October 25, 2021 - muy rico

 Week 10 

Buenas! 

In our missionwide challenge to read the Book of Mormon in 80 days we are now in Mosiah. So this past week, we read in Enos! I love the book of Enos in the Book of Mormon. I especially love the way repentance is described. Vs 7 "Lord how is it done?" vs 8 " because of thy faith in Christ. Whom thou hast never before heard nor seen… go to, thy faith hath made thee whole." Faith is such a powerful thing. It's that desire to change that is so important and God rewards us for our efforts! 

We do a lot of contacting over the phone. This week, as per usual, we contacted members, interested people, and recent converts. Basically anyone we can. And this past week, during a call with someone we didn't know in our ward something so cool happened. We were talking and they asked me, "are you from Guatemala?" And I go "no… I'm from the United States." Then he said "wow well your Spanish is really good!" :) My Spanish is definitely not that good but it was nice to hear.

Thursday we had a zone conference and we got to meet in person with President Johnson and have interviews and lunch. They even sang and gave a gift to me and a few other missionaries that have birthdays this transfer. We had a great lesson later Thursday with someone we are teaching. They are so serious about being baptized for the right reason. Which is so great! They have all the tools and are just waiting for the answer! But we learned that they are not in our area, so we will have to do a pass off lesson this week. 

Now for our most grand miracle of the week! 

We were at a house teaching a lesson to an interested person. Her mom was working and her brother had homework, so we just had a lesson with her. Well we taught the Restoration lesson with an emphasis on the Book of Mormon. At the end of the lesson as my comp and I were bearing our testimonios, the client of her mom came into the room but like was in the far off corner. So we finished our testimonies then taught the person we were teaching how to pray. Then right after the closing prayer, the guest of our lesson asked, "can I have a book of Mormon?" Umm we were like "you want a book of Mormon?" And she really did haha so we gave her one and also have a lesson with her this week! 

Oh and yesterday we had some banana bread! Muy rico! It reminded me of baked goods at home and my mom's cooking. And I'd have to say "muy rico" describes my week pretty well! 

Mucho amor, 

Hermana Warburton

McDonald's! 

The plaza that's giant! Our pday was there last week 

Why haven't I seen one of these in utah yet? 

A very popular interested person street 

Zone conference 

October 18, 2021 - He'll provide a way

 Hola! Buenas! 

This week in reading the Book of Mormon I read this verse about prayer: 

2 Nephi 32:9 "but behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul" We pray A LOT everyday on the mission but really it's because we want and need the Lord's blessing in all that we do! God is our Heavenly Father, and just like our earthly parents, I'm sure he loves giving advice. I think it's probably the best advice we'll ever get! 

This week I experienced a lot of new things. I had my first intercambios, first rejections, and gave my first talk! 

Intercambios! I went on exchanges with the sister training leaders in our district. I spent 24 hours with Hermana Roberts in Moravia and it was so fun! I swear we had so many exchange miracles. First in contacting over the phone, almost all the references we contacted answered and set up the date to do a study the following week. So great! Then we got ice cream and on the way there and back we did street contacting. We met our goal of talking to 3 people. We walked to 4 and even gave one of them a Book of Mormon! So great and then we had to run away from a crazy guy who we were pretty sure was drunk because he was slurring all his words in Spanish. 

Next, our rejections haha and for me they're probably more funny than they should be. We were calling a number list of possible people in our area that no one knew who they were and it was so funny. One person we called gave us the information of her mom who is a member and then when we tried to ask her she pretended she couldn't hear and then hung up haha. Then with others they wouldn't say anything when they answered the phone so we would say "buenas tardes hablamos con___ somos las misioneras de la Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Días'' then a moment of silence would follow and they would hang up. Haha it's kind of sad but we couldn't get over the fact that these people were really trying to avoid the missionaries. But we did have some contacts come out of it so 😅

I gave my first talk in sacrament meeting this week. I know I have only been here about 3 weeks and they're already having me give a talk in Spanish haha but hey it actually went really well so I guess now I know I can do it if I have time to prepare. I guess we'll see what happens when I don't. 

My favorite miracle of the week came in the form of a relative of our neighbor. It was after intercambios when I was back in Tibas and I had this goal to try to initiate a conversation a day with another person. Well, it was the end of the night and we were walking back from the activity we were at and I still hadn't done it. God provides a way! As we got back to our house, this neighbor was basically right on our porch because our houses are so close. We spent 40 minutes talking with them and we gave them a book of Mormon. They also spoke English which was another miracle. Setting goals and having God be a part of them is such a powerful thing. 

That's all for this week! And my mission is on a Facebook fast which includes messengers until the end of October. So sorry if I'm a few weeks late in responding to those messages haha

Mucho amor, 

Hermana Warburton 

Munchies a Warburton house hold staple 

Literally these colors are real and the purple stuff is actually really good 

Lunch with the other hermanas in our ward

Our delicious ice cream

The Church by where we gave away a book of Mormon

Sunday, when it basically down poured all day!

October 11, 2021 - Another Testament of Jesus Christ

 Week 9 

Hola! Buenos días!

I can almost say that I have been in Costa Rica for two whole weeks. Haha when I say it, it sounds super short, but I've already done so much. I am in Tibas which is kind of like a suburb near the capitol San José haha I think it's pretty modernized so it's not really the jungle that you may imagine when you think of Costa Rica. 

"My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day." - President Russel M Nelson.

What a great message and promise from our prophet! We have been sharing this with members and investigators this week. Each time we bare testimony of the truth of the words of the Book of Mormon: another Testament of Jesus Christ the spirit is so strong in the room. The Book of Mormon has so much power. Even the power to change our lives for the better. Reading it everyday really with make our lives better!

My companion and I get along great! And we have had some great lessons this week. I love that after each lesson as we walk back to our house we discuss what we learned and what we could improve. It is such a great time to learn from the spirit. 

Some fun things that happened this week: 

• I had my first pday in Costa Rica and it was so fun. We hung out with other missionaries in our zone and played volleyball, basketball, cards and had cookies. And the crowning moment was of course when I got to call my family! 

• Pupusa. They're like stuffed thick corn tortillas and they are delicious! 

• We went to Walmart. Yes! There is a Walmart here in Costa Rica :)

•  A Rooster. Haha during our companionship study outside there was a rooster that we tried to take a picture with and then it totally chased us down! 

• The weather here is definitely nice. I'm honestly never too hot or too cold. 

• The ward is so supportive here. We get member meals and they are always giving referrals. Ward members are so important in missionary work. 

• I have never played so much uno in my life. Spicy uno is definitely where it's at. 

That's all for this week! 

Mucho amor, 

Hermana Warburton 

The rooster (which we also hear every morning around 8!)

Flash back to my first day where we started with the end in mind

 My zone 

A cute house haha

WALMART

Someone's very cool car 

Pupusas

Just some trees by the freeway :)

October 4, 2021 - Blessed to have continuous revelation

 Week 8 

Here are a few spiritual thoughts from Conference that I loved this weekend:

The lord looks at us with mercy and as we repent and try to improve will say "look how far (insert your name) has come. 

Choose to come home to Him.

I know that Jesús will hold my hand!

What great reminders of the truths of the gospel that give me hope! 

Hello everyone. A LOT has happened over the last week and a half. I am in Costa Rica now! And I'll get to how that has been in just a second…

First before I left, I finished at home MTC. We spent Saturday night together as a family at Cross E Ranch. Then on Sunday Gabe was set apart! Wahooo!! there are 2 of us missionaries now.

Monday was all packing and Tuesday I flew out. It was very hard to leave but there was actually another Sister going through security at the same time which made it a lot easier.

When we arrived here in Costs Rica we were taken to the temple! And we were asked to keep the end in mind. We should be picturing people in white! The next day was spent at the mission office getting immigration done and having our first authentic Costa Rica meal. 

Then Thursday I met my trainer, Hermana Henry. She's from Spanish Fork, Utah so we have gotten some Jokes about Utah being the factory for missionaries.

As I have been here, each day has slowly gotten better. That first day we had a lesson where the people we were teaching just went off topic talking about politics and other things and I had no idea what they were saying. But I love recognizing the little miracles we experience each day. 

Saturday I figured out how to make the shower water warm. And we had pancakes for breakfast just like we would at home. 

We watched Conference in English! I know what a blessing! We just watched it in a different room at the church, so I am so thankful for phones that can stream anywhere.

Sunday was probably my favorite day here so far for many reasons! We watched Conference and then in between we had a huge lunch where I got to meet a lot of members of the ward. And while I don't understand everything I can kind of get the gist. I loved meeting all the ward members! And then we had 3 baptisms - I have learned that when we do all we can do, if it's meant to happen it will because that's exactly what happened with our baptisms! 

There is probably so much more and I tried to fit over a week in just one email, so if you want to hear about anything specific message me! My p-day is Monday so I send messages back and forth. Other days I can read and react but not respond to messages.

I hope everyone had a great week and just loved hearing how we can be better prepared from our Heavenly Father himself through the mouths of his prophet!

Mucho amor,

Hermana Warburton

first meal with my comp 

Hermana Henry and Hermana Warburton

Conference pancakes 

Saturday Conference break snack 

My first baptism experience 

Pictures of Hermana Warburton arriving in Costa Rica

 Here are some pictures that Hermana Warburton's Mission President posted of the first couple of days in Costa Rica, September 28-29,2021.