3rd week update

Hello all my amazing family and loved ones,

Here I am at the middle of week three here is Costa Rica. The time has just flown by, some days I don´t feel that way though, but either way, the work of the Lord continues, whether I´m ready or not. I can feel and see such a change in myself. I´m not the same person as I was 15 months ago, nor the same person you dropped off at the curb of the MTC in October. The Lord continually pushes me, just to the point where I think I can´t handle it, and then I learn and discover something new about myself, and the Gospel, the world, everything. I still struggle alot with my confidence at times, but I am a way different person than I was. I am now walking the streets of CR and saying hello and talking to random people, when before, I got anxious to talk to the cashier at Kmart. I know the Lord has SOMETHING up his sleeve for me. I haven´t yet figured out what he´s doing but I know in time I will reap the benefits of all this.

This week was CRAZY! As was the other 2. Each day is filled with new surprises, new goals, new hopes, lots of work, and lots of WALKING! My comp and I have a baptism on Saturday for a boy named Daniel who is 9 years old from Nicaragua, I might be the one to baptize him too! Crazy! We are really excited for saturday, our zone has made some big plans and have about 30 baptisms scheduled for zona Toyopán.

So last sunday my house fasted, because we had been having trouble finding people to teach. It was a rough fast, because I haven´t fasted and then walked and worked so hard while fasting, but I made it through, and at the end of the day on Sunday, we still hadnt found a family to teach. So we decided to make one last stop at a house that we had stoped by like 6 times that week to teach the family but they were never there, and this time they were there, we werent planning on teaching right there, but they invited us right in and we taught them, and they were very receptive of our message. The spirit was so strong, I shared the message of the Restoration and the first vision with them and at the end of the lesson, the father accepted our invitation to pray at the end with us all, and as he said an innocent prayer for us and his family, the spirit was SO strong, It filled my soul with joy like you wont believe. We are really hoping this family accepts our message and invitation to be baptized. So that was a cool experience, Its amazing to see, in action, in all reality, that the Lord really does uphold his promises, and right before our eyes!

I had another experience last night, as we sat in this TINY TINY TINY home of one of our long time investigators for our area, her name is Ivania, her and her husband, Aristides, have wanted to get baptized for quite some time now, but need to get married first, and move out of their house, so we visit her and her son Loudy and daughter Paula quite often and keep them spiritually on their toes until they can get baptized. Ivania and Aristides have been having problems with their landlord, she is very violent with Loudy and has a bunch of dumb rules for Ivania to follow, and though I couldnt understand all of what she said, I sat there in this tiny house, and looked at these people, I couldnt understand, I had only known for 2 weeks, but I had such great love in my heart for them, I KNEW with all that I am, that they were Children of a Heavenly Father, and that though they happened to be in this vale of sorrow rightnow, the Lord has prepared a Valley of Promise for them, if they follow the words of His Beloved Son, which is what we were there to declare. I can´t explain the feeling I had as I looked at this humble family, and felt so priveleged to be here, to give them this message of hope and happiness. It really brought me back to square one, it made my problems look very small and not all that important. It made everything all my trials and hardships in my life that I had experienced very small and almost insignificant. While we were teaching Ivania and she talked of her struggles to find a house, a prompting came to my mind that I need to pray for her, that I need to help draw down the powers of heaven and help this family. Then I remembered a family who had been offering us a place to stay for 3 weeks and we keep denying it becasue Pres. Galvez said we couldnt, we offered it to Ivania and she is going to look into it. I thought about how amazing that little moment was. That we had a way to help her right then, that the Lord had put that apartment in our path for her benefit. I decided as I reflected on my mission, that miracles, are everywhere. Not only for missionaries, for everyone! Shoot, the fact that I am here, 3000 miles away from my comfort zone is a miracle in itself. They are everywhere family, continue to look for the miracles, and express gratitude when you find them.

We always visit this family, the Solano family, a family of members. And they have a boy named Jeffrey, and when I told him that my dads name was Jeffrey he was shocked! He asked if my dad was bien tuanis. Which means like way cool, and I said of course! So they really wanted to tell you that I am safe and that they have a son named Jeffrey, so mom, If you get an email from a Juan Carlos Solano, don´t be alarmed, it´s just a member.

So, the rest of the week was great, monday we did service pretty much all day long, we painted a room for a member of the Garabito ward which is the other area near us. It was a lot of fun, and good to do some service for her, because she had been sick and just recently fell and was rushed to the hospital, so we got together and cleaned up her house and room for her, so when she returned she wouldnt be so sick.

Today was a wonderful day, as you heard we as a zone got to attend the temple! And what a blessing that was! I was so preoccupied at first because It was all in spanish! I just barely got comfortable with it in English! But onceI set foot inside the Lord´s house i felt peace! Rush through my body and I felt so comfortable. The temple was a great experience! And The CR temple is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

But what was really amazing about today as well was what happened after the temple. I was talking to Elder Kemp (an elder from my district in the MTC who me and him became really good friends) and he expressed to me about how he had some doubts, and he didnt think he was going to be able to stay on the mission, and he had been having the same struggles as I had been having (not the going home part) but just with doubts and homesickness and insecurities and such. And I told him I felt the same, and we got talking and something told me to tell him, you are where you are supposed to be, you can´t leave, because you are not supposed to be anywhere else. It was strange that I said that, because for awhile here, I thought that my call to CR was a mess up. That I was supposed to serve in an english speaking mission becasue I will never be able to learn spanish, and all that stuff, unfortunately Im embarrassed to say that I thought that, but I did, and as I said that, I felt the spirit tell me the same thing...you are where you are supposed to be...don´t doubt, don´t give up, because this is where you are and where you are meant to be...I was floored for the rest of the day, shocked because those words came out of my mouth for his benefit, and mine. I shared with him the insight and knowledge that all my great family and friends shared with me, and I think it really helped him. I am constantly amazed that the Lord knows us, individually. He knows us by name, and we are His children. I have had first hand experiences with that here!

So family, if you ever doubt, if it ever gets harder than you can bear, trust in the fact that you are Children of a Heavenly Father. There is power. Power beyond our own capabilities, our own comprehension, power beyond anything in the world. Always remember, what has really helped me, that when life gets too hard to stand, kneel. Because he hears us, and heals us. I know this. Because I have experienced it.

Well family, I am doing great, things are looking up, I have those hard days, but I am starting to realize why they are there. The good and the bad days HAVE to go together, to make the good days even better, and to make us strong enough to withstand the bad days. I am safe, I am protected, always under the eye of Him who knows everything. I pray that all is well with you, I think about you every second.

I want you to know family that I know that I am where I am needed. I was called by a Prophet of God, to declare what knowledge I KNOW to be true. I know! With all my heart, with all my head, soul spirit and body, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the Kingdom of God restored once again on the earth. I know this is HIS work, I am HIS son, you are HIS children. We are so important in His eyes, which is more importand than in the eyes of the world. I know that we have the priesthood restored on the earth, the power and authority to draw the blessings from heaven for the benefit of those who worthily seek them. I know that the Book of Mormon is the WORD of God, and If any of us lack wisdom, that is where we find it first, and second in getting on our knees and praying with all our heart, might, mind and strength. Because we don´t pray to a wall or a ceiling or an empty room, I know we pray to a loving Father, who cares for us, and listens to us, and ANSWERS our prayers. I know these things are true, for this reason, for this knowledge, I have chosen to leave my family, to come 3000 miles out of my tiny little bubble that I formed for myself, for this knowledge. Because I know without it we cannot have the blessing of eternal life. And those who have eternal life, are rich. I know that if we are patient in afflictions, the Lord will lift us higher because he is with us. Read D and C 24:8, this scripture has inspired me beyond all measure, afflictions will be there, suffering will be there, but it will ALL be for our good. I know the Lord is with you, reach out and grab his hand.

Just as importantly, know that I love you, with ALL I am. I know our family is divine and I love that. I love you all! You are so important to me, don´t forget it.

With all the love I can possibly give,
Elder Falor