November 4, 2013

Well another week has past here in Tipitapa. I was thinking about how long I might be in Tipitapa since i already have 6 months here. Since I have a mini missionary, I think that they will leave me here another change, which is another 6 weeks. So i think that I will pass Christmas here and the New Year. I should be heading out of Tipitapa in the first week of January. And then only God knows where I will be going next!! I could go anywhere... Chinandega Oeste, Leon, Puerto, Bello Horizante, or Esteli... So I guess we will see.

This week we have been running around and doing tons of crazy stuff that keeps us super busy. I don't know if I every told you guys but I got assigned as DL for the areas of Tipitapa. That means that I am in charge of watching over a couple areas and making sure that they are working and doing the things that they need to do. I am here to help them in any way that I can. Also, I get to do the interviews for the people that are going to be baptised. Kinda like the bishop does to make sure you are worthy to be baptised or go to the temple, I get to do that whenever there is anyone ready to be baptised. It gives me alot more stress than I would like but it keeps me aware of what is going on in the areas, here in Tipitapa.

Experience of the Week:

Remember Elker? Well this Sunday, he recieved the Priesthood!!! He was so excited and so happy that he will be able to bless his family with this prividge to be worthy to hold the priesthood. Even though this family is super poor, they are the humblest people I know. Every week I see them go and fill out a tithing slip to pay on what they have earned for the week and then give even more on the first Sunday of the month for Fast Offerings.

We are working super hard to be able to have success and be able to see the hand of the Lord working in our area and in our own lives. Sorry this weeks letter is pretty short!!

We cannot afford young men who lack self-discipline and live only to be entertained. We cannot afford young adult men who are going nowhere in life, who are not serious about forming families and making a real contribution in this world. We cannot afford husbands and fathers who fail to provide spiritual leadership in the home. We cannot afford to have those who exercise the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God, waste their strength in pornography or spend their lives in cyberspace. Brethren, we have work to do.

~ D. Todd Christofferson

¡¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!

Elder Daugherty

October 28, 2013

Well we baptized this week!! Another family!! C and G! They are an odd couple but there go to church and do the things they need to do to gain the blessings. We baptized them on Saturday in the morning. Later that day, we had a mission activity for the Branch. We planned a Tree of Life activity. We got some rope and put it through the church as best as we could and put a bunch of obstacles in the way. We covered their eyes with some old ties we had and sent them through the church holding on to the ''rod''. When they got to the second to last room, we took the cover off their eyes and had a plate of apples, grapes, and cupcakes that we used to tempt people to let go of the rod. Elder C and I were able to do that part. Not very many let go of the rod to get the treats. Only about 6 did it. The members didn't really understand what was going on, they were only told to hold to the rope and if they wanted to let go, it was their choice but there was something big at the end. At the end, we watched the Living Scripture version of the Tree of Life. The members really loved it and it was cool to see how many were able to understand and apply it in their own life.

Experience of the Week:
We found this new family, O and A. They have a little girl named B. I was looking for a shirt to get for my recent convert and I ran into this family. They own a clothes shop and they were sitting in the front where I contacted them. Orlando was born here in Nicaragua but he was raised in California. So he can speak English perfectly. He talks like gangster though. He teaches  his wife and his little girl and they know a little bit. But we talked to them about the church and we made another visit with them for the next day. When we went back, we taught them about the restoration of the church and about the importance of the priesthood and the family. We went back a couple days later and taught them about the family and how important it is, seeing as they aren't married, about how they need to get married to follow Gods commandments, etc. I feel the spirit so strong when I am with this family and even when I think about them, I feel the spirit just letting me know that they are a special family. In our first lesson, I cried a little bit when I was testifying of the power of the gospel and how much it has blessed my family. I think a lot of my family when I am with O and A. I can see how much they need this gospel and how much it will bless them. I can also see that they know it too. They have told me that they have prayed and felt that the things we are teaching are true. They went to church this Sunday and loved it. My plan this week is to work toward baptism. I truly love this family and want the very best for them!! Its hard to explain my feelings because I have so many toward this family.

Hope everyone is well and that the Lord will continue to bless you!!!

“Thus one of the most important labors we can perform is to seek the Spirit. The older I get and the more I reflect upon the truths of the gospel, the more I am driven toward this one imperative: Seek the Spirit. If eternal life is indeed the greatest of all the gifts of God in eternity (D&C 6:13; 14:7), then surely the companionship of the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift we can receive in time, in this mortal sphere.” Wilford Woodruff

¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!

Elder Daugherty

Our Halloween decorations.

Our tree of life activity.

Our tree of life.

October 21, 2013

So this week went by fast but it really was worth it. So I got a new comp, SR. He is a mini missionary from Matagalpa. That means that he is just assigned to be my comp to help me out. He isn't a missionary yet but has his call to go to Peru on the 30th. So he has been with me this week helping me out.

Well this week was pretty awesome!!! I'm still listening to conference and I'm currently reading the BoM and I'm in Mosiah 23, marking and such. We found this family that went to church with us last Sunday and went yesterday that we put a baptismal date with for the 26th of Oct. This family is pretty cool and we are excited to marry them and baptize them. We also found this other family that are hardcore Catholics but decided to go to church with us yesterday... that was cool!! They have a little grandson that makes me laugh! He likes to play with me whenever I go over to visit!! His g-ma thinks it bothers me but I love it! Little kids give me some of the best moments of my mission. We also found this family that has a clothes shop. He was born here but grew up in California so he speaks English perfectly. He speaks like a gangster but it really trips me out whenever I talk to him. We are going to be working with him and his wife more so we can baptize them!!!

Now for the experience of the week....
Well we were walking to a lesson and I was in divisions with Elder E. He has been having problems with his stomach lately and runs to the bathroom a lot. So we went to a appointment that we had that they were going to cook us dinner. We showed up a little late and they said that they were going to go to bed so we decided to leave. Well while we were leaving, E had a sudden need to use the bathroom and accidentally farted right in front of the family that I'm teaching!! We later ran to the nearest members house so he could use the bathroom. We were laughing so hard about it after that he had actually done that in front of someone. It was super loud. He was then going to the bathroom all night every 10 mins due to his tummy problems. Poor E.

So during the week, I was talking to my comp, SR about the mission and how sometimes one may need to wait to go on the mission due to some sins. He seemed confused and I explained it to him. Well he had somethings that he hadn't told the bishop so we went to the Mission Office today so he could talk to Pres and now he will be waiting another 6 to 9 months to go on his mission. He went home today which means that I will be getting a new comp tomorrow. SR is 26 yrs old and is thinking a lot about just getting married instead of going on the mission. He has a hard case to deal with but I think he would have left on his mission without saying anything if he hadn't of been my comp. He told me that he would rather go home and be clean than go on the mission heavy of sin. He really inspired me to be a little better each day and to know that the Atonement of Christ is there for all of us to use, no matter the circumstance.

It is my testimony that many of the deepest regrets of tomorrow can be prevented by following the Savior today. If we have sinned or made mistakes—if we have made choices that we now regret—there is the precious gift of Christ’s Atonement, through which we can be forgiven. We cannot go back in time and change the past, but we can repent.
~ Deiter F. Utchdorf

LES AMO MUCHO!!!

Elder Daugherty

Elder B, my companion for a week.