Ben's Mission to Nicaragua: Time flies when you are working hard and having fun!

Woah!! Seriously I feel like I was just here yesterday!!! This has been quite the week. I feel like that is getting old to hear. Anyway, I just was seeing how everyone is doing so well with their new years goals so far!!! It is evident that many have chosen to put a goal that they will write Elder Moser more in this new year, because my inbox has about doubled in new messages! Im rooting for you all to keep it up and stick with your goal!!! ;) haha
Also, another goal that is very apparent here in Nicaragua is that people want to come to church more, because the attendance in the meetings on Sunday shot up as soon as the new year started!!!

Anyway, on to the more important news of the week.... Our three best investigators, Victoria, Mariela, and Juan all came to church on Sunday, and they all loved it!! But unfortunately, we have been soooo busy this week we have hardly even gotten to go to our area to work!! That really stinks! But we have been able to pay a few visits to them.

Victoria is going to be out of town for about a week starting today. She is going to visit Jinotega to settle some things with the father of her child. She told us that she has been talking with him a little bit, and explained that she was investigating the Mormon church. He was really against it, but as she explained to us, he has no reason because he doesn't even have a clue what we believe. So we challenged her to teach him the gospel, to teach him the things that we had taught to her!! She thought it was a great idea, so we gave her a pamphlet of the restoration and she gladly accepted the opportunity to share the Gospel!!! What a blessing. She has even been talking to him about possibly getting married if they solve the problems in the relationship to avoid any chance of breaking the law of chastity! So she is really learning quickly!!

Mariela is doing great as well, and she is continuing with the strong desire to be baptized!! We just have a few more things to teach and a few more things to make sure she is good with, and she will make one great member in the branch!

As far as Juan goes, he is still suuuuper positive and wants to learn and share with his family as well, but his work schedule is soooo busy and he works like 2 hours from where he lives.... so he isn't in the house a ton. But we are going to keep looking for the opportunities to help him take the correct steps to apply the gospel in his life and to share it with his family as well!!

We are on a mad hunt for more people to teach, because we need to keep finding new people to share the Gospel with. Oh and also, we have changes next week, and these ones will be affecting me. Elder Maradiaga will be leaving the office in a few weeks from now, and I will have a new companion!!!! UH-OH!!

But also this week we had a pretty cool activity for P-day as a multi zone pday. We went and visited Volcano Masaya!!!!! And it was pretty fun, but I don't really know what else to say, so I will just send the pictures and that should say enough! haha

The real highlight of this last week brought me an immense joy that is really difficult to describe. But we were in my old area, La Rotonda because I got to do a baptismal interview for the missionaries there, and while we were there, I saw Alexis, the 18 year old boy that I baptized with Elder Alvarado! So we were talking for a bit, and he said that he is still super excited and can't wait to go on a mission! He is going to put in his papers so that he can leave around February, which means I will still be in the mission!! But it was so awesome to hear how much he is doing to prepare. He said that he is studying the Book of Mormon every day and he is reading from Preach my Gospel and just doing whatever he can to prepare!! He even cut his hair nice and short to be in line with the short hair rule already!! He is just so much happier than when we were teaching him and it seriously made me soooooo happy to see him like that. That is seriously the true joy of missionary work!! I could go home having only baptized him in the mission, and to see him like that I would have great joy! Just as it says in Doctrine and Covenants 18:15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
But I know that I still have much time left and that I am prepared to fulfill the next verse! 16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!
I love being a missionary and I love the joy that I find in the service of my Heavenly Father! I encourage all to find ways to do the same! Every member a missionary! :)

Love, Elder Moser

Pics this week...