Time To Change

body So this Wendsday im going to be changing areas. After 18 weeks in
San Rafael, I am exicted and nervous to change. I get to start all
over again, but this time I feel a little bit better prepared with
spanish and everything. No worries for me Ill be going where the Lord
wants!!
Yester, Sunday, my last sunday in my little ward, I gave a 10
minute talk. My topic was prayer, I did a little bit of preparing the
week before, but not the usual amount that I put into speaking in
church. I felt like I did pretty good, I hope that isnt to prideful to
say. I think people for the most part understood me, and if not I hope
they at least felt the spirit. I feel much more confident in my
spanish now. Its getting better every day, and in two or three months
I dont think ill have much to worry about!!
So on saturday we should have had the baptism of Sister Natalia, but
she got super sick like 4 days before with bronchitis. I had
bronchitis when I was 15, a freshman and it took me out of everything
for 2 straight weeks. Natalia is like 60 years old and we were really
worried about her. We gave her a blessing on wendsday and saturday.
Saturday she looked and felt a bit better but she was really scared to
get wet being so sick. I felt so bad for her, she has had a hard time
sleeping, so I did the only thing I could think of besides give her a
blessing, Make her soup!! It was really nothing, just the lipton
noodle soup but she was really happy, I hope it helped haha. I also
hope that she will be baptized this next saturday. I feel a bit sad
that I wont be there for it, I wont even be able to know if she was
baptized.
Also this week we sold pork and chicken tamales to raise money to
marry a family. In Honduras nobody is married, its like 90 percent
over 21 isnt married, but almost all of them live with someone and
have like 4 to 8 kids. Its a bit hard to work around this because it
cost quite a bit of money to marry someone, and the process is a bit
difficult. I really dont even understand it, I hope that eventually I
will. The Zepeda family is going to get married soon though because
the ward helped us raise enough money. I am really impressed with my
ward here and for all the help that they gave us especially Sister
Mesa. She pretty much took over the whole project with almost no
notice at all, she is the latin version of grandma dotty :) Needless
to say I am really excited for this family, but once again im sad that
I wont be able to see it all go down.
I love you all, I will write you next week and tell you were im at.
Have fun in school, make good choices and all that!!!!
love Elder Nathan Lynn Ahlborn

Hola mis amigos en los Estados!! back to school already?? have fun!

buenos dias mis amigos, como esta?
I cant believe its already that time to go back to school. I can
honestly say that I am glad not to be going back haha the mission has
its benefits!!
This week has been amazing. Yesterday(Sunday) was the dedication of
the temple in El Salvador. Before the program started the church
showed a bunch of different clips of the newer temples of the world.
They showed the Twin Falls temple, the outside and the terrestial room
a ton. It made me miss Idaho and the temple where I received my
endowment.
The dedication was good, President Eyring did the honors. It was
strange because before the dedication they sealed the corner stone.
not the capstone the corner stone, different right? It was funny cause
President and Sister Eyring where putting the mud in the crack and he
was speaking English the whole time, haha nobody could understand him
but he just kept on a talking haha.
The dedicatory prayer was in English, and then translated into
Spanish which was cool, because I could kinda translate it, my Spanish
is really improving!
I felt the spirit, and the best part was my first baptisms Carmen and
Sayda went, I think their family will be sealed in a year here in
Honduras, best part, I can attend. That would seriously be the
greatest thing ever. I cant wait :)
This next Saturday we have a baptism of Hermana Natalia. She is an
older lady like in her 60s I think. She was just barley baptized in
another church, but we have been working with her and now she has a
testimony of the Book of Mormon, Joesph Smith and the church. I am
excited for her! I'll tell you about it next week
one last thing, one funny thing. This week I contacted a guy that
seriously looks like Uncle Alan. I am actually pretty sure that
everybody I know has a twin in Honduras. It's just something funny, I'm
going to try to get a picture haha.
I love you all, good luck with school. Be good, stay out of trouble!
Con mucho amor,
Elder Ahlborn

15 de Agosto, Kicking it Catracho style!!!

Hey everyone, Summers almost over, I bet it went by too fast as
always. Hope you enjoyed it!!!
Things here have been better, I am getting along with my companion
much better. This last week we got seven baptism dates. Two are the
last week in august, so I should be here for that, but the others are
in September, and I think I will be changing areas the 31. I'm kinda
bummed that I will be missing them, but its all good, I helped bring
them to Christ and that's what is most important.
Yesterday we had stake conference. There were a ton of people there
holy cow. It was a bit hard to listen because of all the noise, but
the parts that I could hear, I could pretty much understand, it was a
good experience, especially because we got the Zepeta family to come
with us. They are one of the dates that will hopefully be baptized in
September.
I am healthy and happy, bringing souls unto Christ. La verdad, or
the truth, life couldn't be better!!!!
Love you all much, take care and have fun in school hahaha!!
Elder Ahlborn

Long Week

So this week was pretty good. On Tuesday we had interchanges with the zone leaders, I stayed in my area and Elder wheeler came and worked with me for a day. Elder Wheeler is from Kuna Idaho, He is small like 120 but built and all and all alot like me, so of course he was like the coolest guy ever hahaha. He leaves the mission in two changes. He can speak Spanish like a Honduran which is crazy because he is from Idaho haha. I learned a lot from him though on Tuesday, things on how to deal with my companion, which is good, and his advice really did help. I hope by the time I finish my mission I can have the capability to do things like him, I feel pretty limited to the things I can do now. He told me not to worry, that the whole mission is a learning process. It gave me confidence. The best part was, like me, San Rafael was the first area of Elder Wheeler and all the members we visited were like, O Elder Wheeler you can actually speak Spanish, remember when you couldn't hahaha. All and all a good experience.
On Sunday we had two baptism dates of two different families fall through because they didn't attend church. They said that they would attend,. and We even passed by there houses to pick them up. The Medina family was on their way to visit their grandma who lives two hours away and the zepeta family wasn't home. It can be frustrating, but people have there agency. It isn't all that bad, I think both the families will eventually be baptized, i just probably wont be in the area to see it.
There was one thing that really brightened my day yesterday, that was Hermana Natalia, an older single women who is investigating the church came to church all by herself, on her own incentive. It made me proud to see her just coming cause she wanted to and not because she didn't want the missionaries to keep bugging her. She was just baptized in another church like three weeks ago or something, but I think with a bit of time and teaching she will be baptized in the true church.
This month the church here is busy. This Sunday we have stake conference, which I'm excited to see. I like listening to talks in Spanish, and the stake presidency here is solid so that should be awesome. Then the week after we don't have church because its the dedication of the temple in El Salvador. I'm super excited to experience a temple dedication in Spanish, Ill tell you how it was in a few weeks.
Life is pretty good right now, I really do love it out here, but I am ready to change areas, to have new adventures and meet new people. I think I will probably be changed in 3 weeks so I'm looking forward to that.
I have to mention one last thing, today we are going to play football, like real American football! haha thought you all should know.
I love you all so much, thanks for your support and prayers! take care and be good!
Elder Ahlborn

Baptism!!!!!!

This last Saturday Elder Perez and I baptized Santos Cabellero, The
father and husband to my first baptisms. It was an honor to complete
the family. This family is really special to me and I am so glad I
had the opportunity to be a part of there lives. I am going to miss
them when I change areas.
So the baptism itself was kinda funny. Santos asked me to baptize
him, Which is the best when you get picked:) Santos is huge, huge for
American standards. When he went down into the water I had to push
him down far to immerse him completely, and in the process I just about
baptized myself. Like half of my hair got wet hahaha. It was a good
experience for me and I will never forget it.
Then to finish of an amazing week, Elder Perez and I got two more
baptism dates from a young couple, Familia Medina. They have a baby
girl, like 6 months old, but they aren't married, and Brother Medina
has problems with smoking. They really want to change their lives, and
we can help them do that with the Gospel and the atonement.
Things with my companion and I are better. I think I can understand
him a bit better, and we are teaching in unity way better. I think in
a week or two we should be just fine :) no worries!
How was your Pioneer day? I completely forgot, but I hope you had
fun with your families! I love you all so very much, take care and
know that you are in my prayers!!!
Elder Ahlborn