Otra semana.. July 9,2012

Hello Family, This week was a great one here on the mission. I am loving the Zona Sur and Neily every single day. I dont know why but there is something so special about it here, I am dreading the day that I will have to leave this area and go to another. It was such a great week because we had the opportunity to go out with our Branch President. In all of my mission I have never done visits with a Bishop or Branch President, so that is kind of a miracle. Also because our President, Presidente Vela, has 70 years. He is such an inspiration to us all, he is going through so many problems in his house, yet he takes time out of his day to go out with us. I love the spirit he brings with him because he is one of the few members here that truly understands the missionary work. He has no fear in sharing the gospel. The only thing he knows is that every person needs to hear the gospel. I loved going with him and knocking doors of his friends, or acquantances, he doesnt have fear of getting shut down, he just understands the concept of giving people the opportunity to accept or reject the gospel. Thanks to him we were able to find a bunch of new families and new people who are willing to listen to the gospel. In Neily we are working with 2 really great families, they have both gone to church and we think they have both received a witness that the church is true. They both have the same challenge, they live together and do not want to get married. My companion and I have thought so hard as to what it is that they need and we both felt the impression to read with them "The Family a Proclamation to the World"...I love, love, love that proclamation. We read it with them and made the necessary stops where we felt the need to testify and to help them understand. It is such a powerful document that lets us know what God has in store for us as families. I am so grateful for a family, to be born of goodly parents and to be able to learn and grown together as families and have experience that can only be experienced in family life. If these people only knew what they were missing only by making the decision to get married they would do it in a heartbeat. Its such great news to know that God speaks to Prophets in our days and they are there to guide us and help us "go to the sun" as one of our investigators says, "so we can live with God"... Things are going all right in the Zona Sur, we are a bit worried about how we are going to complete the goal we have put with the Lord, but we know that if we are obedient and willing to sacrifice and consecrate our lives to the Lord he will do all he can to help us bring to pass this his great work. Today we are in Golfito as a district, we are gonna go and sit on the beach and eat lunch, haha thats the only thing we can basically do at the beach even though you all know me I would rather be swimming haha. But I am sorry this letter is so short we dont have much time, remember I love you and miss you lots! Have a great week and I am always praying for you! Elder Falor

Goodbye President Galvez, Hello President Wilkinson

Hello my wonderful family, Because I wont get to say it on Wednesday HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! I hope you all enjoy your day back home and I expect all of those who go to grandma and grandpas house to drink lots of root beer for me! I will be thinking of you all that day and wishing you the best. This week in Neily was great, we had the blessing of having another family in church on sunday! We were fasting and I love the power of fast. I have never fasted in the mission without seeing a miracle. The Lord answers even the tiniest prayers. When we started our fast on Saturday after lunch. I remember feeling the heat so strong as I said the prayer that literally I left a ring of sweat on the floor where I was kneeling. We ended the prayer and I remember feeling the strongest sense of trust. I felt completely and 100 percent sure that Heavenly Father was in control. I knew, that whatever happened as a consequence of my work would be the will of the Lord and I knew I would be capable of accepting that. As a result of our work the Lord blessed us with a family in church. Our plan was 3 but hey, we have to be proud with what we were able to accomplish. It was a great sunday. We are teaching a family named Jonathan and Doris, they are so wonderful they have two kids named Milek and Sharilyne. They have won my heart! We went and had an amazing lesson with them yesterday and Jonathan said to us "you two just keep on convincing me that this is Gods church, I have no doubt." Our only problem with them is that they have yet to decide to be married. Jonathan spent so much of his childhood and youth in the street addicted to drugs that he has a strong addiction to tobacco, we are hoping to help him give up his addictions and be ready to be baptized this month. Keep him in your prayers! This week Costa Rica said goodbye to some of the most amazing people I have ever met. The San Jose Costa Rica mission said goodbye to President Galvez and welcomed in President and Sister Wilkinson on Friday. It will be a change but I know it will be great. I have all the faith and confidence that President Wilkinson will make great strides in the missionary work here in Costa Rica. I will miss President and Sister Galvez but know that if I work hard here in this life I will be able to see them again one day. They changed my life and helped me to become a better person. Sister Galvez sent us a letter this week and this is what she said: "Love the Lord above all other things, He is our King, He is our Redeemer and also our Best Friend, Thanks to him we will be able to see each other again and also one day he will bring us back to remember our Father that one day saw us part with the hope of seeing us again" The gospel is what gives us hope. Its what helps us understand the purpose of life and know and have confidence in a loving Heavenly Father who always has the reigns and will never let us go astray. I love the gospel and I love my mission. I love you all and cant wait to see you again. Have a great week. Con Amor, Elder Falor

Ejerza la fe y provoque milagros...

Hello my dear family and friends, This week was amazing in the mission. I am the 2nd counselor in the Branch Presidency and I am also the teacher for the Temple Preparation Class so I am super busy on Sundays but I love being busy and more than anything I love teaching this gospel. FINALLY we had a family come to church on Sunday and despite a bit of the disorder in church they enjoyed their time and made a commitment to come back next week. They are an amazing family, with amazing challenges in their lives, but they have nothing too big or too strong that the gospel cannot solve. We have had amazing experiences getting them to church. They live in a far away town called Darizara, its about 1/2 hour in bus and we dont have time to get on the earliest bus in the morning on Sunday to go and get them and be back in time to prepare the sacrament and do all our Sunday duties, so we had faith that they would make the bus in time to get to church. Turns out they didnt make the bus, as they all crossed the street to go back home out of no where their neighbor (who they had never talked to before) offered them his car. He said "I dont know where you are going or what you are going to do but I felt the need to let you borrow my car, take it and bring it back in 2 hours"...they were shocked as they got to the chapel and they told me "Elder Falor, God wants us to be here"...God answers prayers in a MAGNIFICENT way, the prayers of that family and my prayers were answered that day, just because one person decided to act upon the promptings of the spirit. Yesterday we came back at about 11:30 pm from a long and hopefuly last 6 hour bus ride from San Jose. But every trip to San Jose is worth it, especially this one. We went to Zone Counsel for the last time with President Galvez. WOW! Seriously, I need everyone to meet this man, he is incredible. He bore STRONG witness of the power of the Book of Mormon, and as he gave testimony of the Savior, I saw the Saviors face. I know that in these past 3 years President Galvez has given his LIFE to this work, he has truly understood the law of consecration and he has followed through 100%,what a blessing it was to know him and to have this last zone counsel with him. We had the opportunity to ask him any question we wanted! That was incredible, he is an amazing man who has done so much for the work here. He taught us about how he wants to see us again in 20 years. He testified that 2 important things in life are obedience and ability. He said that one cannot exist without the other. With only obedience, we would starve to death he said, but with them both, we will receive life´s richest blessings. The subject line in my email (ejerza la fe y provoque milagros) means "exercise the faith and provoke miracles"...that was something that caught my attention that President Galvez said. If we only have faith, we can literally provoke miracles and I have seen these tiny miracles being brought to pass every day of my mission. What a blessing it is to be on the Lord´s service. I am forever and ever humbled by this great experience that has taught me so much. These past 20 months have been a time of trial and learning. Its been falling and rising again. Its been happy and its been sad. But these have been the best 20 months for my life...I know that what I am doing is true. Of that there is NO ROOM FOR DOUBT...I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I love living it and participating in the blessings my Heavenly Father has in store for me. I love you all, hasta pronto, Elder Falor Pura Vida!

Todo valdrà la pena... (June 19, 2012)

Hello Family and friends, From your letters it sounds like quite the week back hom in Utah, I also had quite the week in Costa Rica. It was filled with 2 trips to San Jose, 1 trip to Perez Zeledon, 1 farewell of President and Sister Galvez, 1 General Authority, 1 New companion, and 2 GIANT rainstorms in Neily. Ha it was quite the week here but it was a great one. After I wrote you all last week we had a conference with Elder Maynes of the 70 of the Area Central America, it was a great meeting, it was short but sweet and jam packed with things we need to learn and know as missionaries, I really admire them and their determination to communicate with us in Spanish, I know and relate well with them and know how they feel haha. This week we were hardly in Ciudad Neily, after San Jose we went straight to Perez and stayed the night to do a baptismal interview. I did the interview and I love doing them, the investigators sometimes teach us more as missionaries, and thats what this investigator did in Perez. Then we made the LOOOONG trip back to Neily only to get up and do it all over again. We basically only had Saturday to get things ready for our area on Sunday, unfortunately no one came to church despite our hardest efforts. We both talked in Sacrament meeting and the members said they felt the spirit, which is something hard to feel in Neily but I think we touched their hearts and it inspired a change in them, I guess we will see this week. On Sunday night we headed to San Jose for changes meeting. It was sad to see Elder Montoya go, but he was happy knowing he had served faithfully for 24 months, he had completed what the Lord had asked and now he was to go forth. We had the most amazing changes meeting ever! It was a changes meeting but also a sort of farewell for President and Hermana Galvez. It was really emotional, the leaving missionaries formed a group with 3 of my companions, bore their testimonies. It was one of the strongest groups in the mission but it was good to see them after all this time knowing they had done their part. On top of their testimonies we got to hear from the Galvez family, their son, working at the Provo MTC bore his testimony through skype, how powerful! And then we got to hear from President and Sister Galvez, who bore some of the most powerful testimonies I have ever heard! I can´t believe how much these people inspire me. President and SIster Galvez are GREAT examples of the Law of Consecration! They have given up so much to serve the Lord, trusting in the fact that He will make up the difference and that "todo valdrà la pena" (all will be worth it) I feel that that was the theme of the changes meeting, despite all we go through as missionaries we must be willing to consecrate our lives to the Lord and His gospel, trusting only in Him and his infinite power to make everything worth it in the end. Despite some of life´s hardest challenges, we can have the surety that one day we will receive our reward and that one day, everything will be worth it. We watched a video that we as missionaries put together, everyone showing their creativity in saying goodbye to President and Sister Galvez. We got the chance to personally say goodbye and thank them for their efforts. My words do not express enough of the gratitude that I have for them and their service. I know the Lord is pleased with them and the AMAZING difference they have made in the church here in Costa Rica. I also received a new companion with the same name as my last one. His name is Elder Montoya, he is from Honduras, we have the same time in the mission and so we are leaving together. We are excited to work and to get going here in Neily. Oh yeah, and the 2 giant rainstorms, that was normal, it was just fun to see the streets turn into rivers in less than 10 minutes. haha. Family and friends, I hope you know how much I love you. I hope you know that if you find yourself amongst problems and challenges that one day, if we hold out strong, it will all be worth it. Thats what the gospel of Jesus Christ is for, its for giving us something to hold on to. Many times we just hear, hold on a little longer, what do we hold on to? The gospel of Jesus Christ, it is the life jacket, the safe boat and the helicoper that brings us safely to shore...I know that is true with 100% of my heart. I love you all with all that I am. Con amor, Elder Falor Pura Vida!

Opposition...

Hello my beloved family and friends, I am writting you from San Jose today, we woke up at 230 after a nice "nap" to get on the bus at 4, we arrived here about 30 minutes ago. We have a conference with Elder Amado from the area 70 and then a meeting and conference with the Vice President of Costa Rica. He is interested in the church and has found a desire to get to know the missionaries and understand why we do what we do. The Gospel will touch EVERY ear and EVERY heart until it has spread the world! The gospel can even touch some of the highest people in Society. The gospel is great and can make the change in any who let it. This week I saw, once again, real opposition against the church. I felt the same way I did when they did witchcraft of us in Pavas, but thats a story for another day. This week I went with an Assistant to San Vito, a BEAUTIFUL area in our zone, the only area that is not only chilly, but COLD! Its so beautiful, if you have ever seen Twilight you will feel at home in Forks, because San Vito is just like it. We visited a family that we were hoping would progress. At first everything went perfectly, they accepted the invitation to hear the gospel and we began sharing the message of the restoration. We passed Jesus Christ establishing His church and got to Prophets. I began to share my testimony that God, after having stopped the flow of revelation during the apostasty, lovingly opened his arms out to his children by calling a prophet today. The wife´s expression TOTALLY changed. She said "you mean to tell me that today there is a prophet" "yes I said, if God is the same yesterday, today and forever, he would have to call a Prophet." I said, "And WHO is this "prophet"?" She asked me. I pulled out my insert from the Liahona and proudly showed her the picture of our beloved Prophet. I felt strong in my testimony as I bore witness that he is a living breathing witness of God in our day, when I saw her expression change again. She bowed her head....and began to laugh at me. She was laughing so hard. At first I thought, did I say something wrong in Spanish? Or is it the whole prophet thing? She raised her head and basically told me how stupid we were for believing in Prophets. She said she knew President Monson personally and knew that his "fruits" were nothing short of diabolic. I sat with my jaw to the floor. I felt a rage inside of me and thought "how does she have the nerve to say this about a man who has only lived his entire life in the service of God and others? how can she judge him when she doesnt even know him." At that moment, the spirit totally left. And for the first time I felt out of words....I quietly bowed my head and looked at the other 3 missionaries, we didnt know what to do. I started to bear testimony again and saw her smile grow bigger and bigger. I honestly felt the nerve to throw my backpack in her face, but I controlled myself. Haha. We all took turns bearing the strongest testimony we could muster, but it just wasnt enough. I left the lesson feeling sad. I wanted to bury my head in my hands and cry, but instead I heard the scipture "Alza tu cabeza y sè de buen animo" (lift up your head and be of good cheer) I felt comforted and strong in my testimony that God has called a prophet. And just because I KNOW that, doesnt change that people can deny it. Satan can stray other people off the path, but he cannot stray me. I know that there is opposition as a part of Gods plan, but there is so much opposition against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because why would Satan want the true church to prosper when he too knows its true. His only goal is to destroy the kingdom of God, but he cannot do that as long as there are missionaries willing to bear their testimonies in the midst of so much opposition, laughter, spitting, yelling, and things being hauled at you. Its all part of the experience. Its helped me to grow so much in my testimony. The church is true. IT HAS TO BE. I love you all with all my heart. Thanks for being with me on this journey. Stay strong and remember I love you. Elder Falor Pura Vida!

Week of miracles... (May 29, 2012)

Hello my beloved family, It is such a pleasure to read your letters and feel of your love and support. I am so thankful for people like you in my life who inspire me and bless me. This letter may be a surprise to you because I didnt write yesterday, you will have to accept an apology I was in San Jose for a Zone Coucil meeting with President Galvez and we had no time to do internet because we took the bus at 630 and got home at 1230 am, it was a great training meeting and I cant believe that after all this time President Galvez continues to inspire me beyond belief. He is an excelent man and an excelent example of someone who lives the gospel, someone who has sacrificed much but received much as well. He taught us the importance of obedience, and it is so true. We have no promise of blessings unlsess we are obedient. Its often times something people dont realize. They stop living the gospel and expect their lives to improve. Its something I have seen first hand here in the mission, that the SECOND that we stop living the gospel, honestly, our lives suck. We find ourselves on dead end roads and with questions without answers. The gospel is the ONLY way to eternal happiness, and an understanding of some of life´s most asked questions. We must be obedient with exactness, or the Lord has no promise of blessings for us. Especially as missionaries. This week was a week of miracles, it was a lot of running around, one day I was in Rio Claro, the next I was in Golfito, but we learned of the Lords power in the conversion of his children. We visited a family in Golfito with the sisters to try and help them realize the power of the atonement and the blessings of the gospel. When we got there we lost a little bit of our hope to find they werent showing any interest. We found that if we follow the spirit he will do all the work and he will make himself manifest through us. He did. The family in Golfito got baptized in Friday the 25. While we were seeing miracles unfold in Golfito we also saw one in Neily. Our investigator Victor has had a hard time accepting the word of wisdom with coffee. When he finally gave up coffee for corn coffee, he still didnt have any desire to take the necessary steps to follow the savior. He had doubts and was worried about the future. We felt at the end of our rope but decided to teach once again the pure doctrine of Christ. The pure doctrine touched his heart and made a change in him that was incredible, something that everyone could see. He was also baptized on the 25 and confirmed on the 27. The gospel TRULY is TRUE. Ha. It has to be true to make these changes in people. To make them give up their nets like the apostles in Christ´s day and make the effort to follow the savior. As missionaries we are here to find those who are willing to leave their nets behind, to leave the things that hold them back from following the savior. I am so grateful to be a part of this work. A missionary on the DVDs that we watch as missionaries said this:"There´s a point in everyones life where you have to have God because you have nothing else, and our job as missionaries is to make sure that when that point comes, that they know that God is right there. There was no one who could go with (us) to where (we) went, and there is no one who fully knows what (we) went through, but God. Life is not easy, but if you have God it´s possible. And its not just possible, its fulfilling." I love being a part of this great work. I love sharing the gospel and seeing it work miracles in the lives of all those I meet. I am so thankful for amazing people like yourselves. Remember I love you with all my heart... Elder Falor Pura Vida! Here is a photo of Victors baptism!

Las familias pueden ser eternas...(May 21, 2012)

Hello My amazing family, Thanks, as always, for your letters of support and strength. I am so grateful for all you do. It sounds like this week back home was great just like my week here in Costa Rica. It has been a crazy week, but one that will FOREVER be engraven on my mind. It started off with my last interview with President Galvez before he heads back to his normal life in Guatemala. It was a sad interview, knowing that never again would I get to share moments like this with such a wonderful person. I made sure I took the time to thank him for his service and for giving all of us missionaries hope for our lives. Then, almost 2 years ago my companion baptized a family in Cartago and they had fought for a long time to be able to be sealed this saturday in the temple in Heredia. And I, being his companion, got to attend the sealing ceremony with my companion and the family. Our trip to San Jose started on Friday the 18, we headed on a bus at 10:30 am and sat for 5 and a half hours to go to an area in our Zone, Pèrez Zeledòn, we worked with the missionaries there to get to know their families and help in the missionary work where we could. We then woke up the next day at 3 am to get on the bus at 5 and headed for 3 hours up a hill called "Cerro de la muerte" or in english "Hill of Death" I am not even kidding that is a hill of death...it is more twists and turns than necessary, which made it difficult to sleep but our destination was worth every single turn and feeling of nausea on the bus. We finally made it to San Jose and then finally to Heredia and were outside the temple, arriving just too late to go to the endowment session. When 11 o clock rolled around we were dressed in white and sitting in the sealing room. I can´t quite put into words the feeling that is found in the temple, those who have entered know exactly how it is, its a power that helps you leave everything behind. You forget about the worries of the world, and you get lost in the amazing spirit that is found there. I felt overwhelmed and felt a sense of love that our Heavenly Father has for us, enough to construct temples. Before we knew it the family entered in and I cant quite explain either the feeling I felt when my companions converts saw the person that helped them change their lives. I felt so humbled being a part of this experience to help bring to pass God´s mighty purposes. As the session started I felt even more overwhelmed, it was a simple session but with powerful words and powerful promises. It put our entire purpose as missionaries in perspective, our goal is to invite families to come unto Christ with a goal of bringing them to the temple. That makes everything worth it. That we as missionaries have a chance to take part in the bringing to pass the INMORTALITY and ETERNAL LIFE of man is a truly humbling experience with big responsibilities. As I saw this family kneeled around the altar I thought of God´s purposes for us, why would he send us here in families, if it all ended at death? His purpose is for us to WORK for eternal life in his presence as families. But that is why he has given us the Gospel. The gospel must reach EVERY ear, it must be heard and felt in EVERY heart and it must CHANGE EVERY life so that we can fulfill God´s purposes for us. I left the temple on Saturday with my eyes opened even wider. What a blessing it was to go to the temple. I love the gospel and I love the temple. I love you all, I hope this week brings many blessings. guarden la fe, y pierdan el temor Elder Falor