11th letter

Dear Family March 19, 2013

 

 I wanted to share a picture of my teacher at the MTC. Hermano Zenger was awesome!! The last day that my district was with him he shared some spiritual lessons with us. One statement that he said I really loved, it was ¨"WHERE THERE IS LOVE AND OBEDIENCE THERE IS SACRIFICE." He gave some examples such as Abraham. Abraham loved the Lord and was very obedient and was commanded to sacrifice his son. He also pointed out that Adam was commanded to give a sacrifice and he did because he loved the Lord and was obedient. Many times I think of why I am here and why i am sacrificing a year and half and it all goes back to ...because I love the Lord and I want to obey him. I know that as we love our Lord and obey his commandments God will strengthen us through our hardships and even the sacrifices that we have to make. How grateful I am for parents and grandparents who have sacrificed so much and who have a desire to become more like the Savior! Because without them, without you mom and dad, I wouldn´t be here!

 First baptism!!!! Yerica has been attending church and taking the missionary lesson for about a year. She was ready and we were so happy that her spouse, Fransisco, finally agreed to be married. That really was a miracle. He was so against being married..but through prayers and fasting his heart was softened. Their wedding was on Friday and Yerica´s baptism was this past sunday. Fransisco and their two kids came to church for the whole three hours and stayed for the baptism after the relief society and priesthood. I was praying in my heart that fransisco would feel the spirit and have the desire to take the lessons. Our prayers were answered! After the baptism, Hermana Portillo and I heard Fransisco talking to a member and was telling him that he wanted to be baptized April 15th! We both ran over to him...my companion was asking him questions while all I could do was just stand there and smile at him. Makes me think of the movie the best two years..."we just think you look good in white"...cannot wait for their family to be able to go through the temple. The rule is if your investigators go through the temple while you are still on the mish, you can go through with them. Anyways...huge tender mercy for us! Moral of that story...many times, the progress of investigators depends on the faith the missionaries. Maybe that’s why Faith is the first principle of the gospel!

I love having an El salvadorian for a companion because she makes the best food! Usually for breakfast she makes tortillas and last week she made pupusas...Alvin, do you remember those? She said that’s a pretty traditional dish in El Salvador. I really liked them and I´m thinking i can´t leave Costa Rica until i know how to make pupusas...I almost got the tortilla down. Hermana Portillo is really patient with me and I think she thinks I don´t know how to make anything...I don´t know how to explain to her that they cook so differently here.

1st pic: gayo pinto...the dish that costa ricans eat for breakfast lunch and dinner...love it!

2nd pic: and of course i want you all to know that you are missing out on the best ice cream sandwich ever! "trits" are only made in costa rica...hope someday all of you get to try this delicacy.

Thank you mom for making me practice every day the piano! Last sacrament meeting the young woman who usually plays the simplified hymns on the piano didn´t show up. Everyone started singing and the conductor started leading and I realized no one was playing the piano. I snuck up to the piano and I think I caught everyone by surprise when I joined them on the 2nd verse. I think I caught them a little off guard cuz they were singing in a different key, haha. But I think many were grateful and many thanked me. They said that the room had a total different feeling. Music is so wonderful and I was grateful I could help bring the spirit in by playing the hymns.

Just a side, remember how i said I have been taking cold showers...apparently those were warm showers cuz our warm water broke just a few days ago haha...I´m loving my adventures here!

Right now we are working with Familia Garcia and helping them have the desire to be married...they have the cutest little boy. Jesena has really likes church and wants to continue in progressing but santos, her husband, is struggling with keeping his commitments. I wish there was a way that I could just make him see how blessed he will be if he acts upon the invitations of prayer and reading that we have given him. But as I have seen with Fransisco, the only teacher that can help him understand is the spirit. I am grateful for the fullness of the gospel that we have here on this earth! How blessed we are to have the power of God to help the children of Heavenly Father progress to live with Him again!

Don´t be afraid to share what you know so it can bless someone else´s life!

 Love you all!! Hermana Pease