There is no where else I would rather be.

  I have reminders from Heavenly

 Father everyday that he loves me... 

There really are miracles that come 

from contacting.

October 24, 2011
Dear family,
    It`s been a fun week.  There have been many ups and downs.  We had a baptism on Saturday.  Manuel and Yolanda were married and baptized.  There were a ton of members there!  and non members.  We did lots of divisions this past week and I went out with Hna. Rapalo and Hna Campos and a Hna. from the branch. 
     I have reminders from Heavenly Father everyday that he loves me.  Yesterday we sang Tengo gozo during sacrament meeting!  In the primary class, Cielo chose me to say the prayer and told me to say it in English.  It was so awesome to pray in English.  Today I was thinking about how I like to imagine myself running up a mountain.  I`ve always liked that image since my freshman year of college and we walked to the Provo temple and saw angel Moroni pointed towards the mountains.  Like, life is hard and it`s a journey and there is a destination and it takes effort.  But this morning I realized that I can`t actually run up a mountain.  I can walk up a mountain if I have someone there to help me.  And I think it`s probably better to do it that way.    I am amazed at how many promptings I receive to read something or do something and it always makes me feel happier.  I love to get your emails.  Your notes and letters are really really really special to me. 
     This Saturday was awesome.  We had a baptism of a family!  We report our numbers as families, sacerdocios, and then a total.  They want to have a temple here.  I contacted four people during service.  I am starting to enjoy contacting.  That night we contacted a family in a house, something I had never initiated before.  But I did it!  and it was fun!  It`s fun to see the miracles that come from contacting.  We contacted Manuela and her 7 kids last week.  We've been visiting her and hopefully her heart will soften up so she will come to church.  She is shy and then she opens up and talks about how much God has blessed her and her family and she cries a little!   She makes chips and sells them. 
   Tonight we have a baptismal interview with Rafael.  He hasn´t smoked or drank for four weeks or four months I`m not sure which.  haha oh the joys of misunderstandings.  It can be funny.
    Today we went to the beach.  It was lovely.  I looked for shells and thought about Cheryl! 
    A few interesting things about Nicaragua:
    When people are referring to other people, they pucker up their lips and direct them to that person.  So, when deciding who will pray, they just pucker up and point with the lips.  When I do it people think it`s funny.  I think it`s funny too. 
     Nicañol dictates that no hay que pronounce the S.  I contacted someone with two kids, one has die anos and the other tre. 
     chocho means dangit!
     dele pues means alrighty then.  Sort of like, okay go ahead.  or lets get going with the siguiente. 
     I love to get your letters.  Everyone is jealous of how many letters I receive.  It was that way in the MTC too! 
     I have lots of ups and downs.  I still get homesick.  In the mornings I almost always feel sad until after lunch when we start working.  Then I feel better.  There is a quote in PMG about that in the section on Diligence in Christlike attributes.  I was rereading a letter from you, mom, this morning and you said you decided to memorize Nefi 3:7   I am memorizing it too.  Mom you can learn Spanish!   I pray every day that you can learn Spanish because I know you really want to and I want you to understand Spanish when you come to pick me up if you don`t get called on a mission before then.
    Well, I`m getting lots of practice of listening and speaking Spanish.  But I still don`t talk very much.  I`m getting lots of practice of trying to be happy even when I don`t feel happy.  I`m also practicing being more patient.  I`ve been remembering that nothing lasts forever.  The good and the bad are both going to end so I should enjoy the good, bad, ugly, and mediocre.  Everyone I talk to tells me that the mission passes really really fast and then it`s like a dream. 
  There are moments when I feel perfectly happy to be in Nicaragua and I have no desire to be in Wyoming. There is no where else I would rather be.  I`m going to start exercising in the mornings.  That will help me feel better. There really are miracles that come from contacting.  We find less actives and part member families and people who have heard about the church and want to come.  Saturday night we found a girl who lives with a neighbor.  Her mom lives with someone else and her Dad, who she doesn't know lives in the US.  She talked about how she feels sad that she doesn't have a father, and that she`s heard really great things about the church.  The great thing is that with contacting, you just have to ask questions, listen to the answers, and give the doctrine they need.  If it`s a good contact, the investigator basically tells you, give me the principle God is our loving heavenly father. But the Spirit is behind it all.  I have a long ways to go up the mountain.  But the view will be great.  Forgive the cheesiness, Pablito.  I love you all.  I really do pray for all of you everyday by name.   Mom, Dad, Kevin,Cheryl, Tanner, Nani, Kyle, Doug, Dani, Scotty, Adam, Baby, and Paul...except sometimes I say the munchkins instead of tanner, nani, scoty and adam.