Monday, February 29, 2016

29 Febrero 2016 --- Happy Leap Day!

Things are well here. As a mission we are getting better! Little by Little!

We were able to play basketball on Saturday with The Stake President, President Marin and the Area Seventy, Elder Cordon. It was fun! Got a little sunburned though.--he  he he!
We did divisions with a few elders and those went well. We are going to have 2 baptisms on the 12th of March. Rafael and Judy.

My companion is Elder Morales (from Honduras). He is a great teacher. I have learned that from him.




Well one cool story---We were walking in the street and we stopped and started talking to a man. normal street contact. but we explained who we were and that we were here to help. and he said yeah sure you could come by. The spirit was there as we shared what we believed. he said he has been passing through some hard times. We said goodbye and as we were leaving we gave the guy a hug and he started crying because of the spirit he felt. It was a surprising but cool experience. We have his number and our hoping to help this guy out a little more.

We got together with the bishop during the week and shared some things on how we can help the ward to do better. I presented a small paper that I had made a month ago and the bishop liked it. It´s a piece up paper with words on it assigning members to help certain people. and focus in them for a set time to help bring them back into the church. So on Sunday, my companion and I taught in the Ward Council on how we can do better in the ward and work with the members more. It was a cool experience. Our bishop is really great!  I am really learning many great responsibilities and leadership skills.

Also, today we also got to study a bit with President Hayes, We studied the book of Revelations. It was way cool!

I love you all thanks for the emails! Happy Leap Day! :)


Elder Caleb Adams

Sunday, February 28, 2016

22 Febrero 2016==



Changes---


Picking up the new missionaries for the last time with Macias( to my right) and Gomez middle of picture, back row)

Well this week was good. We did some divisions with some elders. We had changes. On Sunday, we went to the airport and then on Tuesday again we returned and took all of the new missionaries to the temple and it was a really cool experience. The temple was closed for a few days so the group going home didn´t get a chance to go.  The temple is always a great place of peace to be.

We worked hard this week and put quite a few baptismal dates on target. I am really excited for this upcoming month. We will baptism more than before.

We had a cool miracle. So, I was in divisions with a member, Heber Campos.  He is a great guy. We contacted a family and set a day to come by later. Then I went back with my companion Elder Morales and we had a lesson with this same family.  They said they would try to make it to church. And so we didn´t think of it as one of the set people we would have in church on Sunday. Sunday morning came around and Alejandra, the daughter of the family that also has a small child showed up to church!---- and she stayed the whole time. It was awesome!!!

We also had some great family home evenings with the members. All of them were references that they had previously brought with them to the tree of life activity.  It was a great activity. The members are still talking about it. :o)

On Saturday, we took a small class so that we can take the driving test here in Costa Rica and get the license. There was a bunch of new words in Spanish, but that´s fine. We will take the actual test for it on Friday. We hope all will go well.
Have a great week!

Love--
Elder Caleb Adams


The below picture is with some of the ward members her is Cartago as well as other elders.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Basketball with Pres Hayes!!!

We got to play some basketball with the President on Monday. Sister Hayes took some awesome pictures and videos and shared them with us. President did a great job keeping up with all of us young ones :o)


We had soo much.  It was great to play ball with Elder Gomez (navy blue--far right of picture, next to me) and Elder Macias (Maroon with gray shorts--far left of the picture)




Here I am shooting a basket, It is up and yes, . . .  I made it!

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

15 Febrero 2016----ELDER OCHOA and volcano----

Turriabla Volcano:  latest activity.   It has been erupting of and on since last October 2015, so to people here it it is old news.  Below is a map of the distance I am from the volcano as well as some sky cam photos of the eruption.  Just ash, no real danger.


Distance is: 1 h 1 min (40.1 km) via Route 10


Weak, passive ash venting occurred on Feb 8, 2016 at the western pit crater, showing that volcanic unrest continues.


Hey! So I will officially receive my companion today. Right now I am still with Elder Macías. It´s kind of a bummer., because after 4 and a half months together, He is heading home to Mexico. He has been such a good friend! But my new companion is cool his name is Elder Morales. He is from Honduras.
 So we had our special zone conference with Elder Ochoa (of the Seventy)and his wife. It was pretty cool. I got to meet and talk with him for 3 days! It was pretty special. We took the Zone Pictures, but then on the third day before he left. He pulled us out to the parking lot and took pictures one with me and one with Elder Macías on his iphone and then sent them to us. He is pretty loving, but also showed us a few things we can do to be better. 
PS: Elder Ochoa talked highly of Casey and told me to tell him that they love him and still remember him!  
 --(for those of you who remember him, he came to our stake along with Russell M. Nelson when they reorganized the stake presidency of Pres Sponenburg years ago .  He also was the Mission President to my Uncle Casey when he served his mission in Honduras, so this picture really means a lot).



Elder Ochoa with the Cartago Zone--- Elder Macias and I are dead center in the middle of the picture.

The Tree of Life activity on Saturday  was a blast! Although, at first at 6:30 when it was supposed to start. No one was there. Not even the members.... but we ended up starting at 7:30 haha--- Tico Time. It was really cool though I will have to send some Pictures. We had the iron rod running throughout the whole chapel and we had a fog machine and we would cover there eyes and they would walk through for a long while until they made it to the tree/fruit. and there were temptations on the way that different organizations created. At the end by the tree that we projected on the wall. We had the Patriarch dressed in white explain it all again and show the Book of Mormon and how it is the word of God. We ended up passing out 37 Books of Mormon!!!!! and we got some references from the members. Then that same Sunday, 6 of those references showed up to church with the members! and we brought some others too. But 6 from the members is great!!!!!!---Members do make  a difference!

That sacrament meeting was pretty cool too because Elder Macías gave his last testimony and President Hayes was there in the ward as well that day. I think I have heard Elder Macías´s last testimony more than 10 times now, but it is great!  haha. Elder Ochoa asked the both of us to give our testimonies in the Zone Conferences with him so that was cool. Then after Sacrament meeting we had to go to the Airport with President and we picked up some new missionaries that flew in and drove them to President´s house where we made burgers and ate. It was awesome. 
Oh on a side note. Elder Gomez (My Trainer) came up and has been with me since Friday finishing his mission. He will leave with Elder Macías on Thursday.  So, How cool is that. I got to be with my trainer the last week he was in the mission. We talked a lot about the good ole times. He is a great friend too.
Well I love you all! Right now I am going to go talk to all of the new Trainers with President and then send then out to work and then tomorrow in the morning I go to the Airport in Alajeula again to pick up the Latinos. then we assign the new missionaries their trainers and send them out! Busy work!
Have a great week! I love you all! 
Love, 
Elder Adams

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

8 Febrero 2016‏

Hello! 
This week will be good. We had the monthly check up today in President`s house. Wednesday and Thursday we have conferences with Elder Ochoa. Friday Leadership Meeting. and an awesome Activity! Saturday, I will be with my new companion and with elder Gomez my trainer, and with Elder Macìas. Sunday, Work. Next Monday, Changes! and we pick up news and train the trainers.

This week was good. We did divisions every day with different Zone Leaders. So I actually didin`t teach or work with Elder Macias the whole week--crazy! So we didn't teach together for a period of 8 days because we were always doing divisions with another elder!

We have been planning a cool activity. This Friday we are going to do Lehi`s Dream. We are going to set up the chapel and have the iron rod. that runs through it. It will be cool!

So----------- bad news. The license thingy didn`t go through-- but that`s okay. We never even got around to taking the class. I will have changes next week with a new companion.

The best part of my week... hmmm I don`t know if I could narrow that down or not... It was good!!! We saw some success. It is interesting how sometimes you can be in an area and no one wants to receive you and then the next day you find a lot. We had some good lessons taught.

We taught a brother of an active member. It was a really great lesson. He hadn`t been to church in about 15 years. We taught about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, adding in some new things that we learned from Elder Cook. That Sunday he came to church in a white shirt and tie and his brother was happy.
The following is a letter from my old missionary companion that I had in while in Pital, Elder Zepeda (Honduras). I got to see him on Saturday with Elder Cook. He is now a zone leader---My Son.We were able to meet. 
 He sent the following email to me:
  "Hey!
Sabe conoci a su amiga a Hna Maldonado. Ella esta en Esparza. Ella es nuy tuanis. Sabe tuve cambios ahora estoy en San Roque en Liberia de Guanacaste. Aqui es tan caliente. Hey sabe encontre a los misioneros de Pital y sabe que, Yamileth esta en Pital y sabe que Yamileth se CASo y sabe que mas Yamileth se caso con MODESTO. Ella va entrar al templo en Marzo o Abril no se si usted ha hablado con ella, estoy tan feliz de ella."



We had our monthly checks with President Hayes at his home. He always cooks up a great barbecue for all the missionaries with great food. He and his wife are very caring to all the missionaries.










President Hayes---cooking up the burgers and hot dogs.


Sister Burt, our secretary with the elders.


The leadership group with the Burts and President Hayes. I work with the best missionaries ever!

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Bienvenido Febrero!-- 1 Febrero 2016


Buenas Tardes! I am good! Great week! :o)
On the 30th, Saturday, we had the chance to meet with Elder Cook from the Quorum of the Twelve and with Elder Christensen from the Presidency of the Seventy. What a great, great experience it was to hear the testimony of a living apostle. His wife also lead us in singing some music. And WOW, music really helps bring joy and the Spirit. Elder Quentin Cook taught about how the Atonement doesn't just overcome our sins, or death, but also all the unfair things that happen in life. The Atonement is very important and he made sure that we all understood that. At the end he bore witness of the Lord Jesus Christ and the divinity of the Savior. What a powerful testimony. I may not always remember what he said, but I will always remember how I felt!!!




Below is a picture of the whole East Mission--
         I am sitting down to your left of the photo, 5th elder in.



We have really felt that things are going to start picking up here in the area. We have been getting the members excited about  doing divisions. We planned a cool activity for the 12th of February. We are pretty excited about it.  Involving the member in exciting others about our faith is soo key to the success of what we are teaching.
We have also really been pushing the mission. Things are pretty low as far as baptisms go. We have divisions planned with the Zone Leaders on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. and then next week  we have some more. And then next week Elder Ochoa is coming to the mission----Yippee!!!  I can hardly wait!   We will have a Leadership Council and announce the changes and then  have changes.  My comp and I will be picking up the new ones  and a lot of busy work too!  Grateful to be busy!

Love ya all! Have a great week!

Con amor--Elder Adams

PS---Oh Yeah, and Good News! We talked with Guatemala and got permission, so--------I am going this Saturday to take the Driving Class to get my License.  Pray for me that all goes well with that!

-Su Amigo Elder Adams