Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 3:02 PM

Hey there, how is everyone doing. I am doing great here in Nicaragua but there are ups and downs. It is good to hear that everyone is fine and healthy. I will have to tell Elder Harrison about how you will be going on a camping trip with one of his family members. You will have to talk to him Dad to see how his brother or son is doing. Remember I told you about how I talked to him on the bus and how they are friends with the Miller family.

So my pack of letters should get there soon I am sure. Sometimes they do get lost in the mail like Rachel said but they usually always get there.

So we got to have our first conference with the new Mission President, Presidente Monestel of the Nicaragua South Mission. We got to meet his family and we got to ask questions and everything. He isn´t as intimidating as Presidente Fraatz, so that is different. If you were ever even close to him you felt like you had to be working or reading your scriptures or anything. The new president is a real hard worker so hopefully we can get a lot of stuff done in this short time here. After the conference it started raining really hard outside but we had to go anyways. We had a hard time getting a taxi where we were because one thing, most of the taxis were full and secondly, whenever you got to the edge of the curb to wave one down other cars would drive by real close to try and splash us. I made a game out of it and would stand really close on the curb to have the cars come after me and then jump away at the last minute so it would splash the missionaries behind me haha.

So speaking of crazy streets, the streets during the Mundial Final were crazy. People were yelling and screaming and were blowing horns and whatnot. Whenever Spain would make a goal they would all run out into the street and go nuts. So we pretty much knew what the score was just by listening to the noises. But in the end Spain won it 1-0. Everyone here is either for Brazil, Argentina, or Spain so since Spain was in the Final the were pretty excited. I want to buy the uniform for them because it is really cool looking so maybe that can be my Birthday present. The only problem is that I need to get permission to go to this place that sells them. It is restricted because too many missionaries would waste there money there.

So just some random stuff, Nicaraguain pizza is really gross here. The cheese is really salty, there is no sauce and the pepperonies are just a mystery. Elder Montierth and I ordered some last P day and it was a bad idea. Also I have been keeping track of time here now by my ties. I have to check my tie to know if something happened that day or earlier. I have surprised myself a few times already because I thought for sure something happened that same day but I had on a different tie when it happened. If that makes sense. I am sure all missoinaries experience that.

I have officially finished the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price out here on the mission. I learned a whole bunch from reading that and it has already helped out so much explaining doctrine to people. We often get some strange questions from people and there hasn´t been one yet that has stumped me thanks to the Spirit of course. It has definitely been a blessing and I am so grateful. But I guess I can´t brag too much about that because our recent convert that we baptized last month has already read the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Gospel Principles book that we are teaching from in Sunday School. She is really pilas which means amazing. She hasn´t gotten a calling in the church yet but I can´t wait to find out what it is. She is a really amazing person.

So I am having a really great time here in Nicaragua and I just want to say I love you all and thanks for your love and support.

Big Hearts.

Elder Ochs