April 12, 2014I was dreaming of my family. My own laughter woke me up. I looked across from me-my companion stares back. I look at the clock. 5:45 a.m. I might as well get up. I go to the bathroom. Come back make my bed, pray. My day has just begun.
We make our way to the bus stop. By this point nobody can tell I straightened my hair or even put on eye shadow, so I pull up my hair into a big boring yet practical ponytail. We keep a prayer in our hearts as we wait for a bus. Any bus will do. But one that is fast. Finally one comes and we pay .255 colones required to ride. I sit across from 2 cute little girls. They´re the bus driver´s daughters. They come over and start talking to me like nothing. They think it´s so sad I don´t have any sisters-just brothers. Looking at the way these two get along, I understand. But still. I wouldn´t trade my brothers for anything. I tell them how cool each of them are. Even though sometimes they don´t write me. Haha. I sit in my favorite seat, close to the window and let the air cool the sweat I´ve collected on my face.
We make the decent into the swamp as we´ve started to call it. It reminds us of Shrek´s house. Our decent into barrio Meco makes me feel like I´m home and soon swarms of kids pop out, cheering and yelling our names. Hermana Worrmun! Hermana Strong! I feel like a rock star, or a celebrity exiting the limo preparing for the red carpet. The kids swing around us and greet us with hugs. It feels good.
Some are slightly less excited to see us. We have to push some along like a slow puppy. Others we have to wake up. ¨Earthquake! Earthquake! Get up sunshine!¨ The whole things is, as my mom would say, ¨Like herding cats.¨ We need to go and get someone who lives even further down in the swamp. Two of our little friends; Mark, our convert and his little brother Harry who´s counting down the days until he himself can be baptized (only 2 more years to go) want to go with us. They´re dressed in their ironed white shirts and look exactly like future missionaries.
They wanted to take the shortcut which was like music to our ears because anywhere that will get us where we are going faster is like when Colombus discovered the world wasn´t flat after all. Mark said ¨but if you fall, it´s your fault.¨ I thought he was kidding. We start to scurry down the dirt; I realize that this truly is going to be a lot more difficult than I thought. The steeper it gets, the more I slide, and I enter into more and more of a panic. How am I ever going to get down or out of this mess? There was no way to reverse and no restart button.
So I just sit down.
As if I was going to sled.
But without the sled.
I made it to the bottom. It did hurt something real fierce. As I sat there on the ground, I looked up at my comp and told her that we´d need to go back to the house and change. No way my skirt survived that. But I stood up, and nothing happened to the skirt. Just my skivvies took the beating. I got some good road rash. But on we went again.
The investigator was hung over. But for some reason, we felt like we needed to go anyway. We showed up and knocked and knocked. Nothing. We hollered and made havoc. He was not going to come out. This is when the miracle happened. The neighbor came out and asked out of the clear blue, ¨Do you guys have a Book of Mormon with you?¨ I replied, slightly shocked in the affirmative. ¨Can I get a copy of it? I´d like to study that book.¨ So we gave it away and exchanged information. Everything happens for a reason. We were supposed to be there right at that time. God is so good and truly All-knowing.
We decided to call it and head back up and out. Let´s take another shortcut! As if I didn´t learn the first time. I somehow got shoved to the back of the line. Everyone else seemed to make it up in a breeze. I however, started and realized that, once again, I was completely helpless. Let me try and paint you a picture:
Very, very, white, giant, blonde girl. White shirt and blowy big long skirt. On more than 4 occasions I´ve been told it´s my granny-skirt. I love it though! My feet are slowly slipping to their doom. To try and balance myself out, I place my hands in front of me. My bottom (nalga) high in the air. I start to picture this scene-like an “out of body” moment and instantly any pride I once held slides right off like sidewalk chalk on a rainy day. I just had to laugh. How was I going to do this?? My little 6 year old life-savor, Harry came to my rescue. I realized there was no way to do this with my shoes on. So I took them and my shocks off and walked up like a savage. I´m sure the image of some tall, white, blonde girl, totally helpless was burned into someone´s mind. I´m sure someone laughed so hard they cried. I got up to the top of the hill feeling super savage, yet accomplished. I marched right into Mary´s front patio, turned on the hose, and showered off everything that was covered in dirt and blood. I smeared some alcohol on the wound. Screamed a little and enjoyed the attention my leg and gringa-ness had caused.
The member we had called in charge of picking up our investigators decided not to show up. Nobody could, so we ended up having to call a taxi. Ouch.
Church was great. Hectic as usual. The piano player guy didn´t show up so at last minute, I was asked to play. Not a lot of people here know how to play, so the church has bought a piano that plays the hymns all by themselves by the click of a button. Success! So amongst trying to make sure all of our investigators are here, sitting with someone, have hymn books, know how to sing, understand what it means to sustain a church leader, explaining a baby blessing, keeping crazy kids from screaming, walking them out to get water, listening to a testimony or two, I tried to play the piano. AKA push the button. On the first hymn I couldn´t figure out who had messed up the sound system, but then finally did and literally rocked the house. Picture Bart Simpson on the Organs. Oops. Third hymn, I had the sound figured out but instead of the piano playing ¨La luz de la verdad¨ (sorry I can´t remember what its called in English.) It kept trying to play ¨Silent Night.¨ That´s awkward. But hey. When in Costa Rica. We just sang a capella.
I bore my testimony. It went something like this:
On October 2, 2012 I was set apart as a full time missionary. And this Thursday, they´re going to ask me to take off my tag and go back to being normal. (Chuckle.) And I don´t know what I´ll do. It will be weird. But I want to take this moment and say before you all today that I know that this is the Church of Jesus Christ. That God lives and loves us. He is guiding this church. I know that this church has the authority and power of God. I know that this authority was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. I love my Bible because it is the word of God. I also love my Book of Mormon because it too is the word of God. And every time I read my BOM I feel stronger and have more courage to endure. I´m grateful for this chance to be a missionary. This past year and a half has been amazing. I encourage all of you to just open your mouths and share part of the joy you´ve all found here. Who knows what will happen. But I´m sure with your testimonies you can change a life, and even better, your own testimony will grow.
Anyways. After announcing publically that I´m leaving on a jet plane and don´t know when I´ll be back again, everyone wanted a piece of me, so to speak. I was caught up in a wave of people who I could tell actually liked me. And I loved them back. This time I really did feel like a celebrity-almost everyone wanted a photo. I hugged a lot of them and told them to behave and keep coming and helping the missionaries. They all told me they would.
After that, Stroud and I were put in charge of teaching the youth class. I thought of my mom doing the same thing. The small blessing here is that they were actually very well behaved, even though it was a super boring and badly prepared lesson. But as with everything, God helped us through.
After that, we were put in charge of teaching the Young Woman´s class. Man I miss the gringa Sheryl. There were only 2 of them this week because they´re all on Spring Break (!) So we just watched a little bit of Legacy. Hey there´s a young woman in it! (Lazy, party of 2?)
After that, we went from house to house eating and eating dinners in my honor until the food was coming out of our noses. Miracle: Being able to eat that much rice. If I come home looking like a big panda, please don´t feed the bear.
One of my favorite miracles of the day was when we needed to go from one side of the town to the other. How were we ever going to do it in time? And we were already so late! I said a prayer, ¨God please help us. Please send us a bus fast! Or a taxi that is super cheap!¨ We went and sat and waited and nothing. So we decided to walk down a little ways and wait and what the locals call, ¨La Cruce.¨ The cross. It´s the worst designed 4-way intersection, just so you know. And we waited there. Meanwhile, we started talking to a lady (open your mouth and talk with everyone) who clearly was not interested. She told us how uninterested she was like 3 times. But we kept trying. Finally a car started backing up from his driveway, we had to move. She, being the good Costa Rician woman like she is, and by that I mean this country is so Pura Vida, she just asked this complete stranger for a lift. And he agreed by saying ¨pura vida!¨ And she being so kind and good, even though clearly not interested in our message, asked if he could take us too. We got in and I realized instantly that God answers our prayers. God is so good. This guy took us way out of his way. We made it to our appointment. Didn´t have to pay a thing. Prayer works. Every time.
Anyways, we waddled home. Full to the max. And layed down and slept. And there you have a day in the life. I hope you liked it mom.
Now as for this being my last letter, I´ve kind of been analyzing over what I would say. I want to go out with a bang and leave all of you on a good note. How nerve-wracking.
I was super freaked out until I talked with President Wilkinson for my final interview. He helped me have more peace in my heart and more faith for the future. The greatest counsel he gave was probably ¨don´t take counsel from your fears.¨ So, I´ll trust in the Lord and go home into the open arms of my new, yet old, support system. I´m so different. There´s been pre-mission Megan. Mission Megan. And now I´m about to start a new Megan, returned Megan. I´ve been able to use the Atonement and become a new creature. One who´s slightly too comfortable with pony tails then one would like to admit. One who is just so much more Pura Vida.
I would really like to express my gratitude first and foremost to my Heavenly Father. I used to think it was just kind of spontaneous or coincidence being here. Being a missionary. Like, oh lets try it and see how that turns out. But the more I´m here the more I realize. Idiot. I was preordained and pre chosen to be here at this time with these people. It´s part of my destiny! My specific plan from my Father who´s been preparing me all these years. With the help of my family, my primary teachers, my bishop, my young womans teacher, relief society, gospel doctrine class, strength of youth pamphlets, seminary, institute, personal progress, prayers, etc. etc. I am so grateful for His trust in me. It´s so empowering to know that He´s rooting for me every time.
I´m grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, who comes through for me when I let my Heavenly Father down. My Mediator, who pays the price of mercy and justice. Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me.
I´m grateful for my mom and my dad. I can´t believe I did this without you available on a constant basis. The only explanation to this ¨phenomenon is of course, Heavenly Father´s strong arms that carried me when I thought I couldn´t anymore. I thank you publically for your financial sacrifices, but I realize the sacrifices more painful were the emotional ones. Watching me mount my bike without training wheels for the first time solo after so much practice and protection. Watching me fall. Rooting me on from a distance, helping me get back up. Cheering me on when I got the hang of things. And giving me that root beer float at the end for a job well done. (remember I don´t actually drink soda though, right? I do however, accept peach rings.)
I´m grateful for my baby brothers who have always been the reason I try to be good. I always want to set the good example. They´re my motivation. And all throughout the tough stuff, I´ve thought of them. I´m grateful that they love me unconditionally. What a blessed feeling it is to be accepted, no matter how sweaty you are, how full of rice you are, how many times you´ve fallen down a hill and shat your pants in the process, they just love me. I love each of them so dearly.
Bren, you get a special paragraph, because it will be a while before I´m able to run into your giant strong arms. Dang. With tears in my eyes, I testify that God will carry you too. That this whole mess that you feel like you’re in, one day will end. And you´ll look back and be so grateful that you´ve been able to get in a mess, so that you could work through it with the help of your Big Brother, our Savior, Jesus Christ. You hang in there. You keep going. You don´t give up. I love how much you love laughter. It really is the only thing that keeps us going.
Thanks for all of you who wrote me your testimonies, just a thought or two. You have no idea how much that has helped me.
Ahora si. Tengo que terminar. Les agradezco por todo lo que han hecho para mí. Para siempre Dios esté con vosotros. Les amo. Mas que mis palabras puedan expresar, en cualquier idioma.
Nos vemos pronto(¡)
Con mucho mucho amor,
Hermana Workman
La Macha.
(it says:
Okay. Now here we go. I have to finish. I thank you all for everything you´ve done for me. God be with you til we meet again. I love you all. More then my words can express in whatever language.
I´ll see you all soon. (!)
With lots and lots of love,
Sister Workman
Blondie.)
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