HISTORIC TIMES-MISSION DIVISION

Spoke at Concepcion Ward.  Home Ward of  Elder Cordon, Area Seventy.

Las Hermanas Wilkinson..Allison & her three daughters
(Eliza, Mary & Emma)

Teaching "Mi Camino" workshop at Concepcion

 

 

At La Sabana Stake Conference, I WAS to go pick up Hermana Pete
 after the Saturday Priesthood Session,
but if you look close, our car (Brown RAV- 4) is blocked
 at least 7 cars deep, in
Escasu Parking lot!  Hmmm, not sure who thought this
system was a good idea...

For Father's Day, well one day late, I got great American Homemade Tacos!!

June 23, 2015.  Final Mission Conference of Wilkinson years (2012-2015)
On June 29 San Jose Costa Rica mission was divided into
San Jose East (Pte Hayes) & San Jose West (Pte. Laboriel)

FInally made it to the Cinemark in Curridabat for 3D screening of
JURASIC WORLD (Seniors to have perks : )

C.A.S.team in front of temporary office while further
renovation started (then stopped) @ Don Bosco.
Country Manager Rodrigo Rivera & local full-time
Coordinating Couple, los Arias'.

After speaking at Concepcion, decided to explore & ended up
at Ward we'd never been to...Barrio Coronado in Estaca Toyopan.

 

Couldn't figure out why this Ward came to mind until...Brother Monterosa
came out of the Chapel & asked us if we would like to see where
Costa Rica was dedicated for preaching the Gospel in early 1990's.
Above is the view of central valley from foothills in Northeast San Jose...

.....from the Monterosa farm. Central America had been dedicated
years earlier but in 1990's determined to bless each country separately.
Done at this very place, Elder Boyd K. Packer offered the dedicatory prayer. 

This picture, on the Monterosas wall, is of James E. Faust, Russell M.Nelson, & Lynn Robbins of The 70,
 in 2000. When they came to dedicate the temple,
 they asked to visit the dedicatory site.

The other picture on their wall was...Boyd K Packer at their home on the
day he dedicated Costa Rica for the preaching of the Gospel,
in August 1992. Significant proselyting efforts didn't occur
until 1965.

The generations of the Monterosa Family. All but 1 daughter
 live here and work what is now a dairy farm.
 The youngest daughter on left plays the viola in the National Symphony.

When to Puntarenas to train Lidieth, the District Self -Reliance Specialist
and who Melanie taught the Gospel in 2000-1.  She is a retired nurse and now
teaches nursing classes at the local College. 

This gives an idea where we live on the 12th floor of the tallest building in Costa Rica
27 floors.  The yellow dot is Hermana Petersen.  I took this one afternoon,
while walking home from the Don Bosco Office
  She'd spent the day working from our apartment,
on  Nursing projects for the Mission.

A Closer view.

At final Conference with Zona La Paz

The awesome Wilkinson family.  Three years of amazing service
in Costa Rica.  He is retuning to be C.E.S. Institute Director in the "largest
Institute in the world"-Utah Valley University in Orem Utah.

Mission couples from left, Servers (Liberia), Wilkinsons-(Mission President),
Burts (Office Secretaries) and US (Self Reliance)!

Dinner with Servers and Burts at "La Princesa Marina"

While speaking at Flores de Heredia on 6/28, Hermana Petersen
asked all in attendance who were members when Melanie served
to raise their hands. (this is just the middle section, there were more
people with hands raised on the side sections)

Melisa Castro, on Hna.Petes left, was especially emotional when she
learned that we were Melanie's parents. She was
. asked to name her oldest grand-daughter. Melani was the name she chose.
 Son Anthony on right is getting ready to
serve a mission.

After speaking at Flores, we went for (what has become) our Sunday drive.
 ...south from Ciudad Colon to Parrita on Pacific Coast
Really pretty but...

Got kinda dicey when the rains came and the dirt roads got muddy.
Ruta 239 was ok but Ruta 310 became just a muddy track.
When Elder Pete heard rocks falling down the steep
incline near our car, we made a bee line outta there.

Had Mission Assistants (Elder Tai & Lopez) + Mission Office Elders over
for chili and home-made donuts. Whoops, no foto of Office Elders aqui.

This is a picture the Casto's pulled out of Melanie and youngest daughter in 2001.

We met Pte Azofeifa en Heredia recently, the First Counselor in Heredia Stake. He was
the Ward mission leader when Melanie served in Flores and Jeff served in
Belen Ward. He remembers both of them fondly
  now nearly 14 years ago.

 

EL TIEMPO SE VUELE - AS TIME FLIES BY

Puerto Limon (Corales) Branch where we spoke on May 17th.

Very excited for son-in-law Joseph, who got his U.S. Citizenship.

Went hiking to Tapanti (Orosi Valley) with a young
family, the McCunes. They live in Escazu.
 

Workshop in San Francisco de Heredia ward.

Fun to see our former next door neighbor, Alison Boone (now living in Oklahoma)

The Limon District set up a new C.A.S.  (Centro de Auto Suficiencia)
 to help members locally.
  It's 3 hours east of San Jose on the Mar Caribe
(Caribbean Sea)

This is our new Branch Specialist in Corales, Kicha Davis. She has been a member
7 months and is preparing to serve a mission.
 Her father is an investigator.

The McCune's with Tapanti Waterfall in the
background. Their cute little chica does
not like her picture taken : )

Joseph G. Nochebuena.  One of the USA's newest citizens.

This cartoon on cooling needs of women of advancing
years gave us all a good laugh with Sister Petersen's
lack of love of the heat & humidity.

We toured Fantasy Canyon near Vernal, Utah by Skype with
the Heads and Ryan over Memorial Day weekend.

Temporary Office while electrical system next door,
@ Capilla Don Bosco, was being renovated.
 

Our friends Karla Zuniga & Michael Aguilar, came by one Saturday
 to help us with cleaning.  Here they are, shaking our rugs on top of
Torres Paseo Colon. 

Some of the La Sabana Stake Ward Specialists up on 27th floor after
a training session with Stake Specialist Ali Porras. Don't know
where she was at this minute, but she isn't in the foto.
On the left is our friend Ana Chavarria, Stake Relief Society
President, La Sabana Stake.

In front of rented house used as meetinghouse for Santiago Puriscal Branch.

In the next room to the right (Rama Puriscal) was a 1 inch
crack that ran the entire width of the building,
from a recent earthquake.

Rodrigo Rivera leading a recently returned missionary seminar.
 

We went to the Cineplex in Curridibat and saw "Meet the Mormons".  Everything
said it was subtitled in English but Sister Petersen got to watch it entirely in Espanol.

Karla Zuniga with her parents and friends.  It was Michael's birthday.

Fast Day for June was in Siquirres, Limon Providence.  The stake just
made this strong branch a ward.  This is Bishop Alvarado & his wife.

On the way home from Siquierres we stopped by Turriaba . This
small ward chapel is scheduled for renovation this fall.

Back in Siquirres we asked everyone who was a member circa 1995,
 when our son-in-law, Jeff's cousin,
Corrine Berrett served there. Quite a few members gave
her a thumbs-up.
 

Went to Turriabla to give Kennia Monestel a PEF check she needed,
 AND...

To drive to the top of Volcon Turriabla the most active of the
volcanoes currently. 

This goat herd came running out to meet Sister Petersen until
they found out she did not have any food for them. This
is ther U turn.

We made it to within 6km of the Volcano where there was a ranger blocking
the way.  For safety reasons???

Once outside of San Jose, this is the biggest travel challenge!
With all the rain & steep mountain-sides, hardly a month goes by
without some kind of road closure.

Final new missionaries & their trainers with the Wilkinson's!!

Happy birthday to Office Elder Nelson from Draper, with the  Burts (Mission Secretaries)
and Mission Nurses Hna Petersen & Markle and Sister Markle's companion,
Hermana Ramirez.