6/10/13

I received one of the best care packages of the mission today (the uke may be the best)!!!

A suitcase full of food. Ohhhh my goodness. I got so excited. Seriously. I am going to gorge myself upon this suitcase of food for a week... well I hope it lasts longer but we shall see. Rice and beans and weird meat supposedly from cows every day is a blessing and makes me very grateful when I receive such a package as this.

Well today we played soccer for about 3 hours. The north Americans against the Latinos. We were playing to 10. The score was 8-3 or something. I was playing goalie... haha I switched out and scored a hat trick 3 in a row! That was awesome haha We brought it to 9-9 but they scored the last one and won. In the end, it was really great. I learned a little bit more in how I move my feet to play this game haha

In the work, we had a baptism of Hermana Flavia planned for Saturday. She is super amazing and has progressed so quickly. She reads the book of Mormon, takes notes, takes notes in church, watches the church videos, marks the pamphlets we leave her, prays sincerely... honestly Ive never had an investigator like her. It just doesn't happen very often. But why didn't she get baptized? Her ´husband´, they live together but aren't married. We haven't had many opportunities to talk to him because hes a bus driver and returns at 8:30 or 9 at night (we have to be in the house at 9 or 9:30 if we are teaching) so its not too common that we find him. The few times we have talked to him, he was really positive, even about the law of chastity and that they have to get married so she can get baptized. then a week before the baptism, he became opposed to the idea. Completely. Her mom is also visiting for some time, we walked up and started talking to Flavia if she had read the scriptures and how she felt and the like, the mom came out. She didn't look at us but said ´i have to say something about this. I don't approve this marriage. She has kids. He has kids. (both apart... they have 7 years together) and they have to think about the kids. I don't approve any of this!´ and she didn't look at us at all. 

Its been really difficult in that way. She knows the church is true, she has no doubt. She wants to get baptized, but her family doesn't support her. her husband is stuck in the vices of the world and her mom is closed off to advice. The great experience is that I know she is going to be baptized. She wasn't baptized by her goal, but she will be baptized because God is going to prepare a way for her. 

As such, I hope for miracles. I am improving my faith and I am praying sincerely. 

Hope all is well at home and hope to hear from a few of you soon by email or by letter. 

Congrats to Kelly for graduation from ASU! That's awesome!!! Loved to see the photos!

Yeah, I'm going to go eat some candy from that care package now.

--

Elder Mann

Nicaragua Managua Sur

La Mejor Misión del Mundo

6/04/13

This month, Rinna shall complete half of her mission... Weeeeeird.

Well, this week was full of activities. From rains that flooded houses here, to personality growing moments with my comp, to returning my Urban Lemming years in comedy improv, to being companions with an RM that was still a missionary for two days here in his house, to going back to the roots of Samoa...

The rains have started. They started hard too. Last monday when I wrote, it was bad. We waited about half an hour for it to dull before we left the house to work at night. We went to one visit, then stopped by a members house and started bucketing out water from the house. The next morning we went to another members house where the whole neighborhood had about 2.5 feet of water. So we bucketed out mud and cleaned out the furniture and everything. It was a really humbling experience and a great feeling afterward to be able help in such a way. 

We had the mission activity yesterday- thats why we are writing today- and it was amazing. Each zone from the mission had to prepare a talent to share or like a mini performance. The majority did songs with their own words, hymns changed to be funny or mini shows of ´what if the angel came a few seconds late?´ with the stories of abraham and isaac, nephi and his brothers and daniel and the lions. That was really well done and really funny haha As our zone, we were going to do a skit, but in the short time we had to practice, it wasnt plausible... so the zone leaders asked me to do something with them. so... I introduced them to chain murder and thats what we played! Comedy improv! woohoo! It was hysterical. I could try to explain it, but there are just too many jokes from mission life and nica life that cannot be explained. Thusly, it sufficeth me to say that it was hysterical. 

Aaaaand yes. A missionary came home Thursday. They invited us to lunch. When we walked in, he said ´Hi im Elder Rojas. Can I go on splits with you two today?´ Of course! It was really awesome. Really weird to think about too. Im not sure if Im going to want to leave with the missionaries the very day I get home. I dont think so, so dont worry mom. Ill be home the whole day haha Anyway, we dropped him off at the church to get relieved around 6. We went back in the morning for our district meeting. He walked in too. The president didnt come to relieve him haha so he participated with us for a while. Talked a bit about his mission, etc. Then the bishop called for him. We all stood up and started singing ... well in english it says ´´well goodbye brother goodbye the time to go has come´ which was funny because he left the room to ´die´ as we say as missionaries. Gaaaah... I dread such a day...

Also during the mission activity. Elder Lolohea taught part of his zone a haka, he also invited the other polys to join in. Theres a picture of me and the others. Many, many people were confused as to why I was in the picture because we were all shouting ´tonga! samoa! fiji! Hawaii! polys!!!´ etc. But dont worry mom and dad, I do not blame you for being so white. I am content with it. I have the best of both worlds haha and its a good topic to explain as well to start a conversation.

In the end, all is improving. We are going to marry and baptize a family next week and we are super excited for that. We are going to be super focused on them in these next two weeks so that all goes well.

And I think my mom is here in Nicaragua today and tomorrow... so hi! Thanks for coming! haha

--

Elder Mann

Nicaragua Managua Sur

La Mejor Misión del Mundo

  and y'all laughed when i was testing my poncho...

 One of these is not like the others... oh yeah, its the white poly...

 another act from the mothers day thing. a folk dance from here.

 Playing Chain murder with Elder Bateman from Texas