We received a training two weeks ago about how to being teaching and how to teach people not lessons. And we did it! It was an awesome lesson.

28 January 2013

Hola Familia,

how are you all doing?  

   Mom, I want to stay in Managua every night.  Masatepe is max. 40 minutes away and La Borgoña is like 20 minutes away.  You can pick whatever hotel.  Holiday Inn is close to San Juan.  I just know San Juan, carretera Masaya, and Miraflores a little better, but we can stay wherever.  Does the hotel have hot water and air conditioning?  That would be nice.  

    I´ll write another note in a minute.  Thanks for the letters mom and dad.  Tell Mallory congratulations for her mission call!  when does she report?  

love, mb

Also, we are thinking about reserving a room at Hotel Contempo which is south of the city.  Or in the south part of the city.  Do we want to stay in Managua every night? 

Yes, I think so.

 Do you want to drive over to the Carribean?

I hadn´t considered that very seriously, but that could be really fun actually.   

  Do you want to get released and go swimming? Or are you supposed to be a missionary while in the country? 

I think I would feel weird.  Maybe I´ll ask Pres. Monestel but I think I would like to be released in the states. 

Do people wear jeans, or is it too hot for that? 

People wear jeans but it´s kind of hot.  But you can. Khakis will probably be more comfortable but bring jeans too if you want.  Jeans are normal here. 

 Should I bring my keens? 

Sure and wear socks with them. 

 Will we be walking a lot?  

Um... I think my perception of "a lot" is kind of twisted.  But we won´t be walking a ton.  

We want to meet all your friends.  Is there anywhere you want to go other than where you served? 

Yes.  I want to go to Masaya because there´s a big market there to buy touristy stuff.  Also Granada is supposed to be really beautiful.  I want to go to the island of Ometepe.  Also San Juan del Sur is the crown jewel of Nicaragua and I would like to go too.  If we go to Bluefields or Corn Ïsland that would be interesting... I don´t know how long of a drive it is.  The missionaries that serve in Bluefields come and go in airplanes.  But I think that there has to be a road over there. :) 

 

Dad, there are districts in the south mission.  I don´t know if there are districts in the north mission.  Has anyone else gotten mission calls?   Have you told many people? 

  That´s great that you have lost 20 pounds.  Wow!  That´s really impressive.  Good job.  Sounds awesome. That´s good that your boss took the news well.  Don´t worry dad, I think I will still recognize you.  But when you see me... well,  I hope you recognize me.  I was looking at the picture I sent with my mission papers and... yeah  the mission changes everything.

Mom, thanks for the letter about ending my mission.  That helped me a lot.  Thanks for being a good mom.  :)   Thanks again for the package that you sent me.  I ate the chocolate embarrassingly fast.  Actually I´m not embarrassed that much... Less than a week.  But I shared with my companion.  :)  

Jose Dolores and Lizeth went to church this Sunday and they loved it!  We took two members to their house this week.  We taught the plan of salvation and Jose was just eating it up.  When we arrived he said that he was leaving to run an errand but he said, well it can wait for 30 minutes.   So we taught them both and when thirty minutes had passed I said, "hno, creo que ya se tiene que ir."  But he said, just ten more minutes.  as we were finishing the lesson his phone rang and he was talking, saying, "wait, I´m about to leave the house just hold on a minute."  So he sacrificed to stay.  And he loved the plan of salvation.  They both told us that they´ve been praying as a family and they´ve felt a lot more unity.  We´re excited for them.  

Yesterday we went to look for a cool family that we had contacted in the street.  They were home and received us really easily.   We received a training two weeks ago about how to being teaching and how to teach people not lessons.  And we did it!   It was an awesome lesson.  Martha had about a billion questions of the soul.  We didn´t teach any lesson.  We taught repentance, our life on earth, the gospel blesses families, the resurrection, the book of Mormon, prayer, the Holy Ghost.  Yeah it was crazy but awesome.  And at the end she asked us, do all the people you teach always go to the church?  And we were like, huh?  Finally, she said, look, when I was 16 my mom had just died and I was living with my little sister.  And the elders came to visit us.  And we went to church.  And I got baptized.  Her questions were: Was that okay to have gotten baptized even though I didn´t take it that seriously?  How can I know God´s plan for me?  (yes, she asked us that.  I was like..... WHAT!!!  That´s such an awesome question!!!)  Does God listen to the prayers of sinners?  If I go back to church do I have to get baptized again?  Is everyone going to be resurrected?  When I go to heaven will I have another chance to repent?  And her husband accepted a baptismal date.  He is really interested in knowing more too.   We didn´t challenge her to get baptized because she´s a member.  

Jefferson went to church too!  He hadn´t gone in a long time because he´s been drinking.  But he went back!  We haven´t taught Henry in about a week and a half.  He didn´t go to church this week.  

Well, I´m doing well.  Thanks for writing me. Hope you all are happy and enjoying life.  

If you get this and have more questions shoot me an email in the next five minutes.  

Love you all a lot.  Thanks so much for your support and for the encouraging words.  Good luck with getting ready to serve your mission!  And see you all soon.  Love, mb