...this is the Lord's work and all I really have to do is trust in Him.

Dear Family,  I am in a bus right now.  It's P-day and we just went to a nature preserve or something like that.  It was really beautiful.  I'm in Masatepe and I've heard really really awesome things about the area.  It's ridiculously beautiful.  This past week, and these past weks I've learned a lot about trusting in God, just doing things, being positive.  Pretty much every aspect of my life is a choice.  I can choose to love people, I can choose to change.  I can choose to talk.
    We visited a lot of recent converts on Saturday .  One was Hna. Magdali.  She has a problem with the Word of Wisdom.  She showed us a mostly empty bottle of some alcoholic beverage.  We took it and we were talking in the street.  It was dark and raining.  A  lot of lights had gone out.  I realized I still had the bottle in my hand and I told Hna Castro, laughing, "I feel like I probably shouldn't be walking with this."  Ha ha.  That made us laugh:)   I dumped it out and threw away the bottle.
     I'm not sure I'll have time to write much today.  For emailing.  We found a few new investigators this week --Carmen Moria y her family and Josefita.  Carmen is a teacher.  She's met with the missionaries before and even went to church.  She's very honest and open. She asks lots of awesome questions.  Her family is awesome and they all seem really intelligent.  We contacted her one night when it was raining.  I found a scripture in the OT that says something like when the sower sows, he doesn't know which plants will give fruits.  Asi es with contacting.
     Our other investigator nueve is Josefita.  We visited an investigator of the Elders (who left Nagarote) and asked for references.  She said, My next door neighbor wants to go to your church.  Turns out, we had contacted Josefa before and she had told us she wanted to go to church someday.  I was just like...whatever...but we visited her and her 2 grandsons and she prayed!  Wow!  It was really sweet.  She was all ready to go to church this Sunday (we passed by her house) but she got a call and had to go do something after we passed by the first time.  She's sincere.
    Griselda, our investigator who came to General Conference wasn't baptized this Saturday because she's still living with her "husband."  There are a lot of problems.  She has many troubles.  She loves the hymns Love at Home and Families can be Together Forever  (this song has touched another investigadore in Masatepe, too.  Maybe you can tell the Gardners..tell them I say hi, too!).  I really hope she can have an eternal family someday. 

October 24, 2011
The branch here is fantastic.  There is a beautiful chapel with a nice piano and two keyboards.  There were a ton of people at the baptism/wedding yesterday.
    I've been thinkg a lot lately about what it's like to be a missionary and how much we have to rely on the Lord.  When I think about everything I have to do I feel stressed and overwhelmed, but once in a while I think, well this is the Lord's work and all I really have to do is trust in Him.  Then everything will be alright.  Everyday I'm reminded that the Lord loves me and He knows how to help me.  If I go to him for help, I can help the people I teach and talk to.
    Saturday it rained really hard for awhile and the street was like a river.  Hna Castro and I walked from the President's house to our house and it was ridiculous.  I used Hna Castro's umbrella.  I was dressed in missionary clothes and she was walking with a buchet over her head.--in her street clothes from service.  As we were walking back I said that I really wanted my camera to take a picture.  So I ran ahead and grabbed by camera and her's and took a picture.  Right now I'm at...the Beach! My whole zone is here.  It's beautiful!  It took a long time to get here, but it's awesome to watch the waves and walk barefoot in the sand. There are rocks of lava and palm trees.  I'm homesick for Hawaii and Kevin and Cheryl and Samoa and Mom and Dad.  ha ha
    Today while we were waiting for a bus a man was asking us for money and we were at the market with music playing and he started dancing for us.  It was pretty funny.  He just kept on dancing and dancing.  Saturday we were giving service with the rama, clearing off a sidewalk which was buried under 1-2 feet of dirt.  We took a break and drank pop and ate white flour, chocolate and high-fructose corn syrup cookies.  They bought three 3-liter bottles of pop.  When there wasn't much coke left in the bottle, President Mercado cut off the top of the bottle with a machete.  He picked up a huge piece of ice that almost didn't fit in the bottle and started drinking from it.  Everyone was laughing and I just felt like I was at home.  I could see myself in Gillette at fishing lake or something and I imagined Dad doing something ridiculous and making us all laugh.  It was a joke that required no understanding of Spanish.  I'm still struggling with Hna Castro...but not much.  It's been good to be with other missionaries. I really like Hna Rapalo. 
    I love you all and I pray for you every day.  I hope all is well.
Love, Hna Tew
**Rafael said he would be baptized this Saturday!  I only met him last night--Hna Castro visited him during splits.  We're going to his house every day this week.  No cafe!  [coffee]  We have to talk a little more about our prophet today...Thomas S. Monson.  It's a 45 minute walk to his house :)  And it's BEAUTIFUL.  Hopefully he';ll get baptized the 29th! 
Love to all,  Marybeth