Monday, October 31, 2011

No effort is wasted.

I have been in Nicaragua 6 weeks today.    



October 31, 2011
Dear Family,
    I have a lot to write.  I think... We had a good week.  Hna Castro and I are getting along A LOT better. 
   We received a reference a while ago for Marina Cortez and then we lost the address.  I was riding in a moto with Hna Dolores a member of the ward and I asked the nonmember driver for a reference.  He gave me his mom`s address.  His Mom is Marina Cortez.  Hna. Castro and I decided we should probably go find her.  haha  If two people give the same reference in a matter of days.  We tried to find her one day but something else happened so we looked for her last Jueves and asked an investigator who lives in her neighborhood where she lives.  She turned out to be the daughter of this investigator and actually showed up while we were chatting with the dad who is super cool.  We visited Marina and she told us about her family and how she feels really sad because her kids don`t visit her.  She loves to have kids at her house but the grandkids never come or at least not very much or often enough.  Her 16 year old son lives with his Grandma.  She really opened up her heart to us.  Hna Castro said we`re going to sing a hymn Families can be together forever.  She really liked it.  We have visited more.  We`re hoping we can teach her husband too.  He is really nice.  He`s a taxi driver. 
    Rafael was baptized this Saturday.  I have pictures and I`m going to send my memory card home whenever I get my new card.  I didn`t send a letter last week either.  We just didn`t have time.  But I`m going to send my two week old letter this week for sure!   Sorry.....
Rafael is the son of two members.  He`s twenty and he stopped smoking with some previous missionaries.  He has received many many missionaries and he finally got baptized.  This gives me hope because we talk with a lot of people who don`t get baptized, but we are preparing them for future missionaries.  No effort is wasted.  We contacted a family and they talked about the missionaries that had met with them twelve years ago.  But they still remembered some of what they were taught. cool.
    Gallo Pinto is the national dish.  It`s delicious.  Especially with queso and crema. queso frito is even better.  I love the food here.  There is also this fresco that they make with oatmeal.  Its super rico. 
    We taught a family called Areas and we really hope good things happen with them.  We contacted them with the BOM!!!  Pres. Monestel told us at the Multi zone that he would like to see every missionary walking with a copy of the BOM in his hand.  There is an emphasis on families and sacerdocios because we want to have a temple in Nicaragua.  The family is awesome. They are grandparents.  They and their grandson who is basically like their son,  he calls them mom and dad have a baptismal date for the end of this month.  Hopefully they`ll come to church...next sunday are elecciones. 
    A pet parrot climbed up the front of my skirt and halfway up my blouse last Saturday.  It`s beak was disturbingly close to my chin. 
    I met someone who served with Kyle.  Her last name is something like Guiterrez...  Anyway, someone in my rama knows you, Kyle!  Kyle are you still in DC?  Doug said they were thinking about going to DC for Christmas so I figure that`s where you are right now.
     Paul  I wrote you a letter today but I`m not sure I have the right address.  I may not send your letter until next week.  I hope you are enjoying life and that your intestines can be whole, healed, and happy.  :)  haha
    Doug I like to hear a little about your classes.  Tell me more!  Thanks for your email. 
    Dani  THANK YOU for your emails.  They really meant a lot to me. Ocassionally I feel like we are the same person.  I`m awaiting a picture of Adam in his turtle costume so I can see if he really was cuter than Scotty.  I am excited to see Little Critter.  I did see the whatever that thing is called that`s a picture of the baby that you attached. 
    Mom and Dad thanks for you emails always and your letters.  I didn`t get letters last week because a bag didn`t come to Masatepe from the office.  Hopefully I will get some this wednesday because Wednesday there are TRANSFERS!!! AAAHHHGG  I have been in Nicaragua 6 weeks today.  And I`m about to finish my first transfer.  I wrote this in my letter, but tell the Gardners that "Families Can be Together Forever" is touching lives in Nicaragua.  It was Griselda`s favorite song. 
    Kevin  thanks for the pictures!!!!!!!!!!  I`m printing them off with my emails too.
    Paul again: The day of Marybeth`s mission is the day in which you should write her.  I hope you`re feeling better! 
Look up Masatepe if you can.  It`s a cool city with lots of Artisan stuff.  Is that the right word?  They make chairs and baskets here.  The temperature is lovely. 

Things I want for Christmas  Tom`s deoderant  apricot,  I`ve heard good things about the salts if you think that would come over better. peanut brittle, a tape and tape player that doesn`t need headphones in order to hear, or my mp3 player and cord with music.  I have one of the plugs that connects an outlet to a USB cord, so I would just need the cord that goes from my mp3 player to a USB reciever. 
 I had a list and I forgot it at my house but I want a happy surprise and letters and notes and a tape from home.   I need peds!!!!  the little tan socks that you wear with dress shoes.  Like ten pairs.  I want a little hymnbook in English. Maybe a children`s hymnbook in English, but probably not.  How to teach piano in Spanish because I`m going to do that this Friday.  AAAHHH Also if there are Spanish scripture covers I would like that. 

I LOVE YOU
Love, Mb

Can you forward this  little message below to Hna Sobeyda?  you can say hi to her too in the email if you want.  She and her mom cooked for us in Nagarote and we lived right next to her house  the same yard but a separate house. 
Hna Sobeyda!  Gracias por su email!  Masatepe es super tuanis.  Me encanta la rama pero extraño la rama y Hna Carmen y usted y Axelito y Abel.  Estoy feliz y Hna. Castro esta feliz tambièn!  Saludes a todos en su casa! 
rojasbetancurt@hotmail.com

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