Hermana Rachel Ruth Peters

July 13, 2015
Hello :)

How is everyone doing? Sounds like the time of farewells and homecomings has come again. It`s soo crazy for me to hear about all my friend getting home. I am soo excited to see the change in everyone. it`s been really cool for me to be able to be here, and see the change in so many people. I just hope that i can keep changing myself.

So this last week was a little tough. Right now we are working with a family, well especially 2 sisters.. Franchesca and Sheilyn. They are amazing. We met them like 3 weeks ago and they are progressing sooo fast. They came to church the first time we invited them, and are reading in the Book of Mormon and praying. They really listen to us, and really want to change. Over this time i have spent with them, the spiritual experience we have had together, i now know that these were 2 of my friends from heaven, that i told i was going to come find. It is the highlight of everyday to be able to go with them, and the miracle of every night that i can write in my journal. So me and my companion were both sooo happy and we were positive that they were going to get baptized this month. But last Monday Franshesca got news that her grandma, who lives in Nicaragua is really sick. She hasn't seen her for 14 years, and so she told us that she would be leaving for Nicaragua on Friday, to see her. I was sooo sad. Not only is she leaving but she doesnt know when or how she is going to be coming back. She has a little bady, 1 year old, and she decided that she was willing to do anything to see her grandma, so will be taking a bus to guanacaste, and then will be walking for 5 hours across the border illegally, because a passport is way to expensive for her. Not only is that way dangerous for her, but also for her baby. So we are now praying that everything went well, and as well that she can come back soon. So that was rough, especially because they were are 2 baptisms that we were going to have this month....

But God always comes through.

Saturday night we went to go visit an inactive member. She got baptized when she was like 9 and then stopped going. The missionaries found her like 5 months ago and she said that she would come to church once she had her baby because she was pregnant. So like a month ago she had her baby and now wants to come back to church. But in this whole processes, i guess her little sister had been listening to the missionaries too. On Saturday we met her, and we didn't know that she knew anything.. so we started with the basics. Prophets. So i ask her what she think a prophet is and she says "Well Joseph Smith was a prophet right? They are like guides for us" WHAT? Haha soo then she tells us how she`s been reading the book of Mormon and everything. So turns out she knows a ton and already has a testimony of the church. :) She is now preparing to be baptized at the end of the month.

This is one of the many tender mercies i see every day. God really does know everyone, and everything. He has a plan, and his plan is perfect. If something doesn't go the way we planned, just know that it is exactly the way God planned. Although i wont be able to help Sheilyn and Fran be baptized this month, i know that i will be able to help others :)

Also on Tuesday we had the chance to have the newbies come stay with us. Like straight off the airplane, newbies :) haha my apartment is now the house where the sisters stay if they are visiting from far away, like guanacaste, for the newbies, and for the people that will be going home. Basically if anyone needs to go to the mission office, and will stay over night, they stay with us, which also means we will be moving in 2 weeks. but ANYWAYS... haha we had these 2 gringas with us, that were just amazed at Costa Rica. It really helped me to see the little things. Like i was walking and every 5 seconds this sister was saying.. oh my this flower is so pretty, oh wow look at the mountains, oh wow it is so green here. Haha it was so cute. But i went on splits with one and my companion with the other. So i was like i am going to make the first day in her mission one that she will always remember. And it was easy because she had so much faith. So when we started we prayed to find a family of 4 to give a Book of Mormon. And that`s exactly what happened. A family of 4, very interested, and very open :) it was great!

Today we had a big zone activity. I love my zone!! I know that lots of people i am here with will be my friend forever. They are amazing people. So we had i huge hike up a mountain, and got to the top and had the chance to have a big testimony meeting. I am amazed at the strength in every missionary here, and the change that happens to all of us.

Well i love you all so much! Hope that everyone is healthy and happy and know that i am always praying for you all :)

Love,

Hermana Peters