June 22, 2015 - Ticos eat rice and beans! And galletas

Their Father's Day message - courtesy Griselda on facebook

Hola all!!! 

This week honestly flew by!! I think partly because we did divisions, so I went to a new area for two days. I'll be doing those a lot actually, my companion is the Sister Training Leader...so it'll be fun, I'll get to work with a lot of different hermanas and in different places!

Costa Rica is a cool place. Cartago is actually a pretty big city, and our area just covers like the housing areas around it..not really subdivisions? I don't know what to call it, but it's a pretty big area...we spend a lot a lot of time on the bus!! So we do a lot of contacting there, which is fun! A lot of the houses here have like a fence outside a front tiled area thing, so we don't knock on doors, we just say ÜPE to let people know we're there! which is fun haha. And we really don't find new people by doing that, just mostly references, which is great!  And Cartago has like Walmart and Subway and stuff...so it's not really too different! And everything here is so expensive! Like at least two times as much as stuff in the states! It's cool to see the differences along with the similarities to the two places. But oh my goodness the drivers here are so crazy. Pedestrians do not have the right of way haha. And I'm super glad we're not in a car mission because I would crash all the time.

Bermejo.  Image from mapcarta.com

My favorite place in our area is Bermejo. It's far, like a 40 minute bus ride, but we're going to start going there a lot because the people there are so willing to listen! Lots of amazing families there. It's like hilly and all green, and there are just cows and goats and horses and fields.  Hermana Geis and I just walk the streets there and imagine that we're starring in the District 3. It's so beautiful. Dad, if you ever have to move out of Cache Valley, this is where you would want to go! 

The rainy season is just starting here! There have been like...five days I've been here where it's rained all day? And it rains at least a little bit every day. I'm not sure, but it's beautiful! Today me and my companion ran for like an hour and half in the rain and it was the best thing ever (she loves to run!! hallelujah!! we don't go very fast because she hasn't ran for a year...but it's so fun!) 

Photo from Griselda. 

Ticos eat rice and beans! Haha, like every time we get fed that's what it is! But I love it a lot, so it's all good! Oh. and galletas. Like crazy. Galletas are either Saltine crackers, or like the wafer cookie stuff...both.So we get a lot a lot of that. Oh and Coke or Pepsi. Everyone loves it here. 

Anna didn't feel ready to be baptized this week, so we're planning in July hopefully. But we went one night this week and started reading the Book of Mormon with her,Alma 32,and she and her husband were LOVING it.So hopefully they start reading together every day!! And Gleny's whole family came to church yesterday, and her mom did too!! and her Mom, Maria Isabel wore a skirt for like the first time in her life! So that was exciting. She wants to be baptized too, but she isn't married to the guy she's living with, and he doesn't want to get married....so we'll just have to see!! That's one problem a lot of people have here..it's a miracle if we find a family where the parents are married.

with Graciela

With Griselda

Hermanas

Dear parents, thank you so much for teaching me good values. It's so sad. I've taught so many girls younger than me who already have like two-year old kids.And, it's like expected here!! So thank you SO much for raising us in the gospel, and thanks to my friends and family for being so amazing and helping me choose the right always!! The gospel really is the pathway to happiness in this life, and I'm realizing this so much. I know this gospel is true and I love it with all my heart!! Keep praying, reading the scriptures, going to church, doing the little things, and it makes all the difference. 

Love you all so much!!!!!! 

Love, Hermana Kiana Moon