God is a God of Miracles

Buenas!!

PUES this week ROCKED :) Every week in the mission rocks but this week was especially rockin. At the beginning of the week we didn’t have ANY possibilities for baptism. Hermana Alfaro and I decided to focus on one of our investigators that we hadn’t seen in a while named Julio, but he wasn’t answering his phone. Finally on WEDNESDAY he answered and we were able to go to his house on Friday. He lives really far because our area is HUGE but we made it out there to go talk to him. When we got there he told us, "I don’t want to get baptized! God isn’t listening to my prayers and baptism just doesn’t call my attention." My companion and I just listened to how he was feeling and then asked him more questions to see what he was really thinking. Then we explained that really the Lord was listening, that that if he showed the Lord that he had a willing and obedient heart, the Lord would bless him with the things He needed. We invited him to be baptized the next day! haha.  Then he started telling us the story of how that morning he had prayed to Heavenly Father and said that if the sister missionaries passed by he would do what they said because they would bring an answer to his prayer. And he told us that he would be baptized!!!!!!! Hermana Alfaro and I both CRIED. It was such a spiritual moment. We had been praying and working ALL WEEK for a miracle and of course we saw one because God is God of Miracles. The day of his baptism was so special! :)

I am loving Jinotega so much. The people are so sweet and I’ve already gotten used to climbing mountains. This week is general conference WOOHOO the best part of the whole year. I am so excited the hear the words of our living prophet. I told my mom that my parents raised me right because I am very passionate about General Conference :) I know that when the Prophet and his Apostles are speaking, Heavenly Father is giving us council that we need to hear right now in this day and age. (hoy en dia?)  I testify that they have all been called of God, and the only way that we can hold on to the iron rod is by listening to their words.

I love you allll!!! have a great week with pajama church!!! :)

-- 

Hermana Willes

Julio's Baptism

I'm so excited to have a church building!

The missionaries

I Am So Grateful For My Testimony!

Buenas!!

Well I LOVE my new area!! It is SO big and SO different. I feel like a greenie again and I love it. It has rained pretty much every day and we climb mountains..like literally. I fell down a mountain my first day of working and my and my companion were just laughing because i was taking baby steps down and woooosh down i went :) We come home every night with mud caked on our shoes and shivering from the cold. It doesn't really feel like i am in Nicaragua! I love it so much though! And the CAPILLA is beautiful. It was so weird to have church in an actual church yesterday but i loved it. Even though we have a building it is kind of like Ocotal in the way that i still had to speak because the speakers didn't show up..but i loved it! I felt just at home. :)

Thank you ALL for the birthday wishes! I had such a great day. It was a little strange to be out working all day...Hermana Poncio called us around 7 and I looked at my companion and was like..uhhh why is the mission presidents wife calling us? and she was like..uhh I don't know? So i made her pick it up and then when she passed it to me and I was like OH NO what did I do wrong? haha but she just wanted to wish me happy birthday. :) President talked to me too. It was so nice of them to call! They are wonderful.

We found this MIRACLE woman named Marlene this week. She is all excited to be baptized and came to church all on her own on Sunday. She is golden! 

I hope that everyone is just loving life because I am :). I found this quote by Elder Bednar that says, Conversion is an offering of self, of love, and of loyalty we give to God in gratitude for the gift of a testimony. I am soooooo grateful for the testimony I have gained throughout my life and I am trying my best to offer everything I have to the Lord. Yesterday was such a good birthday, to be able to give everything to the Lord on a day that is usually focused on yourself. As I left Hermana Gould before changes I told her, I know that Im not the perfect missionary or trainer, but I do know that I have taught you the most important thing, and that is to love the mission. because I LOVE THE MISSION. Sometimes i just stand in awe of how lucky we are to be given such sacred experiences where we can learn so much. If anyone is ever contemplating a mission...GO.

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true and only true church on the earth. I will never tire of saying the words..somos misioneras de la iglesia de JesuCristo de los santos de los ultimos dias..que hacen los domingos ustedes? :)

nos vemos! les quiero mucho!

-- 

Hermana Willes

Saying good-bye to Hermana Chow

Hermana Alfara (my comp) and me
in front of our beautiful Capilla!

In front of our house...

Zone Activity

Changes...

Well....

I got changed!! I am now in a place called Jinotega! It is by Matagalpa. It is bigger than Ocotal but still a pretty small city. It was really hard to leave Ocotal but I am ready to get to work in my new area and see what the Lord has in store for me! Before I left Ocotal we were able to have two baptisms of Lorena and her sister, Rosi. They were so excited and it was a beautiful baptism!!

I hope that everyone has a great week!

also i turn 20 this week...i am SO old....

sorry no pictures the computer erased all my photos but the guy got them all back but im not trusting the computer again..haha! next week maybe!

-- 

Hermana Willes

Baptism of Lorena and Rosi

Final Week in Ocotal

Buenas!

We are finally back in Ocotal and we were able to work this week! YAY! Working really is the perfect medicine.

I think this is my last week in Ocotal so that is really really sad...but that is how the mission goes. (i mean i wouldnt know because i have been in the same area the whole time but thats what they tell me hah) But I know that wherever I go that is where the Lord needs me.

Right now we are working with a girl named Lorena. She was supposed to be baptized while we were in Mangua so now we are hoping she will do it this week! She is so great. Please keep her in your prayers!

Yesterday we had fast and testimony meeting and both Ernesto and Gracielo got up to bear their testimonies. (I might have cried a little) We also celebrated Brandys birthday yesterday with a piñata and tacos! Their little family really has become my family here. I just love how the gospel has changed their lives!

President Monson said, If you want to give light to others, you have to glow yourself! I love this quote because as missionaries, we have the best message in the whole entire world. I want to share it with everyone because it really is the light in my life. Just a simple smile can brighten someones day!

Anyways, I hope you all are doing wonderfully and I will see you all on the other side...who knows where I will be writing next week???

-- 

Hermana Willes

Celebrating with Ernesto's Family...

Tacos!!!

Got drenched in the rain!

With Wally at Leadership Meeting

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)

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!

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!