3 more weeks...

Wow, every time I think about it and see the time ticking away I feel so weird.  It is crazy to think it is almost over.  Well, as for funny stuff - one day it was raining and I had my raincoat just over my backpack and my companion called me hunchback... super funny and we had a good time talking about Disneyland.  (She went in March with her family.)  This one member we work with lots has told several people that my companion is Miss Utah and this week he told them she was first runner up in Miss USA...funny.  He told the mom of the lady where my companion almost passed out that she passed out because she couldn’t bear to see her all beat up.  This member speaks English and was reading the conference Liahona in English and he sounded exactly like Pres. Uchtdorf and looks like him too.  The member loves Miss Universe.  Did you know it will be in the DR in December?  So, I think it was on Wednesday that we felt a nice little earthquake for about 40 seconds.  I guess there was one in Costa Rica and we felt it.  On Saturday we heard there are some issues with some volcanoes up north but the president sent his normal email and told us there have been no problems in the mission. Tomorrow at our regular zone conference they are going to go over the mission emergency plan.  This week president came to our zone to go over a new pilot program we are going to do in the mission and we are the pilot zone.  It is working more on converting and retaining (true growth) not just baptizing. We are supposed to do FHEs with members in their houses but have investigator families there and do 10minute quick lessons with members every day.   We can present the teaching record with the investigators and have them see their progress and put their own goal for baptism.  We need to make sure people are really prepared for baptism.  Anyway it should be good and work well.   We are really happy with one investigator we are working with.  He is really making lots of changes in his life and is quitting smoking.  He told us on Saturday that he had a meeting to go to on Sunday so he wouldn’t be able to go to church.  That was a bummer and when we woke up on Sunday morning it was raining... not cool.  So we left and got to work going to find people and then we got a message from the man and he said he would see us at 9.  The meeting he had, got cancelled for the rain so that was a big blessing in disguise.  So he came and enjoyed it and hopefully he will get baptized on the 22nd.  We had a cool meeting with the converts and investigators Sunday afternoon and it was really great.  I loved hearing people’s experiences and testimonies.  They even had this investigator get up and tell his experience. He called us angels.  Anyway, he is going to be a great leader here.  The branch here is small but growing strong.  Really we are finding the future leaders of the branch.  They just called a convert of about 4 months who received the Melchizedek priesthood a couple weeks ago to be the first counselor in the branch presidency.  The church is young here but that makes it exciting.  I love it here.  I am happy being a missionary and it will be so different not being Hermana Cottam anymore... 3 more weeks with my name tag... 3 more Sundays in Nicaragua... 3 more emails home... but an infinite number of memories to live for eternity... wouldn’t change it for the world.  I love it and can’t wait to tell you everything.  The gospel is true and what makes people happy.  Love you tons.  Have a happy week!  (Elena, I hope you are ok... gotta love living with bugs inside and out.)  See you soooooooooooo soon.   Love, alc

P.S.  I think my shoes will make it 3 more weeks.  This week I super glued the brown ones together.  I am definitely bringing my shoes home as a memory. J