A Good Week

Hello Family!

I’m glad you enjoyed my pictures and video! I won’t be able to download more photos or videos because I don’t have my camera today but I will try to get some for next week. This week it has been raining every day....I don’t like the rain ha-ha. Only in Arizona I like the rain. Here when it rains it gets so cold and wet!

This week I have some pretty good stories ha-ha.

First I want to apologize for sending crappy letters home for a while, I have been pretty discouraged, but now I have my focus back and I’m probably working harder now then I ever had (or trying to at least).

Well last Monday was pretty good. We are suppose to have Family Home Evenings with other people but no one wanted the missionaries over, so my companion and I did tracking… trying to look for new people to teach and we found five.

Tuesday was one of those mas o menos kind of days. It was good just a hard day. We went to all the members’ house that are in our area and visited them to see how they are doing. Lots, for right now...have the normal problems, but for the majority of them it has to do with member obedience. No one is trying. They are giving up. The leaders of the church, down to the mission presidents, and us as missionaries are their only examples for right now. We passed by every single member and taught them some really good lessons to encourage them to give us a reference and out of the 28 members we taught we didn’t get one reference. So for Tuesday we spent it looking all day for new people to teach.

Wednesday My District Leader and I went on divisions together to go encourage and help out members because he has more time here than I do and he knows them better. While we were doing that the assistants called us and told him he has emergency changes, so we went back to the house and packed up all of his stuff because he had to be in his new area in Managua in less then 3 hours. Then his companion, who is new (but a hard worker), was with me and my companion for the rest of the day until 7 pm that night when his companion (Elder Lebaron) came. Now that we have E. Lebaron we are also doing a lot better as a district. He is a really good kid and was in my last zone in Bello Horizante.

Thursday During the morning from 10am -Noon we do our weekly planning. The water has been out for two days in our area and the zone leaders called us and told us that the sisters were going to come to our house to take showers cuz we have a water reservoir that collects the rain we shower in. (freezing cold ice water) So we had to leave the house. During that time my companion and I went to teach some people until lunch time. After lunch we went tracking in a part of our area that we have never been before and we found a cool family that had a little bit of knowledge about the Mormons (unfortunately, the bad knowledge of Mormons, multiple wives, etc) So we answered all of their questions and doubts. Then they wanted to know why we are called Mormons and I explained it’s a nick name that we received from the Book of Mormon. Then the guy (Gudiel) posed an awesome question. "What were our ancestors doing here in the America’s when the bible was being written?" I loved that question and then it lead me to talk a bit about the Book of Mormon and were it comes from and of whom it testifies. Then we left them with the invitation to pray to God and ask if it is true and a baptismal date.

After that we went to Rudy’s house who is going to be baptized this week along with his brother Erwin and they seem to be doing really well right now. They are really cool kids.

Then after that we went to one of our most positive investigators named Juan Pablo and taught him more about the Book of Mormon and he HAS ALREADY PRAYED AND KNOWS THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE!!!! He will be baptized this Tuesday.

Friday we went to Rudy’s house at 11am. He twisted his ankle in soccer and has it wrapped up but won’t let it stop him from being baptized he says. We taught him tithing and Word of Wisdom. Then after lunch we went to town because I had to go to the bank and take some money out of my account… I have no money. My companion and I went super far to visit some people. We taught a woman a powerful lesson on the restoration, that could’ve converted this ‘until death to us part catholic’ but her brother came home late in the lesson and persuaded her that we are a false church. so......

Saturday was just a pretty slow day not much happening. Our Best investigator Franklin introduced his friend Franklin to the gospel and invited him over for the next discussion with us so that was really cool cuz his friend was really excited and accepted baptism too.

Sunday We were suppose to have what’s called a Mormon Battalion where all the young men and women help us find inactive members, but that wasn’t very successful. Out of all the 28 kids that said they would come there were only 2 so we worked our butts off for the rest of that day trying to get all our Recent Converts and investigators to church. None of our Recent Converts have a friend in the church because all the church members have problems and don’t want to fellowship the converts. So that was a bummer...At church we had an attendance of 83 members and last week was 65, so it was a little bit better. I had one member I was depending on to bring one of our investigators who is a really good friend with this person, but the freaking member didn’t even feel like going to church that day so neither came.

After church we had a district counsel and the leaders of the district came and just chewed out the branch so it was pretty useless. My companion and I left church and it started pouring rain. We got soaked to the bone, but we had a visit that we had to go to so off we went in the rain. We got to visit only (Jessica) her husband (Levi) was on an errand. We visited with them two days before and they were really interested in the church. Levi is a pastor of a church so when we got to their house the second time they just had a bunch of crap to say to us. I asked them if they prayed to know if our previous message was true? I taught them a very powerful spiritual lesson about the restoration that left me almost in tears and them with guilt. I taught him everything he needs to know about the Priesthood and now he knows he doesn’t have the priesthood authority to baptize. He was mad at first but then I think he opened his heart and he told me he will "think about praying to know if it’s true" I only hope he does.

Later that night, we went to eat at a comedor which is pretty much like a hole-in-the-wall fast food restaurant. While we were eating inside the little house, a car drove up with really loud music playing and the guy that was driving was drunk. While he was ordering food he looked in the door and saw us sitting there. He yelled something at me but I just ignored him. Then about 5 seconds later my companion said he went back to his car and pulled out a baseball bat. When I turned around to look at him, he (the drunk) waved me over to him, soI got up and walked over to him. He was all mad and and fuming (breathing deeply with anger ha-ha) and stinky with beer breathe. He came up to my chin and was a pretty big guy probably in his thirties.

Then he said, "You like baseball?"
I was like "Yeah?"
Then he said, "You want to play?"
I said, "Yeah, where are we going to play at?"
"Right here!" he said, and raised up the bat.
I asked him, "You got a ball?"
That kind of made him mad but it also distract him enough so I had time to pick up the bar stool behind me to defend myself…incase he starts swinging. Then two strangers came up and broke us up.
He was yelling a everyone,  "Get away from me, keep your space from me!" He then got in his car and skid away.

My companion told me after he left in his car, that when he first looked at us eating he was sizing us up and that’s when he went and got his bat out of his car. I talked about it with the other Elders who later came to our house to see what happened and we had a good laugh about it. Just a drunk looking to pick a fight with someone!  That is about it for my adventures here in Nicaragua for the week.

I’m glad to hear everyone is doing well and Carly is working hard on pointless math out lines. I love you all and am doing a lot better as far as health and spiritually. I KNOW I CAN DO HARD THINGS!!!

Love
Elder Buck

Weird Plant

Hike up Apante Mountain

More Pictures of Matagalpa:  Click Here


Dear Family,

I am doing well and have felt good for a couple of weeks now. The teaching this week was a little discouraging for us...I had some Scotland experiences like you had Dad...lots of rejection. My companion and I were not able to do much teaching this week. The mission has high goals for us to reach each week: We should have 30 contacts a day. Make teaching appointments with 4 people each day. Commit 3 people to baptism each week. It is hard to reach those goals every week in this area, when people do not want to talk to us.

My companion and I are getting along better....he is trying to stop making smart alec remarks about me and everything he sees or experiences. I will start to look for unique items to buy and bring home from my mission. I have seen Nica things for so long nothing is really unique to me anymore but I will start to buy things I would never see in the states.

We went sight seeing again today...we went on a cool hike up a hill called “Apante's”. There were a lot of cool plants that I took pictures and video's off. We did get flooded out...we had a huge storm come out of nowhere and rained us off the mountain. It was so cold! I slipped in mud and fell down a hillside but I lived...it was kind of scary. Ha-ha I took a video of a plant that looks like a fern but when you touch the leaves it curls up and dies. I will try to down load the videos of the plants and rain storm...it takes forever to download videos from the simple computers here.

Thanks for the information about Matagalpa and the area around me. All I know is what I can see, teach or missionary work. I actually don't know much about Nicaragua, that is why I would like to come back after my mission as a tourist and visit the places I lived and visit the converts and follow up on them. I have realized that I'm not as intelligent as I thought I was coming out on my mission or I don't have a wide knowledge of a lot of things. School is really important! Ha-ha One good thing for me is I have learned a lot about the gospel on my mission and I love it.

Wow, Carly is already a senior...that is crazy...I hope she has a good year.

I am doing well and loving the mission. I hope everyone is happy and safe at home.

Love,
Elder Buck

Good Week!

HEY FAMILY!


This week was a lot better....you want to know why!? I DIDN'T GET SICK!! Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I got my results back and miraculously I do not have parasites but that doesn’t mean much to me IF MY STOMACH STILL HURTS ALL THE TIME! haha

It sounds like you will be having a cool weekend going to the lake. Take lots of pictures for me. Haha

I have about 6 months left, I love my mission, and if I work hard enough the time will be going by even faster. I’m doing my best to get all my work done for sure. My companion told me I am a hard worker…when I am not sick… ;o. I like this area, it is a really hard area, probably my hardest one yet. We have had 25 positive investigators who accepted baptism and almost all of them dropped but we have been working so hard....and its okay there will be success.

Yeah my greenie and I are doing good. He never wants my help with anything he wants to do it all himself.... Just a basic greenie, I felt the same way when I came out.  Now I feel like I am the good old mother bear but at least my greenie cub doesn’t rebel against me.

The food is good here, everything is mostly fried food that our cook makes...so it’s not exactly healthy but it is yummy haha. I know I will get some souvenirs but not till the close of my mission. It doesn’t get to cold here but when it is cold I do have a jacket. I don’t know if I told you but someone stole my ETNIES HOODIE!? huh......trials make you stronger.

I pretty much everything I need here but you can send the few items you have for me.

Carly?! Are you starting your senior year??
I love you all too! Happy Birthday Dad!

Love,
Elder Buck

Life and Pictures from Matagalpa

Click here to see:   Leon Pictures


Click here to see:  Matagalpa Pictures



Hello Family!

I just want to report back to let you know that I am feeling better....I called the mission nurse and I have had another parasite test. I will probably get the medicine to take sent to me sometime this week. All the missionaries are infested with parasites (even the sisters) so they just give us medicine to take.

I have also found a little rest helps me to feel better...and take a bottle full of pure electrolytes and water with lemon (that’s the nica indian medicine) and it worked!

My new greenie companion from North Carolina is a handful. He is a awesome kid, works hard, tries to do everything that he is suppose to do, and tries hard to learn Spanish. When I told him I was sick and needed to rest a little he got so mad at me. While I was sick, he was so mad and told me to stop thinking about myself and get to work. Then he tells me "You know what I have enough faith that I could be healed”…..blah blah blah. We will see what he thinks the first time he has to make a mad dash for home to the toilet with diarrhea. Stomach issues are just a part of life down here! I told him about some of my past sicknesses here in Nicaragua and now he is a little (not much) more understanding. haha

I just uploaded a bunch of pictures for Leon (previous location) and Matagalpa where I am now. So please post the link on my blog.

Love
Elder Buck

New Area, New American Companion

Dear Family,

As I wrote in my last letter...while I was sick and not able to leave the apartment for a couple of days, my companion would leave our house and go off with other members and supposedly work during the day.  He came back around 7-8 p.m. each night and would then chill with whatever members were in the house. They would buy pizza and start to play poker.  When I was feeling better we were suppose to start working again but my companion did not want to work with me...he still wanted to do splits with the members. When I would come home at 9-10 pm each night with my member companion, he would already be back at the house eating pizza and playing poker.   When I asked about his teaching for the day he always had lots of visits and people he taught and he always completed the mission goals for the day.

I knew he was not being truthful and had not been working all day so it made me kind of irritated with him. I can't get him to plan, pray, study, contact or do any work with me on a daily basis.

While I was on splits with a member we were able to teach a family and set a date for baptisms. I was really excited because this area has not had a baptism for 6 months. The family is currently living with some members that my companion does not like. So on one day when my real companion had to work with me...he refuse to go to the members house to teach the investigators!  He said, I DO NOT LIKE THAT MEMBER AND I'M NOT GOING! I told him he had to forget about himself and his feelings (pride) so we can teach this family. He still refused to go so we went back to our place.  I was mad because I don't know what to do with this guy?  In the morning when we got up...there was no water for showers...and this made me more frustrated...

To make a long story short...I contacted the mission home and they made some quick changes. I was transferred to Matagalpa about 3-4 hours from Leon.  I have been given a new greenie to train...my second American companion in 18 months. He is from North Carolina. This new area is really pretty...it is in a mountain area, higher elevation so it is not so hot but still humid with all the rain and vegetation.  The town is built on the side of a hill so it seems like we are always walking up hill.

We have been teaching a man named Engel that has been interested in what we have to say....we taught him a discussion and knelt for a prayer with him. We asked him to pray and ask if the things we have taught him are true.  He prayed and after the pray he said he felt beautiful.  I asked him how he was feeling...he said joy, happiness.  I told him those are feelings of the Holy Ghost and the things we have told him are true and this is the true church of Jesus Christ.  He said NO, I have felt those same feelings at the Catholic church.  Anyway, we will keep working with him.

Before you send off another package I will make a list of things I need...

Love you all,

Elder Buck