6/2/14
So this week has been probably the worst and the best week of my mission. The first couple days were so hard. I was just having such a hard time dealing with everything like the heat and the food and everything. Idk why but some days I just freak out about all that and some days Im fine. But also this monday I prayed to get strength to start to love the work and to love the people here during this week. And then monday night and tuesday and wednesday mornings were so hard for me. I was mad at God and felt like I wasn't getting answers to my prayers. I really wanted to call the president and tell him to send me to a mission in the united states instead. But then wednesday once we left to go work I had one of the best days of my mission. We had some super good lessons with super positive investigators. I really started to just think about how I can help them and not worry about myself. Then the rest of the week was a lot better. My companion said he noticed a change in me. Not a change in me from the week but from the mission. These past couple days I have felt more like a missionary than ever. I feel like I'm starting to like the work and helping the people. I feel like my prayer was answered as well. It wasn't answered right away. My faith was actually tested right away. But after it was tested I received my answer and my testimony is stronger. Just like in Ether 12:6 I think. Our most positive investigator right now is a 14 year old girl named Jackie. We first taught her in a big group and its always hard teaching in a big group because usually only one person is really paying attention. And this time Jackie was not the one paying attention. She even got up and left a couple times to go do something else. But then she is the only one who went to Church and read the book of mormon. She liked church too. She is doing the personal progress stuff as well and wants to go to mutual. And then at church I guess she told the young women's leader that she really thinks its true and wants to be baptized. I was so happy when I heard that. Oh, also another funny thing happened during church. So we are just sitting in sacrament meeting, and a dog walks in and walks down the aisle and then walks back out. I mean just imagine in the States if in the middle of sacrament some random dog came in. But it didn't even phase anyone here haha. Im doing better but this is still the hardest thing Ive ever done in my life. Keep my in your prayers. I love and miss you all!
Elder Dessauer
6/9/14
So this week started out not fun. I haven't been sick with anything more than a cold for like 7 years. But Nicaragua ended my streak this week haha. Monday I woke up with a really bad pain in my stomach. It just got worse and worse. My comp finally convinced me to eat a lime because he said it would make me throw up. I didn't believe him but I was wrong. It worked really well lol. After that I felt great for like an hour and then I just felt sick. I felt that the rest of the day and then all of Tuesday. I called the nurse but all she did was give me a list of medicine to take. I don't like taking a lot of medicine so tuesday night I had my comp give me a blessing and then I Wednesday I was perfectly better. That was really cool. It was the first blessing I have ever received for being sick I think. Medicine 0, The Priesthood 1. Haha just kidding.
This week has also been a trying week as far as teaching goes. We have a goal as a mission to baptize 102 families this month because last may they baptized 101. Last month we baptized 58 I think. So me and my comp talked and we had a zone meeting about it and we were all super excited to meet this goal. And then this week we had a bunch of great lessons with super positive investigators. We found some new investigators that we thought would be perfect. We also had a super good lesson with a less active member where she told us why she stopped going to church and after opening up to us and talking to us she said she wanted to come back to church. I was super excited about it all but then on Sunday we had no investigators in church and that less active lady didn't come either. It was pretty disappointing. But that just means we have to work harder this week. We are still planning on having Jacky's baptism this saturday and Im really excited about that. And also we had to stop teaching Sharline even though we set a baptismal date with her. She studies every Sunday so she wasn't progressing with that. That was disappointing too.
Im also having a little harder time getting along with my companion. He's a really good missionary but there is just some things that have been bothering me. But I know Im going to have companions that try my patience. And I only have 2 more weeks with him. The next changes are in two weeks and he ends his mission then. Im kind of excited to get a new companion but Im also really scared. Because there is the possibility that he is going to be awesome and we are going to be best friends, but then theres the possibility that he is going to be much worse. And theres also the possibility I can be training someone next change haha. My comp always says that he needs to train me good enough just in case I have to train. He really thinks Im going to have to train after this, idk why. But I hope he is wrong. Im not ready for that haha. I want to train someone, but later in my mission, like when I can at last have a conversation with someone in spanish, let alone lead every lesson. But my spanish is getting a lot better. Over these past couple weeks I am able to understand a ton more. I can usually get by in a conversation without having to ask my companion what they are saying now. A lot of times I just have to have them repeat what they say or have them say it slower. But I am doing a lot better. And oh one more thing about changes. So they used to be on Tuesday but these last ones were on a Monday. So that might mean that all changes are now on p-day. So If they are I don't know If I will always still be able to write home when I have changes. So if there is ever a week where I don't write anyone that is why. I think I should be able to still, but just if there is the slight chance that I don't, Im not dead, Im just doing changes. I love and miss you all a ton!
Elder Dessauer
6/16/14
So we baptized and confirmed jacky this weekend. That was really exciting! I feel like she has a lot of potential in the church, but she still has a lot to learn. To church on Sunday she wore a tube top dress. So the young women's leader gave her a talk to read about modesty and talked to her a little and I think we are going to talk to her more about it when we go to her house tonight. We are going to watch the Joseph Smith movie with her and some of her family. Her older sister is so positive but she studies on Sundays. So maybe that will be a job for later missionaries when we stops her studies in December. But also with Jacky, I feel like as missionaries we didn't do the work to baptize her. Yeah we found her and committed her to go to church but after that, I feel like the young women did most of the work. Our young women's leader is really awesome. I am really beginning to see the importance of members in someones conversion.
This Sunday was really disappointing though other than that. Again we had so many awesome lessons this week. We even set a couple baptismal dates. But then no one came to church. None of the recent converts came either. Gospel Principles class was just Elder Castro and I. So we left church for an hour to try and visit the people that didn't come. I was so sad. I was so sad for one family especially. They are Uriel and Alma. We have had 2 lessons with them and we set baptismal dates with them (and I took the lead in inviting them to be baptized! I was super excited about that hahaha). And they reacted so well and positive and willing to keep all commitments. They told us so many times that they were going to church tomorrow and I was certain that they were going to be our next family baptized. I was so sad when they didn't show up and so discouraged with them. But we went back to check up on them yesterday and we found out that someone in their family had a baby yesterday and they had to drive her or they had to be there with her or something. So I thought that sounded like a pretty good excuse lol. I still feel really good about them.
Another sad thing this week is that we lost our investigator Norge. I don't know if I talked about him before or not. But he has always been positive and likes meeting with us and reads the book of mormon like crazy. He said he knew it was true and he had a baptismal date and he knew the Church was true. The only thing was that he worked for the baseball league on Sundays. So we thought after the season ended he would be able to come to church and he would be baptized. So this week we talked to him and his season ended but he said that he wants to work the next season that starts up in a couple weeks. He said the extra money helps him and not a lot of people know how to do his job here in Mateare and there is already a lack of people so if he left it would make it really hard on them. We talked a lot with him about the blessings he would get from this Gospel. And how a lot of times we need to leave things behind in our lives and make changes in order to receive these blessings. He told us that he knows that, but it would just be too hard to leave this job. So we had to stop teaching him too. We told him that the invitation is always there to go to church. Maybe that will also be another job for future missionaries. It was really sad though. I really wanted to help him. He would have been so strong in the Church.
We also got our first pretty good real rain. Every time it rained before it was for 30 minutes max and it wasn't that hard. This went on for a good couple hours. But we had to walk in it just from the bus stop to our branch presidents house which is like a quarter of a mile maybe and we were so soaked lol. We got to his house and he made us change. It was pretty funny. It felt so weird though sitting in normal clothes with our branch president not on a p-day lol.
I think thats all that happened this week that was exciting lol. I love and miss you all!
Elder Dessauer
6/23/14
Yeah today was probably the most stressful day of my mission so far. That was because today there were changes and I had to go to Managua to pick up my new companion. The day started out normal and everything was fine. It was actually really good. I got to go to the office and see some people that I know that were there for their final interviews. My comp had to drop off his bags there and we needed to pick a couple things up for other missionaries. I got to hang out and talk with people for like an hour in the nice air conditioned office and I got to see the president too. And then we went to the chapel where everyone was meeting up with their new companions. But I got there at about 11 and our companions weren't getting there until 1. (They got there so late because they came from the zone puerto cabezas. That area is the only area on the atlantic coast and to get there you need to fly, so we had to wait for their plane) So we went there and my comp dropped me off and we said bye (he is leaving to go home) So I got to hang out with Elder Backus for a long time and talk with him and that was awesome (He was there waiting too). So Im having a really good day right? But then right at 1 when all the other missionaries started to come it got so hectic. So I was kind of assigned to help get 4 other missionaries to their areas in my district because I was the only one their from Leon and the only one that know the bus routs and stuff. So they show up and I start getting a bunch of phone calls. People kept asking me what was happening with those other missionaries and telling me what to do with them and where to go and things like that. And between the 5 of us I was the only one with a phone so we had to change plans to all go on the same bus. And then we couldn't find one of the elders that was supposed to be there with us for a while. And then right when we were about to leave it started raining super hard. So we waited for a little bit until the rain died down to leave. And then when we left we could not find a taxi. And we needed to take two because there were so many of us. So we finally get to the bus stop and then we had to find a bus for Leon that would be able to drop my and comp off in Mateare. But we finally did and here we are. I know it doesn't sound that stressful, but it was so stressful for me because I don't speak spanish lol. I don't speak the language and I was supposed to make all these calls in spanish and tell these 4 other missionaries what to do and make sure they were getting ripped off by the taxis and busses all in spanish lol. I don't know how I did it but I did. And I did a pretty good job I think. It was just super stressful.
But anyway, yeah I got a new companion. I was sad to leave Elder Castro. I didn't think I was going to be really sad but Im sad haha. I think part of it is just that Im sad and Im scared to have a new comp. His name is Elder Arevalo. He is from El Salvador. Ill send a picture next week of us. He knows a tiny bit of english but we are going to be speaking in spanish the whole time. That is so scary for me lol. But I know its what I need. I feel like after these next changes with him I am going to be able to speak spanish pretty well. Its going to be hard though. Whenever I wanted a break I could always speak spanish with Elder Castro. But now I can never get that. Only when I have district and zone meetings but thats only once a week. My comp seems cool though. He is kind of quite I think though. Ill see how our first week goes together.
So nothing else too excited really happened this week. Our church attendance was kind of low again this week but at the same time a bunch of less actives and recent converts came that haven't been coming recently. So I was really happy about that but still sad that the assistance was low. Other than that Im doing pretty good I think. Im still kind of stressed out right now lol. Its going to be a lot different this next change. Just not being in training and having more responsibility sort of. Like I had the phone all day for the first time haha. It was like my first time using a phone in 4 months. It was weird lol. Well yeah I think thats it. I love you and miss you all. The first picture is with part of the family that makes our lunch every day. Her name is Paula and her son is Eduardo. Her son is so cute haha. The other pictures was our last training meeting for all the news and their trainers. Sister Collado (The president's wife) bought us all cake and we sang happy birthday to everyone who's birthday is in june (ME:D). And the last one is with the a kid David, a recent convert and our elders quorum president, Vladimir Estrada. He is super cool. He is a convert and so strong in the gospel. He is the big guy in the middle.
Love,
Elder Dessauer
6/30/14
So like I said last week, I got a new companion and this was my first week with him. He is pretty cool. His name is Elder Arevalo. He is from El Salvador and has 15 months in the mission. This is his first time being senior companion. We get along good. But it is a lot different than when I was with Elder Castro. First of all, we only speak in spanish. I was so scared for that at first, but I actually did really good this week I think. My spanish has been a lot more fluent and my vocabulary is expanding and I am able to understand a lot more as well. I didn't think that I was going to do this well. I thought this whole week was just going to be super quiet and my comp was going to just get annoyed with constantly having to correct me, but we are actually able to communicate really well. I still have to ask him to repeat a lot of things in the house when he says something really fast though haha. But also Elder Arevalo is quieter and a little less motivated to work as Elder Castro was. And with those things I have felt that my teaching has changed a lot too. With Elder Castro, I kind of always felt like he was better than me at teaching. And than yeah I could explain things to investigators but he could say it better. And im not saying that Elder Arevalo is a bad missionary or anything but this week I havent felt like that at all. I have taken the lead in a lot of lessons and there are lessons where I talk more than him. That never happened with Elder Castro. And I take the lead in planning a lot and I have to motivate him to go contact instead of Elder Castro motivating me haha. I have felt more like an actual missionary than ever before. I am very greatful that I have a companion that doesnt speak english and that he isnt like control hungry during lessons and that he is actually kind of quiet during lessons sometimes. Usualy when people would ask us hard question Elder Castro would always be the one to answer but now I have to sometimes. But sometimes I am worried that my comp thinks that I dont like him. Because in spanish there are two forms of the word you. Theres tu and ustead. Tu is for friends and family and ustead is more formal. As missionaries we are only supposed to use ustead. But a lot of the latinos always use tu with other latino missionaries or all other missionaries. And my comp uses tu with me. But I use only use ustead with him. Because we are supposed to use ustead and Im doing better with spanish but its still hard and I dont want to have to worry about using all different endings for every verb if I want to try and use tu, which is what I would have to do lol.
The weather has also been changing. The first four days of the week were amazing here. It was cloudy almost all day everyday, with barely any rain. It would rain for like an hour and then stop but still be cloudy all day. It would maybe get up to like 95 or 97 during the day and then all the way down to 82 during the night. In april the lowest temperature I saw at night sometimes was 89. But also there have been a ton more mosquitos. I hate mosquitos. HATE. But they LOVE me. lol.
Also this week I had a cool experience. Yesterday we taught an investigator for the second time and it was the first time that I have heard an investigator say,"Yes I read the BoM, yes I prayed specifically about it, and yes I recieved an answer that it is true" It has surprised me how rare it is to that someone will actually keep their commitment to read and pray specifially for that" I was so happy when I heard her say that. Like I could speak for a second because I was shocked and so happy at the same time haha. But then talked more about baptism and she said she will be baptized. We are going to have to work with her still though. She thought the date we said was too soon and she needed more time. And she also works on Sundays. But she only makes tortillas so that shouldnt be too hard to help her with. It will be hard but I think we can do it. We have had baptisms already but the first three were in my first few weeks during my mission and I didnt understand anything they said during the lessons, and then Jacky decided she wanted to be baptized during church with the young womens leaders. It was really cool to see Mercedes (That is her name) keep those commitements and know that she recieved an answer to her prayer.
Yesterday we also went to our branch presidents house for dinner and it work out perfectly that my birthday this year was on a Sunday. Because our branch president is the only person we know that owns an oven. And I recieved brownie mix for my birthday from home. So they were able to make it for me. That was fun. It didnt feel like my birthday at all though. It was wierd lol. The first two pictures are at my presidents house. One of the pictures is with him, his wife and their daughter Norali (I think thats how you spell it). And he is Presdient Orosco. The last picture is my comp and I. Well thanks for all your birthday wishes!
Love,
Elder Dessauer
