Miracles and Apostasy

Dear Family,

Well this week we focused sooo hard on helping Nidia to be baptized.  She was really excited at first and then she started making up excuses for why she couldn't see us and told us that she didn't feel prepared.  It was a little frustrating and sad.  However, we are picking ourselves up again and starting over. 

Now, ready for the miracle?  Our investigator Katalina is going to be baptized the 9th of May. I've aready told you a bit about her, but let me tell you her story: 

About a month ago we were walking down a street when I noticed a woman sitting in her house entrance holding a baby.  She smiled at us when we walked past , but we lept on walking.  we were searching for a house of a referral.  The referral wasn't home so when we returned down the street my companion and I both felt the impression to talk to the woman with the baby.  Well it turns out the Katalina told us that her cousin was a member and that he had told her that he was oging to send the elders over to talk to her about the gospel.  The next day we showed up unexpectedly!  To which I am very greatful, because if we hadn't shown up the elders would have taught her.  Not that it matters if the elders or the hermanas teach someone the gospel, but I feel that we were meant to teach her because we canr relate to her problems better than the elders.  She's really great.

Yesterday she came to church and told us that her daughter was sick and that she had a dream the night before of hands on her baby's head and asked if we gave prayers that way. And so...last night the elders passed her house to give her baby a blessing!  It's amazing the evidence you can see everyday of the existence of God.

We also had two other investigators come to church. One was Sigri who was a Jehovahs witness and when we teach her she talks sooo much and asks SO many questions, but she progressing little by little. The other investigator is Beatriz. Beatriz is an investigator we've been teaching for about a month as well.  She learns really really slowly.  One night she couldn't learn the word apostasy (apostasia) and so we all started saying the word together.  By the end we were chanting "Apostasia! Apostasia!"  (Yes, it was as bad as it sounds!) but gave my companion and I a good laugh afterwards.

What else...we had a multizone conference with President Wilkinson.  They made us breakfast and afterwards we capacitated us about how to plan and teach well.  It was amazing and I think we are now going to improve our teaching a ton.

Well I think that's it for now.  Love you all to the moon and back!

Hermana Bratt

Agiant iguana.  Really it was giant and

just chillin' in the park.  It was probably 5 feet long with it's tail.

Presidente Wilkinson's Birthday

A Week of Frantic Searching!

Dear Family and Friends,

Well this week we found 15 new investigators.  It was a nice number, although I goal was to find 20. We also have 18 Investigators progressing, the goal for the mission is 25.  We are falling short, but just a few weeks ago we only had 4!

This we were searching and trying every means messasary to find people that could be baptized this month.  People that already have attended church.  Well it seemed that at every turn we found old investigators that could be baptized, but they didnt accept to be baptized.  Finally, Saturday night we had our final lesson for the day with an ex-investigator, Nidia.  Nidia was taaght the missionry lessons about 2 years ago, but then she moved to San Jose and the missionaries lost contact with her.  Last week we contacted her daughter-in-law in the street and Nidia walked in to our first lesson with her.

Well Saturday we started asking her questions and after teaching her a small prinicple that God is our loving Heavenly Father I asked her why she never had been baptized.  She told us that she didnt know, and so we asked her if she wanted to be baptized in a week. And her response was...YES!

We were pretty happy, however the storms not oever yet, because we have to help her preapre for baptism in only 5 days.  She doesnt remember too much about the missionry lessons, but shes really good and has a lot of faith in God.  Her husband has alzheimers.

Theres a rule that if an ex-investigator wants to be baptized they still have to attend church at least once while you were in the area.  Yesterday morning we passed by Nidias house to see if she was going to come to church, but she couldnt come because no one could watch her husband and he didn-t want to come to church.  We invited her to come for a least one ohour and she said she would try.

Well at 10 o clock she still hadnt shown up.  i sent her a message to see if she was going to arrive and after a few minutes she called us saying she would arrive in 5 minutes.  It turns out that she passed by at about 9:05 but the doors were closed!  Luckily, though she didnt make it to sacrament meeting she can still be baptized this Saturday.  PLEASE pray for her!  As well as Runia, and ex-inv.  that could be baptized as well, but is a little stubborn and doesnt want to accept a date.

We also had one other investigator in church, Katalina.  Katalina is the cousin of a member.  She is progressing a lot and tentatively accepted a baptism date for May 9th.  She has a lot of fear to change religions because she-s always been Catholic, but shes reading the Book fo Mormon and has found answers to her questions.

Friday  we had a Noche de Herrmanamiento, and played the orange game.  Our inv. and members loved it!

Sorry If Im missing punctuation, I cant find the apostraphy on this keyboard.

Talmage just sent me a few pictures,  WOW he looks really grown up.

Well, Im about out of time.  Love you all!  Dad I hope you and Spencer enjoy our free fishing trip!  Lucky Lucky Luvky.

Spiritual Hint:  If you want to feel the Spirit more, put more effort into your prayers!

Love you all!  Yes, mom I should be able to call home Mothers day....When is mothers day?

 ¡Hasta la proxima semaña!

Hermana Bratt

Paola and her kids,  an awesome investigator that had to move to Limon.

These giant ants were infesting our apartment!  
Luckily our neighbors/owner of the house came over with
ant poison. We are ant free finally!

There's No Time!

Dear Family,

Well today I don't have any time to write!  We came to San Jose for the month checkup for Hna Miriel and all the newbies.  We had to stand up the whole way in the bus again!  Woot!

We are teaching an investigator named Katalina.  She has had a lot of problems in her life, but she's the cousin of a recent convert and is reading the book of Mormon.  She wants to come to church, but right now is working Sundays.   She is a single mom and is really sincere in her desire to change her life/character.

Paola moved Sunday :(

Mom, have you made plans to come down here next june yet!?  :)  I got the ballet DVD.  Thank you!

My companion, Hna Miriel, is an example in a lot of ways. She always gains so much knowledge in her personal study time. It's made me realize that while at one point in my mission I was like her "hungry for knowledge". I haven't been studying as efficently as before. That's going to change! This week one day we studied in the church because we had to fill up the baptism font. The Spirit we felt there was really beautiful and we are planning to study as much as possible in the church because it helps us focus more and have better estudios. The only problem is we live about 15 mintues away ad have to bring all of our books, however it's worth it to wake up early and lug everything there!

We have to go take our bus back to Nicoya!  Sorry my email is so short!

Love you all!

Hermana Bratt

A Tough Week

Dear Family,

Well Tuesday I went to my first leadership meeting with all of the Zone leaders and Sister Training Leaders.  They've got me pretty scared!  Luckily because I was new I didn't have to give an account of my area or the sisters I am over, but next month I will have to.  If my numbers aren't amazing, or the statisitcs of the sisters I'm over it's pretty shameful.  We are going to have to start working EVEN harder.

This conference weekend we did almost everything to help our investigators come to church, called them, passed for them, had members pass or call, we even made breakfast for Hermana Paola and her children so that she could get ready on time.  Well, only one persons came to church.  Danilo, who is an old investigator that a member invited.  That means the only person that came to church was a person that we didn't even talk too!  It's a little frustrating, because we've also been working with less actives/inactives and three of them came to church.  But it seems that our investigators just won't come.  The mayority of them say they will come to church and they are really positve about it, but they just don't show up. 

We have the goal of 4 baptisms this month, but investigators have to come to church three times before they can be baptized.  While we are still working towards our goal we don't have any possibilities right now.  Unless a new family that has come to church moves here we are kind of out of luck. 

Also, Paola is moving about 7 hours away!  We were pretty sad, bacuase she is progressing a lot, reaading the Book of Mormon, etc.  I don't think the new town she is going to live in has missionaries, but I'm going to check.

Okay, sorry if the last few paragraphs sound a little gray/ pessemistic.  Really, I know that the Lord can perform miracles.  My companion and I read an article in the Liahona for this month that has made us re analyze faith.  In it the writer said that "Faith is hope in a true principle"  Well, something like that.  In spanish it said "La fe es la esperanza en un principio verdadero".  For example, to say "I know the Lord can heal my arm" isn't faith rather faith is to say " I know that the Lord has the power to heal".   Really, you should just read the article! I don't remember what it's called though.  Sorry!  Look in the Liahona for this month.

And so, we have hope that the Lord can help us, will help us if we do our part. 

We've been teaching a new family Jesus and Carmen, that live on the same street as the branch president.  They look pretty promising. Jesus is really receptive of everything we say, but Carmen is a loittle bit tougher.

Well, today we went fishing!  However, no one caught anything.  The fish did keep on eating my shrimp though.  I was the only one that was getting any bites.  (Sorry if I sound boastful, but I am a fisherman's daughter!)  We did happen to see a bunch of iguanas and monkeys though.  They told us that the river we were fishing in has aligators in it.  But we fished on high river banks and so weren't close to the water. (AKA Don't worry mom) I'm getting pretty good at fishing with just a block of wood and a line!

Thank you all for every pray you say for me! I hope you enjoy Mexico and say hi to everyone for me!

Love love love you!

Hermana Bratt

Monkeys we woke from a nap

Me fishing