I Am Staying in Matagalpa

So the day before changes is super crazy. We have a big meeting in the morning as a Zone (like normal on Tuesdays). However, for this meeting we take pictures, play games, and sign each other’s "year books" lots of different things. Then we go work a little bit and that night we have another meeting. This meeting, for Matagalpa, is at a smoothie shop. MMMM! We all meet up, visit, take pictures again, drink SMOOTHIES and when the ZL´s get the call we all wait in anticipation to hear who is staying and who is leaving. And the results are.........I am staying in MATAGALPA with my COMP!! YES! I literally did a little yelp when they announced we weren’t changing. I feel like I am finally getting the hang of things here and I really wanted to stay. EVERY ONE says this is the best area in the entire mission. So I want to stay for a while! Changes this Wednesday were pretty crazy with the new Pres., tons of new missionaries and new areas. We left at 4 in the morning to get to Managua in time. The President is AWESOME and has a HUGE vision for this mission. His ultimate goal is 214 families in a month. He said we should be baptizing every week and we need two families baptized every change as well. WOOO. He is super big on the rules and Preach My Gospel. I like that a lot because I feel like it is something this mission is missing. I think utilizing the mission manual and PMG is going to help us in so many ways. So my District Leader/Papa in the mission, Elder Rasband, left for home this change and our Zone leader, Elder Mellars, was made an AP this change. I was super sad to see them both go. Elder Mellars is AWESOME! He will be such a good AP. This change we went from 2 AP´s to 5! There were also 4 new areas opened I think. There are also tons of new sisters! YAY it feels so good to not be the youngest anymore! Except for the fact that Spanish still sucks. At least I have an idea of what is going on now. So we have a new ZL and DL now. Our district leader is Elder Mich. He extended one change so he will be leaving us soon too. He is AWESOME though! The DL and his comp work really closely with my comp and me because we are in the same area. They are super fun to work with and I can already feel my Spanish getting better talking with him. I think it is because he teases me all the time in Spanish so I have to learn the words quickly to keep up with him.

So Thursday and Friday after changes were just Brutal! I think it was because I was counting on getting my letters at changes and that didn’t happen! That combined with the fact that I realized I had only survived one change and it felt like eternity were really weighing me down. Saturday I just decided I needed to change my attitude PRONTO! So I did and I started to feel better. We are working with a lot of less actives right now. I really like working with them and seeing the change the Gospel makes in their lives. It is so apparent in their faces. However, about everyone and their dog here have problems with the Word of Wisdom. UGH! That just is killing us right now. We are making huge efforts to help everybody with that issue right now. It is really hard to feel the Spirit when the person we are teaching is completely stoned. We have however, seen huge success with two of our less actives. Jesus is a member that hasn’t come for about 3 months. He really wanted NOTHING to do with us. Then we had a miracle. The Spirit pricked his heart and he decided to listen to us. Hector is helping us with him as well and he came to church this week! YES! He is also going to come to FHE in Hectors house tonight. I hope he can keep it up. Well the highlight of our week was Yudeimi´s baptism Saturday! It was SOO beautiful. The YW in this branch are so solid and they really helped out. The prepared a special musical number, talks and testimonies. There was such a sweet spirit during the service. That is a very special family I tell you. Yamili is going to be baptized this Saturday :)

Ohh man sleeping! Horrible! I don’t know what it is...my bed, stress, the food. No clue but I really cannot sleep. I just need to eat better STARTING NOW! We did get a pot yesterday so we can start cooking our own food now! YES!! We also got a fridge that works so we can store things in there now too. It was HILARIOUS! We had been begging for a Fridge and when Elder Mich (DL) got here he informed us that they had TWO. So they said they would bring one over for us Saturday night. Well.... we live on a freaking mountain! So about 9:30 we look out and see Elder Teban hiking up the mountain with a fridge strapped to his back. We WERE DYING laughing. It was super sweet though. Point is I am going to eat better...maybe.

Just found out our Zone Leader went to Managua today and he said he got all my letters for me! YES!!! I can’t wait to get those! Seriously I have been dying to read them. We also got a call today that my comp and I have a meeting tomorrow in Managua so we are going to leave tomorrow at about 4 in the morning to get there in time. I am pretty sure we will be hitch hiking... an adventure right? It takes about 3 hours to get to Managua.

I feel so strange. I don’t know how it is physically possible for me to feel all the emotions that run through my body everyday. I have moments when I honestly love the mission and love this culture. Then there are other moments...moments when I make the horrible, disgusting crying noise because I am sobbing uncontrollably. That moment usually happens in the morning during my cold shower with the cockroaches. I just need to learn how to remember those good moments ALWAYS! The moments we have with our investigators when I can feel the spirit, or moments when I finally understand someone, awkward moments that happen when I can't understand and we all just laugh nervously or fun times I have with our District. The culture here really is beautiful and fun! I need to remember that ugh!!! I hope I can remember that!! Hey I am 1/6 done with my mission though! I can do this. I need to make sure I am doing better at enjoying the mission and working with all my heart, might, mind and strength. I don’t want to come back and think "Oh my mission was pretty good". I don’t want to regret ANYTHING! I constantly have this quote in my mind " You have 18 months to serve a mission and then your whole life to think about it". I want to make the most of this time!

To all those I wasn’t able to respond to SORRY! The Internet this week SUCKS! So I don’t have much time to write back. I will try to write next week to you all! Know I love you and think of you all every day!!! I will always keep you in my prayers!

LOVES!
Savannah