Random texts and e-mail.......

This week when It seemed to be an extra stressful day.  I received these tender mercies.  The lord know us so well, I am truly grateful for the blessings we receive everyday.   

8/28/2014
Dear sister Ferrin,
I am a mother of a missionary that was just released from the Costa Rica mission. We came to pick up my daughter, sister Ashton , and we ran into your son. I said I would send a message for him.
He says he is doing well, he loves you and he's loving it here on his  mission.
He sure has a great attitude and seems well prepared.
Colleen Ashton
(from Farmington, Utah )

8/31/2014
Hello Parents!

My name is Sue Wynn and my family and I are from Provo Utah. We are vacationing in Costa Rica this week and saw your son this morning at church. We thought we'd send you a picture so you can see how good he looks. He looked so happy and is doing great. He is very happy.  It looks like he is with a group of lots of great Sisters and Elders. My husband served a mission in Costa Rica 30 years ago and still has the happiest memories of the people here. They are so kind and humble. 

This is a picture of my husband and children with your cute missionary. My oldest son is serving in Japan right now so I know it's fun to get little tidbits of info from others. 

Have a happy Sunday,
Sincerely,
Sue Wynn

Week # 7 Welcome to Costa Rica.........

Alright so getting to Costa Rica was a long long day but after the last week I am absolutely in love with the country!!!!!!!!!!  The area I am in is called Guanacaste and my city is Liberia and some out lying little communities. The poverty is very humbling and it is amazing to see the conditions that people live in. Most of my investigators are living in one room houses with one or two walls of cement dirt floors and tin roofs and sides. Most people cook over a fire and don't have much besides each other, but the people here are so nice and loving when we show up and these people are so willing to hear the gospel. My companion and I are opening up a brand new area where the missionaries have not been before and if we can get 8 Melchizedek priesthood holders in the branch by December we will be the 3rd stake in Costa Rica ever!!!! So far we have 9 baptism dates set for the 20 of September and 7 of those are very solid and prepared brothers and sisters. We fasted the first day so we could try and get some investigators and meet some people and the lord has blessed us more than I have ever seen. I can and do carry a conversation with people every day and between me and my companion we get about 35 contacts every day and he makes me do at least 20 of them on my own. My companions name is Elder Soza and he is from Chihuahua Mexico and he is probably the greatest missionary on the planet. He speaks English but not to me normally. :) I love the work and the people here so much and I see the lords hand in my work every day all day. My companion is like the Mexico version of me and actually did a little fish farming before his mission too!! He had horses and cows and loves to hunt and fish & worked on farms and is literally just like me :) I love him so much!! The area we are in is the "cowboy" area of Costa Rica. We see cows and horses in the street and the people here mostly work on farms. I have contacted five buses in the last week. (that means i got up in front of the whole bus and talked and bore my testimony to the bus.) My companion is constantly pushing me to do better and I love him for it because I can tell that I am improving on my Spanish everyday. I know it sounds crazy but we really have got 9 people committed to a baptism in just the last week and its not because of me or my companion. The spirit is with us every second of every day. I feel it and I love it so much. I feel all your prayers and love each day and I appreciate all the support. I cant believe its been a week already. Things in Costa Rica are definitely not the same as in the states. People don't care if they hit you with a car I have found out. :) Every day you better be watching where your walking or you are in trouble :) Trees grow in the middle of the road and the money looks like monopoly money! but like I said I am loving it. !!!!!!  I cant think of a better place to spend my mission.   For all of you I will be in San Jose at the mission office tomorrow and if you send a dear elder to the office today I will get it when I'm in there. I hope to hear from you all and I hope you know I love you all so so so much. The people of Costa Rica are prepared by the lord and I know it with all my heart. I am so glad that I was blessed to be called here and especially to serve in Guanacaste because this is a small town community that I am serving in and it almost reminds me of home with all the cattle and stuff. Anyways I have  to go and I hope you all are doing good and you know I love you. 

PS if anyone sends a letter or package don't send it through DHL or FedEx send it like normal and  it takes about 10 days for a letter or package to get here is all. 

Love 

Elder Ferrin

Streets in Costa Rica

 Food!! (I am thinking he is liking it but he also said that he is walking off what he eats)

This is his Companion from the MTC Elder Kirk

 This is his  MTC District  

He is in Costa Rica......

Well i made it safe to costa rica! it´s different from home and walking to the apartment last night at 11:00 was really sketchy :) but thats fine! it´s kind of like downtown ogden times about ten. everything here has gates and shredwire and everywhere you look is garbage. no one obeys the street signs and the drivers are crazy! it´s rained about 2 feet since i got here and that was only for about 30 minutes. I LOVE COSTA RICA!!!!  this is such a cool place and the temple is so beautiful. it´s closed right now but in a month we should be able to go. i will get my companion tomorrow and find out where i am going to serve. within three months i could be a trainer or at least i am supposed to be ready says the president. I was able to bear my testimony on the plane and give out some mormon.org cards on our last flight to the flight attendants. well i have only alittle time and i´ll talk to you next week!! I love you!!!! I´ll send some pictures soon. I LOVE YOU!!!

Week # 6 Last Email From MTC........

We each  received an individual  hand written letters this week so our email was just simple and pictures so I will just write what he had to say:

He wrote to us on Sunday 8-1-14

To Jordan:

Hey Sis!  How are things?  I leave for  Costa Rica in a week from tomorrow!  Things here are alright but the food sucks, we keep finding hair & one kid found a band aid in his food,  Other than that I love it here!  We found something called a pillow room here.  Its a secret room with 287 pillows that you just jump around in.  The janitors will take you to it if you can tell them where it is.  We found it during our service day by accident.  Any hot dates?  I hope things are going well with work &all.  How was the Family vacation?  Did you fish? My Spanish is going well and I am really excited to leave but a little worried too.  Hopefully I can understand something when I land.  I miss you and hope to hear from you soon.  I hope you know that I love you & miss you.  Talk to you soon Sis.  Love Elder Ferrin

To Tyler:

Sup bro? or Que Pasa Mop? (means same thing) the last thing is Costa Ricon slang . 

 Todos tuanis (means all cool)

Hows work? Fishing?  How was the camp out?  Did you Register for High School yet?

I want to know everything about your classes & such.  Well nothing really changed since your last letter last week, Gosh can you believe that your brother is going to be in another country speaking a different language?  Crazy! I am so excited and hope things are great!  Hopefully I will hear back soon but I don't have much time tonight, so for now I'll close.  Email me how to send letters internationally please.  Talk to you soon buddy & catch some fish for me will ya?  Love ya buddy & talk to you soon.  Love Elder Ferrin

To Dad:

Hi Dad!  How are things?  The horses?  My dog?  The Hunts?

What are yours and Tyler's plans for this season?  I hope you guys get some good hunting in for me!  I leave in a week!  Can you Believe it?  I am going to be in another country with another language doing & seeing things I've never seen or done before!! It's kinda scary to think of but I want to go.  This is what you've prepared me for my whole life.  I've always loved your stories form your mission and I hope I get to tell my kids stories like that too.  Thank you for always showing me what I can become someday.  I appreciate all the times you've shown me unknowing hot to be a good Priesthood holder.  I can't thank you enough for  everything you've taught me.  I miss you Dad But I know this is the best thing I can do with my life.  I hope that this mission is blessing you all as much as it is me!!  I love you Dad!! I look up to you everyday of my mission.  Thanks again for your example & unyielding love!!

Love Elder Ferrin

To Mom:

I wrote you 2 times this week not sure if you go them yet.  My flight plans are here (but you know that already)  I was allowed to email you so you would not worry.   Sorry for my spelling & grammar, my Spanish is ruining it because vowels are backwards in Spanish and other stuff.  Anyways how is everyone? Whats new?  I am enjoying the MTC for the most part but I also learning the principle of "Perserverar hasta el fin"  (endure to the end)  I am ready to leave.  I am trying to get every one a letter before I leave.  I will send pictures of my Spanish scriptures, I have a really cool way to make them.  I am learning more and more everyday.  The Gospel is true and blesses lives.  Don't worry about me things hear are great! Just know that your boy is taken care of  between the teachers, the Savior & the Spirit I am pretty well covered. 

 Mom I Love you!  

Love Elder Ferrin   

This is elder Alva. he is from southern Arizona and he was my zone leader when i got here. we played basketball together everyday and is an amazing guy!! he left last Thursday for Merida Mexico after arguing with doctors for 2 weeks about if he could still go because of some medical stuff. After 2 weeks the MTC president called him into his office and told him he would be gone by the end of the week and he was sorry for all the hustle. It was a long road but the whole time he kept a positive and happy spirit and was an amazing example :)

soo.... here at the MTC we do service once a week and on your last week if you can find the "pillow room" and you talk to the right janitor she will take you into it for ten minutes after your service time is over and it is probably one of the coolest rooms here at the MTC it has 287 pillows in it!!! but the MTC is so great right now and I'm loving it! i hope to hear from you all soon and i will be in Costa Rica by Monday night at 8:00!! hope all is well and that you are all having fun!! take care and just know that the gospel is true! it can and will bless our lives if we just let Christ in. Take care!! 

 This whole bus is the zone I'm in charge of on our way to the temple this morning. We also have five more elders coming in today :) super exciting!!

We have the largest zone in the MTC right now :)

Week # 5 Flight Plans......

Today as I was sitting in church I received an email from our missionary.  At first I thought "What, he doesn't email on Sunday" so I was worried until I opened it and this is what it said:

 "The Branch president said we can let you know that we got our flight plans! so don't worry, I'll leave on the 18th and our flight plan is through Atlanta Georgia, 3 hour layover there so expect a call around 1-3 o clock i think? more info later :) Love you!!!!"  

What an exciting bit of news!!!

Week # 4 One month Already................

Hey mom this last week has been great! I sent you mail twice this week and only one letter too grandma so hopefully you get them soon. Sorry about last week but it's been crazy since they put me in as the zone leader. I don't have much time to do my writing and stuff like I used to now. You'll read more about my zone leader stuff in your letters. I also have been teaching investigators in all my free time because our teacher asked me and my companion to teach a friend of his that really is not a member! She is really nice and she is really interested in the gospel!!! It's a great experience but is slightly stressful because we teach her in all of our free time and when we aren't teaching her we are teaching our other three scheduled investigators and preparing for our lessons. Spanish is going really well for me and I love it, but the food is getting worse.... we keep finding hairs and one kid found a band-aid in his food.... other than that I am really happy :) My flight plans will be here this Friday (hopefully) and I'll let you know how that looks. No one has got a visa yet but that's okay because most guys get it three or four days before they leave. I'm going to send this and hopefully you'll get it by the time I finish my second part. I love you mom. I'm sending more of a message don't worry.   

Anyways... what else has happened???? um... this last week has just been crazy hectic and I can't really explain how blessed I am. When will my package be here? a watch would be nice... :) um aside from the usual study, teach, eat, sleep, exercise routine things are pretty normal. I'm enjoying all of my study time more than I thought I would! It's amazing what I am learning and I love the spirit we feel during our personal study time. I'm a little worried for the 22 new missionaries that I'm in charge of when they get here since I'm the zone leader but they'll survive me I think.. :) All the missionaries here know me as the redneck elder... I guess they don't think it's normal to see someone walk around in shorts, camo shirt, ball cap and long socks doing laundry... It's kind of funny because they see me later in the day and are like "hey! your the redneck elder we keep seeing aren't you???" It's strange to think that so many of these people are nothing like me or my family and yet I still love them. Yesterday in our lesson with Naielli I had a strong feeling we should change from the topic we were teaching and talk about the plan of salvation. As we taught she started to tear up and pay lots more attention and then when we finished she told us how she had a little brother that died when he was little and their preacher said he was in hell and could never have another chance. We ran out of time at this point but she really really wants us to come back tomorrow night and finish. The spirit was so strong and my companion and I just jumped and hollered after our lesson because it was so AMAZING!!!  I love the gospel and I love all of you guys!!! I hope things are going well.

  I saw Elder Franke before he left!!! :)

 Elder Dalton was the only other redneck here but now he's gone to Mexico... sad day. :)

 And... this last one is what happens when the food here sucks... you microwave a party pizza. :)

 I think I've mastered the selfie thing. :) we go to the temple every single Wednesday.

I also found MTN DEW!!!!!!! that is a tender mercy from above :)

I love you!!! I'll tell you my flight schedule when i get it :) Love you mom!