Hello Family and Friends,
Well, I can´t believe it, but another week has come and gone, and this one felt like only a day. I literally can´t believe I have been here for 19 weeks, and my second change in the mission is almost coming to a close. I really love Tibas, and I really am gaining a love for the mission and for the people, and believe it or not, the language. I may not speak it fluently yet, but luckily the Gospel is the same in Spanish, it doesn´t change and my love for it sure doesn´t change, regardless of the language I am teaching it in.
I hope this letter finds everyone well, and I am so thankful to each of you for all your love and support through emails and prayers. I truly feel uplifted every day, especially Monday :) This week was a good one, it was filled with a lot of teaching and trying our best to strengthen Tibas. I love my ward here in Tibas, they do all they can to make the missionaries feel at home and like we have a family. They are awesome! And they also all really know how to have a fun and good time, but still show good examples of how to live the Gospel.
We are finally seeing a little bit of improvement in Tibas. The stake presidency has noticed our improvement in attendance at Sac. Meeting and has said that if during march we can reach 115 members in Sac Meeting we can qualify for a new and larger chapel, since our chapel is really small. We have made many goals to work as hard as we possibly can to help the members of the ward achieve this goal. A lot of time in the mission people guage success only on baptisms and think that unless you have a number of baptisms every month you are not having success. My comp and I have found this to be very un true. Although having baptisms is great and a true sign of success, it is not the only sign of success. Our job as missionaries is also to strengthen our wards and recent converts, whether they are ours or not. We have felt since in 2 months we have only had 2 baptisms that we have failed in Tibas, that the work that President has entrusted us with has amounted to nothing, but in reality the church attendence has improved, and is improving amazingly every week. We went from 60something to now almost 90 in Sac Meeting. We may not have the strongest area in the mission, but we are doing all we can to improve.
We had a baptism on Saturday, my 2nd baptism in the mission, and this one was very special. Aida Vargus was baptized by her son Alberto after he and his family had been inactive for 18 years. It was such a spiritual experience. Especially when Aida stood up in front of everyone after her baptism and bore her sweet amazing testimony. She was definitely one of the souls that was prepared by our Heavenly Father, and it was no accident that we found her and baptized her. I have no fear in my mind that she will remain a strong and happy member of this amazingly beautiful Church. I will send some pictures of this amazing occasion.
This week also we went on divisions with the Zone Leaders and for some odd reason the APs (assistants to the president) all came to Tibas and we went on divisions to do interviews and to do some work in Garabito and Tibas. I was very lucky to go on splits with one of the APs, his name is Elder Galarza, he is from Mexico and has 20 months in the mission. He is an amazing example to me of how missionaries should be and act at all times. I hope to teach and testify just as he did on our very short, but very spiritual exeperience on splits. We went and contacted in Tibas, and although we had little success, I felt spiritually uplifted and ready to take on the rest of the day.
We finally cleaned our SUPER dirty house this week, and I wasnt the only one to do it, I got help from the other Elders in the house. Only because one day during studies we received a call from the Land Lord, who said he wanted to come and check up on the house. We scheduled an appointment for tomorrow so he will be coming, so maybe, just maybe we might get some hot water in this house business. I will definitely keep you all updated on this big news, haha.
This week I found a really amazingly spiritual talk that Elder Holland gave to the missionaries at the MTC in 2000. He spoke about how central to this work, this church, and everything that Latter-day Doctrine has to do with the Atonement of Christ. And how as missionaries, we can better incorporate this precious doctrine to help our investigators receive the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. He said something to the missionaries that I will never forget and something that I would like to share with you. He said something that applied to the missionaries in that talk but can be applied to everyone of us who are facing the same battle in this life. He said that there is always at least one moment (maybe more) in your mission where you will have to get a little taste of Gethsemane. As a missionary you will have what they call your own personal Gethsemane. Not to say that we will have even the 100th idea of what it was like for our Savior, but we will have a moment where we are tested, and we will plead with our father and ask for any other way out. There will be moments where the people we entrusted will often "fall asleep" in our times of deepest despair. Because as messengers of his truth and of his message, and his Atonement, we must get even the slightest taste of what he did to make this all possible. A member of the Branch Presidency in the MTC always said to us "You cant lead people somewhere you haven´t been"...That is so true, we can´t lead people to partake of the fruits of the Gospel unless we ourselves have stayed and had a really awesome taste of the fruit of the Gospel. We can´t expect people to accept the Atonement and accept our testimony of it unless we have had even the slightest, tiniest feeling of what it was like for our Savior. I believe that in every life, sometimes more than once we may feel like we are kneeling at the foot of the olive trees, begging for a way out, and feeling at the absolute worst we ever have. Although we will never have to do what Jesus Christ himself did, we will have those moments of despair, but we will also have the moments after the passing of Gethsemane and after the passing of the events of Calvary where the sun will again shine, and we can stand up, pick our selves up, and continue on in this journey of ours. Whether or not I have really been in my own personal Gethsemane during these past 2 months, I do not know, but I do know that no matter the depths we´ve sunk in, there is always a way out, and there is always a spot with more sun. I know that spot can be found on the solid ground of the Gospel.
I have seen heaven´s hand in my mission every single day I have been out here. I know that he lives and knows every single one of his children. He knows our thoughts, our desires, what we are capable of, what we arent capable of. He knows our doubts, fears, insecurities, strengths, hopes, dreams, everything. And most of all, He knows how to help. I know that He lives and that His Son, Jesus Christ lives, and directs this church on the earth through a Prophet. I know without a shadow of a doubt that this church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the way to eternal life. I know that there is only one name and that is Jesus Christ, whereby we can be saved in the Kingdom of God. I know that we have a Prophet, a living director between us and heaven to lead and guide us while here in this world growing ever more wicked with each passing day. I know this with all that I am. I am so grateful to be a servant and give two years for him who gave absolutely everything he could possibly give. I am so grateful for the knowledge and testimony that I now have. I am grateful for the help that I have receieved from Heaven, I couldn´t make this journey on my own, without that divine help.
Well Family, I am doing well here with each passing day. I am learning SO MUCH I can´t believe there was that much to learn. I am trying my best to be the missionary that my Father in heaven and you all expect me to be. I Love you all with all that I am. Stay strong, until next week.
Elder Falor
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Week 18
Hello family and friends,
Well week 18 has come and gone, and I cannot really believe it. Everyone told me that time flies in the mission and I guess Its really true, even though at times it may not seem that way I have already been gone for 4 months, and the time keeps going and never stops.
Again, I hope everyone reading this letter is doing well and is happy and healthy. It sounds like there is a lot of snow and cold up in Utah, and being here I never realized how much of a special thing snow is. What a crazy statement and I cant believe I said that, but seriously, snow is a good way to spice up our lives and it really does make things look beautiful, especially around Christmas time. I hope you are all enjoying the cold while I am here in good ol 70 degree weather. Haha!
This week was good. Just like the rest it has its ups and it has its downs. But I am learning here how much the downs in the mission really play into the bigger and better picture. I really appreciate the good days that follow the bad ones. And I am ever so grateful to my father in Heaven because no matter the day its never too bad or too down that I can´t make it through. He is always there, helping me and pushing me forward in this work. I have found that really there is nothing more incredible than this work. And this gospel, I know I have said it before but I can´t exactly express how important it is. How crucial it is for every soul living, and dead. I have also found that after all the walking, the sweating and the rejection, that one time someone says yes, is worth it all, that one time you see someone enter the waters of baptism is worth EVERY ounce of hardship in the mission. I couldnt be happier than when I am sharing the gospel. I absolutely right now, cannot find greater joy than in sharing this wonderful news, and opening someones eyes to this Gospel and message of happiness.
This week was a crazy week, we did a lot of changes, we had to drop some investigators who just werent progressing, and we have had to search for some new ones. A few weeks ago after being frustrated not being able to find new investigators, my comp and I decided to visit a family who was baptized over 20 years ago but had been inactive for 18. The family consists of an older lady Cecilia, her daughter Marrlen and her husband Alberto and their two kids Emmanuel and Marzell. They had been long time members, but ran into some difficulties in their ward, the people of the ward werent exactly the best examples, and unfortunately, this family stopped going to church because of it. Well we found them again, and explained to them the importance of going to church, not for the members, but for God, for Jesus Christ and for that opportunity we have to draw closer to them so we can face the coming week. It didnt take long for them to realize what had been missing in their lives for those past 18 years. They came to church the next sunday and are now preparing to go to the temple. I remember their faces when they told me, "Elder Falor, we can now take the sacrament!" At times in Tibas we have felt like we had no success, but in reality, before our eyes our sucess was unraveling. We had helped reactivate this family, and bring them back to the knowledge of their Redeemer. A member of the ward looked at us on sunday, after Alberto shared his testimony in priesthood meeting and said "Elders, you rescued a family" I will never forget the spirit I felt at that moment. I am not saying we are heroes and we deserve a pat on the back, but I felt good knowing we had played some tiny part in getting this family back to church. And thanks to Marrlen, we have 6 new investigators. Everytime we visit her, she says "Elders I have a referral for you!" One of her referrals is her mother in law, her name is Ayda. She didnt want to join the church when Alberto did and had been part of the Catholic religion for her entire life. Normally, the people who have been members of the catholic religion are the hardest to teach, especially when she has been a member for so long. But she had felt the need to search a different church, to find something else because she said she found problems in her own churchs doctrine. At first we thought not much was going to come out of this, but we had a great first lesson with her, challenged her to be baptized and she said yes. She went to church, and absolutely loved it and is now getting baptized on the 26th of February.
This story is special to me because through these past few weeks that this story unfolded I have never felt closer to my heavenly father, to see this family get strengthened back together through the Gospel. The Gospel is the glue that is keeping this family together, and the love inside it is only reinforcing it all. The gospel plays an amazing role in our lives, and we are incredibly blessed to have the knowledge of it now, in a time where the earth is only growing more corrupt every single day. We had fasted this day, before challenging Ayda to be baptized, because we didnt think we were going to have a baptism this month, but the Lord knows us, and he knows that if we push a little harder and try a little harder he will do the rest and he will make it all fall into place.
I am amazed everyweek at how much my testimony grows. I thought I had a big testimony before i left, I cant even fathom how much it has grown since I have been here. I am literally nothing without the Gospel, nothing without this knowledge, nothing with out the gift of the Holy Ghost. My spanish is coming little by little, and I have to say thanks to everyone for your constant support. I couldn´t do it without you. I know that spanish will come, I am just suuuuuuuuuuuper impatient. We had splits this week and I was Sr. Comp, I had to direct a lesson to a lady we found, her name is Coseth. It was amazing, I was SHOCKED at the things I was able to say, after the lesson I just couldnt believe what just happened. We challenged her to be baptized on the 5th of March and are trying our best to prepare her for this day.
Well everyone, just the same as every week, I want you to know that I know God lives. He knows each and everyone of us by name, He knows our hearts, our thoughts, our desires, our everything. I know that my Redeemer lives, that He suffered pain I cannot quite imagine so that we could all repent and become clean again through his Atonement, so we could return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. I know that Jesus Christ suffered more than just our sins, but he felt every ounce of our failing moments, those times where we felt embarrassed, mad, sad, angry, he´s felt our tears, our pains, our guilt, our everything. It´s hard to imagine, but I have NO doubt that its true. I know that peace, happiness, and salvation is just a step away with a hand outstretched for ours. I know that this church is true, I know that it IS the Church of Jesus Christ. I know that it is only through faith on His name to repentance and through the ordinance of baptism by immersion that we can enter into the kingdom of God. I know that with every fiber of my being. I know that families can be FOREVER. We are here everyday searching for families, hoping to get them to the first step to unite them for eternity. I know that ONLY through the Gospel of Jesus Christ can families be sealed together for longer than just our time on this earth, but we have the oportunity to live together forever side by side with Him who created us.
I love you family and friends. Thanks for all your love and support!
Stay strong!
Elder Falor
Well week 18 has come and gone, and I cannot really believe it. Everyone told me that time flies in the mission and I guess Its really true, even though at times it may not seem that way I have already been gone for 4 months, and the time keeps going and never stops.
Again, I hope everyone reading this letter is doing well and is happy and healthy. It sounds like there is a lot of snow and cold up in Utah, and being here I never realized how much of a special thing snow is. What a crazy statement and I cant believe I said that, but seriously, snow is a good way to spice up our lives and it really does make things look beautiful, especially around Christmas time. I hope you are all enjoying the cold while I am here in good ol 70 degree weather. Haha!
This week was good. Just like the rest it has its ups and it has its downs. But I am learning here how much the downs in the mission really play into the bigger and better picture. I really appreciate the good days that follow the bad ones. And I am ever so grateful to my father in Heaven because no matter the day its never too bad or too down that I can´t make it through. He is always there, helping me and pushing me forward in this work. I have found that really there is nothing more incredible than this work. And this gospel, I know I have said it before but I can´t exactly express how important it is. How crucial it is for every soul living, and dead. I have also found that after all the walking, the sweating and the rejection, that one time someone says yes, is worth it all, that one time you see someone enter the waters of baptism is worth EVERY ounce of hardship in the mission. I couldnt be happier than when I am sharing the gospel. I absolutely right now, cannot find greater joy than in sharing this wonderful news, and opening someones eyes to this Gospel and message of happiness.
This week was a crazy week, we did a lot of changes, we had to drop some investigators who just werent progressing, and we have had to search for some new ones. A few weeks ago after being frustrated not being able to find new investigators, my comp and I decided to visit a family who was baptized over 20 years ago but had been inactive for 18. The family consists of an older lady Cecilia, her daughter Marrlen and her husband Alberto and their two kids Emmanuel and Marzell. They had been long time members, but ran into some difficulties in their ward, the people of the ward werent exactly the best examples, and unfortunately, this family stopped going to church because of it. Well we found them again, and explained to them the importance of going to church, not for the members, but for God, for Jesus Christ and for that opportunity we have to draw closer to them so we can face the coming week. It didnt take long for them to realize what had been missing in their lives for those past 18 years. They came to church the next sunday and are now preparing to go to the temple. I remember their faces when they told me, "Elder Falor, we can now take the sacrament!" At times in Tibas we have felt like we had no success, but in reality, before our eyes our sucess was unraveling. We had helped reactivate this family, and bring them back to the knowledge of their Redeemer. A member of the ward looked at us on sunday, after Alberto shared his testimony in priesthood meeting and said "Elders, you rescued a family" I will never forget the spirit I felt at that moment. I am not saying we are heroes and we deserve a pat on the back, but I felt good knowing we had played some tiny part in getting this family back to church. And thanks to Marrlen, we have 6 new investigators. Everytime we visit her, she says "Elders I have a referral for you!" One of her referrals is her mother in law, her name is Ayda. She didnt want to join the church when Alberto did and had been part of the Catholic religion for her entire life. Normally, the people who have been members of the catholic religion are the hardest to teach, especially when she has been a member for so long. But she had felt the need to search a different church, to find something else because she said she found problems in her own churchs doctrine. At first we thought not much was going to come out of this, but we had a great first lesson with her, challenged her to be baptized and she said yes. She went to church, and absolutely loved it and is now getting baptized on the 26th of February.
This story is special to me because through these past few weeks that this story unfolded I have never felt closer to my heavenly father, to see this family get strengthened back together through the Gospel. The Gospel is the glue that is keeping this family together, and the love inside it is only reinforcing it all. The gospel plays an amazing role in our lives, and we are incredibly blessed to have the knowledge of it now, in a time where the earth is only growing more corrupt every single day. We had fasted this day, before challenging Ayda to be baptized, because we didnt think we were going to have a baptism this month, but the Lord knows us, and he knows that if we push a little harder and try a little harder he will do the rest and he will make it all fall into place.
I am amazed everyweek at how much my testimony grows. I thought I had a big testimony before i left, I cant even fathom how much it has grown since I have been here. I am literally nothing without the Gospel, nothing without this knowledge, nothing with out the gift of the Holy Ghost. My spanish is coming little by little, and I have to say thanks to everyone for your constant support. I couldn´t do it without you. I know that spanish will come, I am just suuuuuuuuuuuper impatient. We had splits this week and I was Sr. Comp, I had to direct a lesson to a lady we found, her name is Coseth. It was amazing, I was SHOCKED at the things I was able to say, after the lesson I just couldnt believe what just happened. We challenged her to be baptized on the 5th of March and are trying our best to prepare her for this day.
Well everyone, just the same as every week, I want you to know that I know God lives. He knows each and everyone of us by name, He knows our hearts, our thoughts, our desires, our everything. I know that my Redeemer lives, that He suffered pain I cannot quite imagine so that we could all repent and become clean again through his Atonement, so we could return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. I know that Jesus Christ suffered more than just our sins, but he felt every ounce of our failing moments, those times where we felt embarrassed, mad, sad, angry, he´s felt our tears, our pains, our guilt, our everything. It´s hard to imagine, but I have NO doubt that its true. I know that peace, happiness, and salvation is just a step away with a hand outstretched for ours. I know that this church is true, I know that it IS the Church of Jesus Christ. I know that it is only through faith on His name to repentance and through the ordinance of baptism by immersion that we can enter into the kingdom of God. I know that with every fiber of my being. I know that families can be FOREVER. We are here everyday searching for families, hoping to get them to the first step to unite them for eternity. I know that ONLY through the Gospel of Jesus Christ can families be sealed together for longer than just our time on this earth, but we have the oportunity to live together forever side by side with Him who created us.
I love you family and friends. Thanks for all your love and support!
Stay strong!
Elder Falor
Monday, February 14, 2011
Week 8 update
Dear family and friends,
A big hello all the way from Costa Rica! Another week has gone by and sometimes I can´t believe that I have been away from home for almost 4 months now. To a missionary who has 23 months that may seem like nothing, but it is a lot for me, and I am so grateful for every week, everyday, hour and second of my mission. It is such a blessing to be a servant of the Lord. Well this week was full of adventures and new things just like all the rest. This week was great, in our area and in the mission as well. Last Tuesday we had a zone conference and discussed a new way of setting dates for baptism throughout the whole mission. President Galvez instructed us on how to invite someone to be baptized with a specific date on the first time meeting with the missionaries, its amazing, we learned how to do it even as a contact at the door, in the street or wherever we find people. At first I was skeptical, thinking, how is anyone gonna want to listen to us, if we invite them to be baptized at the first time we meet them. But oh was I wrong. A lot of people here already believe in God, and believe that if he tells them that this is the right way, they will follow, and I am surpised how many people really say yes to our invitation to be baptized on a specific date, even on the first visit. We were told to do this with every person we meet and every person we contact, and if they say no, then they aren´t ready, and we must keep searching for those the Lord has been preparing. We have done a lot this week in Tibás to find people and challenge them to baptism. We have been teaching many lessons as well and a lot of people have been accepting our invitations. We are hoping and praying everything works out and we are continually working with these people to bring them closer to Christ. It´s crazy to think about it, that we are asking people to be baptized the first time we meet them, but in reality, why shouldnt we? Our purpose is to bring people closer to Christ and help them receive the Gospel through their faith in Him, repentance, BAPTISM, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and Endure to the End...we are here to baptize, and I say that with more intent than just to have numbers increase in church membership. We are here to bring people to Christ by inviting them into the door of baptism, giving them an amazing gift and lifelong guide, and providing them with a ward family and strength in knowledge to persevere until the end. We will see how all this works out and I will continue to fill this in. As for now, with all this challenging, it looks like we might have about 6 or 7 baptisms scheduled for Tibás on the 26 of Feb. but we will see how this all works out.
This week (particularly last night) I really gained a perspective as to why I am here. We have this family of investigators, I have mentioned them before: Elvis, Carolina and Tania. We have been working with them since my first week here, and we have given up once on Elvis, and once on Carolina, but for some reason we are always pulled back to them. We felt that we had seen no progress, but little did we know right before our eyes they were progressing and the Lord was beginning to stir up something in their hearts and helping them to slightly make a change in their lives. At first our priority was Elvis, but he ended up not showing up a lot of times, so we taught Carolina, his mom, and his sister Tania, at first we taught them the first lesson and invited them to be baptized, she loved the message but replied saying she was already baptized and doesnt see a need to get baptized. We continued to visit them, but everytime we went they would ignore us or not be home, so we gave up, and like I said, things happened and we ended up teaching Elvis again, he had a date for the 5th of Feb to be baptized, but told us he had somethings in his life he has to work on and change before he can get baptized. He went to church one time and hasnt gone since, but we are continuing to work with him. And yesterday before church we stopped by their house becaus they told me they were going to church on Sunday, so we showed up and they were all asleep but Tania said that they would be ready and in the chapel by 9 o clock. We waited, and waited and waited before Sacrament and they didnt show up..but at 1030 while we were in class at church, In walks Carolina and Tania. We were floored, becuase we were not expecting them to show up, especially Carolina a member of the Evagelical religion which is very strong here. She had a great experience in church and said it was really beautiful. We showed up at their house last night and were only planning on sharing a short message before our dinner appointment. In our times before with Carolina, she had always ALWAYS refused to pray in front of us, and we had always asked her to pray so she could know and feel that this was the right path for her to take. Last night, we shared the importance of another baptism, by the proper authority and by the proper way of immersion, we bore powerful testimony and witness that this was the way that God wanted her to take, and we shared amazing scriptures to back up that which we were saying. The spirit was tangible. After this, we invited her to pray and to ask God right there, right now in front of everyone if this was the true church and the way to go. After a little hesitation she finally said yes! And as we all kneeled together in her little humble home, she poured her heart to God and asked him through her sobbing tears if she should get baptized. I felt it, my comp felt it, Tania felt it and we know Carolina felt God answer her prayers. I have never, ever felt the spirit so strong as I felt it there. After the prayer we got up off our knees and sat in silence as she read a scripture we shared with her about the fruits of the spirit. We testified to her that she had her answer, that God has answered here prayer, and we all just witnessed it. We testified that the spirit was in strong abundance in this home, and that he was testifying of our message and the truthfullness of it. She agreed to a baptismal date on the 26, but said that she still needed to think and pray about this. We agreed and left on a super spiritual high.
Its lessons and experiences like those that remind me why I am here. I longed for her to receive an answer, not because I wanted another baptism, not because I wanted the numbers and I wanted the whole mission to know that our zone made our goal, but because I truly desired the welfare of her soul, I truly desired for her to feel the way I felt 16 months ago. I truly deeply wanted her to find Christ, to follow him for the rest of her days, and receive the blessings he has in store for her and her family. That lesson made me realize I have a lot to learn, but I am so excited to do it. It will take work, but I have never felt more energized than I did after that. I know why I am here, I am here to be an instrument in the hands of my God. I am here to bring His children back to him so they can both rejoice and be eternally happy.
Family and friends, I know at times in my letters, I have shared how difficult this experience has been, but I want you to know that without a shadow of a doubt, I know why I am here, and I ABSOLUTELY love being a missionary. I dont want to be anything else right now. I dont want to wear anything else than a shirt and tie and a tag with my Saviors name placed right next to my heart. I dont want anything else right now. I know I am in the right place. I know I am meant to be here. He wouldnt send me here if he knew I couldnt do it. He would never set his children up to fail. But he is not going to just give me it so easy and on a silver platter, it requires work and perseverance, just like every other member of the Church.
This experience has been hard, but as I think back on it, I wouldnt change a THING, not one day would I take out and replace with one better, they really all work together and make it all worth it.
I know that God answers our prayers, I know that he hears us, and he knows the desires and intentions of our hearts. We are his children, and I know that. I know that this Church and only this church has EVERYTHING possible to bring about the salvation of Gods children, and again, I find no shame in saying that, because I know, with NO doubt, that this is the way, and there is no other name given than Jesus Christ whereby we can be saved. I know that, and I am so happy for that knowledge. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet, I know that because I know God loves me, and he loves us, and he wouldn´t want us here in this dark and dreary world without a guide and a map leading back to our safe home.
I love you all, I love this work and I love my Savior Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father.
Stay strong and always remember I love you.
A big hello all the way from Costa Rica! Another week has gone by and sometimes I can´t believe that I have been away from home for almost 4 months now. To a missionary who has 23 months that may seem like nothing, but it is a lot for me, and I am so grateful for every week, everyday, hour and second of my mission. It is such a blessing to be a servant of the Lord. Well this week was full of adventures and new things just like all the rest. This week was great, in our area and in the mission as well. Last Tuesday we had a zone conference and discussed a new way of setting dates for baptism throughout the whole mission. President Galvez instructed us on how to invite someone to be baptized with a specific date on the first time meeting with the missionaries, its amazing, we learned how to do it even as a contact at the door, in the street or wherever we find people. At first I was skeptical, thinking, how is anyone gonna want to listen to us, if we invite them to be baptized at the first time we meet them. But oh was I wrong. A lot of people here already believe in God, and believe that if he tells them that this is the right way, they will follow, and I am surpised how many people really say yes to our invitation to be baptized on a specific date, even on the first visit. We were told to do this with every person we meet and every person we contact, and if they say no, then they aren´t ready, and we must keep searching for those the Lord has been preparing. We have done a lot this week in Tibás to find people and challenge them to baptism. We have been teaching many lessons as well and a lot of people have been accepting our invitations. We are hoping and praying everything works out and we are continually working with these people to bring them closer to Christ. It´s crazy to think about it, that we are asking people to be baptized the first time we meet them, but in reality, why shouldnt we? Our purpose is to bring people closer to Christ and help them receive the Gospel through their faith in Him, repentance, BAPTISM, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and Endure to the End...we are here to baptize, and I say that with more intent than just to have numbers increase in church membership. We are here to bring people to Christ by inviting them into the door of baptism, giving them an amazing gift and lifelong guide, and providing them with a ward family and strength in knowledge to persevere until the end. We will see how all this works out and I will continue to fill this in. As for now, with all this challenging, it looks like we might have about 6 or 7 baptisms scheduled for Tibás on the 26 of Feb. but we will see how this all works out.
This week (particularly last night) I really gained a perspective as to why I am here. We have this family of investigators, I have mentioned them before: Elvis, Carolina and Tania. We have been working with them since my first week here, and we have given up once on Elvis, and once on Carolina, but for some reason we are always pulled back to them. We felt that we had seen no progress, but little did we know right before our eyes they were progressing and the Lord was beginning to stir up something in their hearts and helping them to slightly make a change in their lives. At first our priority was Elvis, but he ended up not showing up a lot of times, so we taught Carolina, his mom, and his sister Tania, at first we taught them the first lesson and invited them to be baptized, she loved the message but replied saying she was already baptized and doesnt see a need to get baptized. We continued to visit them, but everytime we went they would ignore us or not be home, so we gave up, and like I said, things happened and we ended up teaching Elvis again, he had a date for the 5th of Feb to be baptized, but told us he had somethings in his life he has to work on and change before he can get baptized. He went to church one time and hasnt gone since, but we are continuing to work with him. And yesterday before church we stopped by their house becaus they told me they were going to church on Sunday, so we showed up and they were all asleep but Tania said that they would be ready and in the chapel by 9 o clock. We waited, and waited and waited before Sacrament and they didnt show up..but at 1030 while we were in class at church, In walks Carolina and Tania. We were floored, becuase we were not expecting them to show up, especially Carolina a member of the Evagelical religion which is very strong here. She had a great experience in church and said it was really beautiful. We showed up at their house last night and were only planning on sharing a short message before our dinner appointment. In our times before with Carolina, she had always ALWAYS refused to pray in front of us, and we had always asked her to pray so she could know and feel that this was the right path for her to take. Last night, we shared the importance of another baptism, by the proper authority and by the proper way of immersion, we bore powerful testimony and witness that this was the way that God wanted her to take, and we shared amazing scriptures to back up that which we were saying. The spirit was tangible. After this, we invited her to pray and to ask God right there, right now in front of everyone if this was the true church and the way to go. After a little hesitation she finally said yes! And as we all kneeled together in her little humble home, she poured her heart to God and asked him through her sobbing tears if she should get baptized. I felt it, my comp felt it, Tania felt it and we know Carolina felt God answer her prayers. I have never, ever felt the spirit so strong as I felt it there. After the prayer we got up off our knees and sat in silence as she read a scripture we shared with her about the fruits of the spirit. We testified to her that she had her answer, that God has answered here prayer, and we all just witnessed it. We testified that the spirit was in strong abundance in this home, and that he was testifying of our message and the truthfullness of it. She agreed to a baptismal date on the 26, but said that she still needed to think and pray about this. We agreed and left on a super spiritual high.
Its lessons and experiences like those that remind me why I am here. I longed for her to receive an answer, not because I wanted another baptism, not because I wanted the numbers and I wanted the whole mission to know that our zone made our goal, but because I truly desired the welfare of her soul, I truly desired for her to feel the way I felt 16 months ago. I truly deeply wanted her to find Christ, to follow him for the rest of her days, and receive the blessings he has in store for her and her family. That lesson made me realize I have a lot to learn, but I am so excited to do it. It will take work, but I have never felt more energized than I did after that. I know why I am here, I am here to be an instrument in the hands of my God. I am here to bring His children back to him so they can both rejoice and be eternally happy.
Family and friends, I know at times in my letters, I have shared how difficult this experience has been, but I want you to know that without a shadow of a doubt, I know why I am here, and I ABSOLUTELY love being a missionary. I dont want to be anything else right now. I dont want to wear anything else than a shirt and tie and a tag with my Saviors name placed right next to my heart. I dont want anything else right now. I know I am in the right place. I know I am meant to be here. He wouldnt send me here if he knew I couldnt do it. He would never set his children up to fail. But he is not going to just give me it so easy and on a silver platter, it requires work and perseverance, just like every other member of the Church.
This experience has been hard, but as I think back on it, I wouldnt change a THING, not one day would I take out and replace with one better, they really all work together and make it all worth it.
I know that God answers our prayers, I know that he hears us, and he knows the desires and intentions of our hearts. We are his children, and I know that. I know that this Church and only this church has EVERYTHING possible to bring about the salvation of Gods children, and again, I find no shame in saying that, because I know, with NO doubt, that this is the way, and there is no other name given than Jesus Christ whereby we can be saved. I know that, and I am so happy for that knowledge. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet, I know that because I know God loves me, and he loves us, and he wouldn´t want us here in this dark and dreary world without a guide and a map leading back to our safe home.
I love you all, I love this work and I love my Savior Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father.
Stay strong and always remember I love you.
Monday, February 7, 2011
7th week update
Hello Family and Friends,
Not much has happened this week really. We had a crazy first three days of the week, Monday we found out about changes in our district, they whitewashed an area and since my comp is District Leader we had to travel to an area named Zurqui in order to know the Hermanas and their investigators for the Elders who were coming in on Wednesday. So we traveled about an hour or so to Zurqui on Monday, and Tuesday, also Wednesday after changes meeting. Thursday my comp had a meeting in Los Yoses with the President because he is DL so he went with a Trainer from our zone and meanwhile, I was left to be senior comp with a missionary from El Salvador, who speaks no english and had only 4 days in the mission...that was nervewracking, but all went well. His name is Elder Hernandez, he is a great missionary, he is 26 years old, and is a convert of one year, I see a lot of myself in him and I admire his desire to serve righteously, and with all he had. Friday and Saturday was nothing really different, we walked, and walked, and walked, trying to find people to teach. We´ve hit a rough spot, we have investigators but some of which are not progressing, and our area is very hard and very difficult. But we had FHE with a member family last thursday and with a family of investigators, and we watched a movie called On The Way Home. It was a great movie about how through trials and adversity, the family can find peace and happiness through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The spirit translated the meaning for me, and it was very strong and powerful experience. We are working with that family to get them married and baptized! We are doing all we can but often times they are never home! Very frustrating but all is well. Tomorrow we are going to contact all day to find more investigators and more people to share this message with.
Well, thats stuff on the mission side, not much really, each day is a new experience. I am deeply grateful for all your love and support and amazing letters of support. I truly can use every word that was said to me in each of those emails. I understand that no body is perfect, and that includes missionaries. But I feel so grateful to the Lord, to the Prophet, to my Savior to all who made it possible so that I could be here. And I would hate to lose their trust. Absolutely hate to lose their trust, because they confide in me, they trusted me to go out and to be responsible for some soul out there who needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am terrified not to obey, because I always want to be available for the blessings that I so desperately need. I am doing my best here family, to stay obedient, to do everything in my power to be the disciple my Savior expects me to be.
I learned here, and more in the past couple weeks that Satan is real. He is real, and he is there, but only as much as we let him. I dont remember if I shared this with you or not but I remember something Sister Lucero at the MTC shared with me, she said ¨When we acknowledge that Satan exists we just give him power. When he gets power we begin to doubt outselves and let him in. I believe that there is just opposition.¨ How true that statement is. Satan is there, and he will always be there as many times as we give him permission, and we unconsciously give him permission when we agree with the thoughts he puts in our heads of ourselves, other people, and the world. I know that there has been a few times I have let him in, and I have let him tell me that I have failed as a missionary. I have let him make me think that I had already ruined my mission, that I couldn´t redeem it and that there was nothing I could do to learn spanish or to help anyone. He made me believe that I had let my Heavenly Father down. And honestly, he has made this experience harder than I believe it needed to be.. I know it has to be hard, I know there has to be opposition, but I dont need to give in to it. Because when I do, I let him win, for those of you who know me personally, you know how stubborn I am, and how much I would HATE to let him win. I´m trying everyday to not acknowlege the negative feelings toward myself or towards the work. ANd I am allowing my Heavenly Father to take the reins of this work, because it´s His, and it´s not Satans right to destroy it. It´s bigger than him, its bigger than me, and he cannot win.
I want to share with you a story that I read only 30 minutes ago, but I believe is very applicable to me now, and can be applicable to anyone who faces trials and adversity.
"One day the mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying. After carefully thinking over the situation, the farmer decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. So, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened...and asked them to help him haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
As the first shovelfuls of dirt began to rain down on the old mule; he became hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back...a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back...HE COULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This is what he did, blow after blow.
"Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!
You're right! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL!
What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
We need to take our problems and shake them off and use them for a step
upward !!! When we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity...THE ADVERSITIES THAT COMES ALONG TO BURY US CAN BECOME A BENEFIT AND BLESS US!
Remember that FORGIVENESS -- FAITH -- PRAYER -- PRAISE and HOPE...all are excellent ways to "SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP" out of the wells in which we find ourselves!"
I know I have felt the burdern of my trials and problems feel like they were weighing me down, and burying me, suffocating me, but in the end I know that it is through the gospel of Jesus Christ that I can draw from to get the strength to shake it off and step up. I know that there has to be opposition family, it´s all part of the great and marvelous plan of our Creator. It´s how we handle this opposition that depends on our success. It´s not in our Fathers plan to fail, we live in a failing world, but were NOT sent here to fail. Our Father knew that there were times we would come close, and he knew that there were times when we feel alone and like there is nothing to do to get out of this hole or "well" that we´ve found ourselves in. I know, because I have experienced it, that there is redeeming power in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and in his Atonement. There is power beyond our ability to comprehend available in the Gospel. We have the tools, we have the strength to rise above our struggles and our times of hardship in this world increasing in wickedness.
I know that my Redeemer lives. I know him as my dear eternal brother. I know that he is always at my side. I know that I can find peace and amazing happiness in the scriptures, in prayer, in church, in studying about my Savior. i know that they are all easily available to all of us. I know God is pleading for us to return home, and I know that we have hundreds of other brothers and sisters on the other side of the veil cheering us on in this time of sorrow. I know that God knows us. I know that we were saved to come here this day, to bring about the great work of our Father. I know without a single doubt that this Church is the true and LIVING church on the earth today. I know that, and I am so happy to have that knowledge.
Family, I am so grateful to each and everyone of you, you are all in my prayers! I pray every day that God will pour out his blessings upon you and bless you as he has blessed me. I pray that you will keep that faith and lose the fear. The two cannot exist together, and our Father works according to our faith. I have forgotten that here, and I can see as I reflect on it all the times I had faith were the times when my burden seemed lighter, when my knowledge seemed increased, when my confidence grew, and when my surety increased of a Savior and of a God who love me, both live and stand looking over me, blessing me and guiding my paths continually. I love you all family! I hope all is well! Thank you again from the bottom of my heart!
Elder Falor
Not much has happened this week really. We had a crazy first three days of the week, Monday we found out about changes in our district, they whitewashed an area and since my comp is District Leader we had to travel to an area named Zurqui in order to know the Hermanas and their investigators for the Elders who were coming in on Wednesday. So we traveled about an hour or so to Zurqui on Monday, and Tuesday, also Wednesday after changes meeting. Thursday my comp had a meeting in Los Yoses with the President because he is DL so he went with a Trainer from our zone and meanwhile, I was left to be senior comp with a missionary from El Salvador, who speaks no english and had only 4 days in the mission...that was nervewracking, but all went well. His name is Elder Hernandez, he is a great missionary, he is 26 years old, and is a convert of one year, I see a lot of myself in him and I admire his desire to serve righteously, and with all he had. Friday and Saturday was nothing really different, we walked, and walked, and walked, trying to find people to teach. We´ve hit a rough spot, we have investigators but some of which are not progressing, and our area is very hard and very difficult. But we had FHE with a member family last thursday and with a family of investigators, and we watched a movie called On The Way Home. It was a great movie about how through trials and adversity, the family can find peace and happiness through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The spirit translated the meaning for me, and it was very strong and powerful experience. We are working with that family to get them married and baptized! We are doing all we can but often times they are never home! Very frustrating but all is well. Tomorrow we are going to contact all day to find more investigators and more people to share this message with.
Well, thats stuff on the mission side, not much really, each day is a new experience. I am deeply grateful for all your love and support and amazing letters of support. I truly can use every word that was said to me in each of those emails. I understand that no body is perfect, and that includes missionaries. But I feel so grateful to the Lord, to the Prophet, to my Savior to all who made it possible so that I could be here. And I would hate to lose their trust. Absolutely hate to lose their trust, because they confide in me, they trusted me to go out and to be responsible for some soul out there who needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am terrified not to obey, because I always want to be available for the blessings that I so desperately need. I am doing my best here family, to stay obedient, to do everything in my power to be the disciple my Savior expects me to be.
I learned here, and more in the past couple weeks that Satan is real. He is real, and he is there, but only as much as we let him. I dont remember if I shared this with you or not but I remember something Sister Lucero at the MTC shared with me, she said ¨When we acknowledge that Satan exists we just give him power. When he gets power we begin to doubt outselves and let him in. I believe that there is just opposition.¨ How true that statement is. Satan is there, and he will always be there as many times as we give him permission, and we unconsciously give him permission when we agree with the thoughts he puts in our heads of ourselves, other people, and the world. I know that there has been a few times I have let him in, and I have let him tell me that I have failed as a missionary. I have let him make me think that I had already ruined my mission, that I couldn´t redeem it and that there was nothing I could do to learn spanish or to help anyone. He made me believe that I had let my Heavenly Father down. And honestly, he has made this experience harder than I believe it needed to be.. I know it has to be hard, I know there has to be opposition, but I dont need to give in to it. Because when I do, I let him win, for those of you who know me personally, you know how stubborn I am, and how much I would HATE to let him win. I´m trying everyday to not acknowlege the negative feelings toward myself or towards the work. ANd I am allowing my Heavenly Father to take the reins of this work, because it´s His, and it´s not Satans right to destroy it. It´s bigger than him, its bigger than me, and he cannot win.
I want to share with you a story that I read only 30 minutes ago, but I believe is very applicable to me now, and can be applicable to anyone who faces trials and adversity.
"One day the mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying. After carefully thinking over the situation, the farmer decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. So, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened...and asked them to help him haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
As the first shovelfuls of dirt began to rain down on the old mule; he became hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back...a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back...HE COULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This is what he did, blow after blow.
"Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!
You're right! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL!
What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
We need to take our problems and shake them off and use them for a step
upward !!! When we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity...THE ADVERSITIES THAT COMES ALONG TO BURY US CAN BECOME A BENEFIT AND BLESS US!
Remember that FORGIVENESS -- FAITH -- PRAYER -- PRAISE and HOPE...all are excellent ways to "SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP" out of the wells in which we find ourselves!"
I know I have felt the burdern of my trials and problems feel like they were weighing me down, and burying me, suffocating me, but in the end I know that it is through the gospel of Jesus Christ that I can draw from to get the strength to shake it off and step up. I know that there has to be opposition family, it´s all part of the great and marvelous plan of our Creator. It´s how we handle this opposition that depends on our success. It´s not in our Fathers plan to fail, we live in a failing world, but were NOT sent here to fail. Our Father knew that there were times we would come close, and he knew that there were times when we feel alone and like there is nothing to do to get out of this hole or "well" that we´ve found ourselves in. I know, because I have experienced it, that there is redeeming power in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and in his Atonement. There is power beyond our ability to comprehend available in the Gospel. We have the tools, we have the strength to rise above our struggles and our times of hardship in this world increasing in wickedness.
I know that my Redeemer lives. I know him as my dear eternal brother. I know that he is always at my side. I know that I can find peace and amazing happiness in the scriptures, in prayer, in church, in studying about my Savior. i know that they are all easily available to all of us. I know God is pleading for us to return home, and I know that we have hundreds of other brothers and sisters on the other side of the veil cheering us on in this time of sorrow. I know that God knows us. I know that we were saved to come here this day, to bring about the great work of our Father. I know without a single doubt that this Church is the true and LIVING church on the earth today. I know that, and I am so happy to have that knowledge.
Family, I am so grateful to each and everyone of you, you are all in my prayers! I pray every day that God will pour out his blessings upon you and bless you as he has blessed me. I pray that you will keep that faith and lose the fear. The two cannot exist together, and our Father works according to our faith. I have forgotten that here, and I can see as I reflect on it all the times I had faith were the times when my burden seemed lighter, when my knowledge seemed increased, when my confidence grew, and when my surety increased of a Savior and of a God who love me, both live and stand looking over me, blessing me and guiding my paths continually. I love you all family! I hope all is well! Thank you again from the bottom of my heart!
Elder Falor
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Hello family and friends! Week 6
Hello everyone back in the good ol USA!
I hope everything is going well where you are! Things are good here in Costa Rica, its a hot afternoon here in Tibás and today has been a crazy day and this has been another crazy week. Today I had my first changes meeting, it was good to see how they normally are, because when I came to CR it was different because of Christmas, the mission is HUGE and there is so many missionaries I still dont know yet. We had a great time singing together my all time favorite hymn Llamados a Servir or Called To Serve, hearing counsel from our inspired President, and listening to the final testimonies of those finishing their missions. Obviously I didnt have changes, but Elder Nuñez in our house had changes and the Elder that replaced him is from El Salvador, I just met him like 6 minutes ago, so I still don´t know his name, but he seems pretty chill.
I learned a lot as usual this week. The biggest lesson I learned here is something that has been a lesson learned in progress throughout my whole mission thus far. And Its something that all people a like that apply in their lives. It´s giving your all, even when immediately you cannot see the results, it´s always acting in diligence to everything, even when you don´t understand. It´s putting in all you got, and you fail again and again, but you can rest assured knowing you did all you could, you put in your 100% and you gave your all. Many times I find that I do all I can, I speak in spanish all day long, as much as I can, I read spanish books whenever I get the chance, I study my grammar, I read the scriptures in spanish, I fast, I pray, and sometimes it seems my spanish has hit a plateau. I have not yet figured out how to communicate the way I want to in spanish just yet, and that is so frustrating to me. I love to feel the spirit, and I love to communicate with the spirit to those around me, and I have not been able to figure that out yet here, and sometimes, I just cry and think I have failed at being a missionary. But in the midst of this time of struggle, a voice in my head says, just do all you can, just give all you have, and in my time, I will pick up the slack. I know I say this a lot, but I cannot stress the reality of this promise, and the availability that is in it for ALL of us. Give all you can, work with all diligence, use every bit of energy that is supplied to you for that day, and if at the end of the day you feel like you´ve failed or you havent done any good, stop thinking that. Whenever we give all we can to God, to our fellowmen, to the Gospel, to the commandments, or to a good cause, we HAVE NEVER FAILED! We cannot fail when we are among good works. It´s a promise that I keep having to remind myself of daily. That even though I cannot communicate, I know that if I do all I can, that one day, that tiny light at the end of this tunnel Ive found myself in, will grow and increase in size, and I will be able to fulfill my purpose as a missionary, and in 21 months, I can return home with honor, knowing I did ALL I absolutely could, just like Billy Betz would say "leave it in the pool!" I´m going to leave it all in Costa Rica.
This week I found how small we really are in this great work. Jeffrey R. Holland said to us missionaries at the MTC that the work of the missionaries is bigger than himself, its bigger than all of us, and how true is that. We may choose to excercise our agency, but the Lord might have other plans in store for us as missionaries. An example of this is what happened on Sunday night. All of our citas fell through, our feet hurt from walking ALL over our area, we were hot, and sweaty, and super tired. We decided to stop byone of our investigators that we found on the 25th of December, Jose and his family. We had only taught them once, and tried to stop by numerous times in the weeks to follow but they were never there, my comp said to me that we were gonna pass by Jose and his family, and if they werent there, this would be the last time, we don´t have time to keep going over there and having them not keep their citas with us. We walked the entire way, from Cinco esquinas to La Florida (opposite ends of my area) just to see these people, not knowing for sure if they were home. We showed up at their house, and to our surprise they were home. We shared a wonderful lesson of the book of mormon. Although my spanish was still pretty broken, I felt the spirit lifting my up and being my stepping stone to relay this message to them. They had some doubts after our first meeting, but we settled them telling them that Yes, mormons do like to dance, listen to music, eat meat, and watch TV. Haha. The message that we shared was beautiful, if I do say so myself, but on the most part of the Book of Mormon. How beaufiul that book is, what a weird statement, but true. We have true tangible proof of Gods love for His children, in zillions of copies, and hundreds of languages, available for every willing heart and mind. I love the Book of Mormon, it is the reason I am here, to declare the God lives, that He still communicates with us, that we have a prophet, that we have a Savior, full of love and grace. That our God loves us enough to prepare a plan of happiness, of salvation for all of His children who live worthy to receive it. That our families, our most precious possesions here on this earth, can last even after we all pass through the veil of death, that we never have to say goodbye to our families for longer than only a short period, and we know that after every goodbye, a hello is soon to follow. How wonderful this message is...honestly, we are so lucky.
Well family, I am doing great, each day is a struggle, but like i always say, the Lord brings me back, always. Just when i feel I cant give more, I am comforted, just when I feel I can´t walk another step, I am filled with energy, Just when I feel I can´t understand another word, I get a glimpse of the gift of tounges and the reality of that promise. He´s there for each and every one of us family, not only missionaries.
Well family, as always know that I know what I am doing is true. That I have not a doubt in my mind that the message of the restoration, the message of the plan of happiness, and all the messages we share are divine and from a loving heavenly father, not to tie us down, but to protect us. and to essentially, bring us everlasting happiness, more happiness than anything the world can offer. Know that I know our Savior lives, and know that I know Him, and He knows me, and you, all of you. Know that He suffered, unbelievable amounts of pain on our behalf, and he did it willingly, and he died, only to be resurrected so that all of us could receive this gift, of having a perfect immortal body. Know that we have a prophet, a living mouthpiece between heaven and earth, and his name is Thomas S. Monson. I know, and pray that you know that God is here, that the veil between heaven and earth really is quite small, heaven is closer than we think, and we can find it if we fall to our knees and offer up the desires of our hearts. I know, without any doubt that the Gospel of Jesus Christ literally is the Gospel of Jesus Christ established by him, and restored to the earth in its entirety through the prophet Joseph Smith, and through Joseph Smith, we have the fullness of the Gospel in the Book of Mormon. The words in those pages are divine, and from God, they are inspired to help with our days, we can apply them in any circumstance, trial or anything we face, we can draw incredible amounts of strength from that book, I know I have in these short 6 weeks in CR. Know also family, that I love you. With a love that I can´t quite describe, a "you dont really know what you have until its gone" kind of love. I appreciate you, you all mean the world. You´re in my prayers, continue on in faith, and continue being the great people I know you are and can be. I love you! Stay strong!
Until next week,
Elder Falor
I hope everything is going well where you are! Things are good here in Costa Rica, its a hot afternoon here in Tibás and today has been a crazy day and this has been another crazy week. Today I had my first changes meeting, it was good to see how they normally are, because when I came to CR it was different because of Christmas, the mission is HUGE and there is so many missionaries I still dont know yet. We had a great time singing together my all time favorite hymn Llamados a Servir or Called To Serve, hearing counsel from our inspired President, and listening to the final testimonies of those finishing their missions. Obviously I didnt have changes, but Elder Nuñez in our house had changes and the Elder that replaced him is from El Salvador, I just met him like 6 minutes ago, so I still don´t know his name, but he seems pretty chill.
I learned a lot as usual this week. The biggest lesson I learned here is something that has been a lesson learned in progress throughout my whole mission thus far. And Its something that all people a like that apply in their lives. It´s giving your all, even when immediately you cannot see the results, it´s always acting in diligence to everything, even when you don´t understand. It´s putting in all you got, and you fail again and again, but you can rest assured knowing you did all you could, you put in your 100% and you gave your all. Many times I find that I do all I can, I speak in spanish all day long, as much as I can, I read spanish books whenever I get the chance, I study my grammar, I read the scriptures in spanish, I fast, I pray, and sometimes it seems my spanish has hit a plateau. I have not yet figured out how to communicate the way I want to in spanish just yet, and that is so frustrating to me. I love to feel the spirit, and I love to communicate with the spirit to those around me, and I have not been able to figure that out yet here, and sometimes, I just cry and think I have failed at being a missionary. But in the midst of this time of struggle, a voice in my head says, just do all you can, just give all you have, and in my time, I will pick up the slack. I know I say this a lot, but I cannot stress the reality of this promise, and the availability that is in it for ALL of us. Give all you can, work with all diligence, use every bit of energy that is supplied to you for that day, and if at the end of the day you feel like you´ve failed or you havent done any good, stop thinking that. Whenever we give all we can to God, to our fellowmen, to the Gospel, to the commandments, or to a good cause, we HAVE NEVER FAILED! We cannot fail when we are among good works. It´s a promise that I keep having to remind myself of daily. That even though I cannot communicate, I know that if I do all I can, that one day, that tiny light at the end of this tunnel Ive found myself in, will grow and increase in size, and I will be able to fulfill my purpose as a missionary, and in 21 months, I can return home with honor, knowing I did ALL I absolutely could, just like Billy Betz would say "leave it in the pool!" I´m going to leave it all in Costa Rica.
This week I found how small we really are in this great work. Jeffrey R. Holland said to us missionaries at the MTC that the work of the missionaries is bigger than himself, its bigger than all of us, and how true is that. We may choose to excercise our agency, but the Lord might have other plans in store for us as missionaries. An example of this is what happened on Sunday night. All of our citas fell through, our feet hurt from walking ALL over our area, we were hot, and sweaty, and super tired. We decided to stop byone of our investigators that we found on the 25th of December, Jose and his family. We had only taught them once, and tried to stop by numerous times in the weeks to follow but they were never there, my comp said to me that we were gonna pass by Jose and his family, and if they werent there, this would be the last time, we don´t have time to keep going over there and having them not keep their citas with us. We walked the entire way, from Cinco esquinas to La Florida (opposite ends of my area) just to see these people, not knowing for sure if they were home. We showed up at their house, and to our surprise they were home. We shared a wonderful lesson of the book of mormon. Although my spanish was still pretty broken, I felt the spirit lifting my up and being my stepping stone to relay this message to them. They had some doubts after our first meeting, but we settled them telling them that Yes, mormons do like to dance, listen to music, eat meat, and watch TV. Haha. The message that we shared was beautiful, if I do say so myself, but on the most part of the Book of Mormon. How beaufiul that book is, what a weird statement, but true. We have true tangible proof of Gods love for His children, in zillions of copies, and hundreds of languages, available for every willing heart and mind. I love the Book of Mormon, it is the reason I am here, to declare the God lives, that He still communicates with us, that we have a prophet, that we have a Savior, full of love and grace. That our God loves us enough to prepare a plan of happiness, of salvation for all of His children who live worthy to receive it. That our families, our most precious possesions here on this earth, can last even after we all pass through the veil of death, that we never have to say goodbye to our families for longer than only a short period, and we know that after every goodbye, a hello is soon to follow. How wonderful this message is...honestly, we are so lucky.
Well family, I am doing great, each day is a struggle, but like i always say, the Lord brings me back, always. Just when i feel I cant give more, I am comforted, just when I feel I can´t walk another step, I am filled with energy, Just when I feel I can´t understand another word, I get a glimpse of the gift of tounges and the reality of that promise. He´s there for each and every one of us family, not only missionaries.
Well family, as always know that I know what I am doing is true. That I have not a doubt in my mind that the message of the restoration, the message of the plan of happiness, and all the messages we share are divine and from a loving heavenly father, not to tie us down, but to protect us. and to essentially, bring us everlasting happiness, more happiness than anything the world can offer. Know that I know our Savior lives, and know that I know Him, and He knows me, and you, all of you. Know that He suffered, unbelievable amounts of pain on our behalf, and he did it willingly, and he died, only to be resurrected so that all of us could receive this gift, of having a perfect immortal body. Know that we have a prophet, a living mouthpiece between heaven and earth, and his name is Thomas S. Monson. I know, and pray that you know that God is here, that the veil between heaven and earth really is quite small, heaven is closer than we think, and we can find it if we fall to our knees and offer up the desires of our hearts. I know, without any doubt that the Gospel of Jesus Christ literally is the Gospel of Jesus Christ established by him, and restored to the earth in its entirety through the prophet Joseph Smith, and through Joseph Smith, we have the fullness of the Gospel in the Book of Mormon. The words in those pages are divine, and from God, they are inspired to help with our days, we can apply them in any circumstance, trial or anything we face, we can draw incredible amounts of strength from that book, I know I have in these short 6 weeks in CR. Know also family, that I love you. With a love that I can´t quite describe, a "you dont really know what you have until its gone" kind of love. I appreciate you, you all mean the world. You´re in my prayers, continue on in faith, and continue being the great people I know you are and can be. I love you! Stay strong!
Until next week,
Elder Falor
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