The craziest thing in the office was one day I was doing a money balance for the money I dealt with this week (lets just say it was in the 4 digit range). There was some money that was missing, and I was freaking out! So, I got on my knees and started praying hard and after 5 hours of doing math me and the finnancial secretary got it, it was freaking nuts. Also I take everyone to the airport to go home, and one of my buddies finished his mission and we both bawled in the airport!
The best experience was that I worked the whole week super hard here in the office. We didn't leave until 8 this whole week, and after I dropped off everyone in the airport President sent me a message "Elder Larson, you did good!"
We asked him how it was working in all the embassies arranging the missionaries visas and here was his response: "I just walk in there, always wearing a suit, and act like I own the place! Hahaha, that is literally the instruction that I got. It doesn't matter if I don't know what the freak I am doing, I just walk in there like I know the place. Hahaha, I went to El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico this week.
I got transferred and now I am in the office. I am the new immigration secretary. I am in charge of making sure all of the missionaries are legally documented. It is a lot of work. I get to visit all of the embassies and I take and pick up the missionaries to and from the airport. The Mission President said that I will be here for at least four and half months. We still get to proselyte in the evenings, so I am excited about that.
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.
