From Sea to Shining Sea

The ocean this morning was super shiny and it made me really happy. I love gray skies and rainy days so much, and they are needed so much by the area and the people  (as well as the missionaries) but there is something so rejuvinating by a bright, sunny sky filled with white puffy clouds.

This week two crazy things happened! First, three of the families my companion and I were teaching got baptized! Three families! I was so darn excited. It was cool having that kind of success after so much labor and stress. Second, my companion got transfered! He was taken out of our zone on Sunday afternoon. They have sent him to Ocotal, the main city in a mountainous region, in the department of Nueva Segovia. He was sad and all of his converts were very upset too; I did ty to remind them that I was still going to be there serving them, helping them and loving them, but they didn't seem too inerested. Interesting.

My new companion´s name is Elder Salmon. He is from Tooele, UT, has about 15 months on the mission, is one-fourth Mauri and is related to my old coworker Danny. Small world. I met him, whew, so long ago (last year at the mission house in the South mission when he asked to use some of my contact solution). Little did I know that he would steal my suitcase for three weeks--completely by accident--and then become a good friend and eventually my companion. Yes, this is the Elder that had my suitcase with all of my clothes in it, all of my shoes, socks, everything! He is still so ashamed of that whole situation. Rather funny really.

This week my goal is to find new families to teach and get to the "progressing family" status and baptize one to two more families (baptizing in the next 2 weeks, for then I can just focus on retention and finding). I am excited because I'm finally creating the machine that I've been trying and working so hard to create for so long. The Lord has truly blessed me with the desires of my heart and is helping me to be consistent and to attain the success that I crave.

I love these people out here. They have an interesting culture, but their quirks are what make me love them so much more. They really want to do the right things, they are simply tossed around like a wave of the sea: they believe anyone and trust most everyone. A strength and a weakness. I love the Miskiu class that I am taking here. I am able to learn on a new level, and converse with the teacher about the culture and the people so much. It creates within me a new love and hunger to study this people, to study people in general: cultures, languages, arts, beliefs, religions. So interesting. Done rambling.

I love this place, I love my mission. I love all of YOU. Yes, YOU. I hope that anyone reading this letter finds something to help you each week, if not, pray. read your scriptures.
Have a fun week, look for opportunities to serve, to bless the lives of others, and look for ways to BE HAPPY.

Love,
Elder B