Lots of heat and success plus a 4 foot companion

Well, I'm back to the heat. I never can drink enough water. And this week was awesome. God is so great that if you believe in Him and never give up hope He always gives you miracles.

My companion has a really high voice and is 4 foot even and the cutest missionary ever (=. We saw lots of miracles this week. Her name's Hermana Tarax.

This week I did divisions with Hermana Alan, She's a really awesome missionary from Costa Rica that has been out on her mission only about 3 months but is super pilas. She has so much faith. The day we were together in her area we found three really awesome new families that all said they would go to church and we put baptismal dates with 2 of them and baptismal dates with another family on top of that, one that they were already teaching. Miracles happen when you believe and put your trust in God.

In our area, we also saw a lot of miracles. Three families came and watched conference and a cool family to complete (the husband of a member) got baptized. His name is Rudy. ( I can't really take credit for that one as I came this week, but baptisms are always good.) The other cool thing is that this family is a family of less-actives (mother in law, wife, and sisters in laws of Rudy). They went to conference because right after was the baptism of Rudy. They came back just so excited about the church, and "did you hear this that such a speaker said" and " I love this that another speaker said" and ... It was cool. The 9 year old son of Rudy wants to get baptized now as well and Rudy wants to perform the ordinance in 2 weeks after he receives the Priesthood. Funny: Rudy had to get baptized 5 times. (because first his legs and then his head and then... didn't go all the way into the water)

One of the families that came to church stayed for 2 sessions and then for the baptism as well. We're hoping the family that watched Rudy's baptism didn't get scared because he got baptized so many times (especially because she's pregnant).

Did I already tell you it's hot here? (= My house is really big. My other one was a really small room. This one has 3 rooms!

Hermana Merrill

Spiritual Week and transferred to Leon

Mario got baptized this week! It was a really spiritual experience and he's so excited about this change in his life. His wife, Hermana Adriana, is our Amulek, such a great missionary.  Also the mom of a recent convert came to church this week and after she saw the baptism she said, "I want to be baptized, but maybe not today, but I would be ready as soon as next week." We tried to contain our sadness (=

Also the daughter of another less-active, the sister of Adriana, (aka the niece of Adriana) is going to get baptized next week.

BUT... I'm not going to be there. I´ll be in LEON. The hottest place in Nicaragua for the hottest time of the year. I'll be a Sister Training Leader with Hermana Tarax.

I'm really going to miss Matagalpa, the branch especially is super awesome here. All the members are so ready to help with anything.  The area I've served in here in Matagalpa is called Sor Maria, it's soo poor.  The people carry water to their houses in buckets (if they have money to buy it). But the faith of some of the people is incredible. When one of the recent converts doesn't have money for the bus (16 cents) he walks to church 30-60 minutes. It has  definitely been different than my other areas.  Also I really don't want to leave Hna Adraina.

Heather and her Companion Sister Morales

Heather's current and future companion
Sister Morales and Torax

But, Iré donde El Señor me mande. Allí me voy. (=

(I will go where the Lord sends me)

This week I had a really cool experience while we were on divisions. When I came to their area I realized they needed a lot of help. They really needed to find new investigators. So I proposed we fast for the day, so that we could have the help of the Lord in our efforts. Then we went to work and talked to everybody, absolutely everybody. At the end of the day we found and started teaching 2 new families and 10 people in total.  One of which was committed to go to church and the other that the wife had had a dream of the first vision a few days before. Our faith was built. God does do miracles, but we need to remember it is from Him that we receive them. When we put our trust in Him and then work to show Him our faith and dedication to His work, He gives us miracles. He will always work miracles because His people in Nicaragua (and in every part of the world) need them. He loves them. If we aren't seeing miracles it isn't because God isn't a God of Miracles, it is because we haven't exercised enough faith to receive them. 

Hermana Merrill

LOVE you all so much!

Is this just so Heather, or what?

Getting ready to zipline

Ziplining in Nicargua!

Heather, Sister Morales and Sosa

Baptisms

Here in Nicaragua, we often baptize on Sunday so that we can have the support of the members. We baptize right after the 3 hour block so that they just need to stay for a few more minutes and in that way the members also get to know the recent convert. But sometimes it is a little crazy because they have to wait another whole week to get confirmed. So Alan, the youth that got baptized last week came to church to be confirmed but, he didn't want to get confirmed in front of everyone  so we told him he could get confirmed in Priesthood class. But he didn't stay until priesthood class... So next week. He really is pilas and has changed a lot, just is a little penoso. 

Next week we are going to baptize a cool man named Mario. He is the husband of a less active member. She is so pilas now and her husband is so excited about his baptism. She teaches him so much between our visits. How to be "mormon". Whenever we come back she's always telling us funny stories about how he tells her that she can't be frustrated or upset because she has to be a good example to him of a mormon. He has stopped smoking and stopped drinking cafe. We teach him the lessons in English/Spanish. He's from the Philippines and speaks a little bit more English than Spanish. He's lived in Central America for 16 years but his spanish isn't that great. (Although it's getting better due to reading a chapter of the Book of Mormon in English and Spanish). Miracles do happen. We don't do them. God does. 

Also a lady named Marta is going to get baptized this week. She's really cool, but has really bad arthritis which makes it really hard to do anything. Coming to church is a sacrifice. Someone has to help her come everytime. She's really sweet though and wants to be baptized.

Mahal Kita. (filipino)

les Amo. 

I love you all.

Hermana Merrill

Cleaning the church after a baptism?

Cool for Cool

This week was cool for cool because it was stake conference, but a special stake conference. Elder Ballard,  Elder Oaks along with the general YW President and Elder Martino of the 70 spoke to all the stakes and districts of Central America. COOL! 

Elder Ballard gave a really awesome talk about the atonement. He talked about the need for both justice and mercy, and that how God would cease to exist if he gave mercy to his children and didn't worry about justice. He talked about the absolute need for a Savior. Our jew (Alejandro) who doesn't believe in Christ was there.  I feel like the concept that Alejandro doesn't understand is that we can't make up our wrongs no matter how well we act. He believes that we can, and that if we are obedient, God will be merciful. I don't know how to explain to him any better than Elder Ballard did about the need for an atonement. He goes to church almost every week though. 

Alan, the pilas grandson of a recent convert, got baptized this week! 

He has had a rough childhood. His mom gave him up to be raised by his grandma when he was 5 and he's been into drugs and doesn't have the best of friends. He's really wants to change though and now wants to be a really good kid. He's 15. He wants to go on a mission. He also understands a lot about Christ, the bible, reads the BOM, and the restoration. One time I prayed for longer than he was used to, and ever since then he's tried to pray longer than us. So one time in his prayer he said, "thank thee that Christ established a church, that for a while it wasn't here, and that again it's here on earth and that I've found it."  It was cool. 

Anyways love you family!

Hermana Merrill

Promising Progress in Matagalpa

So this letter will be short because I don't have a lot of time this week due to the schedule moved and the hour earlier (refer to my last letter).

 We had a leaders council in Managua on Tuesday and a multi-zone conference on Wednesday. That left 3 days to work, one of which was when we were on divisiones. I learned a lot, and we worked real hard the other three days. On Sunday Jorge was confirmed, but Yesica didn't get baptized. She still is having a hard time receiving a testimony, but a big blessing for them is that Yesica and Oscar are living together again and have fixed some of their marriage problems. 

Something really cool is happening here in Matagalpa. There is a really good youth and YSA program with lots of youth here in Matagalpa, which you don't see everywhere. An inspired (pilas) hermana that works with the youth started a cool thing. The young single adults and some adults (lots that have gone on missions) are paired up with the young men and young women. The each have  one family of less actives, investigators or recent converts to visit once in the week and then Sunday in the morning they all leave to bring these families to church. The assistance at church has been really awesome!

2 weeks ago it was really really low (it's normally above 100)- 86

1 weeks ago - 120

this week- 143

This week we are going to do visits with one of them every day!

Hermana Merrill

LOVE YOU all lots!

Obedience Blessings

So this week was a little crazy. President Collado did a phone conference with our zone on Wednesday. He said our zone wasn't doing so hot and then challenged us to wake up an hour earlier every day and then gave us some goals to meet. When we meet the goals we will start going to bed at the normal time. Welcome to waking up at 5:30 (= . It was actually good, although making my eyes open at 5:30 was a challenge, an extra hour in the day was very useful! Although one hour doesn't sound like much, I felt like our days and weeks were a lot more productive. Also we found lots of new families to teach. I know this was revelation from our president because this work will always move forward, and this really motivated us and our zone. 

Yesica came to church again this week, and we're praying and hoping she can get baptized this week. She just isn't sure still. 

But anyways that was my week, love you all and suerte a la novia, casi casada!

Hermana Merrill

Baptism and Cool People

The biggest news of this week is a cool kid named Jorge got baptized! He's 26 and has a strong testimony of the church! He wants to go on a mission! He will be such a good missionary. He reminds me a little bit of a hippie because he just feels everything. He says things like, "I watched the house of Hermana Blanca (the members that gave us his reference) and it just has a good feeling coming from it."  He's really sensible to the Holy Ghost. He says things like, "people sometimes tell me things about the mormons, but when you guys talk to me and when I'm at the church and when I was at the temple (once he visited the grounds of the Costa Rica Temple) I just feel good."  He has a really good heart, I know he'll be a good missionary. Once I asked him (we were teaching about the Sabbath) how he would feel if things were opposite, God just gave us one day for ourselves and 6 for him to emphasize that 1 day for God is easy.  He said it would be just fine with him, he would give them all to God as God gave him everything.... 

Other cool people:

Yesica and Oscar

 They're a really cool couple that've gone to church once, but couldn't go this week because her 1 month old baby has had a cold and a fever all week this week. We gave him a blessing so I'm praying he gets better soon. He's a member, but she's not, but is so sweet. She's just a little nervous about getting baptized  because she was already baptized once. 

Alejandro and Carla

They are the people we rent from. They sell jeans from the states and also coffee. He says he's Jew and she's traditional Catholic (never attends but was baptized as a baby). They've gone to church 2 times but they always come and go when they want. One time they just came for the first hour, another time for the 2nd. Maybe next time we'll convince for all three. They're really smart and he knows English. She has a heart of gold and is always doing service for us. Funny story-- we visited them one day this week, the day after he went to an activity and we were just kind of chatting to them because at the time they were eating breakfast. During the conversation, Carla said you need to congratulate Alejandro because he says he wants to be Mormon. He proceeds to get mad at her saying that she couldn't say things for him that she needs to talk for herself. So she says ok then, I want to be Mormon too (=. 

Also, Congratulations Nathan and Allie!

Hermana Merrill