hard this week to try to reinforce him spiritually, and when we returned on Saturday, he had actually gone to his wife apologized, and she decided to move back in. Happy Day! Right? Kinda. The problem now is that the husband won't get baptized without his wife, and the wife decided that she thinks God is God, and our church is too far away... So we'll figure that out. I wish I could explain the frustration of watching someone who had the truth right in front of them, reject it. Ugh.

However, I learned something really great form this week, despite the disappointments. Every day of the mission, there is something great. There is always a reason to stay. There is always a piece of hope. I feel like that really fits into real life pretty well too. Therefore, I have this small piece of advice to those of you who can read this: When times of trial come, hold fast to your faith, even if it's a little wobbly.

I know that times get tough, but through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we can do anything. We are on his team, and He is rooting for us in everything we do. With that being said, I love you all, I love your emails, and I love the Lord. Peace.

-Elder Aldrich

Honduras and Tennesee

September 22, 2014

Aloha! (Or Hola, but they're close enough)

Can I just say that there are 13 Hondurans staring at me because I laughed so hard at that. I am glad to see my friends are still dorky and hilarious without me around. Haha.

Anyway, I have another awesome story, but first I need to clear some things up. For those of you who are concerned with me ironing shirts, I iron my shirts. We actually borrow this lady's iron frequently, which made this story even stranger. However, I did buy us an iron for our apartment to prevent future events like this one. And as for "she's our cook", I guess I should let you all in on the secret. I practically eat bugs here. The rice and beans are cool, but for real, the bugs are insane. I don't like to talk about it because it is super nasty and I like to try to not think about it.

Anyway here's my story. We had splits ( here it's "devisiones") and I got to go with Elder Neuberger, who is seriously the COOLEST missionary I have ever met. When we started walking, he said, "Elder Aldrich, I have a present for you. We're going to teach a lesson in English." Needless to say, I was absolutely pumped as I could be to hear this. All two and a half months of my training had obviously been leading up to this moment, but I realized that we had no materials in English. That was a problem, but we solved it because I'm awesome and, for some reason, had one of every pamphlet in English and one of the blue Books of Mormon. So anyway, we went to this appointment, and it was awesome. But first, some background.

Familia Alaya is a family of four, a husband, wife, and two little niños of 4 and 2. The husband used to work in Knoxville for a construction company where he did acoustic paneling and other internal structuring. He met the wife, they got married, had two kids, and he was caught and deported. She then followed him to Honduras to hold her family together. Seriously brave if you ask me. She speaks not one word in Spanish, which made it really easy to visit with them because we speak English.

Anyway. this lesson was seriously awesome. Elder Neuberger and I, in our rusty English, explained the Restoration, the Book of Mormon, and the Prophet Joseph Smith with insane power. I'm not even kidding. These guys were so ready and prepared to hear the gospel, but it had to happen in Honduras, because in Knoxville, "if the Mormons try to talk to you, you run!" But this lady wanted so badly to speak English, she let us teach, and the mission president was actually in town yesterday, and his wife translated all three classes in church for this lady. Talk about lucky (except luck doesn't really exist for missionaries).

Anyway, that was really the only super cool thing, but it was super cool, so I think it counts. Also, my companion loves Despicable Me, so his speaker is a minion. Said minion also doubles as our investigator during companionship study.

I love and miss you all. Stay strong, drink some Coke, and do something awesome.

-Elder Caleb Aldrich

Offically Catratcho (Honduran)

September 16, 2014

Hey All,

So, I've finished another week in Honduras, and I have seen many a great thing. However, I would like to begin with another fantastic story.

On Tuesday, my companion needed to iron his clothes, so we borrowed an iron from our cocinera. We stuck it in my laundry bag with my laundry and carried it back to our  house. At our house, I took out the iron and handed it to my companion. I started to fold my clothes on the table, when my companion plugged in the iron. This of course is the turning point of the story, so I figured I'd add a pointless sentence in here for dramatic effect. Anyway, he plugged in the iron, and after about 30 second of the iron heating up, the iron released what had to be 150 ormigas (ants) that were bigger than any ants I had ever seen onto our table. I honestly have no idea how they all fit in there, or why they were so insistent on being in our house, but that wasn't really important at the time. What was important for me was getting my clothes off the table before they could hide in my shirts. While I scrambled to kill the ants and rescue my clothes, my companion just stood, horrified. I actually don't know why he looked that way, but it was pretty funny. Anyway, when it was all said and done, it kinda sounds like the beginning of a bad joke or a riddle. "A Gringo and a Latino are standing in an apartment in Honduras with an iron, 50 pairs of clothes and a bunch of dead ants."

In other news, I'm still a boss at Football, and by Football, I still mean Soccer. On Saturdays we play football, but this Saturday we had what my comp calls "lluvia de miedo" or in English, Rain of Fear. Basically the rain was so torrential, it flooded the church and people couldn't drive. It was awesome. Anyway, we decided to just go buy some dinner and then see if we couldn't scavenge up an appointment before bed. After dinner, we were walking back by the church, and the court was dry, and our investigators were playing Football without us. So naturally, my companion wanted to run home to change our clothes, but I didn't hear him because I was already out on the court with Elder Gibbons playing in missionary attire. My companion apparently accepted this, because we challenged the investigators to see who could beat the team of missionaries. Needless to say, Elder Gibbons and I tore it up, more or less. I had two goals (giving me a grand total of 5 in Honduras) and an investigator told me not to look so surprised when I score. Anyway, this pretty much means I'm Catratcho (another name, not offensive, for Hondurans) and I'll replace Jozy Altidore in the next world Cup.

And finally, we had the Children's Day celebration. Here there is a Children's Day just like Father's and Mother's Days. We had a super big party with some recent converts, and just got to take a deep breath from all the strange things of Honduras. There was even a pinata. It was super cool. Anyway, these are my stories and such for this week. I love you all, and love to hear from you.


-Elder Aldrich