28 Oct 2013 - Five years (months) old tomorrow

Hellooooo! 

I can't believe that it has already been a week since I last wrote. I seriously have no idea how the week went by so fast! But it was great! I don't really know why, but I guess that's what happens when you're serving the Lord! It's pretty much the best. So right now, as I'm writing, there are a ton of Catholic ''bombs''...like fireworks that only make noise...going off. I think I might go deaf. haha. But anyway...this week! 

We had divisions within our district this week on Tuesday. Hna R went to Dolores and I stayed here in Rosario. I was with Hna G...she didn't have to travel far...just to the other side of Rosario! But she is awesome! She's from El Salvador too and was classmates with Hna R in high school! So it was fun to hear about my mission mama pre'mission. We had a lot of success with divisions. First of all, I didn't get us lost! Yay! But we found some potential investigators...the issue now is finding them again. Here, the members feed us dinner, but on Tuesdays, we don't have a fixed dinner cita. So we decided to eat with the other hnas from my ward and make food in my house...but our resources are limited. I'm pretty sure the weirdest things we eat here are the things we make ourselves! Haha. 

As far as our teaching pool goes, we have to focus on finding new investigators...especially after our last cita with... 

 It seems like our most positive investigators here are all teenagers. It's interesting. We are teaching someone named Itsy...please tell me someone immediately thought of itsy bitsy spider..haha. But she's awesome.  

Yesterday was pretty crazy...we went to visit an old investigator who has vision problems...I'd never met her before, but Hna R and F had a month or two ago. When the hermana saw me, the first thing she said was. ''WOW you've grown a lot! What happened?'' haha. Then later, I started teaching and asked her a question and she said ''look, I'm very simple minded. I don't speak English, so maybe you shouldn't be teaching me''. Ouch. Apparently she though I was speaking English. But when I spoke to her later on, she understood me perfectly...haha. That same day, a drunk proposed marriage to Hna R...so ya know...crazy stuff going on here in Rosario...haha. It was pretty funny.  

My zone here is good...It's a little less animated than my zone in Managua, since there were a ton of characters in that zone. But there are lots of great missionaries...and tons of hermanas! I still can't wrap my head around it. President decided that we need to teach 12 lessons a day, so we're doing our best to fulfill that goal. It's difficult, but at least we always have something to do! Changes are in 2 weeks! Pretty crazy. I'll probably be here at least until Feb, so I'm not too worried. But Hna R goes home so soon! I'll be an orphan in the mission!!! 

Halloween is this week! Wow! There are a few halloween decorations in Jinotepe, but here in Rosario, no sign of it. But there are already Christmas decorations in the grocery store! 2 months! Hard to believe. This week, I realized how important prayer is. I mean, I've always known how important it is, but this week, I made an extra effort to be specific in my prayers and I have been able to see evidence that Heavenly Father is always listening. He isn't going to take away my challenges, because they will make me stronger, but He will always be there to comfort me. I know that we are all children of God and that He loves us so much! I love being able to feel His love for the people I'm teaching! It's so awesome! 

Well, I hope you have an awesome week! I love you all and love hearing about the happenings of the week!  

Hurrah for Israel!

Love, Hna MacKay

 

(Posted by her Mom)

21 Oct 2013 - Livin la vida misional

Hey!

How's it going? Today I was super scared that I wouldn't get to email because the power went out for about 4 hours. Luckily, it came back! Today, we had a district Pday activity and played volleyball...my arms are going to be bruised tomorrow for sure. I love playing sports with latinos because they're about the same level as I am...no professional athletes in my district, that's for sure. But it's more fun that way. Afterwards, we made cookies (betty crocker premade mix...yay!) using the oven of an hna who makes bread...therefore the oven was HUGE and used real fire. I took pics...hopefully one day I'll send them. But it was fun! My district is really fun. There's Elder P (DL) from Nicaragua Norte, E. H from Costa Rica, Hna R (el salvador), me, Hna B (Texas), Hna P (Costa Rica), Hna E (Texas), Hna G (el salvador), Hna C (Guatemala), and Hna T (Texas). Oh and the zone leaders are Elders P (Texas) and A (El Salvador). So...lots of Texans...and hermanas!! Also, I have a Zone conference this Friday, so hopefully my package will come!!! 

This week was good...it was pretty weird. There were lots of up's and downs as always, but I only pay attention to the up's.  

On Tuesday, we went to Santa Teresa for what may be the last time (I'm explain that later). Santa Teresa is so awesome. It's like a little California beach town. It was suuuuper hot though. We had some positive contacts. I'm honestly not sure what people there do to work. I think most of them own little pulperias (convenience shops) or go to Managua to work. The people there are pretty receptive, but we aren't allowed to go there anymore. We had interviews with President on Thursday. I was kind of nervous to see what he'd say, since now I'm not a little innocent missionary in training. But he was super nice, made me cry because he asked about the family and what they're probably saying about me. He also gave me advice about my companion. The only machetero part of the interview was that we aren't allowed to go to Santa Teresa because it's too far away. He wants us to focus on El Rosario, where the chapel is. So that's sad, since there were positive people, but now we're going to work harder in El Rosario.  

So Thursday was pretty crazy. A ton of our citas fell through, so we contacted a ton. Which is getting a lot easier! It's now natural! I am no longer the super shy Lisa who was scared to ask for directions. We'll see what happens when I get home. But the crazy part of Thursday was...when we were contacting a house, someone brushed past Hermana R and when we arrived at our next cita, her bag was open and our cell phone wasn't there. Yup. We were robbed by a little pickpocket kid...yikes. But we now have a replacement, thank goodness! Then later that day, we were chased by a scary dog for about 2.5 blocks...it was scary. I had my umbrella ready to defend myself.  

On Saturday, there was a stake activity where the missionaries taught little workshops for every lesson, then at the end, there was a cultural event. We weren't supposed to teach, but the teachers for the ''Gospel of Jesus Christ'' group didn't show up...so before I knew what was going on, Hna R and I were in front of a big group of people teaching about faith, repentance, baptism, the holy ghost, and enduring to the end. It actually went pretty well. My ability to teach without notice has definitely improved.  

My ward here is awesome. The members are always willing to help. They always say ''this is your house, feel free to drop by anytime.'' So sweet. On Monday night, I almost had a birthday party...it was actually for an Hna in the ward, but when they brought the cake out, they made me go up and sang to me too. I felt bad to take away from her moment, but she wouldn't have it any other way. There's a YW in the ward named Karen! I like saying her name...haha. Oh! There's an RM in my ward who served in Chile...and Bro. L was his mission president! His name is L B. That was a cool connection.  

Here, there are always people in the streets selling things. There's a man who walks past our house everyday selling fruit...and he shouts what he's selling, but the way he says it sounds EXACTLY like the monks in Monty Python. It kind of made my life when I realized that. Also, the duena of our house knocked on our door one morning and gave us 2 coconuts to drink out of. And afterwards, she cut them open for us and we ate the meat. I love this country. And SURPRISE! I finally like coconut and pineapple. I know, you're probably thinking ''who is this girl?'' haha 

This week, I have learned a ton about patience. When I have patience and trust in the Lord, I can make it through anything. Especially when I receive strength from reading the Book of Mormon. There seemed to be a ton of verses that seemed to be just for me. I love Alma! Alma 26 is an awesome missionary chapter and has way more significance for me now. And I was reading in Alma 31 today, which helped me a ton. I LOVE the scriptures so much! I've also been reading in the New Testament. The Bible and Book of mormon are the word of God! Maybe they were written in different places and by different prophets, but said prophets were inspired by God. I know it. I can always feel the power behind the verses I read. I always study in Spanish, which makes me concentrate more. It's awesome. 

Thanks for the update! I always love hearing about the happenings in the ward and in the family. Hard to believe I turn 5 months this week. Time seriously flies. Next month, I will stop having repeated months. Craziness. Well, I love you all and hope you have an awesome week! 

Love, Hermana MacKay

 

(Posted by her Mom)

14 Oct 2013 - Happy Birthday to me... I'm officially Nica!

Buenaaaaaas! 

Hola a todos! I hope this week has been marvelous. This week I was blessed with the chance to get a little tanner, have my hair change color (don't worry Mom), have super sore muscles most of the week, turn 20, and become a Nica (well, resident...). It was...interesting. But as always, it's great! 

Well, El Rosario, as previously stated, is GORGEOUS! It's how I imagined all of Nicaragua would be. The drive from Managua to Jinotepe is so pretty! I learned that Jinotepe is in Carazo, but near Rivas. Maybe one day you'll find it, because I still haven't. But my sources are very limited. My area is huge. As in, it takes about 20 minutes to walk from cita to cita...minimum. My area is El Rosario, but includes other little neighborhoods (for lack of a better word) Some have houses that are really spaced out that look like Coalboro Rd. Others have houses clustered together like a real neighborhood. but almost all require that I walk a ton to get from place to place. In Rosario, there are cobblestone roads, but for the most part, there are just dirt roads...which means when it rains, there's lots of mud. I may or may not have slipped in the dark in the mud this week. My leg was caked with mud and now has lovely scratches all over it. Whoops. It's awesome!  

We live in the house of members in the center of our area. It's super nice, actually. Our area isn't connected to the members' house, but if we ever need anything, they're super nice. And a major perk is...we have an indoor bathroom! Yay! And we also don't have to wash our clothes! We pay a member to do it. But now I know that if there's an emergency, I can wash clothes without electricity. Future useful skill for college? haha The bats are still there...but I have a solution to evade the bat droppings...and the mosquitos. You know how I always wanted a bed canopy when I was little? Well I finally have one! It's called a mosquito net. But it actually does look like a canopy! Haha I'll have to send a picture sometime. 

This week was a blur. Yet it felt way longer than just a week. We decided that because our teaching pool is very, very small, we'd begin from square one...contacting in all places! But Hna R really doesn't like contacting, so I had to take a lot more initiative. But it's good for me. We also decided to explore our area more and reopen Santa Teresa, part of our area. It looks like a little beach town, although there's no beach nearby. It has a ton of possibilities, but the only issue is that it's really far from El Rosario, where the chapel is. The first time we went there, I was amazed that Santa Teresa could possibly be in our area, because it took an hour and a half to walk there! I'm not even exaggerating. From our house to the very beginning of Sta Teresa is a 5k, but all the houses are another 2 miles away. The first day we visited, we walked about 20 kilometers. It was so crazy! but it's so cool! It could be the Nicaraguan Disneyland. There are sidewalks with colorful canopies and even an abandoned castle with a moat (mote?). We taught the owner of the castle. Apparently it used to be a park/zoo. We also found out that there's a beach (chococento) and hour from Sta Teresa that's still in our area...next Pday activity? I hope so!  

The family that I mentioned last week, A and J S, are really positive in the doctrinal aspect...well, we thought so. We were super excited about them, until A gave us a note that asked us to talk to our congregation to find...and buy...a house for them because they don't have money. And she said that if we would get a house for them, they'd go to our church and keep OUR commandments. Yikes. We need to clarify who gave those commandments...and that it's the Church of Jesus Christ...not of Hna MacKay and R. So...you know...we'll see what happens next time we meet with them.  

Let's see...what else happened? Oh! I turned 20 yesterday...that was pretty cool! Haha it's weird that I've left my teenage years in the dust. Now on to bigger and better adventures! How weird is it that Karen is the only MacKay who is a teenager? Live it up, Karen! haha. Well, my birthday was pretty uneventful, actually. Due to the fact that I am one of those people who don't go around telling everyone that my birthday is coming up, not many people knew about it. But when they found out, they all felt bad and promised to do something in the future. But I don't feel bad. I got lots of hugs and birthday wishes. And for lunch I ate a fish that still had its eyeballs in tact. Happy Birthday to me! Good thing I love fish now. 5 years ago, I'd never have believed that I'd eat fish for my birthday. Hermana R and Hna V called me in the morning to sing happy birthday to me, which was great. I miss them so much! And then, last night, President and Sister Russell called me to sing happy birthday! That was awesome! 

The government of Nicaragua also gave me a birthday gift...which involved requiring that I woke up at 4:30 am this morning to receive it. But hey, I got to go back to Managua for a few hours! It felt like going home. But the reason I was there was to go to immigration and receive my Resident's license...idk what it's called in English, but it's called a cedula in spanish. So now I'm documented as a resident of Nicaragua! It was an adventure. Hna R, Hna E, and I went. Hna E's comp couldnt come because she was sick, so we were a trio for a while. The best part was that they sold doughnuts inside of immigration office, so of course I took advantage of that. Also, today we went out to lunch with E and G, the other hnas in our ward. They're so great! I love them! And we're getting ice cream afterwards, so happy belated birthday to me! I still haven't received my package...but it'll just be a birthday surprise! 

Also...HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Rachel tomorrow! I have plans to send something, but with cambios and everything...it will just be very belated. But I hope you have an awesome day, Rachel! Love ya! 

Well, I hope all is well in the States! I heard the national anthem the other day because someone was watching a baseball game. Good stuff. I miss it, but I love Nicaragua, so it all works out. I know that I'm here in Rosario to help speed up the work. There's a phrase in spanish, ''echando fuego'' which means throwing fire literally, but when we use it as missionaries, it means that we're having tons of success and doing all that is possible to get results from our labors. That's my goal. I will echar fuego...haha. And I know that the Lord is always nearby to help out. He is preparing the people here to receive the message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. And those lucky people are going to have to hear it through me and my imperfectly pronounced testimony of a perfect message. I love this Gospel! 

Love,

Hermana MacKay, the 20 year old!

 

(Posted by her Mom)

7 Oct 2013 - Changes... oh, man.

Buenas!

 

Well, I have some interesting news...my trio is no more. And in Miraflores, neither am I. Que triste. But yeah! I had changes! Tuesday was super sad, saying goodbye to everyone! It was way harder than I expected. One super positive family, Alberto and Yelbi, sent someone to the store to buy treats for my sendoff when I told them. The Espinozas were so sweet. They were super sad that I wouldn't be there for my birthday, so when we went to their house for dinner, they surprised me with a cake and a little gift. That was fun, but bittersweet that we had to celebrate early. On tues, we kept singing the first part of 'Can you feel the love tonight', where timon and pumba say, ''our trio is down to 2.' On Wed. Morning, 2 hnas from our district who had changes picked me up and we went to the capilla. I was pretty bummed that Hna R. and V. couldn't come.  

At changes, President announced all the changes, and of course mine was the VERY last one to be announced. But...I'm now in El Rosario 1 in Zona Jinotepe! Which is awesome because that was Hna R's very first area in the mission. Everyone remembers her here. My new comp is Hna R. from El Salvador (I just can't escape those salvadoreñas) but grew up in Logan, Utah ntil she was 14, when she moved to El Salvador. She didn't go to changes, so I didn't meet her till I arrived in Jinotepe. My district is insane. There are 4 elders...and 8 hermanas! So crazy considering that in Managua, there were 4 hnas in my zone.  

El Rosario is great. It's way cooler (in temperature) than Managua and actually gets cold at night. Well, cold is a relative term. It's SO pretty here! It's super green. a lot of the time, when we're walking, I feel like I'm waliking the streets of Virginia, but with more tropical trees. My area is HUGE though. Sometimes, it takes over 45 min to walk to a cita, because my area is composed of lots of little pueblos that are really spaced out. I come home muddy and exhausted every day, but it's awesome! The members here are amazing. They always want to help out, which makes a huge difference in the obra misional. Our investigators actually have friends in the ward! What a strange concept...haha. But I really miss Miraflores. It was my birthplace afterall. 

Rosario is SUPER Catholic. I mean, look at the name...it means Rosary, as in rosary beads. There are constantly bombas going off to celebrate some Catholic holiday. My alarm clock is church bells calling people to mass...15 min before I have to wake up...haha. My house here is pretty sweet though. We rent from members. Our house has a loft, which is where our beds are. The only issue is that there are bats in our house...and I have woken up a few times to find little bat droppings all over my sheets. You're welcome for that image..haha  

The work is moving pretty slowly here. Our positive investigators are few and far between, but I plan to change that asap! We invited a family to be baptized this week and they're pretty positive, so we'll see where that goes. The most notable news is that we had a baptism on Saturday! A 17 yr old named K. was baptized. It went pretty well, but was really rushed because the men had to leave for priesthood session quickly. K. is awesome and already wants to serve a mission! Can't wait to see how he progresses! 

I loved General Conference! The only bummer was that we didn't get to see all of the 2nd session on Saturday because there's a mission rule taht we have to bring an investigator to one of the sessions each day to be able to go to both. So I didn't get to see Elder Holland! So sad! But otherwise, it was great! I loved Sunday afternoon the best. I got to watch the sunday sessions in English, so that was nice. I can't even pick a favorite talk though, because they were all so great! 

Well, I think that's it for now. It's so nice to not have to speculate about changes, though I still need to adjust to my area a ton. I know I'll love it here more and more each week, I just have to get rid of my trunkiness for Miraflores! Haha but I know that this transfer was inspired by the Lord. He has a plan for me here and there are people that I have to find that only I can reach. I love this Gospel and love that I have the opportunity to share it!

Love you all! 

Hermana MacKay

 

(Posted by her Mom)