4 Loves!

Upe buenas,

Hi family. This week felt long. Way too long. But it sure was a good one!
Why? Just because ELDER QUENTIN L. COOK came to talk to us!!!!!!! No big
deal right? Ahh it was the best.

The first thing he wanted to do was shake each and every single one of our
hands. So after shaking hands with an apostle of God and seeing his warm happy
smile he gave us missionaries some advice.

Elder Cook said we need to have the 4 loves! He then continued to explain
four different types of love we need to develop that will help us to become
better representatives of Jesus Christ and His church.

1.  LOVE the people.
When we love the people we serve we can literally feel a small part of the
love our Heavenly Father feels for them. I love my ticans and I am so happy
I get to serve them. I am also so grateful for all those that love me at
home! This week I got 2 awesome packages from Grandma and the Dougherty
family, you guys are awesome. Thanks a million!

2. LOVE your mission president.
Everyone knows that Pres Wilkinson is the best. How could I not love him
and his amazing family? Something really cool that Elder Cook taught is
that part of the process in assigning missionaries includes deciding which
mission president we need and will benefit from. So I get a call Tuesday
night around 10:30pm from one of his assitants telling me I have to be in
the office in the morning at 8am. His voice was all serious and I started
freaking out thinking I did something wrong or that I was leaving my area.
So all worried I ask him why and he tells me that IM GONNA HAVE A
DAUGHTER!!!!!!!! Which leads me to number three.

3. LOVE your companion.
So those of you who arent fluent in missionary language, having a daughter
means you become a mom, which means you bring a new missionary into this
world, fresh from the MTC. So surprise, Im training! And I absolutely love
it. Hermana Contreras just turned 19 and is a cutie patootie from
Guatelmala. She loves being a missionary and I love her. She speaks perfect
English and has so much excitement for the work. We have already seen so
many miracles together and I know we will be seeing LOTS more!

My New Companion  Hermana Contreras from Guatemala

Hermana Contreras and Hermana Anderson

Saying goodbye to Hermana Hernandez and Hello to Hermana Contreras

4. LOVE the Savior.
I am so grateful that being a missionary has allowed me to forget about the
world and myself. And that its helped me to remember the Savior and all that
He did for me. I am happy and humbled to represent Him even when I feel
alone, rejected and burdened. Because if i want to become more like Him,
well I have to suffer a little too. When I feel like I have no where to
turn, I turn to Him. And He is *always *there.

Just like I love the ticans, my mission president, my companion, and the
Savior, I LOVE YOU ALL TOO!

Thanks for all your support, prayers, mail, packages, and letters.
You guys are the best!

Hermana Starke

"May God Be With You"

Hi Friends and Family,

Thanks for all the emails this week. They made me real happy! But the truth
is, it's almost impossible *not* be happy here :)

We had a great week... 50 lessons and 2 baptisms! It was the perfect week
to end this change. Yep, Tuesday we have changes! It's bittersweet.

So I kind of love serving my mission in a foreign country because even
though I feel like a Tican, I obviously do not look like one. A white
gringa walking down the street with a colorful skirt and name tag draws a
lot more attention than I realize.

But all the nice, friendly people say, "Que Dios los acompane!" Which in
English means, "may God be with you!"

But this week was my favorite. Some guy said to us as we were walking by
"Que Dios los acompane.........si yo no puedo!" Which in English, is
creeper for, May God be with you, SINCE I CAN'T BE!

Hahaha it was great.

Oh and then there's the embarrassing part of my life where Costa Rica
decided to get CRAZY WINDY!!! Seriously the wind here is inanse, and
wearing a flowy dress out was not the best decision I've ever made in my
life. But coming on a mission was! In rain or shine, in mini tornados or creepy
cat calls, we push on and we make it through.

Some days I struggle to make it through another day, but then the Lord
blesses me with tender moments that remind me it's all worth it. And our 2
baptisms this week were some of those moments!

Alejandro is the sweetest, happiest 12 year old boy I know. He loves life
and is the youngest son of a family that we have been teaching for the past
several months. His mom and sister still have lots of changes to make in
their life so we had his baptism early, because he was so ready! To learn
all the lessons, I made him a little book with pictures and he ran out with
a big smile when he passed his baptism interview. All the youth adore him
and he is so excited to be a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter
day Saints. And on Sunday, he proudly represented his new CTR ring! Thanks
for sending those mama :)

Erika is also a sweet, shy, 12 year old girl. She moved in with her aunt,
Alexandra, who was baptized only a few months ago. The first time we visted
her I gave her a book of mormon and when we came back the next day I asked
her if she had had time to read it. To my amazement she told me she had
read EIGHTEEN chapters. I was like WHAT?! No way!! So she showed me her book
of mormon with yellow highlighter marked all the way up to Nephi chapter
18. Wow right? Since then, she has progressed so quickly and I know the
Lord has big plans for her future. Only 7 more years and she will be
serving her own mission! I love my Erikita.

And I love Costa Rica, and my mission. Miss you guys a ton but I know I am
where the Lord wants me. So, may God be with you, since I cant be!

Love your fave sister missionary,
Hermana Starke

P.s. Sending lots of hugs and prayers to my sweet mama who is having
surgery this week! Love you xoxoxo

 My companion Hermana Hernandez - Probably our last week together.

Takin the Train to the museum on our P-day.  Went to a very fun museum today. 

Just Listen

Holaaa,

This week was the best because we got to go to the temple and I finally got
to see the new video. It was so beautiful and so real and I absolutely
loved it. Now all I wanna do is go back and watch it again. All the members
here say how GUAPO the couple is hahaha. But seriously, it was one of my
best temple experiences yet. I recieved lots of answers to prayers and lots
of peace. I wish we could go every 3 days and not just every 3 months!

Its so crazy when we leave the temple grounds and hop on the loud, dirty
bus back to real life. I look around me and see so many people who may
never feel or know the happiness I have because I have the gospel. It's sad.
But that just makes me want to work even harder!

So first thing is first, I have to give you all an update on Martha and Jan
Carlos who were baptized just a few weeks ago! They moved into a new
apartment so they could be closer to the church. They faithfully walk every
Sunday! Yesterday Jan Carlos got the priesthood and is so excited about it.
He gave his boss a book of mormon and told him it was like the bible but
way cooler and that it has magical powers that help people stop smoking and
drinking. He also has plans to convert his entire family. I love the guy!
This week I gave them a picture of the temple and they are counting down
the days until they can be married for forever! They are both doing great
and are a blessing in my life.

They love going out with us and even let us teach investigators in their
home. So this week we began teaching our new investigator, Marcos, with
them. I guess I shouldn't say new because I have known him since I came to
this area. He is the son of a recent convert but has never EVER let us
teach him because he hasn't believed in God.........until now!

So we ran into him walking home Friday night and started to chat with him.
We asked him about his school and his girlfriend and realized in this
moment he just really needed someone to talk to. He ended up telling us
about all his problems and worries and all we did was just listen. In the
middle of our conversation he told us in his challenging moments he asks
for peace...

WAIT, HOLD UP

What what what! You ask for peace? From who? He smiled. Knowing exactly
where we were going with this one.

"God, I guess." He says.

So he continues telling us his life story and we just listen. It's getting
late and I am tired but the spirit tells me, "just listen". So I do and he
also goes on to tell us he needs help studying english. Ding ding ding, we
have a winner. So I tell him I don't have many talents but I do have one,
and that's English! So we set up an "English class" for Saturday.

Saturday comes and we have the most powerful lesson. At first Marcos got
all confused when we started singing but we told him it was part of the
free english class deal. It was so great. The spirit opened Marcos heart
and he told us all the reasons why he doesn't believe in God. There are
many, but that saddest is that his father abused him and left him to sleep
outside in the cold next to snakes when he was a little boy. We taught him
about the atonement and how the Lord can heal his hurt.

After the lesson I sat down and began to teach him the articles of faith in
English. he laughed when I realized what number one says.( Article of Faith #1 We believe in God the Eternal Father and His son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost)  But then I said  wanna know how I learned Spanish? I read this book called the book of
mormon everyday. I promise if you read it in English, you can learn too. I
told him it was a promise from a prophet of God and if he came to church
tomorrow and I would give him one!

He got so excited and said ok, esta bien! So he came to church the next day
for ALL 3 HOURS. I couldn't believe it. His mom was so happy because it's the
first time one of her sons has ever come to church with her! The gospel
principle class was so inspiried and answered the question of why God let's
bad things happen. It couldn't be more perfect. Martha and Jan Carlos
invited him over for lunch and we challenged him to baptism and guess what?
He said YES!

We are so happy for him. All we had to do was show him that we loved him,
and remind him that his father in heaven does too. All we had to do was
listen!

I love you all, thanks for reading and just listening to me through my
letters!
Hermana Starke

Our Zone Leaders

Pizza Night with a family we are teaching

Hot Dogs!!!!This one has bacon, cheese, guacamole, and potato chips. I think Lisa would be a fan!

Another Wedding!

P-Day in Costa Rica

Ooooh we're half way there! Ooohhh Oooohh livin' on a prayer!

Dear all,

9 months! Can you believe it? We are half way there! And just like the song
says, I truly have been livin on a prayer. I couldn't have made it this far
without it. The day I thought would never come, January 3rd, marked the
middle of my life as a missionary. I have lived half my mission! Which
means half of the blessings, half the tears, and half the experiences.
Heres to another awesome 9 months!

I have learned so many things in these past 9 months and am grateful I
still have 9 more to go. I know the Lord has got lots of things in store
for me. But for my letter this week, I want to share with you the 9 most
important lessons I've learned.

1. How to be PURA VIDA
When it's pouring rain and you are soaking wet, it's fine. Pura Vida! When
all your plans fall through for the day, not a big deal. Pura Vida! When
you realize you sleep next to spiders and find butterflies in your
bathroom, pura vida. You had a bad day? Pura Vida! When life gives you
Costa Rica, you make the best of it. And that is really what I have come to
learn and do here. My mission is so much different and crazier than I ever
expected but life is meant to be enjoyed and I am grateful to all the Costa
Ricans and their Pura Vida lifestyle for teaching me that.

2. How to be a Mommy
Obviously, I dont know how to be Mom yet, but I know everything I am
learning here is helping me to be a better one some day. I have new goals and new
dreams and new things are important to me now. I'm excited to be a mom and
teach my kids to serve missions :)

3. How to be a sista missionary
Well I never thought I could do it, but I have learned it *is* possible to
live without wordly things. Music, cell phones, facebook, internet, and
movies. I miss it, I really do. But I wouldn't trade the experience of
living without them for anything. I know that those things aren't what
really matters in this life. It's real conversations. Family. The
scriptures. And communication with our Heavenly Father. So yes, I am one of
those long skirt, croc wearing missionaries but I absolutely love it.

4. How to be missionary for life
Although my full time service ends in just 9 months, my testimony and
conversion will be with me forever. Maybe my days of carrying my scriptures
around with me all day long will end, but my love with them will always be
in my heart. My prayers won't stop. And I forever want to be a part of this
work!

5. How to speak another language
Last day in the mtc.....yeah guys I got this.
First day in Costa Rica.....wait these people are speaking Spanish right?
Hahaha and so it began. My journey to learn to speak like the Ticans.
Striving so hard to understand more than "hola" and read a verse in the
scriptures without sounding like a complete gringa. It was difficult. I
cried. I prayed hard. You want so badly to love and baptize people that you
can't even understand. But that's the miracle of it all! That the Lord
answered my prayers and blessed me with the gift of tongues and hey guys,
*now* I got this!

6. How to have miracles
Want to see miracles everyday like me? Pray for them. Then work for them.
Being on a mission has shown me how our Heavenly Father really is a God of
miracles. He didn't just part the red sea, heal the blind and multiply fish
way back when. But he continues to pour out miracles to his children today.
All we have to do is live worthy and open our eyes to see them.

7. How to teach
Before I started my mission I don't think I knew all the little parts and
circles to the plan of salvation. I didn't know all the stories in the bible. I
didn't know how to explain to someone what a dispensation was. But when you
teach investigators and they have questions, you realize you need to learn
how. And you need to learn fast! It's quite humbling. Apostasy. The trinity.
The old testament. Yeah, you gotta know it all. And you have to teach it
too. When I came out I thought yeah, I can do this. I taught primary. I
taught at efy. I have a testimony. But I have learned that it's so much more
than that. And while I am still far from perfect, my knowledge and
testimony have grown so much. And I am learning how to be a better teacher.

8. How to be happy
I see people with the gospel, and I see people without it. And the
difference is, those that have it are truly happy! I love how King Benjamin
tells us in the book of Mosiah: *And moreover, I would desire that ye
should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the
commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both
temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are
received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of
never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true;
for the Lord God hath spoken it.*

9. How to be patient
These 9 months sometimes feel like 9 years. Investigators progress slowly.
We sit in the apartment for 3 days when my companion is sick. Blessings are
delayed. Prayers go unanswered. Why? So that we can learn to be patient.
President Uchtdorf tells us, "Patience—the ability to put our desires on
hold for a time—is a precious and rare virtue. We want what we want, and we
want it now. Therefore, the very idea of patience may seem unpleasant and,
at times, bitter. Nevertheless, without patience, we cannot please God; we
cannot become perfect. Indeed, patience is a purifying process that refines
understanding, deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for
peace. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with
something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith;
bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are
delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!"

I love you all, see you in 9 more months!
Hermana Starke

New Year sparklers

Hermana Estrella

Jackson

Eduardo Jesus... we are prepin' him for his mission

Park day