Monday, August 29, 2016

Hot showers and air conditioning!

BUENASSS :)

Well this week has been pretty low-key. My companion and I are living with the mission nurse and her husband while she recovers from her surgery. We have been so blessed to have more hot showers and more air conditioning! They also took us to the grocery store and after 9 months of living in this country I discovered that they actually have bagels! I may or may not have eaten a whole package of bagels this week...you just cant put a price on american food! :)

Even though I haven’t done much proselyting this week I have studied the scriptures a lot and have realized again that there is a tangible difference in the day when someone studies the scriptures and when they don’t. I found this quote that says: 

Dios los ayudara a llegar a ser algo mayor de lo que ustedes creyeron posible, y descubriran que el evangelio de JesuCristo en verdad funciona en su vida. Funciona.

Now for those of you that dont speak spanish, it basically says that God will help us become better than something we ever thought possible. And we will find that the Gospel really functions in our lives. I know that God sees us where we can be, and not where we are right now. I love this because as missionaries we are blessed to see how much potential an investigator has, like God sees them, and then and we help them the best we can to start reaching their potential.

I know that God lives and LOVES us. Serving a mission is hands down the best thing I have ever done. I just love being a missionary! :) 

-- 

Hermana Willes


The Bells
Mom Note:  This mission couple is the best
Thank you Elder and Sister Bell

Grocery Shopping at a real grocery store!
I felt like I was at Disneyland!

I love my cute companion to death!
Mission companions make the best of friends!

celebrating my birthday...a month early! (stinker)


Monday, August 22, 2016

Our Adventure this Week...

I am currently in the Hospital in Manauga :) Unfortunately it’s for my cute companion, Hermana Gould.

On Friday Hermana Gould starting having a lot of pain in her lower ab after our studies. She had some medical things happen before her mission so we just assumed it was that and she said she would be fine by the end of the day if she could just rest.  We did divisions so that I could still be working while she was resting. She ended up going to Ernesto (my recent convert)'s house and laying down on their couch while I left to work with another member. Around 6 I decided to call her to see how she was doing. She said that I should probably come back and when I did I found her laying on a mattress on the floor, curled up. The pain had gotten worse and so we decided to call the nurse of our mission, Hermana Bell. She had us do some tests and she told us that she thought that maybe it was her appendix. She said, 'You girls need to come to Manauga right now so we can go to the hospital! She might need to get her appendix removed!' Well..we are four hours away from Manauga and it was almost 9 at night. Luckily there is a senior couple in Esteli, two hours from Ocotal, that came to pick us up and then the Bells drove us the rest of the way to Managua. We got to Managua about 2 in the morning..where the doctors ran tests and decided that yes.....my companion needed her appendix removed. They started surgery at about 5 and we have been in the hospital ever since! woohoo! It has been quite the adventure. Our room is actually in the maternity ward so yesterday as we were walking around the hallway a man turned to us and asks us, 'How is your baby?" and We are like...oh she didnt have a baby! We are missionaries! haha. It as been a little weird to be in the hospital and not to be working, but I am SO glad that my companion is feeling better. We have had an incredible doctor and the hospital even has a shower and hot water! Woohoo :) 

That was our adventure from the week! I dont really know what will happen this week..if I will be headed to ocotal or staying in Managua so my companion will recover. 

I hope you all have a great week

-- 

Hermana Willes



Prayers for Hermana Gould

Down time at the Hospital!

A visit from Wally!



Monday, August 15, 2016

Adan Got Baptized!

Buenas Buenas!

ADAN GOT BAPTIZED!! Woohoo!! He was all ready for his baptism and was so excited to be thrown in the water. And on Sunday he was all ready for church and he brought his brother and his wife!! He is already a missionary. What a pilas convert :)

President Wilford Woodruff said, "What greater calling can any man or woman have on the face of the earth than to hold in his or her hands power and authority to go forth and admiinister in the ordinances of salvation? You become an instrument in the hands of God in the salvation of that soul. There is nothing given to the children of men that is equal to it."

Elder Santizo told us that Adan said Hermana Gould and I were angels for him, helping him find God and change his life. I know that it wasn’t us, but it was the hand of the Lord, showing us where we needed to be so that we could find Adan and bring him unto Christ. I know that as missionaries we have the power and authority to be in tune with the spirit so we can find the people that are waiting for us. Sometimes I am just in awe that Heavenly Father lets 18 and 19 year olds do his work for Him. But then I remember that we really are just instruments, and He is the one doing all the work. How humbling is it that He lets us do that. I love being a missionary!

-- 

Hermana Willes


Adan's Baptism.  Happy Day!

Having Fun!

Brandy, Katherine and me
eating our favorite street enchiladas.

casually watering the window
The Nicas don't mess around with their house cleaning!

Monday, August 8, 2016

This Book

BUENAS!!! :)

Another week has flown by in Ocotal!

So on Tuesday we went back with Adan and MAN he had drank a ton of coffee and smoked a ton. We were like ADAN! What happened?!?!? So we macheted him a bit with love and set some new goals. And since then...he hasnt touched coffee or cigarettes..just his book of mormon :) On saturday before we left I was like Adan, seriously, good job meeting all of your goals this week! That is incredible! and He goes, Well thanks for this! (i thought he was pointing to his folleto of the word of wisdom) so i was like what? and he was like, This Book, (holding up his Book of Mormon), it really changes someones life. Its an amazing book. It was one of those moments where I just wanted to cry and shout for joy the spirit was so sweet. I was like yes..it really does change someones life. It sure has changed mine! Ah. I just love Adan. He is a future leader of the church in Ocotal for sure!

I found a scripture this week that I love...it says:

Verily, Verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in His own hands and prepared for you, and ye cannot bear all things now, nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours. D&C 78:17-18.

Something I have learned on my mission is that The Lord really does have a brighter future for us than we know. But also..we need to sacrifice a little. Maybe we should listen to better music, or not watch that movie, or buy clothes that are more modest. Small things that really are big things to the Lord. Because when we really understand what the Lord has waiting for us, we will definitely sacrifice now to have the riches of eternity later. I know that Heavenly Father LOVES us so much! I know that I cant even imagine what he has waiting for us..but one day I hope to find out!

-- 

Hermana Willes



Training meeting in Managua with Hermana Cruz

Teaching piano lessons at the church.  Love it!

Beautiful Nicaragua!



Monday, August 1, 2016

Six More Weeks in the Promise Land!

well.....we got changes....

I AM STILL IN OCOTAL! :) Ocotal has pretty much become my home now! I cant really imagine leaving this place so its a good thing I've got six more weeks in the promised land :)

This week was so fun. We have started working with a recent convert of the Elders. Her name is Tamara and she is 13! She left with us like every day this week for the entire day! She loves sharing her testimony and loves our investigators. We have started having her teach parts of the lesson. On Friday we were in a lesson and we had her share the first vision and then afterwards she just went right into teaching it how we usually do and tears came to my eyes it was so special. She is just so full of the spirit. I love taking her to lessons because the investigators can see how much she loves the gospel :) I love seeing how the gospel changes lives, even the lives of the jovenes.

We are working with this guy named Adan, and he ROCKS. He LOVES reading the Book of Mormon. He has already quit drinking coffee and is working on quitting smoking. He started with 6 and now only smokes half a cigarette every day so we are SO proud of him. :) Tamara loves visiting him to make sure he is completing his goals and gives him stickers when he does! Please keep him in his prayers. He went to all three hours of church yesterday and is preparing for baptism!

Also...WE GOT A PIANO IN OCOTAL THIS WEEK!!!! I am pretty close to the the mission nurse and her husband, Elder Bell and Hermana Bell. So when we went to a meeting in Manauga on Tuesday, Elder Bell asked if we wanted a piano. I was like um YES so they came down on Saturday and gave us a keyboard to use in the church. All I could think was of my moms voice saying..you better practice because one day someone will need you to play on your mission! Well....turns out I am the only missionary that knows how to play other than my companion. Moms just always know I guess... :) I played in sacrament meeting yesterday and it felt so good to touch piano keys again!

I have been trying my best every day to set goals to do the lords work better. I read a quote this week that said, 'God doesn't care nearly as much about where you have been as He does about where you are, and with His help, where you are willing to go.' Something I have learned on the mission is that desire is where everything starts. If we have the desire to change and to be better, we will be able to do it because we will receive the help of our Heavenly Father. :) I love that the message of the gospel is that we can change, because how boring would life be if we just stayed the same. 

Love you all!

-- 

Hermana Willes


My cute companion, Tamara and me.
The three musketeers!

Found a black and white filter on my camera...
It's a long bus ride!!

Divisions in Estelli...
I don't like the big cities as much as my little village:)