12 Marzo 2012
Hey Family!
How`s it going?  I`m still here in Masatepe!  with Hna Zapeta!
Hey Familia Tew,
  Mom:  Congrats on finishing the LDM! yeah! That`s a major accomplishment.  
  Dad:  Thanks for the email and the missionary moment.  It sounds like Stake Conference went well.  I liked the small plate of cookies experience.  Cool
  Kevin:  It sounds like you`re still doing what you do best, serving others.  Good luck to Cheryl in her new calling.  I hope you enjoy the opportunity.
  Los demas:  I hope you`re enjoying life and being good and feeling loved. 

So....  I`m still in Masatepe!  I seriously love this place.  There are about 30 young single adults here and a ton of them are returned missionaries.  when They saw that I was still here they asked me if I was going to buy a house here.  haha Yeah!  Today we went on a hike with the whole zone and with president Mercado, his daughter Grethel, and four other young single adults from the branch here in Masatepe.  It was really fun.  There was a slot canyon, a porcupine skeleton, oranges, mandarinas, and mangos.  yum!  Someone just has to climb a tree and 25 people have fruit!  It was really beautiful.  Everything is dry right now, so hiking was a little interesting... But is was super fun
   Abel and Marcela are still trying to figure their lives out.  They have opened up a lot and have made a few changes.  They have to be humble enough to say sorry and move on.  They are a cute family.
   Claudia and Enrique and their three kids are magical.  Seriously.  They know a ton about the bible, and they learn everything we teach super easily.  It`s ridiculous.  Junior came to Piano classes this week and really liked it.  He made friends with Esau and went to Seminary, which is right after the class!  He also went Friday to seminary!  The teacher is super pilas, and there are some great jovenes her.  The people really want the branch to grow.   We had a lesson this Saturday with the kids and Claudia.  Yesterday we all went to the church.  IT was such a beautiful sight to see a dad, a mom, and three kids all there in a row.  Tonight we`re going to have a noche de hogar with Presidente Luis and Hna Xiomara at their house.  They are a super sweet family.  They live in a community where there is no light. Last night Enrique drove his moto behind us as we were leaving so we could see.  The entrance is long and we can`t go there without a priesthood holder accompanying us.  I`m really happy for this family.  Claudia is a member.
    This week we saw some miracles as a result of following the Spirit.  We felt like contacting a house and the wife listened to us as we explained our purpose.  Then she started talking about her mom who died about a year ago, and how she`s not sure if she will ever see her mom again.  Hna Zapeta asked if we could get to know the rest of the people that lived in the terreno and she said yeah.  So we went to meet this lady`s sister.  She was cooking.  We looked inside the house and met her husband who was holding their grown up daughter.  Their daughter was having an attack of some sort.  They asked us to pray, so we prayed and then we called the elders to give her a blessing.  They came and gave her a blessing.  We saw her yesterday and she was fine.  We were in the street and she asked us if we were foing to pass by later that day.  We said sure.  So we stopped by later and shared a short message with her and her dad and her grandpa, who is 93.  It turns out that the missionaries had visited them before and they have gone to church before.  She and her dad accepted a baptismal date.  I think they`re going to get baptized soon.  I hope so, anyway. 
    Yesterday we were in a moto going to Pio XII to share a message with a member family.  I was just thinking as we were riding that I don`t think I have ever been as happy as I am now in all my life.  I feel blessed, like really blessed, to be able to be a missionary at this time in Nicaragua.  WE are trying to work a lot more with members now.  President Monestel told us it`s easier to contact, but it`s more effective to work with members.  It`s true.  I think we are going to have a lot more results. 
   I tried to think a lot more positively this week and work with a spirit of love a lot more.  Hna Zapeta and I have a lot of the same goals and we are trying to help each other think more positively. WE`re doing good.  :)
   WE also want to have a change in desires.  To just          want to do whatever the Lord asks.  It`s more and more clear that faith, hope, charity, and love, with an eye single to the glory of God are the most important attributes we need.  These are the things that make us real missionaries.
   Last week a 3 or four year old that was sitting in a parked moto yelled out ¨Hermana Tew!¨as we passed by.  I have no idea who he is.  It was fairly hilarious.  The borachos on the corner and at least one 3 year old know who I am.  haha
   Well, our new district is Elder Blandin, Elder Muñoz, Elder Paz, Elder Child, Hna Zapeta, and Hna Tew.  Elder Child and Elder Paz are reopening the old area of the hnas.  Elder Child is from WYOMING!!!  He`s really cool.  Today on our hike we brought rope and he was practicing his lassoing skills.  He caught one elder.  Everyone was joking about what he could catch here in Nicaragua.  Suggestions:  a monkey, a chicken or a pig.  We did run into a pig and he did try to rope it.  We also ran into a cow.  Also, we have a new record, I think.  11 full grown people in one moto. 
    This change has started off really well and I know it`s just going to get better.  We had one family, three preisthood aged men, and seven investigators in church yesterday.   We didn`t have really great numbers this week, but we had a lot more success (read, investigators in church).  I think it`s because we are working with more love and a lot more faith.  We both talked about how we want to have more faith this change.  and it`s true.  If we have faith, God will bless us. 
    In a package... voy a avisarle.  esperese...  But I`ll be thinking about it.  I love you all a lot.  I forgot to put that before.  Love, love, love Hna Tew