Another Week in Nicoya

Dear Family,

Well this week we've found a few promising investigators.  Two of which are Loura and Eliecer.  They are a coupe that have been together for 5 years.  I think I told you guys before about Loura, but this week we met her boyfriend.,  We tough he was going to be scary from wat Loura has told us, but is really great.  Loura wants to be married but Eliecer isn't sure yet.  He wants to come to curch next week to see if he will receive an answer from the Lord about whether he should marry her or not.  They accepted a baptism date for the 28th of March.

This week we fasted to know what are goal for baptisms is for the month of March.  Though we don't have anyone that is ready to be baptized our goal is 2 baptisms.  I know that we can acheive it if we work hard enough!

Yesterday we made pizza at a members house for Pday.  It was super yummy which was nice, because usally te pizza here isn-t that great.  Speaking of food...we at a less=active-s house and se gave us chocolate cake thhat she made.  Well the first couple mouthfuls were great...until I tasted something weird.  I flipped the cake over to see the bottom of it covered in mold!  I couldnt say anything though and so I scraped a little off and finished eating it.  I definitely havent wanted to return to eat anyting there!

Sorry this eamil is super short, I can-t tink of anyting else.  Love you all a bunch.  Send me pictures!

Hermana Bratt

A Book (that looks suspiciously like chocolate) that Grandma Sent me! 

Makin Pizza

Still Adjusting to My New Area

Dear Family,

This week I've still been adjusting to my new area, things here are really different than in Turrialba. Our area is HUGE and we are always always wlking, as there aren't buses here.  My companion is the exact opposite of Hermana Samayoa.  Hermana Perez is a lot more serious, but she's good at getting everything done that needs to be done and remaining on top of things.  Hna Perez is 24 and studied medicine for three years before she came on her mission, so I'm in good hands if I get sick!

Yesterday we went to the beach for P-day.  The water was super warm and there were coral shells everywhere.  We could only walk in the ocean up to about mid calf/knees.  It was hard not going in further.

Yesterday we also found anew investigator, Loura.  Loura was a referral from a neighborhood girl.  When we knocked on her door Loura said she was super surprised because none of her neighbors like her and she spend all day hiding in her house.  Loura has a ton of problems and isn't keeping many commandments right now, but when she left she thanked us for coming and said that she felt a lot better and more peaceful.

Sunday only on investigator came to church, Delma.  Delma has a baptism scheduled for March 21st.  She's great, but learns really really slowly.  We have to re-teach her the previous lesson every time we visit her.

This week we were trying to find a bunch of new investigators that we knew could progress and be baptized.  We probably taught 15-20 new people, but of them only 9 we counted as investigators and of theses 9 only 3 or 4 look really promising.  By the end of the week I was a bit tired of teaching the first lesson, (Which just so you know isn't the restoration we teach ten points about our purpose as missionaries and then teach about our loving Heavenly Father and that the gospel blesses our families).

Sunday I gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting!  I was a little nervous, but I think it went really well. I talked about keeping the Sabbath.  Our branch president is ADD and is ALWAYS moving or talking, or joking, etc.  But he's really great.  His wife was a missionary and is really great as well.  We ate with President Solis and his wife Geselle (Branch President) Sunday.

Doctrine and Covenants 39

 5 And verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receiveth my gospel receiveth me; and he that receiveth not my gospel receiveth not me.

 6 And this is my gospel—repentance and baptism by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which showeth all things, and teacheth the peaceable things of the kingdom.

I've always taught that the gospel is the plan of God and the teachings of Jesus Christ, and while it is those things it is also something more simple, to repent and be baptized!!!!!!!  This is really what we teach when we teach about the restored gospel or about the Atonement, or about the Word of Wisdom.  This is our message to the world!

THANK YOU Grandma for always sending me packages!  I just received another one with yummy chocolate :)

Love you all!  No me olviden!!!  estan en mis oraciones!

Hermana Bratt

Us on the Beach

Yes, I almost have 9 months on the mission. How does time go by so fast!!!

First Week in Nicoya

Dear Family,

Well it's been a week of adjustments! I don't really know what to share, but here are a few tidbits about this week and my new area:

• I saw monkeys!  I was running in the morning when I saw three or four small black monkeys in a tree.
• President Wilkinson had to return to Utah for a few weeks to have a surgery so we have an ex-mission president from Guatemala, President Cordon here supervising us.  He came to our zone conference and taught a bunch of awesome things.  He told us that in the work of salvation we need to work first with our heart, then our mind, and then our feet.
• There's only a branch here.  Sunday about 65 people attended church.  The branch president and his wife are really friendly but very strict as well.  The members were really welcoming :)
• We had four baptisms scheduled for this Sunday but Ismael, the dad of the family started having doubts about the Book of Mormon and so never came to church.  He told us later he doesn't believe it's true from the research he's done.  He's trying to find evidence about the Book of Mormon from the Bible and maps, etc.  He doesn't understand that when trying to gain a testimony or answers to your prayers you can't search for evidence!!!
• We found a family of a single mom, Carolina, and her 5 daughters Taina, Adriana, Kiara, Keren, Camilla, and a son, Jordon.  They are catholics and right now her daughters are taking classes to be confirmed in the Catholic Church, but we are hoping that after a few more visits they'll receive an answer that our church is true!!!! They are a super great family.
• Our cook isn't a member, her names Marisol and lives next door to us.  Luckily she gives us less food and there is always salad on our plate :)
• There's a blender in our apartment so I've been having fruit smoothies for breakfast.  Yay!  (Try a banana, a pear, two apples, and strawberry yogurt.  SO YUMMY)

Well love you all.  You are in my prayers!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TALMAGE! I'm excited to start anew in Nicoya!

Hermana Bratt

Us With Our Cooks Family in Turrialba

Holding Parrots With Hermana Perez

Nicoya Guanacaste!

Dear Fam,

Well I've been transfered!  I'm now in Nicoya, Guanacaste.  It's super hot here and Nicoya is kind of colonial.  It's different than Turrialba, but other than the heat I think I'm going to love it!  My companion is Hermana Perez from Guatamala.  She told me that there's monkeys here.  Hermana Perez came to Costa Rica when Hermana Samayoa arrived as well.  She has 4 months in the mission. 

Nicoya is 4 1/2 hrs from San Jose.  Elder Sub called us Sunday night to say I had transfers and I was up until 2 packing.  Then I woke up at 5 to finish packing.  He told us we ahd to be in San Jose at 10 am.  Well we arrived at9:30 and I had to wait for 5 hours the park for a mini misionera (A member that was only a missionary for 1 month because one missionary didn't have a companion) Hermana Chavez.  When we got to the Bus station at 3:30 to take the bus at 4:30 they told us there were no seats left and so we had to travle nearly 5 hours standing up!!!!   I was sooo tired.  Eventually I just sat down in the middle of the aisle, but when I sat down I got really nautious and so mostly just stood a lot of the way.  I arrived in Nicoya at 10:00 pm. 

The journey was terrible to get here, but I'm happy!  Our house is bigger and nicer than in Turrilba.  Yay!  Also our cook lives next to us, but we have to wash our own laundry.

Hermana Samayoa's new companion is Hermana Hales.  She's from Utah I think and looks a lot like me, same hair and build but a bit taller.  It was hard to say good by to everyone in Turrialba!  I'm goin to miss them.  The bishop and his family invited us to eat lunch after church on Sunday and so we finally visited the bishop's house!  I think that the ward in Turrialba is focusing a lot more in mission work. 

Right now we have a baptism scheduled for the 14th of February Tomas, and his three daughters.  I haven't met them but Hermana Perez says they are golden investigators.  Hopefully it doesn't fall through!

Love you all!  Send me more pictures of Sebastian and Tal's dances!

Mom shared a verse on baptism with me that I just love: 

10 But, behold, the days of thy deliverance are come, if thou wilt hearken to my voice, which saith unto thee: Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on my name, and you shall receive my Spirit, and a blessing so great as you never have known.

 

And these are the verse that come next.  Theya re amazing too:

 11 And if thou do this, I have prepared thee for a greater work. Thou shalt preach the fulness of my gospel, which I have sent forth in these last days, the covenant which I have sent forth to recover my people, which are of the house of Israel.

 12 And it shall come to pass that power shall rest upon thee; thou shalt have great faith, and I will be with thee and go before thy face.

 13 Thou art called to labor in my vineyard, and to build up my church, and to bring forth Zion, that it may rejoice upon the hills and flourish.

I just love these verses.  The promise of baptism and then mission work is so amazing.  I've been baptized, and as long as I pray and listen to the Spirit the Lord has prepared a greater work for me!

Hermana Bratt

Me, Hermana Rosa, her daughters and her granddaughter 

Giving Hermana Samayoa a Piggyback Ride

Some of My Zone in Turrialba

The Day of Transfers

Me and Hermana Samayoa

Me and My New Companion

A Week of Miracles

Dear Family,

We saw so many miracles this week! It was a amazing! Monday to Thursday we didn't have a lot of success, only finding one new investigator and not able to put a single baptism date. We decided to fast Thursday and when Friday came around we managed to find 6 new investigators. One of our last lessons for the day was a referral, Reiner, from a new convert, Gretel. We started teaching the lesson and everything went well, at the end we invited him to be baptized and he accepted. We were about to end with a prayer when another man walked in. 

"Ask him the question," Gretel said.
"What question?" I said.
"The same question that you asked Reiner."
Realizing that Gretel wanted us to commit him to baptism my companion and I looked at each other in surprised silence. Though we were willing to ask him Gretel saw that we were both still a little shocked and so started in saying, "As you learn the missionaries message and know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true will you be baptized?" 

It was awesome! And a little humbling (As we were to shocked to take the initiative). Reiter accepted to be baptized and Gretel even put the baptism date as well! It was super rewarding to see our new convert taking part in mission work. The next two days we were able to find 4 more investigators and they all accepted a baptism date! 

 I know we are going to see more miracles this week! I'm excited for Turrialba this year. I think a bunch of things are going to change for the ward here. We've started a new initiative where every family has a huge mission plaque with their family name on it (it rotates through the families) and they have an assigned week where they have to have a family night with the missionaries and less actives or non members. We just had our first family night with the bishop's family yesterday. It was a great experience.

We taught a lesson to Hermano Gerardo and his wife Grais.  Our ward mission leader, Hermano David, accompanied us as well as Axel (Recent Convert).  We taught a lesson about repentance.  It wasn't the best lesson, but not too bad either.  However, we expected Axel to be quite and not talk during the lesson, as normally the teenagers we bring a long to lessons do.  Instead he stared teaching as if he was the teacher! 

We had him read a verse in the book of Mormon that mentioned Eternal Life.  "They'll have eternal life, ah see.  Eternal life.  Did you see Hermano and Hermana?  Eternal.  Life.  Pay attention," Axel said.  Then he had to leave a little early and when he was going out the door he paused  and said"  Repent repent! Before you experience what I have experienced."  After he  left he returned a gain saying, "Repent repent!"  It was a bit funny, but good for him to be a part of the lesson.  Luckily our investigators weren't offended.

Remember when I told you how Hno Alfonso had a dream that he needed to come to church?  Well he told us the whole dream this week. Hna Samayoa and I were walking with a glowing man in a shirt and tie.  The man told Alfonso that he needed to go to church and be married...to me!!!!!  Alfonso said that in the dream we were boyfriend/girlfriend and everything.  Uh oh.  He said he woke up feeling happy and relaxed the whole day.  He was a little embarrassed to tell us his dream, but assured us that he's never had any feelings for us or anything....I hope he's telling the truth!

Transfers are next Monday.  I won't know until Sunday night if I am going to change areas or not.  I hope not.  I'm going to  miss every one here!

Yesterday we went with Hna Rosa and her family to a park and had a picnic.  It was fun!

Love you all!!!!

Hermana Bratt

Week 28

Dear Family,

There's only 2 weeks left until transfers!  I don't want to leave Turrialba, it is going to be hard!  However, I'm not going to lie that I'd like to see other parts of Costa Rica.

Yesterday we were cleaning our apartment and found a hidden door!  It was behind my dresser and although I've been here 6 months I didn't know it existed! It leads to Narnia!  (A little patio behind our house).

We have an investigator that received the missionaries about 15 years ago. At this time Alfonso was drunk a lot and had dreams about Joseph Smith and in them people chased him saying "Joseph Smith is the perfect tool of Satan".  However yesterday he told us that he had a dream and a man in a white shirt and tie told him that he needs to go to church and not spend Sunday in the mountains (as he usually does), and there was also a wedding in the dream. He told us this dream as we were passing his house, so Thursday we are going to visit him again.  Let's hope he follows the advise in the dream!  He' has to be married before he can be baptized. 

 We've been having trouble helping investigators attend church any advice?

This week I have been feeling a little weird, but a good kind of weird.  I've felt humbled.  My personal study has really helped me.    I've been re-passing over my study notes of Captain Moroni and how amazing of a leader he was.  I also read Ether 12 this week, under direction of my zone leaders.   Wow.  I don't know how to describe it, but I've had something like butterflies in my stomach all week. 

One verse I've been thinking a lot on is Ether 12:27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

It's amazing how you can think you have a lot of faith or are pretty humble and then through experiences, scripture sturdy, etc you realize that you are missing a ton!

I love my mission!!  And am so happy to be a missionary!

Hermana Bratt

Our Secret Door

Us On a Bus

One Super Great Week!

Dear Family,

Well this week we experienced some really awesome miracles.  First  on the list was Hermana Tere.  Tere is the mom of Maryori.  We've passed their house 5 or 6 times at the first of the week and they were never home so we were a little worried, however Wednesday night we decided to pass by once more.  Maryori wasn't feeling too great and not the most happy to listen to us so she went into her room, however not without arguing with Tere for twenty minutes first.  Hna Samayoa and I weren't the most excited to teach a lesson to only Tere after the argument we saw.  Tere also talks a ton and it's so hard to get a word in.  However, this night she really listened to us and started to tell us that she wants to prepare herself and she's going to attend church with us.  As we ended the lesson we were able to commit her to baptism the 1st of February!  However, she didn't attend church this week on account that Maryori was in the hospital and so the baptism is going to be delayed. 

Hna Rosa almost died the week before last.  She was in the hospital over New Years.  She had water in her lungs and her heart separated from it's cavity. But luckily she's at home and recovering!

Another day this week we had 10 lessons again!  We also committed two other people to baptism, new investigators Edlema and Katia.  We found 9 new investigators this week!"

Another experience we had is that one day through street contacting I talked with a girl, Audriana and her parents Carlos and Cedri.  They told us we could visit them, though didn't seem to enthused.  Well Thursday we went to visit them.  Wow.  When we entered they definitely didn't want us to be there.  We taught a pretty rough lesson but by the time we left they were a little more friendly.  We also discovered that Cedri, the mom, is a member!  She left the church when she was 14 and says she's not coming back but that we can visit her.  The family was still kind of against us visiting them again, but we scheduled another appointment for this Thursday.  Something tells me that they are going to be baptized one day!  Although the atmosphere was hostile, I felt so good because I had a feeling the moment we walked in the door that we needed to be here and we are going to make a difference in their lives.

You are all in my prayers!  Only three more weeks until this transfer ends!  Also....we weighed ourselves yesterday.  Hna Samayoa was gained 20 pounds and I 13!!!!!!! AHHH!!!!  Luckily I don't feel to bad because of the culture in Costa Rica.  It's completely normal to call people Gordita, or fat.  However....We definitely bought a bunch of fruits yesterday and started exercising a bit more :)

Love you all!

Hermana Bratt

The View from a Bridge that Crosses the River Turrialba

Our Cook, Carmen, and Her Boyfriend Javier