More Rice and More Beans :)

Well this week was a good week as well. I feel like I am getting a hang of the Miskito. Every week we go to church normally in Spanish, but then afterwards we go to the Miskito branch. Its just sacrament meeting, but they give talks and what not, and there are 11 hymns in Miskito. So we sing those as well. Its fun to listen to.

This week I ate some new things. First I finally are turtle. I was gonna take a pic, but it looks and tastes just like roast. Maybe a bit chewier. But it is really tasty. And 2nd, I ate a food that is popular here in the East Coast, its called Rondón. Its a soup with fish, plantains and potatoes. Its actually pretty tasty. (Pic included)

Every Wednesday we get to talk on the radio. Every companionship has a day, and we are on Wednesday. We pretty much just play church music, and we each share a message and then we say Hi to the people that we know are listening. Its fun. Every Wednesday on the 103.9.

We have a lot of good investigators so hopefully we can baptize this week as well. And today was normal transfers and I will be staying in my area with Elder Reyes. So life is good!

Till next week,

Elder Taylor

My area

Rondón - the soup that had a fish​

Me in the radio station

Todo Tuanis aqui mae

Well this past week was pretty good! We had lots of success this past week despite a lot of rain.

Puerto is pretty cool, cuz it is just so different from the rest of the country of Nicaragua. Right now in the rest of the country it is the dry season, but here it has been raining a lot. And here in my area is super muddy when it rains. So instead of getting our shoes all muddy, we go out in rubber boots when it rains hard so we don't get wet or muddy feet. (See pic)

We have been teaching a couple for a time now, and on Friday they got married and baptized! They are named Nick and Yuri. They are pretty awesome! (Yuri is only 7 days older than Isaac). They were really pumped to get baptized. 

As for the new language Miskito, I have a song that you can find on YouTube so that you can hear how it sounds. Look up, "Do Pali Du". It even has some English creole. But it starts out in Miskito.

I am having a good time here in Puerto Cabezas! Not too much this week, but I have a video and some pics this week! Peace out!​

-Elder Taylor

 Nick and Yuri's Baptism

Our hammocks

The barrel that is my shower

Puerto Cabezas! Au! Au! Au!

Well, I made it to Puerto Cabezas! I have been here since Thursday night! 

Last Tuesday we went as a zone in Managua to an Active Volcano called Volcano Masaya. It was pretty cool. And we got to eat some good food! Then that next day, we had to take the 17 hour bus ride back to Puerto Cabezas. It wasn't too bad, we stopped every once in a while to eat and what not. Part of it was that we had to cross a river on a ferry to get here. We got to the ferry at 9pm. Oh and we left at 5am. We crossed and we got to Puerto at 11pm. It was good times. The roads on the way here aren't paved so they were straight dirt roads for like 12 hours. Only when we left the main cities where there paved roads.

Our house is nice, it is one of the few cement houses in the city. All of the people here have wood houses that are on stilts. I'll send pics next week of what they look like. But they are cool, some are taller than others and so you can walk under them sometimes. And all of the people here are really dark skinned. I look like chalk here, but when I get home I will look super dark!

Where I eat lunch they have a pet monkey. His name is Chewy. He is a spider monkey. He is crazy. But he is fun. We have eaten a lot of coconut and some fish so far, along with the rice and beans. 

We have to learn a language called Miskito here. It is nothing like Spanish. But does have some words that are close to English. I have learned a few words and phrases. But I'm not even close to having a conversation yet. The good thing is that MOST people speak Spanish as well. But the like to speak Miskito more. I will share some words and phrases so you can see how it is.

Yes-au (like you hurt yourself)

No- Apia

good- pain (pine)

bad- saura

Thank you- Tinki Pali

How are you- Naki Sma

Hello- Naksa

goodbye- Aitsa bit

Shut the door please- Du Pali Door Prax

Please- Du Pali

Cow- Bib

Horse- Aras

They use a lot of the "K" which they don't use a lot of in Spanish. I went to a Miskito Ward yesterday and it was weird. They do the sacrament in Spanish but the rest is in Miskito. It's fun. Spanish feels like English after hearing so much Miskito in a row. Maybe I'll be tri-lingual when I finish the mission.

Yesterday we had a baptism of a Girl named Maria. She is a 16 year old and she has a 1 year old kid named Yader. She is cool. I will send pics next week. (I forgot my camera). She really wanted to be baptized and we could help her with that. Her mom died on Jan 2 and now she is an orphan, but she made the promise to her mom that she would get baptized. And she did. 

This area is pretty cool. A bit poorer than my other areas, but it is fun. I still play soccer here, and I got to see the Atlantic Ocean today. So all is well. Ill keep up updated more next week!

- Elder Taylor

Our bus ride to Puerto from Managua

Volcano Masaya

From when I did service at the zoo in Leon a few week ago

Updates About My Transfer

Well, As I told you all last time, I have emergency transfers this week. And some of you have asked, so it was caused because a missionary went home on Jan 1 so he could go to BYU. So that is that. But the crazy thing is, I am still not in Puerto Cabezas. And will not get there till next Wednesday or Thursday.

On Wednesday I came to Managua, thinking that I would go to my new area on Thursday with the Zone Leaders of Puerto Cabezas. But It didn't work out with the plane tickets, so I have been here in Managua all week helping out the secretaries with all of their duties. I will go to my new area on I think Wednesday when the zone comes here for a party that President Poncio is giving them for breaking the mission record for baptisms as a zone (82). So then I will be heading to Puerto on an 18-24 hour bus ride. It should be like home, thinking of all the buses I have ridden these past 18 months.

But this week has been fun. I am living in the house where the APs live. Its a huge house and it has hot water. So I took my first hot water shower in the last 18 months the other day. It was awesome. I did get my Christmas package as well, So in my stay here I have been enjoying all of the treats that were in there.

As of what I have done so far... I have done a little office work, like making magnets, and doing family history. We also had to go drop some stuff off in Leon, and I was the only one that knew that area, so I got to go with Elder Howell (Idaho) In the mission truck (no I was not driving) to go back to Leon. It was pretty cool. I took him to the Cathedral that day cuz he wanted to see it. Then the same thing happened the next day when we had to go to Tipitapa. I went cuz I knew that area as well. So I have been traveling this week and teaching a bit at night as well.

Last night, a missionary that has malaria had to go to the hospital, and because I don't have a comp or really any jobs right now, I stayed the night with him. I slept on a cool pull out bed/couch. I slept fine. But in the morning, he got sent to ICU so I couldn't stay with him all day, so I am now with the secretaries. It is fun. Today is their P-day so I get 2 this week! And I get to go to the party for Puerto Cabezas next week as well when they come down. It should be fun!

We just got done playing soccer, and it was good times. Tomorrow we have church at 8am. So we will have to get up really early.

Well that is all for this week, stay frosty!

-Elder Taylor

Me in the mission truck with Elder Bennion (Idaho)

Me right now

ALERT: EMERGENCY TRANSFERS

Well, as the title says, I will have emergency transfers this Wednesday. I will be leaving from Leon after being here for 7 months. But it is what it is. I will be going to a place called Puerto Cabezas. It is on the east coast of Nicaragua. Leon is on the west coast, so I will literally be going coast to coast! I will have to take an airplane to get there. It will be way different. There are lots of native people there and they speak a different language called Miskito, which I will have to learn a little bit to talk to them. I will have more info next week.

On Saturday we had the baptism of Hermano Jose! He has a Jehovah's Witness before and now has converted to the Church. He was really excited about his baptism. And he is excited to move forward in the Church and has plans to go to the temple ASAP. So it was a good baptism before leaving Leon.

We had a party in the church for the New year. It was good times, we ate played games and listened to music. At church on Sunday we had 103 people. It was good times. And we stayed up till midnight to watch the fireworks and what not.

If you have any questions, feel free to write me!

-Elder Taylor

Jose's baptism

"empty the font after baptisms"

Me and Elder Chinchilla at midnight