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