Pictures GALORE from the ruins in Guayabo :D

This is Randall, the member who lives near them and who took them to the park. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heyyyyy. Hola. Pura Vida.‏

This
week went pretty well! We took an investigator 2 hours in bus to a multi-stake
general conference where we listened to Elder Anderson and other general
authorities. It was pretty good! He should be baptized on Saturday. He walks 50
minutes each Sunday to go to church.. he shows more faith than I did before the
mission, walking so long just to get to church! And he`s 57 years old. In the
stake conference they talked about how we need to love the temple. And if we
don`t love it yet we need to pray to find love and keep going until we find a
love for it. That stood out to me, as I know it will have to be something I
develope after the mission. I like going to temple, but not being able to go
that often in the mission I think has made it harder for me to have a focus on
the temple, and going there myself. That was a personal goal I put for myself,
and I hope each and everyone of you has that goal as well. That you look at the
temple as a place you love to go! That you put it above other unimportant
things and make it a focus of your life. I know that just as Elder Anderson
promised us, you will find greater happiness and peace in your life, and
greater love for the Lord as you make temple service a part of your life. Love,
Elder Lohberg







Aaron:
Hey mom! sorry I was responding and reading everything! 




Mom:
HEY!! How are you doing Aaron?? no worries - i just should have hung
around :)

 

Aaron: I
need to know what number the last photo i put on was=( can u check that? I
forgot to check it on dropbox.. because i only put on like half the photos



Mom:
P1040947 was the last photo do you want a picture of it as well?



Aaron: no
i think the number is enough! =)

Send me
Jarom`s email, to put him on the list.

Our week
went decently. Josemaria should be baptized this Saturday, he passed his
interview but we need to find a swimming pool to do it. Marcos.. we`re going to
try and have a super spiritual lesson watching The Testaments with him this
week and see what happens. I need to call Anna still, they gave me a tie for
Christmas. we`re only 4 missionaries, 2 sets, 1 set sisters 1 set elders. We
work everywhere we want, because President doesn't want us dividing wards now,
just working wherever we find investigators. All of Turrialba and like an
hour-hourhalf out of the city is the ward boundary. Cartago stake yeah, but the
stake center is in Tres Rios right now, until they make it Cartago (they gotta
make the building bigger there after they finish here) We go to ward counsel..
basically any meeting they invite us too.. but usually just ward counsel Sunday
at 7:30. Our district is Elder Hatch, Elder Rosales, Hermana Madrid Hermana
Pacay, Hermana Kugath Hermana Mazariegos y nosotros dos. My comp is Elder
Martinez From Vera Cruz mexico he came 2 changes after me, leaves in October..
No monkeys, no sloth either.. but I`ve heard there are lots of sloths here.
Soccer days no.. but last week we took like 2 photos.. and someone took a video
of us singing in the baptism but he has to find and send the files.. i`ll try
and ask him to do it. All the missionaries we sang.. but this member took it i
think. You can just do a piece of paper with my head.. I don`t care that much..
not like I`m actually going to be there lol..









Mom:
 wow thank you for answering ALL my questions :)

I wish
you were going to be here for the wedding - sad that you can't be - but it's
better for them to get married in the temple :)  

When do
they expect the work to be completed on your building in your area?  



I had
asked about the sloth and such since you sent so many pictures of trees I
couldn't tell if there was something in them I was supposed to focus in on
besides the beauty of the trees - like was there wildlife in them :)

Hopefully
before you leave Costa Rica you will see a sloth or monkey!!  

I hope Josemaria
is baptized then on Saturday - what time is your baptism?  What is your
time there now? just wondering if you are an hour off or two from us?

when are
you meeting with Marcos? we will pray for him to feel the spirit.



Aaron:
RIGHT NOW woops right now it`s 12:09. Idk what time on saturday.. maybe like
6:00 in the night It should be done the end of MArch. Sorry I was cleaning out
my USBS and deleting all the talks I had and stuff like that.

sooo..
wutz new?!









Mom: oh
so you are 2 hours off of us right now - interesting - maybe it's spring
forward that we are only an hour off of you then we will pray for you guys
then for the spirit to be there when you are teaching :) 



Aaron: Seems
like it, because here they dont have spring forward fall back. =)

I think
today we`re going to go to a waterfall. So i`ll take some photos of that.



Mom:
nothing much - Jessie has been sick - she called yesterday crying throwing up
and said she just needed her mom - made me so sad not to be there with her :(
 They were up at Spencer's parents place so I messaged Annette
(Spencer's mom) and told her how Jess was sick hiding out in the bedroom -
and asked her if she could help her.  Anyways - she got her some ginger
ale and some medicine and saltine crackers - I'm so thankful she had someone
there to help her.  She just called here now - she stayed home from work -
she sounds a little better - I think her fever broke last night but she is
still really weak from being so sick.  Poor kid.  Breaks my heart not
to be there to help her.

Me
personally - nothing new :p  I'm just doin' my best to get the wedding
stuff done and fix our house up :)  Got our taxes done - got a small
return back so that's nice :)

Excited
to have Jarom & Kara come out for a visit (they come out in two weeks).

Kara has
been getting these tonsil stones - they are like little hard rock looking
things in her throat - you have to pop them out - but they cause bad breath,
sore throat etc. They are really weird - but she gets a TON of them - and she
feels sick all the time from them. So she is home today as well - and is going
to the doctor again to figure that out - I told her not to let the doctor send
her home - I said  "scream, yell, cry if you have to but don't leave
until they have a solution for you" haha  so we shall see - she has
been miserable though with them as they make her feel so sick







Dad is
doing ok - they have him on a medicine which helps his heart racing issues - so
he is stable - eventually he will have surgery to fix the valve - but for now
we are doing medicine as our insurance just changed with the new job change.
 He thinks the meds they have him on are causing him to gain weight -
could be - it is one of the side effects.

That's
about it for us.

Do you
want to take a bike with you to BYU as well? I was thinking maybe that would be
good too? or do you just want to use your car & walk?  And - are you
ok with me painting your room or would you prefer I wait until you've come
home?

COOL!
 FINALLY you are seeing the beauty of Costa Rica!! How awesome!! who is
taking you to do that?  Or are you just taking a bus or?

Maybe
you will see some wildlife :)  Who all is going? just you and your comp
or?

I think
spring forward and fall back is a USA thing - although Arizona refuses to do
it! haha - which maybe the rest of us should as well :p



Aaron: gross.
Tonsil stones.. eew.. i was getting another ingrown toenail so

a sister
here helped trim it.. but she cut it really rounded.. it doesn`t hurt anymore..
she was a nurse.. so maybe she`s a genious or something, we`ll have to see what
happens. Then my other toenail is falling off.. the surgery one.. (DONT POST
THIS ON THE BLOG LOL) (*haha mom note - sorry I posted this Aaron!) and so I was like wiggling the toenail today because it`s
lifted up in the back and in the front but in the center it`s still stuck.. but
no luck. So i just trimmed it all around. So in the center of my toe I have a
nail like the size of half a penny lol.. a little circle of a nail. not sure
when it`ll fall off. it`s not connected to a root or anything.

Randall
the member who lives below us.. he`s been taking us places.. but now he`s
working again.. he`s a teacher and summer break ended.. but some Americans who
are on a 5 month vacation here are going to take us. us and the sisters and
their family.



Mom: Here's
what Wiki said about it: 







Daylight
saving time in the United States is
the practice of setting the clock forward by one hour during the warmer part of
the year, so that evenings have more daylight and mornings have less. Most
areas of the United
States currently observe daylight saving time (DST),
the exceptions being Arizona (except for the Navajo Nation, which
does observe daylight saving time),[1] Hawaii,[2] and
the overseas
territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana
Islands, Puerto
Rico and the United States
Virgin Islands. So it is a USA thing - and Arizona is the only state
on the mainland that doesn't observe it - interesting - wonder how they did
that?



Aaron:
hmm.. darn arizona... its like the new alaska

i think
im going to buy some soccer shoes.. they`re like.. 40-60 bucks
here. probably gunna buy the 40 buck ones.. nike and adidas are like
80-100






Mom:
YUCKY!! does it hurt?  Can you see any new nail growing or is it just skin
there right now?  I'm so sorry you had to deal with that :( that's awful!
 So she rounded the nail when she cut it? interesting!! 

The
tonsil stones are really yucky - she has shown them to me - it's basically an
infection - the tonsil takes something and builds around it (like a pearl in a
clam shell kind of - the pearl is from sand that is in the shell that then is
calcified) - so a food particle or something gets lodged and then the tonsil
builds a calcification around it - making this stone thing - which smells awful
and makes bad breath odor and causes her food to taste yucky.  They don't
know why some people get them and others don't but the only solution is to pop
the stones out or to take antibiotics (which isn't a long term fix) or to take
out the tonsils (which the doctors say they don't do any more - but which I
think is the only solution she really has besides living with it)

is
Randall the guy then that took you to that last place (the one with all the
pictures you just sent?)

hahahaha!!!

do you
play enough to make it worth that?



Aaron:
My camera memory has a trojan virus.. so it`s better that you have dad tell me
what to do, I was going to send you a cool photo from the trip that i like..
but ask dad first.



Mom:
well Hawaii is on there too - but it's an island - I just think it's weird that
Arizona doesn't do it since it's right in the middle of other states which DO.
 Weirdos 




 Aaron:
hmmm..no its just a tiny bit sensitive.








Mom: ok
let me ask Dad - he is on a call but I will ask him if he can answer me

ok so
dad is on a call but he is going to google it and see if what to do - drop box
is on the web - so we would scan it - but I'm not sure if it would get into the
rest of your photos - let me google it right now as well and see if there is
anything I can see hmmm I'm reading about it - give me one more minute -
how much more time do you have on here?

so did
you ever upload all the other memory card photos?or is your other card full
still as well?  Just wondered if you could just swap out your card (which means
I would have to wait to see your fun photos) but might be safest for today.
 Is there a place there you could buy a new card?  I could put money
into your account for that if so - would take me a long time to get a card down
to you otherwise.

Dad is still
on his call - so I can't ask him for more info



Aaron: i
can buy a new card here yeah.. it`s like.. 15 bucks for 8 gigs. i think we can
fix it.. I downloaded AVG on Randals comp and it can scan memory cards.. I will
see if it can clean it off. but I`m going to send the photo, don't open it!



Aaron:
like 5 minutes. I`m going to send the photo, but don't open the next email until
you`re sure.. okay?

Put some
money on if you want, I`m going to change my dollars to colones to buy shoes to
play soccer! But yeah, it should go well.

Gotta go
mom! I love you have a good week! We`ll talk next week, and tell dad I love him
too!



Mom:
Love you Aaron - have a great time!! Will be praying for Marcos and Josemaria
as well!! talk to you next week!! and yes - go buy a new card so you can
keep taking photos!!

Welll heyyyy!‏

This week went super well! We´ve had some very spiritual experiences with our investigators and they´ve been progressing a ton. But I wanted to talk a little bit about one of the articles from the Liahona of March, the article that talks about receiving more light. I love this article. It teaches the same principle that our President has taught us, that we need to keep becoming better, keep taking the next step in our conversion. The article talks about how we have to look for more and more light throughout our whole life. As we increase in light we´re coming closer to our loving Heavenly Father and He´ll keep giving us even more light. I know that this principle is true. We have to keep growing in light. I know our Heavenly Father loves us, more than anything else and He wants us to return to Him. 

Love,

Elder Lohberg

Aaron: No pictures because the dropbox is full. I was going to have a member put them all on on Saturday but it´s full so he couldn't. General mail fetch. I don't think i will work in the MTC but i´ll see what i can find quickly. With Kara wouldn´t be too bad but what would i be doing?

Mom: oh darn!! I will move the pictures on dropbox then to the folder I created for it - so there will be room there again - I might just message dad now and see if he has time to do that since he hasn't been very busy with work lately.

Actually Kara just said that you wouldn't work Saturday's at all - the max you could work would be 20 hours as a student but it's office work (if you got that job there) - so computer email type stuff / dealing with resident issues - stuff like that I think - it will depend on what is available when you get home  but it was a thought :)

ok Dad moved the dropbox photos off and put them into the folder on my computer - so there should be room now :)

hope you are doing well!!

Aaron:Right now I wont put the photos on.. don't have my camera because we gunna play soccer again. But when I get other house like at 5 or 530 i going to give me memory to the member so he put all dem photos on. 

Mom: ok sounds good - dad says he got it set up for you then.

So off to play soccer? Don't forget to send out a general email :)

What's new with you and how is the work going with your investigators???

Aaron: Marcos didn't go to church.. he slept all morning and we didn't go to get him because we had ward counsel. Josemaria was sick.. but we visited them both.. with members.. josemaria wants to be baptized still. 

Mom: love your general email - such a true principle!! We have to gather light every day :)

I'm so happy for you and the wonderful experiences you are having on your mission - I can hear the happiness as I read your words each week - you are finding joy in the work :)

LOVE YOU!!

Aaron: Why you no respond_

No general email :(

No general email today but here is a little insight I gained in the few emails we were able to exchange:

Aaron: Hi mom! That`s cool. You can put me in Wyview, whatever you think is best just do it!!! A normal day.. we wake up, 6:30.. exercise, pushups and stuff like that ,then shower.. get ready and start studying and then after studying we cook something for lunch.. go out and preach and come back at 9:00-9:30

Mom: how has your week been?????  Been praying for your gators to feel the spirit and to be motivated to make changes in their lives to enter the waters of baptism :)

Aaron: We had 6 investigators in church, not too bad to be honest. I super happy for them, now it`s just a matter of making sure they recognize the Spirit. One of them truly is golden, and he`s awesome. named Marcos, he played guitar in a band for 30 years, the band went to the states on tours a lot he said. But he cant actually read music, he has to listen to it and then he can play it, he listens to a song like 3 times and then he plays it. it`s awesome. I want to learn guitar so bad, he`s been showing me some stuff. Did Jessie leave her guitar in the house?!?!?!

Mom: that's AWESOME!! Yes she did :)  Could get you a sweet deal on it I'm sure :)

That is great Aaron! I'm so happy for you to see this happening - we are praying for them - and hopefully they will all keep progressing - we also pray for Anna's family to be able to go to the temple - I sure hope that can happen!!

Aaron: What do you mean a sweet deal? I think the best deal I can get is realizing she`s already forgotten about it and stealing it. Sorry I was reading karas proposal story. Get me dat sweet deal! 

Mom: haha - well she hasn't forgotten about it - she wanted me to sell it for her - but I haven't as I know she couldn't get much for it :p so maybe the sweet deal is you do steal it - but I figured she might also be happy if you took them to dinner for it :)

Anyways - it's just sitting here so if you wanted to learn to play that would be awesome! plus takes less space than a drum set ;) haha! so would fit to take to school!! 

Aaron: I feel like I can learn really fast. I dont know why but I`ve gained a lot of self confidence in the mission, haha. In my capacity to learn-work. I`d take em out to dinner for it, how much was it originally?

Mom: probably $300 or so to be honest - I bought it and your drums and Kara's marimba that year - Kara's was the most - your drums were second (so we got the extra stuff for your drums to bring the cost up) jessie's was cheapest - so we got her the music lessons with Brother Ferguson (which she kind of got robbed cause she didn't do those very long) shhhhhhh don't tell so I don't have to pay her more for that.

BUT I probably couldn't get more than $50 or $60 for it to be honest - guitar resale isn't very high - it is a nice guitar though.

I guess registration isn't for a bit - Kara is dealing with all of that for you.

Does your exit date still line up for the 2nd of August? I was counting it out - Lisa said Spencer leaves June 21st - and 6 weeks from there would be the 2nd or do you think it will be the 4th?

Aaron: I get there the 4th. the 2nd in the change, 3rd i go to the temple and eat dinner with pres and then the 4th in the morning i bet is my plane flight. Gotta go mom, I love you! Have a good day, I might get on for a few minutes later on. 

Mom: ok that is good to know then - Lisa said she hasn't gotten flight info yet for Spencer - but that should be here by now (it normally is 4 months out) so I think we will find out for you the end of March - beginning of April at the latest I would think?

missions are amazing for the lessons they teach you - the personal growth that happens.  Do you still want to try to get a job at the MTC or do you want to just find a different job?  Kara said that MAYBE she could get you a job at her office (as you would report to her boss not her) but that wouldn't be very many hours and you would work saturdays EVERY saturday probably the MTC works around your school classes - but you need the president to give you an endorsement or recommendation for that I think?  Or you could do lawns with Spencer his last semester (get up at 2 in the morning to plow the snow and put ice melt down) , mow lawns etc  hard labor that is!

Mom: love you!  no pictures again :( 

have a wonderful week!! 

NO GENERAL either :( just remembered! boo!

Deja que el Espiritu te Enseñe‏

This week went super well. We had a very Spiritual experience with a family and with another investigator. The family is trying to save up money so that the wife and get divorced so that they can get married in order to be baptized haha.. and they were telling us it was going to be a while because they don´t have a lot of money. So we talked about faith and miracles and they decided we could put a baptismal date goal. To not take of way from the sacredness of the experience I will just say that through prayer they were able to put a date for their baptism. They both we´re super surprised and excited to progress more after their experience. Afterwards we went with another brother who´s 57 years old and he walked 50 minutes to go to church yesterday. We were very happy and we testified that he was doing what was right. We also kneeled down together, he put a date for his baptism. He said he enjoyed going to church. I know that the Lord is preparing His children to receive this gospel. A week ago we found a guy fixing guitars on the street. The same saturday we found him he excitedly agreed to play the guitar for us in a baptismal service where we were going to sing. He enjoyed his experience. The next day he went to church with us. He loved it. We had put a date for his baptism in the baptismal service and he said he felt good about it, and he prayed about it. And he´s progressing well. Even though we´ve only taught him once in his house. I know that the Lord is working miracles here. That he loves each and everyone of us so much. 

Love, 

Elder Lohberg

Mom: saw your "answer" to last weeks question - so you must be around.  How was your week?  

Aaron: It was good! and yours??!?!?!!? We are in the smallest internet cafe ever, so we´ll see how this goes 

Mom: it was good!  We went to the temple - which i think was the highlight of the week.

Tell me about the volcano action - did it erupt any more during the week?  Have you felt any of the tremors?

What's happening in your area with the investigators? I know the week prior you guys had to call and cancel everyone for church because of the ballot voting - so did they come this week?

Aaron: no just the one day.. but nothing hits us here, the wind takes it to Heredia and San Jose more than anything. haven't felt tremors either. we took 2 to church this week. There´s 1 guy that´s just AWESOME named Marcos. we found him a week ago, took him to a baptism to play the guitar as we sung on Saturday and Sunday he went to church and liked it a lot. He was with a band called Pimienta Negra (black pepper) here in CR they went to the states and everything, he was with them for like 20 years, then he left, his wife left him, took one of his daughters, his other daughter got pregnant and everything.. so his life changed super fast but he´s just amazing. 

and the other guy is a man who's 57 years old, and walked 50 minutes, to go to church with us. He´s pretty good too, but he´s fighting alcohol, and he´s a little slow to teach. His name is Josemaria .

Mom: wow! walking 50 minutes to get to church? How did he like church? Did he have a good experience there?  Do you guys walk to church? how close is it? I know you said you meet in the high school.  I also heard there were sisters in your area - how many wards are there in Turrialba?  Do you cover the same areas? or how is it split up?

just a gentle reminder: don't forget your general email 

Aaron: yeah he only stayed one hour.. but we went in the night and we prayed with him and he said he wanted to change and be baptized so we´ll see. but he doesn't understand too much so we´ll see what happens just 1 ward. we all have the same area. 

Mom: so how many sets are there in Turrialba? just the 2 sets or is there a third?

That's cool about the fact that he walked the distance though - and people CAN change - the Spirit can help them have a change of heart so that's neat for you to be there and watch that potentially happen to these two individuals.

How's your foot doing? is it all healed up now?

Aaron: im gunna try and send them (**I think he is referring to pictures from last weeks trip) later with the member below us his comp. because it would be a lot easier. 

yeah elders and sisters yeah my foots better its still got some scabs. and i don't think the nails growing.. so i think it´ll fall off, he was stabbing at the nail bed but just in the corner,, not sure if that can kill it all or not but i think it´s going to fall off 

Mom: Tell me about the site you went to see last Monday?  What was that like? How long did it take to get there? did a member take you then?

Aaron: Randal the member below us took us, he´s super cool, it took like 40 minutes to get there, it´s like where there was an old Indian camp. they just had the base rocks where houses used to be, but they also had an aqueduct system that still works even today. 

Mom: that sounds kind of cool - was it pretty? Like what was the scenery like?

You never answered if you have gotten to see any thing - like sloths, monkeys etc anything yet?  Have you picked coconut and shucked it? or anything fun like that?

Aaron: yah there were some pretty parts, i took like 200 photos i think. no, haven't seen anything, but we saw some cool insects there. The other day I was jumping with a machete to cut a pipa, they´re like green coconuts, like before they ripe, and you drink the water inside of it. it´s super good. Only 1 was in reach, so i cut it, and it was fetching hard to cut out of the tree. And it filled like half a of 16 ounce glass. not too bad, there´s a ton more but way higher.. i´m considering climbing the tree with a rope or something and cutting them down =P 

but you can also buy them in the street stores for like 30 cents each.. lol

Mom: hahaha!  Well wheres the fun in that??  I asked just because I'd seen other missionaries post pictures where they had picked them and used the machete to cut into them etc - so wondered if you had as well. :)

200 photos! woohoo!! I'm excited to see some of these :)

Anything else happening there?

Aaron: not too much, a members going to buy me another shirt of the LIGA my soccer team.. they´re in 1st place again.. they´re always in first place and then they lose the championship. .but it´s my last championship so i hope they win haha=)

Mom: haha - hopefully! that would be cool! When I first read that I read "my last companionship" and I was like "what?" but then I re-read it and realized Championship! big difference :p

That would be cool if so!  You've collected quite a few shirts eh?!

Aaron: No, just 1 from the Liga that parker gave me, but it´s pretty used.. and he gave me one of Germany.. it´s decent and he signed it and i bought from of the LIGA for 4 bucks.. but it´s cheap, that´s it. THen they bought me a PURA VIDA shirt and a SUAVE UN TOQUE shirt. 

and the Costa Rica shirt

Mom: oh - I don't know why I thought you had collected more than that.  Did you get a Costa Rica shirt in the MTC? or did you get all of these there?  

Tell me about your zone meeting - that was last week? right? or was it the week prior?  what did you learn at that?

Aaron: No, i mean, yeah i bought a CR shirt in the MTC but i also have the COSTA RICA soccer team shirt for the whole country, =) The zone meeting was with Elder Ochoa, it was head chopping, and it seems like the missions going to go to just baptize baptize baptize, because of what this 70 said. But i´m going to try and just baptized converts. The truth is that during it i was kind of mad, but then i focused and idk.. i felt the spirit during it.. so it must be true.. so i´m trying to see how i apply it without doing it badly, it took me a bit to realize i was hardhearted.. fetching lamanite.. so i repented and we should baptize more.. or at least i hope to baptize more. but converts. 

Mom: I get it!  Truly!! And I think there is a happy medium - you strive for baptisms but the conversion is really what is most important - getting these people to become converted and to have them get to the temple :)

who all do you type back and forth with now on Mondays?  

OH - did you ever get your ecclesiastical interview done?

Aaron: i sent the request.. i will send a message to him right now later in the night.. the problem is today are changes.. so let me see what i can do. I will send him a message. or by internet. I talk to tons of people.. like 2 elders from the other mission, elder toledo sometimes.. valles whos here in Limon, elder morales.. elder carter.. i tried with parker but i need to look for his normal email. the mission one of his doesn't work anymore.. i write converts and cool members.. lots of people hahaha 

Mom: haha - did you read Tyler's letter home? haha - the pipe bursting and having to plug it with his finger? funny!

These apartments are OLD eh?  I had one apartment where the flooring was so thin - you could see the smoke from the people smoking in the apartment downstairs coming up through the floor boards.  It was crazy!  I was always worried the bathroom tub was going to fall through the floor into the apartment below! crazy mission apartments!

After all of this - there will be nothing as bad when you go off to school and have the crazy apartments there :p haha

Aaron: I gotta go mom! I love you! have a good week and tell dad i love him too!

Mom: ok Aaron! Have a great week! LOVE YOU!!

Aaron: our house here is decent.. apparently there´s lots of rat poop in the ceiling and their was a wasps nest too.. but the wasps here are like 4 times the size.. and water was coming in but our owner fixed up the water problem.. rat poop cant do much. but its a big house! i think i´ll end here, but not sure. Bye mom!!! 

Pues, this week was crazy‏

We worked super hard all week long and we super excited waiting on 9 people for church, but when church got canceled because they´re going to use the highschool for voting purposes..  so we had to cancel with the investigators hahaha. But next week. I´m certain that if this had passed earlier in my mission I would have been super stressed, but I felt a lot more peace, and I just thoughtm, this is God´s work, he knew this would happen and he will bless us to pass these problems and situations, we just have to keep trusting in him and work as hard as we can and as intelligently as we can and he´ll bless our investigators. I´ve defintely learned to tgrust more in our Heavenly Father throughout my time here, I know that He is watching over us, over all of His children and he wants to bless us. I love the blessings that come from becoming part of God´s people in Deuteronomy 28. I love from verse 1-15, because after that the cursings come haha. I know that those who are baptized in the church of Jesus Christ become part of Christ´s fold, and He watches over them and blesses them. 

Love, 

Elder Lohberg

Aaron: hi mom

Mom: I'm here!! how are you?? Tell me how your foot is doing?

Aaron: its better  the internet is really slow just so u know

Mom: oh ok - that makes sense then - are you at an internet cafe?   What can you tell me?

Aaron: No, we find out transfers this Saturday.. but I'm not sure if we´ll have any. President told me so. We have about 12 investigators who are progressing, but this Saturday they canceled our church because they´re going to be doing voting here in Turrialba on Sunday and apparently when they´re doing a poll you can have other organizations in the same building at the same time.. so they canceled church. I had to cancel on nine of our investigators so that they wouldn't show up. I think today we are going to go see the ruins in guayabo, in just a little bit. My foots doing better, I played ball and it hurt a little bit but it didn't bleed or anything and right now it´s okay. So we´ll see. The volcano erupted like an hour ago a little bit so i have some pictures of that. The problem is that the internet is pretty slow right now so i don't know if i will be able to send it to you today. 

Mom: great letter Aaron - I will have to go look up those verses now :)

I'm glad you got to play soccer last week - was it with your zone? is the trip today a zone trip or a district trip? or ?

Aaron: it was just our companionship and the sisters and a ton of recent converts and members and investigators.

 I gotta go now mom.. because we going to go see the ruins and it´s a little far off.. m I didn't get your messages if you sent them, because of the internet i think. But I love you mom and hopefully we can talk more next week. Stay safe and dad too, keep going with exercise always =) I love you both so much.. Right now i got your messages lol.

Mom: I love you Aaron!  Have fun today! Hopefully the internet will cooperate next week :)

HAPPY ALMOST VALENTINES DAY

Wellllll, this week had some super cool highlights. We had a conference in the stake center of Heredia Saturday and Elder Quentin L. Cook came and visited us! Sadly, our zone made up the only missionaries in both missions to show up 5 minutes late haha. I new how to take the buses but our Zone Leaders wanted to rent a microbus and take it as a zone.. some elders and sisters showed up late and my comp needed to use the restroom so we missed out on shaking Elder Cook´s hand.. kind of sad. But it was cool nonetheless. Something that really stood out to me is when he talked to us about how we shouldn´t compare Spiritual experiences, that they´re very sacred and we need to treasure them up in our hearts, but then he continued, but      ´as a witness of our Savior Jesus Christ I... I know His voice and I know His face, I know that He lives.¨ In that moment everyone felt the Spirit extremely powerful in the room and then he left us with an amazing blessing and left. It was truly a very uplifting moment for everyone. And even though I didn´t get to shake his hand I felt the truth of his call as an Apostle. I honestly know that this is the only true church on the whole face of the earth, that has the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I came to know it by simply praying to my Heavenly Father and asking Him, if Joseph Smith was a prophet and if the Book of Mormon is true. And what I felt has changed my life. I invited all to read the Book of Mormon, and to pray and ask God if it´s true, in the name of Jesus Christ. Then, wait, take time to listen, so that he can talk to you as well. 
With all my love I know you´ll receive an answer,

Love, 

Elder Lohberg

Aaron: I did it on the BYU thing and it said that it was going to message president so that he acts on it

Mom: HEY!! You're on!! OK - before we chat or anything - send out a general email since it's been a while since you've done that.  You should have 3 weeks worth of something to say :)  haha!  Looking forward to chatting for a few minutes with you this morning :)  hope your week has gone well!!

Aaron: Hey mom. I sent the general to dads old mail i think. wooppsss... changed it on the list. .but already sent the email ;@

(after reading his general email) Mom: all I can say is WOW!

Costa Rica San Jose East Mission

Aaron: It was cooooooooooool. And ya how are you all?!?!?!?!?! :D I worked this week and I think we´ll going to play soccer today.. but we´ll see how it goes.. i´m going to be careful. The week went meh.. not to great truly.. but we´re tryin.

Mom: I can only imagine how it would be to be in his presence while he said that to you!  I'm sure the Spirit just filled the room instantly as he spoke those words!  Too bad you guys had to be late - but at least you got to be in his presence and hear him speak to you.

Ya - be careful of your toe that you don't break the skin open again that was stitched - it's probably still healing.  

Maybe you will get to train next transfer? That would be cool!!

Mom: dad just left for a meeting in Sammamish with Richard and Jim - I think he will have to drive there once a month for that.  He said to tell you hi for him and that to say that he loves you!!  I feel spoiled that he has to work and I get to be the one to type with you each week - but blessed too at the same time!!

So how is your foot doing?

Aaron: Tis a bit better now 

could be but who knows

id like to

Mom: did Kara send you info for school registration? She said she kind of worked out a "plan" for you for the courses you need to complete.  Lisa Henry said she found that RM's should take Spanish 300 - so maybe that is the Spanish class to take (if you want to do that - maybe a minor? or a certificated class like what Spencer Horman is doing?)

Mom: So how long has he been out on a mission? Is he standing next to you in that mission photo? Who is next to Henry? Tullis isn't in East mission right? he is in West?  Was west at this mission conference thing on Saturday?

has the mission given you any new instruction about the mosquito virus then? I assume you have a ton of that stuff I sent with you still since you didn't really use it until now - guess - gauge how that is going and then dole it out to people in need or give it to the mission pres? thoughts?

did you get to take any pictures when you went to the conference? Did you see Elder Kirk or the other Horman relative?

Aaron: she did. kind of worried but i plan on taking my studies seriously now. yeah that´s fine. but sometimes I´m like nervous with my Spanish haha. no i only took a few pictures. but i´ll put em next week Tullis is in the other mission. IT was both missions in the conference.

I saw ANA!!! she looked really happy. HER last daughters going to get baptized this Saturday.. and her oldest daughter from another part of CR her son is going to be baptized and she will later on.. Super sick.. but apparently they haven't been paying their tithings to go to the temple for sealing :(

no haven't said anything. idk. We´ll see how it goes. Permethrin gets used super fast.

but yeah tell him i said i love him too.  i need to go mom but i love you sooo much

Mom: ok Aaron! I understand and I will!! I LOVE YOU!! Have fun today! careful of your foot - let it heal the rest of the way.  Do your best :) Until next week - take care!! HUGS!!