Hello Family :)

               What a great week!! This week was Costa Rica’s Independence Day! They are veeery patriotic. Like to the extreme. All of the kids in school are very much into band and parade stuff. On Monday almost all of Liberia was in the park and we were having a hard time finding someone to do our family night with. Well we ended up feeling like we should go to this recent convert’s house with the other Hermana’s that are also in our area. We got there and they had a guest over. We started to teach him and he was very interested. We invited him to be baptized and he started bawling. He felt like it was exactly what he needed to do. But then two days later we showed up at the house that he was staying at and they said that he left and is actually a thief. But I still feel like he will be back soon and repent of his mistakes.

               On Wednesday I went to Nicoya to do divisions with Sister Camacho. It was such a blast. She has really bad knees so we decided to just work in one specific area. It went very well and we found lots of new people to teach. The next day we had a multi zone conference. Besides almost dying of heat it was a very good meeting. It made me set more specific goals for my life and realize things I need to improve on.

               On Friday we did divisions again with Santa Cruz. That was Rachel’s first area!! It is beautiful!! And soooo hot. That day Hermana Diaz and I came back to Liberia and my comp stayed with Hermana Diaz’s companion. It was a day full of miracles. Since I don’t have a ton of experience in our area it was just like a clean white slate.

               One experience that was really cool was that we were walking down a street trying to contact a reference. But we didn’t know where it was at all. We both felt impressed that it was this one house so we start to pray and then called them to the door (we don’t knock here we say uuuupe buenas. I’m not sure if I’ve told you that yet). So we started talking to this family and they were actually all members besides the mom and her daughter. They had come to church a million times but haven’t gotten baptized pretty much because they are scared of commitment. It made me realize how much the Lord does guide us to where we need to go. There just aren’t coincidences in this life.

               That same day we felt so strongly to contact this one house. So we did and when she came to the door we just told her how we felt so strongly to stop by her house. We explained why we were here in Costa Rica, to come to find out that she had come to church 2 times but then the missionaries that were teaching her left so she lost contact with the church.

               After it started POURING!!! We both didn’t have umbrellas. But the difference between rain here and rain there is that it’s warm. So I don’t really need an umbrella but I just didn’t want my scriptures to get ruined so this kind lady gave us a baggy. I love the ticos they are so giving.

               That same day we were walking and literally both had just said how hungry we were and then we started talking to this guy and he said here have a feel bag of yummy fruit. And it’s my favorite fruit here. So yummy. They’re called mamon chino. So juicy.

               Then on Sunday we were talking to this girl and then all of a sudden this guy said here eat it and it was a yummy meat on a stick. There are always lots of miracles at the end of the month with people giving us food. I’ve really seen that when people give missionaries food they always receive more! But anyway so we were in the rain just loving it but also really wanting to enter a house so we went to this one house but unfortunately there wasn’t a girl inside. He came to the gate and we started telling him who we were and stuff and he said that the missionaries used to always teach him and he really wanted to go to church but always got too scared. Uh oh no more time!! I looove you all I love this gospel!!!

Hermana Fowler    

Dayan's kids!!! I love them they are sooo adorable!!

(This is an entry from a sister missionary, Hermana Cook, who lives with Anna right now.) Kendra

Hi family and friends!!! 

I am a happy missionary.  I am just gonna give a few highlights of the week...

I don´t know if I have told you but I have a new best friend!! Her name is Sister Fowler and she is the greatest.  She is gringa and is from Bountiful.  She is Sister Loza´s companion so we live in the same house and it is the HUGEST BLESSING!! I´ve never had a gringa comp but this is the closest I´ll get and it is the best.  Well on Martes we had divisions!  She is my sister training leader so she came to my area to work with me.  She is SO full of faith.  We started out the day praying to be able to find three new families that have already been to church once.  We went out to work as I always do... diligently obediently faithfully.. but we also had SO much fun :)  Seriously I love her... when we finished the day we realized that we had found THREE new families and EVERY SINGLE ONE had been to church at least once!!! Do you all realize that Heavenly Answers our prayers!!??? He truly does!! IT just blows my mind.  The next day I studied Helaman 10 and 11 and I saw it proven there as well!  THe Lord WANTS to bless us... he wants to help us!  And if we are righteous and obedient and our desires are righteous... He will give us what we want and need!  I love my Heavenly Father... and also Sister Fowler.

Hermana Cook and Hermana Fowler