Monday, January 23, 2012

Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 4:17 PM

Wow this is the last letter that I send home to you guys from Nicaragua. I am really excited to see everyone again. We are saying our goodbyes to everyone and it is sad but I am sure that I will see them again. I still don´t know how to feel though. It seems like it is just a story of someone else going home but not me. I feel like this is just my life now. But it is coming to an end and it can´t go on forever.

Mom, thanks for the money that you put in, we will see what we can do with it. That stinks that Kaleb didn´t bring back much from his mission. Pretty much everything I have bought here is for everyone else except me, haha. I got the best gift already, the mission. I have learned not to really care too much about myself here just those around me and what will make them happy. That is the best way for yourself to be happy, haha.

Dad it is okay if you don´t get the washer fixed, I can teach you how to do it by hand on some rocks, haha. It makes your arms strong, haha. The Moms here are so strong from doing that all day. Maybe thats why boxing is so popular here, haha.

Ya it was really awesome finishing the Book of Mormon again and reflecting on everything you learned. It makes you want to just start over again, haha. I want to keep reading in Spanish though so that I can keep it up.

The Conference with Elder Nelson was so awesome and just wow. He is all power and authority. He let us all pass and shake his hand too. When I came up to him and looked in his eyes he could see into the depths of my soul. You can just see infinite wisdom and knowledge. It is really crazy how much the eyes can tell about a person. That is one thing I have seen here. The difference in the eyes of the people who are living the gospel and those who are not.

Hey, tomorrow we have our baptism for Jimmy and Cristina and the kids at 6 oclock in the morning! haha Bishop Torres left with us to work and when we visited them, Katerine asked us when they were going to get baptized, so Bishop asked them when and he set the date for Tuesday in the morning. They all said yes so it is a good to go. So that is awesome! haha

Well I have to go now but I love you lots and lots and...

The Amount of Inches I Will Be Traveling Home Hearts,

Elder Ochs

Monday, January 16, 2012

Mon, Jan 16, 2012 at 1:10 PM

Well, this will be the last Email that I get a reply to. I better make use of it I guess. Well you definitely have some really cool stories to tell. It is crazy how the Lord works. I guess that I will be able to get to know him when I get back also. That would be cool if they let me go out and work with them too. That would be awesome if Israel's dad is interested now. My comps parents just got baptized yesterday.

So Dad is getting carried away with the tops? haha Has he broken anything or himself yet? I hope Dad learned how to throw it into his hand outside of the house. Do you throw it down towards the ground and sling it back up or throw it away from you and fling it back? I almost broke a florescent light doing it the first way, haha.

As for what to eat when I get home, biscuits and gravy would be nice, with waffles, haha. Anything but rice and beans please.

Oh I am going to finish the Book of Mormon before I finish my mission so that has been really cool. It gets pretty sad though from Helaman on. Except for when Jesus Christ comes here. It is really cool to know that he came to where I am serving and that I am completing the prophecy that the Lamanitas will be taught by the gentiles later on after they have repented. I kind of know what it was like to be a missionary in the Book of Mormon because I am teaching the same people, just generations ahead. That has been a really cool experience.

I guess I did get a little carried away with the Bionicals, sorry. And tell Batman sorry too. A super hero team would be a lot better. But you´ll have to come up with some names for them because they are only green, blue and red Bionicals to me.

That is pretty weird that no one had seen the message of having the Temple President interview you. What other signals or warnings are they missing? haha

Well I hope you're ready Dad to play some Tennis because it is going to be intense.

Well I am already out of time but I love you guys lots and lots and I can´t wait to see you soon. Hey what should I bring home? Like toothpaste, deodorant, clothes or nothing? Alright love you lots and lots and....

Amount of hours I have been here in Nicaragua Hearts

Elder Ochs

Monday, January 9, 2012

Mon, Jan 9, 2012 at 12:35 PM

Alrighty then. Mom I don´t feel any better that you ate for me, especially when it was baked beans. We did eat McDonalds today though and that made me sick as always. I had a Big Mac for the first time here in Nicaragua of all places. I also got a Snickers McFlurry.

It seems that a lot are getting there mission calls to the states lately, but Mississippi is cool (Brett Murdoch's Mission Call to the Mississippi Jackson Mission). Didn´t Sam serve there?

Mom my boots are falling apart little by little but they will make it home so don´t worry. They are my only shoes now, haha.

As for food we have been eating Pupusas every night, partly because they are really good and partly because we teach the pupusa makers. But this Sunday none of our investigators came to church so that really stunk. We had a few telling us that they were coming but when we passed by their houses in the morning they all had excuses or weren´t there. It has been kind of tough finishing up here and it is too late to find, teach, and baptize new people. We are going on but we will be leaving some investigators for the next missionaries who come here.

I haven´t heard anything about my package yet. There are also various other missionaries who are waiting for packages also. We will probably get them when we have the conference, if not someone lucky gets a package of goodies, haha.

As for my Bionocals, I will have to make some homemade weapons here in Nicaragua for when I get back, haha. A machete, rocks, glass bottle, chain, or some other nica weapon. A firecracker would be the suicidal weapon if I am about to lose to take us both out, haha.

Hey, has the new Wii U come out or does it still going to be some time? I am really excited for the new Zelda game. What have you heard about it?

Dad about cooking the egg in the Top Ramen, you need to cover the bowl with a plate or something so that it keeps cooking and cooks the egg. That worked for me because we had a really weak electric stove that that couldn´t even boil water, and covering it got it hot.

Wow that would be really awesome if me and Rachel got off at the same time and everything (Rachel is flying home from BYU Idaho and her plane is scheduled to get in at exactly the same time as Elder Ochs', and in the same Terminal Building). Hopefully neither of the two planes get ahead or behind. It would be nice to have someone help me carry my luggage, haha.

As for today I believe that we are going to go play Tennis. I completely forgot to tell you guys that last Monday we played Tennis and it was a lot of fun. There is a big park in the area of our District Leaders and the owner is a member so he let us play for really cheap. We had to rent rackets and balls and we played for about 2 1/2 hours. I am really bad at playing now though, haha. I could hardly even serve the ball. I had to hit it underhand to make it into the box, haha. We went early in the morning and now we are going to go in the afternoon and bake in the sun. I need to get some color before I go home, haha. But ya it is a lot of fun. Dad, and Mom, if you want, we are going to play a lot when I get home, alright? No one else is at home so you guys are going to do everything with me. Play video games, ride bikes, climb the water tower, everything, haha. Just kidding, but seriously no one else is going to be home. That or you can ask members if there are jobs open for when I get home, your choice, haha.

Sorry Mom I forgot my camera to send pictures but next week. I love you guys lots and lots and even more lots and....

Amount of bagos that have asked me for 1 dollar in the mission Hearts,

Elder Ochs

Monday, January 2, 2012

Mon, Jan 2, 2012 at 11:27 AM

So ya there is little time left here for me in Nicaragua but I am having fun still. That is a pretty cool looking Lego Batman. I have other Lego warriors similar to that too. Maybe we can have a battle. Mine have swords, claws, and an ax, haha. That Beatles show sounds really awesome. I would definitely take that opportunity if I was you Dad. Man that Kinect system thing sounds really cool. I always knew that Brennan was born to be a dancer, haha. Have you guys gotten the new Zelda game?

Ya we kind of have the same tradition here about burning little figures who represent the past us. The difference is that it is an old man and they stuff the shirts and pants and head with a bunch of bombs. We had 5 of them by our house so you can imagine what it was like, haha. The next day there was a lot of burnt shoes and boots in the street from all of the old men burnt the night before. It was interesting walking to church. There weren`t any buses or taxis running and it looked like a war zone with all of the burnt stuff and people lying in the streets and sidewalks, haha. The people in the streets were drunks, not dead people.

We had the guy who lives in front of us come to church with us. He liked it a lot and is going to bring his kids next week. The wife makes pupusas so we eat there almost every night. she is really Catholic because of her parents, but she would make an awesome member and I know she will like it if she would only try to go.

As for Jimmy and Cristina, they are doing worse. They had a big fight and everything New Years night. They are seeing what it is like to distance yourself from the church after so many blessings they had received. They will be baptized before I go though. We have other investigators here and there but these last 2 weeks of December is the worst time for missionary work because of all of the drinking and parties and way too much temptation. It was like this last year and the years before.

I haven´t gotten the Christmas package yet, how big was it? If it is big than it is held in the office until we have a conference or we go personally to the office.

Oh something really cool that is going to happen before I leave is that Elder Russel M. Nelson is coming and we will be able to meet him. On the 18th.

So ya that is what has been going on here. I love you lots and lots and lots and....

The amount of grains of rice eaten on New Years Hearts,

Elder Ochs