You Are LOVED!!

Holy cow I know you guys are probably sick of hearing how fast the week goes by for me but really I just feel like at the end of the change the time flies by. Its close to changes this week tomorrow we will know if my companion or I have changes. I don't know I think we are together another change but we will see what the Big guy has in store for us. Anyways, there is only 1 new Hermana coming this change so I think she will be sleeping at our house and we will take care of her for her first day and a half like the hna. did for me my first day.

I have to just tell you guys this story because it impacted me a lot this week on how the spirit testifies of the truth and when following the spirit we are blessed and people really do change. So Saturday night we went to find a family that the others had talked to for us, We went to their house and the lady was like no we have our church her name is Cicila she came out and we started contacted her and talking her about how the elders talked to her husband and said we could come teach them and she was not having it one bit. She was like no we have our church, we go to our church no you cant come back no no no just negative but kinda in a nice way, anyways I just started asking her questions about God and how we can show our love for him and if she thought he answers prayers and hears our prayers and then just started teaching about little things that we believe just random things whatever came to my head i taught her and testified of things. After about 10 min from when we first met her she was softer and she told us to pass and to come into her house. We walked in and started teaching her about the plan of salvation by the end of the lesson she told her daughter they invited to go to church with them tomorrow and the daughter was like ya lets go come get us in the morning ya we are going with you guys. The lady Cicial was like I know I have my church but you guys explained things and this and that and she just liked what we taught her. I know its because the spirit testified to her and things were brought back to her remembrance and she felt it was true. I wish I could tell you that we went to their house they came to church and are getting baptized this week but that would be a lie. But we are going to keep teaching her and will see where it goes. Lesson here whenever you are prompted by the spirit just say something or do it and you or someone else will be blessed for it.

We also found a really cool lady named Hazel she has 5 kids which here is really odd because it's hard having a lot of kids and it's a lot of money and just birthing kids here is a little different. Anyways she is super positive and nice. Anyways we taught her lesson one about the restoration and she couldn't come to church with us this week because there the only really good schools are the Catholic schools, and if you go to those schools you have to go to church on Sunday and just do different things. I don't understand that stuff really anyways her sons had something for their school that they had to do so they couldn't come this week I hope next week they can come with us.

We live with a little old lady who is just super cute I need to take a picture of her one time, anyways its raining pretty much everyday here and she stresses about our umbrellas then she tells just everyday to wake out for the man holes because people fall in man holes and it's dangerous I get a good laugh out of it everyday. What I don't laugh about is that we are walking in poop every time it starts raining because the sewers flood and our comes the poop so our shoes smell really really bad, our house stinks really bad its just great. My companion and I are working on her English and she knows "I hate poop in my shoes", also "eww yep this is poop." I know what a great teacher I am right? No really I am teaching her little by little its just hard when people don't want to listen or practice. The mission is a great teacher and a great humbler!

I am really sad I missed out on Clinton days. I haven't missed that for how many years now? But really I have been thinking a lot lately on how we are prepared little by little in our lives for the next step in our lives. I think about when I was little at Clinton days they had a truck with a cage and mattresses in the back and they drove around the softball field and we just bounced everywhere and it was just madness, that prepared me to take the buses her in Nicaragua! I think about how my love from cafe rio and rice and weight watchers eating black beans and sour cream prepared me for the mission to eat rice and beans everyday! Ok seriously thou just the Lord really does prepare us to receive little things in our lives or big things so that we can handle them and we are ready to learn from them. I am so grateful that I have the chance to be here and to learn of these things and to be prepared for the next step.

It's hard work working with other peoples recent converts because they have a relationship with the other missionaries and we have to come in and try to win them over. Right now I don't know how great of job I am doing with them because well this old guy who got baptized who knows not that long ago hes smoking and drinking, so every time I pass by we have a great time smashing cigarettes on the ground I think like off Saturdays Warriors when the missionaries step on them. I don't know but we do that and hopefully one day he will learn the word of wisdom. But I can't really say much because I have my first baptism that is getting robbed in the street because hes drunk. I just love Nicaragua and I LOVE SATAN NOT! But we all have to go through our own difficult times and our own testing periods and have to come to the Savior. Really I have heard the expression you can lead a horse to water but you cant make then drink. Its so true in missionary work well in all our life we can teach people and help them but we cant do it for them.

But really it all comes down to have a testimony of the Book of Mormon if you know the book is true, you know Joseph Smith with a prophet if you know he was a prophet you know we have a prophet today if you know we have a prophet today you know that he speaks with God and receive revelation for us. It is the key the keystone to our religion that is why I tell everyone of you to read this book. It blesses our lives more then your mind can understand. You will not understand all the words you will not understand everything but when you start with obedience you are blessed then you start to have a desire then you start to understand. Please listen to me and try this for your selves, I testify that it's true and that you will be so blessed.
Yo se que esta libro es verdado, esta libro es la clavy por nuestras felizidad. El Señor quiere nos ayuda quando hacemos la cosas que el tiene por nostros y la cosas que el mandar por nostros. Yo se que Jesucritso es mi slavdor y redentor, por que el muedo para mi yo puedo ser limpio de mi pecados y vive con mi padre oltra vez estoy muy feliz por esta conocimento que yo tango sobre esta. Yo se familias puede ser eternal y quando viviemons bueno vidas y trabajo juntos por la mismo pruposity podemos tene exito. Requirdo siempre que Dios Nos ama es no impòrta que hacemos aqui el es siempre esta por nosotros.
I love you all and hope that all is going well that you all are working together on your relationship with each other and that you are working on finding good friends. Keep in mind that you are loved and that everything is great.
I love you all and see you in a few weeks freaks
Hna. evans

The Work Moves Forward

I feel like I go to bed on Monday nights and the next thing that I know its Saturday, then Sunday then Monday things just fly by. I am pretty sure time here in Nicaragua is faster then in the states. The sky moves faster and so do the clocks. I think that its because well the numbers here in Spanish things are just faster..

Ok to answer a few questions our churches here are just like the churches back home we just don't have a gym inside this church, it looks like a old fashion church it's two stories, we have about 120 people each week. We have to work our butts off to get people in church and here during the rainy season if its raining on Sunday they aren't coming to church. I think latinos are like the wicked witch of the south because they don't go outside if its raining they just wait in the nearest shelter to wait for the rain to pass. We do a lot of contacting people in the street and asking if we can go teach them at their house, but also we talk to them at their house. Things work a lot quicker and easier when the members give us referrals but not a lot of that goes on here. Anyways we have people who play the music and they are really good better then my last area, people don't know how to sing here and sometimes investigator call them out on it or ask us why people sound so bad.. Were sorry we just teach the good word not people how to sing. But thats pretty much how things work just working and walking up and down streets talking to people and teaching them. Its kinda hard because everyone is working during the day so we have a lot of appointments at nights which is hard because we can't teach everyone at night because we only have like 3 hours to work. We have to be in our house by 9 each night.

This week we are teaching a lady called Melanie she has been really flaky and hasn't prayed to know if what we taught her if true, and just always has excuses when we go by her house and when we teach her. This week we taught her a little more about prayer and told her and asked if we could pray with her right now to know if these things are true. She didn't want to pray at first I love when people say they cant pray and start saying this and that because I know that my Spanish isn't good and I get to teach them that my first day in the MTC I had to pray in Spanish and I use that example that I couldn't speak Spanish but I was able to give a little prayer I tell them it doesn't matter how long or short it is its talking to your Father in Heaven. So she started, it wasn't perfect at all she kept messing up but prayed to know if these things were true. I felt the spirit and I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and that the restoration is true. I am so grateful for it and so grateful for the priesthood it is such a great blessing for us to have again on the earth. She hasn't came to church for like 3 weeks she always has an excuse so this Sunday I bet my comp with the money that we have in the street that she wouldn't come to church. We passed by her house and she was ready and came to church with us!! I know that its because she felt that things were true when she prayed and she knows the truth. We will see what happens with us but I know the Lord loves us.

I love being able to see the change in peoples lives here on the mission, to see the change in their face and in their attitudes. We were teaching a lady named Maria, we were there for her sister who is a less active and we were talking to her because she asked about our church. At first she was fighting with us about what we believe and what she believes and it was just the spirit of contention and I was like oh great this is horrible my comp started teaching the first lesson about the restoration of the gospel and the spirit came into the room and by the end of the lesson the lady was talking to me and telling me she has gone to all these different churches she even has a certificate to be a preacher, but she is just so confused and doesn't know what to do. I told her and gave her a Book of Mormon and told her to read it, also I told her to come to church with us and she will get her answer and know what is true and not be confused anymore. It was just a great lesson for me to know why we are here teaching this lesson and the power that this lesson has.

The mission is just amazing! I love being out here and an so happy that I have the chance to serve here in Nicaragua and to learn. I love studying in the mornings I read a great talk in the May 2009 from L. Tom Perry about all of being missionaries read the talk tonight for family night and talk about how we can all be missionaries. I love you all so much and keep up the great work. Keep reading the Book of Mormon because its so true and blessings all of our lives. The Lord loves us keep working hard and I will too see you all in a few weeks.
Love hna. evans

Rainy Season

It's been raining like crazy here. so I have gotten to use my boots again which I just love running around in my rain boots because I can splash in puddles and it doesn't even do anything. My comp is like ya sure keep rubbing it in because she just has her shoes and they get soaking wet so fast. I am now starting a new trend here with the Hnas running around in boots and loving every min of it.

The things that you learn on a mission are amazing! I always thought about things before the mission like visiting teaching and being a teaching and helping the missionaries are like blah! Because I was so sick of the missionaries always coming to our house asking mom about so and so or asking if we knew anyone else they could teach I was like just go out and find them yourself. But really being on a mission and seeing how helpful it is to have members to work with and also for members to work with families its great. This is my challenge for you guys is to have a family home evening with a family that is not a member of the church or friends. I have also been thinking a lot about all of us being missionaries and how we are afraid to talk to our neighbors or friends about the church because we think they don't want to hear about it. This week try to find someone that you can talk about the church with or just share your testimony about somethings with them. I promise you will feel the spirit and you will feel so happy about what you just did. But remember everything good in life Satan tries to trick us and make us feel dumb about what we had just done. Don't feel dumb or bothered by what you just did because what you did was right.

We are just contacting people which is just going from house to house and inviting people to church and also asking if we can come back and teach them more about our church. It still amazes me how much people are willing to listen even thou they go to a different church. They are like ya come talk to us, but also oh my heavens there are so many liars here in Nicaragua and they are good at it. We think we are getting their real names and addresses but when we go to find them nope it was a lie. I am getting a little sick of it so I call people out and tell them straight up we don't want to waste our time if you don't want to do this or that we cant teach you anymore. I had to do that with a family Carmen and Domingo this week. The other missionaries had been teaching them so a while and they kept saying they would do things and do things and I tried having faith in them but its been 3 weeks with me now and I told them on Sunday if you don't come to church we cant come by and teach you anymore, I'm sorry we are friends but we are here to invite people to come unto Christ and be baptized.. They didn't show up to church so we aren't showing up at their house.

Another great thing, we have a family of recent converts who live in this house with a cross dresser, my comp and I went over to invite them to an activity and the cross dresser was like can i come? My comp was like yes you can everyone is invited thinking that well she or he wouldn't come.. about a hour later it shows up at the church and we both look at each other like oh crap what in the world are we going to do? The name is Jackelyn and well it came to church this Sunday and is going to come to another activity this week. I don't know what to do we aren't teaching my comp just keeps inviting her. Honestly I hope that we see a change and that the gospel changes its life but I know its wrong and against our religion so I don't know what to do.

My Spanish well yesterday a guy in a lesson and my comp well my comp asked what was up with my Spanish I couldn't speak, and a guy in a lesson told me he couldn't understand me but understood my comp, under my breath I said I hope you can understand her she has been speaking it all of her life. I was really bothered because 4 times he told me that and Sundays are just really hard days because we wake up earlier and Satan goes to work all day long.

The bus we take not as much but they are crazy drivers but honestly I trust them and the taxi drivers more then I trust the APs that we have here so thats saying a lot right? It was so funny tires just fly off the cars here they don't have very good mechanics so when they are turning the corner sometimes they just go rolling down the street I saw it 2 times this week and its makes me laugh.

Today I got to play basketball with the elders and they call my the x factor because they think that girls cant play sports but well they found out that I could very quickly after I stuffed an elder then got a few steals and other things, yes playing with my brothers did pay off. Thank you all. Anyways it was fun then we got to watch toy story 3, thats my second time seeing it in Spanish and well tis funny but a lot funnier in English. I don't feel as bad not understand it because people who have a lot of time on the mission don't understand either. Its hard, anyways

We got to help elders with their baptism and wedding with week which is fun. This family her name is Elizabeth she is amazing I told the elder she was my rc because I love her she has been wanting to get baptized for a while just waiting for the divorce of her partner now husband to go through and now it did and they are married and baptized she was so excited and happy.

I love this work and I know its so true. I love you all keep reading the Book of Mormon and keep being a better you everyday

Love hna. evans

4th of July

Well here I am in Nicaragua on the 4th of July and am very upset that I missed the Kaysville parade. I don´t know why I love going to them maybe its just because its something to do and we are together as a family, or maybe its because we get a lot of free things like ties, and water bottles and things like that. But Im just letting you know right now that WE WILL ALL be going next year to it so you have a year to prepare. I am also a little sad I am missing fireworks, and chasing after Toby because he hates them. I am sorry you guys get to deal with that while I am gone. I don't know why I picked the sissy dog of the group but there is a reason in almost everything and well the reason and lesson to learn with Toby is patience right?

Today I tried planning something super fun for everyone from the states to do like make hamburgers and eat watermelon and do relay races but I have learned a lot on the mission that elders sometimes aren't very fun and don't always like taking pictures and documenting things but whatever, I will change that because they need pictures of their mission right? Anyways ya they all bailed and did other things so what did we do? We went shopping! Ok not really we went to the mall to print pictures because its only 3 cords to print a picture which is I don't know because 20 cords is 1 dollar so you do the math of how much it is. We did that and then ate hamburgers to celebrate the 4th of July, and of course I dressed up and sang I"m proud to be an American.

This week I know I say this a lot and I am pretty sure I repeat myself a lot but really this week flew by and I can't believe we only have 2 more weeks until changes. I am pretty sure I will be keeping my record of a new companion every change because my companion she is sick of the area and asked for changes because her and the bishop don't get along very well so will see what happens maybe we will be together another change.

We had an activity this week and got to watch the Joseph Smith movie which I just love! I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and that he restored this gospel and how lucky we are to have it. The priesthood is amazing and I am blown away each time I get to watch and see it in action. I cant help but just smile whenever someone gets a blessing.

The Elders that live in our area had a baptism this week and I adopted their recent converts to be my own because they like me a lot, and always want to sit by me. The lady looks like the lady off I don't know maybe the maple syrup. But she just is a black lady with a cute little husband I will take a picture with them and send it next week but they were baptized on Saturday and she got up on Sunday and bore her testimony and I just thought wow this is why we are here to help people come unto Christ and find real happiness. I read a talk today The Way of the Disciple by President Uchtdorf from May 2009 and it goes along great with this he says ¨´ after the excitement wears off, the hollowness remains as we look for the next new idea to unlock the secrets of happiness.´I thought how many people look for the next new diet to drop weight fast, the next new clothing, the new big thing and yet when its all said and done we are not happy. Its true that this gospel brings us happiness, knowing that this brings us happiness, service brings us happiness and closer to Christ.

As I said we eat dinner and lunch with elders who are in our zone but live in our area they are so funny and great elders and missionaries. As we were writing last week one of them received a letter from his brother saying his dad had died almost a week ago. He was devastated as you could imagine. But I knew that he was going to be ok because he knew and had a testimony that he could see and be with his dad again. He has been a huge strength and building of testimony to be seeing him go on working and being happy knowing this. This work is great and The plan of our Father in Heaven is even greater.

I really like the talk by Elder Richard G. Scott in November, The Transforming Power of Faith and Character. It says they recognize that when the challenges intended to be growth opportunities come, they will find ways, as prompted by the Holy Ghost, to overcome them in ways that are productive and character building. He goes on to say we become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day... I really thought about that for a long time because I am here representing you guys and also Jesus Christ. I am to become from this saying become what I am constantly doing.. Am I constantly being a good example? Am I pushing myself and others around me to be there best? Am I being what I want to become? I have thought a lot of the mission why is life and changing and being good always so hard? Why can't sometimes doing the right them and just being more like Christ more easy because I want to change daily but yet I fall short daily.. I have come to learn that if things were easy then we wouldn't really appreciate the things that we get in return.

I read this week in a talk I think that we get what we pay for. I know mom and dad and Jonathan and Shane know how it feels when you have worked so hard with a family or a person and finally they are baptized the joy that you have for them and for their happiness is amazing! You cant explain it. Just like when we complete a big goal or a project we have been working on forever we get the reward and are so proud of ourselves. This week work on being what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become. See the things in your lives that you could change they might just be little things like being more obedient. Honestly always, reading your scriptures, praying, being a better example in what you say, saying no to something that you know is wrong. just a little change little thing everyday you will begin to see a difference I can promise and testify that its true.

He goes on to say that with even your strongest faith, God will not always reward you immediately according to your desires. Rather God will respond with what in His eternal plan is best for you. Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time before that answer comes. That causes your faith to increase and your character to grow. He says you are making better progress then you think.

Life is hard but with the knowledge that we have of this gospel we can be so happy in our lives if we just listen and try our best to be better.

Anyways so this week funny story we have this investigator Francisco, he is great comes to church and activities and is just a good guy his wife wants nothing to do with us but we are working on her. Anyways he went and watched the Joseph Smith movie and we were talking with him after, my comp started asking him if we would follow the example of Jesus Christ and he started freaking out and was like no no only he could do that for us, no I am not going to be like Joseph Smith and just kept saying all this stuff I thought I understood him correctly but wasn't sure if my comp had asked him something different because when we ask people to get baptized we ask will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone who has the proper authority blah blah and he thought we were asking him to be a sacrifice.. To die like Jesus or Joseph Smith.. We quickly cleared that up and had a great laugh about it later on.

We spend a lot of our days just contacting because we don't have families right now that we are teaching we find them in the beginning of the week and then they want nothing to do with us after we teach them and so its frustrating but I get to practice a lot of my Spanish and also we get to practice and show a lot of faith in Heavenly Father that he will lead us where we need to be and by working and showing that we are willing to work and find them we will be blessed with them.

This picture of a sandwich is what my comp gave me to eat one morning its like ham on one half and them beans on the other half how yummy right? Really it was pretty good, I cant believe the things I am going to eat after the mission because of the things that I eat here. I wouldn't ever thinks to put things together but here I am always putting different things together and trying different things and its usually really good. So don't be afraid to try new foods. Mom I don't know yet if I like bbq but I do eat it sometimes so will see when I get home.

The time is passing by so quickly I don't know if I told you or not my comp and I have the same time we started our missions together and the elders as well so on Friday all of us completed 7 months and yesterday my comp told me wow how fast things are going, we almost have 8 months I had a good laugh about that because we just completed 7 2 days before she is a little trunky.

Anyways things are going great the weather is super warm and I love it but now we are in winter which is rainy season so it rains a lot here and yes I get to use my boots sometimes because it rains so much. But I love the rain, its a blast. I love Nicaragua and everything about it. Everyone says that when they get their call they feel like they know this place that its their home like they have been there before and really I know how it is. I feel like I have been here before and its my home. Its sad to say that I am the best again with the directions but its how I know how to receive directions its like go to this color of house then at the stop sign turn right for 2 streets then after this car and this and that I can do that give me go south then east and this and that ya no dad can testify to that that he would just tell me go towards the lake or towards the mountains.

The buses are still my favorite when I get to sit down because they get going not even kidding like 50 in a street that is like our street then slam on their brakes because of a speed bump then do it again for the same amount of road then slam on the brakes its so funny and I just love watching people so its great. My comp and I stated a new thing well I started it. the 5, 10, and 25 cents or pesos here are not worth anything so people always throw them in the road so my comp and I to pass time in the street besides playing soccer with rocks and kicking through each others feet for goals we pick up the money in the street its so funny my comp is like a little kid I point them up and she goes running after them for me. She bends over in the middle of the road to pick them up when cars are coming, I don't know how I am going to tell the president when my comp is in the hospital what happened... Um sorry prez we were picking up money in the road and my comp got hit by a car? that will be a good one.

I feel bad I don't have many families to tell you about that I am teaching but I promise I will keep looking and find them for you and tell you about them. I love you all and enjoy this time together because I miss you all and cant wait till we get to do things together again. Enjoy the fireworks and all go as a family. I know its a lot of hassle but its a great memory trust me you will love it when you are older.
Have a great week family and read the scritptures
Love Hna. Evans