2-23-2015

2-23-2015

Dear Mom and Dad!

Well I had changes! haha But you would not believe to where I had changes! BLUEFIELDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!  this place is so awesome! It is on the eastern side of Nicaragua, on the Caribbean coast! It is just like being in Jamaica! 90% of the people speak English/Jamaican English! or just Spanish! Because a lot of these people came from the Caribbean, there are a ton of black people, that speak English! It is a whole different culture over here! Fish is super super cheap, and we will eat everything with some sort of fish! I have yet to eat sea turtle, but one of our investigators husband is a fisherman, and will be coming back this Saturday from his 2 month fishing trip, and will bring us Lobster, Sea Turtle, Crab, Shrimp, and a variety of fish :) This has been my dream area since the begging of my mission, and now I'm here! Whooo Hooo! It is really safe by the way, so you guys do not have to worry as much now! :) We are writing from a little cyber cafe right now, about 10 minutes from our house!

Speaking of we, My new companion is Elder Hanson. He is from Sandy, Utah, one of those gross Brighton high school graduates.... j/k :) He has like 6 months in the mission and is going strong! He is super great! I laugh sometimes because of the lack of Latino Companions I have had on my mission, and the Lord has blessed me with this good of Spanish! but Elder Hanson is a work horse, and we both are ready to tear up Bluefield's! We have a goal of 12 baptisms this coming March, and hopefully we can get even more than that! :)

Well ill just fill you in on first how a person has to get to Bluefield's. From Managua, to a little city called Rama, it is 8 house in a bus. Then at Rama, there are no roads that go to Bluefield's because it is all swamp, so the only way to get here is by boat, but this is not just any boat. It is called a Panga. I put a photo at the end of the email of what that is! Any way so that is another two- three hours taking this boat from Rama to the Bluefield's haha :) it is quite an adventure! :) So it is overall, like a 10 hour trip to get here! Here in Bluefields there are four missionaries. Elder Hanson and I, and you would not believe who the other two are hahaha Elder Soifua, my MTC Comp and his companion, Elder Rodriguez, from Belize. Elder Rodriguez speaks Fluent English because in Belize it is the National Language haha. We four live in the same house, and work our behinds off everyday!

This last Saturday, we had two baptisms! A girl named Maria Auxiliadora, and her little brother, Olman! We had to do everything possible to get them baptized because the neighbors of them, told them a bunch of lies about getting baptized, so they ran away. All day we were looking for them, until the Sister of Maria called us (she is less active) and told us where she was hiding. We found her and sat down and pulled out all of the donuts for an hour and a half! It was super crazy! but right around 8:30pm we got her out of her house and got her and her brother baptized at like 9:00pm in the church! They got confirmed on Sunday, and are much happier now! The Lord really does bless us, we just have to go through the trail of our faith before we see miracles! (Ether 12:6). This Saturday we will have 2 more baptisms! and like I said we will be baptizing 12 people in this coming month!

I love you guys! I'm so happy that Mom got approved her medicine! I will be giving thanks to the Lord all day! I am talking the Mitch right now about his new move into Grandpa and The Michaud's ward! That is so awesome! When I saw those photos I was so happy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN 4 DAYS MOM!!!!!! you are the greatest Mom anyone could ever ask for! Seriously! I love you so much mom! You have always supported me and been behind my back, even in the hardest times! I know the Lord will keep blessing you and helping you in your trails! I could not have been born into a better family! I know that We will be able to be together as a family for the Eternities! I'm so happy for this gospel and the strength it gives me and the courage to stand strong in times of trails! I am so grateful for you mom and all that you are to me! Have a great Birthday! I promise I will be there for the next one! :)

I love you Guys! I hope you have a great week!

Elder 

2-17-15

2-17-15

Mom and Dad, 

Well I have a few seconds to let you know that I am doing great! Changes are tomorrow and we are just waiting for president to finish them up before we see where I go! Please send a camera with Tracie!!!! Just tell her to come to the mission office it in a package. She cannot see me. BIG PROBS haha But she is more than welcome to come and drop off the camera at the office and then it can be put into the mail bags to my area, or I can come to the office in the coming weeks to pick it up. Either way! But I think that would be the greatest way to get a camera to me. Electronics are Extremely expensive down here. I love you Guys a whole lot!!!

Elder Naisbitt

February 12, 2015 --- last letter from serving in the office

February 12, 2015 --- last letter from serving in the office

Dear Mom and Dad,

 Sorry the internet went down yesterday as i was about to write you!

But hey I'm actually writing you guys for real this week! Whoo hoo! :) Well its official, this is my last Pday in the office... :( Im going to miss this place a lot... It has been so much fun and so much hard work, but I have so many memories here. I am trying to figure out where i am going... Dang I feel like I just got here in the office, and im even more upset because I just got here in San Judas!!! DARRRRNNNNN! But I know where i am sent is where in the Lord wants me to be! Who knows what will happen though in the next week, but so I will be writing not this Monday, but the following week on Monday! Now I should have zero excuses to not write you guys every week! But this past week we had Elder Duncan here, which is why we were not able to write, but that was an incredible experience having him here! We learned a whole lot about how to accelerate the work here in Nicaragua, and not only baptize 2000 every year, but more into the 3000s. Nicaragua has such a high potential, we just needed to know to get to that potential. It was really awesome! I think the whole mission is really excited about this new plan that Elder Duncan gave us. He was very pleased about our job as secretaries, and sent president a very personal letter about us, specifically he said that we would go very far in life! Super awesome and kind of him to say that! Any way we had a great week, even though we did not sleep that much, nor participate much!

Well this week we have one baptism of a kid named Jose Luis! He was chosen to be baptized! We found him the we past week, and he chose to be baptized this Saturday! He had been to church before, however the missionaries never mentioned baptism (silly missionaries) so when we brought it up, he got really excited, and convinced his mom of this decision! He has been going to seminary for the past 2 two weeks and loves that as well! He will be a great convert!

 I have been really studying this week on getting back to the basics, since now I have new scriptures now :) I am doing fine, im not mentally scared or anything haha! It could have been a lot worse. Sister Russell was really freaked out as well, and grateful that we are not hurt. 

 There have been other people here in the mission that have received cameras, so I know it is possible, it just depends on if we want to make the risk. I am good either way. Ill go to the mall and Pricesmart and see what they have in cameras. Hopefully it is not too spendy!

 Ill let you guys know where I ended up in the coming weeks!

 Im super excited and super antsy!!! AHHHHH 

 I love you guys, thanks for all of the support you guys are for me!

 Elder Naisbitt

February 7, 2015

February 7, 2015

Well I'm writing you today in the hopes that you get this email shortly. Ill share what actually happened when I get home from the mission, we are all fine, but I lost my backpack and wallet. In the backpack was my camera. In my wallet I lost my debit card (I just canceled that) as well as drivers license. Like I said I'm fine, mentally and physically, but i just wanted to let you know that if you guys could work on getting a new black backpack, as well as a new camera, that would be awesome! :) I love you guys

Elder Naisbitt 

"Hey Dad,

Well I trust you and mom , I just don't want you worrying. Well we were held up at gun point, so we just gave everything up. like I said we are fine! I'm fine! :) just a little frustrated that it happened haha.

I would love to have some money wired to me if it is possible. Next to the office we have a Western  Union, which is the safest and most secure way of receiving money. I think the idea of the refillable credit card would be a great idea. Whatever you think is best! Thanks so much for the support! If you would like to chat about all this today, I will be on the computer in the afternoon around 1. I love you dad!

Elder Naisbitt"

**Travis and I are working on the backpack and debit card.  Travis wired money to Garrett.  Hopefully, on the next change/transfer, he'll be sent somewhere safer.  Managua is very dangerous.

February 2, 2015

February 2, 2015

Dear Mom and Dad,

I love you guys a lot! Sorry it has been a really crazy two weeks! and even then I have one more crazy week ahead of us! Elder Dunkan (area Pres) is doing a mission tour on Wednesday through Friday!! It is going to be so crazy!

We just had a mom call into the mission office crying asking about her son, and we were listening about what was happening and I guess she did not receive a weekly letter and her son was kind of sick, so he only mentioned in a quick email that he was in Managua going to the doctors. So she freaked out and called the office crying thinking that something was really wrong with her son. We figured it out, but then I felt bad because I have not written in a few weeks and I know that I am sure you guys get kind of the same way! I'm sorry that I am so busy! I hope you liked the crazy photos of us with the pigs!!!! How gross right????? In each pig head, there was little holes in the ears that you have to put your thumbs through to pick up the head!!! IT was SUPER gross :) So then we would hold it in front of our heads, and the back side was even worse! Oooo mom would have gagged and thrown up EVERYWHERE! It was a great experience though! :) I also hoped you got a laugh at the crazy sun burnt photo haha President had invited us to play Tennis with him, which was really really fun! But us three gringos got TORCHED haha :) It was so much fun though, I'm all good now though! :) I'm so glad that we baptized Katy and Yahoska! they are so great! It was a great week! We found two really great families yesterday, that will accepted a baptism date for the 7 of March! They are super awesome and willing to listen to the gospel! WOOO HOOOOO :) I love you guys so much! Please do not worry about me too much! I'm doing great I have been super blessed with health and energy! I'm just so happy to be here in Nicaragua! I can not believe that it has been 13 months now! I miss you but I love you more! Have a great night and a week!

Elder Naisbitt

January 21, 2115

January 21, 2015

Dear Mom and Dad,

Well it sounds like you guys had a BLAST this week! LOTS OF FUNSEEKERS :) I can not believe that Lauren's team did not win! but like dad said, at least they did not lose! I loved the photos haha the water tornado was super cool! Bah rich people! ;) J/K that looked like a wicked rock that hit your windshield, hopefully you can get reimbursed from the car insurance! Lots of fun though!

SO like I said last week, we are preparing these three kids for baptisms. Katy was supposed to get baptized last week but we explained that because her sister did not go to church two weeks ago, she has to wait until this weekend to get baptized. So Katy decided to wait with her sister! They have had their interviews and are ready to enter into the water. They will be baptized on Friday because on Saturday they have a Young Women's activity and they want to go to that :) its going to super sweet! Katy loves the church and everything about it as well as her sister! We kind of hit a wall with Nixon though. His mom got upset that we were trying to baptize him, and so we sat down and kind of Macheted her haha. She felt bad and said that she would pray with Nixon to see if this Saturday is the day he should get baptized. 

We found this new investigator named Jorge, and he is SUPER awesome! He loved the church this past weekend and is stoked to go this coming week! I still have not visited him because the night that Elder Hayes and Mataalii went to visit him, I was on divisions with Missionaries in my district, making them feel super good because they brought 11 investigators to church!! But what was just as cool was that we also brought 11 people to church! It was super awesome! Sacrament meeting was packed with a huge attendance of 181 people! I know for back home that is smaller than normal, but for our little ward here in San Judas that usually has 140, was HUGE! But it was kind of a disaster after that though because they did the Area Plan for 2015, which first was 2 hours long, and second, they just sat and talked about baptisms for the dead.... Lot of confused investigators after that. But we fixed everything haha.

Well President has put the goal of 2000 baptisms this year!!! If we baptize 167 people every month we will meet this goal! But because this goal comes from the Lord, so we know we can hit that goal for 2015!! If we complete it, we will go down to San Juan del Sur, which is the nicest beach here in Nicaragua! When we come back here as a family, we will have to go! It's super pretty, from what I have heard. The only sad thing is that, I go home December 10, so that means I will work really hard to hit the goal, but never reap the temporal blessings!!! Spiritual blessings I will be loaded with!!! haha. But as a companionship we are doing really well! We work with members almost all of the nights so that we can do divisions and get double the work done. 

Well that is my week! I hope you guys have a great week!!

I love you a lot

Elder Naisbitt

January 14, 2015

JANUARY 14, 2015

Dear Mom and Dad!

What great news that you were able to meet with the doctors and see that the transfer will not be too bad! That makes me happy! I really hope that all of this stuff with the new drug works out so you can keep fighting the cancer with all of the strength that God has given you! I love you Mom so much! 

Well the past two weeks have been mixed together with a lot of different things it sounds like! Lauren running from all different places getting to work and going to soccer! I would be so tired! I'm glad ash is still loving basketball! I got his letter yesterday! I have the greatest little brother and Sister! Tell ash that I will be working on a return letter and that should come sometime in the future :) 

So these past two weeks have been super duper crazy! We had some radical changes here in the office! First off there is a new elder here in the office, named Elder Mataalii (from LA, but family from Samoa). He will be my replacement here in the office, so this is officially my last change here in the office.... :,,,,,,,( How sad! I have come to love this so much and be under so much stress, that its hard to imagine not having it. but I'm super pumped to be going back into the field as a full time missionary and not have to deal with all of this stuff haha. Anyway, Elder Mataalii is super great and will do a great job at being the general secretary. So right now Elder Mataalii and Elder Hayes are in a trio, which is fun, it is just hard to teach because its really awkward to pass the time, but we are getting used to everything! This change is going to be really awesome! One because of our companionship, two because something else really huge happened! President changed us out of Hialeah and Memorial Sandino, to an area next door called San Judas!! This is the greatest area I have ever been in! We will be baptizing 4 this month, and we already have one completed! There was a kid in the ward who was baptized, but could not get confirmed, so we confirmed him a member of the church last week! Super awesome! We have a possibility for this week named Katy, and she is super solid and is pretty excited for her baptism, and we have her sister the following week named Yahoska, as well as another kid named Nixon! Nixon was a huge miracle that we were able to get his parents permission! We went last week and talked with his mom about baptism and about how he was preparing to make this covenant with God, but the mom was not happy about it, and would not give the permission. So we left trying to figure out what we should do, so we came back a two days later to try again, but the mom was not there, just the Dad. The Dad however was super open to us and our purpose as missionaries, and that if Nixon wants to get baptized he can do it, we just cant force it on him, so we agreed to that, and he signed the permission!!!!! WOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO! 

Caty and her pet Pig

This area is so much more blessed than the last one, as well as the fact we are able to go into all of the area and not have to worry about getting robbed and beaten!   I'm pretty happy right now! Well except for what we have to do tonight... 

There is a missionary heading home for reasons which are private, but he his taking a bus back to El Salvador (Area Pres. Order) so we have to get him to the bus terminal at 4:00am, and he does not get in from Bluefields until 1:00am, so we will not be sleeping tonight because we have to weigh bags, and what not. Then we are sending his companion back to Bluefields at 5:00am on a flight from the airport. His companion is Elder Roney, I don't know if you remember him but he was in my MTC group, so we will be up all night driving around....lots of fun. we are also preparing ourselves for the 4-6 of February because that is when Elder Duncan (area President) is coming for a mission tour. So that is what is coming on the horizon for us here in the office! Lots of crazy stuff! 

Just to let you know, I'm still district leader, nothing has changed about that, just the area and the missionaries in my district. 

I love you guys so much! Thank you for all that you do for me! I love you a lot!

Elder Naisbitt

New Compl that will replace Garrett in the office in February
Elder Mataalii & Garrett

Caty's pet pig