Week # 51 Welcome to Atlantis!‏

HI mom and dad how are you all doing? This week was a fantastic week! It started off with us going into San Jose early on Monday because our zone reached the goal of one baptism for each missionary in the month of may so we were given breakfast from the Wilkinson family. That turned out to be a huge blessing!! If we would of left just a few hours later we would of been trapped in our zone without a way to get to the mission conference. Due to all the rain here in the region the mountain roads that take us to San Jose, were shut down. What happened is there were several mud slides from the mountain that closed off parts of the road for several days and also the rivers rose up so high that the river either washed out the bridge or washed out the edges of the bridge where the road connects with the bridge. So obviously they had to shut down almost all the bus routes for safety reasons. All the missionaries in the zone are fine and the we have not had anyone flooded yet but there have been a few close calls. So with all this crazy weather it has been hard to work in the really poor parts of my area and even more difficult for the families to get to church. Some of the families we invite have to walk through 2 feet of water to leave their flooded homes and get to the church. So to be honest many of our investigators don't even try to get to the church. It has been like that in all of the areas here in Siquirres and so on Sunday night we sent out a message to the elders telling them to do a special prayer that the rain would stop long enough to allow people to make it to church. Well all Sunday night it rained hurricane style rains but as we woke up Sunday morning we saw the first sunny day in over a week. In my area we were able to have a family of 8 show up at the church after walking over 2 miles in very muddy and dirty conditions. I am so glad to see the love and blessings that the lord gives us each and every day! After the sacrament meeting the rain continued and has continued most of the day today but I am so grateful for the small and great blessings that I see and feel each day! While in San Jose we learned a lot from President Wilkinson and his family and we were able to tell them all goodbye and that we love them. I am so grateful for the love and service that they have given here and I am going to miss them dearly but I know that our new president, President Hayes, Is going to Be even better than President Wilkinson, which will be hard to do. Also this week I was able to help another man be baptised and all I can say is that I just love my job. I hope all is well with you guys and I am saddened to hear about tiny. It breaks my heart to know I wont see him again. And dad I was planning on finding a good horse when I get back and training another one. I have been able to pull many principles out of that experience and I really have missed that opportunity of working with animals quite a bit. Can you guys believe I will be home in less than a year?? Looking at the changes I will be home in a year from last week! That scares me that I am on the down ward side of things but we will just accelerate the work with the time I guess. Well I guess I will leave you guys with this for now and send the picture in a minute. 

I love you!!! 

Elder Ferrin

 Pictures from the the Baptism 

This is the Group that went our with Elder Ferrin, 

One Year Later

 Elder Ferrins Current Zone he is in.

The current Mission before they split into 2 Missions

Week # 50 Hello & Goodbye ..................

Hi mom and dad! well this week with all the crazy stuff that is going on I am only going to take a moment to write something and send it off and then I will be back on my way. I am sitting here in San Jose and between everything that we have to arrange for the missionaries in our zone like where they are going to sleep and eat and all that for tomorrow I do not have much time. but I first off would like to wish dad a happy late fathers day! I am sorry that I am not able to talk on fathers day but I am sure you understand the situation. I am doing great this week! I am feeling healthy and happy as always but I have lost a bit of weight in the last couple of weeks. While I was in the office today I saw a lot of the missionaries in the mission and they all were freaking out about how skinny I am getting.... and then they all told my companion that he is getting fat so it was entertaining. :) When I left the MTC I weighed 197 lbs, and now I weigh 173 lbs... I have lost a few I think. but I feel good and at least a couple of missionaries told me I am looking good, but I did have one of the sister missionaries tell me I am losing my hair... :) oh well I guess that just means that I am gaining experience. but this last week was a busy one and we pulled out a great miracle from my area last night! the lesson started with the investigator saying that he doesn't want to be baptised for two more weeks and then I testified to him and my companion got up to answer the phone and then all of a sudden the investigator asked "can I be baptised this Tuesday?" well I explained we would be in San Jose until Wednesday and then he said "okay. then I will do it Wednesday" and just like that we were able to pull one more baptism out for the zone this month! I love the lords hand and the miracles that he gives us. so please be praying for him and I will talk to you guys next week! Thank you guys for the emails this week and I love you all so much!! 

Elder Ferrin

Week # 49 Changes coming his way.................

Last Thursday we went to San Jose and had our last leadership counsel as the San Jose Costa Rica mission. that was the last time that the missionary leadership from the whole country will be together to counsel about the needs of the mission. it was a sad but a very very spiritual and great meeting! As we met with our mission president and his family they all shared their testimonies with us. We were also trained about our responsibilities as leaders when the mission splits and how it will all work. This week Elder Bednar and Elder Christofferson will be going over each of the companionship's in the country and will decide in which mission we should be. I don't expect that there will be many changes made because our mission president obviously was praying about these assignments but we will have to see. And then on Thursday the quorum of the twelve and the first presidency will be in the salt lake temple and will approve any changes made in the mission and also they will be reviewing the application for the stakes that we have qualified for here in Costa Rica. Also next week we will have our last mission conference and will find out in that conference in which mission we stay and that will be the last chance to see the missionaries from the other missions. there are so many things going on here in the mission it spins my head but i feel so blessed to be part of what is going on. This is about all I know about the changes in the mission and as I know more I will send you guys the information. but things for me are going great honestly! I am loving it and I am wishing I had less time in the mission. or at least that they would give me more than two years. Two years just doesn't seem like quite enough time to me, but oh well I guess we will just try and get the new president to let me stay a little longer or something. we will see what happens ;) my health is great and there are no problems with me. I did finally find a good pair of shoes to buy while I was in San Jose on Friday. I will send a picture of them next week. but with the money dad sent and the money that I received the same day from grandma Greer in my letter I was able to buy them. so thank you mom and dad and grandpa and grandma Greer! so that is about it for now but I will be in contact with you guys. I love you all and I hope things are going good for you all!!

Elder Ferrin

Another little extra surprise.....

Elder Ferrin has such amazing Mission President and Mission Mom, she send us extra little surprises here and there we have been very blessed to have had them teach our son.  Here are some Pictures from the Last Leadership council before the Mission is split.

Week #48 And the Work just keeps going and going...............

This email this week is going to be shortish... we have not really had any big events happen this week besides the baptisms, but there is not much to explain with that, the baptisms are fairly normal as you can imagine. The only weird thing is that the baptismal font here in our chapel is super super super itty bitty.... it is not made for full size men. Literally the water does not even reach the waist of my pants. So it is really difficult to baptise adults. Especially because for some reason people are afraid of what is going on so then their bodies get all tense and they don't bend to be baptised. Sometimes we have to get a little creative in the way we do things. As for this last week everything was fairly plain. We didn't have pday on Monday due to the fact that my companion had to go to the immigration office to renew his card. So on Thursday we went to the capital for that and then I just sat in the office and studied all day long. A very boring but enjoyable day if that makes sense. But this last week was really hot, wet and long without a real pday. But we made it to today and things are all well now. My health is good, I am happy, the Lord is blessing us, and I stayed in the same area for the next change.  All is well as goes one of my favorite hymns. :) I hope it is the same for all of you as well!

 I love you all!!!!

Elder Ferrin

Below are some pictures of the rest of the family that were baptized and a picture of what it looks like when you get hit with a mud ball.  also they had a branch BBQ.  so excited for these members to become a ward.  Keep up the Great work!!

I just Love the Gospel and the Missionaries that are so willing to serve our Lord!!

Just a little extra....

This how are Week started off,  We love having extra pics sent to us:

Hi Missionary Moms & Dads,

Elder Petersen & I were visiting Rama Siquirres yesterday & had the pleasure of seeing your great sons. It looks like Siquirres is very close to being made a ward thanks to these great Elders. Sister Vargas (standing in front of me) is one of the members there in the branch. We absolutely love mingling with these fantastic, young missionaries here in Costa Rica!!

Thought you'd enjoy the foto : )

Con Amor,
Senior Hermana Petersen
Self-Reliance Missionary & Assistant Mission Nurse 

Week # 47 It's Raining Blessings!‏

This week was a fantastic week! I had the blessing of going on divisions with a couple Elders from my Zone. Such great Elders and I was able to learn a lot from them! This week for me has been extremely hott!!!! I feel as if I am going to shrivel up and die but it has yet to happen. It rained while I was out of town on divisions but while I have been here it has only been hot, hot and more heat! But that is ok I guess you got to deal with what the lord gives to you right??

Secondly this week one other blessing was finishing baptising a family, and then I had a little punk group of kids throw some mud balls at us and hit me in the face... :D great right?? (the worst part is that the one that threw the ball that actually hit me was the son of a less active family....) but that was a pretty funny moment to be honest. I have a picture but I will send it next week when I have access to a computer with the connection. My zone was able to reach our goal of 12 confirmations this month which is one for each Missionary. We actually had 13 at the end of the month. What a blessing right??? Also my Mission reached the goal of 200 this month and we actually confirmed 203 in total! That does not normally happen for us. It was a huge blessing to see the lord work miracles. We were all really excited to see the Lord bless us so much, but that was the big stuff that happened this week. Health is great, I am being blessed and I feel super happy. This week we are going to baptise another family on Saturday so I will send the pictures of the two families on next week's email but I hope you all know I love you and thank you all so much for all you do. 

Elder Ferrin