Christmas HO HO HO!

So this week was pretty different. First of all I realized that Christmas here is SO DIFFERENT than in the United States. Fireworks galore! And the ward Christmas party started out with the missionaries singing two hymns and then the rest of it was the young men dancing to rap and then the young women´s dancing to a rap song also. There was no baby Jesus manger nativity but I guess that´s how they do it here. On Thursday we went to a multi- zone Christmas Conference where we played games and ate REALLY good food. I cant remember when I last ate good chicken with rice and mashed potatoes with rolls and cheesecake! Then we exchanged white elephant gifts and I got a relic of Nicaragua which was a piece of tree cut at an angle and painted on it was a cool picture! WAHOO!! Then President gave us Peanut butter and Jelly, which was everyone! And then he gave each apartment a microwave! 

We also learned at the conference that the mission  this year had 2,113 baptism! The year before we had around 1,265. We are the highest baptizing mission in the world. Our goal was 2,035 and if we reached it we would all go to the beach in San Juan! So on January 13 the whole mission is going to San Juan! Anyway I got to Skype with the family which was awesome! The connection was so bad though (sorry mom). 

I just want to tell you people how much I love this scripture Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-8

 7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but asmall moment;

 8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumphover all thy foes.

One thing that we teach people is Enduring to the end and part of that is patience and long suffering. Patience isn´t a one time thing to learn, it´s an eternal thing that I think we´ll be learning forever!

Hermana Partridge

I Ate Ants!

This week has been crazy! Tuesday we got the call for changes and 2 elders next to us were pulled so our area is huge! Plus the two Hermanas here in the house! So now I am living with 3 Guatemaltecas! Also I got a call from the secretary to the President and he asked me to be in a choir for a huge event at the Presidents house. So on Friday I went to practice for an hour and it was me and 3 other sisters and 6 elders. Small choir. SATURDAY WAS CRAZY!! So after lunch we had to run and buy a cake for a wedding that we were having in the backyard of one of our investigators so he could get married and baptized. So the whole day we were running around and getting stuff ready and we had the wedding and then the baptism and then after all the crazy of everything we went to the church in Alta Gracia and practiced singing for like 20 min. and then we got on a bus and went to Presidents house where he was having this huge dinner with all the stake presidents of Nicaragua Managua south mission. So we sang in front of them and let me just say I was more nervous singing in front of President than any other performance or basketball game in my life! We were all so nervous because if we messed up we would all get macheted.

Sunday was a good day, we had 6 investigators come to church and then after when we were teaching a lesson in the house of an investigator they asked us if we wanted pinolillo (a type of drink here in Nicaragua) and I said, "Estoy bien" which is I'm good no thank you but he heard "Esta bien" which is OK I would love some! (They were an older couple) So we got these huge cups of pinolillo and I took a sip and looked down and there was an ant next to my mouth. No biggy I just flicked it off and took another sip and that's when I saw it! There were a few dead ants floating on top of the water. I don't think they had rinsed out the cup at all but I drank it anyway. Then I realized that they didn't give us Agua Puro and I was praying the whole time that I wouldn't get a parasite. My companion and I were laughing so hard when we left because of the irony of the situation! I think Im good because a lot of missionaries here drink the water without a filter and are fine. We´ll see! BOOYAH!!

Word of wisdom for the day!

Come what may, and love it!

I love this phrase because it gives a message of hope and faith that no matter what happens it´ll get better and that whatever does happen we need to have a good attitude about it. Come what may, and love it! If a challenge comes, love it because it´ll make you that much stronger!

Love you all!

Hermana Partridge

6 Weeks in Nicaragua

This week has been full of surprises. Today is a Holiday here in Nicaragua and as sisters we were given permission not to work today because it's not safe. It's some holiday that the Catholics celebrate about the Virgin Mary.  So many fireworks were going off last night it was a little hard to sleep. 

I have gained a testimony about the hymns of the church and also of Fasting and Prayer. So here in Nicaragua we're allowed to drink Coca Cola and one day I realized that I was relying on it too much. So I decided to fast from it for a week and only drink it when given to me by members. This last week I haven't drank any Coca Cola! Poor Hermana Greenhalgh, because when the members gave me coke she drank hers and mine to help me with my fast! Thank you Hermana Greenhalgh!! But because of this fast I saw so many miracles happen and finally I broke one of the walls of Spanish and I have been able to understand people twice as better and talk twice as good! I'm so happy!

The hymns have been a source of comfort and joy for me here in Nicaragua, even though I can't understand the words being said, it beings me joy and peace just to hear them. I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!

Some words of Wisdom for the Day:

"It always seems impossible until it's done." -Nelson Mandela

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not. -Dr. Suess

"Don't compare your beginning to someone elses middle." -Jon Acuff

"Nothing carries more potential for change than individual acts of human kindness" -Jamie Winship

"Promise me you will always remember:

You´re braver than you believe

and stronger than you seem

and smarter than you think."

-Winnie the Pooh