fun in the sun

hey hey. so life is so good. i cant believe i'm done with training in two weeks. This transfer has FLOWN by. its crazy biz. its so hot.. i have sweet tan lines. okay so i forgot this but this happened last sunday and its sick awesome. so last Sunday Gilmer, Alejandro, and Chuma got the priesthood. so Gilmer got it first and it was crazy because the person that set him apart was one of the recent converts who got his priesthood the week before. Everyone was really excited about that because rarely do you use your priesthood that soon after getting it. Well after Gilmer got it then Alejandro got it from one of the members, and they like to have someone different give the priesthood to each of the boys so they get ready to get someone to give Chuma the priesthood and they look and say well Gilmer do you want to do it? So he had just gotten the priesthood and within 7 minutes was giving the priesthood to his cousin. It really reminded me of the pioneers and I just keep thinking how really these members are the pioneers here in costa rica. It was probably the coolest moment in my lifeee.

okay so Tuesday we had interviews with the president. It was good. Hes such an amazing guy. So he told me that this last transfer he was going to switch us all up but then the Lord told him not too.. but that he said he is definitely splitting us up this next transfer which makes me really nervous but okayy.. Its weird and i'm just praying i don't have to train. ha.i say this because my Spanish is doing really good for only 2 months in the field and hna o told president that she thinks i'm ready to train someone.. i'm like no i'm only 19 and i only have 2 months here.... no way jose. ha. But who knows. the other thing... president raised the mission standards on July 1st.. and when he talked with me and my comps he said he had special goals for us and so he raised our goals personally.. its been hard but its been really good. i'm glad for the challenge and were def feeling the work-- we're so tired all the time but we know we can do it. 

So Heylen is the mom of Gilmer. Shes a really really inactive member. so we were teaching her about the apostasy because shes still going to her crazy evangelical church and so we get done explaining the church of Christ the one he established while on the earth and we ask what church has these 5 things? she wouldn't answer... we knew why.. because she knows this the true church she just doesn't want to change... so then after the lesson we said okay pray right now and solely ask if the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church.. and so she says a prayer and says "tell me which church is true" and when she finishes Gilmer says no mom you have to ask more specific ask the right way. so she says a quick prayer and says " is the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints really your church? is it true?" and then when she's done we all just sit there. she just starts crying and she says.. i thought i knew what the holy ghost felt like.. but this  this feeling... i've never felt it before.. and she said I know that this really is the one true church. it was so cool and it was such a strong spirit and just shows the importance of meditating after a prayer. 

So I did splits this week and i was just with hna o again. It was good and only for 2 hours so i wasn't to worried about being just two gringos walking around santa cruz. So our first two appointments fell and we're walking to another house when I see this girl. her names michelle and we contacted her once real quick a week-ish ago. so when i saw her i just knew we had to teacher her no matter what our agendas said. so we go over and start talking and i don't know how it happens but i start leading the lesson. and instead of teaching what we had planned to teach her during weekly planning we start on just the simple topic of "I'm a child of God" it was amazing because the spirit was so strong and I know she's one of those people I was meant to find. She needs this gospel more than any one else and shes so ready for it too! 

So we had a baptism on Saturday i gave a talk and got made fun of because i used the word tuanis in my talk.. it means cool. and its fun to use.. so i use it a lot. haha. anyways... yeah the baptism was really fun and really good but poorly attended because we had like a hurricane of a thunderstorm. hah. 

Baptism

So we've been praying all week to find a Family.. but we've been trying to be specific so we've been praying for a family with a mom and dad and three kids over the age of 8. well all week we've waited for this  and nothing... but then finally yesterday we went and contacted this lady and it was like we knew as soon as we started talking to her all of us knew this was the family. so we just did a little brief first lesson with her and her kids decided to listen to us too... she had three kids. 8,14,17 and a husband. they're catholic but super open to listening to other religions.  so that was a great miracle.

okay wanna hear the funny for the week... when you walk by people you always say hello and people normally say let god accompany you. well we walk by this group of young guys and i'm just me so i'm loud and like Hola Buenas! and they're like Hello. Hola.. blah blah.. and then i hear Let God accompany you. and so I'm like Okay you too! and then were just walking away and i hear them all laughing and hna bojorque says.... they said 'we want to accompany you'...... so that was acca awkward. ha.

and to answer moms question.. im not going to cut my hair anytime soon. i've heard too many horror stories and i just wear in a pony or a bun.. so its like ill just deal with it til it too late. hah.

Love you all! The church is sooo true!! 

'Mate--it is like a grass and water drink'

Me trying mate..its sick and gross

Hna Bojorque is 'addicted' to it and drinks every morning...blecch

my poor tow-right now it is completely raw and all the skin has come off.
 It looks like I am a burn  victim because its baby skin.

Happy Camper

Okieee Dokieeee-

Hola! I´m such a happpy camper. okay so the mission is amazing. like i dont say that enough. okay

Monday after writing we went to visit the wilkinson family just to say hi cause they are so nice. We talked and talked and she made us brownies and ice cream and then she told us that TWO GRINGO FAMILIES ARE MOVING HERE TO HELP THE BRANCH! this is the best news in the world. because they will help this rama so much and it'll grow and hopefully they'll help the asistencia be over 100 for 3 months so we can get a new capilla.

weird fruit

 so Tuesday we had a zone meeting and that was really fun and really great and I learned how to teach members how to share the gospel. but this is why the zone meeting was so fun. I got a PACKAGE from my dear dear family and i got a letter from Brett (Newberry) Schmidt. So I cant say how amazing that package was. The clothes are AMAZING ya I've already worn them. that shirt is perfect thinness and the skirt is the best tooo. the funny part is the soap. it smells so good and it made everything in the box smell the same! Its the best. my clothes all smell like home because that soap makes me think of you. so thank you thank you thank you for that. and i saw the price so i hope you know you don't need to send me a package ever again. hah. that's way too much for a little piece of home.  so Alexander is doing okay.. hes really sad that he isn't baptized and he just keeps saying i feel bad i feel sad. and its just a testament of the guilt that you feel when you know the truth and don't act on it. or when you know you've sinned and don't repent. he's working though and we're thinking he'll be baptized this month. 

Selfieee

So On Wednesday we worked our butts off. we had 9 lessons. we worked really hard at teaching effectively and efficiently. 

So we're working with this one lady named Magda. She's been to church twice and we're working on getting her baptized this Sunday. So we have visited her ever day this week. She has a really sad story she has a  30 lb tumor and its malignant and she has 3 small kids and 2 teenager. her husband died like 2 years ago. and so its just really hard. but we're teaching her and her two daughters and they're golden. they read and not just read but understand and they pray and participate at church and they're really interested in the church. they should both be baptized by the end of this month too! 

okay so Testimony of prayer- Two experiences. so i am good at not just throwing out money and buying expensive stuff so i had some extra money by the end of this pay part. and my comps were out and so i was really inspired to give them each some money. just in secret so they wouldn't know but so i felt like i was helping since in the first part of my mission i used the general stuff they bought. so i slipped 10 mil in Hna Bojorques box of books and i slipped 10 mil in hna ogletrees wallet. as we're getting ready to leave for the day hna bojorque says, I've been trying to figure out all morning how i was going to pay for the medicine i need for my infection on my legs and as i was praying to find out what to do i went to get my books and i found ten mil. do yall know where it came from. and i'm like no. but there it was. i was able to be an instrument in the lords hand. Part one of my lesson. we need to listen to the spirit so we can be the lords instrument and help answer the prayers of others. and two I talked to this one lady in the street randomly and she was like i've seen yall and i want to learn more and then she was like i'm only free on Fridays so i really only saw her once. and then we saw her in the street once more that day and we waved but that was all.. then after teaching Magda (tumor lady she lives 10 minutes away in bus) we missed the bus. and we didn't want to waste a whole day waiting for buses but what else can you do and so i'm praying so hard that a taxi passes i don't even care if its expensive and then the member we were with gets a phone call and tells us we need to leave the bus stop. he said someone saw us and told him that the bus stop is sketch and people get robbed when its dark (which it was). so then we're just walking down the side of the road when this huge bus pulls up and says get in. Its this girl i talked to in the street. she said I had a feeling should help these people and then it turned out it was yall! So that's part two.the lord answers our prayers and he does it in his own way. 

funny quote. We're teaching our eternal investigator maria. and we're talking about prophets and we say we have a prophet today Thomas S. Monson. So in spanish that is said differently so say it with a spanish accent.. anyway.. she says OH! i thought this whole time when i heard that in church that you were saying Thomas es un monster. hahahahahahahahahhaha. we died. because its so true it sounds the exact same. hah

oh and they have this stuff here called bebida de maiz. and people drink it here when they're converts and used to drink coffee because supposedly it tastes a lot like coffee.. well.. i had it and it was like drinking coffee.. its crazy. and it was kinda good. but its literally corn flour drink that is hot. 

Thats this week! 

I love yall all sooooo much! I loved the emails this week and i loved the pictures from hallie.

#mishlife

Okay so this week,

Monday- This was one of the best p-days we got all our errands done and came home and chilled, but this is when the fun starts. We decided to make ranch from the packets that the Spauldings gave to us and then we ate it with broccoli.. i died a little bit it was so good and fresh. then we melted chocolate and dipped bananas and then we had bought pretzels to dip. so we dipped them in chocolate then in melted peanut butter then put dulce de leche on over it and some salt and we basically made homemade take5s. then we poured the leftovers over cornflakes. that was amazing. it was the best. then we had a family night with a family so we made them no bake cookies and then did a fun family night with them. At the end she said wait here... and then she gave us hot dogs. its a big thing here hot dogs are like some sort of special thing. they were good. 

Wednesday- Today we did intercambios with the sister leaders they took hna bojorque and left one of them with us here. It was fun but I felt bad because after we picked her up we went straight onto a bus to go to our district meeting in the next town over. This district meeting was good. It was the first one with our new district leader. We only had a 10 minute lesson and the rest of the time we did practices. It was weird but I know that it helps to practice and role play. it was nice practicing with just hna ogletree and not being in a trio. After that we taught a few lessons and then went to our weekly ward activity. I loved it because Gilmer and Alejandro came to the activity. They really enjoyed getting to do something a little more light hearted with the ward and yet they still were able to learn more about the gospel. I am grateful for the change because hna Zumba is awesome. I learned alot from her. And I was really nervous at first and I didn´t want to talk or anything because i don´t know spanish and i´m not that good of a teacher and i just felt insecure but during personal study i was reading in spanish and I read a scripture that I know ive seen before but when I read it in spanish I just felt so much peace and calmness. It was when alma is teaching zeezorum and hes backing up what amulek just taught. and it says he just opened his mouth and testified and explained the scriptures. The simplicity was so amazing for me because its so true. we just have to open and speak. and it'll come.

Thursday- So after we picked up our comp. We had to do four interviews.  they take like an hour and we have to wait while they happen but we had appointments so Hna Bojorque and one of the young women waited at the church and me and hna ogletree went out to go teach. it was so crazy. i was so scared because I thought I can´t do this in real life just two of us and both gringos. but then it just happened. I spoke and I testified and I didn´t really care if my spanish was bad I just knew I had to get my point across as best as I

can. And it worked. So that was just a testimony that you have to trust the Lord. He´s called me so I know that he trusts me to do this work I just need to trust him enough to do it. So two hilarious stories. So we´re teaching this menos activo and we´re sitting on her porch. She´s on the ground leaning on her hands and we´re in chairs. we´re in the middle of a really good part when her new puppy walks over and sits on her hand and then just starts POOPING! not like a log but like nasty liquid diarrhea. It was everywhere. and so funny and so gross. she left for like five minutes to go clean up and everything.. but yeah hilarious moment.

Then we have this little 4 yr old boy named Hernan. He is so adorable he acts likes hes 24 literally. We call him our novio because hes just so cute and so funny and he just always gives us the best hugs. haha So we´re leaving his street and he comes running up and yells HERMANAS! so we stop turn around and he's still running after us so he comes up to us and I squat and point to my cheek and he gives me a kiss on the cheek and then 

he struts away.. until he reaches a car and then he just leans on it like he's the biggest stud in the world. Hna O could not stop laughing. I told her its not my fault I have a stud for a boyfriend. haha. So all of our interviews went really well and afterwards we went to teach an investigator named maria- we had gone by the day before to set up an appointment and when we got there her family was there so I'm more comfortable talking with little kids so while hna o was setting up the appointment i was talking to her two nieces. So we get to her house and her nieces run out and say the gringos are here! so they decided to make a plan for our visit. they had us play pin the tail on the donkey and then they made us food. it was such a good good day. I can be a real missionary. who knew. hah. 

Saturday! So we got everything set up for this baptism. I worked on learning a song to sing because that's like my new calling... ward baptism musical number. haha. and then we made a quadruple batch of no bake cookies. so so good. and then we got to the church and set everything up and it was just really great and then we had our boys start showing up and they were all so excited. Gilmer and Alejandro brought their inactive mom which was a miracle because she didn't want to come. And then Chuma was there and all ready. and then Alex showed up and he told us he didn´t feel prepared and some stuff and we talked it out and so he left and we were going to talk to him and help him prepare a little bit more so hopefully he´ll get baptized this weekend or the next weekend. the baptism was awesome though. We had so many people and the musical number got changed to me singing i´m a child of God with our branch president and he sang and played it on the guitar.. and then afterwards we had this pancake thing and it was just a really good day. They all felt so happy.

Sunday- Church was great. our boys came and received the holy ghost and they were all looking so sharp in their white shirts and the testimonies born were awesome and then at four we had to leave on a bus to go to San Jose to pick up a package for hna bojorque. I was so excited because i thought i'd get to pick up my package too but the zone leaders took all the mail and packages to our zone so i have to wait even longer to get it because now its in guanacaste. blech. oh well. but the point is this morning i got a HOT SHOWER! My first hot shower in two months!! I was so happy and its been a good day. 

So no package yet but i´m pretty sure its here I just haven't gotten my hands on it. fun fact the stake president from florida in the broadcast was the dad of the sister in my district here. cool huh. I love all those pictures they're great. I love you all so much. Stuart that's awesome with the motorcycle.

love you all. byeee.

Lots of Stories

okay so this week wasnt too interesting-- just the normal fuego life. Okay so some cool stories: so we had changes and i'm still here with the same comps. We got a new dl though and so that's been interesting and fun. He's cool. So teaching is good we have 4 baptisms planned for this Saturday. Four jovens. Two 14 year old boys and Two 21 year old boys. Chuma, Alejandro, Gilmer, and Alexander!  Its going to be awesome. what can I say though. flirt to convert...hahh. jk jk. they're awesome and really becoming converted to the gospel of Christ. 

Spanish is coming along really well. Leaps and bounds every day. I'm learning so fast and my fear... which was talking on the phone is slowly leaving me and i'm using the phone more and more. 

Okay so Saturday the elders had a baptism and I sang at it. I'm becoming famous here... hah. jk. but I sang the i'll go where you want me to go Melinda Talley version. and I sang one verse in English and then a verse in Spanish is was really pretty and really good.

I love singing and I love the opportunity to use my talents and I think that's what I want to do that when I go back to school. I know its not super useful or good but i just love music and i miss actually learning and improving that talent. 

So stories- 

Saturday- we started to fast. we were fasting for the four baptisms we have coming up. So we had heard that Chuma had moved to his grandmas house which is far from where we are.. still in our area just really far from our church and our house and where his family lives. so we were really worried about how we would be able to teach him and get him ready for his baptism. So we were fasting for this and we talked to his brother on Saturday and he said that he wouldn't be able to be at church this Sunday which means he'd have to wait a whole other week to get baptized. so we were really bummed. So Sunday morning we got up and went to Alejandro and Gilmers house (They're brothers) and when we got there we said oope and out walks CHUMA! We scream with Joy and he told us that he got up at 5 and got ready and left and walked an hour so that he could get to church this Sunday! and then he was going to walk the hour back! Such dedication and we know that this was just un poco fruta de nuestra ayuno. 

So All Sunday Every prayer we said (which we say alot of prayers during the day.. like 15) I prayed that we would run into or meet a family that we could teach. A family that was ready for the gospel. So I had faith that this was going to happen.. that we´d be walking to church and see a family and they´d be glowing and I'd just know that they were the ones... but all day nothing.. so i was un poco disanimada.. but then we went to a teaching appointment and the investigator had moved and the newbies living there were a grandma and grandpa,their daughter and her husband and her children and then another daughter. It was an amazing miracle and they were stoked to have us come back. This really is a testimony that prayers work and that the Lord is always listening and that they aren't answered how we want but they are answered the right way--the Lord's way. 

 Saturday night- Ready for a crazy story speaking of getting in trouble with the mission president... this past Saturday we got in at 9 and planned and tried to call our DL to give our numbers and he didn't answer.. so we were just waiting for his call and the phone never rang so at 10:30 we all went to bed right.. so then we at like 11:45 we hear pounding on our door and someone calls hello from out the window.. well we´re all basically still asleep so we´re like half dreaming and the person is like "you are the missionaries for the church of Jesus Christ of LDS right".. we were like yeah.. who are you and they're like its the elders get up right now. so we get up and get presentable and open the door and the elders(our DL) are sweating and red faced and are like when did yall get home? we were like umm 9.... whats going on.. So apparently they had called us about 50 times and we never answered so then they called the zone leaders and they called the assistants and then they got permission to come to our house and see what was going on. and it was a huge mess and but it all happened because our phone accidentally got the ringer turned off... hahaha 

So thats all really for this week. I´ll have pictures for next time because we're going to have our four captain moronis be baptized on Saturday. hah.

and mom so i'm thinking one great way you can do your missionary work and its a great goal and one that our ward mission leader has that really has worked well is have FHE every monday and invite a family or a friend to come to it. this really will make a difference and if you do this i know you will see the blessings. And sometimes your can invite the missionaries and other times just the family and the visitor. but  that just something i've seen working in our branch down here. 

love you all lots and lots.