Well this week we almost couldn't do anything!! On Wednesday, we had a meeting in Leon until about 2 in the afternoon and then we had to travel to another area that's far away at 6 to go to another meeting. We got back home just in time to go to bed!
On Thursday, the catholic church decided to celebrate the day before the Santiago Party they have. It was the eve before party that lasted all day. So no one was home.
Friday was the Santiago party and that lasted all day as well. Santiago is a saint that the Catholics have put as the saint for Nagarote so they have a statue of him that they parade around the streets all day every day to show gratitude. He is almost like the Virgin Mary to them here in Nagarote. So we weren't able to do anything that day either.
On Saturday, it was the after party for them so all the people were out, drunk and lighting off fireworks. We live right next to the catholic church so its fun waking up at 2 in the morning to them ringing the bell and lighting fireworks and such.
On Sunday, we passed by the families that we had committed to church and they were either sick or drunk... its sad to see how the people lose their priorities when it comes to the things of the world. They also celebrated Hipicos here, those are the city party to celebrate the city and such.
So this week was pure party party party!! I hope that this week will be better although I hear that the parties don't end til the 3rd of August... Just as I leave, things get calmer... My comp is going to love that!!! Hope things are going well at home!! Love you guys!!
Because of increased life expectancies and modern timesaving devices, most of us have far more discretionary time than our predecessors. We are accountable for how we use that time. “Thou shalt not idle away thy time”, and “Cease to be idle”, the Lord commanded the early missionaries and members. “Time flies on wings of lightning,” we sing in a popular hymn; “we cannot call it back. It comes, then passes forward along its onward track. And if we are not mindful, the chance will fade away, for life is quick in passing. ’Tis as a single day”
--DALLIN H. OAKS
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Monday, July 28, 2014
Monday, July 21, 2014
July 21, 2014
So this week was super slow! This week we had FHE at a members house and it was super cool!! The branch pres talked about repentance and how it is so important. He talked about how the atonement and how we need to take advantage of it in our lives. The family really loved it.
On Wednesday, we had interviews with Pres Collado in Leon. We spent almost all day there due to all the other missionaries that were they for interviews. My interview went really well and we were able to talk about how I have progressed personally and how the area is doing. He helped me out alot on some things. I also talked to him about my progress in the BoM. I am reading in Alma 50ish right now. I'm trying to finish it before I head home. While I'm reading, I'm marking everything that has to do with the faith. It helps me focus alot and pay attention to what I read. I learned that from Gpa Poulsen who has read the BoM more times than I think he can remember!! I love this book and love the teaching that it contains. I challenge all of you to started the BoM and put a goal of when you want to finish it by!! And while your reading it, highlight a certain topic of principle that you want to study! It helps alot!!
This week the people of Nagarote have continued their parties and such all day every day... It makes it hard but the people seem to be in a better mood than normal!!! I hope things are going good at home!! Love you all!!!
“When you get into the active operation of your proselyting program, this is a concept you absolutely must have. It has been our traditional course in days past, unfortunately all too frequently, to say, 'Here is the Bible, and the Bible says this and this, and therefore the Gospel has been restored.' Well now, there is no person on earth that believes the Bible more than I do. I read it and ponder its words. I know that what is in it is true. But let me tell you, it is not the Bible that brings people into the Church; it is the Book of Mormon and latter-day revelation. We can use the Bible to lay a foundation, and to point people's attention to Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, but until we get involved with latter-day revelation, the process of conversion does not begin to operate in any substantial degree in the heart of an investigator. The Lord said to Joseph Smith: 'this generation shall have my word through you...' (D&C 5:10). That is his decree. They either get it through Joseph Smith or they do not get it, and our whole perspective is: Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith.”
– Bruce R. McConkie
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
On Wednesday, we had interviews with Pres Collado in Leon. We spent almost all day there due to all the other missionaries that were they for interviews. My interview went really well and we were able to talk about how I have progressed personally and how the area is doing. He helped me out alot on some things. I also talked to him about my progress in the BoM. I am reading in Alma 50ish right now. I'm trying to finish it before I head home. While I'm reading, I'm marking everything that has to do with the faith. It helps me focus alot and pay attention to what I read. I learned that from Gpa Poulsen who has read the BoM more times than I think he can remember!! I love this book and love the teaching that it contains. I challenge all of you to started the BoM and put a goal of when you want to finish it by!! And while your reading it, highlight a certain topic of principle that you want to study! It helps alot!!
This week the people of Nagarote have continued their parties and such all day every day... It makes it hard but the people seem to be in a better mood than normal!!! I hope things are going good at home!! Love you all!!!
“When you get into the active operation of your proselyting program, this is a concept you absolutely must have. It has been our traditional course in days past, unfortunately all too frequently, to say, 'Here is the Bible, and the Bible says this and this, and therefore the Gospel has been restored.' Well now, there is no person on earth that believes the Bible more than I do. I read it and ponder its words. I know that what is in it is true. But let me tell you, it is not the Bible that brings people into the Church; it is the Book of Mormon and latter-day revelation. We can use the Bible to lay a foundation, and to point people's attention to Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, but until we get involved with latter-day revelation, the process of conversion does not begin to operate in any substantial degree in the heart of an investigator. The Lord said to Joseph Smith: 'this generation shall have my word through you...' (D&C 5:10). That is his decree. They either get it through Joseph Smith or they do not get it, and our whole perspective is: Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith.”
– Bruce R. McConkie
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Monday, July 14, 2014
July 14, 2014
Ok, so this week was alright, kinda slow and crazy but things are going well!! So nothing too exciting went on I guess. We did have some things happen in the area but that's about it.
So I sent a photo of a guys arm that has ''Im Mormon'' tattooed on it below a picture of Christ. So this guy just rode up to us on his motorcycle while we were out teaching and asked us if we were Mormons. Obviously we said yes, and we asked him if he was. Instead of saying yes, he just rolled up his sleeve. There was the tattoo!!! At first I thought, what kind of member tattoos that fact that he is Mormon on his arm.... Cool I guess but against church standards right? Well he went on to tell us a story how when he was younger and a punk kid, he found a Book of Mormon and started to read it. He loved it so much, he looked for the missionaries and started talking the lessons. He then tattooed that on his arm because he was really serious about it. He didn't know at the time that it was bad. After the missionaries taught him, he was baptized without his family knowing. He told us that the missionaries would show up and he would sneak them into his room so they could teach him. His family went to another church and hate the missionaries. After awhile, he became Elders Quorum Pres and later on, a counselor to the bishop. He now lives in Managua and works for a Bank, delivering money on his motor bike. It was an interesting experience!!
Another thing happened here that is affecting us alot!! The month of July is the month where the city of Nagarote has their Fiestas Patronales!!! Or in other words, they are just parties sponsored by the government for the city. They have rodeos, parades, Queen Nagarote competitions, bulls in the streets, discos, horses, etc!!!! That is going to be going on ALL month!!! Its really hard for us because the parties make all the people leave their houses! So we show up for an appointment and no one is there.... That happened alot this week! We are expecting to see alot more of that during this month. These parties go on all day too. The catholic church also has their random parades of random saints every other day, and they love to launch fireworks when they parade. Sometimes they parade at 4am and like to wake the people up with fireworks. Ive gotten used to it since every catholic church in Nicaragua does it. The Catholics are pretty devote to what they do, well the few that actually go to church. I've met a lot of Catholics that aren't active at all... But that's when we come in and teach them the importance of going to church and the blessings that come by doing so!!
I love the mission and I'm sad to see the time go by so fast!! Just to think that I only have about 3 weeks left makes me wanna work harder here!!! But I cant wait to see everyone!!! Love you guys!!
First, let me tell you that your prayers are heard. Your Father in Heaven knows the desires of your heart. I cannot tell you why one individuals prayers are answered one way while someone else's are answered differently. But this I can tell you: the righteous desires of your hearts will be fulfilled.
Sometimes it can be difficult to see anything beyond the path immediately before us. We are impatient and do not want to wait for a future fulfillment of our greatest desires. Nevertheless, the brief span of this life is nothing in comparison with eternity. And if only we can hope and exercise faith and joyfully endure to the end — and I say joyfully endure to the end — there, in that great heavenly future, we will have the fulfillment of the righteous desires of our hearts and so very much more that we can scarcely comprehend now.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
So I sent a photo of a guys arm that has ''Im Mormon'' tattooed on it below a picture of Christ. So this guy just rode up to us on his motorcycle while we were out teaching and asked us if we were Mormons. Obviously we said yes, and we asked him if he was. Instead of saying yes, he just rolled up his sleeve. There was the tattoo!!! At first I thought, what kind of member tattoos that fact that he is Mormon on his arm.... Cool I guess but against church standards right? Well he went on to tell us a story how when he was younger and a punk kid, he found a Book of Mormon and started to read it. He loved it so much, he looked for the missionaries and started talking the lessons. He then tattooed that on his arm because he was really serious about it. He didn't know at the time that it was bad. After the missionaries taught him, he was baptized without his family knowing. He told us that the missionaries would show up and he would sneak them into his room so they could teach him. His family went to another church and hate the missionaries. After awhile, he became Elders Quorum Pres and later on, a counselor to the bishop. He now lives in Managua and works for a Bank, delivering money on his motor bike. It was an interesting experience!!
Another thing happened here that is affecting us alot!! The month of July is the month where the city of Nagarote has their Fiestas Patronales!!! Or in other words, they are just parties sponsored by the government for the city. They have rodeos, parades, Queen Nagarote competitions, bulls in the streets, discos, horses, etc!!!! That is going to be going on ALL month!!! Its really hard for us because the parties make all the people leave their houses! So we show up for an appointment and no one is there.... That happened alot this week! We are expecting to see alot more of that during this month. These parties go on all day too. The catholic church also has their random parades of random saints every other day, and they love to launch fireworks when they parade. Sometimes they parade at 4am and like to wake the people up with fireworks. Ive gotten used to it since every catholic church in Nicaragua does it. The Catholics are pretty devote to what they do, well the few that actually go to church. I've met a lot of Catholics that aren't active at all... But that's when we come in and teach them the importance of going to church and the blessings that come by doing so!!
I love the mission and I'm sad to see the time go by so fast!! Just to think that I only have about 3 weeks left makes me wanna work harder here!!! But I cant wait to see everyone!!! Love you guys!!
First, let me tell you that your prayers are heard. Your Father in Heaven knows the desires of your heart. I cannot tell you why one individuals prayers are answered one way while someone else's are answered differently. But this I can tell you: the righteous desires of your hearts will be fulfilled.
Sometimes it can be difficult to see anything beyond the path immediately before us. We are impatient and do not want to wait for a future fulfillment of our greatest desires. Nevertheless, the brief span of this life is nothing in comparison with eternity. And if only we can hope and exercise faith and joyfully endure to the end — and I say joyfully endure to the end — there, in that great heavenly future, we will have the fulfillment of the righteous desires of our hearts and so very much more that we can scarcely comprehend now.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Monday, July 7, 2014
July 7, 2014
Well this week wasn't the most interesting but it was fun, especially being with Elder A. He makes everything so fun and just keeps me so animated and excited about everything. His attitude is so awesome! He reminds me so much of Elder E as well. Fact, they were comps for about 2 changes so we have fun talking about him and talking about all of our experiences. Elder A was in Puerto Cabezas for about 9 months or so, so his mission is really interesting due to the culture that he got to be in on the east coast.
This week we working really hard with a family that we are teaching. We are trying to put a baptismal date with them but they aren't quite ready yet, according to what they say anyways. We think that they are ready but they need to find that faith and take that step into the darkness!! They are G and A. She has been to church several times and he went for the 2nd time yesterday. She is really positive and will probably accept the baptismal date, we just need that she gets the support from her husband. They need to be married as well so they need to talk about the importance of that. We are having the members that live close, that are friends of theirs, to help teach them. So we will see the progress of that this week, hopefully.
Other than that, things are going well here. I love the city and how clean it is and how nice the people are. I love the weather so far, nice and cloudy and windy so it feels better than getting beaten by the sun each day!! I love you guys!! Hope things are good at home!!!
"Enduring to the end, or remaining faithful to the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout our life, is a fundamental requirement for salvation in the kingdom of God...Therefore, enduring to the end is not just a matter of passively tolerating life's difficult circumstances or "hanging in there." Ours is an active religion, helping God's children along the strait and narrow path to develop their full potential during this life and return to Him one day...Enduring to the end is a process filling every minute of our life, every hour, every day, from sunrise to sunrise. It is accomplished through personal discipline following the commandments of God."
--Dieter F. Uchtdorf
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
This week we working really hard with a family that we are teaching. We are trying to put a baptismal date with them but they aren't quite ready yet, according to what they say anyways. We think that they are ready but they need to find that faith and take that step into the darkness!! They are G and A. She has been to church several times and he went for the 2nd time yesterday. She is really positive and will probably accept the baptismal date, we just need that she gets the support from her husband. They need to be married as well so they need to talk about the importance of that. We are having the members that live close, that are friends of theirs, to help teach them. So we will see the progress of that this week, hopefully.
Other than that, things are going well here. I love the city and how clean it is and how nice the people are. I love the weather so far, nice and cloudy and windy so it feels better than getting beaten by the sun each day!! I love you guys!! Hope things are good at home!!!
"Enduring to the end, or remaining faithful to the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout our life, is a fundamental requirement for salvation in the kingdom of God...Therefore, enduring to the end is not just a matter of passively tolerating life's difficult circumstances or "hanging in there." Ours is an active religion, helping God's children along the strait and narrow path to develop their full potential during this life and return to Him one day...Enduring to the end is a process filling every minute of our life, every hour, every day, from sunrise to sunrise. It is accomplished through personal discipline following the commandments of God."
--Dieter F. Uchtdorf
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Monday, June 30, 2014
June 30, 2014
Well my first week has gone by!! It went by faster than I thought but it came with a lot of things that we needed to do. Elder A had been with a missionary that just didn't really want to do anything to help the branch here so they didn't really progress in the time that he was here. Now that he is gone, Elder A and I have taken charge in the things that need to be done. We hope that things will become better over time due to our work and effort.
First off, we had to fix the list of recent converts, the people that have been members for 2 yrs or less. The list had been lost before so we had to get a new one printed and then we had to divide it up due to the fact that we share the Branch with a pair of Sisters here. So after we divided it up, we had to go and look for each and ever one of the people to make sure that they actually exist and that they are who they are in the list. That includes making sure the addresses are right and that people can know how to get there just by reading it. The addresses are super weird here, unlike in the US where they go by house number and street number. Here, they go by famous points of interest and how many blocks it is away from that point... so a lot of people get really mixed up looking for houses sometimes.
Second thing, we don't have very many people teaching right now so we had to go by and make sure that the people we are teaching at the moment are going ok and then we have to make sure we are constantly looking for more people to teach. Its hard in this richer area due to how no one is in the street and they are mostly Catholics. We try our best but we need alot of help from the members to find people to teach. That leads to another thing...
The Branch here is a little messed up... The Branch Pres is a recent convert, he was baptized in January and he was called as Branch Pres about 3 months ago. So not only is he new to the gospel but he is new in the whole leadership calling. He has a hard time knowing what is going on and it bugs him when he asks people to help him and they don't do it. But none of what is going on is his fault. The members here are all members of 10-17 yrs ago and know perfectly well what needs to be done, they just don't wanna do it. Its hard on Pres because he needs the help but the other leaders in the church just don't wanna do their part. He asks and asks but no one completes their part. So tonight we are going to go over some things with him and then we shall have a Branch Council with all the leaders and tell them whats up!!! I'm excited to see how much the Branch can progress!!
Hope everything is going good at home! I miss you all!! Love you guys!!
“Men will be held accountable for the things which they have and not for the things they have not. … All the light and intelligence communicated to them from their beneficent creator, whether it is much or little, by the same they in justice will be judged, and … they are required to yield obedience and improve upon that and that only which is given, for man is not to live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
—Joseph Smith
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
First off, we had to fix the list of recent converts, the people that have been members for 2 yrs or less. The list had been lost before so we had to get a new one printed and then we had to divide it up due to the fact that we share the Branch with a pair of Sisters here. So after we divided it up, we had to go and look for each and ever one of the people to make sure that they actually exist and that they are who they are in the list. That includes making sure the addresses are right and that people can know how to get there just by reading it. The addresses are super weird here, unlike in the US where they go by house number and street number. Here, they go by famous points of interest and how many blocks it is away from that point... so a lot of people get really mixed up looking for houses sometimes.
Second thing, we don't have very many people teaching right now so we had to go by and make sure that the people we are teaching at the moment are going ok and then we have to make sure we are constantly looking for more people to teach. Its hard in this richer area due to how no one is in the street and they are mostly Catholics. We try our best but we need alot of help from the members to find people to teach. That leads to another thing...
The Branch here is a little messed up... The Branch Pres is a recent convert, he was baptized in January and he was called as Branch Pres about 3 months ago. So not only is he new to the gospel but he is new in the whole leadership calling. He has a hard time knowing what is going on and it bugs him when he asks people to help him and they don't do it. But none of what is going on is his fault. The members here are all members of 10-17 yrs ago and know perfectly well what needs to be done, they just don't wanna do it. Its hard on Pres because he needs the help but the other leaders in the church just don't wanna do their part. He asks and asks but no one completes their part. So tonight we are going to go over some things with him and then we shall have a Branch Council with all the leaders and tell them whats up!!! I'm excited to see how much the Branch can progress!!
Hope everything is going good at home! I miss you all!! Love you guys!!
“Men will be held accountable for the things which they have and not for the things they have not. … All the light and intelligence communicated to them from their beneficent creator, whether it is much or little, by the same they in justice will be judged, and … they are required to yield obedience and improve upon that and that only which is given, for man is not to live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
—Joseph Smith
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
June 23, 2014
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| My new area, Nagarote. |
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| This is the cleanest city in Nicaragua, according to what people say. |
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| These are pictures of the Central Park. They have guards walking around the park to make sure no one makes it dirty. |
June 23, 2014
Well this past week was super awesome!! We taught so many people and found so many new investigators!! By the end of the week, we were teaching about 8 families!! But then the bad news came.... We both had changes!! In fact, all 4 of us in Chichigalpa had changes! They are putting 4 really really new people in there so they get train them. So we all go shipped to different places!! I am now in Nagarote, that is part of the zone Leon. I had to take a 2 hour bus ride to the area where my new comp picked me up. His name is Elder A and he is from British Colombia, Canada. He has about 19 months in the mission. He seems really cool, kinda shy at times but when he wants to express himself, he does it!!! He will be a great comp to be with for the last 6 weeks of my mission.
I was hoping to finish my mission in Chichigalpa but the Lord knows what I need so He sent me to Nagarote. In the pictures I sent home, they are of the Center Park here in the city. The people here take pride in this park and keep it SUPER clean!!! There are guards that walk around and make sure that no one makes it dirty! The streets are really decorated and nicely paved. The city of Nagarote are well known for their Quesillo. It is a dish typically made from a thick corn tortilla wrapped around soft cheese, pickled onions, and a sauce of sour cream or liquid cheese and vinegar. Sounds really good right?! I'm not sure whether or not i will try one while I am here but we shall see. The statue of the lady is suppose to symbolize how they sell so much of it here. They will walk around with the tray and sell it anywhere anytime.
This past Sunday, C and his wife went to church. They have been going through some hard times due to the baby and how he keeps getting really sick. He has been throwing up and had fevers and such things that a 25 day old baby shouldn't have. They were really worried about him but they were able to church at night yesterday. C loved it and his wife loved how big the church was. She told me that she would love a house as big as the church!! I feel bad that we have to leave them but the new Sister missionaries that will be coming in our place will have an awesome family to work with!!
On Saturday, we also had an awesome chance to help the bishop to paint his living room. He had painted the outside of his house and we offered our help so we showed up, he gave us breakfast, and we painted all morning. It went really well and the bishop loved it. And even better is that I taught the class on service on Sunday the next day! I shared about our trips to Mexico as well. I love being able to talk about how much service really works because Ive seen it!! These 2 years are a huge service that I'm going to miss doing 24/7.
So this will be my last area in the 45 days or so that I have left. I hope the make the best out of it and make sure that I leave here with having done something good!! I want to be able to go home and look back on what Ive done and be proud of it and not regretful. I'm trying to become better each day, not only in teaching as a missionary, but also as a son of God. That's something we always need to be doing, not just every once in awhile. I hope we all try to become a little better each and everyday!!
“Each of us is under a divinely spoken obligation to reach out with pardon and mercy and to forgive one another. There is a great need for this Christlike attribute in our families, in our marriages, in our wards and stakes, in our communities, and in our nations.
We will receive the joy of forgiveness in our own lives when we are willing to extend that joy freely to others. Lip service is not enough. We need to purge our hearts and minds of feelings and thoughts of bitterness and let the light and the love of Christ enter in. As a result, the Spirit of the Lord will fill our souls with the joy accompanying divine peace of conscience.”
― Dieter F. Uchtdorf
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
I was hoping to finish my mission in Chichigalpa but the Lord knows what I need so He sent me to Nagarote. In the pictures I sent home, they are of the Center Park here in the city. The people here take pride in this park and keep it SUPER clean!!! There are guards that walk around and make sure that no one makes it dirty! The streets are really decorated and nicely paved. The city of Nagarote are well known for their Quesillo. It is a dish typically made from a thick corn tortilla wrapped around soft cheese, pickled onions, and a sauce of sour cream or liquid cheese and vinegar. Sounds really good right?! I'm not sure whether or not i will try one while I am here but we shall see. The statue of the lady is suppose to symbolize how they sell so much of it here. They will walk around with the tray and sell it anywhere anytime.
This past Sunday, C and his wife went to church. They have been going through some hard times due to the baby and how he keeps getting really sick. He has been throwing up and had fevers and such things that a 25 day old baby shouldn't have. They were really worried about him but they were able to church at night yesterday. C loved it and his wife loved how big the church was. She told me that she would love a house as big as the church!! I feel bad that we have to leave them but the new Sister missionaries that will be coming in our place will have an awesome family to work with!!
On Saturday, we also had an awesome chance to help the bishop to paint his living room. He had painted the outside of his house and we offered our help so we showed up, he gave us breakfast, and we painted all morning. It went really well and the bishop loved it. And even better is that I taught the class on service on Sunday the next day! I shared about our trips to Mexico as well. I love being able to talk about how much service really works because Ive seen it!! These 2 years are a huge service that I'm going to miss doing 24/7.
So this will be my last area in the 45 days or so that I have left. I hope the make the best out of it and make sure that I leave here with having done something good!! I want to be able to go home and look back on what Ive done and be proud of it and not regretful. I'm trying to become better each day, not only in teaching as a missionary, but also as a son of God. That's something we always need to be doing, not just every once in awhile. I hope we all try to become a little better each and everyday!!
“Each of us is under a divinely spoken obligation to reach out with pardon and mercy and to forgive one another. There is a great need for this Christlike attribute in our families, in our marriages, in our wards and stakes, in our communities, and in our nations.
We will receive the joy of forgiveness in our own lives when we are willing to extend that joy freely to others. Lip service is not enough. We need to purge our hearts and minds of feelings and thoughts of bitterness and let the light and the love of Christ enter in. As a result, the Spirit of the Lord will fill our souls with the joy accompanying divine peace of conscience.”
― Dieter F. Uchtdorf
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Monday, June 16, 2014
June 16, 2014'
Well next week are changes so we shall see what happens!!! I'm not sure, I have heard that there might be big changes here but we still aren't sure. We will find out for sure on Sunday or Monday So I will be sure to let you know :)
This week we have been working to find new people to teach because lately it has been pretty hard to find people that want to listen to us or even want to go to church. Sometimes it's really hard to deal with all the pressure that comes from our leaders and the other missionaries that are around us. But if we rely on the Lord and do the things that He has asked us to do, everything comes out to be that way that He wants it to be. But that's the key. We need to be submissive to His will. A lot of times here, we think that we know what is the best way to teach and we stick to that same plan and it doesn't seem to wok after awhile. Then we start to wonder why we aren't seeing the same results that we saw before. That is when we need to realize that we don't always know what's best. The Lord does. And He is just waiting for us to come looking for the direction that He wants to give to us. If we are not willing to submit to His will, then there is no way that we will see the things that He wants us to see or partake of the blessings that He has waiting for us.
It's a lot like life. We need to know that if we aren't willing to change some of the habits that we have, we won't change... it's that simple. Easy to say but hard to do right?! That's why the Lord has blessed with the manual on how to do it. Whenever we don't know how to do something, where do we go? To the instruction manual or to someone that knows. Well we have the scriptures right in front of us and more than enough leaders in the church that are more than willing to help us. The Lord is always at hand to help us every step of the way. He promises that in D&C 82:10. He says, I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise. He has told us that if we do OUR part, He is obligated to do HIS part. BUT that is the key!!! We have to do OUR PART!!! Sometimes the people think that they can go about doing whatever they want and that the Lord will just bless them for everything but it doesn't work like that!! If we think like that, we need to stop and reconsider what the Lord has promised us. We need to change to open up the path for all the blessings to come to us.
I love all of you!!! Hope everything is good at home!!!
"It is never too late to strengthen the foundation of faith. There is always time. With faith in the Savior, you can repent and plead for forgiveness. There is someone you can forgive. There is someone you can thank. There is someone you can serve and lift. You can do it wherever you are and however alone and deserted you may feel.
"I cannot promise an end to your adversity in this life. I cannot assure you that your trials will seem to you to be only for a moment. One of the characteristics of trials in life is that they seem to make clocks slow down and then appear almost to stop.
"There are reasons for that. Knowing those reasons may not give much comfort, but it can give you a feeling of patience."
President Henry B. Eyring
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
This week we have been working to find new people to teach because lately it has been pretty hard to find people that want to listen to us or even want to go to church. Sometimes it's really hard to deal with all the pressure that comes from our leaders and the other missionaries that are around us. But if we rely on the Lord and do the things that He has asked us to do, everything comes out to be that way that He wants it to be. But that's the key. We need to be submissive to His will. A lot of times here, we think that we know what is the best way to teach and we stick to that same plan and it doesn't seem to wok after awhile. Then we start to wonder why we aren't seeing the same results that we saw before. That is when we need to realize that we don't always know what's best. The Lord does. And He is just waiting for us to come looking for the direction that He wants to give to us. If we are not willing to submit to His will, then there is no way that we will see the things that He wants us to see or partake of the blessings that He has waiting for us.
It's a lot like life. We need to know that if we aren't willing to change some of the habits that we have, we won't change... it's that simple. Easy to say but hard to do right?! That's why the Lord has blessed with the manual on how to do it. Whenever we don't know how to do something, where do we go? To the instruction manual or to someone that knows. Well we have the scriptures right in front of us and more than enough leaders in the church that are more than willing to help us. The Lord is always at hand to help us every step of the way. He promises that in D&C 82:10. He says, I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise. He has told us that if we do OUR part, He is obligated to do HIS part. BUT that is the key!!! We have to do OUR PART!!! Sometimes the people think that they can go about doing whatever they want and that the Lord will just bless them for everything but it doesn't work like that!! If we think like that, we need to stop and reconsider what the Lord has promised us. We need to change to open up the path for all the blessings to come to us.
I love all of you!!! Hope everything is good at home!!!
"It is never too late to strengthen the foundation of faith. There is always time. With faith in the Savior, you can repent and plead for forgiveness. There is someone you can forgive. There is someone you can thank. There is someone you can serve and lift. You can do it wherever you are and however alone and deserted you may feel.
"I cannot promise an end to your adversity in this life. I cannot assure you that your trials will seem to you to be only for a moment. One of the characteristics of trials in life is that they seem to make clocks slow down and then appear almost to stop.
"There are reasons for that. Knowing those reasons may not give much comfort, but it can give you a feeling of patience."
President Henry B. Eyring
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Monday, June 9, 2014
June 9, 2014
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| We were all in Tipitapa at one time. |
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| A Guardabarranco, the national bird of Nicaragua |
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| Men in Black |
June 9, 2014
So this week went by way to fast!! We did a lot of cool things and it went well!!!
So this week we got to know an American Veteran from the Special Forces. He now lives here in Chichigalpa with his young Nica wife and she just had his very first kid!!! His name is C and he is only living her for a time, he wants to go live in Panama due to the weather and how much easier it is to deal with the government there than here in Nicaragua. His new baby boy is named C as well and he has about 11 days now. C speaks really good Spanish since he has served all over in Central America for his Special Forces job. When we first met him, he invited us in, got a drinks, and put down a huge fan so we could cool off. He then began to tell us about his life and how he got to this point. He then showed us the brand new washer he just bought and the hot water shower head he put in the other day. He loves us and we love talking to him. I think he misses the American culture, just not how costly it is. We are probably going to take him and his wife to church next Sunday!!
We also had a Multi Zone Conference on Thursday in Leon. We took a bus over there really early and we were there almost all day!! We didn't get back to our area until 7 at night!! But we talked about a lot of awesome things!!! I just wanna share with you my notes.
*Revelation will not come to us unless we go looking for it. We have to do our part before the Lord will help us on your way.
*We cannot loose out on all the benefits that the Gospel brings to our lives. Don't live below your privileges.
*Take advantage of what we came here to do. The mission is full of blessings, we just need to find out how to get them!!
*Are you sleeping during the Restoration? Talk by Elder Uchtdorf
*The best time to plant a tree was 20 yrs ago. The second best time is now. If we want to change, we should have changed a long time ago but the best time is to change now!!
The conference went on to talk about how each area is doing and how it can progress. We need some work but we are working our hardest to do so!!
I hope things are going good at home!! Love you guys!!!
“Jesus said several times, “Come, follow me.” His was a program of “do what I do,” rather than “do what I say.” His innate brilliance would have permitted him to put on a dazzling display, but that would have left his followers far behind. He walked and worked with those he was to serve. His was not a long-distance leadership. He was not afraid of close friendships; he was not afraid that proximity to him would disappoint his followers. The leaven of true leadership cannot lift others unless we are with and serve those to be led.”
― Spencer W. Kimball
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
So this week we got to know an American Veteran from the Special Forces. He now lives here in Chichigalpa with his young Nica wife and she just had his very first kid!!! His name is C and he is only living her for a time, he wants to go live in Panama due to the weather and how much easier it is to deal with the government there than here in Nicaragua. His new baby boy is named C as well and he has about 11 days now. C speaks really good Spanish since he has served all over in Central America for his Special Forces job. When we first met him, he invited us in, got a drinks, and put down a huge fan so we could cool off. He then began to tell us about his life and how he got to this point. He then showed us the brand new washer he just bought and the hot water shower head he put in the other day. He loves us and we love talking to him. I think he misses the American culture, just not how costly it is. We are probably going to take him and his wife to church next Sunday!!
We also had a Multi Zone Conference on Thursday in Leon. We took a bus over there really early and we were there almost all day!! We didn't get back to our area until 7 at night!! But we talked about a lot of awesome things!!! I just wanna share with you my notes.
*Revelation will not come to us unless we go looking for it. We have to do our part before the Lord will help us on your way.
*We cannot loose out on all the benefits that the Gospel brings to our lives. Don't live below your privileges.
*Take advantage of what we came here to do. The mission is full of blessings, we just need to find out how to get them!!
*Are you sleeping during the Restoration? Talk by Elder Uchtdorf
*The best time to plant a tree was 20 yrs ago. The second best time is now. If we want to change, we should have changed a long time ago but the best time is to change now!!
The conference went on to talk about how each area is doing and how it can progress. We need some work but we are working our hardest to do so!!
I hope things are going good at home!! Love you guys!!!
“Jesus said several times, “Come, follow me.” His was a program of “do what I do,” rather than “do what I say.” His innate brilliance would have permitted him to put on a dazzling display, but that would have left his followers far behind. He walked and worked with those he was to serve. His was not a long-distance leadership. He was not afraid of close friendships; he was not afraid that proximity to him would disappoint his followers. The leaven of true leadership cannot lift others unless we are with and serve those to be led.”
― Spencer W. Kimball
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
June 3, 2014
Well, sorry hat I have to write on a Tuesday but the weather would not let me write yesterday. I just want to write a bit about the week since I dont have much time.
This week we basically just worked with the people that we have teaching. F, finally accepted a baptismal date!! Its for the 21st of June but that thing is that we think she headed to Panama to work.... So we don't know now what is going to happen.
We found another teenagers, I, who has been to church a lot and we are going to try to put a baptismal date with him this week!!
The rainy season has started and it is coming with a lot of thunder and lightening!! A lot more than I have heard in my life!! These past couple days it has been raining a lot!! When the thunder starts, the power gets really bad and flickers out a lot. So it has actually started to rain again right now so I'm going to wrap this up!!
Hope everyone had a great week and I love you all!!! There will be a better letter next week :)
“Stand tall and be strong in defense of those great virtues which have been the backbone of our social progress. When you are united, your power is limitless. You can accomplish anything you wish to accomplish.
-President Gordon B. Hinckley
“Write down in a secure place the important things you learn from the Spirit. You will find that as you write down precious impressions, often more will come. Also, the knowledge you gain will be available throughout your life. Always, day or night, wherever you are, whatever you are doing, seek to recognize and respond to the direction of the Spirit.”
― Richard G. Scott
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
This week we basically just worked with the people that we have teaching. F, finally accepted a baptismal date!! Its for the 21st of June but that thing is that we think she headed to Panama to work.... So we don't know now what is going to happen.
We found another teenagers, I, who has been to church a lot and we are going to try to put a baptismal date with him this week!!
The rainy season has started and it is coming with a lot of thunder and lightening!! A lot more than I have heard in my life!! These past couple days it has been raining a lot!! When the thunder starts, the power gets really bad and flickers out a lot. So it has actually started to rain again right now so I'm going to wrap this up!!
Hope everyone had a great week and I love you all!!! There will be a better letter next week :)
“Stand tall and be strong in defense of those great virtues which have been the backbone of our social progress. When you are united, your power is limitless. You can accomplish anything you wish to accomplish.
-President Gordon B. Hinckley
“Write down in a secure place the important things you learn from the Spirit. You will find that as you write down precious impressions, often more will come. Also, the knowledge you gain will be available throughout your life. Always, day or night, wherever you are, whatever you are doing, seek to recognize and respond to the direction of the Spirit.”
― Richard G. Scott
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Monday, May 26, 2014
May 26, 2014
Well thanks to all of those that wrote me and wished me a happy birthday :) The day went by really well. So this week we had a couple things that went on. One, it was my birthday so that made the beginning of the week really good, Second, living in a restaurant by our food cita, we started teaching a gringo the lessons in english.... You have no idea how hard it is to explain the gospel to someone in english after teaching it for so long in spanish. He had alot of different thoughts about the church and our beliefs but it was fun talking to him. Third, We had a conference with Pres Collado on Friday, talking about the new number system that we are using and how we can use it to help the people we are teaching to progress in the gospel :)
This Sunday we also had the Stake Priesthood Session. It was really good except for the fact that we could have had a bigger atendance but its alright. We will strive to do better next time! But another thing is that Pres Q came back from working on the coast so he was at the meeting. He probably wont be leaving back out for awhile. Almost all of the bishops talked about the different duties we have as holders of the priesthood. Some talked on service, others talked on the Sacrament, others on blesssings, etc. Then the Stake Pres spoke and he talked about how bad all the members have been acting at church, using phones, tablets, not paying attention, etc and how we need to fix it NOW because we are the ones in charge of carryig out the Lords work here on the Earth because the Lord has assigned us to do so. He made a joke of the fact that some of us go to the church just to steal the WiFi thats there. But if we think about it, especially the teenagers, how many of them go to church and use their iPhones and such because there is WiFi there? We need to realize why we go to church and have reverence of the things sacred in the church. I loved his talk and I'm sure it helped everyone, including myself to want to be alittle better.
Love you guys!! Hope things are going good at home!
"'Sacred' means worthy of veneration and respect. By designating something as sacred, the Lord signals that it is of higher value and priority than other things. Sacred things are to be treated with more care, given greater deference, and regarded with deeper reverence. Sacred ranks high in the hierarchy of heavenly values."
—Elder Paul B. Pieper
"During sacrament meeting—and especially during the sacrament service—we should concentrate on worship and refrain from all other activities, especially from behavior that could interfere with the worship of others. Even a person who slips into quiet slumber does not interfere with others. Sacrament meeting is not a time for reading books or magazines. Young people, it is not a time for whispered conversations on cell phones or for texting persons at other locations. When we partake of the sacrament, we make a sacred covenant that we will always remember the Savior. How sad to see persons obviously violating that covenant in the very meeting where they are making it."
—Dallin H. Oaks
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
This Sunday we also had the Stake Priesthood Session. It was really good except for the fact that we could have had a bigger atendance but its alright. We will strive to do better next time! But another thing is that Pres Q came back from working on the coast so he was at the meeting. He probably wont be leaving back out for awhile. Almost all of the bishops talked about the different duties we have as holders of the priesthood. Some talked on service, others talked on the Sacrament, others on blesssings, etc. Then the Stake Pres spoke and he talked about how bad all the members have been acting at church, using phones, tablets, not paying attention, etc and how we need to fix it NOW because we are the ones in charge of carryig out the Lords work here on the Earth because the Lord has assigned us to do so. He made a joke of the fact that some of us go to the church just to steal the WiFi thats there. But if we think about it, especially the teenagers, how many of them go to church and use their iPhones and such because there is WiFi there? We need to realize why we go to church and have reverence of the things sacred in the church. I loved his talk and I'm sure it helped everyone, including myself to want to be alittle better.
Love you guys!! Hope things are going good at home!
"'Sacred' means worthy of veneration and respect. By designating something as sacred, the Lord signals that it is of higher value and priority than other things. Sacred things are to be treated with more care, given greater deference, and regarded with deeper reverence. Sacred ranks high in the hierarchy of heavenly values."
—Elder Paul B. Pieper
"During sacrament meeting—and especially during the sacrament service—we should concentrate on worship and refrain from all other activities, especially from behavior that could interfere with the worship of others. Even a person who slips into quiet slumber does not interfere with others. Sacrament meeting is not a time for reading books or magazines. Young people, it is not a time for whispered conversations on cell phones or for texting persons at other locations. When we partake of the sacrament, we make a sacred covenant that we will always remember the Savior. How sad to see persons obviously violating that covenant in the very meeting where they are making it."
—Dallin H. Oaks
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Monday, May 19, 2014
May 19, 2014
Well this week was the Week of the Family. Its a program that the Area Presidency set forth to promote the family and the functions of it. So it started on Monday with a FHE where everyone was to invite non members to their FHE and talk about how FHE has helped the family become stronger and how they family has more united when they do it.
Tuesday through Thursday, they had classes in church about different aspects of the family, like love in the home, relationships between parents and kids, scripture reading, family prayer, etc. They talked about how they could apply them in the home and all the blessing we can receive by doing so!
On Saturday, we had a cultural night where there were dances, songs, and poems. We Elders decided to do a number so my comp brought his guitar and we sang, Yo Sé Que Vive Mi Señor (I Know That My Redemeer Lives) and it was really cool! We have a video that I will have to send later. We then watched a video about how the problems that happen at home can be fixed by just adding alot of love, patience, and long suffering. It was a really good video and everyone was on the verge of tears.
On Sunday, there was the normal meeting in the morning and then at 5pm, there was a special broadcast in the Stake Center to end the Week of the Family. Due to a lot of miscommunication, we aren't able to attend but we did have some other success during the week!!
So on Thursday, Elder D and I, maybe you remember him, went and gave the interview to L for his baptism. D later told me that the interview was awesome, that L was finishing his questions and telling him the answers like it was nothing!! That just shows how much L really wanted to take this step!!!
Later on Saturday, L was able to finally take that step and get baptized!! He loved the experience and his wife was really impressed and loved it as well. And on Sunday, L came to get confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. His wife and kids came as well and they actually decided to stay for all the classes!! He even got the Aaronic Priesthood!!
We are working with his wife so that she will be able to take part of the blessings that they need in their lives!!! Not too much this week but it was a week of success for me!!
“When you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.”
--Joseph Fielding Smith
“Baptism is a sign to God, to angels, and to heaven that we do the will of God, and there is no other way beneath the heavens whereby God hath ordained for man to come to Him to be saved, and enter into the kingdom of God, except faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, and any other course is in vain; then you have the promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
--Joseph Smith Jr.
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Tuesday through Thursday, they had classes in church about different aspects of the family, like love in the home, relationships between parents and kids, scripture reading, family prayer, etc. They talked about how they could apply them in the home and all the blessing we can receive by doing so!
On Saturday, we had a cultural night where there were dances, songs, and poems. We Elders decided to do a number so my comp brought his guitar and we sang, Yo Sé Que Vive Mi Señor (I Know That My Redemeer Lives) and it was really cool! We have a video that I will have to send later. We then watched a video about how the problems that happen at home can be fixed by just adding alot of love, patience, and long suffering. It was a really good video and everyone was on the verge of tears.
On Sunday, there was the normal meeting in the morning and then at 5pm, there was a special broadcast in the Stake Center to end the Week of the Family. Due to a lot of miscommunication, we aren't able to attend but we did have some other success during the week!!
So on Thursday, Elder D and I, maybe you remember him, went and gave the interview to L for his baptism. D later told me that the interview was awesome, that L was finishing his questions and telling him the answers like it was nothing!! That just shows how much L really wanted to take this step!!!
Later on Saturday, L was able to finally take that step and get baptized!! He loved the experience and his wife was really impressed and loved it as well. And on Sunday, L came to get confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. His wife and kids came as well and they actually decided to stay for all the classes!! He even got the Aaronic Priesthood!!
We are working with his wife so that she will be able to take part of the blessings that they need in their lives!!! Not too much this week but it was a week of success for me!!
“When you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.”
--Joseph Fielding Smith
“Baptism is a sign to God, to angels, and to heaven that we do the will of God, and there is no other way beneath the heavens whereby God hath ordained for man to come to Him to be saved, and enter into the kingdom of God, except faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, and any other course is in vain; then you have the promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
--Joseph Smith Jr.
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Monday, May 12, 2014
May 12, 2014
Happy Birthday Mom!! I love you so much!!
Mom, I don't know how I could thank you for everything that you have done, given, or made for me in my life. Everything I am or ever will be is because of you. I cant even imagine how hard is was to raise a crazy child like me. I cant imagine how you feel while I am away from home right now but I know that you are proud of me. Because of your influence, your love, your care, I am here. I know that I'm not perfect but I get better everyday due to the things that I have learned because of you. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for your constant efforts to teach me the things our Lord has given us. Now I have the chance to teach what you taught me, to others so that they might also know of the blessings that they can receive through obedience to the Gospel. I cant wait to get home and give you a hug, a hug long waited for. :)
Love you Mom!!
Btw... Look this up :)
http://motherhood.mormon.org/?cid=HPTH050814094
Mom, I don't know how I could thank you for everything that you have done, given, or made for me in my life. Everything I am or ever will be is because of you. I cant even imagine how hard is was to raise a crazy child like me. I cant imagine how you feel while I am away from home right now but I know that you are proud of me. Because of your influence, your love, your care, I am here. I know that I'm not perfect but I get better everyday due to the things that I have learned because of you. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for your constant efforts to teach me the things our Lord has given us. Now I have the chance to teach what you taught me, to others so that they might also know of the blessings that they can receive through obedience to the Gospel. I cant wait to get home and give you a hug, a hug long waited for. :)
Love you Mom!!
Btw... Look this up :)
http://motherhood.mormon.org/?cid=HPTH050814094
Monday, May 5, 2014
May 5, 2014
Well this week was pretty great!!! We actually had a baptism. It was of the kid of the bishop. He came to us last week and told us that he couldn't have anyone in his house that wasn't a member. So we started teaching his kid, A. He accepted to be baptized right way so we put the date for the following weekend. Well we baptized him on Friday due to some stuff that the bishop had to do on Saturday. And on Sunday we confirmed him!!!
We also got the awesome opportunity to hike the volcano that is close to our area... San Cristobal. It's the highest in Nicaragua at 5,725 ft. We weren't able to get all the way to the top but we got close. It's actually quite active as well but we didn't have any problems.
So we've been planning this all week. One of the members, Gerardo, told us that he would take us if we were able to get permission. So we tried all week to get things worked out so we and some other missionaries could go. Sunday night, we got permission to go and we got things started. We found out that we were the only ones going due to the fact that the other missionaries had to run some errands in other places of Nicaragua so we decided to go with G, just the 3 of us. We got up at 3:30am to get out of the house by 4:30am to catch a truck that would take us to a town called Las Nubes (The Clouds) where we would begin our ascension. We got there at about 6:30am and headed up. We first passed through some avocado orchards, which were really cool, and then headed into some mountain farm land where they had a bunch of herds of cattle. We just followed the path, marking it so we wouldn't get lost coming back and kept going. Then we got to some old lava river beds. It's where the lava had passed awhile back when it exploded and created these rivers that will with water during the rainy season. They were all covered in black/grey rock and tons of volcanic sand. So we decided to stick to the river beds to go straight to the volcano. We go to a point where we had to go back due to the fact that the river bed ended so we busted our own trail about halfway up the side of the volcano. We could see out over all of Chichigalpa and all the little cities around it. It was so awesome and so silent. Something that we don't normally get working in the city. G had his scriptures and we read Alma 60:21-23.
21 Or do ye suppose that the Lord will still deliver us, while we sit upon our thrones and do not make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us?
22 Yea, will ye sit in idleness while ye are surrounded with thousands of those, yea, and tens of thousands, who do also sit in idleness, while there are thousands round about in the borders of the land who are falling by the sword, yea, wounded and bleeding?
23 Do ye suppose that God will look upon you as guiltless while ye sit still and behold these things? Behold I say unto you, Nay. Now I would that ye should remember that God has said that the inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then shall the outer vessel be cleansed also.
It got us thinking about all the Nicaraguenses and how we are selected by God to come to this place and teach them. We cant be sitting around watching them fall away in sin around us, we need to do something about it! It teaches us in 23 that we need to repent before we can teach anyone else how to repent, cleaning the vessel inside and then the outside will be cleaned as well. I love these verses and how it applies to us in the mission and in our lives.
After we said a pray and looked out over the creations of the Lord one last time, we headed back down. So everyone knows that hiking up a mountain is one thing, but hiking down it is a whole different story. And walking on uneven ground makes it all the better. So we struggled our way down, got side tracked a bit but we made it back to the trail head at about 12:30pm. It was good timing and we got down safe. I loved the views and how I will probably never get that chance again. I also brought back some things from the top... Pine cones!! Couldn't believe it when I saw pine trees on the side of volcano. Now, whenever any of you get the chance to look at the Lords creations, just think about how much they mean to you and how much you mean to the Lord.
“Like the vital rudder of a ship, we have been provided a way to determine the direction we travel. The lighthouse of the Lord beckons to all as we sail the seas of life. Our home port is the celestial kingdom of God. Our purpose is to steer an undeviating course in that direction. A man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder—never likely to reach home port. To us comes the signal: Chart your course, set your sail, position your rudder, and proceed.”
― Thomas S. Monson
¡¡¡Les AMO mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
We also got the awesome opportunity to hike the volcano that is close to our area... San Cristobal. It's the highest in Nicaragua at 5,725 ft. We weren't able to get all the way to the top but we got close. It's actually quite active as well but we didn't have any problems.
So we've been planning this all week. One of the members, Gerardo, told us that he would take us if we were able to get permission. So we tried all week to get things worked out so we and some other missionaries could go. Sunday night, we got permission to go and we got things started. We found out that we were the only ones going due to the fact that the other missionaries had to run some errands in other places of Nicaragua so we decided to go with G, just the 3 of us. We got up at 3:30am to get out of the house by 4:30am to catch a truck that would take us to a town called Las Nubes (The Clouds) where we would begin our ascension. We got there at about 6:30am and headed up. We first passed through some avocado orchards, which were really cool, and then headed into some mountain farm land where they had a bunch of herds of cattle. We just followed the path, marking it so we wouldn't get lost coming back and kept going. Then we got to some old lava river beds. It's where the lava had passed awhile back when it exploded and created these rivers that will with water during the rainy season. They were all covered in black/grey rock and tons of volcanic sand. So we decided to stick to the river beds to go straight to the volcano. We go to a point where we had to go back due to the fact that the river bed ended so we busted our own trail about halfway up the side of the volcano. We could see out over all of Chichigalpa and all the little cities around it. It was so awesome and so silent. Something that we don't normally get working in the city. G had his scriptures and we read Alma 60:21-23.
21 Or do ye suppose that the Lord will still deliver us, while we sit upon our thrones and do not make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us?
22 Yea, will ye sit in idleness while ye are surrounded with thousands of those, yea, and tens of thousands, who do also sit in idleness, while there are thousands round about in the borders of the land who are falling by the sword, yea, wounded and bleeding?
23 Do ye suppose that God will look upon you as guiltless while ye sit still and behold these things? Behold I say unto you, Nay. Now I would that ye should remember that God has said that the inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then shall the outer vessel be cleansed also.
It got us thinking about all the Nicaraguenses and how we are selected by God to come to this place and teach them. We cant be sitting around watching them fall away in sin around us, we need to do something about it! It teaches us in 23 that we need to repent before we can teach anyone else how to repent, cleaning the vessel inside and then the outside will be cleaned as well. I love these verses and how it applies to us in the mission and in our lives.
After we said a pray and looked out over the creations of the Lord one last time, we headed back down. So everyone knows that hiking up a mountain is one thing, but hiking down it is a whole different story. And walking on uneven ground makes it all the better. So we struggled our way down, got side tracked a bit but we made it back to the trail head at about 12:30pm. It was good timing and we got down safe. I loved the views and how I will probably never get that chance again. I also brought back some things from the top... Pine cones!! Couldn't believe it when I saw pine trees on the side of volcano. Now, whenever any of you get the chance to look at the Lords creations, just think about how much they mean to you and how much you mean to the Lord.
“Like the vital rudder of a ship, we have been provided a way to determine the direction we travel. The lighthouse of the Lord beckons to all as we sail the seas of life. Our home port is the celestial kingdom of God. Our purpose is to steer an undeviating course in that direction. A man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder—never likely to reach home port. To us comes the signal: Chart your course, set your sail, position your rudder, and proceed.”
― Thomas S. Monson
¡¡¡Les AMO mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Monday, April 28, 2014
April 28, 2014
Wow, this week just ended and I felt like it had just started. The time is slowly ticking down and the days are going by faster. This week we didn't do too much. We taught a lot of people and walked a lot.
We are still working working with L and D. He has changed his baptismal date for the 10th of May. But his wife no longer has a date.. We are working with her on that. I love this family and we have a really good friendship. We are hoping that we can teach her the importance so that she will want to do it with her husband. I was talking to ex Elder T and he thinks that he is the key. After L is baptized, I'm sure she will see it and wanna do it as well.
Thats one thing I have learned in the mission, that we can not force people to do the Lords will. Sometimes when we take people to church, I feel as if the people just go because we told them they need to and not because they wanted to. As a Missionary, I have learned that I need to do all that I can to teach about the importance of completing with the commandments and the blessings that they can receive from doing so. But I cannot force them to do it. It would be like getting talked into doing something that I never wanted to do and then hating it after. That's what happens here, a lot of missionaries convince the people they teach to get baptized and then the missionaries wonder why they never want to go back to church. We always have to remember that they have their own agency and that we can do nothing about it. We can teach them what they need to do but in the end, it is up to them if they want to follow it or not. That's where a true conversion comes in. That is when one actually does what they need to do because they WANT to do it, not because they feel obligated to do it. It's sad to see people reject the things we teach but we can't do anything about it other than pray and keep helping them all we can so they can realize for themselves that things the Lord has in store for them!!!
You have agency, and you are free to choose. But there is actually no free agency. Agency has its price. You have to pay the consequences of your choices.
~ Dieter F. Utchdorf
Our agency, given us through the plan of our Father, is the great alternative to Satan’s plan of force. With this sublime gift, we can grow, improve, progress, and seek perfection. Without agency, none of us could grow and develop by learning from our mistakes and errors and those of others…. I do not really think the devil can make us do anything. Certainly he can tempt and he can deceive, but he has no authority over us that we do not give him.
~James E. Faust
¡¡¡Les Amo MUCHO!!!
Elder Daugherty
We are still working working with L and D. He has changed his baptismal date for the 10th of May. But his wife no longer has a date.. We are working with her on that. I love this family and we have a really good friendship. We are hoping that we can teach her the importance so that she will want to do it with her husband. I was talking to ex Elder T and he thinks that he is the key. After L is baptized, I'm sure she will see it and wanna do it as well.
Thats one thing I have learned in the mission, that we can not force people to do the Lords will. Sometimes when we take people to church, I feel as if the people just go because we told them they need to and not because they wanted to. As a Missionary, I have learned that I need to do all that I can to teach about the importance of completing with the commandments and the blessings that they can receive from doing so. But I cannot force them to do it. It would be like getting talked into doing something that I never wanted to do and then hating it after. That's what happens here, a lot of missionaries convince the people they teach to get baptized and then the missionaries wonder why they never want to go back to church. We always have to remember that they have their own agency and that we can do nothing about it. We can teach them what they need to do but in the end, it is up to them if they want to follow it or not. That's where a true conversion comes in. That is when one actually does what they need to do because they WANT to do it, not because they feel obligated to do it. It's sad to see people reject the things we teach but we can't do anything about it other than pray and keep helping them all we can so they can realize for themselves that things the Lord has in store for them!!!
You have agency, and you are free to choose. But there is actually no free agency. Agency has its price. You have to pay the consequences of your choices.
~ Dieter F. Utchdorf
Our agency, given us through the plan of our Father, is the great alternative to Satan’s plan of force. With this sublime gift, we can grow, improve, progress, and seek perfection. Without agency, none of us could grow and develop by learning from our mistakes and errors and those of others…. I do not really think the devil can make us do anything. Certainly he can tempt and he can deceive, but he has no authority over us that we do not give him.
~James E. Faust
¡¡¡Les Amo MUCHO!!!
Elder Daugherty
Monday, April 21, 2014
April 21, 2014
Ok!! So this week has been really hard. Due to the fact that it was Semana Santa!! This time of year, the weather is at it's hottest. SO everyone gets their pools out and hangs outside in the water, or they pack up and go to the beach or the the closest river to go cool off. And we walk the hot streets looking for people that want to hear our message!!
The streets were pretty empty this week. We walked and talked to just about anyone we could. Most were drunk or were already headed to another church to have a meeting. But we didn't stop!!! Even though there weren't very many people, we were able to bring a family to church!! L and D!! We also had the chance to have Pres Collado come and work with us. He came to see how we were doing and he wanted to go out and work with us. So I went with him and my comp went with some other missionaries to teach. We went to visit L and Pres Collado was very impressed with how well we have been teaching him and his family. He told L that he has the potential to become a strong leader and teacher in the church. The next day, L asked me what he meant when Pres had told him that. I explained that after he is baptised, he will be able to teach others of what he has experienced and help them to receive the blessings just like he will. He seemed very happy about it. He has a baptismal Date for the 10th of May. His wife, however, does not... we are working on that right now. I'm sure that after he is baptized that his wife will see how much he has changed and want to follow him so they can be happy together.
Hope everyone had a good Easter Week!!!
http://easter.mormon.org/?cid=HPTU041514694
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
The streets were pretty empty this week. We walked and talked to just about anyone we could. Most were drunk or were already headed to another church to have a meeting. But we didn't stop!!! Even though there weren't very many people, we were able to bring a family to church!! L and D!! We also had the chance to have Pres Collado come and work with us. He came to see how we were doing and he wanted to go out and work with us. So I went with him and my comp went with some other missionaries to teach. We went to visit L and Pres Collado was very impressed with how well we have been teaching him and his family. He told L that he has the potential to become a strong leader and teacher in the church. The next day, L asked me what he meant when Pres had told him that. I explained that after he is baptised, he will be able to teach others of what he has experienced and help them to receive the blessings just like he will. He seemed very happy about it. He has a baptismal Date for the 10th of May. His wife, however, does not... we are working on that right now. I'm sure that after he is baptized that his wife will see how much he has changed and want to follow him so they can be happy together.
Hope everyone had a good Easter Week!!!
http://easter.mormon.org/?cid=HPTU041514694
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
April 21, 2014
Mitch, we are having a missionary night for YW. Can you answer these questions for me? Love, Mom
What influenced you to serve a mission?
1. The fact that the gospel has influence my life so much gave me the desire to show others how it can bless theirs. My parents taught me since I was a little kid that a mission is what I should do. They never forced me to do it but they did show me how much it can bless my life. Because of that, I want others to know how it is to have this gospel in their own families.
What best prepared you for serving a mission?
2. Truthfully, I wasn't all that prepared to go, all I knew is that I wanted to go. I just wanted to go where the Lord would send me to teach the people that needed me at that time in theirs lives. But having a family that tries everyday to live the gospel helped me a lot to prepare for the mission. And having siblings helped me a bit in learning how to deal with some companions :)
What has been a memorable mission experience?
3. We passed by a recent converts house on a Saturday. We weren't planning on going but we decided to pass by to see how they were doing. A family lives there that were baptized about 6 months ago. When we got there, the husband ran out of the house with his backpack of stuff and said he wasn't going to come back. He said some other stuff that was causing him to want to get out of the house. We had no idea what was going on and how it all got started. Se went in to the house and started talking to the wife and got the big ol story about what was going on. False accusations and money stealing stuff... anyways we got talking to her more and out of the blue she said that it would be better if she just killed herself so she wouldn't have to suffer anymore. I don't know how many of you have been with someone when they talk about seriously taking their own life but it is something I will never forget. She has a little 3 yr old girl that ran in when she said this. So I had her look at her daughter, had her think about how much she loved her and how she would feel to have her daughter go without a mom. She said she wouldn't know how she would feel. Then I talked about how much the Lord loves her and we all just started to cry. The spirit was so strong at that moment because we knew that we went by her house at the right time. The Lord really does watch over each and ever one of His children. We must never forget that!!!
Do you have any thoughts or feelings you would like to share with the YW?
4. Young women, I encourage you to serve missions. Sister missionaries have a certain spirit that us Elders don't have. I have seen families that listen to the missionaries for years and then the moment a pair of sisters teach them, they get baptized. The sister missionaries truly have this love for the people. As soon as you find that love for the gospel, you will find it for the people you teach.
What influenced you to serve a mission?
1. The fact that the gospel has influence my life so much gave me the desire to show others how it can bless theirs. My parents taught me since I was a little kid that a mission is what I should do. They never forced me to do it but they did show me how much it can bless my life. Because of that, I want others to know how it is to have this gospel in their own families.
What best prepared you for serving a mission?
2. Truthfully, I wasn't all that prepared to go, all I knew is that I wanted to go. I just wanted to go where the Lord would send me to teach the people that needed me at that time in theirs lives. But having a family that tries everyday to live the gospel helped me a lot to prepare for the mission. And having siblings helped me a bit in learning how to deal with some companions :)
What has been a memorable mission experience?
3. We passed by a recent converts house on a Saturday. We weren't planning on going but we decided to pass by to see how they were doing. A family lives there that were baptized about 6 months ago. When we got there, the husband ran out of the house with his backpack of stuff and said he wasn't going to come back. He said some other stuff that was causing him to want to get out of the house. We had no idea what was going on and how it all got started. Se went in to the house and started talking to the wife and got the big ol story about what was going on. False accusations and money stealing stuff... anyways we got talking to her more and out of the blue she said that it would be better if she just killed herself so she wouldn't have to suffer anymore. I don't know how many of you have been with someone when they talk about seriously taking their own life but it is something I will never forget. She has a little 3 yr old girl that ran in when she said this. So I had her look at her daughter, had her think about how much she loved her and how she would feel to have her daughter go without a mom. She said she wouldn't know how she would feel. Then I talked about how much the Lord loves her and we all just started to cry. The spirit was so strong at that moment because we knew that we went by her house at the right time. The Lord really does watch over each and ever one of His children. We must never forget that!!!
Do you have any thoughts or feelings you would like to share with the YW?
4. Young women, I encourage you to serve missions. Sister missionaries have a certain spirit that us Elders don't have. I have seen families that listen to the missionaries for years and then the moment a pair of sisters teach them, they get baptized. The sister missionaries truly have this love for the people. As soon as you find that love for the gospel, you will find it for the people you teach.
Monday, April 14, 2014
April 14, 2014
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| Making french toast for breakfast. |
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| The skinny gringo is my companion. |
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| Another missionary in the ward. |
April 14, 2014
So many of you have probably heard about the earthquakes that are going on here in Nicaragua and over other parts of the world. Well I have felt several trembles over the past couple weeks but nothing too bad. A lot of the ones that happened, I didn't even feel them due to the distance I am from the epicenters. There have been a lot happening Managua. From what I have been informed is that there is no real damage right now but that we need to be alert. Everything is going well here in Nicaragua and due to these latest events, it gives us more chances to help people prepare for the Second Coming of the Lord. Acorrding to scripture, these types of things will happen when the Lord is soon at hand.
This week wasn't all that eventful except for the earth slightly moving. We were sitting outside someones house and I was on the phone with L, remember him?! Well he felt the moving before me and told me over the phone, I felt it almost the moment he said it and it was really weird. I don't know how many of you have felt an earthquake, but it's something amazing to see, feel, and hear how the earth's plates are moving. It's kinda scary at the same time but the feeling is something you don't feel every day, or want to feel every day that is...
Another notice!!! Pres Q (Stake Pres) is home! He has been working on the other side of Nicaragua for the past month or so and he came back yesterday, We don't know if he will be here to stay but his help is key in the Wards and in the Stake. I hope things can get a little better here in Chichigalpa.
Side note, this morning, we went to the church and made breakfast in the church kitchen!! Super rare that we do that!!! We made French Toast and Eggs!!! I haven't had French Toast FOREVER!!!! It was soooo good!! I wish we had a kitchen in the house. Even though I love the food here, it's always good to make a nice home cooked meal!!
´´Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is hope and happiness ahead´´
--Jeffery R. Holland
¡¡¡Les AMO Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
This week wasn't all that eventful except for the earth slightly moving. We were sitting outside someones house and I was on the phone with L, remember him?! Well he felt the moving before me and told me over the phone, I felt it almost the moment he said it and it was really weird. I don't know how many of you have felt an earthquake, but it's something amazing to see, feel, and hear how the earth's plates are moving. It's kinda scary at the same time but the feeling is something you don't feel every day, or want to feel every day that is...
Another notice!!! Pres Q (Stake Pres) is home! He has been working on the other side of Nicaragua for the past month or so and he came back yesterday, We don't know if he will be here to stay but his help is key in the Wards and in the Stake. I hope things can get a little better here in Chichigalpa.
Side note, this morning, we went to the church and made breakfast in the church kitchen!! Super rare that we do that!!! We made French Toast and Eggs!!! I haven't had French Toast FOREVER!!!! It was soooo good!! I wish we had a kitchen in the house. Even though I love the food here, it's always good to make a nice home cooked meal!!
´´Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is hope and happiness ahead´´
--Jeffery R. Holland
¡¡¡Les AMO Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Monday, April 7, 2014
April 7, 2014
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| My trainer, he just finished his mission. |
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| My new companion. |
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| The Stake President's wife. |
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| The Stake President's boys. |
April 7, 2014
Well another 6 months before the next General Conference!! Hope everyone was able to watch it and that you were able to get something out of it. I was able to see all of the Saturday Session, Sunday and the priesthood session. According to where the stake center is located here in Chinandega, we had to travel on the bus. So we hooked up a TV with an HDMI cable in the chapel here in Chihigalpa and we watched it here. It was a lot easier and the members loved it.
Also, just so everyone knows, I got a new comp. He comes from Kansas and loves it here. Elder S started his mission the same day as I did so we have the same time in Nicaragua.
So remember L and D? Well the other day we went over to their house to do some service. We dug 3 shallow wells so they could collect water easier. The water has a hard time getting to them due to the fact that they live kinda far away. Well we worked all day, got really burnt, but left there happy. We love this family so much and this week we actually helped them put a baptismal date for the 7 of June. It's kinda far away but they said that it's really possible that it will be sooner.
L was able to go the the priesthood session with us Saturday night and it was exactly what he needed to hear. Here are some quotes that I liked.
"Courage is needed—the courage to say 'No' when we should, the courage to say 'Yes' when it is appropriate."
"As you pray for forgiveness you will find yourself forgiving others."
"Remember that of all the service you give, none is greater than to help people choose to qualify for eternal life."
"Each of you will be a model of a priesthood man whether you want to be or not."
"When we choose heroes, we begin to copy, consciously or unconsciously, what we admire most in them."
"Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not an effort of once a week or once a day. It is an effort of once and for all."
I love conference and that chance that we get to hear from the prophets and apostles of the Lord. He guides us and we should hear His words. I pray everyone goes back and studies the talks of conference when they come out so we can do the things that the Lord needs us to do NOW in our lives, not later.
¡¡¡Les Amo MUCHO!!!
Elder Daugherty
Also, just so everyone knows, I got a new comp. He comes from Kansas and loves it here. Elder S started his mission the same day as I did so we have the same time in Nicaragua.
So remember L and D? Well the other day we went over to their house to do some service. We dug 3 shallow wells so they could collect water easier. The water has a hard time getting to them due to the fact that they live kinda far away. Well we worked all day, got really burnt, but left there happy. We love this family so much and this week we actually helped them put a baptismal date for the 7 of June. It's kinda far away but they said that it's really possible that it will be sooner.
L was able to go the the priesthood session with us Saturday night and it was exactly what he needed to hear. Here are some quotes that I liked.
"Courage is needed—the courage to say 'No' when we should, the courage to say 'Yes' when it is appropriate."
"As you pray for forgiveness you will find yourself forgiving others."
"Remember that of all the service you give, none is greater than to help people choose to qualify for eternal life."
"Each of you will be a model of a priesthood man whether you want to be or not."
"When we choose heroes, we begin to copy, consciously or unconsciously, what we admire most in them."
"Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not an effort of once a week or once a day. It is an effort of once and for all."
I love conference and that chance that we get to hear from the prophets and apostles of the Lord. He guides us and we should hear His words. I pray everyone goes back and studies the talks of conference when they come out so we can do the things that the Lord needs us to do NOW in our lives, not later.
¡¡¡Les Amo MUCHO!!!
Elder Daugherty
Monday, March 31, 2014
March 31, 2014
Well this week went by a lot faster than I thought it was going to go by. Elder T and I have been working like horses to do all we can in his last days here in Nicaragua. We worked hard until the end!!
Well to start off the week, Do you remember the family of L and D? well this week we spent a lot of time with them. We have been helping them understand the importance of the gospel and how it can bless our lives. They understand but they are a little hesitant to take that first step into the fog. We don't want to force them or push them into it because we want them to make this decision for themselves. We are helping all we can. On Saturday, we actually spent almost all day at their house. Here in a lot of parts of Nicaragua, they have a hard time getting access to water 24/7 so the water comes and goes when it wants. So when we got to their house on Saturday, the water came and we helped them fill 3 fifty gallon barrels bucket by bucket. It was hard work since we had to carry full buckets across the yard for about 5 hours to finally fill the 3 barrels up. There wasn't enough pressure for us to use a hose so we had to wait for the bucket to fill so we could take it to fill up the barrel. So while we were working, they were asking us a lot of questions about the gospel and we were teaching them. I really love this family and I hope that this change that we can help them get baptized!!
Speaking of changes, my comp, Elder T, went to the office today to have his last interview with Pres Collado before he goes home on Thursday. So right now, I am with some other missionaries from Managua. I will be with them until tomorrow where I will meet up with my new comp, another gringo named Elder S. Then we shall head back to good ol Chichigalpa. I'm hoping that things go well with this new comp in my area. We have been working pretty hard so I hope that we can continue working really hard. Well it continues to be extremely hot in Chichigalpa and it doesn't plan on getting any better with Semana Santa coming up. That would be Easter Week that will turn all of Nicaragua into a nice toasty oven. It is the hottest week of the year and everyone leaves to go to the beach so they can cool off in the water. Hope to hear comments on General Conference this next weekend!!! Love you guys!!
"It is never too late to strengthen the foundation of faith. There is always time. With faith in the Savior, you can repent and plead for forgiveness. There is someone you can forgive. There is someone you can thank. There is someone you can serve and lift. You can do it wherever you are and however alone and deserted you may feel.
"I cannot promise an end to your adversity in this life. I cannot assure you that your trials will seem to you to be only for a moment. One of the characteristics of trials in life is that they seem to make clocks slow down and then appear almost to stop.
"There are reasons for that. Knowing those reasons may not give much comfort, but it can give you a feeling of patience."
--Pres Henry B. Eyring
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Well to start off the week, Do you remember the family of L and D? well this week we spent a lot of time with them. We have been helping them understand the importance of the gospel and how it can bless our lives. They understand but they are a little hesitant to take that first step into the fog. We don't want to force them or push them into it because we want them to make this decision for themselves. We are helping all we can. On Saturday, we actually spent almost all day at their house. Here in a lot of parts of Nicaragua, they have a hard time getting access to water 24/7 so the water comes and goes when it wants. So when we got to their house on Saturday, the water came and we helped them fill 3 fifty gallon barrels bucket by bucket. It was hard work since we had to carry full buckets across the yard for about 5 hours to finally fill the 3 barrels up. There wasn't enough pressure for us to use a hose so we had to wait for the bucket to fill so we could take it to fill up the barrel. So while we were working, they were asking us a lot of questions about the gospel and we were teaching them. I really love this family and I hope that this change that we can help them get baptized!!
Speaking of changes, my comp, Elder T, went to the office today to have his last interview with Pres Collado before he goes home on Thursday. So right now, I am with some other missionaries from Managua. I will be with them until tomorrow where I will meet up with my new comp, another gringo named Elder S. Then we shall head back to good ol Chichigalpa. I'm hoping that things go well with this new comp in my area. We have been working pretty hard so I hope that we can continue working really hard. Well it continues to be extremely hot in Chichigalpa and it doesn't plan on getting any better with Semana Santa coming up. That would be Easter Week that will turn all of Nicaragua into a nice toasty oven. It is the hottest week of the year and everyone leaves to go to the beach so they can cool off in the water. Hope to hear comments on General Conference this next weekend!!! Love you guys!!
"It is never too late to strengthen the foundation of faith. There is always time. With faith in the Savior, you can repent and plead for forgiveness. There is someone you can forgive. There is someone you can thank. There is someone you can serve and lift. You can do it wherever you are and however alone and deserted you may feel.
"I cannot promise an end to your adversity in this life. I cannot assure you that your trials will seem to you to be only for a moment. One of the characteristics of trials in life is that they seem to make clocks slow down and then appear almost to stop.
"There are reasons for that. Knowing those reasons may not give much comfort, but it can give you a feeling of patience."
--Pres Henry B. Eyring
¡¡¡Les Amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Monday, March 24, 2014
March 24, 2014
So today is the last PDay that my comp has in his mission... He isn't helping me with his trunkiness but its not stopping us from working hard!! This week I was talking to the Elder Q who is still in Tipitapa, and he told me that a family we had been teaching got baptized on Saturday!! I found this family about 6 months ago with Elder B! & long months and now they are part of the grand work of the Lord!!
Funny story......
The other day, we were running late to a dinner apppointment at a members house, so we decided to take a taxi. While we were in the taxi, I took my wallet out to get the money to pay for the ride. Well the taxi took a longer route than i thought so I put the wallet on top of my bag which was on my lap. Well we finally go to our destination, I gave the guy the money and stepped out of the taxi, putting my change in my pocket, planning on putting it in my wallet when we got to the house of the members because there were a lot of people on the corner, drunks, and such. Well we start walking to the house which happens to be in a dark alley way and I feel in my back pocket for my wallet.... and its not there.... I don't carry much in my wallet due to the fact that there's a chance of getting robbed here so I only carry my nicaraguense license, my mission debit card which doesn't have any money on it, and a little bit of cash for food and taxis. Well this day, of all days, I had my personal debit card in my wallet because I had taken a bit of money out earlier in the day. I never carry my personal card, only if I need to take out money and I usually drop it off at the house right after I use it. Well I had forgotten to take it out after I used it that day..... So I was freaking out and stressing about how I have to tell my parents that I lost it and call the mission to report my lost license and my mission debit card and then I stopped to think about how I could have dropped it. I thought it had fallen in the taxi and I would never see it again. It could have also fallen on the ground and all the drunks and druggies on the corner could have grabbed it. So I turned around, and ran back to where the taxi had dropped us off...... AND THERE IT WAS!!!! Laying right where it had fallen off my lap when I stood up out of the taxi. So no there is no need to worry Mom and Dad :) everything is ok hahaha
Another story...
We passed by a recent converts house on Saturday. We weren't planning on going but we decided to pass by to see how they were doing. A family lives there that were baptized about 6 months ago. When we got there, the husband ran out of the house with his backpack of stuff and said he wasn't going to come back. He said some other stuff that was causing him to want to get out of the house. We had no idea what was going on and how it all got started. Se went in to the house and started talking to the wife and got the big ol story about what was going on. False accusations and money stealing stuff... anyways we got talking to her more and out of the blue she said that it would be better if she just killed herself so she wouldnt have to suffer anymore. I don't know how many of you have been with someone when they talk about seriously taking their own life but it is something I will never forget. She has a little 3 yr old girl that ran in when she said this. So I had her look at her daughter, had her think about how much she loved her and how she would feel to have her daughter go without a mom. She said she wouldn't know how she would feel. Then I talked about how much the Lord loves her and we all just started to cry. The spirit was so strong at that moment because we knew that we went by her house at the right time. The Lord really does watch over each and ever one of His children. We must never forget that!!!
You Matter to Him
My dear brothers and sisters, it may be true that man is nothing in comparison to the greatness of the universe. At times we may even feel insignificant, invisible, alone, or forgotten. But always remember—you matter to Him! If you ever doubt that, consider these four divine principles:
First, God loves the humble and meek, for they are “greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”17
Second, the Lord entrusts “the fulness of [His] gospel [to] be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world.”18 He has chosen “the weak things of the world [to] come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones”19 and to put to shame “the things which are mighty.”20
Third, no matter where you live, no matter how humble your circumstances, how meager your employment, how limited your abilities, how ordinary your appearance, or how little your calling in the Church may appear to you, you are not invisible to your Heavenly Father. He loves you. He knows your humble heart and your acts of love and kindness. Together, they form a lasting testimony of your fidelity and faith.
Fourth and finally, please understand that what you see and experience now is not what forever will be. You will not feel loneliness, sorrow, pain, or discouragement forever. We have the faithful promise of God that He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to Him.21 Have hope and faith in that promise. Learn to love your Heavenly Father and become His disciple in word and in deed.
Be assured that if you but hold on, believe in Him, and remain faithful in keeping the commandments, one day you will experience for yourselves the promises revealed to the Apostle Paul: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”22
Brothers and sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit. He knows you. He loves you with a perfect love.
God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season—He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him.
May we ever believe, trust, and align our lives so that we will understand our true eternal worth and potential. May we be worthy of the precious blessings our Heavenly Father has in store for us is my prayer in the name of His Son, even Jesus Christ, amen.
Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf
¡¡¡Les AMO Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Funny story......
The other day, we were running late to a dinner apppointment at a members house, so we decided to take a taxi. While we were in the taxi, I took my wallet out to get the money to pay for the ride. Well the taxi took a longer route than i thought so I put the wallet on top of my bag which was on my lap. Well we finally go to our destination, I gave the guy the money and stepped out of the taxi, putting my change in my pocket, planning on putting it in my wallet when we got to the house of the members because there were a lot of people on the corner, drunks, and such. Well we start walking to the house which happens to be in a dark alley way and I feel in my back pocket for my wallet.... and its not there.... I don't carry much in my wallet due to the fact that there's a chance of getting robbed here so I only carry my nicaraguense license, my mission debit card which doesn't have any money on it, and a little bit of cash for food and taxis. Well this day, of all days, I had my personal debit card in my wallet because I had taken a bit of money out earlier in the day. I never carry my personal card, only if I need to take out money and I usually drop it off at the house right after I use it. Well I had forgotten to take it out after I used it that day..... So I was freaking out and stressing about how I have to tell my parents that I lost it and call the mission to report my lost license and my mission debit card and then I stopped to think about how I could have dropped it. I thought it had fallen in the taxi and I would never see it again. It could have also fallen on the ground and all the drunks and druggies on the corner could have grabbed it. So I turned around, and ran back to where the taxi had dropped us off...... AND THERE IT WAS!!!! Laying right where it had fallen off my lap when I stood up out of the taxi. So no there is no need to worry Mom and Dad :) everything is ok hahaha
Another story...
We passed by a recent converts house on Saturday. We weren't planning on going but we decided to pass by to see how they were doing. A family lives there that were baptized about 6 months ago. When we got there, the husband ran out of the house with his backpack of stuff and said he wasn't going to come back. He said some other stuff that was causing him to want to get out of the house. We had no idea what was going on and how it all got started. Se went in to the house and started talking to the wife and got the big ol story about what was going on. False accusations and money stealing stuff... anyways we got talking to her more and out of the blue she said that it would be better if she just killed herself so she wouldnt have to suffer anymore. I don't know how many of you have been with someone when they talk about seriously taking their own life but it is something I will never forget. She has a little 3 yr old girl that ran in when she said this. So I had her look at her daughter, had her think about how much she loved her and how she would feel to have her daughter go without a mom. She said she wouldn't know how she would feel. Then I talked about how much the Lord loves her and we all just started to cry. The spirit was so strong at that moment because we knew that we went by her house at the right time. The Lord really does watch over each and ever one of His children. We must never forget that!!!
You Matter to Him
My dear brothers and sisters, it may be true that man is nothing in comparison to the greatness of the universe. At times we may even feel insignificant, invisible, alone, or forgotten. But always remember—you matter to Him! If you ever doubt that, consider these four divine principles:
First, God loves the humble and meek, for they are “greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”17
Second, the Lord entrusts “the fulness of [His] gospel [to] be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world.”18 He has chosen “the weak things of the world [to] come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones”19 and to put to shame “the things which are mighty.”20
Third, no matter where you live, no matter how humble your circumstances, how meager your employment, how limited your abilities, how ordinary your appearance, or how little your calling in the Church may appear to you, you are not invisible to your Heavenly Father. He loves you. He knows your humble heart and your acts of love and kindness. Together, they form a lasting testimony of your fidelity and faith.
Fourth and finally, please understand that what you see and experience now is not what forever will be. You will not feel loneliness, sorrow, pain, or discouragement forever. We have the faithful promise of God that He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to Him.21 Have hope and faith in that promise. Learn to love your Heavenly Father and become His disciple in word and in deed.
Be assured that if you but hold on, believe in Him, and remain faithful in keeping the commandments, one day you will experience for yourselves the promises revealed to the Apostle Paul: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”22
Brothers and sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit. He knows you. He loves you with a perfect love.
God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season—He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him.
May we ever believe, trust, and align our lives so that we will understand our true eternal worth and potential. May we be worthy of the precious blessings our Heavenly Father has in store for us is my prayer in the name of His Son, even Jesus Christ, amen.
Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf
¡¡¡Les AMO Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
Monday, March 17, 2014
March 17, 2014
OK, to start, we had our Stake Conference yesterday and Saturday. We worked super hard all week and we were able to bring 2 families to church. One on Saturday and one on Sunday. We have been preparing for this week for awhile. We had an adult session on Saturday, talking about doing to missionary work as members and looking out for the other members that are less active and taking the initiative to go out and do the work. Then on Sunday, we had a special broadcast from Elder Martino of the 70. He talked about tithing, the sacrament, and temple works. He was followed by Elder Scoot of the 12. He talked about the atonement of Christ and how we can use it to help the work. Then talked Sister Oscarson (something like that) and she was followed my Elder Oaks of the 12. They all talked about the importance of hurrying the work of the Lord and what we need to do as members to do our part. It was pretty awesome and we had about 600 people show up to the conference.
So this week, we have been working really hard with this family, L and D. They are really good friends of the Stake Pres' family. They were a reference of the Pres and we started teaching them with the Pres' family. This week, we had dinner/FHE at the Pres house on Monday, on Friday, we had a dinner/lesson at his house again, and After church on Sunday, we had lunch with them at the Pres house. L, before we started talking to him, was Agnostic. Pretty much he believed in reincarnation, evolution, etc... but his wife, D has noted a change in him since our first visits, that he really likes the church and loves the teachings of the Gospel. She sends us texts all the time thanking us for all that we have done for her family. We hope to help this family to the waters of baptism here soon. We are letting the spirit guide us a lot on this family. We actually have a dinner/FHE tonight with them.
I love this work and I am so thankful for all those that support me and give me the desire to work until the end!!
“When our wagon gets stuck in the mud, God is much more likely to assist the man who gets out to push than the man who merely raises his voice in prayer—no matter how eloquent the oration.”
― Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely."
—Dieter F. Uchtdorf
It is in the home that we form our attitudes, our deeply held beliefs. It is in the home that hope is fostered or destroyed. Our homes are to be more than sanctuaries, they should also be places where God's Spirit can dwell, where the storm stops at the door, where love reigns and peace dwells. ----—Thomas S. Monson
¡¡¡Les amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
So this week, we have been working really hard with this family, L and D. They are really good friends of the Stake Pres' family. They were a reference of the Pres and we started teaching them with the Pres' family. This week, we had dinner/FHE at the Pres house on Monday, on Friday, we had a dinner/lesson at his house again, and After church on Sunday, we had lunch with them at the Pres house. L, before we started talking to him, was Agnostic. Pretty much he believed in reincarnation, evolution, etc... but his wife, D has noted a change in him since our first visits, that he really likes the church and loves the teachings of the Gospel. She sends us texts all the time thanking us for all that we have done for her family. We hope to help this family to the waters of baptism here soon. We are letting the spirit guide us a lot on this family. We actually have a dinner/FHE tonight with them.
I love this work and I am so thankful for all those that support me and give me the desire to work until the end!!
“When our wagon gets stuck in the mud, God is much more likely to assist the man who gets out to push than the man who merely raises his voice in prayer—no matter how eloquent the oration.”
― Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely."
—Dieter F. Uchtdorf
It is in the home that we form our attitudes, our deeply held beliefs. It is in the home that hope is fostered or destroyed. Our homes are to be more than sanctuaries, they should also be places where God's Spirit can dwell, where the storm stops at the door, where love reigns and peace dwells. ----—Thomas S. Monson
¡¡¡Les amo Mucho!!!
Elder Daugherty
March 17, 2014
Add caption
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| The Quintanilla family (the Stake President.) They have 5 kids (one of the kids is taking the picture so he is not in it.) |
March 17, 2014
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| L and D. A family we are teaching that are really good friends with the Quintanillas, the Stake President's family. |
Monday, March 10, 2014
March 10, 2014
Another week!!! and we ended it with a baptism!! We have been working for a while to get this all ready!! So last Monday, we talked to this guy about the church when we were on the way to the cyber to write the fam. He gave us his direction and we went to his house on Tuesday. We talked to his wife and him and we put a baptismal date with them for the 22nd of march. We went to visit them throughout the week to teach them. On Wednesday, we showed up to watch the Restoration video with them but their DVD didn't have a control so we didn't know how we were going to change the language so they could understand it but the moment that we put it in the DVD, it started in Spanish and with Spanish subtitles... I looked at my comp and Elder W (ZL) who was with us and we were amazed at how that all went. We didn't know what to do other than push play and watch with the family. We felt the spirit super strong in the lesson but the only bad thing is that due to the scratchy disc, the disc got really jumpy right at the First Vision part of the video.... it was kinda sad but it was still a miracle that it started in Spanish because it NEVER does that. We always have to go into the menu and change it so we were super grateful for that. Well Saturday comes, and we go to teach the family about the BoM and only the wife was there. We asked her where her husband went and she said that he moved out... She went on to tell us that after 26 yrs of being married that he decided to go off with some other woman that already has 4 other kids with probably 4 different guys. It was really hard to accept the fact that he had left and she was really forgiving about the whole thing. We invited her to church to so she could show God that she wanted to keep being blessed no matter the situation and she went!!!!! And she loved it!!! We are looking for her husband so we can talk to him and get things back into order!!
So on Saturday, we were able to have a baptism of a young woman that is a sister of a recent convert. Her name is M and she is super awesome!! When we first talked to her, she said she wanted to be baptised. we were kinda shocked but we told her that if she really wanted to do it, she needed to show the Lord that she wants to do it. She has been to church every Sunday since then and she is reading the BoM as well!!
So we have Stake Conference next weekend so we are hoping to get people to go to church with us that day and see how a church building can really fill up!! I love all of you!!! I love it here and the time is going by too fast!!
“Baptism is a sign to God, to angels, and to heaven that we do the will of God, and there is no other way beneath the heavens whereby God hath ordained for man to come to Him to be saved, and enter into the kingdom of God, except faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, and any other course is in vain; then you have the promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
--Joseph Smith
¡¡¡Les Amo MUCHO!!!
Elder Daugherty
So on Saturday, we were able to have a baptism of a young woman that is a sister of a recent convert. Her name is M and she is super awesome!! When we first talked to her, she said she wanted to be baptised. we were kinda shocked but we told her that if she really wanted to do it, she needed to show the Lord that she wants to do it. She has been to church every Sunday since then and she is reading the BoM as well!!
So we have Stake Conference next weekend so we are hoping to get people to go to church with us that day and see how a church building can really fill up!! I love all of you!!! I love it here and the time is going by too fast!!
“Baptism is a sign to God, to angels, and to heaven that we do the will of God, and there is no other way beneath the heavens whereby God hath ordained for man to come to Him to be saved, and enter into the kingdom of God, except faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, and any other course is in vain; then you have the promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
--Joseph Smith
¡¡¡Les Amo MUCHO!!!
Elder Daugherty
March 10, 2014
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| M and her family at her baptism. |
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| My crazy comp and I. |
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| M's baptism. |
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| My Companion and I on the bus. |
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