Fright, Fight or Flight.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Hi!  Okay so yeah I have some type of virus, but I didn´t mean to scare y’all. Really I´m fine. The Lord is really helping me. I made the mistake of telling you I was sick. Never again. Ha! Truly though, I was and am so well taken care of. So many people love me. Expect a letter soon. I just need to find the post office first. Wish me luck. Thank you ALL for your prayers. I FELT THEM! 

I am in Ciudad Colòn, oooooosh ooooosh. And to be honest, I feel like I´ve just left the stoner table of the Mean Girl lunch room and moved up to the cool kids table. Not the plastics, but the really cool kids. (please ask M to help you understand this reference.)  And, who doesn´t love a stoner friend, right? Guanacaste. It taught me a lot. It was like leaving home all over again. My family. The only place I´ve ever known, right? Guanacaste is a really humble place. Really humble. The people have nothing but are happy regardless. They love you as a stranger and are willing to give you all they have. I think this has taught me to be more relaxed and less worried about my own comfort and just be willing to give. It´s the place where I experienced my first real case of culture shock; which is very real by the way, not just a fancy name. Everything around me was so different. But I managed. I didn´t die, in fact, I came back better. Part of my refining process. I learned more Spanish, the area, and I trained someone!  Guanacaste taught me to be stronger and just keep going. 

I´m happy you all enjoyed General Conference.  Was there breakfast casserole involved? I missed being at home. Shout out to Austin S, totally saw you on conf! Also, Donny Osmand, I mean Danny O. Congrats! In all honesty, Satan was working really hard on me. He knows me so well, it´s eerie. (More on this later.)  I found out that my only option for watching General Conference was in Spanish and honestly, I was crushed. I cried. We were in a janitor’s closet, and I´m really not kidding. Two elders, my companion and I, all cramped in this tiny little closet, watching General Conference, in Spanish, on a small computer screen. On the positive side of things, the picture was great. Eventually we got it in English, and “THE HILLS ARE ALIVE” Please cue both The Sound of Music lady dancing on the hills (me in colon) and Moulin Rouge (because both rock.) Yes! I noticed a lot about marriage and family too. It really touched some investigators we have. They really liked how much our church focuses on families. And I want the world to know, that THIS LIFE IS NOT THE END. You CAN live with your family forever. That´s why I´m here…away from my family; because I know that I´ll see them all again. Both in this world and the in next. I’m so happy to have God on my side. This means I´ll win every time. Make God the center of our lives! C, you made me laugh. Sorry you were uncomfy, but I don’t think you realized what you have. To be in the same room as a prophet is a miracle! Truly! BLESSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   In all honesty, 

I have a new companion, Hermana L from Mexico. She is 28 years old. I miss Hermana F, we were together for an eye blink. But so far, all is well with sweet Hermana L. Shout out to Hermana P if she stumbles across my blog. How´s good ole Nicoya? Also, I miss you. Maybe. 
I now live about 30 min away from San Jose. This means that I live close to a Wal-Mart, also every other good that the States have to offer, more or less. I really am hoping not to gain weight. Also, the climate here is PHENOMENAL!!!!!!! When I grow up, I think I´m going to move here. Absolutely beautiful! It´s so so so so so so SOOOO green. It´s the Costa Rica from the photos, and I really feel like I´m in Jurassic Park. 
We walked into our new house, which has been occupied by Elders for the past 6 years.  We walked into a scene from a horror movie, and that is no exaggeration. Seriously, you know in Snow White when she and the animals clean all the cobwebs and dirty dishes, etc? We were literally sweeping the ceiling and scraping the floor boards trying to get dust and spiders and creeping things out of the way. (Mom, thank you for putting that song from Enchanted on my iPod, I laugh every time we clean with it because it describes perfectly my new house.) It made me miss our beautiful pink house in Nicoya. I don´t think that our new house has ever been cleaned.  By the way, can I tell you what an honor it is to be here right now? This area has not had sisters in 18 years. Let me repeat that, 18 YEARS!  I feel the pressure and responsibility, and this area is HOPPIN! Oh! I have a bishop again! It´s SOOOOO awesome! And a mission leader! And such a good ward. It´s SUCH A BLESSING!

Okay funny story, I don´t know if anyone has ever told you this before, but Ticos are white. Really white. Whiter than I´ll ever be. With this background information, I feel like you´re ready for my awkward moment. There is a super awesome culture festival going on here in Ciudad Colòn which invites a ton of hipsters and locals. I was walking through and I thought I recognized the Relief Society President’s daughter. So I stopped, said a huge HOLA and kissed her cheek. She paused and asked me, in English, ¨Wait, do I know you?¨ At which point I realized that I had just kissed a complete stranger: flight or fight??¿ So I, being super smooth pretended to only speak Spanish. I´m not quite sure if I threw her off or not, but I´m hoping that she´d been drinking (really missionary like of me right?) so that I´m not always the laughing stock (what does that phrase even mean?) of her jokes forever. I walked away and just had to laugh at myself. A humbling moment: I´m clearly human! 
Our investigators are amazing here. They actually READ the Book of Mormon!! They do their assignments! One lady read the first 17 chapters of the Book of Mormon. She said she had a hard time stopping. She said that Nephi was a lot like Noah. When building a boat everyone laughed. But God protected the righteous. I´d never made this comparison before. I´m learning and I’m grateful for the good around me. I have a lot to be grateful for! 
Gen Conf makes me homesick. It´s my hood! My peeps! My family tradition! Satan knows that. But I know that even when we´re amongst life´s greatest (a beautiful city WITH HOT WATER! POR FIN!) Satan can enter and bring us down. When we choose to follow the Savior, there is no room for Satan.  (No man can serve two masters) Missions (life) are hard. Really hard, especially around holidays or major events. But there truly is something in each day to embrace and cherish. The thing I was given was a gift from my Heavenly Father saying, I have not forgotten you... and He let me be His instrument in His hand. He is my Creator, my Maker. Who else knows me better? My Heavenly Father, knowing my heart, trusted me with....investigators...A beautiful couple with two beautiful little boys. I´m excited to get to work! 

I’ve been studying the New Testament and the life of Jesus Christ. I want to know our Savior. I’m reading about his ministry along the shores of Galilee. 

I can´t upload photos here again. I´m so sorry! I’ve even been consciously trying to take good photos this week. Really sorry. But all will work out. GO VISUAL:  Picture me holding the...spout? Faucet thingee (I forgot the word in English) to our sink in one hand. It broke right off. Ha. Picture me in front of some of the coolest graffiti ever! Also, picture grey awesome skies and BRIGHT and dark greens EVERYWHERE! Picture hills and crazy terrain. I´m like hiking all the time. Hills are everywhere.   Thank you for the photos! OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!  MELTING HEART!  R, my comp thought this was your wedding photo! (Where are her sleves!) So happy for you. So glad you loved prom. A senior? I love you!  R, you’re so tall! Love the camping photos! B, what happened to your hair! And your puppy! Wow! Love you all! 

No package yet, but be patient. I am much closer and have more access. I´m excited about it because yesterday one of our investigators asked us for a HLJ ring. She’s not a member, yet, she just likes what we stand for!  Awesome I tell you. 

Greetings to my grandparents. Hug them each for me. I miss and love them. Tell the Workman grand folk to go to church. Then, tell them I love them. (Please send some fried potatoes and onions. ha.) 

Family, I love you so much it´s nuts. I love each of you and wish the best. 
Have a good week. 
Stop crying. 
Stop it. 
All is well! 
ALL IS WELL! 
Hermana Workman 

OOOSHHHHHHHHHH! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!