Letters from Puerto Cabezas

Date: June 22, 2010
Area: Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua
Companion: Elder Velásquez

There is so much to tell you and I seem to be so limited in
words at this point, but I will try and explain to you how my first week as
been as well as I can.

So on the plane ride I spoke to a woman and bore my testimony about eternal
families, as her father had died that morning so she was flying from Miami to Managua
to cremate him and scatter his ashes. Weird, but it was a great experience.

I got into the airport and had to go through customs then have my bag hand
checked by the Nicaraguan government and then I could go out and meet my
Mission President and his wife. It is hot in Managua. Dad, maybe it's a good
thing that you guys aren't coming out here, you would die. It gets to be like
95 by like noon or 2 o'clock and only cools down when it rains (basically). So
we got picked up at the airport and then went to McDonalds to get dinner. After
that we went to one of the 2 mission homes, the South Home, and got ready for
bed. It took me forever to fall asleep; I mean it was 85 degrees after all.

Tuesday we had some training and some orientation stuff to do, I had a 5 second
interview with my mission president (and I mean literally 5 seconds). Then we
went out tracting with one of the Managua Zones--there are 4 Zones in Managua.
After that we went back to the mission home and ate dinner and slept.

Wednesday was transfers. I am in the Nicaragua Managua North Mission! My
trainer is Elder Velásquez, from Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. I'm serving in the
highest baptizing area in the church right now, it’s called Puerto Cabezas.
Last month they baptized over 100 people and like 12 families! Crazy! It's a
lot colder than Managua, by like 5 degrees and it rains a lot more. Oh, and
it's a 24-hour bus ride from Managua to Puerto, that was tough. The people here
are fantastic. Such hard workers, they make me feel like I was such a lazy
member before the mission. They go out every Sunday and make sure that the
recent converts are all coming to church and that a lot of the less active
families are coming.

I love my mission president. He is so frank and blunt and says everything as it
is. It's fantastic.

Um, so lots of random things have happened to me, but I don't want you to every
worry about how I am doing. No matter what trials we have in this life we can
overcome them with our faith and determination. My APs have told me that I
might quite possibly have had the most difficult first week of any missionary
they have ever met, but I know without a doubt that I am being blessed with
trials; they strengthen me, humble me and draw me closer to the Savior.

One of the coolest things that has happened to me happened just last night. We
were driving back to Managua (seriously a 16 hour journey by car) so that we
can see the president and say goodbye to him at his departure devotional and
there was a strike going on. A hunger strike against the government. They were
turning ambulances away! But we got through. We prayed together, we sang hymns
in Spanish together and some people went out and talked to the people while
others guarded the truck, for in Nicaragua you always need to watch your stuff,
everywhere you go whatever you're doing. But I was praying fervently with
Heavenly Father when I remembered a line from my Patriarchal Blessing that
states basically any righteous desire of your heart shall be granted, so long
as it is needful (paraphrase). So I basically said to my Father in Heaven,
"I really want to go to Managua and need to see the President one more
time. This is not just something I want, but my whole Zone hasn't been to Managua
and won't be able to see those in the South Mission if they don't see them now.
Please help us to get across." And eventually, after a while the people
softened and let us pass, but I was praying and I did not doubt in the power
the Lord has given us as missionaries.

Remember this lesson, prayer is the only way we can be close to our Father in
Heaven. It is the only way we can keep our relationship strong with him.

Family, I love you so much and I miss you terribly. If you can all pray not
just as a family, but personally as well that I might be buoyed up during these
trying 2 years I will be eternally grateful.

Mom, I will try and get more info to you guys about how to get letters to me
and stuff. I just need the new address. So if you could like send a little
Facebook note to Heather Thomas and ask her to tell other not to send stuff to
the old address and tell them that they can still send stuff through pouch to
the NORTH mission, that'd be great, that'd be fantastic, just let them know that they need to send mail via pouch to my new mission.

I love you all so much, and I think about you all the time. It brings me such
great happiness to know that we are such a beautiful family. Please, do not
worry about me, pray for me and the people of Nicaragua.

--

Love,

Elder Bolton

P/S

Really, do not worry about me, simply pray that I can be
effective and not get too homesick

Also, they have officially extended my mission 3 weeks, so technically I get to
serve out my whole mission in Nicaragua.

--

Love,

Elder Bolton