February 13, 2016

Hello everyone! This week was pretty boring! I went and did Cedulas and then tried to work in my area. There was interviews with president all this week, however I didn't get interviewed because President always sees us. It was funny when I waited for my interview and then found that out;)

Today I went to the temple!! We went with brother Karlinsey and he took Me, Elder Bullecer, Elder Duran, Elder Tullis, and my converts here in Escazu, Esperanza and Mercedes. We did Baptisms for the dead! I obviously didn't get in to the water! I did confirmations! It was great! 

This week was pretty dead, haha but this next week will be a lot better. Its the week of sacrifice this week!!! So wish me luck! Love you all!

Oh!! GUESS WHAT!?!?

Last week, I went to an animal reservation! I got to see a ton of tropical animals! I saw snakes, crocs, birds, monkeys and everything! I was 1 inch away from a BEAUTIFUL Scarlett Parrot!! A small baby white tailed deer sucked on my fingers! And a white headed Cappuchin monkey played with my fingers! It was so cool!!

I know Rhett would have loved the monkeys!

Random baby shower

Our Family Tree

French Toast Party

February 6, 2016

Elder Black and Elder Bullecer--sent from Mechas Alvarado in Costa Rica

House Cleaning

Buenos dias mi querida familia! Este semana do dormi para nada! Fue la semana mas apretado en toda mi mision. Yo trabaje como un caballo para hacer todo mi trabajo. Nuestra area sufrio demasiado, y vamos a ver como va todo mañana en la iglesia.

I hope that everyone is doing great and that you had a great week. This week was changes week! On Monday, I got the north Americans ready to go. There is one Sister that came from Lindon named sis Lazalde. Then on tuesday, i went to the lawyers office and migration to do a bunch of paperwork. On wednesday morning, I went to the temple. Elder Stott and I Chilled inside the Celestial Room for like an hour and a half! Then at night, i had to get all of the finishing missionaries to presidents house for their last dinner with President. Then I went to san Jose at night to sleep at another house to go to the airport at 3 in the morning. I didnt sleep at all that night because they were up all night talking. So after the airport, President gave me permission to go and sleep, HOWEVER, because i want to do my job the best I can, I went and took missionaries to do Cedulas at 9 on thursday, so I didnt get to sleep. After cedulas we got a call from President saying that he needed a check in Heredia ASAP! so we took a taxi to Heredia and i STILL didnt get to sleep. Until I got back to the office! Where there, I went into President´s office, moved the table, and slept on his carpet  IT WAS NICE! 

So ya, thats my week! I love you all alot! Have a great week!!

This is a picture that is found on the church newsroom for Costa Rica!! I´m in the background doing service in Heredia!

February 1, 2016

Buenos dias a todos! Este semana fue absolutemente LOCO! 

So much stuff went on this week. I hardly got the chance to work in my area! I only had like 10 lessons the whole week. For us, thats crap! haha. On thursday, we had the Leadership counsel with President. We found out that basically ALL of the Zone Leaders got changed. Elder Dale is now with one of his best friends from SLC Elder Orlandi in Heredia. Elder Navas is now A Zone Leader with Elder Kepo´o in Guanacaste. And Elder Zibin (my ZL from santa ana) is now the New AP!! He is really excited. I of course did not have changes, and I will not have chages anymore! haha

On Saturday, we had our Mission Conference with ELDER COOK! I got to shake his hand and he gave a talk to us in English! He had his translater too, but it was nice to here a talk in English. He talked about the way to help our investigators if we study Preach my Gospel. The spirit was so strong as he talked and toward the end he bore a Really powerfull testimony of Jesus Christ! He told us things so personal to him that he said not to tell anyone! So...Sorry ;) 

This week is changes week! I get to go to the temple on Wednesday!! YAY!! However, I have to go to the airport on Thursday morning at 3 am!  it will be fun :/ haha. I hope you all have a great week! Love you all lots!!!

 Mission Conference with Elder Cook

From right, Elder Quentin L. Cook, Elder Ulisses Soares, and Elder Kevin R. Duncan shake hands with members from the Central America Area.  Photo by Elder Don Searle.

The Guacimo Gang

Me and Elder Davis

President Laboriel's House

Baptism

zone shirt

Elder Coca

January 23, 2016

Here is a little office fun:) Love you!

 https://youtu.be/eNrKyIGjltQ

WHAT A CRAZY WEEK!!!

This week I took 5 Missionaries to get their Costa Rican Cedulas. (its like and ID). And with that, I have an experience to share with you:) As I sat on the ground waiting for hours for the Cedulas to be ready in the busy migration building, One of the workers there walks up to me next to a black guy and says, "Do you speak English?" (in Spanish of course) I responded that I do, and she said, "oh thank you, can you help me translate for this man? he doesn´t speak any Spanish!" I said "You betchya!" The man´s name was Yemi and he was from Katar in Nigeria!! He was there with his wife and new born baby. They looked sad and tired and were worried about their baby.  I guess they came here to Costa Rica so that the baby could be born. I don't know why that would matter, but I just went with it:) What they needed was to make their transmit report with their passports and fill out a whole bunch of Migration papers and pay $100 in the bank BEFORE 12:00 or they wouldn´t be able to make the migration report and would become illegal! So I helped this man and his wife make copies of their passports, fill out the paperwork, make the payment in the bank, and Got them to the migration office to present the information BEFORE 12:00! I now am so grateful and now I understand why the Lord put me in this position of Migration. I filled out papers that before 2 months ago, I had´t even seen before. The Lord has a plan for each one of us! After everything was said and done, Yemi, and his wife came up to me and said "You have made us Love God more!" They were then legal. He wrote down my name and email and said he would stay in contact with me when they returned to Nigeria. I know and Testify that the Lord watches over us. Even when we do stupid things, he is there, with us , specifically, to help us when we fall or need help.

Selfie Saturday!

ALSO!! I had a little one on one time with President yesterday, and he says to me "Elder Black, you finish your mission in October right?" and I say "si" and he says "Escazu will be your last area, your going to finish as my secretary, so be good! " so Yup, I have 9 months and will be here for 9 months! fun right?  I love You all!! 

January 16, 2016

Good Morning everyone!

Well, It´s official, I´m now the Migration Secretary. I do not think that I can express all of the things that are going on inside my brain now...There is so much to do and so much to learn in so very little time. Costa Rica just passed a new law that to get a drivers license, you have to be 21 or older. So me driving at all is really out of the question. (but I bet you're happy about that ) 

I have been working so hard in the office and in my area lately. It's so hard to juggle 2 very difficult jobs at one time. I am feeling so stressed, but there isn't anything I can do about it. This week was the Week of Sacrifice...And I'm here to tell you, it WAS a WEEK OF SACRIFICE, but not in the way it should have been. On Monday I had to go to migration to set up an appointment for Cedulas, on Tuesday we had to go again to migration to get some paperwork. On Wednesday, a missionary came in for an interview and the Lawyers came in for my paperwork and for copies of things. Also, the same day I got a call from President Laboriel saying that I needed to go buy a plane ticket because a missionary was going home the next day. Thursday I took the Elder to the airport with the APs and then went and took 3 Missionaries to get their cedulas. Friday I had to go and do divisions, however it was nice because it was in Santa Ana. So I got to see some of my converts and the members. As you can see...There has been a lot to do and I am just worn out... Even right now, trying to enjoy writing, my mind goes off and thinks about the stuff that I need to do this week, next week, and the week after...However, I love my work so much. I know that sometime I might fall and mess up, but it's part of the experience and the plan. Don't worry about me. Everything will be fine.

My companion is now Elder Bullecer. We have made some goals and plans for the office and our area. If you could all pray for Luis, Seida, Felipe, Sebastian, Pamela, Gloria, Angel, Leandro, Angela, and Violeta. They are investigators that we are trying to baptize in February. 

I love you all. I hope that you have a great week!!!! 

Decided We´d take some selfies!

January 9, 2016

Hello there everyone! How's Everyone doing? This week was full of different things. On Tuesday we had the monthly leadership conference. All of the zone leaders, assistance, sister training leaders, and secretaries had a huge meeting and dinner to talk about the zones and our personal areas, and how to better the mission. It was a great meeting, and President Laboriel taught us a lot!

I have been working really hard in the office with Elder Kepo´o. I am getting close to the point where I will be on my own. This week is the week of sacrifice, and I have to take out time to take Elders to get their cedulas because they expired already. The reason for that, is because when the secretaries from 2014 put in the cedula expiration dates, they put it in reverse. And so when a cedula says it expires the 1st of June, it really expires the 6 of January! Funny huh? now I get to suffer because of it. 

That´s really all that happened this week. We are having a little hard time in preparing our investigators for baptism. It's hard leaving the office early enough to get some quality lessons in. I am learning patience with my new assignment and my companions. However, I can´t complain, it´s just another trial. "The worst weeks make the best learning experiences" I know that sometimes things get rough, but there is a reason for all of it. 

 

On the 29th of January, we will be having a Combined Mission conference as the East and West mission! and Elder Cook of the 12 will be coming to talk to us!!!!!!!!! 

I love you all so much! I hope you have a great week!

Love always, Elder Black!

My Black Man!!

Bathroom Selfie

Elder Stott

January 2, 2016

Hello Everyone and Happy New Year! 2016

Wow, this week was pretty crazy and awesome!

It being the week of new years, there was really nobody inside their houses. Half the world went to Nicaragua. It´s been pretty hard. However, we did have a baptism and we did have some little parties! (don't worry I didn't do too much drinking ) haha 

This week we had a meeting with President about the missionaries coming in and having their month check up. That means FOOD:) We get the opportunity to be with President and Sister Laboriel and the trainers and news this Monday. We as secretaries mostly have to prepare the tables, chairs, and paperwork to get their fingerprints done:) that's my job! 

On New Years eve, We went and bought 3 bottles of Welches Sparkling Cider and Chocolate, and had ourselves a mini-party missionary style! Don´t tell anybody, but we even stayed up late too, until 10:31 pm! we were bad!;) haha 

This week I have been focusing alot on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I bought a little green book that I write down things that interest me inside of it. I want to share a couple of quotes that I wrote down. 

1: Anger is a sign of Weakness- Gordon B. Hinckley

2: If we love the Lord, we will feed his sheep.

3:There is Nothing more greater than having a friend in the church.

4: The road to hell is full of excuses and good intentions.

5: Christ had to suffer every affliction of ALL MANKIND so that when we are passing through difficult times with the same afflictions, he knows EXACTLY how we feel and knows EXACTLY what to do to help us feel better.

6: Hard Work requires Patience- Patience requires Humility- Humility requires Love- Love requires Faith- Faith requires Actions.

These are some of the quotes that are in my little book. #6 is one that I made:)

I love you all and hope that you have a great week! I´ll be coming home this year! crazy right!?

LOOK WHO FINALLY GOT BAPTIZED!!!! OH MY GOSH!!!! :D It´s Jesus and Joana, the family that Elder Dale and I were teaching for like 5 months!!

My little quote book

Baptism

The diagram that´s in Abraham! but HUGE!!

LOVE YOU ALL!