It was a miracle!

Hey guys!!!

Just like every other week, I was super happy as I read your letters. It’s so crazy to think about what everyone is doing. Mom and Dad, you guys are basically like grandparents already, my little brother is getting ready to be a missionary, Collin is a junior in high school, Aubrey is in junior high, and Ava is in KINDERGARTEN! I wish I could be there for all of this, but at the same time there is nothing better than what I’m doing here in Nicaragua. This week was almost like starting a new school year. A new change brings new missionaries, new goals, new friends, new things to learn, new challenges...I’ve been praying a lot too.

Mom and Dad, both of you talked about miracles in your letters. Those happen a lot on the mission. This week a big one happened. At the beginning of this week we contemplated whether or not we should continue visiting Anabel and Milton. Earlier this week we went to go visit them and the Lord had changed Milton’s heart just a little bit. He was actually considering getting married...we were super stoked about that. On Friday, Elder Muzo went with my comp to do the interview and they were good to go!!! We were so stoked that all of our work with them was going to pay off. On Saturday we got everything ready: filled up the font, bought a cake, gave all the papers to the lawyer, invited the members, got the clothes, everything. Then we get a call from Anabel saying that Milton refused to come. Our hearts just sank...because when he says no, he will not change his mind. We closed ourselves in one of the small classrooms and pleaded and begged the Lord that he would change his heart. When we showed up to their house they were fighting and he said he wouldn’t go. We only said a few sentences to him and he just sat their thinking...and thinking...and I’m sure that in that moment the Spirit really got him. He said, ¨alright, let’s go.¨ It was a miracle! Before entering the church he was still a little unsure so we waited for him as he stayed outside asking the Lord if he was doing the right thing. I imagine that he got a solid ¨yes¨ because there was no doubt when he walked into the church. It was such a happy day, and last night they invited us to a dinner and their faces were just beaming with joy. They’re already talking about going to the temple. :)

I don’t really know what else to write about...well, this week will be kinda weird because we can’t bring investigators to church. They’re going to broadcast the El Salvador temple dedication. This week I interviewed a 19 yr old girl who had done some pretty bad things in her life and she just kept saying, “I don’t know if the Lord can fully forgive me for what I did”. We read quite a few scriptures together about repentance and how the Lord forgets our sins if we truly repent. I received a strong witness from the Spirit that the Lord had forgiven her and it felt so good to tell her that.

Other random thing...a missionary that left from this ward just got back from Guatemala. It made me just a little bit trunky seeing how excited his family was, and you could just tell how much his mom and dad missed him. Well...I’m not saying this to make you cry mom, but it made me think about you guys and how grateful I am to be your missionary son. Thanks for helping me get here. I love you guys a bunch and be attentive to the miracles that the Lord performs every day.

Love,

Elder Ward

Anabel & Milton.....marriage

...and baptism