Pray for Braden

Braden didn't give us all the details...in fact we got nothing in the way of what happened...he just said this in his last email:

"Um, so lots of random things have happened to me, but I don't want you to every worry about how I am doing. No matter what trials we have in this life we can overcome them with our faith and determination. My APs have told me that I might quite possibly have had the most difficult first week of any missionary they have ever met, but I know without a doubt that I am being blessed with trials; they strengthen me, humble me and draw me closer to the Saviour."

He then asked if I would ask his grandparents, aunts and uncles to keep him in their prayers for the next little while. He says he is also a little homesick. 

Would you please pray for him? I know that with all our prayers combined in the past, we have done some wonderful things. 

Thanks.
Melanie

Oh, Melanie!

I know you must be stressed out of your gourd!  We'll keep Braden in our prayers (truthfully, let Braden know he has already been the beneficiary of a tender mercy: I had already been prompted to pray for him continually since the Monday he left (more than the usual quick prayer)... I'm sure as you talk to others in the family, many of them have felt that need, too.  How cool is that?!)

We love you!!!!  May Heavenly Father bring you peace and strength as you give your son to him for the next two years.  I can only imagine the difficulty and, hopefully, will be able to call and cry on your shoulder in 16 years as I experience the same faith-building uncertainty that comes with sending our babies to other of our Heavenly Father's children.  Jared says those first 2-6 months in a new, HOT culture are the most difficult.  But Braden will be great!

Love, love, love, 

Kirsten

Melanie,
I too have often found myself impressed to kneel down and pray for Braden at rather random times. I already knew that he was having some trials through the Holy Ghost. But, at the end of my prayers, the Holy Ghost has also borne witness to me that Braden is one tough cookie--he just doesn't know it yet.

We are fasting and praying for him and you and Howard. I know that the Lord is with him. He will guide him and is watching over your son because Braden is His son too.

Love, Julie

Braden's new area and first email from Nicaragua

There is so much to tell you and I seem to be so limited in words at this point, but I will try and explain to you how my first week as been as well as I can.

So on the plane ride I spoke to a woman and bore my testimony about eternal families, as her father had died that morning so she was flying from Miami to Managua to cremate him and scatter his ashes. Weird, but it was a great experience.

I got into the airport and had to go through customs then have my bag hand checked by the Nicaraguan government and then I could go out and meet my Mission President and his wife. It is hot in Managua. Dad, maybe it's a good thing that you guys aren't coming out here, you would die. It gets to be like 95 by like noon or 2 o'clock and only cools down when it rains (basically). So we got picked up at the airport and then went to McDonalds to get dinner. After that we went to one of the 2 mission homes, the South Home, and got ready for bed. It took me forever to fall asleep; I mean it was 85 degrees after all.

Tuesday we had some training and some orientation stuff to do, I had a 5 second interview with my mission president (and I mean literally 5 seconds). Then we went out tracting with one of the Managua Zones--there are 4 Zones in Managua. After that we went back to the mission home and ate dinner and slept.

Wednesday was transfers. I am in the Nicaragua Managua North Mission! My trainer is Elder Velásquez, from Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. I'm serving in the highest baptizing area in the church right now, it’s called Puerto Cabezas. Last month they baptized over 100 people and like 12 families! Crazy! It's a lot colder than Managua, by like 5 degrees and it rains a lot more. Oh, and it's a 24-hour bus ride from Managua to Puerto, that was tough. The people here are fantastic. Such hard workers, they make me feel like I was such a lazy member before the mission. They go out every Sunday and make sure that the recent converts are all coming to church and that a lot of the less active families are coming.

I love my mission president. He is so frank and blunt and says everything as it is. It's fantastic.

Um, so lots of random things have happened to me, but I don't want you to every worry about how I am doing. No matter what trials we have in this life we can overcome them with our faith and determination. My APs have told me that I might quite possibly have had the most difficult first week of any missionary they have ever met, but I know without a doubt that I am being blessed with trials; they strengthen me, humble me and draw me closer to the Savior.

One of the coolest things that has happened to me happened just last night. We were driving back to Managua (seriously a 16 hour journey by car) so that we can see the president and say goodbye to him at his departure devotional and there was a strike going on. A hunger strike against the government. They were turning ambulances away! But we got through. We prayed together, we sang hymns in Spanish together and some people went out and talked to the people while others guarded the truck, for in Nicaragua you always need to watch your stuff, everywhere you go whatever you're doing. But I was praying fervently with Heavenly Father when I remembered a line from my Patriarchal Blessing that states basically any righteous desire of your heart shall be granted, so long as it is needful (paraphrase). So I basically said to my Father in Heaven, "I really want to go to Managua and need to see the President one more time. This is not just something I want, but my whole Zone hasn't been to Managua and won't be able to see those in the South Mission if they don't see them now. Please help us to get across." And eventually, after a while the people softened and let us pass, but I was praying and I did not doubt in the power the Lord has given us as missionaries.

Remember this lesson, prayer is the only way we can be close to our Father in Heaven. It is the only way we can keep our relationship strong with him.

Family, I love you so much and I miss you terribly. If you can all pray not just as a family, but personally as well that I might be buoyed up during these trying 2 years I will be eternally grateful. 

Mom, I will try and get more info to you guys about how to get letters to me and stuff. I just need the new address. So if you could like send a little Facebook note to Heather Thomas and ask her to tell other not to send stuff to the old address and tell them that they can still send stuff through pouch to the NORTH mission, that'd be great. Oh and also send a little email to:
anai.villalobos@myldsmail.net
ignacio.montiel@myldsmail.net and
fernando.rios@myldsmail.net  that's be fantastic. just let them know that they need to send mail via pouch to my new mission.

I love you all so much, and I think about you all the time. It brings me such great happiness to know that we are such a beautiful family. Please, do not worry about me, pray for me and the people of Nicaragua.


-- 
Love,
Elder Bolton

P/S

Really, do not worry about me, simply pray that I can be effective and not get too homesick
Also, they have officially extended my mission 3 weeks, so technically I get to serve out my whole mission in Nicaragua. 
-- 
Love,
Elder Bolton