The light of the world

Hey everyone!

I truly can't believe it's already been another week, can you? Time is
passing by so quickly I don't even know what to do with myself. This week
has been amazing!

Well since we live less than a block away from the temple, I get to see my
friends from other areas when they make temple trips and it's just the best.
We also provided a home for 9 sister missionaries 2 nights in a row because
their sessions and sealings ended at 10pm. So this whole week has been non
stop slumber parties and just a blast. I didn't get much sleep, but hey
that's nothing new!

And as any week goes in the work of the Lord it was full of tender mercies
and miracles. There's too many to mention and some are even too sacred to
share. But I hope you can all just live through these with me as I do my
best to relate some of the best experiences of my mission yet.

So the week started out rough to be honest. My companion hasn't had what
she's wanted in Belen and after 3 changes here, was more than ready to
leave. We both thought for sure she was gone.

The truth is, we are both very different but united in purpose so we have
been able to overcome our weaknesses and work together. We work and think
very differently and don't agree on many things but I've learned so much
during our time together and the Lord has taught me how to love humbly and
serve patiently. Finally after 3 straight nights of hearing her cry herself
to sleep, I told her that we needed to work together, enjoy the mission and
find the good in every day. Maybe it's not what she wanted but it's what we
need and the Lord knows best. I know he has plans in store for us so let's
start working even harder to see what miracles lie ahead. So we stayed up
all night talking and crying and working things out with new plans and
goals to be happy and find out what the Lord wants us to learn from this.

So the next day we decided to do something different and study on the
temple grounds. We learned so much together and felt the spirit so strongly
guiding our studies. I found so many treasures in the scriptures and
exactly what my investigators needed.

We then had a great district meeting with our new district leader and we
learned about faith. It's so simple. But so powerful. We know faith is the
first prinicple of the gospel, but did you know it's also the first
prinicple of missionary work as well? It's not how well you know the
scriptures or language. It's not about how strong your testimony is or how
great of a teacher you are. But it's about how much faith you have in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Faith preceeds every miracle. And faith gives us the
power to do the impossible. To do what we cannot do for ourselves. So we
left feeling super excited to work and see miracles that we found 8 new
investigators that day and were able to teach so powerfully that one of our
eternal investgator families accepted to get married and baptized! Faith is
all we need. All we have to do is believe that good things are waiting for
us because they always are.

Just like Isabelle and Nicholas have been waiting for me. After lunch on
Friday we went to visit them. They are a family we have been teaching ever
since I got here. I love them so much and we are preparing them to be
married and baptized July 26th. The rule here is that you have to attend
church at least 3 times to be baptized. Nicholas has already come more than
3 times but Isabelle has only come once, meaning that these next two Sundays
she FOR SURE has to come.

So we walked into their house Friday and only Nicholas was there with the
kids. Where's Isabelle we asked?? She left to visit her family in Nicaragua
for the weekend.

WHAT!?

Yeah, she left in the morning and won't be coming back until Tuesday.

Well that just wasn't going to work for me. Seriously, you guys have no idea
how much I have prayed for and worked with this family so this just crushed
me. But I wasn't going to give up too fast. We left and started walking to
our next appointment. As I racked my brain for a solution a scripture came
to my mind...

*"Nevertheless the children of God were commanded that they should gather
themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of
the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God.*"

Isabelle still didn't understand and comprehend the importance of going to
church every Sunday and the blessings recieved for keeping the sabbath day
holy. But we did. And I knew we needed to fast especially for her. For the
welfare of her soul. So that she could still be bapized on the 26th.

As I was about to tell hermana Ponce what we needed to do, she stopped in
the middle of the street and said let's fast. I will never forget the moment
2 girls huddled under umbrellas offering the most sincere and heartfelt
prayer, starting our fast. We told Heavenly Father that we had done
absolutely everything we could and that it was now in His hands. We pleaded
for divine help. We begged for a miracle. And I couldn't help but smile when
hermana ponce said... please, father, bless that the bus can leave without
her. Please do whatever it takes to stop her from getting on that bus! She
cannot get on that bus. She's going to come to church this Sunday and she's
going to get baptized.

So we fasted all day and at night I saw the prettiest sunset of my life.
The pictures I sent home don't do it justice but these sunsets give me the
chills and I know without a doubt they are made by our supreme creator.
They are made by our Father.

A few hours after the sun went down, there was black out. The electricty
went out and all of Belen was completely dark. We panicked and started to
freak out because dangerous stuff can happen when no one can see anything.
But then I turned around and instantly felt peace as I saw the only
building in the entire city that hadnt lost it's light...

The temple.

It was the only thing in the entire city that had light and seriously, it
was breathtaking. It's perfect brightness shined so bright for all to see
and broke through the darkness. I can't really explain just how happy and
hopeful I felt to know that with all the scary, evil things, and darkness
in the world, the Lord is our light and our rock and will always be our
guide. Just like the temple was for us that night. We hurriedly walked up
the hill to the temple and went inside to wait for the electricty to come
back. I offered up a prayer of thanks and gratitude for having the light of
the true gospel in my life. And there is no amount of money in the world
that could buy the peace and joy given to us as we live it.

The Lord has said,

*"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour,
wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be
cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.*

*Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be
hid.*

*Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.*

*Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father which is in heaven."*

And of course we continued praying for Isabelle.

Saturday before lunch we broke our fast and I had complete faith and
confidence that everything was going to be ok. After eating we made our way
to their house. I opened up the big red gate and walked passed the dogs and
chickens to get to their house at the very end. My companion was behind me
and ran into me when I stopped walking in shock and amazement of what I
saw... ISABELLE!!! There she was, sitting on the couch, wondering why I
looked like I was about to cry. What's wrong?? Come in!! She said. I just
covered my mouth with my hands and looked at hermana Ponce. It was a
miracle. God gave us our miracle.

Never have I ever believed so much in these words:

*"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it
shall be opened unto you:*

* For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to
him that knocketh it shall be opened.*

*Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a
stone?*

*Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?*

*If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children,
how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them
that ask him?"*

I have absolute faith in Jesus Christ and know that God is our loving
Heavenly Father. They live and love us! Miracles are real. I see them
everyday.

Love you all. Have the best week. Pray for miracles! They come. He listens.

Hermana Starke

My companion made me an El Salvadorian breakfast

I got to say goodbye to Hermana Anderson who trained me when I first arrived in Costa Rica