HOLA Familia Como Esta!!!!
How is everyone doing!?! I am so so so glad you made it back home safe and sound and you had a fun time down in Parowan!! I wish I could have been there with everyone but I am glad I am here and I wouldn’t change it for the world! Even though it is so hard at times I know it is what I should be doing and I am loving it!! I have never felt such a range of emotions in my life before the happiest moments and moments that just take me to my knees and all I can do is look up! But this week was great really!!
So one of the sisters wants to go to the evangelical church now but we haven’t been able to talk to the older sister Luz because she left on a vacation and she hasn’t come back yet! But Heavenly Father works in mysterious ways. So one night we went up to talk to Marielena, the sister whose pastor said she can’t miss her church, but anyways we went really with out a cita and she let us in and all her brother were there. There are 8 kids in their family and 3 of the brothers were there and so we invited them to come and listen to our message. And as we were talking one brother named Jonny showed a lot of interest and was asking a lot of questions and at the end he asked when can we come back? So we did and we taught him and his brother the restoration and the Book of Mormon and they said they wanted to read it! We asked if they wanted to go to church with us and they said yes!! So we had three investigators in the capilla!!!! Well the oldest brother left after the sacrament but Jonny and his younger brother Carlos stayed all three hours and Jonny loved it!!!!!! The boys in the capilla invited him to mutual and he said he really wanted to go and he asked if we could go and walk with him to mutual and teach him before hand! And of course we said YES!! So that was so awesome but what was even more special was President Galvez was at church with us so the Spirit was even extra strong! He was there because he had to do temple interviews with the leaders of the branch so that is why he was there! He is so great. I just so admire him and his wife! He is someone I want to become! So I know that God has different plans for us and if one door closes I know that he will always open another one because the door shut with Marielena but he opened another one with her brother. He is very special and I hope he will want to learn more and will like going to church and he will want to be baptized! I know the Lords hands are in all things because this is His work and his glory and he knows the beginning to the end and even though Marielena didn’t want to learn more he was preparing her brother as well to hear us! So we were so happy with Jonny and we are praying he will have a good experience at mutual on Tuesday!!
Oh so on Saturday we as missionaries had a big activity for the people of the branch. It was called the Plane!. So we had everyone get on a plane. And while they were on the plane they got to get up and do certain activities and each activity was either good or bad! And they received points for them. But the things is they didn’t know what the points really meant. Then after they did the activities they sat back down in their seats. And then we said that there is a problem with the plane because there is to much weight. And we have to sacrifice one person so that the plane can continue to fly. So we had all the men stand up and we pointed at them and they said which one they wanted to sacrifice and all of them cheered and as we said OK. And we were about to take him away our branch president said no! I will go in his place and everyone kind of went quiet and then we said, “Oh no!!! There is a lot of turbulence but please don't panic! But by the end we all crashed and we flipped off the lights and they sat in darkness. And we all changed into white clothes and came back in and told them to count their yellow points and their red points. Then our branch president came back in and they had to give him their points and from their points they had earned he judged them and put them into glories. The celestial The terrestrial and Telestial! And guess what no one made it to the celestial. Only the terrestrial and telestial and we said that only the kids younger than 8 years old could go into the Celestial Kingdom. So there were only 4 children in the glory celestial! And the president was sitting in the room with the little kids and the little kids asked, “well where are our parents”? It was a very special activity because the branch saw that their actions determine where they go and even though they might think that the activities are fun and don’t matter they did! And through their actions they were judged! They all expressed how wonderful the activity was and that it was very enlightening. Our branch president loved it and said we will have to do it again because it helps to put our lives in order and made us realize what is most important in this world! So it was a lot of fun and a great success!!!
Yes! there is cambios in November. November 11th and I think I might be transferred to another area because there are going to be 6 new Hermana’s coming in. So I think that my companion might be a trainer here so that would mean I would leave! But I am not sure yet so that means that we might only have 2 weeks left together! So you are right mom the only thing constant in this world is change!!! But more and more I am getting used to it!! I know it is a part of life!!
I love you all and I am so blessed that I have each one of you in my life!! I Love this gospel with every fiber of my being. I know it is true and it is the Lords Gospel and he is at the head!! I love my Savior and Redeemer! With him everything is possible! He is there waiting for us to come to him and to find peace in his embrace. I know that He lives! I feel His love everyday not only for me but for the people here!! I am so thankful I have this opportunity to share his message with the people in Costa Rica and everyday to be one more day better!! To lose myself and to serve others!! Because this isn’t about me but it is about the Savior and his everlasting love for each one of us!! I know that prayer is real and such a simple act can work miracles! I love prayer! It is truly a way for me to talk to my Father in Heaven and I know He hears and loves me!! Thanks for all your examples to me and your words of encouragement!! Thanks for fasting with me, I can feel your strength!!
Love you always and forever!!
Love Hermana Turnbaugh
Oh p.s Did I ever tell you I ate liver and iguana?! Liver was sick but iguana was like chicken!! LOL!!!
Love you
Pura Vida!!!!!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
10/18/2010
HOLA FAMILIA!!!!
Como Estan!?! It sounded like you had such a fun time in Parowan!! I wish I could have been there and seen Adam! I miss him a lot but I was thinking about him all week! So I was there in spirit with all of you!! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY FAYTHIE!!!!!!! I love you sweet baby lady!!!!!
Well I am so so glad you had fun but I hope that you will drive so safe and get back home safe and sound!! So write be as soon as you get this so I know what time you got home!!
SO..... What goes up must come down right? So last week was so wonderful and seriously the best but like everything there has to be opposition in all things. And this week there was!!!
So our sisters are struggling. But we still have faith that they will want to come to church because this Sunday they didn’t come which was hard. So we didn’t have investigators at church which was a little discouraging but we are going to keep our heads up and we know that if we put our faith in God we can do all things.
This work is so hard because it is so true and Satan knows it!! So one of the sisters Marielena, she is 15 and we went to her house on Saturday and she said I don’t know if I want to be baptized because the day earlier a pastor from her church came with 7 young people to ask her why she hasn’t been to church for a couple of years!! Seriously what are the chances of that? That the day before we were suppose to come this pastor that hasn’t talked to her for a couple of years decided to talk to her. And she said I think I want to go to that church!! AHH!! Satan knows our investigators and he will stop them anyway possible to be fully happy!! But we told her that the only way she can know what she should do is by praying because people say a lot of good things but she needs to ask the Lord what is best for her. And she said she would again and we gave her a book of Mormon and she said she would read it! SO we are praying so hard that she will remember that experience she had after praying for the first time after our message! Her sister Luz didn’t want to come to church because she didn’t feel well so... hopefully next week!
But we are trying not to get discouraged because we know this is true and we know that our investigators have agency and this is a very special gift from the God. With this gift, it is the only way that we can become like our Heavenly Father! So on one hand it makes it hard but on the other hand, this is the only way for us to fully know our Savior!! This is something I never realized! Just how very important and sacred agency is. We can become like our Father in Heaven when we choose our agency wisely!! This is the only way because God won’t force us to do anything! He will wait patiently until we come to him because he will never take away our agency!
SO this coming up week we are going to work so hard with them and to find all those that are escogido! I love my companion because she has a lot of animo and when it is so hard she is there saying, “No Hermana everything will be just fine!”
Another thing that I learned from this hard week is the love that God has for us and the love that our Savior has for us that he would die for us! So when our sisters said that they didn’t want to come or they wanted to choose another path, I felt so so so sad and I hurt for them, because I know that this gospel can and will change their lives! It is not just ONE more church, but it is THE Church! The Church that holds ALL the sacred power of God! And I hurt for their decisions they wanted to make. And I thought that is times 1000 what our Savior and Heavenly Father feels when we don’t choose the path that they would have us take and make decisions that will bring sadness into our lives! At that moment I felt that I never ever want to have Christ feel that way because of me and my decisions! Because if he felt just a little bit of how I felt that is horrible and I would never want him to feel that way ever again! I am learning that even though moments and weeks are so hard and I feel so low, I know at those very moments God is teaching me what I really need to learn! He is the master teacher and everything, I mean everything, happens for a reason and is always for our good!! Through the tough times our rugged edges are getting smoothed away and we become a new creature in Christ!! Like you said mom in one of your emails as my mission goes on the hard times won’t seem so hard and they wont last or seems so dark. Because well, I guess, Christ is opening my eyes and having me see that Yes! There is opposition in all things but there is a purpose and a time for all things as well and he is having me be humble and bringing me to my knees and solely rely on him!!! Because I am nothing with out him!! He is everything and I love him more than I can say. Because when I am down and down on myself and I don’t know how I can go on, He is there and literally I feel His arms around me and telling me that everything will be all right! That tomorrow is fresh with no mistakes in it!! And I love knowing this, that no matter what happens, He is always there for me and that He loves me and knows what I can accomplish!!
I thought my Spanish would be getting better but no lol!!!!! It is so hard because my companion can speak English so most of the day we are speaking English together. So it is so inspired why they put Latinos and gringos together because it helps with their Spanish but we made it our goal to only speak Spanish and that she will help me perfect my Spanish more and not have it sound so basic but to have it sound more real I guess! LOL!!! So we have been doing that and it has been helping and I have been really studying Spanish in the morning and all the rules. But hey Case, How did you learn indirect and Direct subject pronouns?? because I have no idea why but they are so hard for me! And how did you study in the mornings? What advice could you now give me because I know a whole lot in Spanish, So what now, can I do, to really start to be fluent? If you could right me back with some tips that helped you that would be awesome and you too Laren. I know you said to study verbs and learn how they are used and how they are conjugated but if you have any more advice please help me! Because when I talk to you all for Christmas I want you to be like wait, Is our sister gringa or Latina lol!!!!
Well I better run but remember how much I love you all!!! And I am not sure if this is appropriate or not but maybe on Sunday we could have a family fast for my Spanish, all those that are able. I am not sure if that is OK or not so if not that is OK and I know you will be thinking of me!
I love you more than I can possibly say and I miss you all so so so much!! I hope everyone is happy and so safe!! Love you all!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
P.s Mom I bought a skirt for 10 dollars and I am going to by a watch because my other one broke and it is for 18 dollars so I hope that is ok! So if you see charges on my account it is from me!!!
PURA VIDA!
Como Estan!?! It sounded like you had such a fun time in Parowan!! I wish I could have been there and seen Adam! I miss him a lot but I was thinking about him all week! So I was there in spirit with all of you!! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY FAYTHIE!!!!!!! I love you sweet baby lady!!!!!
Well I am so so glad you had fun but I hope that you will drive so safe and get back home safe and sound!! So write be as soon as you get this so I know what time you got home!!
SO..... What goes up must come down right? So last week was so wonderful and seriously the best but like everything there has to be opposition in all things. And this week there was!!!
So our sisters are struggling. But we still have faith that they will want to come to church because this Sunday they didn’t come which was hard. So we didn’t have investigators at church which was a little discouraging but we are going to keep our heads up and we know that if we put our faith in God we can do all things.
This work is so hard because it is so true and Satan knows it!! So one of the sisters Marielena, she is 15 and we went to her house on Saturday and she said I don’t know if I want to be baptized because the day earlier a pastor from her church came with 7 young people to ask her why she hasn’t been to church for a couple of years!! Seriously what are the chances of that? That the day before we were suppose to come this pastor that hasn’t talked to her for a couple of years decided to talk to her. And she said I think I want to go to that church!! AHH!! Satan knows our investigators and he will stop them anyway possible to be fully happy!! But we told her that the only way she can know what she should do is by praying because people say a lot of good things but she needs to ask the Lord what is best for her. And she said she would again and we gave her a book of Mormon and she said she would read it! SO we are praying so hard that she will remember that experience she had after praying for the first time after our message! Her sister Luz didn’t want to come to church because she didn’t feel well so... hopefully next week!
But we are trying not to get discouraged because we know this is true and we know that our investigators have agency and this is a very special gift from the God. With this gift, it is the only way that we can become like our Heavenly Father! So on one hand it makes it hard but on the other hand, this is the only way for us to fully know our Savior!! This is something I never realized! Just how very important and sacred agency is. We can become like our Father in Heaven when we choose our agency wisely!! This is the only way because God won’t force us to do anything! He will wait patiently until we come to him because he will never take away our agency!
SO this coming up week we are going to work so hard with them and to find all those that are escogido! I love my companion because she has a lot of animo and when it is so hard she is there saying, “No Hermana everything will be just fine!”
Another thing that I learned from this hard week is the love that God has for us and the love that our Savior has for us that he would die for us! So when our sisters said that they didn’t want to come or they wanted to choose another path, I felt so so so sad and I hurt for them, because I know that this gospel can and will change their lives! It is not just ONE more church, but it is THE Church! The Church that holds ALL the sacred power of God! And I hurt for their decisions they wanted to make. And I thought that is times 1000 what our Savior and Heavenly Father feels when we don’t choose the path that they would have us take and make decisions that will bring sadness into our lives! At that moment I felt that I never ever want to have Christ feel that way because of me and my decisions! Because if he felt just a little bit of how I felt that is horrible and I would never want him to feel that way ever again! I am learning that even though moments and weeks are so hard and I feel so low, I know at those very moments God is teaching me what I really need to learn! He is the master teacher and everything, I mean everything, happens for a reason and is always for our good!! Through the tough times our rugged edges are getting smoothed away and we become a new creature in Christ!! Like you said mom in one of your emails as my mission goes on the hard times won’t seem so hard and they wont last or seems so dark. Because well, I guess, Christ is opening my eyes and having me see that Yes! There is opposition in all things but there is a purpose and a time for all things as well and he is having me be humble and bringing me to my knees and solely rely on him!!! Because I am nothing with out him!! He is everything and I love him more than I can say. Because when I am down and down on myself and I don’t know how I can go on, He is there and literally I feel His arms around me and telling me that everything will be all right! That tomorrow is fresh with no mistakes in it!! And I love knowing this, that no matter what happens, He is always there for me and that He loves me and knows what I can accomplish!!
I thought my Spanish would be getting better but no lol!!!!! It is so hard because my companion can speak English so most of the day we are speaking English together. So it is so inspired why they put Latinos and gringos together because it helps with their Spanish but we made it our goal to only speak Spanish and that she will help me perfect my Spanish more and not have it sound so basic but to have it sound more real I guess! LOL!!! So we have been doing that and it has been helping and I have been really studying Spanish in the morning and all the rules. But hey Case, How did you learn indirect and Direct subject pronouns?? because I have no idea why but they are so hard for me! And how did you study in the mornings? What advice could you now give me because I know a whole lot in Spanish, So what now, can I do, to really start to be fluent? If you could right me back with some tips that helped you that would be awesome and you too Laren. I know you said to study verbs and learn how they are used and how they are conjugated but if you have any more advice please help me! Because when I talk to you all for Christmas I want you to be like wait, Is our sister gringa or Latina lol!!!!
Well I better run but remember how much I love you all!!! And I am not sure if this is appropriate or not but maybe on Sunday we could have a family fast for my Spanish, all those that are able. I am not sure if that is OK or not so if not that is OK and I know you will be thinking of me!
I love you more than I can possibly say and I miss you all so so so much!! I hope everyone is happy and so safe!! Love you all!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
P.s Mom I bought a skirt for 10 dollars and I am going to by a watch because my other one broke and it is for 18 dollars so I hope that is ok! So if you see charges on my account it is from me!!!
PURA VIDA!
Monday, October 11, 2010
10/11/2010
Mi Familia Como Esta!!!
How is the best family doing this week!!!! It sounds like everyone is doing so great!!! I can’t even believe that Adam comes home tomorrow that is so crazy!!!! I am so glad you will be down there for his homecoming!! Please tell him I love him so much and that I can’t wait to see him in a year!!! And give him a big hug for me!!!!!!! I bet Deb is just so excited and give her a hug to and tell her I love and miss her!
So this week has been just so awesome!!!!!!! The best week ever thus far in my mission! Being with Hermana Vallecillo we seem to be just on fire!! So first we get along so well and it is so fun to be with her! Our personalities are a lot a like, so it has been so great! But we didn’t have investigators so we tracked a lot this week! We tracked in this area called the Isla and I just felt that we needed to go there but it is kind of far away and I thought well maybe another area that is a little closer would be better. But as we headed out the door I felt like, no we need to go to Isla so we did. And as we were tracking some people let us in and some didn’t but we were walking down the street and there was a house kind of tucked back into the trees and Hermana said should we go and contact them and I said yeah but how do we get there? Then we saw a women come out of her house and we said oh my goodness lets go and talk to her!! So we did! We found the path that lead to her house and we said hello and she had a huge smile on her face and said come in and we started to talk to her. Her name is Luz and she is single now and lives with her 3 children. But we started talking by asking simple questions to find out what she believes in! And she said for about 6 years she hasn’t gone to church and she prayed just the other night to God if she should go back to church and if she should go back to the same church and then we showed up at her door!! So crazy huh!?! She loved our message and she had a question about were did we come from and is there life after death! And we Said YES! We know those answers and we can help you receive the answers!! She is so great but she wanted us to come back on Saturday but when we did she had went to the hospital because she had a severe asthma attack and so we couldn’t talk to her again. But when we left the appointment with her we asked when you pray to night and you receive an answer will you be baptized with someone in authority and she said YES!!! So on Tuesday we are going to go back and see how she feels and if she wants to learn more!!! But Luz is so awesome I just felt something so different with her! I know she is one of the chosen ones and we are here to tell her about the truth!
So more cool stories! So as we were talking to her she said that her mom and sister like to talk about religion together and we thought oh that’s really cool! But so the next day we go tracking again to the same area of Isla and we start tracking there but with no luck. No one wanted to hear or they closed the door when we would walk by! It was awful and then we see this young girl out with a little girl and she looks at us and then walks in the door and Hermana said should we talk to her and then we said, no she is going to go inside and close the door and we were just waiting for her to close the door but she didn’t! And so Hermana said lets go and so we said hello and she smiled and said come in! And Hermana and I just looked at each other and thought wow this is weird but as we were talking to her she looked so familiar. So then my companion said wait! Are you sisters de Luz and she said yes how do you know? and we said you look like her and she just laughed. But how cool is that! She is the sister of the lady we contacted the day before and her name is Mrianela and she is 15. But we taught her and like her sister we said if you get an answer from God will you be baptized with some one who has the authority and she said yes!!! So we went back on Saturday and guess what!!!! So we asked how did her praying was going? And she told us that after we left she was talking to her mom about our message and how we told her that to find out an answer she needed to pray! and so her and her mom prayed together and she said after she got done praying, she couldn’t stop crying and she just felt something in her body and she couldn’t stop crying and she said for awhile after she just held her mom and she said I know that it is right and she wants to be baptized!!! So Marielena will be baptized on the 31st of this month!!! GO SPIRIT GO SPIRIT GO!!!! whoop whoop!! Seriously this family is awesome and it would be so amazing if Luz was also baptized with her sister!! Because they are incredible I know the Lord has prepared them before hand and they just needed to wait until the truth came to their doors! So cool huh? I just am so excited and just so thankful to my Father in Heaven that he trusted me enough to find this family please keep them in your prayers that they will want to be baptized!!!
Ok! so another story. Last Saturday we tracked this family but they gave us a wrong address so we stopped at this house to ask if they knew this family. And a dad was out with his son so we asked if he knew them but he said sorry no! So we then asked, well do you want to hear about our message and he said yes! That him and his wife would both be together on Saturday and to come back then! So we did! And when we went to their house we said hello and the wife came to the door and she just looked at us really funny and kind of put out that we came, but she let us in anyway. So we started teaching her and her husband and at first I thought oh no they don’t want anything but it changed. They were so interested!! They wanted us to come back this Thursday and they said they really want to come to church next Sunday!! The wife said I am looking for the truth and I feel your message is true but I want to learn more and we said yes! Yes we will teach you more!!!! And this is a family and they have a little son about 6!! So cool huh!! The Lord has really blessed us this week!! And I can feel him so strongly. I know he is guiding our work!!!!
Ok so another story!!!!! SO I was in my first earthquake!!!!!!!!! It was the weirdest feeling ever!! We were in the house of an investigator and the earth started to shake and at first I didn’t understand what was happening and the doors started shaking and the things and the walls started to shake too!! But it only lasted just a few seconds but still it was crazy. But the most craziest story happened when we were in the house of the investigator. So we were teaching about the plan of salvation and we were talking about the mundo de espiritus and then my companion asked, if an earthquake was to come and you were taken from off this earth where would you think you would go? To paradise or spirit prison? But what is so crazy right after she said that and they sat thinking about their answer, the real live earthquake happened!!! Isn’t that so so so weird>? So right after my comp said what if a earth quake came and took you off this earth where do you think you would go? A real earthquake happened I just sat there and thought, Oh my goodness, my comp has the power to make earthquakes happen!!! LOL!!!!! so crazy huh!! What are the chances of a real earthquake happening, right after she would have said that!!! LOL!!! So crazy! So after the lesson we asked, Do you have any questions and the sister of the wife said no! but I am scared! LOL!!! So funny!! I can’t even believe that happened!!!
So this week has just been so great!! I am Learning so much from her!! And I know that my spanish will improve so much because of her!! Well I love you so much!!! I know this church is true with every fiber of my being. I am so thankful I have this opportunity to serve my Heavenly Father and find his children that are ready for this gospel!!! Because it truly is so perfect!! Thanks for all your love and prayers, it truly strengthens me when I feel down! I love you and I am so blessed to be part of this family!!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh!!
How is the best family doing this week!!!! It sounds like everyone is doing so great!!! I can’t even believe that Adam comes home tomorrow that is so crazy!!!! I am so glad you will be down there for his homecoming!! Please tell him I love him so much and that I can’t wait to see him in a year!!! And give him a big hug for me!!!!!!! I bet Deb is just so excited and give her a hug to and tell her I love and miss her!
So this week has been just so awesome!!!!!!! The best week ever thus far in my mission! Being with Hermana Vallecillo we seem to be just on fire!! So first we get along so well and it is so fun to be with her! Our personalities are a lot a like, so it has been so great! But we didn’t have investigators so we tracked a lot this week! We tracked in this area called the Isla and I just felt that we needed to go there but it is kind of far away and I thought well maybe another area that is a little closer would be better. But as we headed out the door I felt like, no we need to go to Isla so we did. And as we were tracking some people let us in and some didn’t but we were walking down the street and there was a house kind of tucked back into the trees and Hermana said should we go and contact them and I said yeah but how do we get there? Then we saw a women come out of her house and we said oh my goodness lets go and talk to her!! So we did! We found the path that lead to her house and we said hello and she had a huge smile on her face and said come in and we started to talk to her. Her name is Luz and she is single now and lives with her 3 children. But we started talking by asking simple questions to find out what she believes in! And she said for about 6 years she hasn’t gone to church and she prayed just the other night to God if she should go back to church and if she should go back to the same church and then we showed up at her door!! So crazy huh!?! She loved our message and she had a question about were did we come from and is there life after death! And we Said YES! We know those answers and we can help you receive the answers!! She is so great but she wanted us to come back on Saturday but when we did she had went to the hospital because she had a severe asthma attack and so we couldn’t talk to her again. But when we left the appointment with her we asked when you pray to night and you receive an answer will you be baptized with someone in authority and she said YES!!! So on Tuesday we are going to go back and see how she feels and if she wants to learn more!!! But Luz is so awesome I just felt something so different with her! I know she is one of the chosen ones and we are here to tell her about the truth!
So more cool stories! So as we were talking to her she said that her mom and sister like to talk about religion together and we thought oh that’s really cool! But so the next day we go tracking again to the same area of Isla and we start tracking there but with no luck. No one wanted to hear or they closed the door when we would walk by! It was awful and then we see this young girl out with a little girl and she looks at us and then walks in the door and Hermana said should we talk to her and then we said, no she is going to go inside and close the door and we were just waiting for her to close the door but she didn’t! And so Hermana said lets go and so we said hello and she smiled and said come in! And Hermana and I just looked at each other and thought wow this is weird but as we were talking to her she looked so familiar. So then my companion said wait! Are you sisters de Luz and she said yes how do you know? and we said you look like her and she just laughed. But how cool is that! She is the sister of the lady we contacted the day before and her name is Mrianela and she is 15. But we taught her and like her sister we said if you get an answer from God will you be baptized with some one who has the authority and she said yes!!! So we went back on Saturday and guess what!!!! So we asked how did her praying was going? And she told us that after we left she was talking to her mom about our message and how we told her that to find out an answer she needed to pray! and so her and her mom prayed together and she said after she got done praying, she couldn’t stop crying and she just felt something in her body and she couldn’t stop crying and she said for awhile after she just held her mom and she said I know that it is right and she wants to be baptized!!! So Marielena will be baptized on the 31st of this month!!! GO SPIRIT GO SPIRIT GO!!!! whoop whoop!! Seriously this family is awesome and it would be so amazing if Luz was also baptized with her sister!! Because they are incredible I know the Lord has prepared them before hand and they just needed to wait until the truth came to their doors! So cool huh? I just am so excited and just so thankful to my Father in Heaven that he trusted me enough to find this family please keep them in your prayers that they will want to be baptized!!!
Ok! so another story. Last Saturday we tracked this family but they gave us a wrong address so we stopped at this house to ask if they knew this family. And a dad was out with his son so we asked if he knew them but he said sorry no! So we then asked, well do you want to hear about our message and he said yes! That him and his wife would both be together on Saturday and to come back then! So we did! And when we went to their house we said hello and the wife came to the door and she just looked at us really funny and kind of put out that we came, but she let us in anyway. So we started teaching her and her husband and at first I thought oh no they don’t want anything but it changed. They were so interested!! They wanted us to come back this Thursday and they said they really want to come to church next Sunday!! The wife said I am looking for the truth and I feel your message is true but I want to learn more and we said yes! Yes we will teach you more!!!! And this is a family and they have a little son about 6!! So cool huh!! The Lord has really blessed us this week!! And I can feel him so strongly. I know he is guiding our work!!!!
Ok so another story!!!!! SO I was in my first earthquake!!!!!!!!! It was the weirdest feeling ever!! We were in the house of an investigator and the earth started to shake and at first I didn’t understand what was happening and the doors started shaking and the things and the walls started to shake too!! But it only lasted just a few seconds but still it was crazy. But the most craziest story happened when we were in the house of the investigator. So we were teaching about the plan of salvation and we were talking about the mundo de espiritus and then my companion asked, if an earthquake was to come and you were taken from off this earth where would you think you would go? To paradise or spirit prison? But what is so crazy right after she said that and they sat thinking about their answer, the real live earthquake happened!!! Isn’t that so so so weird>? So right after my comp said what if a earth quake came and took you off this earth where do you think you would go? A real earthquake happened I just sat there and thought, Oh my goodness, my comp has the power to make earthquakes happen!!! LOL!!!!! so crazy huh!! What are the chances of a real earthquake happening, right after she would have said that!!! LOL!!! So crazy! So after the lesson we asked, Do you have any questions and the sister of the wife said no! but I am scared! LOL!!! So funny!! I can’t even believe that happened!!!
So this week has just been so great!! I am Learning so much from her!! And I know that my spanish will improve so much because of her!! Well I love you so much!!! I know this church is true with every fiber of my being. I am so thankful I have this opportunity to serve my Heavenly Father and find his children that are ready for this gospel!!! Because it truly is so perfect!! Thanks for all your love and prayers, it truly strengthens me when I feel down! I love you and I am so blessed to be part of this family!!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh!!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
10/4/2010
Hola Familia!!
How is the best family doing!!! I miss you all so much!! This week has been great and cambios went really really well!!
So last time I wrote you we were waiting for a bus to go to San Jose and well we finally got a bus to San Jose at 6 pm so we didn’t arrive in san Jose until 10 pm that night. And yes Hermana Almengor missed her final everything her dinner and testimony. She was pretty sad but pretty nervous to be going home. Her flight left the next morning at 4am so so early!! But she wrote me today and says that she is doing really well!! So once we got to president’s house I met my new companion and she is GREAT!! I really love her! She is from Honduras and is so much like Hermana Vega!!! And guess what the weird thing is she was Hermana Vegas first greenie and I was Hermana’s last greenie weird huh? So we are really actually like sisters, because we have the same mom!! But she goes home in December so I am not sure how long I will be with her, maybe only for this cambio or till December! I dont know. I hope longer because I think we will get along so well together!! She knows perfect English so she has been really helping me to get my spanish down because she can explain in English why they do that or why they say that, so it has been helping me!! I feel I am going to grow so much this cambio and I am so excited because I want to be a great missionary and I can’t say oh I will learn later because I am new, because I am not anymore, in Nov 5th I will have 6 months in my mission and in the mission for a sister to have 6 months, you are old lol!!! But yes I love Hermana Vallenllncio she is awesome!! I really love people from Honduras they are very warm and loving people!!
So the rest of the week after we returned from San Jose it has been great! We are working hard and trying to find investigators BECAUSE we don’t really have any right now, but we both have faith and great goals to accomplish them. And I know and I can feel that we will have great exito here in San Carlos together!!
But as for the storm it has pounded Costa Rica. Well I heard all of Central America with a lot of rain and especially in the mountains it has rained a ton and a lot of land slides that has blocked the roads but they cleaned them all up and no problems thus far so that is great!!!
I LOVED CONFERENCE TOO!!! It was so wonderful!!!! I listened to it in Spanish. I had the option to watch it in English or Spanish and I chose to listen to it in Spanish to help my Spanish more!!
Hey Casey do you have tips on how I can remember the Spanish rules or perfect my Spanish??!!
But no, I could understand it, not every word but the over all meaning I could, which was so awesome!!! I especially loved, well no, I loved ALL the talks. Seriously they were exactly what I needed to hear. The Profeta is so inspired!!! I know that He is the mouth piece of the Lord.
But I loved when Elder Holland said that parents sacrifice everything to send their children on missions and then the children sacrifice everything to bring the gospel to others. I thought that was so true because it is so true, you guys are sacrificing a lot for me to be here in Costa Rica. But I want to make you proud and my Savior proud by giving and sacrificing everything to bring this gospel, this happiness to the people in Costa Rica!! And I loved loved President Thomas Monson’s talk about gratitude!! It touched me a lot and I want to let you guys know how very grateful I am of each and everyone of you!! You are the most amazing family I know!! I am so proud to be representing my Savior and my Family here in Costa Rica!! I love you all so much and so grateful for each one of your examples to me!! I know I am the person I am because you, all of you, You have shaped who I have become and who I want to be!! Thank you for your love and support!!! I LOVE YOU MORE THAN I CAN SAY!!!
Also something that really touched me was after conference the first Sunday session they were talking about pioneers and how they sacrificed everything and they pressed forward with a steadfastness in Christ!! And they had faith in every foot step and then I remembered Sarah Ann Norris and how very brave she was and how very faithful she was to go through what she went through. That when it seemed like she couldn’t go on she did!! She had faith that no matter what happened the Lord would be with her, in every foot step and I felt her very strongly there with me in the chapel! Like she was saying, “If I could do it, you can too!!
And then I felt grandma and grandpa and I felt their Spirit with me too! And I could picture grandma and grandpa watching me. And grandma standing with her cute little hands clasped together smiling at me in her cute little fuscha pant suit and her cute little high heels and I could see grandpa in his white and blue stripped shirt and his cowboy hat and his arm bent with his finger pointing up like how it would when he would eat, and he was smiling at me! And I could hear him say, “Be up and doin!! It was a very sacred moment for me because I could feel them so close to me and I know they are helping me out!! And I want to make them proud!! I want to make all my ancestors proud because each and everyone gave their heart for this gospel and I want to do it too!! Give my all for this gospel! And when the winds of opposition and self doubt come into my mind, I want to be like Sarah Ann Norris and push through with Faith in Every Foot Step!!
I love you all so much! I hope you all know how truly special you are all to me!! Thanks for all your prayers in my behalf!!! I love you like Costa Ricans love arroz con leche!!!
Love always and forever Hermana Turnbaugh!!!
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