happy happy happy :)

(Kendra) I got the following email. 

Buenes Tardes Moms of our Misionaros,

These great missionaries just played futbol on their prep. day & I thought you might like to see a foto of them. This is taken at Capilla Don Bosco in San Jose Centro. At this very minute, they´re eating pizza : )

Hermana Diane Petersen, RN
Fondo Perpetuo/Autosuficiencia Centro @ Capilla Don Bosco
Mission Nurse Specialist
Costa Rica San Jose Mission

This week was sooo great. I LOVE THE MISSION FIELD!!! But really I feel like every day that I am here I am a little bit happier. 

This week we saw lots and lots of milagros. We have an investigator named Jessy (the one we found when we crossed the river) anyway she disappeared for two weeks. We had called and called and went to her house but finally we left a note that said we have been worried about her and that we hope she will call us. And then one night we were with a member and our appointment fell through so my comp felt like we should call Jessy. And she finally answered wooohoo.

So we rushed over to her house and she told us that she has been looking for a job these last few weeks. She doesn’t have money so she has been walking miles and miles every day. So the members are helping her out a little bit. But we had an amazing lesson. It was probably the most random lesson every, but it was completely by the spirit. The member was perfect and could relate completely to her situation. She is such an amazing person and I know that the Lord will strengthen her in these difficult times.

On Sunday was her son’s baptism. It was all kind of last minute but it turned out sooo beautiful!! The spirit was so strong. After church he was waiting outside of the bishop’s office but some members said they would give him and Jessy a ride and he told us that he just wanted to ask the bishop how he can come to church with a tie. Sooo cute!! We found him walking in the street that night on the verge of tears and he said that he had bad news. He said that we wants to be so happy because it was his baptism day but that his girlfriend broke up with him. Poor little thing but we explained that the Lord has a plan for him and that he will prepare a beautiful young women but he needs to do his part and strengthen his testimony. He keeps talking to his mom how he needs to start preparing for his mission! He will be an amazing missionary!! 

This week I found this girl in the park that I felt like I should talk to. So I approached her and she ended up knowing English woohoo. She actually has been to like 4 sacrament meeting. Wow what a blessing. We have an appointment with her on Wednesday. It’ll be interesting to teach in English but good practice! I still am so amazed at how many people we have found that are prepared. It just shows how lots of the time people won’t get baptized with you but in the Lord’s time they will make this covenant. 

My companion and I get along very well. She is a funny one. I need to start writing down the stuff she says. This week we were trying to figure out what we were going to eat because we hardly have any more money for this month and so she was dividing the meat that we had to see how many days it could cover and so we somehow had more than we thought. So in every prayer after that she thanked heavenly father for multiplying the meat. 

This week somehow a black devil butterfly got into our house. Ah man it really was one of the funniest moments. I wish I would of recorded my comps reaction. Anyway everything is going really really well! I feel so blessed to be serving a mission. I know this is the Lord’s work. And it needs to be done in the Lords way. I’m so grateful to have the support I have. Thank you all for all your support and birthday wishes!! 

Love always

Hermana Fowler

:)

I don’t have much time this week but we had a great week in Cuidad Colon. My comp got really sick but we still got to see lots of miracles. Best Valentine’s Day EVER, we had Carlos´s baptism. The spirit was soooo incredible strong. It really is such a blessing to know this man! I hope to always stay in contact with him. He can’t talk but when I say a word he can mimic it after. But he has the hardest time with my name so we changed my name to Paola woohoo :). After his baptism he stood up and tried soooo hard to talk but he couldn’t. It didn’t matter if he would have said something because the spirit really testified and we all could feel his testimony. Every time we see him he almost cries. It breaks my heart but I just know that he is happier than he has ever been.

We are working with a lot of youth. It has been a lot of fun and also a little frustrating haha. They just don’t like to wake up to go to church. But one of them seriously is exactly like Sydney. It really freaks me out how similar they are. We also found 2 families this week that ahh are golden!!!! We are working really hard with them because we know that Satan always attacks where he sees potential.

Street in Cuidad Colon

I’m so grateful to be able to learn more about this gospel every day. I’ve come to absolutely love studying the scriptures and looking for answers for my investigators. I know that God is helping me every day. And I am so grateful to be raised in the gospel. It’s hard for me to put to words my love for my Savior. I know that He lives and He is with us every day. I love my Family!!!!!!! Please email me when you can :) Thank you for all you guys are doing for me!! You are all in my prayers!!!

Hermana Fowler

Happy Valentines Day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER BEARNSON!!! I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU!!!! 

Wow I don’t think I have seen so many miracles in one week. I really just can’t express how grateful I am for this experience to serve a mission in Costa Rica. I don’t ever want this time to end. 

Okay so this week we spent a lot of time just looking for new investigators because we hardly had any. It’s been really fun to be with Hermana Mazariego because we can go to a park and talk to everyone naturally. I love contacting with her. We found this park that we call Magic Park. Every day we spend like 30 minutes just talking to people. 

Hermana Mazariego & Hermana Fowler

We took a picture in front of the house because it was an excuse to start talking to people.

Okay so one day this week our appointments fell through so we decided to look for one of our investigator’s house (we always taught him in Magic Park) so we decided to ask a guy in the street and he happened to know. But to get there we had to cross a river. So we did obviously. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard watching my comp cross that river. I love her she’s a funny one.

So finally we got to the house and his mom came to the door. So we introduced ourselves but she seemed like a little tough of a person. That didn’t make sense but okay.. and pretty much she let us in. oooosh :) So we started to sing a hymn and after we finished she was bawling. After the prayer she explained that two days ago she was planning on killing herself. But she decided to pray first and after her prayer her body went numb and she blacked out. She said that we were her angels and this was her answer to her prayer.

Her son had explained to her that he wasn’t going to drink coffee anymore. She doesn’t have a job so her son literally hadn’t eaten for days and he wouldn’t drink the coffee because he had made a commitment with his Heavenly Father. The spirit was so incredibly strong during that lesson. I learned the importance of truly having a broken heart and a contrite spirit. She is so incredibly humble and ready for baptism.

She came to church on Sunday and was so cute about everything, sadly her son Jairo couldn’t come because he was throwing up in the morning (because he hadn’t eaten). She even took out her nose and tongue ring. After church we had talked to the Relief Society president about their situation and within 2 hours she had gathered a TON of food for them. I don’t think I’ve ever seen two people so grateful. There is a lot more to the story but I don’t have time I’m so sorry.

Another investigator we have is always sooo incredible. His name is Carlos. He had an accident about 6 months ago and now he can’t talk. The only word he can say is bein. Ahh  I seriously can’t express my love for the investigator. Ahhh. We watched the movie John Tanner and he just bawled. We then after invited him to be baptized and he was so confused on why the date was so far away (he can’t talk but he can like play charades with the bishop) anyway his baptism is this week!!!

Seriously this week I had some of the most spiritual experiences in my life. I’m so grateful for my companion. We work really well together!! I loooove talking to people here.  I’m so glad my fear has gone away. We definitely had our fair share of haters but no importa. I love you all so much! I’m so grateful for my family! Please be safe!!!!

My old area

My twin oosh!

Investigators. This was a very hard goodbye.

They are wearing the necklaces you gave them. They love them sooooo much!!!

Saying bye to my last comp. I miss her so much. I got to call her this week because of money issues but I seriously miss that sweetheart!

Rachel!!!!!!!

I just received the following email.

Kendra, I cannot begin to tell you what kindness, joy & light radiate from Hermana Fowler & her companion Hermana Chen! I was thrilled to run into them. My husband, Elder Petersen is good friends with Hermana Peter's uncle Dave McMillan.

Transfer

Thanks to our new friend Doug Gonzalez Rodriguez for the beautiful pictures of Costa Rica this week.
The computer Anna used doesn't have a place for a memory card and she wasn't able to send any.

Well the day has come....bye bye Santo Domingo. :( Seriously changes are the hardest part of the mission. I really felt like I wasn’t going to get transferred so it kinda caught me off guard. But first I’ll start by telling you about the beginning of my week.

So one night this week I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night and opened the door to find a MOUSE!!!!!!! Soooo I slammed the door as fast as I could! Everyone was asleep so I didn’t know what to do. But my companion woke up because she thought I was sleep walking so she heard me make a crying noise and came to help me out. And as we were trying to figure out what to do that little stinker squeezed under the door and hid by a bag of trash.

So pretty much there wasn’t anything we could do. So we went to our room and put a towel under the door so it couldn’t get us in our sleep. But now I’m not in that house. Poor sister’s in Santo Domingo hehe.

I’m sorry I’m kinda scattered brained right now. This week went by way too fast. I forgot that it was transfers until Saturday so it was good that I could have my last week working hard and not thinking about leaving. 

So on Sunday at 6 I got a call from my district leader telling me I had changes. Since they called so early it was so hard to focus. Our last two lessons were with recent converts and with the branch president. The lesson with the recent converts really was a lesson in my mission I’ll never forget. It broke my heart to say bye to them but it felt good to tell a few of them I’ll see you in the temple :) 

San Jose Costa Rica Temple

Goodbyes never feel real to me until I’m actually gone. So everyone was emotional but it just didn’t feel real until I was in the bus to San José, then I lost it. How embarrassing. I really can’t explain how much I love Santo Domingo. They really are all such close friends and I hope I can visit them at some point. My new area is La Sabana, Ciudad Colon which is like 2 hours from my old area. I really don’t know exactly where it’s at all I know is that I am in San José right now emailing.

My new area is seriously incredible. First off there is a member that is a taxi driver who gives us rides all the time. So him and a member picked us up with my luggage in San Jose and took us right to our house. My new area is beautiful!!!! And it is sooo much safer. Not that my last area wasn’t safe because it was, just this area feels like the people would never ever try to do anything. There is this park that is the cutest thing. TONS AND TONS kids that just love life ahh it feels like heaven!

My companion is hilarious. She kills me and it’s only been a day. She reminds me of Junior but a girl version. We got to visit some members yesterday and they all seem sooo nice. I feel very blessed to be in the area. We don’t have a cook but every day we have an appointment with a member for lunch!! It’s a ward so it’ll be able different from what I’m used it.

Oh my I can’t believe I didn’t mention this yet... HERMANA PETERS IS NOW IN SANTO DOMINGO!!!!!!!!! Her companion is Hermana Perez. They are sooooooo similar. Sweetest, most humble, cutest ever!!! So it makes me feel a lot better that my old area is in good hands. Yesterday I got to see her ahhh it was the best ever!!! It felt like a little part of home. We got to eat lunch together and everything. We are praying that when the mission gets split we will be in the same mission.

Uh oh got to go. I love you all so much. I’m so happy to be here and I love missionary work!!!!! You are all in my prayers. Be good :)

Hermana Fowler