Wikipedia Corinto, Nicaragua  Sister City Portland, Oregon

We visited a cool beach town in Corinto this week and got a free ride back to our house which does not happen often. 

shoes/zapatos

 Saturday night our lunch seta hosted a Quinceañera for a close friend.  They were busting serious music in their house.  Hey Dad I know you are a man of music.  I have a song for you to listen to, it's called "7 Dias,"  by Romeo Santos Romeo Santos That night she fed us sandwiches, beans, cake, and soda.  Here in Divino Nino we are fed very well.  We actually had to tell our seta to slow it down a bit. 

Elder Scaggs and Elder Smith 

 Oh my gosh I'm so thankful to hear from you guys, I love it!!!!!  Please keep the updates coming.  I love it!  This week was a huge game changer.  I got a new companion and his name is Elder Reese.  He knows Spanish very well, and I already see my Spanish improving because of him.  I am so thankful for his help on my mission.  This week was odd, we were really just trying to get our legs under us.  We found some cool investigators that we will visit again this week.

Easton, Grandpa, Dad, and Alex 2014

Easton knows how to do it right.
He helped build our garage.

I learned a huge lesson this week about goals and doing things right.  We were meeting with these people, and during our lesson the "electrician" came by to fix this woman's power.  He pulled a cable out of the ground, just YANKED it up and put some tape on it.  Then he buried it in the ground again, maybe 2 inches below the ground.  It made me realize a few things.   1. America is Heaven   2.  Things that are valuable do not come fast and without work.  It made me realize that my Spanish is not going to come fast.  My teaching skills will not come fast.  They will come slow and steady with lots and lots of hard work.  When I finally have the skills I want they will be solid and valuable.  This may seem obvious to you, Mom and Dad, but as an 18 year old missionary, it's a game changer.  I'm working hard and enjoying my time here.  My goals this next week are to improve my Spanish and teaching skills every day.

Your advice is golden Dad, I am learning a lot.  Thank you for your influence throughout my life. Please keep the Christmas Tree up!!!!!!  Keep it up!!
When Easton was called on his mission David let everyone know that he was going to keep the tree up until Easton came home.  I thought about taking it down this month but.............. we won't be doing that now:)

We sent him  a number of photos and this was his response.

Oh my gosh you guys are so awesome!!!!!!  I love the pics.  I love the info.  I love the love and support from you guys.  I'm glad things are going great for you.  Keep sending me pics.  Mom you are looking beautiful like always.  (insert happy mom face here)

We had changes this week.  Elder Smith is in Managua and I am with Elder Reese.  He is so Freakin Awesome!!!  He is a hard worker and knows Spanish very well.  When we leave the house we only speak Spanish, so it will be very tough but so worth it.  I am also showing Elder Reese around the area, so I've got to remember the names of all the recent converts and investigators.  Once again tough, but worth it.  I was not able to send you a letter this week due to changes, but I will send one next week.  This week was crazy.  We had divisions two times in a row, so I was busy making plans and showing people around the area.  I contacted a lot of people with Elder Perkes and Cedeno, so I'm getting much better at speaking.  Things are getting easier, and more difficult at the same time.  Honestly, I think the key is just to be happy.  I can't really change what happens around here but I can do my best to help out and enjoy every day.  I'm trying my best, but I know I can do more.  I feel like this change will really make a difference.  Mom and Dad thank you so much for your help.  I need all the help I can get.
Love You

April 6th Chinandega

This week was a game changer for me.  Wednesday I went on divisions with my Zone Leader.  We contacted all day long.  He helped me so much and was very patient with me, but it was hard.  I stumbled and fell through sentences, but it made me realize I can't afford not to study and work hard to learn the language.  It's an ongoing process guys.  I want to learn the language and I've got to work for it. This week was the hottest week of the year, it reached 109 or 102, I can't remember. So, when we watched General Conference in English from the comfort of an air conditioned building, it was heaven! Way to go on going to the priesthood session together.  Things like that make me super happy down here.  The reality is you guys are freaking awesome, keep killing it back home.

Thank you so much for the help Dad, more often than not I feel inadequate down here, but the truth is I'm definitely growing.  My mission is very productive but tough at the same time.

Elder Smith   Elder Easton Scaggs 

 Some days are awesome but some day are really tough!!!!  I'm finally sort of getting the language.  I can kinda communicate with people, but understanding is a whole other thing.  Hayden, I am basically working in a place like the video game Jack 3.  Everyone is poor, but has motorcycles and spikey hair, it's pretty sick.

You gotta take pictures of your Disc Jockey stuff and send them.  Hayden thank you for writing me, you may not think I appreciate it, but when you guys, MY FAMILY, write it's like diamonds to me.  Pictures, words, you name it, I love it !!!!!!  Please send tangible photos in the next package!!! Hey mom, I finally got the packages!!!!!  Thank you a ton for the snacks and supplies, they will and are very useful!!!!  I especially loved the peanut butter power bars, those things are sooooooo dope.  I know I need to write you guys, so I sent my first letter to you today.  It's got some cool stuff for you guys, I promise.  I am finally starting to get things situated, and I am so incredibly thankful for your support.

Jocote

Photo of Haircut with Spiked Sideburns

This week I ate this thing called (ooz naca) it looks like diarrhea with the texture of tar, but it's so dope.  It's like a mixture of mango and this fruit called jocote.  It tastes like peach cobbler, and it reminded me of the father and son camp-outs we used to have.  We also had this crazy soup called sopa de marisco!!!  Basically it was soup with a ton of fat shrimp and stuff  with a whole fish flopped in the middle of it.  You guys would loveeeeeee it!!!!!!!!  I tore that thing to pieces.  I have come to realize that I am going to gain weight on my mission.  It is not my fault though.  I have tried everything I can to stay fit, but the odds are against me.  Our lunches and dinners are all fried in a very large amount of oil   We eat this odd type of cheese here that they pretty much drench in oil, I think that one is going to kill me.  So far my favorite food is pico de nueve, doughnuts, hot dogs, and enchiladas!!!  Last night I had a freshly made doughnut for the first time in 6 weeks, and I about cried.  Honestly I could have eaten 20 of those things.  Every time I eat american food here I lose my composure and scarf  it DOWN!!!!!