Pre-Christmas Post

Monday, December 20, 2010

First, a couple pics from P-day:

Is this the Christmas turkey?

Hna. Rippstein taking a little rest...

A cool story to share:

We contacted this couple in the central park of Leon and they seemed really really enthusiastic that we come to their house and quick and so because it wasn't in our area we gave the reference to the elders (my friend Elder Mendez in the picture- he is our zone leader and actually goes home this week) and we urged them to go visit them quickly. So they did, but it was the wrong address and I remember I asked them if they at least contacted the wrong address. They said yes. This was at the beginning of this change. Didn't hear anything else about it till Elder Mendez introduced me to this man, Juan, who was the wrong address.

Turns out that he is going to be baptized this Saturday. They wouldn't have found him in the precise moment he needed help if we hadn't been at the park at that time contacting that couple who gave us the wrong address. I don't believe it was an accident. Not at all. God works in mysterious ways. It was really cool getting to be a small part of this whole thing. If I stay in León this next change, I will get to go to his baptism. Remember that sometimes we dont know why things happen but they do happen for a reason. Maybe we won't see it until far down the line, but it is there.

Some pics from the Church Christmas Activity:

El Verdadero Significado de la Navidad

Tue, December 14, 2010 1:02:06 PM

First things first - HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!! I hope it was magical! Thank you for always supporting me and pushing me to be a better person with bigger dreams. Thanks for helping me to see the big picture. The things you have taught me have helped me more than you know. Here´s to another year of adventure!!

Hnas. Avila & Rippstein with converts Josue and Johan-

when they received the Melchizedek Priesthood

Hnas. Rippstein & Avila on the road to Los Leches

Courtney--I mean Hna. Rippstein

Another beautiful Nicaraguan sky....

Hnas. Avila & Rippstein headed to Los Leches again

Just a quick thought because we were cut short of time today. Logically, I have been thinking a lot about the nativity - the really reason we celebrate Christmas. When Mary and Joseph were looking for a place to stay they went door to door searching.. but no one had space for them. Today we go searching door to door as well, searching for someone who has sufficient space in their hearts for Him. Also.. when Christ was born, the kings gave him 3 gifts that were of very high value in those times. Since we can’t give precious material things directly to him now, what is our great gift? What is something grand that we ourselves can give to him?

Christmas--already?

Mon, December 6, 2010 5:11:05 PM

Well.. this blog will be rather short this week but I would like to open with how much I absolutely adored the Christmas Broadcast this year. I really never took advantage of such things before my mission. I hope I never lose my love for conference talks and devotionals like that. I loved how Elder Uchtdorf recalled the story of the Grinch (even though he did make me a little trunky! Especially in the part where he talked about apple cider.. mmmm. Absolutely killed some of the elders hahaha). Elder Uchtdorf.. I just unfailingly enjoy every message he ever offers. I felt very very touched by the other two addresses given as well, especially about the Atonement. We had 3 investigators (people of strong character and potential) who came to the devotional and I think they really did love it and feel the spirit. I did get to watch it in English, by the way, and it was glorious. Just an excellent way to celebrate the season in my opinion.

I am not exactly sure how Christmas is spent here just yet. I have gotten contrasting answers and some folks absolutely detest the celebration of Christmas. For others it is by far the best day of the year, for whatever reason. the 24th of December is supposedly the biggest day of the entire year though. It is supposed to be filled with fiestas - for all you gringos reading this that means parties :) - and yelling and noise and FOOD and dancing dancing dancing. For me it will be spent working and I am happy with that. My line of work really does bring a sense of achievement and a level of happiness and satisfaction that is impossible to describe right now.

I am feeling great here in Nicaragua overall. I am happy even though I am a chronic worry-wart - does that make sense? My life is an oxymoron hahahah it really is. I am so opposite in every aspect of my personality. But hey that is why we are friends right? We are really starting to get to know a lot of great people and have helped some people with many personal issues and obstacles (including myself sometimes!). It is ever amazing to me how we all really do have our own individual battle here in the world. I love it when questions of the soul are finally able to receive an answer. Sometimes I think I focus so much on the big big big overall picture and all the millions of things when really all I have to do is zone in on one thing at a time. I think I have never really been very good at that. But everything is possible with the help of the Lord. I know that. I testify of that every day. Some folks dismiss others as lost causes but I can say that I know there is almost no such thing as a lost cause. They are very very few and far between. Sometimes all someone needs is a friend to really listen. To really be there. To help to resolve the real problem that is hidden underneath.

Don't Be Sorry, Just Improve

Mon, November 29, 2010 5:58:12 PM

"May we be strengthened with the understanding that being blessed does not mean that we shall always be spared all the disappointments and difficulties of life." Heber J. Grant

I would send photos from this week but I think the Cyber just erased all my photos from my mission. Yeaaaa I feel great. Well. At least it will always live on in my memory. And the few photos that have made it home.

This week was Thanksgiving. It was good to hear how everything went back home! But honestly I didn't think at all about what I was missing. Until elders mentioned Black Friday and then I was really really really happy that I was far away from the states and that madness hahah. As for us, we celebrated and gave thanks and I realized what a crazy person I was being, being stressed out n such. I'm just going to let it all go. My motto of this week is ¨Don't be sorry, just improve.¨ So on Wednesdays we have an activity where members and investigators come and it is like a spiritual thought night sort of thing.. hymns, a thought, testimony, a message and an activity of some sort. This week we wanted to make special so we arranged with the bishop to get some food in there too so we had delicious empanadas ticos de pollo and tang and it was awesome.

The whole night was focused on remembering the importance of the words of prophets because they are the words of the Lord for us and since his words were on Gratitude this last conference, it was just fitting. We shared and discussed and it was great and in the end we went around the room saying what we were thankful for. It was amazing. We also had an FHE with a more or less inactive family and lots of things were remembered for them (most were in church on Sunday!) and we did the same thing. And it was a humbling, happy experience. My focus is to remember the words of the prophet and be happy and always focus on what is going awesome. Because if you cant find any reason to celebrate or smile, you are doing something wrong.

Also I had kind of a cool experience in study this week. I know it means a mountain to me and probably not much to ya'll, but the scriptures spoke to me! Or rather, I got the answer to prayer and questions this week. I haven't really read the D&C in the field here because my focus has been in the Book of Mormon and the Bible, but for some reason I ended up randomly at D&C 6. And the whole thing shattered my world. I knew that those words were meant for me in that moment. And I went through all the particular scriptures in the chapter and wrote down why they were rockin my world at that moment. It was an amazing experience and like most spiritual experiences I didn't want it to end. I know that ya'll don't know what I was praying about or really whats been on my mind or my history or my conversion or the people that we are meeting with these days, and maybe you can't tell by reading the chapter but to me it was very, very exact. I got very exact counsel on very exact problems. I only want to share the scripture that hit me the hardest of all of them and just in a very general way, in verse 14:

¨Verily, verily, I say unto thee, blessed art thou for what thou hast done; For thou hast inquired of me, and behold, as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit. If it had not been so, thou wouldst not have come to the place where thou art at this time.¨

If I hadn't I would not be in Nicaragua. I would not be with the gospel. I would not be in this almost constant state of clarity or happiness that I have.

A few of the maaaaaaaaaaaaany things I am thankful for:
- For the times when things DO work
- Water
- Active members who are very involved and seek first the kingdom of God
- León, and my area in it
- My comps
- Memories
- Health
- Gallo Pinto
- Time
- Spiritual experiences every day
- Opportunity
- Showers and cleanliness
- My family
- Disney
- Challenges
- Picos (it is a type of bread)
- Support
- Goals and plans
- Practice for family life and challenges later on
- Letters
- The patience of others
-Spiritual gifts
- Strong members, recent converts, and investigators
- To be here and serve
- Music
- Clarity & Happiness
-Imagination

- Sleep
- Prophets
-The Spirit that is always with us to guide us
-The Gospel
- A plan for us, individually and as a whole
-Love
-The Lord

Life is good. I am good. Although the mission has had its ups and downs and this change hasn't been particularly successful as far as numbers (I have never been in this for numbers) and results go and it has been rather challenging, I have overall enjoyed all of my mission. All of the hard times even. Everything has been great. I love it. I just.. love it.

Momotombo

Mon, November 22, 2010 6:27:07 PM

Note: Somehow something happened to Courtney's email and as of right now I can't find the pics that accompanied this blog--they went on holiday or something! If I can retrieve them, I'll add them in....

Today when we went to Viejo Leon which is Old Leon - the capital was built and everything but it was destroyed and now it is here where I am, so we went to the ruins basically. Thing is the only thing they could do to preserve the ruins I guess was pour concrete all over the top and so it didnt look very ruins-ish but hey it was cool and we got to take pictures with volcano Momotombo! The pics I took kind of give you a feel of just how green and beautiful it is here in Nicaragua. I am going to miss it as well as how beautiful the sky is. The other pic is me in the school uniforms they have here hahah except with my own shirt cuz the girl we lived with that graduated did something with her shirt so yea idk but its more or less what they wear. Everywhere you go you see students in these. School finished more or less for everyone last week. They do not go back to school till like February I believe

This week we worked our butts off - just always going going going and we would barely have any time at night to write in our journals before collapsing cuz of how tired we got but yea. Started off the week going to a part of my area I have never been to, called Los Leches. Unsure where it gets its name but its basically a looooong road with a few houses along the stretch of it. We were walking out there a total probably of about 6 hours and we met some really cool people so we will see where it goes with them. We head out there again tomorrow but I want to make more time out of it so we are leaving earlier. But it was really beautiful.. we will probably bring Hna Ávilas camera tomorrow with us to take pictures. It is just so green and the weather is nicer over there too cuz it is more elevated. But at one point when we were coming back all of the sudden a stampede of cows and horses came barreling at us because they were being driven uproad and we were like AHHH RUN! hahahahah it was funny though.

Also we decided to start up a new thing with service projects, passing by and offering service to anyone that needed it. This one lady took us into her house to show us that she had nothing that we could do but it turns out they had tons of work to be done in their backyard so we cleaned it for like 2 hours and it was cool. They do not seem to be interested at all in the church or anything but it still felt good to help others out. We have a few more set projects and days of service coming up too. They are killer for exhaustion but so worth it I feel like. I like León more and more every day. I really like the feeling of knowing where I am too.. I can pretty much get us wherever we need to go now. Sometimes I feel like Im just walking down the streets somewhere in the states or something (no particular place) but then I realize I am in Nicaragua. It is weird. Every now and them I think to myself.. woah.. NICARAGUA. Thats where I am. What?!

Random things that happened this week - I saw a bike with a baby doll´s head on it for decoration, a guy driving a wagon with a horse meowed at us as he passed by, kids playing jacks (I didnt know they even still made jacks! I dont know how to play it and apparently it is popular here!), I got my first impulse to get out my phone and call mom (not for anything crazy just to call her and ask a quick question), people have begun to think I am from a different part of Central America instead of always U.S. and the final random thing is christmas trees made out of bottles and glass and trash and stuff from the street. I guess it was a recycling campaign about how clean León was or something.

Also we other soaking downpours 2 days last week... on one day we heard it coming and we started running and it chased us. We fumbled with the keys and our hearts were pounding but we got into the church just as it hit us and we were saved that day. The other day we were not so fortunate... But one thing I love is at night when its not raining but its still thundering and lighting oh wow it is so beautiful to watch it storm away! It lightnings which silhouettes the clouds and what more is it is a beautiful shade of purple and wow. I mean I saw things like this on tv on like the Discovery Channel or Animal Planet or something but I never really thought of it as really being that way so it always takes me by surprise to see something so breathtaking and realize it is real.

Hna Ávila and I are really loving this change, even though it is difficult. In terms of companionship it is great - she is very very similar to me which I find weird. I will say something and she will be like.. EXACTLY! And it always takes me aback because my other comps were not quite as similar. But I love it. We laugh a lot. Sometimes all you can do in a situation is laugh haha. Work is going slow as far as the obra misional. I think we may have 2 baptisms this week, but they are for kids. All of our investigators are either uninterested, the kind that need tons of time to figure it out, or they cant be in their homes at certain times so we have to pass by till we find them. We have had to drop a family and another couple of investigators this week. Also we have had a lot of difficulty with recent converts, even though we have put a lot of focus into them these last 2 weeks to be able to smooth the transition of Hna Platero leaving and helping them with their personal issues. Even when the spirit is strong and they express a lot of gratitude for encouraging them and helping them, sometimes they still choose to head a different direction.

It is hard seeing converts fall and not being able to help them because they have their agency. My life feels a lot like Tetris right now hahah there is just so much to do and we cannot do it all ourselves. Things are getting to a slow point right now - we work hard but dont see many results. Each Saturday that passes feels that much more tense. Many times at the end of the day the greatest satisfaction is knowing we did what we could and the rest is in the hands of the Lord. You cannot beat yourself up for every unsuccess because if you do that the enemy is gonna get power real quick. Endure it and get over it. Because you can do that!

Primer CAMBIOS!

Mon, November 15, 2010 5:55:08 PM

The missionaries at 'changes'

Well, we had changes and my "mom" left me. And she also took all the long-standing relationships with members with her. This week was filled with a lot of awkward silences with those who had the relationships with her. My new comp and I have worked very hard with little results. It is difficult but I have confidence this phase will pass soon. There are just so many problems and stressors and crazy things that came up this weekend. But it is okay and you know why? It is in our hard times that we grow closer to the Lord. This.. is strength. And one day I'll understand why we have had to endure these things.

Courtney's "mom" (Hna. Platero), Courtney, and Hna. Avila

My new comp is pretty chill and knows how to work and we have similar views on missionary work so that is awesome. Hna. Avila is from Guatemala, and for once in my life, I feel sooo tall! Also.. my new missionary language is Spanglish now. I keep switching between the two in conversations it is ridiculous.. cuz my comp knows English too. I'm going to be a weirdo when I return home. Well.. more than normal anyways. She is 23 years old and she has 11 months in the mission. She served 8 in Esteli and the rest in Managua and now she is here. Everyone always tells me how awesome she is so I hope some of that can rub off on me ; ) She will have served a 20 month mission when she leaves next year - I am not sure how that happened but that's the deal. The joke is she becomes an Elder at 19 months. Haha!

Hnas. Rippstein & Avila

I am learning to love again this change. We were machetied about numbers last change and it wasn't that I personally didn't love the people we were teaching (because I truly do!), but it only became about the numbers and dates for me. Even when we didn't have tons of numbers, the people we did have were still just figures. I was just a drone. I am starting to feel like I'm in it for the right reasons again. It is difficult though when you still have the pressure of your leaders but then you realize it is just because they want us to be able to find those that need help too. They want us to be able to be there for the people that are lost and to take every opportunity. And what is more, I want to be there for those that need me. I feel that urge pulling inside me everyday. I just love Nicaragua and the people. I really do.

Tomorrow I turn 5. Weird. I am almost to my half mark. Ish.

Another Miracle

Mon, November 8, 2010 6:51:58 PM

So this week we participated in another miracle. So as some of you may or may not know, my companion has been here in the area of León for the entire first half of her mission. We expect that she will be transferred this Wednesday at changes probably. Who knows if I will go or not, that is not the point right now hahaha. Anyways so what it is, is that she has been teaching this one man, Marcio, since she came here. It has been a long and difficult ride for the two of them (and me for the last little portion!), but this weekend he was baptized and confirmed. Amazing. I remember Hna. Platero telling me when I came here that based on how things had all been going and such, if he was baptized she would witness a miracle. And so, miracles still do exist! His family - wife AND kids - are really inactive and do not really support his being baptized. His 15 year old son mocked him for it and laughed when we came to pick him up like he couldn't believe it. Pretty difficult. I know, though, that he can be strong and has a great potential.

Hermana Platero

Hermanas Rippstein and Platero,

the Priesthood holder who performed the baptism, and Marcio.

Also, there must be something truly great planned for Johan, the man who was baptized after practically being hand prepared by God for the message. I have never seen someone so truly ready for the gospel in my life. Anyways, now just about every adversity is coming his way. He is of strong character and has a true testimony, but has no support from family, is mocked by many, and generally just in circumstances that are refining his character right now. He needs your prayers. I know great things are destined for every one of those who accept the gospel and move forward in faith, but Hna Platero and I can tell that the adversary is trying very hard to get him to lose that faith. But still he is strong and pressing forward and knows what he needs to do.

I am extremely thankful for being able to participate in this work and am starting to feel like I can actually help people and find personal purpose. Thank you for your prayers and support!

Happy Halloween and other news

Mon, November 1, 2010 7:09:51 PM

Happppppy Halloween!! They do not really celebrate it here. I heard that in other areas it is actually a day of black magic and voodoo but I am in a city so we don’t have much of that. Apparently in all of Central America Halloween is not a good day, according to my companion. This was one the lamest Halloweens I have ever experienced (Luckily the two days I will miss Halloween are on the worst days of the week to have it so that makes me happy). My district leader made sure to call me and wish me happy Halloween because he knew that this day was a very important one to me, which was very nice of him. We have one of the best district leaders ever. He is very thoughtful and always willing to help in whatever way possible. He falls well with me.

This week was busy and full but I do not remember most of it.. it is kind of all a blur. I can’t believe we are already at changes again. Life is good and I like being busy. We had a special presentation about the temple and stuff for all the recent converts of Leon and it turned out pretty well I think. Couples and families that had been sealed in the temple testified together about their experiences, the missionaries all sang “I Love To See The Temple” and it was just a good experience. Except for the fact that I got super trunkey for temples hahaha. Trunkey for those of you that don’t know is what they call missionaries who miss something about their homes.

This week we had another beach baptism, which went very well. President Arredondo, his family, and the APs all came and it was a great experience. I have added photos from the trip, some with members, some with the president and his family, some with missionaries and especially some of our converts, Johan and Tino. This time we only had 2 (the other 2 investigators fell through), but I think I prefer it that way almost because I can give them the attention they deserve on their special day, rather than running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to make sure that people are feeling good. The beach was more gorgeous this time, if that is possible, and we were able to stay till sundown which was awesome. My comp and I got to ride with the president in a VAN with soft chairs and AIR CONDITIONING and it was really a treat haha.

Johan and Tino felt so good and it was such a happy experience for the two of them. Ha when Tino (the older one) put on his baptismal clothes he was parading around and dancing a bit (he is kind of strange and kooky but that’s why we love him) and he was all like, ´Soy beautiful, no?´ Hahaha we almost died laughing. What a hoot! Johan is the same age as me, his birthday is actually only 7 days before mine, but he is still so stoked about preparing for a mission! He wants everyone to feel the same way that he does and, well, isn’t that the most that a missionary can hope for one of their converts? His whole life has been changed completely around because of the help of God. They are so happy.. and I am so happy because of it. And many of our converts are still buzzing with excitement and total happiness and fullness of spirit which is something great to see.

Another Wedding, and the Baptisms Continue...

Mon, October 25, 2010 4:43:28 PM

Just a few snapshots from the "lighter side" of Courtney's life:

Ever the party girl, Hna. Rippstein helps celebrate

Hna. Platero's birthday a week or so ago!

Fruit is becoming a favorite food--and this papaya

is huuuuuge, she says!

Anyone who knows Courtney knows that she loves Disney

almost as much as she loves her real family! So, she has been

pleasantly surprised that Disney seems to be a fave in

Nicaragua, too--and is, as she says, "everywhere."

The companions--Hnas. Rippstein and Platero

Now the weekly update, in her words:

Well, we had another wedding and two baptisms this weekend which was pretty dang swell. This family just makes me so happy. The spirit and happiness that emanates from their home is intoxicating. I love it. As missionary as it sounds, the spirit is always so strong with them. 3 have been baptized, then these two, and we are working with 3 more from the family as well. This week we also met Johan, a young adult hand-prepared by God for this message. This is what he has been waiting for, searching for. We answer the questions he brings to our lessons without even knowing it beforehand. This is an answer to prayers. I love our discussions with him.. he is full of questions and a thirst to learn. He has a very powerful story, too personal to share here, but I can tell you that the Lord saved him and encircled him about in His arms and brought him here in this moment, right now for a reason. And I can’t express how blessed I feel to be able to be a part of this experience and work. The spirit of God is an amazing thing, and I hope ya’ll don’t forget it! (me too!)

Also, this week a family of investigators asked me to pray in English. I was like.. YES! In my mind and was excited for the opportunity, but when it came time I just.. couldn’t pray in English! Ha. I couldn’t think of words or where to go and I still used a few Spanish words on accident-- hahaha. If this is how I am right now I shudder to think how lost I will be in 14 months.. It was just ridiculous. Also today we are in normal clothes out in public (usually we just stay at the church or something) and it feels really weird. I feel different. I think I may have a little bit of a rough restart when I come home hahaha.

OK my thought of the day.. these things have kind of come up in the last week with situations here amongst the people. Here goes.. okay, so I figure the Lord has something for us to learn, and when we choose to ignore his promptings and the things we know we should do, sometimes He has to resort to teaching us by experience because we denied what would have been real wisdom. Whatever our reasons were, they don’t seem to matter when we come to that devastating moment of regret for not acting when we should have. It’s like Elder Holland said, Whatever we were thinking, we weren’t thinking of Christ. Every Sunday we pledge to take upon ourselves His name and promise to always remember Him. Could you imagine Christ doing all the same things you do every day? What do you think He´d do different? All of us, no matter where we are or who we are or what we are doing, need to work a little harder at remembering Him. Let’s together work a little harder at being a little better. Someday we will have to account to Jesus Christ what we have done with His name. I hope that day I will not feel pain because of the way I lived my life and the things I did.

Freedom of choice brings responsibilities for our choices. Our choices ALWAYS affect something else. And we never know how soon it will be too late. If you´ve made a mistake, seek to fix it! If it is a big mistake or seems outside your ability to control, go to one of the many fine bishops of the church. I promise they can help and that God wants to be able to help you. The next step is yours. Trust your bishops. They can help you. Go to them; don’t let pride (in any form) keep you away. I am not saying this because I am a missionary or a goody two shoes Mormon or because I want you to get caught or win some battle or to take sides with parents. I am saying this because in the past I lived how I wanted to, I did things I am not proud of, and I suffered the consequences of my choices. And it was hard, but eventually I did go to a bishop for help, and he helped me. I am also saying this because it is true. The counsel with bishops (in whatever thing) has helped countless people who believed they were stuck or lost causes, who didn´t know of any attainable solution. It has also helped to avoid even greater pain that would have followed if actions had persisted. That is why bishops are here. I know they are called of God to be there to help and serve each of you. And you can trust in that.

Don´t become a lost cause. Don’t let anything stand in your way and put off true happiness for any amount of time. As part of the plan the Lord has for us, we´ll experience trials and sorrows and we will make mistakes. But we can also repent and be forgiven, which is a gift from the Lord. He suffered so we would not have to. The pain we feel is unnecessary and with His help we can move past it. Don’t let your mistakes define who you are. Don’t let them defile the name you have taken upon you. It is only too late if you think it is. Never allow your agency to be compromised in any manner. We cannot function the way the Lord needs us if we are not worthy or obedient to His commandments. The ONLY reason we have commandments is because He loves us and truly wants our happiness. You do have the option of breaking them if you want. You can. It is your choice. But I promise there is not much down that road, only artificial, temporary happiness. The world often thinks our beliefs are outdated, unpopular and even impossible. The world cannot see past its own nose. It cannot see the ultimate blessings. Only by letting go of the world can we truly possess what is real. Sure it can be a daunting task. Faith must be sought after and developed; it is not free, given without thought, action or choice. But TRUST in the Lord! Seek it! Like our other choices in life, we are responsible for finding and building faith, and we are also responsible for not having it. Life won’t turn out exactly the way we expect. Life is the way it is. It is how you handle it that makes the difference. With faith we can overcome whatever obstacles are put in our way, honestly! Choose faith over pessimism, doubt and other dampers of spirit. Refocus your view on what matters most and do something good with His name. You have more power than you know.

A Platero Cumpleanos

Mon, October 18, 2010 4:20:54 PM

So first off.... HAPPPPPYYYYYY BIIIIRRRRTHDAYYYYYYY FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS KYYYLLLLEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

.. of course I didn’t forget :)

So this week is Platero week. Hna. P’s birthday is today and so I am not going to lie, I have been living well as well hahahaha. We have had gifts and super good food and already 3 cakes.. There will be another tonight. I was caked out after the first but it is all good. It is really nice it is for her to be in this area for her birthday because she has been here forever haha. But anyways.. Wish her happy birthday from the States! She turns 25! Also... I celebrated my 4 month mark on the mission, and my half birthday is Wednesday. Feel free to send gifts ;)

Also want to take a minute to talk to all of you out there who have problems. Especially within the family relationships. It is my opinion that you can solve most problems with communication.. so many families and relationships dissolve because of issues that could have been resolved much earlier. All they need is just a little more communication; to talk about things and work together to resolve issues instead of bad actions that just degrade the relationship and prolong unhappiness. First, I’m going to suggest what preach my gospel says - paraphrased - which is a companionship inventory. This is especially useful when you are around someone a lot, like a roommate or spouse. Begin with prayer - I suggest asking for guidance, an open heart and to be prepared to take constructive criticism. Discuss the strength of your relationship with your companion. Discuss any challenges that may be keeping your relationship from being unified or whatever other challenges you’re having. Resolve conflicts (gonna touch more on this later). Share with your companion what you think his or her strengths are. Ask for suggestions on how you can improve... and don’t only ask for advice. Take it and utilize it as well. If needed, set goals that will improve your relationship. Conclude with prayer.

So how does one just resolve a conflict? First, identify your problem and unmet needs. Describe your problem and needs in a non-attacking way. During this part, reveal as much as possible of RELEVANT thoughts and feelings. These can help more than you know. Every person is different, believe it or not. Don’t take for granted that they must know how you feel. A big problem is that you can have two people that are screaming their opinions and everything at each other (openly or not) but both are on different wavelengths. The person is more likely to understand why things are going the way they are if you explain; you will be more open with each other, and you will grow closer because you expressed it. Then actually consider your partner’s point of view. Do not blow it off or assume it is wrong just because it isn’t your way of doing things, because it is very real to them and by doing that, you would just make things worse. Focus on the WHY - why they may feel the way they feel. It is actually possible that in all of this, you may have to change a little bit. Negotiate a solution with that person that you BOTH honestly agree is in the best interests of all, and, most importantly, follow up on that solution. I guarantee you’ll have a much better chance of solving the problem at hand.

Any relationship of any depth will have conflict. Are you going to keep it clean or dirty? If the conflict is handled dirtily, it won’t help anything even if you do ´win´. The contentious conflict could, given the time, destroy the relationship. When the conflict is clean and you work together it can strengthen your relationship and help it grow. If there is no potential positive outcome of the fight, then there is no point. Another helpful thing to do is use I language, as in me-I not seeing-eye. For example, use ´I feel this..´ instead of ´you are, you this, you that’. ‘ You’ language is attacking, a language of judgment, and usually all you’ll get in response is a defensive reaction. ‘ I’ language is less conflicting and hey guess what? Your perception of other people and what they do is flawed so by using ‘you’ language, the entire statement is flawed ‘cuz it’s from your point of view. What you see is NOT always (and usually isn’t) what is going on. You know yourself more, making ‘I’ language the superior decision.

Remember when dealing with conflict, you are dealing with people. We have free agency, which means that other people can make decisions that affect you. How will you handle it? Sometimes all you get is the peace that comes from knowing you’ve done everything you could. ´Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.´ Remember, anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were. The Lord has a purpose in requiring us to overcome challenges. The Lord can help us in anything if we have faith in Him. I love you all!

Birthday Cake: There is a tradition in Nicaragua that after the song and all, the birthday person takes a bite out of the uncut cake. Since it was Hna. Platero's birthday, this is her first bite....

Of course, being friends as well as companions,

the cake eventually gets shared....

Another cake for Hna. Platero. All in all, there were either three or

four cakes in celebration of Hna. Platero's birthday.

Happy 25!! (And Happy Half-Birthday to Courtney on Oct. 20).

Anita (a baptism from about 6 weeks or so ago)'s other daughter

is getting married and baptized!

Courtney's not sure what this spiky fruit is called, but it tastes

like grapes, she says. Even though she doesn't know

what it's called, it's one of her favorite fruits....

The spiky fruit has a huge pit in the middle that you can't eat.

The picture does make you wonder about the texture of the fruit, huh?

Courtney and some "delicious food". The marks on her shirt are

apparently from the "gasiosa"--what they call soda in Nicaragua....

"I have a fan cuz it's hot"....

Walking by Faith

Mon, October 11, 2010 5:27:37 PM

This week we baptized a teenager named Alexandra. When we first met with her we promised that if she did all of her part, she would be ready to be baptized on the 16th. Things were going well and she had a lot of hope but then issues happened with her family. They wouldn´t allow her to be baptized in the church and a lot of other stuff like that. Then later she cancelled all of this week before her date for other reasons and stuff and though we had an appt with her for Friday, we had eliminated her in our minds as a valid option for this Saturday. We were more thinking.. someday soon maybe then, and we had forgotten the promise we´d made. Friday she didn´t have time for a lesson and an interview so our district leader Elder Clark went ahead and interviewed her. And still at this time I had no idea what was going on - after all, it was all in Spanish. I thought that he was just touching base with her to see if we would be able to continue to have lessons with her. Up till about the last 5 minutes of the interview, it wasn´t happening. Then they prayed and guess what? She got her answer. She was to be baptized at 2 o´clock the next day; we were so excited and peaceful at the same time, humbled cuz the Lord taught us a lesson - to have faith in Him and the fact that He fulfills promises. He had prepared her just in time to be baptized. But then.. the baptism was cancelled and postponed for the next day. I wondered why the Lord would have it that way.. one day off? I settled that maybe it was just His will and perhaps it was just the being ready, not actually the ordinance itself. So we go off to other investigators, kind of bummed a little bit but still feeling good that she would be baptized Sunday. We had just made an appt with one of our other investigators when one of our ward missionaries comes running up ¨Hermanas! Alexandra is in the church right now and so is Mosiah! (<-- the teen to baptize her) It´s time to baptize right now!´ (In Spanish of course). And so we run to the church, put together a program with the youth that were there for mutual, and she was baptized. On the 16th. Lesson 2. I felt bad for forgetting the Lord.. a second time. He works in mysterious ways, always with purpose. I am thankful for His patience in me and for the opportunity to be taught every day.

Today I´m going to talk just a second about faith. Yes, you´ve probably heard it all, but oh well. Tough cookies. Go Facebook or something if you don´t want to hear it. We´ve been teaching many who are waiting for a sign to be baptized. This reminds me of something I heard in the MTC, talking about Jesus Christ, ´He asked me to come to the edge, and I wouldn´t. He asked me again to come to the edge, and I still wouldn´t. He asked me to come to the edge once more, and I did. And He pushed me. And I flew.´ There are many things we´ve learned about faith this week. None of it is new, but it has given us a new level of testimony in this principle. Faith is a principle of action. We know through the scriptures that testimonies don´t come until after a test of our faith (Ether 12:6). There are many scriptures and words of prophets that testify of this. So what are we waiting for? We have to act according to our faith so that the Lord can trust us with His mysteries - so that we can receive personal revelation and be guided in our difficulties. The Lord will help us, but do you think He should just reveal everything to someone who won´t even do anything to seek Him?

We are saved by the grace of God, but only after we have done everything we can do (1 Nephi 25:23), not through our words only or stagnant belief. And so I hope to encourage those out there to not just wait for things to come your way. Acting in faith is like a catalyst for bringing happiness faster. And we are that we might have joy. Most of the time we probably aren´t going to realize all the things the Lord´s done for us until afterwards. I know that if we walk by faith and trust in the promises the Lord has given us, the Lord will bless us beyond what we can comprehend. And after you receive an answer, trust the Lord. He will see it through.

Love you all!

Alexandra and her "Hermanas"

Hna. Platero, Alexandra, Hna. Rippstein, & Mosiah

Hnas. Platero & Rippstein, Alexandra & Mosiah, and ???

Courtney likes her fruit?!! (Someone should tell her it

tastes better if it's peeled and cored first....)