Last Blog from Costa Rica

Well family, friends, and acquaintances... here we are. Its been a long time coming and I have to be honest when I say that I am not quite sure how I feel. Its kind of a bag of mixed emotions. I almost don't know what to say. Actually that is a lie. I don't know what to say. 

I feel like my world has been turned upside down. I feel like I cant quite understand whats going on.

When I was in the MTC one of our teachers told us something that I am starting to understand. He said that "You cant slow down time, but at the end of your mission you are going to want nothing more than to try." As this last week starts I am praying now more than ever that time will go by slowly. 

I could say a million and one things and they would all be cliche because every missionary that is finishing says the same thing. So I wont say anything. 

All I am going to say is that I will miss this country and these people more than you can imagine. The love that I have for these people is something I don't know how to describe and that until one feels it will never be able to understand. 

As my time here comes to a close I have started to reflect back on the person that I was when I started the mission and the person that I have grown to become. I think that I am a better person. I guess we will find out. haha

I know this church is true. I know the God lives. I know he loves me. I am positive that one day I will be standing by his side in the Celestial Kingdom. I have a testimony that can not be shaken of the prophet Joseph Smith. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a living prophet of God. I love the Book of Mormon. I love this gospel. I am glad to know that if I work hard I will be able to be with my family forever. This gospel is a blessing and a gospel of happiness. It is the best way to be happy in this world that has gone crazy.Pray, read your scriptures, and do the little things.

I love you all, and I will see you soon. 

Con amor

Hermana Gibson

Feliz Cumpleanos

So today is my companions birthday so I just wanted to say Feliz Cumpleanos a mi compañerita! 

She is turning 20.

Here is a photo for your enjoyment!

​We are going to eat pizza. And she like fried chicken so were gonna eat fried chicken for dinner. But she doesnt know yet. We have planned a ''Family Home Evening'' with the Elders so it should be fun. Its actually a surprise party. shhhh

haha 

Also... 

I received the most bestest phone call on Saturday night... I got a call from Carolin from Guacimo. She called so that I could listen to her read her mission call. I imeaditly started to cry when she told me why she had called. I love her so so much and I am so happy for her. She will be going to El Salvador, San Salvador. How exciting. I rememeber when I got my call almost 2 years ago now and today marks my 16 months in the mission. How time flies. 

Oh yeah... Orlando is going to be baptized. He was an inv Here is a picture from more than a year ago... How exciting!

​

Not much else to say. I love you all and have a wonderful week. 

Hermana Gibson

A Learning Expierence

 So as many of you are painfully aware (thanks to the picture of me in the hospital being posted on facebook by my oh so loving mother <3) I have been a tad bit ill recently. We haven't worked in 2 whole weeks and I was starting to get really upset. I was thinking things like ''I am a missionary'' ''I have things to do.'' ''I don't have time for this.'' ''We have people to teach.'' ''Our area is now a disaster.'' ''There are no investigators.'' along with plenty of other things. People keep telling me to calm down, and to just be patient. Those of you who know me well, know that patience is not my strong point. While I have doubtlessly gown a lot in that area as a result of daily missionary trials, I am still working on my patience level. 

 However I remembered a mormon message that I have always loved and I am now repenting for questioning the will of the Lord. 

I have learned a lot in these last few weeks and I feel like I am a stronger person because of it. We have to learn from our trials. It is the most important thing that I have learned in these past few weeks. To learn from everything that happens to us. There is a plan. It is a perfect plan. The Lord's plan. He is perfect and his planning skills are better than ours. Trust in him. He will save you. Let him mold you into who He wants you to be. 

Here is the video, and a picture of me in a mask trying to get my fever to come down that I thought was funny. 

Con Amor, 

Hermana Gibson

https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/the-will-of-god-2

​and a photo of my companion and I this morning

I love being a sister missionary! (Several Pictures)

Hello everyone! 

This is just going to be a quick email to say how grateful I am for this wonderful work and the opportunity that I have to be a part of it.

My zone is wonderful and on Tuesday they had me a surprise "party" it was as much of a party as we can have as missionaries. =)

Here are some fotos. 

They blindfolded me and it was fun! I was completely unaware that these fotos were being taken. haha. I didn't see them until later!
There were balloons!

​and cake!

I hope ya'll have a blessed day and a fantastic week! 

Love all ya'll

Hermana Gibson

PS here are the pictures that didn't attach last week

My Bishop and his family. 

A silly picture with a super cute little girl! I love her! Its one of my birthday scarfs you sent me Momma. 

I got to hold a boa. She almost ate me so I kindly and calmly have her back to her owner. HAHA

I got to hold this super cute hedgehog.Thats not me holding it there but I want one now!

A quick hello and some pictures

I just thought that I would take a quick moment to say hello world. 

Its been a while since I last wrote a large email. 

I have been good. 

I am good!

This week was sacrifice week and it was wonderful! Our zone made a gigantic Book of Mormon and we went to Central Park to sing in front of everyone and contact everyone we could see. It was so so so much fun!

We also had a huge lesson outside the temple with all of our investigators and it was so so so beautiful! Then we got to take them inside the waiting room so that they could go inside the temple and feel of the spirit that is there. I love the temple and I know that it is the house of The Lord. I know it without a doubt.

Yesterday was my birthday and I just wanted to say thank you for all the many birthday wishes! I love you all a whole bunch!

My Trainer came to visit me! I love her so much! I cried when I saw her!

We had a party in our house.. well in the house of the family where we live. And it was wonderful!(Should be a picture here but it didn't attach)

And the bishops family also invited us to come over!
(Should be a picture here but it didn't attach)

They are absolutely wonderful! I love them a whole bunch! 

Also, i got to hold a hedgehog and a boa this week! It was so so so cool!(Should be a picture here but it didn't attach)

Well, have a great week! I love you all a whole bunch!

Hermana Gibson

P.S. I just wanted to send a really big HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! to my grandpa! I love you so so so much! You will forever be my favorite person! I hope that you have the best day of your life!

Meet the new companion!

Hello, this is my new companion. She is great! I have known her for a while not and honestly had  no idea that we would ever be companions. It never even crossed my mind, so when the Zone Leaders called last night and told me that she would be my companion I got really excited!

Her name is Hermana Dubon and she is from guess where..... Honduras! 

My 4th companion from there! I have got to visit that country sometime. Haha Also, Elder Gonzales decided that he wanted to be in the foto jaja so he just kind of jumped in. Hes real great. He is going to be our new district leader. He is also from... Honduras! haha everyone is from there. So yeah, this is my new little! I like her a lot and I'm real excited to work with her. 

W

We had a baptism on Saturday. Her name is Melissa and she was turning 8. Her mom isn't a member but her sister is. We made her a cake and it was so adorable to see how excited she was to be able to be baptized. I am not going to post pictures because I don't have permission from her mom and she is really little so I don't want to do anything that could offend her parents. haha even though we are really good friends its better to be safe than sorry. 

However here is a foto of the Hermana Chavez and I making her cake before the baptism. 

​

​Love y'all a whole bunch!

Get excited for Conference! I know I am! Its going to be historic!

Take notes. Remember to have a personal prayer antes de que empieza so that you can receive the personal revelation that you need!

Hermana Gibson

Costa Rica, the worlds most beautiful country! I love serving here!

I just wanted to let everyone know, that here in the worlds most beautiful country everything is going great. here are some photos to prove it :) 

It's so beautiful here, I don't know how I'll ever leave when it's time! 

Hermana Walfield is one of the most amazing people. 

I love all the waterfalls here! I promise you, it's amazing here! 

Sorry my eyes are closed here. I love to go to the Temple! 

The country is beautiful and so are the Hermana's and Elders I serve with! 

Love Hermana Gibson

Hello World!!!!!

So sorry I haven't had any time to write anything these past few weeks, They have just been rather crazy. Being a missionary is one of the best things life has to offer you. Sure there are trials but teaching people about Gods love for them, the restored gospel and that you can be a family for ever are the best days of my life now!

I am still alive and loving it here. 

I have been with my same companion but yesterday we got a phone call that we have emergency changes. My companion is headed to Liberia, Guanacaste! I sure am going to miss her. 

I don't have much to say other than that I read a talk this week that I liked a lot. It is on enduring to the end. There was a phrase that I liked a lot. something like this " sometimes people tell us to hang in there. But to hang in there is not a principal of the gospel" it was really something that made me stop to think a minute. There is a rather large difference in hanging in there and enduring to the end.

Just think about it. 

Not much time left!
I love you all!

Love, 

 Brooke

I absolutely love Costa Rica! 

Me and Hermana Gutierrez

My new companion is the one on the right of me. She isn't called on a mission but is of mission age. I hope that the three weeks she spends with me she will want to turn in her papers and serve a mission! 

500 Stairs

So this week I have fun things to share. 

Last Monday we went to a place where there are 500 really steep stairs to climb down and you can see all of Costa Rica and it was the most beautiful thing ever! Here look and see!

then we made chocolate chip cookies

 and i held iguanas (this is an accomplishment because they scare me a whole lot)

​and there was a crazy cow on the loose eating all the the trash. which is funny because in America the trash goes on the ground but here there are some metal basket type things up high so that the dogs don't eat it and then a cow came and tore up all the trash. 

​and today we went to KFC to eat lunch because we were in San Jose so here is a foto

I love me companion a whole lot! She is great!! We survived changes so we will be together for at least 6 weeks more! WooHoo!

I was reading a talk this week and I liked this quote

"Many of the things you can count, do not count. Many of the things you cannot count, really do count" 

Think about it for a minute!

So this was my life for the week. I love my area. I love my mission!
Have a great week!

Always look for the little miracles that ARE THERE! Love you all!

Hermana Gibson

I can teach you to dance, but you have to hear the music!

This Saturday is Mother's Day here in Costa Rica So I wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to the best Momma in the world. Thank you for teaching me all you know and helping me become who I am today. Nest I want to say Happy Mother's Day to the best Lala ever. I love you so very much. Next to my Granny and Meme I love y'all!  I am so blessed to have so many wonderful women in my life. I love them all! Happy Mother's Day Y'all! 

So this week I realized exactly how out of tune we as missionaries are with everything that happens in the world.

I recently discovers that Donald Trumph is a presidential candidate and I about passed out !!! HAHA

I discovered that one direction are now men... I remember little boys. Its crazy how much can change in just one year. 

This week I learned lots of things. I learned what Pega is. It's basically food poising. But when you get it, the lymph nodes in your arm swell and if you get a weird arm massage that hurts really bad, it goes away in like an hour but if not you are stuck with it for about 2 weeks or until you go pay 1 dollar and get your arm massaged. I thought it wasn't going to work so I made the Elder who told me to go pay for it, and it hurt so badly. I got a bruise, but I felt so so so much better afterword. Weird right? I think I am going to learn how to do it so that when I have children and they are sick I can do it to them so they can never have a reason to skip school. haha

However, this week I had a few other things that I wanted to share. First, I was reading in 2 Nephi 10 this week and I really liked a few of the verses and things that I learned. Why on earth do people fight against God? We all know who is going to win at the end of it all and if we aren't on God´s team it will not be us. 

 16 Wherefore, he that fighteth against Zion, both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free, both male and female, shallperish; for they are they who are the whore of all the earth; for they who are not for me are against me, saith our God.

It is rather clear, I think. 

I also really liked verse 23 

23 Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.

Isn't is great that we are free to choose for ourselves??

We get to choose our actions but never the consequences. However, we usually know what the consequences are before making a choice and then when we make the wrong choice we do out best to avoid them and then get upset when things don't work out in our favor. 

Just a thought.

I was also reading a conference talk that made a large impression on my heart/mind. 

It is called The Music of The Gospel. I have even been kind enough to insert a clickable link so that you can all read it. I promise that it will change your life. 

The part that called my attention the most was... well the whole thing. But I really like how he talks about that we can teach people how to live the gospel but if they never feel like they have gained a testimony or if they never do their part to receive that testimony then it is really for nothing because there will come a day when they keep doing the things just because everyone does them and it is all that they know or they will stop all together. 

Also, that we as people who have already felt this great burning fire that nobody knows how to explain, we have to remain worthy to keep feeling it. 

In Alma 5:26 it says: And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?

Just something to think about this week!

I don't have any pictures because I have lost the cord to charge my camera. I'm gonna go buy one right now!

Have an excellent week!

I love all y'all!
Hermana Gibson

Hello!!! Pictures two weeks in a row!

Okay family! I don't have much time but I have lots of things that I wanted to say! First of all Limon is now officially a Stake as of yesterday and Guanacaste as of 2 weeks ago!!! To see the fulfilment of all of the efforts in those 2 places makes me so so so happy! I love Limon and Guanacaste with all of my heart and I cried last week and yesterday when I realized that they are now stakes. 

Also, yesterday in church a sister gave a talk and it impacted me a whole bunch. She said, YOU CANT LOVE WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW. It makes a whole lot of sense. If we don't know our Heavenly Father and our Savior, we cant love them. So we have to do the thing that are necessary to get to know them so that we can love them in the way that they love us. 

Here are some photos! Have a great Week!

​President & Hermana Laboriel came to work with us for a day, so that was fun. We took a picture. This is inside our church building.

I love these precious girls with all of my heart! They are like sisters that I never had. 

​And here we are eating some Mexican 

food last Monday

We went to the Temple on Wednesday to pick up President and Hermana Laboriel so the gates were open and I took a picture! I love the temple! 

 Love, 

 Brooke

My new companion and a few pictures.

Here is my adorable Mexican churro! 

Her name is Hermana Gutierrez and I love her a whole bunch! 

She is 19 and she would like to say a big ole HOLA to everyone!

Ah bueno, yesterday we had the coolest thing ever happen. The elders gave us a reference of a single lady and her kids about a week ago and we could never find her, but yesterday we went to go look for her and she was finally home. So when we got there we just kind of started talking to her and she was telling us about how she is a widow and all of these sad things and then she goes "I want to get baptized, I need to get baptized" now, for those of you who don't know, we invite everyone to baptism during the first visit, but this was BEFORE we even started teaching. Then when we invited her to baptism, she just started crying and said "yes, please" and it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Her sister is actually a member and she has been to church with her sister a few times but in a different ward. It just goes to show that The Lord is preparing people to receive his gospel all over the world. We never know when someone is ready or willing, and as members of the church it is our responsibility to share with everyone.

​Here is a picture of the temple! Just because it is pretty and I love getting to see it 2 times a week. We don't get to go inside (It's closed both days) but that's okay. It just makes me happy to see it. 

Here is a picture of Carlitos on the day of his second baptism. His records were lost so he had to get baptized again! He was really excited too!

Well, until next week!

I love you all. Remember that life is short and we never know when it is going to be our time. I have learned that more this week than I think I have yet in the mission. Have a great week!

Just a silly picture. 

Love,Brooke 

For all of you who asked, Yes I knew Elder Cuevas. I knew him well. He was an outstanding Missionary! I will forever be touched by his kindness and love for everyone. We will one day see each other again, this I'm sure. 

It's been a while!

Howdy friends, 

Its been a while since I have last written to everyone. I have been super busy and I hope that you can all forgive me. I love you all so much.

New things:

I had changes, I'm in Ojo de Agua. Its actually a little bit confusing. My area is part of a provincia Alajuela, but in everything that has to do with the church it is part of Heredia. So my area is actually in San Rafeal de Alajuela, but its called Ojo de Agua, heredia. Interesting. It is still taking me some time to get used to. 

I was really, really, REALLY sad to leave Santa Cruz. I love that place so so so much and all of the people there. I know that Presidente Zeledon is going to read this so I just wanted to say that I love you and thank you so much for everything. You guys are the greatest. :)

I cried a whole bunch leaving. I honestly thought that it was a joke when my zone leader called to tell me that I had changes. I honestly did not believe him. But then he told me that it was real and I got really, really sad. 

However, I love my new area. It is cold. Well, colder than any other place that I have been this past year of my life. haha The people are super loving and welcoming. I don't have hot water. its super cold and the water is super cold. but i have heard it is good for your skin and hair so I guess it works out well. hahaThe son of Bishop Crawford (from Guacimo) is in my ward so it makes me feel right at home. Also, I share an area with Elder Dale again, so its pretty much like we are living in Guacimo but in a rather large city now. I am also in the same district as Hermana Walfield so I get to see her every monday and every tuesday. So Exciting! Also, fun fact, after not seeing the temple for more than 6 months, I get to see it every monday and tuesday and it makes me the happiest person on planet earth.

I was going to send lots of pictures but I didnt bring my camera cable and there is just one problem... I can't stick my memory card directly into the computer in this place and I didn't know that. So I have no way of sending photos this week. But I have lots that I wanted to send. oops. 

This week I passed the 1 year mark in the missinon. How old am I? Wow. I can NOT believe that I have been here this long. Its crazy.We bought pizza to celebrate. :)

My companion is Hermana Gutierrez. She is Mexican and adorable. She only has about 2 and a half months in the mission so she is still a little shy but she is so ready to work and is super excited to learn new things. I love her a whole bunch and I am really excited to be able to work with her. 

Well, thats all for now. 

I will send some pictures next week, if I can find my camera cord. 

Have a great week. Remember that you are loved.

Hermana Gibson 

Growing in this beautiful country. We now have two missions in Costa Rica!

So I really just wanted to send a lot of photos today. But first I wanted to say a few things. 

On Tuesday we had our last mission conference as mission San Jose Costa Rica. Today our mission splits and we receive 2 new mission presidents. I will be in mission San Jose Costa Rica west. 

Here is a photo of mission San Jose Costa Rica with our president Wilkinson and his family. I feel so honored and privileged to have been able to work along side him and learn from him. It is definitely sad to see him go. 

​ and here is a picture of our zone. Zona San Roque with President and Sister Wilkinson 

I have learned so much from President and Sister Wilkinson and I am so thankful for them. Seriously I love them. 

Also, this week I was able to see a lot of miracles. I realized that in the very last hour of the day, when we feel down, are tired, hot, and nobody has wanted to talk to us all day long, that is when you can see the biggest miracles. We found a family and it was at first just the mom and her 2 daughters but then her husband came out and told us that he is a member. He has been inactive for 16 years because when he moved he didn't know where the church was then then started working on Sundays but was praying this past week to be able to go back. They have went to church the past 3 Sundays and they really really enjoy it. The mom and her 2 daughters are preparing for their baptism and the dad is preparing to be able to baptize them. It is so beautiful. 

Now I am going to send a lot of photos. Some are from the mission conference and some are from these past couple weeks and an activity that we had a few weeks ago. 

Love you all, 

Brooke