Walker's Week #103

Hey family, whats up? So this week was super good. We had an activity. We had everyone act about a prophet. So the young men did it about Joseph Smith, the young women about Adam, the primary about Noah, high priests did Moses, elders quorum did Abraham, relief society did Enoc, and the bishopric did the time of Jesus. The best part of all is that we had two families of investigators come. Actually, they got there before all the members, because they were all late. But we are working on that. 

Walker's Week #102

Hey whats up? So funny story, usually to remember dates I put them in my agenda. So this last week I wrote all of the dates until Friday, then I looked to make sure I wrote them right. So I realized that I was a day behind so I skipped the 1st and wrote the second and continued. So I was just kind of chilling saturday and someone asked me how old I was. I answered 20 like usual, but then I realized that it was almost my birthday so I asked my companion what the date was and it was the second. I had completely forgotten my birthday. But oh well, I now can drink legally in the states. Woot. So this week the stake president came and had a reunion with the ward council, and pretty much told us that we don´t know how to work. So yeah. I don´t know I´m pretty sure everyone is trying, they just aren´t thinking, but we´re working on that.

Walker's Week #101

Hey guys whats up? So this week was cool, so i´m right next to santa ana, so really they are in my district. So this last week dennis baptized his brother. So that was pretty cool. So ciudad colon is a super super small city that doesn´t have buses, so we walk a lot. My companion is super cool, he doesn´t like talking that much so our house is pretty quiet. So the ward I´m in about two or three years ago had about 130 people that went to church and now were lucky if there are 60, and every week its worse. So we try to have a lot of lessons with the members.

So there is a kid in my zone that played rugby for highland and got invited to go and play for byu and stuff. So today he taught us how to play rugby and really I have decided that latinos can´t play anything that isn´t soccer. No matter how many times you explain they just don´t understand.

Walker's Week #100

Hey guys whats up? So I got changed. I am now in ciudad colon, which is right next door to santa ana. Yep my companion's name is Elder Marques. He´s a mexican. So today I went and visited Magaly and her family, they're super awesome. So i have no idea what to write. I have no idea what is going on here so I´ll write more next week.

Walker's Week #99

Walker's Week #98

Hey guys, how is everything going? Everything here is good. I don´t really understand new years. Everyone acts like something has changed, but really I feel exactly the same as the day before. But everyone did get drunk and really being missionary we really couldn´t do anything, but everything is good. So courtney do you have a car or are you just going to take the bus and walk to everything?

Walker's Week #97

Hey hows it going? So Christmas is a little different here, its more of a big party than anything. The best way I can describe its like a new years party. Everyone the twenty fourth waits up till midnight and they all hug each other ask for forgiveness for anything they did during the year, start crying a little because they're all drunk. Fireworks going off all over the place. Yep the best. I think its better the way we do it go to sleep early wake up late. Yep a lot better, but the fireworks are nice. 

Walker's Week #96

Hey guys whats up. So this week was nice. So tomorrow after lunch between the hours of 2 and 5 I´ll be calling. probably from skype, but i don´t know. My companion has to figure out when he is going to call. So when he isn´t calling I will.

Walker's Week #95

So I guess I am going home a week early. They have a whole lot a missionaries coming in so they are changing the time in the mtc from 9 weeks to 6 weeks. So we had to change the day of our changes a week earlier and all of that means that I will not complete the two years. I will be home two days before. So christmas is coming up and I guess i can use skype but I´m not really sure how I am going to do that because the internet will probably not be open that day. So maybe i am just going to call. I´m trying to figure it out, but if not I´ll just call. So how are all you guys? Ss there a certain number I need to call or something like that or just the house? So one of the hermanas in my district had to go home early for medical problems. So that sucked alot. But there is another hermana in my district and she likes to think she knows everything and tell me that I´m wrong, and the best part is that we share a ward so I am always working with her, but oh well.

Walker's Week #94

Hey guys whats up so this week was good we had our primary program here. Its a little bit harder when there are only 10 or 15 kids in the primary, all of the ones older than 8 had to give like talk talks, of like 2 to 5 minutes, pobrecitos. I am super glad my primary was a little bit bigger. So niether my companion or I had changes. We are both here which means I will be with him for 4 and a half months, or three changes. Sorry my letter is so short this week.

Walker's Week #93

Hey whats up so this week was pretty good. We taught more lessons this week than any other week in my time here. I was pretty happy, but no one came to church. So yep we´re not progressing that much, but still at least I´m not in the street looking for people that much.

So changes are this week. We don´t know who has changes until tomorrow and then changes are Wednesday. So they asked me to which airport I wanted to go to this week. So I asked if I could go to Vernal and they told me that I could. So I will be flying in to Vernal Utah, I think.

So Christmas is coming. They don´t really do anything for Christmas except eat tamales, and I don´t even like them that much.

So I really hope I don´t have changes.

Walker's Week #92

 

Hey whats up, this week was pretty good. We had two people come to church this week. (Q. Does anyone do anything for Thanksgiving there?) No, nobody does anything for Thanksgiving here, but they have Black Friday which is really just people buying stuff online from the states. I know at least two people that bought laptops. So my Thanksgiving was not the most exiting thing. So things are getting better in my area. The members at least notice us when were in church and if we tell them we are going to pass by they don´t give us days when they know they won´t be there. So we have been able to teach the members a little which is awesome, because if we´re teaching members we aren´t in the street. (Q. Do you know your release date yet?) But yeah I still don´t know the day when I'm going to leave but it should be around the 28th of February. They don´t tell us that stuff because they don´t want us thinking about it.

Walker's Week #91

 

Hey guys whats up so this week was pretty awesome. First off Tuesday we had a conference almost all day it was super awesome. Then Wednesday we went to the Temple. So guess what underwear is super cheap here. I can buy it for a dollar a piece which is allot better than the two to three dollars that it is there. Then it was a normal week from Thurday to Sunday. So in the Temple I did baptisms it was pretty sweet I liked it allot. So you guys know my bags are pretty much trashed and there is know way that I will be able to get home with them. I would really like to buy some knew ones so I can take some stuff home.

La Paz Zone Conference 13 Nov 2012

Mom, Dad and Family of Missionary,

This is Hermana Wilkinson - I want you to know how much we Love your son/daughter.  Each one is unique and individual and brings something special and so important to the San Jose Costa Rica mission. 

All of them are working so hard and are great missionaries for the Lord - you have every reason to be proud. 

Tuesday they were learning about working with members, helping members/investigators make and keep commitments, how to effectively Teach and setting Goals.   

Please remember to write, keep letters positive and uplifting.  

Pray for all the missionaries daily.  Pray for the people of Costa Rica that they will be prepared to hear the message the missionaries have and want to share with them - pray that the hearts of the members will be open - that they will help the missionaries find and teach.  That the Word of God will sink into investigators hearts and they will want to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Please pray for the members who are not currently attending church that they will have the desire to return.

Everyone of them looked healthy and happy.  Most of them ate their vegetables (carrots) for lunch with Chips, Chocolate Chip/Oatmeal Cookies and Sloppy Joes.

We Thank you for raising such Amazing, Worthy, Hardworking, Honest, Happy and Teachable Sons / Daughters.  We have the BEST MISSIONARIES in the San Jose Costa Rica Mission and it is because of YOU!  Thank you 

We Love your Missionary -  we are Thankful everyday to be able to spend time with him / her here in Costa Rica.

With all our Love,

Hermana & President Wilkinson

Walker's Week #90

Hey guys whats up. So this week we were able to find some people that want to listen to us.

We have Katia, who about two years ago was listening to misioneros. She was reading and praying and stuff like that, but she found a job and she had to work a lot so they stopped visiting her. She is pretty cool.

Then there is Yorleni, she has a lot of problems with her kid. Last week he was arrested and he is only thirteen years old. He has a lot of friends that aren´t so good, but her daughter is super cool, she is studying English in the universidad and is trying to get a scholarship to go to study in the states.

Yea I´m pretty good. My comp too.Well talk to ya next week.

Walker's Week #89

Hey whats up, this week was good. So today we had a super big soccer game between my zone La Paz, and the other witch is Cartago. We won but I love playing because all the Latinos always get super mad when there losing. Actually when there winning to. I don´t understand they are just always mad.

So my companion is super awesome. So for Halloween we had to be in our houses at five.which just kind of sucked allot. Because I live in a house with my companion, so after like three hours we ran out of stuff to do. So I went to sleep and my companion was a little bit motivated and read the Book of Mormon.

Courtney's Home

Saterday October 27th 2012, Salt Lake City Airport

Walker's Week #88

Hey whats up, so this week was a lot better than some of the earlier weeks. So like four or five weeks ago they joined our ward with another so since then our attendance has been falling like crazy. So we have been visiting a whole lot of members telling them that they need to start reading and praying again.

So we have an investigator, his name is Mario, he has been going to church for like 4 or 5 months now but can't be baptized because he is living with someone. So he is super awesome. We were talking with him the other day and he asked us if he should keep on asking if the Book of Mormon is true. He told us that he had received his answer like three times and he didn't know if he should keep on asking.'

So it is still raining and I guess November is one of the worst months. Last week my companion got sick because we're always getting wet and its pretty cold here. Well not cold but Costa Rica cold. yep I'm going to die when I get home, cold dry air woot woot.

Courtney's Week #81, Final Letter!!

Bahhhh!!! Tan Loco! 

Well, guess what? I have a new companion. Cambios were today, but since my group "extended" for a week we also had some really crazy changes. I am now with Hermana Arias de Honduras. The craziest part is that she also goes home this week. We are closing my sector, which is a little sad. Instead of having four missionaries in the ward there will only be two after we leave. Hermana Hernandez was changed to another sector. So basically we have 5 days to close everything up, the house, the area book, and make a good transition for our investigators. Its kind of sad, but I also had a good idea that it was going to happen. This ward is actually pretty dangerous for sister missionaries, for example the other night there was a shooting really close to our apartment. So the most likely possibility is that they are going to put Elders here in a few months. So basically we are here just to close everything up the apartment, the area book, and make a good transition for our investiagors as well. 

It´s so crazy to think that I will be home soon. Bahh! So this last week I went to the temple with the missionaries that are leaving. There are only 9 of us--2 norte americanas, 3 norte americanos, y 4 latinas. It was really awesome. While I was there I just felt good, I was peaceful and  content for the work that I have done and I know that God feels that same way. 

Also, this last week we had our training meeting for life after the mission. President told us that we would not be able to spiritually progress more until we got married. So we learned about how to persuade someone to get married. Woot Woot!

Elder Bednar came on Saturday, I thought that we would be in the back because we got there only 45 minutes early, but it turns out that all of the sisters were supposed to sit in the front. And so I was on the 4th row. It was a little uncomfortable because there wasn´t actually room for all of us to sit we were wedged in there pretty tight, but it was worth it. Elder Bednar is pretty awesome. He and his wife are pretty strict, but but really funny at the same time. Elder Bednar told us that we have weak faith, but he told us how to change that--it was pretty awesome. I am glad I was able to be there. 

Veronica is doing great! She is pretty much our only investigator who is making progress. She was a little worried when she found out on Sunday that Hermana Hernandez and I are leaving, she told the other missionaries that she doesn´t want to be abandoned. Veronica is super excited for her baptism and is trying her best to have her kids to share with the missionaries as well. And it is working, her 19 year old daughter, Laura, joined us for one of our lessons and is now reading the book of mormon. I love teaching Veronica because she is so excited about the gospel. When we teach her there is a light in her eyes and she is so eager to learn more. She keeps all of her commitments and is loving it. She is going to be a great member of the church. She already has a few friends that she has made. 

This week is going to be absolutely crazy. Hermana Arias has to go the dentist before she leaves Chile, we have District Class, a "secret" going away party from the ward, Hermana Arias´s English certification test, Exit Interviews, and then we leave. Hermana Arias and the other latinas leave at like 6 in the morning on Friday, and I then I need to be in the Office at 4. So pretty much super crazy. But I am excited to see you all! 

Well, I will see you all this Saturday! Don´t be late, please! One of the sisters who went home a few months ago arrived at the airport and her family hadn´t gotten there yet, how sad is that? So I will expecting to see your bright smiling faces on Saturday!!! Love you all!

Hermana Evans

Mision Chile Santiago Norte

6 Abril 2011-27 Octubre 2012

Walker's Week #87

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