I am now in Ciudad Sandino

September 26, 2011

Hey fam!

Man, a lot sure is going on at home. I’m super stoked for my little bro and that he’s gonna get his mission call. I’m also excited for all of the great things that everyone is doing. I hate to say it but this letter might be kinda short. I think sometimes the hump days are some of the hardest. I’ll start with the bad news and then give you the good. We went to go play soccer early in the morning and I really wasn’t feeling well. I’ve thrown up about 4 times today, have diarrhea, a fever that got up to 103.7 and just feel like crap. So, I’m here writing you from a member’s computer so you guys don’t worry too much.

I feel like the Lord is really testing me and giving me opportunities to learn and grow. To answer your question dad, it was really difficult saying goodbye to everyone, especially Anabel and Milton. We all cried together and they thanked me for all that I had done for them and their relationship`. Anyways...here I am now in a place called Ciudad Sandino. I love it here and we’ve got lots of potential to baptize here......well something interesting just happened. I threw up and had diarrhea at the same time. NOT fun! Anyways the members here are way pilas (helpful?) and we’re teaching some cool people. The thing that is nuts though is that they took out both of the elders that were here before so we’re still a little bit lost.

My comp is Elder Leiva from Guatemala. He’s a super good missionary and works really hard. With respect to my new assignment, I’m zone leader 1 now which basically means that everything falls upon my head if things aren’t going well haha. Anyways...it’s been tough because I hardly know anyone in the zone and it seems like there are a bunch of missionaries that aren’t as obedient. I actually did divisions with Elder Rosa (my trainer) which was pretty cool...but I’m sure the Lord will teach me a lot this change, even if it’s by trials.

I’d love to write more, but I’m gonna go be sick some more. I’m super duper stoked for you though Con man.  My comp thinks you are going to Los Angeles, California, and I think that you’re going to Guatemala...well that’s kind of what I hope because missions in Central America are the best. Anyways....sorry this letter is so lame. I’ll give you a better update next week and don’t worry about me too much because the Lord has me in good hands.

Love you a bunch and enjoy conference this weekend!

Love,

Elder Ward

"I'm gonna get baptized because it makes Jesus happy"

September 19, 2011

Hey Fam!!!!!

Man, what the heck is goin on over there...Connor is goin on a mission, Collin is driving and likes girls and stuff, Aubrey cooks and sews, and Ava goes to school for 7 hours a day?! Nuts. I guess things do change quite a bit in a year. Duuude that’s so awesome that Connor put his papers in!!! I can’t tell you my guess of where he’s goin yet, but give me some time to think about it.

So, I was just told a little while ago that I have changes on Wednesday. Kinda weird considering that I’m used to being in an area for about 7 and a half months, haha. I have mixed feelings about leaving. I think I really will miss this area, not because we baptized a bunch of people but because I feel like I really converted myself here. Never in my life had I been so humbled and had to trust in the Lord as much as I had to here in San Marcos. The cool thing is that we ended up baptizing four people this Saturday: Margarita and her daughter Celinda and also Xiomara (15) and Geral (10). It’s pretty amazing how the Lord just put them in our path because as of about 2 weeks ago they didn’t have any plans of getting baptized. It was a sweet day especially because our zone and the Zona Jinotepe had a baptism together in the stake center. 8 of the 9 companionships had baptisms and it was so cool to see the smile on all of their faces.

That was a good end to a week that has been NUTS!  This week we had independence day for Central America and basically everyone and their dog comes out in the street to watch every one of the school bands perform...it was pretty legit. I spent the night in three different areas because everyone had baptismal interviews that they needed to be done. I’m super glad that Guatemalans are really small. I was with Elder Coyoy and we didn’t know we’d be spending the night, so we didn’t have keys. We had to take the glass out of their super tiny bathroom window and somehow he got in. I had another interesting experience with a little 9 yr old girl that I interviewed this week. She said that she was really nervous about getting baptized but towards the end she exclaimed happily, “I’m gonna get baptized because it makes Jesus happy!” She also tried to tell me that with tithing we should pay more than 1 cordoba if we have 10. She said that “we should probably pay like 5, cuz Jesus gives us everything.” Imagine if everyone had that attitude...

Anyways, I can’t begin to tell you about all the awesome experiences I had this week but one thing I’ve thought about a lot this week is the law of consecration. Anyone can go sit in the chapel for a couple of hours on Sunday, lots of people can get up and give a nicely worded testimony, almost any 19-26 yr old person can go serve a mission, but those that will have a spot in the kingdom of our Father are those that give everything to the Lord. By the way dad, loved those scriptures...I happened to read Ether 12 this week.

Anyways...that’s all I got for right now. I’ll be sure to write you guys and let you know how the new area is and everything. I love you guys a bunch and be happy!

Love,

Elder Ward

The Lord Truly Works in Strange Ways

Hoy mi querida familia!

Wow, I love my family! As I read your letters right now I felt a sweet spirit and a feeling of gratitude for the family that the Lord has given me. Dad, I’m so glad that you’ve been having success in your business, and I’m even more glad that you all recognize that as a blessing from the Lord. Right now I’m reading in Mormon in the Book of Mormon where the Nephites destroy themselves...just remember not to fall into the pride cycle because even the most faithful of us do it sometimes. I’m so stoked for you Connor that you’re going to turn your papers in! Prepare yourself for the best experience of your whole life...and start preparing yourself NOW. Make yourself into a tool that the Lord can use in any situation. Collin, that’s legit that you got your blessing and that you’re progressing so much spiritually! Remember that the blessings that are stated in it will only be received according to your faithfulness. Also, I got the other package, Mom, with the pictures of the fam, and Aubrey and Ava look like grown women!!! Mom, just so you know, we have such a great family because of your example and your faithfulness. I just want to thank you Mom and Dad for living faithfully and for making the decision to start an eternal family years ago.

The Lord truly works in strange ways. The Lord keeps giving us opportunities to be tested and tried and we’ve been working hard to be able to baptize this month. Oddly enough, the people we didn’t even plan on baptizing at the beginning of the month are the ones that will get baptized this week. One is Carlos, the guy I talked about last week. He is so humble and basically when we got to his house he said he wanted to get married and be baptized. I love how strong his faith is. He said, “Honestly elders, I have a big problem with drinking coffee (he works nightshifts driving an ambulance), but if that’s what He (the Lord) wants to be done, it will be done (to not drink it).” The rest of his family was inactive but they’re all coming to church now. A miracle happened this week because he has to get divorced which usually takes 2 months (huge bummer)...but we prayed a ton that the Lord would prepare a way and He did...we got permission to go all the way to Masaya (my old area) to go get a marriage certificate. Long story short...the last names on his ID and the certificate are different and the lawyer says that his old marriage is technically invalid!!!!!!!! It truly was a little miracle that the Lord blessed us with.

The other is a woman named Francis and her daughter. She showed up to church all by herself two weeks ago and had gone before that. She told us that she never really believed in the church until she took our challenge to pray. She said that she kept thinking about James 1:5 and that she prayed with all the faith in her and later felt a burning in her chest and started to cry. It was amazing to be able to tell her that that was an answer from the Lord. Her little daughter is 9 and reminds me a lot of my sisters. She LOVES saying prayers and they’re almost as good as Ava´s.

Anways...I can’t really talk about all that’s going on right now but the Lord has been blessing us over here too. I love being a missionary. Anyways...random story...this week we were walking and a bus passed by and one of our recent converts (teenage girl) and all of her friends were in it. They all said ¨¡adios elderes!¨ I turned to look and my backpack got caught on a nail on a big telephone pole and I basically just got stuck there like a moron. Everyone in the street thought that was pretty hilarious, especially E. Mejia. Haha. Anyways...I love you guys a bunch and I love this gospel! Stay sweet.

Love,

Elder Ward

PS – Mom, I got the other package and the boots are SICK!!!!!!!!!! They’re a little different than the ones I had. I gave the other ones to E. Mejia and he was way stoked so it was double good. Thanks for the food and posters and all that too. It’s perfect! Love you!

THEY KNOW NOT WHERE TO FIND IT

Hey fam!!!

How’s it goin guys? I’m super jealous that you guys are in California playing volleyball, going to the beach, and all that stuff. We played soccer today against a bunch of the Nica kids and my whole body hurts, haha! I guess I’ll tell you guys a little bit about my week.

On Tuesday we had a meeting for all of the zone leaders. It was pretty sweet because President took us up to this mountain and we had the meeting there. We ate a really fancy lunch and he gave us time to go walk around in the woods/jungle. It was nice to get away for a little bit.  This week I’ve been thinking a lot about what we need to do to change our results as a zone and in our area. One thing that I kept feeling and thinking is that the Lord is preparing people for us to teach and baptize and that we just need to find them. My testimony, that people are just ¨kept from the truth because they know not where to find it¨, grew this week. One day we were looking for a referral that someone gave and after getting like 3 different directions we ended up talking to a lady that was mending clothes in front of her house. She told us that she had gone to church like 6 times and had read the whole Book of Mormon and that she has friends that are members. We were like… why did this lady not get baptized?!?!?! Also, one of the members gave us a referral of a family where only the wife is a member and they really want to get married and the husband wants to get baptized. I know that the Lord loves His children and wants all of them to know that Jesus Christ is their Savior. Are you guys looking for His sons and daughters that he’s preparing? Jesus Christ asked Pedro three times, “Peter, do you love me?”, and I think like any of us would answer, “yes, yes I love you Lord”, but the Lord goes on to say “feed my sheep”. If we truly love the Lord, we should always be looking to feed His sheep. In other words, be missionaries! Invite someone to FHE, to church, bring them an Ensign, invite them to watch a church movie, do something more.

Anyways...I’ll get off my soap box now. I just know that our family will be blessed even more if we do those things. I’m trying to think if there’s anything else.....I GOT MY PACKAGES!!!! Thanks big time mom. I got the debit card, all the candy and stuff, and one shoe. Aubrey and Ava look super different in the pictures! Haha…hopefully the other shoe comes pretty soon.

Anyways, I miss you guys a bunch and I’m glad that you’re doing well. Sorry that this letter is so boring. Hopefully I’ll have some better stuff to write next week. Love you all!

Love,

Elder Ward

P.S.  Right now we have a ridiculous amount of people that have gone to church and are progressing that just need to get baptized, so I know that this will be a good month.