Quick Note

Sorry, really fast. Here´s my new comp :) Hermana Stubbs. Her parents are from Nicaragua but she was raised in Costa Rica, pretty cool :)

This week was pretty good. Meeting lots of new people. When I got here they had either baptized or dropped all their old investigators. So we´re starting from scratch. Kind of weird, knowing that I won´t be here to see most of these people get baptized, but I know that God always has miracles prepared for us when we´re obedient :)

The members are super cool. It´s still a branch, but it´s a bigger branch, and branch council is so organized, and the members visit each other. It´s beautiful, really :)

It´s also more dangerous here. Which has been an interesting experience. No scary experiences yet, but I´ve got a few more weeks here :)

I´ve been reading a lot of different books, and I can´t think of anything specific I´d like to share. I´d just like to challenge you all to read the Book of Mormon, and ask God sincerely if it´s true. I promise that a testimony and true understanding of the Book of Mormon and the restoration will bless your lives.

I love you all so much! Have a great week :)

Love, Hermana Oliphant

Miracles, Changes, and Temples

This week was very bittersweet. But I learned so much and I´m excited to start this next week :)

First of all, I had changes again! My last change and I get to see another part of Nicaragua :) I´m now in Tipitapa, my area is called Bocana. My companion is Hermana Stubbs, she´s from Costa Rica, and came with me on the mission. Which means that she´s going home a change after me, since I had extra time in the MTC. She also served in Nagarote, so we´ll have that to talk about :) I was actually really sad to leave everyone back in Zona León. My district all got changed, though, so it´s easier to accept that changes have to come every now and then. My two sons got major changes! Elder Packard is headed way up north to Ocotal and Elder Mower is training and is the new district leader! And Hermana Knowlton is also training! I´m so happy for her and I know that Nagarote is going to be so blessed with the hard work of Hermana Knowlton and her daughter :) I´m going to miss all the investigators and members so so so much. But I know they´ll keep going without me, and I´ve got lots of pictures and memories to last forever :)

We also had a Multizona with Pte and Hna Poncia this past week. He talked a lot about obedience, and I was really happy with the self-evaluation I gave myself as they were talking. I felt good. I can always get better, but I´m doing good. I want to keep being obedient and seeing the blessings, personally and in my area. I also had a moment to talk personally with President Poncio afterward, and it was incredible. I always feel the Spirit so strongly when I speak with him, and he always listens carefully and knows exactly what to say to help me feel better. I had a personal insight into what a lot of less-actives and investigators feel when we show up to visit them. We´re probably the most spiritual thing to happen to them all week! And sometimes they just don´t want to let us go :) But the beautiful thing is that if we all make personal study a priority, we can have spiritual experiences with our Heavenly Father every day.

It also rained a LOT. Like 4 days of Washington/Oregon type weather...I didn´t sweat, wore sweaters, and got very muddy for almost an entire week. But it was a nice break from the heat, even though I enjoy the toasty Nicaraguan sun :)

We also had a little miracle this week. Adriana got baptized! I don´t know if I´ve talked about her, and I don´t have pictures at the moment (sorry borrowing cameras is hard with changes). But she´s the girlfriend of a really active member, who is also best friends with the branch president :) We had all of them helping us and her out so much, and at the beginning of the week she wasn´t sure if she was going to do it, but on Thursday she said that she was ready to get baptized! After 4 months of going to church and 2 months of missionary discussions, she was finally baptized, and it was so great to see her grow :) The sad thing was having to say goodbye so soon after her baptism. But I know she´ll stay strong. She just loves the temple and I know she and her boyfriend have the temple (and missions!) in their goals, and I´m so excited to see the amazing things they do :)

Luis is also doing really good. His work is taking him to Chinandega a lot, and he´s having a hard time getting to church on Sunday, but he understands very well the importance of taking the Sacrament, and he carries his Book of Mormon with him every day at work :) we got to teach him about the temple and temple sealings last night. Giving him the (not so subtle) hint that he needs to find a wife and get sealed ;) He loved all of it and he´s committed to getting sealed in the temple! That´s why we have the gospel. To get to the temple and be sealed for time and for all eternity. I´m sure we´re all familiar with the words in DyC 132.

15 Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with him,their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world...

 19 And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions,all heights and depths... it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.

 20 Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all,because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them. 

And this is the purpose of everything. Like President Nelson said when he came to Nicaragua over a year ago: why go to a multicourse banquet and just eat the salad? Why not stay for dessert? We´ve got to endure to the end. We´ve got to participate in the temple blessings, then keep the covenants, and then see all the wonderful blessings that our Father in Heaven has in store for us. I love this gospel and I love being a missionary. I wish I could stay longer but some things just can´t last forever. I hope that I (and all of you guys) can be a better member missionary and a better example and light unto the world. A window into the love of our Savior Jesus Christ. I hope you all have a wonderful week, and don´t forget to always look for the silver lining in every situation :)

Love, Hermana Oliphant    

Short post and Pictures

Hey everyone!

Sorry, my time`s really short this week. We went to Leon and got back really late. This week was really good. We`ve been seeing so many miracles with our investigators. They`re having spiritual experiences and progressing so beautifully! They`re not quite ready for baptism yet, but we have a couple who are planning to get baptized in the next couple weeks, so we`re getting Nagarote ready for lots of baptisms in the next few months :)

Remember always how important the commandments are. They`re there to help us achieve celestial glory. It`s hard but so worth it.

Have a great week!

Att. Hermana Oliphant

Pics

1 y 2. Some chickens in our back yard. 

3-6. Our district! We ate pizza and played with water balloons as a zone today. Our district has gotten so close. I`m going to miss them all :) P.S. the two Americans are my sons. Perks for being an oldie on the mish.

Crazy conference weekend

Hello, Everyone!

This week indeed was crazy. I`ll give a brief rundown.

Tuesday my comp had a meeting for all the leaders in the mission. So I was in Managua on divisions, and guess what area I ended up going to? La 14. My very first area in the mission. It was so amazing to see some old members and old investigators. I showed the new sisters there a couple investigators I had, and one of them accepted a baptismal date! I got to say hi and bye to almost all the people I love there, and it was bittersweet to be back there and helping the other sisters find new investigators :)

Wednesday we had a zone meeting and there was another earthquake...in Momotombo again. Everyone in Nagarote felt it, and the house of the Elders in Momotombo fell down...so there`s that. But we were in Leon and so it wasn`t that strong. And we came back from the meeting so excited to talk to so many people, invite them all to be baptized and hand out Book of Mormons. It was a really good day :)

Thursday was weekly planning. And it was different because a couple sisters in the zone aren`t getting along super well, and they called my comp asking for help, so we had to deal with that. But the rest of the day was pretty normal. We decided in the night time that we were going to be even more exactly obedient, and finally have a normal awesome day, starting with going running in the morning. And that`s where all the craziness starts.

Friday. I wake up early, go to my backpack where my running clothes are at, reach in my hand (remember that I`m still half asleep at this moment) and I feel this giant prick on my ring finger that startles me half to death and knocks me on the floor...five seconds later and it`s still stinging and burning and I`m yelling and I realize it was a scorpion that stung me. I yank my ring off and me and my comp get to work on my backpack. Dumping everything out looking for the culprit. And finally, we found it. A giant, nasty scorpion sleeping calmly inside my running pants. So we shake it outside and kill it. We thought it was all over. And then I start feeling some pain in my lower back, on the left side. It`s the same as a back pain I get after sitting too long in hard chairs, so I figured I`d lay down and it`d go away. As I lay down, my finger swells up and my lips and tongue go numb, and my back pain just spreads. It spreads all the way to my lower stomach area as if I was having normal cramps. But it`s a constant pain that doesn`t subside, and it`s really strong. Both in my back and my abdomen. It`s honestly the worst pain I`ve ever felt in my life. I call the nurse, and she said I might have strained my back in my reaction to the sting. So I wait. Then pain gets worse. I start getting cold sweats, throwing up anything I try to eat, all the while enduring the pain. We had lots of sisters from next door who came over doing everything they could to help me. But nothing worked. Our branch president came over to give me a blessing, and then we go to the emergency room in the health center. They check me out, give me a shot for the pain, and then I wait a bit, and the pain disappeared. Just a little ache in my back. But after 4 hours of almost unbearable pain, it was finally gone, and I felt like skipping, quite honestly. During those hours I had a moment to consider what it would be like for Christ. He suffered all that and more in the garden of Gethsemane. I prayed very fervently that if it be His will, that he`d take the pain away. And after a few hours, he did. I especially got comfort in our branch president`s blessing. That this wouldn`t affect me in my mission, and that it would be a growing experience for me. So as I contact the nurse again, we decide I should head down to the hospital in Managua to see what`s up. She and her husband were down there anyways looking after another sister who was really sick, so we spent the whole afternoon with them. So we`re down there, and in between a urine sample, an ultrasound, and a CAT Scan, and LOTS of waiting, they tell me that I have a...wait for it...

Kidney Stone. That`s completely unrelated to the scorpion sting. So they give me medicine and send me home telling me that it should be out in five days. And I`m still waiting. But it was definitely an interesting experience for me. I learned a lot and have a newfound compassion for those who suffer from chronic pain. Because I definitely would not like to repeat that day.

Saturday was Conference. And after all the sessions, I was sleepy and in a whole bunch of pain, so we ended up staying home and I tried to hold very very still so I wouldn`t start hurting again x3

And yesterday was so great. We all went to conference as a branch, and we all had such great experiences. Because we could only watch it well in Leon, we took a giant bus and stayed the whole day, taking a sack lunch with us. Luis came and also another investigator who we`ve been teachings. Her name is Ninosga, and she brought her niece and her little boy, and I know she had a great time. And later that night there was another crazy lightning storm, the power went out, and we got soaking wet getting to a lesson. But even using cell phone flashlights and candles, the spirit was so strong as we testified about the restoration. I know the Lord needed us in that  house in that moment and not hiding from the storm in our home. 

Today we had a fun zone activity. Making tortas fritas, eating McDonalds, and telling crazy old mission stories. We all bonded and it was a great time, even if we got home a little late :)

I just learned so much from Conference. I hope to truly apply all the things I know I need to do better into my life. The mission has really been a training center for life, and I`m so lucky to be here. I`m strengthening my own dedication and testimony of the gospel by helping others doing it as well, and I know there`s always room for improvement. I invite you all to truly ponder the conference talks that stood out to you and think of one thing you want to do better. I hope you all have a wonderful week. I love you all!

Love, Hermana Oliphant

Pics

1. Our delicious microwave lasagna...and pinolio, a corn and chocolate drink native to Nicaragua :)

2. The scorpion that started it all...sorry that we didn`t take pictures while I was in the hospital

3&4. Our branch eating lunch in between sessions at General Conference

5. Zone activity! Making tortas fritas. Basically fried sweet breads native to Uruguay. There`s an Uruguayan Elder in the zone.

Miracles Siempre :)

Hey, everyone! This week was really great. 

Not just because Luis got baptized...that´s just part of it :)

Our week started off with interviews with President, which are always great. I always feel like he really cares about me personally and wants me to progress. I´ve got so much to learn and I´m always learning from him :)

We´ve had a hard time getting a hold of our investigators, but we keep looking for them. We want them to hear our message :)

We went on divisions this Friday, and, finally, Luis decides that he´s going to be baptized :) Saturday was his birthday, and his friends had planned a giant trip to Granada for the whole weekend. He knew that baptism and church were more important, but he didn´t want to disappoint his friends. But he came to the realization that this was a trial the Lord had given him to test his faith. And he passed :) At about 9:45pm we called him (as he asked us to) and told us that YES! He would get baptized that day.

I decided to keep it a secret from Hermana Knowlton, just to surprise her :) Until the next morning when she got back and we had "An important appointment with Luis". She was so nervous, but then so relieved when he told her that he´d be baptized.

And so he was :) He was so nervous at first but afterward, he was smiling and taking pictures of everything. And of course we sang to him because it´s his birthday :) He´s giving up so much to be a member, he´s even having problems with his job. But he´s passing the tests with flying colors and I know he´ll keep growing spiritually.

We also watched the Women´s session of general conference. It was so beautiful. I loved every single bit of it and can´t wait for this weekend :)

And then there was a crazy storm and the power went out. And we walked home for 20 minutes in literally pitch black darkness. The only light we had were the lightning bolts every now and then, haha.

And yesterday we had two fabulous lessons. One on the temple with Adriana and her boyfriend and their family, which was great for her to learn more about the temple, to give her an idea of where she should get married, and also for the family, to remind them of their ultimate goal, to be sealed in the temple.

The other lesson was with a new investigator family. They weren´t so positive until we taught lesson 1, the Restoration. They understood everything perfectly. They had so many questions, and when we testified about Joseph Smith and the first vision, something changed in the mom´s eyes. I know the kids are all curious, but the mom was truly touched, and they all committed to reading the Book of Mormon. I´m so excited to see how they progress in the gospel :D

Alright, time to hop off now. I love you all and hope you have a great week! Don´t forget to prepare spiritually for General Conference, and then have some paper and a pen handy! You´ll get so much out of it that way :)

Love, Hermana Oliphant

Fotos:

1. Our baptism set up :) The pila just barely got painted and they added stairs. "I knew they did it just for me!" - Luis

2. Taking selfies on a setting that gives us flawless skin...I like it

3. Before the baptism...he was kind of nervous

4-6. After when he was feeling better :)

Earthquakes, Miracles, and the Gospel :)

Hey, everyone :)

So this week has been so amazing. We´ve been finding so many escogidos (chosens) here in Nagarote. That´s the main thing I´ve learned here is that the Lord puts the chosen people in our path when we´re obedient, opening our mouth, and in the right place at the right time. 

One of our progressing investigators, Luis, is really truly changing through the gospel. It´s incredible to see him come to church on his own, and he´s expressed to us that he´s in his own little repentance process, trying to align himself with the teachings of the gospel. Not in so many words, but it´s so obvious, and we hope that he can make the decision to be baptized :)

And we had a great lesson with a guy named Franklin. Meeting him is a long story. But I´ll be fast ;) We took a triciclo to get home one night, and we contacted the guy on the triciclo. He was really interested, so we put a return appointment and showed up to his house the next day. We ended up contacting his next door neighbors. She was sitting outside talking on the phone, and there was another guy who didn´t look too interested, so I didn´t think about contacting them. But then something urged me to talk to them so I talked to the guy who wasn´t on the phone :) Then once the woman got off the phone, she went to put it back inside and came out to ask us questions. She was actually so interested, and had so many questions about the Book of Mormon and wanted to read it. So we´ve been visiting her and her family this week. (Her name is Hayling)

So Franklin is Hayling´s brother. She wasn´t home last night so we ended up talking to Franklin about the restoration. The Spirit was so strong in the lesson, and when we talked about Joseph Smith and the restoration of the church and the priesthood, his indifferent demeanor changed when he asked this simple question: "Wait, so are you saying that there´s a prophet on the earth right now?" What a beautiful question! We were so happy to answer it, and to keep answering his questions. When we invited him to be baptized, he asked about how long it would take to prepare himself. When we told him it was up to him, and challenged him to prepare for a date in a month from yesterday, he accepted :)

And we´ve been seeing so many miracles from teaching Lesson 1 powerfully, with the Spirit, and then inviting people to be baptized afterward. 

I love being a missionary, and I love the power and authority I have to defend the word and help the world understand the love of their Heavenly Father and the need to come unto Him and to be baptized by the proper authority. 

I love this work, and I love Nicaragua. I hope you all have an excellent week, and don´t forget to count your blessings, and to always remember who gave them to you :)

Con Amor, 

Hermana Oliphant

Fotos

1. So there was a 5.9 earthquake last Tuesday night in Nagarote. We ended up taking our beds outside and sleeping under the stars (behind a gate next to a members house...don´t worry) :) It´s my first big earthquake I´ve been in...don´t recommend it, haha. Thankfully the only things that fell were a ceiling tile and a curtain rod.

2&3. Our little cupcakes for my comp´s 9 month mark :)

4. Us taking selfies while our District Leader talks to us about our week. He didn´t even realize it ;)

I'm Still Alive

Hey, everyone!

Sorry, it`s been so long. I really have no excuse. I`ve just not gotten around to writing a mass email lately. But I`m still alive, I promise :) I hope you`re all doing well and that you`re all counting your daily blessings, cuz we`ve all got tons :)

This past month has been great with Hermana Nova, but changes came again...and Hermana Nova left Nagarote! Everyone`s wondering why none of my companions here can stand me, haha ;) Today I got my new companion, Hermana Knowlton. She`s from Utah, has about 9 months on the mission, and is super great. I`m so excited to work with her, and I`m so glad that I have an awesome area to show to her :) Me and Hermana Nova worked so hard to lift up the area and building relationships with the members. 

This past...month (so sorry) has been so great. Me and Hermana Nova have been working so hard finding new people to teach and taking the advice of our leaders and inviting everyone to be baptized! I wasn`t a believer in inviting people in a contact to be baptized, but actually doing it is what strengthened my faith. I thought that it would scare people away, that they`d reject us, and no one would want to listen to us. But when we started inviting EVERYONE, I began to see the blessings. The instruction made sense, and I`m so much happier and feel so much better as a missionary. It reminds me of what Christ says in John 7:

16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
 17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
 18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

I guess I can compare that to the real world, and keeping the commandments of God. We`re all kind of incredulous and prideful sometimes. We think that washing your close on Sunday isn`t that bad, or that saying your prayers lying down isn`t that big of a deal, that the song/movie/book just has a couple bad words and scenes, etc. We hear that doctors say that coffee and red wine is a little good for you, etc. We think we know better. We think that we have a better understanding of life and our needs and our problems than the Lord and that we can boss him around. But...this is God we`re talking about. He knows everything. If you ever feel a small feeling that you shouldn`t be doing something, you should stop doing it. Or if you feel a small impression to do something good, you should do it :) The Lord reveals his will to us in many ways, though prophets (modern day or through scripture) and through personal revelation (most often prompted through studying the words of the prophets or keeping other commandments). The key to making our way through life is learning to listen to and accept revelation from God. Once you`ve got that down, you`re set :)

I love this gospel, and I love the hope it gives to people. I know that not all people are ready to truly accept the gospel in this moment, but one day, what the apostle Paul said in Philippians 2 will come true:

 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Don`t ever lose hope, and don`t stop pushing even when the rock`s not moving. The Lord knows what he`s doing :)

I love you all so much!

Love, Hermana Oliphant

Pics!

1. My new companion, Hermana Knowlton. She`s very tiny. I was crouching ;)

2. Me at the awesome fountain in the central park. sitting there cooled me off from the sun :)

3. My comp in front of the park :) She`s so cute.