Hermana Starke: The LIFE is always PURER on the other side!

Hello hello,
So last week I told you all how I was sick with a fever and well that fever
just wouldn't go away. So I got blessing from my zone leader like Mom told
me to and well, I am here to say that the priesthood is real and it works
because after that, I felt all better and was ready to get back to work!
And I really needed to feel better because this week we got to go on
divisions with the sisters in... drum roll please...
QUEPOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What's quepos one might ask? Just google it. And you will discover that it's
one of the worlds top destination vacation spots. And we got to go teach
the gospel there! How lucky am I???
So lets begin...
Wednesday was our PDAY because we got to go to the 7am session at the
temple with our zone. It was so amazing and I got to see lots of my
favorite missionary friends. Then we grabbed our backpacks and headed to
San Jose. Took a taxi to the buses that go to Quepos. Bought a $10 ticket
for the 3 hour bus ride. So we hop on the bus and I am just loving the ride
because we passed through Ciudad Colon and Orotina and WOW! I do NOT MISS
the heat. It just kept getting hotter and hotter...

So we pass through jungles, trees, waterfalls, green hills and the
prettiest sights you ever did see. I see animals, kids playing soccer, lots
of fruit and the green, green Costa Rica. So we arrive to Quepos around 4
and were so excited because we had 2 hours until 6 to play and enjoy the
rest of our PDAY. Attached are all the fun pictures we took at the beach
and I was just dying of happiness because it's just so beautiful and
Heavenly Father blessed me with a little tender mercy and mini vacation in
the mission. Hehe
So Thursday I had the funnest day with the sisters in Quepos they are so
awesome. We woke up at 6 and went and played soccer in the rain. Again, I
do NOT miss that beach heat. But, I was painfully reminded of my days in
Orotina when the rain, sweat, and humidity just all combine together and
you are just wet all the time. Your clothes stick to you and you drink
gallons of water so that you don't pass out. We had lots of amazing lessons
and visits and found a new investigator. She's a single mom with 4
quadrouplets and so prepared to hear the gospel. We also found a lady who
was preparing to be baptized but moved to Quepos and didn't know where the
church was, so we obviously made an appointment to go back! And they, in
return, gave us mangos. My companion for the day was Hermana Tordecilla and
she is a rockstar from Colombia and just a doll so we had a blast.
Friday we woke up at 6 again and went running on the BEACH! I love the
salty think air and the smell of pure paradise. We took a ferry to get to
the Island where they have most of their investigators. That's right... AN
ISLAND! It's sooo awesome. The people are so nice and humble and I kind of
felt like I was Koli Poki (Elder Groberg from "The Other Side of Heaven") visiting people in their huts and shacks and getting ATTACKED by bugs. But I loved every minute of it!

We got home alive and exhausted and the Lord really blessed us because we
had 10 investigators come to church despite the fact that we were gone from
our area half the week in Quepos! Such a tender mercy. And the
ward attendance was the most it has ever been!

But the tender mercies don't stop there! Sunday after church the missionary
couple serving here in the temple decided to make me HOME MADE CAFE RIO for
lunch and it was the best thing I have eaten in my entire life and all I
have to say is that I love love love this lady with all my heart. Sister
Haws is the best! Oh and for dessert, home made apple pie!

Life as a missionary doesn't get any better than this...
Love you all. Have a happy week. GOOGLE QUEPOS!
Hermana Starke