Perez Zeledon, Cartago, Costa Rica 7.20.15

Dear Family, 

The pants are currently under reconstruction. The doctors are trying to save my pants the best they can. He is doing ok. He'll be just fine buddy. Hang in there. 

Today is changes. Ill be staying here in Perez Zeledon for another 6 weeks. The Lord has a little more planned here for me. I hope that I can be humble and receptive to the Spirit to find out what it is He desires of me. 

After much planning and prayer, we have been given the assignment to find a house for a new pair of sisters to come to this area. WHAT A BLESSING. Here in Perez the majority of houses are single mothers or all the men are out working. As such, we as elders cannot pass and teach them. With this blessing we will have a lot more success coming through. I hope that all goes well. All I know is that the new sister will be training so im excited to see what miracles the Lord has prepared. New missionaries are always just so focused and obedient. We just gotta get over the trunky hurdle. 

This following Sunday we will be headed to San Jose to organize a new stake of Cartago! For this stake to form, they need 5 active wards. They are, Turrialba, Cartago Centro, Tres Rios, Paraiso, and we are missing one. OH WAIT! Perez Zeledon is turning into a ward! Hooray! Stake Cartago. Que Bueno.

Also we have two baptisms for this Saturday. Daniel and Maria Elena. They are the coolest two siblings. All of the ward members were talking to us and asking who reactivated this family. Haha we said we didnt reactivate them but that we are going to baptize them. And all the jaws dropped because these converts are just so stinking great. I love the Lord and His plans for these families. 

I am especially grateful because i havent had a baptism in almost 2 and a half transfers. 

I love you all and i hope all is going great. 

Sigamos Adelante, 

-Elder Neider

Perez Zeledon, Cartago, Costa Rica 7.12.15

Dear Family, 

"Hey Elder, have you seen my nice blue dress pants?" "No" "Maybe Elena is washing them" Later that day.... "Hey Hermana Elena, have you seen my nice dress pants?" "No Eldersito. Try checking your apartment one more time" "ok" even later that day.... "There they are" (Elder Neider senses that there is something wrong with the pants so he puts them up to legs to see what's up) "Elder Espinosa, why do my nice blue dress pants only come up to my kneecaps?" (The fear of God enters the face of Elder Espinosa) "Oh..... those were YOUR pants? Oh.... I'm sorry. I had Elena fit them to my size" (Elder Neider stares at pants, then to his companion, then back to pants) "................................................................................................" 

Well I'm down to 3 pants for the rest of my mission. 2 pairs of grey pants and one tiny blue that has been shrunk in the wash after so many uses. Hahahaha he took my pants hahahahaha and got them fitted hahaha im going to kill him hahahaha just kidding hahahaha he is already dead hahaha

Nombres. There are just some things that happen in the mission that you never expected to experience. Oh well. haha 

It's been very interesting to me, the lengths that investigators go to, to stop receiving us. The other day we lost a family of 3 because I showed a lack of respect. The wife didn't want to talk to us so she left to go into the other room. We taught her son and husband the Restoration again. Upon leaving, I wanted to just say hi to the mom. So i popped my head into the room to say it. I watched her as she was climbing out of the closet to hide from us. She kept her face into the wall as a way to "conceal" herself better. Obviously she didn't want to say anything so we left. We came back two days later and the husband left all angry that I had popped my head in. He said it was very disrespectful and that I real servant of the Lord would never do that. So he told us we weren't welcome there anymore. I apologized but he still insisted that we leave. 

It was very hard to fight the temptation to not say, "The real disrespect is hiding in a closet to avoiding saying hi to someone who's only purpose is to help you be happy" but I felt the Spirit tell me that in the future they would accept the Gospel and I shouldn't be the reason the next missionaries are rejected. Man, it was just another instance of like what the heck Satan? hahaha

Things are going great though. We have 2 baptisms planned for the 25 of Julio that we have been waiting ages to do. I fear I may have transfers the Monday before though. Whatever the Lord wants though. :) Everything works out in the end. 

I love you all lots and im just trying to do a little bit better everyday. 

Sigamos Adelante, 

-Elder Neider

P.S.  Elder Johnson is my grandpa in the mission. So glad that my mission family is meeting my real family hahaha.

Perez Zeledon, Cartago, Costa Rica 7.5.15

Dear Family,

Well the 4th of July wasn't as fireworky as usual but oh well :P 

This week has been a little long. The normal finding a lot and then leaving us. It's very interesting. People actually believe that we worship Joseph Smith. It drives me bonkers because then they don't even let us explain what we actually believe. It's a little frustrating. But then I learned that that is where testimony is hidden. Those that can hear, Let them hear. 

This last week I had two cool experiences. The first was with a family who are actually keeping the commitments. The Spirit in the room was incredible as they spoke of the love that has entered their lives. Hermana Patricia actually received a compliment from a nonmember friend. "Patri, what's happened with you? You just seem to be glowing and happy all of a sudden. What have you been up to?" It's experiences like that that make it all worth serving. What I would give to find more families like this and to feel that kind of love. For those that are preparing to serve, man, you're in for something incredible that can only be experienced and not explained. 

The second cool experience was that of waiting for our lunch. This little girl named Fernanda came into the room and began to sing and dance. I have recently been studying a lot about the Plan of Salvation. I know that little children are saved in Christ, so they dont need baptism until the age of accountability. So I tried to picture her spirit and I knew that I was in the presence of a celestial being clothed only in a tiny "tabernacle of clay". It was a beautiful experience and I eventually began to cry because I was so touched to feel that honor of seeing her. It's like that with every child.

I don't have much more to report on. Only that this week I also learned of the 3 kingdoms of glory and who goes where. We need to work harder to help Grandpa and Cami to be baptized and make these important covenants IN THIS LIFE. This is their opportunity. The Spirit World temple work is for those that did not receive an opportunity in this life. We must work with more earnestness. We can ask our Heavenly Father more fervantly and petition Him what is our role to help out. I love you all and I know we shall all be together forever. Stay strong and stick to the Lord :)

Sigamos Adelante,

-Elder Neider