Mission Blog |
A dangerously acute account of 18 months in Nicaraguan Territory.
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I’m not quite sure the extent of your understanding of my missionary life here in Nicaragua, but I hope my letters have accurately portrayed that one of the responsibilities of us missionaries is to establish the church, and trust me, we literally ESTABLISH the church. One of the many joys of doing so is gently reproving and helping the members come to understand how a church service should be. Yesterday’s sacrament meeting was very beautiful because we were given the opportunity to take the sacrament, but as for the screaming children, gossiping teenagers, and sleeping viejitos (old people), I just couldn’t help but smile. And the best part was at the end, when I was asked to accompany the congregation (fortunately we have a piano) as we sang “Tis’ Sweet to Sing the Matchless Love”, cue intro, cue congregation…with only two beats into the hymn I realized that not a single person was even close to singing the melody which the hymnbook dictated. On the contrary, they were all united in a tune which is not to be found in any hymnbook. Creating a very awful harmony. Later, while asking a Relief Society member about the song, she told me that that is how the song is. I’ve come to the conclusion that, going years without a piano and only having the Stake President’s wife to give them the melody, they learned the melody how they heard it. Let’s just say that this Nicaraguan dischord is something to be experienced. J
Today is actually changes for all the mission, but I shall remain here in Chichigalpa with my same companion. It was just really weird to say goodbye to so many of my good missionary friends who are going back to their houses. They won’t get to have two hours of scripture study every day, neither will they only listen to Hymns and EFY songs, saddest of all, they will no longer have the official “representative of Jesus Christ” name tag, but that doesn’t mean they won’t keep sharing their testimony with every single person they meet, inviting them to Come Unto Christ and be partakers of His love. --Hermana Beatty PS. Hey, if you’re thinking about going on a mission, stop thinking and just do it!
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*quick shout out to the epic rendition of this song, only done on the infamous movie “Rocketman” Oh sweet world, shall I tell thee of my adventures?
I can officially say that I live up to my name of “valiente”. Would you like to know why? We got home and Hermana Aplicano discovered a gigantic tarantula in the bathroom. We were kind of freaked out, my three companions more than I was. We called for help, but it was too late at night for the Quintanilla boys to come. So, I was given the responsibility of disposing of it. With my sturdy broom, I mounted the step between the shower and the sink. With many deep breaths and summoning all my strength, I spear-hurtled the broom at my unfortunate friend in the corner. The first blow; although quite forceful, did little but cripple the beast. Upon seeing it emerge limping, but crawling frantically for safety, my companions abandoned me to a life or death fight between my foe and I. Regaining my temporarily- forgotten confidence, I attacked with renewed vigor, injuring the enemy a little more with every stroke of my broom until at last, it curled up, the only signs of its once thriving-life were the occasional and intervaling twitches of its legs. Quite sure of its death, I was left alone with the corpse, looking for the most convenient way to dispose of the dead but still poisonous creature. Looking in the back of the house, I discovered a shovel, which I used to bring the body to the dirt in front of the house. Quickly digging the grave, I saw my companions watching through the front window, still with fear in their eyes. Putting the animal in its shallow resting place, I returned to the house and quickly forgot about the whole matter. It taught me a lot about fears. I was thinking a little bit later, what would have happened if all of us had been afraid of the spider? Well, let’s rephrase that question because I was also afraid of the spider: what would’ve happened if none of us had faced our fear of the spider? It would probably still be in our bathroom and the four of us would be suffering to relieve our natural needs. But, one of us was brave enough to face the fear, and thus all benefitted. As the scripture says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear”. Why need we fear anything if we love our neighbor and our God, who loves us more than we can possible imagine? Looking at it that way, fear should not exist; fear of heights, small spaces, and tarantulas should be done away with! J This past Saturday was the long- expected Tarde Blanca (for all you non-Spanish speakers that would be “White Afternoon”). It was an event that we had planned in coordination with the Stake President for over a month. The idea was this: All the wards in the stake assemble in Chinandega to view the baptisms of all the missionaries in one day. There were lots of details to be sorted out (lots of white clothes, invitations, transportation, a complicated Skype system to view the Baptisms from the sacrament chapel). But in the end, it was one of the most beautiful days ever, to see so many people in white, ready and willing to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ and receive a remission of their sins. Juan and Esmeralda (mentioned in last week’s installment) were married and entered the waters of baptism together. I know you weren’t there, but you should know that they definitely deserve a romantic sigh! Just one year from now, and they’ll be headed off to the temple! I know it’s hard to imagine this beautiful day, but just think: peace, happiness, white, clean, crying, perfect. It was a blessed taste of the potential we have to live with Heaven on Earth. --Hermana Beatty so this is Love, so this is what makes life divine.(Cinderella) I’m not quite sure why Valentine ’s Day hit us so hard this year, but it came in like a wrecking ball. Actually it came in much harder, like Optimus Prime fighting with the evil guy whose name escapes me.
ANYWAYS, the first love shock appeared on Tuesday when I received a very lovely and delicious package from You-Know-Who (not Voldemort, but the other one). Thank you so much! I love you! My second love shock almost ended in tears. It occurred at 6:30 a.m. Thursday morning, when the alarm went off and ended one of the best dreams I’ve ever had. Are you ready for this? We were doing what missionaries always do, tracting and talking to people, but, this time we were accompanied by three young men from our ward. Two boys and…(wait for it)…Josh Groban! And the best part: He was singing primary songs. Can you just imagine it? Tracting through the jungles of Nicaragua while Josh Groban walks with you and sings “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus, I love to hear” Ah!!!! Words cannot describe how sweet this dream was. More love yet to come: A lovely couple that we are teaching are called Juan and Esmeralda. They’re about 50 years old, but are expecting a baby. (we’ll see how that goes; a real “Sariah” experience). They were SUPER positive and they went to church the Sunday before, so we were passing by to teach them, but it was real difficult to find them in their house. For, five days we passed by and no one was home. On Thursday, we went with Bishop to try just one more time. “Buenas” we said… nada (nothing). With heavy hearts we trudged through the path, with Bishop behind us lighting the path with his motorcycle. Wait! Oh! What’s this? A couple is approaching… Maybe we should contact them. Wait, it’s Juan and Esmeralda! I don’t think I’ve ever greeted someone so happily! While we walked back to their house, they told me a story that still has me chuckling. In their own words: “Hermanas, where have you been? You’ve both lost us! We were wondering what in the world could’ve happened to you or maybe that you forgot about us. We saw that the gate was open in the church, so we went to look for you. But there were only a bunch of youth.” Can I just say that investigators are quite golden when they go looking for you? They’re set to be married and baptized this Saturday. I’ll be sure to fill you in on the details. One way that has really helped me increase my love is to be with my companions. We are now three missionaries and one young single adult, or as we call them, “mini- missionaries”. It’s been quite the adventure, working in all of Chichigalpa with a different companion every day and living with all three of them. The roughest part is training them. One has three weeks in the field, and the other…, well zero weeks in the field, so we’ve all gone about learning little by little. Finally, on Saturday, we had a baptism of Steven, one of the sharpest 12 year old Nicaraguans I know. I’m not sure why he didn’t get baptized when he was eight, but it was so fun teaching him and reactivating his family. We all had quite the giggles the other day singing, “We are all enlisted”. I’m sure every family has experienced the inevitable giggle-fit at one time or another. There is just no denying the truthfulness of this gospel, and I’m so grateful to have been an instrument in the hands of our Heavenly Father to help bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of Steven and his family! Like the Beatles say, “All you need is love” -Hermana Naomi Beatty (clap along if you feel like a room without a roof!) You know, sometimes birthdays are crazy. Sometimes they are happy, and sometimes they are both crazy and happy. J
This past week was SO fun! It all started off by going to the lovely land of Corinto. I don’t know if my mom sent the pictures out, but there really isn’t much more to add to them. Just so you know, if I was a salesman, it would be quite easy to sale a piece of land there. It amazed me to just be there for two hours. The zone was there, but literally no one else. Just me and the sand and the breeze and the sound of waves….(sigh) paradise. The rest of the week was really fun too. We had interviews with President Collado in two zones, so that meant two days of not doing normal missionary work. But I learned a lot and came out super excited. My companion and I just started tearing up Chichigalpa. I really have no idea what happened to us, but we both just changed super fast. I think it’s probably what President taught us about not wasting out time as servants of the Lord. So we changed our tactic. We started contacting like this: “Hello, I’m Hermana Beatty, this is my companion Hermana Aplicano and we’re missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and we are inviting everyone to receive a remission of their sins through baptism by someone who has the authority of God. We’re preparing baptismal services this 7th of march. Will you prepare to be baptized on this date?”…First off, let’s clarify that this would sound absolutely absurd if this happened anywhere else (cough, the state, cough) and secondly the miracle is that people actually accept it. “Sure, what do we have to do to be baptized?” Now if that isn’t a miracle, I don’t know what is. More than anything, It helps us find the people who are ready and makes us feel like we’re becoming brave missionaries, like Paul, Peter, Ammon and Alma. It’s an empowering experience. Feel free to try it sometime, but I would suggest that you practice a time or two, it’s a little hard to get out the first few times. J In one of our lessons, we brought along a cute little man named Julio, the President of the Elders Quorum. He just gets so excited about the priesthood and the Temples that he forgets that there is an order in teaching. There we were, calmly teaching, when he burst in, “Yeah, the faith we have is what saves us, but it’s more important that we obey. We need to obey the commandments, like the commandment of baptism when are you getting baptized? Have they invited you to be baptized? Did you invite him to be baptized? I don’t think I’ve seen you in the church, but so you know, there is where we take the sacrament every Sunday to renew our covenants, and covenants are important. That’s what we do in the temple and after you’re baptized, you wait a year and then you go to the temple. And at the temple…” …..it’s quite fun to see him get all worked up, he talks really quiet and really fast. And the best part is that we try to jump in at every end of the sentence, but he just keeps going. Ok, Hermano Julio! You go Hermano! Three shouts for adorable old men with tender testimonies. This past Saturday was a special one. Not only was it the last working day for Hermana Galeano and the first cumplemes for Herman Blanco but it was also my twentieth birthday. (Yeah, I know, I’m old. The stake President and his wife kindly prepared a delicious dinner for the three of us, and then the meal quickly turned inot a joke-fest. We laughed a good, long while and then called it a night. But later, I was thinking: What have I learned in twenty years of laughter/tear-filled life” That’s when the scriptures came: “Oh my son, I would that ye should learn wisdom in thy youth, Yeah, learn in they youth to keep the commandments of God.” And if you do that, you will be able to write as Nephi did…. “And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of HAPPINESS” --Hermana Beatty Wow, this is the worst when you have awesome pictures to send, you do not have time, and the cable stops working.... umph.... just know I will send out an awesome very well prepared email next week.
Just tell everyone I dropped off the grid this time ;) hahaha We did get a few photos before the cable went down... Let me tell you about my new companion, the famous Hmn. Aplicano from Honduras. First off, she knows English, second, she loves Japanese music and anime. Thirdly, she gets excited about everything. Fourthly, she is an excellent missionary. In just one week, we’ve had a million memories made and really helped out the area and the other Hermana missionaries. I love her so much. And I really have been waiting for a girl like her since my second change. Hooray for blessings from the Lord that come in unusual ways!
We did quite a bit of traveling this week, from Leon, to Managua, to Chinandega, back to Managua and then we returned to Chichigalpa. It is quite nice that now all the bus drivers recognize me as the re-headed gringa missionary. I can say that I’ve never felt so…unforgettable with all this traveling, I learned a LOT from lots of different people: My companion, other missionaries, and President Collado and his wife. There is just something special about people when they are called by the Lord. And when they talk with the spirit, there is no denying their words. I sure learned a lot, but one thing that stuck with me is this: As members of the church, we teach “the Lamanites” the “Why’s” so that they figure out the “How’s”. (wow, I just made a joke there and didn’t even know it). It’s so true that we really just teach “why’s”, because once we understand why, we can figure out-- how. Once we understand why we should repent, we will know how to do it. Once we know why we’re here on earth, we’ll know how to live here in a happy life. We had a really neat experience with this concept. We stopped to contact a family and the only normal part was when we said our names and asked theirs. From that point on, we totally didn’t follow the usual “contacting” map. I asked, “do you have a question for us?” “Yes” they responded “why are we here?” Golden opportunity: we explained the why, and then asked, “How can your family prepare to meet God?” They stated, “Looking for His ways and repenting.” This just gets better, we said, “Will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized to receive a remission of your sins?” “Si” they said. Now this contact is definitely worth 10 very big bright stars. And that’s how it is when the Lord puts people in your path J Love, Hermana Beatty PS Who has He put in your path? …(from the song Solitaire”) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRQwCGNc0K8 go listen to it now…it’s beautiful! …..Mamabee As the subject title so delicately describes, there was (and is) a man, a lonely man. His name is Juan Pablo. He is married and has three kids. Why, then, was he so lonely? Well, it might be because his wife went every night to her church, leaving her husband alone in the house. But instead of playing solitaire, he read the bible. One day, he went with his son to the park. On his return journey home, two young women approached him. They introduced themselves as representatives of Jesus Christ. “An opportunity to study the bible,” thought he so he gave them his address and forgot about them. But then one lonely night, they came and taught him. “What a confusing religion,” he thought, but he invited them to return. And soon one lesson led to another, which led to an invitation to go to church, which led to more lessons, which landed him in the firm conviction that this really is the Church of Jesus Christ.
The next logical step was baptism, but we all know that if we choose to follow Christ, there will always be trials. This trial, specifically, came in the form of his wife. After talking and talking and talking, he consoled her enough to allow him to be baptized. And now he was that much more firm in his own decision. It was so lovely to see the changes he has made. You can see it in his eyes. And now "solitaire isn’t the only game in town", He’s received the Holy Ghost and a whole ward of members to accompany him on this mortal journey. Isn’t this gospel just awesome ?!? I think so J And being a missionary is one of the funnest things I’ve ever done! Remember the story when Jesus was tempted three times in the desert? Well, I’ve definitely been tested three times, once in every area, all with the same exam. This exam is one I hope to pass soon and finally graduate from this university. What shall we call it? Maybe, R.O.U.S (Rats of Unusual Size) Why do they follow me wherever I go!?! I guess I should remember that I’m in Nicaragua :/ While cleaning this morning, we discovered four eaten skirts and a 72 hour kit that was left without food. The impressive part was that they ate the backpack where the food was stored. If only I could learn to be as persistent as these rats! J We had a zone conference with our Mission President. He shared with us this year’s youth theme: “Oh ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” It was amazing how he applied it to our lives as missionaries and as sons and daughters of God. I shall try to help you just grasp the slightest bit of what he taught us. First off, God is a God of order. He always does thing in an orderly manner. Thus, 1- Heart, 2- Soul, 3- Mind, 4- Strength. In this order specifically. Now, let’s say that each of these has a deeper meaning. 1. Heart…our obedience 2. Soul…Faith, trusting 3. Mind…Planning, goal setting 4. Strength…Working, walking, doing Trying to put them out of order, or only doing a few just doesn’t work. To have success and to really serve God, we have to give ALL our heart, ALL our soul, ALL our mind, and ALL our strength. Only then will we be able to stand before Him completely satisfied that we did ALL we could. Now for the real question: What is your “ALL”? --Hermana Beatty Dearest World: I’m sure you all understand what I’m talking about when I speak of the overwhelming sensation of “awe”. “Awe” is what you feel when you see something you never had imagined or when you discover something new. You feel it when you witness a thing of beauty, something more delicate and wondrous than the rough human hand can make. “Awe” is given to us to remind us of our potential, and thus we feel “awe” when we accomplish something we had never thought we would do. Considering all of the above circumstances, it couldn’t be a surprise that I felt this feeling of “awe” when I climbed a volcano last week.
It was one of the less-touristy volcanoes that we visited (when I say less-touristy, I mean that we had to hire someone to show us the way and the only living things that we ran into were some cows). We climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed. For FOUR hours! I just kept singing in my head “pioneer children sang as they walked and walked…” Walking is easy for missionaries, climbing is a whole different story. While our guide literally chopped the way with his machete, we followed, climbing over 21 fallen trees and crawling under eleven partly fallen others. Think not that I exaggerate that which actually happened! This was literally Indiana Jones/Romancing the Stone scenery. Maybe that’s one reason why I was so awed when I finally reached the top. I thought to myself, “I just climbed through a jungle and now… I’m on top of a volcano” Definitely awesome! Another reason for the awe: The View! I literally felt on top of the world! We could see all of the other ten volcanoes in the region, not to mention the ocean and El Salvador and Honduras. It was a vision that only the human spirit could capture, with the jutting volcanoes, the peaceful sea and the howling wind. The name of the volcano is something like Cosiguina. Look it up on the internet if you want some real information about it, but just know that it is quite unique. https://vianica.com/attraction/52/cosiguina-volcano Instead of having bubbling lava, it has a boiling lake. Just to sit on the top and take everything in was an experience I’ll never forget. Physical visions and exertions give us “awe” but I also recognize that the spiritual “awe” we feel really is the Holy Ghost and only He is able to make this emotion come alive within us. This past week we were able to put baptismal dates with quite a few investigators, one of them being Juan Carlos. Twenty-four years old, with a firm job, life is going pretty good for him, in fact, life is much better for him than most people. But he always had a question, Why did the Lord save his life in the terrible accident he had? Then one day, he was sleeping at his friends house and two young ladies come to visit his friend. They invited him to listen to their message and when he did, he felt this feeling. He found his answer to his question. And he had a desire to feel the Holy Ghost, this “awe” in his soul, all the time, and not just when the Hermanas came to visit him so when they invited him to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, of course he said yes. And that, my dear friends, is why everything which creates awe…is of God! Love Hermana Beatty P.S. Shout out to Ben: EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!! I know it’s been a while since we’ve talked, so I thought I’d update y’all (fun fact there is a Spanish word for y’all)
Amidst Christmas activities and bustling people, the life of a missionary is pretty much the same: bringing people unto Christ. We did however, have a mission Christmas Activity. Only the poor souls in the far off zone of Puerto Cabezas were excluded. The activity started at 8:00 am. Which means that we woke up at 3:00 a.m. here in Chichigalpa. I just had to laugh because you could totally tell which missionaries were in or outside of Managua, depending on if they arrived looking glamorous or not. Let’s just say that no one looks glamorous after a three hour bus ride, but hey, I tried. Upon arriving, we were given a short Spanish test, breakfast, and a photo session with the famous Elder Barker and his crazy Christmas props. I was especially animated by the Santa bag full of copies of the Book of Mormon. Ha ha, oh the simple joys of being a missionary. Now for one of the many surprises of the day. The children of our President Collado (all of which are under the age of 17) presented us with a choice: Frozen, How to train your Dragon 2, In the Tornado, or Mazerunner. I just about dropped out of my seat, amazed that we were allowed to do this. President explained, this was a one time once a year thing. So, we found the majority in favor of Mazerunner. It was mostly two hours of intenseness with a few scenes thrown in of the actress of Twilight. At the end, everyone was super sad. “Chuck!” we all screamed. And then our mind just kept getting blown to bits by the cliffhangers, knowing most of us wouldn’t be able to see the sequel, unless we watch it at the next Christmas activity. We had lunch and never before has turkey and mashed potatoes tasted so good! Neither have I had such a delicious brownie in all my six months of Nicaragua. Following this deliciousness, a talent show. Some missionaries are funny, others are serious. But there was one missionary that I’m sure he had an interview with president after what he did. I don’t really know if he can be blamed or not, poor fellow only had two weeks in the field. We also had a Latino “One Direction”. That’s right ladies, you heard me, and these ones had missionary plaques! J Lots of other things happened through the Holiday weekend: talked with my family, looked for two hours for our baptismal candidate, made Hot chocolate, received a beautiful wallet, was given medicine by an investigator (don’t worry mom, I didn’t use it), and painted a cabinet. But my point is, that every week is something new and different. Now I’ve got six months here in the mission and I’ve learned something rather precious: when you’re a missionary you don’t even have to try, it’s always a good time, not easy, but definitely good. As this year comes to a close, I suggest to each of you that you evaluate your plans for the year that comes. Set goals, which should include helping the work of the Lord, and then do it. Don’t wait for the good times to come; make them happen. Love you all so much! Happy New Year! --Hermana Beatty |
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November 2015
CategoriesAuthorhola! I'm Naomi and I love reading, my amazing family, and the color green. |