Ben's Mission to Nicaragua: The End of the World Leads to Many Miracles

Hola familia!

So basically this week was so stinkin crazy!! Just a little foreshadowing, the signs of the second coming are increasing here in Nicaragua. I'm not going to oblige anyone, but make sure you're prepared..... haha, I don't even know how to start.

I will begin with the recuperation from conference. So basically we came upon Saturday, our one full day to work in the area all week. I had a personal goal to find a bunch of new families and investigators to bring to church, and we found probably three families that seemed pretty positive. So we helped them through the day to commit well so that they would feel the need to go to church. As we set out on Sunday morning to bring people to church, the first little family that we had committed decided to leave the house early that morning. The second house that we visited is an investigator named Ronald, and he is the wife of a member of the branch. His wife said that sadly he had to help his sister with an errand that she called about that morning, so we started to get a little discouraged. As we continued, people began to say the same stuff, that they weren't home and what not, until we arrived to the last house. I was praying for someone and when we got to the house of Bertha, she was basically already ready to go!!!! It was such a miracle because we had decided that morning that if she didn't attend that Sunday, we would have to leave her and hope she was more ready for other missionaries in the future. But that wasn't the only miracle. Upon arrival at the church, Ronald was there with his wife!!! It was such a spirits booster!!!! So that was Miracle numbers 1 and 2.

On Monday, as normal, we were in the office all day, and unfortunately, we had a ton to do all day so we were even kept here in the office a little late. Elder Maradiaga had been working on some stuff with President earlier in the day and President left his chair out in his area of the office, so at about 10 at night, he said, hey look President gave me his chair!!! So I said that I wanted to sit in it for a bit, so I went out there and just as I was literally about to sit down, Elder Maradiaga stops me saying "wait wait wait!!!!! There´s an earthquake!!!!" I paused for a bit, and saw the big printer start to shake, and indeed, the earth was quaking! hahaha I was enjoying my first ever earthquake when he said that we should probably run downstairs and out to the parking lot, so I agreed (reluctantly (just kidding)). It was all really quite funny actually. I don't think that it was a coincidence, the timing of it all. I don't think I will be trying to sit in Presidents chair anytime soon. And just so you know, it was not anything huge, so everything is just fine. No damage done. But that is sign number one.

On Wednesday I had the opportunity to do this really cool thing for interchanges for the day between my zone and another zone in the mission. We all got together and changed assignments for the day, and companions according to what President chose. I was a Zone Leader for the day, and I was comps with an Elder Compton, from Utah. So what was so great about this experience was that Elder Clark and Elder Chen were having a baptism that night (another awesome story) so we worked all day to get my investigators to come to the baptism and take part in the spirit of the baptismal service. Our major hope was Bertha and her daughters. We passed by, and sadly, Bertha's mom was having medical issues, so she couldn't come, nor her daughters. So we tried to find other people that wanted to come, but there was really no luck. We got to the service, and what do you know?!?! Bertha and her daughters were there!!! It was such a miracle! They loved it too, and they are totally going to get baptized! Bertha even gave the closing prayer at the service, and in the prayer asked Heavenly Father to help her be able to have an experience like that!!! Miracle number 3!

The baptism on Wednesday was for Marina, Jose, and Heber. I am pretty sure I talked about them before, or at least Marina. But they are the ones that I found with Elder Clark one night when I was buying a snack at a little shop on the street. Elder Clark talked to this 15 year old boy, Jose, and he invited us to his house and we shared a message with them, one thing led to another, and I got changed... :/ but they followed up teaching them and they got baptized! I even got to do the baptismal interviews for all of them! I was seriously sooo stinking happy to see them be baptized and hear their powerful testimonies that they shared after they were baptized! I love the church!! Miracle number 4!!

I am so stinking happy for them. Marina Jose and Heber. The one that baptized them (the really tall black guy) is the branch president. He is from Bluefieds, a city on the atlantic coast where they speak this weird dialect of English. So he also speaks English! Its super cool

A dead bird inviting us in the entryway of the baptismal font :) Classy.

So last night, we were out working in the area, and it started to rain. Now rain has been pretty normal here every day, so we decided to just start working through it. But then it got harder and harder. So we took refuge under a little patio roof at a pulperia (street store) with some other people. This storm was seriously the biggest rainstorm I have ever seen in my entire life. And outside the pulperia porch, I am not even exaggerating, for about an hour the entire street was flooded about 8 inches deep. THE ENTIRE STREET, FROM ONE SIDEWALK TO THE OTHER!!!! It is really hard to describe the intensity of this storm through words, But just imagine that city in Italy that doesn't really have roads, it is all just little river canals and they travel in boats to get from place to place. Yes that was Managua, Nicaragua for about an hour last night. We took advantage of the time we were stuck there and got to know a guy that was also hiding out from the rain. He is totally pumped to come to church and learn more, and we are going to talk to his whole family tomorrow too!! So that would be sign number 2 and miracle number 5!

Anyway, the church is true, and to be able to see it change the lives of people to gain a testimony of the truth is worth everything in this world. To have played a part in the conversion of Marina, Jose and Heber has made me the happiest I have ever felt in my whole life so far. Seriously they have such strong testimonies, and I know that they are going to be great members in the church and keep building their testimonies too! I love the church sooo much!!! I encourage all to feel this happiness by helping others find the truth. Just share it with everyone!

Love You All!!!

Elder Moser

Other pics this week..

We had to move these couches from the mission home to the senior couple home. We decided that we had to try them out before we could move them to make sure they were safe ;)