Wow! I am so white!!

Hola Familia! This has been a very interesting week! I am learning a lot about the people and about the mission and it´s a little overwhelming but it´s fun! It is true, I live in a home with a tin roof that is the loudest thing in the world when it´s raining, windy, you name it! The people here are so nice though and super welcoming! My Spanish has gotten so much better since I have been here which I am so grateful for because I would be so lost if I didn´t at least understand a little bit! The food is good but people weren´t lying when they say you have gallo pinto for every meal! Literally rice and beans all day every day and usually coke or juice to drink. It gets re4ally cold at night up here on the mountain so that I kinda stinks and it rains a lot so by the time i get back to my house at night I am totally drenched...its awesome though! We have a member who lives about 2 min away from us who cooks lunch for us every day. Her name is Blancita and she is super nice. She does our laundry for us too! It´s really nice. We cook our own breakfast and dinner so I usually have like cereal for breakfast and dinner because by the time I get home at night I am way to tired to cook anything! ¨Part of my area is way up in the mountains and it´s called Sur Maria. It is seriously like hiking all day every day! We spend most of our time up there so It gets tiring but I love it! You do not wanna get stuck up there at night though because it is really dangerous. We always catch the bus back down before sunset because people specifically men get drunk and then bad things happen.Over all it´s pretty safe here. The men are not very respectful of women here though so I get called things throughout the day that I wish I didn´t understand, but unfortunately I do. The members here are really great but it is a little hard to get any of them to come with us to teach because most of them only got baptized to receive the welfare that the church provides. They are basically all less active! We walk so much and I have blisters so bad already. Mole skin is the best invention in the world! We get water delivered to us every day from Managua so we can take showers and have something to cook with, but you definitely don´t wanna drink it! Unfortunately that cold I got in the MTC turned into a sinus infection so I had to get some medication and I feel a lot better now!

             I love this place but I have never seen poverty this bad before. These people literally have nothing and when I say nothing, I mean nothing. The little kids run around naked and they are all super skinny. The other day we were up in Sur Maria during the day teaching a family and both of their little babies were crawling around through the trash on the dirt and just eating garbage because the family didn´t have food. I left that lesson the other day and I just started crying because it broke my heart to see that people have to live like this. The parents to all they can to feed their families and get them through...but it is so hard for them! I just want to do all I can to help these people by sharing the gospel with them. Yesterday we brought 2 families to church and they are really progressing. We have a baptism for a man named Ergenio this Saturday and the next Saturday we have one planned for a women named Monica! I am so excited because these people are ready! They have such strong spirits! I am doing my best at learning the language and learning how to be a good missionary! It is so hard here for me both physically and spiritually, but I can do it because I know I am not alone!

             I email at an internet cafe about 2 blocks from my house. It is next to a proparia( proparias are little shacks with snacks and drinks that you can buy). It is so crazy here how personal space does not exist. That is something I am going to have to get used to! On the buses sometimes if there aren´t seats you just have to stand and it is awful because people just climb over you and it´s so hard! It is not to hot up here in Matagalpa but it is so unbelievably hot in Managua! I was there today for a choir practice because we are having a general authority come in a couple weeks so we are singing! That is why I am emailing so late because I have been traveling all day! I love being here but man is it hard! I will get used to it but it´s hard adjusting to the fact the i live under a tin roof and have to water delivered to me everyday because there is nothing up here! It is so great though and I love seeing how the Gospel blessed peoples lives here! I love you all so much! I am so grateful for Bryce and the wonderful example that you are B! Always follow those promptings you get from the spirit. i love you guys with all my heart. I miss you a lot and I keep you in my prayers and in my thoughts all day long! Stay safe! I love you so much!

Love, Hermana Dickey

I am FINALLY here!!

Hola familia y amigos!

I am finally in Nicaragua!! I arrived on monday night around 930 and didn't get to the place we were staying till about 11 because President and Hermana Collado took us to dinner. It was really good! We stayed just one night in the transfer house and then on tuesday morning we had our orientation and assignments at the mission home! I got my new comp and my very first area assignment! I am serving is Matagalpa which is about a 3 hour bus ride outside of Managua...so we are literally living in the jungle! It's great! I'm not gonna lie though...this is DEFINITELY out of my comfort zone! Our ''home'' is one room with 2 beds and then another room with a sink to wash dishes a toilet and a shower. It is pretty small so my comp and I are already getting to know eachother really well! Haha! The roof of our casa is a piece of tin so it gets pretty loud when the wind is blowing or when it's raining! I love it though! Matagalpa is up in the mountains so it is a little cooler than the city especially at night and in the mornings. There is no such thing as hot showers here so...be fast!! My comp Hermana Drollinger is an STL and she is super sweet! she is helping me A LOT with my Spanish and just helping me learn how to be a good missionary in general! Last night we went contacting before dinner and we got a couple to let us come by and teach them. The tricky thing about Matagalpa is that there are no addresses so people just describe where they live by landmarks like gas stations or markets. Like my casas address is poso publico uno norte because we live right across from a big water tank where the people come to wash thier clothes or dishes and we are the first house from the north. That's how we find houses. By memorizing the landmarks they use to describe where they live and then just hoping we find the right house. Even though we are up in the mountains it is still VERY hot during the day! It's actually really nice at night! We have a member here who cooks us lunch everyday. She is called Nuestro Almuerzita. Her food is really good. She made me my very first gallo pinto! I love it! Today we have lots of lesons to teach so hopefully they will go well! My comp says all of our investigators right now are progressing very well! I seriously love it here! It is so poor and a little dirty but the people are so nice and so humble! They would literally give you the clothes off our back if they had to! Matagalpa is awesome and I can't wait to see what amazing miracles happen here! I am doing great and just trying to stay calm and not be to hard on myself. I know a minimal amount of Spanish but thats ok because Heavenly Father will help me! I love this work and I love these people! I can't wait to hear from you and I will write more on monday during my P day! I love you all so much and I miss you! Buenos Suerte!!

Love, Hermana Dickey