29 de Febrero 2016

leap day!

this week was actually long. which is not normal on the mission. and let me tell you why!

tuesday was an adventure. we started the afternoon off with some really delicious 

potato salad, with beets, eggs, carrots, and potatoes.yumm... we had some plans to 

help nelson, a young man about my age, get baptized this weekend, but when we 

got there to do an interview, we had some troubles finding him. so we went and 

contacted some less actives while we waited for him to get back to the house. while 

entering a less active´s home, the neighbor started screaming that he was going to 

call the police because he had a signed document saying that we weren´t allowed to

 be there. funny, because i had never met the man. while saying the closing prayer, 

he came running out, screaming and shouting that we were violating the law and that 

he was going to call the police. the less active and her daughter came running to the 

door to try and hide us and while the cranky old man went running in the get said 

document, we made a speedy exit. come to find out that nelson was sleeping and so 

we made a ¨quick¨ visit to carlos´s house to verify everything. (quick note, nelson and 

carlos literally live on opposite ends of our area...) but we made it, like an hour late, but 

he was waiting for us, book of mormon out and the seats all ready. it was soo adorable. 

we taught him the gospel of jesus christ, and then were on the run back out to meet with 

nelson. all in vain, because nelson had gotten drunk on sunday after we had called him 

and left for rivas on wednesday morning.... fallen baptismal date for this weekend. what a day.

wednesday was a weird day because we did our weekly planning session. we had our lesson 

with carlos to verify some commandments and some loose ends for the baptism this saturday. 

a member, sister maria esther, even let us use her patio to have the lesson because the church 

was closed.

thursday we spent all day in managua practically. we had a multizone meeting with Elder Ochoa, 

the first counselor in the Central America Area Presidency. talk about a neat experience. there

 just aren´t words for the all the questions that i got answered. i got a package and got to share 

some valentine´s day love from the family with the whole zone. (don´t worry, the m&m´s stayed

 in my and sister naumu´s control...) we had some quick lessons and then had to call it a day. i 

was so exhausted that night that i was literally falling asleep in our less active lessons....

friday was a busy day, starting with sister naumu´s magical rain poncho. she had a lot of fun trying 

it on, and i busted a gut the entire time... a district meeting, and then going to work, trying to make 

up for numbers and to get things ready for the baptism. but we were able to find a member reference 

and have a great opportunity to teach the restoration to them. then it was an emergency trip out to 

carlos because he couldn´t make it to el rosario, where we taught him the plan of salvation. he was 

waiting for us, even if we did have to have the lesson sitting on the curb.

saturday, my companion completed two weeks without a voice. the nurse said that it should 

be coming back any day now, so she prescribed some mucinex to help with the cough for now. 

then we got a call at 9am, ¨hermanas, no hay agua en la capilla.¨ translation, sisters there is no 

water in the chapel. AAHHHH. start the search with the bishop for water **here**. the district 

leader came and got lost in our area trying to help us sign our baptism record, and was able 

to help us organize with the zone leaders to have carlos´s baptism with them at the same time. 

the only member we had from el rosario present was the ward mission leader, but i am not going 

to complain. it was super last minute. it was raining, but i didn´t have to shout over the rain this 

time. by some miracle, we got everything figured out and CARLOS GOT BAPTIZED! repeat, 

we had a baptism. see attached gleaming photos, please. then it was back to work, and to run 

some errands, which proved pointless because the medicine was rancid... gotta love nicaraguans.

sunday was a joy because we had a confirmation. carlos is now a member! but we also didn´t 

have progressing investigators in church, so now we have to work double time and smarter to 

prepare for march. also, yesterday my first convert, Andy, completed his first year as a member. 

the missionaries in loma linda tell me he is still firm and steadfast in church. :)

today, we had a district activity, so we went to lunch and played soccer. this is our fail at a 

championship football team picture. three latins and six wannabes. whatcha gonna do?

2 timothy 2:3-4

::Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth 

entangleth himself with the affairs of this life;that he may please him who hath chosen him to 

be a soldier.::

lots of love,

hermana graves

el 22 de Febrero

I will start off by saying sorry that you received lots of emails this week, but 
myldsmail supposedly freaked out. All is well in Zion, well almost.

This week was a long one, but mostly because we didn't have a normal schedule. 

Monday we spent all day cleaning the house for interviews, and then Tuesday we 

spent all afternoon in the Stake Center in Jinotepe waiting for interviews and things 

of that sort. My interview was something that I needed to hear, and was a huge eye 

opener to the things that I still have to change. Wednesday and Thursday were, 

thankfully, normal, and Friday we spent a great part of the afternoon with our possibility 

for this weekend, giving him the commandment download. Pray that Carlos stays strong 

with his commitment to keep the Word of Wisdom, please?

I did not get transferred, but transfers aren't for a few more weeks. The day after Mom's 

birthday will be the faithful day to know if I will be leaving El Rosario. 

My companion continues to be having lots of health problems. Her stomach continues to 

hurt, and her voice has completely disappearted. We (well, I) pray each time we pray 

together that she gets better, knowing that the Lord will answer the humble servant's 

prayer in his timing. 

Our biggest success, is that we had a successful baptismal interview. We will have the 

opportunity to help Carlos be baptized this Saturday, with the hopes of having another 

as well. The Elders came and helped us (after getting semi-lost in the El Rosario Backwoods) 

and failed several times to make contact while attempting to high five. I decided it was funny 

enough to take a picture... Elder Sanchez is from El Salvador, and he's our District Leader. 

Elder Mattaalii is my faithful Zone Leader and he's from LA, California. (He's a BYU fan... ewwww)

A tender mercy was my interview with President Russell. He made some good points of

things that I need to change to change my stress level. He asked me, "How much more 

does He need to put on your shoulders before you come unto Him?"  And that's the question 

that I would like to do to all of you... How much more does He have to put on our plates 

before we ask for His help?

Nelson may have to take the prize for favorite person. We called him on Thursday and he 

made all the changes so that he could come back to El Rosario to talk with us. We called

 him again last night, and he's keeping all the commandments. Now to just help him get baptized....

A favorite scripture goes along a little with the question... hebrews 2:18

::For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.::

a favorite thing i ate: tuna noodle salad. we changed lunch citas, and this sister has been 

great to give us new things. this was straight out of my childhood, so i was all good.

i love you all and wish for the best!

hermana graves

The Elders' failed high five, and the delicious lunch!

el primero de febrero 2016

this week was long. probably because we didn´t have lot of breaks, it was just 
go, go, go every moment. i finally had a good study this morning and i feel so 
much better. we worked with the sister leaders, we went to managua and were 
almost late for a meeting with president because of a traffic jam, we had a chat 
with our zone leaders about sister naumu´s health, what else. soo much more.

the next transfer date is not until march 9, so sister naumu and i still have some 

time together. :)

a favorite person this week... karen and keyling are making another appearance.

 it´s great to have some members who understand us and who have been on the 

mission before so that they can help us give us new ideas. last night, they came 

and picked up some stuff from our house, and we had fun taking pictures in the street... 

karen, hermana naumu (who doesn´t like pictures), keyling, and me.

big success, well. we made it to managua on tuesday in time and safely. we got 

stuck in a really bad traffic jam after an accident. lots of hurried cars and not a lot 

of room to keep the traffic moving, it took forever to get into managua. a forty 

five minute trip took us almost two hours.... 

tender mercy. i got to get better! we found out that the stomach pains i have been 

having are due to a little parasitic friend that i picked up, but thanks to some heavy 

duty, human approved parasite killers, i am feeling much better. it´s ruined my appetite 

for dinner, but i'm getting better.

the scripture that wins the title is doctrine and covenants 30. i read it this morning, 

and my head immediately turned it into a tiny little interview...

have i feared man more than God?

do i rely on them for strength, or do i rely on Him?

is my mind on the things of the earth or in the things of my Maker?

is my mind in the work i was called to do?

have i given heed to the spirit?

have i been persuaded by those of whom have not been commanded by my Maker?

do i fear in my moment to open my mouth?

do i head the words and advice of my leaders?

am i afflicted with my companion in her afflictions?

do i pray always?

am i diligent?

do i open my mouth to proclaim His gospel with the voice of a trump?

do i fear what man can do?

because the blessings are these::

i am with you

the power to build up His church among the Lamanites

an eternal life.

i know these things are true. we were called to be here in these days to share our testimonies.

love

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 28 de Diciembre

hello family!

this past week was a blast. we did have to sacrifice a pday to go 

to managua for the mission´s christmas party, but it was worth it. 

it was almost like an oprah winfrey type setting with our christmas 

presents, but now we have peanut butter and jelly, a microwave, a cool 

little thing for our desks, a bicolor marking pencil and so much more! 

best part was that we got to spend a couple of hours in pday clothes, 

and three other sister decided to bring their A game. we kind of bashed 

a little on an elder that goes to byu, but we had fun. plus, for christmas 

eve we pierced sister naumu´s ears at a member´s house so that was super 

fun. don´t worry, all was clean and sanitary!

my favorite part leading up to christmas weekend was the anxiety of 

christmas. the people here are super christian, so there was just christmas 

everywhere. they made a huge deal out of putting baby jesus in the manger 

in the nativity in the park and everything. the energy was super awesome.

a favorite person... hermana naumu. i don´t know what i would have done 

with a latin companion for christmas. it was just so much easier to handle. 

we made christmas pancakes and hot chocolate, we talked in English to our 

families. and it was just great. couldn´t have asked for a better companion 

for the christmas season.

a favorite scripture: doctrine and convenants 6: 14-15

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, blessed art thou for what thou hast done; for 
thou hast inquired of me, and behold, as often as thou hast inquired thou
 hast received instruction of my Spirit. If it had not been so, thou wouldst 
not have come to the place where thou art at this time. Behold, thou knowest 
that thou hast inquired of meand I did enlighten thy mind; and now I tell thee
 these things that thou mayest know that thou hast been enlightened by the 
Spirit of truth;

blessed art thou for what thou hast done. 

a most tender mercy. hermana mariela came and showed us around el naranjo, 

a tiny little deserted area while sick. a couple of weeks ago she had an accident 

with some hot water that left some pretty deep burns, but she sacrificed to come 

walking with us into the intermost parts of our area. bless her!

a great success... i didn´t cry while talking with my family. love you!

weekly goals. i have a goal not to say everything that comes into my head. i have 

gotten myself into some awkward positions, so i have made the resolution to try 

not to just speak, but to think first.

i love you guys so much. thank you for all of your support and for all those that 

will be present at the wedding tomorrow, tell my sister i love her.

hermana graves

el 30 de Noviembre

let´s be a little real, these past five weeks have flown by. 

this could possibly be my last week with sister rodriguez. 

aaah! so much to do, in so little time!

my companion and i are butting heads a little, but i have 

figured out that it´s something that you do with all of 

your companions. it´s not something that is preferable, 

but it´s something that happens so that you get along

 better. the more you talk through it, and the more that 

you listen and apply your own words, the better received 

your advice will be heard.

the greatest challenge this week... getting one of our 

investigators to believe/understand that the word of 

wisdom is not a play thing, it´s not something that we can 

live when we want to, and that alcohol really is not 

¨cleansing for your stomach¨ like we want it to be. sorry!

a tender mercy. we were able to work with our leaders 

this week,and one of our visits was with a family. harold, 

soliet, vanessa, and camilo with their little sister cristal 

make me feel like i am on the other side of a missionary 

visit with my family. absolutely positively, almost 100% 

like home. best part, they came to church! all five! 

what a blessing!!!

favorite person right now, hermana mariela. she is a return 

missionary who helps us always with divisions and it´s so 

nice to have some member support who actually knows 

the lessons... i love working with the relief society sisters, 

but it just isn´t the same some times...

a favorite scripture: john 21:15-17

So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, 

son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto

 him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto 

him, Feed my lambs.

He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, 

lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest 

that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest 

thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third 

time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest 

all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him,

 Feed my sheep.

the lord so simply calls us all to feed the lambs and the sheep. 

something that includes loving and caring for the investigators, 

new converts, active members and less active members of the 

church. there was a talk given in conference that talked about 

what we can do to help the less actives become active again, 

and it was just so powerful. we all can be an uplifting hand for 

those that hang down.

goals... write in my journal each night. got out of the habit again... 

think about the savior when i want to think of home.

i love you all, more than words.

hermana graves

ps. yes that is a coke bottle. coke has become my friend because 

here, water just isn´t a great option sometimes. plus, pizza goes 

better with coke.

el 10 de Agosto

so how are things going with my companion... well great! i got  a new companion, her name is hermana liberato. she is from the dominican republic and she is fresh off the airplane from the MTC... yep! for all you ex-missionaries, or people who understand that lingo, it means that i am training hermana liberato. i am her mama, and she's my mija. it's been an adventure, something that i wasn't expecting until a little bit 

later in my mission. but here we are!

 

our greatest success, who have to be having

 six investigators in church! and an added 

bonus, two families! it was a struggle, but 

something that i am eternally grateful for. 

thank you for your prayers.

a tender mercy... this opportunity to train a new sister. not gonna lie!

for a favorite person, see the following photo taken wednesday:

a favorite scripture. one of the great things about the book of mormon, is that it answers the questions that come from the soul:where did i come from? why am i here? how can i have a better life? and one of my favorites what does christ expect of me? i had the opportunity to study in the scriptures to find these answers, and the answers that i found are something that i have been marking in the book of mormon when we give them to our investigators. i have totally spaced on where they all are right now, but i will make sure to send them to you next week!

a goal... exercise. we've been working on it, but it hasn't been completely successful quite yet. little by little.

today we visited a little diner, and the sister had the name cokes. look what one we found!

​of course we had to take a picture... granada has some great old catholic churches that we are going to try and visit next week.. the only problem with going whenever we want is that they aren't in our area. (we have to ask for permission to leave our area...) so next week... pictures!

i love you all, and thank you for your emails.

hermana graves