Two week catch up

Okay so I don't have a lot of time to catch up on 2 weeks of CrAzY awesomeness. hah.

1. Reiner. Okay so Reiner has a super incredible experience and story. To sum it up he got baptized young, but then left the church became addicted to alcohol and stuff but lives with his mom and brother who are active. One time when we were visiting them we asked who they wanted us to help and he said he wanted help (that was 9 months ago). So he can't read and has a memory problem. and  our lessons sometimes lack the spirit and are boring and its just hard but i got an idea a few days back to start reading short passages from the Book of Mormon with him to help him learn to read and to help him feel the spirit. The first day we started that, the lesson was one of the most spiritual experiences in my mission. He changed during the lesson, his look, his countenance literally changed and brightened. since then we've gone to his house everyday for 10-30 minutes just to read a little bit more. and his memory is completely different he's remembering the names and its just incredible. I'm so grateful to be able to work with him. 

2. Paolo- Okay so we always go to the same internet and I have always done little chit chat with them, but one day i looked at one of the workers and I just saw him in his white shirt and tie and slacks as a missionary and i knew i had to make a move... not like that.. although he is a cutie. hahahaha. jk .. but really i knew i had to make a move and share with him the gospel so we did and he is so GOLDEN. He's had a hard past and the first lesson he just opened up and the spirit was so strong and he came to church and loved it and he came to a noche de hogar with us and he's just awesome. I can't wait to hear where he'll be going on his mission.

3. Party house. Okay so there's a house that's a party house always with the same 10-15 people chilling playing cards and drinking coke or alcohol and we always pass and me the christ-like missionary i am i always tell them Good night or have a good day and they always respond sometimes with dumb comments that boys make to gringas, but we had received a reference to go and contact that house, my comps were kind of resilient, but I was like no its a reference we have to. So one night we passed by and we said goodnight and kept walking (because my comps were like we shouldn't go right now...) and they said a dumb comment.. so i turned around and with my smart-alik-ness i was like hey. we are representatives of Jesus Christ. Who here is named cesar? we would like to help you improve your life. haha. everyone was silent.. no one said a word... i was like who Cesar?? and then one guy was like that's me.. i was like so can we teach y'all about Christ your lord and savior and he was like tomorrow. so the next day we went and it was such an amazing lesson. 5 guys all listening and asking really great questions and then they read their pamphlets and they came to your ward activity... which i'll talk about right now..

4. WARD CHRISTMAS PARTY! oh my gosh. so no one planned this so at the first of December i started planning the party giving everyone assignments and everything. okay so I did that and all and tonight was the day and can I just tell you OH MY MIRACLE! so we were inviting everyone and we went and helped cook the food that morning and she was like i made enough to feed 100. So we get to the activity and when its starts only like 60 people are there and its great and all--then something happens and 100 more people show up! with 24 investigators. We were so stoked we had rented a karaoke set and it was such a blast so we have 176 people and we have to feed them all with food made for a 100 people.... I'm freaking out! We all are praying in our hearts as we start dishing.. and can i just say LOAVES AND FISHES! we finished giving out the food and we had EXTRA even though we gave out the food in good sized portions. I'm just so glad that I was able to witness this miracle and I was so glad to see so many investigators and members and menos activos together in one place enjoying the good time.

5. So ana.. i dont want to explain it all.. but we might have to drop her. she's taken the turn for the worst... and its rough. 

6. party in San Jose! So I got to hangout with hna starke the whole day it was so great. and we went and caroled for old people and it was just the best. And then i got to eat my moms treats... and everyone freaked out and wanted to know about you and tell you and dad thanks and then we got stuck in San Jose and left the next morning. ha. it was so great and so fun. 

7. So Tuesday Christmas. we went to visit Gabi because we told her we'd help her cook... so i had my first experience killing, plucking the feathers, and watching them clean the chicken and cook it.. and one had an egg inside... that wasn't full ready to be had.. it was so gross i almost puked.. but it was a nice once in a lifetime experience. haha.

8. i never want to eat tamales ever again. i'm so sick of them.. haha. and we got a giant hamburger.. that was cool. 

9. Skyping my fam. highlight of my Christmas. And then going to play jenga with my district. and it was a great day and Can i  just say that it was the best christmas with new clothes and music and FACE WASH!

and right now i'm watching hallie perform. its so great! 

Then miracle number 10.. we heard that one of our investigators maikol went off the deep end.. but then he called us at 7 am on Sunday and he told us he needs to change and then he came to church. and stayed the whole time and then he told us he has his meta to get baptized and that nothing will stop him from meeting that meta!

This past two weeks have been crazy the work was hard because not a lot of people are home a lot are on vacation, but the people that are here are going through MIRACLES!

I LOVE THE GOSPEL!

Happy New YEAR!!

LOVE YOU

Trio #5

Okay so SURPRISE! im still in Santa Cruz BUT with a new comp. She was in the mtc with me. She's awesome she's from Utah. and shes ALEX JENKINSON's Cousin from the PTC ward. tuanis si. Oh and another awesome part. while i was in San jose I gotto see hna o. miss that chick.

she told me you sent her an email about her my two single brothers.... hahahaha

okay so this week first. yeah. tuesday i started packing my stuff a little bit because I thought I'd be leaving then.. we get the call and they're like you're staying but you're getting a new comp. you have to leave tomorrow morning at 5 am. so we rode our favorite red eye bus to san jose and picked up my new comp. i love her she's cool. but its weird being the comp mayor cuando ella tiene el mismo tiempo en la mision. 

Then we get home and I call the sisters in Nicoya from our district to see how they feel about the changes and they tell me that Sister Lang is super sick. so I tell them that if they can find someone to watch her that we can do divisions. So I go to Nicoya and get to work with Hna Stroud. from Utah. shes like my bff in the mish. Shes pretty awesome. seriously. and with 6 months together we've gotten pretty tight. so that was one fun day to teach over there and get close with the members and investigggators there and work with her and then in the middle of it Hna stroud gets a call that the lady watching hna lang took her to the hospital because she was so sick. so we went to the hospital and checked that out. they gave her drugs and then we went and worked some more and then we picked her up at the end of the night. and it was just a really fun day. haha. i love divisions because i learn so much and the gospel is so true and the lord watched and takes care of all of us. haha. and also because I really got to see the miracles because as we worked hard and even with obstacles we got to visit like 8 people that day. 

Then finally we got to teach the girl from ICELAND in ENGLISH! it was awesome we left her with the book of mormon. and she said she'd like to come to church and we're teaching her host family too. I'm hoping that we really  can help these people change the world.

Okay ready for something-- so spiritual experience. I was planning for Sunday and its sat. night and we're all super tired and i'm like we should go to the church tomorrow morning early and set up the chairs.. then i'm like idk.. maybe not. but then on Sunday i get up at 5:30 like I normally do but instead of studying or writing in my journal i decided to shower and get ready and wake my comps up to get started earlier so we could get to church fast that afternoon. so at 6:30 I see a missed call from our branch pres.. i'm like thats weird. oh well.. so i try calling him back but nothing. so i go to call him again.. nothing. so at 7:20 I'm like.. we need to leave. and go to the church. my comps are like why... i'm like Idk we should just go and set up the church. So after setting up the church Pres shows up 30 min late and he's like i got so worried because we were going to be late and i was going to ask you to set up the church but then you didn't answer but then as we left at 7:15 I just felt a calmness that everything would be okay. I know that the lord answers our prayers that through the spirit when we listen we are able to be the answers to other people. I love this work and I love the Lord. I love making Him proud and doing what He wants me to do. 

If you need strength with your callings or with your purpose in life read 1 chron 28:20

p.s. SO COOL ABOUT GRANDMA AND HANNAHS MOM!! I LOVE IT. MENT TO BE FRIEND! 

p.p.s. THANKS MOM AND DAD FOR BEING SO GREAT AND COOKING AND THANKS AUNTS FOR COOKING AND DOING TREATS TOO! 

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

MERRRY CHRISTMAS!

It's a Christmas miracle

Okay so this week was a week of fun and miracles. It was a perfect last week of this change. Okay so we start out with tuesday.

We had a really awesome experience where we felt inspired to take a taxi and we hopped inside and started talking with the lady and she's a member from forever ago and hasn't been to church in like 20 years, and her son too is a member and then shes like my daughter wants to get baptized with yall. and we want to come back to church. So we set up the appointment and we went to her house and her daughter has a date to be baptized and everything. its so awesome. And I know our prayers were answered with lots of the little details that added up to taking that taxi and meeting this lost sheep. Its a christmas Miracle.. Did i ever tell you i taught someone in english these last week who was from Australia?... because i did. and i hope he gets baptized but he was really hard hearted. Okay so then that same day we had a district meeting and I made cooookies and made them look like little sisters and elders. it was a really great meeting. and they werent the best cookies but hey you work with what you got. ha. the chocolate chips cost 5 dollars... but it was like a chirstmas present to them. ha 

Then let me tell you about this little 13 yr old boy, Adrian we're teaching. if people here aren't in the correct path, they go really far off. so this kid is friends of Chuma. and he is with problems with all 5 things that we don't use in the word of wisdom.... and for the past 5 months he has told us he doesn't want to change doesn't want to learn anything... but this week it all changed.. and he told us he wants to be baptized and wants to learn.. he has been stopped drinking and smoking and drugs and now is only have lots of problems with coffee. its incredible and its all because of chuma. Ill talk more about him later... So on wednesday we had an activity in a neighborhood far from our area.. like a 20 min walk.. so most of our members were like.. no we're not going.. but chuma and mario and adrian all decided they would go with us. these young boys are all following chuma and its incredibleeee. kinda like a Christmas Miracle.

Okay so ready for something crazy.something that sounds a little like a christmas miracle... so we're teaching English to this guy Manuel. and he's always there and hes finally admitted that even though he was a missionary for the catholic church that now he knows that our church is right because it makes sense. well he told us today that he's started reading the book of mormon and he loves it that its the most correct because its so direct and its so true. Then he told us he'd like to get baptized in enero when he finishes the book of mormon.. i obviously was like no worries. you don't have to finish it to be baptized.. haha. but its still incredible his change from duro. not believing anything to loving the book of mormon and saying that its all correct what we believe.  Then that night this is the crazy part.. so in my patriachal blessing it talks about how on my mission my testimony will go and be heard in all the world. and we were passing by a house when a girl walks out.. looks likea gringo and she says.. hey do you speak english. she has a really weird accent.. so we start talking and shes from iceland. and she knows nothing about the church and she says she wants to learn to be like us and have the light that we have christmas miracle number 1000... hah.

okay so saturday we had the baptism of Maria on the beach is was SO beautiful and I loved to see her get baptized.. not to mention elder degraw as tan feliz to get to go into the ocean. ha. then i got kissed and hugged by a cousin of a member.. who just happened to think i was cute.... i think ive gotten more kisses on the cheeks here than ever in my life. normall you just touch cheek to cheek.. but boys here just like to take advantage of this tradition. haha. 

sunday was so beautiful. chuma baptized his friend mario and it was just the most precious thing in the world. then we had 4 investigators come to watch the christmas fireside this was crazy awesome miracle tambien.

sorry i wrote alot. and my emials are always really long and sometimes really detailed. i just like you to know everything. haha. but really life is so great. Everyone can be a missionary like chuma. and everyone can have the joy that he has.  also everyone can have christmas miracles if you are focusing on christ! 

Happpy December!!! 

Love you alll lots and lots!! 

hna Coburn

Awesome sauce

oh my gosh. this week was so AWESOME. you know in the incredibles when that little kid sees mr.incredible rip of the door of his car. and he screams that was totally wicked... thats how i felt this week.

so Monday after I wrote yall, Gilmar met up with us at the football field and started teaching us how to play football.. im not terrible.. im not great. but he told me he has faith that i can be good. ha. my new goal learn how to play soccer before i leave from costa rica. ha. I can do it.... maybe... hah. now because all the little kids saw us playing they want to come with us and teach me how to play too. hah. its great. hah.

okay tuesday I left to go do divisions with the hermanas especialistas. And so I left to go to Liberia and to work with Hna Watkins from arizona. It was a good learning experience. I like divisions because if you have a humble heart you really can feel that there are other ways and you learn so so much. I stayed there until Thursday when we had a zone conference and thanksgiving dinner planned.. so about that.. .

so we get here and Pres wilkinson and his familiy is there and it is literally the most amazing thing ever... Pres.wilkinson is an inspired man. He asked us what our purpose is. why we have pretty skirts why we wake up why we got showered why we are going to eat dinner together why we have a manual why we have name tags.. and the answer for every one of these questions was the same TO BAPTIZAR AND RETENER or baptize and retain. And it was incredible the lessons he taught and what the APs taught us and I really felt the spirit so strong the whole time. When Hna Wilkinson taugh that was when I felt the sprit the most and she taught about talking to everyone you meet. I realzied that I've been failing a little bit with that and then president wilkinson told us about a new daily meta we have which is lessons para encontrar or lessons to find. and its when we just talk to someone and teach a principle and get their number or address and its just algo rapido just something you do in a bus stop or on the bus or in the supermarket. and it was really great. and then I just realized I'm a talker what is my problem why have i let my tiredness get the best of me.. normally on buses i like to take my cat naps haha... but i really felt that i can change the way we work if we do this talking to everyone. Then we all went to a hotel to eat thanksgiving dinner... which was chicken cordonbleu and potatoes and salad and then cherrry and pumpkin pie for desert. it was amazing. i wanted to cry. haha. and then on the bus home i did just that. i told my comp the new rule isthat we can't sit by each other and that we have to talk to EVERYONE. we were able to do just that and we now have more new investigators because of it. 

Okay so friday it was an awesome day. we got to talk to so many people and we got to get so many people ready for baptisms. this next month is going to be full of baptism. because people here are so READY. im a little sad because I dont think Im going to be here much longer because chagnes are coming up.. but maybe I will.. we'll seee. hah. Anyway we have alot of our new members helping us with these references and investigators and now cristian will be baptizing his cousin and Chuma will be baptizing two of his Friends. it is so amazing. 

Okay so saturday we had the adult session of conferene and so we didnt much work done and then sunday we got to go to conference again and Ana and all of her family came with us. i love this family so much.. i gave her one of my skirts and its just perfect for her because she still feels "hot" but she's now modest. hah. As we were ending.. elder degraw is talking with a gringo family and then as i pass they stop me and give me a bag of treats. It was filled with popcorn, cornnuts and nutella and eos chapstick! it was the sweetet thing in the world. I am so grateful for sweet visiting families. 

This has been an amazing week. We have two baptisms coming up for this weekend and three for the weekend after that. Im stoked the lord is hastening his work and Im lucky enough to be apart of it!! 

I love you all so much!!

This church is the true church and it is through the book of mormon and prayer and church attendence that we can fortify ourselves in this knowledge.

Love hna coburn

HAPPY DECEMBER!!! 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Okayyy so the whole haircut ordeal.. taught me alot. First off the lord calls missionaries.. not pretty missionaries.. hahahhahah. but no its not a big deal if you look how you want to look because sometimes its a blessing in disguise. like who knew I look normal and was able to fix my hair into what i'm used to.. its like the lord prepared me for this because i was able to change belts into headbands and work my short hair just like i always have. hah. but the lord is blessing me because when we went out to teach on Monday night and I felt like the ugly duckling, we're sitting there teaching Gilmar and he closes with a prayer and says bless these missionaries because they really are your angels. and then after wards he says with that headband and your new hair cut you look a lot more like an angel. ha. so i was able to feel a little better. Then the next day the first appointment we went too (as i'm squirming inside because really no one has seen it and we went to anas house who is SUPER vocal and directo) and she says no you look like rapunzel. it looks good. so maybe i over reacted a little bit and it looks fine. I did cut it and fix it along with the help of the sister from our district sister stroud who helped fix up the back of it. Then as we're planning on this baptism of this little kid our world shakes a little bit as he tells us he doesn't want to be baptized he just didn't want to make us sad by saying no. so as we were talking to his parents and explaining that he doesn't have to be baptized that we aren't here to force people into baptism both of them with soft hearts say well when he's ready to be baptized he can be baptized. and then they both told us how they used to go to the church when they were kids. so now we can use this little boy to help teach his parents too. so it was a tender mercy in disguise tambien. 

Now let me talk about Edith. Hna Edith. a 58 yr old super dark super gordita loving old lady. if you can think of the sweetest honey in the word... that's how she is. and she's like our mom worrying about us because its late and we have to take a bus and giving us food and inviting us to make cakes and she is the most loving and best person to teach because shes all about the books. and the books are The bible.. and now the book of mormon. its so amazing because she has no doubts because the books tell her exactly what we tell her. she loves the scriptures and shes ready for baptism she just has to get married..

which speaking of marriages.. ana y lupe went to get the cedula for lupe in san jose... and well... they GOT IT!! but it came with problems.. but because they got it and they want me to be here for their wedding and baptism they're going to get married this next WEEEK!! i'm so stoked. 4 long months and finally we can see the magic and blessings from the lord! And This past sunday LUPE FINALLY WENT TO CHURCH! it was the first time and to see their whole family in church i almost cried.. 

okay so speaking of long awaited baptisms we have gotten out FECHA AND PLANS for the baptism of MARIA! after all my 7.5 months here shes finally going to get baptized. Shes going to be baptized on the beach at that. I'm so so so excited for her! Shes been ready for three months now and shes just had so much fear. but finally shes let her faith step in front of her fear and shes taking the leap.

So I've finally been able to obtain one of the attributes I've been missing.. i've been talking and inviting and just chatting with everyone. its incredible and i know it has a lot to do with the whole spanish thing because now i know enough and i don't really care if i'm wrong i just talk what i can. And so we were able to find our golden friend Juan.. We taught his sisters a little bit and he was there once. and hes always said hi to us and been really friendly so this week we saw him and i was like no we should teach him.. so i went up did some small talk and then... just as i was about to ask if we could teach him he said do you think you could visit me... and i was like umm yeah. thats great. so when we taught him he was like i'm sad. and i don't feel good about my life and then i thought of yall and i knew yall could help me. Its so amazing how the spirit leads the people to us and us to the people. and Then he asked to be baptized. hah. its so amazing and its been a miracle teaching this 14 yr old boy. 

Okay so on Friday I got to do something I've been waiting to do for my whole mission! I got to BAKE COOKIES! now it was all really cheap until i tried to buy chocolate chips... which cost my 5 dollars for a little bag. but it was so worth it. We called all our boys in for a noche de hogar and taught gilmar and ernesto and josue and alejandro and all of their friends. The oven was broke and I didn't have all the measuring tools or a KitchenAid. but let me tell you. they were awesome.. but ready for the crazy part.. because the houses here are really built soundly.. as I go to pull off a metal spoon from the top of the stove I get electrocuted.. and i couldn't feel my arm for five minutes... hah. its because i held onto the spoon so i got electrocuted for como 5 seconds.. it seems short but it was so longg... ha. but dont worry im fine now. haha. 

this thursday we get to have thanksgiving dinner with the wilkinsons after our zone conference. im really excited. it should be super fun! Okay well today i got my nails done and theyre crazy but i gave the lady free reign because it was a free mani and pedi and the only sad part is im off to go learn how to play soccer with gilmar. aha. it should be fun! 

I love yall so much Im so grateful for the lord and the blessings he gives me.

 I have the BEST life in the world. With the best family and friends and mission. 

Love

Hna Coburn

we have a Christmas tree and nativity set!

I decorated for Christmas

Wow!

Okay so this week...we did a noche de hogar in the casa de ana and it was sooo good! we got three new investigators aunque ellos son niños. it was a powerful testimony builder. then first off on tuesday we went to san jose . we didn't see that coming and so Hna villalobos was like I don't have shoes, can we leave early and shop in san jose because if not we´ll either wait at night doing nothing or shop during the day and do something..? so me being the shopper than i am and i haven't shopped in forever I said.. yep. we can we can go early and take advantage of that.. so i ended up buying four pairs of shoes for 25 dollars.. not the best but they're all new and pretty cute..more comfortable and reliable then just fashion now in these days. and yeah so that was fun then we went and waited at a cooks house in san jose while the sisters got back to their house so they could let us in and let me tell you this cook is loaded and she feed us an amazing dinner of a sandwich! hahah i have also stopped eating rice and beans! por fin i can live my life again, but yeah i asked my cook about two weeks ago because i just feel sick to my stomach just thinking about rice and beans. i love it and all, but now i'm over it. Then we dropped off hna villaobos and now were just a two some. just a normal pair of missionaries.. well as normal as it gets.. and then we got home and did some divisions with a member so to have these members helping us and going out to visit menosactivos made me so happy because i love the inactive work. its one of my favorites. 
Okay so Thursday. Thursday we taught all these sweet lessons and Yanixi (she's 12) was such a good little missionaary. and Shes making me smile more than anything ever, she's someone i'm going to miss alot alot. Shes me.. just super tiny, and tica and 12. Then we went to an activity to welcome home a return misisonary de la rama. and wow.it was so fun and so scary because he talked about how fast time is and i'm feeling it too!! eekk, but we brought ana and her three kids and their three friends.. okay so we're walking home from the church and it starts POURING rain. luckily I had my big umbrella and I gave it to ana and her three kids and hna medina gave hers to the other kids so we got SOAKED absolutely drenched like we had been swimming, then of couse beacuse were drenched we started playing in the rain, but we get to drop ana off and she persistently wont let us leave until we put on fresh clothes, and let me tell you if you don't do what she says its scary. so i'm working my butt off trying to convince her otherwise and shes like NO PUT ON MY DRESS! and so i go in and let me tell you, I am a maginician and made the dress cover me modestly and everything but oh my how aweful. it was a normal dress for a normal mormon but for a missionary no. but luckily their house was the last before we went to our apartment. but oh my it was literally the funniest time of my life. There dad was like look how beautiful you look ha. it was absolutely hilarious. Then we went to the beach today and so that's why i don't have a lot of time to write and dont have so many details.
But yesterday Sunday was a really hard day. We got another gringo family and that's great,and we had 7 investigators at church and the attendance was AMAZINGLY high and everything but then we had all these people who are reading and praying and going to church having problems that they cant "control" stopping their baptism. its the hardest thing for me. and as we were teaching about 5 niños their parents were at the neighbors watching anti mormon videos.. idk how that's going to change everything but it was a really hard night. But I know the lord will help us through these trials! Okay so times up Ill send lots and lots of pictures today! 

I love you soo much! 

It sounds like the cruise was a blast  and i love the pictures and i love all yall lots and lots!! whats the address of moriah perkins and yea. okay well love ya! the church is true. miracles pass even in the hardest times.

Hna Coburn

Cinnamon... Machetes and life

okay so Monday after internet we went to Nicoya.. an area in our district and we used the oven they have in their chapel to make homemade cinnamon rolls... can i just say one- how jealous i am that they have an oven because in Santa Cruz almost no one has an oven. and two- how excited i was to bake.. anyways. they turned out really good and were really delicious... and then i stayed in Nicoya to do divisions with Hna Lang. So that was a blast. and it really pumped up my confidence because Monday and Tuesday i was in a different area with different people and i could still understand their Spanish and they could still understand mine. hah. its not just that ´people in santa cruz are used to me but that i really do know Spanish haha. and also i was able to work in a real companionship and not a trio.. which was also different and really helped my confidence because i was able to teach and it flowed and it was awesome. ha. I laugh because she made me sing a solo in every lesson because no one can sing in Guanacaste and her other comp cant sing either so it was really funny to have to "perform" every lesson. ha. then we changed back to normal at the district meeting which was a really spiritual pump me up too because we got to share our testimonies.. and well it was the day of transfers and I can officially say that I'm going to be in Santa Cruz until Dec 10th and that Ill have 7.5 months in this area.. im hoping for 9 but well see what Pres and the Lord think. hah.

Okay so ready for a funny story so on Thursday we're running late from an appointment to go to the chapel for classes of English. so I am thinking smart and i'm like lets take our short cut through the woods and cross the football field and then we'll get their faster.. so we start our walk through the woods... and i'm just singing and joking with everyone and we're just walking normal when two men with their nice huge sharp machetes start walking toward us... my heart is beating so fast i hear the scary music in my head and with an announcers voice i hear "three sister missionaries were murdered in the santa cruz by two locos"-.--haha no really my heart was freaking out and my brain said.. hmm,they must be off to cut the grass... because that's what people use to cut the grass. ha. It was great, but hna villalobos little worry wort started running and walking super fast so we ended up running through the woods and almost interrupting the soccer game as we ran across the soccer fields ha. it was so funny we couldn't stop laughing and then hna medina almost had an asthma attack because we were running and laughing ha. it was great. so that night Pres Sancho took us out to our lessons and then for pizza.. i love that guy. So we have an investigator se llama Edith. she's the happiest brightest lovingest person alive and she's accepting everything and changing and becoming more and more happy everyday. She told us she's never going to a church because she doesn't believe in them but she said as soon as we showed her the book of mormon she knew this had to be right and she came to church on Sunday!! it was incredible. 
then Saturday we're getting ready to fast and the world decided to give us food so we end up eating tomales, arroz con leche, tortillas and queso, bread, and  juice out the wazooo. it was super fun and we were super full and it made us laugh because we couldn't say no and so we had to start our fast super late hah. then saturday Ana- finally did it. she finally said she wants to be married!!!! So as soon as she said that i SCREAMED super loud... i haven't changed i'm still a screamer. and she was like okay okay i'm never telling you guys again. So now we just have to make her legal... because she's not legal.. ha. and This week hna Villalobos is leaving so were going to be a great duo me and hna medina. its going to be  really fun i'm excited to see what its like. I'm just so pumped because I get my 6 weeks more in Santa Cruz. hah.

Anyways. I love you all so much! Have a great week!!  

Rain fight

Okay so this week what can i say. its been crazy and stressful and one of the most fun weeks I've ever had in my life. ha. I don't know what happened but this week something in my brain flipped... it decided that if I'm going to be on a mission I'm going to have to not just work hard and be happy and joyful with that, but that I should be having funny and fun experiences every day too. 
So Tuesday we went over to Ana and Lupe´s house and we convinced them about their marriage again. now its like officially going to happen. I am so stoked. then we went and talked to our new converts mom.. who isn't a member but we have been trying to talk to her for for like 2 months and it never works out but finally she let us in and as we were talking and the spirit was feeling strong she burst into tears. its was so incredible. I know we're going to help these parents because they're able to see the blessings and the joy in their kids. its amazing. then we talked to one of our menosactivos about being a missionary and he got so excited!
so Wednesday we asked him to come to a lesson with us at the church and he did and not only that but he brought his friend! it was incredible to see this change and to see how excited he was about spreading the gospel. The lesson was so awesome and we were able to teach someone new and teach santos who is only smoking one cig. a day! were so close to his baptism!!
Then on Thursday we went and saw hna magda..the mujer with the tumor and she got her operation and we got to see her and share a message with her and it was awesome. She looks so different I almost didn't recognize her. Then we taught a lady named Edith and she is the happiest person alive. We just read one scripture and she was like "oh my blessings, this is true." and literally we couldn't not leave with a smile on our faces. That night I made tortillas... by myself. and they were pretty good too! hahah. 
okay friday... we had a district meeting and got cake and ice cream because we've been working so hard and that was super fun! and then on our way to an appointment it started raining really hard and we were all a little bit wet and i decided we should be having fun especially because my comps were looking a little stressed so I started jumping in every puddle and splashing them. and we went through mud and water up to our calfs and we were soaked but it was awesome. hah. I had the best time of my life. 
And on saturday  oh my gosh. talk about the most spiritual experience of my life. We taught Yari about the temple and temple marriage and after reading D&C 132:15 she was like wow... i cant believe it.. wow. i feel it. i know that  this is true and now i really know the importance of marrying for the church. and then we read verse 19 and she was like i want this and I gave her a picture of the temple to put in her house and she called over her son whose 6 and she whispered  "kennet do you want to go here? and he whispered back mom i want to go there right now. and then she was like this is our goal.. we're going to make it there" and just then whispering was like the sweetest thing in my life. i almost cried. it was the purest and most sincere thing ever. and then we taught this little 12 yr old girl... who randomly asked for a book of mormon and we gave her one... and so this lesson we were talking to her and she was like i've been reading.. and reading with my mom. we like learning and feeling the peace it gives... and so that was just incredible because these people are so prepared we don't have to do anything. and then we...well.. i have been teaching english to this guy every week and he said that he didn't want anything to do with the church but this week he was like i want to talk bout the libro de mormon.. and then after wards he was like... yupp.. its all true. all of it just makes sense. nothing false would last this long and grow this fast. 

its been a great week and so fun and so busy because we now have too many investigators recent converts and menos activos than we can keep track of. i feel like i'm neglecting some of them. The work is crazy here. We have changes this week but i'm pretty sure were safe and we're staying here. 

I love you all so much!! 

okay love ya! 

Oh my stars

What a week what a week. 

Okay so you know I lost hna Alvarado to argentina.. well that night we went to the presidents house to do interviews with him and so she went in and was done within like 5 minutes. so i go in next and its like we just are talking and i'm asking him questions and he's asking me questions and then he's like and how was it being in a trio and I told him how much I loved it how I really just love how much I have to learn because i'm with two other people and it's just so fun. I told him how it'll be different with just one companion and then he was like... well what would you say if i could get you another companion and i was like please i'd love that haha. but i don't know how that would happen in the middle of a change and he was like well its happening. You'll get the details later. 

so then Tuesday I did changes with some people and i decided again that i never want to leave Santa Cruz for the city. never. give me anywhere "campo" and i'll take it but don't put me in the city. ha. 

then Wednesday we got up super early and I did some immigration stuff then we went to our meeting with  Elder Amado of the presidency of the 70. and I had to sing a solo in the musical number without zone for the zones that were there and for him... it was scary because hes so awesome and hes like a real high up there authority. ha. but it went fine! Then he talked and was incredible he really helped me realize how to be a better teacher how to learn from the spirit better and how to really help the people i'm teaching while helping myself. he also talked a lot about marriage and the importance and we all know how much i love that kind of stuff hah. i'm so baby and marriage hungry. hahah. and then we got... CELLPHONES! and so now i  really have to work like fuego in our area because now we have a cellphone and now we can talk to people on a more regular basis and appointments won't fall through as much and its just going to change the work. And during this conference hna Starke was there and its always such a tender mercy and a joy to see her and catch up with her and we got to eat TACO BELL. it sounds crazy but eating fast food was like a miracle hah that hasn't happened in 7.5 months. p.s. the conference was in alejuela which is where the airport is and now i have a picture like the one dad has (kinda- i had to take it fast so its not that great... hahha) and then i got a call to go pick up my new comp.. so her name is Hna Villalobos. she's from costa rica. shes been set apart but she hasn't gone to the mtc. she leaves for the mtc in Argentina in two weeks and so we get to have her for these next two weeks. so i have another comp newbie but like super newbie.. and she's awesome, but i'm having to train her from the ground up about all the little things and about really what a missionary life is like. She is like a munchkin.. seriously. shes like 4ft10 and teeeny tiny. And she doesn't know any English... so its me and two Latinos and my Spanish is getting better every day. 

So then with all the traveling and stuff we lost 4 days in our area and i wanted to CRY! but we got back and we worked our butts off and in 2 and a half days we got 17 lessons in so i was okay with that. We got Yanixi ready for her baptism and Santos is only smoking 2 a day and then we have some great new investigators.

Saturday this is what happened--we taught the nephew of Alonso and he has already been coming to church and he has been reading the book of mormon and he's only 11 and he's already on chapter three of Nephi and he read all the testimonies and everything and its just incredible and he's getting baptized next sunday.. miracle baptize that came out of no where. And so another crazy thing is that Guadalupe the husband of Ana has always been like no we are getting married in december. no ifs ands or buts, but then we were talking and i said what day in dec and he said the 20th and i was like ill be gone from santa cruz by then and he said... wait. well i have actually been talking with the lawyer and he said he can do it in three weeks. and i want to do it in three weeks along with Yari and Darling (his "sister in law" and her "husband") and so all i have to do is get permission from Ana. So that is a SUPËR HUGE super miracle. The work is like crazy fire and we keep getting 5-10 investigators in church ever Sunday so its just awesome. 

then on Sunday we had to leave again for san jose to have the monthly check for hna medina, so that's where we are right now and its great but i just want a pday at home hah. just relaxing and shopping and all. hah. 

Okay so now for the cleaning house stuff..

1. so my zone leader Elder Soza is great friends with Ethan Call right and he wants to know what ethans email is so he can talk to him. 

2. my address for letters should be 

san jose mission 

apartado postal 249-2010 

san jose 

costa rica 

and the address for packages is the one thats like corridabat. 

so idk how it is on my blog but if you could change it like that it'll make it so letters get to me faster and everything. 

3. you asked for a list of things i want or need for christmas... so here you go (do not feel obligated with any of this just know these are things that would come in handy or be great but don't even need to send me a christmas package just letters and picutres is great. :) )

peanut butter, cereal, goldfish, protein bars, no show socks, rain jacket like the kind dad uses for hiking slick and all, cheap ctr rings in spanish for all my sweet little converts, stickers, and individually wrapped candy or american candy to give them, teachings of the prophet Joseph Smith, and cds of good music efy, disney, and any musicals that are super lovey dovey.. im sick of the 100 songs i listen to every single day. hahh.

4.whats the perkins (karen and brad) and the other perkins addresses. 

and yeah. i love yall so much. yall are such great exaamples for me. 

HAPPPY BIRTHDAY STUART! HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEFAN! 

love ya! 

hna coburn