HEY! =D

Wow, I'm not even going to recognize the house when I get home am I? Tell Dad thanks for the fotos! It's always good to see pictures of what home looks like. I do miss the scenery of home. I haven't seen anything here that really puts me at awe just yet. =P Glad to hear everyone is doing great. Wow, the school year doesn't have much longer for you guys does it? Ashley has Prom this weekend, Derek's down to like 2 weeks of school left. That's nuts! Have I really been gone that long?
I can honestly see that whole story about Moses happening, that's a very Dad thing to do. I'm glad the porch has finally been started as well, I know you've been waiting for that for quite some time. =P

Well, what have I been up to this week...well last week on P-Day the four of us here in Canas went to Tilaran, a little town in Elder Valerio and Elder Litchfields area. We had a good time, it was a pretty relaxed P-Day, which I've been in need of. The heat is still getting to me, giving me headaches and the like here and there. But, I've finally made use of that Excedrin Migraine you sent me in the MTC. =D

With Elder Pliego, my spanish is coming along. He came up with a game to help me practice: Listening to spanish music and writing what I hear. We used that spanish CD you sent me around Christmas time, and it was not easy task figuring out what was being said. Mainly because the people singing on that CD have Argentine accents. I had to fight to understand but I got it. It was pretty good practice. Plus talking with Elder Pliego everyday is in and of itself practice.

We didn't end up buying food this week on the account that we have no money to do so. I have 3 mil 400 to my name right now which is almost $7. Our downfall was Tuesday, we had interviews in San Ramon, which is a 2 mil 500 bus ticket one way. So Tuesday, I dropped 5 mil on buses. So we're gonna be scrapping by for the last half of this month. We have a little less than 2 dozen eggs to eat for breakfast and dinner sooooo we should be okay. =P We get food from the members every once in awhile too so all in all I'm not too worried.

The work this week has been a little hard. Not because we couldn't teach anyone, we teach plenty. But there are other reasons. One of the numbers we report every week to the Zone Leaders is the number of contacts for the week, or in other words the number of people we've talked to in the streets about the church. Mission goal is 20 contacts every day for a companionship, 140 for the week. With Elder DePriest, I never had a problem making the goal, we always did without question, contacting every soul in the streets. With Elder Tagliaferri, I never made the goal. Tagliaferri didn't like contacting in the streets and would only contact in the park, which was virtually empty. So from what I learned contacting in the park is a bad idea. However, my contact numbers with Tagliaferri were better than they have been right now wit Pliego. Elder Pliego doesn't like contacting at all and therefore we just don't contact. The Zone Leaders called Saturday night and I talked with them for a little bit. They're getting one us and I'm trying to light a fire of animo under Elder Pliego to contact but he has one area left, 4 months left in his mission. The man is trunky and is content with how he's doing things, which is usually the case when an elder is so close to the end. I'm trying to keep the ZLs off our backs but as junior comp I can only do so much. Elder Pliego calls the shots and he says he's contacted the whole world here, so there's no point in contacting more. Just one of those things that happens in the mission. Every missionary has something they slack off in, you just have to try and work with it.

Something I've encountered here in Costa Rica has taken rise with quite a few of our investigators lately. The ticos call it "viviendo libre". In other words, they live together, call each other husband and wife, but they're not married. Somehow, I haven't figured out how, ticos have practically removed the institution of marriage from their society. Right now we have 3 families with the same issue: the "husband" is interested and wants to be baptized, but the "wife" isn't that interested and doesn't want to commit and get married. In this situation they have 2 choices: One needs to move out or they need to get married. Every one of them has at least 2 kids together, so moving out isn't really the best option. If they're not married, they can't get baptized. That's the Law of Chastity right there. I'm praying and trying to find someway to help them realize that "living free" isn't what God had in mind when he placed Adam and Eve in the Gardn. I could use all the prayers I can with these situations. =)

Something Elder Litchfield has caught my attention. It's this little reference book calld the "Missionary's Pat". I heard about it in the MTC but I didn't know what it was then. More or less it's a reference book for every topic imaginable and plausible in the gospel. I don't know if you'd be able to find this, but if you can, it would be pretty handy to have. =D

Alright, well I don't have much else to report for this week. I'm fine and loving life. I hope everyone is doing well and in good shape. I love you all and I'll talk to you next week. Ciao!

Your son,
Elder Nunie

P.S. Enjoy the fotos from last week. =D