I have been called to serve for 2 years in the Costa Rica San Jose Mission as a full time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Monday, May 30, 2011

*The Wedding and Baptism of Robert and Andrea*

Andrea's brother, Andrea, Roberto, Elder Graham





“I really like the ones of their hands and rings with all the white from their baptismal clothes”




Kemp, Argueta, Garcia, Graham, Palmer, Velasquez



Hey mom. Pretty disappointing week. Jeffery and Juan Carlos both passed their baptismal interviews and were good to go but Friday Jeffery told us that he wasn’t getting baptized because he wasn’t ready to change a few things in his life. We couldn’t find Juan Carlos and he didn’t answer his phone all throughout Friday and Saturday and didn’t come to his baptism. I finally got hold of him on Saturday night and we set it up so he would get baptized right before church. He didn’t show up and he hasn’t answered his phone since. I have no idea what happened to either of them.

So I had a little depression period but the wedding and baptism of Roberto and Andrea was awesome. They were both so happy that day. Right after I baptized Roberto he started crying and hugged me and told me that he didn’t know that he could be this happy before. It was pretty cool. Andrea’s brother was inactive but we were working with him along with Roberto and Andrea. He got to baptize her and they were both crying and hugging it was pretty cool. I’ll send some pics..

Next Wednesday is changes. The next time I talk to you I will either be here for 6 more weeks or be in my new area.

We went tie shopping in the morning in San Jose and at 4:00 we rented that indoor soccer field.

Ask dad if he knows who Rodney Wallace is. Supposedly he’s a tico that plays for the timbers. People here always tell me about what happens with the timbers because they show highlights here because he plays for them. My bishop always keeps me up on every nba game and when the timbers play, which is nice.
gotta go love you pura vida elder graham

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Roller Coaster Week!




Jeffery, Juan Carlos, and Elder GrahamElder Graham, Juan Carlos, Elder Garcia, Jeffery, Yanet and her children

Hey there sorry I forgot to tell you that we were going to the temple this week so today is pday. another roller coaster of a week... So we went to do Jeffery’s baptismal interview and we postponed his baptism for this week. Jeffery and Yanet are getting married, which I wasn’t sure about it at all but I prayed hard for them and we fasted and I know that this is the best thing for them. I’m actually super happy for them because I love them both and now Yanet won’t be a single mother with 6 kids. They are super excited to be able to be sealed next year and I can be there! I really know that I was set up a long long time ago by the lord to teach them and help them because that’s what they needed and what I needed. Jeffery and Juan Carlos went out with us all day last Tuesday to all our appointments and were testifying to everyone about how the church is true. They’re the sickest kids. Roberto and Andrea are fantastic too so they will all be baptized this Saturday.


Last Saturday we rented out a place that is kinda like indoor soccer. Well it is but it’s smaller and there aren’t walls. We had some of the elders quorum to play with our investigators and converts and stuff. It was so much fun, it made me really miss playing with the spiders every Monday at 6:20.


The package didn’t come yet? It should come soon. I just want you guys to know how excited I am for you to get the presents. Especially dad and nick. And especially nick. He probably won’t understand how great his present really is but he should.


I’m feeling good! Yes, I went to the temple today. And we got there way early and so for the first time ever I got to do sealing which was way cool to be a part of. And I’m going to be so excited to go in a year to be a part of real ones!


With my comp things are coming along. One day good, one day bad. Housemates are good. Transfers/changes are 2 weeks from today and its possible I may get changes. I really hope not though. I don’t even want to think about leaving here.
I love you. Gotta go.
Elder Graham

Monday, May 16, 2011

a Tough Situation and a Beautiful Hike







Hey there. Well this past week I have had to deal without a doubt with the toughest situation and make the toughest decisions yet. So Roberto and Andrea have had a ton of problems and they decided that they were gonna split up but didn’t really know what was best. So they basically put it on me to decide what was best for them. My first instinct was that obviously they need to get married. They have a kid and everything. But they legitimately have a ton of problems. I told them they had to read a chapter of the Book of Mormon together every single night and pray together every single night to figure it out. And we had to pray a ton too. And I fasted with the Moravia missionaries and with them on Saturday for an answer. On Sunday morning when we were on our way to make sure they were good to go to church I knew that they needed to be together. and when we got there before we could say anything they were both super happy and excited to tell us that the night before they got their answer and they were gonna get married and baptized the 28th. No matter what happens they know that this is the Lord’s plan and they’re gonna trust in him no matter how hard it gets. That reallly boosted my testimony on fasting and helped them understand how bad they really need this in their marriage. So in 2 weeks we’ve got that. But this week we’ve got jeffery, the brother of Robert who is getting baptized then will be set apart as a priest on Sunday. Then he will baptize his brother the next week, along with Juan Carlos, Jeffery’s roommate who is the sickest guy ever. Jeffery and Juan Carlos are both 21 and would be my best friends if I was in the real world. They’re so sick. Robert too.

I did get my camera! Thank you. Its sick. Everyone thinks it’s the coolest thing. The only thing is, it makes me nervous that it’s so snazzy when I’m jumping across rocks in the jungle. We went to a river up in the mountains today.

I sent a package last Tuesday. It’s got birthday presents for you and nick and a father’s day present for dad. And a bunch of bracelets and Costa Rican treats I want you to try. Sorry in advance for not getting special things for everyone but I’ll see if i can get another package out there. There’s enough for everyone so make sure Nick Hess gets one too. And it was 50 bucks. Do you think you could help me out a little with the money I had to take out of my account to pay for it?

Happy birthday molly!

There was an earthquake last week. It was pretty sick. Adam told me that he heard about it?? It was silly I didn’t really understand what was happening till after it was over, but everything was shaking!

Gotta go! Love You
Pura Vida Elder Graham

Monday, May 9, 2011

Funny Pictures

Church in Coronado

Up by the Bishop's House




that means "I crap on all the Mormons."


I liked this one too. Keep in mind that no one there speaks English.




It was great to talk to everyone yesterday. I am so happy to hear that Nick Hess is ready to meet with the missionaries! Thats sooo sick!! Make sure you feed the missionaries. But make sure they don’t feel obligated to eat, because it’s possible that they aren’t hungry. And give them something tasty that they will actually be excited about. Like a milkshake. The Lord already planned who he needs to teach him so they are without a doubt the ones that he needs to hear. I don’t even need to meet them and I know that much.

I’m e mailing Nick Hess back and forth right now. He’s what we call an ¨ecogido¨ or a chosen investigator, and will be a nice gift for the missionaries tomorrow. He’s a way good guy. I’m really impressed by what he’s sayin to me. We gotta make sure he’s reading and praying in those 3 weeks, and plan his baptism for the weekend that he gets back.

I don’t really have anything to say since we talked yesterday ... the package with the camera isn’t in yet. It may come today though and Palmer will get it tomorrow. annddd i bought a few gifts that I will send home tomorrow maybe. Be excited for a few presents in the next few weeks! I’m super excited for dad to get his present.

The picture that says that I crap on all the Mormons? Elder Palmer said that that’s the only one I should have sent. It’s the only important one.
well mom. I’m off. I love you.

pura vida. Elder Graham

Monday, May 2, 2011

Another Great Week!

Hello mother. I just came from san jose and picked up my package! Thank you so much! Those books look great. I’m super excited to read em and holy smokes there was a lot of candy in there!

As for mother’s day I still don’t really know. I’m sure we can call. I will call you on Saturday night to tell you when I will call Sunday since I got the phone cards. I will try and wait to be able to call after 2 but I don’t know if I will be able to. There are 2 others in the house that will call so I will put it in agreement with them.

Yeah! I heard he died (Osama Bin Laden) this morning! That’s fantastic. How great would it be to be the guy that finally took him out? I can’t believe I have officially missed an entire blazers season. It’s actually pretty sad.

Yes, the bishops wife does our laundry for us. The food’s fine. it’s always kinda weird and drenched in weird sauces. I ate oysters. I don’t really know if that’s interesting but I had never eaten them. It’s goin fine with Garcia. There’s really nothing I can do but try and enjoy the time with him.

Roberto and Andrea are great. She’s 20 and he’s 24 and they’ve lived together since she was 14 and he was 18. And this is super super weird, but Yanet has a friend that we we’re teaching named jeffery and we put a baptismal date with him for the 14th. I called him the other night to ask him how he was and said that he was super happy because his brother was getting baptized too and I said in what church? He said the Mormon church too and I said wait your brother is Robert?? and so we were teaching and getting ready to baptize 2 brothers who we met from 2 completely different sources and they’re getting baptized now together the 21st. Pretty weird.

Today we have to clean the house. President comes tomorrow to do interviews and inspect our house. We went to San Jose in the morning and went tie shopping.

But a funny thing happened the other day and it made me think of dad. Dad always told me the story from his mission of the little dog that chased him then died. Well the roads here are surrounded on each side by FATTY ditches everywhere so the streets don’t flood. And we were walking up a fatty hill toward the mountains and on each side there are like basically cliffs. This dog came running toward us barking annoyingly and I wasn’t going to but I played like I was gonna kick it and it got scared and fell back and went into a fatty ditch. I thought it was pretty funny and was similar to dad’s story.

What every you want to send is always welcome. jerky is always great and ticos are fascinated by it and have no idea what kind of black magic was used to create it. Other than that whatever is great.

Is Bernie still cute?

okkkk I’m out of here. I love you. Thanks again for the package! And for ordering the new camera.

pura vida elder graham