Rice and beans for days!

POWERFUL!! This week was powerful! Elder Alonzo came and talked with us this past week and he didn't talk much but it was powerful!

Here´s a little story about one of our investigators. So we were out contacting and this lady comes out of her house and we present ourselves and then we tell her a little bit about our message and she tells us to come back tomorrow. So we come back and we teach her the Restoration and about Joseph Smith and she tells us she'll pray. Then we teach her about the Book of Mormon and we read about how Jesus came to America. Then she reads Mosiah chapter 4 and loves it! She told us that the only reason that she let us in was because in our contact we said that our message was about families and she´s having a little troubles with her sons and she really opened up to us. Also, this Sunday she came to church! She seriously needs your prayers! Her life has been really hard. 

After we visited her we went to dinner at the Bishop's house which was Chicken, with rice and beans and soda and french fries. Then our next appointment gave us dinner too! And it was Chicken with rice and beans with soda and plantains. Then while we were eating a member in the bishop bric calls us and asks us where we are and that his wife is waiting for us. I was like, Why is she waiting for us? Dreading the answer, and he said, To come eat of course! So after we went over and we ate chicken with rice and beans with soda and plantains. We were dying! It was so hard to walk! But I went to bed that night full!

Sunday we were eating lunch and the member that gives us lunch had her feet up and it turns out she has this really bad ingrown toe nail, her nail was growing into her toe and it was causing an infection to the point where she couldn't walk. I told her that she needed to get rid of her nail and so I called a member who is a doctor and he came over and numbed it and pulled it out! She held our hands and they just did a medical procedure in her backyard! #Nicaragua! 

Then this morning Hermana Vasquez and I went to wash her clothes for her since she couldn't wash them herself. It was a really productive morning! 

I have to go but I love you all!

Hermana Partridge

Short Update

So I´m going to give a short update of what´s going on:

- Albeniz got baptized 3 weeks ago and hasn't come to church since, but we taught him about baptisms for the dead and he loved it! He wants to go to the temple and take a lot of names to the temple but he needs to go to church! He doesn't like the fact that he has to wear a tie. He just needs to get over that one.

- Dorissell, we had to drop teaching her because she still has doubts about baptism and has been reading her Book of Mormon but hasn't gained a testimony that this is the true church yet. 

- This past week was elections here in Nicaragua, which is a HUGE thing. So for the past week and the next coming week we start working at 9:00 in the morning and we have to enter the house at 7:00 at night instead of at 9. Then yesterday for Sunday we went to church and then after church we were told to stay in our house all day because of the elections that were going on. It´s not that sketchy here but we´ll see what happens. 

- We found some really cool people this past week so we´ll see where it all goes!

I have to go but I love you all and talk to you next week!

Hermana Partridge

 

 Where the dog bit my leg.

 Hermana Hawkins and I.

We have so many cockroaches and spiders and rats! Gotta love Nicaragua!!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everybody! It doesn't feel like Halloween but after seeing all the photos that everybody is sending me of Fall and costumes it looks awesome! So on Tuesday we went and did divisions with the Hermana Leaders in Diriamba and I was able to go teach with Hermana Hawkins! We came together in the mission and it was a blast working with her! We are a lot alike! Then on Wednesday my companion and I were walking and my companion was in front of me and she passed by this dog and it was a normal looking dog and then I was just about to pass it and I had the feeling that I should go around it. I was like "No, I´ll be fine, I walk by dogs all day!" and did I listen to that prompting...NO, and right as I walked by the dog, it growled and bit me in my calf! So I had to go sit down because my leg started to bleed and then women started to come out and say that the same dog has bitten kids before and who knows else what. And they were freaking out and started to clean my leg with alcohol as my companion calls our DL. So it was an exciting 5 sec. then I went back to work. My legs healing now and the dog didn't have rabies and I haven't started to foam from the mouth yet so that´s a good sign!

Then the rest of the week was a blur, I seriously need to get better at writing in my journal and bringing it with me when I write. It was a good week though. 

Please pray for Dorissell, she´s still struggling with knowing that we have a prophet here on the earth.

Love you all and I need to go sleep!

Hermana Partridge

I´ll send pictures next week because I forgot my camera!

The Blessing of the Lord!

So this week flew by fast and we had interviews with President Brown.....let me tell you that he is inspired!! He asked all the missionaries to come in with 1 question and boy was it spiritual! He answered everybody in under 20 min. 

Also, my throat has been hurting for the past 3 days and I think it might just be a virus or strep. I called the nurse today so we´ll see what she says. Thus far I have been sick my entire mission with something!

-Gastritis

-Parasites

-Boils

-Sinus infection

-Cold

-Chikungunya

- there´s probably more but can't remember.

 WAHOO! The miracle is, I haven't missed one day of working in the field! Only one night when I went home a half an hour early because I was throwing up. But other than that the Lord has blessed me with the strength to continue working! MIRACLES!!

I love you!

Hermana Partridge

COMMUNICATE!!

I can't really remember what happened this past week but one thing......Albeniz got baptized!!!!! He's awesome! He told us that before when the missionaries would show up he would tell them that he was catholic; or, his son would see the missionaries coming down the street and he would be like, "Daddy, here comes the Mormons" and he would go hide. I can see a complete change in him from when I first met him and now! 

Also, I learned a very valuable lesson this week on communication! My companion and I have really started to communicate more and I can see a huge difference! People let me just tell you that when you are married, TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING!! It even says in the scriptures that the Lord likes Bold but not overbearing! I love you all and have to go but I am really mad that I won't be able to see my sister for 3 years! Why? Because she´s leaving on a mission! WAHOO!

Love you all!

Hermana Partridge

Parasites, rats, and grease oh my!

Well this week has been interesting. Monday we went to Jinotepe and played games
in the chapel and then we walked in the rain all the way to this Chinese place which
is the first time I've eaten Chinese in over a year! It was actually pretty good!
At first I was worried because Chinese in the United States is sketchy but Chinese
food in Nicaragua....SUPER Sketchy but it was just Chinese rice and noodles with
chicken. Tuesday we found out who was going to have changes and we got the call
and ....My companion Hermana Naumu and I are staying together another change!!
This is our third change together! There`s something that God wants us to learn from
each other or that he wants us to do. Then on Wednesday, I finally took a parasite
test and turns out that Hermana Naumu and I both have parasites........I don't know
what round of parasites this is but it`s probably the 5th round.

So one of our converts Socorro this little old lady thought Hermana Naumu was leaving
and before we got the call we went to her house and she had made us food! We had
just come from lunch and she pulls out a huge plate of gallo pinto with cheese and
chicken and maduro frito! And she looks at us and says, You guys are going to eat it
all! My stomach hurt so much after! HAHAHA! It was hilarious!

Then Friday it started to rain HARD! While we were eating lunch it started to rain and
then we left in the rain and I had to make a bridge in the street with huge rocks just to
cross the river that was there.  So my hands were so dirty! Then we get to Hermana
Socorro`s house again, soaking wet and we sit down and we start talking and she says.
I made some beans that I put in a blender with a TON of butter! I want to you guys to
try some!¨ She then proceeds to bring out a pot of beans and say Pruebalo! I said,
But my hands are dirty and she says, Que me importa, Pruebalo! Which means that
doesn't matter to me, try it! So I put my finger in and ate it! Then she says, I want you
guys to have some with maduro frito! She then proceeds to bring out two plates of this
bean stuff and fried plantains that are sweet and fried cheese! I hate fried cheese! It`s a
cheese here that is so nasty and they fry it which makes it more nasty! So I ate greasy
cheese with greasy plantains with greasy beans.........we basically ate grease! It was great!
I definitely need to start running or something or I`m going to have a heart attack Haha! 

Then Saturday night was crazy! I hear this screaming and I run into the bedroom and
there is this HUGE cockroach in the mosquito net of Hermana O`Donnal. So Hermana
Vasquez and I tried to get it out but it took us a little while while Hermana Naumu and
O`Donnal screamed in a bed together. THEN! I was like we can get it out with this sticky
pad that I have under my bed for bugs! So I look under my bed and there is a huge rat
stuck on the sticky pad......and it was alive! So then we had to kill the cockroach and then
we had to kill the rat.....it was a crazy night. That was my second rat that I`ve killed here
and it probably won't be my last. 

Albeniz is doing good, he`s going to get baptized this Saturday but please pray for him
because he`s going through hard times right now. 

DORISSELL CAME TO CHURCH!! Your prayers worked! She came to church! I was
happier than a bird with a french fry when I saw her walk through those doors! 

Larry didn't come to church and we don't know why so please pray for him!

I love you all so much! Have a good week!

Hermana Partridge

Hermana Carla our lunch cita! She`s so cute!

Hermana Vasquez with me

This was the plate of food that Hermana Socorro gave us!

River in the street!

Her name is Dona Carmen and she`s probably one of the sweetest people here!

You know your in Nicaragua when you see a man walking his pig.

I don't know why but I learn so much from General Conference when I listen to it in Spanish because I have to pay attention in order to understand it! This past week we found a man named Larry. Larry is from Nicaragua but has lived in Mexico for a long time and just moved back because he's going through a divorce. We contacted him in front of his house and he let us come in and we shared a message about the Restoration. When we talked about Joseph Smith and the first vision it was quiet and he was paying so much attention. Then after we asked him if he believed that Joseph Smith was a prophet and he said, yes I do, I do believe he was a prophet. WHAT?! It was awesome! Then we gave him a book of Mormon the next visit and he read in 3 Nephi 11 when Jesus Christ came to earth and visited the Nephites and he loved it and had questions about the priesthood and baptism! Then this past Saturday he came to Conference and took notes and wants to learn more! The Lord has really prepared him to hear the gospel! 

Alveniz is doing great, he´s getting ready to be baptized this Saturday so please pray for him. We explained to him about the priesthood and what it is and then we explained temples and how he can go in a year and he really wants to go! 

Dorissell is struggling a little bit, she reads her book of Mormon and applies it to her life and everything and believes in the gospel.....it´s just getting her to go to church. She went to church a few weeks ago for all three hours and loved it and was participating but then these past few weeks something has always come up and she really needs to gain a testimony of the Sabbath day! Please pray for her that her heart will be touched in a way that she will have the desire to go to church and wont let anything else distract her!

Hermana Naumu and I started an English class every Wednesday at 6:00 so that we could help our investigators and find new ones and help the members be more united! 

Changes are in two days so we´ll see if I stay or leave but I´m sure I´ll stay. 

Also during conference milagros happened! I had written down questions before the conference and every one of them was answered! It was great!

Love you all and have a great day!

Hermana Partridge