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

Perez Zeledon, Cartago, Costa Rica 6.29.15

Dear Family, 

Many awesome things have happened. Lots of struggles and let downs but it's expected right. 

Last week, we performed the Haka for Fathers Day. It was pretty sweet. I'm gonna try and snag a copy of the video to send you right now. It's called Send Space.com I hope you get them. 

We have been having a little rough time here in San Isidro. We had 2 weeks of 120 people in the chapel and then it dropped to 73 yesterday. In both areas, not a single investigator nor recent convert came to church. Our Gospel Principles class was completely barren. So we went to the married couples class to learn of the Atonement. It was a pretty good lesson. 

We've just been struggling with having investigators continue receiving us. My companion is pretty stiff and doesn't smile. He cant show his love for the people too much and so it comes off as, "Here's the restored gospel, take it or leave it" He is a great missionary and is always working hard. But that turns a lot of people off of the gospel. So I just sit there smiling with the hopes that it lightens up the mood. 

Not too much been happening. The Mission was divided today. At 8:33 tonight President Hayes will be here. The moment the wheels of the plane touch down, we will divided and ill be in the Costa Rica San Jose East Mission. I'm excited to see what new plans the Lord has to reveal here in this country! 

I hope the videos get there all good. 

Sigamos Adelante,

-Elder Neider 

Perez Zeledon, Cartago, Costa Rica 6.22.15

Dear Family,

So great to hear that the vacation was all good. I hope that you enjoyed the beach and what not for a little while. I'm still living in Paradise hahaha well technically no. I'm living in Perez Zeledon. Paraiso is in Cartago.

Well I'll give the bad news first. That jolly man that I told you about last week, dropped us. It was a little hard for me to understand mentally because he even testified to us that he knew that Joseph Smith was a prophet. It made no sense why he dropped us. Basically what happened is that his family gave him an intervention. "Grandpa, you are a Catholic. You are already baptized" hence, he gave us back the Book of Mormon. I wasn't sad though. It's kinda just a numb feeling to it. So our 2 baptisms for this month fell through. 

On the good news, I got my ingrown toenail removed. It was huge. I don't have time to send photos but I'll make sure to send them later. 

We are heading to San Jose again today. That really has been the reason I've been pulling out of my card. It's expensive for us 4 to go to San Jose so many times in one month. it's about $24 for each companionship for an all around trip. We've already gone 5 times and one more right after I get off from writing. So I've been buying a little food here and there so that we can make it through. The mission will be giving us more for the months to come to compensate. 

Things are going great. Starting Friday, we will have a new mission president and the mission will be divided. Muy animado por eso. 

Sigamos Adelante,

-Elder Neider

Perez Zeledon, Cartago, Costa Rica 6.15.15

Dear Family,

This week has been pretty great if I do say so myself. I have quite big news. 

The Branch of San Isidro will be converted into a WARD!!! Next month when the mission divides, the Area Presidency will be coming to also put into place 3 new stakes in Costa Rica, one being Stake Cartago. San Isidro will be converted by the end of July. I really hope that all goes well. 

Last night we had such an incredible experience. There is an inactive named Xiomara. She has 3 kids but only one is baptized. She has been inactive for about 5 years and has always slammed the door in the elders faces. But when me and my companion came around, she was already outside. haha no door to be slammed :P and so we began to speak with her and we found that she has felt abandoned by God and that she just doesn't understand why she feels so terrible all the time. We couldn't get in to teach but we planned to come back. 

Her mother, who isn't a member, told us that if we could reactivate her, she too would come to church. Haha challenge accepted. 

Yesterday we swung by and we somehow got in to teach her with her 3 kids. Alejandro has 20 years, Karen has 16, and Sebastian has 9 years. We began by speaking about eternal families and how great they can be. My companion wiped out 1 Corinthians 2:9 which happens to be my favorite scripture from the new testament. He tried to explain what this verse meant, but from the expression on their faces, they werent all into it. I felt that I should try to help them understand a little better. I asked them to close their eyes and to think of the happiest moment in their lives. (Those reading can do this as well) I asked them to picture it as vividly as possible. Who is there? What colors do you see? What can you smell? Etc. Then i asked them to make it ven better. Who else would you have liked to be have been there? Your favorite song began to play, They brought out your favorite food, etc. Then, I said, now I want you to imagine that the Savior himself entered the room. Everything has just become perfect and glorified. And I allowed them to then think and about this perfectly happy place that they made. 

I said that when they were ready, they could open their eyes. One by one they eventually all opened their eyes and I asked how do you feel? The mom bluttered out Que Rico! or in english, How rich! They were all smiling and then I asked them to reread the verse in Corinthians. 

Eye hath not seen, nor eye heard, neither hath entered into the hearts of the children of men, those things that God hath prepared for them that love HIm. 

I testified that the Lord has prepared a place a million times better than what they had imagined and that it could be theirs IF they obey His commandments. My companion then invited the two youngest to be baptized and i invited the two older to prepare to take the sacrament so that they could all go to the temple one day, clean and ready. They all accepted. Alejandro in his closing prayer asked Heavenly Father if He could watch over them as they prepared to become an eternal family. What a great experience that we had. 

I know that this promise is the same for our family. I know that as we continue forward with faith in the Lord and His Atonement, that we can be together forever in a place that we cant even imagine how great it shall be. I love you all and invite you to prepare to take the Sacrament this Sunday. I would even invite you all to prepare to go to the temple this or next month as a family. Whether just a stroll around the outside or actually performing ordinances, it doesnt matter. Just go and keep in mind our eternal goal.

Sigamos Adelante, 

-Elder Neider

Perez Zeledon, Cartago, Costa Rica 6.8.15

Dear Family,

What an eventful week. I gotta think where to start. 

First, Elder Mendoza had changes today. It was a little sad for me because he had really helped me to be a better missionary and person. He has gone to Guanacaste which means he will be apart of the other mission and I probably wont have the opportunity to see him again until the last mission conference before the split. It's all good here in Perez though. My new companion is named Elder Clemente from Mexico I think. I am still waiting for him to get here. 

Somehting funny that happened. The Catholic Church here is very big. They put up in the mountains a statue of a Saint that they believe protects San Isidro. haha well this last week it was struck by lightning. HAHAHA we were laughing so stinking hard! Sign from God? haha

Other than that, we are still working to convert the branch into the ward. We need an attendance of 120 people for 3 weeks at the least. We are working our tails off but it's a slow process. I have been trying good to be the best missionary I can be. 

This last week, i made up my mind that I would fast for everyday for 7 days. We haven't had investigators come to church. So I made up my mind to do that. After the third day I realized that this was not a very healthy practice so I stopped haha. But was able on Saturday to do the monthly fast. We ended up with 3 in church. They were all miracles. I was very happy with the success. Now we just need to help them to get baptized this month. 

Not much else happening. Love you all, enjoy your vacation.

Sigamos Adelante,

-Elder Neider