Homecoming January 18th 2017

January 2nd 2017

Well guys,  Mendez and I kicked some serious but this week. We started off a little disanimated, for the past couple weeks we have been running low on animo, but on Thursday we decided to turn everything around.  We had a killer scripture study in the morning to boost us up and we left the house ready to throw fire. We invited everyone we saw to get baptized and it helped a ton. We found like 3 or 4 families who were interested and we put like 9 fechas.  It was super fun because we were competing with the other zone. The other zone beat us, but both zones worked super hard and put more than 40 fechas.  It was super awesome. We managed to see companionships that were super disanimated work miracles in their area. Right now we have three super super awesome investigators.  I want to talk ABOUT ONE REALLY QUICK. His name is Arnesto.   Arnesto is a very humble man but has struggled with cigarettes throughout his life. He has also been looking for a church all his life. We have been working with him for about a week now and his demeanor or his personality has changed dramaticALLLY. He surparsses the goals we put with him and goes to activities with out us reminding him. It's all going well down here in Acombe. See you guys later

December 26th

Hey guys,
Christmas was awesome down here in Nicaragua. Here, on the 24th everyone celebrates.  They shoot fireworks, and have parties, and eat a ton of food, it's super awesome.  Mendez and I ate a ton and we chilled with our recent converts. I'm so thankful for you guys. Thanks for always messaging me. The packages were awesome, I loved the pants and the blow up santa. They were perfect, and I liked the peanut butter and the cliff bar.  The real miracles were Sunday. We passed by everybody, to see if they were coming to church, but everyone was drunk, or asleep, or went to the beach. Even our most awesome investigators went to the beach. BUT, orlando went with us.  He is a super awesome young man who is going to get baptized.  Ernest, the dad of a super giant family went as well. He went to church alone without any help and he says that he loves it and that he's going to keep going. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to see people like him realize that the way he lives does not bring happiness.  I love to see them change and love the gospel. 

I asked him what he did today and this weekend, this was his response.

Well, we hung out with the zone today. We played soccer and stuff, then we ate at a cool chicken place.  Mendez and I bought some nerf guns, so I'm going to take a lil money out for that sorry, they were cheap (his perspective about money has changed a lot since serving in Nicaragua).  The Christmas party was awesome, I forgot to tell you. We went to the stake Christmas party, and Elder Mendez and I sang a cool funny song together.  He's helping me sing better.
Keep being awesome guys, I'll see you next week.

December 12th and 20th

Mission Christmas Party with President Sergio A. Poncio Alvarez and Sister Poncio Alvarez
Elder Mendez and Elder Scaggs

Hey guys this week was a little hard but we learned a lot from it. In the month of December we worked really really hard to get Magda and her family baptized, but we stopped working so hard afterwords, so we haven't had much success,  and we have not seen very many spiritual experiences either. BUT, we learned that we as people, we gotta work constantly to have the spirit with us, and work constantly bringing people to Christ. If we don't it's always going to be a up and down battle. We need to learn to be more constant so we can have the spirit with us more often. This month we are having a ton of activities with the ward and with the mission for christmas time its really awesome.

So, in this month of December we have a ton of crazy parties that are going on. My companion plays guitar, so he likes to participate a lot. I'm in barrio acome.   Next monday we are going to managua again for the mission Christmas party!!!!!!!!!!!! Hey a question, do you guys still have the guitars, because I really want to learn to play the guitar when I get back!!! love you guys

December 5th

Hey guys,
The time has finally come, I have 6 weeks left. It's pretty weird, but I feel good about it.  Mendez and I have another change together and it's going to be my last change. We have many plans to consecrate ourselves by being exactly obedient and working very very very hard to give a super awesome gift to our Savior this Christmas, we don't have much to say from this week, but we had an awesome experience with our convert Hermana Magda. Magda is a very awesome person, but she gets really nervous when meeting to new people. She tends to seal up until she gains confidence, but this Sunday she did something so spectacular. In sacrament meeting she got up to bare her testimony, and it wasn't just a regular testimony, she gave it her all. She bore her heart guys, it was awesome and it felt so great to have been an instrument in the Lord's hands to help her get to that point. Magda and her family have made enormous changes, and will continue making changes. I'm so gratefull for this time I have to serve my Savior.
I'll see you guys next week

Elder Williams and Elder Scaggs
They were companions months ago and are now working in the same general area.

November 28th Chinandega

Hey guys,
More miracles this week!!!!! Emanuel got baptized. The zone baptized 30 people, but it was accomplished with a whole ton of miracles, we can't lie.  After a ton of work, prayer, fasting, teaching, and sacrifice, both districts managed to fight and fight and fight until the last minute, everyone fought. Yet again, I learned a very valuable lesson this week.   If we are obedient, and we work hard, God will always bless us with what we earned, even if at the moment it doesn't look that way, in the end it is.  Sorry I don't have much else to say my friends.  Keep being awesome and keeping working hard.

As there was a Hurricane in Nicaragua last week, and a 7.0 magnitude earthquake offshore at the same time.  I asked him how they handled all that and this is his response.  

Everything is going well down here.  We felt the earthquake, but it wasn't too bad.  The hurricane was on the other side of the coast. This week was pretty normal.  I'm normal, and I am actually getting a little fat because we eat so much here, but it's all good.

November 21st Chinandega Elder Mendez

More miracles guys,

Alright, so Mendez and I started the week with a ton of people ready to be baptized.  Even though they are ready and nothing is holding them back, it is always a challenge. One family is  so awesome.  It was tough to get them to decide to get baptized and we want to be sure they never turn back. When I say never turn back, I mean never turn back.  When Hermana Magda and Marlen finally made the decision to get baptized they were sure, but almost all of their friends rejected them.  These women are friends with everyone in the city. In fact we were with them when their buddies passed by. Magda said she was going to get baptized and invited them, but all their faces turned to frowns and they started making fun of the church.  Magda held strong and defended everything and so did Marlen.  In the end they all left, but Magda was still a little worried. The next day we found out her friends were saying unkind things on Facebook and Whatsapp. They almost all rejected her. BUT, this did not bring her down, she told us that nothing is going to stop her and she is going to keep strong, Marlen also defended herself against many of her friends who rejected her. These people, are easily some of the best converts I have ever had.  I'm so proud of them and I'm so glad that they took the leap. The other family pulled off a miracle with the help of members. They left work to help out the sister because she wasn't going to get baptized. They left and went to support her during the baptism at the last minute. Seriously guys incredible stuff her in La Roberto. I am so thankful for all the miracles that the Lord gives us, but to get these miracles we gotta work as a team, because satan's got a team too, and he always throws a wrench in things.  God is way more cool, so he wins every time.
Love you guys!!!!!!