Blitz

Hey all!

I don't have too much to report this week. We had multi-zone training on Thursday, a blitz in San Marcos on Friday, and yesterday I spent the day in routine divisions with my district leader, so I haven't really even been working in my area all that much. A blitz is a pretty fun activity where all of the nearby missionaries meet up in just one area. They then take priesthood members as companions and find a ton of new investigators while exciting the members at the same time. It was pretty fun, and we were able to help spark an area that has been struggling a little bit recently.

One of the things we were challenged to do in the multi-zone training was program three investigators to be baptized every Saturday in the month of February. It seemed a little difficult at the time because we had very few investigators with baptismal dates. However, since then, we've begun to see February fill up a little bit. We were able to put the 10th as a date for two investigators, and the 17th for four more. We are hoping to have a lot more success in February, as January we did not see the success that we had hoped for. 

One of those dates, we were able to put the second time talking to someone. It was a pretty cool moment to see Jorlin gain a testimony so quickly, in two days, he had read the first eight pages of the Book of Mormon. I'm pretty excited to see how his faith continues to grow.

Hope you all have a great week!

Love,
Elder Stephen Watts

Quick Update

Hey all!

Unfortunately, I do not have time to write a nice, thoughtful email today. Just know it's been a great week. We have finalized plans for Liliana Liseth (Margarita's daughter) to be married in 3 weeks. She will be baptized that same day. We have continued to see progress with Oswaldo, and have been delighted to work with a new investigator named Eddi. He reads the Book of Mormon daily, and came to church last Sunday. He wants to get baptised, but has to break a smoking addiction first. We are working hard to help him slowly let go of his cigarettes, but it is looking like it might be a long process, as his current habbit is 8-10 cigarettes a day. It's a little bit draining how many different methods I've seen Satan work within the lives of so many people, but to have witnessed a few people conquer Satan, and choose Christ, it has all been worth it. 

Love,
Elder Stephen Watts

Elder Watts sent this picture today from a multi-zone conference back in December.  His mission president's family is on the front row, along with a senior missionary couple and several stake presidents and their wives.

The Elect

Hey friends and family!

What a pleasure it has been to be a missionary in this place, at this time. Our task as missionaries is to find the elect, and help them come unto Christ. Doctrine and Covenants defines the elect as those that hear the word of God, and harden not their hearts. I always thought that meant that the elect were those that accept everything we teach, keep all their commitments, and are baptized in 2 weeks. I have since learned that that is not at all a good stereotype of an elect child of God. A better stereotype of an elect would be someone who marches onward despite everything that Satan throws their way. 

Take Margarita for example, she left her to-be husband in order to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. Her daughter, Liseth, has demonstrated the same kind of incredible faith. Her to-be husband comes from a very Catholic family. They showed her every anti-Mormon video they could find on YouTube and urged her to stop talking with us. She told us that she will not worry about the content of those videos because she knows that she feels the spirit when she reads the Book of Mormon and does not feel the spirit when she watches those videos. 

Liseth's brother, Duban was baptized last Saturday. Liseth, after pleading with her to-be husband many times, has finally convinced him to marry her so that she can be baptized, and so that she can present their baby in sacrament meeting. 

Another miracle for your week is that an investigator named Oswald found his way to church on his own last Sunday. I had never before seen the man, but when I saw him wandering outside the church doors, I invited him to come in. He accepted, but later confided in me that that very morning he was contemplating suicide. He told me that he felt like it was a good decision to go to our church instead. I instantly referred him to the bishop, who talked with him for a while in his office, and gave a priesthood blessing. He told me that he would love it if we could come to his house and teach him more about what we believe in our church. We're hoping to see some positive changes in his life these coming weeks, maybe even a baptism.

I love you all, hope you have a great week!

Elder Stephen Watts

Duban's baptism

Margarita

Hey all!

It's been a difficult week due to the need to clean out a long list of investigators that weren't progressing and find new ones, but we're feeling pretty good about a lot of the new investigators we're finding. Elder Pocasangre and I survived changes (transfers), which is definitely a blessing. 

Elder Pocasangre got sick on Saturday, and was still sick on Sunday, so we unfortunately had to stay in those days, with the exception of church and a few super-important appointments. On Sunday we were teaching gospel principles and I was explaining that everyone on earth, brown/white, male/female is made in the image of God. Margarita raised her hand and said, "Aye me disculpe, hermano, pero ¿como es que todos son hecho en la imagen de Dios cuando algunas personas son feas?" (Um, excuse me brother, but how is it that everyone is created in the image of God when some people are ugly?) 

She is doing well though, we are going to baptize her 9 year-old son this Saturday. Her other daughter also wishes to be baptized, but has to marry the guy that she's been living with first. The guy is a little anti-Mormon, but said that as long as they get married in the Catholic church, he's fine with it. We of course explained that it was not a problem if they had a Catholic wedding, and later the Mormon baptism. 

In other news, I finished 6 months here and it has felt like the fastest 6 months of my life. 

President Monson's death has been at the forefront of our minds, but I know he's in a better place now, and that the church is still being watched over and led by God. 

Sending my love!
Elder Stephen Watts

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

One of the new year traditions here is to make a giant doll that looks like an old man, to symbolize the old year. Then load it with all sorts of super-safe (illegal) explosives, pour alcohol, and light him up at midnight. I am really, really sad that I don't have pictures of the dolls, they were way fun. Of course, I didn't get to see them light up, we had to be in the house like usual, but someone showed me a video and it was pretty cool. 

Christmas was also pretty bizarre here, the custom is to go out for Christmas. They had a giant carnival, and various parties. Pretty different from the typical, stay in the house with your family Christmas that I'm used to.

Everyone has been asking about Margarita, so I guess I'll tell... She was baptized last Saturday!!!!! If you do not remember Margarita, refer to last week's blog. I would say that her conversion was the most miraculous that I've seen thus far in my mission. We have begun teaching the gospel to one of her daughters and son-in-law. She has 7 children, the youngest being 5, the oldest being 26. The goal is that all of her children can be baptized :) 

I don't know if I ever told you guys about the farming family that we found that live a good distance from the town. Three weeks ago we baptized the family grandma (Kathia - refer to Dec 20th post). The rest of the family just returned from a trip to the touristy island of Ometepe where they went to sell explosives to the tourists for New Years. They told me that they brought with them a box filled with each of their Book of Mormons and Bibles to "protect them from harm" while they prepared for their baptism later this month. 

Enjoy photos from the baptism and our P-day adventure.

Love,
Elder Stephen Watts

Margarita's Baptism