I Love Preaching the Gospel

Dear Mom,

Haha, I guess it’s just “dear mom” this week... [Dad was on a hike with the priests and didn’t send his letter in time.] Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. That WWWW [Wild Ward Women Weekend-where Mom was with her mother- and sisters-in-law] is a pretty strong tradition isnt it? Well, tell everyone there that I said hi. It’s kind of weird because I remember the last time that you wrote me when you were doing that whole shindig. Time is flying. Comin up on 17 months in 5 days.

I think that this week may have been the most tiring week of my mission. There were just so many things to do this week in the office. This week I think I realized how much I really love preaching the gospel and how much I love being with our investigators. Just about every day this week we had appointments that fell through due to things that we have to do in the office, and every time that it did I was pretty bummed. Yesterday was especially difficult. I had about a million things to do at the same time and the system we use to print checks wasn’t working which means I didn’t have any money...I stressed out quite a bit, but somehow I got it all taken care of. Haha, speaking of that picture where I fell asleep praying, last night I fell asleep at 9:30. Anyways...I’m learning to have patience, and trust in the Lord even more. I’m starting to develop a love for doing service. This week President wanted me to help his daughter with her homework, an essay that she wrote in English. Before I might’ve thought...why would I waste my time with that when I have investigators to teach and things to do in the office still? But I happily agreed and felt that it was a joy to be able to serve such an awesome person and his family.

This week a miracle occured. We thought that Jaime and Juana had all of their papers for their divorce but it turns out that they were missing one. They got pretty disanimated and the husband said that he didn’t want to get baptized anymore. I think we got pretty disanimated too...knowing that the other papers had taken a month to come out. Nevertheless, we prayed fervently that they could get baptized this Saturday...and what do you know ...they’re getting baptized today! We’re super stoked about it and so are they. I swear that the husband is going to be a bishop one day, and the wife the relief society president. They have such a strong testimony. For example, Jaime said that he was completely against getting married but he said that he would do it just because he knew it was a commandment of God. I think that’s the attitude that we should all have.

To be honest with you, that’s all I have to write for now. Sorry that it’s so boring. I can’t believe that Travis is coming home this week. Tell him that I said hi and to write me when he gets the chance. Love all of you guys!!!!!

Love,

Trevor (Elder Ward)

A Baptism on Valentine's Day!!!

Esteli P-day (In the North Mission)

Esteli 2

Trevor Praying....and Sleeping

Dearest Family,

I think that every week that goes by in my mission I become more and more grateful for our family...and to be honest, Mom, we are so blessed.  I spent a lot of time thinking about that this week.  Some days I spend a lot of time in the car, driving all over Nicaragua, and to tell you the truth, it’s a hard place to live in for lots of people.  One thing that really got me was when we pulled up to a stoplight and a little girl with tattered clothes, bare feet, and a dirty face, tapped on the window asking me for one cordoba (1/24^th of a dollar).  I looked back at the Pricesmart assorted cookies and figured that she and her mom, who sat watching close by, needed them more than the missionaries did, so I gave her the box.  I love the people here in Nicaragua.

This week has been amazing.  On Saturday we baptized Glenda and Jose and they were both so stoked about it.  Monday we had an FHE with this HUGE inactive family (it’s actually little Jose´s family) which was awesome.  Everyone was laughing and having an awesome time.  All of them are really really big and we played this game which involved changing from seat to seat.  The best was when the dad sat on this little red bucket and it exploded.  Tuesday we baptized Miguel, which was also super legit.  He bore a powerful testimony afterwards and was super happy to baptized on Valentine´s day, because he "did it to show that he loves God."  Also on Tuesday night we found out that Jaime and Juana´s divorce paper finally came!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That means that they’re getting baptized next week along with two other families that the other elders in the office are baptizing so it’s gonna be a bombaso.  

One of these days the toilet in the office wasn’t flushing so I took off the lid to try and fix it (doing a good deed you know). Unfortunately, when I went to put the lid back on it slipped out of my wet hand. A little piece chipped off the top but luckily it was covered up by the lid...then all of a sudden a gushing waterfall poured out of a crack that went from the top to the bottom of the tank.  Whoops.  It was fun telling President about why there was a river in the office...

What else...this woman went to church on Sunday who is super awesome.  She was baptized when she was 14 but had been inactive for years.  She said that that week she was super sick, had had serious problems with her neighbor to the point where she was going to move out, hadn’t eaten anything for about a week, and her drug addict son hadn’t come home from being out on the street for four days.  She told us all this after church and told us that after going to church, her pains went away, her son came home, her mom came to visit who she’s seen three times in 14 years, that her neighbor hasn’t bothered them at all, and that she ate a nice big lunch.  This week her husband, son, her daughter and her husband, and four grandkids above the age of 8 are committed to going to church.  The little kids came to play basketball with us at the church this morning.  We were trying to think of an appropriate game for them when "Poison" popped into my head.  They LOVED it.

Welllllll, I’ve got so much more to write about but just know that I still love being a missionary.  It’s weird that all my friends are coming home but I’m fine with being out here a little longer :).  I know that Christ is our Savior and that we are children of God and that this gospel is the only way to find true happiness.  Live it and love it.

Ok bye...lub you!!!!!!!!

Elder Ward

Glenda's Baptism

Jose's Baptism

Miguel's Baptism on Valentine's Day

There's No Greater Joy

Dear Family,

Happy Valentines Day tambien! I still love reading your guys’ letters. Mom, if you ate what i think you ate...those are called pupusas and I LOVE THEM!!!!!!!!!! They’re originally from El Salvador....how’d you like the fried banana? haha That’s funny that you guys went there, we’ve all been asking each other (Elder Galvan, Pace, and I) when our moms were gonna go to lunch together.  We were also joking around about how funny it would be if Elder Galvan’s mom said something like, yeah...”it doesn’t sound like my son is eating to well because they have a lousy financier that never deposits the money on time”, and you saying, "Hey...my son is the financier!" Anyways...dad...I didn’t wanna say anything but I’m really glad that Ava got the nerve to tell you the truth...just keep joggin :) Wow, looks like Connor’s gonna be the AP pretty soon here.  I don’t know about you guys but I felt the Spirit pretty strong when I read his letter.  It was funny when he said that he couldn’t really explain because I know exactly what he feels like.

Anyways, this week has been super busy.  The weeks have been flying by here in the office.  President has had interviews every day this week, so we’ve basically been running everything this week, which unfortunately means that we only got to work a couple of hours every night in our area.  We’re just a little bummed because today we’re just baptizing two people, but I can’t really complain about that.  It was hard for us to find Miguel (to complete a family) this week and yesterday when we went to go ask what time his baptism would be at he wasn’t home.  His son called him and he said that he didn’t want to get baptized that day because he didn’t like the questions that they asked him (meaning the interview).  Unfortunately we found him after the hour that we had planned the baptism and it was kind of funny… he said that he didn’t like two foreigners coming to “investigate” about what he had done in the war and stuff. Anyways, long story short, we talked and he understands a little better now so he’s getting baptized on Tuesday next week.  Jaime and Juana are STILL just waiting for the divorce papers to get to them.  From what the lawyer says, they’re done, signed and everything, and are going to give them to her next week.  So basically everything kinda just got postponed.  BUT Glenda is just as awesome as ever for baptism today and so is Jose.  Oh yeah, he’s a surprise, or how we say in the mission "un goalaso".  On Sunday we were going to get people to come to church when a family of members was leaving their house.  One of the women stopped us and says...hey, my son needs to be baptized!" Anyways...he turned 9 this Tuesday, and he’s a super awesome little kid.  When we went to go talk to him he said that he had a dream that Jesus Christ came and told him to be good and that his dad needed to be good too (who is inactive).  He has like a cyst underneath his chin that he has to get operated on and he said, "I know that if I get baptized, Jesus will heal me." It’s amazing the faith that a child can have and how they can influence the whole family.

So...that’s what’s been goin on lately.  Today we went to Masaya (my first area)  to go buy some stuff.  I was looking at some shoes when I heard a woman saying, "oh those cost like one million dollars..." and started touching my head...I was like, what the heck.  I turned around and Hermana Elizabeth was there.  She was a recent convert when I was in Masaya and is the Fam Chavarrias’ daughter (don’t know if you remember them, one of the first families I baptized)...anyways she was there with Mariela (the first person I ever baptized).  It was so awesome to talk to them.  Elizabeth says that the WHOLE FAMILY is preparing to go to the temple in December because now all 8 members of the family are members of the church. Seriously, there is no greater joy than knowing that you helped someone to start their way on the path to eternal life.

Anyways....please pray for me and for my investigators (Miguel, Jaime and Juana esp.) and know that I love you a bunch! 

Love,

Elder Ward



Elder Ward's, Elder Pace's, and Elder Galvan's moms eating at a Central American restaurant

Elder Ward, Elder Pace, and Elder Leiva

Elder ??, Elder Pace, and Elder Ward



Jesus Christ Can Carry Our Burdens

Heyy fellow family of La Narizona,

Man! The Ward family is all over the world right now! Connor went to Missouri?!?! I think I thought the same thing as the subject heading of his letter "What the?!." Anyways, that’s awesome though that he’s already in the field, and I’m sure that the Lord has a few people that are waiting for him there.  Dad, I’m super jealous that you went to those church history sights, and by the way, it’s never too late to keep that promise to take the rest of us there. :) I’m glad to hear that everyone is busy doing lots of good things right now.

This week was full of a lot of awesome experiences, and usually when I say that I refer to the couple of hours that we spend in our area every day (going to Pricesmart and buying ridiculous amounts of food for missionaries aren’t necessarily) (Wow, my English is horrible too now, don’t know how to spell that) awesome! Anyways...lots of good news. This next Saturday, we are going to baptize two families and a lady that is super awesome! We’re seriously so stoked, especially because we know that the Lord is the one that has been helping us so much in the work. Glenda is amazing.  She is 27 and is a single mom with a baby of 6 months.  Her mom is a member and she had never really had interest in the church before.  She has told us that for about 8 years she had wanted to have a kid more than everything, but she couldn’t.  She said that she’d pray every night and that one time she prayed with the missionaries and her mom.  She said that the day she figured out she’d have Marcelito (her baby), changed her life.  She gave up smoking and drinking, the parties, everything.  She loves the church and is super excited to be baptized.  The two families are super awesome also but I’ll have to tell more about them later.

In just about every neighborhood in Nicaragua there is a group of little kids that run around together, usually playing soccer or baseball.  It’s pretty funny because we drive the truck into our area and the kids come running after us saying, "Woooo this truck is awesome!!!" and sometimes hop in the back and tell us to turn on the air conditoning so they can feel it. Sometimes I’m still amazed by the poverty here in Nicaragua...but anyways, they were playing baseball with a stick and a rubber ball, so we played with them for a bit.  I don’t want to brag, but I think I’m somewhat of a baseball legend there now.  I lost the ball like 3 times...which means I was batting super good I guess.

Alright, one more story...last night we ran into one of our recent converts who is one of the nicest people ever. She said that she was coming back from looking for the police because her lame husband sold everything in their little tin house to buy drugs.  She told us that she just couldn’t handle everything: her baby just getting out of the hospital for being sick, not having work, not even having milk for the baby, having a husband with serious addictions, everything.  We took the Book of Mormon out right there in the middle of the street and read Mosiah 24:13-15 with her.  I think that one thing I come to realize more and more every day of my mission is the healing power of the Atonement and the gospel, that Jesus Christ truly can carry our burdens. 

Well, that’s all I have time for right now, but I love you guys a bunch!!! 

Love,

Elder Ward