Semana Veintinueve: The whole world goes to the beach

Hola mi familia!! I hate to disappoint you again... but my email this week is short :)  We are actually really low on investigators this week.  In Costa Rica... for the last two or three weeks of December... and the first week or two of January... THE WHOLE WORLD goes to the beach.  So we are left without many people to teach. But that's okay!! We will keep searching in faith and serving in other ways until we find the chosen ones!

This week many great things happened though!  First of all... we have an investigator named Natalia.  She is great and her husband is an alcoholic but is also great and wants to change.  We taught Natalia the restoration this week and the lesson was SO rough because we were exhausted and ill and weren't paying much attention... and worse... her kids were CRAZY so one of us always had to be taking care of them to keep them quiet.. so then it would be our turn to talk and we weren't sure what had already been said :)  It was bad.  Seriously.  Then at the end we invited her to pray right there and that to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet.... she had been a little hesitant and wasn't really believing our lesson.... but she prayed.  She asked specifically if Joseph Smith was a true prophet and then stopped... the spirit literally SHOT down... it was like something bright was in front of us... Hermana Munoz said she even opened her eyes to see if an angel was there or something... afterwards Natalia explained it exactly in that way and said she KNOWs Joseph Smith was a prophet!!!! It is so great!! The sad thing is that she is out of town for this week (with all the other Ticos... at the beach)  But she is really progressing and we hope to see her baptism soon!!  Her husband also accepted a baptismal date and is really excited and animated about the decision every time we talk to him... but then he doesn't do anything to reach his goal.. but we are going to keep working with him and have the bishop visit him after Christmas and we will be seeing an eternal family soon!!!

We also had a ward activity this week.  I was asked to sing... they had me sing a song called te hallare mi querido amigo... it is about how we all promised people in the spirit world that we would find them here and share the gospel with them.  I don't know if it is doctrinally correct... but it is a touching thought and a lovely song!  I sang it without accompaniment and I am sick again so I had some nice cracks in my voice but that's okay.  Apparently they were all very amazed because I have now been asked to sing silent night in Sacrament Meeting.  I am happy to share my talents and help others feel the spirit!  Also there was a rumor going around that I was in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  I had to stop that.  :)

The BEST part of the week was the Christmas Devotional with President.  We all headed to the stake center and I was able to see my old friends from La Paz!! (my old zone) I am so grateful to know so many great people!  Then President spoke to us... it was the MOST spiritual talk I have heard here in Costa Rica!!! He talked about three lessons we can learn from the Christmas Story... First... the parable of.... aaaaaa I am almost out of time!!!!!!!! Okay well I guess I will be telling you bout the three lessons of the Christmas story in two days when we TALK ON SKYPE! 

But the most important part of that meeting is that President announced that the First Presidency has informed us that in July 2015.... The Costa Rica San Jose mission will no longer exist.... Instead... we will see the Costa Rica San Jose EAST mission and the Costa Rica San Jose WEST mission!! That's right folks!! We have made so much progress that they are splitting the mission!! That measn that instead of 250 missionaries in my little country... there will be 500!!!  This July we will have 2 new Mission Presidents...almost EVERYONE will be training...we are part of History!!!  Also it is super cool because the First Presidency said that every missionary will be personally assigned by an apostle to the East or West mission... it's not just whatever side you are already on... it is all inspired... it's like getting a new call!! :)  This is really really cool and I am so happy to be part of it!!!!

Then we all went to the temple... the session used the old video... I like the new ones.. but I LOVE the temple so so so so sooooooo much and am so grateful for the chance to go!! The name I did was from Alajuela Costa Rica so that is cool too!! Still doing work for my area!  :)

Okay I am definitely out of time.  thank you ALL for you love and support.  I am SO excited to talk to you all in two days!!! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND FELIZ NAVIDAD!! (also look up the video of the three tenors singing feliz navidad.... I like to sing it like them and the ticos think Im hilarious)

p.s. I have A MILLION pictures.... next time!