Aug. 25, 2014
Okay wow i have soooo much i want to tell you all and very little time because the internet here is slow, and has crashed twice on me already. Haha but anyways i made it!! i am here in costa rica and it is sooooooo beautiful!! So we got here Monday night, went to this little clown house, (haha it was just like tiny and squishy but yet huge at the same time) and then the next morning went to the mission office. There we had some people talk to us and then waited for a long time to get interviewed by the president. After that we all went out tracting with some sisters here. That was crazy because San Jose is CRAZY. haha people everywhere, and everyone just does what they want. As i walked around i was surprised to see bars on everyones house. Like that one hotel we stayed at on the boarder of mexico. EVERYONE here has bars on their houses and its because of the saying "pura vida". i guess this started as this happy saying and it just meant basically yolo. But then it turned into literally yolo and so people just do what they want, they stop at a stop sign only if they want, they take things that are setting out and are crazy. But i love them haha. So yeah bars everywhere. okay im going to just start telling you about my area and my companion now though because that's more important haha.
So my companion.... When we get assigned our companions they have all the trainers go on one side, and all the new ones on the other. Then they call the trainers name and then the new one. So they start going and i waited and waited feeling pretty nervous because all of them were natives, besides one, and i knew most of them probably couldn't speak English. So i just waited till there were only two of us left. The only white trainer was called up and then I was!! YES. Okay so her name is Hermana Holmes and shes amazing. We are basically the same person. Like really. Shes never had a boyfriend, her ears aren't pierced, we both love fruit, ya shes the best. She just barely finished here training and now is training me which rarely happens and almost NEVER with a gringo. But she is amazing so shes my trainer and i love her sooo much already. We get along so well and shes basically just perfect.
Okay so then we grabbed my stuff and got on a bus. We had a 4 hour bus ride to our area (Santa Cruz) so we talked and started to get to know each other which was perfect beginning. And then we got back, and went straight to a branch party. I was a little nervous because my Spanish is not good, but went with a smile on my face. And it wasn't hard to keep it there. The people here are sooooo loving. like the nicest people I've ever met.
Santa Cruz is amazing. It is really hot and humid, sweating all the time and i love it. haha i wash my clothes on the back patio in a little sink, no hot water, yep cold showers, and bugs all over the place. We have these 2 cockroches that are always in are apartment in the same spot when we get home at night. They have become our pets, we call them Maria and Jose because that's everyone's name here. haha
Santa Cruz is one of the poorest areas, but with some of the most humble people. They are working really hard to get a stake here right now which is amazing. I will try to send some pictures but it is all just dirt roads and the houses all look like our old shed. Just like this tiny square things. You walk in and in normal house there is a chair or two, the bed, and a tiny kitchen. it is so humbling. These people have so little but want to give so much. for example, this one home we went to was incredible, so small, dirt floors, little mice and bugs running around, and barely anything in it. This was my second day my first time in there and one of the poorest people i had yet met. But they were the first people to offer to feed us. So the next day we went back and ate dinner with this family. And it wasn't they typical rice and beans, it was iguana!! Yes i did eat a lizard and it wasn't too bad. Tasted like chicken :) haha
Oh and something cool that happened with them was that my companion said that every time she And when we go they always offer us coke. Both me and Hermana Holmes don't drink coke but didn't want to have to be rude. So we prayed before we went there for dinner that we would know what to do and how to respectful reject the coke. We got there and they handed us our drink, we were blessed with milk. It might sound silly, but it was such a miracle. We are seeing miracles left and right here and i know that it is because we are trying our hardest to be exactly obedient. With two of us non native working together, it could be harder. But we are making it the best thing ever. We are working hard to follow the spirit, find the people that Heavenly Father has prepared for us and do our best to share the gospel in everything we do, and when necessary, use words.
OH and i need to tell you about my first miracle. My first day here, during my first lesson. I was sitting there not really know what was going on at all. The Spanish here is hard to understand, but yet i understand a lot more than i thought i would. So i was picking up words and things and then just trying to read body language. We were visiting with a family who were all recently baptized. I could tell that the mother was struggling, and felt very strongly to ask one of her sons to bear their testimonies. So in my very very broken spanish i did. After we walked out and Hermana Holmes grabs me and says "Hermana! Do you know how inspired you were??" So i guess the mother was really struggling, didn't know what to do, and as her son bore his testimony, the spirit was so strong. His name is jr and hes planning on going on a mission soon. Anyways that was amazing to be so lead by the spirit.
before i forget, dear elder still works here just in case you didn't know. I only get mail once a month, but still if you want to send me stuff through that you can :)
mom please correct all my spelling and grammar errors. haha my computer and keyboard is in spanish soooo it is currently telling me that i am spelling everything wrong. haha so ya just look at it, take out whatever you think, and then send it to my group email! THANK YOU.
I love you all soooo much!! THANK you all for the love and prayers. i can feel them.
i will answer your questions mom if i haven't already in a quick email, but i love you all. i didn't get to tell you everything, and probably wont have time to send pictures. But know that I'm doing great and loving it here!!
Love,
Hermana Peters
oh and soooo funny. Peters is a really hard last name for people here. The kids try for like 5 minutes every time they see me. Oh and the kids here!! Ahh they all already have such a special place in my heart. They all just run up to us and we are walking around and give us great big hugs! I love it. And i always have them help me learn Spanish and they love it!
Okay love you all.
Bye!
Aug. 25, 2014- questions and answers
So how was the second flight?
great! not first class but still so good. it felt longer and i think its because i just wanted to get to costa rica. haha
Did you buy that chick fill a nuggets you wanted?
no... i couldnt find one so i got arbys haha
Did you meet anyone on the plane or was it all missionaries?
both flights i sat by missionaries, so no. But i didn't know the missionaries before so i guess yes i did meet people!
What was your first impression of Costa Rica?
The city of San Jose, which is huge and full of soo many people. I didn't see it too much right when we got there, but the next day we went out tracting with some sisters there and it was crazy. so many people everywhere, and kinda cold. Not what i was expecting at all. But that's just San Jose, my area is a lot different.
Who met you at the airport?
President and his wife.
What did you do at the mission home?
We waited for interviews, and then went out tracting with some sisters.
Are you with a branch or ward? How many missionaries to the ward or branch?
I am in a branch and there are 6 of us missionaries, one of them i was with in the mtc with, and another one i met at Olivia's farewell so thats fun! haha
What is the place like you live in?
Little apartment, reallly nice for around here! tile floor which is uncommon here, and a kitchen with a little fridge, our bedroom with our beds, bathroom, and ya haha
So does someone cook for you at lunch?
We can if we want but Hermana Holmes said she would only ever give rice and beans and she always was feeling sick. So we just make our own lunch!
Eat any rice and brands yet😉
Yep. Haha last night was actually my first time!
What is the best thing you ate so far?
The fruit!! Ahh its sooo yummy :)
Any stomach aches?
nope i feel great!!
So Spanish... How is that? Are you with a native companion? Do you hear English on the streets at all?
So my Spanish is slowly coming, i have learned a ton since being here, and everyday see myself understanding more and more and its honestly a miracle. I wake up at 5:30 and read my Book of Mormon in Spanish for an hour, and i can see many blessings from that already. oh and yes lots of the kids here are learning English in school and so they will say Hello and Goodbye to us as we walk past haha
Are you washing clothes in a bucket? Do you shower in a bucket?
yes to the clothes, and no i shower in shower, with cold water. but it actually feels way good because its after exercising and i get soooooo sweaty here when i exercise.
Do you use a mosquito net at night or what?
nope but in our apartment we don't really have mosquitos. i do have 13 bites on my legs right now though. haha that's just from walking around one night without bug spray. haven't forgot since though. haha
New fruits.. What are they like?
mmm there is this one that is called mamon chino and its all spiky on the outside, but tastes sooo good.
Have you taught someone there? How did it go?
yes. okay so me and hermana holmes started with zero investigators this week. there used to be only 4 missionaries here and now there are 6 and we are the ones who started off with nothing... haha don't really know why. two gringos. but its good!! we now have 11 investigators and taught like 26 lessons in 3 days. crazy huh?
Do you tract? Or just go on referrals? Do the members get involved?
What is the hardest thing so far?
The hardest thing for me is Spanish, just because i already love these people so much. They are incredible and i want to tell them how much i love them and this gospel, but lots of times don't have the words to. But this week hermana holmes told me something that really stuck with me. She said that you will always have enough. Through heavenly father, i can do the impossible, i can say what he wants me to say in Spanish. So I've come to realize that if i am in tune with the spirit, and obedient, i will always have enough words to say what my heavenly father wants me to.
What is the best thing so far?
EVERYTHING.
okay honestly this place is perfect and i am just loving it so much.
What surprised you the most?
Bars on all the houses.
okay ya so much i want to say but out of time.
I love you all and will send pictures next week!! love you!!!
