Fear Conquered

So...today I cumplir 5 meses aque en la mision!!!! I can't believe it!!! It has gone by very fast, but at the same time it feels like I have been here in Nicaragua FOREVER!!! Our district leader (he has 11 months in the mission) said he can't even remember what his house looks like on the inside. I haven't gotten that far yet...

This week was pretty incredible. I really felt the Lord working through us and felt him answer our prayers and give us miracles!!! So much has happened this week!!

So first off: Not last week but the week before Hna. Perez told me she was going to have me be senior companion for a week....my heart sank and pounded when she said that but I said I would do it. Then when the week came to a close I prayed that maybe she would forget...she didn't :) Monday she reminded me and told me what my responsibilites would be (start the lesson, lead in contacting, practically everything).Tuesday I must say was rough!! I have been so used to following and just sharing little bits and pieces of the lesson but letting my companion do most of the work. So this gave me the opportunity to see how much I really do know and be brave enough to do it!! And also to follow the spirit. I survived the day, though!!!!

Tuesday night we came home from a REALLY long day. We were VERY tired. We went to unlock the door...and it wouldn't open!! And we couldn't take the key out either. I just thought that we would have to sleep with the other Hermanas. We called the Senor to our house to come help us and he tried some things but resulted to breaking the door open (that was interesting!). But he ended up breaking the key in the lock....we were safe for the night. The only problem is we couldn't leave all the next day (because if we left we couldn't get back in!). And we were waiting for a locksmith to come and replace the lock and ended up spending all day in the apartment. at around 4 Hna Perez said she wanted to try and contact outside the house with the door open to work just a little (all the contacts were difficult) and then the wind blew and shut the door. So another 45 minutes locked outside our house. Lets just say it was an interesting day :)

Then Wednesday night we went out to eat at an El Salvador restaurant with the Hermanas. We were feeling a little down. We have been working and contacting like crazy but have been feeling like NOTHING has been paying off. Rivas is known as a pretty difficult area to find and baptize people, but we tried not to think about that. We made some goals to work on having more charity for the people here and to be more obedient. One Hermana said that we should work on putting ourselves in their shoes and how they feel. So we went home with these goals in mind!

Thursday was INCREDIBLE!!!! We went to an area named Apataco which is about a 40 45 minute walk away from our house. We went to teach other investigators but they were not there. We stopped by a contact named Rosa. I have never felt the spirit so strongly as I did with this woman. I felt like she had been prepared for us to come. It was very easy to talk to her and she opened right up to us, telling us her story. She talked about how her children are very religeous and have been trying to get her to back to church (any church). But she said that she did not feel right in any chruch. She had had the oportunity 3 times to be baptized, but couldn't go through with it because she wanted to know more aobut the church and about baptism beforehand, but no one would teach her. So we told her we would help her with that. She has SO much faith in our Heavenly Father and wants to do what is right. I could feel the love our heavenly father has for her. She couldn't commit to a date for baptism and didn't come to church on sunday...but I hope that she can remember how she felt with us and progress. We left her house and looked at each other saying ´'did you feel that?!!? That was an answer to our prayers!!!!'

    Then we went to her daughter who lives next door and had another experience. Just feeling like she was prepared and waiting for us. She also couldn't come to church because she teaches in her church, but I believe she can be very positive. So we left Apotaco feeling the Love of the Lord (we even saw many beautiful skies to remind us). We also had a reafirmation that the Lord guides our work and has people wating for us....even here in Rivas :)

      That night we stopped by to teach a reference from our District Leader. We had just started teaching them once before and had come to follow up. Only the daughter was there (she is 15). We taught lesson one and it went very well! She is very inteligent and accepted our invitation to be baptized!!! Then we asked if she had prayed since our last meeting, and she said she had received her answer that this is correct.........wow.

        WHAT A DAY!!!!!!!!

Friday was a pretty normal day. We taught our favorite Investigators Sonia and Leonardo. Leonardo is so prepared we don't have to do too much with him but teach the lessons and really just chat with him! But he still feels like he needs to know more before baptism and wants to be baptized in December.....we are trying to help him with that!!!

  Sonia is pretty great too, full of faith and a desire to do what is right. When we taught Word of Wisdom she said 'oh! I didn't know coffee was bad, I won't ever drink it again!!' And she hasn't :) She if very special. Hopefully she will be able to be baptizedon Saturday!! She couldn't come to church yesterday (they need to come 3 times to be baptized and she has only come 2) but we may be able to get permission because she has been following through with all of her commitments!

This is a lot, I know, but I have one more person to tell about. Ruth. We were trying to contact a reference and contacted a house. It wasn't the contact but someone else. We talked with her and she was very accpeting. We invited her to be baptized and she accepted!!!! She said it was logical and that the Lord would answer our prayers. She came to church with us Yesterday :) I asked her in Gospel Principles ( a class for converts and investigators) how she felt. She said that she felt good and that that was her answer!!!!!!! Holy Cow!!! I couldn't believe it.

The Lord really has been working through us! Our work has been paying off!! I just hope I get to stay at least one more transfer to see some of these wonderful people get baptized!! The Lord really loves them all! 

This week was hard being senior companion....but I have learned a lot. Learned to overcome my fear and just do it! I still get nervous sometimes but Hna. Perez said yesterday it is when we have that fear that we really need to do it because Satan doesn't want us to work and contact these people. I am building my confidence! Spanish is still pretty rough :) My lessons are rough :) But I am getting better. Little by little. And Hna. Perez really has been incredible in helping me. I love her! I know we were meant to be companions!! 

So....this week has been good!!!! My testimony has been built!

I know that was tons of info, but hope it was good and made sense!!!!

I love you all so much! Glad you are doing well. It sounds like you are loving life!!!! Keep up the good work!!! 

Love, Hermana Colocha (Hermana) de el mundo de ormigas (ants) and gallo pinto (rice with beans) :)