19 August 2013 - Hello from Nicaragua

buenas tardes!

I hope everything is well at home! And that you all are enjoying your boating excursion! Karen starts school so soon! Pretty crazy! Where did the time go? When I left, she was still in school...weird.

Well, this week was great...very short. Not really sure what happened...but Nicaragua is starting to feel like home! It's pretty crazy. It has been soooo hot here though. And of course, our appointments for midday always fall through, which means we're usually tracting in the lovely sunshine at the hottest part of the day. I try to tell myself that Heavenly Father just wants to give me more opportunities to work on my tan so I'll blend in more. Haha. But life is good! I'm in Nicaragua...talking to people in Spanish and helping them learn about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. There's no room to complain!

This week, we dropped a lot of investigators. It was really sad, but they are not progressing at all and the majority of them were avoiding us...potentially hiding from us. So we've been searching for the people who have been prepared to receive our message. We met a Jew this week...Hna R had no idea what he believed in. One of her first questions was, 'but you believe in Jesus Christ, of course, right?' I had to try not to laugh. It's just funny because here in Central America, there are the Catholics, the Evangelicals, and the Mormons (of low populations, but we're working on it!) So to meet someone of a different religion is very rare.

A and R are still progressing! R is super solid, so hopefully nothing will get in the way of his baptism on the 24th! He is so much happier than he was when we first met him. We've been teaching him about the commandments and hasn't asked one negative question or been hesitant about accepting our invitations to live the commandments. When we taught about tithing, he immediately asked where he can get a tithing slip, even though he just quit his job. So dedicated!

A is doing well, but we've heard some disconcerting new from a member who has been helping us. Let's just say that Satan knows exactly how to ruin people's lives, especially when it comes to alcohol. But otherwise, A has done really well! When we taught about the tithing, we asked what he knew about it, and he seriously taught is the entire lesson that we had prepared, quoting Malachi 3 and all. Super pilas!  We also invited an hermana, E, to be baptized on Sep. 14 and she accepted, but I don't think she is understanding what we're saying...she's always really distracted. But we're going to work with her! We're also working with a man named R, whose mom, uncle, and grandpa are all less active members. He is so cool! But his problem is that he wants to know everything all at once. Step by step...haha. He does animation and also makes movie trailers for local tv and radio stations. He's really talented.

This week, I had my 6 week evaluation with President and the other new missionaries. It was so fun to see hermana b from my CCM district! The best part was lunch...McDonalds!! I love having a gringo president...haha. But it was good, lots of instruction on how to improve. there was also a training for all the future trainers...there are 6 new hnas coming tomorrow...and 10 the next transfer! I'm kind of scared I'll have to train after I finish my 12 wk program, since there aren't that many sisters here...but we'll see! Whatever the Lord has planned, I'll go with it...haha.

The Spanish is coming along...everyone says I'm progressing way faster than most nortes. It helps that I seriously speak almost no english...ever. Just with the mission President's wife, who is still learning Spanish. We taught a 17 yr old who is studying English and speaks it really well. He wanted me to say the closing prayer in English...I did it...but it was way slower than usual because I couldn't think of the words in English. I kept using spanish words. So weird! When I come home, I apologize in advance if I burst into random spurts of spanish.

Karen asked me what were the most common responses when we contact people in their homes...usually, they come to their gate and say, Mucho gusto, pero soy catolico. We try to talk to them still and say how we only visit people to increase their faith in Christ. But yeah, usually they try to use their religion as an excuse to avoid us. Or...they send their kids out and they say, 'My mom says that she's not home.' Haha. We just grin and bear it, no matter what the response, then once they're out of earshot, we start laughing.

Well. that's about it...I'm doing well here in Nica, sweating buckets and eating lots of gallo pinto (which is so good...), but most importantly, teaching people about the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, because it can help every single person on this earth, if they just open their hearts and minds to it. This week I've learned the importance of baptism. I'm not here to just baptize people. I'm here to help them make changes in their lives and accept Christ, which brings them to want to be baptized. I invite them, but beyond that, it's all up to them.

I love you all, have an awesome week!

Love,

Hermana MacKay

 

(Posted by her Mom)