I love Nicaragua!

This past week has been full of crazy things! About two weeks ago Elder Rasband with Elder Christopherson and Elder Ochoa and Elder Duncan from the Seventy came and talked to us about missionary work and how we need to always ask for references when we contact or anywhere we go. Elder Rasband said that the best missionary is the missionary that is always finding new people to teach. REFERENCES!! Then Elder Rasband talked about how the mission is great but that something bigger is waiting for us and that is marriage. He then went on to talk a little bit about marriage. It was a little funny but I think now I´m ready to get married when I get home.....joke! Then after they talked with our mission and the North mission of Nicaragua they went and talked with the President of Nicaragua! I seriously think that they are going to announce a temple here this coming General Conference! I will be the happiest person ever! 

Then this past week we had a Multi-Zone meeting where President Brown showed us the new schedule for the mission and now we wake up at 6:00 in the morning and leave to work at 9:00am to work and then at 1-3 we study during the day and eat lunch. Then at 9:00 pm we go home and sleep! It is so crazy new! I absolutely love our mission president who is so inspired! 

This past week we saw so many tender mercies from the Lord! We found 10 new people to teach and half of them were references! 
Today we woke up and went to el Mercado (Market) that is in Masaya that is probably one of the largest Markets in Central America, o en Nicaragua because you get lost in there!

Tonight we are going to have two family home evenings one of them will be with Orlando who is going to receive the Priesthood this week! Also we had a scare from a Recent Convert family who has a daughter that has heart problems. She is 7 years and while we were there she stopped responding to us and then all of a sudden passed out. Her (Raquel) mom thought that she had died and started to scream and I seriously thought that I was going to have to do CPR but after half a minute she woke up and this poor family is in need of your prayers!  Please keep them in your prayers. The family is called Rodriquez. They are amazing! I absolutely love this Branch here in Nindiri! 

There is so much more but I can't remember it but I know that God is great and God loves us all!

Hermana Partridge

Feliz Cumpleanos!

 Feliz Cumpleanos, Hermana Partridge!

My daughter in the mission came and did divisions with us! It was a weird birthday because I wake up and nobody is in their bed, I walk out and everyone is singing happy birthday and then my companion takes an egg to my head and then everybody else smacked an egg on my head. That´s how they celebrate birthdays in the mission, Then one of the members who gave us iguana took flour and put it on my head, good thing we went home to plan after.

So this past week my convert made us octopus and then a convert gave us soup with iguana! It was actually pretty good!

My convert who got baptized was a lawyer in the states and he's the one who gave us octopus.

This is his house which is probably lo mas rich house I've seen in Nicaragua. When he got baptized there was no water in the church so we had to call the firefighters to bring water but it was so dirty that the water looked black, but he said, it´s like I´m getting baptized in a river! Esta bien!

 

Also Hna Bullock completed a year so we burned a skirt, then Hna Hussey her birthday was on the 22 of January so we celebrated double birthday!

Here is a picture of Chichurong muronga, which is pigs blood made into a pudding sort of thing that they book in the intestines of the pig and make it with rice and comes out black.....it´s really gross.

Nicaragua here we go!

These past 2 weeks have been a little crazy. The week before last week we had 2 other sisters come live with us because they were opening an area and didn't have a place to stay but also because one of the sisters started to have depression and anxiety so we had to keep an eye on her and this past week she went home so that she could get the help she needed. That`s part of the reason I didn't write last week was because of what was going on. I didn't have changes but my companion did and now I have a new comp, Hna Lopez from Costa Rica and man is she Rica. She comes from a very wealthy family. We also had interviews with president this past week and it was once again AMAZING! 

Also, Nidia was supposed to get baptized this past Saturday but didn't because she was scared and had doubts. So we brought over a recent convert that helped her a lot and shared her experience and how she was scared but the blessing after are so great! It was a great lesson! Then on Sunday she came to church and felt the spirit so strong that she cried the first two hymns but then when we sang the last hymn it was "Praise to the Man" she stopped and after asked the Relief Society President about it. Then during Relief Society we sang about the first vision and then the lesson was about Joseph Smith. When we showed up to her house, she told us that she didn't want anything to do with the church, that we were nice and everything but that she can't join a church that ........Well we spent an hour trying to explain everything to her but she wouldn't accept it. I think her sister told her something and the man that she stopped seeing so that she could be baptized. After the lesson we asked her to pray that night and ask if the church was true and then left and I cried and cried and cried. I love that women so much and her saying she didn't want anything broke my heart. I've been rejected before but that was a kick in the heart. 

I've learned that right before somebody is going to do something great, there is always going to be trials, and satan is going to try and do everything to try and get you from fulfilling your potential.

Love you guys!

Hermana Partridge

Hey!

I can only write for a few minutes but I want to tell you guys that I´m alive and being Hna Lider is exhausting but it´s good! This week on Wednesday we have to meet with president as liders and then on Thursday we have interviews as a zone with president. This past week was crazy but hopefully this week Hna Nidia will be baptized and please pray for her! El Abogado came to church and said that he felt so much peace and that´s exactly what he´s looking for! Anyway! I love you guys! Have a good week!

Week of What Seemed Like Miracles!

I love the gospel! This week we were able to help with the Christmas activity and all the little kids dressed up as animals and we sang in the choir! 

On Friday we were walking down the street and this man passed us and stopped us to tell us that he doesn't know how many times he`s read our folleto but he`s tired of reading it and wants to learn more. Turns out he`s an attorney and he told us, "I feel like my faith is low and need your help, I`m confused about what church is true" I was blown away! On Saturday we went over and he basically taught us the Restoration and then we gave him a book of Mormon. We have an appointment with him tomorrow but I`m excited to see what he`s learned! Also Yesterday we contacted a house and a young man let us sit outside and teach him because he told us that he`s catholic but feels like they don't tell them the whole truth and that he`s confused about what church is true. Once again I was blown away and we were able to give him a Book of Mormon. Then on Friday a lady told us the same thing how she doesn't know which church to join. All I could think of is that God is preparing so many people and then putting them in our path. It`s the Lords work and I`m just helping teach and he`s the one bringing them into his fold. I love it! I love it when we trust in the Lord and have faith! 

Today we went to the Volcano and it was really cool but literally really hot. 

Hermana Partridge

My companion looking down into Volcano Masaya! 

We got permission from President to go to Volcano Masaya which is one of the four volcanoes en the world that you can see the lava. It was insane! It was so hot and steam was rising up. 

Our district at the Volcano.

I helped these less actives with wood work for a little bit and for 1 sec I felt like a carpenter. Then I started to think about how Jesus felt when he worked with wood and how he refines us.

Baseball Jerseys

Choir practice for Christmas

I love Nicaragua!

This past week was a good week! Tuesday we met together in Consejo with President and it was so spiritual and he basically told us that we are doing everything according to preach my gospel and he is so inspired! He is one of the humblest people I`ve met! 

Just the other night my companion and I were walking and this woman was crying hysterically and we started walking with her asking her what`s wrong and she started to hyperventilate and then fainted and my comp and I caught her and then a man came and said, That`s my aunt! And so we helped her to this house and her sister came out and was asking her what was wrong but we left to give her some air but it was an interesting moment. So please pray for this woman. 

So last last Sunday Nidia came out of her house Sunday morning telling us that we are wasting out time and that she doesn't want to go to church. The man had come over the night before and now she doesn't want to tell him that she has to keep the commandments. BUT we didn't give up and we went and visited her again and again reading The Book of Mormon and we taught her about the Plan of Salvation and that`s when she began to realize that this was the true church.  Then we started to talk about how we have a living prophet on the earth and she stops us and asks us, "We have a prophet on the earth?!" Yes! and she said, "That makes sense because why would God not communicate to us now through prophets!" And then she came to church this Sunday alone! She started to read some of the talks from Conference and she loves it! Please pray for her that she will have the strength to stop talking with this man!

Also, Holman that can't walk, is doing ok, but he`s scared of his catholic mom even though he`s 36! Please pray that his mom`s heart will be softened! 

I have to go but I love you all! And mom and dad, please don't post pictures of me on facebook..please, thank you!

We went to a old jail called Coyotepe and we took a picture as Zona Masaya!

Hermana Hussey and I inside the jail that`s underground.

Hermana Partridge photo bombs the picture.

Merry Christmas soon!

This week is going to be short! Sorry everyone!

My investigators in Nindiri are amazing! 

We have one named Holman who got into an accident 3 months ago and had to have surgery on his leg and is now in a wheelchair because he can't walk due to surgery. He accepted the Book of Mormon and has started to read it. For church he didn't go but later that day we had the devotional for Christmas and we passed by to see if he wanted to go and he comes out and his eyes are all red and his voice sounds awful and he`s like, Hermanas I`m so sorry! I couldn't go because I didn't wake up on time and I`m sick!" We told him about the Devotional and he was like, "I`m going!" and even though he cant walk and his mom was trying to talk him out of going, he went! That is so rare here in Nicaragua! He was sick and cant walk and he went! People here if they have a head ache or a fever and they automatically say, "I can't go, I`m sick" but the thing is they can go. 

Then we have Nidia. She is a 60 year old women that is helping a 75 year old man commit adultery. She knows what she`s doing is bad but the man had paid for her kids education for years and she feels indebted to him. She broke down crying our first visit and prayed for forgiveness, then that Sunday she came to church! Please pray for both of these people because they really need help feeling the spirit and receiving a confirmation that these things are true! 

I love you all and hope you all are doing fine! I hope it`s snowing because it`s hot down here! Merry Christmas!