el 25 de Enero

this week was really nice here. it was chilly, and i actually wore a long 

sleeved sweater all day one day. the people here say that colder weather 

is still to come, so i am in heaven!

a favorite scripture from this week... 

2 nephi 10:13
::and he that fighteth against zion shall perish, saith god.::

a tender mercy. that we actually got a p-day today. we went to managua 

this morning for a conference with elder craig christiansen from the 

presidency of the seventy. it was really nice to hear his councel, but it 

would have been even better if i could have gotten a little bit more sleep.

 i only got about four hours of solid sleep last night... yeah....

a favorite person. hermana garfield. she´s in the same district as me again 

and it´s been really cool to chat and catch up. she´s with one of the other 

sisters who was in our new meeting, and it´s been really fun to share experiences 

and catch up. there just isn´t enough said through an email....

goals for this week: work with the members. i am tired of saying it, but we have 

to do it. too many weeks without success...

we had a really rough experience when our baptismal possibility went from positive, 

to shaky, to complete belly flop in a course of twelve hours. we went in on saturday 

morning to set up everything and he said he wanted to do it later in the evening, so 

we went along with it. we showed up a few minutes early, and he had left the house. 

two hours of searching and waiting and he didn´t come home. needless to say we had 

to swallow some rough pills from exhausted leaders and it was rough. if you have a 

spare prayer, keep us in them.

sorry for the lack of pictures. just a crazy week. but i love you all!

hermana graves

el 18 de Enero

this week was fun. we went to san juan del sur, or playa gigante to be more 

specific. we had lots of fun, and even made pancakes the morning of to be 

all ready to go. i loved it though. i found that one of the sisters who came 

with me here to nicaragua from the states, had to go home for some health 

problems. if you could get hermana cornell in your prayers, i am sure that 

would mean a lot. i got to chat it up with the sisters that i haven´t seen in a 

while, and take a three generation picture with my daughter. the last one that

 i will be able to take because mom dies on thursday.... which means that i am

 just one change closer to my own flight home. what is that!?

my companion´s spanish moving along. just keep praying. it´s hard to do 

sometimes.

a big success though. she actually said phrases without looking at me or 

doubting what she said. it was a little miracle. #proudmommymoment

a tender mercy. we were able to get a fecha and an baptismal interview put 

together for an eternal investigator. it is something that could still use a lot of 

prayers, but please. just keep yamil in your prayers as well.

a favorite scripture. john 16:33
::In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome 

the world.::

i loved working with our zone leaders and having fun with our whole mission on 

wednesday. it´s great to have a personal connection with our elders and sisters in 

our district so that we can all be helpful one to another. but this picture turned out 

pretty sick of my favorite person, hermana naumu.

goals: have a baptism. complete with the normas. work with the members.

pretty much normal.

lots of love from sunny nicaragua.

hermana graves

because who doesn´t like a good ol´ el sol picture at the beach.. 

el 11 de Enero

thanks for all of your prayers, i really have gained a strong testimony about 

the power of prayer since i have gotten out on the mission. absolutely nothing 

that can take it´s place. we had.... wait for it.... ten investigators in church. 

absolutely fantastic to see the blessings of hard work and trust in the lord. 

now to just have the same success this next week!

we don´t have p-day today, because wednesday we are going to the beach!

 i will explain more next week with pictures!

my companion´s spanish continues to progress. if you are the praying kind, it´s 

always nice to have a little bit of extra help. we are getting along great, even though

 she is someone completely opposite of what i am.

but really great news guys.... my memory is all clean and healthy and not a bug in 

sight! with all my pictures present and accounted for! i am soo excited! also found 

out that i have taken over three thousand pictures on my mission... yea, that's 250 

pictures a month roughly. and i still have a ton of room left on my camera!

most tender mercy... yikes. there were a lot. but probably having ten investigators 

in church and having the members´ help every step of the way. there are not enough 

words to exhort every one of you to do your part to help your missionaries bring 

people to church, fellowship, or even sit with your investigators. it makes everything 

so much easier as a missionary when the missionaries and the ward can work in unity 

to bring people to Christ. there is no other alternative.

one of my favorite scriptures from this week... 2 nephi 31:20-21

::ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of 

hope, and a love of God and of all men.Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting 

upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall 

have eternal life. And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is 

none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom 

of God.::

it´s a powerful scripture that teaches us the power of enduring to the end. there really 

is no other way to enter into the kingdom of heaven. just through our obedience and 

our steadfastness in Christ.

some goals... speak spanish to sister naumu. read the scriputres at night, and don´t fall 

asleep after we plan. it´s killing my neck and i wake up before the alarm which drives me 

nuts!

i love you all!

a couple of the delicious plates of food we have eaten this week!

hermana graves

el 4 de Enero

feliz ano nuevo, everybody!

well that was fun. this week, there wasn't a letter from mom, 

so i will just have to wing it. 

this week was a little crazy, because they celebrate here a crazy 

little thing called the new year, with fireworks in a dummy, and 

horses and bulls. yeah, it was crazy!

my sd card got a virus, so i'm currently praying that a member can clean 

my year's worth of pictures and save them. they are my only copy so 

i hope that all goes well!

my favorite person this week... a little girl whose name is adriana. we had 

a good, long needed laugh when she lost a one cordaba coin, about the 

size of a quarter, where the sun don't shine. it was really funny because 

she's only about two years old and just didn't understand.... 

a favorite scripture, from 2 thessalonians 3:7

::For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not 
ourselves disorderly among you::

please take a moment to realize that paul used sarcasm in the bible. 

this made my day.

a most tender mercy. i had a great experience with a fulfillment of a promise given 

to me in various blessing i have received in preparation for my mission. saturday 

afternoon we were headed out to visit a convert when i had the feeling of someone 

pulling on my backpack from behind. i knew that my companion was a few steps 

behind me, so it wasn't a thief. the thoughts then came to stop. i stopped and then

 my companion did as well. i looked at her, and said "i have the feeling we should 

leave. what do you think?" it didn't take her more than fifteen seconds to look around,

 and make the quickest three sixty i have ever seen. we don't know why we weren't 

supposed to go down the path, but we were told not to and we were protected. 

we are struggling right now to bring people to church, so if you are the praying type,

 pray that we can find people that are going to progress and that our investigators 

keep their commitments. i know that these things are sent here for a reason, and that 

i was called to be a missionary here, specifically for a purpose.

as i complete a year away from home, it has caused me to place a lot of thinking into 

what i want to do with what i have left of a mission. i feel like there is a lot of things still 

to do, and i know that i have not fought the final fight.

i love you all, hermana graves

happy new year from the district!

cowboys and bulls my friends...