Work!

People have said so many times that you change on your mission... I was like
duh you change you are living somewhere else, your doing different things
daily, you are becoming a different person. I have been out one month today
March 1st its a really easy day to remember because its the first, but
anyways I have been out and I have already learned so much and have changed
my thought process alot. How I view my life and life is alot different. Its
really hard remembering all the time the things I need to work on to better
myself well because Im not perfect and dont have a very good memory but I
know the things that I have to work on and by working on them daily I can
see my life changing and I am so excited!
I have felt so left behind because I havent finished anything in my
life I have just kinda been floating down the river of life not really
letting life pass through me. I think in the Mtc maybe the CCM someone told
us to let the mission pass through us not us pass through the mission. I
have also thought about that in life. How many times do we just go through
the motions in life getting one day out of the way. Thats not a very fun
life style to live I have learned. Since the CCM I have made it a goal to
make everyday the best day ever! So everyday is the best day ever, also I
have started living still working on it though but have started living like
it was my last day to live. Living with no regrets and its great. In my
mission prep class we were always told every week to serve our missions with
no regrets and so thats what Im doing. Im not going to lie I do have some
regrets already but again Im not perfect so I am trying to better myself.
Im stressing about Hermana Willford leaving me soon and Im going to
have to be the one talking with our families and taking my companion around
and doing alot of things and thats pretty freaky because Im fine just
sitting back and letting others take charge Im just along for the ride. But
now I have to put my big girl pants on and take the lead, will see how that
goes. With having her as my first companion I have thought alot about how I
want my mission to be and how I want to be when Im going home and things
that I want to do when I am out here.
Im going crazy here with all the shops, everything is so cheap and cute I
have to really be smart with my money here or else I wont be able to buy any
food. Well lets me honest I am kinda a not a tight wode but I am being very
careful with my money here because once its gone its gone and I cant get any
more. I cant really use my personal money on the things I want to buy
because I never know when I have to pay for people to get married or my bus
rides to Managua so its kinda sucky seeing everything and wanting it but not
being able to get it. Its funny all of us here well the missionaries we look
at things and calculate them in our heads like thats 4 dollars what Im not
spending 4 dollars on that... But really its alot cheaper then in the states
we are funny.
I love when we are able to go to sleep at 1030 well before 1030 i usually
am in bed by that time but when its before that time and everything is done
I love it so much I am so happy. And when we get to sleep until 630! thats
something that doesnt really happen often but when it does it makes my day.
Our days usually go like this... Monday we have Pday well we think we do for
most the pday I have been in Managua and we woke up at the crack of dawn to
get on the bus but we have pday and I cant really tell you how it goes
because they have all been so different. Then monday night we go have family
home evening with someone then go home. Tuesday we wake up at 630 sometimes
and we go to our distric meeting forever. There we talk about families and
how to be better and blah blah. This week I was told MOnday night at like 9
I was teaching the next day and teaching on Patience... Great topic for me.
I went home and studied and tried preparing my lesson. I think that it went
well I just talked about how we need to be patient and how Christ was
patient when he asked peter 3 times if he loved him then go and feed his
sheep. I love that chapter. But after the meeting we usually go eat then out
to teach and visit all day. We have alot of things and errands to do so I
feel like alot of the time were running around like chickens with our heads
cut off. Wednesday is a normal day that I love. We wake up at 630 get time
to study in the morning then we are out the door to go to lunch, then we
just teach the rest of the afternoon or contact and then that night we have
a thing at the church its like young men or womens but for the whole ward
every wednesday night. Thursday we have planning and zone meeting which is a
very long thing as well both take up our whole mornings then we eat and run
around like chickens with our heads cut off finding families to baptize and
helping other missionaries witht heir families. Friday is pretty much the
same we wake up early and were out the door helping people with their
families and getting our families ready for Saturday. Saturday we just spend
all day well most the day in the church with wedding and baptisms. I hope
you never complain about a wedding or meeting or anything starting late..
Here everything is at least a hour late starting but we have to be tere on
time just in case by a miracle things start on time. Sunday we wake up at 5
and are out the door going to round up and talk our families into coming to
church with us. They have more excuses then I have ever heard in my life.
Sundays are always super long days because we get up early we run around and
around sit in 2 sacraments. I really cant wait till I can take a sunday
nap.. All that are blog stalking me please take a sunday nap for me every
week. Also I cant wait to eat potatoes and gravy and roast. I have been
craving a baked potatoe like no other lately. Thats kinda a brief review of
the week. It really is never the same and planning is really hard because we
never know whats going to come up or happen. I think we are the runners of
the zone when something needs to be done or someone needs something they
call us and we do it. So we run alot of errands but its fun and the Lord
really helps us out with our families I think one because they are willing
and we are willing to teach them but also because we are helping others out
and serving them and our families.
We met with this really nice guy Tuesday night, I hope that he changes
his life and that he really wants to hear what we have to say not just
because we are girls.. His mom said if he went to church on Sunday she would
go, if they all go then Im pretty sure we will be baptizing 3 people well
that family next week so thats pretty exciting. We waited for a bus for over
a hour to take up to another area of ours. We got on the crowed bus I do
love them just sometimes I really dont want sweaty people all up on me. But
we rode the bus and got to the area which is about 15 min away and Hna.
Willford was like were not getting off. This is the last bus and we wouldnt
be able to get back home tonight so we just rode on the bus back it was a
nice little trip and I got to see the area. We have to cross this little
river int he bus I will try to take a picture or video or something and have
Mindy post it but I love it here. The hills we hike up everyday still arent
getting any easier and I dont really think they are ever going to but hey
its one way to get rid of thunder thighs right?
People watching here is proabaly the funnest thing ever! I wish I could
read minds sometimes because I want to know what in the world they people
are thinking in their heads when they are doing things or well not doing
things. Things here are alot different then the states for one they just
throw their garbage on the ground, they dont care if you are walking on the
sidewalk they body check you or bump you off the sidewide with their purse
or hip or tummy... ITs funny but sometimes is like what? they just cut
infront of each other in line, talk over each other, ride 4 people to a bike
or like 5 people on a motorcycle. Being here really makes me want a
motorcycle real bad after the mish so will see what happens there too, they
just look so fun and easy to travel around in and everything. I know Utah
isnt the best place to have one but just maybe one for the summer.
I really really want mexican food right now like chips and salsa and a
burrito and well lets be honest I would kill for some batos right now not
even going to lie! ALso maybe some homemade cookies and a delicious
Sandwhich would really make me super dooper happy. My list isnt very long of
things I want just those little things. Oh and big fluffy slippers, maybe a
pillow, and thats pretty much all I want right now. Not to bad right? I saw
a lady with some slippers the other day and was like what the those look
really nice right now. For my pillow I just use my extra towel and it works
just great. Im really blessed and loved by the Lord. I use to not be able to
really sleep many places besides my house and sometimes during movies or
band pratice or here or there but I was blessed that I would be able to
sleep and well every night I am out cold. I love it.
I love my mission so far and Im loving learning and growing daily.
Sometimes I dont like my eyes being opened to this world but other
times I like it alot because Im growing and learning new things. Love
you all and thanks for the support
Hermana Evans

Monkeys In The Park

"B

There Can Be Miracles When You Believe

This week has really kinda been a test of faith and a frustrating week. All of our baptism possibilities fell through. I have learned alot this week and have learned that people are mean, my little world that i lived in for 21 years is now turning into a big world and I am seeing how wicked the world is.
I am grateful thou that I was not born here because this is a whole different ball game here then in the States. People wanted me to go to a place that was really poor with dirt floors and different things to be humbled. Yes I am being humbled and being a lot more grateful for the things that I have like... a shower, a toliet that flushes instead of dumping buckets of water in it to flush. The gospel, churchs close, temples, not corn tortillas, clean water, not getting eaten alive my bugs or being ichy all the time, a house, lights, a washing machine and dishwasher, exercise, alot of things. I started keeping a journal well a little notebook of things I am grateful each day and its been a really good thing to do. I suggest everyone do that so they can see how much we really are given each and every day.
I have been reading in Alma 17 about of course missionary work. I was just in that part of the book of mormon but i have been reading about when Ammon is working and gaining a friendship and trust with the king first and then begins to teach him and his people. It hit me that that is what I need to do in life in general not just on the mission, I first need to gain friendships then share because you can talk and talk and talk till you are blue in the face which we do a lot here on the mission but if people dont like you or they dont want to change then you arent going to go anywhere. Its the same with parents and kids, parents teach us what we should do BUT we use our agency and we do what we think we want to do or should do. Heavenly Father is so smart giving us that its very frustrating at times because we want people to do what we want them to do but they get to choose.
I know I have said this before but I am just so blown away by how beautiful everything is here. I look out when we are walking to cetas or just waiting for a bus or taxi. ( I love bus rides and taxis are fun but I think after the mission I will be ok if I dont ride in one for a long time. We ride in them more then once a day) Anyways I just look out at the trees and the little houses and everything is just so pretty. It really isnt in the city or in the hills because people just throw their garbage in the street and its gross but its pretty and I really do feel like I am in Neverland. I have always said I dont want to grow up that I want to run away to Neverland with Peter Pan and the lost boys and here I am in Neverland... DREAMS DO COME TRUE.
I ate a Mango the other day and broke out in hives in the middle of a store. We were getting Tshirts because we baptized 15 families this month so we are getting Tshirts made anyways I was getting super hot, i thought that I had a fever or something. Then i started to get ichy bumps and knew right away what was going on. I looked in a mirror and I was bright red so I went to get some medicine out of my bag. Here we have to check our bags in at the front of the store and get a number to retrieve our things when we are done. So I went to get some medicine and couldnt even stand there long enough to get it. I had to run out to the steps and sit down because I was so hot and just felt like I was going to pass out. I ended up laying on the nasty store floor becuse I felt like crap. It was pretty funny but I have learned now I cant eat those. This has been my welcome to Nicaragua week but all is well all is well...
We hiked up to the cross again this week but the sunset wasnt as good as last time. There were cloud covering it, it was really pretty just not as pretty as last time. We took our blessings up there and found a little quiet spot and read them. Oh my heavens how much do I love that. It amazes me how much love Heavenly Father has and how much he really does know each one of us. Our wants, our needs, and what we will need help with in the future. I have thought alot about the future and about things and I know Heavenly Father knows whats going to happen to me and he knows how he wants and what he wants me to be so I just have to trust in him and go for it. A teacher in the MTC in Provo just use to tell us all the time when speaking spanish he would say ¨¨ Heavenly Father I´m going to do this please help me I cant do it without you¨. It impacted me a lot when he would say those things because it´s true and it shows how much faith we have in him.

Breakfast in the morning is a complete joke. It makes me laugh so hard when we have distric and zone meetings or whenever we see people in the morning because what we have for breakfast is... Chips, sugar bread, candy bars, cookies, jucies its so funny to see everyone bring in those things. I will admit I have had that for breakfast a few times. But I really love the bananas and a lady close to our house sells them for like a penny so I get those and eat those and love them. We dont have alot of fruit but our food ceta makes us fruit salads at night because we are on this clense thing... The other Hermanas that live with us say we weren´t feeling good and wanted to eat healthy for like 2 weeks so we get salads and veggies and now fruit a lot and its delicious! Before we would just get fruit as like our desert or something. Oh my I CRAVE chocolate pineapple all the time since the CCM in Guatemala because it was amazing. I use to not like it but I told myself I had to start liking it because I was going to be eating it alot. I'm not but I like it now. I´ve told myself that with alot of things, I´m still hoping that I dont get sent to where I eat a lot of fish because I think I might be going hungry alot of nights. Its horrible here eating 2 lunches or dinners I feel like I have a basketball in my tummy after eating beacuse its so much. Whoever told me I wouldnt be getting a lot to eat here was a liar because we get A LOT!

Saturday we decided to fast because we needed families to teach and to baptize. Our distric had a goal of baptizing 15 families this month.. We were at 14! We started our fast on Saturday and Sunday morning we had the thought to go ask this family who we have contacted to be baptized that day. We prayed to see if it was right and we started up the mountain. We got there and she didnt want really anything to do with us. After talking with her for about a hour we left. Discouraged and bothered we decided to contact on our way to church and just invite people to come because we also had to have people at church with us. We contacted this family and told them we were going to come back after the first block to get them for the second. We got to church just bothered and felt kinda like we have failed because we didnt have families or baptized.
Roger the guy we think is pretty cool but learned different his sister in law is here we taught her a little earlier this week and she has came to a activity. She was suppose to leave yesterday but didnt because she wanted to come to church. We had the thought to get her married and baptized that day. So we asked her and she was down for it. She called her husband who was working about a hour away but couldnt get a hold of him. We went and just prayed that Heavenly Father would let this happen if it is suppose to.. I think its because i was listening to the prince of egypt sound track ok just there can be miracles because its on Hna. Willfords Ipod when we are getting ready. So we asked for this Miracle. we didnt for sure get a answer so we told her to keep trying and we would come talk with her later.
After church we went and visited the family we contacted before church. They were drunker then drunk when we came to their house. She was all over Hna. Willford and it was not a good feeling being there. Hna willford kept telling her how bad it was to drink infront of her kids and was trying to get the kids out of there. I just wanted to get out of there i didnt know what was being said but it was a bad feeling. And drunk people i will confess i use to think that they were funny. But seeing this and being around people like that. Who would want to do that. It is the dumbest thing and just totally takes you away from who you really are. And makes you look so stupid! While we were talking a guy punched his wife in the face and pushed her into the wall. We decided then it was time to get the heck out of there... Another reason not to drink. I couldnt believe it.
We had stopped by a fair well walked through Saturday night and found some members from Jinatage he had little girls who wanted to go to church with us so we told them we would pick them up and take them. We got to them and we were off to church again. After church we took them back and Hna. Willford was talking to the dad and they gave me a keychain with an E on it. Then another one with Nicaragua then they gave me a necklace that they were selling. I didnt even talk to them hardly at all the entire time and have never met them before but they just gave me all this stuff it was really sweet. Sometimes i get frustrated here because people think we just owe things to them like we should give them everything. Really little kids in the street even adults they just save give me that if you are eating food or something its really annoying sometimes. But i just thought how sweet you dont even know me and your giving me this stuff. Its funny they are like what 10 and 11 maybe and they are preparing to serve their missions.
So we are still not sure about this ladies husband because he is not answering and we dont know what time he gets home the next day and everything is up in the air. Im praying and pleading please let this happen if it is suppose to happen please Heavenly Father. ... The night comes and goes, Today we get a phone call that he is there and is down to get baptized and married today at 9! We ran around like chickens with our heads cut off getting things ready but it was a miracle and answer to our prayer and fasting. Hna. Willford said i dont know who said it maybe president. That the Lord will give us miracles we just have to make them happen. We made it happen and Im so happy and they are so happy and just love it. So today was my first baptism on my mission of a family!! YAY
For Pday we went to the Monkey park and we fed monkeys and tookd pictures. We were feeding them and trying to take pictures and the other monkey was off stealing stuff out of our bags while we werent looking it was so funny. Also they were stealing the bags of food right out of our hands.. I love pday this way not having to go to Managaua. I love my mission and this experience that I am having. Everyone who can should prepare and serve a mission because you find out some much about youself and things that you need to improve on and just how things should be done. I have heard my whole life that you always need to be improving and bettering yourself and repenting but I never thought much about it until I got out here and now I also keep a book of things to improve on and better myself and things I want in life. It really is just amazing here I love everything and learning and growing its hard sometimes but I know that I am having alot of help. Yes I am having alot of help because Im on a mission but I testify that the Lord will help and bless everyone of us in our own lives.
Until next time my friends. Thank you for the emails its really fun hearing how things are going for you.
Hermana evans