Week 86

 

 Hey family,

   I recounted and i think im actually at week 86...haha. Time is flying by. Well it has been quite an eventful week. We`ve been finding a lot of random people that could be getting baptized very soon so we are really busy and excited. We were anxiously waiting for Friday the entire week to go to the temple open house. We were busy handing out invitations and making sure everyone knew about it. We showed up on Friday to the church abou an hour early before the buses left. I was really disappointed with how unorganized the leaders were about this. People just showed up and were running around chaoticly trying to find seets on the buses and there were 2 less buses than they had promised and so people were jam packed on the buses..which turned out to be a real problem. It was really irreverent and took away from the spirit of the event. But we are happy that we had LOTS of investigators that went...about 15. and all of them had seats. So we were going on some really sketchy buses to the temple and an idiot bus driver was racing our bus driver down the highway weaving through the lanes. I was sitting towards the front of the bus and i got up and told the bus driver to slow down. He did. But the other bus kept driving and racing too fast. We were behind the other bus entering into the capitol. The other bus was tailgating a semi truck very close at a high speed. The semi hit a truck broadside and stopped and i looked up and saw the bus full of members and investigators right in front of us crash into the back of the semi. and then swerved down into the ditch on the side of the road and dropped down pretty far into a retaining wall at a pretty high speed. Our bus stopped in time. My companion and i and some other men got off the bus and told the rest of the people to stay. We hurried and opened the emergency exit on the side of the bus and started helping people down. The bus was completely totaled. There was lots of blood as we were helping people down off the bus and walking them to the side of the road. there were mainly head wounds...broken noses, bloody lips, a few broken jaws and cheeks, and a couple broken arms and legs. Nobody died. But we were just helping people put pressure on their cuts to stop bleeding. People said that the bus driver was going down the hill in neutral and obviously couldnt brake in time because was way too close. He saw that he was going to hit so he abandoned the wheel and went back before it impacted and that is why he couldnt stop the bus before it went down the bank. About 20 minutes later the ambulance came. only about 5 people had to go to the hospital. we got the rest of the people that could back on the buses to go to the temple. There were 2 missionaries on the bus that crashed, but they are fine. We left with the people that could and kept going to the temple. the temple comittee sent another bus to pick up the injured. We left and went the rest of the way standing. Luckily non of our investigators got hurt but lots of are members did. I felt so sad on the bus ride there and felt like crying. When we got to the temple there were lots of people there to meet us and attend to us and made us feel very comfortable. People were still very positive about the situation and kept saying things like " the pioneers had it worse". so that was a good attitude. So as we got to the temple we went into the chapel and they showed us a video about temples and the history of the church in Honduras. It was beautiful. then we left the chapel in small groups and took our tour throughout the temple. It was absolutely amazing. The temple is so beautiful. you really felt like you were out of the world for the few minutes that were inside. It was really cool because i got to see a lot of members from my old areas. it was really good to see them. When we left the temple we got to walk around the temple grounds and take pictures. it left a really big impact on our investigators and now they have an even greater desire to be baptized. After the tour we had a long wait to get everyone that was injured examened by the doctors at the temple. we ended up leaving at 10pm and got home at about 12:30. then people had to walk home really late which was really dangerous...our ward mission leader got robbed walking home and got cut a few times with a knife the thieves had, but he is fine. Despite all the horrible things that happened it was still a beautiful experience. And people are ready to go this friday again. But we need to be a lot more prudent this time. Better prepared. The temple is such a blessing for this country. i am so excited for the dedication and to be able to go through and work in the temple. Any word on the Fort Collins Temple?

 

well thats all i have time to write this week. I love you all. The church is true.

 

Con amor,

 

Elder Archibald