Awesome Open House and Sad Goodbyes

Hey.  We had kind of a weird day.  It was changes and it was president’s big goodbye.  This was the hardest one for me.  Elder Miller, Elder Palmer, Elder Bertrand, Elder Montoya, Elder Whittaker and President Galvez all are gone now.  Pretty weird.  I’m officially in the final change.  It was pretty sad to say goodbye to all them.  But I had a temple recommend interview with president right after so I got some one on one time to say goodbye.  

I’m going to the temple on Wednesday for the sealing of Jeffery and Jeannette.  It’s all figured out now.  

This weekend was the open house and the dedication of the new chapel.  It was awesome.  260 people were there in sacrament meeting which is as far as anyone knows the highest attendance this country’s ever seen.  They had some of the first members of the church speak and talk a little bit about the history and how far the church has come along and how fast.  It was a pretty amazing experience to be there in such a landmark time.  Seeing how missionary work has come along in this time period and how i get to be a part of it.  Like seeing my first week in the country having 19 in attendance to having 260 people in attendance.  Even though it was obviously in very different places, I could see how just 40 years ago in that building there were only 19 and now there are stakes and wards that can hit 260.

i gotta go love you.

Elder Graham

Very Busy Week

Hey there Mom.  The meeting with the Vice President of Costa Rica last week was kind of disappointing.  We were expecting something really exciting like actually meeting the vice president but we were there as an entire mission and   the vice president just came and gave a speech to us.  It lasted an hour.  But i guess it was a ¨historical event¨ and some people from the church news were there taking pictures and stuff.  So we might be in the Liahona.  

Congrats on graduating!  

I got to call Jeffery and Jeannette to find out the details about when the sealing is but it was pretty great talking to them.  They asked me to be a witness in their sealing and Jeffery asked me to be his escort in the endowment session but I’m not sure if they’ll let me.  But they were super worried that the biological dad of the kids wouldn’t let the kids get sealed to Jeffery but a miracle happened and he signed the paper.  So everything is read for their sealing.  

Last week we had 2 families at church and another single mom with her kids.  So that was some success. The moms name is Ana.  One of the missionary families that we’re working with invited her.  We were with them on Saturday night and we helped explain to her what she needed to say to her to invite her and she called her right then and then came.   We’re working with her and her oldest daughter for the 30th.  

This week we’ve been working really hard planning an open house for our new church.  The new church is beautiful!   We’ve got the whole ward inviting a lot of people to the open house where were gonna do tours and explain all the organizations.  It should be pretty great.  We’re hoping to find a lot of people that way.

Although I have always been able to feel your prayers i realized this week something that really shows how much i know you have been praying for me..  Throughout my whole mission in every area I’ve had people who have been like my mom that always worry about me and are willing to do anything to help me and lose themselves to make sure i have what i need. You have always been that in my life and if i didn’t have these sisters here I probably wouldn’t have been able to get though.  Pasita in Cariari, the whole bishops family in Moravia, Sister Mena in Paso Ancho,  ¨la Abuela¨ In Neily, And here i have a wonderful Mayra who cooks for us and is always worrying about us and willing to do anything for us.  I’ve been to visit a lot of areas in the mission and the only areas I’ve found with people like that are the areas that I’ve been in.  I’ve been very blessed to have all of them and i know that it’s because of your prayers and worries.

But i gotta go. Love you.

Elder Graham

Lesson From The Lord

Hello.  Today we have pday because we have a special conference with Elder Amado of the 1st quorum of the seventy and the Central America area presidency.  And next week Elder Maynes is coming so p day isn’t until Thursday next week.  

We’ve been doing a lot with the members.  We made a list of all the members then prayed about which members could help us.  Then we picked 2 families and we went to these families and shared a message about callings and how we were chosen before we were born to fulfill certain things. We explained that we didn’t know who but we knew that they know people who are ready to accept the gospel and then explained that the lord chose them and he knows that they have a great work to do. They felt really special because the lord chose them from all the members and we extended the ¨calling¨ to accept or reject to find those people.  And since then they got so excited they’ve given us 2 references and we have a family home evening with them tonight to meet another.  It is pretty amazing how much quicker things go when we decide to slow down and ask the lord where to go and what to do.  

 Yesterday we had the 1 month checkup lunch thing with President Galvez.  It was his last one.  It was pretty special.  He only has 3 weeks left.

Today we are all meeting with the Vice President of Costa Rica. We have to get there early to learn the tico national anthem.

But i gotta dip.  I love you.

Elder Graham

Beautiful Temple

Jonathon and Catalina and their baby at the temple

Hey Mom! Last week we organized a special trip to the temple for Jonathon and Catalina. We went with them and another young couple where the husband was baptised a year ago. We organized a private less in the waiting room of the temple with the temple president and those 2 families.

I've been having to back pains so this morning i had an appointment with a chiropractor.  He's a member and from canada.  I came in and the first thing he said was "can i see your hand?" and then stuck a long needle in my hand that had a long like springy coily thing on it. It was jumping around and as he said äctiveate my spirit¨.  It was a little odd.  my first time having acupunture.  Then he put me on a massage table and i felt like he was just beating the crap out of me throughout my limbs and pounding my back.  But it feels a little better.  And he didn't charge either.  He says he doesn't charge missionaries.  

My shoes are fine and today I turn 22 months.

Thats funny that Carmina messaged you on Facebook.  Shes really cool. she came back from her mission 6 months ago.  I told her to add you then find nick because she was joking asking if i had any brothers she could marry and i said i actually do and told her to look for him.

gotta go love you.

Elder Graham

President Galvez, Baptism, Basketball and New Tie

 Last Interview with President Galvez

 Me and Bertand with our new comps.

I traded my suit to Bertrand for a tie. Hope that's alright.

You can see my sweet new tie in the pic.

There's Marlon. Pretty sweet guy!

Elder Larson and Elder Graham

Hey there.  I don’t have a whole lot to say since I talked to you yesterday. It was fun to talk to everyone... 

Today we went and played basketball for the first time in like 2 years.  It was pretty fun. 

I didn’t tell you that last week I had the last interview that I’ll have with President Galvez and the last one until my final interview when I leave the mission. 

My companions name is Elder Mendoza. 

Okay, I’m out of time. Love you.

Elder Graham

First Week in Alajuela

Hey there...  About the Mother’s Day phone call…Our church starts at 1 30 so maybe you guys can call in the morning. It would best if you called at like 7 30 my time in the morning...  I don’t know if that’s possible. Ok..  Soo you can try and call me real quick Friday or Saturday night if there’s any worries about the call but if not I’ll be waiting at 830 my time on Sunday morning...

Today is Pday. We had the changes meeting even though i don’t get my companion until tomorrow. 

The new area is pretty good.  There were 170 people at church yesterday.  It felt nuts to be in a ward so organized with so many people.  Almost everyone has cars. We currently have church at 130 because our chapel is being built and in the next few weeks we will move into a brand new church.  So until then we share the building with 2 other wards.  The ward seems pretty cool.  It’s the closest I’ve seen to a ward from the states. 

We live in the dead center of Alajuela.  If you look on a map and see the park named Juan Santa Maria on that same park on the backside is our apartment. It’s the most haggard house I’ve had yet.  It’s huge.  It’s dirty, it smells and I’m pretty sure Satan lives in the back room.  Our hot water in the shower is broken so it’s cold and we have cold water. 

But this week we’ll have a baptism of a guy named Marlon.  A pretty sweet guy.  Yet again when i train my companion gets to start his mission with a baptism.

I’m out…love you.

Elder Graham

So Hard to Say Goodbye!

The neighborhood kids that always wanted to play soccer at the church.

The Abuela "Grandma." She took such good care of me!

They made me a cake.

Our House

The Carillo Family

Josue's new soccer ball

Hey mom.  I’m in my new area.  I’m in downtown Alajuela. Northwest of San Jose.

 My Area is called Trinidad and my zone is called Alajuela.  Ah law hu ey la.  My Companion for this week is Elder Orellana from El Salvador until next week when I will receive my brand new companion because I’ll be training again.  Elder Palmer is my zone leader and he’s in my district.  We also eat lunch at the same house every day. 

But it was very hard to say goodbye to everyone.  Since it was 5th Sunday of the month priesthood and relief society were together and i gave the lesson about being united as a branch and establishing Zion in ciudad Neily.  I was crying like the whole time. 

Last week was good. Amanda got baptized but wouldn’t let us take a picture so no pics from that one. 

Yesterday we were supposed to take the bus at 4 in the morning to get to the leaders conference that started at 11 but i didn’t get to bed until almost one and i set my alarm for 3 but we slept through the alarm and i got up at 5 and started freaking out about everything so we missed the bus and had to wait until 830 for the next one so we ended up getting there at 430 and it ended at 5.  President had already announced the changes and Elder Cherrington was there because yesterday he went up from junior comp straight to district leader!  Such a stud. 

I gotta go!  Love you.

Elder Graham