The best of times in Nicaragua: 2018

Friday, May 18, 2018

May 1-7, 2018

Monday, May 7, 2018

First things first. I just want to say I’m so extremely proud of Christian and I can’t even believe he’s going to the promised land of Argentina. Also grateful President Poncio let me be a part of that special moment for our family. Also thank you to all the people helping the kid get out there!

Anyway, here in Nicaragua, as you all know, April has been a really crazy month! The First of April our dear Prophet announced the Nicaragua temple and that was so crazy! So this month of April the whole mission with the members just kept working super super hard! And we were able to reach our goals and as a mission we were able to break the mission record!

This month Satan also was working very hard! This country has been in protests and everything and it’s gotten violent and they’ve been burning building and everything. One week of April even church was canceled in Managua and the rest of the places only had sacrament meeting. But even with that, we were still able to help lots of people enter the baptism waters!

This week we had Leaders Counsel and multi zone and President gave us a really cool talk called the Donaldson papers that is going to help our mission so much! I wish I had that paper at the beginning of my mission! It tells us all the things we are doing wrong and all the things we need to do right.

Right now we are teaching a super special hermano named Kevin. He’s one of the member’s boyfriend and we teach in the hermana’s house and it’s so quiet (not normal) so it’s so easy to feel the spirit and to teach by the spirit. He accepted a baptismal date for later this month and this Sunday he came to church! We also are working with another hermano that his son comes home from his mission next week! And I’m pretty sure he’s ready for his son to get home so he can also enter the baptismal waters!

My companion and I are trying really hard to stay motivated and find ways to give service! I really love my mission and I love this work. I know this is where I’m supposed to be and I love my Savior!

Love you all!

Hermana Cortez

April 24-30, 2018

(Hna Cortez with her 'children': Elder Bailey and Hna Dominguez)

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

April 10-16, 2018

April 3-9, 2018

Monday, April 9, 2018

My 15 and the best gift

March 27-April 2, 2018

This week was a very crazy week! So if you don’t know yet I got changed out of Puerto Cabezas and am now back in Chinandega. I have a new companion named Hermana Dominguez from Honduras and she is brand new from the MTC. She’s really great.

Anyway, so my companion and I got to this area and had met some kids that were attending seminary and church and we began to teach them. But one Thursday they said they were going to seminary I had told them to come to the activity after seminary. One kid, Enardo, did come and the other one, Samuel, didn’t come at all. They instead went to go play soccer. SO the next day we had planned with our district leader to do their interviews so as we get to Samuel’s house he comes out with a cast on his arm! He had broken his arm playing soccer! Hahaha it was kind of funny we all laughed about it because I had told him not to go! Anyway the good thing is his cast is white. SO on Wednesday when I hit 15 months both Samuel and Enardo were able to get baptized! It was super special!

And then during General Conference THEY ANNOUNCED MANAGUA NICARAGUA TEMPLE. AND MY HEART DROPPED. I CAN’T EVEN BELIEVE IT. IM SO HAPPY. I’m also so happy to be here in this mission at this time.

One of the best parts of this week was after Samuel and Enardo’s baptism when they asked them if they actually liked coming to church and they go "if I didn’t like to come to church I wouldn’t have gotten baptized. If I wasn’t sure of my decision I wouldn’t have gotten baptized." Makes me so happy to know how the spirit touches so many people. And then in the conference when they announced the temple Enardo was so excited and he goes "that’s the temple I’m getting married in." Enardo is also determined to go on a mission. His family isn’t member, but they are supporting him so in a year or so he can go on a mission. I’m so excited to keep seeing their progress.

I also really love this ward and how much they love us and how much they take care of us. I LOVE THIS COUNTRYYY.

HAVE AN AMAZING WEEK!

HERMANA CORTEZ