UPE Buenas...

Hello Family, This week was wonderful here in Puntarenas. One week in and I love it. Being a zone leader has its respoinsibilities but they are what make us strong. I don´t see myself as any better missionary than all the others in my zone, I only hope and pray that I can be an example to them, to teach, lift, inspire and bless them in their missionary service. This week was SO hot. Its Holy Week in Costa Rica, and its apparently the time when EVERY area gets hot, so in Puntarenas its like an oven. Take Las Vegas heat, times that by 6.5 and then put in the humidity and you got Puntarenas. But I wouldnt change it for the world. I wouldnt rather walk around with a bathing suit, I prefer to walk around with the name of my Savior. I know that if it gets too hot or too hard or too scary that the Savior has experienced that all before, he knows better than anyone how it is to face things that are harder than what we think we can accomplish. To top off the heat we are in the only area in the mission with bikes, so while I am sweating my face off, I am also losing the 12 pounds of fat I gained in Pavas, haha. My zone consists of 5 areas, Quepos, Barranca 1, 2, Orotina and Puntarenas, we have EXCELLENT missionaries and we are looking forward to lots of success. There are 10 missionaries in my zone, 4 from utah, 3 from Honduras, 1 from Idaho, 1 from Panama and 1 from Mexico. Like I said last week Puntarenas is right by the beach but unfortunately the ¨sea is sick¨ as the ticos say. The ocean is sick and in this time of year the fish all die and turn the water blood red. Its quite discusting, but looks kind of cool. We have a bunch of families we are teaching and we are hoping to bring them to the waters of baptism and help them enter into the only door that leads to eternal life. Today we traveled to the home of the Asistentes and had Zone Counsel where all 11 pairs of zone leaders meet to discuss the status of the mission and the zones and missionaries. It was great to be among such amazing missionaries and especially Presidente Galvez. The best part was hearing Presidente speak to us with such power and such authority. He always teaches us something amazing but so simple about the doctrine of Christ, but its enough to leave us with our mouths open, and our hearts and spirits up and ready to work. He is an amazing man, I know the Lord is so pleased with his work. I have never met anyone so dedicated to the service of the Lord. I hope that one day I can be able to emulate his diligent attitude and be as he is. This week General Conference was AMAZING! After every conference I shouted inside TRUE CHURCH! If anyone who wasnt a member of the church listnened to that conference with a pure heart and a contrite spirit, there is no way they could have missed the powerful influence of the Holy Ghost testifying that THIS IS GODS KINGDOM ON EARTH. We are led by a Prophet, the man who is a true disciple of Christ, who dedicates his life and his entire being to the building of the church, to help reach God´s goal to bring his children back to him. The talks were all spent and focused on family, they usually are, but this conference really called my attention, I have never had such a profound love for the family. Its a fundamental part of God´s plan. He wants us to have time together, to study and read and pray to him together in families, he wants us to be strengthened and built up upon gospel principles that can only be gained in a home established on the teachings of the Savior. How lucky we are to have the restored gospel, how lucky we are to see the face of the Lord through his chosen Prophet and seers and revelators. I hope you can all get a chance to read the conference talks or listen to them again. Family, I love you with all my heart and I hope all is well with you. I hope you can stay strong and always have the faith necessary to receive the blessings the Lord has in store for us. I know this church is true. I cannot and will not deny it. With love until next week. Elder Falor