"Tica Talk (straight talk)."

Plantains-my favorite! Granted, I burned the first batch but hey!

That there is a volcano behind us.

My New Ukey!

Mucho Rain! Matchy Matchy!

Little Daniella y Maggie the dog.

Bus riding along.

Yo y mis hermanas.

HOOOOOOOOOOLA!

Here one thing I've noticed is that Ticans don't say thank you a lot or gush. They just show their love in different ways. But you know they love you when they treat you like family and boss you around and tell you to clean your room and do things for you. They are the best people in the world. 

Also random, but if you ever need ideas for packages, office supplies and toiletries are the best. And peanut butter. I love pens and colored pencils for scriptures and just anything officy is the best. And maybe a pillow! Ha ha!

Right now I am writing and Prince Royce is in the backround at Angies house. Sorry it took so long for me to write. Today we were preparing all day for the wedding!  Carolina and Juan Carlos are getting married this saturday and carolina is going to be baptized right after. She is golden. She is so so sweet and wonderful and humble. They live in this tiny little house and their story is really interesting because they have been living together for 6 years and have a 4 year old daughter but they are so young. She is only 19. Juan carlos is a member of the church. They are both so excited to get married. They live really far away so we go to visit them with Hermana Angie every week. I will make sure to take lots of pictures! MY FIRST BAPTISM! She is the best. :) Sweetest, most beautiful girl. 

Well, que mas?? Well, there are 5 people in our branch. FIVE! Can you imagine! 
We had divisions this week which means that we change companions for two days and go and visit in their area. I went with one of the sister training leaders. It was such good experience. She is super super obedient and it was so great. I was soo happy and felt the spirit!! When I feel the spirit, I can speak and understand spanish and it is a miracle. She told me that I am probably going to train after my training and she told me she is going to write a good report to president. That made me really happy. 

I Iove being a missionary and being tired at night!! Yes I bought a ukey! I named it Yendry after my companion (my mom. she calls me baby haha) Mi Abuelita here wants to paint it for me because she is a painter. Yes I have used it with investigadores. Its really cute because a lot of people have never seen a ukelele before and they think it is a baby guitar. Which it is. I love it! We sing hymns and they love it. Funny random story. On the bus we always talk to people. I sat next to this viajito and he sang a song about my eyes to me! I laughed and laughed!

My hands are almost all the way better! Love you!

"We have trials to refine us. Anything worthwhile is hard."

Hi!!!

I want to thank you so much for your words of encouragment and love and concern. I want to calm your fears and tell you that I am doing so much better. First of all, my hands are looking a lot better. It is on both hands, but one is darker than the other. It is healing, and I dont have any pain and I am in San Jose and have an appointment tomorrow. So dont worry okay? The nurses looked at it and they said that it is not Lyme disease and probably just stress, allergy, or something like that. And I really have no pain so it is fine. ;) 

 We had a big meeting with President Wilkinson and he gave us the best talk. Everything he said calmed my fears and these feelings really are normal for new missionaries. 

My language is actually good, I just was letting Satan tell me I couldn't do it. I can understand a ton of things and especially in lessons, I understand my investigators and what is said. My family in Costa talked to me last night and told me that I just need to believe in myself more, that I don't have to be perfect, and that when I talk, people really listen. I think one of my biggest problems was that I was trying to be perfect. I care about people so much that I wanted to say and do the perfect thing, so I let my fear hold me back. But I just need to chill. 

And I feel the Spirit so much today. I can do this, because I was called of God. I truly feel so much better. Thank you for the prayers because honestly they help and I felt something lift off my shoulders. The most important thing about serving a misión is helping others and dedicating your life to God.

I love you!! Forever and ever. I love being a missionary and I love Costa Rica. The end. :) And the Lord really does give us trials to refine us. Anything worthwhile is hard. There are miracles here. We have a wedding in two weeks by the way!! And a baptism too! There are the best moments here! I love laughing with people and serving! You would not believe the things I have seen here. I would not trade it for the world.

[Erika saw the Dr. today and he said it is an allergic reaction to something. She will continue to heal over time and be good as new very soon. Prayer works!]

"Not gonna lie. This was a hard week."

To be completely 100% honest, this week was awful.  I don't want you to worry, but I have a rash on my hand that's pretty ugly. At first I thought it was a bug bite, but we sent pictures to the nurses and they told me that the doctor said it looks like Lyme Disease. They said it could also be an allergy to the new plants and weather. It doesn't hurt too much, and I think I am going to the dermatologist as soon a possible. Please don't worry too much. 

My otherwise health is so so. Being a missionary here is extremely stressful. I feel lost all the time, scared, and I am having a really hard time overcoming fears and worries. I have been having really bad feelings of anxiety and last night could not sleep at all. I also can't eat very much either. I always want to be hard working, diligent, kind, loving, and unafraid. But for some reason I am having a really hard time teaching. Even simple doctrine is hard to express and its just a huge, huge change. 

I want to be here, and I want to be a good missionary, but I have feelings of anxiety that is making it really,really hard for me to feel the Spirit. Thank you for all the prayers and I know it will be okay. Oh and Hellen doesn't want to be baptized anymore. We are trying to work with her but she feels like she doesn't have an answer. AH! Such stress.

I don't think I need anything. That package really did have so much good stuff. Thank you mom. I haven't had time to purchase a ukelele but when we go to San Jose I want to. :) And yes I will send pictures of the chapel so you can see. We try to keep it clean so it should be okay. I love you and I pray for you and thank you always for your prayers. 

I got to teach Sunday School. :) Cutest kids ever. I love them!

"A Package From Heaven."

Monday, September 1, 2014

HI :)))))))))

First I would like to begin by saying thank you sooooooooooooooooooooo much for the package!!! I cried my eyes out when I got it because I was so so grateful and happy to read the letters too. Everything in there I really did need and it was a miracle that I got it. The lady who delivered it to me, Sister Herbst, said it was a miracle it got to me. I know the Lord is always watching out for us. I have the best family in the entire world. Also thank you for the pics of Max, Kel!! I showed them to my second family here in the mission. (The family Wong-Jiminez) They think he is the cutest baby. BUGS!! Happy Birthday!!! And what in the world you are getting your license! STOP. And going to homecoming!! How did you ask! Tell me every stinking detail. By the way, thats so fun that you got to go to the storytelling festival! I love reading your emails because I can picture everything clearly. I miss you.

Right now I am at my family´s house. I just want to say that I am so lucky. These people are incredbile. They call Hermana Bram and I their daughters. Everyday they take so much care of us by helping us visit members and cooking delicious food and washing our clothes and just everything. To be honest, this week was really hard. The first week I felt kind of fearless and then suddenly it hit me that I am in a different country and feeling completely lost in conversations and discouraged about the language and just everything. But the father who is like my second dad gave me the best talk and I felt the spirit so strong. He basically told me: Hermana, you are not here to learn the language. You are a representative of Jesus Christ. People will be able to understand you because everyone can understand the language of the spirit. I feel so much better now and I really liked what you said dad about miracles. There are tender mercies everyday and we just need to see them. It is so true. I am so grateful for all the things that I do understand and we have already had experiences that are indescribable.

Hellen and her kids are doing so well. This week we had a really special experience with them. We have continued teaching them, and Hellen said that she has felt more peace in her life since she has had the missionaries come over. She kept saying I dont know why, but I just feel better. Then she started crying because she is worried about money because they don't have hardly anything and she is even worried about feeding her kids. Her daughter daniella was crying too. I just hugged daniella for a long time and I was crying with them. We just bore our testimonies and said a prayer with them. Hellen has so much faith. Daniella is really excited to be baptized. After they have been praying, they prayed that daniella would do well on her test, and I helped her study because it was an english test. She got 100%! They also came to church again on sunday.

We also have another investigator named Aristides. He is 83 years old and is the best person alive. He always just looks at us and is like QUE LINDAS! QUE BONITAS! Hahaha. He always closes his eyes during our lessons and Hermana Bram pokes him with his cane to make him stay awake. She is such a tease. He also came to church with us on sunday.

We had kind of a funny/rado experience teaching Aristides. While we were over there, and this man pulled up on his bike. He was kind of crazy. We were singing and he started singing with us and then he started making up his own song and singing to us. And then he was like "I want to serenade you outside your window with my guitar." And I was like "nope." Then he started preaching because he was a preacher from another church and started preaching and preaching and we were just sitting there listening and finally we were like well, we have to go. And then he was like "You can teach me english and I can teach you spanish!" And I said "No, I already have a teacher." Its hard to explain but it was kind of funny. Aristides was sleeping the whole time. Oh the adventures.

Random culture thing: People have an interesting accent here. They say Mi amorsh or necesitamos que irsh or vamos aversh. :)

Costa is beautiful. I am so grateful to be here and I love the people like I cant even explain. I am so happy to be here. I love you so much and thank you for your  prayers. This church is true. It is true in every language, with every circumstance, with every person. I know God lives and loves us. Until next week. I am so grateful for you.

Tears and thank you's to sister Herbst for hand delivering my package!
A true angel. A real miracle.

Me and Hermana Bram
We are the first Sisters in Florenica!

30 NEW MISSIONARIES!
Trainer's Breakfast
August 2014

ZONE CONFERENCE
2014