Tica in Costa Rica: 03/23/15

Hi family and friends :)

First of all I just want to let you know that I will now be writing again on mondays, not tuesdays.

I hope that you both had a great birthday and I was thinking about you both on these days. What did you do? Sometimes I show people photos of my family and they think you look so young! Its true. :)

Mom, a really happy thing happened on your birthday! N got baptized. It was such a joyful day!! 15 years of knowing about the church but never being baptized, and she decided for herself that she wanted to do it. It was the best day ever. She was so nervous but afterwards she said that she felt so clean and happy. On sunday when she received the Holy Ghost and after, she looks different. She has really opened up to us and we laugh all the time. This family is incredible. ALL of them. I know this is a family I will be in contact with for the rest of my life. And they give us really yummy columbian food like deep fried arepas. YES. Ill send pics.

I just want to say I have a very strong testimony of the Holy Ghost. That it really can be a constant companion that helps us in everyday life. Many times we dont even know we are feeling it or that it is leading us until after. This week Hermana Acosta and I were walking by our abuelitas house. Her name is Justina. She is the sweetest, kindest, most loving older woman who is really lonely and we like to go visit her. We were on our way to visit other people and were about to pass her house, but then we said: we should go visit her. As we came to the door, her daughter told said, "Thank goodness you're here. Justinas sister died and she's been crying all day." So we went inside and we were able to know exactly what to do to help her. We hugged her, and sang hymns, and called someone to give a blessing, and gave her a foot massage. Afterwards, she looked peaceful and said thank you so much. I know God loves me because he answered my prayers. It was one of those moments where I felt so grateful to be an instrument in The Lords hands.

This week we saw many other miracles. Everyday we talk to people in the street, and one man that we talked to on the bus called us and said, I know a family who needs help. So we went to visit them and they are so cool. They wanted to get married, but for the church because they are already legally married. So we were able to explain to them that they can get married in the temple for time and all eternity, but there are certain steps that they need to take to be able to enter, and one is baptism. They were super interested and they came to church this sunday! Their son too. It was a miracle!!!

This week my companion got sick and fainted in the bus. :( That wasnt good. But now shes doing better. POR DICHA! That means thank goodness.

We also got to have interviews with president wilkinson. It was so good. He is amazing. Hermana A and I wrote a song for him and his family. Half is in english, half in spanish. He cried and was so happy. We also had a huge conference with all of the mission and Elder Maines talked with us and we learned so much. I was a little grumpy in the morning because we woke up at 4 to be there in time. haha.

I AM STAYING IN SAN RAFAEL! I am so happy. We got to go to an old folkes home today with the relief society and played bingo and then we put on some salsa and merengue and they LOVED it. They were all dancing sooo cute I wanted to cry. I love them. ;)