More pictures!!!

Sariah looks so tall!! It's a miracle!

The pink meat is hot dog meat

Sariah's about to have a much better day!!

Progressing!

Feliz dia de Gracias!!!!! They don't celebrate thanksgiving here but as a zone we are going to do something. Each companionship will receive money so that we can do a lunch or dinner. So the Elders from Blufills (an island very far away) are even going to come. So it should be good!!! 

This week has been a week full of work. Tuesday we worked with our District Leader. Man that elder works hard. And he likes to be very direct (telling people straight up that they are fornicating, etc.). But it was a good day and we learned a lot from him. And we had some success!!!!

Then the rest of the week we worked pretty hard. We have been able to find some new people that are positive. I will tell you what happened with one woman. Tuesday we had contacted a woman named Violeta. Then Wednesday we went to go find her and teach her and her husband. Looking for her we found a house where the lady said she was violeta. But after a few minutes she asked us how we knew her name, she wasn't the woiman we had contacted! But this Violeta was VERY positive and her sister is a member and a good example. There are NO coinsidences. But that Wednesday was very powerful. I felt the spirit guiding us in every contact and every lesson. Don't know if I have ever felt the spirit so strongly throughout the whole day. It was incredible. I felt so full of the spirit and joy I couldn't believe it!!! I really hope to have more experiences like that. I realize more and more that that is what the mission is about. Loving the people and serving them, not baptizing them. Don't like it when I start to focus too much on the baptisms and numbers rather than demonstrating my love for them. 

Sorry, I don't have too much time to write everything that happened. But we did get a lesson where all the man could ask was if Mary had more sons ( and couldn't believe that someone as pure as her could). This morning I redid the Christlike Attributes and realized that maybe I have progressed a little :) Feel like my patience and hope have increased. And my love for people. Still need to work on others, but little by little. 

And training is going very well. I love my companion. She is very nice and a very good missionary. I got VERY lucky with her. We are working hard and being obedient!! Hope to see miracles here in Juigalpa!!!! But most of all, we want to share our love!!!! 

I hope you all have a GREAT Thanksgiving!!! I love you all and am extremely grateful to have you as my family and friends. Know that I think and pray for you often!!!!! 

Until next week!!!!! 

P.S. And put me down for Nicargua Managua, Norte or Japan for Clarissa's Call!!! CAN?t beleive it!!! Both of us out at the same time!!!!!! 

Love you!!!

Some Things Never Change

Hello Hello!!!! So I know you all want to know how training has been going!! My new companion is Hermana Aquian from El Salvador!!! She is REALLY great. She is 29 (it is a little weird being in charge of someone so much older than me) and she is VERY eager to work and learn. I think we will do great things together. I at least know that I will learn a lot from her. I started off my training by losing our phone in a taxi and then the next day we got on the bus at the wrong time and ended up taking it for about an hour....yeah, some things just never change. Still the same old me. But it has turned out all right, and she has been patient with me! It is different being in charge when I have been so used to following for a long time. But I am confident the Lord will give me the strengh and wisdom that I need to rise up and be the leader that I need to be.

After a few rough days we did have a good day yesterday. A lot of the people we passed by didn't come to church, but we were able to have some investigators come to church which was good. There is a girl who is 11 who came to church and loves it and wants us to teach her whole family. A testiment that there is always something good at the end of all the hard and bad :) We ended the night with a FHE with our recent convert and a family that is really incredible here. We read Mosiah 5 about Christ and the spirit was so strong there. I live for moments like that. Then tongight we have a few FHEs with less actives to see if we can help them get excited about the church again. It is so hard to know what to do to help them, but little by little.

We are really working on finding soime new investigators. We don't have too many and really hope to work on finding some more this week (if you want to help us, that is something you can include in your prayers, please!!!). It is hard to have the joy of contacting so many people so we want to go to members and converts and ask for references. REally ask everyone. Maybe we will find the chosen that way :)

One thing that I have been working on this week is changing my way of thingking. Changing it from finding people to baptize so that I can put that down at the end of the week, but more about saving the sould of the people here. I have an opportunity to change peoples life and bring a joy and happiness into their lives that they won't be able to get any other way. My setting apart said I would see light come into the eyes of people who had such sadness in their lives. So I want to look for those people who need this light. Hopefully with this change in mindset we will be able to find the people who are ready and waiting here in Juigalpa.

And don't worry, still washing my laundrey by hand. If ever we lose power, I will know what to do :) Don't worry, I will teach you all how to do it when I get back :)

Even though there have been some rough and hard times, I still love being here. I learn a lot. While everything seems to happen in the mission, it is an incredible mission. And I feel the time slipping by. Having just completed 7 months, I can't believe I have less than a year left. I know the Lord will help me if I am obedient, humble, and aks for it.  I know he loves me and all of you!!!!!

Have a WONDERFUL week!!!!! Choose the right and hold to the rod!!!!! Don't fall into the midst of darkness :) Love you all tons and tons!!!!!

Love, Your Nicaraguan Missionary a.k.a Hna. Calocha

Transfers and...Training!!

Well this transfer is coming to an end!!! My companion finishes her mission on Wednesday and......I am going to train!!!! Woot!! Got the call this morning and it felt like a dream, still doesn't feel real!!! But I will serve the Lord with all my heart might mind and strength and do the best I can. I will let you know next week how it all goes!!!! 

This week we were able to finish off the cambio (transfer) with a baptism!! He was really special: wanted to change everything in order to follow the Lord. Even so much as to feel so worried about paying his tithing yesterday. I think he will be a great member!!! And he will work to convert everyone he comes into contact with! So I think he will be alright!!! 

Hermana Lopez has been getting ready to leave: packing her suitcases and saying goodbye to people. REally sad to see her go but excited for what this next transfer brings. It will all be on me as to what we do and how we work but I am up for the challenge (I think :) I did teach District Meeting on Friday. I was a little nervous but it went well!! I talked about Miracles and how we have the power and authority to do miracles in the mission but we need the faith and hope to be able to do so. It has been something I have been thinking a lot about lately. Even if they didn't learn a lot, I did!!! It is incredible what faith can do!

We had divisions with the training sisters this week. It went alright. She left us with a lot to think about :) Hermana Lopez is happy doesn't have to do them again :) 

Things have been going well here!! Lots of contacting and looking for more people to teach. Saturday was a bugger because every single one of our appointments and backup plans fell through. The first time in my mission when we had no idea where to go or what to do. But we eventually found a less active and were able to teach her and she came to church yesterday (a testimant that there is always something good after all the bad). I don't know my area nearly well enough for my companion to leave, but my new companion and I will learn it together!!! Oh boy. Lots to do and lots to think about!!! I just hope I can be a good trainer!! At least I know what not to do!!! :) 

I think that that is it!!! Nothing too exciting or interestin (sorry). I am sure there will be more interesting news next week!!!

I know that the Church is true and that God loves us!!! There are so many moments when I think I can't do more but the Lord helps me and gives me the strenght. And the Spirit testifies to me that the things I am teaching are true and that I am in the right place. It will never be easy, but he will help us through. And he really is there for us when we need him. HE is willing to bless us if we ask for it and do our part. We signed up for this and wanted to come on this journey. We knew it wouldn't be easy but we chose it anyways!!! Now we just have to prove that we are willing to do what it takes! Prove Satan wrong!! 

I love you all fiercely!!!! Keep up the great work!! Stay strong! Have fatih! And laugh through all the hard times. We can do all hard things with the help of Christ. 

Hecho Fuego esta semana!!!

Love, Your Nicaraguan Missionary

El Dia de los Muertos

Hello!!! I hear it is snowing over there!!!! I hope you have all strated listening to Christmas music because as you know, it is the time after Holloween meaning time for Christmas!!!!! Woot! We too have entered the winter season here....but that just means no rain :) We will see how cold it actually gets here!! Hope you all rememberd the hour change and made it to church on time yesterday!!! :)

This week has been crazy!! We had interviews with Presidente!! They were REALLY good. I always feel the spirit very strongly from him. He was late because an Elder's dad died and he left for home right away (how devestating!). But we just talked about ll my sins. Nah, just about how to help the Less actives here and how I can improve. I can't even imagine how hard he and his wife work to make sure that we are all okay. I surely appreciate all that they do!!  

I finished reading the book of mormon again this week!! I really love tht book! Never appreciated it like I should have before. But I always learn new things and feel such a spirit after my personal study each morning! Always wish there was more time!!! But I know the book is true and taht we can learn SO much from reading and receive so much strenght!! Keep reading daily!! At least 5 minutes!!!! 

Saturday as you all know was day of the dead here. So we planned an ctivity as a district to set up a booth with posters saying ¨'where do we go after death' and 'why does god permit suffering' then we had pamphlets, books of mormon, and we contacted, contacted, contacted. And there are a LOT of people. It is a huge holiday here. EVERYONE goes. We defenitely contacted a lot of people, and it was an experience never to forget!! A catholic church was inside preaching and started announcing that there was a church outside protesting giving out pamphlets that had citations from the Bible that were false....um..... Then a jewish man went by telling us to leave and drink our coffee...woot!!! Lots of people were really turned off when we started talking about the Book of Mormon. But like I said, an experience I may not ever have again!! 

So we did that for about 4 hours in the morning (had burns to prove the work!!). Then aferresting for a bit we went tohelp a member move a semitruck full of house furniture from Costa Rica into his house. We spent 4 hours with all of the missionaries and a few members moving. It was a LOT of work but a lot of fun. The pciture below is us afterwards. The Elders shirts were white! AFter the service I felt the spirit testify to me that the church is true!!! Not all groups of people would be willing to help people like people in the church are. What a great organization we are part of!!! We work hard to make sure that everyone feels loved and gets the help that they need. I love the church!!! So great to be part of it!!!! But we left so extrememly tired!!! And our arms are still sore. But I loved it!! 

This week is my lsat week with Hna. Lopez!!! Can't believe how fast it has all gone. I am trying not to think of who my next companion will be because I don't want to be nervous!!! But know it will be good. We won't know until a few days before transfers who is training....so you will know next monday!!!! 

I love you all so much!!! Thank you for everything!!! Thank you for all of your sacrifices and for you love. I hope you all are doing well and loving life even though it is hard. Just look for those little moments of goodness that help us keep moving through the bad. I know the church is true, and know that Heavenly Father loves each and everyone of us!!! 

Have a GREAT week!!!!

Holy Hair!!!!

Hair Before

Hair After