Do you want to be a Mormon?

Buenas tardes to the most wonderful family in the whole entire world! I hope you all know that I love you all so much. I have been thinking about you all a lot this week...just a little homesick...but I am just so grateful to have such an amazing family! I hope you all are doing well and had a wonderful week. This week was definitely better than the past previous weeks. So this week was kinda a crazy week. Tuesday I was in Managua for a training meeting and then I had two day changes. So Hermana Zepeda went with some hermanas for two days in Managua and another hermana, Hermana Melendez, came with me! We were in the same zone in Managua before so we knew each other which was always good. Working with Hna Melendez was good. She only has two months in the mission so it was still a scary thought to think that I am now the older comp...I still feel like a baby! We had some pretty good times together. For example, we were walking under some trees and a bird pooped on her shoulder. I was dying of laughter because she was so casual like..oh, looks like a little birdy left a gift for me! hahaha good thing it wasn't me. I would be freaking out. Also a boy walked up to her and gave her a flower that was for me...yeah I definitely put it in my journal haha. 

Hra. Zepeda and me

So this week was kinda a sad week with my investigators. My investigators, the family who was going to get baptized Saturday didn't get baptized because they are waiting for divorce papers which takes 3 MONTHS here. AH I am hoping for some miracle and they can get married and baptized soon because they are so ready! Other than them, no other investigators came to church this Sunday. Oh boy this Sunday was pretty sad. After sacrament, literally the whole rama went home so in relief society was only me, my comp, the teacher and one other sister. Crazy right?! The one thing that I hope I can help this area is help strengthen the rama.

On Friday Elder Soares and Elder Ochcoa from the Seventy came and spoke to us! It was such an amazing experience. Presidente Collado encouraged us all to come to the meeting, which was in Managua, fasting for questions about our area or other things we needed. I accepted his invitation and fasted to receive some questions I had about my area. Every time I fast I marvel at the miracles that I see. I had every single one of my questions answered in the conference with Elder Soares. My testimony of fasting continues to be strengthened and I know without any doubt that if we fast, having faith that we can receive what we are fasting for, our Heavenly Father will answer our prayers. In the conference, both the mission presidents and their wives gave little talks and then Elder Ochoca and his wife gave a talk. Following them, Hermana Soares and Elder Soares spoke. Such an amazing experience to be sitting in front of the President of the Seventy. Elder Soares gave a wonderful talk; I was uplifted and inspired. What made the meeting even more great was that I understood everything the speakers said. It is little things like this that show me my Spanish is improving...little by little. I felt the spirit so strongly in the meeting and was impacted with how grateful I feel for the opportunity I have to serve my Savior here in Nicaragua. My testimony has grown so much on my mission. My relation with Christ and my Father in Heaven have been strengthened so much and I know they are there and are always by my side. I cherish this time I have to serve the Lord and absolutely love being a missionary! Yes, every day there are challenges but the joy I feel from helping others come to Christ, and especially coming closer to Christ myself, is priceless.

My District

President Collado provided all of us with lunch to eat in the bus after the conference which was McDonalds. Never again in my life will I eat McDonalds. He gave us a Big Mac, fries and soda. In addition, I bought more fries and mcnuggets (fat status). Worst idea ever. Well, we ended up all getting sick so we just chilled in our room when we got home that night feeling so nauseous and sick. Word of advice: don't eat McDonalds in a moving vehicle. 

One thing I love about serving in Nicaragua is all the crazy experiences I have. On Saturday we had a lesson with this older woman, who contacted us in the street and asked us to come to her house which we accepted. So we went to teach her and the first problem is that she owns and lives in a bar. Well, that doesn't look the greatest! Two missionaries walking into a bar, that must have looked lovely! Well it turns out she is one of those older women who just wants to talk and is not interested in our message. She was a member of another faith and we just gave up trying to teach her a lesson because everytime we would say something she would yell " I belong to another church!" Oh well, how great. Want to become Mormon? haha. Anyways, we kept trying to leave but she would always find some reason to make us stay longer. For example, she offered us food which of course we gladly accepted. Well, she ends up giving us cake and coke in a beer cup! So there are two missionaries teaching the Gospel with a cup that says "Tona" (it is a local beer company) full of soda in our hands. Luckily no one passed by! I was laughing so hard at our ridiculous situation. What a crazy lesson that was!

Con MUCHO amor,

Hermana Howell