WEDDINGS AND CONFERENCE!

Week 10

Its me again! I know you missed me  My p-day changed this week because my zone went to the temple today! Me and my companion had to get up at 4 in the morning so we could catch a train and get to San Jose by 6. But it was totally worth it! The temple is beautiful here!

This week me and my companion went to the wedding of a couple we have been visiting! They have six kids and they are all adorable! I am sending pictures. 

and I seem to embarrass myself at least once every week... This week i pointed to a girls hair and said, Me gusta su pelo... Which means I like your hair! When we walked away my companion busted up laughing and said pelo is for dogs. I didnt believe her so I looked in my dictionary and pelo means fur! So im pretty sure I pointed to a girls hair and said, I like your fur. hahaha oh man learning a language is hard. This week is also fast and testimony meeting so wish me luck as I share my testimony with the whole ward 

Other important things that you should know. 

First. I have problems. Every house we go offers us food... its to the point where we are eating about 2 lunches every day, 2 dinners, and snacks in between... I dont want to say no so instead I am just going to come home a few pounds heavier  Pray for me. 

Second. CONFERENCE WAS LAST WEEKEND! Except I had to watch it completely in Spanish and didnt get much out of it... So if you want to send me your favorite parts that would wonderful  As a joke, I kept telling my zone to look for my family... They told me next time to have my friends and family go and hold up signs that say WE LOVE YOU HERMANA BASS. So i am expecting you all to bring signs to the next conference! 

Third. I HAD MY ONE MONTH ANNIVERSARY IN COSTA RICA! Whoa time flies. We got to go to the Presidents house and got to eat MORE food... yay. But I also got to see Hermana Farber from the MTC so that was fun... She is a wonderful human being. 

Its time for another round of ....... 

THINGS I TOOK FOR GRANTED IN THE USA

This week is snow... I still hate the cold and the snow... but the other day I was talking to a 12 year old girl and she told me that her dream in life was to go the United States and build a snowman.... So cute but also made me feel a little guilty for hating the snow... lol. 

But anyways I love you! Thanks for the support! Pura Vida! 

Hermana Bass

WHAT AN AMAZING WEEK!

Week 9

What an amazing week!

My Spanish is improving every day! I can contribute more to lessons a little more now and I can follow the conversation pretty well!

A few days ago I had no clue what was going on because I kept asking my companion "Where are we going?" and she kept saying 'Cena' .... finally out of frustration I asked, "Who is Cena!?" She busted up laughing... Cena means dinner in Spanish

But the food is amazing... Rice and beans for every meal. But let me tell you... they are the best rice and beans I have ever had in my life

Also. I am ashamed to admit it. But yes... I bought crocs (Yes. The ones with the holes in them that were super popular about ten years ago) and yes. I wear them all over the place.
Don't judge me until you have walked my path.

This week was Semana Santa... basically Easter. There were fireworks going off all Saturday night and Sunday... It was odd to be sitting in Sacrament and hear huge booms outside... That was a first

Ahhh I love being a missionary folks

While on splits with a member, we found a woman named Maria. We started teaching her and after three visits she told us that she has to take care of her grandchildren and she didn't have enough money to have food for herself... only her grandchildren. She then went on to say that after every time we visited her she somehow got enough food for herself too. Wow she is amazing!

Yesterday we were wandering around trying to find new people to teach... and my companion said I had to choose where we went. I eventually stopped at a house and a young woman answered the door and let us in. We asked her what role religion has played in her life and as she started sharing her experiences she broke down in tears. I couldn't understand what she was saying but when she started crying I was hit like a ton of bricks with this feeling of God's love for her, so strong that I couldn't help crying as well. And in that instant, even though I couldn't understand the reason for her tears, I felt that God had seen her struggle and loved her infinitely. It was an experience that has never happened to me before... let alone with a perfect stranger. My companion later told me she was saying how she had loved church but had gotten pregnant with her son and the people at the church shunned her and wouldn't allow her to go anymore. Because of this she hasn't been to a church in five years. I can see now the guilt and hurt behind her tears. What an amazing thought that Jesus Christ can life us through the sorrow and because of him, every day is a new start and we can have clean slates again and again. I can't wait to keep teaching her

Hope everything is going well back at home! Love you all!

Con amor

Hermana Bass

ANOTHER WEEK IN COSTA RICA

Week 8

Its me again everyone I hope your week went well.

First.

None of you will believe that quiet, soft spoken Jessica did this. But I did. And I have my compañera to prove it. Now in the Costa Rica San Jose West Mission, you aren´t considered a serious missionary until you do something called bus contacting. Or at least I don´t think you are... I´ve only been here two weeks But anyways. Back to bus contacting. The bus here is one of the most popular forms of transportation. There is usually about 40 or 50 people on every bus you ride. So a few days ago we were riding the bus back from Alejuela and my compañera says its time to do bus contacting. So I STOOD UP ON THE BUS AND SHARED A MESSAGE IN SPANISH IN FRONT OF EVERYONE. I felt like Samuel the lamanite. Coolest but scariest thing I have ever done.

This week I also experienced my first dose of persecution. What up We went to this home and the wife let us in and we were in her living room talking with her and her kids... and everything was all fine and dandy. We sang some hymns and shared a message.... AND THEN the husband came out and I have no idea what he said because it was very fast and loud Spanish... but I definitely got the message that he wanted us to leave his house immediately. Oh geez it was interesting. The only time I was glad I cant speak Spanish very well.

We were also talking with this other family and this little 7 year old grabbed my hand inbetween hers and said, ¨Look mom its an Oreo¨ So funny.

If any one on my email list reading this is on a mission right now, if possible, you should get the Riciarrdi Letter by Danny Humphrey.. I am pretty sure that is the name.... but every missionary should read it. Its amazing.

Things I Took For Granted In The United States

Houses without spiders. Me and my compañera went on a spider killing spree last night... We have a bunk bed and there were spiders all above my bed. And last night I defintely had nightmares about Spiders. hahaha

And don´t worry I haven´t slept walk yet.... though my compañera tells me I speak better Spanish in my sleep than I do awake

As for the people here... We have been teaching this AMAZING family that I absolutely love... even though I cant fully communicate with them, i can feel how much they each other. The dad used to be a bishop... and the other day we asked him something and he started talking and I had absolutely no idea what he was saying but I was just overwhelmed with the spirit and I looked over at my compañera and she was crying... and I still have no idea what that man said but I know it must of been really great. But yesterday the family members who have not been baptized agreed that by April they will be baptizedI am super excited about it.

So yeah the people here are great. And I love it But I miss you all and hope things are going well

Hasta Luego

Hermana Bass