Amazing And Exciting Experience!!!

Proud of my Nation

Translating for a Pediatrician

Translating for a Dentist

Doing Eye Exams

US Naval Ship Comfort

Calling in an Airstrike

Captain's Chair

Chillin' on the Deck

Manning the Ship

Puntarenas Bridge

Elder Larson and Elder Graham at the site


Filling Out Forms


Hey there mom! I’m super late today and I will be super short on time but I have a reason! This week has been sooo nuts!! So last Tuesday night I got a call from the APs telling me that they need me and Elder Larsen ( a champ that I live with) to go to Puntarenas everyday for 8 days because there was a US military ship that came there giving free medical care and they need people to translate for them. I was sooo jacked!

So every day since last Wednesday through this Wednesday other than Sunday, 10 of the “best Spanish speakers” have met up at the church employment center in San Jose and they have driven us to translate for doctors, dentists, pediatricians, physical therapists, eye doctors and any medical person you can imagine. We are there until about 4 and get back at our areas around 7 to work for an hour. It honestly has been one of the coolest things I’ve ever been able to do! I wear regular missionary clothes. But I can’t proselyte there. They say to keep the division of church and state. But there are some older couples there serving missions as dentists and doctors.

Everyday our translating post changes but I’ve spent a lot of time with all of them being able to translate for all types of doctors. I was in a hurry early this morning and forgot my camera so I can’t send pics but I have a bunch of pics of me translating. Its soo sweet! But honestly the hardest thing ever. Translating is soo much more then knowing 2 languages. It is so mentally draining. And in those doctor visits I am in the center of everything and I have to translate everything. That, along with waking up at 5 every morning and not getting to sleep till at least 11:30 every night has made me more tired this week then I’ve ever been in my life. I have had to translate some pretty iffy stuff. Some personal women’s matters and plenty of things that I didn’t want to have to translate.

But it has been so fun to hang out with the military guys and be all silly with them. We have been eating MREs everyday and they’re soo good and the most amazing things ever. Have you ever seen em? where you just add water and they get retardedly hot to heat them up, and they’re completely American meals.
The pediatricians have been my favorite to translate for and be able to be silly with the little kids. It made me realize that that kind of job wouldn’t actually be that bad!

A few of the senior missionaries took pictures of me and one said she would send them to you. I gave her your e mail. My Spanish has gotten much better in these days. I’ve studied like crazy every night, all the medical terms, dental terms, muscles and diseases and everything. It has been so fun.

Elder Larsen’s my new best friend. He’s so sick. He has a guitar and I bought a harmonica and we pass every night playing songs. Elder palmer goes too, to translate, so that has been sick to have the Moravia reunion there.

Yep it’s been sweet, but it has made it so we really haven’t been able to work at all. Alberto’s family couldn’t come to church so they will have to wait at least one more week for their baptism.

I’ve gotta head out. I love you. Tell everyone I’m sorry I couldn’t reply to most of them but I will next week. I don’t have much time. I love you

Pura Vida
Elder Graham