3/24/14 E-mail from Zona Sur

Buenas Familia!

1. The next holiday in Costa Rica is... the Semana Santa! (Holy week!) It's the week before Easter, and what everyone will be doing is... partying! They get Thursday and Friday off and usually just spend the whole week in the beach. They also have a lot of parades, where they crucify Jesus and like whip him and stuff. I have never seen it, but they tell me that that happens.
2. P-day today we are going to get our hair cut and maybe shop a little bit. I think next monday we are going to go to a beach in Golfito.
3. There are a ton of special street people. Here in Ciudad Neily there are a lot of drunks that love the missionaries. In the bus station there is a homeless woman that will sing any song for you for only 500 colones ($1). I  am going to pay her to sing "Happy Birthday" to Elder Pace.
4. It is called Ciudad Neily, becuase there was a rich man named Ricardo Neily that lived here and they named it after him I think.
5. I have had a lot of fun with Elder Pace, and we love Elder Mendoza, we always speak a mixture of Spanish and English so Mendoza can understand.
6. My showerhead hits my face haha, I love it because the pipe is higher than my head.
7. I don't know how much time I spend on personal grooming. Like 3 minutes in the shower, 3 minutes shaving, and like 3 minutes doing my hair haha
8. Elder Kuoha, our District Leader has perfect pitch, so he is really good at hearing music and playing it on the piano. He is Hawaiian and he always brings his Ukelele with him to play anywhere he is.
9. I play the piano in the ward, and I am super rusty haha, but with a little bit of time I will get a lot better!

Well, this week was awesome as always! I love the mission! I love Ciudad Neily. I loved going to church on Sunday because I just feel a lot of love in this tiny branch. We had 34 people at church on Sunday, but I felt the Spirit very strongly. I gave a talk on the Plan of Salvation, and I talked about how Randy I went to Mexico. I hope they liked it haha.

Well Edwin and Teresa will be going this weekend to San Jose to finalize there divorce. They should be getting baptized in about a month and a half. Also, Yeodin and Iria aren't progressing anymore. Yeodin is awesome and very humble, but Iria is not willing to change her beliefs. She understands everything, but has the excuse that it is difficult to become a Mormon after being Catholic her whole life... so we will have to see how she progresses. Other than that, we are working hard to help Elder Mendoza get his confidence up and really trust in his calling and authority as a missionary.

We had a really cool expereince the other night. ALL our lessons fell through, and we just were standing in the middle of the street. We asked Elder Mendoza where we should go, what the Spirit was telling him. He waited for seriously 30 minutes saying, "I don't know Elders, I don't know." Finally he started walking and we contacted a family that had been listening to the missionaries a couple of years ago, and we will be teaching them sometime this week. The Spirit really guides us, we just have to confide in His power, and the Lord will always guide us to the people that need to hear our message. That is why I love the mission. Because I have had so many experiences, and I have been used as a tool of the Lord so much. I love the mission. I love this Gospel. The Atonement has changed my life. I am a new person, and I love my Saviour. Thank you so much Mom and Dad for raising me in this gospel.

Jason, I hope you have a great birthday this week. I really am so thankful to have you as a Brother. You may not know this, but you have always been an example to me throughout my life. You are one of the kindest people I know, and I know that you sincerely love all the people you know. Thank you so much for all you have done to better my life, and for the righteous example you have given to me. I love you buddy.

Mom, I love you. Thank you so much for always loving me even though I have not always deserved it. You have been such a great example to me, and I am dearly thankful for all you have given me. Thank you for praying for me, for crying for me, and for just loving me unconditionally. Thank you so much, and I hope you have a wonderful birthday.

I love you all!

Pura Vida,

Elder Taylor