June 6, 2016

Well how are y'all this week? This week nothing too big happened. It rained everyday of the week, I got soaked and sick but its all worth it right? We ended up not being able to baptize the families because they lacked papers to do their marriage but we have got all them now so well see what happens this week! it rained demasiado so I don't really have much other noticias. But my companion and I have been really doing well.. this week with the lessons we had with our investigators and recent converts/less actives, we had over 130.. it was amazing, we worked super hard and we were able to see the results greatly in the area. We found a less active member that has the priesthood and everything and we were able to get him reading the book of mormon more and seeing him grow spiritually everyday of the week was super animating. This week we will baptize the future branch president!!

May 30, 2016

So this week was pretty interesting! We have got 2 awesome families again that will be getting baptized this week and its going to be really awesome! One of the men, named Rony, I've been secretly preparing to replace me as branch president! So for a little over a week we have been teaching them about the temple and they're so animated to go to Honduras in a year to the temple. Friday Rony told me " so in a year when we go to the temple we want you to come with us to watch us get sealed" and how in the temple prep book it teaches that we shouldn't just go for curiosity, but to make covenants and it really hit me how chosen they are. here in the mission we work a lot on finding the chosen people who God has prepared in these days to hear the gospel. and I am so grateful for my heavenly father for putting me here in Nicaragua, where he has a lot of children waiting to repent and make covenants with him. I've had a few converts now that have gone to the temple and its sad not being to go with them because we still lack a temple here in Nicaragua, but its just a great feeling to know that someone's not just baptizing to be baptized, but really doing it to come unto God and live according to his gospel. I love my Nicas!!  I was able to help a hermana build more on her house by making adobes, which is just mud blocks that are put out to be dried... that is how the houses are made here! super neat! then today we went back to Dipilto and climbed the mountain! super exhausting but fun at the same time!! talk to y'all next week! remember the sacredness of our purpose in this life!

May 23, 2016

Well! things are going great! we've been doing excellent in our area! this week we were able to bring 9 of our investigators to church and it was a miracle because of this 9, about 7 went to church by themselves and they all liked it and are willing to continue visiting and be baptized! I had to travel 2 hours away from my area to an area called Jalapa to do divisions for 2 days and it was pretty fun, I got a little sick though but I guess that is all part life... haha, I hope all are going well! this week I will be going to my first new missionary meeting in over a year because of my greenie that I am training! It is gonna be super weird but I guess I'll be learning bunches too! This week in church after everyone left we found a chicken in the church and so us missionaries decided to teach him and all haha and in the end decided to throw it over the fence so he wouldn't poop all in the church. I am already tired of traveling in buses....in my time in Ocotal I have already spent about 40 hours in a bus and I am learning how to position myself perfectly to be able to finally sleep in the journeys haha. have a good week!

May 16, 2016

Well I'm a proud father of an Elder Santizo from Guatemala! Hes legit and super ready to get going in his mission. This week we have put super high goals and we were able to achieve the majority of them which gave us a lot of excitement! So this week past by super fast and it's weird how much just flies by us sometime. Also highlights from the picture is that we made a little convoy of members and brought them to like a little fireside that we did and brought about 60 people to it! One of my recent converts makes bricks and I was able to help him a little this week and I've got a pic of the kiln that we had to use to burn the bricks! We have found some really cool families this week and we had a lot of them come to church which was a miracle. things are getting speed up her in Ocotal and I am glad that I am here to be one of the Lords servants helping spread the gospel in these days. There's going to be a lot to say the next week! i love yall!!


















(Mom speaking) I downloaded the following pictures from the Mission President and his wife. I think that it is so wonderful that when a brand new missionary comes into country, that there is a welcoming from the companion that they are assigned to. Michael traveled from Ocotal to Managua to meet his companion and just look at the greetings that he gave him! What a great feeling to those moms (and families) to know that their son/daughter is welcomed and being taken care of! What a great example that is set!!

                                     

May 9, 2016

I did a little investigating and in the end of 3 days of 8 missionaries searching, I finally found my camera and had to buy it for 100 cords haha. but yeah! lots of prayers to find that joker haha. This week was pretty good! we had district conference and we filled a bus with about 100 members from ocotal and hit the road to Esteli and we FILLED the chapel, a small chapel with almost 480 members/visitors. So this week Elder Choque officially became my comp and then in Saturday they called him and told him we was flying BACK TO PUERTO CABEZAS! he's super lucky so in my email to president today i told him " so its possible to go back to puerto after you've left right?" hahaha. But good news is.......IM TRAINING!! Im going to Managua tomorrow to get my first son in the mission! I'm super excited haha my first son. It only took me like 19 months haha, kinda stinks that I am not gonna be able to see him grow in the mission to much, but were gonna throw some fire together! Weve got some really cool families this month to baptize and all. Also I am searching for a member to replace me as the Branch President. .. President Collado told me that I have 6 weeks to find a member and to prepare him. I am super excited and praying hard to find this chosen man, to baptize him or reactivate him. hope things are going good for yall! I love yall take care!! the pics are of a kid I saw with red hair at the conference and I told hims mom I needed a picture with him haha, the others are of the baptisms I had 2 weeks ago. He lives and loves us! Always remember that!!!!!

May 2, 2016

Well this week has been great but super different. I was told to do divisions with an elder named ELDER CHOQUE from Utah. It was super chill because we were really good friends when we were in Puerto. We threw some fire this week too which was great, the lord has worked some miracles with us in these divisions, we were able to baptize 3 people in the family of a less active that we've been reactivating! but not all got confirmed so we have to wait for the next Sunday. Also found a lot of nice families that accepted baptismal dates, the month of may is looking great! buttttt, someone robbed my camera :/ doing all I can to get it back though cause I think I know who! pray for us to find it! I love ya'll and hope things are going great! tomorrow I travel to the capital and then back at night!! so tomorrow is a good 12 in total of bus rides haha, love yall!

Hopefully I can get my camera back so that I can send pictures next week or soon after. 

April 18, 2016

Semana de Milagros. como Siempre!! :)

Well This has been a week of miracles! we had a cool couple to be baptized but we had a lot of problems finding all the papers for the wedding and had to travel a little to find the right papers. The judges all said we wouldn't be able to marry them because they needed more info, so we found a lady that said she could marry them and then Saturday morning, called us and said no :/ so we prayed hard and left to go find a judge to do it that same day, and we found one. It was a miracle. So Saturday afternoon we finally were able to baptize them, they're super legit and already looking for ways to serve the Lord, so a calling is coming their way! haha. Today we went to the border of Honduras and it was... not what we thought haha, we went to take pictures of the "bienvenidos a Nicaragua" sign but there wasn't even that, they just asked for our cedulas and told us to leave. So we hopped back on the bus and decide to get off in one of the communities and find something to do! so we found a mountain and we climbed it.. about 2 hour hike, I felt so dead. but i made it! we went with another companionship and it was a fun day! took lots of pics and videos. it was super steep too and we all fell down the mountain some haha, but great experience! this week we found some cool families also that want to be baptized so we've got some good future in plane here in Ocotal! I know that this is the Lords work, and it is greatly increasing, I know that this is true church, I know that God loves YOU, and he wants the best for YOU. have a great week! Write me! 

April 11, 2016

Semana 2 en OCOTAL!!

Well this was a tiring week. day after day of walking up and down hills.. tirrrringgg. This week I had to travel 3 hours to a community also to do an interview and help with a baptism which was super cool, got to know some more of Nicaragua. but we almost missed the bus getting home which would've been super bad. We had to run about half a mile to from the river where we did the baptism to the nearest road and call the first taxi and made it about 2 minutes before the bus left.. miracle! But this Sundays testimony meeting was super spiritual. It started off with silence then my comp got up bore his testimony and told everyone not to be scared. A sister who had just got confirmed bore her testimony on all the blessings shes received from the gospel in this short amount of time ( 4 days from her baptism) and it was super spiritual and then her daughter also bore her testimony and then the majority of the members too and we ended up finishing sacrament meeting a little later. Things went a little slow for my companion and I this past week but were ready to see and work some miracles this week! love yall! take care!!

April 4, 2016

I was not able to write last week because of mission changes. I am very sad to leave my beautiful beach area in Puerto, but now have a new area in the mountains of Ocotal. I spent one full year in Puerto which is unusual, but there was so much work that we did there and opened up new areas. I boarded the second flight to Managua and sadly sat in my seat for the hour long flight. I had to renew my ID to stay in country, and then took a 4 1/2 hour bus ride to my new area in Ocotal. When I left Puerto Cabezas, they almost threw me in jail for having an expired cedula and I felt super awkward because the lady was not being reasonable with me. After waiting and waiting, I got the flight and hit the road. I miss Puerto already, but I know that when my mission is complete that I will return to see my families there. Ocotal is wonderful! I already love it here! We made baptismal dates with 7 people my first week here. It was such a wonderful feeling to feel the spirit here. We brought many with us to General Conference. My new companion is cool. Elder Rodriguez from Honduras. I went from the beach life to the mountain life where it is dry and hills all around. This is going to be awesome! I love you all and hope that you have a great week! Remember to read your scriptures, to pray and ponder! I love the gospel and the changes that it makes in peoples lives! Search for those lost souls and bring them to church! That is my challenge to you!

March 21, 2016

Well how are yall doing? I'm doing good here. this morning we played an intense, tiring game of capture the flag. It was pretty fun. This past week was pretty great too. We were able to baptize 2 people this week. One of them was a mom of some members, and the younger one was a sister of a member that had been investigating the church for a while but finally was able to be baptized. They're both really cool and have some strong testimonies. They always go to church on their owns and willing to help us teach and find new people. So this next month is changes and I'm hoping to stay in my area again. I've got 11 months here and i love it. There are a few members that want me to baptize their 8 year olds if i leave haha. But pray I hope i stay here but i know the Lord knows whats best. Have a great week!! Love yall! Also were having to look for a new house..  I have been in Puerto for 11 months all in 1 area, lived in 4 houses and now looking for the 5th house to move into.

March 14, 2016

Things are great! My comp and I are doing great, healthy and all! on the search for a new house.... again. Ive hit 11 moths in Puerto Cabezas now, and all of it in the same area. But I love it!!! This week we found out that a long time "member" wasnt actually a member cause she hadnt been registered and so weve gotta baptize her now! we almost did saturday but she is working for a baseball tournament going on because her family is struggling. I also accidentally dropped my phone in my hot chocolate too and it worked for a while, died, then worked again, and in the end, the screen is pure white now haha. But something that my comp and I have been looking into lately for alot of members and investigator is the 12 steps of addiction recovery that the church offers and have watched the videos and studied it and have already seen some success through it. I know that our savior has a plan for us. I know that sometimes we fall away from his plan and go into our but its meant for us to learn. God gives his toughest challenges to his toughest soldiers. I challenge all of you to watch these 12 videos and look on the church website and find a way to help someone with an addiction. They need our help... addictionrecovery.lds.org


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_DtmXXpw6Q&list=PLAYgY8SPtEWGpKkoZGmMzqIZw8h9KlGYH&index=1

LOVE YALL

March 7, 2016

Well how yall doing? Things are going good here. We were able to baptize a cool kid this week and the rest of his family is going to be baptized on the 19th! this week Elder Baldwin and I learned a lot about How God is Just and Merciful. God is a Just God. A perfect Judge. When we obey the commandments, he's obligated to bless us, he allows us to feel better. When we sin, he wants us to feel repentive, but he cant bless us as much as he wants because hes a Just God. For example, if you have 2 kids and they're behaving greatly, you can reward them an ice cream cone because they're doing the right. But if they're fighting, they're not doing the right, and you cant reward an ice cream for bad behavior. but the thing is though, is that God is Merciful. When were fighting and doing the wrong here in this world, God allows us to change and to ask forgiveness, and if we do it with a contrite heart and with real intents, he forgives. Bad behavior can't be rewarded, but bad behavior can always be forgiven and changed to good behavior, and rewarded.. I know that if we all do the right, we will be saved by mercy, and not chastised but justness.. but blessed by justness. I love all yall and hope things are going great! this week we had District conference and we watched a broadcast for all of centro america which was pretty good. The only bad thing is that the microphone broke and so we didn't hear half of it haha. But the spirit was felt. I love the people here, I love this work. I love my Savior! take care yall!