18th letter

April 29, 2013
Woohoo!!! We had another baptism yesterday! Arelis was golden and was definitely ready for this new life. Hermana and Elder Flake(who work in the temple) found Arelis when they went to eat at a restaurant. She was a waitress and Elder Flake simply asked her if she wanted to take the lessons. We were happy that Arelis lives in our area to teach. She was golden from the start and told us that she just wants to serve God and do His will. And that was perfect cuz thats all that God asks of us in order to be worthy for baptism. At first it was hard for her to realize that she could receive an answer without reading the entire book of mormon. She is diligent in reading the book of mormon everyday and had/has a goal to read the book of mormon from cover to cover. Every morning she traveles to Belen(15 min in bus) for work and doesn’t arrive home until late at night, so a few times my companions and I would walk to her house before our study time to teach her and help prepare her for her baptism.
It was last week when we went one morning and family problems had come up. But she told us that she wanted to get baptized and she knew that she was doing the right thing. She told us that even through the hard trials that she is facing she feels so happy. What a miracle it is to witness the change that the Atonement makes in the lives of those who are willing to follow His example. After her baptism, Arelis was glowing with a huge smile on her face. I know the Lord has a great purpose for this woman, she is faithful in going to church and is going to be a wonderful leader. After the baptism, Elder and sister Smith(also work in the temple and are from snowflake. Elder Smith Home taught Grandpa Pease years ago), Elder and Sister Flake, Hermana Garcia, Hermana Portillo, and I went to Arelis house for a Nicaraguan Barbecue. Yes rice is still included in the barbecue and yes it was delicious! Arelis doesn’t have very much, but she is so generous and loving and always wanting to feed us. She only has two chairs in her house that are about to fall apart, so some lessons Hermana Flake and Elder flake would bring folding chairs or sometimes we would borrow chairs from the neighbors or use the couple buckets that we could find from outside. While eating at Arelis house, it was fun to discover that Hermana and Elder smith and Hermana and Elder Flake are all relatives of mine through Jesse N. Smith. I probably should have figured that one out a
little sooner with the last names of Flake and Smith. I was glad to have my ancestor stories that I had brought with me to read of Jesse N. Smith and a few of my other ancestors. It brought tears to my eyes to think of all the hardships that our grandparents went through but yet were so valiant!
How grateful I am for the blessings of the temple and for the blessing that we can be with our family for eternity. If you want to really know how much you love your family...go on a mission! Living far away from the people I love has made me realize how blessed I am! Grandma Pease and Grandma Lewis, I am so grateful for your faithful examples and being so dedicated to raising righteous families! Lover my granparents and cannot wait for the moment to reunite with my grandfathers! I know that sometimes they come here to support me in the work of the Lord.
Well last week it was fun to be able to do some service for a family in the ward. Actually a service project that I have never done before...I cut grass with a machete. After cutting grass, I decided that I preferred a lawn mower. I think my companions were a little scared to have me use the machete since I had never done it before. Hermana Portillo teased me and said, woah, you got to be careful when a gringa has a machete. We walked back from our house with only a few blisters, bruises, and plenty of ant bites. Mom, if you thought ants were a problem in Arizona, come see how the ants rule the world in Costa Rica! You leave one tiny crumb on the counter and in 30 sec there is a line of ants. So I have learned that is normal to sometimes eat food and drink water with a couple ants.
Yesterday we went to Yerrica(our recent convert of a month) house and she fed us a dang delicoius tamale. About 10 minutes later I broke out with rashes and bumps all over my body that itched so bad! That was a new experience for me cuz I thought I wasn’t allergic to anything and that I could eat anything I wanted...guess I have to be careful with the Nicaraguan tamales. Allergy pills work wonders:) Well it was an awesome week to finish with an awesome baptism. I love the people here and can’t believe it’s almost time for companion changes...I love my companions and pray that maybe I can have them for another 6 weeks. I love this gospel so much and I love my Savior! Sure love you family and miss you! Thanks Alvin for this info of your mish and for the words of support...seriously means a lot! Ill keep an eye out for that companion! Love you all! And the gospel is true...don’t ever forget it and always live it! Love Hermana Pease

17th letter!

May 6, 2013

One more week with my trainer!!!!!!!!! Can’t believe my mission mother is going to leave me really soon...I loved learning and growing from her! Hermana Portillo is a very smart and loving missionary. She knows every scripture by heart and knows every word that every apostle ever said. She is a recent convert of about 3 yrs and was actually a dedicated Catholic the years prior from her baptism. She was going to be a nun but I believe that missionaries caught her right in time. They taught her for 6 months, as she had many question and was a little hard in the heart. But when she bears her testimony of when she received a confirmation that this is the true church, it is powerful! She is still the only member in her family. Bless her heart, I believe in the beginning she was rejected by all of her friends and by her family for being baptized. She has sacrificed a lot to be here on a mission and only has7 months left! The Lord has a plan for this awesome missionary and she is going to lead many people to the truth...even after her mission!

Well I think one of my favorite things this week was digging mud in the pouring rain while wearing a skirt. We are teaching a family right now who do not have very much for a house. Their floor is the dirt, which can be a disadvantage here in Costa Rica when the huge rain storms come in. Well while teaching a lesson to this family, the rain started pouring down on the tin roof of their house. A few minutes later, water was starting to run inside of the house. The mom and the grandpa grabbed a shovel and ran to the back of the house where the water was coming in. Dad, you would be so proud of me because there was one shovel left and I instantly grabbed the shovel and ran out to meet the mom and Grandpa, but then I realized I left my companions. So I went back inside to convince my companions to go out with me. When they turned and looked at me, they both laughed a little bit, I’m sure cuz I looked a little funny holding a shovel while in my dress, but then they realized I was serious and followed me outside in the down pour of rain. We were able to dig a little gutter for the water to drain away from the house. Wish I could’ve taken a picture of all the mud that was clumped onto my shoes and legs.

 However, just for the record, we did end up finishing our lesson! They are a humble family and have a baptismal date. However they are super traditional Catholics and they are having a hard time recognizing their answer and having the desire to leave the Catholic Church. When we showed her a picture of Joseph Smith´s first vision, she told us that she had a dream and that in her dream she saw an angel and a pillar of light descending down, just like in the picture of the first vision. I kinda wanted to say, “ Hello !! That is an answer from God! He is answering your prayers telling you that all we are teaching you is true!” But Hermana Portillo was good to try to help her understand in a more loving way. However for some reasons she doesn’t see the answers so clearly still. So we continue to pray for them!

Saturday we decided to knock on a door. We ended up having a lesson with this family ( mom, dad, and two daughters) and they committed to go to church the next day. When my companion and I went to pick them up, they were ready in their Sunday best. The Dad had told us that they were looking for a church to go to; I think that’s when we gave them the invitation to go to church with us! The mom and their girls are super sweet. After church they said that they really liked it! It was testimony meeting and Hermana Portillo and Hermana Garcia both gave beautiful testimonies and mentioned this family in their testimony and how grateful they were that they came to church. The spirit was so strong as they mentioned the beautiful doctrine of eternal families.

 How grateful I am for the joy the gospel has brought me in my immediate family and extended family. It is a wonderful privilege to help other families find the joy and peace that I have through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Well my testimony is growing everyday as the spirit bears witness to me in every lesson that we have. It’s those moments that make all the trials of a mission worth it! I found a sweet quote from Elder Nelson that says, ¨ With faith comes trial of faith, bringing greater faith.¨ We will never gain faith without trials and as we endure through the trial, the Lord promises us more light, more faith, and more blessing! We have a perfect God and He has a perfect plan for us! I love you all family! The Gospel is true!! Love Hermana P