Cavernas Fila de Cal: Lessons from a hike in the caves

Gringos go to the caves, but they take a super long trail on the hill instead of going through the river. I don't think you'll ever go there though, Mom. A little bit of a rough trail for ladies :P

Hey so the video (below) I just sent is a super awesome lizard here in Zona Sur that walks on water. So we managed to record it one time. Whenever I see them I feel like I'm in Jurassic Park haha

Hey mom! That's super cool about Sherry in the play.

Hello from the jungle!  We just went to some super awesome caves!

I really did go into the jungle today! We went hiking and went to explore some caves here in our area with one of my favorite investigators, Ruma. It was a really wonderful experience. After walking about 40 minutes into the middle of the jungle (it's not really even a trail, we just went up the bank of the river), we got to the entrance of the caves. When you enter the caves, you just enter a whole other world. From the bright greens and blues...to blacks and grays. There were these little 6-legged spider looking thinks which I'm almost sure were blind, and little grashopper looking things with giant antennas (the antennas looked like big daddy long leg legs). Then, after we got in a little farther, we saw some cool stalagmites & stalactites, a river that goes through the cave, some really cool rock structures that the water has formed through the years, and "ELDER CHILD" written on the cave wall (that one really made me laugh). But honestly, when we turned off our flashlights and saw just how dark it was in that cave, Elder Ferrin made an interesting comment:   "Just imagine the Nephites for 3 days like this".

It might have been just a side comment for him, but it really made me think a little bit.

My whole mission has been great and has helped me so much become a better person and learn more about the scriptures and the gospel, but I have been able to have a very unique experience here in Zona Sur.

Zona Sur has brought physical conditions that I've never been in before! Let me explain myself.

I had never lived in the heat before. Nor a realy humid place. Nor jungle! I had never visited people who's life is cutting palm oil plants on the farms. I had never "mowed" a lawn with a machete! It's honestly just a different world!

But the special part is that this world is helping me to understand the scriptures in a personal way. When I spent 30 seconds in the pitch-blackness of that cave, I really started to understand how the people felt in 3rd nephi when the land was covered with darkness for 3 days. That's insane! I never had really imagined it until I lived it, even though it was just for a second.

I had never though about Peter walking around, whining about the heat before, but Jerusalem and all that is a pretty hot and deserty place! And now I feel that, walking around in the heat all day. When I fast here and stop sweating because my body just doesn't have water to sweat anymore, it really helps me to ponder on Jesus's 40 day fast.

It's a great help for me to really understand the scriptures in a personal way.

Apart from that, I'm really happy with this week. Elder Nuñez and I really weren't achieving our potential as a companionship, but we put a new plan in practice to manage an area so big in a more orderly manner, and we really saw big results this week. It helped a ton and now I do feel like we're realizing our potential. I love this work. Tough days exist, obviously, but I feel like every day I fall in love a little bit more with the missionary work. There's nothing else I'd rather be doing.

I love you all. Keep safe and have a great week!

-Elder Henry

Check out these Christmas lights! It's a TON of little birds that were all grouped up on some telephone cables one day. It was super strange haha. All the white "lights" are their bellies.

Missionary activity! We watched Meet the Mormons (more people arrived after I took the photo)

An epic rooster picture.

Shiblon, tired after doing some serious pushups.

We went to the hospital! President Meza, the district president, was sick and asked us to go visit him.

A cool little gecko (people say that if one falls in your food, it poisons the food and you'll die. But they're cool and, well, never fall haha)

Playing with Shiblon :-)