Nunca, Nunca, Nunca se rinda!‏

Hello Family, Another week in Pavas has come and gone. And it was another amazing week being on the Lord´s service. I loved this sunday. We had a Stake Conference for all the stakes throughout Central America, we got to hear the counsel of Elder Whitney Clayton, Elder Don Clarke, Sister Ann Dibb and President Boyd K. Packer. Wow, that was so amazing. We rode in a bus as a ward to Escazú! That was so fun, I love Barrio Pavas! The members are more than members but they are lifelong friends that I will remember forever! We took a bus called the ¨Chiva Loca¨ Its a bus painted in Rainbow colors and draws A LOT of attention, oh, only in Pavas! Haha! But the conference was amazing. Elder Clayton gave a talk that called my attention a lot. He said that by our own disobedience, we curse the earth. Many times in the scriptures, the Lord promises to bless us and help us prosper in this land, the only thing he requires of us is our full and faithfull obedience to all the commandments. He explained that if we disobey, we bring upon ourselves robbery, danger, scandals and any type of crime or bad things in the world. And its so true, its up to us, the Latter-day Saints to make the difference in the world. The world is calling for great people everywhere and we must take part in helping the world be a better place. I felt so proud being a missionary at that time, to be able to hear that message in that way and have it touch my heart in the way it did. I believe my time in Pavas is coming to a close. I am sad to be honest. This area has been one of the most difficult, but MOST rewarding. I will FOREVER have a piece of my heart in Pavas! It was an emotional experience this sunday to see Gabriel (one of my converts here in Pavas) receive the Melquisedek Priesthood this sunday. It was an overwhelming experience that I have never had on the mission to see someone so far in this amazing process. I have seen the true changing effects that take place only as we accept 100 percent the gospel in our lives. I love him and his family and I can´t wait for the day when we will see each other again and have such joy in the presence of our Father. I am so proud of him and know he will stay strong on this path! This mission business is the best thing ever. I wouldnt trade it for anything in the world. The gospel is true. There is no way I could deny it. God is in control, he knows us, and loves us. He will bless us as long as we submit ourselves completely to his will. I love you all. With all my heart. Stay strong. con amor, Elder Falor -- Pura Vida!

Siempre adelante!‏

Hola mi querida familia, ANOTHER WEEK!? I can´t believe this week went by fast, I feel like I laid my head on my pillow last monday and woke up and today was monday again, where is the time going? Nonetheless, I am so happy and so grateful for this week I had on the mission, it was one of a kind because it was spent serving the Lord. I am so grateful to be a servant of the only true and living church. I am also so thankful and so blessed to have people like you supporting me 100 percent of the way. I love you all with all my heart and I can´t even begin to explain the love I have for you. This week we had a baptism for a little girl of the ward, it was cool because a family from my first area (Tibás) came to the baptism. It was so great to see them again, they made me remember the first part of my mission, and maybe the most difficult. This family helped me a lot in my first area and gave me a lot of hope for what was to come up ahead. I hadn´t even realized that 14 months had passed by when the little boy Jeffrey asked me how much time I had left on my mission. I told him that I had 16 months in the mission and then it hit me. I realized how quickly this mission is ending. I never thought that it would come to an end, but with each passing day I know it will never come back. Time flies way too fast and we much enjoy every single moment and live every single moment to the fullest. Life is meant to be enjoyed and filled with amazing experiences. This mission experience has been the best experience of my life and I wouldn´t trade it for anything in the world. This week I felt the love of the Savior. I have heard testimonies of people saying that on their missions they gained a true love for the Savior. I can now understand why. The mission is so raw and so real that it brings you face to face with the atonement. I dont understand the atonement. I know Christ died and I know he suffered, only to be hung on the cross to be lifted up on the 3rd day, but I dont know why he did it. I can´t quite comprehend the love he had for EACH AND EVERYONE of us. He could have easily backed out of it, he could have saved himself and took himself off the cross. But he knew the giant devastation it would cause in the great plan of God. He knew if he didnt fulfill we wouldnt be able to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. I can´t wait for the day when I can personally thank the Savior for his unbelievable act of TRUE REAL LOVE. He loves us, enough to die for us, to bring to pass the inmortality and eternal life of man. I hope that one day I can love as he loves. I hope I can see us as he sees us. I know it is only in and through the atonement that we can receive a fullness of blessings in the presence of God. I love the atonement, I love teaching it and I love sharing it with all who will hear. I love Jesus Christ and I love serving him. The atonement covers EVERYTHING and makes everything possible for us. Well Sorry this letter was so short, I will try and write more next week, thanks so much for all your love and support. I love you all with all my heart. Stay strong! Elder Falor -- Pura Vida!

Nuevo Presidente

Hello Family, We have received the news of our new mission President, here is what they sent to us, Chad Read Wilkinson, 47, and Allison Marie Wilkinson, four children, Saratoga Springs 4th Ward, Saratoga Springs Utah Stake. Brother Wilkinson is a stake president and is a former high councilor, bishop, Young Men president and missionary in the Dominican Republic Mission. Assistant administrator, Seminaries and Institutes. Born in Murray, Utah, to Joseph William and Clytie Wilkinson. Sister Wilkinson serves as a Primary teacher and is a former counselor in a Young Women presidency, enrichment leader, Primary music leader, counselor in a special needs Mutual, Sunday School teacher and Relief Society teacher. Born in Provo, Utah, to Gary Douglas and Carolyn Marie Ford. That should be exciting to meet a new mission President but sad to see Presidente Gálvez go, he has been such a great President and he has been such a great example to me in all things, I hope one day to be the type of man he is. Well Thanks family for your letters and support like always, I am doing great here in Pavas and this week was a spectacular one, we had lots of amazing experiences. The one thing I would like to share with you from this week is what happened in church yesterday. I love the Pavas ward, it is so amazing and full of wonderful people who have such strong desires to follow the Lord. As we all know yesterday was fast and testimony meeting, it was such a spiritual experience and one of the strongest I have felt while being here in Pavas. One testimony in particular had the entire chapel crying within the first 45 seconds. A little girl from the Primary stood up and hesitantly stood at the door, the bishop waved her in and she said to the bishop, I dont know why I am here. The spirit had obviously touched her and told her to go to the front. This girl comes from a family unbelievably poor. Her father is a single father and is trying to raise 3 kids, all under the ages of 12 and the youngest has a disease in her back and neck that makes it hard for her to even sit up straight and has hindered her learning process. The little girl got up to bear her testimony about how the ward and the members had worked together to help her sister live comfortably, she began to sob and everyone in the chapel did as well. It was the most heartfelt testimony and I remembered the Savior´s commandment for us to be like little children, in the sense of having such a pure and sweet testimony and sharing it as directed by the spirit. The next lesson we all learned in the chapel was when at the beginning of Sunday School a girl in the primary has said that someone stole her cell phone, she was a bit distraught looking for her cell phone so so was everyong else in the chapel. At the end of the 3 hour block, the Primary President said to all the kids that they were going to have to have the parents search their backpacks to find the cell phone. At that moment, a little boy named Moisés came in from the crowd and said ¨Mimi, here it is¨ and handed her the cell phone. He confessed that he really liked the cell phone and only wanted to keep it for a little bit. He only has 5 years and was so willing to give up the cell phone that he had taken. Even as a 5 year old he could comprehend the consequences of sin and he knew the consequences very well of what he had done. He so willilngly and so freely gave it up to someone who could handle it. It made me think, as well as all the other members, how often do we give everything up to someone bigger than us who can handle it all? How often do we weigh the consequences of our sins and decide to choose righteousness over sin? I really truly understood the commandment the Savior gave to us many years ago. We must become innocent, humble and willing to submit everything to those who are in charge, those who can handle it all. We were meant to prosper and meant to be better. If we could all follow the example of the little children around us, we can prosper and be better. It was such a wonderful experience in the chapel yesterday, and everyone left thinking and desiring to be better. I love serving the Lord. There is no greater satisfaction than this. This is the work of the Lord, and I want nothing more than to be lost in it. I love you with all my heart, until next week, Pierdan el temor, y guarden la fe, sean fuertes. Elder Falor -- Pura Vida!

Week 70 ¿16...?‏

Hello my family and friends, I am so happy to be able to write to you all and to hear about your experiences during this week. I am glad to hear that all is well. You are always in my prayers and I hope that you can all feel that and know of the love I have for each and everyone of you. This week for us was a rollercoaster ride, we were hardly in Pavas, we spent a lot of the week traveling to other areas, to San Jose and all over the place. But its been a lot of fun and I enjoy every minute I have on the mission to serve the Lord and to preach His gospel. This week we are expecting the arrival of Elder James B. Martino (the 70) to do his mission tour here in the best mission in the world. We are doing alright here in Pavas, thanks to the new training program we are both learning a lot and how to improve. We have an investigator whose name is Josefina, she is one of a kind! We leave her with something to read and she can almost repeat it back to us word by word. She has asisted 2 times in the chapel and she has loved it both times. She gets teary eyed when they pass the sacrament, she has been converted, she just has to make a decision about her baptism. She has taught me a lot about how the gospel is meant to change a person and make them better. It doesnt matter the past that a person had, its what they do with what happened to deterimine their future that counts. All of us have a past, but the gospel is for the future, its to prepare us for life in the presence of our Loving Heavenly Father. What a blessing it is to be a missionary of the church. I love following the Savior, he is the ideal leader and he always leads us to a better place. Like the lesson Bishop Durrant taught me in the MTC, we often forget that this vale of sorrow is temporary, but that if we follow the words of Christ they will lead us to a promised land, we must strive to do his will and as we do he will bless us, and strengthen us. I learned a lot this week about dealing with adversity. I was happy to know that the Lord doesnt take our problems away, he doesnt take them away and make everything perfect, what he does is he makes us strong enough to support them, he promises to walk by our side and give us support, as a real friend does. I cant believe I have 16 months in the mission. Instead of getting home sick, I get mission sick, thinking about leaving this place gives me goosebumps, I cant imagine life as a normal person and not as a missionary. Time is flying by so quick, but its a reminder of all the things I have to change to become the man my Heavenly Father wants me to be. Its been a great week, and we are hoping for another. I hope your week goes great, I love you all with all my heart. Elder Falor con mucho amor -- Pura Vida!

Week 69, siempre en Pavas‏

Hey Family and Friends, Sorry that last weeks letter was a bit small, but dont worry this week I will make up for it. All is well, as you could see by the picture we went to the temple, I am in love with the Costa Rica temple, I am in love with Costa Rica. I dont want to go home, I love the US of A but Costa Rica has stolen my heart, and so have the people. I have made so many friends and so many great people here that have changed my life. This week was all right, we didnt have a Pday on monday, just time to write the family and back to work, so it was a bit tiring, but always going forward. Today we had a CRAZY changes meeting! More than 3/4 of the mission is training! Crazy, we have recieved so many new missionaries and almost everyone is training, its crazy! I learned so much from the meeting today, and through the transcourse of this week. This week has been a trying week for me, but I have realized that if we follow what it says in our calling packet to put all of our personal affair behind us and focus on the work we will be better off, and we will receive strength to keep going forward. I am doing just great and loving every minute I have to be a missionary. Today a missionary said something that I really loved. He said ¨when the time to leave comes, the time for preparation has ended¨ It made me realize about how important and sacred this time is, it must be used to the maximum. Its a time to prepare us for eternity and life in the presence of our Heavenly Father. My mission has been such a sacred life changing experience. Its the best adventure I have ever embarked on. I have seen my way of reacting to things and think of how I used to react to things and I am amazed at the change the Lord has made in me through my mission. This time is preparing me for whats to come afterwards. And if I dont use it right it will come to an end and I wont be prepared for the things and challenges that life throws at me. Either way, I am determined to use every day to its fullest and to not let my Heavenly Father down. I know this church is true. But I dont feel like that is enough at times, I know its the ONLY true and LIVING church on the face of the earth. I have no doubt of that. I know that the Book of Mormon is true, there is no other book on the face of the earth that contains as much truth. I know that by reading it we can gain a better relationship with our Older Brother, Jesus Christ. I have had to search for my answers a lot this week through that amazing book, and it has yet to let me down. I know that we have a prophet, I know that what I am doing is true, I know it with all my heart and I will never deny it. I hope this week is a great one for all of you, don´t forget how much I love you all with all my heart, I hope the very best for you! les amo, Elder Falor -- Pura Vida!

Week 67

Hello family and friends, I hope after a week like this one, that this letter finds you happy and well. I was so happy and grateful to hear of the support that my family received upon receiving the news of the death of our loved Grandpa Dave. I thank you all for your love and support and your prayers that were made this week as well. I am so happy that God gives us trials and problems like these. But not because they are easy, but because they teach us a lesson that only they could teach us. There is no other way we could have learned the lesson we are meant to learn other than the death of a loved one. I know that our trials fit us like a pair of shoes, they are given to us by One who knows more than any. They are made for our growth and our perfection. That is the purpose of life. We are given this time to prepare ourselves for the day when we will stand before God once again. We are made to be tried in all things so that we can be worthy of the Glory that God will give us. We must hold on tight through the storm to be able to receive a spot in the Kingdom our Father has prepared for us. I am so incredibly grateful for the love my Heavenly Father has for me, I am thankful he has allowed me to serve Him, He has allowed me to carry the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. He has strengthened me and like it says in the Footprints poem, He has carried me this week. I wont lie and say this week was easy, as I told my mom there were moments when I thought about my Grandpa and just wanted to be sad, I thought about things that we will no longer have here because of his loss. But then I saw the bigger picture and thought about the lesson he is teaching us, I thought about the strength we can gain from the death of a loved one. I honestly have never felt so near or so close to my Father in Heaven then this week. I realized too like my sister Holli, that each day is to be lived one at a time. We never know when our mortal life will reach its end. We must be prepared each and every day for what will come. Each day is a miracle, each day is a gift and it will NEVER come back, we must use it and cherish it because one day or the other, it will come to an end. But as I said in my letter, its not the end, its only the beginning, its not goodbye its only see you later. I felt anxious this week, an anxious feeling a missionary gets when he thinks about his family, but it was an anxious feeling to be able to see my grandpa Dave again, I know that it will happen, but as for now, I am the one with the work to do, I am the one who needs perfection to be able to arrive prepared in the presence of God. I know and will always and forever testify that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is TRUE. Its more than just the word of God, it is HIS word and HIS Gospel and HIS TRUE CHURCH restored to the earth in these Latter days. It is what true happiness is. Its a happiness that cannot be bought or sold or stolen. Its a happiness that only God can give. I think that has been what has held me this week. I hope that we can all find the strength to move forward, I hope we can all use this situation as a time to grow and to better prepare us for that day. I love you all with all my heart. I am sorry, I wish I could write more but I have to be at a leadership meeting at 11 until 5 pm here in Los Yoses, my heart and prayers are with you. I love you all. con amor, Elder Falor

Grandpa Dave

t was a complete shock to hear about the death of ¨Grandpa Dave¨, I wont lie and say that it was easy, at first it was really difficult to grasp the fact that he had really passed away. I reflected on the concept of death the day before at the funeral of a member of the church here in Pavas. I spend every single minute of every single day testifying to the people that families can be together forever and that death is not the end. When I received the phone call of this members death, I began to doubt in the great plan of God, I began to feel so small in the scheme of things, and I felt that death had taken the sweetness out of everything that is good in this life. I began to question my testimony of the things I had been teaching for the past 15 months. I questioned it all day long after receiving the phone call. When I walked into the room where his body was, I felt an overwhelming spirit testify to me that death is not the end, it is merely the beginning. Without knowing it, this experience had prepared me for what would come my way only one day away. When I received the phone call, I knew imediately that something was wrong, the first thing I said to my mom was ¨what happened¨ instead of ¨how are you?¨ When I got the news I didnt know how to think, I was upset, unsure, and completely shocked. I didnt know the purpose God had for taking my Grandpa with Him, I didnt fully understand the plan that our Heavenly Father has for us, but I felt comfortable knowing that our Heavenly Father is in control, he has the reins and he knows what he is doing, that was the most comforting thing I could feel. Knowing someone had all the control in the world, and not just anyone, someone who is worth trusting. I may not fully understand, nor comprehend the great plan that God has for us, but I know sufficient. I know that my Grandpa Dave left this world, only to enter into another world, a world of rest where he isnt suffering. I know that if I work my hardest, I will be able to see my Grandpa again and tell him how much I love him, and how many things he taught me and how much his life affected mine. I know without a shadow of a doubt that families can be together forever. Families are meant to be together always, and death may only be a seperation, but its NOT goodbye, its merely see you later... -I thorougly can´t wait until the day when I can see my grandfather again, I know its possible, but now its up to us to work hard here so we can be able to do it. After hanging up the phone on tuesday I opened the Book of Mormon to try and find some relief, I turned exactly to the scripture that had given me comfort almost 3 years ago when I read it for the first time. I opened and read the following words: ¨Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection, behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil are taken home to that God that gave them life¨ My Grandpa Dave knows so much more things that we do, he is learning so much and he is in a better place. I know that as soon as his spirit departed from his mortal body, he was taken home, to our Heavenly Father, the God who gave him life. ¨the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care and sorrow.¨ I know these words are true. I know that Grandpa is resting, and he isnt in pain, he is resting from all sorrow and all troubles, he is in peace. It brings me peace to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Especially at a moment like this. I always asked myself what I would do if I lost a loved one while on the mission, where would I get the strength to carry on, being so far from the people I love. I often wondered where it would come from the strength to keep going after losing someone so dear to you. The strength comes from a surety of knowing that I will see him again, I will see him in a better place and we will both be in a better state. The strength comes from my testimony of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope and pray that all of us may be able to understand the plan of Salvation as the Lord intended for it to be understood. When we understand it, death really becomes the beginning, and just a see you later, until we meet again. I know what I am doing is true. I know that in a time like this, there is no better place to be, no better thing to be doing. My heart and prayers are with you during this time. I love you all with all my heart. Sincerely, Elder Falor