Another Week Down - September 26, 2016

Hola everybody! 

Life is just great here! Like this is seriously the best and coolest experience ever! I get to give two years of my life to the Lord to help these people come to him! It is awesome!

Okay so stuff that happened this week . . . Lots and lots of work! We contact a ton here! We also teach a ton! I love these people more and more every day! 

I saw a monkey and that made my week! I am liking the weird food more and more! 

And Spanish! I took three years of French and couldn’t say anything after three years, but Spanish . . . the gift of tongues is real! I can sort of speak now and understand a lot! Other missionaries and members are impressed to know that I have only been here for a month! That being said, I still have a lot to do! But it is coming along!

We had 4 investigators attend church this week and Josseline is close to being baptized! I love it here! It is so cool to be in a place were I am in the city in one second and out in the jungle another!

Cool experience for the week . . . Sunday morning we got a call from some hermanas in Monibo that said they needed some elders for a baptism they had that morning. So we left and it turns out they needed someone to baptize their investigator! I was the only one with white pants handy so I got to do the baptism! It was super humbling and way cool! 

I love this work! It is so awesome! I have learned more than I ever have in my life! Life is great here! I wake up every morning and get to see an active volcano! 

I get to teach about Christ all Day! What a life! Thank you all for everything! Have an awesome week!

Love, 

Elder Erickson

Almost a Month in Nicaragua

Hola!

Time flies here! It seems like yesterday I was writing, but here I am again. This week was actually pretty cool weather wise. They call it fresca here when it is cool. I am actually pretty lucky because other missionaries tell me Masaya is pretty cool compared to other places. 

This we week we had another investigator attend church with us! It was really great. This week was stake conference! There was a ton of people in the building. A member of the General Authorities spoke at the meeting. From what I understood, it was in Spanish, he talked a lot about getting a Temple in Nicaragua! Everybody seemed to enjoy it a lot! We continue to find, teach, and help everyone here! It is funny how long one day can feel but so short at the same time! Elder Martinez’s hand is doing better. 

Last P-day we went on a hike around the lake here in Masaya. It was super beautiful!

We continue to work and teach! There are a lot of funny things here in Nicaragua! They put this weird ketchup on everything! They light off fireworks all hours of the day and night! It is always a baccanal here in Nicaragua! 

I have learned so much here, but of all here is one of the most important. Listen to the spirit always! Be always ready to do the Lord's will! I can feel his love for these people so much! I love it here! Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts! Have an awesome week!

Elder Erickson

Teaching in the Rain - September 12, 2016

Hola Everyone!

I hope you all are doing great! I am having a great time here in beautiful Nicaragua! This week was pretty much the normal. Last P-day we played soccer with the other zone and Elder Martinez fell and hurt his arm. We didn't think much of it until after writing last we when he decided that we needed to go to the hospital! So we got on a bus to Managua and headed to the hospital. 

It turns out the hospital was really nice! Anyway, E. Martinez has a really bad sprained wrist but he is doing okay! 

This week was pretty normal missionary wise. Lots of contacting and lots of teaching. We had our first investigator attend chuch this week! It was awesome! His name is Eliot and he is 11. 

We have been teaching his family, but unfortunatly the rest of his family couldn't come because they had to work all day.   The people here are just wonderful. They have so little but they are so kind and giving. They never complain about anything when they probably have something to complain about. I just love it here. 

The work is good and it is just so awesome! Funny story . . . so our house is comparatively nice, but our bathroom is questionable. Yesterday it was locked so E. Orellana boosted E. Mumford over the bathroom wall to unlock it from the other side. By the way E. Orellana and Elder Mumford live with Elder Martinez and I. Anyway, E. Mumford got over but then we found out that the door was just broken. So he was stuck in our bathroom which is somewhere you don't want to be stuck. He was pounding on the door and we were trying to open it, but we were laughing too hard. After like 5 min we got it open. It was a good laugh! 

SO the stories about Nicaragua rain are true. When it rains it rains. 

At night it sounds like a concert becasue it is so loud on our tin roof; luckily our house only leaks a little. 

The view from Elder Erickson's apartment.

All the weird stuff aside I really do love it here! This church is true! Our Savior Jesus Christ lives!! Thank you all for everything! I hope you have a good week!

Elder Erickson

Volcano Evacuation Route 

In the Jungle

Hola From Masaya - September 5, 2016

Hola! 

Time seriously flies here. Especially while emailing. But it’s good! This week we did more contacting and teaching! We teach a lot here and I love it! I am getting a ton of practice teaching a speaking! We got our first crazy rain and it was wild. I will not be dry again for 2 years but I love it! I would not trade anything for this experience! We are still struggling to get investigators to come to church and keep commitments but we are still working hard! I am getting more and more used to the culture and environment! It is wild here! Not much new this week just a ton of contacts and teaching! I am running out of time so next week I will do better! I love you all thank you for your support and prayers! 

Elder Erickson

 Pictures from Masaya: