27 January 2014 A good and Sad Week.

27 January 2014

Letter to all:

Well this week was good and sad at the same time.

Good because Elder Soarez (of the Presidency of the 70) came to visit the 2 missions in Nicaragua.  He was acting under the apostolic keys of Elder Cook.  It was great, I learned a lot.  He spoke about how we need to represent the Lord well.  As missionaries we are not here just to be good missionaries but to represent Christ well, to do and say exactly what he would do.  He also pronounced an apostolic blessing upon us.  I really learned a ton but I don´t have the words to written down what I learned.  The 2 mission presidents spoke as well with their wives and Elder Ocha and his wife.  Now it´s time to apply what the spirit put in my heart.

In district meeting this week, 2 sisters spoke about diligence, that it´s not necessarily doing things more frequently but doing things better than before.  Then if we completely fail, we will get up and do it even better the next time.  God doesn´t really care about the things we have done, but what we are going to do right now and forward.  He watches our every step and he knows how much diligence we put forth.  This message was very helpful for what happened Saturday night.

Saturday night we went to visit Carlos and Jackalin, they told us that they had decided not to get baptized.  We talked with them for a while, he wanted to do it, she didn´t.  We invited her to pray on her knees and to ask God if she needed to get baptized tomorrow.  When she asked the spirit was strong.  She even told us, I feel peace, and I felt a power as she prayed.  But seconds after she had said that she said but....It´s just not time yet.  Then they said they are thinking of going to her parents’ church.  It was one of the saddest moments of my mission.  It anguished my very soul to hear these things and so see them reject a clear answer from the Lord.  

We´ll keep working with them to see if we can save them from this and get them baptized later on.  

Sadly that just how it is sometimes, God cannot rob us of our agency, no matter how hard someone prays for another person.  But we can have hope that later on they will realized their need to come back unto God.  I know I have learned and I am learning from this experience, it´s saddening though.

Cristian came to church, she is doing very well, and she told us that every time we come to visit her she feels at peace.   She told us that that´s the second sign that God has given her.  She wants to get baptized, the only problem is that we need to get them married.

This week, Elder Amado will be visiting the mission.  I hope this week will be a great one!  Every week is good and every week I learn.  We just got to keep at it, and be diligent!

Take care!

Elder Willden

A Day at the Beach!! 20 January 2014

Today we went to the beach with the zone, Playa Hermosa. 

 It was a nice beach, we had a fun time.

Elder Willden wearing a floral print shirt??  No way!!

20 January 2014

Letter to all: 

Well this week was alright, I had some up´s and down´s.

Cristian came to church, as well as Carlos and Jackalin.  We had to be very persistent to get Carlos and Jackalin to church this week .I guess Satan got to their heads and they didn´t feel like going.  But we got them there, we said, “No, no!  Stop washing, we’ll do it, get ready!”  So my companion started washing clothes while I started to hang up the clothes to dry. Jackalin couldn´t stop laughing at us.

Later on Sunday we taught them and we asked them how they were feeling about gettin baptized on the 26^th? They were iffy at first, we began to help them and the members that were with them they bore their testimonies and it helped a lot.  Carlos is ready and sure that he wants to get baptized.  Jackalin was saying well...I don´t know... But I know they´ll be ready and they’ll get baptized Sunday morning.  They told us that they have felt a change in their life since they began to know this gospel. 

I reminded them about the experience that happened when Chelsy (their baby) was healed.  I told them that this experience was evidence that these things are true.  I asked them how they felt after we gave the blessing to the baby.  They said that beforehand they were very worried and angry one with another.  But after the blessing they felt calm and they had faith that she was going to be healed.  I told them to always remember this experience.  Then when doubt or worry comes they can remember this little miracle and know that they these things are true and they need to get baptized. 

They are a great family, I know that God is going to bless them a lot.

Today we went to the beach with the zone, Playa Hermosa.  It was a nice beach, we had a fun time.

Have a great week everyone!   Elder Willden

                          The roads of Nicaragua!

Chocolate Mik - A Treat!

There is a Chinese family that lives in San Marcos and they sell milkshakes and Chinese food, it wasn´t too bad!

13 January 2014

13 January 2014

Letter to all:

Today I´m running short on time but I just have 2 things to share.

1.  Cristian, Juan Carlos, and Jackalin came to church.  They are progressing well toward baptism!  They all want to get baptized.  It´s great!

2. We had a great experience this week.  It started with a contact my companion did when he was in divisions.  The family didn´t really want to talk to him but they did the contact and schduled a day to come back.

So we go visit them and we only talked to her and it turns out she’s a less active member.

The next visit he was there.  I´ll tell you what he told us in the lesson.

“On January first I was praying to God, telling him how I wanted this year to be the year that I change my life completely.  I asked God to send me someone to guide me.  And boom, that same day you guys talked to me in the street.

Later I prayed to God and said, God if these are the ones you sent me, put them in my path again.  (My companion was on divisions in another city and this man just happened to be the one driving the bus back to San Marcos.)

He said, now I want to see what you have planned for me.”

I invited to him to be baptized right after he said that, for February 8th, he accepted without doubt, even with his wife there saying, “but to get baptized?!”  He just said, “Yes, I want to experience this.”  

I know God has prepared him.  This is another golden investigator that the Lord has given us.

Wow! is the only thing we could say after this lesson.

I know God´s hand is in this work

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Elder Willden

29 December 2013 Found!

29 December 2013

Letter to All:

This week was great!  Christmas, Skyping the family, going to the Christmas Mission Activity.  It was a great week!  President talked about 10 gifts we must develop as missionaries, based on a talk by Gordon B. Hinckley given to missionaries in 1995.  It was great.  Sister Russell talked about diligence and developing talents and sharing them.  So I am going to be focusing on these things in the last months of my mission, so I can be the best I can be to help people to accept the gospel.

This week I was reminded of something Bryan had told me.  ¨When you drop an investigator, the Lord will bless you with another one that´s even better.¨  The new family that we found the other week are going to move to another city in the Zone, we were bummed about that.  I told my companion, don´t worry the Lord will give us a better family.  And that´s exactly what happened.  A family came to the ward Christmas activity the 28th.  Juan Carlos and Jackalin They liked the activity a lot, they came even though their baby girl was sick.

Then Sunday they came to church!  They asked for a blessing for their daughter as well.  I´m very excited to see how this great family will progress.  We hope for them to get baptized January 25th.  Pray for them!  As a zone we are sending a list to our families of people to pray for at home and in the temple.  Put their names in the temple prayer roll please!

Luis Mercado, Ernesto Membreño, Paula Membreño, Javier, José, María Eugenia Hernandez, Ezequiel Hernandez, Oscar Lopez, Dasyi Lopez, Isamara, Angelica María, Marlon Lopez, Yensy Ali, Franklin, Eliodora, Eveling Jarquin, Isabel, Nohemi, Katy, Junior, Emely, Emely´s sister, Marcos, Angelica, María Calero, Yurdi Quintero, Hillary, Lester, Saida, Marci, DanFranco, Chelsy, Juan Carlos, and Jackalin.

I know that when more than one person is praying for something, God sees that, and he will help them.

I´m so grateful to have been able to have another Christmas in the mission, this one was a good one!  I hope that 2014 can be a great year for everyone.  It´s time to make those goals!

Remember the ABC´s that president Monson talked about in January 2012?

Attitude - A more positive attitude throughout the year, filled with hope and joy

Believe - In God, in yourself, and in others

Courage - Courage to stand for what is true and to always confront temptations with our faith in Christ.

Have a great new year!

Elder Willden

Elder Willden with President and Sister Russell

A medalion that they gave to all of the missionaries.

The family that makes us lunch and dinner.

6 January 2014

6 January 2014

Letter to all:

What a great week.  It truly was yet another week of miracles and testimony builders.

First off, we went to go visit Jackelin and Juan Carlos early this week and we found out that their baby girl was 100% better!  Her skin was normal and her allergies had gone away.  They were even more receptive to our message after this.  They are progressing very well and they are willing to do all they can go get closer to Christ.  The only thing was they didn´t come to church this Sunday...  But I know they are still on track to get baptized.

Sorry I don`t have a lot of time, so it`s going to be shorter I think this week.

The other great experience had to do with Cristian.  She´s an investigator we found in a less active family member’s home.  It´s family to complete.  She´s 17 and about 4 months pregnant.  We came to visit her Saturday and she was sick.  Her blood pressure was high and she was not doing so well at all, you could see it on her face.  We explained to her a little bit about the priesthood and we explained to her that we have this authority to give blessings and we asked her if she wanted one.  She accepted.  My companion did the first part and I gave the blessing.  Shortly after we left.

Sunday she was in church!  And she liked it a lot.  We talked to her later on Sunday and she told us the experience she had that Saturday night.

She said as we were giving her the blessing she didn´t feel our hands over her head.  Instead she said she felt a warm hand move across her head.  She said she immediately felt better.  Later that night she said she was happy, healthy and doing everything she´d normally do if she were of good health.  It was a true miracle.  I know that Christ healed her.  

What a blessing it is to have the priesthood power upon the earth!  2 great experiences I had this week with the priesthood!

Juan Carlos, Jackalin, and Cristian could all see this week that the priesthood power is real.  As a result all of them have told us they want to get baptized.  I haven´t really thought of that before, that using the priesthood can also help people receive an answer pertaining to the truth of this gospel.  I testify that this power is real, and that God loves us so much that he has entrusted us with this power.  I was asking God for a miracle this week, a miracle for my investigator and he brought them forth!

I marvel sometimes so see how quickly this priesthood power can bless the lives of people.  I am week, I feel incapable as a disciple of Christ, but I know I have been called of him and I am on his errand.  

I encourage all of you priesthood holders to think about what you have and who you are.  And then to go and bless others with this great blessing God has given you.

Take care all, hopefully you haven´t forgotten your goals yet haha!

Elder Willden

Nacatamale!!!!

For New Years they make fake people and they fill them up with fireworks and they light them on fire at midnight!

23 December 2013

Letter to all:

So this week was better, we have been working hard to find new investigators.  We did a missionary activity with the ward.  Where we put up tables in the park with movies, pamphlets and copies of the Book of Mormon to give away.  We had the members take a bunch of tickets with them and they went out in pairs inviting everyone to come over to the tables and get their Christmas presents.  Between the 4 of us missionaries there we had 268 contacts in an hour and a half.  We got the house directions of many of them.  It was a great success.  We just have to follow up now with all of these potential investigators.  All of the members loved the activity and they want to do another one like it!  We are also inventing new ways to get investigators in the zone, we are going to polish shoes for free in each park within the zone with our mission leaders in January and see what results we get.

We are really trying to think up of new ideas for better results in the zone.  I pray the Lord will give us fruits for our efforts.  I know he will.

We are teaching a new family, a family of 5.  The parents are called Saida and Lester. It´s a good family they seem positive, and they have a baptismal date for January 25th.  In the mission now we put baptismal dates 5 weeks ahead and we are always focusing on who can we baptized this week and in the next month.

Hopefully we can get teaching all of these new investigators and have great spiritual experiences together.  

I wish you all a Merry Christmas!  Read the December Ensign, especially the message from President Eyring.  It is so important what he teaches us about Christmas and what presents we should give to others who don´t know the gospel.

Take care!

Elder Willden