Cass in Costa Rica: Semana Diez: Singing for the Ward Talent Show

My goodness. This is crazy. First of all, please post on my blog that I have a long list of people I have been trying to write every week and I ALWAYS run out of time. En serio it is the worst! Please let everyone know how grateful I am and that I really am trying to write back!! (I can´t figure out the hashtag button.. but hashtagandreasummerhaysauntmelandmanymore) I seriously love you all and am SO grateful. PLEASE forgive and I promise I will write back!!

Okay. Now I don´t just not have time during emails.... our companioship does NOT use time wisely and I NEVER have time. I am NINE days behind in my journal and it makes email quite difficult. I am going to try to just give an update on each day very quickly because today I´m sending PICTURES! So that takes lots of time and just.. . don´t hate me everyone :)

Okay MONDAY

After pday.. we went to a lesson but could find the house. This girl passing by just randomly stopped and started talking to us. We asked if we could share a message with her and we went in and shared with her whole family and they practically gave the lesson they were so prepared! It was amazing.

TUESDAY

Rough spanish day and I may have burst into tears in the middle of the street haha....However at the end of the day we had a lesson with Victor.. a menos activo. My comps didn´t know how to answer this question he had so they roughly got it into english and suddenly I had all the spanish words I needed to clearly explain the principle to Victor. It was truly a tender mercy and a little experience with the gift of tongues!

WEDNESDAY

Today I did SEVENTEEN LPEs all by myself!! More than Hmna Betancourt!! One of our LPEs said we were her angels and she has been waiting for this message. It is amazing how many people are prepared to receive the gospel! We just have to find them! Also we wasted a lot of time... :(

THURSDAY

DIVISIONS!! My goodness the best thing of my mission so far. There have been so many things I´ve been wondering about... turns out my sweet comps don´t quite do everything right. Of course no one is perfect... but anyways... lets just say I learned a LOT and Hmna Roundy told about LOTS of things going on that aren´t allowed or aren´t effective or good. I am a teensy bit worried that I´m not learning everything I can and need to learn in my training... but I know I am learning lots from my comps in many other ways! Secretly I am praying to be the one that is transferred this change so I can learn more... but you know. The Lord knows what I need and my comps need and the area needs so all is well.

FRIDAY

Finished divisions... she gave us scarves!! So nice. I was in charge of the phone today!! I actually made phone calls in SPANISH! Woot woot. Way to go Cass moment! Wasted lots of time.... comps have tension with a capital T. I am quite the middle man trying to keep the peace and have everybody love everybody.... all is well. Did 12 LPES. I realized that I do GREAT one day and really lousy the next... theN GREAT then lousy. But you know what?? I am a FULL-TIME MISSIONARY! Not an Every other day missionary!! Time to act like it!

Saturday

Went to our farthest area.. then back to our closest... then back to our farthest... then back to our closest. Not the most efficient pero esta bien. Then we had a ward activity that was a talent show. It was supposed to start at 4 but didn´t start until 6. we were there from 4-8 and only got one reference. BUT it was good in one way... the ward FINALLY knows me!! I sang Let it Go.... they went CRAZY! Everyone was talking through everyone´s talents and everyone would just do their thing... Let me tell you... I know how to work a crowd. I took the mic and was like "How´s everybody doin??? This is for the best ward in the world!!!!! Are you ready???" wooooo! Hahaha. Then I sang and I whipped my hair out of my pony tail when Elsa does and I ripped up toilet paper as snow. Twas awesome. Afterwards this man who lived in Utah for a while came and spoke to me for THIRTY MINUTES about how I need to start my own CD and stuff. He is very serious about my calling Jenny Phillips and saying "Jenny, how can you help me?" He also wants dad to talk to the people in Nashville. Hahha I kept trying to say "Well I still have 16 months to focus on my mission but afterwards maybe I´ll think about it!!" Then later he came around the corner singing in not the best opera "cilmb every mountain" and yelled, "REMEMBER THAT ONE SISTER COOK??" Hahaha funny.

SUNDAY

Only TWO INVESTIGATORS at church. Only five progressing. How did we go from 15 to 11 to 2?!?!?!? It doesn´t makes sense. But actually it does. After divisions and everything I learned from Hmna Roundy it totally makes sense. The question is... how do we change it??? I feel like I can see all the problems... and even a lot of the solutions!! But I cannot put them into practice!!! Also today they had me sing in the primary... the I see my mother kneeling song. I tried in spanish but couldn´t do it so I just finished in english and of course I cried. I am SO grateful to be blessed with a family that is so strong BECAUSE of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are so blessed to have the gospel in our lives and for the way it has changed our family!!! All these people need it for their own families. I love you all sooooo much.

Oh well. Nothing hugely inspiring this week. Just know that all is well here. My spanish is... well I feel like I can´t see my own progress but maybe one day I´ll just get it. I´m sure I´m progressing... but I can´t tell :) I am continuing to look for all the Good Things Costa Rica and feeling your prayers everyday. The Lord is strengthening me and through Him I can truly do all things!!!! I love you all INCREDIBLY much. Please forgive me for not being able to write you all and please know how grateful I am for you!!!

xoxo

Hermana Cook