Monday,
December 12, 2016
We
went to PriceSmart today and purchased Sister Bell’s Christmas Present.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016,
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
I loaned my computer to Sister Willes and Zafra, the Sister
Leaders today. They needed it to conduct a training for the Sister Leaders
across the mission today. I felt like a young father dropping off our first
born child to a new babysitter. I gave them similar instructions, like I did as
a young father: take good care of it, don’t drop it, don’t let others play with
it…. Etc. We went back right at 3pm to gather it back up…… yes…. It was fine…..
We put words together for the 12 days of Christmas specific
to our mission. We started brainstorming the words on Saturday with the Lees
and Koellikers, but Sister Bell typed it up. We will perform this at the
Christmas party next Monday, getting everyone involved. Here are the words:
Las Doce Días de Navidad
En el día primero mi amor me
regalo un templo en Nicaragua
En el día secundo mi amor me
regalo 2 compañeros y un templo en Nicaragua
En el día tercero mi amor me
regalo 3 platos de gallo pintos, 2 compañeros y un templo en Nicaragua
En el día cuarto mi amor me regalo
4 Poncios, 3 gallo pintos, 2 compañeros y un templo en Nicaragua
En el día quinto mi amor me regalo
5 familias de oro, 4 Poncios, 3 gallo pintos, 2 compañeros y un templo en
Nicaragua
En el día sexto mi amor me regalo
6 terremotos, 5 familias de oro, 4 Poncios, 3 gallo pintos, 2 compañeros y un
templo en Nicaragua
En el día séptimo mi amor me
regalo 7 misioneros orando, 6 terremotos, 5 familias de oro, 4 Poncios, 3 gallo
pintos, 2 compañeros y un templo en Nicaragua
En el día octavo mi amor me regalo
8 vasos de agua, 7 oradores, 6 terremotos, 5 familias de oro, 4 Poncios, 3
gallo pintos, 2 compañeros y un templo en Nicaragua
En el día noventa mi amor me
regalo 9 perros ladrando, 8 vasos de agua, 7 oradores, 6 terremotos, 5 familias
de oro, 4 Poncios, 3 gallo pintos, 2 compañeros y un templo en Nicaragua
En el día decimo mi amor me regalo
10 invitaciones bautismales, 9 perros ladrando, 8 vasos de agua, 7 oradores, 6
terremotos, 5 familias de oro, 4 Poncios, 3 gallo pintos, 2 compañeros y un
templo en Nicaragua
En el día once mi amor me regalo
11 picaduras, 10 invitaciones, 9 perros ladrando, 8 vasos de agua, 7 oradores,
6 terremotos, 5 familias de oro, 4 Poncios, 3 gallo pintos, 2 compañeros y un
templo en Nicaragua
En el día doce mi amor me regalo
12 investigadores en la capilla, 11 picaduras, 10 invitaciones, 9 perros
ladrando, 8 vasos de agua, 7 oradores, 6 terremotos, 5 familias de oro, 4
Poncios, 3 gallo pintos, 2 compañeros y un templo en Nicaragua
Sister Bell got a call after dinner from the Hermanas in
Nagarote, a small town about 30 km out of town. One of the Sisters had fainted
and was still very lethargic. She is a new missionary from Guatemala. Members
took her to the local clinic where they had given her some fluid to drink and
checked her vitals. We drove to Nagarote and took her to the Metropolitano
Hospital in Managua. They checked her blood and urine and did an EKG. They
determined it was heat related; not drinking and eating enough. She got some
fluids, medicine and a good lecture from the doctor and Sister Bell.
While we were waiting for the tests results, Sister Bell
and the two missionaries (one Latina and the other north American) were
conversing quietly. They were asking each other questions, talking and
laughing. I just listened, smiled and laughed to myself listening to them
converse. Sister Bell was carrying on a broken conversation in Spanish and
enjoying it. We then took them back home and returned to our house about
2:30am.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
We slept in until about 10am. Sister Bell taught Yoselyn
Poncio a piano lesson in the afternoon. We had to delay it for a few hours
until we woke up. That evening we went to the Helbergs for dinner. After
dinner, Ray Helberg asked us for our favorite Christmas Songs. He then found
presentations on U-Tube so we could listen to them. We do
live in a marvelous world.
Friday, December 16, 2016
We ran a few errands all day. I prepared our weekly
education mailing: microwave Rocky Road Chocolate bars and tips on how to avoid
the flu.
Saturday, December 17, 2016
We started in Trinidad for piano lessons. Only Carelys was
ready, Maria Clara was still in bed. Apparently she didn’t sleep well the night
before and therefore was sleeping in. When we were in Esteli, we purchased
medicine for a missionary, then stopped for lunch at Burger King and picked up
a subway sandwich to eat for dinner.
We met Elder Spence and Sanchez in Condega. We first went
to Freddy and Virginias home. They were baptized this summer. Apparently, they
had a fight last Sunday and didn’t come to Church. The Elders wanted to give
them a lesson about marriage. Sister Bell suggested we use the story of Joseph
and Mary to illustrate the importance of caring for one another in marriage.
Joseph put Mary’s needs first when he decided to marry her instead of declining
to marry her, which was his legal right to do. I challenged them to two goals
in 2017: prepare to go to the temple and Freddy receive the Melchizedek
Priesthood. They accepted the challenge. We left feeling really good about the
visit.
Then we went to Virginia’s daughter home, Nuvia. She had
been very active but hasn’t been to Church for several weeks. We could tell a
big difference in her spirit. She is losing the light of the Gospel. She
explained that she is having to work all week, including Sunday in order to pay
off debts. Her husband has begun to drink again, which is also causing
friction. We had a wonderful visit with her, ending with us giving her a
blessing. The light was coming back into her eyes when we left. There was
definitely a sweet spirit when we left.
We then went to an investigators home. She has a little
store in the front of her house. She has been taking the missionary lessons now
for several weeks and has a baptismal date in another week. However, her
husband works every day and hasn’t listened to all the lessons. She has three
daughters, two are old enough to be baptized. While we were talking to her, her
brother, who was playing with his daughter in the background came up and began
talking with us. He was very interested in what we were saying. We gave him a
Book of Mormon and the missionaries set a date to visit him.
We then drove to Somoto. We first stopped at the Church to
see if we could get the internet to work, which we couldn’t. Everything was
there but we didn’t have the password. We then visited with an investigator.
She wants to be baptized but is not sure she wants to marry her “live in”
boyfriend of twelve years. Apparently he is verbally abusive. So we talked
about how the gospel can help people change.
We then went to Hermana Zaida’s home for a noche de
hermanimiento. We showed portions of the First Presidency Christmas Devotional.
They enjoyed that but really enjoyed the game we played afterward. Elder Baez
directed it. Elder Simpson won….
Sunday,
December 18, 2016
We
attended the Ocotal Branch this morning. The Branch President had called two
counselors since we were there last time (about a month ago). We attended there
because we had supplies that needed to be delivered. I also wanted to talk with
the Branch President to see how they are doing. Again, they needed someone to
teach the Priesthood class, so I volunteered. I gave the ordinance lesson.
We
then went to Trinidad for their meetings, which started at 2pm. As we drove
through Esteli, there were hundreds of horses tied to trees, trailers, and trucks.
They were well bred, groomed and of many different colors. Although the
favorite colors tended to be greys and whites. They must be having some sort of
horse show.
We
enjoyed attended church in Trinidad, in their new chapel (converted home).
There were some new faces but mostly the same core of members, about 15 in
total. They welcomed us with open arms. It had been several weeks since we have
attended one of their meetings, although we are in Trinidad almost every week
giving Carelys and Maria Clara piano lessons. Sister Bell was asked to play the
piano and we both gave talks. I talked about the Savior and Sister Bell talked
about living like the Savior. After Sacrament Meeting, we presented our
Christmas Present and took a branch picture.
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