It is 67 degrees and I am freezing! - December 12, 2016

Hola todos! 

Another week has flown by here in loco Granada! First of all, my food has significantly changed. In Masaya, it was like chicken and rice and beans. Let us just say that my meat selection has greatly expanded. I have also eaten lots of bugs. There are flies everywhere. I will just leave it at that. Now, I just don’t ask what kind of meat it is. I still have rice and beans. I don’t know what to do with myself when I don’t eat rice. I have eaten rice every day, rice is good. What is funny is, that some people cook rice better than others. 

We are still pounding the pavement out here in Granada. We have one investigator named Caleb. He is 9 years old and is not baptized. Most of his family are active members, but he just isn’t baptized. An awesome tender mercy I guess. His baptism is scheduled for the 25, so that should be cool. Lots of finding lots of teaching. People are happy to hear us the first time but we can never find them again. But we keep at it. Going strong until the end. The work is good! 

The fun thing is, is that often I am a tour guide here. let me explain. Granada is really touristy and there are a ton of gringos that don’t speak English that need directions or have a question. So, when they see this big white guy walking down the street the get really excited. So, I have talked to all the tourists. it is pretty funny. So hopefully when they get home they remember that this missionary in Granada helped them out, and the talk to the missionaries where they live. 

All of a sudden this week it got real cold and by cold, I mean 67 degrees. It felt like it was freezing to me. I was shivering and all. only in Nicaragua. We were also having priesthood class outside Sunday and it started raining, and we just kept going until it started pouring. What a life. I am having an awesome time here! The mission is crazy hard but it is more crazy good! Life is great here, amidst all the weirdness, but that is Nicaragua. 

This time of year, remember the reason for the season. Think about why the Savior came to earth and what He did for you specifically! He lives and because He lives we can all live again! Spiritually and Physically! Look for Him in your life! He is there! I know it! Love you all thanks for everything!   

Elder Erickson

Their shirts say "My mom said she is not here" (Which is what the kids always say to them when they knock on the doors)

Elder Erickson decorated for Christmas. (I think Mom needs to send a bigger sock!)

Almost Christmas - December 5, 2016

Hola todos!

Wow, this week flew by. Time doesn’t make sense to me anymore, everything is just crazy, but it is a good crazy! 

This week we did lots of finding and found new investigators! Things are picking up here, and I hope that we will get the fire going in my area. So, it pretty much is Christmas here. Which in Nicaragua means fireworks, more fireworks and the same three Christmas songs playing everywhere. I am telling you all, any excuse they have they use fireworks from the three-year-old to the guy who is 83 and can’t see. If I didn’t know that they were lighting fireworks I would think I am in a war zone. But after all things said I do love it. Even the three Christmas songs they play, one is the Feliz Navidad we listen to in los estados. It is just happy here! 

In the midst of all the craziness, the hard times, and the heat, life is good. We continue to contact, find, teach and retain converts and menos activos. I think I am going to be bored out of my mind when I get back, we are just going and going here. Food is still weird, but things are good. Spanish is coming along. I rarely speak English now, and when I do it is weird. English is weird. 

Things are going well here. All is well. I will try to get some more details out next week! Just when life gets hard learn from it and keep going! Rely on the Savior and He will take you all the way!  Remember why we celebrate Christmas! Serve someone this week! I love you all! Thanks for everything! Have a good week and go buy some fireworks!

Elder Erickson

Lake Nicaragua

Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Mosquitos and Other Things to be Grateful For - November 26, 2016

Hola todos, 

Well this week was an adventure. This Thanksgiving week was definitely one to remember. We will start off with the hurricane. Hurricane Otto was pretty much a few drops of rain. But this is how it started, we heard about the hurricane coming, and were told by our leaders to buy food for 48 hours and get water ready. My food storage consists of Oreos, Ramen, bread, chips cheese and ham. We filled every container in the house with water, and then waited and . . .  nothing happened. Literally. We were watching the radar and it was right on top of us and it wasn’t even raining. Go figure. But now I have lots of cookies and garbage cans full of water. And that was a cool miracle that we were all okay here in Granada. Other places got hit hard but we are all good here. And then the day of the hurricane there was an earthquake in the north mission, my companion said he felt it but I didn’t. So overall it was an eventful day. 

Then the next day I decided that the weather radar had mistaken the hurricane for a massive cloud of mosquitos, because all day we were walking through clouds of mosquitos. It was crazy, I have never seen that many bugs even. It was like a plague from the bible. We clapped our hands and killed like 10 every time. Another miracle is that I didn’t even get bit! 

This week I also realized that I have been eating cow liver for a while. They give it to us for lunch a lot. I always thought it was steak. wow, how I have changed. I like cow liver. what a life! Oh, and all the water here is unsafe so to purify it we put bleach in it. So, my water tastes like bleach. And the best part is, among all this weirdness, and wild living, I love it! I love it here! I love this country! I am so happy to be here and to be serving the Lord and the people here! 

We have got some investigators and we are finding new ones too! The work is hard, but it pays off way more than I give. I see miracles every day, learn more about the gospel every day, and learn to love the Savior more every day. This really is His work and His Gospel. I know with all my heart that it is true! I know that He lives! Remember this month His birth, and why He came into the world. Don’t give up! He is there! Thank you all for everything! Have a good week!

Elder Erickson