A Humbling Experience

Today we hiked up to the Cristo here in Chepen! My compi almost died, but she is ok(: Everything was all smoky cuz after they harvest all the rice, they burn what's left of the plants. So lots of the rice fields were burning, but it was fun. Other than that it's been a pretty good week here. We taught Raul’s mom for the first time and we have another appointment with her this week! 

On Friday I had the most humbling experience of my mission. A lady randomly showed up at the church last week during third hour saying she wanted to come to church, and so we got her "address" to go visit her. She lives out past Calera, the teeny tiny pueblito that's 15 minutes from here. The place is called Nuevo San Marcos, but it's just a scattering of adobe houses (that do not have addresses). It’s people who come from San Marcos, a place in the Scierra (mountain region) of Cajamarca (Cajamarca is a province too, not just a city). So there are a bunch of people that come here and just work in the fields or whatever other work they can find. There’s a member who took us out there in his car and another member, and the family of this lady is just so poor. We met the 3 younger kids (there are 6). A 9-year-old girl, a 6-year-old boy in a falling apart wheelchair, and a 3-year-old girl. Their house is just one room I think (we taught them outside) and the kids run around without shoes and are dirty, and don't have much to do. We sat down on empty gas cans and taught the plan of salvation. The dad had an accident a few years ago and can't work where he has to carry heavy things so they have like no money. The lady is kinda weird and I don't know how much she understood, but her husband believes in God and has a lot of faith. It was a pretty humbling experience. Walking back to Calera to get a moto to Guadalupe, we talked about organizing a service project for them. It was definitely an experience I won't forget.

Last night we visited Edgar, the guy who Hna Mancilla and I started teaching, but he got baptized in Trujillo, and now he's back here. He has an interview in English this week for a job in Cajamarca, so we helped him practice. We did the interview stuff, and then we started teaching each other slang. I won't tell you the slang I told them (it wasn't bad, don't worry), but Edgar and Hna Lezano laughed so hard! So then Edgar said "calambre, calambre!" which is like a cramp or charlie horse, and then Hna Lezano said "calambre en mi cerebro!" (cramp in my brain), but I thought she said "hambre en mi cerebro!" (my brain is hungry), and we all laughed even harder. So that's my funny story for the week. You just had to be there. 

The elders had a baptism on Saturday and while the lady and her son were changing after the baptism, we (the missionaries) sang a hymn and then we all sang I Am A Child of God with everyone who was there. We were up at the front so I was looking at everyone and in that moment I was just so grateful to be a missionary. Singing I Am a Child of God with all these great members and missionaries, knowing that I am a member of the true church and that I get to share that with the people here in Peru was the best!!! It was a pretty great moment.

 

Life is good here, I love being a missionary and I love Peru! Last night I read Elder Rasband's talk from the October conference "Lest Thou Forget". He said "No matter what mistakes we have made or how imperfect we feel we are, we can always bless and lift others. Reaching out to them in Christlike service can help us feel the love of God deep within our hearts."

I loved reading that because I feel pretty imperfect a lot of the time. There are so many things I need to improve or do better and sometimes it's kind of overwhelming. But this helped me to realize that as long as I’m trying to improve, I can still help others and be a good missionary. No one is perfect, but Elder Holland said "the Lord blesses those who want to improve, who accept the need for commandments and try to keep them, who cherish Christlike virtues and strive to the best of their ability to acquire them." I’m so grateful for a living prophet and apostles who are inspired by God. The church is true!!

You can't see it very well, but this is the house of the family in Nuevo San Marcos 

With Ivana (she's 8 and got baptized yesterday)

At the Cristo

 At the Cristo

Drop It Like It's Hot!

Well, it's been a pretty good week here in Guadalupe. hot as usual, and with mosquitos. These last few days have been way better. We had a good companionship inventory on Thursday, got some feelings out, and ever since we have been talking all day and having a great time! Hna Lezano speaks really good English and wants to learn more, so we've been speaking English from 5pm-7. It's fun and sometimes she says funny stuff.

Wednesday we were walking down the street and someone yelled 'hermana!' from the other side. I turned and saw a lady who I knew, but I couldn't remember who it was. then as she ran across the street I realized it was Susana, a less active we were teaching in Cajamarca!! I had forgotten that she's from Guadalupe. She was here visiting her parents. but it sounds like she's active in Cajamarca! It was so great to see her, but that was literally the only day I didn't have my camera, so no picture :(  

Thursday our terma (the thing that makes the water hot in the shower) quit working so we've been showering with ice cold water....BUT. we finally had a lesson with MariaJose, Raul and Betty's daughter, and she is awesome!! She wants to get baptized after her quinceñera (August 4...) but we asked her to pray about an earlier date. She really knows that the church is true and loves going to church and seminary. 

Then on Saturday we had a lesson with Maribet, her mom is inactive, but her cousins are super active so she's been going to church with them. We taught the restoration and Book of Mormon this week, and she said that while we were talking about the Book of Mormon, she got a really calm and peaceful feeling and thinks that was her answer! She's going to read the Book of Mormon and continue to pray, but we set a baptismal date for June 10. She's awesome, and we're excited to keep teaching her. 

Subject line brought to you by Vania, Betty's niece who we were teaching. We had a great first lesson two weeks ago and had high hopes, and even set a baptismal date. Then we went on Wednesday and taught about the Book of Mormon. We asked her if she wanted to know if it was true and she said no...thinking she had misunderstood the question, we asked again. and she said no, and that she didn't want to learn anything else.......................................ouch. Usually WE drop people, but occasionally they drop us. It's never been so directly though. Usually people just say they don't have time, but she was pretty direct. But we keep moving forward! (:  

"Behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you rest with them in the kingdom of my Father" (D&C 15:6).

That's why I'm here! To preach repentance to the people of Peru Trujillo Norte and be able to see them in the Celestial Kingdom. Being a missionary is the best. Love you all!!

Visiting Pascamayo

Visiting Pascamayo

The Hermanas of Zona Guadalupe

IT'S SO FLUFFY I'M GONNA DIE!

Betty's the Best!

Well, it's been a good week here in Guadalupe. Hna Lezano talked a bit more, and Friday we had Betty's baptism! Raul did a great job. Then on Saturday we had the most amazing lesson with Raul and Betty!! We had planned to teach the 10 commandments, but as we were walking there, I felt like that wasn't what we needed to teach. As we were talking before starting the lesson, I thought of a Mormon message we could watch, and thought of my favorite one, "Dare to do the right, even if you stand alone" or something like that. So we talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ and used the Book of Mormon to talk about faith, repentance, baptism, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, then showed the video to teach endure to the end. At the end it says, "we're never alone when we stand with our Heavenly Father". Betty then told us that the lesson we taught and the video were the answer to her prayer. Some of her (Catholic) family is upset with her for being baptized, and she was remembering everything from when she was really involved in the Catholic church, and was feeling confused. So she said a prayer asking for a sign that she made the right choice and was in the true church. Then she said that we came an hour after that prayer and had her answer. It was such a spiritual moment, and so special to hear someone that I helped find, teach, and saw baptized, receiving a confirmation that she is doing the right thing. The Spirit is the best!! Basically, I love Peru and I love being a missionary!

We are finding new people to teach, we got invited to an Evangelica church (we kindly said no), and we are having success. 

"There is no joy that can compare with that of a missionary who has been made an instrument for the salvation of a soul."  --Orson F. Whitney

This is so true! This is the Lord's church and He is at the head! Have a great week everyone!!

2 Timothy 1:7; 2:3; 4:7

Joshua 1:9

 Raul FINALLY came in a shirt and tie, and Betty in a dress!! 

 So cute

 Me and my loca:)

 Talking with my cute fam!!!!

Welcome to Guadalupe Hermana Lezano!

Hermana Lezano is from Lima, and she is great! She already teaches super well and has lots of good ideas. We're just working on getting to know each other and talking, cuz she doesn't talk that much. And everyone that knows me, knows that this might be a little bit of a problem cuz with new people, I don't talk much either. But we're working on it.

This week we have had some super good lessons, but also one of my hardest days here in the mission. It was pretty rough, but we are moving forward(:

Betty is going to be baptized this Friday!!!! so get pumped for pics(: Raul is going to baptize her and it's going to be a great day!! That's about it for this week, I love you all, and I love being a missionary!!

Hermana Stevenson

Hermana Kelly (the pensionista of Los Cedros)

Hermana McNamara from my CCM group

New District

 My new companion, Hermana Lezano from Lima

Transfers!

It’s been a good week here in Guadalupe! Betty (Raul’s wife) has a baptismal date for the 12th of May!!! And they're going on the branch temple trip on the 13th! She won't be able to do baptisms because she'll be confirmed the 14^th, but Raul will get to go in. So we're stoked for that.

We are finding new people that seem promising, so hopefully there will be good news with them.

And now for the biggest news. Transfers!! President Marble called me yesterday morning to say that I will be training!!!! I’m so so nervous, but I’ll meet her tomorrow. Also , Hna Mancilla is going to Chepen!!!!!!!!!!! So we will still be in the same district!! #bendiciones (blessings). There are a lot of changes in our district, which is really sad, but that's how the mission goes. 

I came down to Trujillo this morning with everyone in Guadalupe that had cambios (transfers) to Trujillo (including Hna Holmes :(  and right now I am with Hna McNamara from my CCM group in her area in Trujillo. She’s training too so we'll get to go to the meeting and meet our companions together tomorrow. There's not much else to report, and I’m not going to send pictures because I don't trust this computer, so pics with my new comp next week!! 

Also, y'll should go read "The War Goes On" by Elder Lawrence in the May Ensign. It's fantastic. Anyway, love you and miss you all, and wish me luck(: