August 22, 2016 - look at the church through an investigator's eyes

This week was super fast. 

On Tuesday, we had a super great lesson. There was a girl named Hazel, she´s 19, and before she went to church for like months in the area of Coronado because she didn´t know she should go to Moravia. Anyway... like two weeks ago her and her boyfriend, Ariel, came to church!! And we´ve been having a hard time going with them but finally we got to go with them! She told us that she has already read like up to Jacob in the Book of Mormon, and has prayed and knows it´s true. And that she went to a lot of different churches before, and went to the church, and LOVED it. Her boyfriend has never really believed in God, but his grandpa died a while ago and has lots of questions about the Plan of Salvation. And Hazel went again yesterday to church, and they´re both reading the Book of Mormon. So it´s exciting teaching them! 

And Humberto is doing good!! He had his interview on Saturday, and passed! And it´s so cool, because the elder who did the interview said that honestly it was like doing an interview with someone who had been a member for like 40 years! But... he said that today, Monday, is his last day of drinking coffee and smoking. And, he really is a man of word. But we´ll go with him tonight and see, and so hopefully this weekend he can be baptized, but if not, very soon. :) 

And Yadira came to church yesterday!!! She´s super super Evangelical, but has always been super open to learning... and yesterday finally she came to church, and she said just to see how it is, because to really learn how are the Mormons she had to come. And, I think she loved it. She was paying so much attention, asking questions in the classes, said she really felt the Spirit during the Sacrament.... and she just looked so happy at the end!! 

I love the Church. And I know it´s true! We were talking to a member, who has been incredible with Humberto...he´s the elder´s quorum president, and he like takes Humberto to do visits with him and everything. Humberto said to him that when he came to church, he was so surprised because he found people who believed like him!! But he didnt know it existed. And he said he loves everything, that everything is so new to him and amazing. So the member was like, sometimes when we´ve been members for a long time, or our whole life, we fail to realize how perfect and incredible really the church is. So, yesterday, during the meetings, I was trying to look at the church through an investigator´s eyes. And yeah. The Church is so perfect and incredible. It´s so focused on the family, and the progression that we all need to have to become more like our Savior, Jesus Christ, through learning and teaching and serving. I´m so grateful to be a member of the Lord´s restored church, and share this message of hope. And yeah. Everything´s great. I love my companion so so much, and love the members and people here. And I love the gospel, and my Savior, and the experiences we are having here. 

Falling asleep again after planning.

eating lunch at the church building

Moravia

Moravia

okay! bye! have a great week! :) 

August 15, 2016 - He will always be our Father

Hi family!!

Humberto is doing well. Well, last Monday he told us that he had stopped smoking and drinking coffee completely!! We were so happy and excited!!!!! And then..on Wednesday he told us that he felt too sick, and couldn´t do it. So that was really sad. But he´s lessening and lessening every day. And, he´s doing great for having drinking coffee for all....60 years of his life. We´ve always heard that the Ticos give their kids coffee from the time their babies in a bottle...but this week was the first time we saw it!!! me and my companion were shocked. I couldnt even believe it!! But, no, Humberto is doing great, and is really esforzandose a lot. He wakes up at three every morning, and studies the scriptures!! And he cancelled a lesson this week haha because he was too busy sharing the gospel with his sister and forgot to look at the time!  Haha, it´s seriously so fun teaching him. He´s just really, really intelligent, and understands things really well. He loves the Restoration. And, he loves the book of Mormon. haha, in a lesson on Friday a member tried reading a scripture about baptism from the Bible. But Humberto said, No!! I don´t want anything from the Bible...only the new things, from the Book of Mormon!! And he talks really strongly so it was just funny and surprising, because usually everyone wants things from the Bible. But yeah. So we´re praying a lot for him, that he can stop smoking and drinking coffee, and that he can receive an answer about his baptismal date, because he doesn´t feel ready. But really, it´s incredible teaching him, and seeing how willing he is to accept the gospel, and the joy he is feeling in his life from it. 

Also, this week has been really interesting, because we´ve had lots of different lessons with different investigators who are super Evangelicals and they don´t really understand authority. They think that everyone who accepts Christ in their life has the authority to preach, to form a church, to be a prophet, an apostle. So I´ve really loved studying more about the Restoration, about the laying on of hands, and how important it is!!! I´ve never really realized before how important it really is that Peter, James, and John came down to give that authority, to make that unbroken chain. And...lots of times the people don´t believe in these events, because, they really are incredible. But that´s what makes the church true. The unbroken line of authority, the incredible events, the manifestations that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and so if there were events in the Old Testament with angels and visions....today we will also have that. and I´ve loved this week being about to testify a lot about that. And, then testify that reading the Book of Mormon is how we are going to be able to know all these thinds, and resolve all our doubts. I´ve thought a lot too, about the talk from Elder Stevenson...Where are the keys? And we are so blessed to know where the keys of the Priesthood are. I´m so grateful for the Restoration. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only true church here on the face of the earth. I know that only in this church is where we can receive the ordinances necessary to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. And...it was kind of interesting, because we found one of these girls yesterday, and she said she´s getting baptized next week in her church. So we explained to her to pray, and ask God if what we said was true! So hopefully she does that. 

And, also, I´ve loved being able to testify this week that we are all children of God. It´s another doctrine of the Evangelicos that I´ve heard a lot here.... that everyone is just a creature of God until they have received the gospel. And...honestly, I have always just felt so, so sad hearing that idea! Because the first principle that we have to teach is that God is our Loving Heavenly Father. of everyone. Even if we´re making good decisions, or bad, or if we believe in Him, or not. So this week our investigator Yadira said that everyone on the street were just creatures of God, and I couldn´t let her say that. So we testified that God is the Father of EVERYONE. That he loves EVERYONE. And, she didn´t really believe it. But, when we went back a few days later, she said she had meditated a lot...and said that we were right, that we are all children of God. So, I´m just grateful for these simple gospel truths that we have. I´m grateful that God loves all of us. And He knows us. Even when we are wandering in paths we shouldn´t go...He will always be our Father, waiting for us to come home. 

Tico Mother's Day - it's a big deal

Anyway, I´m glad for these experiences that I am having to help me strengthen my testimony in the restored gospel. I know these things are true. And I am happy for that knowledge. And I am happy sharing it with these people here. 

I love you all so much!! Have a great week :) 

August 8, 2016 - we've found lots of new people

Hey all!

Humberto is doing so so great. I´ve never had an investigator like him, someone who wants to know everything all at once!!  He told us this week that he wakes up at like 3:30 every morning and studies for like two hours the Book of Mormon, the pamphlets, and everything. He loves everything. He showed up last week at church with a button up shirt and tie, and yesterday also, even without us saying anything. He now has a lot of members who are friends, and he gave a pamphlet of the Plan of Salvation to his sister and wants us to meet with all his family. And, we taught the Word of Wisdom... and he said that when he feels like smoking or drinking coffee, he reads the Book of Mormon. It just makes me so happy to see how he really is changing his life through the gospel!! He said though, that he is struggling with praying. He said he hadn´t gone to a church since he was seven, so he is having a hard time having the habit of praying, and feeling like God is answering him. So we´re excited to teach him tonight more about that.  And we just keep praying that he can keep lessening how much he smokes and drinks so he can be ready for his interview! I´m just so grateful for the opportunity to be a missionary to be able to meet such incredible people.

Also, we´ve been teaching a woman named Patricia for a long time. She´s really good, she really understands that she can choose the things of the world, or the things of the Lord. And, we´ve seen lots of tender mercies in teaching her.... it was incredible even finding her, because her house is really hidden, but we met her one day when she was outside... she was going to start working on Sundays but we taught Sabbath Day and she prayed a lot and felt like God told her No to working on Sundays.... and she really wants to do the right thing. She went to church like...three weeks ago, and she loved it! but she hasn´t wanted to accept a baptismal date because she has a boyfriend and so felt bad about all of that. But we taught the  Law of chastity, and told her she had to talk with him, but she was afraid to do it. But she talked to him this week, and they said they could get married!! So she said yes to a baptismal date! so that was exciting, we´re hoping that she can keep listening to the Spirit in helping her make the right choices. 

And, yeah. Lots of other great experiences, but honestly the days all kind of blur together and I can´t remember a lot of things! But we´ve found lots of new people, it´s been a sunny week...like half the time and super rainy the other half... and yeah. Everything is great. :) 

​it rained so much and my scriptures got wet :( :( they were in bags but yeah. they still got a little wet. and they´re so hard to dry!!! so so sad :( 

​

And, my companion is wonderful! :) It´s fun being with a missionary with a lot of time on the mission! I haven´t had a companion with a long time for...a really long time, and it´s actually really fun to just be able to talk about experiences, areas, converts, trials, blessings and miracles..... I don´t know. It´s really fun! I love my companion a lot, and I´m grateful I´ll get to be with her for her last weeks of her mission. :) 

Anyway, I love you all a lot!! Have a great week! :) 

August 1, 2016 - pants? maybe not...

Hi family!!!

So kinda sad news... my companion has changes!! :( I really loved these six weeks with Hermana Ascencio. She's such a great friend and great missionary. I learned so much from her about humility and just really loving everyone. But... it's honestly not too sad because she's going to the ward right next door and we'll see each other like twice a week for district meeting and Mondays to play futbol! So it's all fine :) And my new companion is Hermana Madrid and she's also coming from a ward right next door on the other side haha..... and she only has one change left!!!! So it'll be kind of interesting! But I'm excited to work hard and have fun and it'll all be great! :) 

So we had our first real lesson with Humberto this week...and it's incredible. he LOVED church, said it was marvelous, and he can't stop learning more. He went to the church's website and loved it, he wants to know all the rules and commandments of everything, he's been reading so much of the book of Mormon...well, mostly the guide in the back so he can learn everything!! So we put a baptismal date with him for the 29th of august, and he's super excited. We just need to work a lot with the word of wisdom, because he smokes a lot and says he likes coffee a lot. But it's okay. The Lord prepares people so much, it's incredible. 

And what else has happened this week...Oh!!! President Hayes came back!!!!!! So we are so so happy. He was gone for more than a month but he came back!! I sure love him and Sister Hayes. In the meeting on Saturday he talked a lot about why we're obedient. And he has really changed my perspective on obedience. He said, we're not a mission that has a checklist of things to follow, because we don't follow the law of Moses. We follow a higher law...where we're obedient for love to our Savior." And this way of thinking has really changed me so much in this last year. Because, I think before the mission sometimes I was obedient because I was scared what would happen if I didn't, or obedient to have all the blessings... but really, we should be obedient because we love the Lord, and that's the higher law that Christ gave when he came to the world and did His Atonement. And I hope I can remember that always, remember to be obedient always because I love the Lord, and His gospel. :) 

Oh. And. We got our pants this week. Hahahha they're so funny. I just don't feel like a missionary! But we don't have to use them often. Thank goodness cuz everyone just makes Elder jokes all the time haha 

And pants.  Yep.  She's taller than the Latinos. 

​She and Hna Zerilli were so happy to see each other at leadership mtg.

Oh... and news about Guacimo because I still love that place so much :) last week, finally, they teared down the chapel and started going to church in a high school because now the people just don't fit in the chapel!! haha, since I got there in December they said they were going to start in March... and finally now they did it. And they're sending a bus around at 8 in the morning to pick everyone up because the school is super far away... and last week 130 people went!!!!!! That's more attendance than I think we ever had. I just got so happy hearing that. I'm kind of sad because I totally wanted to be a part of the bus picking people up at 8 in the morning haha because it sounds so fun... but it's okay. It's fun hearing the stories from the people. :) 

And yeah! That's basically it! Have such a wonderful week everyone! :) 

July 25, 2016 - "pioneers"

Hi!!!

This week was great. :) We have honestly been so blessed in finding wonderful people who are so willing to listen and progress and we just love them!!! 

My whole time here we've been walking and teaching people on this one street, and at the end of the road there's two guys always like building a house and one always said hi to us! But we never talked to him. But this last week, no one was home and my companion said...let's talk to him! So we went and talked to him. And he's incredible. His name is Humberto Martin....he's a widow of like ten years, and he's never really been too interested in a church. But we invited him to church, and he said yes, we gave him a pamphlet....and we just passed and talked to him super fast on Saturday to see if he still was interested, and he said yes!! and he came to church!! And he loved it. At the end, he said, Ï smoke. But I think maybe it's time for a change, and to be closer to Christ in my life. "So we're really excited to have our first lesson with him this next week. And I saw him after church on our way home, and he was eating an ice cream and he just looked so happy!!!!! When we met him, he just looked like a sad guy, smoking, without a plan. But after church, we really saw a light in his eyes. So we're super excited to teach him! 

Also, my first week here we found an incredible family. They listened to the missionaries 13 years ago, and we've been teaching them, and finally this Sunday they said they'd come to church. And .... almost they came. The mom got sick and the son had an emergency in the house... but the daughter who is 17 and her boyfriend came and they loved it!!! And the family seriously is so cute. They love us so much, want us to go running with them every day, eat lunch with them every day.... I don't really know how to describe them! But we feel super loved. And we love them. And we're excited because part of the family finally came to church!! And the parents felt super bad that they couldn't come, and said next week. But yeah. They're wonderful. And, in honor of Pioneer Day... haha I had told the mom, Isabel, that it is beautiful where I live in Utah and it's like not a bit city... and she told me...I imagine your family being like the Little House on the Prairie haha. haha she thinks we live in like a log cabin and use a handcart because I told her we have a garden. Haha it's so cute. and I think I'm going to print out this picture Kaylie sent me to tell her that she's right. But anyone. hope everyone had an amazing Pioneer Day!!! I'm sure grateful for the pioneers and the sacrifices they did so that we have the opportunity to have the gospel, the opportunity I have to be a missionary, and everything. 

And....yeah! Everything is really great. I love my area, I love my companion, and we really are seeing miracles here. 

Our Little House on the Prairie family (ward activity in July of 2000).  Kiana is the little one on the left.

And..I love you all a lot!! Hope you all have a great week!! 

July 18, 2016 - finding the people who need the gospel right now

Hi everyone!!!

It was a great week. And I don´t really know why...but I´m just feeling super happy today! I love being a missionary. 

Victor got baptized on Saturday!!!! It was so wonderful. He has such a great testimony of the Book of Mormon, and he knows so much!! He always answers all the questions in gospel principles haha. And he is such a fun guy. We are hoping that he goes on a mission in a year!! Because he would be an incredible missionary. I´ve loved seeing how excited he is about learning more about the gospel and the Book of Mormon and everything. I love the people that I am meeting here. 

Victor and his family - they are wonderful people.

Also...yesterday was just really a day of miracles! So we´ve been contacting lots and lots of different people. And I am terrible at remembering who people are. I write their names in my agenda....but I never know who they are haha. So we just have a list of numbers and people and have to call to figure out who they are! Anyway, we had talked to two couples this week...Kony and Javier, and Judith and Andres.Judith and Adres were super great. They said they wanted us to visit them on Sunday, and were interested in going to church on Sunday too. So we called what we thought was them...but we called instead Kony and Javier cuz we didn´t remember their names haha! So we were walking around outside their house and Kony said she was outside their house looking for us too...and like 10 minutes later we totally realized we had messed up with the people and had to run where Kony was! And Kony and Javier had been a different contact, where Javier immediately said that we adore Joseph Smith and he wants nothing to do with a church. But we bore our testimony to them, and Kony said she wanted to learn more! But that we waited til Javier was gone during the week to visit. But...it was actually super good that we messed up and called them instead and visited them on Sunday. Because it was a wonderful lesson. Javier said that they had been talking during the week about us, and the church..he mentioned polygamy and everything and doubts..but even knowing all that, he said that he wants her to learn for herself, he wanted her to have a Book of Mormon, and she said she would like to be baptized, but needs to learn everything. And her 10 year old grandson was there, and he loved everything, and in the closing prayer, he said, thanks for sending these girls for teaching about this religion, because I didn´t know anything about it, and I like it, and I want to be baptized...it was great. And we invited them to church, but she says she works Sunday mornings...but that she is willing to leave her work if she learns more and she likes it. And no one ever says that!!! So we are super grateful that we called the wrong couple because we honestly weren´t going to go with Javier and Kony for a long time, because he had a lot of doubts! But the Lord knows where we were supposed to go. And now tonight we´re going with the other couple, so we´re excited to see how that goes too! :)  

Also, last night we had an activity with the ward to go look all the pepole from the SIMI...I don´t know what that is called in English..but the list where all the all the members all, all the inactives from years and years. So we went and looked for people with the whole zone, and we got back to where we work like at 8, and a member had cooked dinner and was waiting for us.... But we did not want to end the day with only one lesson..... so we decided we had to at least enter another house to sing a hymn and say a prayer before we ate with the member. And we passed a house, where there were like 6 people outside and we kept walking.... but then the two of us felt like we had to go back, so we talked to them. And it turns out, that there, the dad of the family had died this last week, and he had a restaurant, and the missionaries before had eaten there, so they said yes!! and we go inside ... and there are like 30 people there!!! all the family members. And we sang and prayed and testified, and we´re going back tomorrow to teach more of the plan of Salvation. And it was such a neat experience, knowing that if we want to work, and we listen to the Spirit, we really can find people who need the gospel right now. 

And yeah! Sister Ascencio and I are just really happy and grateful for the little miracles we´re seeing. We´re hoping to see more, and see more people be able to make it to church, and really find joy in the gospel like we have.

 

And I love you all!! Have a great week!

Love, Hermana Moon 

​I LOVE FRUIT 

we just eat fruit all the time because we don´t have someone who cooks us lunch 

and we have a big fridge here... first time in the mission!! it´s like heaven 

Other notes from an email she sent:  things about my new area that are great. 

1. sunsets. I never saw a single sunset in my other areas 

2. the lady who owns the house is so cute and always stays up at night to make sure we get home good

3. well this isn´t great. but McDonalds is two minutes from my house. SO WEIRD coming from Guacimo where the closest fast food was like.... 2 hours away haha

July 11, 2016 - miracles in finding people

Hi family! :) 

It was a really fast week. Mostly...we've been trying to find new people! Haha, we find people, and then they us the next lesson they don't really want to change churches. But, it's okay, because we just keep talking to more and more people!! and we know that the people who are ready and waiting for the gospel will come, if we're willing to work and find them! 

And, honestly, we've seen miracles in finding people! We were just walking, and we felt like we should say hi to this girl who is like 25 who was walking in the street, so we did, and she was like, hey! Will you guys come to my house and visit me? and we're like...yes of course!! And we invited her to baptism, and she understands super super well, and really wants to do it. She couldn't go to church yesterday, but we're hopeful for next week! Also, a couple weeks ago in the bus Sister Ascencio sat next to a girl and she helped us find where we were going, and then on Saturday we saw her again in a different bus! So basically a sign from God that we need to visit with her. :)  and she says she is Catholic, and was in a Catholic nun high school and everything, but recently decided that she wants to go to a Christian church. So we invited her to church, and couldn't come yesterday...but said that next week, yes! So we're really honestly seeing miracles by being willing to open our mouth and just speak with the people around us. And we're just trying to have more faith and be happy and just love the area :) 

And the best part of last week...was going to the temple!!!! The ward in Guacimo went on Saturday, and Javier and Ivannia went for the first time so we had permission to go. And oh man. It was so wonderful to see my best friends again. I love the people of Guacimo so, so much. And it was so fun to just be able to see Ivannia, and talk to her again like we had always done in Guacimo!!! And I felt such joy seeing them in the temple, so happy and just such a beautiful family :) Honestly, every sacrifice of being a missionary is worth it seeing converts who just love the gospel and who have really decided to change their lives through the gospel of Christ. And, haha, it was super hard saying bye to them, because I don't know when the next time I see them will be. But it's okay. Now I'm motivated to find and teach and love people in Moravia as much as I did in Guacimo. 

And, another part I loved about going to the temple...it was the first time I've gone to the templ

​e with​

 having to 

​travel

 through San Jose. And it was so cool seeing members from different parts of Costa Rica taking the bus to all go to the temple early Saturday morning. I love the Saints of Costa Rica, and their faith and their testimonies. They're such wonderful people. And I love the gospel. I love the temple, and I know that it really is the House of God. Also, I love my Savior Jesus Christ, and I am so grateful for his Atonement.....that we can change and repent every day, to try to be a little better. And I have so so much work to do, to be the missionary that I know I should be, and the person that I should be....but I'm glad that Christ loves us so much and gives us this opportunity to learn and grow every day. And yeah. I'm glad to be a missionary, and I'm glad for the challenges because they help us be humble and rely more on the Lord. 

And, I love you all so much!!! And miss you all. And I hope you have a wonderful week! 

Love, Hermana Moon 

​She got to see her friends!!!​

​

Her new companion is the one in green.​

July 4, 2016 - wearing red, white, and blue

Hi family!!

It's been a great week! We've just mostly talking to everyone that we see and finding new investigators...but we've seen lots of miracles with that! We found a family that 13 years ago listened to the sister missionaires and had gone to church and still has pictures of the missionaires, and the temple...and they're super willing to listen! They had just stopped because the dad is a panadero and had to make bread always on Sundays. but now he doesn't! So we're excited to go again with them this week! Also we've knocked on lots of doors and the people say that normally they wouldn't open, but this day they felt like they should...and we have lots of spiritual lessons and they're really great people! So it's been a good week. :) 

And, we had a super great experience with our investigator, Victor. He's 24, and moved here from Nicaragua like in May to live with his family, who are members. The missionaries started teaching him in May, and he was going to get baptized a couple weeks ago...but he had said he wasn't ready. He wanted to be baptized, but just didn't feel like it was time yet. And he hadn't really read the Book of Mormon. So when I first met him, we challenged him to read the Book of Mormon every day, and he said yes, and then when we went with him 5 days later, he had read up to 1 Nephi 12, and he keeps reading and reading!!! And the next time we went with him, he said that now felt like he was ready. And yesterday in Gospel Principles, the lesson was about the scriptures, and he bore his testimony and said that reading the  Book of Mormon every day was what made him feel ready to make this decision. So we're so excited for him!!!! He is really such an awesome, happy guy. He won't be baptized this weekend, because he wants his uncle to baptize him, but the next. :) I know that the Book of Mormon really is such a key in conversion of the people. 

And...yeah! Everything is great. It's still really cold...but I"m getting more used to it haha. and I sure love my companion. She's the best. I've had so much luck with amazing companions my whole mission.  And we're meeting more ward members, and they're all super good...and just want to feed us a lot haha. 

And, oh, yeah, Happy Fourth of July!!!! I love America. We're celebrating by.....going to the office to get a more lesson 1 pamphlets because we've given all them out by finding lots of news! And wearing red white and blue. But... people also can think I'm just celebrating Costa Rica with those colors. But it's okay. the two countries are great. 

Anyway, love you all so much!! Have such a great week! :) 

Love, Hermana Moon