Sorry! I`m alive!

Hey everyone! I swear I`m still alive! We just ended up going to Managua yesterday for a choir practice, and we were there all day! We didn`t leave Managua until 6 pm, and then we had to take the bus back. Normally it takes 3 hours to get to Sèbaco, but we accidentally shoved on the express bus, so it only took an hour and a half (and cost us twice as much...but it`s all good. It was comfy and fast.) So we got permission from our mission president to write you guys today!

This week has been slower than usual. Not sure why, but both me and my comp have just felt like this week draaaaggggeeddd on. It feels like it`s been a month since we became companions...nope. Just a week, haha.

And this comp likes to run to exercise in the mornings...so guess what I`ve been doing. Not my favorite, haha. Mainly I walk behind her as she runs around, but I`ve started to run a little bit more. And we went exploring a bit, and we found this cute little crosscountry trail that leads through lots of crops and farm land and by a little river...it was so beautiful, and it makes me want to go running some more just to go see it, haha ;)

New foods this week! I was given a whole fish by my lunch cita. I didn`t know what to do with it, so she helped me out, haha. And since Hermana Near and I felt a little daring, we each ate a fish eye. And not just the eyeball, either. The entire eye socket and some meat stuff behind it. It was actually pretty good. Not gonna lie. But on a more delicious note, we found this smoothie place that makes piña colada milkshakes. YUUUMMMM.

We`ve really been struggling with finding people who are ready to progress, but we`re still contacting and teaching and doing everything that we`re supposed to, but I guess I`m just going to have to be patient ;) I know there`s a family here waiting just for this two gringas!

For my spiritual thought, I stumbled upon Jacob chapter 4 and I really really loved it. Everything about it. Especially verses 7-14.
 7 Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things.
 8 Behold, great and marvelous are the works of the Lord. How unsearchable are the depths of the mysteries of him; and it is impossible that man should find out all his ways. And no man knoweth of his ways save it be revealed unto him; wherefore, brethren, despise not the revelations of God.
 9 For behold, by the power of his word man came upon the face of the earth, which earth was created by the power of his word. Wherefore, if God being able to speak and the world was, and to speak and man was created, O then, why not able to command the earth, or the workmanship of his hands upon the face of it, according to his will and pleasure?
 10 Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works.
 11 Wherefore, beloved brethren, be reconciled unto him through the atonement of Christ, his Only Begotten Son, and ye may obtain a resurrection, according to the power of the resurrection which is in Christ, and be presented as the first-fruits of Christ unto God, having faith, and obtained a good hope of glory in him before he manifesteth himself in the flesh.
 12 And now, beloved, marvel not that I tell you these things; for why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him, as to attain to the knowledge of a resurrection and the world to come?
 13 Behold, my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls. But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things; for God also spake them unto prophets of old.
 14 But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble.

These verses just really stood out to me, about how we can never understand how incredible our God really is. And how often do we seek to counsel him in our daily lives? It`s not literally telling him what to do, it`s the way we revise his commandments inside ourselves by justifying even the slightest sin. If we`re justifying our weaknesses and sins in our hearts, we`re not being humble, and we`re being stiffnecked just like all those horrible Jews ;) But seriously, a big part of being humble is putting OUR knowledge aside and just doing what the Lord tells us to do, because we have faith that he knows better, and he will lead us down the path of happiness.
Okay, so we`ve got to head out now. I hope you all have an excellent week! Remember Ether 12:27 and 2 Nephi 9:28-29 and Proverbs 3:5-6 ;) I love you all so much, and thank you for all your love and support and prayers and everything. It means the world!
Feliz semana!
Hermana Oliphant