7th month mark

appy Birthday to Dave this Saturday as well!!!! 

On Mon, Feb 24, 2014 at 4:46 PM, Breann Willardson <breann.willardson@myldsmail.net> wrote:

FIRST AND FORMOST HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DARLING SISTER KRISTY!!!! I know Mom and Dad are probably spoiling you but eat some cake for me!! Woah how did that happen, I swear it was last week that I was writing you all and telling you that I was hitting my 6 month mark... Time really is flying isn't it. This week has been a really good one. I thought I would tell you some interesting things that the Nicaraguans do because I feel like I have never really told you what it is like to live as a Nicaraguan... Haha. Well to begin there is no hot water, ever. So what we do when we wake up is run around for a little while to try to heat ourselves up and then we go shower. Because otherwise you just sit there and freeze haha. But I actually have gotten used to it and I now enjoy them. It helps wake me up haha. Also something that I think is really funny... there are a lot of dirt roads here and for some reason that I have still yet to understand everyday people are outside with their hoses spraying water on the dirt road... It is something interesting to see. I think they are trying to grow something haha just kidding I think that it is so there isn't so much dirt in the air but it isnt really effective because it dries in about 5.2 seconds. :) There is so much fruit here, we eat some kind of fruit at every meal and sometimes when we are walking to appointments we will stop and pick fruit. Mangos, Tamarindas, Mandarinas, Oranges, and there are a lot of watermelons (yes I know they don't come from a tree) Coconuts, basically whatever you could think of. And I absolutely love it. I know without doubt that I am in the place that is perfect for me haha. Not only for the fruit but for the people too. Nagarote has something super special about it all of the people want to talk to you. To see where you are from and what you are doing here. I honestly hope that I am here for another transfer... That would mean that I will have 8 months here but I don't even care because I just love it so much. I am considering living here after the mission. Seriously though... hahaha. The other day we were walking along the road and we weren't paying much attention but out of the bushes came a big old snake. Obviously it scared us so we screamed and this man jumped out of the bushes with a machete and chopped the head off of the snake. HAHAHAHAHAHA my companion and I just stood there with our mouths open and didn't know what to do. Then the man just walked away all calm as if nothing had ever happened. It was one of the funniest memories that I have of the mission. Holy Moses.. Anyway I didnt really want to do a week sum up this week so I am just going to hit the highlights of the week. This week I did divisiones with the other TL and I brought her to my area. It was nice to have her here but at the same time it didn't feel like anything different. Normally the divisiones are a little stressful but this time we just worked like normal haha. We have been focusing a lot in the less actives this week because there are a whole bunch of less actives here so this week our focus had a little more to do with the less actives and we found that there are a lot of families where one of the spouses is a member and the other is not a member. (That was a hard sentance for me to write and I still don't think it is correct. Stinkin English is hard..) Anyway so now we have 4 families to complete that we are working with. We also have been working with our converts and getting them excited in missionary work. Everytime we go to visit them we ask for a reference and if they give us one I give them the candy mom sent me in my package haha. They all love American Candy. (Don't worry mom I am eating it too :)) This week we recieved a lot of references from our converts and it makes it exciting for them because then they come with us to teach and listening to one of my converts bear testimony is one of the best parts of the mission. I seriously almost cry everytime. It makes me feel good as a missionary. I love missionary work, have I told you that lately? I really do love it, and all the stress that comes with it!!! I also love training, I have learned so much in the time I have had as a trainer. I love my daughter so so so much, I know she will be one of my lifelong friends. I have had my testimony grow this week that The Lord knows exactly what it is we need and we need to learn to be humble and trust that He really does know what is best. This week we had the goal to have 2 families in the church so Sunday morning we left early to go pick up the families that told us they were going to come with us. Something went wrong with every single one of them except one family that came with us. I was feeling pretty down because we had fasted and prayed really hard to have 2 families in church. So as we were singing the song for the sacrament I said a prayer and said that I was really grateful for the one family that we had and that I knew that it isn't my will but His that matters. When I opened my eyes a family walked in that I hadn't ever seen before. Turns out this family is looking for a church to attend and they live in our area!!! I am here to testify that the Lord hears and answers prayers. But almost never it is in the way we are expecting. hahaha I am so grateful to be able to be seeing these miracles. As you know we are working hard in the branch to try to help it become a ward here pretty soon. This week we hit an attendance of 85, that is the highest it has been in the passed 7 years. I don't know what I did right to be part of these miracles but I don't ever want to leave Nagarote. This week we also had the baptism of the grandson of our converts Edda and Juan. It was so cute to see the pure joy he had. I know that the kingdom of God belongs to the children. 

Anyway family I hope you are all doing well where ever it is that you may be. Know that I still think of you and still love you all!!! Have a fantastic week!

Hermana Nicaragua