11/16/15
So this week for lunch we ate a lot of sea turtle. Here in Bluefields you can eat sea turtle. It has been part of their culture for hundreds if not thousands of years here so they still allow a certain amount of sea turtle fishing to be done. So we got to eat a bunch. It is really good. It’s closest to pork but super tender and then it tastes more like sea food. Maybe a bit like crab, like if you had an aquatic pig and it was more tender than a roast that had been in the crockpot all night. If you had all that you would find yourself somewhere close to sea turtle I would suppose. It is good, really good. The family where we eat with got a whole sea turtle to split between all the family, cousins and all so we ate a bunch of turtle this week. Every day she cooked turtle. It was like turtle cocktail because you never knew what you were eating. It was all just cubed up into bite sized cubes, but it was regular meat and then all of the organs cubed up too, liver, kidneys, heart, everything so that was a little interesting but it was really tasty so that’s cool. We went down and saw all the turtles the brother had caught and he told us that if we come back that he’ll take us out in the cays to fish turtle, shark, barracuda, everything—lobster, shrimp, just whatever is in season. Here in Bluefields really sea turtle is always the focus and lobster those two are the big two.
There has been 1 elder that came back and they went out fishing so I told him that if I could figure it out that I would come back to fish. So Andy if you want dude and if I get to working after the mission we can come down and go fish for sea turtles out of a 30 foot panga for a week and sleep in a shack out in the middle of the sea on a little island and it would be free. It would be pretty sick. The member is super cool and would be stoked if we actually came down to fish with him so I intend to try my best to come back because it would be super dope.
On a more spiritual note now, this week one day we were running to an appointment when a member called us over as we walked by. We went over and it looked like they were having like a funeral thing. There was a bunch of chairs set up and people and stuff and the member was like, “We’ve been waiting for you guys. You are coming to give the mass right?” To which we responded very confused “what mass?” Her, “Oh Sister Green didn’t tell you? You guys are supposed to give the mass.” Us, “No. No one told us anything about a mass and what is mass? I’m not sure what you are even talking about.”
It turns out that a little 2 year old had died a year earlier so they were having like a little memorial service and were going to have a mass and stuff so we did what any good missionary would do and said, “Oh, okay, hmm, you know who would do great, the branch president. We’ll give him a call and I’m sure he would love to give you guys a mass.” She was like, “Yeah that’s a good idea.” So I call up the President and he was working so he was like “oh call the counselor or the elders’ quorum president. I’m sure they would be willing to help.” so we called them but it turns out that they both were out teaching and in some meeting and were unable to make it so we were stuck to do mass which we weren’t really sure what that even consisted of or anything because it’s not really an American tradition.
They explained that really it’s just like a little message thing so we sat down out front and studied a little and got a few scriptures ready about children and the plan of Salvation. We found some scriptures and we went to go give the mass. We sat down and then everyone gathered around and there were like 30-35 people and only a few of them were members, Asia and 2 others. We started with a prayer and shared a message and it actually went really well. The spirit was really strong and then me and my companion sung Oh Esta Todo Bien. That pioneer song, All is Well, I think it’s called and they all really enjoyed it.
In the mission I have gained a very strong testimony of what it says in Mathew 10:11 “But when they deliver you up take no thought how or what ye shall speak for it shall be given you in that same hour what you shall speak.” In five minutes we found a few scriptures and we were able to give a good 30 minute message, including the hymn. It went really well and it was a really good missionary opportunity considering almost none of them were members. It was also very interesting that we were just 2 little white kids teaching a mass with 30 black members of a gospel church, throughout the prayers and when we shared scriptures they were always graced with scattered amens and halleluiahs. It went good I guess. It was a learning experience for us and for others. We got to share with them from the Bible, the Book of Mormon, The Family Proclamation to the World and from the Hymn Book. They got to see a lot about the church so that was my spiritual experience for this letter.
Also these last days I’ve gotten more sleep because we had to give up on piano class because me and my companion were way too tired and both of us got sick from lack of sleep from waking up early to go play piano. Now we get to sleep in until 6:30. I realize that that’s actually not that late but in the mission you get super tired. I figured out if you ever think 6:30 is early then just wake up at 5 for a few weeks and then you will be very grateful for the opportunity to sleep until 6:30.
It’s been raining a lot here lately because of the hurricanes. They are not coming here but it gets rainy here from it, which is different because the rain is pretty much done for the rest of Nicaragua, its ended but in Bluefields it is just always raining.
Peace and Love,
Z
So this week for lunch we ate a lot of sea turtle. Here in Bluefields you can eat sea turtle. It has been part of their culture for hundreds if not thousands of years here so they still allow a certain amount of sea turtle fishing to be done. So we got to eat a bunch. It is really good. It’s closest to pork but super tender and then it tastes more like sea food. Maybe a bit like crab, like if you had an aquatic pig and it was more tender than a roast that had been in the crockpot all night. If you had all that you would find yourself somewhere close to sea turtle I would suppose. It is good, really good. The family where we eat with got a whole sea turtle to split between all the family, cousins and all so we ate a bunch of turtle this week. Every day she cooked turtle. It was like turtle cocktail because you never knew what you were eating. It was all just cubed up into bite sized cubes, but it was regular meat and then all of the organs cubed up too, liver, kidneys, heart, everything so that was a little interesting but it was really tasty so that’s cool. We went down and saw all the turtles the brother had caught and he told us that if we come back that he’ll take us out in the cays to fish turtle, shark, barracuda, everything—lobster, shrimp, just whatever is in season. Here in Bluefields really sea turtle is always the focus and lobster those two are the big two.
There has been 1 elder that came back and they went out fishing so I told him that if I could figure it out that I would come back to fish. So Andy if you want dude and if I get to working after the mission we can come down and go fish for sea turtles out of a 30 foot panga for a week and sleep in a shack out in the middle of the sea on a little island and it would be free. It would be pretty sick. The member is super cool and would be stoked if we actually came down to fish with him so I intend to try my best to come back because it would be super dope.
On a more spiritual note now, this week one day we were running to an appointment when a member called us over as we walked by. We went over and it looked like they were having like a funeral thing. There was a bunch of chairs set up and people and stuff and the member was like, “We’ve been waiting for you guys. You are coming to give the mass right?” To which we responded very confused “what mass?” Her, “Oh Sister Green didn’t tell you? You guys are supposed to give the mass.” Us, “No. No one told us anything about a mass and what is mass? I’m not sure what you are even talking about.”
It turns out that a little 2 year old had died a year earlier so they were having like a little memorial service and were going to have a mass and stuff so we did what any good missionary would do and said, “Oh, okay, hmm, you know who would do great, the branch president. We’ll give him a call and I’m sure he would love to give you guys a mass.” She was like, “Yeah that’s a good idea.” So I call up the President and he was working so he was like “oh call the counselor or the elders’ quorum president. I’m sure they would be willing to help.” so we called them but it turns out that they both were out teaching and in some meeting and were unable to make it so we were stuck to do mass which we weren’t really sure what that even consisted of or anything because it’s not really an American tradition.
They explained that really it’s just like a little message thing so we sat down out front and studied a little and got a few scriptures ready about children and the plan of Salvation. We found some scriptures and we went to go give the mass. We sat down and then everyone gathered around and there were like 30-35 people and only a few of them were members, Asia and 2 others. We started with a prayer and shared a message and it actually went really well. The spirit was really strong and then me and my companion sung Oh Esta Todo Bien. That pioneer song, All is Well, I think it’s called and they all really enjoyed it.
In the mission I have gained a very strong testimony of what it says in Mathew 10:11 “But when they deliver you up take no thought how or what ye shall speak for it shall be given you in that same hour what you shall speak.” In five minutes we found a few scriptures and we were able to give a good 30 minute message, including the hymn. It went really well and it was a really good missionary opportunity considering almost none of them were members. It was also very interesting that we were just 2 little white kids teaching a mass with 30 black members of a gospel church, throughout the prayers and when we shared scriptures they were always graced with scattered amens and halleluiahs. It went good I guess. It was a learning experience for us and for others. We got to share with them from the Bible, the Book of Mormon, The Family Proclamation to the World and from the Hymn Book. They got to see a lot about the church so that was my spiritual experience for this letter.
Also these last days I’ve gotten more sleep because we had to give up on piano class because me and my companion were way too tired and both of us got sick from lack of sleep from waking up early to go play piano. Now we get to sleep in until 6:30. I realize that that’s actually not that late but in the mission you get super tired. I figured out if you ever think 6:30 is early then just wake up at 5 for a few weeks and then you will be very grateful for the opportunity to sleep until 6:30.
It’s been raining a lot here lately because of the hurricanes. They are not coming here but it gets rainy here from it, which is different because the rain is pretty much done for the rest of Nicaragua, its ended but in Bluefields it is just always raining.
Peace and Love,
Z