Home Again

My Dearest Family, Friends, and Fans…

            Hey EveryoneJ Well by now I expect that almost everyone has heard about my “little accident” last week. Okay, well it wasn’t exactly little because well, they sent me home… So now here I am still writing the weekly letter for everyone who 1. Doesn’t have Facebook or 2. My mom hasn’t already called haha. So let me tell you a brief summary of the incident and this last week. Last Wednesday my companion and I were walking home at about 8:30 at night. It was getting real dark (and the neighborhood we were in isn’t really into streetlights…) and it had been raining all day long. We started down a street but decided to turn around and find a way with more light and less mud. We were just walking along when, like the clumsy Hermana I am, I stepped right into an uncovered sewer drain… filled with water from the rains it was level with the road. My right foot plunged in so far I couldn’t touch the bottom, unfortunately my left foot stayed on the outside (just imagine like a hurdler, one leg straight and the other all bent up). Luckily my arms and backpack saved me from going further in, but I still got totally covered in agua sucia up to my waist. My companion heard my scream, turned around and like a true friend, began to laugh, until she heard me sobbing…. I don’t know how, but she managed to pull me up and out of that horrid hole. I was crying more then a little because well I was covered in sewage, I was soaked and freezing and I saw my foot all sorts of misshapen. I remember that through my shivers and through the pain I could only think “please don’t send me home, please please don’t let this send me home”…
            The rest of the night was a blur in the hospital and back home again. The next 2 days we spent in the house waiting for the swelling to go down so we could get a more accurate diagnosis. Friday we went back to see the doctor and he explained what had happened to my foot. It turns out I had not only broken my foot but also snapped the ligament that held all my toes together and in place. When he told me that the recovery time would be at lease 6 weeks it felt like a dagger to my heart…. The church has a policy that if an injury takes more then 2 weeks to heal up then they just send the missionary home until they are well enough to come back. So I knew my future. The next morning Sister Wilkinson (my mission president’s wife) called to tell me that they had gotten me a flight home and that I wouldn’t even have to wait till the next week, but that I would be flying home THAT NIGHT!!! And so by 11 pm I was in the airport on my way back to Rexburg. 13 hours, 4 airports and 1 looooong fast I finally got to Idaho Falls walked down the escalators and into the arms of my very favorite 17 people in all the world. There were tears people. Giant alligator tears.
            After getting home, eating a beautiful Italian dinner, and spending a little time with the fam, the moment that Id been dreading came…. My stake president came over and asked me to remove my plaque... That was hard; I mean talk about an identity crisis! I’d put that badge on every morning for the last 8 months and now they wanted me to take it off? I didn’t cooperate easily, but finally I was able to do it with the promise that one day I’d get to put it back on. The rest of this week has been a string of doctors, nurses, surgery, medication, pain, etc. I got my foot operated on Monday afternoon (they put in 1 long screw and 2 staples to hold my bones in place and restitched all of the ligaments together) and I spent that night and the next morning in the hospital. When I got home I thought the pain battle was over, but over the next 4 days I struggled with extreme nausea and fatigue due to the medication. I couldn’t keep any food down at all and suffered through what I see as the most painfully long day of my life.
            So, for now I’m on house arrest for the next 6 weeks, at least while I don’t put ANY weight on it. Then it will take me another 4 to 6 weeks of rehab before I can get back out to the field and work like a missionary. Physically I’ve had worse, but spiritually this has been one of the greatest trials I’ve ever had to face. Getting out on my mission was so much time waiting and preparing and so to be home doing it again will definitely be a grand trial. But if there’s one thing I learned from being a missionary its that No Matter What, I can place all my confidence and trust in my Heavenly Father and in his perfect and divine plan for my life. I didn’t have a miracle healing in Costa Rica, I wanted one, I didn’t want to leave. BUT the fact that I didn’t, that my foot wasn’t made whole, is just a testament that there IS a purpose for me to be home here and now. I know that God does all things with the well being and happiness of his children in mind so I can’t help but think that here my purpose is even greater then it would have been had I stayed in Costa Rica. There’s a hymn that comes to my mind when I think about being at home after only 8 months of service it says, “I’ll go where you want me to go Dear Lord, over mountain or plane or sea, I’ll say what you want me to say Dear Lord, I’ll be what you want me to be”… I will go where he wants me to go, even though that means Going home. I will say what he wants me to say. And I Will BE what he wants me to be, although maybe he doesn’t want me to be a missionary right now, even though he just wants me to be little normal Aleena again.
            Well I hope yall enjoyed this novel of my mission tragedy. I am forever grateful for all of your consistent love, support and prayers while I have been serving a mission. I would appreciate if you could keep me in them a little while longer, through this temporary mission interruption. I have been so richly blessed by the people I know and love, I hardly have room to complain about my foot! Prayers from my beloved RexburgJ

All my Love-
            Aleena

A Little Child Shall Lead Them

My Dearest Familia......

Hey:) Sorry I’m running real short on time here today because there’s lots to do (and also I got 28 emails today, that’s right, who’s a popular sister missionary?;)) haha no but really I’m sorry this will be a short and sweet one so I can hopefully respond back to everyone. I hope everyone knows how grateful I am to be receiving your emails and letters! They mean so much to me, and I apologize if I can’t write you all back at once. But I keep your words in my head and heart and am forever grateful for your loving words of encouragement and counsel:).

This week we got to celebrate the baptism of Dilan! He’s a nephew of one of our members. His aunt is a convert too and even though no body from his immediate family is willing to support him (his mom didn’t even come to his baptism....:( ) he’s still courageous enough to take these steps. He holds on tight to the examples of his aunt and uncle, and though still a child, he knows what is right and wrong and wants to follow his savior Jesus Christ. He’s 9. 9 years old and he’s more converted to living the gospel then half the people I’ve ever met in my life! This is why Jesus has always taught us to be like the children, to follow their example. They may not "understand" all the doctrine and know the whys and how’s to every question, but they know what their Heavenly Father wants from them and they just do it.... Be more like the children and we’ll all be happier I promise. 

Another thought I was thinking this week... in the introduction to the book of Mormon it gives us 3 invitations. Read the book, think about it, and then pray to know if it’s true. As missionaries were very focused on 2 of the 3. Read and pray. I think as people in general were very focused on only 2... read and pray. But we always forget the 2nd step. Think! It’s the easiest one and we always forget it! If people would just use their blessed thinkers the church would have hundreds of more converts every weeks. One think I love about the church is that it JUST MAKES SENSE. It’s the only explanation with ALL the answers. We don’t go based off of the wicked traditions of our fathers; our doctrine isn’t founded by the precepts and desires of men. Christ has always invited people to ponder (this is why he taught in parables people!) and to really investigate what were taught. 

In the last conference elder Utchdorf (yeah I finally got the conference edition of the Liahona! one problem.... its all in Spanish...) gave us the process to unravel our own testimony of any doctrine. Read, ponder, pray and then live it! I hope that one day Everyone everywhere, but especially those who read this letter because your my own beloved family and friends, will put this process in action and really, really find out for yourselves. I love the gospel, I love being a missionary and I love my Savior. And I love all of you! Hope yall have a great week!! Prayers from Costa Rica...

All my Love,

 Hermana Kugath

A Weird Week

My Dearest Familia

First of all a big shout out to the Birthday boy of the week!!!!! Happy almost your Birthday Noser:) the big 15. Geez when did that happen? You’re practically a little man now. I hope you have a great day and that you eat lots of cake to put a little more meat on those bones! Mom told me how great your doing reading your scriptures every day, keep it up! Its true what the primary song says, scripture power! Keep being a good, obedient worthy priesthood holder and being an example for the fam. Ill be celebrating you here in Costa Rica! I’m so proud of you and love you lots!!

What a weird week... haha its really interesting the life of a missionary because one day you can feel on top of the world and you just have this burning desire to share the gospel but then the next you cant find anyone, no body wants to listen and everyone hates you. Its like a roller coaster of happenings worse then any high school relation ship (believe me, i know, I lived them all ;) haha). But this pretty much describes the way this week was. One day with a bunch of members who want to help us and feed us and the sun is shining and it seems like everyone feels the need to find God in their lives and then comes Thursday and every one wants to yell at you, tell you know one wants your message, slam the door in your face, and you’re also dying of hunger and cold. That’s when everything my parents, my coaches, my church leaders and the gospel has to kick in. I’ve learned this week that my happiness doesn’t depend on my success in the #s... my happiness depends on if I’m living my life in obedience and if I’m doing everything I can to invite others to come unto Christ. What ever happens happens and I can either whine and cry about it (like I used to do all the time to my mom and friends.... thanks guys:)) or I can Buck up, put on my big girl skirt and never let my missionary smile slip from my face    (if even one of you makes a fat joke comment so help me........ haha). The truth is that this is the way we have to be throughout our lives. I love the Mission because it’s a huge parallel for what comes next in my life; it’s like a giant RLTC (real life training center)! There’s a lot of things that I have no control over, but the more I use my agency to be happy and positive, instead of dwelling on the negative and difficult parts, the more successful I feel.

This week Hermana Montoya and I have really upped our game. It’s like the both of us feel the urgency of these last two weeks of this transfer. We’ve only talked about it a little, but were both mas o menos sure that this will mark the end of our time together :( we hope not!!! But I mean the Lord can hardly keep two such excellent, talented, spiritual and not to mention beautiful ;) hermanas together for so long, it’s just not fair to the rest of the mission right.....? So we’ve been doing all we can to help Moravia to progress before the time comes. We’ve heard rumors about what they want to do with Moravia, BUT I don’t gossip so I wont spread them on to yall until I’m more for sure in our future.. Just know, its gonna be big!  (Indoor plumbing, its gonna be big! an ice-cream for whoever knows where that quotes from!).

Bueno, I miss you all super a lot and I’m always praying for your success and happiness back home in the states. I hope everything is well there and if you ever need anything por favor don’t wait to ask me! I’ve kinda got an "in" with the big man ;) haha The Lord is taking care of our family and I know he has so so many blessings in store for us. Don’t forget or take for granted the things we all ready have (the true church, the book of Mormon, a living prophet, a temple 100 meters away (sometimes I tell people I live that close to the temple and they all look at me like I’m crazy.... were so lucky!!) the promise of a forever family.....) we have it all! Live it, enjoy it, share it :) prayers from Costa Rica!

ALL MY LOVE,
Hermana Kugath

2 Is Better Than 1

My Dearest Familia---

There are some days when I just wish so bad that you guys lived in the mission field (okay jess and Sam and Brent and maddle kind of do, but the rest a yall not so much.). There’s days I wish you lived here because you would love getting to help out with the work that were doing. Sometimes its hard to find people who are willing to help us teach... not only do we have to find people to teach but we have to find members to go visit them with us, to friendship them, to give them rides to the chapel... sometimes it gets a little complicated. But I know that what were doing is the Work of Salvation, that it was never MEANT to be easy so that helps a little bit. This week we had almost nobody to help us... all of the youth of the ward went to a program called SOY (its basically our EFY) and so we really had nobody willing to help us out.. It was kinda sad because we felt really alone almost the whole week. But it turned out to be a good thing. When all the young men and women got back from SOY they were all filled with the spirit and the desire to help and share the gospel! It’s how I would feel like when we got back from girls camp remember? Or trek, or a real spiritual trip. It was really great because Sunday in church we got to hear all their testimonies. Those were some powerful future missionaries. (If I had a suggestion I would say that we should send all the little boys to EFY when they can go. I know that it’s expensive, I know, but I can promise it’s worth it).

Besides our battle with the members this week we had a lot of great things happen to us! We went on divisions with the especialistas again and they helped us to "raise the bar" here in our area. We’ve heard that some big changes are coming to our ward so were doing our best to get ready!

I love you all bunches but I’m running real short on time today. Please know that I’m extremely grateful for every one of you and for the things you’ve done to serve and sacrifice for me. Prayers from Costa Rica...

All my love,
 Hermana Kugath

222 Days

My Dearest Family...



Hola! I’m sorry this is the very first time I’ve written you all year, I’ve just been a little caught up haha. Bienvenido 2015!!!!! Is that crazy or what?? so weird that we’ve started a new year. and now it’s almost 12 months till Christmas again...... tristesa. anyways, wow this has been a long one. Its so weird how some weeks go by really fast and other seem to drag by like a turtle running a marathon.....



This week was super great for some reasons and super mal for others. Lets get all the bad stuff out first shall we? This week we last 2 families that we were working with....¨( awwwhh. Oscar, Verna and Jennifer were progressing so so fast! They were doing all their reading assignments and everything. Oscar would even invite us to kneel down to say the closing prayer after every lesson. But then something happened.... his brother, Javier moved in. I know what you’re thinking; no no this is a good thing! More people to teach right? Wrong. His brother is super super evangelico and absolutely denied and tried to negate everything that we said. This last week we went to visit them just to teach how they could receive their own answers. How their heavenly father, through the Holy Ghost, could give them their very own, personal answer to know for them selves if what we were teaching was true. The lesson started out really spiritual but then this man began to say all kinds of crazy things..... What was worse is that his brother was backing him up! Poor confused Oscar!! In the end we had to just leave because all they wanted to do was fight with us over basic doctrine like if god the father and his son are the same being (oh this is the thing that ticks me off the most!!!! father and son people father and son. its VERY self explanatory.) how if they already knew the bible was true they didn’t need more scripture (basically 2nd Nephi 29 to a tee) and how they didn’t have to pray because they already knew..... Like what? Are you dumb??? Of course you have to pray. First of all, what do you have to loose???? Absolutely nothing. What do you have to gain??? Oh yeah, a heck a ton of blessings, a forever family, and eternal life. Wow, some people. They just kill me! It was so horrible because this is a family that we loved so much and to see them like this was so, but so, sad. (There was one awful part when this man had the guts to tell us we need to study the scriptures more, stop teaching false doctrine and repent. oh you should have seen my companions face in that moment.......... ouch. this guy was about to go down.).

The second family we were just stopping by to see if they were reading their scriptures when the mom told us that they’d decided to go to a different church. One that was conveniently located 100 meters from her front door. She told us she liked us, but this pastor had said she should tell us to stop visiting them. She said she was sorry but this church was just easier for her. We looked her straight in the eyes and said Hermana we know you have a big family and its harder to get to the church where we go, but do you think that it was easy for Jesus Christ to suffer for your pains, your sicknesses and your sins and then to die for YOU on the cross?? Then why should it be easy to go to his church..... It was painful really, but it’s in the past and the lord knows when their missionaries will come and try again.

Now the good stuff!!!!! I got 4 letters this week! Who’s a popular Hermana? soy yo! haha. Thank you mommy, Jesse/Sam, Schmidt family and crest haven bishopric! I loved my letters, cards and pictures. I have to say I was a little bit more then prideful when I saw the absolutely gorgeous picture that MY DADDY took on our wards Christmas card. Holy smokes. Wow!! bein hecho papi! I also cried a little (in front of the whole zone!! que awkward) reading your sweet card mom. I loved it to bits and I felt so, so special. And I squealed (yes literally) in delight looking at the pictures of charlotte. It’s the most hilarious thing I’ve ever seen. Que lindo! En serio wow.



2nd we had a sweet zone activity yesterday. It was like a huge water ballon fight plus soccer game. It was way sweet and one of the funnest days I’ve had in the mission so far. We played a lot and its stuff like that that helps you feel like a real part of the zone.

This week another missionary from our little ward here in Moravia headed out! Hermana Rodriguez!!!! (Marjorie) was a really big help to us these last few months. She would come teaching with us and sometimes spend the whole day with us. She was awesome and I know shell be super great in Mexico! It was so sweet to see her getting set apart and being the firsts to welcome her into la obra misional!



Anyways, I love you guys so much and am truly thankful for all the support i get from you. Physically and spiritually. I hope that every one has chosen a new years goal because in other words y'all just want to repent a little haha. That’s how we see new years, the whole world wants to repent and be a little better, for at least the first week or so.. But yeah, love y'all, prayers from Costa Rica!!

All my love,
Hermana Kugath

Christ "mas" mas=more in Spanish

My Very Dearest and Most Adorable Familia....

Feliz Navidad!!!!! Almost.... its weird because here it doesn’t feel like Christmas because there’s no snow, no bundling up the little ones to go play, no rushing around to make treats and all kids of food (although yesterday for p day we did try to make a cheesecake... lets just say it didn’t turn out like one of jesses) and buy presents for gift exchanges. It doesn’t feel like the Christmases I remember, but this Christmas I’m not as focused on those things. What I really am dying for this year (so bad that I asked my Heavenly Father AND Santa Clause, you know just in case..) was to talk to my family! Even if for only 40 minutes. I can’t believe it’s already been almost 7 months since I’ve seen you all! How rapidly things change in our lives right? But no se procupe, you only have to live 1 Christmas without me ;) its crazy to think this time next year ill be in the house again! Weird. But not important. What is important is that I´ll be calling home on the 25th! I’m hoping to call around 5 o’clock your time (I think that means 6 my time). But don’t worry! If it’s not exactly at 5 don’t freak out, I will call between 5 and 6. Just a little heads up:) yay!!! I wish I could describe how excited I am, but I cant... but I think you understand right? 

Anyways, with the Christmas spirit filling the air the work rolls on. First of all I’m sorry I threw a little bit of a fit about the weather last week. And thanks for praying for me because the temperature did a full 180 and now we have had 3 gorgeous sunny days in a row!!! I’m going to get my sunny Christmas after all:) Also this week was a week super super special for us. Like I said last week we didn’t have p day last Monday and we were a little bit bummed, but it was so worth it to get to go to they temple! Going only every 3 months gives the temple a real special space in your heart and helps you to appreciate it more. This time I understood 98% of everything!!! Although the times when I have to talk (or think) still tripped me up a bit. But you know.... he knows I was trying haha.  It was a real special opportunity to share with my companion too. Hermana Montoya and I have been together a long time so it was good to share something as spiritual as the temple! While we were there we even took a picture to make a Christmas card for some of the members of our ward:) were way cute. After the temple we went to a special Christmas devotional with president Wilkinson and his family. Oh my gosh..... The food though. Now that is a Christmas dinner! Ham, mashed potatoes, salad, a real roll! Wow. And brownies, candy canes, gingerbread men. they spoiled us a real good. After we ate presidente Wilkinson taught us about the first Christmas. He said that many people want to be like the magi and bring Christ a gift but that he wants us to be like the shepherds. The shepherds when they heard about the birth of the Savior left everything to go and find him. They left their sheep, unprotected, and ran to find Christ. He told us a little more about shepherds. These men care for these animals like they’re their own children. They know their names and care for them day in and out. There’s nothing more important to a shepherd then his lambs. However, at the announcement of His birth they left them, running and rejoicing to find the cradle side of their Lord. Its not so much about what we can bring to the Savior, because he doesn’t need anything, its about what were willing to give up to find him and to stay withy him.:)

This week was also special because it was the baptism of a very important little girl for us. Her name is Dayanara. She’s 10 years old. Her family members are all members of the church, but because of a family tragedy they went inactive and she was never baptized. The family recently became active again and invited us to teach her so that she could finally make this important covenant with her daddy. We’ve been working with her for about 2 months yet and she is officially perfect! Hermana Montoya and I were ecstatic at her interview because it proved that our message is so simple that even a child CAN understand it. Watching her be baptized was one of the sweetest experiences of the mission that I’ve had yet. (Pictures to come soon;))

Wow oh wow do I have a sweet story to tell you all!!! Let me just say that when the Lord wants something he gets what he wants... I have never experienced a miracle like we had this last week. We have another special investigator named Celeste. She’s a little girl of just 12 years old but wow is she quick! Her moms a less active from another ward so we’ve been teaching them the lessons and she is just like a little sponge she absorbs everything so fast! She could teach you the restoration from the Lords earthly ministry through the great apostasy and into the first vision. She even remembers president monsons name! She’s great. Anyways, she’s going to be baptized this Saturday on the 27th. We have had like 17 miracles (ha-ha) getting her ready for the date. Some are small like she went out of town but got back before we thought she would so she could go to church, and others are real big! Like the one I want to tell you..... So my companion always carries with her the 20 minute movie of the restoration and we began looking for it so we could teach her about joseph smith, but it wasn’t in Hermana Montoya’s bag... we remembered that we watched it with another family that week but didn’t remember getting it out of their dvd. We searched and searched, even turning her bag upside-down and shaking it. It wasn’t there. She said a prayer in her heart that we could find it so that we could teach with the movie (because kids like movies ya know..). She reached in her bag again and there it was!! Just sitting there. What?! yep. Then we put it in the Dvd and hit play.. It began to play, in English..... nooo! They don’t speak English! We looked for the controller, but it didn’t work. We found NEW batteries, but it didn’t work. Then, and I literally have no idea how this happened the power of God right?, we hit play again. And it began to play, in SPANISH! With subtitles and everything. It was in English before I swear, I heard it, and I know English right? But it played in Spanish so that we could teach her exactly what meant RESTORATION. That was weird people, really weird but really incredible! 

Anyways, it was awesome! And we had a really great. week. I love you guys bunches and bunches and want you to know that I really am happy to be a missionary during Christmas. I love the Lord and I love my Family (and friends;) for those of you who read this). Merry Christmas!!!!!!! We´ll talk soon... for reals!!! Prayers from Costa Rica.

All My Love,

Hermana Kugath

P.S. I have a huge announcement!!!!!!! But I’m not going to tell ya until Christmas:) so remind me on the 25th!

White Christmas

My Dearest Darling Familia....

Hi:) I just love you all so much!!! I’m literally counting down the days until I get to see your beautiful faces! There’s something about the Christmas spirit that makes being away from your family just that much more difficult. But the thoughts of talking to you, even if it is only 40 minutes.... is what keeps mi companera and I motivated through the days. Okay let’s talk about the call now that were on the subject. I'll be calling for sure Christmas day but I’m still not exactly sure of the time. Were going to a members house but its complicated because they have 2 brothers serving missions so we have to wait to know what time their elders are going to call so we know what time were going to call. But ill find out and let you all know next Tuesday. Sorry were so unorganized everything just comes so quickly. I know you all need to make plans for when you’re going to be at the house and stuff so ill get on it and find out. Sorry!

I wish I could explain to you how happy I am to be a missionary. There are some days I just wake up with incredible enthusiasm to go out and baptize the whole world!! And there are other days when I hear the alarm and pray for just 5 more minutes of sleep..... The second kind of days are less often, don’t worry. This week has been a really really hard but successful week! Hermana Montoya and I decided to start the cambio out by giving it all and the results were really incredible. However, there is one aspect of my day that is just literally out of my hands... the weather. Remember when we got my call and everyone was like "oh you’re going to paradise, you’re going to die of the heat, costa Rica is beautiful, the weather is perfect"..... LIARS! Every one of them. This has been hands down the coldest week of my whole (okay not my life, lets be real I lived in Idaho and Colorado, but still a veryyy long time.) Obviously not cold enough to snow, but the rain mixed with ceaseless wind almost killed me! Lucky me I received my package with sweaters and long skirts because I’m pretty sure I would have frozen without them. One day I had on 5 shirts topped with my Raincoat and scarf. The cold here isn’t like the cold there. Its wet cold... you’re soaking wet and you don’t dry until you get home and crawl into bed. I’m not complaining or anything ;) I just think its funny that for the first time in my life I thought I was going to have a sunny Christmas..... Nope. But it doesn’t matter because my heart was sunny! 

This week was pretty cool. We’ve been finding people and teaching like mad! I hope you all got to watch the "he is the gift video"... This has been our main message for this week also. We carry it around with us and just ask everybody like "hey can we come in a watch a 3 minute movie about Christmas!?" its works pretty well actually. This time has been crazy busy because were working our bums off trying to get our investigators ready for "la blanca navidad". The whole zone is going to get together and have our baptisms on the same day (the 27th!). Presidente Wilkinson is going to be there and everything. We have 3 people getting ready for this day. Celest, Bryan and Esilda. Celeste and Bryan are miracle investigators! Their mom is a less active convert from years back. We found them last week and she said yea yea of course I want my kids to be baptized! They came to church and everything this last week. Were so excited for them! Celeste is super smart and had an awesome time in young womens, but I’m pretty sure Bryan has a little bit of a social/learning disorder. But that wont be an obstacle for the spirit. Esilda is an older woman. Were teaching her and her husband but she’s progressing faster. Her husband is kind of a booger and its super stubborn sometimes but the other day she told him "stop being like Laman and Lemuel and listen to what the missionaries are saying!" (hahaha!!! that’s right. she’s reading the book of Mormon and used it on him! it was awesome.). But not only these 3, we also have a baptism scheduled for this weekend. Her name is Dayanara. She’s the sweetest little girl and the best-prepared child baptism I’ve ever seen! Her family is all members bur about 2 years ago they went inactive so she was never baptized. But they’ve reactivated since we got here and will be celebrating Christmas with her baptism!:) que cosa mas hermosa. In total we hope to end the month with 4 baptisms! 

This week however we also found a family of 3 and the sweetest kind lady in the world and are already getting them ready to be baptized in January! Wow what a busy time in Moravia. Is there a better time to be a missionary?? I know that all of the prayers that you guys have been saying in my behalf really are showing their fruit. I am so happy and our success is absolutely incredible! Yay team Jesus:) yay family Kugath! 

Anyways, this week we didn’t have p day because tomorrow we'll be going to the temple!!!! It’s been 3 long months waiting to go again. I love you all so much its incredible. I can hardly wait the 8 and half days more to talk to you. Hey do me a favor and find all your Skype usernames/passwords and everything now so we don’t have any problems. Also I know there’s a way to do like an interconnected Skype (like more then 1 computer or something) if Jesse and Sam are going to be in Mexico.... yay family Kugath/Head/Cline!!!! I love you muchisimo. Prayers from Costa Rica,

All my Love, 

Hermana Kugath

Happy Birthday Halloween Christmas

My Dearest, most Darling, Fabulous Family.....

yo les amo muchisimo! Its weird to think that in only 15 days I get to talk to you guys! I’ve been waiting for it for so long and yet its almost here! Yay. This has been a week rapidisima. I feel like I was just here writing but here I am again. This week was the end of the cambio and we anxiously awaited the news to see if wed be leaving to a new area. Hermana Montoya and I are still in Moravia!!!!! Our poor little hermanita guit was sent to Guanacaste and we dropped her off yesterday. In a way I’m relieved to still be here. I felt like I still had a specific purpose in this area and I’m excited to find out what our next project will be! Its a little interesting, but this cambio will be 8 weeks (2 months) instead of the normal 6 weeks so we don’t have to worry about being transferred until the first week of February. 

Wow.......... all I have to say is wow. I am the luckiest most loved missionary in the whole wide world!!! I have never seen a package as massive, as sweet or as absolutely heavenly as the one I received yesterday. wow wow wow. I felt like the little boy the Elder Christofferson talked about in the Christmas devotional. I got to celebrate all of MY favorite holidays too, in 30 minutes! That was the best and quickest birth-hallow-Christ-giving I’ve ever had) as I listened to (rocked out to?;)) Manheim Christmas steamroller I opened the Ziplocs and my heart feel like it was going to burst with happiness. All of my very favorite treats, the most beautiful skirts, the sweaters I was so badly in need of, and the mere desires of my heart. It was like someone read my heart and mind, wrote down everything I needed or only wanted and delivered the list to my mommy. Down to the very hair dye that I only dared dream about! The happiness I felt in those moments was overwhelming gratitude and love that can only be felt when they feel close to their family. I looked at the photos and read the sweet cards from the people that I love and need the most in my life and I felt their love from 35000 miles away. I haven’t read and looked at everything yet, but the things that meant the most to me were the sweet words of love and encouragement. My little brothers telling me that they think I’m the greatest missionary in the world... that my parents are proud of me... wow. I wish I could describe the joy I felt reading these little cards. What a miracle. And what a great way to motivate me to be a better missionary! 

Speaking of missioning.... this week was awesome. We’ve been working really hard and taking advantage of the holiday season to really rush the work along. One of our greatest tools is the new Christmas video El es la dadiva (he is the gift). I’m pretty sure you guys have seen it, but if not go watch it! It’s the most beautiful 2 minutes:) It talks about the first gift of Christmas... from our heavenly father to all of us. The gift of the life of his son. The whole movie is really inspirational but the part I like is at the very end. It gives us 3 invitations... discover, accept and share. Sometimes we get all wrapped up in Christmas that we forget its real importance... Christ  Mas. Mas in Spanish means more so it’s literally a season to have more Christ in our life. I’m so grateful to be here in these moments specifically. I’ve never been away from my family for a Christmas.... It’s been hard and it’s been different, but I’m grateful because I have the chance this year to bring Christ into the lives of other people in this beautiful time of year. People who don’t know him, who don’t know where to find him or people who simply don’t really understand what it is that he did, and does, for US. I heard a quote this week that I love. I’m not sure of the exact words but it goes something like this ¨We need to realize that in comparison with God, we are Nothing... BUT to him, we mean Everything.¨       We are everything. His purpose is clear, bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of us, His Children. I love Christmas. I love to see the looks on people’s faces when they receive surprises. I love the food, the decorations, the movies, and the family time. I love to give gifts and I know that the greatest gift we could give to our Dear Heavenly Father is to help his other children to accept His Gift, by accepting his son. This year I hope that everyone searches for the way to share this gift with someone else.  

The last thing I wanted to say was that I hope that nobody forgets that this is also a season of sacrifice. I’ve already seen it and benefitted from it myself... I know the sacrifice it was for you all to send me what you sent. I know it. I felt it. There shouldn’t have been money, time or energy sufficient to do this for me, but there was. Sacrifice is the evidence of real charity. Christ sacrificed for us, I sacrificed for the people of Costa Rica, my family sacrificed for me... the evidence is an overwhelming testimony of the love. I know that when we sacrifice we in return are blessed beyond what we sacrificed. I love you all so much and hope you know what your sacrifices have meant to me. I can’t ever pay you back sufficiently but I hope you know that I am beyond grateful to call you my family. I love and value each and every one of you more then you can know. You’re in my heart and prayers,

All my love,

Hermana Kugath

Joni & Jovana

My Dearest Darling Familia....

Hi:) I just love you all so much!!! I’m literally counting down the days until I get to see your beautiful faces! There’s something about the Christmas spirit that makes being away from your family just that much more difficult. But the thoughts of talking to you, even if it is only 40 minutes.... is what keeps mi companera and I motivated through the days. Okay let’s talk about the call now that were on the subject. I'll be calling for sure Christmas day but I’m still not exactly sure of the time. Were going to a members house but its complicated because they have 2 brothers serving missions so we have to wait to know what time their elders are going to call so we know what time were going to call. But ill find out and let you all know next Tuesday. Sorry were so unorganized everything just comes so quickly. I know you all need to make plans for when you’re going to be at the house and stuff so ill get on it and find out. Sorry!

I wish I could explain to you how happy I am to be a missionary. There are some days I just wake up with incredible enthusiasm to go out and baptize the whole world!! And there are other days when I hear the alarm and pray for just 5 more minutes of sleep..... The second kind of days are less often, don’t worry. This week has been a really really hard but successful week! Hermana Montoya and I decided to start the cambio out by giving it all and the results were really incredible. However, there is one aspect of my day that is just literally out of my hands... the weather. Remember when we got my call and everyone was like "oh you’re going to paradise, you’re going to die of the heat, costa Rica is beautiful, the weather is perfect"..... LIARS! Every one of them. This has been hands down the coldest week of my whole (okay not my life, lets be real I lived in Idaho and Colorado, but still a veryyy long time.) Obviously not cold enough to snow, but the rain mixed with ceaseless wind almost killed me! Lucky me I received my package with sweaters and long skirts because I’m pretty sure I would have frozen without them. One day I had on 5 shirts topped with my Raincoat and scarf. The cold here isn’t like the cold there. Its wet cold... you’re soaking wet and you don’t dry until you get home and crawl into bed. I’m not complaining or anything ;) I just think its funny that for the first time in my life I thought I was going to have a sunny Christmas..... Nope. But it doesn’t matter because my heart was sunny! 

This week was pretty cool. We’ve been finding people and teaching like mad! I hope you all got to watch the "he is the gift video"... This has been our main message for this week also. We carry it around with us and just ask everybody like "hey can we come in a watch a 3 minute movie about Christmas!?" its works pretty well actually. This time has been crazy busy because were working our bums off trying to get our investigators ready for "la blanca navidad". The whole zone is going to get together and have our baptisms on the same day (the 27th!). Presidente Wilkinson is going to be there and everything. We have 3 people getting ready for this day. Celest, Bryan and Esilda. Celeste and Bryan are miracle investigators! Their mom is a less active convert from years back. We found them last week and she said yea yea of course I want my kids to be baptized! They came to church and everything this last week. Were so excited for them! Celeste is super smart and had an awesome time in young womens, but I’m pretty sure Bryan has a little bit of a social/learning disorder. But that wont be an obstacle for the spirit. Esilda is an older woman. Were teaching her and her husband but she’s progressing faster. Her husband is kind of a booger and its super stubborn sometimes but the other day she told him "stop being like Laman and Lemuel and listen to what the missionaries are saying!" (hahaha!!! that’s right. she’s reading the book of Mormon and used it on him! it was awesome.). But not only these 3, we also have a baptism scheduled for this weekend. Her name is Dayanara. She’s the sweetest little girl and the best-prepared child baptism I’ve ever seen! Her family is all members bur about 2 years ago they went inactive so she was never baptized. But they’ve reactivated since we got here and will be celebrating Christmas with her baptism!:) que cosa mas hermosa. In total we hope to end the month with 4 baptisms! 

This week however we also found a family of 3 and the sweetest kind lady in the world and are already getting them ready to be baptized in January! Wow what a busy time in Moravia. Is there a better time to be a missionary?? I know that all of the prayers that you guys have been saying in my behalf really are showing their fruit. I am so happy and our success is absolutely incredible! Yay team Jesus:) yay family Kugath! 

Anyways, this week we didn’t have p day because tomorrow we'll be going to the temple!!!! It’s been 3 long months waiting to go again. I love you all so much its incredible. I can hardly wait the 8 and half days more to talk to you. Hey do me a favor and find all your Skype usernames/passwords and everything now so we don’t have any problems. Also I know there’s a way to do like an interconnected Skype (like more then 1 computer or something) if Jesse and Sam are going to be in Mexico.... yay family Kugath/Head/Cline!!!! I love you muchisimo. Prayers from Costa Rica,

All my Love, 

Hermana Kugath

Turkey...

My Most Adorable Family...

Hey:) I miss you all so much!!! I just want to start out my Thanksgiving letter Giving Thanks. For you all, for my friends for my extended family, for my mission call, for my Costa Rica, for my blessing, for my trials, for the Church, for 20 years of love and support, 20 years of enjoying thee blessing that come from a Christ centered home and 20 years of having wonderful, amazing, talented, lovely, children of God placed in my Path:) More then anything this year I am thankful for the knowledge I have and cherish of who my savior is and what he has done for me. 

It’s the heartbreaking truth but here in Costa Rica they don’t celebrate thanksgiving....... why not? I’m not sure, I mean come on. All we do is eat, hang out with the family, eat, watch football, eat, cook, and well eat! Who doesn’t want to celebrate this day?! Obviously It means a lot more to me then that, its the day when I really remember and think about the things that are the true blessings of this life. In the spirit of this holiday I’ve been trying really hard to have a grander spirit of gratitude in my prayers. This week I stopped asking my Heavenly Father for things, and have been doing my very best to just tell him thank you. It’s hard and I’m not perfect at it, but it helps me to focus my prayers a little more and remember to whom I’m speaking and all the things I have to be grateful for. Every night my personal prayers are a little longer as I remember more and more things that are blessings in my life. Sometimes I have to say 3 or 4 prayers or I just pray like the little boys and say in the name of Jesus Christ...... wait wait wait, ......... all the extras I forgot, okay for real now, in the name of Jesus Christ...."  I hope that each one of you this week accepts the challenge to say 1 prayer only giving the Lord thanks and not asking for a thing. Its fun, try it:)

This week alone I have so many blessings that I don’t even know what to do with them all. We had all kinds of fun activities this week. 1. I’m finally legal!!!! I got my "cedula" ... which basically says that they can’t deport me for at least a year. Yay!  It took almost a whole day to get it, but it was worth it! Plus I got to go with all a lot of other elders and hermanas and it was a fun flashback to the MTC. 

2. This week we had a Multizone conference that was super sweet!! I learned a lot from everyone who talked to us. Its incredible how literally everything that we learn in PMG we can find a story in The book of Mormon that demonstrates this principle or idea exactly. My President is en serio incredible. (Hermana Montoya and I agree that he’s at least a future apostle, if not one day prophet:)). He showed us a clip of the Utah Utes and Oregon game that just happened where the player dropped the ball like 2 feet before the end zone because he was celebrating to early and gave us some very good advice, DONT DROP THE BALL. This month we have been working so, so hard as a mission to achieve the goal of 200 baptisms and were sooo close! This is the last week we have and us personally we have a baptism planned for the 29th! That’s cutting it close... but don’t worry, were not celebrating to soon. 

The baptism that we have planned this week is a very, very special one. Joni is the husband of our cook Jovana. They have 5 kids. She’s been a member more then 16 years but he hasn’t ever taken getting baptized seriously. He has had a lot of missionaries pass in and out of his house without giving them a second thought, but something happened and he’s began to change. He’s been cafe, cigar, and alcohol free for 2 weeks now!!!! Wow. What changed is the knowledge he has about the temple. They want to be sealed.....!!!  Anyways so we’ve been helping him to get ready and it hasn’t been easy, but were so close now. A miracle that happened the other day is we were talking to them and Jovana said you know why your baptismal day is the 29 of November...? Because I was baptized the 29th of November 16 years ago...... we didn’t know that when we gave him the date, but the Lord knew it would be the motivation he’d need to accept so he told us the 29th:) wow. The other beautiful thing is that 1 week after Joni is baptized and confirmed he can receive the priesthood and baptize his 8 year old son Andres:) and in 1 year we will go to the temple with them!!!! What great things I have to be thankful for. 

Anyways, the time is short and their souls that need saving! I love you all and hope, no no I order you all (as a representative of JesuCristo ;) haha)  to eat at least my portion this thanksgiving. You’ll eat it and you’ll like it! I love you all pero tanto! Prayers and gracias from Costa Rica,

All my love, Hermana Kugath

Love my home and away wards :)

My Most Beloved and Beautiful Family....

Hi:) First of all, sorry if I scared some of you with the gunpoint mutual story haha. More then anything I was just letting you know that I know that I’m protected. Its funny but we walk these cold dark streets and I don’t even feel afraid. Maybe I’m just suuuuper naive... haha but I personally just like to think my faith is just greater then my fears.

I really just want to take 1 second to express how truly grateful I am to everyone of my home ward. I just love you all so so stinkin much!!! My mom has been letting me know how generous and incredible you’ve all been helping me and watching over my family. There isn’t a ward in the world that could compare with how much I love and appreciate you all! This week I have been searching out ways to bless the lives of others like you all have blessed my life. My favorite was taking a future missionary to the mall today and letting her pick out a whole outfit!!!! Shell be serving in Mexico, leaving in January and her family doesn’t have the money or support that my family enjoys. Some people may look on it as a sacrifice, but I look at it as a way to give back when vie been given so much. Hermana Rodriguez is going to Mexico lookin goooood!

My heart is broken for the Conrad family and certainly for Elder Conrad. This is a trial I couldn’t even imagine having to face. But don’t worry, the plan of salvation and the atonement have the power to suck out the pain and sorrow from even the deepest, harshest wounds. There is life after this; death is just a stepping-stone to the reino celestial! Knowing Hermana Conrad she is happily serving right alongside her son in the glorious work of salvation, she’s just been called to serve in another mission.

This week has been wow long..... We played so much ball last p day that I was extra tired. Also one time we tried to walk from our district meeting in Ipis to our first appointment in paracito. Bad idea, don’t ever try that. We walked for like 3 hours straight!!!! Up and down and up and down..... Whoa. I was exhausted en serio. But this week was incredible really. This week our miracles stacked up! I just should let you all know I am literally spoiled to live and work here in Moravia. We have the best ward!!! The most supportive bishop, the sweetest sisters, the best members who feed us day in and day out, and the Lord is blessing us with so many investigators we don’t even know what to do with them all!!!! Oh wait, yes we do..... BAPTISMS BABY! Hermana Montoya and I have a dream for Moravia. We want 2 companionships here. But to have 2 we have to have excellent success in this month. We have the ability to baptize 12 people this month, but our meta (goal) is 10. That’s a lot...... please, please pray for us to achieve this goal. Its seriously a crazy goal and we are going to have to work ourselves to the very ground, but we want this second pair of missionaries. Moravia is a HUGE  area and we need the help.

Anyways, sorry this letter was boring, my minds a little wacky today. Just know that I love you all and the Lord is the author of our lives, he is the perfect planner and we can always trust in his will. I miss you bunches upon bunches|! Prayers from Costa Rica,

All my love,
Hermana Kugath

More Miracles

My Dearest Darling Family and Friends....

Wow what a long week it has been. It feels like I say this every week but en serio, this week was jam packed with miracles. Let me start with my very favorite one.

MARLON GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m going to cry. Wow. Marlon for all you who don’t remember is the husband of MY DANELIA. la mia! Wow wow wow. That means in less then a year I get to go to the3 temple with them!!! I could die from happy tears right now. I can’t tell you how happy I am. (It will be really close to the end of my mission when they can enter so maybe mommy and daddy you guys can be here too! vamos a ver vamos a ver).

Another miracle is that a few weeks ago on a bus I lost my plaque. I was wearing the magnet one so the front just fell off and I didn’t realize it until it was to late. But yesterday on the bus the driver handed me a little black square... MY PLAUQE!! I thought it was a goner for sure and I was so so heart broken cause it was the plaque that I started my first day in the MTC. But because My Heavenly Father Loves me and he knew how much it was worth to me he found a way to get it back to me... wow, the love of a father.

Miracle three... this one is a little hard to explain so bear with me.. This week Hermana Montoya’s mom sent her a package. It was really big and so our ZLs went to the office to pick it up and brought it to the stake center. We had to go pick it up during the next district meeting. We decided that we would just take it from the stake center and put it in our chapel because to take it to our house would be extra money and time and then at the end of the day we would just pick it up on our way home. When we got to the meeting Hermana Montoya told me that she had forgotten the chapel keys so we ended up having to take the package home. at the time it was a little annoying and we were kinda grumpy because then we just had to go back to where we were. BUT!!! the next day we found out that that night there had been an armed robbery at the church during mutual... in between 8 and 830 which would have been exactly the time we would have gone to pick up the package again had it been in the church........ whoa. we could have very likely been on the outside of the chapel when these gunmen showed up. Our dear Heavenly Father was protecting us without our even knowing it. Luckily no body was hurt and the only things taken were a laptop and a few smashed windshields. But we weren’t around which was a huge miracle because it was our plan to be there. Thank goodness HE has different plans then we do.

This week has been filled with wonderful members, delicious food (until I was stuffed fuller then a turkey on thanksgiving day (they don’t even celebrate thanksgiving here!!)), good friends, uplifting lessons and meetings and more then anything this has been a week of spiritual growth for this little Hermana. I have so much to be thankful for. I’ve learned so much and felt the spirit so strong. I’ve strengthened relationships, made friends, lifted up the weary and been lifted in return. I love to be a missionary!

Today we had a special zone conference. We talked a lot about our responsibility as missionaries and our attitudes. We watched the most powerful video clip about the atonement. The point was this.... you want to become like Jesus Christ. Well, then you have to be willing to sacrifice like him. You have to be rejected like him, you have to act like him, talk like him, react like him. If you want to be like Jesus Christ you have to be more then willing, you have to pay at least a teeny tiny itty-bitty bit of what he paid. Or how else can you expect to be like him.   Christ was the perfect missionary; the perfect missionary and the world literally crucified him. I can take up my little cross and try a little harder to be a little better. There is NO easy way when it comes to missionary work. It’s not suppose to be easy, it never has been. But for those of us who are willing to pay the price the rewards far outweigh the sacrifices. I feel honored to be rejected, delighted to be disliked and at peace in the war of the world. I am becoming like my savior, my father, would have me be. THIS is MY mission.

The truth is I love you all so so much! You are my teachers, examples, my reason to be here. Everything that I know about the gospel is strengthened through my loved one. I literally pray for each and every one of you, by name, every night. My family will be forever. I love you guys!!! Prayers from Costa Rica;)

All my love,
 Hermana Kugath

Halllooweeeen

My Dearest Family...

Another week come and gone so fast! I can’t believe this week is already Halloween! wow.. The sad thing is that they don’t celebrate it here in Costa Rica. Why?? Beats me. Its like free candy and you don’t have to wear normal clothes, why isn’t Halloween every day?? Hermana Montoya and I are really excited because were going to celebrate it alone if we have to. (We heard that the missionaries aren’t allowed to leave the house this day or something like that because there might be crazy people in the streets..... but were not sure so we’ll see.) But for our costumes were currently planning on switching our nametags, we'll see! Anyways, yesterday was the day of cambios but luckily were safe and will be spending a minimum of 6 more weeks here in Moravia:)  I’m actually really glad! I love everything about my area. My companion, my investigators, my house, my ward an members, the town, the way we do things.. I’m really comfortable, happy and grateful that Heavenly Father still has a purpose for me in this place that I love so much. Of course we have a purpose here! Hermana Montoya and I are a powerhouse team:) we've had the opportunity to be part of a big change here in our stake, Toyopan. The Hermana Especialistas told us that for a long time president wasn’t really pleased with the numbers and results we were putting out because he knew that the zone could do more. But we’ve been working super, super hard this last little cambio to change that and this month our numbers were 2nd only to Guanacaste (which is like the promised land!) !!!!!!! So we were all very pleased. In fact, president was so pleased with us that he gave us permission to go to the cascadas (waterfalls) of Coronado today! We even have the privilege of wearing normal clothes! Whoa... ha-ha that’s a big deal folks; I'm wearing PANTS in PUBLIC! eso!!!

This week was really fun. We got to do divisions with the Hermana Especialistas so I got to go work with Hermana Pizza in Purral for a few days! A little bit of change now and again is refreshing. It was really good to have the chance to see someone else’s area and be someone else’s companion for a little bit of time because it helps us to see the things that were doing wrong and the areas that we need to change, work harder or be better. But also the areas that were doing really good! The areas of our strengths and the things we do the best. I learned a lot from my few days in Purral and were excited to make Moravia even better then it already is! One of my favorite parts of this mini transfer was that we got to play soccer in the mornings with some other missionaries. Everyone knows I’m not the hugest soccer girl, but these two days that we played it was pure joy! We had to wake up super early, but it was worth it to get to run and play around and for once get a good work out. The two days after we played my body of course hated me and rebelled.... but the pain was nothing compared to how happy I felt playing so it was okay. 

This week Gerardo was confirmed a member and given the Holy Ghost! In this same sacrament meeting we had one of our special investigators. Yamelet is an older blind woman that were trying to teach. Wow it is difficult trying to teach someone whom cant read and cant get to church themselves!!! But we have been commissioned to preach to everyone and so our struggle with blindness and people who simply don’t know how to read rolls forward. It was really sweet though because the members were all so ready and willing to help us! We had a couple come and pick up yamelet and take her to church while we were there others helped her find the bathroom, got her water, helped her to a comfortable seat, sat by her, talked to her, introduced themselves and welcomed her in every way possible. After church one family even drove her to the clinic because she asked them to. I LOVE BEING  MORMON!!! There’s no other people like us in the world. 

Anyways, I’ve got to get me to a waterfall sooo.... I love and miss each and every one of you! Please all of you eat at least 10 pieces of Halloween candy for me this weekend :) and remember that I am continually sending my love and prayers for you from the land of the lamanites ;) haha. Prayers from Costa Rica!

All my Love, 

Hermana Kugath

BOGO- Baptize one get one :)

My Darling Family and Friends-

Hola:) Wow what an exhausting week. Hermana Montoya and I have been working super hard this week to help Gerardo to be ready for his baptism (which was yesterday!!!!!) and so we've been a little more then exhausted. I’ve also had to wake up early every day to catch up in my journal writing. I got behind at the beginning of this cambio and it’s been a real fight to get caught up, but today I did it. Every day something happens to me that’s miraculous, incredible, special, beautiful, etc. and I want to always remember the experiences from my mission and so my journal has become something really important for me. I’m glad to report that I have written something from every single 145 days that I've been a missionary. Its crazy to believe that I’ve actually been gone that long but its true! I’m coming up on my 5-month mark already, wow. It's weird but there are some days when I don’t remember what anything but mission life is like. Like those days when I slept in until 12, those days I didn’t read my scriptures for 3 hours, and those days when I didn’t eat rice and beans... hhmm, those days existed??? I can’t remember haha. What did I do for 19 years before this?

I’m sorry I’m having a brain dead moment on all the things I wanted to tell y'all....

One of the funnest things were doing right now is helping the Garcia family in their Soda (its like a little family restaurant.). Every Wednesday we go and give service to them by working for free for an hour or two. They’re a big family of 8 kids. The youngest just got home from his mission so they’re all grown up. We work a lot with this special family! The third oldest is Jovana, our cook:) she has 5 kids and were at her house everyday! She is an awesome cook so we always leave happy. There are 2 brothers, Keni and Luis that help us to do a lot of things in the work. They’re both on the high council so they help us visit people, organize baptisms and all ward\ stake business. There are also 3 sisters and the mom who are inactive. We're working really hard to help them. When we give service in the soda we always leave them with a spiritual message and a prayer. They’re all really funny, happy people! We just have to help some of them sort out their priorities;).

The ward I’m in right now is really incredible! en serio. The people are true saints and have been taking really good care of us. We're fed everywhere we go (now I understand why people say that the hermanas always leave Moravia chubbier then when they got there) and were also given umbrellas from everyone! Hermana Montoya and I stopped carrying umbrellas after we lost 2 in 2 consecutive days, but then it began to rain like in the days of Noah..... So now were a little bit fatter and our house is filled with umbrellas!! No complaints. Another incredible thing about our ward is the youth. They’ve all got the missionary spirit like mad! This week we did divisions 3 times with young women. Every member we visit had a reference for us and asks us to go out teaching with us. This week we had our first baptism together. His name is Gerardo, he’s 14. The ward, especially the young men’s program has just succored him in! Before he was baptized he was invited to every mutual, seminary activity, ward activity, church event, etc.  For the last 3 weeks. He attended a missionary farewell, mutual, a young men’s hike campo out thingy. General conference, seminary graduation. The list goes one! For the youth of the church here, their friends in the church are almost all the have so they’re all knit in really tight with each other. And we don’t even have to tell them to do it! The other day during one of our divisions the young woman I was with invited an investigator girl to go to mutual with her then next day (I didn’t even think about it let alone ask her to do that!). Another example is Javier with Gerardo. At general conference he brought him a white shirt and tie so he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. He also brought him a notebook to take notes. Later he gave him a book of Mormon with the steps of prayer written in the front. It’s these little acts of service by these youth that have really touched me. Missionary work isn’t this huge deal, its a lot of little thoughtful acts that bring the spirit and help people feel the difference of who we are as members of the church of Christ.

One other quick experience. This week we had the opportunity to share a few choice moments with a Jehovah’s Witness. It turns out we were both visiting the same person and one day we showed up at the same time... awkward. Haha, being the naive little girl I am I thought itwou7ld be a good idea for us all to talk together. The moment we sat down she began to attack the book of Mormon, the church and us. This went on for a little while until she made the comment that we didn’t know whom Christ was. Well, as missionaries we didn’t take to that too kindly... My companion (she’s so great!) Looked her right in the face and said, Hermana, as true representatives of Jesus Christ we know who he is, the significance of his sacrifice and the role he plays in our lives and in our eternal salvation... it was awesome. Needless to say we gained nothing from that lesson except a testimony of our own literal authority as the messengers and disciples authorized to represent Jesus Christ and His true Church.

How blessed are we to know the truth? To never have to doubt? And if we do have doubts we have fountains of sources to search out the answers! I love this gospel, this church, Moravia, I love this work!! But more then anything I love my Savior and Redeemer, my Brother and friend, My Lord and King, My very own Jesus Christ. I love you family and friends:) prayers from Costa Rica!

All my Love,
Hermana Kugath

Tengo 20 anos?.... Que?...

Si señor, yo te segire. (Yes, Lord, I will follow thee)

My most dear, adorable, lovely family!

I’m 20!!! whoa, que awkward. I’m antigua haha. So yes, this week was my birthday, thank you thank you thank you for all of the notes, cards, packages (even if they weren’t received :| ), thoughts, prayers, songs, and love that was sent to me! What a beautiful day I had. You should know I was spoiled in all kinds of manners. My zone leaders found out it was my birthday a few days before and surprised me with a super rico cake after the second session of conference Saturday afternoon. It was really delicious and even said happy birthday hermana! I don’t know how they did it with such short notice. But they did, it was delicious, even split between 15 hungry missionaries:) Also it turns out that our cook’s birthday was the same day! so we were invited over to her house where we ate meat, real meat!!!! steak, pork and chicken. soda and to top it off, a giant 3 chocolate cake! We got to blow out the candles and share the special day with my new borrowed/adopted family! So I hope no one worried, I had a very special and beautiful day. More important then all the goodies and queque (cake!) I ate was that I had the opportunity to hear the voices of our beloved prophet and apostles! Wow was this conference powerful or what!!!

I'll admit it was a little hard because it was totally in Spanish. (I loved the first 4 or 5 words of every talk because I could listen to their real voices but quickly the translation would take over... I’ve missed their voices so much!). But si, I listened to all 4 sessions in pure Spanish and boy did I learn my Spanish was lacking. It was like I could pick out the main theme of every talk and understand mas o menus what they were saying, but I did miss that I could understand everything. It was a little hard to focus also because we were constantly worried about "what are our investigators feeling" "why isn’t so and so here yet" "did they hear that part? It was so good and exactly for them!” so needless to say my mind was a wee bit unfocused and because of this my Spanish listening wasnt up to par. HOWEVER, i still did have an incredible experience. The things I did hear, the doctrine I received and the spirit I felt were exactly the things I needed to study and understand. One of my favorite parts was the 2 talks that were given in Spanish. I don’t know if it was translated for you guys or if you only had subtitles and could hear him speaking, but the 1st (elder gaveret??) was incredible! Him I could understand almost perfectly. wow. I’ve adopted his saying to be one of mine personally... si senor, you te segire! One of my other favorites that was really sweet was Elder Scotts. Mommy and Daddy this I felt was exactly for our family. There are some things that maybe are optional but the 4 that he talked about aren’t. 1. Prayer 2. Scriptures 3.FHE and 4. Ir al temple! (go to the temple!). I know I was always a bum and it’s my fault we never had fhe those Monday nights but this is a commandment from an apostle. Monday nights are for the family... no importa what else is going on, no team, sport, dance, activity, concert, class... nothing takes precedence over my family and our time together.    I didn’t always feel so strongly about this, but now I do. Our family will be eternal. My track team, my boyfriends, my etc. etc. obviously weren’t meant to be eternal and I am so sad for the time I missed with you guys those monday nights I wasn’t at home. Don’t let the little boys, mis hermanitos, have this same regret! Juntos familia:) ser juntos. The last talk I was in love with was that of elder Ballard! whooooooo. Wow. If anyone wanted to know how a missionary feels all you have to do is read that talk. He described the whole reason missionary work exists. Some days it’s really hard to face rejection after rejection (and let me tell you this was a week of rejection!) but when we remember why, It’s easier to take. I'd encourage everyone to read that talk again and find your own desire, your reason, to share the gospel.


Moving on because there’s soooo much to say!!! There have been so many miracles in this last week I can’t wait to tell you. so much new so much good! Primera, mi compnaera! My companion is Hermana Montoya! She is also the Twin of my very own Paige Crittenden! They look totally opposite but act the same, I love it:) she is 22 years old, from California, her parents are both from Mexico, she’s hilarious, speaks Spanish incredibly (but I mean her parents are from Mexico....), she isn’t shy para nada and she is an amazing missionary! We’ve only had 1 week together but already I have learned so much from her example. We have a lot in common- were both terrified of sharks, like to play sports, vampire diaries fans, we both run about 5 minutes late... and our differences balance each other out. We’ve been working so hard here you wouldn’t believe it!

Miracle #2 we have a house! A dream house I tell you! Space oh beautiful space:) we have a 2 story, 2 bathroom house just for us. In Santa Ana we had that itty-bitty apartment to share but not now! I don’t now what I did to deserve such a blessing. The lady who rents to us (she’s not a member .... yet... ;) ha-ha) also comes in regularly to clean and does our laundry. Its like I’m back home again! jk mommy jk, she doesn’t cook for us so its nothing like home. But seriously. It’s so wonderful!

Miracle #3 Our Ward is awesome! We have a chapel even:):):) we have a bunch of ex missionaries who go out with us to teach and also the young men and women are really involved! The other night we had a noche de grupo (like a family home evening ward style). It was awesome! I have never heard so many jokes (scripture jokes even!) and laughter in 1 short hour. I’m excited to get to work with all these great people! Hermana Montoya and I have a gigantic area but that gives us tons of room to find news and to teach. The members here are equal to the members at home (except I cant always understand what they’re saying....) but they are converted through and through and are ready to spread the good news with us!

I am so grateful to be only 1 of more then 88,000 missionaries and 1 in 15,000,000 members in this amazing moment in time! The whole world is going to Meet the Mormons! The only way that people will meet the gospel is through us... we are the converts, the teachers. The world needs us. Today we had a meeting for the hermanas of the zone all about having faith. You can’t have faith if you have fear.... be bold! SI senor, yo te segire! Share the joy that you have that IS the gospel of JESUS CHRIST! I love you all and am so grateful for your roles are helping me along my conversion. Each of you is an important, beloved, irreplaceable part of my family. I love you!! Prayers from Costa Rica:)

All my love,
Hermana Kugath

si señor, you te segire!

A baby, A wedding, A Confirmation and a Transfer

(You all should know Aleena's sister Maddie had her baby on June 25th June Elyse Cline)

Oh My Most Beautiful Family!!!!!!

I’m an aunt!  Una tia J otra vez!!!! Yay. Oh welcome Little junebug. You are so beautiful. I can’t wait to meet you and imp so happy you’re here, that you’re safe (you to maddle). Ah! I love her so much!

Wow dearest family this has been one of the best weeks of my life. As you can tell from the title of this email, it has literally been a week of countless miracles. So many more then just 17. I wish I could tell you everything that has happened to me in these past couple days, ill do my best to explain as much as I can.

So as you guys know we had a wedding, a baptism and a confirmation all planned for this week. There were many moments of doubt when we didn’t think we could get everything done. But there aint nothing can get in the way when Heavenly Father sends Hermnanas Kugath and Bojorque to do something! Especially when its something as important as a weddingJ The truth is it’s a lot harder to get married here then it is in the states. You have to have a ton of paper work, a lawyer, witnesses, yada yada etc etc…. We found out that Marlon would have Wednesday free at 1 in the afternoon on Tuesday and immediately began to plan the wedding for the next afternoon. Decorations, paper work, guests, food, lawyer….. We sent them to San Jose in the morning to get his provisional passport and to make copies of all the documents we needed. Somehow in between my companion’s final interview with president Wilkinson, decorating the church for the wedding, coordinating with the relief society and our district meeting we somehow got everything sent to the lawyer so that he could have the documents ready for that evening. (Lucky for us the lawyer is a member of the church so he could do it for us more cheap and at the last minute).  Hermana Bojorque and I did all the decorating ourselves (which was extremely difficult because we were practically out of money and I’m also not very creative or artsy which yall already know.).  Against all odds we had our wedding! And it was beautiful…. Pink and purple! We lent Daniela clothes and helped her with her hair and makeup and the elders even lent Marlon a suit and tie! (Our family bought the cake… and I ate a great big piece in honor of you allJ haha). It wasn’t big, grand, and fancy… but it was beautiful.  She didn’t need a fancy white dress or a great big ring, they just wanted to keep the law of chastity and start to unite their family! (pictures to comeJ)

Following the wedding there was still so much to do. We kept teaching and visiting and helping them understand the next steps. Their responses to the doctrines of tithing, fasting, and service in the church were full of faith and trust. They began paying their tithing right away regardless of the fact that Marlon can’t be baptized soon. We prepared her for her interview and she passed with flying colors~! (You should hear her say the name of president monsoon, it’s so cute!).   But we ran into a little snag Saturday morning, the very day of her baptism. She called us crying because they didn’t have any money to come to the chapel that day for the baptism. For a minute we were devastated because we also were literally out of money, Wed used everything we had for the wedding and food. but we said a prayer and Hermana bojorque picked up her book of Mormon (her secret place for her money) and turned it upside down shaking it to see if there was anything left. Out fell a 20 mil bill!!! I am not kidding when I tell you this money came directly from our Heavenly Father. We had searched that book maybe 16 times in the last 2 weeks and hadn’t found anything! And here, in our moment of need it just fell out. And so, Daniela was baptized on the 27th of September and confirmed the next day! My very first, and last baptism, in Santa Ana. That’s right folks. The same day as our confirmation we got the call, cambios… But more about that in a second. That night (knowing that wed probably have transfers) we visited our little familia one more time. We taught them a sweet little lesson about eternal marriage, the sealing power of the temple, and helped them to start their family history. When it was time to leave we all knelt down to say the closing prayer. Marlon prayed so sincerely that he would be able to find a different job so that he could go to church, be baptized, and go to the temple with his family. He prayed for us and thanked the Lord for sending us to them…. When he ended it we all had a few tears in our eyes. Everyone knows I’m not good with goodbye, and this one was hard. To walk away from someone you’ve grown to love, someone you’ve watched progress so, so much in so little time, and really not having plans to ever see them again… that’s hard. But as missionaries its what we have to do.

On the way home we got the call from the Zone Leaders.. They’ve decided to close the area of Santa Ana and I’m being sent to Moravia. My new companion is Hermana Montoya! I’ve only known her a few hours but she’s from California and only has 1 change here. Ill let you know more about her in my next letter! So in the last 24 hours vie had to say some very hard goodbyes.  All the members of Santa Ana, Daniela Marlon and esmarlan, and finally my very own Hermana Bojorque! Wow, dificil. But I’ve added 1 to my forever family and for that I am more then grateful!

As a missionary I continue to learn, change and hopefully progress. But as a daughter, sister and aunt I’m always the sameJ I love you all so much. The lord is watching over me, and I know He’s watching over you for me! Bienvenida little Junie! Prayers from Costa Rica!

All my love,

Hermana Kugath