Living the Dream

Tuesday, November 29, 2011 12:08 PM

HAPPY THANKSGIVING AGAIN for those that missed it the last time and I want everyone to know I’m grateful for God and the things He does for me and everyone else. And I’m also thankful for smiles, good food, a family that loves me, and toilet paper. Ok… on to this week...

A friend told me once that God stretches you until you can’t take it anymore and then stretches you more. I believe that.

So, today I finally got my last companion. Changes were last Wednesday. I had been jumping around between various members - nothing set every day since and that was weird and difficult. It was like I didn’t belong anywhere. Hahaha-but now that has changed. I am now dividing the area we opened last change, finishing my mission with a Nicaraguan member. She isn’t a missionary yet; she is still waiting for her papers. She is also pure native Nicaraguan - she speaks a dialect in addition to Spanish and they had to fly her out from her pueblo on the east coast of this country - first time away from home and first time in this part of Nicaragua. SO I’m kind of training-prepping her and dividing the area and I’ve got SO MUCH TO DO. It’s great! We may even be baptizing this weekend. Cool beans. I can’t even sleep anymore-this last change has got me going crazy.

Fun story - we taught the gospel principles class Sunday about the Holy Spirit and asked the question about any time someone had had a spiritual experience, or how the spirit speaks to us or something like that. I had an investigator present; his name is Jose. We had taught him a month ago but he was drunk both times and then hung-over the last time we passed so we gave him a bit of time. We hadn’t visited him or anything for awhile-not until Saturday. Anyways, during the Sunday school class, when that question was asked, Jose shared his spiritual experience: He had been thinking about us and the things that we had taught him and baptism and he was thinking that he should go visit the church. He felt that that would be important. Well, a couple hours later, I showed up. And we taught him and invited him to church. And he came. 20 minutes early. And he is happy. I’m happy. The spirit works in simple ways.

People always say you`re fried at the end of your mission and talk about how I’m going home and stuff but I sincerely don’t feel any different. Yes the time is limited.. I have 1 month left. But I don’t feel it. I feel like I have maybe 8 months here. And that I’ll continue on. But it’s weird because at the same time I get this strange creeping feeling that my time in Nicaragua is passing-like I have played my part and now it is time for others to take the reins and me to bump up to the next level of the video game of life.

Many people talk about missions being hard, and they are, but life and putting into practice all the changes and beauty that one learns on a mission is also a great adventure. My last change and the situation I’m in presents great challenges, but I know that God has grand lessons to pack into this little time I have left. President said that it was indicated by the Lord that I end my mission here and that the Lord would take advantage of this time to teach me and I should learn those lessons with enthusiasm. I’m focused on the moment - making all my present actions count. I have so many ideas I want to realize this month and we just want to explode this area. I think Howard Hunter said `The conscious effort to do one`s part fully is the greatest element contributing to success.´ If we are willing, God takes it the rest of the way. All I know is, if an opportunity for growth presents itself in our lives, God will use it.

Courtney and a new hermana--she is AWESOME!!

Saying good bye to Hna. Tacam

Christmas in the mall....

the end of the water fight

Hna. Rippstein and Donald Duck

My main goal this last change, though, is this - to Live the Dream. Every day.

The Last Change

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 6:58 PM

Happy Turkey Day for all you that live where people actually eat turkey and celebrate this holiday!

I enter now into a strange phase of my mission - the last change.

All my mission has brought me up to this point.. This is where it counts more than ever! Instead of feeling dead and like giving up I have felt the opposite - alive, and more motivated than ever to make a difference. I think it’s interesting, too how one really doesn’t fully understand the power, authority and the difference we make as missionaries until the end. Sometimes I feel like I’m just now figuring out how to do this work, and I’m about to go home! But judging from what other folks say, that is pretty typical.

We have been teaching a few families but our main goal right now is fixing up the branch and finding new families and building relationships with the members through service. We`ve got a lot of big plans, and a lot of people to help. Most of the recent converts have been faltering recently due to challenges that have come their way or their negligence in the spiritual maintenance work. So we have to help them out with that. This Tuesday we will be having our own little Thanksgiving activity at the church (which is actually a house by the way) and expect great results out of it.

I had been reflecting about how to make the mission a part of my life forever and I think that I don’t have to worry about that cuz what I’ve learned is pretty much applicable to everything I think that could come. I hope that it is true that you think of your mission every single day afterwards because this is the experience of a lifetime. Speaking of Thanksgiving, I’m so happy and GRATEFUL God saw it needful for me to serve. I’ve changed completely; my future life has been saved and there is still more to learn! I look forward to seeing what the Lord will teach me these last 6 weeks. I’m also grateful for my family and friends that have supported me through emails, letters, packages and, most of all, PRAYERS. You all are so great and I’m glad to have been able to share this experience with you. I hope that in some small way I have been able to help y’all in return. I’m also grateful for Christ who provides the way to overcome every weakness we have and any challenge that comes in our way. I’m grateful that He has patience with me and that He cares to help me progress. I’m grateful for the plan that He has provided that He has revealed in these days that has guided me and gives me hope and wonder and happiness. I know that the commandments bring true freedom and happiness and I’m also grateful for them.

Pray and work hard, and this week forgive and forget, help others, talk to someone about God and read the scriptures every single day.

(Our DL took us horseback riding this P-day--it was awesome!)

Quick News Update

Monday, November 14, 2011 8:33 PM

Today’s news -

I had 4 months without baptizing a family. But I think it was worth the wait. We completed a family this week - and he isn't just a baptism, but a real convert. God worked a miracle in him! And I love this guy. He is one of the chosen ones that the scriptures talk about. I feel so blessed to participate in his process. I’m so happy. His name is Wilfredo, the baptism was stressless; he even shared his testimony…. God answered his prayers and the Book of Mormon made a huge difference. I feel a lot of peace with that. Really, it was the spirit that carried this whole process and it’s amazing how it works. I love God. I love the mission. I hope your week has gone well too!!

Well....hello?

Drinking milk "fresh from the cow"

Headed to the aforementioned baptism...

Courtney, the mission president, and his wife.

Picture Time!!

Monday, October 31, 2011 6:43 PM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!!!!!!

I love you and I hope your birthday celebrations were magical and that many enchanting memories will be made in the year to come! You are in my heart and prayers.

Today was cool.. we went and visited an abandoned prison! The prison wasn’t really much of anything anymore but there were bats in this one room and so we would run in and scare them out and then everyone that was frightened of them would freak out - it was fun. I just thought it was perfect for Halloween. Halloween is my favorite day of the year.. my last real Halloween I was at Disney World.. aahh.. it hurts.. But I am happy. Working hard in Nagarote - my area is different than the others I have been in.. I can’t really describe it- it’s just really different. I know that doesn’t help but.. oh well.

We threw this awesome activity Saturday that was like a fair. I did make-up for kids and stuff and all the people played games. We made donuts in the morning and they had to eat them while they were hanging on a string and it was funny. We also played other simple games that they just loved like fruit basket and stuff and…I don’t know, it was just a good branch bonding experience. Our attendance at church jumped 25 people...

(I'm not sure why this photo uploaded sideways--oops! Sorry!)

I have gained another testimony this week that all of us have our own individual challenges chosen especially for us here in the mission and in life. What wouldn’t be hard for some is super difficult for others. We all need to be tested in different ways. We can’t compare our lives with the experiences of other people. It is an unfair and impossible thing to do. Just have to keep on keeping on and choose to be the best you can be! Well... Happy Halloween to everyone! Beware the grim-grinning ghosts!!