The Golden Birthday

IBuenos Dias familia! Oh man, where do I begin? Well this week definitely flew! This week was the first time on the mission I have gotten super sick... unfortunately it was Wednesday nightand part of Thursday to start off the big 20. After Noche de Hermanamiento that we have here every Wednesday at the church, which is like their mutual but it is for all the ward, they had made arroz con leche.  It was super good! and Hermana McKrola and I were loving it... we were even saying afterwards oh we totally have to get that recipe to make it later... Let's just say we will not be eating arroz con leche for a LONG time. Later that night Hermana McKrola's stomache started hurting really bad, and we went to bed. At about like 2 am, I was down for the count too. That could've been worse.  But oh man, we were dying.  It might have been the milk in the arroz con leche, or we are not really sure, but it was definitely a rough night/next day.  But I loved reading my cards from mom and Dad, super cute! And I started feeling better in the morning but Hermana McKrola started feeling better later in the afternoon after we tried about 8 different remedies with her.. Literally, we were trying like all the random remedies the missionaries were telling us. At like 3 pm we definitely were telling each other, we will not be making that recipe of arroz con leche. haha 

But we felt better aroud 330 and left to go get some lessons in! Later that night, my district was nice and surprised me with a cake and small fiesta in the house of one of their investgators with some of the members.  haha It was nice.  The tradition here is also to smash eggs on their head for their birthdays, and I am not a fan of that tradtion.  They definitely got me TOO well I think.  My comp has the picutre of afterwards, but it was just gross, and bad. haha 

But nice of them to plan that for my birthday! 

The golden was a good one!  (editorial note* years ago, we heard about the golden birthday being the birthday which is the same as the number of the day you were born, a Latin American tradition?)

The ferria (fair) here is still going on, and there have been lots of people here visiting from different parts of Honduras.  We have gotten some good videos of the fireworks.  I'm sending a picuture of the mariachi band that wanted us to say a prayer with them. haha  We definitely didn't want to turn that down. 

This Sunday,  J  came to church!!! We had been teaching him since Hna McKrola came, but stopped for awhile because even though he wanted to be baptized, he didn't come to chruch after we talked about coming and the importance of the Sabbath Day.  But we started teaching with him again.  We would go find him in his house before chruch, but he lives far away, and we were confused about where exactly he lives. We teach him in his mom's house who is menos activa because he goes there for dinner after work every night.  Hna McKrola is on it though, and we were thinking how does he know what time it is ever? He doesn't have a phone or a watch.  So we thought maybe that is part of the problem.  Saturday night before they all left for the ferria, I gave him my watch to know when to leave for church.  It looked good on him! haha and I was happy I had a watch that was't too girly. :) But as we're sitting in sacrament meeting, and it was starting, with one of our other investigators and her daughter, in walked Jose Bonilla with his white shirt and tie! My heart dropped, and we were so happy.  

I wish there was more time to write, but Im doing good, and learning what Hermana McKrola and I can do better every week to leave this ward better that we found it. 

Hope you guys all have a great Thanksgiving! :) 

also the family picture....hahahah! Good work Kev on the photo shop... who did the multi color?? whoa.. haha 

thanks everyone for the bday emails for me! 

love you all,
Hermana Nichols 

Bautismo de E

Hey family! Wow love to hear all the updates :) 

Well this week Hermana McKrola and I had our fist baptism together! whooo! E just looked so happy after his baptism and confirmation; we are so happy for him.  Even though he didn´t have to make too many changes in his life in preparing for baptism, the little changes totally count and make a difference.  He had read like all of the book of 1 Nephi in the fist week we had started teaching him.  I still can't beliieve that he was one of my first contacts here in La Paz with Hermana Garcia, and had come to church sporatically through the months because we invited him with his nephews, but never was interested in us teaching him.  But our district did a fast a couple weeks ago, and after that, he was more open in listening to us!  Hna McKrola and I have big testimonies of fasting and the blessings we have seen because of it.  We are trying to fast every week, just because we know that the big blessings we see in our investigators are all because of when we fast.  Elio is looking for a job, so he might move to Comayagua.

We made programs also for the baptism, and people were loving them! haha  there's a lot of things I am super grateful for now.  Also, I learned that we should probably practice singing songs in Spanish before we actually get up and perform them for the ward. haha We had like 25 people at our baptism, it was great!  I had our district of us 6 missionaries sing "Yo Trato de Ser Como Cristo." (I'm trying to be like Jesus) and well let's just say, there are extra notes in there because there are more words in the Spanish version. We should've practiced, because it was not the greatest. haha but I think it livened up the baptism a little more, especially when O V said we should be in the Motab choir after we sat down from singing. haha It probably wasn't good either when Hermano G who was directing turned the time over to us by saying "we will now hear from the misisonaries who have prepared a song for us..." and the Elders asked me what song are we singing? haha Baptism days are just crazy though!! 

Super happy to see the members came though.  And Elio gave his testimony afterwards that was so sincere and great! He is so smart and said that he KNOWS this is true from studying and listening in our lessons how the Bible and the Book of Mormon match up.  Baptism day always makes the kinda rougher days worth it! 

hey I love you guys! printing off your emails and reading them after! love you all! 

love,

Hermana Nichols 

Here is our friend R who likes to share her corn with us! :)

Getting ready for the holidays! Feliz Navidad! 

Updates

Hey fam!! :) 

Winter in La Paz... it gets cold at night when we sleep, but other than that, I forget its winter and we´re in the month of November! SHOUT out, happy birthday Kristine, and Dad! Whoo....... nice! 

This week was definitely eventful. I will try to attach  pictures after. :) 

Well this week we had interchanges.  I stayed in my area with Hermana Corleto.  She is one of my favorite sisters here, and is from El Salvador like Hermana Garcia too.  The Salvadorenas are great! :) 

E, who is our investigator who has a baptismal date on the 15 of Decemberis progressing well still! yay! He is so dedicated, he came to church this Sunday even though he was so sick this week with a bad cold.  We couldn't get ahold of him the last couple days becuase his cell phone turned off, and we normally teach him in houses of the members because of the rules of his apartment complex, we cant go in. So when he didn't answer his cell phone, Hermana McKrola and I one afternoon were seaching for his apartment for a couple hours where he told us where it was.  We didn't find the apartment, but did end up finding other people and contacting others along the way. haha But nonetheless E still came to church this Sunday, and we didn't even have to drag him there, like sometimes it feels with other people.

I have also decided this week, I will never have a dog:)  Yikes they can be scary here on the streets.  But thankfully we are protected here, and can feel that protection on the streets sometimes.  We were bummed on Sunday morning when we went to get this family and some of their neighbors who said they would come to church with us, and when we arrived, they said they couldn't come for one reason or another.  :( However, we did on our way walking to the church see some lions on their way to the zoo in Comayagua in the gas station. haha so we had to take a picture.  

I wish I had more time to write, but I want to send some more pictures.  I am definitely learning so much everyday.  Things about the gospel, and literally how this church is the ONLY true chruch on the earth.  I am learning that through obedience and that using your time wisely and effieciently can bring more blessings.  Learning everyday is the key.  

I miss you all so much!  La Paz is good! Hey if you guys have any good ideas for Christmas crafts we could do here, we would love to do something or make something nice for the members for Christmas.  Hermana McKrola and I want to find some way to make the cookie turkeys for Thanksgiving for people here even though they don't celebrate it here. haha We might have to be creative. 

I hope Dad and Kristine have the Best birthdays this week! Thinking of you guys! 

Much love from Honduras,
Hermana Nichols 

One of the investigators of the elders had us over, and she taught us how to make this awesome fish and tajadas.  Its their fried bananas, which is pretty much their french fries here. Yum! 

Here are the lions in the gas station :) haha 

Tried to make cookies from the cookie mix with the mix you sent mom! thanks! used a members oven... super rare here to have ovens! 

Winter Weather

Buenos Dias! :) Well winter in La Paz is a little colder than I thought! It gets pretty chilly at night, but all in all I think it is the perfect temperature here. I love it! Also loved all the pictures! Glad to hear and see everyone had a good Halloween.  Here the Bishop had a fiesta at his house for the ward for kind of a Halloween party, because they don't really celebrate here.  But we were told we couldn't stay because there was going to be music and dancing. haha It looked pretty fun, but we just dropped off our investigator who was loving it, and helped the bishop's wife put out the food. haha So Hermana McKrola and I put a baptismal date with one of our investigators this week! E has come to church mulitiple times, but never was interested in us teaching him.  But this week, when we asked him again, he said he wanted to listen to us.  Whoo hoo! We were so happy and nauturally because he has mutlitple times that he has attended church, we put a goal for baptism for 15 of November! So far, so good.  I also love the month of November here.  All of November here they call the ferria.  Its like a big fair and circus stuff all of November in the parks.  Naturally great for contacting!  And the spirit here on the streets is happy, with families on the streets, and the weather is great.  Now its just time to find a family to teach!  Also thanks so much for the packages Mom and Kristine! LOVED the food!!! oh man... I was going to wait until my birthday, but I just couldn't... but thanks so much! My comp and I loved the treats.  And the skirts and shirt mom and dad, thanks so much!

So we are finding more and more that the people here are all Catolica, Evangelica or any other religion you name it.  We are beginning to find other ways to talk to them about the importance of authority in a church, and trying to use the Bible more and more so they will begin to find interest in what we have to say first.  More and more we have people hiding from us. haha oh man.  This week as we approached we had taught a family the night before who is pretty Catholic, but super nice when we taught them, when we started walking to their house the next day to see them, the mom and her older daughter were outside the house with the little baby grandchild.  Well I have never seen anyone run so fast.  We weren't that far in front of them when they litterally grabbed the kid, and her chair and ran into the house and shut the door.  haha oh man Hermana McKrola and I couldn't hold back a few laughs.  Anyways we ended up talking to the Father who came to the door afterwards with the Elders who had come with us to talk to this family, and he had some questions about our church and wanted to come back with answers in the Bible.  

We also had this week a special zone conference with Presidente Fortuna, and he talked about the importance of planning.  I love the quote that everone says: Las metas reflejan los deseos de nuestros corazones. 

Our goals reflect the desires of our hearts.  

I love this, and know that when we better plan daily and weekly not only here on the mission but in our daily lives, we can better accomplish the things in life that are important.  

I also love some of the quotes of President Holland that we watched. 

Salvation is not a cheap experience, and we have to pay the price at some point. We walk where he walked, and shed the tears that he shed if we are to say we are his disciples.  We have to be prepared for some of the journey along the borders of Calvary if we decide to follow Him, 

I know that mission is such a special experience, because never in my life have I felt closer to some of the things I know our Savior felt in His ministry. I am grateful to be here everyday, and we are trying to so hard to find the chosen ones who are ready to accept this gospel.  

Love and miss you all! thanks so much for all the talks, can't wait to read them!

Love,

Hermana Nichols