Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Jan 14, 2013


OK!! So now to let you all know how my week went! So we had a new record this week!! 14 people at church! Yes, 3 of them were little kids about 4 years old but they still count! We also brought a new family to church as well! Remember D y D from the last letter? Well they decided to come to church with us yesterday!! When we showed up to get them all ready to go to church, they were almost finished and ready to go! We were a little surprised by that because usually we have to get the families up and moving to get ready for church but they had woken up a little earlier and gotten ready for church! This type of motivation and desire to seek after the things of God is what we love to see in the families that we teach. And each Sunday is a test of their faith to see if they really want to feel the spirit and receive the blessing of obeying the commandments of the Lord. It’s a lot of work for us on Sunday mornings because we wake up earlier than normal to get out on the street inviting people to come to church! And it feels really good when we start heading to church with families that want to come. But it’s really hard when we don’t have anyone with us. So we try super hard each and every week to get people to know the importance of attending church and the blessings they can receive. So this week went by really fast and now a new change is coming! We have a Change Meeting this Wednesday! I probably won’t get a new companion but I will be working harder with I'm because he is really lazy... And since he is the senior companion, I can’t really do much but be with him and study while he does his own thing. I try talking to him but he doesn’t seem to really care. So with this change meeting, if I am still with Elder L, I will be enforcing the rules more with I’m because when he is lazy, it not only affects me, it effects all of La Dalia. Plus, I don’t want his bad habits to rub off on me. Hopefully I can help him to see the importance of the work and what he needs to do to be a better missionary. So these past couple days, I have been listening to some church hymns on the piano and I REALLY regret not staying with my piano skills. Every Sunday, we sing the hymns in church without the piano because no one knows how to play. So whoever made me slack off on my piano lessons and not stay on track... oh yea, that was me. I had the choice of staying with my lesson and keeping up with the skills but I decided to slack off. And now I can see where that got me!! If anyone reading this is playing a musical instrument, I envy you. All I know is that when I get back, I will be learning to play the piano again!! So don’t let me forget!! Also I’ve been thinking a lot about the mission and how it can change someone’s life. I was talk in the MTC and before the mission that the way I schedule myself and the way that I act during the mission will be how I will be after the mission. So I am trying as hard as I can to be doing the Lords will and trying to be the person He wants me to be! I know that when I submit myself to his will, that I will be blessed more than I can imagine and that I will become a tool in His hands. I want so badly to be the person that He can rely on to get things done and to be a faithful servant. I strive every day to feel his spirit in my life more and to be able to sense what He would want me to do throughout the day. I try to know what people to talk to, what to say, and exactly how to say it since I am learning Spanish still. Speaking of Spanish, I am speaking better and better every day. I still struggle to say certain words but I can pretty much understand everything and have a conversation with someone without having a problem. Which has been making my days better knowing that I don’t have to worry too much about my ability to speak Spanish. Also with thinking about the mission, I’ve been thinking about the way the missionaries teach in this mission. All of the missionaries try super hard to get people and families baptized as fast as possible. Nicaragua is known for having a lot of baptisms. But it is also known for the horrible retention. The missionaries here baptized the people so fast but never have time to teach them enough for them to want to stay with the church. It’s really hard for me to teach the same way as all the other missionaries because I want all those that I will baptize to stay active and strong in the church. I was talking to A y I the other day through email, and they are loving being a part of the church in Chinandega. I want all the people I baptize to feel that same joy and WANT to go to church and WANT to feel the spirit. I try to get all those that I teach to feel the spirit and have a desire to seek after the things of God and receive the blessings from doing so. I’ve got a lot of time ahead of me so I will continue to learn and submit myself to the will of the Lord.

''Two men can do anything as long as one of them is the Lord''

¡¡¡Les Amo!!!

ELDER DAUGHERTY

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