13th Week Guapiles, Limon - Pococi Ward

Familia ~

I remember when I was younger I asked my mom what she wanted for mothers day and for her birthday and she responded that I obey her. I would ask her again seeing what I could get her like flowers, chocolate, or a bear. She would always respond that she just wants me to be obedient. I never understood why she didn't want anything else until this past Sunday.

As we were sitting in our Sunday School class we were talking about God and our relationship with Him and how we can better our relationship between our Heavenly Father and us. I thought of a scripture in John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

Not until then did it hit me that my mom was teaching me a life long lesson. That if I love her I would keep her rules and obey her. Just like if we love our Heavenly Father we will obey His commandments. Even if we don't fully understand them we should be obedient to every command that He has given us for love and protection.

We can show our love for our Heavenly Father by keeping the sabbath day holy and partaking of the sacrament. We can show our love by loving one another and serving them. We can show our love by following the example of Jesus Christ and make covenants with God that will give us salvation.

I know with all of my heart that we have a loving Heavenly Father and that we can return to live with Him once more. Every day I understand a little bit more of God's plan and how I can better myself and obey His commandments to express my love towards Him. I know that all these things are true and that this is God's Gospel. His only true doctrine here on the Earth and that through the covenants we can make with Him we too can live with our families forever. I know all of these things to be true in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love you all and have a great week!
Elder Moss

We went to an island today! It was great President gave us permission to go on a public boat so we went through a river in the jungle to an island where turtles go to lay eggs! Super beautiful and a member lives on the island and he invited us to his restaurant and we ate there too!

Look Close and you will see a crocodile.

11th - 12th Week Guapiles, Limon - Pococi Ward

Familia ~

This week was great with some great spiritual experiences and a few funny ones too! 

We went to Guacimo to go do a baptism interview and we were walking to the bus stop when I saw a lady who just fell on the ground. So I ran to go help her up and when I got to her there was a bike and two bags of groceries on the ground right next to her. So we helped her up and got all of the groceries together and picked up the bike. We asked her if she was fine and she was so we started walking with her to where she was going. I was walking with the bike and a bag of groceries and my companion with another. We walked about 150 meters until a man came up to us asking where we were taking the bike. I told him I don't know where ever the lady goes with the bike and my companion asked if it was her bike or not and she says no I thought it was yours! So we look at each other and the guy told us thieves take it back! So I ended up picking up a bike that was on the ground and a bag of groceries that didn't belong to the lady who fell and "stole" it from someone. We walked back and left the bike where it was so luckily we got away with it ha ha

Zone before all the changes

My companion has changes today so he will be heading to his new area! My new companion will be Elder Muñoz from Honduras. He was in my zone before in La Paz and he is great so I am excited to start working with him! 

But in all it was a great week even though it was the Holidays and New Years eve. We were able to work and enjoy the time and be happy as we served our Heavenly Father and His children!

I Love you all!!

Elder Moss! 

Cool frog we found

17th Week Liberia - Guanacaste Province

Family ~

Sometimes I just don't understand life. I mean I have the scriptures and prophets to help me know my purpose and why I am here. I have this testimony of why I am here. But it just puzzles me. These last two weeks I have focused on being a better missionary and giving it my all. Having Faith in God that all things will work out. But Faith in God means Faith in His timing. I have learned that lesson very well these last two weeks. 

Costa Rican Sunset

We are here on Earth to test us. We have our agency to choose from bad or good. All things that are good come from God. All other things that are bad come from Satan. As a missionary I'm suppose to help people along on the path of good, the pathway of God. But I can't force them onto it because that would take away their agency and take away God's plan. 

With that being said I have learned alot of patience this week. I feel as if I have ran and ran trying to help people and they sincerely want to be on the pathway of God but have a fear of man and don't want to take that first step. 

One big thing I have gained on my mission is to never have a fear of man. Just a fear of God. He is the almighty and powerful. He is truly the one who we should be trying to please. This fear of God has helped me overcome the fear of talking to men on the street in a different language. To choosing the right even though it might seem harder sometimes. 

I invite all of you at home to get on the pathway of God if you haven't yet and not have this fear of man. God has a plan for all of us and He wants you to return with Him someday. I know that the first step is one of the hardest. But it is the most rewarding step you will ever take. 

I love you all so much and I hope this email makes sense. I didn't have to much time to write it so it probably sounds bad. Keep reading your scriptures, praying, and going to church. It is vital to put on your armor of God EVERYDAY!

Love you,
Elder Moss

16th Week Liberia - Guanacaste Province

Family ~

Today marks 5 months of my mission. Its been the hardest 5 months of my life but the most rewarding 5 months. I want to bear my testimony of what I have gained during these 5 months here in Costa Rica.  

Guanacaste Missionaries

I know that God is our Heavenly Father. He loves us and wants the best for each and everyone of us. I know that He knows me personally. He knows my challenges, weaknesses, and what I am good at. I know that Christ lives. That he suffered for us in the Garden of Gethsemane. That He was perfect and set an example for all of us to be baptized by someone who has the proper authority of God. I know that through the atoning sacrifice of Christ we too can live with our Heavenly Father again. I know without a doubt that the Book of Mormon is true. That it is word of God and that it can help us in every aspect of our lives. I know that Joseph Smith saw Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. That he was a Prophet of God that helped restore the Gospel here on the Earth. I know that Thomas S. Monson is the Prophet here on the Earth today. That he holds all the keys of the priesthood. I know with all of my heart that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is God's Kingdom here on Earth. That he leads the church. I have come to a better understanding of all of this and all of God's plan for His Children. I know of this to be true and invite you all to find out for yourself in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love you
Elder Moss

15th Week Liberia - Guanacaste Province

Family ~ 

Sorry for having boring letters lately! I will try to make them better! My mom told me that they are all serious now!

on top of a mountain in my area.
It overlooks all of Liberia. Super windy lately and it
was hard to stand.

This week was a tough one on me spiritually and emotionally. Things weren't going for as I had hoped with all the investigators and lessons and I had a hard time staying super motivated like usual. This Saturday is when I became a little frustrated. Nothing was going well. I was walking and ran into a piece of steel rod. I had no idea how it was at the level of my head or how I did it but it just happened. Kind of funny but still hurt. Then during a lesson we were teaching and this little boy kept throwing chickens at me and they were flapping and clawing my back. Nothing was going well and we were having difficuties in the missionary work. Then Sunday came and we still had troubles in the missionary work. People having challenges over challenges and I just felt like I failed. I felt as if I failed the Lord and His children. 

Sunday came along and I was trying to keep going strong and happy. But yet again it just didn't seem to be a great day. We tried talking to everyone we know and then some but that still wasn't working. Here we have to sacrament meetings one in the morning and one in the night. As we were walking to the one in the night someone drove past and said "hola elders!" It looked like one of our investigators and they turned toward the church. So my companion and I got really excited and started walking faster and faster. Next thing I know my companion just took off running so I started running too! We ran to the church and they weren't there. But one of the recent converts was and we were able to talk to him and help him out. As we sat in the sacrament meeting I had the opportunity to bless the sacrament (usual only investigators go to the night sacrament) and then after heard a talk about the atonement. The last Hymn was "Abide with me". As we sang the song I began to tear up and it came to a strong realization what Christ did for me. He suffered and died for me and everyone of us. He was perfect and did it for the Charity and Love He has for us. We have difficulties in this life. It's not easy but through Christ we can overcome every challenge that is placed in front of us. That is how we grow. I am excited for next week to better myself as a servant and help correct my wrongs to build God's Kingdom here in Costa Rica.

"Oh Savior stay this night with me" is one of my favorite lines in this hymn. The Lord is always there for us. All we have to do is call out for Him and ask for His help. This entire week was difficult but I found myself closer to God. I was able to better grow my Faith and Testimony of the Plan that God has for me. I know that He is there. That He loves us and is here to help us and through the atoning sacrifice of Christ we too can become perfected. 

I know with all of my heart that God loves us. That Jesus Christ suffered for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane. That on the third day he was resurrected and went and ministred to the people in the Americas. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God. I know that Christ leads this Church and that it is the true Church of God. I know of all these things and I testify that they are true in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love you all

Elder Moss

14th Week Liberia - Guanacaste Province

Family~

Time is going by way to fast and I feel like just yesterday I talked to you all! It's hard to remember what I have shared and what I haven't so hopefully I haven't shared this.

During a lesson - in the middle of it the 7 kids
started dressing us up.

This last week I have been focusing on my studies and trying to understand Gospel Principals better. As I was studying about Faith and what we need to do to have Faith I thought of the Mormon Pioneers. Who had little money and food but had the Faith to follow a Prophet of God through difficult times trekking across the plains. I put myself in the same situation as them. Would I have enough Faith to take everything I had, risk my life, and suffer to follow a Prophet of God into Zion? Would I murmur like Laman and Lamuel and not want to go on the journey? The way to grow our Faith in Christ is by actions. 

So I related this Faith by going to church. Do we have enough Faith to go to church every Sunday to renew our covenants with God? To give just 3 hours to Him? or do we lack in this and don't grow our Faith through actions?

Elder Moss & Tistoj

I asked an investigator if Jesus came to her and told her to go to church this Sunday what her response would be. She said that she would obviously go. But only if she could. Only if she was ready with all the kids and had the time. She knows that Christ invited her and that she really needs to go. But lacks the Faith that through Christ all things are possible and if she gave it her all she would indeed be blessed even more than she could think.

Another thing that I learned this week was my companion and I just left an appointment and the investigator had doubts about the Book of Mormon. We started talking about these doubts and what we could do to help her and he asked me a question that really puzzled me and put me in the shoes of an investigator

"How do you know that the Bible is true"  

It made me really think. Almost everyone accepts the Bible as Word of God but how do we actually know that it is true? We all have an invitation in the Book of Mormon to read it and to ask God ourselves if it is true. But the Bible doesn't have this invitation at the beginning like the Book of Mormon. As I grew to learn how others feel and how we can find out the truths ourselves I was able to realize why it is true and how I can learn from the Book of Mormon and the Bible.

My invitation for all is to show your Faith. Show God that you really have Faith and have works. Read daily, pray daily, and go to Church every week! I know that through these three actions we can become closer to God. I have seen my Faith grow tremendously through my life by these three actions. I know that the Book of Mormon and the Bible is the word of God. That Joseph Smith was a true Prophet of God and that Thomas S. Monson is the living Prophet here on Earth today. I know that Christ lives and suffered for each one of us and that God is our Heavenly Father that loves us perfectly.  

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love,

Elder Moss

Bedroom / Study

Kitchen