It Rains A Lot in Costa Rica

Buenas Familia!!!

First off, to answer your questions...

1)      No, most Ticos have doors to enter their houses, but sometimes if we are in a really poor area or a really hot area (Guacimo, my first area) they only have curtains that act as doors inside of the house.

2)      I have no idea what the address of our apartment is. It would be really close to the cemetery though, and the apartment here is horrendously small! It's ridiculously small haha, our beds are right next to our desks. Next week I will have to send photos.

3)      I have no idea what the address of our ward building is. It's in a residence called "La Arboleda" and it’s close to the cemetery also.

4)      Sister missionaries always have so much drama and problems! And sometimes they can be really prideful, and they won't follow our guidance. So we will have to see if I can win their confidence so they can start listening to me and trying a little harder in their areas.

5)      I received one box! I got the one that had a lot of candy in it, the other one I haven't received yet, and I really need it because I need Gel haha, but we'll see if it gets here in a couple of weeks.

Well, this week was awesome in Tres Rios. The best part was the baptism of Nixon, Tania, and their son Eduardo! I love them so much, and they are such an awesome family! And even better, there were about 60 people at the baptism, and that is super awesome! I knew that Nixon and Tania could feel so much support from the ward, and that is what every new convert needs.

Well fun fact: This week it rained a ton every day! It was the first time in my mission that I had used that big great jacket that Dad bought for me from Mr. Mac. I love it, because here in Tres Rios its actually pretty cold, and with the rain it’s a little miserable, but thank goodness that Mr. Mac saves the day again!

Well right now we are really focusing on finding people to teach and baptized for this next upcoming month. We already have about 3 people in mind: Ricardo (Nixon´s brother) Ingrid (a 15 year old girl from Nicaragua) and Mayra (Ingrid's 20 year old sister). We are teaching Ingrid's whole family but we are most sure about Ingrid's and Mayra's baptisms. So 3 baptisms the next month will be sweet. It's really different working here in San Jose central because the work here is really tough. This last month in our zone we had about 9 baptisms (one of the best months here in Zone Los Yoses) but we are really trying to get up to about 15 a month. If we can do that, it will be amazing!

So yeah, that's about it for this week. We worked really hard this week, and I am incredibly tired. I feel like my gospel knowledge is really improving right now, because Elder Cruz knows so much doctrine, and he knows how to teach it to anybody so that anybody can understand, so I am learning a ton about how to teach better. Oh cool thing also, so this morning Elder Cruz woke me up and told me that he has been having recurring dreams. And in this dream, we are teaching President Wilkinsons’ kids in English about their purpose here on the mission. So we called President this morning and he invited us over to his house to teach his kids a lesson! It's going to be awesome, my first lesson in English with a companion that doesn't speak it, and all with my Mission President and his family haha how sweet!

Well, I love all of you so very much, and I am looking forward to seeing you all in a year!

Well Mom and Dad, you guys need to invite Mr. Tang (Tong) to family night with the missionaries! You guys can help him in his conversion so much, just contact the missionaries and ask them what time you can go over to his house to introduce yourself! Do it, and I know you will not regret it!

Okay, Love you all. Thank you Dad for your letter, I loved how you described the apostles and your work! Okay I will see you all next week! Chao!

Pura Vida,

Elder Taylor

P.S. Today we went hiking in the mountains, and two sister missionaries felt into a little 6 inch deep river. It was utterly hilarious because they were screaming and they were helpless in the river, so we had to help them up. It was AWESOME! 

P.P.S. I love the mission!

 

 

 

I´m here in Three Rivers!

Buenas Familia!

So guess what? That feeling that I had, that I was going to have changes was true! So this last week I got a call the day before changes from President Wilkinson and he assigned me to be a Zone Leader in Tres Rios! So yeah, I had changes and I´m a ZL here. So Tres Rios is in the Zone Los Yoses, which covers all of San Jose Central. We have the assistants, the secretaries, and about 10 sister missionaries in our zone! Haha, I remember saying that I never wanted to have leadership over sister missionaries, but the Lord had different plans when he assigned me here. Yeah so basically everyone is telling me that this is the hardest zone to work in because there is a ton of money here in San Jose central, but I know that Elder Cruz and I will change this zone and it will be one of the best in the mission!

Well my companion is Elder Cruz, from Hidalgo Mexico. So he´s been here in Tres Rios about 9 months, and he is the best missionary here in the mission. I am so stoked to work with him, because he seriously is the best teacher that I have ever seen in the mission, and he likes to work work work! (He´s baptized over 90 people, and has sealed about 12 families here in the mission... that's unheard of here!)

Well, Tres Rios is a lot bigger than Aserri, and the ward here is like the model ward for the whole country. Right now we are working super hard to help divide the ward, and to help form another stake here in San Jose.

There are only about 5 stakes in the whole country, and President Wilkinson is trying super hard to form more, and really to strengthen the church in this country. So we have a lot of work to do, and it should be really fun to work with Elder Cruz and see how much damage we can do here in Tres Rios.

Well, there isn't much more news... this next week we will be having 3 baptisms, Nicxon, Tania, and their son Eduardo. They are a sweet family and they have so much faith in the gospel! I love teaching them because they understand everything and they really apply the gospel to their lives! We should also destroy the area this next month, and we can possibly have 8 baptisms in Tres Rios, and a ton in the zone.

Well Dad, I really think that you are the John Rowe Moyle of our family. What do you do every week. You travel more than 100 miles every Monday to work to provide for your family. You have sacrificed so much to provide for our family, and guide us in this gospel. You have never missed out on YM activities when you were at home, and you really showed me how to be diligent and about how duty that we have to fulfill all our responsibilities in the Gospel and in our families. Love you Big Dawg! No but really, you have given me an example of the hard working father than I need to be in the future. Thank you, I love you Dad.

Well, hope everything is well at home. I love you all. Tell Katie that they need to keep the baby in her tummy until May 30th when I get home. Imagine that, it would way like 20 pounds haha, gross. Well love you guys, and I´m always praying for all of you. Take care, and keep on giving those references to the missionaries! Ush!

Pura Vida,

Elder Taylor

Here are a few photos of the past week:

1)      One of the photos I’m with our cook! She was so rad and she was basically my mom while i was in Aserri (its the photo with the girl in the wheel chair)

 

 

2)      A photo with the family Chavarria Garcia. They are so rad, and i will never forget how much they helped in missionary work in Aserri.

3)      A photo of the best district in the mission! We had the best numbers in the mission and the most baptisms in April (we ad 10 percent of the baptisms in April in the whole mission!)

 

May 13, 2013

Buenas Familia!

How are all of you doing?! It's not like I just talked to you yesterday...

Haha but yes, it was awesome seeing you guys yesterday and talking on Skype! And sorry that I forgot, "what day it was" yesterday, Mom... I still love you guys!

Well so I don't have very much to write because I basically talked to you all yesterday! Oh I am super excited for Katie also! I hope it is another Boy!

So I really loved your letter this week dad, and I have a really cool experience with teaching about Fasting and Tithing here on the mission. So here, in the last year my testimony of the power of the Fast has increased so much. But I have a neat experience about teaching about tithing. So when Elder Cristofferson came to our mission, we got to have a question and answer session with him, and one of the missionaries asked about how we can keep and recognize the Holy Ghost in our lessons, like how we can tell when the Holy Ghost is present. Elder Cristofferson explained a lot about the Holy Ghost, and then explained to us a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 50:21-22...

21 Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth?

22 Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together.

He explained to us that one way to recognize this edification, is if we are learning different truths as we teach. Okay so about 6 weeks ago we were in a Family Night with about 20 people, and I was giving the lesson on the blessings of tithing. I remember that I was teaching everything like normal, but then a thought came to my mind: When we pay tithing, we are helping to construct temples, and we give people the chance to make covenants in these temples. We give people a better chance at reaching exaltation! And so I said that, and I felt the holy ghost so strongly, and it testified to me that that is the truth, that through our faithful tithes, we allow people to experience the same blessings that we have experienced in this life, and we allow people to become eternal families. I love it! I have already made a promise with myself and the Lord that I will always pay a faithful tithe. Sure it may be hard, but when we gain a strong testimony of any principle in this Gospel, we have the faith to keep it, and always live it. And thank you Dad, I really loved the scriptures from Isaiah. That is the truth. When we fast in the correct way, with a pure heart, the Lord is right there. I have felt that a lot on my mission. I really fast for about the first time here on my mission. I had always fasted before the mission, but here is the first time that I have done it with a willing heart, and not selfishly. The Lord is right there when we fast, and I have felt His presence so much here on my mission. I love it!

Well I don't have much to write this week. Today for P-day we went and played paintball haha and it was super fun! I got shot a ton and my hand was bleeding!! Haha I love it!

Well, I love all of you so much! Mom, I love you and thank you for all the principles that you have taught me. You have always guided me in the gospel and have always had a ton of patience with me. Sorry for all the pain, and dumb things that I have done to you throughout my life. I love you Mom, and I would not be here if it wasn't for your guidance, and really the foundation that you provided for me in this life. I love you!!!

Well Love you all again. Hope everything is well at home. Hope you know that I am always praying for every one of you! Take care!

Pura Vida,

Elder Taylor

P.S. have Eric send me the addresses of some of his young men! Ush! Chao!!!

I love to see the Temple!

Buenas Familia!

Well I hope everything is going well at home! Haha Dad I remember that trip to Yosemite, it was sweet! Do you remember Aleks Tayek, " I'm going to blow this place up with my Russian nuke!" I remember that during that trip my testimony of prayer was strengthened so much! When we got lost, I was praying like crazy that we could find someone, and eventually we were able to find Brother Chang. Haha it seems like we got lost on every High Adventure trek, and through prayer we were able to make it out alive! Not to mention "My little adventure in Mexico..." haha

Well this week went well! The best part was that I got to go to the temple with like 8 of my converts! Here I attached a few photos that we took at the temple. It really is such an amazing place, and I love being able to share the Love and peace of the temple with my converts! It is such an amazing experience to see when our converts are temple worthy and are able to bless the lives of their ancestors through their temple worship.

Oh other cool thing that happened this week... we had interviews with President Wilkinson. I love interviewing with him because he really is such a Man of God. I can feel the spirit so strongly when I am with him. Well the interview was interesting because we have really had a ton of success here lately so President was asking me a lot about what I have been doing, and what is the difference between me and other missionaries in the mission. That really got me thinking. I am not better than any missionary in this mission. I think I have just worked really hard in the mission, and the Lord is blessing us for our obedience. I think that means that my wife will be very good-looking! Haha (that's the most commonly used joke in the church...) But yeah, he also made it sound like I would have changes this next week, so we'll have to see what happens! I would love to have changes, because I love getting to know a new area and having new challenges, but I am really going to miss this area because I really grew so much here in Aserri. Oh and President also made fun of me, because he asked me if I liked Aserri and I said I love it and it is by far my favorite area, and then he said, "Your favorite of the to areas you have served in haha".

Well this past Sunday was excellent because he had the confirmations of Deiver, Shirley, Jimmy and Caleb. I was blessed to be able to do all four of the confirmations. I love confirming and giving blessings in the church. It is such an amazing feeling to receive revelation and really be an instrument of the Lord to give these blessings.

Well sorry if this letter is so short. No worries Mom and Dad, I'm not sick anymore, I just have a really runny nose that's all. Well good news is that this next week I get to Skype you guys again! It will probably be Sunday at about 3p.m or 6 P.M., I'm not sure what time, but let’s just say between those hours. Let me know if you can do that, if not I can change it!

I love you all, I know that this church is true. I know that we have the fullness of the gospel here on the earth, and I know that through this gospel and our obedience to its precepts we can find peace in this life and salvation in the coming life. I love you all, and I hope and pray for the best for every one of you!

Pura Vida,

Elder Taylor

capitan de Aserri





 

 

 

11 Months!

Buenas Familia!

Primeramente, respuestas a sus preguntas!!!

1)      No, Mom, sadly our ward doesn't have a ward choir... I think the Stake does, but our ward no. I think it's because the people in this country don't know how to read music, and every time they sing it sounds like a funeral haha, but I love it!

2)      Elder Mendoza speaks a little bit of English, and reads about the same. But something that I have found that really everyone in this country knows basic English like, "Hi How are you?" and all that stuff...

3)      We didn't get along well at first because our ways of working are very different. We're still working on having more unity but we will have to see how everything goes throughout this change.

4)      Oh Mother’s day! It would be May 12th right? Probably will be that day, and the sad thing is that nobody has computers here! So I will probably have to talk to you in the same house, but we will have to see if other members have computers! We might have to talk Monday the 13th, I'm not sure what President Wilkinson will say...

5)      So President Wilkinson sent me an email asking about my international driver’s license, so I don't know if I have to renew it or what? I probably won't ever use it unless I'm in the office, and that could happen now, who knows. Right now, don't worry about it. If I get called to work in the office then I can probably renew it, we'll have to see what happens this next change.

Okay well this week was sweet!

First things first, we were blessed with 4 more baptisms!!!! Ush Papito papito!!! Deiver, Shirley and 2 of their 4 children we're baptized, Jimmy and Caleb! It was such an amazing baptismal service. So first off, basically the whole ward was there ( about 100 people). Secondly, we had arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) and it was excellent. But the baptismal service was so amazingly spiritual. Deiver bore his testimony before the baptisms and he started weeping and the spirit was so incredibly strong. So after the baptisms, Jimmy and Caleb bore their testimonies and Caleb, an 11 year old, bore such a powerful testimony about his future mission and how this baptism was the gateway to a mountain of blessings. I love this gospel, because it has changed this family so much. I think I talked a little about how we came in contact with this family. We were walking on day, and they were driving and stopped us in the middle of the street. They are a chosen family! Well, I am just so pumped and excited for them, because in one year they will have the opportunity enter the Temple and be sealed for time and all eternity!

Well, this change we have been really blessed with baptisms and now it is time to find, find and find people! We still have a ton of investigators that want to be baptized, they just have certain problems that are stopping them from doing so, (One needs to be married but her boyfriend of 22 years doesn't want to... haha and others need the permission of their parents who are devout Catholics... so we will have to see what happens with them.)

Oh so this week I have also been incredibly sick! Yeah! Our district leader was super sick this past week and we went on splits and he got me sick, and I got Elder Mendoza sick, and then Elder Mendoza got me sick again... and here we are. So keep me in your prayers because being sick on the mission is the worst! But just keep me in your prayers and I'll keep taking the Latin equivalent of Dayquil and Nyquil, Tabcin! Oh and P.S. all the members are trying to get me to take this "magical healing" injection, that heals you instantly from colds and flu, but I don't trust the medicine here! So we'll have to see if I feel better this week.

Well this week I have been reading in 1st Nephi, and I really found something interesting in chapter 17. So in this chapter Nephi is commanded to build the ship, and Laman and Lemuel are making fun of him and really just bagging on him a bunch. So Nephi got a little sad, and his brothers just started off on a tantrum saying all the reasons why they shouldn't have followed him and Lehi, and everything. In verse 21 they say, "Behold, these many years we have suffered in the wilderness, which time we might have enjoyed our possessions and the land of our inheritance; yea, and we might have been happy." Not going to lie, I have felt like that on my mission. I have felt disappointed, angry and displeased because I'm not going to lie, the mission is hard. But then I always think of this scripture in Alma 26. Ammon is talking to his brothers and says, "19 Oh then, why did he not consign us to an awful destruction, yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal despair. Oh, my soul, almost as it were, fleeth at the thought. Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting gulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls." Really the Lord has been so merciful unto me my whole life. He has saved my soul from everlasting misery and pain, and through his atonement, I have felt His peace, His love, and His forgiveness. At times the mission is hard, but really the Lord is with us and guides every step of our lives. Mom and Dad, let every young man in the ward know that they must serve a mission. Sure 2 years sounds like a long time, but we must remember how merciful the Lord has been with us. I love Him, and I love His gospel. I would not be here today if he had not shown me so much mercy and love.

Well hope this letter was "chatty" mom. I love you all very much. Take care, and keep on working with the missionaries out there in Cali Cali. Love you all, and I am praying for you always.

Pura Vida,

Elder Taylor el jefe del Valle de San Jose!

P.S. we have interviews with President this week. I'll let you know if he tells me that I have changes! Ush!

Photos: Here are pictures of Deiver, Shirley and they're  kids Jimmy(the oldest) Caleb( the middle child) and Pablo (the youngest).