Preaching in the park.
Birthday wishes
Making Brownies!
Merry Christmas all!
From Hermana WillardsonMonday, December 16, 2013
What’s the Beef
Well Family here we are again first and foremost I wish the happiest of birthdays to my beautiful Mother!!!! I hope you had a fantastic day on Friday and know that I was thinking about you alllllllll daaaaayyyyy!!!! But yes here we are, the last email before Christmas. I don't believe I will be emailing next week because all of the mission will be together for our Christmas celebration. So the next time we talk will be through Skype!!! WOOOHOOOOO I will be calling around 12:00 your time. I am kind of nervous I won't lie. Hahaha. But it will all be great I know!!!
Lets see, not a whole lot to report this week but I will see what I can remember haha.
Tuesday was a good old day of work, my companion got sick and lost her voice so all the people were telling us their medicines for how to fix what she had. I think we recieved about 20 lemons to make a lemon drink haha. We are teaching a family right now that gave us a pumpkin and told us how to make a soup out of it... but I am not exactly sure what they said to tell you the truth... Hahaha.
Wednesday we went to a part of our area that is called Choriso. It is the poorest part of our area but it is probably one of my favorites. We had two of the teenagers from the branch helping us so that we could teach and contact at the same time. I was out contacting and I saw this lady putting water in to her little wheel barrell so we offered to help her out. So picture this, 5 buckets full of water in a little wood hand cart and me pulling it along this dirt road to her house. It was quite humorous. Anyway when we got to her house my companion was outside talking to her daughter. How ironic that we were contacting the same family without even knowing it. The Mom is a less active member and has a husband that isn't a member and her daughter with her husband. They were very receptive to our message and invited us to come back. The problem was that they were in Managua until tomorrow. So hopefully next time they will be receptive still. But it was a lesson I learned that through service we see the blessings of our Heavenly Father.
Thursday we had meetings in Leòn with president and all of the missionaries in the zone. Everyone had to present their area and talk about their investigators and what we are good at. Haha it is always a little scary to present what we have in front of President but it really wasn't all that bad. Since we are TL's we had to be there for every presentation so we were in Leòn almost all day. But at the end of the day President took us to dinner and I rode in his car, it was the first time I have been in a car in a real long time. Haha.
Friday we were out working and it was really really hot so we decided we would buy some ice cream. Now here in Nicaragua there are people that walk around with carts of ice cream and it is the best ice cream, sure it is a little sketchy but it is still the best. Anyway we stopped to buy some and as we were talking to the man we introduced ourselves and he invited us to his house for later that night. We were pretty excited! So later that night we went to teach Marlo and his wife Eva. The only problem is that they live right next to a church, the churches here are all open. So everything they were chanting and yelling we could hear. It was so loud we couldn't hear ourselves haha. So we have our next appointment for when the church isn't in session. hahaha. It was rather humorous.
Saturday night I opened up one of my packages of beef jerky that I had forgotten about, and naturally I shared with my companion. She went nuts and had quite a bit but I was more than happy to share. Then I put it in the fridge so that no animals would get it.... this story continues the next day...
Sunday after church we were eating lunch and I asked for soup because I had a gnarly sore throat. So I was sitting there eating my soup and this soup was one of the best soups I have ever had!!! So naturally I asked what it was..... Prepare yourselves.... it was soup with cow stomach.... yes you read that right. The meat that was in my soup was the stomach of a cow. And it was delicious. I don't know if I have changed or if it just has always been good... but there is the weird food story for you. Anyway later that night we came home and I was hungry so I went to the fridge to eat some beef jerky... When I looked in the fridge there was my bag with one piece left. So I chuckled a little and went to ask my companion what happened. When I asked her she had the saddest little face and she told me that in the middle of the night she woke up craving the beef jerky and couldn't stop herself. Hahaha in the middle of the night my sweet companion swiped my jerky. The story was so funny that I couldn't help but just laugh and give her my last piece of jerky. Hahahaha.
So family that is the week for you all. I hope that you all have a fantastic week and I will see you all for Christmas, this week try not to get all caught up in the hustle and bustle. Sit down and take time to think about what it is we are really celebrating.
I love you!!
Hermana Willardson
Monday, December 9, 2013
Mission of miracles! I don’t think she is ever coming home!
Well family how are you all? Man this week flew by again!!!! Someone start praying for the time to slow down will ya?
Anyway Monday was quite the experience. After we had our family night we were at home just studying like good little missionaries.... and randomly Hermana Cruz starts screaming!! scared me so bad I fell out of my chair. No jokes. So I ran over to her desk to see what in the world was happening and as I was running over I saw something scurrying across the floor. One HUGE scorpion was running right for my bed. So naturally I screamed too. Hahaha we got the broom and sweeped it into the middle of the floor so that we could keep our eyes on it until we planned what to do. Finally we went and got a coconut and smashed it real good. Haha It smelled HORRIBLE!!! And it was one of the scariest moments of my life because ya they are dangerous. Anyway I took a video of the killing and hopefully I will be able to send it to you.
Tuesday we were in Managua for a Leaders meeting that made me stressed but motivated. They told us that no one would recieve their Christmas packages until the 23rd of December which was depressing. But as I was talking to one of the APs he told me he would help me out. Hahaha its good to have friends in high places... something I learned from my Father. :) Anyway as we were about to leave President told us that we needed to come back the next day for another meeting. When I asked what it was for he told us that he is meeting with all of the people that are in the top 10% of the mission to see what they are doing to have success... I had no idea that I was in the top 10% so that was a little surprising. But it was sad because it meant another day that we wouldn't be able to work in our area.
Wednesday we returned to Managua and had our meeting. I got to see some of my old friends so that was fun and after president took us all to lunch!!!! Then the APs told me that they had my packages hahahaha So I smuggled them onto the bus with me. Later that night we went and visited Hector and Augustina and Augustina told us that she didn't want to get baptised until the next week but that her husband was all ready for this week.
Thursday we had a special fast for our little family and that we would be able to see miracles.
Friday I had to go to Leòn to help the sisters out there. They are in a trio and that comes with a special set of difficulties. I helped them find some new people to teach and commit one family to baptism. It is weird that my mind set has now changed. The success of the Hermanas in Leòn is just as important to me as the success that I see in my area. But with that it isn't easy. We work really hard and it is exhausting but I know that for everything we give we are blessed!!!!
Saturday I returned to Nagarote and we went to ahve the baptismal interview with Hector and Augustina. Our District leader Elder Stark worked a miracle and she told us that she would be baptised with her husband the next day!!!!!! The mission is of miracles. That night was a celebration in the Catholic church that is kind of like halloween but they don't dress up. Anyway there were a lot of drunks and no one was in their houses.... So we had to go inside early.
Sunday sunday sunday... Our day of miracles. Hector and Augustina were baptised in the morning!!!! We were all very happy and very blessed. That night there was the Christmas Devotional that I hope you were able to watch. It was incredible and to be completely honest it made me a little homesick but all is well all is well. Anyway we had to go to the South mission because it is where the closest Chapel is. So we rented a bus and our little branch headed for the Devotional. Hector came with us, we got to the chapel pretty early and sat down. About 20 minutes later a man came up and tapped Hector on the shoulder then the next thing I knew they were hugging and crying. I was a little bit confused as you all can imagine. But as it turns out, it was his brother. They hadn't seen or talked to eachother in 5 years because they lost contact. They are both recent converts to the church!!!! His brother has been a convert for 5 months and our sweet Hector that was baptised that very morning. His brother told us that he had been praying for the missionaries to find Hector. This moment in my mission brought me more joy than I have ever felt in my entire life. I know that our Heavenly Father loves every single one of His children and He answers our prayers. I am so grateful that I get to be a part of these miracles. I am blessed beyond imagine and I don't know if I will ever be able to come home. Don't get me wrong I love you all, but I am going to miss seeing the miracles.
Anyway I love you all very much!!! In 2 more weeks we will be skyping!!!! Have a great week and try not to be too cold... hahahaha....
Love Hermana Willardson!!!
Monday, December 2, 2013
PIcs Dec. 2
Breann and the turkey on Thanksgiving
Hermana Cruz demonstrating the church drinking fountain
The baptismal Font
Volcano MomotumboNagarote and Leon
Well family! I hope all of your thanksgivings were awesome and a special Happy Birthday to Diane!!! I hope that Thursday was a good day :) this week also feels like it didn't even happen. With all that I am doing the weeks fly by, it scares me a little how fast time is going!
Tuesday we were here working in our area and we went and visited one of our recent converts. Her name is Miledi but it is pronounced like me-lady. It is always a little humorous to me. She is a 14 year old but the crazy thing about Nicaragua is that people never look their age, she seriously looks like she is about 20. She lives with her parents and her family but is the only one that has any direction in life. Her brothers earn money by betting on rooster fights and raising roosters for these fights. Hahaha oh Nagarote.... Her parents make a living selling tortillas. I got to learn how to make corn tortillas when we visited her. It was quite exiting but really really hot. We also found Hector and Augustina, they are a couple that have children that are all grown and moved out of the house and Hector has had a troubling life. But he was really receptive of us and let us in to talk to him. Our first lesson went really well and we set our return appointment for the next day.
Wednesday I did my first splits as a TL. I was in my area with one of the Hermanas and my companion went to Leòn. As a TL the way I work needs to be an example to the zone so I knew that this day I had to kick it into high gear but I also knew that I couldn't do it without the help of my Heavenly Father. So I was praying really hard all day for a miracle. We went and visited Hector and Augustina and I had the strong impression to talk to them about baptism which wasn't what was in the plans. But I knew that I needed to follow the prompting. We talked about how Jesus Christ was baptised and I extended the invitation for them to be baptised and they accepted! It was literally a miracle.
Thursday we switched back companions and went out to work we needed to find more new people to teach so that was our focus for the day. We were walking along the street and we went to go contact one house. In this house we found Angelika, she is 9 months pregnant and was ready to pop, literally, as we were there teaching her, her water broke.... most awkward moment of my life.... dont worry though her mom was there so we didn't have to do too much. Oh man.... awkward day. Then we had what is called "Noche De Hermanamiento" which is a night where the branch gets together to have a little spiritual message and eat some treats. I was in charge of the message and since they don't celebrate Thanksgiving here I decided to talk a little bit about thanksgiving. We all went around in a circle and told what we were thankful for. I was telling them that I am very grateful for my family but at the same time the members of this branch have become like my family. They are always so willing to help and I am so grateful for them. To be honest with you I kinda forgot that it was Thanksgiving until the night time haha.
Friday we had our Zone meeting in Leòn. We did an activity where we were taped together with our companions and we had to leave the chapel and contact one person, imagine that image... about 32 missionaries hobbling along contacting people. Hahaha it was supposed to show us the importance of sticking with our companions and working as a team.
Saturday we went to an area in our area that is called "Sonrisa de Dios" which means God´s smile. It is so beautiful there but I didn't have my camera. I will have to take it with me next time. There we found a whole bunch of Less active memebers so we will be working in this area to help reactivate the people.
Sunday Hector and Augustina came to church and were recieved well by the members and really enjoyed it. They will be getting baptised next Sunday if everything goes well. They really are my little miracle family :)
Today we went to Leòn to buy somethings because there literally isn't anything in Nagarote. Leòn has a lot of white people and it was really weird for me.. we decided to treat ourselves and went out for lunch. I ordered the American Breakfast and had bacon for the first time in 4 Months!!!! I am very content.
Well family the last thing I want to tell you is that I know that miracles exist. All we need is to have the Faith, I testify that faith proceeds miracles. I love you all and I hope you have a great week!!!
Love,
Hermana Willardson!
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