Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 12:38 PM

This week was really cool here in Nicaragua. So I will explain now what happened last week. That night when we set a date with Ivan to get baptized, I got a call from the office and they told me that I have emergency changes with another missionary here in the zone. It is Elder Harrison, the one from Yucaipa, that I changed with. He came to my area and I went to his. I am now in Bello Amanecer with Elder Talla , the old comp of Elder Harrison, and Harrison is with Elder Santos now. I got bumped down from District Leader and Elder Harrison is the new one. Elder Talla is from the same area that Rachel is in right now, Tocumen, Panama. He said that she may posibly has gone to a family home evening at his house. Have you met the Familia Talla yet Rachel? He is really cool and we get along great.

Our first week here we already got a family baptism. I guess this guy has been taught by missionaries for a few years now but was never baptized. They told me all about him and said that if I could baptize him I can have a family. So the second day in my new area, we planned to go by so I could meet him. We got there just before he was leaving to go to work. I talked to him and then asked him if he wanted to be baptized. He asked if we had the authority, because he wants it to be as close to the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. I pulled out that little card that we have and showed him the signature from the prophet saying I had the authority to to teach and baptized. He then agreed but said he didn`t want to be baptized in a baptismal font but in moving waters. The closest river was 25 miles from here so we decided on the lake nearby called Lake Xiloa. He was fine with that but requested that Elder Harrison had to baptize him so I told him we can do that too. So boom bam boom he was baptized this Saturday at Lake Xiloa by Elder Harrison who also had the authority. He came to church the next day and now the whole family are members.

Another crazy story is that my companion found a really big spider/tarantula in his sandal. We got some good pictures and even caught him in a jar. We put a cricket in with him and he ate it. We are scared to let him go because he can come back for revenge. He is still in his jar.

We are working really hard here and getting some work done. We actually found a rich area that is almost just like the states. I even got the door shut on me and rejected like in the states. That doesn`t usually ever happen. Supposedly they don`t let any one into this residential area. Some of the people we talked with were a little mad because sometimes they don`t even let family in of the people that live there. Elder Harrison tried going in before and they said he couldn`t. I wanted to try it out, so we walked over there. We came up and we walked right passed the security. I don`t know but maybe we are supposed to be there. The people in there were surprised that we got in but they talked to us anyways. We have been going there every day now and haven`t been stopped yet. Once they did and they asked us where we were going. We told them a random number of a house and then he let us by, haha. So ya it has been a really cool week.

I got my Valentines package and thank you lot and lots. I don`t need the backpack in the end but thanks. I got a cool Burton one. Well I need to finish up this email and I love you guys lots and lots.

Big Hearts.

Elder Ochs