Semana Santa (Holy Week)

This week was HOT! We were literally sweating showers of water. I am going to be so grateful for the snow and fall when I get home. Right now I´ve missed one winter and will miss another and have to wait for the next one after my mission! That´s crazy! So this past Friday we had the baptism of Nixon. He´s a pretty big guy so when the baptismal clothes didn't fit him we spent the next 2 hours running around calling people to see who had clothes that would fit him. When we finally got the clothes it was so late and when we finally left the church the AP´s showed up with the ZL´s. Turns out they wanted to meet some of our investigators so we went and showed them around. It was just a really stressful day on Friday due to the clothes but all was well after that! Then on Saturday we had the Women´s conference! Except it was in Spanish so I was able to enjoy most of it but the new missionary in our district Hermana Peterson didn´t understand anything. I tried to translate a little but that didn't happen so we just sat there in the church with our top ramen noodles in a cup and it was basically the best thing of my life! I loved how they talked about serving other people and how we need to look beyond ourselves!

So we have this investigator named Mario and he has gone to church two weeks in a row and I have had the opportunity to see him grow and change. When we first met him he was like "I´ve never been baptized because none of the churches interested me and I´ve been to a lot but this and that and this, so I guess I´ll hear your message I like to talk about Christ with people" So we taught him about the Restoration and invited him to church. But he didn't go! So we we passed his house and we were like " why didn't you go to church? You promised us." and then he got offended and started to argue with us and then I got frustrated and started to argue with him but my sweet comp. had patience and we visited him that Saturday and we thought " ok, if he doesn't come to church, we´ll drop him" BUT HE CAME!!! So we gave him a book of Mormon and he loved the church and how everyone was reverent and everything but wanted to hear more from the Bishop. Also this one girl gave a talk on Adam and Eve and after he had so many questions so we taught him The plan of Salvation and every lesson since he´s changed a little and we just taught him the Word of Wisdom and HE testified of what we said and was like "Yeah, our bodies are a temple and we need to keep them clean" So he has made goals to stop drinking coffee! He is seriously one of my golden investigator. I cannot believe that I was like " we need to drop him, he´s not that positive" Now we laugh and we can talk about the gospel and he really wants to change his life around and follow Christ!

I love a scripture that says "There is more joy and rejoicing in the heavens for one sinner that repents than 99 that need no repentance" I love that because it´s like a " YOU CAN DO IT!" It shows that we all need repentance and through Jesus Christ we can become a little bit better!

Love you all -

Hermana Partridge

Here is my companion and Hermana Peterson. Hermana Peterson is the really white one. Elder Olsen is in the background creepin.

 

Nixon's Baptism

New Area/New Companion: Semana Santa, Parasites, Miracles, Managua and More!

This is last weeks post:  Yep, I`m in Rivas with Hermana Gilbert who just left her training and she has one month less than I do and I`m Hermana Lider.  Ooops nope, I`m Hermana Mayor not Hermana Lider. She's from Utah Kaysville and she`s awesome!

This week's post:
OH MY LANTA!! This week was insane! So Sunday night on the 13 we recieved a call saying that Hna Gilbert and I needed to go to Managua to get her Cedula which is like a Visa but Managua is 4 hours away by bus! So Monday morning we got up at 4:30 and left on a bus FULL of people at 5:30 and when I say it was full I mean that every seat was taken and that we were tightly squeezed together standing so I stood for 3.5 hours straight and about an hour into the trip a man offered my companion his seat which was very nice of him. We got to Managua and had to wait 7 hours in immigration for her Cedulla and then took a bus back to Rivas and we stopped to eat at a place and then went to write but the whole day I kind of felt "car sick" which never happens to me but my stomach was seriously feeling weird. So after we wrote I was like "Hermana Gilbert my stomach hurts so much.....I think I´m going to puke" but we still went to work but half way though the night I had to sit down on a curb because I was seriously going to puke and after 2 min a man came up to us with cigarettes and we started to teach him the Word of Wisdom and he accepted a baptismal date and then while my companion was talking to him a girl came up to us and said that she wanted to stop smoking and drinking so I taught her the Word of Wisdom and she accepted a baptismal date and then she told us her cousin was baptized and he´s a less active that my companion has been trying to find for 3 months and then out of nowhere she was like "There he is right there" and pointed to a teenager and we waved him over and we got to talk with him! Seriously it was a night of Miracles! BUT at 8:30 we returned to the house because I was not doing so hot. So I layed down for about an hour and I woke up at 9:30 and puked......I puked for the first time in over 10 years! Let´s just say I´m grateful that it took that long up until now. But seriously I was having some bad diahrea with my companion the day before and the same day so the next day we called the Nurse and she told us to take a poop test. So we went and had a poop test and we both had two parasites. So we started to take medicine after that and I´m doing so much better right now! 

Then on Wednesday I hit my 6 month mark! I cant believe it!!! But while we were working we made so many bathroom breaks!

Then on Thursday we had a Multi Zona and so we had to wake up at 2:30 to go to Managua and we heard some great things from President about being a better missionary and how there´s a difference between a consecrated missionary and a bad missionary. Then at 5 we left and had another 4 hour ride to Rivas and didn't get back until 8:00 and worked for a half an hour and then went to bed.

So on Sunday we had three investigators come to church when last week we had 7!! We have to complete every week with 7 but this week was just 3 and so we were kind of down the whole day but it was good because they loved the church! Then we ran out of toilet paper!!! DUN DUN DUHHHHHH! So we used paper from our notebooks. Let me just say it´s better than using our hands. Also everyone here is practically catholic. We have this huge cathedral here and I keep thinking of the movie Notradam.

This coming week is Semana Santa which is the hottest week of the year here! Pray for us that we don't die of dehydration because that´s a problem here because of how much your sweating.

Also why didn't anyone tell me that Snape died!!!? I would have liked to know that! Anyway back to this week.......

All in all it was a good week. My companion is really good at finding the little miracles and tender mercies here and there. 

This week is I CAN DO IT!! We need to look forward with a positive attitude 

WHY I CAN'T. --> WHY CAN'T I??

Set in stone, can't change. --> Hope, Possibility of change

Change the way you feel!

Love you all! 

Hermana Partridge

Now Is The Time For Change

So usually in the mission you only have 2 MAJOR problems to worry about.

1. Getting attacked by a dog and bitten (happens a lot)

2. Getting attacked by a drunk or sober and robbed (happens a lot)

So this week past week I got attacked............by a dog. It wasn't that exciting actually. So the Bishops dog that´s vicious is usually tied up in the back where I wash my hands and I went back there to wash my hands and I was just about to wash my hands when I saw the dog....and then I saw he wasn't tied up......and I thought "Ah crap" and then the dog started to bark and ran right to my leg and started to nip at me and the Bishop's wife came running out when she heard the barking and by this point the dog had already bitten my foot. Luckily it didn't hurt and there wasn't blood. It was great!

Other than that this week was pretty chill and normal! This week is changes and I think I´m going to leave my area because I´ve been here for 5 months. Who knows maybe I´ll go to Granada the hottest place on earth. This month is Semana Santa, a week of the month where it is the hottest and seriously people tell me that people die in the street because of how hot it is. If missionaries in Granada are getting sick from the heat right now, I can't imagine what it could be like this month. I´m excited though, maybe I´ll have changes and have a new area with a new companion, new exciting things! But I´m really going to miss my companion Hermana Perez, she has seriously been there for me through the hard times and has helped me be a better missionary! I love her so much!

I put the title Now is the time for change because we can't just stay in one place our whole lives, we have to move forward and get out of our comfort zone to grow and learn! Don't be afraid of change because through change and discomfort the Lord can mold us into what he wants us to be.

Today I want to share a scripture with you in D&C 123 verse 22.

 22 Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.

Isn't that just great! I love this scripture! Keep fighting forward toward Christ and don't let anything get in the way! Love you all!

Hermana Partridge

Saw My First Rooster Fight

Hey ya´ll this past week wasn't that exciting but it was a good week. 

-Monday was P-day and we slept and I was happy! 

-Tuesday my companion and the other Hermana Leader that I live with went to a different part of Nicaragua to work with some other Sisters who are struggling. So it was just me and Hermana Sapon working two different areas. 

-Wednesday, we had a Multi Zone with Elder Ochoa and it was an amazing experience! I loved the stories that he told and how we need to teach repentance. 

-Thursday was normal.

-Friday was normal 

-Saturday was awesome and a struggle! Aminta the little old lady that has attitude got baptized! when she came out of the water she was yelling "Wahoo"! It was hilarious because she only has one tooth and she was smiling and laughing so hard! Then we went looking for Linneth who was also supposed to be baptized but later on in the day. Half way through the baptism of Aminta she texted us saying that she couldn't be baptized because her grandmother said that she was Evangelist and wasn't ready for something like that. Linneth is 20 years old and has two kids.

Aminta's baptism

Javier with his iguana

 

So we found her and talked to her for an hour and she just kept giving us excuses and then the ZL showed up and talked to her for an hour more and she just kept giving excuses and finally we had to drop her. 

-Sunday, I saw my first Cock fight or Rooster fight. Was a little crazy but the rest of the day was good!

 Hermana Partridge

 

Shortest Letter Ever...

This week was great, almost got robbed, brought our taxi driver to church, and Aminta passed her interview to be baptized!

Hermana Partridge

Special Letter to the Family-Longest Letter Ever!

This past week there was something wrong with the myldsmail, so we didn't receive any contact from Sister Partridge via email.  But we did receive a long letter that we will share some of what she has to say:
     I read The Book of Mormon in Spanish, and now I can understand almost everything I read. Wahoo!
     Carlos, one of our converts is doing great!  He reads The Book of Mormon everyday and tells us what he reads. The Bishop has talked to him about receiving the priesthood and he feels honored.
My Spanish is slowly getting better. I can understand most of what is said to me, but there are still verbs I don't know & a ton of vocabulary.  Poco a Poco. It'll get better.
     I'm beginning to realize the lessons that I'm learning but first off I want to say that trusting in the Lord is the best thing we can do for our lives but it's also the hardest because sometimes we wonder why didn't I get this job I wanted or I didn't get into the school I wanted or something of the sort but from experience and stories he does that because there is something better for us ahead.
     Well Mom you asked what I do on a daily basis. Let me tell you. 
6:30 a.m. Wake up
6:30-7:00 exercise
7:00-8:00 get ready (shower, do whatever you need to do)
8:00-9:00 personal study
9:00-11:00 companionship study
11:00-12:00 language study
12:00-1:00 lunch
1:00-9:00 Work and when I mean work, I mean we
 work like horses.  We have appointments every half an hour and we contact in between.  Everyday we have a goal we have to try and complete, 2 lessons with a member present, 6 other lessons (investigators), 2 recent converts and 2 less actives.  The work is what I thought it would be.  I knew I would have to work hard and I actually enjoy the work.
     You know you've been in the mission a long time when you start dreaming about teaching lessons in your sleep.  I finally had a dream in Spanish!  I was so happy!
     I have a long way to go and a lot to learn!  I'm also kinda nervous because now I'm not in training and I have the responsibility to baptize and I don't know if my Spanish is good enough or if I can teach very well.  Seriously, I just need to have faith that everything will be OK and that the Lord will help me.
I looked up every scripture about putting your trust in the Lord, which did bring me peace.  Every person in the Bible and the Book of Mormon that put their trust in the Lord, overcame every obstacle but they did have challenges.
    So far the lessons I have learned here are to:
-serve others and forget yourself
- put your trust in the Lord
-Fasting and Prayer have power...you have to pray a lot
-Patience and long suffering
-so many others I can't remember.
     The thing is every lesson isn't a one time experience of learning,  for the rest of my life, I think I'll continue to learn these.
Serve those around you so you don't look back and think "What could I have done more?" Do it now!   I also learned that you can't wait for your situation to change, you have to do something to change your situation and don't think "Well I'll be happy when this happens... Life's too short to live with regrets, today, we can change our situation, we can be happy today!
     I'll probably have to be reminded of this a lot on my mission, so when times get hard and I e-mail you about it, please remind me.
So yesterday, 1/21/16, was the first day with my new companion.  Her name is Hna. Perez and I think she's about 4'11".  She's super small but she's always smiling and she loves the work which will help my excitement and animo.  
     I feel so much peace in my life right now.  Yesterday I felt like a real missionary! We contacted houses and I was able to answer difficult questions people had.  It's seriously a miracle, it's like overnight my Spanish improved ten fold and I can understand people so much better!  Hna. Perez is awesome! We make a good team.
      So the woman from Switzerland that was yelling at me in English about the church in Nicaragua was a good learning experience.  At first, I was shocked that she was yelling at me and the things she was saying.  Then, after 5 minutes I had to try not to laugh because this woman kept going and she was so mad and I couldn't understand why a church could make someone this angry if it didn't affect their life.  So today in my "Stand a Little Taller" book by Pres. Hinckley about counsel and inspiration for each day of the year, in today's date I read this:  "Return Good for Evil"  "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. - Matthew 5:11
     I also remember that Joseph Smith's name will be known for good and evil.  But I didn't feel any hate towards this woman. I pitied her because if a person can have so much hate for something like that must need more love.  Who knows but she taught me a good lesson.
     The rest of the message of Gordon B. Hinckley says, "Draw comfort from the words of the Master when we as a church are spoken of by those whose lives are torn with hate.  They lash out at one thing and another.  They manufacture and spread vile falsehoods behind which there is not a shred of truth.  There is nothing new about this.  But we shall go forward, returning good for evil, being helpful and kind and generous."
     It was a nice B-day!  In the morning we had a multi Mission Conference where Elder Craig C. Christensen and Jose L. Alonso from the Seventy talked to us about why we are here and it's to teach repentance and bring people unto Christ.  It was a good spiritual experience for me because they said we need to help less actives come back and make the temple their goal.  Hna. Perez is great!  We joke around and talk a lot and she smiles when we walk, and when she talks to people.  We had breakfast at Hna. Ivi's house because she invited me over for my birthday and we had pancakes!  She's so nice and the other day Hna. Wendy and Oscar gave me a present which was a nice backpack with Merry Christmas on it.  It was a huge sacrifice for them to give me that because they live in a dirt floor house.
Today, I want to talk about a lesson that I will be learning my whole mission.  And it's something that I'm going to try and not do and that is gossip.  Here the Hermana's compare and talk about each other.  Gossip can hurt people.  If I'm going to gossip then it's only going to be good things about the person.  Sometimes as members we can't help but talk about people.  I want to challenge everyone to stop gossiping, even if it's about ourselves.
My Spanish is so much better!  I can talk to people without having to think about what I am going to say before.  Well, with some words I have to think, but I'm getting better.  My feet feel like they're going to fall off!  So much walking!
Hna. Perez and I are getting along just fine.  We'll buy each other stuff to eat here and there. And every night she says "buenas noches" or "te quiero" and sometimes she'll tell me in English and in the mornings "buenas dias."  And she loves mangos.  We eat them everyday!
P-DAY!  Finally I get to sleep!!  This past week was crazy!!  All week Pastors wanted to Bible bash with us.  I am so amazed at the silly doctrine people teach, and also how a pastor can twist a verse in the Bible to the way he wants it.  Oh well.  So this past week Pres. raised the numbers.  Now we have to bring 7 investigators to church each Sunday.  Teach 2 lessons a day with a member and 6 or 7 other lessons along with 5 recent converts or less active members per day.  I've been talking to my friends in other missions and they tell me they have goals but not numbers, they have to complete everyday.  Our mission is the only mission that does this.  Perhaps with the new mission Pres. he'll change it because it's hard to have a spiritual lesson when you're trying to complete numbers everyday.  Oh well, I'm doing good here in the mission and it's been a good day so far.
So yesterday I tried to mail the letter but couldn't because it didn't have the return address.  So one more day of writing.  Today, so far we visited Aminta and old lady w/spunk.  We gave her a Book of Mormon and she accepted it and said she'll read it.  She's super positivo!  Now I'm sitting here waiting to eat lunch which turns out to be soup...hot soup on a hot day...yipee  Oh well I'm just so happy that I'm serving a mission.  Some days I realize "I'm a missionary...like I've always wanted to be!!" It's a great feeling!
Love,
Hermana Partridge

I'm Learning Patience

The title of my email is I´m learning patience because this week I was not patient at all with some of my converts. I realized that I am learning a huge lesson in patience. which is so hard!! Oh well I think every lesson in patience is hard.

WOW!! This week was a hard week but a great week as well. CRAZY!! Tuesday we were trying to find new investigators and we visited one of my converts (my second baptism) and sadly we found him drunken asleep on the floor of his house. Please pray for him he still goes to church and wants to change but it´s hard for him.

Taxi Selfie

 

Then on Wednesday, we had interviews with President which happen every 3 months. My interview went really well and since our apartment was clean we got these huge, thick, chocolatety, rich brownies! I was so happy I cried! I love chocolate! On Friday, we had a third companion for the day. Her name is Hns. Hansack and she´s from Bluefields, Nicaragua and she finished serving her mission in Honduras so that was fun to be in a trio for a day. 

We have this investigator named Aminta who is this spunky old lady with one tooth and crazy hair and I love her!! Every visit she lists off the ten commandments and then the top two most important and ends with Amen and Amen. She loves the commandments so it´s easy to get her to go to church with us. The only thing is she has problems with her hips and tail bone, they hurt her so much. She´s freakin awesome!

Our investigator, Aminta.

Walter's baptism

 

Hurray for Walter!

Saturday we had a baptism of Walter but we couldn't find him!! so we were freaking out the whole day and finally at 8:30 at night we found him! So Sunday early in the morning he was baptized and confirmed and we only had two investigators at church. The week before President had raised the numbers of how many investigators we had to have in church so now we have to have 7 investigators and everyday we have to teach 4 lessons with a member and 4 other lessons and visit 5 less active or recent converts and contact 26 people. 

And today we had P-DAY!! I was so happy! We ordered Pizza hut and wrote letters so prepare to receive one family! If you would like to receive a letter email me your address!

We ate Pizza Hut

 

I love you all! You guys are always in my prayers!

Hermana Partridge