I'm famous!

I hope everyone had a merry Christmas!! The highlight of my day was definitely talking to my family! The Internet worked and everything! I have the best family ever and it made my heart so happy to talk to them(: 

Monday we had an awesome pday in Pacasmayo with all the hnas in our zone at the Bentley's house (a senior couple). We had lunch, did a gift exchange, made sugar cookies, and took pictures on the boardwalk. Thursday we had a lesson with familia Marin. I’ve talked about them, but they've had all the lessons from the elders who were here before us, but still aren't married, and don't keep their commitments. They’re a super great family though and they like to have us come. We taught about the importance of prayer, scripture study, and going to church, and both of us were able to testify of the importance of these things. We both felt the spirit super super strong as we testified and promised that their family can be eternal if they will do those things. Then the dad was like, I’m going to be super busy in these next few months, but my family should go to church. And the mom said, yea we'll go, but that's what she always says. And we could tell very clearly that they still don't understand how important this is. It’s sad to see this awesome family, and to have felt the spirit with them, but they still aren't willing to seriously learn and progress. I just hope that future missionaries will be able to help them when they're ready.

So now a funny story. The calendars here lots of times have little white babies on them. so any time someone we're visiting has one, hna Mancilla tells them, "look, that's my companion as a baby!" so we were visiting a member family on Saturday and hna Mancilla told their 9 year old girl that I’m on their calendar. AND SHE TOTALLY BELIEVES IT AND THINKS I'M SUPER FAMOUS. She looked really close at the color of my eyes and at my face and was like, yea it's you!! And when I tried to tell her that it's NOT me and that I’m definitely NOT famous, she said, "but you just have to accept that you're famous!" so I told her, yea I’m famous, but it's a secret. So that's my funny story for the week.

Also, transfer calls came and hna Mancilla and I are staying together here in Guadalupe!! Sunday was the best to talk with my family, I am so infinitely grateful for them. This time apart has helped me realize how amazing my family is and how blessed we are. I love being a missionary and representing my Savior Jesus Christ and my family. I hope everyone had a merry Christmas, love you all!

 Hna Holmes and I would be everyone's comp goals if we were comps. but we're mission besties

 The hnas of zona guadalupe with hna bentley. (the bentleys are the senior couple in pacasmayo that got transfered to trujillo today)

 the elders and us with some of our favorite ysa people

 the member family that we spent Christmas night with

---

A baptism in Peru!

So the big news is that I had my first baptism!!! Tito wasn't going to get back (to Guadalupe) till yesterday, but he called us on Tuesday to say he was back! So we finished teaching the lessons this week and he was baptized on Saturday! It was a great service, and he was even early and came in a shirt and tie! He had a huge smile when he came up out of the water and it was just so special. He was super super nervous about bearing his testimony after, but he did great! Then yesterday in church he was confirmed and received the Aaronic priesthood and was ordained a priest. He is super super awesome and just wants to do what the Lord wants. His daughter came to church with him yesterday and she is just so cute! We’re going to try to teach her, cuz she loves going to church!

Also, I got a package from grandma Ramona which included jerky and pomegranate jelly, so I’m basically in Heaven.

Hna Mancilla and I continue to be better friends every day and I just love her so much!! I literally never get to speak English, cuz she doesn't speak English. It’s super weird to think that I speak Spanish all day everyday and it's totally normal now. It can be frustrating when I can't say exactly what I want to, but wow, the gift of tongues is real and I love speaking Spanish!!

Christmas will be a normal day for us except for only one hour of church and getting to skype our families (!!!!!). The big tradition here is eating dinner at midnight so we won't get to participate in that. Please take advantage of this Christmas season to share the gospel and remember Jesus Christ! He is our savior and redeemer and all is possible through Him. I know that He lives and that He loves each one of us. I love you all, Merry Christmas!!!

 Tito's baptism!!!

 Us with Tito and his daughter Nicole

 On the hill of the Virgin of Guadalupe

 Also on the hill - me, Hna Mancilla, Hna Sandoval, Hna Marino

 Statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe

 View of Guadalupe from the hill

To bring to others the joy of the gospel

It’s been another hot, fast week here in Guadalupe. Sorry for the same lame start to all my emails haha..but wow it's been hot! Something funny that i don't think I’ve shared yet is that Hna Mancilla is from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where it's like a million degrees and 100% humidity. So at night, she gets kinda cold so she sleeps in pajama pants, a long sleeved shirt, and two blankets. Then I’m in shorts and a t-shirt, and usually not even sheets. And I’m STILL HOT....haha anyways, our water went out again, which made for more shower-less days, but it's back now. Also, something funny happened on Tuesday. So to go to any of the other little pueblitos (towns) here in Guadalupe (Chepen, Pueblo Nuevo, Pacasmayo...), you have to get a car because there are no taxis and you have to wait for the car to fill up with people before it'll leave. So we were sitting in a car waiting for more people so we could go to Pueblo Nuevo for our district meeting, and there's this guy who goes around selling potatoes, yelling "papitas! papitas!" Anyways, he saw me and came up to the car and said, "When I was a boy I had green eyes like yours and then the sun burned them!"and then he just went on his way again. Then we saw him yesterday and he said "oh how I miss my green eyes..."hahaha it's hilarious! Perks of being a gringa here is that you get lots of interesting comments like that. 

So Tito was supposed to get baptized this coming Saturday, but didn't show up to church yesterday. We called him and found out he was on his way to Cajamarca for a family emergency and won't get back until Saturday or Sunday....so we'll be postponing his baptism. Something always happens when we're about to have someone be baptized. Twice with Carla, and now with Tito. It’s frustrating, but we'll keep praying for him.

We have started teaching a super great, prepared  family that we contacted last week. They’re really nice and receptive (and talkative) but we're super excited to see them progress! They’re married (MIRACLE) and the husband was studying to be a priest, so possibly some interesting questions from him, but at least they have a good Christian background. 

We had intercambios (exchanges) on Friday, and i went to San Pedro with Hna Delgado!! #reunited. The highlight was that we were at a member’s house, and their little dog got SUPER excited to see us and peed all over Hna Delgado's leg! Oh my heck, I was DYING I was laughing so hard!!!! It was so funny and Hna Delgado and I had a great time together. 

It’s so hard to be away from home this Christmas season, but I literally have THE BEST MOM IN THE WHOLE WORLD who sent us Christmas decorations and treats!! So at least we're a little bit festive.  It will be hard these next few weeks, but I love the mission more every day, even though every single day it is hard. I’ve been making my way through the new conference Ensign and I read Elder Nelson's talk about joy. He said that the reason missionaries leave their homes is to bring joy to the people of the world. And that is why I’m here! To bring to others the joy of the gospel, and because I love my Heavenly Father. I hope everyone has a great week, I love you all!!!

Our Christmas Tree (Thanks Mom!)

Intercambios! (Exchanges with Hna. Delgado Anna's trainer)

A member, me, Hna Mancilla

 Our Area

Thankful for the Chirstmas Season

It's been another HOT week in Guadalupe. The weeks are flying by, we're already halfway through the cambio (transfer)!! On Wednesday we had a lesson with an investigator who's a little older and hasn't had much education so it takes a bit for him to understand. But we were teaching the plan of salvation and he asked, "I can really see my parents again?" it was so awesome to be able to tell him that yes, he will get to see his parents again! He accepted a baptismal date but then didn't come to church...but I’m confident we'll be able to help him progress. Yesterday we had one of our investigators, Julia, come to church for the first time! She came with her kids, and some of her husband’s cousins are in our branch, so she already knows people! And she even participated in Sunday school and relief society! She also came to the broadcast of the first presidency Christmas devotional! She really wants to learn and she is reading and praying and waiting for her answer. She will be so solid once she gets her answer, I’m really excited for her. We had 5 investigators and 2 less actives come to the Christmas devotional, it was awesome! Great messages and beautiful messages, there's no way they didn't feel the spirit. Tito continues to prepare for his baptism on the 17th and he is amazing. He already fasts and pays tithing, and just wants to do whatever God wants him to do. We still need to teach him quite a bit, but we're really excited for him. The Guadalupe fiestas continue, and today, a bunch of people will go up the big hill to the virgin statue, and everyone's all excited about it. 

It’s crazy to think that I have been gone for 6 months! The days fly by, and I am so glad to be here. It’s so hot all the time, but I’m so glad to be serving the people of Guadalupe and my Heavenly Father. I'm thankful for this Christmas season and the opportunity we have to remember Jesus Christ and follow His example of service. I love you and miss you all!

                             Guadalupe

                              Hermana Mancilla

                               Hermana Mancilla

 Guadalupe

Gosh dang it I love Peru!

Hey everyone! It’s been a great week in Guadalupe, I love it more here everyday! We had tuna fish and onion sandwiches for breakfast one day, so that was not so great, but I survived. Thursday (Thanksgiving) was a normal day for us, but we had a really good lesson about the plan of salvation with a family we're teaching. They have had all the lessons from the elders who were here before us, and we're not quite sure what their issue is, they're not big on keeping commitments, but we're working on it. Friday we taught so much! I love that we get to teach a lot here, if something falls through, there's almost always someone nearby we can go to.

Saturday was our mission conference and we got up at 3:30 to catch the bus to Trujillo. It was only half the mission, but I got to see my friends in Cajamarca, and hna Clark (one of my friends from the ccm)! Elder Godoy and President Marble spoke, and it was amazing! It really motivated me and helped us figure out some things we can do differently to improve. After we got back to Guadalupe, we had a lesson with familia Sandoval, the family with 6 kids. I only know 5 of them, cuz the oldest (who is 13 years old) lives with her boyfriend. But the ones I know are super super cute and LOVE hand sanitizer. They come up to us with their hands stretched out about 3 or 4 times each lesson to ask for it, it's super funny.

So the fiestas of Guadalupe started a few days ago and it goes until the 10th of December. There’s a fair and a circus and everything, also fireworks that go all night long and concerts with very loud speakers. We live really close to the plaza so we hear EVERYTHING. It’s kind of annoying...also, our shower isn't working and our only dresser has termites...but gosh dang it I love Peru! And it makes me very grateful for what I have. The people here are so humble and so kind, and I’m excited to share the gospel with them. I love you all, and I miss you, but I’m so grateful to be here in Guadalupe, Peru serving my Heavenly Father. 

 Mission Conference in Trujillo

Hermanas Stevenson, Clark, Alvarenga, Schuyler, Chaparro

 

#Reunited - Hermana Clark and Hermana Stevenson

 My awesome tan lines

The view of The Hill of the Virgin of Guadalupe from our roof. That's a statue of the virgin of Guadalupe.

1st Week in Guadalupe

 Well, first email from Guadalupe!! It’s been a good week, and crazy fast too. Monday, Hna Holmes and I took the bus here, about 4 hours, and no one was here to pick us up! We waited about 15 minutes then the zone leaders got there. Hna Holmes went to Pacasmayo, and I’m here in Guadalupe, but at least we're still in the same zone! My area is huge and is mostly dirt roads, mud-brick houses with dirt floors, and lots and lots of sun. and people have told me that it will only get more hot...Wednesday we had district meeting, and that was fun to see other missionaries. Here in zona Guadalupe, everyone is in pueblitos (towns) that range from 10 minutes to 40 minutes from each other. Our district is us and the zone leaders in Guadalupe, the elders and hermanas in Chepen (10 minutes away), and the elders in Pueblo Nuevo (also 10 minutes away). One of the elders in Chepen, Elder Olsen, went to Timp Academy and we were friends for a few years, so that was cool to know someone already. Friday we had a lesson with a family with 6 kids and the parents don't know how to read. That’s pretty common here, and not a problem I had in Cajamarca, but it went well, we just have to explain things pretty simply. On Sunday I got to see Esther and her kids!! She is Hna Delgado's convert and I knew them in Cajamarca, but then they moved here! They live in the elders area but at least I get to see them at church. It’s been a fast week, but I love my area! My comp is Hna Mancilla from Bolivia and she is 26 years old. That’s a little weird to think about sometimes...but she's cool and we get along. My blue shoes are almost as grey as my grey shoes because of all the dust, I definitely miss paved roads. The food here is a little different too, I’ve had chicken feet and fish heads in my soup, but worry not, I did not eat them haha. I do miss Cajamarca and my ward there, but I’m excited to be here! I was reading in Alma 27:17-18 the other day and it's super cool: 17 Now the joy of Ammon was so great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth.

 18 Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness. Let’s all try to be truly penitent and humble seekers of happiness so that we can be swallowed up in the joy of our God. I love my Heavenly Father, and I love this work! Have a great week!

---

Ciao Cajamarca

November 7, 2016

On Tuesday we found out that they´re closing our area...not really closing, but the elders in our ward (elders Wynn and Nunez) will take over our area. It´s because the ward boundaries in our stake are getting realigned and our ward will be pretty small, only big enough for 2 pairs of missionaries instead of 3. And also because there´s not very many missionaries coming to our mission in the next few months, especially hermanas, so they have to close some areas. So hna Delgado and I are leaving Cajamarca at the end of this transfer on the 14th and we won´t be together anymore. There´s a teeny tiny chance I could stay in Cajamarca and just be in a different area, but it´s very unlikely. So next week I’ll probably write Monday morning before we get on the bus to leave Cajamarca...I’m sad, I was expecting another transfer here, but looks like i probably won´t be getting it. I’m sad to leave our awesome ward, but more to leave our zone up here that I love so much. But I guess I better get used to it cuz I’ll have a lot more changes in these next 13 months. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

November 14, 2016

Well it's been a pretty interesting week here. We were just sitting there waiting for stake conference to start last Sunday, when President Marble came up to us and said that Hna Delgado was getting transferred to San Pedro de Lloc because one of the hermanas there went home a week early. So Hna Delgado left for San Pedro on Monday morning, so I spent most of the week with Hna Holmes and Hna Fuller in Pueblo Libre. It was probably the funnest week of my time in the field, and I haven't laughed that hard since the CCM! It was so much fun to be 3 gringas together, we talked and laughed all day long! But the mattress I had to sleep on was awful, and destroyed my back for a few days. I did have some good lessons in my area, and I talked with the elders to help them get to know my area a little bit so they can take care of it. I found out yesterday that I’m going to Guadalupe! All I’ve heard is that it's super hot and there's tons of mosquitoes....but I’m pretty excited too! i don't know much about my new comp, so I’ll tell more next week. Hna Holmes is getting transferred to Pacasmayo, so we'll get to ride the bus down together, so that will be fun. Overall, it's been a bit of a crazy week, but a pretty fun one too. My bus leaves in an hour, so I’m trying to enjoy my last hour in Cajamarca...I’m sad to leave, but excited for a new adventure serving the Lord. I love you all! Have a great week!

 Guadalupe

 

Main Square in Guadalupe

Hola de Cajamarca!

                                                                

On Tuesday we had a great lesson with Diana about the plan of salvation and eternal marriage. She was really interested, especially about eternal marriage. But it's hard for her because her husband is atheist and only joined the Catholic Church to marry her. So we're going to try and work more with him.

In personal study, I read the insert to the Liahona about Elder Scott after he died, and one of the stories really impressed me. He had been working for the navy/us government in the new nuclear program for 12 years when he was called to serve as a mission president in Argentina. When he told his boss (a navy admiral) he would be leaving, the boss freaked out and made three points: 1)Elder Scott was so vital to the program that it would take a year to replace him 2)if he left, he'd be a traitor to his country, and 3) if he left, he could not expect to get his job back on returning or to ever work in the nuclear field again. But Elder Scott stood his ground and said he'd train a replacement. But because of Elder Scott’s faithfulness, his boss was impressed, and before he left, said that when he got back, Elder Scott could have his job back. That was just an incredible example to me of how if we stand strong in our faith and do what is right, we will be blessed. Elder Scott is pretty dang cool. 

On Wednesday we finally talked with Carla and we're not sure if she's going to be baptized. She’s just really nervous about what she'll lose (mainly her boyfriend) if she gets baptized. We tried to be really direct with her and emphasize that she has so much more to gain than to lose, but she's just not sure. so we're going to fast with her tomorrow so we'll see what happens. 

Saturday we met two gringos (one from England, one from the US) who are here teaching at the Davy College (one of the better schools here, especially in teaching English cuz most of the teachers are from the states). They’re a young couple and it was super cool to talk to them and speak English! But it was also kind of hard to speak English cuz I’m so used to Spanish now. But they live in our area, so we're hoping to be able to meet with them sometime.

Overall it's been a week of cancelled appointments, knocking door after door, and learning that I need A LOT of patience. But Heavenly Father knows what He's doing, so we're trying to listen to the spirit and be led to people who will receive us. Even on the hard days, I’m glad to be here and to have the knowledge of this gospel that I have. I love it so much, and I know that it is true!! I hope everyone has a great week!!

Hna Stevenson

Me and the Homie - Hna. Alvarenga

 Cajamarca Sunset

I met Cuzco (the llama)!!

Hola amigos!

On Tuesday we had intercambios and I went with Hna Alvarenga to her area and it was the best! We had a few awesome lessons, had tons of fun talking and laughing, and I learned a TON from her. It was a super great day and got me excited for the rest of the week.

On Thursday we had a lesson with Lorena. She’s 11 and we've taught her mom a few times, but she didn't want to listen this time so we just taught Lorena. We taught the plan of salvation with the little diagram I have, and she understood it really well. Then she drew out the diagram so she can make her own! She’s super cute and we hope to be able to keep teaching her.

Saturday we went to Otuzco to have a lesson with Rosalila, but there was a dance going on, and she was there watching her husband cuz he was one of the drummers. It was super cool, all the men were in white, with red sashes with little mirrors sewn on, and dancing. Rosalila said they'd been going since 10:00 the night before...it was super cool but I didn't have my camera...we had a super great lesson with Nora, we just think it'll take a while with her cuz we haven't been able to have lessons very often. We also had a lesson with someone we found in the area book. She seems great, but she had a lot of really hard questions, so that was interesting, but a good learning experience.

Sunday we had cuy (guinea pig)!! I usually have a pretty strong stomach, but they just disembowel them and fry them so you can definitely tell what it is, so that was just too much for me and I only ate a little bit. 

Today we went to Porcon as a district, and it was super fun!! It’s about an hour and a half from Cajamarca, and it is so pretty! I’ll just send the pics.

This has been a great week of learning how I can improve, learning from other missionaries and from members as well. I’ve felt the spirit a lot this week, and my love for the other missionaries here and the people of Peru just keeps growing!! I know this gospel is true with all of my heart, and I’m so grateful to be able to share it. I hope you all have a great week!

Hna Stevenson

 Peruvian soccer jerseys?

 Just a little guinea pig for lunch

Cuzco the Llama

 Porcon

 Porcon

Porcon

We just keep going

another week down in Cajamarca...   

Wednesday

We visited Diana again, planning to teach the restoration but she had a ton of complicated questions about the Book of Mormon, so we just answered questions the whole time, but it was good. We’ve heard that the people who have the most questions and are harder to convert are the stronger members. So we're hoping for that(:  we also ran into a large problem with Carla...she found out that she has conference things for her college classes all day Saturday and Sunday for the next four weeks and they started this Saturday...so we asked her to ask permission from her professor to be a little bit late on Sunday so she could get baptized on Sunday before church and then confirmed. so we were super stressed about that.

Thursday

It rained super hard, so after one of our appointments we went back to our room to get our boots cuz our shoes were soaked. Well, water had come in under the door and there was water ALL OVER the floor. We had to cancel our next appointment so we could clean up and it took almost an hour. But this is just the beginning of the rainy season and we've been told it gets worse, so I’m sure I’ll have some more rain stories. 

Friday

We found out that Anita, the investigator who's really awesome and wants her whole family to get baptized is moving....so that was pretty disappointing. And we had to tell Moises (the less active we've been teaching for a while) that he has to get rebaptized. We don't know how, but his baptismal form got lost somehow when the area moved the records from paper to computers. He was disappointed, but not mad like I thought he'd be. 

Saturday

We had another lesson with Rosalia in Otuzco, and her husband was there. We taught the plan of salvation and he actually had a lot of questions. It was a great lesson and we're going back on Wednesday. Also, Carla did not get permission to be late, so she was not baptized this week and we don't know when it's going to be...

Well those are our highlights from the week, kind of a disappointing one, but we're going to keep going! I love you all, have a great week!

 FHE with familia Diaz. They're super awesome!

 This is our attempt at being happily exhausted at the end of the day

 Otuzco

Maybe it doesn't look like it, but it's raining like crazy

Agency

Well, it's been a bit of an interesting week, not much to report. On Wednesday, Hna Delgado felt like we should knock a certain door, so we did, and the lady let us in. She's Catholic, but seemed super interested, she knew a bit about the church and asked a lot of questions. Towards the end her husband came in with their baby, who is SUPER cute. Anyways, they both seem interested, and they know a member family in our area. they weren't able to go to church yesterday, but we're going to keep working with them and hopefully we'll be able to help them progress. We also contacted a reference from a member, and they seem interested too, but didn't have a lot of time and we haven't been able to meet with them again yet. One of our investigators has a tienda and across the street, a little square of land between buildings with chickens and stuff. So before our lesson she was disemboweling cuys (guinea pigs) so we got to watch that. It was pretty sick! (in the cool way and the gross way). 

Saturday we went to Otuzco to have another lesson with Rosalila, the lady we met last week. We went with Janeth, an RM in our ward who's really fun. Rosalila was washing clothes out back, so we helped her a bit as we talked. she's having problems with her husband, he's cheated on her a few times, and they have two kids, so she doesn't know what to do. But after our short lesson with her last time, she started praying every day and said she's felt really peaceful and comforted through prayer so that was super cool!! We taught the restoration and she liked it a lot. She can't come to church for another week or two, but she's super awesome! 

We haven't had very many lessons this week, and a lot of the lessons we've had scheduled have fallen through. We've knocked a lot of doors, and been rejected a lot and that's frustrating because we have a message that will change people's lives and allow them to live with their families and Heavenly Father forever, but they "don't have time" or "already have their religion".  But it's been a week of realizing that people have their agency, and that numbers don't matter so much, as long as we're finding and teaching people. We're hoping to have a better week this week, and Carla's baptism is scheduled for Saturday! Thank you all for the love and prayers, I appreciate them so much! I hope everyone has a great week!!

Hna. Stevenson

 

 The large hill up to our investigator's house in Otuzco

Last district pic with Elder Medrano and Hna. Sellan

 A cajacha and her mule in Otuzco

Conference!

Monday

We had a super great lesson with Anita, we taught her and her son the restoration and invited them to be baptized and they both said yes! We haven't had another lesson with them since because she was in the hospital, but it was a super awesome lesson. She really wants to learn and receive an answer about it. 

Wednesday

We took the combi out to otuzco to contact a reference we got. Addresses don't really exist out there, so we didn't find the person we were looking for, but we did find someone who was interested! We talked a bit about prayer and the Book of Mormon, and we're going back on Saturday! 

Thursday

Hna Fuller had to go to Lima for her visa, so Hna Holmes was with us for the day and it was so fun!! All our lessons fell through, but we had a fun time talking and laughing together. Hna Holmes is one of my best friends here in the mish and can relate to all my white-and-blonde-girl-in-peru problems haha. We did have a lesson with a less active who just looked really sad. she doesn't have great health and just kinda has a hard life. But at the end, I had the impression that we should sing "where can i turn for peace". The spirit was super strong and I hope she felt it too. 

Friday

We had to get up at 4:30 to go get Hna Fuller from the bus station so that was great....we contacted a reference from a member and had a short lesson with her, her 11 year old daughter was really into it and asked to go to church with us!

Saturday

Conference was amazing as always, and all us gringos watched together in English and that was super fun. Great messages and a great spirit. Lots of talks about missionary work, it's cool to be a missionary watching conference and seeing what we can do to improve.

Sunday

Conference was great again, and we got transfer calls. I'm now officially done with training, and usually would have got a new comp for this next transfer, but I'm staying with Hna Delgado. But hna Sellan and Elder Medrano, two of my best friends up here are leaving and I'm super sad about that. They're both in my ward so it will be pretty different. But such is the mish...

I love you all and hope you enjoyed conference! Please take Elder Oaks' talk about member missionary work to heart and help out your local missionaries, they'll love you forever, promise(: 

#ldsconf

 The gringas of Zona Cajamarca

This is probably one of the most cajacha pictures you will ever see

The unofficial symbol of Cajamarca