May 26, 2014 (Granada Nicaragua)

This week was a crazy one!! This last Saturday my Zone baptized 9 people and had three weddings (mine was one of them) President Russell and Hermana Russell came to our baptism!! Our couple almost didn’t get married because Satan is a big bully! They got their house taken away and lost some of the Wedding papers Hermana Anna said nope I am done I am not doing this I looked and her and said do you have faith in Jesus or Satan annnnd she got married I kind of Machetera her but President said we CANNOT let our investigators make bad decisions 

First the Wedding...

Then the Baptism and a happy family with the Hermana's.

7 of the nine getting baptized this day.

Also funny story but super sad.... One companionship of sisters in my Zone were supposed to have a baptism but the guy got scared in the font and jumped out and ran for his life out of the church. The Zone Leaders chased after him INTO OUR AREA and got lost and didn’t think to call us for help.....oh dear elders....

This week we were doing daying planning and relaxing outside at the end of our day and the people we live with were all down stairs outside and all the sudden all of them started screaming.... My companion and I ran to see what was up and there was a HUGE ox running through the street... oh man Nicaragua is awesome hahaha 

We have an investigator he is 28 years old and he is always wanting to impress my companion and I and this last Sunday he texted our mission leader and said please tell the sisters I can’t go to church I am in Managua but our mission leader didn’t tell us that so we were calling and calling and calling him and he called and said I am coming I just need to take a taxi so this poor guy shows up to the church and is RUNNING and he falls.... oh man.... I almost died he got up and said Hermanas Hermanas Hermanas I am here!! 

There is a lady in our Branch that doesn’t have a leg and she lives WAY WAY WAY out in the middle of nowhere but she WALKS with here crutch thingies to work EVERY SUNDAY if that isn’t inspiration I don’t know what is!! 

The enchiladas here are WAY WAY WAY different than in the US hahaha WAY different but SUPER good one of my favorite foods!! I love Nicaraguan food! Well most of it :) 

Well I love the work here and hope you are all doing well and staying safe and happy! Serve your fellow men and love the Lord!! More from me next week!! Love you all!

4 Hermana's that started their missions in Nicaragua at the same time.

Jessica wrote "fired" fish but not sure if she meant "fried" fish.  ???

Hermana Ana and Eloisa.  Some of Jessica's favorite people right now.

 

May 19, 2014 (Granada Nicaragua)

This week was a strange one! It was a good one but super strange!! Every day this week we met someone or something happened that was just way out of the ordinary! Which was fun for us!! 

We are hoping and praying this week the wedding papers actually come in and Our investigator wont drink that is what we have a HUGE problem down here with is Alcohol everyone drinks it and they don’t want to stop it is rough but my companion and I have been blessed the poor Elders in our branch Elder Collado(Costa Rica) y Elder Barlow(Utah) have it super rough they have an investigator that comes to church every Sunday to drink and they were talking to him about the mission rules and what not and he asked "Can the Sisters have boyfriends" and the Elders of course said No and he was super mad and he got super serious and said " I don’t like that rule!!" The Elders asked why and he said "because I like the white one with the big green eyes!" The Elders died laughing and their investigator didn’t know what was funny. They later told us this story and they give me crap every chance they can.... Crazies hahahaha! 

Then in the Basic Doctrines class on Sunday, the teacher said and all of us are Lamanites and everyone said yeah except Hermana Udall she can’t be she’s white..... psh hahahahahaha. It was pretty funny....

This coming week we have Multi Zonas.... where three Zones get together and play games and do practices and have classes and eat food....and watch videos from each zone oh man our video is going to be interesting.. All of the companionships had to make their own videos about their companionships.....hehe it should be interesting. 

I HAVE A HUGE NICARAGUAN FLAG hehehehe whoo hoo. I just need a US flag and there it is! So down here there are a lot of hammocks made out of US flags......huh... Don’t really know what to think of that but every time I see one I sing the National Anthem in my head but my head tries to translate it into Spanish and well.....it’s just not the same.

One of our investigators has the Chicken Pox....EEEEEEK hahaha I hope and pray for some odd reason I don’t get them again that would just be awful!! 

I finish my training in three weeks.... which means AMI AND JORDON ARE ABOUT TO HAVE THE BABY!!! Whoooooo hooo, but about my training, I am getting scared! Haha.. I hate not knowing what is going to happen in my life or where I am going to be living and with who... I am learning patience and to trust in the Lord.. I love my mission! 

 

I love this work and I LOVE seeing the change in people’s lives when they read the Book of Mormon and come to church the church is true!! I love it and everything about it!!!! More next week!! 

May 12, 2014 (Granada Nicaragua)

Hola Hola everyone!! Another week has flown by I am in week 9 here in Nicaragua!! It doesn’t feel that long I am almost done with my training which means I will be changing cities OR companions OR I will be staying the same! Who knows!! I have loved Granada and the people here!! 

HERE COMES THE RAIN!!! The rainy season is coming!! I am so excited but then I don’t want it because I LOVE LOVE LOVE rain but here when it rains it only gets hotter!! BUT rain is awesome. 

This past week I had to go to Managua in a bus..... The buses here are something else and for those who get car sick it is just one huge joy ride hahahahaha. BUT I made it! I had to go because I am almost done with training so they are just seeing where we are in everything. It was fun we were in an air conditioned building!! Oh man Air conditioning is sent straight from heaven!! They gave us McDonalds afterwards.....hahahhaah I gotta say THAT I don’t miss from the states haha. 

Our wedding and Baptism is this weekend WHOO HOO!!!! We get to eat cake..... Cake is REALLY rare here and super AWESOME but I still have to say PIE will always be better 

It was wonderful seeing my family yesterday I got so nervous I forgot how to speak English but I loved seeing them! Anyone that sees my family give them a huge hug for me!! 

Group SKYPE shot.

Hermana & Name Tag Skyping

Hermana Udall Skyping Mothers day 2014

 

For P-DAY today we took a tour around Central here in Granada and saw all the HUGE Catholic churches they are soooo pretty! 

 

Church

Church

Horse Drawn Cart Tour

"Skittle" hands from Hermana Jessica

 

 I love you all and hope all is well!!! 

May 5, 2014 (Granada Nicaragua)

Hermana Udall doing her laundry!  :)

Laundry Day!

 

 

Nosotros tenemos una Matrimonio y Bautismo!!! We have a wedding and a baptism!!! He is an investigator and she is a member we hope this Saturday to be able to have a wedding and a Baptism! But Satan seems to hate families so we will be visiting them almost every day this week.

IT RAINED YESTERDAY!!! It was awesome while it was raining it felt cold and nice because it was at night but today is suuuuuper hot!! Haha the wet roads just steam but right now outside it looks like it will rain again. I still love the rain!! 

I am happy here at times God try’s my faith and I just want to curl up in a ball but I have learned to be patient just a little bit longer because right after the trial of our faith we see miracles Ether 12 I love the gospel and I know it is hard because the truth is never easy and is ALWAYS has opposition. I know this church is true because every time Satan gets a chance he pokes at it with a hot stick like that will make a difference haha nothing happens to rocks if you poke them with a hot stick they get a little charred but they are rocks....they are awesome...just like the gospel..

It is May!! As of today I have 3 months! It is crazy to me this time three months ago I was on a plane headed for Mexico City. I have changed a lot and I have grown closer to the gospel which for me is a miracle. I love love love the work of the Lord

This is a short one I am sorry about that but I just want you all to know I believe I believe I believe. I know Jesus lived and died for all of us every second of His life he spent for others never for Himself let us all try to be more like Him!! I love you all!!!