Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Fun P-Days and Some News

First of all, for the record, this is Mindy, posting and acting like Sabrina (since she left for the MTC).

Second of all, I have been THE ONLY ONE on her facebook since she left for the MTC on December 1. She doesn't get online to do anything but email.

Ok, so with all of that cleared up, lets get into the update of her life as a Hermana in Nicaragua from her last email.

So Sunday night again we were told that we were going to Managua for a SUPER PDAY! Our zone gets super pdays alot because we baptise alot of families and they reward us for our work. Which sometimes I don't feel like it's that good of an award because we wake up super early to ride on a bus for 2 hours. Granted, yes we do usually have a lot of fun and do fun things, but we never get the things that we need to get done done because we are always in Managua. Like my laundry, that I haven´t done for like a week! It's such a good things that I brought alot of clothes because I don't wash my clothes very often, because I just don't have time. Anyways after our early morning bus ride, which speaking of laundry I was in wet clothes because I did wash some clothes the night before, but I realized that it was Presidents Day and I had to wear red white and blue for that day, so I had to wear my wet shirts on the bus because they weren't dry yet. We got to Managua and they had rented a huge blow up slide for us and a huge blow up slip and slide that both had water going on so we just got to play in the water. It was so much fun we had races down the slip n slide and they did tricks on the slide it was a blast.




We are teaching a family and they are just really neat. They quit drinking coffee the day we taught them that is was bad. So we had a interview with them and we thought everything was going just great because they had already agreed to baptism and they loved us coming over and blah blah. So our district leaders and zone leaders went with us to interview them. The little brother was good to go and wanted to. His sister wanted to go to church and learn more, Heaven forbid that... Anyways so we were just going to baptize the brother. Saturday morning we called and he was like; "what no I'm not getting baptized today, I just said I would get baptized not today though." Anyways we just were like whatever, ok fine next week.

We went to talk with this girls husband who smokes but hasn't ever been there when we have taught. We went there and he was home which was weird. So we started talking to him and we were going to start teaching him as well so they could all get baptized. This kid has long shaggy hair a nice stud stickin out of his lip, and smokes and loves heavy metel music. Anyways we are talking and he was like: "I've already been baptized." We were like, "oh cool what church you know?" he was like, "I was baptized in 2003 in your church blah blah.." We all just sat there like what the.. it's funny how people change and how quickly Satan gets to you when you start doing the right thing. The family is going to get baptized this Saturday, I think and the guy, we haven't been able to meet up with him since.


We had a multiple zone conference in Chenidega last Thursday, and that is an even worse bus ride. Yes, if you are thinking that I'm not working in my area very much and teaching a lot you, are correct because we are always on buses going to classes, or to Managua or just everywhere. Anyways, so it's a 4 hour bus ride away from us. We got there and it was a great conference the president talked about agency because I guess we are having a really hard time with missionaries being obedient and not doing things that they shouldn't. Anyways, we had pizza at this conference. I was starving, I had been up since 3 and hadn't eaten besides a little junk food that we food at a little stand on the way to the bus stop. So it's almost 2 and I'm ready to eat anything, this pizza didn't look that good, but I ate it because all the pizza has tasted fine that I have eaten. So I ate it and we left and went home. That nigh I just had a really bad stomach ache and couldn't sleep or because I was in pain. I got up and threw up so much I don't know how I did it. So I thought ok, great now I'm going to feel better because I threw up. I went and took some magic medicine and went to lay down. I couldn't sleep because I still had pain. I spent the rest of the night sleeping sometimes on the toliet seat or crawlying to the extra matress we have on our floor, it was so gross but this is the moral of the story. This whole time I am praying Heavenly Father help me feel better. Help me be able to sleep help me be able to work tomorrow, I don't want to look like a bad missionary. After a few of these prayers and about my 9th time throwing up I just said a prayer more furvent and just said Heavenly Father i can´t do this anymore i´m in alot of pain and i have nothing left to throw up please help me feel better. After that I was able to walk out of the bathroom and go to sleep and I felt better, and it made me think, Heavenly Father doesn't ever want us to be in pain or hurting or just not happy but sometimes we have to go through things and hard times and then he will deliever us from them. So, I just thought that it was really neat that my Heavenly Father loves me that much that he will help me feel better and help me be able to go on in this work.


We were walking home the other night and I just started laughing so hard. All over in the streets here are drunk men just passed out on the streets or just trying to talk to us drunker then drunk. So walking home the other night there was a guy that just complely feel off the side walk into the road and couldn't really get back up. It was so funny I just laughed the whole way home an still laugh thinking about it.


We have another family that got baptized a month ago. He is a stud and just a great person in the gospel and just golden we went up to invite him to a movie at the church and he was just like "no, I'm not going.. This is the same day they told us they weren't getting baptized. Anyways, he was just like no, I'm not going things are bad my step daughter and I are fighting they aren't paying my wife at her work, I don't have a job we dont have food or money. This and this and this.. After talking with him for over an hour saying just come it will be good you will be blessed things will get better nothing happened. So Hermana Willford went in to talk with his step daugter because she has a step mom and knows how that goes. I was alone with him out there and I started talking to him and shared a scripture Ether 12:6 and then started talking about how before my mission was really hard and just everything in life was really hard like my break up, my family, not having confidence just everything but i can and i promised him that Heavenly father wants him to be happy and feel his love and he will take care of his family because he is doing what he is suppose to do. We didn't even finish the conversation and he just got up and left. The next thing we knew he was chaging and he was comng with us. It was so weird. So tonight we just got knews that he might be getting a job tomorrow and his wife is going to be getting a new job as well we believe. Again Heavenly Father blesses us and wants us to be happy. This one was kind like a what in the world type thing because I promised him Heavenly Father would bless him and I know as missionaries we aren't suppose to promise things and blah blah but it showed me heavenly fathers love and also the power I have as a missionary.


This week im having to speak more Spanish all the time well as much as I can because I was told that I have to. Which is right because that is how I'm going to learn, but it's very hard and frustrating because they just quit listening to you. Even if you speak spanish, they quit listening to you. But, because I don't speak it very well and I don't know all the words so I have to ask how to say things, they just go off on their on conversations. It frustrating sometimes as well because I feel like the 6th wheel a lot since I am the only one that doesn't speak, so I miss out on a lot of things, but when I will be able to speak it's going to be amazing!



We celebrated Presidents Day and Washington's Birthday with these teeth because Washington had wooden teeth, so we have to show of colors and rep the States here in Nicaragua. Also we have these huge bugs having parties in our house with out us even knowing, what brats. Speaking of brats we have bats that live in our house too how cool is that.. I thought that Toby was a cool pet, I was wrong a bat and gaint bugs are pretty darn sweet.



So Sunday morning we get a call and the president of the branch asking me to play the piano and Hermana Willford to lead. We agree and I'm praying oh please help me. The first hymn went ok, I just played the top hand. The sacrament hymn no one sang, no one said anything i couldn't really play the hymn, but with no one singing, oh it was the worst thing I have ever seen. But, it was so funny because no one even tried to sing the song. Needless to say I will be spending my free time trying to re-teach myself how to play the piano joy!! I really wish I was better because I really do love playing its just frustratin when I can't play like I wish I could. Anyways, things are great and I am healthy and doing really good, and still am very happy. I love you all and will see you in a few weeks.

Hermana Evans

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Words From Sabrina...

Hello everyone who is following me. Thank you so much for reading my adventures of being in never-land running around with the lost boys. I am loving every minute of it! It's so much it's so cute how the houses are just hiding in little trees and how just everything is here. It is a little different but not much, I didn't have much of a culture shock being here. One thing that is different is not flushing the toilet paper and putting in the trash next to the garbage that is if they have a bathroom. If we are not close to our house well good luck trying to find one.

The food is amazing and thats a scary thought, no one will recognize me because I will be rolling off the plane because of the weight that I put on I might quit sending pictures home soon and if there aren't pictures that are updated, well that's because my chipmunck cheeks are huge and I can't show anyone.

The work is going really well and the Lord really does bless and love His missionaries. Just when we think we have hit a brick wall or we can't go anymore, if we just give everything we have even if it's just a little bit, the Lord blesses us greatly. I love seeing the Lords hand in my life and the hymn how great thou art has a new meaning for me now. I look at the sky and how beautiful it is here and I look at just things around me and I start sing, I see the stars I hear the rolling thunder and think of all the universe thy hand has made. That's not exactly how is goes but to just think about He made this all is blows my mind and it's just so beautiful.

People are very open and expecting of the gospel and they just will change in a heart beat. You taught a family on Sunday about the word of wisdom because coffee is a huge thing there they have farms all over and thats where people work and thats what they drink. We taught them they cant drink it anymore and we went back to visit them today and they just stright up quit drinking it. They haven't drank it since. It's crazy how willing and loving the people are. But it's also hard at the same time when they are so loving and they know that it is true but they just wont do anything about it or keep their word.

Oh, my Spanish it was really hard because in the CCM in Guatemala they taught us our Spanish and the grammar in Spanish and they don't really know why they say things a certain way or the grammar rules so I didn't understand anything at all. So learning everything all over again is hard but its crazy how like the scriptures say, don't think about what to say before hand just speak and your mouth will be filled with words. I have really truly seen that already and I don't know very much Spanish, but I know that the Lord will bless me and I will be able to teach what He wants me to teach in the language He wants me to teach in.

Heavenly Father is so loving and He wants to bless us so much its crazy. My famous line that I know in Spanish is Dios nos ama much el es nostros padre clestial el quiere nostros eser feliz en esta vida.

I love the bus rides so much! We have to take the bus just about everyday and I thought that Guatemala buses were bad, here I swear we pack in over 30 people in a tiny maybe 15 passenger van its so funny you just push and push and push and everyone fits you can't breath but its really fun.

I also really like contacting the bus and just telling them about us and inviting them to church. I know I can't speak spanish very well so I just say what I want to say and then look at my companion like ok make sense of what I just said to them. i love it its really fun. Teaching is amazing. It's crazy how im here teaching people how to change their lives and teaching them about things that bless me life daily and I really didn't think to much about. We have a really special gift being in this gospel and knowing the things that we do. I was really scared coming out because I didn't know anything but primary based answers. I didn't know the scriputers very well although I loved them and read them every night. I didn't know alot about alot of things. being here I still don't know a lot about those things but my testimony has been strengthened and I know that Heavenly Father is my father in heaven. That Jesus Christ is my Savior and my Redeem and that through Him I can live with my Father in Heaven again. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and because of his faithfullness and because of his obedence we have this gospel here on the earth again. I know the Book of Mormon is true and that my reading it every day even thou we dont know what is says it will bless ours lives more then we know. I read my Spanish Book of Mormon everyday I have no clue half the time what it is saying, but I still know that it is true. They are words of prophets and of God. I'm so thankful for a prophet to lead and guide us today and I am so thankful for the knowledge that I have of this.

I love my trainer Hermana Willford it's crazy we live only just minutes away from each other but we have never met. I am very sad she is going home in March, then I will proably have a latina good luck to me with that.

If you would like you can write me through the church pouch or just through the mail I would love to hear whats going on with your lives. I will try to write a little bit here and there and keep you updated. Thanks for blog stalking me, if I was home I would proabaly be doing the same thing.. See you all in just a couple of weeks

Hermana Evans



















Monday, February 7, 2011

I've Made It To Nicaragua!

Hi,

It was quite the trip! We landed in Costa Rica and no one was there to pick us up. One of the Elders went to call the mission president, and ended up coming back with the people to pick us up. We spent the first couple of nights with some of the hermana's here, and the big dinner we were promised at our mission presidents house ended up being McDonalds.

I am so happy and absolutely LOVE my trainer Sister Wilford, she is from Layton, and is the same person as me, only 5 years older. This is her last transfer and I am so sad. We have plans already for when I get home. Speaking of which, only like 10 more transfers and I will be home, that doesn't sound too bad does it? There is a lady who the mission pays to cook our food, it is wonderful, except she lives up a HUGE hill, so in order to eat, we have to hike this hill. I figure the stairs at the Provo MTC were preparing me for this.

I am happy and doing well! We go to weddings and baptisms all of the time. We baptize the most families out of any mission. I love this work and this gospel! I had a really neat experience, I was given a Spanish Book of Mormon for my Birthday from a dear friend. The Book of Mormon I got in the MTC I was able to give to a man, he had tears streaming down his face with gratitude, he had been saving and saving his money to be able to afford a Book of Mormon. We are so ungrateful for the things that are just given to us. Everyone is so grateful for all of the little things we give to them. I have to be careful not to spend all of my money giving to other, it just makes me feel so happy! We do end up paying for a lot of the weddings, in order to be able to have baptisms.

Enjoy some pictures of my experience thus far!


Hermana Decousey (My Guatamala MTC companion)

The boys love me and can't get enough... ;)




Laundry

Another view of laundry

P day sunrise hike

Before Sunrise



Hermana Wilford, my trainer


The first place we stayed was tiny!