Week 15

Dear Family,

This week we've been focusing a lot on finding new less actives. Previously, we only taught 5 or 6 different MARCs (less actives or recent converts) a week, but we are trying to expand and bring more people back to the church.  One day my companion and I spent three hours just contacting all the members in a zone of our area.   Most of them wanted nothing to do with us.  The work was tiring, a bit depressing, and it was raining really hard.  The directions of their houses were hard to find, even though we had a map to guide us.  After about 2 and a half hours without any one letting us in I told my companion that maybe we should stop for the day and we can visit a recent convert who is growing a lot in the gospel.  However, we decided to knock on about three more houses that were close before we gave up.  I'm so glad we did!  Because the last house we visited the woman who answered let us in without us asking.  Her name's Grace, and she hasn't been to church in twenty years, but she was happy to chat with us and we gave her a new Book of Mormon as she didn't have one. She also invited us back, and so we are happy with the fact that our efforts weren't in vain!

Gretel is going to be married the end of this week!  She is so excited for her wedding as well as her baptism.  Alejandro as well is going to be baptized Sunday!  Yay!

Hermana Samayoa is growing a lot!  I was a little worried the first week about her teaching skills as well as mine, especially because I don't know the language perfectly yet, however she's already teaching with the Spirit a lot more and I'm really excited for the growth I've seen in her!

I love, love, love reading the Book of Mormon every day.  This week I finished the Book of Jacob and one of my favorite scriptures on faith that I've found is Jacob 3:1 that says:

"But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause..."

I love this scripture, and I only hope that my mind is firm and that the Lord can plead my cause (to bring people unto Christ) to the people of Costa Rica!  I know that he will plead the cause of Unlce Kyrk as well. I'm sad that I'm not at home to give mom and grandma a great big hug!  I love you both so much!

Today we had to travel to San Jose because my companion needed to get her finger prints taken in order to start the process of having a cedula (Green card in English I believe). Hermana Cook, who is also a trainer was there as well.  Afterwards the four of us ate lunch together.  It was fun to see her again!

We found 14 new investigators this week.  I'm pretty excited about that.  It's kind of tough being in charge and having to be responsible about everything.  There are still things that I don't know about the mission, rules, processes we have to do for baptisms, etc, however I keep learning everyday.  In one week I'll have 5 months in the mission! 

Costa Rica is so pretty, but I miss the seasons already.  I'm ready for the trees to change colors, though they never will!  Tiff's cousin is the new nurse in the mission field.  I'm happy not to be her!  But I know she'll do a great job taking care of all of us.  She is training with the sister training leaders that are over my zone.  I'm almost over my cold mom!  Don't worry!  But if you send a new package can you send some more airborne?  Other than that I think i'm covered on medical supplies.  I haven't seen anything of the packages mom or Tiff sent.  Sister Wilkinson said that there's still hope, but that I should have gotten them by now, even with the old address that was one them.  Make sure if you send more packages to put pictures of catholic saints on the box as well as make the package as small as possible.  The bigger it is the more likely it will be opened.  Supposedly it only takes 2 to 3 weeks now to receive packages.

Thank you for all your love, emails, jokes, letters, etc!  I miss each one of you, but am happy to be a missionary!

Hermana Bratt

Me an my companion with Justin, a ward member waiting for his mission call! His badge says, "Future Missionary". 

Me with Hermana Cook!!! Yay! I love her!