Me with Hermana Yenavit.
Me with a great family.
Yummy!
Bowling!
Family!!!
How's
it all going with you guys! I hope that you are all having such a great week
already. It's so weird right now just thinking...wow...huh....I have one more
week left and then I see you in person....every day. Weird. Not just on Skype.
In some ways it feels like it has gone by way too fast. I can't handle it. It's
so crazy. Thank you for your sweet emails. Just to answer a few questions.... Doctors follow-up appointment: I
don't think a Doctor's appointment but maybe. This place yes is another country
but not as crazy as some others. I know I will have problems with food. I'm
planning on not eating anything! Ha-ha. Tired of eating. So bored with food. Ha-ha.
I want a break and just not having to eat. Just no rice and beans for a while. Ha-ha
thanks. Um...the temple will be open when we come!! Woo hoo. I know the temple
president and all of them. I told them we are coming and my last day that I go
(the day before I come home) I'll ask and we can make it. No worries. Got it
covered. Also, my comp's dad is looking for vacation packages that we can do.
They have a van like what we used in Italy and I asked her if her dad would be
willing to drive us around. She's asking him and we'll see how we can work that
out. Her dad is so awesome and so kind! Great guy! I'll keep you updated. So
many people here are like...we are sad but yet super happy because we'll see
you afterwards in a few weeks. Ha-ha. It's been a fun rollercoaster trying to
get everything in order and my comp ready. I'm a rollercoaster. Some days i
think...phew shoot, so ready and other moments it's like...wait...what....what
am I about to do? No...Not yet. Ya know. Kind of nervous. I had my last interview with my mission President on
Thursday. This was the month of interviews and he said because there is such a
big group leaving this month he would just do all of them when he travels
around. It was such a good interview. Weird to have it be my last. He was so
kind and can't wait to meet you guys. He's an amazing man. We wrote down some
goals and this weekend I had to write plans to send on to him. He said he's
keeping it on file to periodically see how I'm doing. President told me to kick out my fears and have faith in Heavenly Father. He
said I'll continue to have excellent spiritual experiences....some of the best
in my life and to just move forward. He said some really kind things about my
work in the mission. Of course I cried. I just wanted to feel a reassurance
that I have done and continue to do what Heavenly Father has wanted me to and
wants me to keep doing. He told me yes and more. I know it's time. But it's
hard to accept. On the mission you are surrounded by angels and protected from
the outside world. I am so grateful that I chose to serve my mission. I
couldn't have imagined anything better I could have been doing at this moment
in my life. I will forever be grateful for my experiences and the people that I have met and helped. I would love to tell you some spiritual experiences that I
have had this week...maybe just a few.
We've
been working super hard to reactivate a young woman who's less active so then
she can reactivate her husband and go to the temple. They are our goal for this
year in the ward to reactivate. It's been three months of teaching her and
FINALLY she came to church! I couldn't have been happier! She came!!! She was
sitting there in the back. Also, Jamber, our convert who is 10 came to church
alone!!! His mom dropped him off and then returned to pick him up. I couldn't
believe that he came alone! He said that he wanted to take the sacrament. Such
a sweetheart. A little boy, sacrificing to come to church. That's why the
scriptures always say that we need to be like little children. He's an amazing
member! Super sweet. We have been working with Gilbert who is a headache. Ha-ha.
He was a hippie, communist. This guy paints and sculpts. Ha-ha.
He’s looking to change his life but he's super analytical and logical. It’s
been interesting teaching him and helping him acknowledge that there is a God who
loves us. We are trying to just get him to pray. That's it. We can teach and
teach and teach...answer any question with the Bible and Book of Mormon but the
question...is this the true church only can be answered through prayer. So we
are getting him to pray. He’s progressing little by little. Fun guy. We are
teaching Francisco still. He's AMAZING!!! He's Jewish but is so going to be
Mormon. I just know it. I told him that. In our last lesson we talked about
faith. It was the first time he said Amen in the prayer after Jesus Christ! Big
step. He said he wants to pray more and learn about faith. We talked about some
experiences. Then I said...will you be baptized next week? He said...i know you
want to baptize me before you leave and be here for my baptism but you'll have
to wait. I'll keep praying but keep you posted. I said...I know....I'm not
worried. I know you'll be a member but you just have to figure that out for
yourself. I know you will....you just have to know it too. I told him that I
know he'll be sealed in the temple with his future spouse and needs to invite
me even if I am not one of the missionaries that baptize him. He laughed and
said...of course. I cried a little bit because he really is so amazing!! I said
the closing prayer and in my prayer I felt prompted to say that when he decides
to be baptized, that he'll have the courage and faith to tell his family and
they'll accept him still. It was very peaceful and a really nice moment. We
have an FHE with him and a family in the ward who has young men his age...one
who served a mission and one preparing to go. We’ll see how it goes. You’ll
have to meet him too. We also taught Carmen (Eilyn's mom) with a couple from
the ward. It was incredible. We started talking about prophets and then it
turned into the couple telling how they overcame doubts, prayed and read the
Book of Mormon and received their answers. The brother who came said....why do
you want to know? What will you do with your answer and then he challenged her
to baptism! I thought...wow you go hermano!!! Well done! So awesome. It was
direct and hit her hard but she's got to choose. There are some who just want
to enter the temple to see what's inside and others who want to enter the
temple to really change....enter the church to see what's inside or allow the
church to change and guide them. Just interesting. Oh...Eddy might be baptized
this weekend. It’s up in the air right now. He’s getting nervous and kind of
freaking out. We have to get to him and help him calm down. We’ll say. Just
please please PLEASE pray for him. We need the extra prayers!!!!!! Specific...that Eddy will accept being baptized!!! We had a sweet lesson with a young woman and
her sister. We’ve been teaching them about the restoration and they are
progressing along. They relate a lot with Joseph Smith. They are really Catholic but my comp has helped in that sense a lot! She was Catholic and only
has 6 years of being a member. They are trying to find out and see if it's ok
to leave the Catholic Church. The one young woman said she wasn't sure if she
needed or should talk with her priest to see if it's ok she comes to our
church. I thought...well duh....of course he's going to say no. ha-ha. But
whatever. We hope they can come and be baptized! It's hard because many of the
people we challenge to be baptized, and find, I won't be here to continue teaching
and baptize them. Weird. But looking at this in a positive way...finishing one wonderful special adventure and starting another.
I'm doing just fine. Just
working as hard as I possibly can. I almost contacted a whole bus yesterday
because I was talking with three women and a man about the plan of salvation on
the bus. The bus was loud itself so I had to talk loud. My comp had been
talking with another man and said the whole bus could hear me. Ha-ha. Too bad
we didn't have enough pamphlets. It was fun. I'm trying to give my absolute all
so I can look back with zero regrets. I love Costa Rica and I have really
enjoyed every moment. Hope you all have a great week. You are in my prayers. See
you next week! Woo hoo! Thank you for your love and support. I've received a
lot of advice and help with the going home stuff. It will be fine. Excited to
see you all. Not excited for snow. Enjoying the sun! It’s gorgeous here. Talk
with you next week. xoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxox
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