Too much traveling

June 5, 2017

Hi family,
   

This week was good but I felt like I spent a lot of it traveling.  On Tuesday we had a leadership training in Managua with all of the DLs.  It was good and as always I got to catch up with a lot of old friends and comps.  The training was good but the AC was out in the church and it was horribly hot.  But the AC came back on towards the end of the meeting and saved us.  The worst part of the trip was the ride home.  We were on a tiny microbus and I had the worst seat where I was surrounded by a ton of people packed like sardines in the bus that were squishing me into the window to make room for more.  In the end, there were between 35 and 40 people in a bus with 20 seats.  It was aweful.  Also the bus we were in only took us to jinotepe and we had to take another bus to Diriamba.  By the time we got back we only had time for 1 appointment.  
   

On Friday I taught district meeting, and then Elder Smith and Santamaria from la Concepcion came and we did divisions.  I worked with Elder Santamaria who is fairly new on the mission and we had a good time.  
  

 Last week since so few people came to church out of so many committed we worked a lot on how we teach the Sabbath Day as a commandment and we taught it a lot more boldly and directly this week and it helped us.  Elim and Anyelka came and took their less active brother.  Also Flor and Priscila came again.  
  

 In church we had a cool experience this week.  We've been teaching a woman that has been inactive for 2 years named Maria Victoria.  She came to church yesterday and loved it and even bore her testimony about how los gemelos Elder Esmit (the Elder Smith twins) have been helping her.  It's funny because the day I found her I was on divisions with another Elder Smith and she never realized that Peterson was a different person.  Anyway, an investigator of the sisters, German, has been looking for someone to rent him a room for cheap so he can move away from his ex wife and be able to get baptized.  Yesterday he fasted for help since if he didn't find anyone this week he'd have to move to Costa Rica or something.  He felt impressed to ask Maria Victoria after the meeting if she knew anyone who could rent him a room in their house and she has a room that she's willing to rent out.  So due to a culmination of things that God has been preparing for over two weeks German's prayers and fast were answered and now he's going to get baptized on Friday.  Since he'll be living in our area now it will technically be our baptism but obviously the sisters did everything for him.  
   

On Saturday we'll have a visit from Elder Renlund and we'll get to hear from him for a couple hours.  It should be awesome.  Hopefully it has something to do with a temple here in Nicaragua.  That's what we're praying for at least.  
   

As far as investigators, Elia and Nelson are still very positive whenever we pass by but for some reason they just haven't been coming to church.  Flor and Priscila and Elia and Anyelka are doing awesome.  Also We're teaching Flor's brother-in-law, Marvin who's progressing well but was sick on Sunday and didn't come to church.  
  

Congrats on graduating Peyton!  I can't believe how fast time has gone!  When I left you weren't even a junior...

Have a great week!  Sorry I left my camera at home....

Elder Smith