Monday, November 17, 2014

Nov 3rd-Nov 10th 2014

Hello hello! I have a lot of cool experiences and I am going to try and send a snail mail letter soon.
Things are good this week we had a normal start, but it ended up to be great. We got a ton of references this week---27! We have a lot of new investigators that we got this week. We were teaching a new investigator and asked the family if they had any references and a girl got a pen and paper and wrote down 17 names phone number, where they live, name, etc. of people we could visit. It was pretty much everyone she knew. Which is how it should be. . . everyone we know should be a reference because we don't know if they will accept the message or not.  I was able to do divisions(they are splits with the zone leaders) for the first time. I did divisions with the Zone Leaders in Barranca. So I went to Barranca for about a day and a half. It was good, and I learned a lot there. I really learned of things that we can do better. Also I learned that Barranca is a little bit hotter( they are closer inland to the ocean) than Esparza... haha! 
 Can you see me?


We went on a hike today for p day. It was cool!  We hiked all the way up a mountain/hill and we could see Puntarenas (a popular tourist town that is on the tip of the shoreline) and the ocean and cruise liners.  It was gorgeous!  I fed a Parrot... and then it bit me...  but it was still awesome. haha!!!!  

I am starting to get more used to the swing of things here. Oh and by the way on December 18 we have changes or transfers again and may get a new companion, so just a heads up. 

Anyways I have had a lot of experiences with the spirit. Today I went to get my name tag for my normal shirt and its also the one that I use for my suit coat on Sundays, but when I went to go get it it wasn't there. You would think that I would be worried because I lost my name tag, and I was . . . but it was a different kind of worried, because I thought about it and knew right where it was. Even though I didn't know exactly where it was, I knew it was ok. . . Anyway, it was weird because my name tag had somehow fallen out of my pocket of my suit coat and into a baby's crib that I had draped my coat over in a members house. My comp and I walked straight there and got it like it was nothing, but it was BIG!   It was a cool experience for me. Sometimes  I think of this and how to better my ear for the spirit, then I think of when God spoke with Oliver Cowdery in Doctrine and Covenants 8 and 9. It reads,  " have I not spoken peace to your mind" or something along those lines.  Good words of advice to follow.
  This is one of the neatest truths of our gospel!  What is even more cool is that I can read and understand it in Spanish --almost simultaneously!


Sincerely with love,
 Elder Caleb Adams! 

PS--this is a photo of my MTC district.  We got together a few weeks ago when we were in San Jose for meetings with President Wilkinson.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Hello Family from Costa Rica!


The above pic is of me with a member family here in Esparza.  The member did the baptizing of the two new members last week here.  They are a great family and are very kind and  good to us.  Anyways right now I am in San Jose because we had the monthly check up with president.  Anyways so this week was good. A little different without my other companion but good. I definitely needed it. My Spanish is improving. My relationship with my companion is improving. And I have been taught a lot by the Lord this week and I wish I could share it all, but I don't have a lot of time. Anyways so life here is good. I have lost some weight I think haha its hard to tell sometimes.
Anyways This week was a little harder because the people here are a little bit harder to talk to. I am starting to see why this Area was closed before. The people just don't want to hear us. But, we are obviously here for someone. At least that one family or one person that needs to hear this message, so that is the  thinking that keeps me going. I am super excited to work even harder this next week. 

 I have been reading "Our search for Happiness" and its such a great book! I just love the writing style of it. Please share that and this with the blog. Our search for happiness is a book written by M. Russel Ballard. and is not written to convert people or anything like that but it is written to help people understand where to find happiness and some of the concepts the Latter day saints believe and why we believe it I really love the writing style and I encourage people to read it.
Anyways I have to leave now but I will try to write more next time!  Take Care I love you all and think of you daily. But I totally agree 2 years is not going to be long enough. But I think the Lord has bigger plans for Costa Rica I have a feeling there might be two missions here someday and I would like to help make that happen! So I pray that I can work hard enough to help accomplish what the Lord has sent me here  to do.
Sincerely su hijo Elder Adams

Sunday, November 2, 2014

First off, thank you thank you thank you for all the emails!  They are helping me a ton.

Please tell everyone to request the movie Meet the Mormons to come here to Costa Rica. with the zip code 10105  Thanks!
http://meetthemormons.com/request-it    You should all request the film to come to Costa Rica! please!

We had two baptisms on Saturday! It was awesome it went great! I felt super happy for them. We had a good attendance of people show up too. We are blessed that the branch has a baptismal font. 

 We had the opportunity to prepare the font for the baptisms.  What a great experience.



The baptisms were  great!; one of the members baptized them. I felt super happy for them. 

Life here is good, I am learning the language. I am able to answer questions more and communicate with the members a little bit better. 
So today, we had Changes or Transfers today. So I was with Elder Reed from Montana and Elder Gomez from El Salvador. But, now Elder Reed (who was fluent in both languages) has left and Elder Gomez is learning English, So my Spanish is going to have to get a lot better. :o)
    
 
 It is soo beautiful and green here.  I love it!

What have I learned as a new missionary? - Well a mission is... Fun and Hard, Stressful and exciting, exhausting and full of new things I has its ups and downs. But I love it! The purpose as a missionary is to INVITE and HELP. As missionaries, we are here to Invite people to find out for themselves! We as missionaries can only teach people the knowledge, facts, and the evidence that this gospel is true. But in order for them to truly know, they have to pray and be taught by the spirit. They have to have a desire to find out for themselves. And we are here to help others. Help others get through their trials... Help others carry their heavy bags... Help others receive answers to their questions... But all these things should invite and help others to come unto Christ.  I have been able to see how these small simple things have been able to help people greatly. I have learned that the Members are needed greatly. It's the simple things that help the most. I love the mission! It has taught me a lot already, but I know that I have a lot to learn. Just remember:  the missionaries NEED the help of the members. They NEED your references. They NEED you to invite non members to your activities. They NEED every member to be a missionary.
Alma 37:6-8
Con Amor Elder Adams