State of Emergency

This week had the potential to be a week of destruction in Nicaragua. You may or may not have heard that Hurricane Otto swept through Nicaragua this week. We were told on Monday night to prepare a week's worth of food and water in case we had to stay indoors all week. But the week passed without a drop of rain. Then on Thursday, we heard on the news that an earthquake of 7.2 hit close to Nicaragua as well. So those close felt it and had a tsunami threat. But again, nothing happened. So all is still well here.

On Wednesday I went to Tipitapa and we were walking through the streets and this drunk dude wanted to shake my hand. So being the nice guy I am, I shook his hand. But he didn't let go. He had a firm grip and started asking me for help with this mind! I started walking away, but he didn't let go, so I was dragging this drunk dude through the streets. I eventually just peeled his hand off of me, and said goodbye. Just FYI, drunk dudes are strong

On Thursday we went on exchanges with the zone leaders in Loma Verde. So I packed my bags and headed off to Loma Verde with Elder Wilkes from Boise, Idaho. He came into the mission with me. We were working hard all day, and in the middle of it we ran into a evangelic pastor that told us that we are of the devil and If we don't get baptized in his church we are damned for all time and eternity! It was good times! And here the kids think its insulting to yell random words in English at the white people. This time it happened to be the numbers 1-5. It was funny as well.

When we had house inspections a couple of weeks ago, the mission president said that we had to clean out backyard and he would pay for someone to do it. So we had a couple of kids form the ward that need money for their missions clean it up. (See Pic) We found out that we have a lime tree in our backyard. We got about 6 lbs of limes. So its time for limeade!!!

On Saturday we had a baptism for our investigator Guadalupe. I have been teaching her since my first week in Nicaragua. She just was waiting to get married. (She is 16 and has an 8 month old!) But after 4 months, she finally was able to get married and baptized! It was really awesome to baptize her!

Side note: No they don't celebrate Thanksgiving here. Only one person asked when it was so they could know when black Friday was.

Rappers

On Saturday night after the baptism we had the ward Christmas activity. I was the DJ for a singing thing that we did. We dressed up like rappers. It was funny, I introduced myself in English and Nobody understood but they all cheered like they did. Good times indeed!

That's all for this week, stay warm with the freshly fallen snow!

-Elder Taylor

Guadalupe's Baptism

Guadalupe's Baptism

Backyard Clean up

Limeade!!

Backyard Clean up

Machetes y Un Nicaraguan Traffic Jam

I was able to check 2 things off of my bucket list this week: 

1 - Be somewhere warm while its snowing at home, and 

2 -Use a machete to slash my way through the jungle!

But before we get to those stories, we'll start with Monday. After emailing, the missionaries from Cristo Rey, got a call that they will be in a trio until changes (DEC 5). So now we have 5 missionaries living in Ciudadela. Just 3 leave for the afternoon for Cristo Rey.

On Tuesday, Elder Sevilla and I were going to teach an investigator, and when we finished the lesson these kids wanted us to play baseball. So we played. We used a broken off tree branch, with a deflated soccer ball with a hole for your hand as a catchers mitt. It was a bit ghetto, but really fun.

On Thursday, we went to do service for Roberto's family. We got out our machetes and started choppin' up the weeds. We were the weed whackers. Its more fun when you imagine yourself in the thick jungle! While doing that, the zone leaders came over to interview Roberto's mom for her baptism. While waiting, we ate coconuts, starfruit, and mangoes straight from the tree. It was really tasty. And Roberto's mom passed, she will be baptized this week. Along with his sister!

Friday turned out to be a lot longer than planned! We had to interview someone for baptism. It usually takes just 20 minutes to get to San Benito, where we had the interview, but there was a crash further up the road, so it took 2 hours by bus and walking to get there, and another 2 hours back. It was really long, we didn't get back home until around 9:30 pm. It took forever!

Yesterday was the primary program here. There are only like 8 kids, so they had to do a lot of stuff. It was good times!

Tomorrow marks 5 months in the mission. Just 19 more to go!

-Elder Taylor

Elder Sevilla helping get ready for the primary program

A bat that was chillin in the chapel

Sick people and Nicaraguan Kids

It seems like this week everyone that we know here got sick. Even Elder Marquez got himself some gastritis. So we gave probably about 12 blessings this week alone. I have never given a blessing in English, but a ton in Spanish.

This week we had Presidente Poncio visit our house for inspections. We made sure to clean up a bit. He and Hemana Poncio just said to clean out the garbage from the backyard. Later in the day, there were people giving free house fumigations. So we let them do our house to kill all of the mosquitoes. They used a blowtorch looking thing to blow a freak ton of smoke in the house. It was pretty cool.

There is this family in the ward that has a store in their house. And they sell smoothies. They have this really good smoothie of strawberry cookies. They are like Oreos but strawberry. It is giant and only costs 20 coroba (less than 1 dollar). I get 2 or 3 a week. They are so good.

We have an Investigator named Hermano Torres. He is 72 years old and can't walk for long periods of time. And he lives literally as far away from the church as you can live in Ciudadela. So yesterday we used a bus that passes by his house to get him to church because only the Bishop has a car and he was picking up another investigator at the same time.

And that Investigator, Hna Sandra, and her daughter, Tatiana, are getting baptized this week! They are the mom and sister of Roberto who Elder Sanchez and I baptized about 2 months ago! So that's awesome so see! Only his brother hasn't had the missionary lessons now.

Oh ya, when we go to visit Hno Torres, at the bottom of his road, there are a bunch of little kids that yell "MORMONES!!!!" every time we come. Its pretty funny. We gave them lesson pamphlets and they gave them to their parents. And we are now teaching some of their parents. 

That's all for this week! 

-Elder Taylor

A cool sunset pic

Elder Marquez, Sevilla, and me enjoying the sunset

The most brilliant sunset I've ever seen

Chillin' on the bus back to Ciudadela

Our chapel here in Ciudadela

Electiones, cocos, y dia de los muertos

This was a good week. We were told on Tuesday that because of the elections this week, we had to leave the house at 9 instead of 11 and go to the house at 7:30 instead of 9:30. So we have this schedule till the 14th. The house is clean though. Which is good, because we have house inspections this Wednesday.

This Wednesday was Dia de los muertos or Day of the Dead. Its when the people go out to remember their dead. It was pretty cool to see tons of people flocking to the cemeteries to put flowers and other things. Definitely different than in The US of A.

On Thursday I went with Elder Marquez to Crtisto Rey. This town is has only dirt roads and so the water runs free. And boy did it rain on Thursday! We had a torrential downpour! I should have taken a picture. You literally could not see the dirt. It was straight rivers in the streets. My shoes, socks, and pants were soaked! It was fun though. It was warm afterwords which is good.

I have a new favorite Nicaraguan food. Which is Guallo Pinto. Literally just red beans and rice cooked together, but it is the bomb.com! I have had it 4 times this week, and I am having it tonight, but with coconuts that we salvaged last night.

Also, we went early Christmas and wore Christmas ties and hung lights in the house on Wednesday!

Stay frosty!

-Elder Taylor

Cooking with Hna Miriam (AKA our Grandma)

Our Christmas lights

Cooking beans for a repocheta (not sure how to explain, but really tasty)

West side...

Eating coconut fresh from the tree

The coconut again