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, March 26, 2012

A Week of Miracles

 Baptism of Robert and Karen and their children



Family of Investigators in Golfito 

Newborn Parakeet


As you will see in the picture we had a wonderful weekend where we got to baptize William Karen and their kids.  We had originally said the 24th but only William and the kids had come once and Karen hadn’t been able to come.  But we went with president and had a wonderful lesson and after that he gave us permission to baptize all of them.  It truly was a miracle. 
At the beginning of the month as a zone we decided to make a covenant with the goals we had set.  To commit ourselves to them.  I made little card things for everyone at the beginging of the month saying that we were committed to 3 families 3 men and 10 baptisms as a zone. And it said March 2012 the month of miracles.  It had been 2 years without getting their goal in this zone.  It didn’t look like we were gonna get it wends day morning.  But from there till Sunday in the zone we baptized 7 people that we pulled out to get our baptismal goal.  The only zone in the mission to get it in the month of March.
I don’t have changes by the way.. 
We’re in Puerto Jimenez right now.  Look at Puerto Jimenez on a map and look down to Matapalo.  That’s where i will be spending the afternoon.  I should have good pics next week. 
The day of interviews with president was awesome.  We were with him from 7 in the morning until 10 at night.  The whole day driving around and I asked him millions of questions. 

I am excited for general conference.  I will watch it in Rio Claro
Welp.  I gotta go now.  Love you.
Elder Graham

Monday, March 19, 2012

Travelling hrough the Zone

That’s Rudy, who was an inactive member when we met him.  He’s from Puerto Jimenez. He had problems so his aunt that he lived with sent him to live with his uncle who’s a member in Jimenez.  So we worked with him and made him go out with us when we went there. He always calls us to ask advice and stuff because we convinced him to go on a mission.  He cut his hair and at the conference on Sunday he was ordained to an elder and he asked me to ordain him.  He is in San Jose right now doing medical stuff for his mission.

 A blurry picture because it was dark in Golfito

A hitchiking ride


 


My week was decent.  We had the district conference and it went pretty good.  The general session was a satellite broadcast for all of Central America.  It was really good.  Elder Packer, Elder Clayton who came here and elder Clark who used to be in the area presidency spoke. 

Changes are on Monday.  I think I’ll find out Friday if I’m out... 

Well i gotta go now.  Love you.  Next time i e mail i may be in my last area.

Elder Graham

Monday, March 12, 2012

Happy Surprise at the Temple!


 All Night Temple Trip


 Temple with Benita!


My Great Fire!

Temple with Maritza and her future husband


Hello.  This week was a little crazy.  we traveled twice to san jose.  But the temple trip was crazyyy..  We left at 10 on friday night.  They ordered the bus late so we got stuck with your standard yellow school bus..   for 8 hours.   I didnt sleeep att all.  The most unconfortable night of my life.  I dont fit in those buses.  But it was a very quick trip. we got there at 6 in the morning and started doing baptisms and we were the witnesses in the baptisms untill the 9 o clock session then we did that session and left at 12:30.  But the way back was nutsss   a lot of fun.  noone was sitting the whole way and everyone was just messing around and it was way fun.  

I was soo tired when we got back then we had to wake up at 5 yesterday and I'm still running on nothing. Buttt the coolest thing was at the temple. There was Maritza from la Rita and Benita from Cariari.  It was soo awesome to see them.  I wasnt even sure if they would remember me that well or remember my name because noone can remember it because they say its hard to pronounce...  But anywho i just heard Benita yelling my name from way behind outside and she was very happy.  And I was very happy that a year later i saw my converts in the temple.


Today we went on the lonnnggeesstt hike!  We wanted to plan a zone activity so we did.  our branch president said that just beyond his house were some waterfalls and it was like an hour and a half from neilly to them.  So we left early and brought meat and drinks and suck to cook on a little gas stove that he has.  So we went off with a group of sister missionaries on this hike and it turned out to be over 3 hours to get there and some of them were livviddd  because i thought it was just like an hour or so.  So everyone starts taking pictures and stuff and i start cooking with my pres vela.  And very quickly the gas ran out and the gas that he bought wasn't the right kind....  So I was very worried not for the food but because those girls were gonna kill me.  take them all the way out there and then not have anything to eat...So I put some rocks together and some sticks and leaves and built a fire stove and started cooking.  And it actually turned out way good!  It was more fun that way.  I had no idea how to cook ona  real fire like that and to be honest i really had never cooked on anything before.  but i set up a legit fire and cooked it all up and it turned out legit and everyone was happy.  

 As for the family they're doing really well but he's been getting thrown around by his work and she is studying Sundays so they still haven't been to  church...  So we have to wait on the baptism...

Ohh.. and ive had to take a bunch of money out lately foor a few things...  We had to pay 30 bucks for the temple trip.   plus some food that i bought and some suncreen that i bought that was way expensive.. 
Gotta go....love you,
Elder G

Monday, March 5, 2012

Awesome Week!



 

If I take that road north I will get to Portland. 

Thats the interamerican highway that turns into I 5




swinging on a large, i dont know if its a vine or what, but it's sweet.



Hello.  I just got an interesting e mail announcing to us who our new mission president will be.  His name is Chad Read Wilkinson. hes from utah.  Pretty interesting.  I will be with him a month.
Chad Read Wilkinson, 47, and Allison Marie Wilkinson, four children, Saratoga Springs 4th Ward, Saratoga Springs Utah Stake. Brother Wilkinson is a stake president and is a former high councilor, bishop, Young Men president and missionary in the Dominican Republic Mission. Assistant administrator, Seminaries and Institutes. Born in Murray, Utah, to Joseph William and Clytie Wilkinson.
Sister Wilkinson serves as a Primary teacher and is a former counselor in a Young Women presidency, enrichment leader, Primary music leader, counselor in a special needs Mutual, Sunday School teacher and Relief Society teacher. Born in Provo, Utah, to Gary Douglas and Carolyn Marie Ford.

Pretty weird to think about a new mission president. 

But my week was decent.  We have a new family that is completely golden.  I haven't taught a family like this yet.  Its a full family of five.  William and Karen are the parents and they have a 4 year old boy and 2 girls who are 11 and 13.  I've never met a family that the lord was preparing more then this one.  They were completely searching for us when we found them.  They are neighbors of a family of converts that Bertrand and Palmer baptized before i got here.  We challenged them to talk to someone about the gospel and all they did was chat with them and then they said they wanted to meet us and its looking like the 24th theyre gonna be good to go.  The only issue is that she studies at the university on sunday mornings...  And if she fails the course or doesnt go several times she loses thousands of dolars.  Soo  we just need her to dip out at least once to get to church.   But other then that they're fantastic. 
The branch is good.  We have maintained 45 in attendence for 6 weeks now. I think were starting to see what is real growth.  We're gonna ordain 4 new men to the Melchesidek priesthood in the conference next week and with that we should be rolling a little better.  I dont know if i told you but we called a 1st counseler last month to the branch president.    
We spent 2 days working in our area last week and tomarrow we will go AGAIN to San Jose.  Then on Friday we go with the district to the temple. we leave Friday night at 7 and get to the temple at like 3 in the morning then we do some morning sessions then we come back Saturday night.   
I'm out. Love you,
Elder Graham