Lij, had an interesting couple of days. He said that he went to a members house and a guy cooked for him. He collected lizards from outside and threw them in a pot. He said that that was the first time he had ever had lizards for dinner. He said that he disagreed the bones as he ate. YUCK!
He also said that this last week was the first time he had ever had cow intestines for dinner. He wasn't very fond of them either. (It's funny that he is even eating this stuff! Lij is the pickiest eater ever and refused to eat my meatloaf. I wonder how he feels about meatloaf now?)
Lij was able to go to the temple this week with his zone. It is a five hour bus ride and is exhausting. He is dong a great job and we are so proud of him.
I'm grateful to be back Nicoya. Had a wonderful experience this week, were a gentleman we met accepted the gospel and was baptized. I would be lying if I said this hasn't been hard. But I have been blessed with wonderful experiences this week. A baptism and a trip to the temple can't get much better.
I'm sending my journal entry from the day I met this good brother.
This week Lij said his Mission President brought him back to Nicoya. After almost a week of being gone, he is excited to be back. He is working with a few families that are progressing and is suppose to have a baptism soon. He is grateful to still be with companion, he calls him his "hijo" and he loves him. We love this boy and we are grateful for how hard he works.
Elder Larson and Elder Arriola got a call Monday morning telling them that they need to go to Huerca, which is on the coast to find housing for themselves. They are going to open the area that has never been successful. It was opened briefly last year for 6 weeks, but was immediately closed. It sounds like they have quite the challenge on their hands.
Lij told us that he tried coffee for the first time....actually cafe de maiz. It's what the church gives to investagators to replace their regular coffee habit. He said it was delicious! hahaha....he wants us all to try it.
He was a little bummed this week. He and his companion went and bought $80.00 worth of food. They hadn't had that much food in awhile. They were a little disappointed after a long day to come home and have more than half of the food covered in ants. Lij said that his companion almost started crying.
He said that he will miss Nicoya. He loves it there. He loves the investigators and especially his cook and her family. He said he will really miss them.
Well I never told you how bad the excema is, basically the doctor told me that he can't cure me, and that it was pretty serious! I went and got needles stuck in my behind, I'm on pills for 21 days have a cream I have to use everyday till I get home from my mission andI have an emergency cream!
Todays the first time I've woken up without bloody eyes/arms in a long time! I'm feeling better. The doctor told me that both of you have to have had excema genetically for mine to be this bad! He said that his goal is to control it till I get home and then it will be fine!
This week I served in the most dangerous part of Costa Rica, its called the Carpio. I basically didn't get to work too much because I had to go to San Jose for three days so that I could go to the doctor. I taught a family and they all started bawling because I listened to the spirit. Other missionaries visited this family over a year ago but never invited them to church, and the lady broke down and said "I have prayed everyday since I was nineteen that the Lord would send me someone, that He would answer my prayers but no one came until you all. Why didn't anyone come?" and she sobbed sobbed and sobbed she is 65 and it was sad.
This week were so lucky to get a text and a picture from a dear family from Idaho vacationing in Costa Rica. Elijah has been sick and this sister's opening sentence was "we saw your healthy and happy son." What a wonderful blessing to our family. Elijah is having wonderful experiences in his new area. He is teaching a family of nine and is loving the new experiences he is having daily. Thursday he is taking the six hour drive to the capital to visit with the mission president.
This week Elijah sent us the letter he sent to his mission president in Spanish. We had Gera, a salesman that is like family, come for family home evening and translate it for us. It was wonderful. We are proud of how this boy is striving to obediently serve his Heavenly Father.
Elijah had a great week last week. He has been working really hard. It sounds like he has a huge area. There are two towns that they are mainly working and they are a two hour bus ride apart. It sounds like the area is very rural with lots of walking and bus rides. Most the members he works with are in Nicoya. In order to go to the mission home, he and his companion take a five hour bus ride into the city.
This week he and Elder Arriola had to go to the mission home, which made for a very long day. He missed his P-Day so the Mission president let him write home on Tuesday. He loves his mission president. He said its like being around his dad with how strict he is. We think its kind of funny as all the kids flee the house whenever their dad has a day off.
We can't believe he has been on his mission for seven months. The reality of it is how fast its gone. We love our Tico.
