Will you still love me if i come home with fleas??

Hola mi familia! Yup that is right, I have discovered it is absolutely certain I will get fleas on my mission! Who would have thought? Aparently most of the missionaries apts are fine but the members and investigators are not. To be honest, I am far more terrified about the spiders that will be sharing my bed with me next week... bring on the fleas if I can stay away from the spiders:)

This was a great and eventful week yet again! So first off, a great ´nobody understands my spanish´ moment. Last wed after I emailed we were supposed to teach Rudy. So as we were walking out, I asked my Mission Pres here how to ask if Rudy was here. He told me and I said the exact phrase to one of the other guards. They all acted like they understood me perfectly so I was pretty pleased... well next thing we knew the same guard was trying to let us out the back gate of the CCM thinking we wanted to leave the CCM. Maybe this doesnt sound funny, but trust me it was!! How in the world did they get we want to leave from me asking is Rudy here?? Who knows!! Thankfully one of our latina friends was with us and she explained what I really wanted. Sadly he wasnt there and there was a misunderstanding. But we all had a good laugh that the guard thought we wanted to leave the CCM... out the back instead of the front!

Thankfully I got to have a redeeming moment with my spanish. We got a surprise on Monday and learned that we would be going contacting. They had told us we wouldnt because they are trying to implement the MTC program here. Our pres thinks it is way too good of an opportunity not to so we got to go!! I got to experience for the first time their bus system:) Took me back to Michigan being stuffed on the bus to the point that you had absolutely no where to move... good old days:) The only difference is these buses are smaller and I think more people stuffed into a smaller space. It was pretty funny and I loved every minute! This time Hna Parker and I went by ourselves... and let me just say SUCCESS!!! We got eight addresses and phone numbers, gave out two book of mormons and like 14 pamphlets. It was so fun and I cant wait to do it for real. Here it is hard because we just hand them off to other missionaries and have no idea if they actually get contacted. One lady that Hna parker gave her BOM to was so sweet. She talked with us for 10 or so minutes and as we were getting ready to leave, she told hna parker to take her watch off because it was dangerous... mind you all this was in spanish!!! She was a really sweet lady and she seemed absolutely ready for the gospel! Hopefully they contact her! We had so much fun again and I am getting excited to leave the CCM and be a real missionary. 9 weeks is a long time to sit and do nothing all day but read, study, read, and eat... The first few days will be interesting but I know God will help me move along!

So along with the fleas, some other fun things I have learned I will probably experience. Many of the missionaries in central america only have water in the morning and at night... some of which have no idea when it will turn on so they just pray and hope it turns on when they need it. That is a step up from the missionaries that take showers with buckets:) Doesnt that sound fun?? I am so excited to share my adventures of this beautiful place!

So two other great stories from this week!

First Rudy... he didnt show when we scheduled an apt... we were pretty sad and were SO ready to teach him. But he did show up to the second one (our teacher is really good at the whole guilt trip thing... a skill every missionary learns I guess. I need to start working on it so that when I try to guilt trip I dont feel guilty) Anyway, he came and once again I hardly understood anything. I am telling you, he speaks different than everyone else I talk to! Anyway, long story short because time is running low, we challenged him to baptism and he accepted!!!!! I havent even left the CCM yet!! Anyway, we couldnt do a date with him because he needs to get married and I have learned that is the true issue here. Nobody is married! We are going to talk to him about that tomorrow and hopefully he is open. He started crying during the lesson after wed challenged him to baptism. It was such a neat experience. I also bore the strongest testimony yet about how he wont be tempted above what he can handle. For the first time ever, I threw spanish out the window and just started talking to him... in spanish of course but I didnt care if I didnt know a word. I just kept going and every time I needed a word I just asked my teacher. It was great and I pray and hope it touched his heart. Satan is definitely working on him and I pray he will have confidence that he can overcome!

Second... really awesome really fast!! Last night we had an AMAZING devotional. Our pres was telling us a story, reading from pgs of his missionary journal. He had some friends visiting and they had born their testimonies at the beginning. Then at one point while reading his journal, he asked the man to come up. There were these two amazing men standing next to each other, my pres began to cry and we learned that he converted his friend while on his mission. It was such a touching story and for the first time I didnt use the translation head phones. I didnt understand his friend, but it is amazing how the spirit can touch your heart even when you dont know the language. It was such a great experience and I am so glad I got to hear it before I leave.

I LEAVE!! OH MY GOODNESS! I leave Tuesday really early in the morning. I think I spend the first night in the mission home and then off to my area:) I am NERVOUS but I know I can do it and cant wait to start teaching the gospel!!! I have heard I will get to email one more time here before I leave. I think Monday afternoon or morning maybe. Anyway, In one week I will be an actual missionary!!!! It is going to be an adventure of a life time and I cant wait to share it with you! I hope everyone is doing well!! I miss you all and I am sad I missed Jordans setting apart as an Elder but I am SO SO excited for him! Everyone at the CCM knows it:) I love the CCM! My pres here and all the people, I am sad to leave but I know that I will fall in love with Xela too and that I will love the people I meet there. I have heard that my mission president is great! I am excited to meet him!! Keep me updated! Congrats meg on your job interview! Karli... where is that monthly pic you owe me?? :)

I LOVE YOU LOTS!!!! Talk to you soon!!

Love, Hna Nelson