My Darling Family and Friends-
Hola:) Wow what an exhausting week. Hermana Montoya and I have been
working super hard this week to help Gerardo to be ready for his baptism
(which was yesterday!!!!!) and so we've been a little more then
exhausted. I’ve also had to wake up early every day to catch up in my
journal writing. I got behind at the beginning of this cambio and it’s
been a real fight to get caught up, but today I did it. Every day
something happens to me that’s miraculous, incredible, special,
beautiful, etc. and I want to always remember the experiences from my
mission and so my journal has become something really important for me.
I’m glad to report that I have written something from every single 145
days that I've been a missionary. Its crazy to believe that I’ve
actually been gone that long but its true! I’m coming up on my 5-month
mark already, wow. It's weird but there are some days when I don’t
remember what anything but mission life is like. Like those days when I
slept in until 12, those days I didn’t read my scriptures for 3 hours,
and those days when I didn’t eat rice and beans... hhmm, those days
existed??? I can’t remember haha. What did I do for 19 years before
this?
I’m sorry I’m having a brain dead moment on all the things I wanted to tell y'all....
One of the funnest things were doing right now is helping the Garcia
family in their Soda (its like a little family restaurant.). Every
Wednesday we go and give service to them by working for free for an hour
or two. They’re a big family of 8 kids. The youngest just got home from
his mission so they’re all grown up. We work a lot with this special
family! The third oldest is Jovana, our cook:) she has 5 kids and were
at her house everyday! She is an awesome cook so we always leave happy.
There are 2 brothers, Keni and Luis that help us to do a lot of things
in the work. They’re both on the high council so they help us visit
people, organize baptisms and all ward\ stake business. There are also 3
sisters and the mom who are inactive. We're working really hard to help
them. When we give service in the soda we always leave them with a
spiritual message and a prayer. They’re all really funny, happy people!
We just have to help some of them sort out their priorities;).
The ward I’m in right now is really incredible! en serio. The people are
true saints and have been taking really good care of us. We're fed
everywhere we go (now I understand why people say that the hermanas
always leave Moravia chubbier then when they got there) and were also
given umbrellas from everyone! Hermana Montoya and I stopped carrying
umbrellas after we lost 2 in 2 consecutive days, but then it began to
rain like in the days of Noah..... So now were a little bit fatter and
our house is filled with umbrellas!! No complaints. Another incredible
thing about our ward is the youth. They’ve all got the missionary spirit
like mad! This week we did divisions 3 times with young women. Every
member we visit had a reference for us and asks us to go out teaching
with us. This week we had our first baptism together. His name is
Gerardo, he’s 14. The ward, especially the young men’s program has just
succored him in! Before he was baptized he was invited to every mutual,
seminary activity, ward activity, church event, etc. For the last 3
weeks. He attended a missionary farewell, mutual, a young men’s hike
campo out thingy. General conference, seminary graduation. The list goes
one! For the youth of the church here, their friends in the church are
almost all the have so they’re all knit in really tight with each other.
And we don’t even have to tell them to do it! The other day during one
of our divisions the young woman I was with invited an investigator girl
to go to mutual with her then next day (I didn’t even think about it
let alone ask her to do that!). Another example is Javier with Gerardo.
At general conference he brought him a white shirt and tie so he
wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. He also brought him a notebook to take
notes. Later he gave him a book of Mormon with the steps of prayer
written in the front. It’s these little acts of service by these youth
that have really touched me. Missionary work isn’t this huge deal, its a
lot of little thoughtful acts that bring the spirit and help people
feel the difference of who we are as members of the church of Christ.
One other quick experience. This week we had the opportunity to share a
few choice moments with a Jehovah’s Witness. It turns out we were both
visiting the same person and one day we showed up at the same time...
awkward. Haha, being the naive little girl I am I thought itwou7ld be a
good idea for us all to talk together. The moment we sat down she began
to attack the book of Mormon, the church and us. This went on for a
little while until she made the comment that we didn’t know whom Christ
was. Well, as missionaries we didn’t take to that too kindly... My
companion (she’s so great!) Looked her right in the face and said,
Hermana, as true representatives of Jesus Christ we know who he is, the
significance of his sacrifice and the role he plays in our lives and in
our eternal salvation... it was awesome. Needless to say we gained
nothing from that lesson except a testimony of our own literal authority
as the messengers and disciples authorized to represent Jesus Christ
and His true Church.
How blessed are we to know the truth? To never have to doubt? And if we
do have doubts we have fountains of sources to search out the answers! I
love this gospel, this church, Moravia, I love this work!! But more
then anything I love my Savior and Redeemer, my Brother and friend, My
Lord and King, My very own Jesus Christ. I love you family and friends:)
prayers from Costa Rica!
All my Love,
Hermana Kugath
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