"Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean. Who is neither tarnished nor afraid. He is the hero. He is everything. He must be a complete man, a common man, and yet an uncommon man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor. By word, by deed, without thought of it and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man of his world, and a good enough man for any world."
-Raymond Chandler
Iba a escribirles en inglés, pero ésta siendo mi última carta de mi misión decidí escribirles en el idioma de mi papá. El idioma en cuál mi testimonio está escrito en mi corazón.
Hace dos años dejé mi hogar y mi familia, mis amigos y mis sueños. De verdad dejé por atrás mi vida y entré en algo que nunca había imaginado. Salí de casa en pura inocencía y ahora, después de todo siento como por fin he aprendido algo de la vida. Me falta mucho todavía, sin embargo sé en quién he confiado.
No quiero dar una historia entera de lo que ha pasado en estos dos años, sin embargo deben sentir y conocer todo lo que siento en este momento.
Fui tirado en un país hablando nada del idioma y más perdido que un pez en tierra seca. Fui asaultado no sóla una vez, sino dos, con pistola a mi pecho. Fui rechazado y maldicido. Conocí personas que habían perdido su esperanza por completo y negaron la posibilidad de una vida mejor, y a las vez tuve la gran previlegio de conocer los escogidos del Señor en este pais que tomaron la decisión de cambiar sus vidas y luchar adelante cada día, los cuáles están a la par nuestra perseverando hasta el fin. Atrá vez de cada tristeza, de toda dificultad y prueba que he pasado en estos últimos dos años, lo haría TODO otra vez. Si supiera de todas estas cosas de antemano lo haría de nuevo. Porque ésta es la obra del Señor.
He visto milagros, y he sentido y visto el Espíritu de Dios literalmente trabajando a la par mía, y no puedo negarlo y nunca jamas lo haría. Sé que no soy nada, y siempre me he visto a mi mismo abajo de tódo. Sigo así porque así es. En las palabras de Ammón del Libro de Mormón "Sí, yo sé que nada soy; en cuanto a mi fuerza, soy débil; por tanto, no me jactaré de mí mismo, sino que me gloriaré en mi Dios, porque con sufuerza puedo hacer todas las cosas; sí, he aquí que hemos obrado muchos grandes milagros en esta tierra, por los cuales alabaremos su nombre para siempre jamás ." De verdad no he hecho nada en este país, porque vi la mano del Señor en tódo. Él que es el Todopoderoso realizó su obra, y doy gracias por ser el instrumento en Sus manos.
Mis palabras no son suficientes para testificar de tan grandes cosas. Sólo puedo decir lo que he dicho a todos, y seguiré deciéndolo por el resto de mi vida:
Ésta es la iglesia de Jesucristo. La única sobre la faz de la tierra guiado y dirigido por Él que creó el cielo y la tierra. Sé que el Libro de Mormón es la palabra de Dios y que en él se encuentra las respuestas de todas las preguntas de esta vida. Por 180 años éste ha sido atacado como ningun otro libro religioso en historia y todavía está se sostiene, porque es un testimonio más de la divinidad del Señor Jesucristo, y fue sacado a la luz cómo José lo dijo, por el poder y el mandamiento de Dios Omnipotente.
Dos años han pasado y me siento como acabo de venir. No quiero irme. Hay mucho que hacer y almas que salvar, pero mi tiempo está al final y viene el momento por alguién más para continuar lo que empezé, y lo que alguién más empezó antes que yo. Con este pensamiento en mi corazón, les dejo con estas palabras más.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of good deeds might have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who if he wins knows the triumph of great achievement, and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
-Theodore Roosevelt
(quoted by John F.Kennedy in his inaugural address)
No ha sido facil, pero valió la pena. Estoy a punto de entrar una nueva división en la vida, pero tengo la base por la cuál venceré el enemigo de mi alma. Y ahora, me despido de todos. Hasta que nos veamos una vez más en la tierra de la restauración.
Adios.
Elder Ryan R. Nuñez
-Misionero del Señor Jesucristo
Misión Costa Rica San José 2008-2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Opposition in All Things
September 13 email:
This last week was insanely busy. Thursday I had to do baptism interviews in Grecia for the hermana misioneras. We ended up doing divisiones with the zone leaders since their planned divisiones with another area fell through (the bus route was closed). Elder Nelson and Elder Hoyt ran some errands for us in San Ramon in the morning as Elder Logan and I left for Grecia. I did one interview as Elder Logan did the other. It was interesting working with Elder Logan again after being companions. Some things have changed, others not so much. The four of us (Nelson, Logan, Hoyt and myself) spent the night in Naranjo. I slept on the tile floor as usual. I miss carpet. I think I´m just gonna throw myself out on the downstairs carpet for a good half hour when I get home. I might even sleep there at some point. =P
Friday morning Elders Nelson and Hoyt took off for San Ramon to fijar our baptism for Saturday as Elder Logan and I went to San José to pick up some legal documents for a wedding we had planned for Saturday. That turned out to be a frustrating mess. From one office to another, not once, not twice, but four times before we finally figured everything out. We treated ourselves to some Taco Bell since it was close by, and I realized my body just doesn´t deal well with fast food anymore. Not that that´s a bad thing. =P
Elder Logan and I continued working in Naranjo for the rest of the day. I met quite a few people that just made me depressed and frustrated to talk to. One lady went so far as to say she´s happy with life and doesn´t want any blessings from God. This is after having told us how her not-husband beats her and how they´re about to be evicted from their rotting wood shack.
Saturday morning I got back to San Ramon. We played some early morning soccer with some of our investigators, after which we stopped by to drop off our dirty clothes with the Hermana Mildred. Mildred had made us a surprise breakfast of flapjacks, which we thoroughly enjoyed. The rest of the day didn´t go as planned. I can honestly say I´ve never seen Satan working so hard to stop a baptism, but he was definately against us every step of the way. The wedding was planned for 3 p.m. At 2:30 p.m. the wife-to-be was not to be found and no one in the family was ready to go to the church anyway. They asked if we could wait until 4 p.m. We called the lawyer, who had another wedding to do at 4:30 and said it would be impossible to wait until 4. So we had to wait until 6 p.m. We ran back to tell the family, after which we had to call all the members and tell them of the time change. Then came our ropa bautismal problem. The hermana who was getting baptized is..."bigger" than those we usually baptize, and the issue came that we had no baptism clothes that could fit her. We found 2 dresses, one that was about the right width, just not long enough. We had the Hermana Mildred had one to the dress to make it just a little longer, and it was ready just in time for the wedding/baptism.
But even then Satan didn´t stop. First there was issues with the man´s ID, but we got over that issue and started the wedding. The couple had invited several family members to the wedding, and after they were wedded we began the baptism service. As one hermana spoke on baptism, a drunk cousin of the family apparently didn´t like what she was saying and yelled out something I didn´t understand through the drunken slur. The son of the family led the man outside as we finished with the talks and continued on with the baptism itself. I had the pleasure to baptize the Hemana Laura, and following that Elder Hoyt and I sang a duet of "How Great Thou Art" in spanish.
After all was said and done, Elder Hoyt and I felt exhausted and drained. We had had a few other issues with the branch presidency at the baptism as well, all of which I discussed with them yesterday after church. Luckily, the district president was with us. The man was so stubborn and so set in NOT doing things as they should be that I told him straight out if he didn´t listen, I´d call President Gálvez right then and there to set the record straight.
It´s been a long week, but the month isn´t over yet and we still have a goal to meet. We´re gonna be running ourselves dry, but we found a new family that´s just incredible and we´re working to get them all baptized by September 25th (it´s a family of five). The work keeps going despite the opposition. That´s all I can really ask for.
Today were just chilling with the district here in San Ramon. About 2 weeks ago Elder Hoyt and I found and carried home and huge stalk of bananas, of which has been all we´ve been eating ever since the bananas ripened a week ago. There´s still a lot of bananas and they´re soon about to over-ripen, so we invited everyone over to the Hermana Mildred´s house to make banana cream pies and banana smoothies. =P It´ll be good to kick back and rest for a few hours before we start killing ourselves at 6 p.m. tonight with all the work we still have left to do. =D
I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Time really is flying. I just hope I can finish what I´ve started here before hitting the end.
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
This last week was insanely busy. Thursday I had to do baptism interviews in Grecia for the hermana misioneras. We ended up doing divisiones with the zone leaders since their planned divisiones with another area fell through (the bus route was closed). Elder Nelson and Elder Hoyt ran some errands for us in San Ramon in the morning as Elder Logan and I left for Grecia. I did one interview as Elder Logan did the other. It was interesting working with Elder Logan again after being companions. Some things have changed, others not so much. The four of us (Nelson, Logan, Hoyt and myself) spent the night in Naranjo. I slept on the tile floor as usual. I miss carpet. I think I´m just gonna throw myself out on the downstairs carpet for a good half hour when I get home. I might even sleep there at some point. =P
Friday morning Elders Nelson and Hoyt took off for San Ramon to fijar our baptism for Saturday as Elder Logan and I went to San José to pick up some legal documents for a wedding we had planned for Saturday. That turned out to be a frustrating mess. From one office to another, not once, not twice, but four times before we finally figured everything out. We treated ourselves to some Taco Bell since it was close by, and I realized my body just doesn´t deal well with fast food anymore. Not that that´s a bad thing. =P
Elder Logan and I continued working in Naranjo for the rest of the day. I met quite a few people that just made me depressed and frustrated to talk to. One lady went so far as to say she´s happy with life and doesn´t want any blessings from God. This is after having told us how her not-husband beats her and how they´re about to be evicted from their rotting wood shack.
Saturday morning I got back to San Ramon. We played some early morning soccer with some of our investigators, after which we stopped by to drop off our dirty clothes with the Hermana Mildred. Mildred had made us a surprise breakfast of flapjacks, which we thoroughly enjoyed. The rest of the day didn´t go as planned. I can honestly say I´ve never seen Satan working so hard to stop a baptism, but he was definately against us every step of the way. The wedding was planned for 3 p.m. At 2:30 p.m. the wife-to-be was not to be found and no one in the family was ready to go to the church anyway. They asked if we could wait until 4 p.m. We called the lawyer, who had another wedding to do at 4:30 and said it would be impossible to wait until 4. So we had to wait until 6 p.m. We ran back to tell the family, after which we had to call all the members and tell them of the time change. Then came our ropa bautismal problem. The hermana who was getting baptized is..."bigger" than those we usually baptize, and the issue came that we had no baptism clothes that could fit her. We found 2 dresses, one that was about the right width, just not long enough. We had the Hermana Mildred had one to the dress to make it just a little longer, and it was ready just in time for the wedding/baptism.
But even then Satan didn´t stop. First there was issues with the man´s ID, but we got over that issue and started the wedding. The couple had invited several family members to the wedding, and after they were wedded we began the baptism service. As one hermana spoke on baptism, a drunk cousin of the family apparently didn´t like what she was saying and yelled out something I didn´t understand through the drunken slur. The son of the family led the man outside as we finished with the talks and continued on with the baptism itself. I had the pleasure to baptize the Hemana Laura, and following that Elder Hoyt and I sang a duet of "How Great Thou Art" in spanish.
After all was said and done, Elder Hoyt and I felt exhausted and drained. We had had a few other issues with the branch presidency at the baptism as well, all of which I discussed with them yesterday after church. Luckily, the district president was with us. The man was so stubborn and so set in NOT doing things as they should be that I told him straight out if he didn´t listen, I´d call President Gálvez right then and there to set the record straight.
It´s been a long week, but the month isn´t over yet and we still have a goal to meet. We´re gonna be running ourselves dry, but we found a new family that´s just incredible and we´re working to get them all baptized by September 25th (it´s a family of five). The work keeps going despite the opposition. That´s all I can really ask for.
Today were just chilling with the district here in San Ramon. About 2 weeks ago Elder Hoyt and I found and carried home and huge stalk of bananas, of which has been all we´ve been eating ever since the bananas ripened a week ago. There´s still a lot of bananas and they´re soon about to over-ripen, so we invited everyone over to the Hermana Mildred´s house to make banana cream pies and banana smoothies. =P It´ll be good to kick back and rest for a few hours before we start killing ourselves at 6 p.m. tonight with all the work we still have left to do. =D
I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Time really is flying. I just hope I can finish what I´ve started here before hitting the end.
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Monday, September 6, 2010
Blessed in both body and spirit
This week has felt like a week of blessings, in more ways than one. One the temporal side of things, last Monday we discovered the first and ONLY Jamba Juice in the country, which happens to be found in my lovely area of San Ramon. The zone leaders changed our district meeting location to San Ramon for just that reason. =P We had a "district Jamba fest" and the zone leaders went crazy. Everything is about half the price it is in the states since it´s so easy to find fruit here. The look on the Hermana Ho´s face (she´s from Guatemala) as she took a drink was hilarious. A look of pure shock and bliss. =D
It´s felt like we´ve been working a "reconstruction" of the area this last week. Since February the missionaries have been focusing in one neighborhood, and things are starting to slow down there. We´ve started to work one other area, where Eduardo and Jeannette live, teaching other family members of their´s. To tell the truth last week was just hectic. We´ve run into some legal document issues on top of that with 3 of our investigators, all of which need to be married. I´m praying the Lord will show us the way in how we can fix all of that, but I also have to accept His will if I´m suppose to be here when they get baptized or not.
Friday was work as usual, but we did celebrate the best we could. The fair was in town, so we treated ourselves to some churros and, of course, some Jamba Juice. It was raining all day, but I´ve gotten use to the daily downpours of Costa Rica. Friday morning our wash lady, the Hermana Mildrid, and her two kids called around 6:30 a.m. and sung me Happy Birthday. Later in the day we stopped by quickly, which was my mistake, because they all egged me 5 minutes before our next appointment. =P Friday night I made banana cream pie and Elder Hoyt made the crust. I´ve definately gotten better at that, it turned out great and we ended up sharing it with the Hermana Mildrid and her family, and they too loved it. =D
Saturday the Hermana Mildrid invited us to a "2-in-1" birthday party. Since the 3rd was my birthday, and today (the 6th) is her daugther, Tatiana´s birthday, the Hermana made a chocolate cake for both of us. It was pretty good. I´m not much of a cake person, but I did enjoy celebrating my birthday with good friends.
As I said this last week has been hectic. There´s so much to do and so little time to do it. Too much for just one companionship to tell the truth. San Ramon really needs four missionaries here. The work is progressing and last week we just couldn´t do EVERYTHING we wanted and plan to. It was simply impossible. We ended up teaching 30 lessons last week, and there were some other 10 lessons we ended up missing due to lack of time. Despite running around like a crazy man the Lord kept us going and we didn´t feel exhausted until lasy night (Sunday). It all hit me at once then. Elder Hoyt has been great though, I´ve been truly blessed to have him as my companion at mission´s end. He´s here to work and he knows what he´s doing. He only has 4 months in the mission, but he´s far from being a "greenie". Plus our common interests are off the wall, it´s been so much fun. I haven´t had a companionship like this since I was with my trainer, Elder DePriest.
The work keeps going and life keeps coming. Today we went to Volcan Arenal and took some pictures there. We all wanted to kill the zone leaders for making us go in ropa misional, knowing we´d be hiking around the volcano. One of the hermanas in San Carlos, the Hermana Turnbaugh, and I were plotting what we´d do to the zone leaders IF we could catch up with them. =P
I love you all and I hope you have a great week! It´s so weird that school has already started. Time really is flying. Cuídese mucho a todos. ¡Ciao!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
It´s felt like we´ve been working a "reconstruction" of the area this last week. Since February the missionaries have been focusing in one neighborhood, and things are starting to slow down there. We´ve started to work one other area, where Eduardo and Jeannette live, teaching other family members of their´s. To tell the truth last week was just hectic. We´ve run into some legal document issues on top of that with 3 of our investigators, all of which need to be married. I´m praying the Lord will show us the way in how we can fix all of that, but I also have to accept His will if I´m suppose to be here when they get baptized or not.
Friday was work as usual, but we did celebrate the best we could. The fair was in town, so we treated ourselves to some churros and, of course, some Jamba Juice. It was raining all day, but I´ve gotten use to the daily downpours of Costa Rica. Friday morning our wash lady, the Hermana Mildrid, and her two kids called around 6:30 a.m. and sung me Happy Birthday. Later in the day we stopped by quickly, which was my mistake, because they all egged me 5 minutes before our next appointment. =P Friday night I made banana cream pie and Elder Hoyt made the crust. I´ve definately gotten better at that, it turned out great and we ended up sharing it with the Hermana Mildrid and her family, and they too loved it. =D
Saturday the Hermana Mildrid invited us to a "2-in-1" birthday party. Since the 3rd was my birthday, and today (the 6th) is her daugther, Tatiana´s birthday, the Hermana made a chocolate cake for both of us. It was pretty good. I´m not much of a cake person, but I did enjoy celebrating my birthday with good friends.
As I said this last week has been hectic. There´s so much to do and so little time to do it. Too much for just one companionship to tell the truth. San Ramon really needs four missionaries here. The work is progressing and last week we just couldn´t do EVERYTHING we wanted and plan to. It was simply impossible. We ended up teaching 30 lessons last week, and there were some other 10 lessons we ended up missing due to lack of time. Despite running around like a crazy man the Lord kept us going and we didn´t feel exhausted until lasy night (Sunday). It all hit me at once then. Elder Hoyt has been great though, I´ve been truly blessed to have him as my companion at mission´s end. He´s here to work and he knows what he´s doing. He only has 4 months in the mission, but he´s far from being a "greenie". Plus our common interests are off the wall, it´s been so much fun. I haven´t had a companionship like this since I was with my trainer, Elder DePriest.
The work keeps going and life keeps coming. Today we went to Volcan Arenal and took some pictures there. We all wanted to kill the zone leaders for making us go in ropa misional, knowing we´d be hiking around the volcano. One of the hermanas in San Carlos, the Hermana Turnbaugh, and I were plotting what we´d do to the zone leaders IF we could catch up with them. =P
I love you all and I hope you have a great week! It´s so weird that school has already started. Time really is flying. Cuídese mucho a todos. ¡Ciao!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Monday, August 30, 2010
"That I may heal you"
We´ve been really busy this last week. Monday night Eduardo and Jeannette were married, and it was incredible to see them together taking this step. Monday was a long day, what with all the preparation and what not, but it was well worth it to see their little family unified like that.
Late Monday night we received a call from the Hermana Soto, wife to the first counselor of the mission. The daughter of one of our members had been beaten (we later found out she had been beaten by the younger sister) and that she was in dire need of a priesthood blessing. Tuesday morning we left, finding the poor girl in horrible condition. Her nose had been broken, she had a high fever and she was having problems breathing. My heart was wrenched seeing her like that. Elder Hoyt performed the anointing and I sealed it with a blessing. We then had to leave pretty quick for Naranjo because we were already late for interviews with President Gálvez. I couldn´t get that girl out of my head for the rest of the day, and I found myself praying for her nonstop.
Interviews were great, I had a good talk with President Gálvez. He explained to me his wishes for my mission´s end, of which I totally agreed with. Working hard, giving everything I have, until that last day comes and I get on that plane absolutely exhausted, but unbelievably happy at the same time. I asked him how I should work with the hermanas in my district, since I´ve never been in a district with hermanas EVER, and he explained to me that little bit and then went on further in saying that we want me to end the mission flying, but it would be even more incredible if the district has a whole took off flying as well. Three of us are possibly going home this change: myself, Elder Nelson of course, and then possibly the Hermana Ho from Guatemala. President wants all three of us to have the most amazing month ever, and I´m totally on board with it.
The Hermana Gálvez also gave me an added responsibility: I am now the english tutor for the hermanas. It´s been fun so far practicing my teaching skills. I´m having fun with it.
Wednesday morning we left early to see how Victoria, the girl we had given a blessing to the day before, was holding up. Words cannot explain how I felt as I saw the same girl, who a day before was painfully trying to breathe from a beaten body, now eating for the first time in days with a smile on here face and breathing fine. In one day she had pulled a complete 180 from where she had been. I had never before borne witness of such a miracle, and the impact of it rested with me for the rest of the day. The power of the priesthood, the power of faith, it was just too much for me. I´m still in awe of it. Elder Hoyt started to sing softly has we left their humble home: "How Great Thou Art".
That same day as we were sitting in a visit with one of our investigators, Marta, the zone leaders and the APs showed up. We had been trying to put a baptismal date with Marta for quite some time, but the last time they had tried back in July the cold water had made her sick and flat out couldn´t do it. The cold water made her severly ill. Marta very sincerely told us she wanted to be baptized, but she couldn´t get into cold water again. I put Elder Hoyt with Elder Trost to set in stone a baptismal date for the coming Saturday, as the other AP Elder Christensen and myself started making calls looking for a place with warm water to perform the baptism. Our plan didn´t pull through, so Elder Hoyt and I started to brainstorm on how we could heat water and throw it into the baptismal fount. After hearing that Eduardo and Jeannette were to be baptized Friday night, Marta asked if she could be baptized with them, of which we were completely up for.
Thursday we spent in the chapel/house installing shower duchas in two of the three bathrooms in order to heat water. Thursday night the zone leaders showed up to perform a wedding and a baptism in our church since the baptismal fount in theirs was out of comission. The zone leaders spent the night with us and Friday morning, at 9:30 A.M. we began the long process of filling our baptismal fount with 4 cubic meters of water by hand. We had the two shower duchas running nonstop, filling tall garbage cans, while we had two HUGE pots of water boiling over portable stoves. Nine and a half hours later, the fount was full and the water was nice warm temperature. The four of us were dead tired, but when we began the baptismal service, I felt incredible content with what we had accomplished. I had the privileged of baptizing Eduardo, and Elder Hoyt baptized Jeannette and Marta. The first words Eduardo spoke as he came out of the water filled my soul with a joy I cannot explain: "Maravilloso".
This weekend we have yet ANOTHER wedding to prepare for, along with our plans for the month. In July there were 8 baptisms in the area. We finished out August with 9. There have been 36 baptisms in San Ramon since January, and Elder Hoyt and I want to hit 45 before I leave. But 45 means 9 baptisms, and seeing how these last 2 months were 8 and then 9, we´re aiming for the stars a going for 10. Ten sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father brought into the fold of the Good Shepard. I believe that would definatly be ending the mission "flying" as President Gálvez put it.
I love you all. Come Friday, I´ll be 22 years old. These last 23 months have been filled with experiences of every kind, and in this, my last month as an ordained messenger of the Lord Jesus Christ, I can only pray to bare witness of His healing touch in not only my life, but in the lives of all those who are willing to listen to His words and feel His love. To accept His loving call to us all:
"...will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?" (3 Nephi 9:13, italics added)
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Late Monday night we received a call from the Hermana Soto, wife to the first counselor of the mission. The daughter of one of our members had been beaten (we later found out she had been beaten by the younger sister) and that she was in dire need of a priesthood blessing. Tuesday morning we left, finding the poor girl in horrible condition. Her nose had been broken, she had a high fever and she was having problems breathing. My heart was wrenched seeing her like that. Elder Hoyt performed the anointing and I sealed it with a blessing. We then had to leave pretty quick for Naranjo because we were already late for interviews with President Gálvez. I couldn´t get that girl out of my head for the rest of the day, and I found myself praying for her nonstop.
Interviews were great, I had a good talk with President Gálvez. He explained to me his wishes for my mission´s end, of which I totally agreed with. Working hard, giving everything I have, until that last day comes and I get on that plane absolutely exhausted, but unbelievably happy at the same time. I asked him how I should work with the hermanas in my district, since I´ve never been in a district with hermanas EVER, and he explained to me that little bit and then went on further in saying that we want me to end the mission flying, but it would be even more incredible if the district has a whole took off flying as well. Three of us are possibly going home this change: myself, Elder Nelson of course, and then possibly the Hermana Ho from Guatemala. President wants all three of us to have the most amazing month ever, and I´m totally on board with it.
The Hermana Gálvez also gave me an added responsibility: I am now the english tutor for the hermanas. It´s been fun so far practicing my teaching skills. I´m having fun with it.
Wednesday morning we left early to see how Victoria, the girl we had given a blessing to the day before, was holding up. Words cannot explain how I felt as I saw the same girl, who a day before was painfully trying to breathe from a beaten body, now eating for the first time in days with a smile on here face and breathing fine. In one day she had pulled a complete 180 from where she had been. I had never before borne witness of such a miracle, and the impact of it rested with me for the rest of the day. The power of the priesthood, the power of faith, it was just too much for me. I´m still in awe of it. Elder Hoyt started to sing softly has we left their humble home: "How Great Thou Art".
That same day as we were sitting in a visit with one of our investigators, Marta, the zone leaders and the APs showed up. We had been trying to put a baptismal date with Marta for quite some time, but the last time they had tried back in July the cold water had made her sick and flat out couldn´t do it. The cold water made her severly ill. Marta very sincerely told us she wanted to be baptized, but she couldn´t get into cold water again. I put Elder Hoyt with Elder Trost to set in stone a baptismal date for the coming Saturday, as the other AP Elder Christensen and myself started making calls looking for a place with warm water to perform the baptism. Our plan didn´t pull through, so Elder Hoyt and I started to brainstorm on how we could heat water and throw it into the baptismal fount. After hearing that Eduardo and Jeannette were to be baptized Friday night, Marta asked if she could be baptized with them, of which we were completely up for.
Thursday we spent in the chapel/house installing shower duchas in two of the three bathrooms in order to heat water. Thursday night the zone leaders showed up to perform a wedding and a baptism in our church since the baptismal fount in theirs was out of comission. The zone leaders spent the night with us and Friday morning, at 9:30 A.M. we began the long process of filling our baptismal fount with 4 cubic meters of water by hand. We had the two shower duchas running nonstop, filling tall garbage cans, while we had two HUGE pots of water boiling over portable stoves. Nine and a half hours later, the fount was full and the water was nice warm temperature. The four of us were dead tired, but when we began the baptismal service, I felt incredible content with what we had accomplished. I had the privileged of baptizing Eduardo, and Elder Hoyt baptized Jeannette and Marta. The first words Eduardo spoke as he came out of the water filled my soul with a joy I cannot explain: "Maravilloso".
This weekend we have yet ANOTHER wedding to prepare for, along with our plans for the month. In July there were 8 baptisms in the area. We finished out August with 9. There have been 36 baptisms in San Ramon since January, and Elder Hoyt and I want to hit 45 before I leave. But 45 means 9 baptisms, and seeing how these last 2 months were 8 and then 9, we´re aiming for the stars a going for 10. Ten sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father brought into the fold of the Good Shepard. I believe that would definatly be ending the mission "flying" as President Gálvez put it.
I love you all. Come Friday, I´ll be 22 years old. These last 23 months have been filled with experiences of every kind, and in this, my last month as an ordained messenger of the Lord Jesus Christ, I can only pray to bare witness of His healing touch in not only my life, but in the lives of all those who are willing to listen to His words and feel His love. To accept His loving call to us all:
"...will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?" (3 Nephi 9:13, italics added)
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Monday, August 23, 2010
The Reasons Why
I won´t lie...that foto of Tylan walking into the airport was too much for me. I can´t believe he´s home!!!!
Oh yes, I know the return mission in Pocatello. Elder Mitton, he ended the mission as my AP. He´s a super cool guy, I actually plan on hanging out with him when we go down to Pocatello. And I love Elder Holland´s talk from last conference! I downloaded that the Monday after general conference just cause I could get enough of it. Elder Holland has such a commanding voice when he speaks, I love it!
My sudden change of area was a surprise, but the night of changes and all of last week made me realize instantly the reasons why. Hopefully I don´t leave anything out.
Monday night we visited a recent convert that my MTC companion Elder Trost had baptized, the Hermana Mildred and her family. I love that family! I´ll explain more on that later. Tuesday we visited another recent convert family who had been jehovah witnesses, and just to hear the mother´s testimony and how she had been sharing the gospel with literally ALL of her neighbors, I was just in awe. That night we visited a couple that we have on board for marriage and baptism, Eduardo and Jeanette. Another amazing family.
Let me start with some background on the area. For the past year San Ramon had been in a drought concerning missionary work. Not a single baptism for over a year. Then they sent Elder Trost here. He turned the area around, giving truth to my MTC teacher´s (Hermano Crane) words "Attitude makes the missionary." Elder Trost had the right attitude, and over the last 8 months there have been 33 baptisms in the area. Elder Trost baptized the Hermana Mildred and her family, she shared with me her conversion story and I have to give kudoos to Elder Trost, because he really was the only missionary who could have baptized that woman.
We spent the week finding new people and putting baptism dates left and right (we have 4 baptisms planned for September right now and we´re working for more). Our couple, Eduardo and Jeanette, were to be married Saturday (Aug 21), but Satan played his cards in trying to ruin it. First we had a back run in with mold that had infested all of our baptism clothes on Thursday. The Hermana Mildred called us at that moment of freaking out, telling us she had felt we needed help and if there was anything she could do for us. I count my lucky stars and thank the Lord for giving her that prompting of the Spirit, because otherwise we would´ve been left with NO baptism clothes for Saturday. About an hour before the wedding Saturday the lawyer called us, and gave us the unfortunate news that he absolutely couldn´t do the wedding that day. Eduardo and Jeanette had been counting down the days to their wedding, and there was no way I was going to wait until NEXT weekend for the big day. We´ve sacrificed our P-Day to get them married tonight, finalizing everything beforehand. Last night we passed by to check on the them, and luckily we did, because Lucifer had found his way back and had started to plant the seeds of doubt. I´ve said it before, I´ll say it again: I don´t know how many more times I can pour my heart and soul out in testimony. We spent a good two hours building up faith and testimony again until all was well and the wedding was back on a firm foundation. Elder Hoyt hugged me after we had left their house for joy. I guess he loved the way I bore my testimony to them. =P
Eduardo and Jeanette are getting married tonight at 7 p.m., and baptized Friday at the same hour. I ask for your prayers that they can stay firm in the faith until both these events pass.
There are so many people here I know I needed to meet before going home. So many tesitmonies I needed to hear, stories I needed to be told, and from day one in the area hasta la fecha, I´m still singing it.
I LOVE SAN RAMON!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Oh yes, I know the return mission in Pocatello. Elder Mitton, he ended the mission as my AP. He´s a super cool guy, I actually plan on hanging out with him when we go down to Pocatello. And I love Elder Holland´s talk from last conference! I downloaded that the Monday after general conference just cause I could get enough of it. Elder Holland has such a commanding voice when he speaks, I love it!
My sudden change of area was a surprise, but the night of changes and all of last week made me realize instantly the reasons why. Hopefully I don´t leave anything out.
Monday night we visited a recent convert that my MTC companion Elder Trost had baptized, the Hermana Mildred and her family. I love that family! I´ll explain more on that later. Tuesday we visited another recent convert family who had been jehovah witnesses, and just to hear the mother´s testimony and how she had been sharing the gospel with literally ALL of her neighbors, I was just in awe. That night we visited a couple that we have on board for marriage and baptism, Eduardo and Jeanette. Another amazing family.
Let me start with some background on the area. For the past year San Ramon had been in a drought concerning missionary work. Not a single baptism for over a year. Then they sent Elder Trost here. He turned the area around, giving truth to my MTC teacher´s (Hermano Crane) words "Attitude makes the missionary." Elder Trost had the right attitude, and over the last 8 months there have been 33 baptisms in the area. Elder Trost baptized the Hermana Mildred and her family, she shared with me her conversion story and I have to give kudoos to Elder Trost, because he really was the only missionary who could have baptized that woman.
We spent the week finding new people and putting baptism dates left and right (we have 4 baptisms planned for September right now and we´re working for more). Our couple, Eduardo and Jeanette, were to be married Saturday (Aug 21), but Satan played his cards in trying to ruin it. First we had a back run in with mold that had infested all of our baptism clothes on Thursday. The Hermana Mildred called us at that moment of freaking out, telling us she had felt we needed help and if there was anything she could do for us. I count my lucky stars and thank the Lord for giving her that prompting of the Spirit, because otherwise we would´ve been left with NO baptism clothes for Saturday. About an hour before the wedding Saturday the lawyer called us, and gave us the unfortunate news that he absolutely couldn´t do the wedding that day. Eduardo and Jeanette had been counting down the days to their wedding, and there was no way I was going to wait until NEXT weekend for the big day. We´ve sacrificed our P-Day to get them married tonight, finalizing everything beforehand. Last night we passed by to check on the them, and luckily we did, because Lucifer had found his way back and had started to plant the seeds of doubt. I´ve said it before, I´ll say it again: I don´t know how many more times I can pour my heart and soul out in testimony. We spent a good two hours building up faith and testimony again until all was well and the wedding was back on a firm foundation. Elder Hoyt hugged me after we had left their house for joy. I guess he loved the way I bore my testimony to them. =P
Eduardo and Jeanette are getting married tonight at 7 p.m., and baptized Friday at the same hour. I ask for your prayers that they can stay firm in the faith until both these events pass.
There are so many people here I know I needed to meet before going home. So many tesitmonies I needed to hear, stories I needed to be told, and from day one in the area hasta la fecha, I´m still singing it.
I LOVE SAN RAMON!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
One Last Run
Above Photo is of the bautism of Franklin
This last week ended with a lot of success, which is what I like to see. Tuesday morning we had a combined district meeting to discuss a few of the new points of focus we have as missionaries. Everything is still based out of Preach My Gospel, however they are 8 new focuses that haven´t had the attention they have well needed. And I personally bore witness of that Wednesday.
Wednesday we had received a referece from our cook, and since we happened to be working in that part of San Vito we took advantage of contacting the family the same day. Right from the get-go we began to apply a few of the new teaching methods we had discussed the day before, and we shared possibly the best lesson of my mission up to this point. The family we found is golden, and I would´ve loved to have baptized them for my birthday. Sadly that won´t be possible now.
Thursday we put a fecha with a joven we´ve been visiting, Miguel Ángel. We started planning his baptism for the 28th, which he accepted. Thursday night the missionaries from Ciudad Neilly came to do a blitz in San Vito. I finished Thursday night working with my district leader, Elder Perez from Honduras. Friday I continued working with Elder Perez while Elder Centeno worked with another salvadureño, Elder Garcia, in another part of San Vito. Elder Perez and I sealed in stone a baptismal fecha with Alondra once more, also for the 28th. The Spirit was there and she accepted the fecha readily without hesitation like past attempts. We also began teaching Miguel Ángel´s dad, who although very opinionated, was great to talk with and answer his questions.
Saturday we had the branch mother´s day activity (Sunday was Mother´s Day here in Costa Rica, HAPPY SECOND MOTHER´S DAY MOM!), which turned out really well. The new family we had found came and participated, making friends with the members and enjoying all the silly games we had planned. Hermano Chinchilla made "rice and bean" (gallo pinto cooked in coco milk and with chile panameño) which was incredible. All in all it was a great activity.
Sunday we had a great turn out, which I was deeply appreciated to see. We had 33 in church, with 3 investigators present.
Now for the surprising turn of events. Friday morning around 8 a.m. I received a phone call from the assistants. I was pumped when they told me I was the first in the mission to know about changes. I was sorely disappointed when they told me I HAD CHNAGES.
Sadly it was so. Once again, just as in Escazú, I was being taken from my area with only 3 short months, and being sent to who knows where. Elder Centeno is still in San Vito, he´ll have 7 and a half months before he leaves his first area now.
We got to San José Sunday night after a 6 hour bus ride from the zona sur. I spend a good part of the night talking with two of my good friends who I knew in the MTC, Elder Mitton and Elder Winward, who both go home tomorrow. It´s so weird to see this group going home right now, because they were with my group in the MTC for 3 weeks. This morning in changes meeting I meet up with my whole MTC district. Elder Litchfield and I started to make plans for BYU-Idaho and the whole nine yards. I said goodbye to my friends who are going home tomorrow: old ZLs, old DLs, an ex-secretary, and an ex-AP.
Then changes happened.
However disappointed I might have been about having to leave San Vito so soon was replaced by a sense of purpose as I was on the bus headed to my new area. I am now in San Ramon of Alajuela. San Ramon was part of my zone when I was in Cañas a year ago, but now it is part of Zona Central. Elder Nelson, who was with me in the MTC, and my old companion Elder Logan are my zone leaders. My new companion is Elder Hoyt from Houston, Texas. I´m the district leader over the zone leaders in Naranjo and the hermanas in Grecia. Once I saw I was district leader my only thought was "Oh snap, I need to teach district meetings now." =P The only thing that changes now is I can perform baptism interviews, which will be quite the experience.
Elder Litchfield had changes as well, he´s still in San José. My MTC companion, Elder Trost, is the new AP. We all saw it coming, and although he himself said he was nervous, I know he´s the man for the job.
Being in a new area for my last 6 weeks of the mission has given me a new jump of ánimo. San Ramon has been progressing ever since Elder Trost turned the place around, and I wll throw everything I have on the table, going "balls to the wall" as Elder Litchfield would put it, to keep it going and finish hard and strong. Elder Hoyt is a pretty cool guy. He only has 2 months in the mission, but he learned spanish before so language isn´t much of a barrier for him. He´s a percussionist like myself, he leaning more towards marimba, but we´re going to have a lot of fun.
I´m ready to go until I just can´t give anymore. To get it all I got and have no regrets.
It´s the Final Countdown. And I´m not going down without a FIGHT.
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
It's been rough, but we're alive
This is going to be a little quick, I don´t have a lot of time because I still need to make the tithing deposit in the bank before it closes. Oh the stress of being in charge.
I love how our family always has strange animals who make their home in ours. I hope you named that racoon like we did "Dinner" back at Grandma and Grandpa´s place. =P
Sounds like you guys are getting everything ready for the new school year. I won´t lie, it sounds crazy that school is about to start again. When I got to San Vito you guys were just getting out of school. No time has passed at all and you´re all getting ready to go back. What´s up with that???
This last week was tough, but we pulled through. This is the last week of the change, so Elder Centeno and I sat down last night after a really rough day and began to plan out every individual lesson with members we have scheduled for the week. My thinking is based off what the APs touched on in zone conference. 20 to 30% of those that members find get baptized, while only 1 to 2% of who we find enter the waters of baptism. If that´s the case, we need to be working through the members more than anything. But to do that we need to be visiting them and sharing lessons directed to strengthing their testimonies and understanding of the gospel. We´ve already started along that way, but we´ve kicked it up a notch due to our poorly depressing let-downs we had to experience over the week.
This upcoming Sunday, August 15th, is Mother´s Day here in Costa Rica. We´re planning a small dinner and activity for the mothers of branch, it should be pretty fun. I´m learning more about how to manage the funds of the branch, although I never imagined I´d be doing this kind of stuff.
I´ve been suffering from odd illnesses throughout these last few weeks, but I´m afraid it could all be from the same cause. Last Sunday I almost fainted while teaching Priesthood. I started seing stars, my hearing became an echo, I lost feeling in my limbs, the whole 9 yards. I felt better about an hour later, after having ended church a half hour early, but throughout the rest of the week I´ve just felt really weak at weird times. Every afternoon my head has just been killing me (like it is now). I´ve been taking some cold meds, hoping they´ll do the job, but so far nothing´s kicked this bug from my system. I hoping it´s nothing, but if I continue this way or somehow get worse, I´ll need to call the Hermana Gálvez.
I´m fine with visiting Derek, Ashley, Grandma and Grandpa October 8th. I´m itching for a nice road tirp, and to be the one driving (from Boise to Pocatello, verdad, no me gusta a manejar por las montañas mucho). It´s so weird to be making plans like these. This morning on the bus to Ciudad Neilly (I´m in Neilly right now), I realized I don´t even feel like I´m not in my native country. Everything´s so normal to me here, I don´t know how it´s gonna be when I get home. Mom, Dad, just so you two know, I might only be speaking to you in spanish for a while on my return. I don´t like speaking in english for too long, I prefer speaking in spanish. It´s just easier for me, I have to think to much to use english.
Alright, I gotta get going. I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Take care, have fun, enjoy these last couple of days together before Ashley takes off for BSU, and be safe on the trip down. I can´t wait to hear from you all next week. Ciao!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
P.S.- Hey Ash, take care and be safe in Boise. I´ll be seeing you ASAP when I get home. And just so you don´t forget, buy plenty of shampoo before your birthday. Egg can be messy. =D Love ya Sis!
P.P.S.- Tell the Carton´s I miss them and give Tylan and big hug for me. =P I can´t believe he´s coming home. That´s just too much to take.
I love how our family always has strange animals who make their home in ours. I hope you named that racoon like we did "Dinner" back at Grandma and Grandpa´s place. =P
Sounds like you guys are getting everything ready for the new school year. I won´t lie, it sounds crazy that school is about to start again. When I got to San Vito you guys were just getting out of school. No time has passed at all and you´re all getting ready to go back. What´s up with that???
This last week was tough, but we pulled through. This is the last week of the change, so Elder Centeno and I sat down last night after a really rough day and began to plan out every individual lesson with members we have scheduled for the week. My thinking is based off what the APs touched on in zone conference. 20 to 30% of those that members find get baptized, while only 1 to 2% of who we find enter the waters of baptism. If that´s the case, we need to be working through the members more than anything. But to do that we need to be visiting them and sharing lessons directed to strengthing their testimonies and understanding of the gospel. We´ve already started along that way, but we´ve kicked it up a notch due to our poorly depressing let-downs we had to experience over the week.
This upcoming Sunday, August 15th, is Mother´s Day here in Costa Rica. We´re planning a small dinner and activity for the mothers of branch, it should be pretty fun. I´m learning more about how to manage the funds of the branch, although I never imagined I´d be doing this kind of stuff.
I´ve been suffering from odd illnesses throughout these last few weeks, but I´m afraid it could all be from the same cause. Last Sunday I almost fainted while teaching Priesthood. I started seing stars, my hearing became an echo, I lost feeling in my limbs, the whole 9 yards. I felt better about an hour later, after having ended church a half hour early, but throughout the rest of the week I´ve just felt really weak at weird times. Every afternoon my head has just been killing me (like it is now). I´ve been taking some cold meds, hoping they´ll do the job, but so far nothing´s kicked this bug from my system. I hoping it´s nothing, but if I continue this way or somehow get worse, I´ll need to call the Hermana Gálvez.
I´m fine with visiting Derek, Ashley, Grandma and Grandpa October 8th. I´m itching for a nice road tirp, and to be the one driving (from Boise to Pocatello, verdad, no me gusta a manejar por las montañas mucho). It´s so weird to be making plans like these. This morning on the bus to Ciudad Neilly (I´m in Neilly right now), I realized I don´t even feel like I´m not in my native country. Everything´s so normal to me here, I don´t know how it´s gonna be when I get home. Mom, Dad, just so you two know, I might only be speaking to you in spanish for a while on my return. I don´t like speaking in english for too long, I prefer speaking in spanish. It´s just easier for me, I have to think to much to use english.
Alright, I gotta get going. I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Take care, have fun, enjoy these last couple of days together before Ashley takes off for BSU, and be safe on the trip down. I can´t wait to hear from you all next week. Ciao!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
P.S.- Hey Ash, take care and be safe in Boise. I´ll be seeing you ASAP when I get home. And just so you don´t forget, buy plenty of shampoo before your birthday. Egg can be messy. =D Love ya Sis!
P.P.S.- Tell the Carton´s I miss them and give Tylan and big hug for me. =P I can´t believe he´s coming home. That´s just too much to take.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Conversion
I really don´t have the words to describe this week. It´s probably better if I just give you the whole story.
Tuesday we had zone conference. We´ve now hit a new point of Preach My Gospel. Starting in May of next year, the curriculum at the MTC will be altered. Preach My Gospel will still be the basis, but the focus will be more leaned to better ourselves as teachers. However, from this point on, all our capacitations will be based on this principle of being better gospel teachers. We saw a lot of that in President Gálvez´s capacitation Tuesday. A few other things have changed as well. We will now only be having zone conference every 3 months, and interviews with President will be the month following zone conference. In other words, Tuesday was my final zone conference in the mission. Interviews aren´t until August 31st. Two of my good mission buddies, Elder Mitton from Pocatello and Elder Winward from Salt Lake, gave their final testimonies in the conference. I´ve known them both since the MTC, and it´s was kind of unreal to see them giving their final testimonies knowing I´m next.
On that note, there´s been one major change. This group that leaves in a few weeks will be the last group to go home on a Tuesday. We´re the only mission in central america who holds their changes meetings on Mondays, and the Area Seventies said to change it. So starting with my group, changes meetings will be Wednesday, and because President Gálvez wants those leaving to be present in changes meeting, those going home won´t leave until Thursday. So you´re going to need to add two days onto the countdown, because I won´t be getting home until September 30th.
Now that´s just the news part of my letter. Now for the miracle part of it.
About a month and a half ago, a man named Franklin Mendoza found our branch secretary and asked if he could send us (the missionaries) to visit him. To give you some background on this man, he use to be an evangelical pastor. But to many of those in San Vito, he was more than just a pastor, a lot of people saw him as a prophet. About a year ago he was diagnosed with stomach cancer, on which they operated but he was still declared terminal. His health as decreased ever since, preventing him from continuing his practice as a pastor. With that, he was somewhat exiled from the church he once presided over, and realizing something was wrong, he began to look for something to fill the void he felt within him. Due to his health, his wife ended up leaving him, and he was left to fend for himself and his 3 sons. After talking with a member of the church on a bus, he was told to speak with our secretary, Hermano Chinchilla. The first time we met with him, he told us he was going to San José within a few days, and that the doctors were going ot amputate his leg due to an infection that had occured due to the cancer. We didn´t teach any straight lesson, we simply answered his questions the best we could, after the which he asked us if we could give him a blessing. After the blessing, I gave him a Book of Mormon with a chapter marked that he could read, and a number he could call to contact us. I also gave him the number to the missionaries in the area he would be staying in San José.
A few weeks later, I felt the impression we needed to visit him again. We weren´t even sure if he had returned from San José, but we called the Hermano Chinchilla and went. Franklin was there, and he hadn´t received surgery yet due to some complications in his divorce that wouldn´t permit him to leave town quite yet. He told us he had been reading in the Book of Mormon, and that he didn´t understand why people were so against it since everything he had read so far was exactly what he had been searching for since his illness began. Once again, he told us that he would hopefully be leaving for San José in a few days but that he would meet with the missionaries as soon as he left the hospital. That was on July 7th.
Friday morning I was seated out on the porch studying, when Elder Centeno came out with the phone. He told me that Franklin had called, that he was close by and that he wanted to speak with us. We met with Franklin outside the apartment, and he told us that once again his divorce had delayed his surgery, but that Sunday morning he would be leaving. Without any further hesitation, he asked us what he had to do be baptized before he left. All he needed was the desire and the faith, of which I could tell he had both. Prior to speaking with us, he had separated himself from the woman he had been living with knowing it was necessary to "be right with God" as he put it. He said he had no doubt in his mind that this was what he needed to do.
Not an hour later we were on a bus for Ciudad Neilly. We brought one of the district leaders in the zone to San Vito, and we had Franklin´s baptismal interview Friday night. He made the statement that he might not know a whole lot about the church as a whole, but he had gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon, and he knew it was true.
Sunday morning, August 1, 2010 at 7:30 in the morning, I had to previleged to baptize Franklin Mendoza. He was later confirmed and able to partake of the sacrament before leaving for San José and the surgery that awaited him. But before he left, he said he felt at peace.
There are times in the mission where you question if you´re doing all you can, and if you feel you are, then why aren´t the good things coming? Then an experience like this comes along, and you have to humble yourself for having forgotten to have patience, and feeling blessed to have had part in such a conversion of faith.
Franklin entered the hospital in San José this morning. If you could keep him in your prayers, I would be deeply grateful.
I hope you´re all doing alright and enjoying the few weeks of summer vacation that are left. I love you all.
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Tuesday we had zone conference. We´ve now hit a new point of Preach My Gospel. Starting in May of next year, the curriculum at the MTC will be altered. Preach My Gospel will still be the basis, but the focus will be more leaned to better ourselves as teachers. However, from this point on, all our capacitations will be based on this principle of being better gospel teachers. We saw a lot of that in President Gálvez´s capacitation Tuesday. A few other things have changed as well. We will now only be having zone conference every 3 months, and interviews with President will be the month following zone conference. In other words, Tuesday was my final zone conference in the mission. Interviews aren´t until August 31st. Two of my good mission buddies, Elder Mitton from Pocatello and Elder Winward from Salt Lake, gave their final testimonies in the conference. I´ve known them both since the MTC, and it´s was kind of unreal to see them giving their final testimonies knowing I´m next.
On that note, there´s been one major change. This group that leaves in a few weeks will be the last group to go home on a Tuesday. We´re the only mission in central america who holds their changes meetings on Mondays, and the Area Seventies said to change it. So starting with my group, changes meetings will be Wednesday, and because President Gálvez wants those leaving to be present in changes meeting, those going home won´t leave until Thursday. So you´re going to need to add two days onto the countdown, because I won´t be getting home until September 30th.
Now that´s just the news part of my letter. Now for the miracle part of it.
About a month and a half ago, a man named Franklin Mendoza found our branch secretary and asked if he could send us (the missionaries) to visit him. To give you some background on this man, he use to be an evangelical pastor. But to many of those in San Vito, he was more than just a pastor, a lot of people saw him as a prophet. About a year ago he was diagnosed with stomach cancer, on which they operated but he was still declared terminal. His health as decreased ever since, preventing him from continuing his practice as a pastor. With that, he was somewhat exiled from the church he once presided over, and realizing something was wrong, he began to look for something to fill the void he felt within him. Due to his health, his wife ended up leaving him, and he was left to fend for himself and his 3 sons. After talking with a member of the church on a bus, he was told to speak with our secretary, Hermano Chinchilla. The first time we met with him, he told us he was going to San José within a few days, and that the doctors were going ot amputate his leg due to an infection that had occured due to the cancer. We didn´t teach any straight lesson, we simply answered his questions the best we could, after the which he asked us if we could give him a blessing. After the blessing, I gave him a Book of Mormon with a chapter marked that he could read, and a number he could call to contact us. I also gave him the number to the missionaries in the area he would be staying in San José.
A few weeks later, I felt the impression we needed to visit him again. We weren´t even sure if he had returned from San José, but we called the Hermano Chinchilla and went. Franklin was there, and he hadn´t received surgery yet due to some complications in his divorce that wouldn´t permit him to leave town quite yet. He told us he had been reading in the Book of Mormon, and that he didn´t understand why people were so against it since everything he had read so far was exactly what he had been searching for since his illness began. Once again, he told us that he would hopefully be leaving for San José in a few days but that he would meet with the missionaries as soon as he left the hospital. That was on July 7th.
Friday morning I was seated out on the porch studying, when Elder Centeno came out with the phone. He told me that Franklin had called, that he was close by and that he wanted to speak with us. We met with Franklin outside the apartment, and he told us that once again his divorce had delayed his surgery, but that Sunday morning he would be leaving. Without any further hesitation, he asked us what he had to do be baptized before he left. All he needed was the desire and the faith, of which I could tell he had both. Prior to speaking with us, he had separated himself from the woman he had been living with knowing it was necessary to "be right with God" as he put it. He said he had no doubt in his mind that this was what he needed to do.
Not an hour later we were on a bus for Ciudad Neilly. We brought one of the district leaders in the zone to San Vito, and we had Franklin´s baptismal interview Friday night. He made the statement that he might not know a whole lot about the church as a whole, but he had gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon, and he knew it was true.
Sunday morning, August 1, 2010 at 7:30 in the morning, I had to previleged to baptize Franklin Mendoza. He was later confirmed and able to partake of the sacrament before leaving for San José and the surgery that awaited him. But before he left, he said he felt at peace.
There are times in the mission where you question if you´re doing all you can, and if you feel you are, then why aren´t the good things coming? Then an experience like this comes along, and you have to humble yourself for having forgotten to have patience, and feeling blessed to have had part in such a conversion of faith.
Franklin entered the hospital in San José this morning. If you could keep him in your prayers, I would be deeply grateful.
I hope you´re all doing alright and enjoying the few weeks of summer vacation that are left. I love you all.
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Soaked to the Bone
This week went alright, apart from the insane thunder storms that have been soaking us from head to toe. I haven´t come home dry in a while. =P
We managed to finally find some new families to teach, and the search continues this week as always. Yesterday we had 3 investigators in church, although we had to pull some strings so that members would pass by for them in the morning. We did finally have a Sunday with a "decent" church attendance. Friday my companion and I sat down and planned out everything for August. We´re going to be pushing ourselves a bit, but if we don´t no one else will.
Last night as I sat in bed thinking about what all needs to be down for the area, it suddenly hit me that I only have two months left. It just hit me like a brick wall. There´s so much to do here and so little time. If we just follow our plans, little by little I hope to see progress. As the saying goes "No one ever plans to fail; they just fail to plan."
Not a whole lot going on around here right now. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we have zone conference in Rio Claro. I´m looking forward to it, especially for President Galvez´s capacitation. Always a good chance to put into play new ideas we haven´t thought of yet.
Have I mentioned how weird it is to do the finances after church Sundays??? It´s one of the weirdest moments of the week, putting together all the financial reports to send to the central offices in San José. Just weird to be the one doing that stuff.
I´m glad to hear you guys have had a fun week. I hope Dad enjoyed his birthday. =D So Ashley is leaving for BSU on the 14th? She´ll be home for Tylan´s homecoming then. He gets home on the 11th (at least that´s what he last told me. I haven´t heard from him since they changed all our email accounts back in March). Just to be saying that sounds weird. Has time really passed like this?
Alright I don´t have much else to tell you guys about this week. Take care, be safe, and enjoy the time you all have together before Ashley leaves for college. I love you all.
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
We managed to finally find some new families to teach, and the search continues this week as always. Yesterday we had 3 investigators in church, although we had to pull some strings so that members would pass by for them in the morning. We did finally have a Sunday with a "decent" church attendance. Friday my companion and I sat down and planned out everything for August. We´re going to be pushing ourselves a bit, but if we don´t no one else will.
Last night as I sat in bed thinking about what all needs to be down for the area, it suddenly hit me that I only have two months left. It just hit me like a brick wall. There´s so much to do here and so little time. If we just follow our plans, little by little I hope to see progress. As the saying goes "No one ever plans to fail; they just fail to plan."
Not a whole lot going on around here right now. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we have zone conference in Rio Claro. I´m looking forward to it, especially for President Galvez´s capacitation. Always a good chance to put into play new ideas we haven´t thought of yet.
Have I mentioned how weird it is to do the finances after church Sundays??? It´s one of the weirdest moments of the week, putting together all the financial reports to send to the central offices in San José. Just weird to be the one doing that stuff.
I´m glad to hear you guys have had a fun week. I hope Dad enjoyed his birthday. =D So Ashley is leaving for BSU on the 14th? She´ll be home for Tylan´s homecoming then. He gets home on the 11th (at least that´s what he last told me. I haven´t heard from him since they changed all our email accounts back in March). Just to be saying that sounds weird. Has time really passed like this?
Alright I don´t have much else to tell you guys about this week. Take care, be safe, and enjoy the time you all have together before Ashley leaves for college. I love you all.
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Monday, July 19, 2010
A Matter of a Few Degrees
Elder Centeno and I actually had a companionship inventory recently, trying to figure out if we faulted something that could be throwing us off in our efforts. Yesterday I was listening to a talk by President Uchtdorf from the April 2008 General Conference. The talk is entitled "A Matter of a Few Degrees" and he spoke on of simply being off-course by ONE degree, it can put us so far off-course from where we want to be. As far as things we can improve on, the one thing that really stood out to us is that we´ve been spending a little more time in our appointments than we need to. I remember in one of our zone conferences as President Gálvez explained we should leave a home immediatly after the closing prayer, leaving those we visit with the lingering of the Spirit and to ponder more on what was taught. When we stick around for the offer of something to eat or even drink, we begin talking about worldly things and as we leave the lingering Spirit we desire to remain with them isn´t as strong or as present as before. As Alma taught: "...by small and simple things are great things brought to pass..." (Alma 37:6)
Once again we suffered in church attendance, but I´m not going to linger on it. My focus right now is to find new families to bring into the fold and fortify the kingdom here in San Vito. The saying "You can´t teach an old dog new tricks" has repeatedly entered my thoughts over the last week. We need new blood to rejuvenate and clean out the pereza that as intergrated itself here. There weren´t many who accepted us throughout the last week, but Im not going to give up. There´s a reason "endure to the end" is part of the gospel.
There´s been a change of schedule within the mission. Turns out Elder Falabella won´t be coming anymore, so our zone conference was changed for the 27th. Elder Centeno and I are taking it easy, bouncing ideas off one another as to things we can do to fortify the branch and what not. Did I mention I´ve been teaching the elders quorum? That along with everything else is a new experience. There´s definately a big difference between teaching the missionary lessons and teaching a class in church. I´m learning a lot, in every aspect of this experience, despite the difficulties we´ve been facing.
Notthing to exciting has happened lately, just know that I´m okay and doing fine. Keep the members of San Vito in your prayers please, along with myself. I appreciate it. =)
I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Tell Dad happy early birthday for me! I´ll talk to you next week. Ciao!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Once again we suffered in church attendance, but I´m not going to linger on it. My focus right now is to find new families to bring into the fold and fortify the kingdom here in San Vito. The saying "You can´t teach an old dog new tricks" has repeatedly entered my thoughts over the last week. We need new blood to rejuvenate and clean out the pereza that as intergrated itself here. There weren´t many who accepted us throughout the last week, but Im not going to give up. There´s a reason "endure to the end" is part of the gospel.
There´s been a change of schedule within the mission. Turns out Elder Falabella won´t be coming anymore, so our zone conference was changed for the 27th. Elder Centeno and I are taking it easy, bouncing ideas off one another as to things we can do to fortify the branch and what not. Did I mention I´ve been teaching the elders quorum? That along with everything else is a new experience. There´s definately a big difference between teaching the missionary lessons and teaching a class in church. I´m learning a lot, in every aspect of this experience, despite the difficulties we´ve been facing.
Notthing to exciting has happened lately, just know that I´m okay and doing fine. Keep the members of San Vito in your prayers please, along with myself. I appreciate it. =)
I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Tell Dad happy early birthday for me! I´ll talk to you next week. Ciao!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Some Peace of Mind
July 12th email
To answer your first question, no, San Vito isn´t a poor area. In fact this is the first time (not counting Escazú because they were all gringos) that most of the members have their own car. I´ll be honest, if the church was better established here, I would have no problem living in San Vito. It reminds me a lot of John Day, Oregon. Yesterday we continued with a depressing church attendance: 14. We visited three families Saturday evening, an not one of them came to church.
Things continue to be a struggle, but I´m dealing with it a little better now. There´s only so many things we can do for the members to get excited about the work, and we´re doing just about everything. We visit everyone during the week. We call those who are assigned to give talks twice a week. We call everyone Saturday night about church, and a few special cases Sunday morning. What we fault more than anything is bringing new people to church, and it´s been a dead week in trying to find new investigators. Every free minute is dedicated to looking, and I pray we find our golden family soon. We´ve been placing pamphlets (is that how you spell it??? I don´t even remember) in every grocery store, bookstore, and copy shop we pass through with our names and number. The Lord works through small means. I can only hope and pray these small means lead to the results He wants.
President Gálvez called me last night as well. I was kind of taken aback at first, I mean come on, my mission president called me. There´s some pressure in that. He asked me how church went, how the members are doing, and what we have planned. I won´t lie, talking with President Gálvez gave me some peace of mind. I don´t feel like a chicken with it´s head cut off anymore. He agreed with what we´re doing and gave me some advice in other things we can do to strengthen our candidates for branch president. Everything just feels better when you know President is on your side.
Today we spent the day in Ciudad Neily with my district and the zone leaders. We went to a waterfall in the area and then played soccer with the youth. I´m looking forward to playing some soccer on the weekends when I get home. Although I doubt the games will be as intense as they are here.
My new district leader is Elder Perez from Honduras. This will be the first time I have been the only gringo in my district. I do feel my english is only going to get worse in the coming months. I´ve already found myself struggling to pronounce certain words correctly when I was trying to talk with the gringos that came to church yesterday. I couldn´t even remember the word "downtown". I just say "centro".
I dare say my father language is killing the mother language.
Alright well not much else to tell you guys about this week. I hope you´re all enjoying summer vacation and staying safe. Take care, thank Grandma and Grandpa for the money, and know that I am safe and happy. Thank you for everything.
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
To answer your first question, no, San Vito isn´t a poor area. In fact this is the first time (not counting Escazú because they were all gringos) that most of the members have their own car. I´ll be honest, if the church was better established here, I would have no problem living in San Vito. It reminds me a lot of John Day, Oregon. Yesterday we continued with a depressing church attendance: 14. We visited three families Saturday evening, an not one of them came to church.
Things continue to be a struggle, but I´m dealing with it a little better now. There´s only so many things we can do for the members to get excited about the work, and we´re doing just about everything. We visit everyone during the week. We call those who are assigned to give talks twice a week. We call everyone Saturday night about church, and a few special cases Sunday morning. What we fault more than anything is bringing new people to church, and it´s been a dead week in trying to find new investigators. Every free minute is dedicated to looking, and I pray we find our golden family soon. We´ve been placing pamphlets (is that how you spell it??? I don´t even remember) in every grocery store, bookstore, and copy shop we pass through with our names and number. The Lord works through small means. I can only hope and pray these small means lead to the results He wants.
President Gálvez called me last night as well. I was kind of taken aback at first, I mean come on, my mission president called me. There´s some pressure in that. He asked me how church went, how the members are doing, and what we have planned. I won´t lie, talking with President Gálvez gave me some peace of mind. I don´t feel like a chicken with it´s head cut off anymore. He agreed with what we´re doing and gave me some advice in other things we can do to strengthen our candidates for branch president. Everything just feels better when you know President is on your side.
Today we spent the day in Ciudad Neily with my district and the zone leaders. We went to a waterfall in the area and then played soccer with the youth. I´m looking forward to playing some soccer on the weekends when I get home. Although I doubt the games will be as intense as they are here.
My new district leader is Elder Perez from Honduras. This will be the first time I have been the only gringo in my district. I do feel my english is only going to get worse in the coming months. I´ve already found myself struggling to pronounce certain words correctly when I was trying to talk with the gringos that came to church yesterday. I couldn´t even remember the word "downtown". I just say "centro".
I dare say my father language is killing the mother language.
Alright well not much else to tell you guys about this week. I hope you´re all enjoying summer vacation and staying safe. Take care, thank Grandma and Grandpa for the money, and know that I am safe and happy. Thank you for everything.
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Sunday, July 11, 2010
New Lessons in Patience
July 4th email
You´re right, I have been a little frustrated this last couple of weeks. The more we do, the fewer the results. If I hadn´t been blessed with a fun companion, I would´ve tore my hair out weeks ago. Reading through old letters I´ve received as well as continuing in my studies of the scriptures helps me with the daily dose of ánimo that I need most right now, a blessing I am truely grateful for.
This last wek Elder Centeno and I have been praying and playing around with all the callings in the branch, trying to find what the Lord wants to happen. The people and the callings they have now just isn´t working, especially with the youth and primary leaders. I´ve really hit the point we´re I´ve accepted one of my old district leader´s mottos: "If they won´t go to church, find people who will."
Sunday just made me want to cry. We started sacrament meeting with only 8 people present (that´s including me and my companion). I can´t even find words to describe how awful I felt. I don´t know what more we could´ve done. We visited everyone during the week, called everyone Saturday night, we even called people early Sunday morning because we knew they would sleep in. And yet nobody came, and noday cared. Or so it would seem that way. This week we´re dedicating every free moment we have in finding people who are willing to do things the way the Lord wants it done. People who echo the Prophet Joseph´s personal rule: When the Lord commands, do it.
Changes were today. Elder Centeno and I will be together until mid-August, which I´m perfectly fine with. We´re having fun, and although things aren´t going the way we want them to, it´s good to have someone of good humor around to joke around with and lighten the mood. Everyone else int he zone has changes though. In fact, Elder Centeno and I are the only missionaries in the Zona Sur today. Everyone else is in San José. =P
Last night my companion and I revised our plans for the week. I will not allow another Sunday like yesterday to happen ever again. I won´t do it. Of those eigth in church, two of them weren´t even members from San Vito. There´s a student couple from Arizona doing a study here, so they´ll be with us until August. It´ll be nice to have some new faces around for a while at least.
Alright, there´s not much else going on here. I did find out that Elder Falabella of the Seventy will be visiting us on the 22nd. I´m looking forward to that. It´s been a while since we last had a General Authority visit us.
Take care and have a great week. Tell Grandma thank you for the money, I really appreciate it. =)
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
P.S.- Mom and Logan: How are you two doing on your Book of Mormon reading?
You´re right, I have been a little frustrated this last couple of weeks. The more we do, the fewer the results. If I hadn´t been blessed with a fun companion, I would´ve tore my hair out weeks ago. Reading through old letters I´ve received as well as continuing in my studies of the scriptures helps me with the daily dose of ánimo that I need most right now, a blessing I am truely grateful for.
This last wek Elder Centeno and I have been praying and playing around with all the callings in the branch, trying to find what the Lord wants to happen. The people and the callings they have now just isn´t working, especially with the youth and primary leaders. I´ve really hit the point we´re I´ve accepted one of my old district leader´s mottos: "If they won´t go to church, find people who will."
Sunday just made me want to cry. We started sacrament meeting with only 8 people present (that´s including me and my companion). I can´t even find words to describe how awful I felt. I don´t know what more we could´ve done. We visited everyone during the week, called everyone Saturday night, we even called people early Sunday morning because we knew they would sleep in. And yet nobody came, and noday cared. Or so it would seem that way. This week we´re dedicating every free moment we have in finding people who are willing to do things the way the Lord wants it done. People who echo the Prophet Joseph´s personal rule: When the Lord commands, do it.
Changes were today. Elder Centeno and I will be together until mid-August, which I´m perfectly fine with. We´re having fun, and although things aren´t going the way we want them to, it´s good to have someone of good humor around to joke around with and lighten the mood. Everyone else int he zone has changes though. In fact, Elder Centeno and I are the only missionaries in the Zona Sur today. Everyone else is in San José. =P
Last night my companion and I revised our plans for the week. I will not allow another Sunday like yesterday to happen ever again. I won´t do it. Of those eigth in church, two of them weren´t even members from San Vito. There´s a student couple from Arizona doing a study here, so they´ll be with us until August. It´ll be nice to have some new faces around for a while at least.
Alright, there´s not much else going on here. I did find out that Elder Falabella of the Seventy will be visiting us on the 22nd. I´m looking forward to that. It´s been a while since we last had a General Authority visit us.
Take care and have a great week. Tell Grandma thank you for the money, I really appreciate it. =)
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
P.S.- Mom and Logan: How are you two doing on your Book of Mormon reading?
The Goal
June 28th email
Things have been pretty crazy around here. We were suppose to have interviews with President Gálvez on Tuesday, but they got changed to Thursday. So Elder Centeno and I ended up leaving Golfito early Tuesday morning. Luckily, we got back to San Vito by 11 a.m. Elder Centeno got back from San José Monday night, and thankfully, he brought your package along with him. We had some urgent puchases to make, I´m not sure how much money is left in my account and I don´t want to pull out anymore money for fear of overdraft charges.
We´ve been working hard with one family we found a few weeks back. The daughter, Alondra, decided she wants to be baptized, and we set the date for July 10th. One of my zone leaders wasn´t too happy about that, he tried to push into baptizing her this last Saturday (June 26) so that the zone would make it´s goal for baptisms. He was pretty speechless with my reply. I don´t chop investigators heads like a lot of other missionaries do, but I have no problem chopping a missionary´s head for being a number cruncher. If they don´t have a testimony of the restoration of the gospel, I won´t baptize them. Especially when every baptism needs to help the branch GROW. We can´t afford that anyone falls away. My zone leader came back saying that it´important to focus on retention as branch president, but I also need to focus on missionary work.
...I was under the impression retention was PART of missionary work...
In my interview with President Gálvez Thursday I mentioned this to him, and he took my side which gave me a decent confidence boost. My interview with President was good. I ended up asking him a landslide of questions about what I should be doing in the branch. He gave me my objective: When I leave, the branch needs to have a REAL branch president, not a missionary. I´m all for that, it´s not the same when it´s a missionary running the show. We´re only around for so long, and then when the new guy comes, plans change, and you´re pretty much starting out from square one. There´s no real progress that way.
Along with that President gave me some advice on what we can do to prepare and strengthen the leaders. We´re going to be cutting church short one hour, starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 11 a.m. (Sacrament meeting and Sundayt school). No one sticks around for Priesthood or Relief Society, and until we get the few we have ACTIVE in the church, there´s no point in following through with that. We need to take everything back to basics. In Sunday school we´re already teaching Gospel Principles instead of the Old Testament. For mutual we´re using activities to teach basic gospel doctrine. In dropping the third hour, it puts more responsibility on our more active members to do their home and visiting teaching. It´s going to be a lot of work, but the hope is in doing this our one major candidate for branch president, the Hermano Chinchilla, will start to work more in the church.
Thursday after interviews we had divisions with the elders of Ciudad Neily. I was wih my district leader, Elder Sperry, in San Vito. I had to teach seminary and then the youth leaders didn´t show, so I directed mutual as well. Thursday nights have proven to be our busiest nights aound here.
Tuesday night I had a craving for banana cream pie, so I bought the stuff to make it. I just made the cream, didn´t want to spend my time on the crust. =P I can officially make banana cream pie now. I do think that is somewhat of an accomplishment. =D
Alright I gotta jet. I love you all and I hope you all have a great week. Take care, enjoy the World Cup, and I´ll talk to you guys next week. ¡Ciao!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Things have been pretty crazy around here. We were suppose to have interviews with President Gálvez on Tuesday, but they got changed to Thursday. So Elder Centeno and I ended up leaving Golfito early Tuesday morning. Luckily, we got back to San Vito by 11 a.m. Elder Centeno got back from San José Monday night, and thankfully, he brought your package along with him. We had some urgent puchases to make, I´m not sure how much money is left in my account and I don´t want to pull out anymore money for fear of overdraft charges.
We´ve been working hard with one family we found a few weeks back. The daughter, Alondra, decided she wants to be baptized, and we set the date for July 10th. One of my zone leaders wasn´t too happy about that, he tried to push into baptizing her this last Saturday (June 26) so that the zone would make it´s goal for baptisms. He was pretty speechless with my reply. I don´t chop investigators heads like a lot of other missionaries do, but I have no problem chopping a missionary´s head for being a number cruncher. If they don´t have a testimony of the restoration of the gospel, I won´t baptize them. Especially when every baptism needs to help the branch GROW. We can´t afford that anyone falls away. My zone leader came back saying that it´important to focus on retention as branch president, but I also need to focus on missionary work.
...I was under the impression retention was PART of missionary work...
In my interview with President Gálvez Thursday I mentioned this to him, and he took my side which gave me a decent confidence boost. My interview with President was good. I ended up asking him a landslide of questions about what I should be doing in the branch. He gave me my objective: When I leave, the branch needs to have a REAL branch president, not a missionary. I´m all for that, it´s not the same when it´s a missionary running the show. We´re only around for so long, and then when the new guy comes, plans change, and you´re pretty much starting out from square one. There´s no real progress that way.
Along with that President gave me some advice on what we can do to prepare and strengthen the leaders. We´re going to be cutting church short one hour, starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 11 a.m. (Sacrament meeting and Sundayt school). No one sticks around for Priesthood or Relief Society, and until we get the few we have ACTIVE in the church, there´s no point in following through with that. We need to take everything back to basics. In Sunday school we´re already teaching Gospel Principles instead of the Old Testament. For mutual we´re using activities to teach basic gospel doctrine. In dropping the third hour, it puts more responsibility on our more active members to do their home and visiting teaching. It´s going to be a lot of work, but the hope is in doing this our one major candidate for branch president, the Hermano Chinchilla, will start to work more in the church.
Thursday after interviews we had divisions with the elders of Ciudad Neily. I was wih my district leader, Elder Sperry, in San Vito. I had to teach seminary and then the youth leaders didn´t show, so I directed mutual as well. Thursday nights have proven to be our busiest nights aound here.
Tuesday night I had a craving for banana cream pie, so I bought the stuff to make it. I just made the cream, didn´t want to spend my time on the crust. =P I can officially make banana cream pie now. I do think that is somewhat of an accomplishment. =D
Alright I gotta jet. I love you all and I hope you all have a great week. Take care, enjoy the World Cup, and I´ll talk to you guys next week. ¡Ciao!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Go Chile! Go!
June 21st Email
Happy Father´s Day Dad! Tell Derek I said happy birthday as well. =)
I´ve been trying to keep up on World Cup stuff by asking members. There´s been some weird upsets, but I was so pumped when I heard Chile beat Honduras. I just heard a few minutes ago that Chile beat Switzerland as well. That just leaves Spain. That might hurt a bit, but I´m rooting for Chile all the way. =D
To answer your question about Changes, Changes meetings are always on Mondays every 6 months. I´ll be coming home Tuesday, September 28th. I should be getting my flight plans in August, so we´ll know times and everything then.
This week has kind of followed the pattern of a tough week, but I´ve accepted it´s just going to be this way until the end. A lot of work needs to be done, and I´m trying to play out my strengths to where I can help the branch most. It´s not easy, but I´m keeping my sights on the future: to when this small branch can flourish as a ward in a stake of Zion. It was kind of disheartening when I realized that apart from the branch secretary and the seminary teacher, all other leaders in San Vito are less active. The district president gave me some good advice though: Just work with the youth. If the youth are active, the parents will follow soon enough.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) we have interviews with President Gálvez. I´m for sure going to be asking his advice on a lot that´s been going on here. Yesterday (Sunday) was a bit rough though. We had 2 investigators in church, which I was glad for, but we only had 13 PEOPLE IN CHURCH.
This last week has found us working especially hard with a family we found recently. Juan, Isabel, and their daughters Nuria and Alondra. It hasn´t been easy. Alondra, who´s fourteen, loves everything we´ve taught and wants to be baptized. Juan, the father, is 86 years old and dying. We gave him a blessing a few nights back, and miraculously he was on his feet for the first time in weeks the next day. The mother Isabel is the tough one though. Preisthood authority is her brick wall right now, no matter how many times we´ve tried to lay it out for her. She just needs to pray and ask, it´s really that simple. But simplicity in the things of the Lord are not what people usually expect, sadly enough. I don´t think we´re going to make our goal for the month, but that only means we need to work even HARDER in the month to come. We´re also going to see if we should pick up an old investigator as well. The guy is an sadly an alcoholic, and has been for a very, VERY long time. We set the goal with him that he won´t drink AT ALL tomorrow (Tuesday). If he can go just ONE day without taking a drink, then there´s the chance of progress. This guy has some crazy stories though. He´s gone wetback into the states twice just for starters.
Food for the week is something noteworthy. Wednesdau we had cow tongue for lunch. I knew what it was the moment I saw it, but my companion didn´t have a clue. We started eating and Elder Centeno froze for a second saying "This meat is way too soft to be normal." I started laughing as did our cook. Elder Centeno was kind of shocked to learn he was eating cw tongue. After everything I´ve had to eat in this country, cow tongue was nothing in comparison.
Saturday our branch secretary made us Rice & Bean. I don´t know if I´ve told you about this dish before, but it´s a typical dish from Limón. It´s pretty much the same thing as Gallo Pinto (white rice and beans) but the difference is the good everything in coconut milk and mix in some chili panameños. It´s always served with roasted chicken which is also cooked in coco milk. It has to be one of my favorite dishes here, and it´s usually only good when a black man makes it. Ticos try, but this dish was created and perfected but Limonenses. Our secretary did a good job though, I was really surprised.
I´m in Golfito right now. My companion had to go to San José again to receive his residency. Friday night we got stopped by a couple of cops and they asked to see our IDs. My companion didn´t have any papers on him, but THANKFULLY immigration was CLOSED. The cops didn´t want to go through the trouble of taking my comp in, so they just told him he can´t leave our apartment or else they´ll take him in. President Gálvez got the ball rolling, and finalized my companion´s residency ASAP. The funny thing was Saturday night walking home we saw those same two cops, and they just glared at us with eyes that said "I thought I told you to stay home." They didn´t do anything, as I knew they wouldn´t, and if they had tried my comp had on him the equivalent to "diplomatic immunity" for missionaries. =P
Alright, not much else happening around here. I´m kind of stressed out about what I´m going to do with the branch, but I´m trying my best not to let it overwhelm me. Like I said, there´s just so much to do I´m not sure where to start. I´m going to take the district president´s advice though: just work with the youth and the rest will fall into place.
I love you all and I hope you have a great week, Take care, be safe, and enjoy summer vacation (because some of us have gone 2 years without one). =P
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
P.S.- No, I haven´t received my new debit card yet. I´m hoping I´ll get it tomorrow at interviews.
Happy Father´s Day Dad! Tell Derek I said happy birthday as well. =)
I´ve been trying to keep up on World Cup stuff by asking members. There´s been some weird upsets, but I was so pumped when I heard Chile beat Honduras. I just heard a few minutes ago that Chile beat Switzerland as well. That just leaves Spain. That might hurt a bit, but I´m rooting for Chile all the way. =D
To answer your question about Changes, Changes meetings are always on Mondays every 6 months. I´ll be coming home Tuesday, September 28th. I should be getting my flight plans in August, so we´ll know times and everything then.
This week has kind of followed the pattern of a tough week, but I´ve accepted it´s just going to be this way until the end. A lot of work needs to be done, and I´m trying to play out my strengths to where I can help the branch most. It´s not easy, but I´m keeping my sights on the future: to when this small branch can flourish as a ward in a stake of Zion. It was kind of disheartening when I realized that apart from the branch secretary and the seminary teacher, all other leaders in San Vito are less active. The district president gave me some good advice though: Just work with the youth. If the youth are active, the parents will follow soon enough.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) we have interviews with President Gálvez. I´m for sure going to be asking his advice on a lot that´s been going on here. Yesterday (Sunday) was a bit rough though. We had 2 investigators in church, which I was glad for, but we only had 13 PEOPLE IN CHURCH.
This last week has found us working especially hard with a family we found recently. Juan, Isabel, and their daughters Nuria and Alondra. It hasn´t been easy. Alondra, who´s fourteen, loves everything we´ve taught and wants to be baptized. Juan, the father, is 86 years old and dying. We gave him a blessing a few nights back, and miraculously he was on his feet for the first time in weeks the next day. The mother Isabel is the tough one though. Preisthood authority is her brick wall right now, no matter how many times we´ve tried to lay it out for her. She just needs to pray and ask, it´s really that simple. But simplicity in the things of the Lord are not what people usually expect, sadly enough. I don´t think we´re going to make our goal for the month, but that only means we need to work even HARDER in the month to come. We´re also going to see if we should pick up an old investigator as well. The guy is an sadly an alcoholic, and has been for a very, VERY long time. We set the goal with him that he won´t drink AT ALL tomorrow (Tuesday). If he can go just ONE day without taking a drink, then there´s the chance of progress. This guy has some crazy stories though. He´s gone wetback into the states twice just for starters.
Food for the week is something noteworthy. Wednesdau we had cow tongue for lunch. I knew what it was the moment I saw it, but my companion didn´t have a clue. We started eating and Elder Centeno froze for a second saying "This meat is way too soft to be normal." I started laughing as did our cook. Elder Centeno was kind of shocked to learn he was eating cw tongue. After everything I´ve had to eat in this country, cow tongue was nothing in comparison.
Saturday our branch secretary made us Rice & Bean. I don´t know if I´ve told you about this dish before, but it´s a typical dish from Limón. It´s pretty much the same thing as Gallo Pinto (white rice and beans) but the difference is the good everything in coconut milk and mix in some chili panameños. It´s always served with roasted chicken which is also cooked in coco milk. It has to be one of my favorite dishes here, and it´s usually only good when a black man makes it. Ticos try, but this dish was created and perfected but Limonenses. Our secretary did a good job though, I was really surprised.
I´m in Golfito right now. My companion had to go to San José again to receive his residency. Friday night we got stopped by a couple of cops and they asked to see our IDs. My companion didn´t have any papers on him, but THANKFULLY immigration was CLOSED. The cops didn´t want to go through the trouble of taking my comp in, so they just told him he can´t leave our apartment or else they´ll take him in. President Gálvez got the ball rolling, and finalized my companion´s residency ASAP. The funny thing was Saturday night walking home we saw those same two cops, and they just glared at us with eyes that said "I thought I told you to stay home." They didn´t do anything, as I knew they wouldn´t, and if they had tried my comp had on him the equivalent to "diplomatic immunity" for missionaries. =P
Alright, not much else happening around here. I´m kind of stressed out about what I´m going to do with the branch, but I´m trying my best not to let it overwhelm me. Like I said, there´s just so much to do I´m not sure where to start. I´m going to take the district president´s advice though: just work with the youth and the rest will fall into place.
I love you all and I hope you have a great week, Take care, be safe, and enjoy summer vacation (because some of us have gone 2 years without one). =P
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
P.S.- No, I haven´t received my new debit card yet. I´m hoping I´ll get it tomorrow at interviews.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Una Semana de Locuras
This last week was more than a little crazy. Monday we went to Ciudad Neilly and spent the night there. Tuesday we had Zone Conference in Rio Claro, which was one of the best conferences I´ve had in my mission. 20 months in the mission, and there´s still so much I need to learn. There´s always something we need to do better.
After conference we were told at the last minute that my companion, Elder Centeno, had to go to San José to get his residency. Well that put us off on some weird divisions. I went back to San Vito with Elder Fotheringham, one of the missionaries in Golfito. We got home late Tuesday night, but Wednesday we had some big appointments planned. Those plans got destroyed when we got a call from the missionaries in Puerto Jimenez if we got pull together some baptism clothes and bring them to Ciudad Neilly. On top of that, I needed to figure out a few things about some checks that were spent, which added to my growing headache of the day. Well, after running around town all morning we had to once again descend from the mountaintops into Ciudad Neilly, having to drop the appointments we had in my area. Suposedly I was going to meet up with my companion in Rio Claro, but the missionary he was with didn´t listen to us and went straight to his own area with my companion. We didn´t end up getting into my area again until Thursday night. In other words, my area went 4 days without any missionary work. Something I wasn´t the least bit happy about.
To top it all off, my district leader called Friday morning and wanted to do divisions that same day. Apparently the zone leaders wanted us to put a baptismal date with a lady we´re teaching, but she hasn´t even been to church yet. I shut them all down. One, there was no way on earth I was gonna go BACK to Ciudad Neilly to do divisions. And secondly, why would I put a baptism date with someone who hasn´t gone to church once?
Finally in my area once again, I found out that President Soto, First Counselor of the Mission, was coming to San Vito Saturday and Sunday. I had a day to organize everything. Saturday night President Soto was suppose to leave with us to work, but he ended up not coming up Saturday night. Sunday morning we went to the chapel at 7 a.m. to meet with President Soto, but he never showed. Apparently there was a change of plans.
But, through all the headaches of the week, we did have some success. Saturday night we found a new family, of which they´ve been looking for something to fortify their family and better their relationships one with another. Secondly, we had 31 people in church on Sunday. That might not sound like a lot, but considering last week we had but 18, I was happy with it. Now to try and maintain that. Finally, I organized our home teaching for the branch as well. I´m learning a lot, of which I am thankful. I never thought I´d find myself where I am now, but it´s an experience I´ll never forget.
I hope you all continue to enjoy your summer vacation and that you all stay safe as well. Take care, enjoy the blessings you now have, and keep on keeping on. =)
I love you all.
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
After conference we were told at the last minute that my companion, Elder Centeno, had to go to San José to get his residency. Well that put us off on some weird divisions. I went back to San Vito with Elder Fotheringham, one of the missionaries in Golfito. We got home late Tuesday night, but Wednesday we had some big appointments planned. Those plans got destroyed when we got a call from the missionaries in Puerto Jimenez if we got pull together some baptism clothes and bring them to Ciudad Neilly. On top of that, I needed to figure out a few things about some checks that were spent, which added to my growing headache of the day. Well, after running around town all morning we had to once again descend from the mountaintops into Ciudad Neilly, having to drop the appointments we had in my area. Suposedly I was going to meet up with my companion in Rio Claro, but the missionary he was with didn´t listen to us and went straight to his own area with my companion. We didn´t end up getting into my area again until Thursday night. In other words, my area went 4 days without any missionary work. Something I wasn´t the least bit happy about.
To top it all off, my district leader called Friday morning and wanted to do divisions that same day. Apparently the zone leaders wanted us to put a baptismal date with a lady we´re teaching, but she hasn´t even been to church yet. I shut them all down. One, there was no way on earth I was gonna go BACK to Ciudad Neilly to do divisions. And secondly, why would I put a baptism date with someone who hasn´t gone to church once?
Finally in my area once again, I found out that President Soto, First Counselor of the Mission, was coming to San Vito Saturday and Sunday. I had a day to organize everything. Saturday night President Soto was suppose to leave with us to work, but he ended up not coming up Saturday night. Sunday morning we went to the chapel at 7 a.m. to meet with President Soto, but he never showed. Apparently there was a change of plans.
But, through all the headaches of the week, we did have some success. Saturday night we found a new family, of which they´ve been looking for something to fortify their family and better their relationships one with another. Secondly, we had 31 people in church on Sunday. That might not sound like a lot, but considering last week we had but 18, I was happy with it. Now to try and maintain that. Finally, I organized our home teaching for the branch as well. I´m learning a lot, of which I am thankful. I never thought I´d find myself where I am now, but it´s an experience I´ll never forget.
I hope you all continue to enjoy your summer vacation and that you all stay safe as well. Take care, enjoy the blessings you now have, and keep on keeping on. =)
I love you all.
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Monday, May 31, 2010
Crazy Week
Alright well, first off, I never thought I´d ever see the Zona Sur, but I´m glad to be here. I got a lot of friends in the zone with me from previous areas, so I´m really looking forward to this change. Elders Hansen and Villanueva, who were both with me in zonas Toyopan and La Sabana, are my zone leaders. Elder Winward, who was my ZL in La Sabana is down here, just to name a few.
My new companion is Elder Centeno from El Salvador. He´s a really humble kid, I´m really glad to have him as a companion after the 3-month headache I had with Elder Rodriguez. Elder Centeno was baptized a little over a year ago, and he´s only been in the mission for 3, almost 4 months. Elder Centeno and I are ready to have some fun and work our butts off to turn this branch around.
San Vito is the only fresco part of the Zona Sur, and I´m so glad to be here. When I went out to Cañas, I thought that was pretty campo. I got out to Siquirres and I was like "Wow, this is super campo." I can honestly say that San Vito is TRUE CAMPO. It´s so green EVERYWHERE. It´s just a nice, quiet countryside town. Nobody locks their doors, and it´s just super peaceful. If I end the mission here, it will be a very peaceful ending. I´m also like a half hour from the Panama border. I´ve literally seen both extremes of this country in the last year.
The first week was way more hectic than what I signed up for, I´ll start with that. I got into the area being told we had 5 baptisms and a wedding this weekend. Well, that might have been what was reported, but that´s not what I found. 3 of those fechas had a set baptismal date for the 29th, but the other 2 so-called "fechas" hadn´t even been talked to about baptism. And as far as that goes, the wedding which was supposedly already planned out had no meat to it´s bones. We had no lawyer to perform the wedding, and the people who were getting married didn´t even know WHEN they were getting married. Elder Centeno spent the whole week running back a forth from place to place trying to get it all figured out. Wednesday we found a lawyer who was going to charge us $80 and finished all the paperwork that needed to be done to have the wedding on Friday, challenged the 2 others to baptism on the 29th, got clearance to have the baptisms in a private river (the chapel here is a house and there is no baptism fount), and planned out when we would have the interviews. Thursday night I had to teach my young men´s and young women´s presidents how to run mutual, and then Friday morning my district leader Elder Sperry showed to do the interviews. The family we were getting married and baptized (Wilber, Melba, & their daughter Angelica) were up first for their baptism interviews, and then we went straight to the wedding. The lawyer was really nice to work with, we´ll more than likely be using her again if another marriage comes around. She ended up only charging us $40, half the original cost. After the marriage the next 2 baptism candadites (Maria & Victor) were up. These are the 2 who didn´t have baptism dates when I got into the area. Their teaching records said they had been taught everything, but when I reviewed the baptism questions with them there were quite a few things they hadn´t been taught. So it didn´t come as a surprise to me when Elder Sperry told me they weren´t ready. We´re going to keep working with them and hopefully get them baptized with strong testimonies in June. I know we can do it.
Saturday morning Elder Winward showed up at our apartment as well. Elder Sperry had been with Elder Winward´s companion, and vice versa. Apparently weird divisions happen all the time in this zone. Anyway seeing how we baptize in a river here, the others wanted to come a see. It´s a good thing they came along, because no other priesthood showed up at the baptism. If the other four missionaries hadn´t come, we wouldn´t have had witnesses for the baptisms. From there on everything played out smoothly though. I told Elder Centeno that from now on, all baptisms/marriages are to be fully planned a week in advance. I hate running against the clock in these things, it´s just too stressful. Planning makes perfect, and I like to keep to that motto.
Sunday was really different. First off, I conducted sacracment meeting. I improvised a talk as well because 2 of our speakers didn´t show. I taught sunday school for the youth because their teacher didn´t show either. An odd part of the day was teaching priesthood and Relief Society together for 5th Sunday. I don´t even know what I was suppose to teach in that class, but Saturday night when I realized I had to teach I pulled something together from Elder Ucthdorf´s talk in October 2008: Lift Where You Stand. I applied it to the branch, putting emphasis on magnifying our callings and working as a team, helping one another out where we can. Elder Centeno and I planned a Branch Talent Show for this coming Saturday, and we´ve planned several other activites as well. In President Gálvez´s letter last week he told me to use everything I´ve learned and experienced in my new calling. Well, if I´ve learned one thing, it´s that activites build unity. Especially when only 30 people come to church. =P
Yes, the branch really is that small. Actually, 30 people in church is a good Sunday here. They had assistance of just 18 a few weeks ago.
The weirdest part of the day was counting up tithing with the branch secretary. Signing all that stuff was just way too weird.
So much to do, so much to learn, and who knows if I can pull it all off. I´m putting everything I´ve got on the Lord right now. I really do feel like a fish out of water right now. Hopefully I don´t feel like that for much longer.
I hope you all have a great week. Have fun, be safe, and enjoy the start of summer vacation! Thanks for sending me Ashley´s graduation fotos!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Pray for me
"And it came to pass that it was for the space of many hours before Moses did again receive his natural strength like unto man; and he said unto himself: Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed." -Moses 1:10
This scripture best describes how I feel right now. You´ll understand why as you read on.
This last week was busy and hectic. Tuesday we helped a family tear down a fence, and Friday we repaired yet one more rocking rock. I didn´t feel any earthquake on Thursday, possibly because we were on a bus, but a lot of people were talking about it. As far as I know there wasn´t any major damage.
Friday night our ward mission leader, Hno. Lopez, went out with us to visit a family we´d been teaching. They started out right from the get-go with one doubt after another about little insignificant things, and Elder Rodriguez began to respond with coments that would have for sure insulted the family- that is of course until I cut him off. I poured my heart out to those people using the clearest and yet sincerest language I could summon. As we left I was grateful to see in their eyes that the Spirit had touched them. Walking home, I had the strongest impression that I had borne my last testimony in the area.
I was right.
Saturday I began to say my goodbyes. I taught my last english class, commiting my students to come to church on Sunday. Saturday night we had a humble farewell dinner with the Familia Lopez (who Elder Logan and I married and baptized). That was very easily the hardest goodbye of my mission. After everything I had been through with this family, goodbye didn´t come easy.
Sunday we brought one of our families to church and as usual I played the part of usher as I counted up attendance. As the sacrament meeting started, I looked over the congregation, trying to see if I had really made a difference in the area. Three families we had reactivated were present, along with the two familes who were recently sealed in the temple. Another man who, but a few short months before I came to Siquirres, had once worked as a pimp in the red light district was also counted among those present, now the Elders Quorum President and having recently received his endowment in the temple. Two of my english students were present, and I felt a strong feeling of peace settle in as I watch a man, who was once excomunicated from the church, now seated with his family and partaking of the santa cena after ten years of waiting. In total, we had eighty-five people in church along with 10 Melquisedec Priesthood holders. When I arrived in Siquirres last December we had 50 in church and only 4 priesthood holders. But even after all of that, the greatest pain one can feel entered my soul as I took into account that those five, of which I had baptized over these last six months, were not present. Yurico had left for another town shortly after her baptsm. Orlando just didn´t come. And the Familia Lopez was out of town visiting family. A simple phrase from the book The Outsiders came to mind:
"Nothing gold can last."
I finished packing Sunday night, having spent the day saying goodbye and thanking all the leaders for their help and support. Yesterday, Monday, was Changes. Elder Rodriguez is now senior companion, and his new companion is Elder Brazington from Spokane. I pray they´ll take care of the area and help it continue to progress. After a seven hour bus ride from San José I finally arrived to my new area of San Vito in the Zona Sur with my new companion Elder Centeno from El Salvador. I have taken the place of my old companion Elder Tagliaferri, as Branch President of San Vito.
Now you´ll understand why I started with that verse from Moses.
If you remember my reaction when I won 1st runner-up in Mr. LHS my senior year, then you have a good idea how I reacted when President Gálvez announced me as Branch President. I complete shock. I have never felt so overwelmed in my life as I did in that moment. I have always said that trainers, zone leaders, and branch presidents are callings that President Gálvez saves for his best missionaries. And I in no waay consider myself among those elite. Nevertheless, I know better than to question President Gálvez. If he felt I could take on the challenge, then I can. There´s no question to it. I just can´t do it alone.
Elder Tagliaferri left me the branch president´s manual, of which will become like scripture to me over the coming weeks and months. But more so than that I will need the guidance of the Spirit with me, now more than ever.
I humbly ask that you all keep me in your prayers. I´m going to need each and every one of them.
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
This scripture best describes how I feel right now. You´ll understand why as you read on.
This last week was busy and hectic. Tuesday we helped a family tear down a fence, and Friday we repaired yet one more rocking rock. I didn´t feel any earthquake on Thursday, possibly because we were on a bus, but a lot of people were talking about it. As far as I know there wasn´t any major damage.
Friday night our ward mission leader, Hno. Lopez, went out with us to visit a family we´d been teaching. They started out right from the get-go with one doubt after another about little insignificant things, and Elder Rodriguez began to respond with coments that would have for sure insulted the family- that is of course until I cut him off. I poured my heart out to those people using the clearest and yet sincerest language I could summon. As we left I was grateful to see in their eyes that the Spirit had touched them. Walking home, I had the strongest impression that I had borne my last testimony in the area.
I was right.
Saturday I began to say my goodbyes. I taught my last english class, commiting my students to come to church on Sunday. Saturday night we had a humble farewell dinner with the Familia Lopez (who Elder Logan and I married and baptized). That was very easily the hardest goodbye of my mission. After everything I had been through with this family, goodbye didn´t come easy.
Sunday we brought one of our families to church and as usual I played the part of usher as I counted up attendance. As the sacrament meeting started, I looked over the congregation, trying to see if I had really made a difference in the area. Three families we had reactivated were present, along with the two familes who were recently sealed in the temple. Another man who, but a few short months before I came to Siquirres, had once worked as a pimp in the red light district was also counted among those present, now the Elders Quorum President and having recently received his endowment in the temple. Two of my english students were present, and I felt a strong feeling of peace settle in as I watch a man, who was once excomunicated from the church, now seated with his family and partaking of the santa cena after ten years of waiting. In total, we had eighty-five people in church along with 10 Melquisedec Priesthood holders. When I arrived in Siquirres last December we had 50 in church and only 4 priesthood holders. But even after all of that, the greatest pain one can feel entered my soul as I took into account that those five, of which I had baptized over these last six months, were not present. Yurico had left for another town shortly after her baptsm. Orlando just didn´t come. And the Familia Lopez was out of town visiting family. A simple phrase from the book The Outsiders came to mind:
"Nothing gold can last."
I finished packing Sunday night, having spent the day saying goodbye and thanking all the leaders for their help and support. Yesterday, Monday, was Changes. Elder Rodriguez is now senior companion, and his new companion is Elder Brazington from Spokane. I pray they´ll take care of the area and help it continue to progress. After a seven hour bus ride from San José I finally arrived to my new area of San Vito in the Zona Sur with my new companion Elder Centeno from El Salvador. I have taken the place of my old companion Elder Tagliaferri, as Branch President of San Vito.
Now you´ll understand why I started with that verse from Moses.
If you remember my reaction when I won 1st runner-up in Mr. LHS my senior year, then you have a good idea how I reacted when President Gálvez announced me as Branch President. I complete shock. I have never felt so overwelmed in my life as I did in that moment. I have always said that trainers, zone leaders, and branch presidents are callings that President Gálvez saves for his best missionaries. And I in no waay consider myself among those elite. Nevertheless, I know better than to question President Gálvez. If he felt I could take on the challenge, then I can. There´s no question to it. I just can´t do it alone.
Elder Tagliaferri left me the branch president´s manual, of which will become like scripture to me over the coming weeks and months. But more so than that I will need the guidance of the Spirit with me, now more than ever.
I humbly ask that you all keep me in your prayers. I´m going to need each and every one of them.
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Flood Sunday
Lots has happened this week so hopefully I don´t forget anything. Wednesday we had Zone Conference and President Gálvez announced us all Family History workers because not one of our branches/wards have someone with that calling. We went right to it, making copies of the genealogy...registros...I don´t know how to say registros in english...that´s just flat out SAD. Anyway, I´ve been using my own family tree I brought with me as we´ve been teaching the recent converts. Also, the Hermana Gálvez had us discuss within our districts new ways to find more families to teach. Elder Holt brought up an idea he had mentioned at the start of March, and then I had to present our plan to the zone. I felt kind of bad because it was Elder Holt´s idea, but I was the one called on to present it. You know me, I don´t even take credit for my OWN ideas, let alone the ideas of others. Anyways we´re going to put that plan into action this week. I´ll give you more details on that after we´ve started with it.
After Zone Conference we had divisions, and I was working in my area with Elder Duncan from San Diego. He´s a pretty quiet kid, but he´s super cool. For only having 6 months in the mission his spanish isn´t half bad. The accent comes with time, but he has no problem saying what he wants and getting his point across. For not have had a latino companion yet he´s doing pretty well.
Friday we repaired 2 more rocking chairs for another family. I ended up doing one of the chairs, which didn´t turn out half bad for the first time...at least I want to think so... =P On Saturday two families from our branch were sealed in the temple. It was really cool to talk with one of the families after they got back. Saturday morning we spent the day painting a roof for one of the recent convert families here, a service of which we had to finish today (wasn´t much of a P-Day, but oh well).
Sunday morning was a headache. At 7:30 a.m. we were passing by the church on our way to pick up a family of investigators. As we passed the church, I noticed water leaking from the door to the sacrament room. We went inside to investigate, and to my horror, the place was flooded up to our ankles. How or why I do not know, but I´m pretty sure it was a gift for my 600th day in the mission. At least I like to think of it like that. We spent some 5 minutes trying to run the water out, but there was just so much I knew we needed to call the branch president. We ran to our ward mission leader´s house to use his cell phone, but the branch president didn´t answer. We ran back to the chapel just as the branch secretaries were pulling up. We opened up all the doors and began draining the place, my companion grabbing a folding table at one point to run the water out the doors. One by one as members arrived they began to help drain the water. By 9 a.m. the sacrament room was dry, and with chairs out and ready, we miraculously started on time. By the time sacrament meeting was over, the rest of the chapel had dried as well. We didn´t find out WHY the chapel had flooded, but just to see EVERYONE roll up their sleeves and start helping was really cool to see. Some branch unity I haven´t seen in my 6 months here in Siquirres. As I said when all was said and done, "Just another story for the Ensign."
After church we had a very special baptism take place. A man who had be excomunicated 10 years ago finally got the okay to be re-baptized, and there were some 40 members present for it. I won´t lie, it did bring back some old memories.
Alright, I gotta jet, shower, and get ready to work again. Changes are on Monday, so we´ll be getting a phone call Thursday or Friday about what´s what. I don´t see myself leaving just yet. My companion actually has better chances of getting switched out. But just as Elder Holt told me last night, "With President Gálvez, it´s impossible to predict Changes."
I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Take care and I´ll write back next week. ¡Ciao!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
After Zone Conference we had divisions, and I was working in my area with Elder Duncan from San Diego. He´s a pretty quiet kid, but he´s super cool. For only having 6 months in the mission his spanish isn´t half bad. The accent comes with time, but he has no problem saying what he wants and getting his point across. For not have had a latino companion yet he´s doing pretty well.
Friday we repaired 2 more rocking chairs for another family. I ended up doing one of the chairs, which didn´t turn out half bad for the first time...at least I want to think so... =P On Saturday two families from our branch were sealed in the temple. It was really cool to talk with one of the families after they got back. Saturday morning we spent the day painting a roof for one of the recent convert families here, a service of which we had to finish today (wasn´t much of a P-Day, but oh well).
Sunday morning was a headache. At 7:30 a.m. we were passing by the church on our way to pick up a family of investigators. As we passed the church, I noticed water leaking from the door to the sacrament room. We went inside to investigate, and to my horror, the place was flooded up to our ankles. How or why I do not know, but I´m pretty sure it was a gift for my 600th day in the mission. At least I like to think of it like that. We spent some 5 minutes trying to run the water out, but there was just so much I knew we needed to call the branch president. We ran to our ward mission leader´s house to use his cell phone, but the branch president didn´t answer. We ran back to the chapel just as the branch secretaries were pulling up. We opened up all the doors and began draining the place, my companion grabbing a folding table at one point to run the water out the doors. One by one as members arrived they began to help drain the water. By 9 a.m. the sacrament room was dry, and with chairs out and ready, we miraculously started on time. By the time sacrament meeting was over, the rest of the chapel had dried as well. We didn´t find out WHY the chapel had flooded, but just to see EVERYONE roll up their sleeves and start helping was really cool to see. Some branch unity I haven´t seen in my 6 months here in Siquirres. As I said when all was said and done, "Just another story for the Ensign."
After church we had a very special baptism take place. A man who had be excomunicated 10 years ago finally got the okay to be re-baptized, and there were some 40 members present for it. I won´t lie, it did bring back some old memories.
Alright, I gotta jet, shower, and get ready to work again. Changes are on Monday, so we´ll be getting a phone call Thursday or Friday about what´s what. I don´t see myself leaving just yet. My companion actually has better chances of getting switched out. But just as Elder Holt told me last night, "With President Gálvez, it´s impossible to predict Changes."
I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Take care and I´ll write back next week. ¡Ciao!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The Downhill
Hey! It was great to talk to you all yesterday! Too bad I didn´t get to talk to Ashley, but let her know I love her and, like I said, I´ll be home in time to egg her on her birthday tico-style. =P
Yesterday went pretty well. I´m still more than a little disappointed that our asistence in church dropped again, but I should be use to the random ups and downs that occur here. It´s just kind of disheartening to see a decent leap forward one week only to witness a huge fall right back to where we started the next. One can only do so much, but that´s pretty much all it depends on: Just doing your part.
Today we took the zone leaders and the other companionship in our district to the waterfall in my area. The weather was on our side this time, with a decent cloud cover and a cool breeze. The last few times I´ve gone out there the brutality of the sun has murdered me, so I was grateful for a rest from the heat.
This week looks like it´s gonna be pretty packed. Wednesday we have our own personal Zone Conference. As I mentioned on the phone, the pass to San José was closed all last week due to mudslides, so we weren´t able to make it to the normal Multi-Zone Conference. That same day we´ll be doing divisions, so I´ll be working my area with Elder Duncan from San Diego. He´s a little new, but he´s a fun kid. Thursday and Friday mornings we have yet more service projects, and then comes a pretty tranquilo weekend. The end of the change is coming up pretty fast. Like I said, I highly doubt I´ll be getting changed out right now. I´m pretty sure I´ll be pulling the 7 and a half months and leaving for my last area in July, but we really won´t know anything until the 21st.
Just as last week my fotos aren´t uploading right now, so you´ll all have to wait on that. I hope you have a great week and I can´t wait to hear from you guys next week! ¡Cuidese mucho!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Yesterday went pretty well. I´m still more than a little disappointed that our asistence in church dropped again, but I should be use to the random ups and downs that occur here. It´s just kind of disheartening to see a decent leap forward one week only to witness a huge fall right back to where we started the next. One can only do so much, but that´s pretty much all it depends on: Just doing your part.
Today we took the zone leaders and the other companionship in our district to the waterfall in my area. The weather was on our side this time, with a decent cloud cover and a cool breeze. The last few times I´ve gone out there the brutality of the sun has murdered me, so I was grateful for a rest from the heat.
This week looks like it´s gonna be pretty packed. Wednesday we have our own personal Zone Conference. As I mentioned on the phone, the pass to San José was closed all last week due to mudslides, so we weren´t able to make it to the normal Multi-Zone Conference. That same day we´ll be doing divisions, so I´ll be working my area with Elder Duncan from San Diego. He´s a little new, but he´s a fun kid. Thursday and Friday mornings we have yet more service projects, and then comes a pretty tranquilo weekend. The end of the change is coming up pretty fast. Like I said, I highly doubt I´ll be getting changed out right now. I´m pretty sure I´ll be pulling the 7 and a half months and leaving for my last area in July, but we really won´t know anything until the 21st.
Just as last week my fotos aren´t uploading right now, so you´ll all have to wait on that. I hope you have a great week and I can´t wait to hear from you guys next week! ¡Cuidese mucho!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Monday, May 3, 2010
Festival de la Jama
Alright, glad to hear everything´s going well back home and that Ashley was able to enjoy her senior prom afterall. =D Thanks for the pictures. Everyone´s gonna be asking me if Dad´s in the military, but I´ll get a good laugh out of it. Everyone´s really against the military in this country, more out of ignorance than anything else.
This last week went by really fast. Wednesday I had divisions with Elder Holt out in Guacimo. Elder Holt is super funny, we had some pretty fun divisions together. Elder Holt spent 6 months in the mission office as secretary, so we spent a lot of time talking about what it would take to convert our areas (which are branches right now) to wards. Guacimo is a lot further along than Siquirres, but we´re not too far off the mark either. To be a ward, we need an assistance of 85 in church and 15 Melchizedek priesthood holders. We average 60 to 65 on assistance, and we have 10 worthy priesthood holders. Yesterday we had 80 in church, which almost made my heart stop. Elder Holt and I developed a decent plan, which includes finding and baptizing 6 new families within the next year. Sunday I met with the Branch President to explain our plan and to put together another actividad misional. Although Pres. Acuña didn´t exactly grasp the whole 6 NEW families (he just kept talking about inactives who have more than 6 to 10 years of being inactive), with the activities I have in mind, we can definately get the ball rolling on this. I won´t be here to see it happen, but I can do my part to help form the first stake outside the San José Valley.
The branch activity we had Saturday was about half a success. No one really participated in bringing food (it was pretty much a potluck kind of deal), but plenty of people showed and we did at the end get a couple references. I made 3 banana cream pies, but annoyingly I had to make the crust for the pies (I´m lazy and I wanted to just buy them made, but of course I can´t do that here). The crust turned out okay, not bad for the first time. The filling was great though, everyone like it and just about the whole Relief Society asked me for the recipe, which made me laugh. I won´t lie, as I took a bite of one of those pies all I could think was "...I´ll be home for Thanksgiving...I´ll be home for Thanksgiving...I´ll be..." =P
The fruit of our labors were apparent Sunday with 80 in church and a handfull of investigators present. I´m trying to raise the bar and keep things moving forward. 3 weeks left in the change. I´m not sure how this will play out. I told one of the zone leaders today that I can pull off another change in Siquirres easily, but I can´t do it with Elder Rodriguez. Teaching with Elder Holt on Wednesday was the first time I´d felt the Spirit in a lesson for the last 2 months. That´s not good.
Alright I gotta jet but I want you guys to know I love you and that I´m doing well. I´ll be calling you guys Sunday after church like we did last year. I´ll be in the house after 12:30ish, so I´ll give you guys a call around 1 p.m. If you´re not home at that time, then I´ll call again around2 p.m. The number´s the same as it was for Christmas. I told you I´d still be here, but you didn´t believe me. =P
Alright I gotta go. ¡Ciao!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
This last week went by really fast. Wednesday I had divisions with Elder Holt out in Guacimo. Elder Holt is super funny, we had some pretty fun divisions together. Elder Holt spent 6 months in the mission office as secretary, so we spent a lot of time talking about what it would take to convert our areas (which are branches right now) to wards. Guacimo is a lot further along than Siquirres, but we´re not too far off the mark either. To be a ward, we need an assistance of 85 in church and 15 Melchizedek priesthood holders. We average 60 to 65 on assistance, and we have 10 worthy priesthood holders. Yesterday we had 80 in church, which almost made my heart stop. Elder Holt and I developed a decent plan, which includes finding and baptizing 6 new families within the next year. Sunday I met with the Branch President to explain our plan and to put together another actividad misional. Although Pres. Acuña didn´t exactly grasp the whole 6 NEW families (he just kept talking about inactives who have more than 6 to 10 years of being inactive), with the activities I have in mind, we can definately get the ball rolling on this. I won´t be here to see it happen, but I can do my part to help form the first stake outside the San José Valley.
The branch activity we had Saturday was about half a success. No one really participated in bringing food (it was pretty much a potluck kind of deal), but plenty of people showed and we did at the end get a couple references. I made 3 banana cream pies, but annoyingly I had to make the crust for the pies (I´m lazy and I wanted to just buy them made, but of course I can´t do that here). The crust turned out okay, not bad for the first time. The filling was great though, everyone like it and just about the whole Relief Society asked me for the recipe, which made me laugh. I won´t lie, as I took a bite of one of those pies all I could think was "...I´ll be home for Thanksgiving...I´ll be home for Thanksgiving...I´ll be..." =P
The fruit of our labors were apparent Sunday with 80 in church and a handfull of investigators present. I´m trying to raise the bar and keep things moving forward. 3 weeks left in the change. I´m not sure how this will play out. I told one of the zone leaders today that I can pull off another change in Siquirres easily, but I can´t do it with Elder Rodriguez. Teaching with Elder Holt on Wednesday was the first time I´d felt the Spirit in a lesson for the last 2 months. That´s not good.
Alright I gotta jet but I want you guys to know I love you and that I´m doing well. I´ll be calling you guys Sunday after church like we did last year. I´ll be in the house after 12:30ish, so I´ll give you guys a call around 1 p.m. If you´re not home at that time, then I´ll call again around2 p.m. The number´s the same as it was for Christmas. I told you I´d still be here, but you didn´t believe me. =P
Alright I gotta go. ¡Ciao!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Scorch Week
This last week went by rather smoothly, although I felt like I was living in an oven it was so unbearably hot. Days like that make me a little trunky, because all I can think about is "When I get home, I´m gonna freeze to death. And I´ll love it."
We spent 2 morning working on a cement floor for one family, and another repairing yet another rocking chair that our service has mainly consisted to. Not bad all in all. Assistence in church wasn´t what I had hoped for, looking at what we accomplished during the week, but that´s not an uncommon disappointment for me. I just want to leave this brach we a norm of 70 people in church. If I can do that, then my time here was well spent in my eyes. I´m definately thinking more in the zone of "If they won´t help to build up Zion, then find someone who will!"
Thursday President Gálvez, the Hermana Gálvez, and the zone leaders stopped by to do a house check and also for our interviews with President. A lot of missionaries we´re kind of weirded out and scared by these turn of events, but since our house is always pretty well clean and I try to keep our Area Book up to date, we we´re pretty calm about it. Interviews went great, it´s always a blessing to have a one-on-one with President Gálvez. The zone leaders we have right now are pretty cool too, and as always the Hermana Gálvez always has something funny to say about the missionary-lifestyle.
I´m trying to convince my companion to start running in the mornings, but he won´t hear any of it. 19 months, and I have yet to have a companion who´s up for a good morning run. It´s a sad story. =P
This Saturday we´ve planned a branch activity, Festival de la Jama (Festival of Food). I´m hoping for a decent turnout and I´m also planning on making a few banana cream pies. We´ll see how those turn out, I haven´t made on since my first Christmas in Tibás with Elder DePriest. =P I´ll be sure to send fotos, I´ve gotten a little lazy with that as of late. Mainly because I don´t trust the virus-filled tico computers that flood this country. On that note, yes I still have my camera, and yes I still have my debit card. As I said, I´ve gotten a little lazy with fotos. And as far as withdrawing money, I´ve never been able to check my balance, so I don´t know how much is in my account. Plus I´m never hurting for money. Here we are on the last week of the month, and I still have $60. I only pull out personal money for emergencies and other such things. I might need to pull out a little money to buy all the stuff for the pies, but we´ll see about that.
Okay I´ve said enough, nor do I have anything else to tell you guys. =P I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Talk to ya next week!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
We spent 2 morning working on a cement floor for one family, and another repairing yet another rocking chair that our service has mainly consisted to. Not bad all in all. Assistence in church wasn´t what I had hoped for, looking at what we accomplished during the week, but that´s not an uncommon disappointment for me. I just want to leave this brach we a norm of 70 people in church. If I can do that, then my time here was well spent in my eyes. I´m definately thinking more in the zone of "If they won´t help to build up Zion, then find someone who will!"
Thursday President Gálvez, the Hermana Gálvez, and the zone leaders stopped by to do a house check and also for our interviews with President. A lot of missionaries we´re kind of weirded out and scared by these turn of events, but since our house is always pretty well clean and I try to keep our Area Book up to date, we we´re pretty calm about it. Interviews went great, it´s always a blessing to have a one-on-one with President Gálvez. The zone leaders we have right now are pretty cool too, and as always the Hermana Gálvez always has something funny to say about the missionary-lifestyle.
I´m trying to convince my companion to start running in the mornings, but he won´t hear any of it. 19 months, and I have yet to have a companion who´s up for a good morning run. It´s a sad story. =P
This Saturday we´ve planned a branch activity, Festival de la Jama (Festival of Food). I´m hoping for a decent turnout and I´m also planning on making a few banana cream pies. We´ll see how those turn out, I haven´t made on since my first Christmas in Tibás with Elder DePriest. =P I´ll be sure to send fotos, I´ve gotten a little lazy with that as of late. Mainly because I don´t trust the virus-filled tico computers that flood this country. On that note, yes I still have my camera, and yes I still have my debit card. As I said, I´ve gotten a little lazy with fotos. And as far as withdrawing money, I´ve never been able to check my balance, so I don´t know how much is in my account. Plus I´m never hurting for money. Here we are on the last week of the month, and I still have $60. I only pull out personal money for emergencies and other such things. I might need to pull out a little money to buy all the stuff for the pies, but we´ll see about that.
Okay I´ve said enough, nor do I have anything else to tell you guys. =P I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Talk to ya next week!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Christmas in April
The title is fitting seeing how Dad is just finishing HIS Christmas in April project, and mine seems to be beginning this week. =P
The last week as been really insane. A lot of work and a lot of service projects, as seems to be the theme of my companionship right now. 4 menos activa families called us up and put last minute citas with us, so then came the rush of rescheduling other citas and all that nonsense. Two of these families are those of which were baptized last fall, but when their missionaries left they dropped the church and would not receive visits from anyone. They flat out rejected Elder Logan and myself the last time we tried passing by in February. The other 2 families I had been visiting with Elder Logan, but they weren´t progressing. So we had made the call to give them some time and try again later. Three of the four went to church yesterday, the fourth...depending on how this week goes we might end up turning them over to the only members who do their home teaching. We have to try and maintain the 5 menos activos we visit, we can´t work with so many at once because we lose time in finding investigators and actually teaching and baptizing and all that good stuff.
In other words, it´s been pretty hectic around here.
My companion continues to be more than a little hyperactive, but with these two recent convert families who have started coming to church again he´s exactly what they need to feel comfortable...I hope. I´m really just scared people are gonna look at us like a joke, but I think Elder Rodriguez is finally starting to cool down a little...
This week we´re packed with service projects practically every morning. Between repairing chairs, laying yet more cement floors, and doing house repairs, I can honestly say I´m not even going remember going to bed at night I´ll be so exhausted. But if it all gets us results and helps the area, more power to it. I´ve also had some fun this last week playing around with the language as I´ve talked to people. I have a long ways to go in my opinion, but it´s really funny to tell people I´m panameño or guatemateco and nobody questions it. I´m starting to understand why my first companion, Elder DePriest, loved playing around with people like that. After going from speaking NOTHING to everything being natural you can´t help but have fun with it. =D
We´re also in the planning of a branch activity, something along the lines of what we did in Cañas last year. La Festial de la Jama (comida). I´ll give you more of an update on that next week, but we´re planning to have the activity the 1st of May.
Alright well there´s not much else happening around here besides the usual insanity of the work. =P This Thursday we have interviews with President Gálvez, which will be nice. I take advantage of every chance I get to talk with President, he always has something to say to change my outlook on the mission and help me do better. Hopefully the action-packed week we have planned out doesn´t kill me in the meantime, that would just be a sad Christmas. =P
I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Take care, work hard but don´t over do it. I have to, it´s in the calling, but you guys should take at least 5 minutes a day to kick back and relax. If not for yourselves, than do it for me! =P ¡Ciao a todos!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
The last week as been really insane. A lot of work and a lot of service projects, as seems to be the theme of my companionship right now. 4 menos activa families called us up and put last minute citas with us, so then came the rush of rescheduling other citas and all that nonsense. Two of these families are those of which were baptized last fall, but when their missionaries left they dropped the church and would not receive visits from anyone. They flat out rejected Elder Logan and myself the last time we tried passing by in February. The other 2 families I had been visiting with Elder Logan, but they weren´t progressing. So we had made the call to give them some time and try again later. Three of the four went to church yesterday, the fourth...depending on how this week goes we might end up turning them over to the only members who do their home teaching. We have to try and maintain the 5 menos activos we visit, we can´t work with so many at once because we lose time in finding investigators and actually teaching and baptizing and all that good stuff.
In other words, it´s been pretty hectic around here.
My companion continues to be more than a little hyperactive, but with these two recent convert families who have started coming to church again he´s exactly what they need to feel comfortable...I hope. I´m really just scared people are gonna look at us like a joke, but I think Elder Rodriguez is finally starting to cool down a little...
This week we´re packed with service projects practically every morning. Between repairing chairs, laying yet more cement floors, and doing house repairs, I can honestly say I´m not even going remember going to bed at night I´ll be so exhausted. But if it all gets us results and helps the area, more power to it. I´ve also had some fun this last week playing around with the language as I´ve talked to people. I have a long ways to go in my opinion, but it´s really funny to tell people I´m panameño or guatemateco and nobody questions it. I´m starting to understand why my first companion, Elder DePriest, loved playing around with people like that. After going from speaking NOTHING to everything being natural you can´t help but have fun with it. =D
We´re also in the planning of a branch activity, something along the lines of what we did in Cañas last year. La Festial de la Jama (comida). I´ll give you more of an update on that next week, but we´re planning to have the activity the 1st of May.
Alright well there´s not much else happening around here besides the usual insanity of the work. =P This Thursday we have interviews with President Gálvez, which will be nice. I take advantage of every chance I get to talk with President, he always has something to say to change my outlook on the mission and help me do better. Hopefully the action-packed week we have planned out doesn´t kill me in the meantime, that would just be a sad Christmas. =P
I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Take care, work hard but don´t over do it. I have to, it´s in the calling, but you guys should take at least 5 minutes a day to kick back and relax. If not for yourselves, than do it for me! =P ¡Ciao a todos!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Start of Another Change
Changes meeting was today and we decided to come just to see what happens. Elders Litchfield and Nelson both left the zone: Elder Litchfield now has the temple in his area and Elder Nelson is a new Zone Leader out in Guanacaste. It won´t be the same without them in the zone, but we did get some decent replacements for them. I´m gonna be with Elder Rodriguez for at least another change. I kind of have the feeling we could be together for two more changes...I´m not 100% I could handle that, but we´ll see what happens.
Not a whole lot happened over the week. Just contacting references and trying to keep my companion from forming the habit of spending too much time in people´s houses. If a cita falls through he usually just wants to go to a member´s house to play UNO, and gets a little upset when I say no and have us knocking doors. Keeping animated has been a little rough this last week. However, things are starting to pick up as far as working with the members goes, so there is light at the end of the tunnel afterall. =P
I´ve managed to download a few of the conference talks to my MP3, but with such slow internet connection it´s been kind of a pain. Apparently within the next week you can download the entire conference video, so we´re going to try to brun off a couple DVDs for the recent convert families who didn´t get to see it. I´m trying to switch things up for the next few weeks so that I don´t get bored with the area, seeing how I´m going on 6 months out here. I made a Book of Mormon reading chart for the recent converts and for our investigators, so instead of asking if anyone read we just ask for the chart. At least this way we can monitor better of who´s reading and who isn´t, and focus our lessons from there. I´m really just looking for some priesthood power right now. The branch is growing a little stronger as time goes by, and ultimately the goal is to convert the branch to a ward and form a stake (Estaca Guapiles) outside the San José Valley. If Siquirres is gonna be a ward, we need some healthy priesthood to get the job done. Ulises, who Elder Logan and I baptized back in January, is now our ward mission leader. We´ve been teaching him what his calling his and planning out when he´ll leave/meet with us every week and all that good jazz. It´s a calling that brings with it a lot of responsibility, but it´s also a perfect opportunity to help Ulises continue to grow and learn. Hopefully I can help him get the gist of it all. Elder Rodriguez doesn´t really pay any attention at all as I´m explaining things to Ulises. Like I said, the kid just wants to play UNO.
Alright I gotta jet but I hope you guys have a great week and stay safe. Take care and I´ll write again (as usual) MONDAY! Love you, ciao.
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Not a whole lot happened over the week. Just contacting references and trying to keep my companion from forming the habit of spending too much time in people´s houses. If a cita falls through he usually just wants to go to a member´s house to play UNO, and gets a little upset when I say no and have us knocking doors. Keeping animated has been a little rough this last week. However, things are starting to pick up as far as working with the members goes, so there is light at the end of the tunnel afterall. =P
I´ve managed to download a few of the conference talks to my MP3, but with such slow internet connection it´s been kind of a pain. Apparently within the next week you can download the entire conference video, so we´re going to try to brun off a couple DVDs for the recent convert families who didn´t get to see it. I´m trying to switch things up for the next few weeks so that I don´t get bored with the area, seeing how I´m going on 6 months out here. I made a Book of Mormon reading chart for the recent converts and for our investigators, so instead of asking if anyone read we just ask for the chart. At least this way we can monitor better of who´s reading and who isn´t, and focus our lessons from there. I´m really just looking for some priesthood power right now. The branch is growing a little stronger as time goes by, and ultimately the goal is to convert the branch to a ward and form a stake (Estaca Guapiles) outside the San José Valley. If Siquirres is gonna be a ward, we need some healthy priesthood to get the job done. Ulises, who Elder Logan and I baptized back in January, is now our ward mission leader. We´ve been teaching him what his calling his and planning out when he´ll leave/meet with us every week and all that good jazz. It´s a calling that brings with it a lot of responsibility, but it´s also a perfect opportunity to help Ulises continue to grow and learn. Hopefully I can help him get the gist of it all. Elder Rodriguez doesn´t really pay any attention at all as I´m explaining things to Ulises. Like I said, the kid just wants to play UNO.
Alright I gotta jet but I hope you guys have a great week and stay safe. Take care and I´ll write again (as usual) MONDAY! Love you, ciao.
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
The Last General Conference
That´s a real bummer you guys didn´t get to watch Conference. Try to watch what you can ASAP. You´re right about family being the topic, but there´s a LOT more to it than that. All the talks from Saturday we´re directed to parents, telling them to step up and teach their kids and youth better than ever before. EVERY talk on Saturday hit this topic. Sunday was more general in the topics. Although they did mention it, there was much more talk on the Savior and the Atonement, it being Easter Sunday and everything. I will say Elder Anderson´s final talk of the Conference hit it home. Elder Holland´s talk was especially necessary, along with President Monson´s closing talk in the Priesthood Session. Elder Holt, my district leader, said it best: Back to Basics.
Saturday morning we left for Limón to watch Conference. It was so cool to watch Conference with 3 of my best friends in the mission: Elder Litchfield, Elder Nelson, and Elder Butler (he goes home in May). Saturday night during the Priesthood Session we had an issue with one of the junior companions, and later that night calls were made to President Gálvez. All in all, it was a nightmare, but I tried not to dwell on the headache of it all and focus on the Conference talks. Right after the final session Sunday we jetted back for Siquirres just in time for some quick appointments before day´s end.
Today I took my companion and the Guacimo elders out to the waterfall here. The Limón elders were gonna come too, but they ended up having to deal with other stuff related to what happened Saturday night. We got out there on a perfect day. Elder Holt was in shock at how beautiful it was, since a lot of the nature has been destroyed by the people. I got pretty burned from the walk to and from, but it was a pretty good P-Day. It´s funny talking to Elder Holt because we only talk about all the old missionaries who use to be in the missions and our old companions. I can´t do that with my comp, and Elder Holt can´t do that with his because they´re both so young in the mission. I don´t consider myself an old missionary by any means (maybe when I have 20 months), but talking with Elder Holt is just like "Wow...everyone I know is GONE...that´s too weird." =P What was really funny was when I was talking with Elder Nelson in Limón before Conference. We realized all four of the junior companions put together didn´t have our time in the mission. That got us a little giddy for a minute or two. =P It just made me remember my first companion, Elder DePriest, and how he would say stuff like that at every district meeting. =P
Alright well I need to write Pres. Gálvez. I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Tell everyone I say hey and that I´m still alive and loving life. Take care and I´ll write you all next week. Ciao!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Saturday morning we left for Limón to watch Conference. It was so cool to watch Conference with 3 of my best friends in the mission: Elder Litchfield, Elder Nelson, and Elder Butler (he goes home in May). Saturday night during the Priesthood Session we had an issue with one of the junior companions, and later that night calls were made to President Gálvez. All in all, it was a nightmare, but I tried not to dwell on the headache of it all and focus on the Conference talks. Right after the final session Sunday we jetted back for Siquirres just in time for some quick appointments before day´s end.
Today I took my companion and the Guacimo elders out to the waterfall here. The Limón elders were gonna come too, but they ended up having to deal with other stuff related to what happened Saturday night. We got out there on a perfect day. Elder Holt was in shock at how beautiful it was, since a lot of the nature has been destroyed by the people. I got pretty burned from the walk to and from, but it was a pretty good P-Day. It´s funny talking to Elder Holt because we only talk about all the old missionaries who use to be in the missions and our old companions. I can´t do that with my comp, and Elder Holt can´t do that with his because they´re both so young in the mission. I don´t consider myself an old missionary by any means (maybe when I have 20 months), but talking with Elder Holt is just like "Wow...everyone I know is GONE...that´s too weird." =P What was really funny was when I was talking with Elder Nelson in Limón before Conference. We realized all four of the junior companions put together didn´t have our time in the mission. That got us a little giddy for a minute or two. =P It just made me remember my first companion, Elder DePriest, and how he would say stuff like that at every district meeting. =P
Alright well I need to write Pres. Gálvez. I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Tell everyone I say hey and that I´m still alive and loving life. Take care and I´ll write you all next week. Ciao!
Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie
Spring Break on the Mission
Hey family, I hope everyone´s been enjoying Spring Break. This week has been pretty loaded for us. Sunday I had the opportunity to baptize Yurico. After every baptism it really does justify every rejection we meet day in and day out. The rest of the week has been filled with service projects. I´ve never done so much service in a single change, but with Elder Rodriguez´s background in construction a whole lot of opportunities have opened up for us. Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday we helped lay a cement floor for Yurico and her mom. Yesterday we built a closet for Ulises and Iraydelis. Last week we also repaired a few of this tico rocking chairs too. It´s been pretty busy.
Sunday a member came to us and said that she wanted her son to be baptized. They´re an active family, they just got lazy and didn´t baptize the son when he was 8. He turned 9 on Monday, and they wanted to have the baptism today (Friday). Long story short Elder Holt had to come down from Guacimo to do the baptismal interview Wednesday (which the family was an hour late to), and I spent Wednesday out in Guacimo with Elder Duncan.
While out in Guacimo we visited a recent convert family and after a little while talking they asked me where I was from. When I said I was from the states they were all really surprised. =P The mom was like "Are you serious? I thought you were from Panama or something!" I kind of laughed, I´m pretty sure I sound pretty gringo in my spanish, but when stuff like that happens it does make me feel good about how far I´ve come.
I´m not gonna lie, I´m not all too pumped about this baptism. The family is active, the kid´s been in the church his whole life, we don´t even need to teach the kid and to tell the truth I didn´t bother trying to. There´s a lot of missionaries that would be like "9 year old kid. Perfect. We´ll teach him everything in one go just to count him as our baptism." ...I´m the complete opposite. If I baptize, it should be to fortify the branch or ward I´m in. If the family was less-active, I would´ve taken the time to teach not just the kid but the FAMILY, strengthening the church. But this baptisim is just like a niño-inscrito. It really should have anything to do with us, but because the kid has 9 years old it falls on our shoulders.
I really have a hard time with stuff like this. It just goes back to the days before Pres. Gálvez, when the missionaires we´re baptizing for numbers and nothing else.
Tomorrow we´re headed to Limón for General Conference. We´re spending the night in Elder Litchfield´s house. =D This will be the 3rd time I watch Conference with Elder Lichfield. =P It´s gonna be a great weekend. Elder Holt and I decided this is the first Spring Break we´ve had in the mission. We have today (Friday) off because of the Semana Santa. Saturday and Sunday are General Conference, of which Pres. Gálvez wants us watching all the sessions (I love a mission president who loves us), and Monday is P-Day once again. 4 days off rest. It`s a beautiful thing. =P
Alright I gotta jet and eat something. I love you all and I hope you enjoy Conference! I´ll be sure to write on Monday. Ciao!
Sunday a member came to us and said that she wanted her son to be baptized. They´re an active family, they just got lazy and didn´t baptize the son when he was 8. He turned 9 on Monday, and they wanted to have the baptism today (Friday). Long story short Elder Holt had to come down from Guacimo to do the baptismal interview Wednesday (which the family was an hour late to), and I spent Wednesday out in Guacimo with Elder Duncan.
While out in Guacimo we visited a recent convert family and after a little while talking they asked me where I was from. When I said I was from the states they were all really surprised. =P The mom was like "Are you serious? I thought you were from Panama or something!" I kind of laughed, I´m pretty sure I sound pretty gringo in my spanish, but when stuff like that happens it does make me feel good about how far I´ve come.
I´m not gonna lie, I´m not all too pumped about this baptism. The family is active, the kid´s been in the church his whole life, we don´t even need to teach the kid and to tell the truth I didn´t bother trying to. There´s a lot of missionaries that would be like "9 year old kid. Perfect. We´ll teach him everything in one go just to count him as our baptism." ...I´m the complete opposite. If I baptize, it should be to fortify the branch or ward I´m in. If the family was less-active, I would´ve taken the time to teach not just the kid but the FAMILY, strengthening the church. But this baptisim is just like a niño-inscrito. It really should have anything to do with us, but because the kid has 9 years old it falls on our shoulders.
I really have a hard time with stuff like this. It just goes back to the days before Pres. Gálvez, when the missionaires we´re baptizing for numbers and nothing else.
Tomorrow we´re headed to Limón for General Conference. We´re spending the night in Elder Litchfield´s house. =D This will be the 3rd time I watch Conference with Elder Lichfield. =P It´s gonna be a great weekend. Elder Holt and I decided this is the first Spring Break we´ve had in the mission. We have today (Friday) off because of the Semana Santa. Saturday and Sunday are General Conference, of which Pres. Gálvez wants us watching all the sessions (I love a mission president who loves us), and Monday is P-Day once again. 4 days off rest. It`s a beautiful thing. =P
Alright I gotta jet and eat something. I love you all and I hope you enjoy Conference! I´ll be sure to write on Monday. Ciao!
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