March 24, 2014 (Granada, Nicaragua)

I AM LIVING IN A DIFFERENT COUNTRY!!

I made it to Nicaragua and I absolutely love it.  It is so flipping hot but it is very very pretty here I am in a place called Granada.

 The plane rides were good kind of long but good! I got to talk to some people on the plane one in Spanish and on in English about the church I loved it such a cool experience I got to call my parents at the airport my dad at the first and my mom at the second and talk to them for a few min I love them so much!

 We made it to the mission home safe and sound President Russell his wife were there to get us from the airport with 2 of the APs on of the APs Elder Ortiz is from southern Guatemala!! There are so many missionaries here from Guatemala!! I love it because I think of Jordon all the time and it helps me work harder!!

 The first place we ate at when we got here was.........Burger King......it was gross ha-ha I was all gung ho ready to eat awesome Nica food and I got that hahahah it was interesting, Speaking of food the missionaries are not allowed to eat pork here because the pigs have this bug that crawls up your spinal cord and gives you seizures I totally don’t know how to spell that word sorry. That’s crazy though huh!!

 Well we had training ALL day the second day at the mission home and then. The next day was cambios!!! It was so nerve wracking they had all the new missionaries and the ones that were leaving bare their testimonies... then we had cambios and I met my mother!!! She is Guatemalteca  she is from Chimaltenango in Guatemala. I love her to death she works me hard and keeps me positive she speaks both English and Spanish which is nice.
 

Hermana Jessica Udall and her new companion from Guatemala, Hermana Avila

 

 I was sitting at changes FREAKING out and feeling a little over whelmed when an elder walked up and gave me a letter from my WONDERFUL Abuela (Grandmother Myrna Udall)!!! I read it and cried I needed that right then!!

 Okay so my house is just an apartment above a ladies house it has one room with a bunk bed two mesas a closet thing and a mini fridge that was extremely messy from the last elders that were there before us my companion and I are reopening an area so it’s hard because we don’t know the area but it’s so fun!!

 The first day I got here we planned and practiced contacting and my companion looked at me and said you read to go? and so then we went out and contacted and I did it and didn’t pass out!! I also gave out my first BOM this week and got my first baptismal date my companion and I have gotten 19 Fechas for baptism since we got here! PILAS!!!!

 I LOVE THE FOOD HERE!!! White rice and red beans ALL the time with some kind of meet all the time and plantas they are the green banana looking things you will have to ask Jordon about them I am pretty sure he has eaten them.

 The mosquitos here are crazy!! I have huge bug bites on my legs and yes mom I am using my bug spray EVERY day!

 I really truly do love it here I am so exhausted every day but the Lord gives me strength

 My companion and I drink so much orange juice its unreal! There is a little store around the corner from out house that has COLD juice which here is a blessing!!

 Granada is beautiful it is a tourist location of Nicaragua I have pictures but I can’t send them yet I don’t have a chord but I will work on that. Granada is one of the hottest place in Nicaragua and one week in the year it’s hotter than EVER and we are coming up on it really soon it’s crazy I have been here for a week!! and on my mission for almost two months I am so extremely proud to be wearing a name tag that says Hermana Udall on it I have so many stories I want to share but they will have to wait till later I don’t have much time.

 I love you all and hope to have time to sit and share stories when I get back home!! I love you all so much!!

Oh and I had cake for my birthday....we went to a wedding before a baptism and I had their wedding cake for my birthday and That night president Russell and his wife called me and sang it was wonderful!!

"Birthday Cake"  :)

 

Everywhere I walked on the street there was at least on house in that street that was having a birthday party so I heard that song like a million times that day they always sing it in English here for some reason and they really like gringas down here we have to be home by 830 because everyone starts to drink here and its dangerous but Nicaragua really is one of the safest places in Central America pray for the people down here it will help I promise!!

 My Spanish is getting a lot better but it is still hard and the Spanish down here is so so so different from Mexico Spanish they don’t say the S and they drop have the words off sometimes it’s crazy!!

 

Well more next week and hopefully pictures I LOVE YOU!!