Rivas Week 3

Greetings peeps. I was excited to read Lenny`s emails. That is too bad you have to do your own laundry and food. How does the laundry work? So that would be super awesome if you came home the week of Thanksgiving. That would be super super super cool. So life is swell here. Also you mentioned about growing out your hair. I thought about it and now that you mention it maybe I will do that too. I was thinking about getting a haircut today, but maybe I will do the ponytail thing again until I get home. Anyway, so we had an activity with the president on Thursday and 2 other zones (one of them was my old zone). It was weird seeing the people I had spent the last 6 or 12 weeks of my life with, but it is odd on the mission how you just move on. I talked to the sister who took my place in Masatepe. She has got the bug bite thing going on her legs, so it wasn`t just me. It is possible it is fleas or something, but she didn`t seem too bothered except that it itches. Anyway, she is a twin too, except her twin got married while she has been gone. She said she got to call her when she got married and that that was good. The elders from Masatepe told me that she was a twin too and I said that her twin got married while she was gone. They said hopefully your twin doesn`t do that since she is on a mission and that would be bad. Those elders are real crazy. They are the ones who called my hair the fro. They will be disappointed if I put it up but it is nice and hot here. Anyway, so on the way home from the activity we ended up riding a bus with part of our zone and my old zone to Jinotepe and from there we took the bus to Rivas. It was very odd going through Masatepe and seeing my old turf. But I am starting to feel like I know Rivas pretty well and have developed some relationships with members and people. It is cool here and an interesting life. Like this morning we stopped at this house where they have 13 baby pigs. There are also still things pulled by horse and plenty of dogs. But I am used to it and it is just life in Nicaragua. Yeah I still get my occasional mosquito bites, but life is good.  Anyway, so yesterday in Relief Society there were just us sisters, the RS president, and the lady who does our cooking and laundry. We were talking about Family History and Temple Work. I had never really thought about how one of the things people need to do to get a temple is family history work. Someone has to be generating the names for people to do the work in the temple. The things they mentioned that made family history difficult like using the computer and not having good records made me realize once again how blessed we are. We have a computer in our house and other things accessible that make our lives easier. But I realized that even though the challenges are different, these people here want the same things. The church and doctrine is the same but there are different challenges here but everyone is working towards the same goal. I felt real love for these sisters. (Well, my comp needs to go to the bathroom so I will go and come back to write more.) So we just went the church and back to go to the bathroom. I have about 20minutes left of writing time. That is funny about the umbrellas. We do that too. I don`t use mine much for sun, but my comp does. The Spanish is coming. It is very gradual so sometimes you feel like you aren`t making progress, but then you read something you wrote in the MTC and realize you have come a long way. It comes, just listen and practice and ask questions and keep on working. It starts coming and I still have lots to learn, but generally I feel pretty good. Sometimes I am more confident with the Spanish and sometimes someone says something and I have no idea what they said but I just smile and look confused. It’s cool though. Also there was a senior couple I think from Utah visiting the branch yesterday. They work in the temple in Costa Rica but it is closed for a few weeks so they are visiting different places and sort of on a mini vacation. It was weird only talking to them in Spanish but cool. The other day on the TV in the other room from where we eat, the song from the Disneyland tea cup ride was on. Good times! We are working and trying to find new families to teach. We should have a baptism this week if all goes as planned. So that should be good. I am glad to hear Lenny is doing well. I am glad you watched that video of us uke-ing it up Mom and that will be the best Thanksgiving ever if that is when you will get home Lenny. Anyway, I love you tons and tons and it is cool being on the computer at the same time.  I need to go, so peace out friends and keep party it up in the DR. It will be fun to compare all these stories when we get home. The gospel is true. I love being a missionary!  I am so happy to be part of this family and eternity is going to be awesome. Love you TONS, love, Alexis