A week of milagros!

Hi family (:

Looks like everyone is having a lot of fun! It is so cute to see all the cousins together! And it looks like they all get along so that is good!

This week has been crazy  I don't even know where to start! We have seen so many miracles this week! We had a mission confrence this week and that was awesome to have the whole mission together. I am sure you saw the pictures on facebook. I haven't seen it yet so if you want to send it to me that would be cool.  It was fun to see all my old companions and also I saw an hermana who was a member in my branch before and she got her mission call to Costa Rica. It was so fun to see her! ( Hey Hna Garcia fue Duña voy a mandarle una foto) But Elder Duncan came and he talked about Faith. And Elder Maynes who is one of the Presidents of the 70 also. He talked about the plan of salvation and how we need to make Celestial traditions in our families so that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. So we didn't have changes this change we are still together (: We were happy about that. But the mission had a lot of changes. They made about 6 new zones and President called 2 new assistents so we can really see that the Lord is preparing Costa Rica to have 2 missions.

So last week we had that baptism of the girl and her family came so that was great but we went and visited her family and it was so great! She was helping us teach the lesson and telling her family you just have to pray and ask God if this is true because I had to do that too. It was just so cool to watch how excited she got about teaching her family about the restoration. There truly is power in teaching with recent converts. She also got confirmed on sunday and her mom and sister and nieces came to church to support her and they really liked it! We are so excited for her and her family (: Also in her blessing they told her that she would go to the temple and marry a righteous priesthood holder so that really helped us see that we didn't just change her life but the lives of her children and her family!

The other two investigators that got confirmed this week was really the biggest miracle! So we went on saturday and they felt a little sick but they said sure we will go tomorrow. ( oh also this week we had stake confrence so we had to take an hour bus ride to the stake center) So on sunday morning we called them to see how things were and they told us they couldn't come because their asthma was really bad. So they had to go to the hospital. We were like....uh.... so we called the ward mission leader, who is the one who baptized them, and he said he would go give them a blessing. So he went and they said she felt instantly better but they still wanted to go to the docter to just see what the problem was. So he told them get ready like you are going to church and I will drive you. So they went and they were there for like 2 hours. We had to meet all the ward in Cartago to take the bus. So we got there at like 10:00 and the bus was leaving at 10:30. We knew that they were going to be fine but we were really nervous. So we called them and they told us that nothing was wrong with her that they were leaving the doctor and they would come as fast as they could. But the ward didnt want to wait for them They wanted to leave at 10:30. So we said a prayer and called our ward mission leader again. He talked to the member who was in charge and he said no we are leaving at 10:30. Then the ward mission leader called the bishop and the bishop called the member and told him they had to wait. (: We were so happy. Then seriously like 2 minutes after the bus would have left they got there and they were running to make the bus. We were just crying because we were so happy. We knew that heavenly father listened to our prayers and that he was really trying our faith. But he always pulls through.

Also we had 6 investigators that came to the stake confrence which was amazing! President Wilkinson talked about missionary work and this is what he said. He said those of you that are here for the first time I want to welcome you, to the only true church on the face of the Earth. I want to invite you to listen to the missionaries. Also If you dont have a date to get baptized I want you to pick a date and ask the missionaries when can i get baptized. It was awesome! (: one of our investigators came up to us after and he said so when can I get baptized? (: haha we were like um on saturday he was like okay!

Also we have a new ward mission leader who is great! He served his mission in El Salvador. They live right by us so we are really good friends with them. Yesterday we had corralation and we were talking about how we can work better with the members and everything. It was really great! Also he told us a new way to ask for refrences which really isn't asking because that isn't very effective. He said we should just go with members and share a scripture then ask them to introduce us to their vecinos. So we went to a lesson with them last night and he told us to do it with our recent convert. So we did and she took us to 2 houses where they both told us we could come back and visit. One is a family of 4 and the other has like 3 kids. We were in aw! It was so awesome!

I know that heavenly father kept me and Hna Geis together because he wants us to be better missionaries and he has given us all the tools to do it. I love being a missionary so much! I can't believe how fast the time has gone! I know that going on a mission was the best choice i have ever made. It has seriously changed my life! I know that I am becoming the person that my heavenly father wants me to be and really it has helped me put things in perspective. That those things of the world aren't important. The only things that matter are the things that are important to our heavenly father. I hope we never ever get to busy for those things or never forget how important the gospel is in our lives!

Well family I love you! I didn't have time to send pictures but I will send them next week hopefully! Love you all!!!

Hermana Chatwin

11 meses!!

Hi family (: How did the time go so fast! Yesterday I had 11 months in the mission. I just can't believe that the time is going SO fast! Well this week is changes but they postponed the change until Friday. We are not sure why or anything no one has said but we are having a Mission confrence Friday with Elder Duncan who is the area President for Central America and a member of the 70. 2 weeks ago we had a Multi Zone confrence with Elder Alonzo who is also a member of the 70. The Lord is for sure hastening his work here in Costa Rica. So I am not sure If I am going to have changes but we will see. Also we are changing the day we write again to Mondays instead of Tuesdays. So next week I WILL WRITE YOU ON MONDAY. (:

Well I don't even know where to start.... This week has been

CRAZY! We had so many miracles here! We have this one Investigator who told us she wasn't ready to get baptized and that she had her interview but didn't pass. That was last week. So we have been praying and fasting to find out what she needed. So we had a lesson with her Saturday afternoon and we were trying to watch the Restoration but the internet in her house wasn't working. So we decided to read it in JSH. We read it and it was really powerful. Then we talked about how she felt ( Which we have done like a million times talked about that feeling good is an answer that these things are true ) But i guess it never clicked in her head until this minute. When she read a scripture and said oh So when I feel good after I pray that is God telling me that this is true. It was just amazing how you could see that the spirit instantly touched her heart and she got her answer in that minute. Then she asked us if she could read the baptismal questions and we said sure then asked if she had a question and she said no I am ready. So we called the zone leaders and told them we was ready.  So the Zone leaders came to give her the Interview and she passed. (: It was the most spiritual experience ever. This was on Saturday night and she said she wanted to get baptized Sunday morning!! We were so happy. So we called the Member who she wanted to baptize her and had to work on Sunday so we were thinking what should we do but we figured it all out and she got baptized on Sunday in the afternoon. Also she invited her Sister and her Mom to come.

It was so incredible! Her sister came up to us and asked so when are you coming to my house. (: We said wednesday she said sure. Then the Ward mission leader asked her when are you going to get baptized and she said in April (: haha So we are going with her tomorrow and I am sure that we are going to see really great things from this family!

Also on Sunday we have 2 more baptisms in the afternoon of a Mom and her Daughter. It was the neatest thing to see. She was a refrence of a Recent Convert. So they are really really good friends. The hermana gave a talk which was great because she only has been baptized like 6 months and has never given a talk. But the best part was after the baptism they asked the mom if she wanted to say something and she gave the most beautiful testimony I have ever heard.

She said she was waiting for something to change in her life and this is exactly what she needed to start over and be a new person. It was so great. She is reading the book of mormon and is in Alma! She read to Alma before she was even baptized (: We were so happy for her!

Also we got a new ward mission leader this week. He is awesome! We are really good friends with him and his wife and they live right by us. But he is really excited to start working and we are all getting the ward ready to start working! 

This week really has been incredible! I am so grateful for the chance I have to be a missionary. I have felt my faith growing and I have seen miracles here. I have no doubt in my mind that this is the Lords work. That he is leading the missionaries. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and I know that this is his only true church. It is the only church that has the authority of God to seal families together for eternity and the power to act in his name. I know that the Book of Morman is the word of God that through it we can know ëxactly what our Heavenly Father expects of us so that we can return and live with him again. I know that Joseph Smith was and is the prophet of the resturacion. That through him the same church that Jesucristo organized when he was on the Earth. I know that Thomas S Monson is a prophet of God and we are part of the Church of Jesus Christ.
Aw family I can't even tell you how great this week has been. I have had SO many spiritual experiences and really seen the Hand of the Lord. I have no doubt in my mind that my Heavenly Father knows me and he is very aware of what I need in my life. I am so grateful that we have the gospel and know that we can have an eternal family! We get to be together forever as long as we do what the Lord asks of us!

Well Family I love you all SO much! I hope you have a great week and we will talk to you on MONDAY next week (:

Hermana Chatwin

A crazy week

Hi Family!!!
 (: Ah i can't tell you how fun it was to see all your pictures this week! How fun that everyone is together!!!! I love you guys! I am glad you all were together on my birthday! And ate some chocolate pie for me (:

Well this week has been crazy! We had a lot of disappointments but we also saw a lot of Miracle this week. We have an investigator who is so great! She has come to church 4 times but doesn't feel like she has gotten her answer yet. She was supposed to have her baptismal interview thisweek but she said she couldn't because she was in San Jose. So we were waiting for her in Cartago with the Elders who were going to do the interview but she said no.

So we were really bummed just waiting for the Elders and thinking what should we do when she walked up to us. We were in the middle of the city and she just ran into us. So she had her interview that night. She still doesn't feel quite ready to get baptized but we are working on it. It was crazy that we ran into her though in the middle of a city.... Heavenly Father loves her so much! 

Also this week we got to our house and our closet was broken. We have like a portable closet that is kind of cheep but it was all the way tipped over. We tried to put it back together but it got worse and worse. So we ended up just sitting on the floor laughing until our stomaches hurt because it was so broken. Then we had to put all the clothes on our bed and on the chairs inour house. It was like that for about 4 days.... so that was kind of horrible. 

Oh and on Sunday we had the biggest miracle ever! We had 7 Investigators in the church and we didn't go to get any of them. They all came with Members and it was so great!!! There is this one family that the grandparents have been inactive for a year but they have veen members for almost their whole lives. Their Grandkids are not members and this sunday they all came to church. It was so great to see them there and to see the difference that the church makes in peoples lives! 

Also we went with a member whose wife is not a member and he was inactive but we went to visit and we talked about Eternal Families and it was so sweet. He told her this is the only way that we can have an etermal family is if you come to church and know for yourself so that you can get baptized and we can go to the temple. It was the sweetest thing ever. I know that Heavenly father is preparing families to listen to the gospel. 

Also to celebrate my birthday we went to subway on my birthday (: that was fun! But yesterday we had to go to the office to get new closets so we decided we would go to lunch and we went to chilis (: it was SO good!!!! The best food I have ever eaten! We got chocolate cake too so that was fun and they sang to me in English so that was fun too! I also got my package that mom mailed the other one still didn't come but maybe in a while I will get it (: 

Oh one more thing  an investigator invited us over for My birthday and my companions because hers is this sunday so we went to eat with this lady. She is really nice.She goes to  an evangelica church but she is reading the book of mormon. She told us that she and her husband were never baptized into the church because she wanted to get married for the church first. But then we started talking about temples and how they could get baptized and then married. And showed her a picture of the temple in Costa Rica. She said maybe that's why I never got baptized so i could get married there...... We were both like.... uh YEAH!!! She is so great! We just need to go with her Husband and get them both to come to church!! But everyone this week has been great! This is the last week of the change so maybe I will be writting from somewhere new next week.I don't think so but I will let you all know (: Love you all so much!!!! Hope everyone is having lots of fun together! Miss ya like crazy but I know I am where I need to be!! Love you!!! (: <3

Hermana Chatwin

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME (:

Hi family (:

Can you believe how fast the time has gone! We are in MARCH..... where did the time go. I hope you all celebrate my birthday with some chocolate satin pie from Marie Calenders. And save me a piece. (:

This week has been really great we have been having a lot of success. 

On Sunday we showed up to church and we were talking to all the members and there is this family that we have been visiting the whole time I have been here. The wife was inactive but she started coming back to church. We have been visiting them almost every week because the Husband still hasn't come back to church. He had a whole bunch of excuses and was just not wanting to change. It was so sad to watch because the wife really wants to go to the temple and have an eternal family but she was saying I can't do that by myself. Her and I have gotten to be really close and we have been fighting so hard for him to come back to church. Then on Sunday her daughter came up to me and told me hey Santos came to church he is sitting on the front row (: So I went up there to say Hi to him and when I saw them together I just started tearing up a little bit. I was just so happy to see them there! The wife just started crying and gave me a big hug and said we did it we knew he would come back. She told me that she had been having a really hard time paying her tithing but she decided that it was something she needed to do. And when she started paying her tithing again that next Sunday her Husband came back to church. I am so grateful for the commandments and for the things that the Lord promises to bless us if we keep them. I know that all of the commandments are really ways to help us recieve blessings. I know that the commandments are a way to accept the Savior in our lives. 

Also yesterday we had a really great experience.
We were board so we decided that we would watch some movies. We have movies of the district which are like training videos for missionaries. So we watched those for like 3 hours yesterday and were talking about some of the things we could do better. We were watching one lesson and decided he we need to try that with one of our investigators so we wrote down some questions that we needed to ask her and we went to the lesson. It was probably the best lesson we have ever had! It was so great and she really felt the spirit so strong. And that she was going to pray to see if she should be baptized this weekend. I know that the Lord will bless her to recieve an answer. Also i gained such a strong testimony of planning that really when we do all our part the Lord will bless us with the rest and the spirit will help us to teach in the way we need to.

These past few weeks I have really come to understand the gospel so much more. I have come to understand my purpose as a missionary and I love doing it. I am so grateful to be here. I know that my heavenly father knows me and knows exactly what I need. He knows every one of us and wants us to succeed. Really heavenly father loves us so much and it is so much easier to follow the gospel and to live the commandments. Life is never going to be easy but It is worth it and SO much easier when you live the gospel. (:

Well Family I love you guys! I hope you all have a great week! Love you!!!!

Hermana  Chatwin

Hi family (: What a great week!

Hi family (:

What a great week! We have really just had so many miracles this week and the Lord is working so hard here in Cartago! 

Lets start with a few miracles. On Tuesday we had a full day planned but people started canceling on us in the morning so we were a little bummed. But we decided lets go visit one investigator that we have been meaning to visit but she is never home. So we went. We got there and there was a little kid outside and we recognized that she is the daughter of a recent convert. We were kind of confused but the investigator let us in and two of our recent converts were there. We had no idea that they even knew each other but it was so awesome! Then they helped us teach the lesson and told her just come to church with us one time. They testified of José Smith and how they recieved the answer that he was a profeta. It was really great!  Also we got there and the investigator was like oh we were just about to drink some coffee. We were like what….. but then the recent convert said oh do you have fresco because I don't drink coffee anymore. It was like  the best payday to see that she was sharing the gospel and that her testimony has grown SO much! I love being able to see the hand of the Lord and the change that happens in peoples lives thanks to the gospel. 

Also we have another investigator who was a refrence of a recent convert. She is really great and her daughter too but we have never been able to get them to come to church. This week she told us no matter what happens she was going to come to church. So on Sunday we called the member and she said that everything was good for them to come. We got to church and there they were waiting for us! It was so great to see them there. And that the member brought them so we didn't have to worry about anything. Then we were in the gospel principles class and the teacher asked her how she felt when we visited her and she said I just feel so much peace when ever I hear anything about the church. She said to a member  after church was over that "I have been to a lot of churches but this is the one that fits me. I just feel like it answers all my questions and I just know it is for me." We taught a lesson after the meetings and we were talking a little bit about the Holy Ghost and how it helps us make choices. She said so really soon I will get then when I am baptized right? We were like Yes (:

 And her daughter who is 12 didn't really want to come to church but she came and LOVED IT. She said oh I have to go to mutual on saturday and I need to start my personal progress. It was so great to see how much they have already started changing! 

Yesterday we went to a members house and she helped us make some skirts. They turned out pretty cute. (: We only made one each but tomorrow we are going to get the other ones that she made for us. I really love the members here in Cartago so much! It is so weird how you can love people so much! The Bishop here is so great! We didn't really know him before but my companion and I decided we needed to do something to let him know we are here to work.

 So we went and visited him one day and asked him who he wanted us to visit and he gave us a bunch of refrences! One of them is a family that is inactive. So we went to visit them and we found out that they have 3 grandkids who are not baptized. So yesterday we went to visit them with the Bishop and he told them so when are you going to get baptized. We have some time this Sunday if you want to. The kid said I think I can this week. Obviously they have to wait a little to prepare but the Bishop was so great to come with us and help us invite the family to church and to be baptized. It was really great!

 Also this week we had 40 lessons (: that has never happened in all of my misison! We were so happy! Usually we have like 30- 35 but this week we have been working a lot more effeciently and we had lot of members that wanted to come with us. So we really had a great week!

I love being here and I love being a missionary so much! I can't believe how fast the time goes! It has gone way to fast! Well I love you all family! I hope you have a good week. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GRANT!!!! 

 And I am hoping for a whole bunch of pictures the next few weeks when everyone is together. You should probably have a party for my birthday at least by a chocolate Pie to remember me (: haha Love you guys!

Love Hermana Chatwin

10 MESES!!!!!!

Hi Family (:

Can you guys believe that yesterday I had 10 months in the mission... That is crazy! The time goes SO fast!

Well yesterday we decided we were going to celebrate and we had to go to the misison office so we went to Pricesmart which is like Costco here and ate pizza (: and bought american food to eat! We were so happy (:

This week was really good! We have been visiting our new converts still and they are progressing so great! I am always so happy to go visit them and to think about the first times that we went their until now they really have changed SO much. Every monday we can call our converts from the other area and talk to them so last Monday I called un Hermano who got baptized in October like the first week of October and he told me he has a calling! He is the YM Presidente. I was so happy to hear that everything is going well with him. And they went to the temple to do baptisms with the YM so he went to and did baptisms (: It was just the best feeling to hear that he is still active and doing well. Also another Hermana went to the temple with them and she was telling me well today I am going to do visits with the Relief Society President and tomorrow my visiting teachers are coming and the next day My home teachers and coming. And the next day we have an activity in the church and then it is Sunday so I am always in the church. (: And another Hermano told me he is getting the Priesthood this month. I just love talking to them to see how they are doing!

This week we went to an activity for the Relief Society and almost every member brought a friend to the activity so we had about 10 refrences and we put like 5 appointments with people so that was great! The members here are really so great! We had an amazing lesson with a refrence from a member on saturday in the church and really the spirit was SO strong. She told us that she went to the family home evening of the member on monday and since then she has just felt a lot of peace in her life that week. She and her daughter should be baptized in March!! (:

This week I have learned a lot about how you have to give everything you have to the Lord to see the blessings in you life! It is hard but the lord will always bless you when you are doing what he wants you to do. That being obedient with Exactness really changes everything! I love being a missionary so much. It is the best thing I have ever done in my life. I love seeing how peoples lives change and how they progress in the gospel! I hope everyone can think of someone they can share the gospel with because really that is the only thing that matters in this life (:

Well family i love you! Hope you have a good day!

Hermana Chatwin

Hi Family (: I am still here in Cartago

Hi Family (:

Well this week we had changes. I am still here in Cartago but my companion left :( how sad. My new companion is Hermana Geis she is from Californa. She has one change less than me in the mission. She is really nice I have known her for a while so I was excited when I found out we would be companions. She was in my zone before I came here. We have been together for about a day or so. She is really nice though.

Well this weekend we had a weekend full of miracles! On saturday our investigators finally got baptized!! (: yay!! We were so happy for them and they were so Happy! Then on sunday our other investigator got baptized!!! Yay!! (: so we had three baptisms this weekend! It was a good way to end our time together.

So on sunday in the morning we called the two hermanas that got baptized on saturday and they told us that they couldn't come to church but I couldn't understand what she was saying becasue she was crying a lot. So we were sitting there thinking... what should we do. We prayed and we just didn't know if we should go and see what happened or go after church. But we felt like we should go. So we went to there house and she was crying because she got in a fight with her husband. So we talked to them and they told us we are not going to go sorry but we aren't going. So we asked them if we could say a prayer together and we did. Then we sat in silence for about 20 minutes and we finally asked them so what do you think God wants you to do today. And they said well I bet He wants us to go to church and recieve the Holy Ghost. So they got ready and we went to chruch. They told us when they recieved the Holy ghost they could feel that really they were clean from all their sins. If you knew these Hermanas and have seen the change that is happening in them you would know that really this gospel is so true! They are just incredible!
The other Hermana has been attending church for more than a year and the Missionaries baptized her daughter but she was living with the father of her kids. But about a month ago we visited her and we asked her Hermana when do you want to get baptized because we knew that if she put the fecha it would be a goal she would have for herself. So she told us the first day of Feb. And she told her marido that if he didn't want to get married  he had to leave. So it was a very difficult decision but she made it and she was SO happy. Everyone in the Ward was so happy to see her get baptized and really you can see the change that is happening in her house. It is incredible!

Well family I hope all is well. Thanks for all the prayers I know it always helps work harder when I remember that my family is always praying for me. I love you guys so much! I hope you have a good week!!

Hermana Chatwin