24 November 2014 - This is IT!

Well, the time has come. This is my LAST Monday in the mission! This is so....surreal. Well, this week passed by WAY faster than I expected...but it was a great week. And as I'll see everyone in about...75 hours...I'll just give a few details from my week... I had my final interview with president, which helped me stop feeling nervous and stressed about finishing the mission (although he totally made me cry)...lots of closure there. Actually, this week was full of closure. After the interview, we hurried back to Masaya to have zone exchanges and I got to go to...DIRIOMO!!! I was so happy. I felt like I was home when we arrived. But feel free to ask for more details when I get home! Then on Sunday, I had to bear my testimony in church...it's kinda scary speaking in public in a foreign languange...haha. But I bet English will be even harder next week! But yeah, lots of closure. But an hna sent me a poem that expains how I feel...perfectly. The Mission. I stared out the window, The tears still in my eyes, I saw the friends and those I loved, As we said our last goodbyes. The ride was long and trying; Two questions plagued my mind. Do I want the life that's up ahead Or the one I left behind? 1.5 months is such a long, long time, For going door to door. In my reflecting, I thought to myself-- There really must be more. I dragged myself down off the plane and stood smiling at the beach. There a man turned to me, Saying, "Sister, go and teach." I sit reflecting once again As this day is my last. Please, Lord, this isn't fair, The time goes way too fast! I stared out the window, The tears still in my eyes. I see the elders and sisters and those I love, As we say our last goodbyes. The ride was long and trying; Two questions plagued my mind. Do I want the life that's up ahead Or the one I left behind? --Author Unknown Amen and amen. When I arrived to the mission, I had no idea what I was doing...and at times wondered what the heck I was doing here in Nicaragua...a third world country where they spoke a language I hadn't yet mastered. But I decided to go for it and try to learn the mission...and it worked! I LOVE NICARAGUA SO MUCH! I seriously feel a clinching feeling in my heart every time I think about leaving this blessed country. I am so grateful that I was called to serve in this mission...it is the perfect mission for me, because it has taught me to face my fears and reach my full potential as a missionary. I have learned so much the short time I've been here in Nicaragua. I have learned how to speak spanish, how to make tortillas, how to wash clothes by hand, how to shower with ice cold water and not cringe...but most importantly, I've learned how much the Lord loves each and every one of his children. He wants them all to return to live with Him for eternity...and so he invites us to invite others to come unto Him. Yo se que Jesucristo es mi Salvador y que el dio su vida para que podamos ser redimidos de nuestros pecados. El pago el precio para que podamos ser libres y felices para siempre...entonces en realidad, 18 meses no son nada. Se que el Señor ama a cada uno de sus hijos y anhela que todos acepten su evangelio y sigan su gran ejemplo. Estoy muy agradecida que nuestro Padre Celestial me llamo como misionera en Nicaragua. Me ha dejado ayudarle invitar a todos a venir a Cristo...y esta es una bendicion que atesorare toda mi vida. Ha sido un gusto poder servir y seguire en otras formas el resto de mi vida. He aprendido tanto y no quiero olvidar un segundo de mi mision. I truly can't believe that I'm pretty much done. I will treasure every experience that I've had in the mission...the good and the bad. And if anyone at home wants to hear about Nicaragua...that'll probably be the only thing I'll be able to talk about at home. Thank you all for your support and love. And... NOS VEMOS! Con Amor, Hermana MacKay

17 November 2014 - La Cuenta Regresiva

Well, let's just start by saying that this week was stellar. Seriously...it was a reaaaaally good week. And it flew right on by. I have no idea where time goes anymore, but it's definitely hiding from me. This week, our district had a goal to find at least 3 new investigators this week. When our DL told us that, we were rather concerned, because it has been rather dificil to find nuevos in these past weeks. But we did our best, and we were actually able to double the number of new investigators that we had found from last week! We were able to find a lot of people that have lots of potential, so hopefully they keep progressing! But the best news of the week is that... Henry was baptized!!! He was baptized on Saturday and everything went well, although there were some slight wardrobe mishaps. We picked the largest size of pants that we could find, and we guessed on the sizing of the white shirt, but our options were very limited...and it turns out that the pants and shirt were a little too tight...so the elders ran to their house to look for at least a larger shirt, but by the time they got back, the baptismal service had already started and Henry didnt want to wait because he was too excited to be baptized...haha. As he only has one leg, 2 hermanos had to be int he pila to baptize him, but in the end, it all worked out and he is very content! Henry is such a cool guy. He had recieved the elders about 5 years ago, but somehow, they left and the new missionaries lost contact with Henry. He used to be a drug addict and alcoholic, but he had to have his leg amputated due to his addictions, which made him stop. He says that it was God's way of stopping his sins. Then, one day we talked to him, asking for his help to find a direction...and then we contacted him and he started talking about Nephi and Moroni and how he wanted to learn more...and so it began! He told us that when he realized that we were going to talk to him, he knew that it was his time to be ''Mormon''. And even though his family says he's crazy, he said he feels so happy and clean. i'm so proud of him! As far as other news of the week...not too much happened. Life goes on. It's weird to think that this is my last full week of missionary work. Next week, i'll say goodbye to everyone on tues, then go to managua on wed., then the airport early thursday morning! i have my final interview with president tomorrow! ahhh! It all still feels so far away in the future but...there's a definite countdown going on inmy head...as all themembers of the ward remind me! haha Well, i know thatthis work is true. i know that bautismo is the key that we need so we can enter the kingdom of God! i love being able to help others find that key and act of their newfound knowledge! i love being a missionary! see you soon! hermana macKAy ps dont judge for my lack of capitalization...the shift key is stuck...haha

10 November 2014 - All is Well

Wow, this week has seriously flown by. I can't believe that we're already onto Monday again! But it was a good week. Lots of good things are starting to pick up. Our area is still proving to be a little tricky, but we just keep hacking at it and little by little, the rocks are starting to chip away. Hopefully when I leave, the next missionary who comes will be able to finish what I'm starting. But this week was really rewarding! On Tuesday, we had divisions with the hermana leaders...and I got to go to Managua again! Honestly, the only time I miss Managua is when I'm about 2 minutes away from Miraflores...haha. But it was fun! I worked with Hermana Vasquez (a different Vasquez..haha). She goes home with me, but as she's from Guatemala, her flight will be much shorter than mine. But it was nice to be the junior companion for a day...I haven't felt like that for a loooooong time. But the good news is that this week, in the training program, Semana 11 is when the trainee has to take iniciative to teach and contact...basically do everything...so I'll be junior companion this week too...haha. My comp isn't too excited about that! But it's just prepping her to train, right? I think she'll end up training in a change or two. We'll see what happens! The GREAT news of the week is that Hna Vasquez and the Hna leader that came to my area found Gaston and machete-ed him so hard and he admitted that he needs and wants to be baptized...so if all goes well, he may be baptized on Friday! Keep him in your prayers please! Also, we weren't able to find Henry for an entire week, which is a really long time for someone who is progressing because that's when Satan tries to mess with people, but we found him on Saturday and...he was already planning on going to church without us reminding him...he said that he is already finishing 2nd Nefi in the Book of Mormon...and when I reminded him that his goal for baptism was for the 15th, he said ''oh, i forgot...but yeah, I want to be baptized!'' So assuming he passes his interview, he'll be baptized on Saturday! He's so awesome. Something funny he said this week was that he wanted us to grab a tithing slip for him on Sunday and said that if we didn't help him, we'd be his accomplices in robbing God...haha. He definitely understands tithing now! haha So last week I forgot to mention that our ward had a ward talent show. And they asked us to participate...but we didn't plan anything, thinking that as missionaries, we can't dance or sing anything interesting...but still when we showed up, the 1st counselor announced that we would sing a hymn...and the elders made a beeline outside to get out of it...so the 4 hermanas had to sing, so we quickly chose ''There is Sunshine in my Soul Today'' and went on stage to sing, but halfway through the first verse, Hermana Gomez started laughing, then my comp followed, then I broke down, and Hna Udall was trying so hard not to laugh...it was awful. It reminded me of all those times we had family prayer or scripture study and someone started laughing and it'd always go downhill from there! haha. So embarrassing but so funny! The good news is...there's another ward talent show this month...but it's on NOVEMBER 27th! Sooooo I'm free! haha. On Fri, I had to teach District meeting...last time I'll ever have to teach! woohoo! It was actually one of my better lessons, even though I planned it an hour before. I had planned to just reuse one of the lessons I'd taught in other areas, but at the last minute, the Spirit said ''No! teach this instead!'' So I ended up talking about how to become a missionary that challenges and testifies, based off of a really good talk from about 30 yrs ago...haha. Well, I think that just about sums up my week. It was a good one! I have learned a lot about testimony lately. When we share our testimonies, the hearts of the people soften. Not all of them, but at least the ones who have been prepared to receive the Gospel at this time. We we share our testimonies with cualquier persona, the Spirit speaks. I read a quote this week that said ''Faith is developed by hearing the word of God being testified by a servant of the Lord.'' And that's my goal, to help others develop their faith in Jesus Christ and follow His example. And it's a very fulfilling task. Today, we had personal study at a member's little farm...I was laying in a hammock, reading Jesus the Christ, and felt this huge overwhelming love...for Nicaragua, my investigators, the members, and the mission in general. It was so cool. I can truly say that I LOVE where I am, and where I'm doing. I hope yall have a great week! Love you! Hermana MacKay

3 November - Happy Noviembre!

hey! Want to hear something trunky? I COME HOME THIS MONTH! That is so crazy! i can't even believe it! Next time fast Sunday comes around, I'll be there! But i've still got lots to do here. This week was great. It was a bit of a roller coaster, but that's life, isn't it? Henry is doing well. He's excited! The miracle is that when we first met him, he brought up the topic of tithing and said he'd never pay it, because he's against leadership and who knows what else...But we taught him about tithing this week and were really worried about it, but when we started teaching, he said ''of course it's important!'' hermana vasquez and i were in shock! The bummer is that Gaston is not doing too well. He's been drinking a lot of alcohol lately. And we haven't been able to find him. Actually that has been the problem with a lot of our investigators lately...they drink because it's party time in Masaya, and then they drop off the map. Can I just say...I HATE ALCOHOL SO MUCH! it really does ruin lives. I mean, i've always known that, but lately it has been a recurring issue in this area. We talked to the bishop about our area, asking for references of less active members we can visit and he took the opportunity to bash on our area, telling us how terrible our area is. Not cool! But we're here for a reason, which means there's still work to do! But we didn't let it get to us...our district leader and his comp came to our area to work with us on Wednesday...it was just what we needed! Our DL is awesome...we contacted for most of the day...and the way he interacted with the people reminded me alot of Buddy the Elf...but in a more mature kind of way...haha. We were able to find a lot of new possibilities...now we just have to find them again, because that seems to be the name of the game...find them and bring them to church! Training is going well! Hermana Vasquez is doing great! She is a fireball! I can't believe i thought she was reserved and serious when she first got here, because we've become really good friends...and she is constantly laughing now! I think part of it is because she has learned to love the mission. I can't believe we only have 3 more weeks of training! So fast! So Sunday afternoon, we were asked to teach the stake mission prep class! We had to teach the future missionaries how to contact...and then went out to our area and contacted with them! It was pretty fun! There were 4 hermanas there, so my comp and i did divisions and i worked with 2 and she took 2 to a different part. The future elders had to go out on their own without help. It was pretty fun! They were so scared to contact...i was exactly the same 17 months ago. it was fun to see how much i've progressed! Congrats to Mark and Jill! it's a girl! woohoo! That's so awesome! I'm getting excited to see everyone! I know that I'm here for a reason. And that the Lord never gives us trials we can't handle. Every problem that pops up in our vidas is to help us grow and progress...because Heavenly Father knows our potential, even when we can't seem to see that far ahead. I know that this work is the Lord's work and that everything happens in His own timing. So I just need to have a little more patience! I love you all! have a great week! Hermana MacKay

27 October 2014 - Farewell October

Hellooooooooo! I hope everything is going great up home! I'm so glad that Grandmother is doing better! Life is good down in Nicaragua...todo tranquilo! I keep finding myself getting spring fever while walking through the streets...the weather has been pretty nice recently and the breeze makes it feel like spring...and I keep getting excited for spring, until I realize that when I get home, it will NOT be spring...it will probably be snowy. A slight difference there. This week was full of more fiestas. Friday was el Aguizote (pronounced ow'wee'sot'ay)...which is basically the Nicaraguan version of Halloween, but not as cool because there is no candy involved...haha. A ton of people dressed up as monsters, grims, witches, etc. and paraded through town on their way to one of the many Catholic cathedrals. We happened to be visiting Henry when they passed, and as he lives on the corner, we got to see all the commotion. It was pretty creepy...no cute costumes in this celebration! Then on Sunday there was another Halloween type fiesta, but this time they dressed up as old-style nicaraguans. All and all, it was a dressup party with a lot of alcohol involved. Gross. On Tuesday, we went to Managua again, but this time for Hermana Vasquez's midtraining meeting. Woo! We're already on to week 9 of training! The meeting went well...after going to it so many times, I had it all memorized, but it was good. ALSO, Hermana Gonzales (my stepdaughter) was there...she's finishing the training of an hermana! I was so surprised! I guess being a stepmom runs in the mission family...haha. So proud! So the bad news is that Javier is officially out. The DL interviewed him to see if there was a slight possibility that he could be baptized soon, but it turns out Javier has been playing us the entire time. Not cool! So that hurt. But oh well...hopefully someday he'll be spiritually mature enough to recognize the truth and change. But the good news is that Henry is doing great! He went to church on Sunday and enjoyed it. It was a little tricky getting him there, since he just uses crutches, but it all worked out! He is so funny. He prounounces my name ''mack-eye''. He's excited and is progressing! Woohoo! We also found an hermana that has been praying to find the truth and had a dream about the Mormons (missionaries have taught her before) and 2 days later, we showed up! So cool how that happens! So she's excited, though we haven't been able to teach her since meeting her! On Friday, we had zone meeting...my LAST zone meeting! This is starting to feel a little more real...they made me share my ''final'' testimony at the end. Although I'll have to share my testimony a lot in the upcoming weeks! Good practice, right? haha I love the mission so much! Sometimes I get exhausted or discouraged, but I really never would trade this experience for anything. The Lord definitely knew what he was doing when He sent me to Nicaragua! I know that even when times are hard, the Lord will never abandon us. He is always there to lift us up...I am so grateful for the knowledge that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father and that Jesus Christ is our Savior! Love you all! Hermana MacKay

20 October 2014 - Just call me VIEJA

Well, it's official! I'm one of the oldest hermanas in the mission! Woohoo! I can't believe it. Only 5 more Pdays...Time has seriously flown by so fast. When the transfers meeting finished, it hit me...they're gone! and now I'm the one that all the newbies look up to and stuff. No pressure there. haha but this past week was pretty good. Little by little we're finding people who really have a lot of potential! But let's start out with the rest of my birthday...the other hermanas called us after we wrote and told us to meet up with them where we eat lunch every day. They surprised me with a cake! The hermana that makes lunch for us also makes cakes so she made a 3 leches cake! So good! But then it started to POUR! And we didn't have umbrellas so...I showered 3 times that day...haha. We got soaked and even had to wade through a river of water! After changing, we had a noche de hogar with a member family, which was fun. Then there was a huge earthquake that night! No damages, but school was out for a week because of it. The schools here are like the schools in VA when it snows. If there's a risk, school is cancelled! So it was a rather eventful birthday! Let's see...what else happened? Well, it rained a ton. October is the rainiest month of the year...the roads turn into rivers every night. Hermana Anderson went home, which was kind of sad watching her pack and say goodbye to people...that'll be me in 5 weeks! Our zone had some changes, but most of the missionaries that had changes returned to the same zone, but to different areas. But there are SO many new elders that have been coming that every companionship of zone leaders is training, and in my zone, they're training 2 elders...twins! haha. We found some positive people this week! One is Henry Lopez, who actually recieved the elders about 4 years ago, but for some reason they stopped visiting him. He is so great! He only has one leg, but doesn't let that stop him at all. When we were teaching him the first time, someone stopped by to offer him coffee and he said ''no! I don't drink coffee anymore!'' before we'd even commited him to live the Word of Wisdom! Gaston is doing well, but his longlost girlfriend showed up and potentially wants to marry him, so he may or not be baptized this week due to law of chastity issues. We're hoping he'll make it! The funny thing is that his girlfriend grew up in the States...in Virginia! So if they get married, she'd bring him to Virginia with her! Javier is struggling with the word of wisdom. He hasn't been trying too hard lately, but we have a very....strong...lesson planned for him. That man is going to give me gray hairs! But he really does have so much potential and I know that he can do it if he puts his mind to it! Today we went to Volcan Masaya! It was pretty cool! Lots of smoke...i was hoping to see some lava or something, but I guess that's not always the case with active volcanos! But this volcano is the most active volcano in all of Nicaragua, so that was pretty cool! I finally got to do something a little more touristy! yay! Well, all in all, it was a tiring, but rewarding week. I know that this work is all according to the Lord's timing...and in the process, I'm learning a lot! I am so glad I decided to serve! I can't imagine doing anything else at this time. I love this Gospel so much and know that it is the TRUTH! I love you all and hope you have a great week! Hermana MacKay

13 October 2014 - The Big 2-1

Hellooooo! Wow. I'm 21 years old. That's insane. Are y'all sure I'm not 16 still? I guess not, since not even Karen is 16 anymore. But...I realized that I am SO glad that the prophet changed the age for sister missionaries, because if he hadn't, I would probably be prepping to serve my mission right now, instead of finishing it up. Yay! So I have a puzzle for you... what do 20 missionaries, my birthday, and over a dozen eggs have in common? think about it. Though if you're in tune with the Nicaraguan birthday traditions, you probably already know the answer. So we had a zone pday activity in the stake center this morning. I wasn't too excited because we were just going to play some group games and I was hoping for something a little more exciting...but we went. We played some random games...and honestly we all wanted to move on, but the last game was a little more interesting. It was called ''chanchito oink oink...'' which consists in everyone sitting in a circle, facing outward, then one person is blindfolded and is led to someone else and the person says ''chanchito, chanchito'' and the other has to oink and the blindfolded person has to guess who it is...and if they guess it right, they change roles. So one hermana was led to me and guessed who I was, so I had to be blindfolded...and had to wait until everyone changed positions...but then it got really silent...and I thought ''awwww mannn...'' and i heard someone count...1,2,3! and... SPLAT. Missonary down, Missionary down! haha. But seriously...they egged me reaaaaal good. Happy 21st birthday to me! haha. So far it has been a pretty good day. My comp woke me up by singing ''las mañanitas'' and then there was the zone activity...haha. I'll probably end up eating multiple dinners tonight, too. But anyway...in other news... I keep forgetting to mention all the musical escapades I've gotten myself into recently. Hna Anderson has an awesome voice, so we keep getting asked to sing duets in our ward! 2 weeks ago, we sang ''a childs prayer'' at a baptism, and while we were waiting for the girl to change, we usually sing a bunch of hymns...but the asked for an encore instead. Then the next day, we sang ''Dear the Heart of the Shepherd'' in sacrament meeting...they said we sounded like angels...but maybe that was just because we're the only white people in the congregation. This week was good...a bit challenging, but those are the weeks that make us appreciate the good weeks, right? and there are always a bunch of little miracles and tender mercies in between. We had 3 days where every single cita fell through. But though we weren't able to find a ton of new people, we found a few promising people. I've really learned to enjoy the work, no matter what the circumstances. Gaston is doing well...and Javier is ok, though he had a relapse and drank for 3 days straight. But he feels terrible now, especially because his little 6 yr old grandson humbly asked him not to drink anymore, which touched Javier. So he can't be baptized on the 18th, but hopefully the 25th...keep him in your prayers! We had an hermanas meeting with President and Sis. Russell this week. It was really good. They focused on inspired questions and how the Spirit works with us. It was cool doing practices and really feeling the questions come to our minds, even though we were just teaching other missionaries! The Holy Ghost really exists and helps us to know what to do or say, not just in the mission field. I am so grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost. He really is God's messenger to help us in times of need. Thanks for all the birthday wishes! I feel like I just turned 20...but that was...a year ago! haha. I am grateful for this past year (20th) that I've been able to enjoy here in the mission. Here's to my 21st year! Who knows what'll happen, but I'm sure it'll be great! Love, Hermana MacKay

6 October 2014 - Fiesta Time…at least for Masaya

Well, this was a good week! There were soooooooo many fiestas this week! I have definitely learned how to enjoy good marimba music. I wish I could learn to dance it, but my dancing career ended when I was 6...haha. It is really cool though. The city was celebrating, but they didn't invited the missionaries...que barbaridad...haha. Shame on them. This week we had lots of little surprises...especially from mother nature. It has been blazing hot recently...but the worst part is that lots of little critters have been finding their way into our house. First, we found a mouse inside our fridge...i have no idea how it got there. The next day, we found a scorpion in our area book. THEN we decided to try out a sticky paper trap that we bought at the store...and lo and behold, it worked! When we came back to the house, there was a plump little mouse stuck...but we didn't have the heart to kill it, so we left if there until the dueña of the house killed it...haha. So...yeah...I love critters...not really! Hermana Vasquez is doing great! She's finally starting to be less homesick and is starting to actually enjoy the work. We're starting semana 6, so we're halfway through! Pretty crazy! and trunky, because the training program counts every week of the 12 weeks, and when we get to week 12, I'll be finishing up! Life is good. We worked hard this week and did our best to get our area up and running...all in good time, all in good time! But the members have been helping us, which is good. The bummer is that recently, it seems as though every time we find a positive person that's excited to go to church, they move to Costa Rica, or their parent's forbid them to meet with us anymore...let's just say that Catholics REALLY don't like Mormons here...but the work goes on, little by little! I've definitely learned to accept the Lord's timing. If I had it my way, people would get baptized as soon as I met them, but that just isn't the case, because salvation is NOT a cheap experience. But Javier and Gaston are both progressing! Javier loved conference. He brought 2 little grandsons he has and they were so reverent! i'm really hoping that the 9 yr old kid will say he liked that so much better than the Catholic classes he goes to every sunday...haha. Gaston had an incredible spiritual experience this week...he finally prayed and felt the spirit so strong and 2 days later, he was still filled with this desire to do everything right. It was way cool...although he didn't go to conference, so we're worried something might have changed. I love Conference so much! I got to see all of Saturday in English. The norte missionaries were all cooped up in a little room and watched it there. It was great! I loved the Saturday morning session...especially the talk about ''which way are you facing''?. It was great. We got to see the Sunday morning session too, but the internet was a little spotty, so we missed a few talks...and we didn't have any investigators go to the afternoon conference, so we couldn't go! Bummer. But I plan to download the talks i missed. Thanks so much to the RS sister that wrote the notes! That was so sweet! I loved it! I got my trunky paper with my return date on it, which means that I really am going home soon. Nov. 27th is the date! I'm going home! But I've still got one change left, so I don't have to go into anxiety mode yet. There's and hna that is going home next week and she's getting pretty nervous! Hard to believe I'll be in that position in 6 weeks. But I love the mission so much and LOVE my calling to be the Lord's representative. It's pretty awesome! Well, hope you have a great week...Talk to you when I'm a 21 yr old! woohoo! Love ya! Hermana MacKay

29 September 2014 - Sweet Sixteen

Hey there! I hope all is well at home! Life is good here in Masaya...the festivities of Masaya just keep going, as fireworks at 3 am remind me every other night. Those people really know how to drink alcohol and dance to crazy brass band music. It's impressive that it hasn't rained on their party yet, but i guess that's why their tubas are made of plastic. haha. I'm pretty sure that I'm a shade tanner from this week...or maybe just pinker. It was so hot this week...and at the hottest hours of the day, it seemed like we always had to run from one part of our area to the opposite side. But the funny thing is that my companion's face gets really pink...so people always make fun of her. Who'd have thought that the latina would get more pink than the gringa? And she's supposedly from a part of Honduras that is just as hot as Nicaragua! haha. Funny story...we still go running every day in the park...although my companion isn't quite as fond of running as Hna Gonzales...haha. But last week, I was running my laps and suddenly...I biffed it and managed to land flat on my face. I was fine...and I'm sure whoever saw me was dying of laughter...the giant gringa fell! haha. But i think my companion was hoping I'd be scarred by that experience and not want to go running again...but no such luck! haha As far as teaching goes, this week was SO much better than the past 2 weeks. It's never easy, but we seemed to have more success this week. We found some new people that have potential...and the best news is that Javier FINALLY went to church! He is prepping to be baptized on Oct. 18th and is really excited. Gaston also went to church again, and the funny thing is that he and Javier sat next to eachother and started talking before the meeting began...and Javier was giving Gaston a pep talk on how this was el buen camino and how he should keep going...and be baptized! And Gaston said that that was the goal! haha I loved seeing one investigator give a pep talk to another investigator. We also found out that Javier was a rather influential man before he gave into alcoholism. A lot of members aleady know him, so that's perfect! We got to go to the General Relief Society conference...it was so good! I loved Pres. Uchtdorf's talk...especially when he said that we don't want statistics...we want repentance! And it's so true! I never liked math anyway...haha. What really matters is if the people are changing and progressing towards Christ. That is my eternal goal as a missionary. I want to help as many people as possible to be able to come unto Christ. I also liked the comparison with the umbrellas...so I'm happy to announce that I will no longer be using an umbrella in the Nicaraguan downpours...haha jk. But another awesome part of the meeting was that Diriomo came and 2 investigators that I had dropped when I was there had come...and they're members now! That was so awesome! I'm so grateful to see how the Lord prepares people! Well, I hope everything is going well up north...is it getting chilly yet? I'm kind of scared of that part of coming home, because i feel cold when it's about 75 degrees with a breeze. But I've still got 2 months to worry about that one. I can't believe how fast time is flying! 16 months from today, I reported to the MTC! And now..things are a little different! haha Love you all! Hermana MacKay

22 September 2014 - This Week.

Well, I tried to think of a creative title and...I've got nothin'. But life is good! This week was interesting. I feel as though time is escaping me. On Sunday, I always have lots of plans and goals for the week, and by the time Saturday comes around, I haven't been able to do half the things I've planned for lack of time! But this was a good week. I learned a lot! It has been raining a lot, but also it's been really hot too...A little bit of everything, I guess! Lots of mosquitos and bugs around. The good news is that bugs don't terrify me anymore! Yay! Although we did find a scorpion in our house the other day. That was a little terrifying...haha. But anyway, this week was rather strange as far as investigators go. First of all, Odiseo doesn't want anything to do with us anymore. His girlfriend convinced him to stop receiving us. That was unfortunate. This whole free agency thing is kind of hard to accept sometimes...haha. But hopefully one day he'll change. That was my comp's first heartbreak of her mission. She was pretty mad. But the good news is that Javier is doing well. He told his friends that he is Mormon now...pretty sweet! But...he's a recovering alcoholic, which might be a struggle. But I've had to deal with that a lot in my mission. So we've had a lot of struggles finding new investigators lately...and on Saturday, we were really stressed because ALL day, we went around looking for people to bring to church the next day...and all our investigators said no. We went to our last hope...a new investigator...about 15 min before we had to go home, but he wasn't home. In despair, my companion sat down on the sidewalk. Then, a man on a bike passed and nos saludo...and my comp asked him when he'd go to church with us...practically shouting at him. And he said to wait while he put his bike away, then came out and talked to us. He was half drunk...but said he'd go the church because he wanted to change his life. So he gave us his phone number and we went home. On Sunday, I called everyone to remind them to go to church without luck...then I called Gaston, doubting it was even his number, and he said he was getting ready! And he showed up! That was truly a miracle. The problem was that he still smelled a little like alcohol...but you know...he hasn't learned about the Word of wisdom yet...haha. But the reason that he was drunk on Sat. is because the Masaya fiestas have begun...yaaaaaaaaaaay. So apparently from Sept. 20 until December, Masaya lives in pura fiestas. SO MUCH ALCOHOL! It's disgusting. Lots of Catholic celebrations, rodeos, etc. These last few months are gonna be interesting! Thursday was really great, though! I went to my LAST multizone conference! We went with Zona Universitaria and Zona Granada...and almost all miy mission friends were there, including all the companions that I've had that are still in the mission. So that was really fun! And I heard things I need to learn...President truly was inspired that day. I know that Heavenly Father loves us so much. He wants to help us. He wants us to be happy. And what I am soooo grateful for is that He listens to our prayers. I have learned a lot about prayer this week. He should always be our first source of comfort and advice. He knows exactly howto help us if we let him and if we ask. I'm so grateful for that! I hope you have a great week! I can't believe September is coming to an end! Time is passing by SO fast! Love you! Hermana MacKay

15 September 2014 - Rain is Falling All Around

Happy Nicaraguan Independence day! Yaaaaay! Supposedly there were a ton of parades this morning, but I didn't see anything...haha. But this was a good week...happy moments...stressful moments...WET moments! You wouldn't even believe how much it has rained this week. So Hermana Vasquez has now been in the field for 11 days. and of those 11 days, we have gotten COMPLETELY soaked a total of...9 days. Yep. This must be some type of Nicaraguan iniciation process, because it hasn't rained like this for a looooong time. And we didn't have umbrellas. Remember that raincoat I brought with me? Well, for 15 months I've dragged it from area to area and never actually used it. Actually a few times I was tempted to leave it behind when I had changes. Thank goodness I didn't because it came in handy this week, even though I was already drenched by the time I got to the house to pick up my jacket. The good news is that we finally found umbrellas today! It was pretty funny though because the members tried to take care of us and not let us leave their houses if it was raining, but the work must go on! So one night I left a recent convert's house wearing a huge parka to keep me from getting wet. Never thought I'd wear a parka in Nicaragua...haha. But I am REALLY sensitive to the cold now. As far as the house goes...we're still in the same house (cupboard) after searching for a new house without results. I'm actually used to my little cupboard now. Although there are SO many zancudos (mosquitos)...it's ridiculous. I hate zancudos so much! That's cool that you had stake conference this week, because so did we! It was so fun, because since Diriomo is part of Estaca Masaya, I got to see all my Diriomo friends! I didn't realize how special some of those families were to me until I saw them again. I don't think I ever mentioned Familia Mora, but they're a recent convert family from Diriomo that I became really close with. Only the parents were members and I fought so hard to teach their 21 yr old daughter and their 13 yr old son. But they were baptized last month! I almost cried when I saw their family get off the bus and enter the stake center. I LOVE THIS WORK so much"! I may not have stayed in Diriomo to enjoy the benefits of all my work, but so many people that I taught there have been baptized recently and it is such a joy to see! We worked with our leaders 2 days this week. First, the zone leaders worked with us, then the next day, the district leader and his comp worked with us. I learned a lot...about patience. That was interesting. But my district leader is really cool. He's from Brazil and goes home the change after I do. My district is pretty great, actually. We've got a crazy (in a good way) hawaiian sister, lots of guatemalans, 3 americans, and a nicaraguan sister. It's an interesting group! My companion is great. So far, each hija has been completely different, which is interesting to compare and adapt the training style. She actually is a lot like I was when I first started, which makes it fun to see my progress. At first, I thought she was really serious, but she's starting to feel comfortable to joke around. So I think I already mentioned it, but she's from Santa Barbara, Honduras, which is even hotter than Nicaragua apparently. She's a convert of 2 years, but knows the scriptures really well! She's already planning my trip to Honduras...haha. This week, we've had some ups and downs as far as teaching goes. One day, we taught Odiseo and he FINALLY prayed and read all the pamphlets we'd left behind and his countenance had seriously changed. It was an amazing lesson. But then the next day we taught law of chastity and it turns out that he is living with his girlfriend, which he had hid from us this entire time. So he wasn't too fond of that commandment, but we'll see what happens there. But we did find an incredible investigator named Javier. We met him on Tues. and talked a little about the restoration. Then on Thurs. we visited him again and left behind a Libro de Mormon...then on Saturday, we followed up with the LdM and he said ''well, i haven't been able to read too much, because I'm only at 1 Nefi 18''...what! That's better that a lot of members! He loves the Book of Mormon and feels the Spirit when he reads it. So great! And he said that whatever we said, he'd transmit to his family, so that's awesome! We'll see how things go! I got news this week that Jose Fernandez, my first convert, was ordained an Elder on Sunday! AHHHH! I'm soooo happy and proud of him! I love hearing about how people progress. Miracles truly do occur. I know that I'm here for a reason and even though it's hard sometimes, it's all worth it, because seeing a Diriomo convert at stake conference, or hearing that Jose received the Priesthood, helps me keep my optimism up and going. It's all worth it. I hope you have a great week! Love you all! Hermana MacKay