el 18 de abril

first, to start. we finished last week's pday with a late lunch at a four star restaurant. fachentas and everything. the first time in nicaragua that i have seen a menu in strictly dollars, and the first time in my life that i have paid more than $15 at a sit down restaurant. but, it was well worth meyling's birthday, and her face after she opened her birthday gift.

the second picture is one of our investigators. she and her sister are trained by their father in acrobats, and if you can see in the background, her little sister is in the ribbons. that's right, we found little teenagers who know how to ribbon dance. it was intense, and i will not be attempting it. this little girl, neyelis, is balancing on three tubs. it was soo amazing, and i was admittedly jealous, but what are we going to do? i just cant do that.

this week, we really didn't eat too many interesting things. but sunday, it's always a tradition to have gallo pinto, hard boiled eggs, and some other varied accompaniments. yesterday, sister pastora decided to make a few tortillas, and she let me help. and thanks to watching the nica women do it so often, i was able to make a few perfect tortillas by hand. simply delicious.

this week was very much like the little train that could, that ended up crashing half way up the hill. all week, feeling confident, completeing with the normas, working hard, preparing everything for sunday morning, and in the moments before church, nothing. an investigator that had been without drinking six days, admitted to us that the night before, right after we had talked with him, he had gone drinking. another one of our investigators, all ready to go, had been almost a month without drinking, disappeared for thirty minutes and showed up in the park drunk. satan cannot win, and i won't let him do it either. harder. better. faster. stronger. all through Christ.

we had an amazing experience with some contacts. we had contacted the couple a few days before, and had left the restoration with them. we went back last night, and had a picnic/pow wow, with them. we shared the message of the restoration and the spirit was strong. they understood it, and they both accepted a baptismal date. they commited themselves to church, and all for saying buenas at the right door.

elder mateo is finishing his mission tomorrow and so we had a party to say goodbye.
we had some fun with a pinata made to look like him. i'll have to show you the videos when i get back.

this week i have been studying revelation this past week, and it's been interesting to see the signs of the times. friday morning i was reading in chapter eight, and at the end of the chapter, an angel cries in heaven. john has finished describing the happenings of four of the seven angels in the seventh seal. an angel then comes forth and says,

::Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!:: 

woe, in the scriptures, is a sign of great grief and much sorrow. those who do not repent are warned of what is to come. and in the end of chapter nine, it describes that even after all that has happened in the six seals, there are some that remain, and remain in their sins,

::the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of theirsorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.::

these people have seen the third of almost all the earth destroyed, and they are so hard hearted that they refuse to repent not. brothers and sisters, are we those that have seen the hand of god destroy his creations, or do we call unto god and repent of our sins? may we all be humble and ready for the coming of the lord.

lots of love. may the lord protect you always

hermana graves