¡Pura Vida!: Sometimes It's A Curveball

My testimony that the Lord has a plan for each of us and that we don't know what it is just keeps growing and growing and growing. Sometimes we go up to bat expecting something normal and steady, but we get a curveball swerving straight towards us. That's what happened to me this weekend, but luckily I was able to connect with the ball and hit it out of the park.

This week honestly was just going by like any other, but then we got a call from the Assistants on Saturday. My comp passed me the phone and the Elder on the other end of the line told me that he had some bad news for me. He told me that I was having early changes out to a place called Puerto Viejo. I wasn't too surprised by this because I came back out to Costa Rica at an odd time in the middle of transfers and was actualy expecting to have changes pretty soon. When I asked him when I would be leaving, he replyed with "Today, in 3 hours."

So yeah, I went home, packed all my stuff, and took a bus to the mission office and was on my way to my new área all under just 3 hours. I was way bummed to be be leaving Cartago because in the 2 short weeks I was there I really got to love the área of San Diego and the Ward that we were in. But most of all I loved the companions I was with and the work we would get done every day. Elder Vellver was a difficult trainer when we were together in Limon but we've both come a long way since then and he's now one of my best Friends in the misión. Elder Barben and I are way too cool for school and I had the time of my life being in a Trio with him and Vellver. Dang I'm really gonna miss those two guys but I know we'll stay in touch for a long time to come.

As difficult as it was leaving my old área, I really landed in a great situation here in Puerto Viejo. (btw, for any of you looking for Puerto Viejo on a map, I'm in the Puerto Viejo in Heredia, not the one in Limon) This is área is waaay hot and humid just like it was when I was back in Limon wich means sweating my brains out during the day and sleeping with my plug-in-fan on high right at my head at night. The branch here is pretty small but its growing pretty fast. As a matter of fact we had 2 baptisms on Sunday, so only one day in the área and already 2 baptisms, how bout that! My comp is probably the most intersting part of this whole crazy weekend. His name is Hermano Matarrita, and yes I did say Hermano and not Elder. He's a mini-missionary and he's only 17 years old. Technically he's not a full-time missionary and hasn't been set apart or anything like that. However he's working and doing everything just a real missionary would. He has about 3 months out in the field and only has a couple more until he goes home to finish up his school exams to graduate and eventually serve a full-time mission. He's such a hard worker and a really cool guy. We get along really well so I feel good about the work that we will get done here in Puerto Viejo.

Well sorry this was such a long email this week but there was no way I could fit everything that happened into just a couple paragraphs. I'm doing great and I feel so mch more successfull than I thought I would have. I'm speaking Spanich even better than I was before I went home and I feel like I'm such a better teacher overall. Missionary work rocks and I love it out here so much.

Keep On Keepin' On...

- Elder Willis