First Week in Honduras

hola familia!!  i'm almost out of time, and I havent written anything! yikes.. but whoa.. there's a ton going on at home and with so many friends and fam!  I've made it to Houduras! And it's a different world out here! Also sorry this is all incorrect grammar but now I have to figure out how to use this computer... My companion Hermana Garcia is from El Salvador and is such a sweetheart! She is so patient with me! Love the mission, but sometimes its difficult when no on can understand me, and I feel like I'm speaking Spanish! But it's all good, I know it will come eventually, and I know I just need to continue working hard.  The people here are all so nice, and humble. I'm in a little town called La Paz in a ward called San Juan. Its such a cute town! And I feel totally safe.  So pretty much out here I feel like it's a combination of being on trek and girls camp. haha... We do have a shower in our apartment however!! yay... but its only cold water... haha so im learning to take even faster showers that at the CCM... oh man the CCM so spoiled us there... i miss the good food!  Our apartment is a lot nicer than the other houses here, so Im super grateful.  It's crazy, the difference in how people live.  Most people we have taught have dirt floors and usually the houses have like 2 rooms...  Ah I want to send pictures, but will have to do that next week, because I'm almost out of time... But yes! I saw Hermana Beard, and gave her the pb. haha she is super cute and we got a picture together, I will send it next week! So my favorite fashion statements right now are my backpack, and my keens! haha and i cant get enough of that benedryl ointment and off spray.. I think the spiders love my legs... ouch.  We have to wash our dishes and clothes in the pila which is a huge sink outside... but at least we have a shower... the elders here don't have one! For Pday we were able to hike this huge mountain here with our district, super awesome!  The food here is different... haha there is this cheese that is super salty and kinda reminds me of sour cream.. oh man I fear the cheese! But it's all good... I pray I get used to it... my comp is an angel, and eats some of it for me. Its different here, when the members feed the missionaries, only the missionaries eat, and the members dont eat with them... so Im able to sneak some of my cheese onto my comps plate... My comp and I have taught a lot of lessons, and I just wish I could speak Spanish! The people can't understand me, and I cant understand them. But I know the Lord is helping me, and I see Him helping me everyday. AH out of time.

I love you guys!! miss you lots

Hemana Nichols

pictures next week!

Hermana Nichols in Honduras!

She made it! 

Last Week in Guatemala

HOLA!!!! :) So let's see where to start... this week has flown!! I leave for Honduras in a week from yesterday! Not sure exactly what time we leave for the airport. So stoked!!!

So I am excited to finally get out  there, but also sad to leave the CCM. I love my teachers here and my district. I miss our old teachers but I have learned SO much in the last week from our new teachers.  It's crazy how much I feel my companions and I have improved on our teaching this last week! The more I learn how to teach the gospel, the more I learn ABOUT the gospel. It's awesome. I really learned this week the principle Teach PEOPLE, not Lessons.  They really stress on asking inspired questions to your investigator so you can find out what their problem is in life, and what is the need.  THEN decide what lesson and gospel principle the investigator needs to hear to bless their lives.  It has taken this long to finally accomplish this in spanish! haha :) and I know I still have a long ways to go!

My teachers told us to study the way Jesus taught. He never gave the answer to people  but made them fishers of men essentially, and helped guide and show them how to find their own answers. He taught in parables and symbollically to help them better apply these important principles in our lives better. So this is something I'm striving to become.

Also, funny story! Mom and Dad do you remember Elder Walton... (stan's nephew) well I remember his mission is where the guatamala CCM is, and I randomly saw him this week! haha we were outside waiting for the new missionaries to arrive and I saw him and his companion outside the gate!! I havent seen  him in like over a year! But I yelled his name and said hi, I tried to go over and talk to him, but the guard wouldnt let me, and I don't know what they were here for because they didn't come inside the gate.

Oh also last pday the reason my time was so short was becasue we went to the big Market in Guatemala! So cool, to get out of the CCM bubble and experience the streets! It made me want to get out to Honduras soooo bad!!

Also, I gave my first talk in Spanish in Sacrament meeting last Sunday! :) It was on Fe en Jesucristo. (Faith in Christ). Hopefully people understood me. lol

Thanks, for all the letters and pics everyone! I totally appreciate them, and is my favorite part of pday... this is my last one here, and hopefully I get to write to you all next week in Honduras!

My teacher gave us a great analogy about how there a many armies that save the lives of their citizens, but we are an army saving souls! how important this work is, because unlike our mortal body, our souls will never die!

Take care this week! :)

Love you,

Hermana Nichols

Fotos de Hermana Nichols

Half Way at the CCM

Hola familia!! ahh not much time today, only half hour because we are going to the Big market for pday! So this week, I got tired of my long hair, and had a sister missionary cut off a couple inches!! well its like a long bob... haha i will send pics in 2 weeks! 

 Also we felt a little bit of the earthquake last night that hit border of Mexico and Guatemala... I felt the bed shaking at like 5 am but thought I was just dreaming... haha there's been like 2 really little ones here! Also super sad, we said goodbye to one of the Elders in my District last night. He went home because he started having anxiety attacks really bad here, and they just started when he got here.  He was such a good missionary, and was speaking really good Spanish. 

Loved hearing about everyone's 4th of July! loved all the pics!! :) We got hamburgers and a 4th of July cake too!! so good! It was like the cake we normally make with the blueberries and strawberries! :) I was missing home eating it.. haha  Our teachers here are great, and also pretty funny.  We've had a couple subs lately, and our last teacher told us he learned his english from MTV and BET tv. haha as opposed to our normal teacher who learned her english from listening to the BOM on tape in english :)

Mom, the hydrangeas here are bloomming!! everytime I see them I think of you! they are beautiful and my comps always say everytime they see
them from now on they will think of me and my mom because I always comment on them when we got outside! Well im out of time... but I love
the new scripture 1 Cor. 2:19. gotta go! love you all!!!

Hermana

Nichols