Week 63: Tuesday in Tisma

Hey, family and friends!

The good news is... you guys are great and you all write me kind, inspiring, and news-filled emails, which I love!  The bad news is... my emails get shorter and less interesting every week.  Sorry!

Adventure of the week: Tisma!  It`s a little town that is part of our area, but we can`t work there unless we have references because it is really far away.  A less-active member has brought his granddaughter Suleydi to church for the past few weeks, so we set an appointment to go visit her.  NEVER in my life have I felt so off-the-map as I do in Tisma!  We took a 30-minute bus ride through the Nicaraguan rainforest out to the main part of the town, then another 30-minute mototaxi ride to the finca where she lives.  We got out of the mototaxi to find about six Nicaraguans staring unabashedly at our American-ness as if they`d never seen a white person before.

BUT the good news is that Suleydi and her family are all really excited about her getting baptized, and they gave us soda and sweet bread (picos).  We just have to help Suleydi remember that prophets are NOT guys who write poems... that would be ¨poeta,¨ not ¨profeta.¨ Haha, she´s a cutie!

Miracle of the week: Teresa!  It was raining on Wednesday while we contacted.  One lady opens her gate and invites us into her yard.  As we start to talk, she didn`t seem that positive (she said she was evangelical), but since it was raining, we decided to share a message instead of just moving on.  We learned as we asked questions that her husband had cheated on her and for that, she wasn`t all that excited about attending the evangelical church where they had been married.  We shared a little more and invited her to church, and she accepted!  After we explained how the meetings in the church are, she says, ¨Really, I´m shocked.¨ Oh dang, we were too earnest in pressuring her to come to church!  But then she continues, ¨I feel this weird thing in my chest.  It´s like joy, or peace.  I have talked to missionaries from your church before, but I never thought much of it.  Ever since you walked in, I`ve felt that you walk with the Lord, and that´s why I accepted your invitation to go to church.¨ 

Well, that just made my week!  The sad part is that her father told her a bunch of lies about the church and her sister left her daughter there for Teresa to watch so she couldn´t come to church, but I know that she´s going to come next week!  I could see in her eyes that it wasn´t just an excuse, she actually does want to go!

Funnies: It´s so different to have an American companion!!!  The real problem is that we´ve been speaking too much English, and the sound of my voice changes in English.  My Spanish voice is a little stronger and deeper, I think.  It drives me crazy to hear the tone of my voice in English!  I`m sorry if I never speak English again when I come home... hahaha.

So, we´re going to keep working hard this week!  We have two baptisms lined up for this Saturday (possibly three), of Yobelis, José de Jesús, and Suleydi, all children of less-actives.  But they`re cute and their parents are getting more friendly toward the church every day, so that´s the good part!

Trying hard to feel the Spirit always and let Him guide our actions instead of just the numbers!

I love you all!  I am grateful for each of you and the influence you`ve had on my life!

-Hermana Hansen