The Work is Progressing!!! - November 7, 2016

Hola Everyone!

I hope things are going well for you all, because things are just great down here in wonderful Nicaragua! This week is the last week of my training and I will probably be off somewhere else in the country next week! 

That seems super weird! For 12 weeks Masaya, Nicaragua has been my home. That just seems so crazy! I know I have said it a thousand times but time really does fly! 

This week has been really great and we have got some good progressing investigators! They are all miracles, but I will tell you about one that is super cool! His name is Jose Francisco, and he is super great. One day we were waiting outside of the church to give another missionary something, and he pulls up on his motorcycle and asks if he can come to church with us! We were super excited and we said yes! And then Sunday rolls around, and we get a text from him that says he is ready at 7:00, and church doesnt start until 10:30. He is super awesome and is set to get get baptised on the 26th! He loves the church and just cannot get enough. He reads all the pamphlets we give him and takes notes. This work is the Lord's. This is made more and more clear everyday. 

Life is just awesome. This Sunday immediately after church we had to go back to our house for the rest of the day because of the elections. We did a lot of work this week and things are going well! Christmas! Apparently Christmas starts here the first of November. There are already lights up and people are already playing Christmas music! It is great! What a place! I just love it here! I love being a missionary! What a life! Thank you all for everything! Your thoughts and prayers help so much! Until next week!

Elder Erickson

I Fell in a Puddle - October 31, 2016

Hola Amigos!

I hope all of you have had a good week! This week was pretty good and interesting.

First off the story about how I fell in a puddle. We were walking back from dinner one night, and I was not paying attention to where I was walking because I am a goofball. And I stepped in some water, and it turns out that it was a lot of water because there was a big hole in the road. anyway, I face planted in the dirty street water. I am a bozo, but it is all good and we had a good laugh over it. 

This week was also Halloween here. Friday the 28. It was kind of wild because the way they celebrate here is everyone paints their face or wears a mask and there is a huge party in the streets. Needless to say we avoided those areas of Masaya that night. 

Cool story for the week. We were outside of the church waiting for some other elders to give them some clothes for a baptism they had the next day, and this guy pulled up on a motorcycle and asked if he could come to church with us. We were super excited because this never happens, and he actually came to church with us this Sunday! So we have another investigator. Life is great here and we continue to teach and find. Lots of walking lots of Spanish lots of fun!

Oh and because of the elections this Sunday we have to be in our house by 7:00, not the usual 9:00, for the next two weeks. Life is good! The mission is awesome! This is the Lord's work, and He does it all! I love Him and these people here! Thank you all for everything! Have a great week!

Elder Erickson

Speaking Spanish With a Cold - October 24, 2016

Hola Todos!

I hope everyone’s week went well. Mine was pretty great! Just living the missionary life! Lots of teaching, contacting, and walking. 

The rain soaked streets of Masaya

This week was kind of weird because it got cold. Probably not really cold, but around the 70's. My sense of how cold and hot it is, is warped. But anyways it was more cold at the beginning of this week, so I got a cold. Which made me sound like Darth Vader. And it turns out nobody can understand my Spanish when I have a cold. It was funny and frustrating for me to talk and then after I finished for the person we were teaching to look over at Elder Martinez because they had no idea what I said. But I am doing a lot better now so don’t worry (mom). But now it is hot again. They say that it gets cool in December but I don’t know if I believe them. 

Fun things for the week. I met some Australian who is backpacking the world and needed directions. It turns out that he is a member, so that was entertaining. I only have three more weeks left in my training which is just crazy. Life is just awesome here. Sometimes I will think, "Whoa! I am in Nicaragua." I don’t hear or speak English almost all day. I have to do a reality check some times. 

Nicaragua's active volcano at night.

They started celebrating Halloween here I think. Which means fireworks all day and all night. They really like to party here. 

The teaching is going well and we are trying to find new investigators right now. All is well. As they say here, puda vida! Thank you all for your prayers and support! Have a good week!

Elder Erickson 

Elder Erickson at a member's home.  He has been cooking with her to help her learn some new meals.

Cooking omelettes for the family.

First Baptism - October 17, 2016

Hola todos!

I hope all of you had a good week! Again time just flew by! But we will get right to all the good stuff. First thing is I had my first baptism this week! Her name is Joseline, and her husband Enoc was baptized in August. It was so awesome to see someone I helped teach get to baptism. Everything is great and I think that she will continue to be strong in the gospel! I also had the opportunity to baptize her which was super cool and a huge honor!

Life is still wild here. Thursday apparently we had an earthquake in the night, nothing too big, I slept through it, but in the morning apparently it did something to our house. because one spot on the floor next to my desk the tile broke and caved upward and stuff.  Oh well. Just living life. It’s what you get when you wake up every morning and look out to see an active volcano smoking. I decided I needed more than one meal a day so I have started cooking breakfast. it has been exciting to try to cook with one electric burner and a microwave. But it is good and the other missionaries in the house like it.

Like normal lots of contacting and teaching this week. Life is good here. I love it here, and especially the opportunities to study! The scriptures are so awesome and bring the spirit so strongly. Look for answers in the scriptures and you will find them! I know that the Savior lives! I know that His gospel and His church are on the earth! Thank you all for everything! Until next Monday!

Love, 

Elder Erickson