Rain, Rain Go Away!

Hello Hello!!! From the land where the rivers are milk and the rocks are cuijada (cheese)!!! That really is what they say here.

It has been raining a lot a lot here!! Every morning it is hot and sunny, then about 12 it starts pouring rain. Rain like you have never seen before!! It is really weird when you can hear and see the rain coming before it hits. My companion and I look at each other and say: vamos a mojar!!! We're going to get wet!!! But they say it is only this month, then we enter the winter season here which is supposed to be cooler. Wohoo!!! 

This week has been going well!!! I haven't even felt it. This transfer really has been flying by! My companion only has 2 more weeks left. She has been a great companion, I really love her! She is feeling nervous but excited to go home.

We had zone conference on Friday and it was really good. We learned how to plan better, obtain new investigators, and give better commitments. I love those meetings when I can learn how to be better and learn from the example of missionaries who had success. There are always ways I can improve, and these reunions are good ways to learn how!! 

We are at the awkward point in the change of mission presidents when the rules start changing. A lot of missionaries feel offended and reluctant to listen or follow the rules. While I may not like all of the rules or understand why, I know that I need to be humble and accept that he is called of God and receives the revelation that our mission needs to be better and help more people. So I have been praying to help me feel that acceptance and humility. And I know I will be better for following the rules!! 

Also, yesterday the President surprised everyone by coming to both the morning and afternoon meetings. Because we are a district and not a stake I guess he visits quite often. You could feel the tension in the meetings from both the missionaries and the leaders of the church :) Oh the mission!!!

We are still working hard at finding new inestigators and helping the investigators we do have make the decisions and steps to be baptized. It is a struggle, but we work hard!!! I work hard to try to see their needs and feel the spirit to help them overcome their fears and doubts. Sometimes I wonder how I can be so happy when daily we receive so much rejection, we walk back and forth from tthe same area just to have the appointments fall, baptism dates fall through, teaching the same 3 lessons over and over again. Trying so hard to have the spirit all day, trying so hard to help other people and not focus on myself. That is a testiment to me that this is the truth, because how else could I be so happy in a work that is so hard? I am grateful, so very grateful for the knowledge that I have. The knowledge that there is life after this, that there is a purpose to all the suffering and hardships in this life. Grateful to know that God loves me no matter how many times I mess up, no matter my weaknesses. I grateful to know that families can be together forever. I don't understand half of the things in the gospel, but what I do know, I love, and am eternally grateful to know!!! I just hope I can make a few people feel the love the Lord has for them and feel that desire to change. If I can do that, I know I have done my job!!! 

Thank you all for your love and support!!! I really feel it on those hard days when I don't want to get up :) I feel it when I don't want to walk anymore, when I am soaking wet! I know you are all sacrificing a lot for me to be out her, and I can't thanl you enough for giving me this opportunity!!!

Have WONDERFUL weeks!!! Have a great halloween!! And a great day of the dead (Nov. 2)!!!!! I love you all very very much and miss you!!! Hecho fuego!!! Hasto lo juso!!!! 

Love, su Nicaraguan Hermana con colochas!!!!

Baptism!

Goodbye October!!!! how fast that has gone by!!! I hope you all have your halloween Costumes ready!!!!! Halloween isn't very big here, so we won't have to worry about children and teens being out trick or treating all night and competing with them :) 

It has been a good week!!! We were able to have a baptism this pastSaturday!! The Elders had a family married and baptized and then Kristhel (Crystal) was baptized. It was about 4 hours (with the lawyer talking and everything) but it was good. Her dad was able to baptize her and she was his first baptism. She was super prepared and practically a member. She is 14 and from Costa Rica, very mature, very smart (can read books like The Hobbit in English). It has been fun to get to know her and see her progress. 

Even though my companion is dying we work pretty hard which I am grateful for. She does not want to be a companion at the end who doesn't want to do anything. I am actually sad that we only have this transfer together...but oh well!!! I am shocked at how fast this 6 weeks has been going by!! We have 3 weeks left. Then who knows what will happen!!!! But I know it will all be for the best. 

Here we have been working with a lot of less actives. Which is SO extremely frustrating at times. I want to shake them and nock some sense into them...but I can't. They have their agency to choose. And sometimes we choose what is wrong for us no matter what everyone else says, and then we have to suffer the consequenses. But I hope that someday they will remember why they were baptized and this is the only place they will be happy. 

One thing that has been fascinating me lately is the power of Faith. I read Ether 12 in my personal study this week. All the miracles that the prophets experienced and did was due to the faith that they have. The Brother of Jared was able to see everythng because of the great faith he had. Sometimes (okay a lot of times) I wonder if I have the faith to do miracles here in Nicaragua. I think a lot of times that miracles happen to other people, but not to me. But really if I have the faith to do it, I can do it. And I probably won't see God, but I can have miracles like helping people find the truth, change their way of living because they know that this is true. I want to keep studying this topic and work on growing my personal faith. Because if I want to help people make the step of baptism, I need to have faith that everything is possible and that anyone can make the changes necessary. 

Keep working hard!!!! I love you all so very much!!!!! Thank you for all your support, and love, and help!!!! You are all great examples to me. Remember the love your Heavenly Father has for you, remember that the Church is True!!!! Hold to the Rod!!!!!

Love, Your Nicaraguan Hermana Morey!!

Water Storage

Hola!!!! I hope my weekly emails are a little interesting and don't bore you all to death :) But here is for another week here in Juigalpa!!!

So almost everyday this week we did not have water in our house (the water is unpredictable here and will go every once and a while, but never for days and days). Then on Saturday the whole city of Juigalpa had neither electricity or water....that was a little scary. We had to walk home early from an appointment because it was not safe. It was eery to look into the mountains and see the whole city dark. I think it really made the members take to heart the advice of the prophets to store water because we NEVER know when we will have a crisis. Thankfully it did come back during church on Sunday. Never loved water so much in my life. But now in the shower we have a huge bucket ready for if it ever leaves again :) 

I am still really happy to be here in Juigalpa!!! I LOVE my companion. Juigalpa doesn't have a lack of baptisms...just a lack of retention. There are a lot of horror stories from past missionaries who did not follow any rules making it hard for some members to trust the missionaries. And there are SO many recent converts who were just baptized because they were friends with the missionaries so they don't have a testimony in the Book of Mormon or other essential parts of the Gospel. So we are working hard to build the turst of the members and help these recent converts and less actives obtain testimonies. 

We don't have too many investigators and the ones we do have are a little crazy. One couple the husband tells us everytime he plans of leaving his partner and they spend the whole lesson fighting. Another investigator told us he has been visiting another church everyday....crash with that one. But we are working hard to find new people to teach. I did it with Hna. Perez so I know that it is possible here. It takes a lot of work, but I know Heavenly Father will give us the inspiration and strength to do it.

It is interesting because I always had an idea of what missionaries were (hard workers, these superhuman type people who always did what is right) so I think I hoped I would have that change when I was set apart (like you said mom). But that didn't happen. And I think I expect to look in the mirror one day and see that big change in me. But at the end of the day, I am still Sariah trying to be obedient, and fight satan daily to teach the people here what I know deep down in my heart is true and matters more than anything else in the world. I still have my weaknesses, my faults, and I just try to overcome them. I still make mistakes with words, still talk a lot, an everything else.I have changed a lot, but still have a lot to learn. 

This week we passed by a less active and she invited a friend over for us to teach the gospel to (she is so cute!) and the poor mother has nothing. She doesn't even have a house to live in. Her children are hungry and suffering. you could see in her eyes that she has no hope for a better world. I felt so terrible for ever thinking that I have a hard life or am lacking of things. I wish I could do more for her, but do know that the gospel can bring some peace and comfort. It just gives me a better perspective and a desire to work hard to show these people that God does love them and cares about them. 

I think that that is all!! Except that I am finding it hard this week to eat the rice....yikes!!! I am usually good at eating everything and whatever but find it hard to force the rice down. I am praying that changes soon because I have a year more of rice to eat!!!! But except for the light and water, nothing too exciting is going on!! I hope you are all doing well!!

I know that this church is true and that God is always there for us! I know he will help us through everything. I know that there is a purpose for us here on this earth. If we do our best he will make up for ther rest!!! I love this church, love this Gospel, I love my savior!!

Keep working hard and doing your best!!! I love you all to pieces!!!! 

 Love, your nicaraguan missionary with the curly hair that won't grow in this humidity, Hermana morey :)

New Places

A year ago I made a decision that totally changed my life. I sat down to watch conference, but something rather than just listen to what they had to say I felt a call so strong to serve a mission that I knew I could not wait hours to start working towards the goal. I look back on that time and think wow. I feel like a completely different person than I was 6 months ago. I know I have a LONG way to go, but I feel like I am moving in the right direction.

So I know you all want to heare where I am. My new area is Juigalpa!!! Area where the rivers are milk not water :) This area is famous famous for its cheese and milk and everything made from milk. It is VERY beautful here. One of the prettiest places to be I guess in Nicaragua. There are HUGE hills here to walk up and down. It reminds me of Holladay. Woot!!! It is October so that means that it rains every single day here. Another woot! The church is dying a little bit here (we don't have a branch president, first counselor is inactive...that is kind of how the branches go here). But I really feel like I am here for a reasong so we will so what we can do here!

My new companion is Hermana Lopez. She is from Costa Rica (never knew how bad the relationship between costa rica and nicaragua was...). This is her last transfer so I will kill her!! She is a convert and joined the church with her family 6 years ago. She is very nice and very encouragin. I think we will get along well!!!

For changes I was really nervous Tuesday. It was weird thinking that it would be my last time walking the streets and seeing the people. The people I had grown to love and worked hard with. But Wednesday I did not feel nervous at all. Just excited to start something new!! I felt peace as I left: even though I did not baptize very much, I did my best in that area. I put my heart into it with both the people and my companions. I don't feel like I could have done more. How grateful I am to have that feeling. Because how terrible it would be to look back and feel guilty!!!

The church is struggling here a little bit in Juigalpa. For instance we don't have a branch president and the first counselor is inactive....woot! And that is kind of how the branch goes. The converts pass to inactives. But I feel like I was put here for a reason to help these people and this area. So I will put my heart into it and do my best!!  The president changed a rule that we are in our areas for about 5 or 6 transfers instead of 4 which means I could be here for 9 months. Woot!  But the Lord knows what I can take, what I can do, and where I need to improve. So I will work with that and make His will my will. And I feel a love for these people that I can't explain. I don't know them, but I love them. I know that it is the Lord helping me!

This week in my studies I am in Mormon. How sad that would be to be the only person left who had the truth and really was sane. I am so grateful that I am not alone in this work. I have lots of people here in the field to help me and at home to help me as well!! You guys help build me up when I am down and give me faith and courage to keep moving forward!!! Thank you so much for that!!!

I know I am forgetting to tell a lot of things, but that is all for today!!! I love you all!!! Go back and look over conference (it was so incredibly good!!) and keep up the good work! Keep up the good fight!!!

Love you all tons and tons and tons!!! Have wonderful weeks!! Talk to you next week!

Hermana Morey

Ya Me Voy!

Ya me voy!!!!!!!!

So, we got a text Tuesday saying that my companion is going to train!!! So that means that I will most likely leave the area while she gets another ´daughter.´ My disrict leader keeps asking me how I feel and singing God be with you till we meet again. I am a little nervous to be honest, but know that God will send me where I am needed with the companion that I need to be with!!! And everyone tells me the first area is the hardest to leave, and then it ges easier. So next week I will be writing from a new place!!!! Woot!!

This week was really good!! We got to go to Women't Conference which I was so happy about. The spirit there was SO strong. The love from every one of them. We had an investigator there and I know that she felt peace and strength from the words and had some prayers answered. I, too, heard some things that I needed to hear. So excited for Conference this weekend!! So excitied to hear the words of the prophet and apostles. Just remember to this week think of some questions that you have and write them down. And I promise that at least one of them will be answered in the conference. It always works for me! 

We have an investigator (Ruth) getting baptized on Saturday!!! I am so excited. Even though I probably won't be here for the baptism, I know I was able to help her in some way.  Leonardo still wants to wait....haven't been able to help him get an answer that sooner is better than later. But he has the desire which is so good! This sunday we had 9 investigators in church!!! 9!!! We usually have 2 or 3. It was incredible. And the family we are teaching came and enjoyed it. The Lord is seeing our hard work and helping us out!! We are seeing miracles here!!! The Gospel really does help people. Gives so much hope and peace and reason to all of the madness.

We had Zone conference on Friday and that was incredible!!! REAlly felt the spirit and learned a lot. We talked about how we really have the power to work miracles in the mission and how we can do it. Our zone learders are incredible and work really hard so that we can become better missionaries. I felt very inspired and energized by them.

That is really all that I can think about this week!!! I am starting to really feel a love for this work which I am so thankful for! I almost have 6 months here (crazy!!!). There are lots of flirtatious men here (once someone told me they wanted me to be the mother of their children....), and still eating lots of beans and rice! Yum!!! And lots and lots of walking. But it is great work!! So good to help the people here in Nicaragua.

I have a firm testimony that whenever we have problems or doubts or anything, pray is the answer. The Lord will help us through anything if we are willing to stop and ask him for help. It may not be how we expect, but he will help us. He never leaves us alone. I love what Pres. Monson said Saturday about how at the end of our lives we will look and see that He was there all along. The Lord loves each and every one of us!! So muhc!!!!

And I love you too!!! Keep up the great work!! Stay awake during General Conference :) And have fun in the beautiful Autumn weather!!!! Stay strong and choose the right!!!!

Love, your Nicaraguan Missionary Hermana Calocha!!!

The Mission, the Mission

Rivarivariva RIVAS!!!!! That is the cry of the buses as they go by. Calling out the name of wher they are going. We spent 6 hours on the bus today going to and from Managua. Woot!!! Fun Pday :) But I got my cedular (ID) and am officially a Nica!!! And a lot of the girls from my MTC district were there. It was SO good to see them all and catch up. And I also got to see one of my best friends from the mission who has helped me a lot. She leaves for home next week so I am sad about that, but so glad I got to know her!!

I CANNOT believe this month is almost over!!! We have changes (maybe) next week. It has gone by so fast!! I really can't feel if I will stay or go....we will just have to see!!! 

Ah, the mission, the mission. Sometimes you have really good weeks....other weeks everyone falls through!!! We had hoped to have 4 baptisms this month....and they all fell through. We won't have a single one. But oh well. Hopefully we are planting seeds!! There is a woman named Ruth who has been really great!! She has recognized her answer and really chosen to follow it! She knows that this is the way that will bring her happiness and joy and peace through her problems!

Right now starts the really raininy season. yesterday we walked in pouring rain to pick up our invistigators. But we had fun! A good teenage boy followed us all morning )he was the first one we picked up). I know he will get blessed for his efforts!!  Church attendance was very low, but it was good!! My companion taught a class on the talke My Grace is Sufficient by Brad Wilcox. Such a good one!!!! 

Nothing too much to say!!! Working hard here in Rivas!! It is a test of our faith, but we are going to keep working hard!! We are working on being braver and not regretting any day that we have here. We don't want to go home feeling bad about a minute of our mission! 

I love the church!! I love the Lord!! I know he answers our prayers and is there waiting for us!!! And I have a testimony that Charity is SO importnant in this life!! To feel that love for everyone is crucial!!

Keep working hard!! Know that I am praying aobut you a lot!!! Don't forget to do those little things like FHE and prayers and reading your scriptures!!! 

Love, Your Nicaraguan Missionary!!!!!! 

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) :)