May 9th

So, This past Thursday and Friday we had some really powerful lessons on teaching by the spirit, and teaching people not lessons. so its been really awesome doing all that we've learned. It was like one of the best lessons I've ever been taught and it was totally by the spirit the whole time. I then was able to practice with a different companion and teach one of our elders. It was so surprising because I didn't think it would work, but we just followed the spirit and didn't plan anything out and it was awesome.

So Friday afternoon we're waiting for the mail- our DL came out with all these papers and I DIED! They were our travel plans!! So heres how it goes we leave the MTC at 5:00, our SLC flight to Dallas,Fortworth at 8:15, and then from Dallas to Costa Rica at 4:10, so we have a long layover in Texas! We'll get to Costa Rica at 7:00 that night!! We are all so pumped. We found a teacher that just got back in June, and he's been telling us EVERYTHING! he's been raving about it and told us that we go up to the fences- klink on them with our rings and say "Opa Buenas!" he said he doesn't have a direct translation for it but its just what you do. He says the fruit is TO DIE FOR and that there are dogs everywhere ... haha. yeahhh... not my favorite thing but i'll deal with it. He told us what soccer team to route for and such. We talked with him for a while and he really pumped me up like no bodies business. I'm stoked. no nerves yet. 

So Sunday was Fast Sunday it was really cool. We had like a Stake conference.. but MTC style and I enjoyed that a lot. And then we had Testimony meeting. One girl was hilarious in her testimony but said something that really sparked my mind she said, "Once we got our call we were given the gift of tongues..Its like an ikea bookshelf. the instructions are in Swedish and I'm a girl. So it'll just take some work figuring out how to use the gift we've been given." I know this is pretty accurate as I see this gift become evidence every once in a while  and with the speed we've learned what we've learned I know that the I have been blessed with learning so fast. So after our wonderful temple walk and all we decided to have a fiesta like every Sunday and eat and paint our nails and as we were walking to our rooms we say empty laundry bins.... and I'm all one for obedience, but there are no rules against riding in them,.. and we needed a break so we rode them down the hall... haha. it was a blast!

Monday- alright so normally me and hna boer write down topics, phrases, scriptures, and questions we want to ask as we teach but after our lesson we decided we should just go in and rely fully on the spirit. We are teaching Hector, who is agnostic, and knows nothing. We go in and teach him about Prayer. We teach him that god will listen to him and that you have to start somewhere so why not start now. It was amazing how the spirit helped guide the whole lesson and it was amazing how Hector was opening up to us! it was probably our best lesson as of late. The whole lesson had minutes of silence where you could see the spirit testifying and teaching him. It was awesome. I wish I could describe it better but we're so excited to teach him again tonight.  Also. i got a LOAD of letters today so thank you for that. It was mainly from other friends but it was nice having some from family too!! Mom you never fail to write me something every two-ish days! :) Oh and the friends wrote me because they saw on my blog that I wanted to win a letter contest. hahahahaha. so thanks for that... haha. Also we did TRC over SKYPE! Teaching two natives.... okay one native and one rm.. it was uh.... yeah... kinda crazy... it was weird I didn't like it at all, but you know it was a new experience.

Tuesday so one of the elders in our zone is quarantined  (spelling no se..) for strep.. and I have the worst sore throat... so I'm just praying it goes away by Next Tuesday.. So 


Today as a district we decided that it was time to do a challenge to unify us. So we discussed finishing a tower of cereal. So at the last 5 minutes of personal study this morning I got up and gave a pep talk. I told them that if we have faith we can do anything. I read Philippians 4:13. So basically I told them that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. So we went down and chose to do Tootie fruites... fruit loops. and went to work... in total we ate 56 bowls of cereal among 9 of us, and the tower is like 4 bags of the giant plastic bags of cereal. okay so yeah, I personally ate 6.5 bowls. most people ate 5,6,or 7 bowls... so crazy. I felt AWFUL the whole day..BUT WE FINISHED IT BONE DRY!!! Succcessss. so worth it.. i'll probably never eat fruit loops ever again though.  

So tonight we talked about commitments and about extending them and the importance of them. Listen we're teaching investigators but we have had to go through the exact same process as them, we've had to grow in faith and action and knowledge  we've had to become converted ourselves. So to me extending commitments isn't hard. To me its like this- its like giving a baby a taste of ice cream... at first their a little weary about what it is.. and then they decided its good so you give them a little bit more and then they want to feed themselves and grab ice cream by their hands. We give them the initial taste, and then they decide that they want more as we help them realize how to eat it, how to use a spoon or hand and make it to their mouth they are then able to make up their own commitments and do it themselves. Its all about us helping them help themselves. So yeah, that was kinda awesome.

Wednesday- today I was a host! I hosted the new missionaries. I got to see Mckay allman and some friends from BYU. I had the opportunity to help 2 different girls. (I saw one this morning at breakfast.. it was awesome she was so happy to see a familiar face.) It was a weird experience seeing EVERYONE who got dropped off crying.. the missionary or the family. And seeing all the sadness for such an awesome opportunity. I don't know if yall cried at home, or after I saw yall but i'm glad you didn't cry while dropping me off... that would've been weird because i was so happy and excited and oblivious to the fact that I really won't see my family.  So yesterday one of the HIGHLIGHTS of my week was a letter from Lindsey Hawes. It was the funniest thing ever and I think she deserves and honorable mention in my blog this week hahaha.

So I won't get to call you Sunday but I will get to call while at the airport on Tuesday!! So here's the dealio. Make sure everyone is available and ready at that time because i'll be using a calling card. I want to make sure that I reach my whole family! :) I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the kitchen it looks great! Good job Griffen with the orchestra award. You're killing it on the cello and I miss hearing you practice and play. Hallie I'm so proud of you in the VS ! Way to carry on the tradition of ROCKING IT! I told Hna fee's friend Hna Porter hi for her. and She says hi back! So what a small world.

So Hna Starke is my twin, en serio. she is the same personality, skills, body type, letter writing, clothes wearing chica as me. we constantly say the same things or do the same things. In the three pictures I'm gonna send of us- you'll see that we did the same faces without telling eachother.. Mom you need to find her mom on fb.. have krista help you if you can't.. her moms name is cherie. But yeah we're twins and I'm sure ya'll could be besties too.


I have one other thing for you- I'll add it later to another emial because I need my scripotres and don't have them.

Stefan- Oh my genius brother. goodjob on the harvard thing! I'm sure you rocked it. I wish you the best. and I just want to say remember when I left you told me I'd get like 2 letters from you the whole time and yet here you are sending almost one or more a week!! So thats way awesome! Thanks for that! :)

Stuart- I finally understand the subjunctive in your letters! And that makes me so hgappy that i can not only read but truly understand what you're saying now!! You're awesome.
Krista- you're letters are great and I love you alot. I'm glad everything is going well!!  Have a fun summer get tan and cute for me! :))

I love you all SOOOO much!!

Keep up the great work. Ya'll are an awesome family.

Hna Coburn