I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.

From Aug 17th

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.

Sometimes Im not sure if Im coming home, or leaving home.

Reflecting on my mission, I know that I have worked as hard as I have been able to. I have been obedient and followed the Spirit. Heavenly Father has changed lives through the words He has put in my mouth to help the people of Tegicigalpa, Choluteca, and Valle de Angeles. I have overcome trials and challenges and sufferings, you dont even know the half of them. But, I have also felt incredible joy and happiness and recieved countless blessings. I have a life here that I dont want to leave, but I know that I have to.
I promised myself in the beginning that I would work as hard as I could until my mission President told me it was time to go home, and I have done that. I tried 4 times to extend my mission, and was denied each time... President Bowler told me, Hermana Steele, you have to go home and get on with your life. Well I guess I have to, even if I dont want to sometimes. Really, it doesnt even feel real. I dont feel like Ill be in Canby, Oregon on thursday night. I felt yesterday in church as I was directing the hymns that I would be in that same spot trying to get Latinos to sing at least a little in tune in one week, but I won't.
Yeah, Im sad. I am also happy. And nervous for what the future brings. I have to like, start the rest of my life now. What?
:) I have loved my time in the mission. I have learned so much to apply into my life. I am so happy that I made the decision to serve. I feel like the last year and a half went by in a flash. Like it was a dream. There are so many memories and experiences and stories I cant wait to share with all of you.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7)
I love you all so much. Thank you for all your support and love.

Love for the last time, Hermana Steele

La Familia Bonilla :) my branch President and his family.
 I love them so much

La Familia Gomez Franco :) Hermana Morales and I started teaching them and now they are fully active in the church and are once again keeping the covenants they made with our Father.

los marine

my last chocobananoooooooooo

hno marineros famous banana pancakes SOOO GOOD

luz

From August 10th
luz

Sorry Im writing late, there was no power. And I think its going to go away again because it just started raining super hard... but such is Valle de Angeles.

ZONE LUNCH AT MY HOUSE :D pollo asado mmmmm yum

Hermana M just isnt progressing like she should. We feel that it just isnt her time. Im really sad that we are going to have to drop teaching her. We will probably only go two more times, once to teach her this week, and next monday so I can say goodbye. I really love her and her family. I pray that in the future she will accept the Restored Gospel.

Its sort of you know, insane, that I will be home in 10 days. What? When did that happen? We plan on working our hardest this week. Its my last full week here in Honduras until I can come visit again, but it just wont be the same coming back here and not being a missionary. There are so many recently returned missionaries here in Valle that are bugging me so much about how Im going home haha ahh I love them. I love it here. My two Bishops from the city are coming to the airport with their families to say bye to me. Man. I dont want to come home sometimes. The thought of not being a missionary...... :(

Lourdes, Odeths mom, is progressing well too. Something came up so she couldnt come to church on Sunday but she is still looking for her answer and reading. We have faith that she will progress towards baptism on the 5th of September. I wont be here, but, thats okay.

It just keeps raining harder and harder so Im gonna go now, I dont want the power to go out again and we are far from home haha sooooo love you all SO much. Ill talk to you for the last time through email in exactly one week.

Family, please bathe my dogs. Dont forget. I miss clean animals that I can cuddle with.

love,
hermana steele

Add caption

buena semana

From Aug 3rd...

buena semana

M is progressing really well. I love her. Her kids have a baptism date for the 15th of August. Today were going to challenge HER to baptism. I think she really felt the Spirit in church yesterday. We will see :)))
My comp is awesomeToday we went to PicachoWorkin hard2 pdays leftthats allpics!
love, hna steeeeele

we went to Liquidambar

 this is me with a machete mowing the lawn​

tegucigalpa 

there's pigs in there

zone conference! we sang as a zone and it was presidents favorite number :)

​

where pine and palm grow together

From July 27th...

where pine and palm grow together

Dont have much time today, I have to type out my final report. WHAT. How is this happening. Time flies sooo fast. 

I had divisions with Hna Morgan this week. She is so awesome and we had so much fun haha. She asked me for advice on how to be a good sister training leader. I dont really miss that calling. It was fun, but I love just focusing on my own companionship and area. Its much less stressful. We had some good lessons together. 

Yesterday I lost my sweater... bummer.

Our converts Iv, A, and Od are progressing really well. L, (the sister of A and mom to Od) is progressing along with her daughter M as well. They have a baptismal date for the 15th of August. They came to church on Sunday and loved it! Hermana L is soooo smart and already has a testimony that what we teach is true. I am looking forward to seeing their baptisms before I leave.

well, gotta do my report. I love you all so much.

love, hna steele

One month to go!

From July 20

It was hard finding new investigators this week, but during the weekend we were finally able to find some! yay... the work continues...
M. is progressing still. She.. is waiting for the answer to her prayers. I dont know when it will come (or when she will recognize it) but when it does, she will be baptized and will be one of the best members in the ward. Man.. I wish her answer would come. We have had some crazy and spiritual experiences with her lately... I love her so much. I hope her answer comes while I am here. I feel like I was sent here just for her.
We went to the temple this week with the zone..... It was beautiful like alwaysss... the zone leaders took us to lunch BY THE AIRPORT... that wasnt cool haha 

One. Month. Left?????? ..... im out of words. pictures are mejor
love, hna steele

Last comp

From July 13

last comp

MY COMP IS HNA VIZCAINO THE LORD LOVES ME

my last mission comps name is Hna Vizcaino. SHE IS THE GREATEST THING EVER I LOVE HER SO MUCH. I remember when she came to the mission. She's the only one I remember from that day. I always wanted to be her comp. And here we are!! The great thing is that one time we did divisions together when I was an STL. And after these divisions shes always wanted to be my comp too. And.. so she asked President if we could be comps. That was a long time ago but he finally granted her wish and Im happy about that :D She is so great. She is from the Dominican Republic.
Al and O were baptized this week :) I love them sooo much. We are teaching their family and they are progressing as well. Not as fast as they did, but they are progressing :)
Iv wants to serve a mission. :D Shes seriously the most pilas thing Ive ever seen. She is so amazing. So sweet and just so perfect.
I love you all. Time is flying really fast...
love, hna steele
FOTOS!!!!​

family home evening with the Gomez fam​

family home evening with the Gomez fam​

this is the flower of the fruit Maracuyá. I LOVE MARACUYA its sooo delicious​

some pretty scenes...

 Iv and O and A and Pedro​ made us dinner AND CAKE to say goodbye to hna Jimenez

taking hna jimenez and hna zaleta to Tegucigalpa so they could get changed... they both went to the south. I WILL MISS HNA ZALETA I LOVE HER SOOO MUCH

 Elder Osmond went home this week!! He is suuuch an amazing missionary and I am happy to have had his example during my mission. He was my zone leader twice and my AP also AND we served in the same ward AND were always singing together in baptisms and conferences.

hna jimenez and hna woods are comps! love them

O and Al were baptized Saturday :) it was a beautiful day

Beautiful Baptism

From July 6

a pretty view. I love valle de angeles!!

Beautiful Baptism 

Iv was baptized on Saturday!! It was such a beautiful baptismal service and she was sooo happy. She;s single and 25 years old, studying her second major in the university. The YSA of our branch are so pilas and they did so much for us. This saturday her friends Al. and O. are getting baptized. All thanks to Pedro, a member of the branch who invited them to church. We went with her last night to give her the scriptures we bought her and she told us that she is so excited to go on a mission in a year. She has been searching for the truth all her life and she has finally found it. She is passing a hard time in her life, but she has expressed how calm and happy she feels now, after she recieved the gift of the Holy Ghost. I love her so much :) She is going to be a great missionary one day. 

Iv's baptism!! :))

​So last week I mentioned we went to a sealing. It was so beautiful. I love hna Zwang and I am so happy that she invited me to her sealing. She is someone I will be in contact with forever. It was suuuuch a beautiful day!!!!
M and her 3 children D, Mo, and Br will be baptized on the 18th of July :) She knows now that our message is true. We feel a really different spirit with her now. We gave to the kids a picture book of the stories of the book of mormon and theyre already half way through it and they tell us what they learn everytime we come, basically theyre just telling every story to us. they are so smart. I love them :)
The investigators we have right now who are progressing and getting baptized are all references from MEMBERS. We as members of the church have to give people we love to the missionaries!!! They are the ones most likely to get baptized. So take the missionaries to your friends. :D
Hna Jimenez is going to have changes this week. She has arthritis and the cold and rainly weather is really hard on her, so she is getting transferred to the South. Im nervous to have a new companion. This week I start my last transfer........ajoewuihalidfaliweweu ​
​I think thats all for now... I love you all! have a great week :)
love, hna steele​

so the power went out at night again so here I am with my candle

I love hna Oram!!! shout out to her parents who read my blog sometimes hahahah :p I love your daughter!

comp pics en la iglesia

mi zaleta 

BYE ELDER SMITH!!! my zone leader who goes home this week D: