See You on the Other Side

Well, it's been a pretty normal week. We talked with Talia and asked how her fast went, but she STILL doesn't know if she wants to get baptized.... We had another lesson this week with a girl who we contacted. Last time we taught the restoration and on Friday we talked about the Book of Mormon. We did some explaining, she had some questions, we answered, and she said she didn't agree with our ideology or with the Book of Mormon. We challenged her to read it anyways and pray about it. Sometimes we just have to plant seeds. 

We found a new investigator this week whose daughter is friends with a member. Her name is Jelixa and we did CCE (como comenzar enseñar=how to begin teaching) and then she had questions about the Book of Mormon and the temple. She went to the temple open house two years ago. So then we explained about the restoration and the Book of Mormon and she was really interested. 

We had planned an FHE this week with Irving and his family to kind of introduce them to the church and some members. It was first scheduled for Wednesday, but then he reminded us that it was the world cup qualifier between Peru and New Zealand. So we rescheduled for Friday. But the members we had invited had a meeting. So we rescheduled for Sunday night, but then someone reminded us of the face to face that we got to go to, so we rescheduled for Sunday afternoon and FINALLY had the FHE. It wasn't the best we've had, but we felt the spirit and we hope Irving’s family did too. 

SO. The soccer game on Wednesday....no one wanted to let us in the whole entire day. It started at 9pm and our mission leader texted when Peru scored the first time. Then around 10:45 when we were in bed trying to sleep, all of Peru FREAKED OUT. all our neighbors were yelling, playing music, honking their car horns, and generally just making a lot of noise. The same thing happened when the game ended. It was about time that Peru got to the World Cup though, it's been like 38 years. The joke after was that Peru always arrives late (here in Peru it is not a priority to be on-time. For anything) 

Well, my last week has arrived. I remember when I completed 2 months in the mission and wrote my parents to say that I didn't think I could make it 16 more months. I am so grateful that I didn't give up after two months! The mission has been the hardest, most wonderful, most frustrating, and most joyful experience I have ever had. I have come to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ better, learned to love other people, and I just love being a missionary. I know the church is true, and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Jesus Christ lives, and is our savior. 

I LOVE PERU!

At the temple with Irving and his girlfriend

With Yanira, one of the young women. I played the violin while she sang at the anniversary of the YW.

Our district this morning

No Greater Joy

Wow, the time is flyin......

We had a zone conference on Thursday (my last one) that was super good. I also got a letter from MariaJose Ventura, one of my converts from Guadalupe!! She and her family are doing well and she's working on her personal progress!! "I have no greater joy than to hear that my [converts] walk in truth." 

This week we were talking with Talia (investigator) and her sister (recent RM) and we asked how she's feeling about baptism, and she said she still didn't know. We had just finished teaching a lesson about tithing and fasting, and she said she wanted to fast about it. So she picked a baptismal date for the 25th and we all fasted about it. We’re going to go see her today to see how it went(: It was pretty awesome for her to have that idea herself and to follow through with it. 

Saturday we got to go to the temple with Irving and some members so he could do baptisms!! We got there at 5, and the temple workers said we'd have to wait 15 minutes. Well we were still waiting at 6:15 and they told us it wouldn't be possible because there weren't enough temple workers available. But we explained that we were with a recent convert to do baptisms for the first time, and everything worked out. It was a really great experience to be there with Irving, his girlfriend, and our ward mission leader. 

Well, being a missionary is the very best thing ever. I’m so grateful to have known so many amazing people that I otherwise never would have met. I love Jesus Christ and His gospel, I love being a missionary, and I LOVE PERU!!!

Every Member a Missionary

It's been a great week here in Granados!! Most of our citas (appointments) fell and we actually didn't teach very many investigators, but I just had a good week. We visited Aura (her husband is an inactive member in a tough spot right now) twice with the relief society president, and yesterday’s lesson was especially spiritual. We read a bit in the Book of Mormon, then talked about the Holy Ghost. Our relief society president is super awesome and shared some really amazing thoughts, the spirit was there so strong and Aura was crying and shared her feelings too. It was awesome. 

Church yesterday was chevere (cool), we had three investigators there. Testimony meeting was pretty powerful; in second hour we didn't have gospel principles because all our investigators left after first hour. But the class was on every member a missionary, and relief society addressed the importance of visiting teaching. All things that our ward needed to hear(: 

Last night, president Calderon had a meeting for all the ward councils from the wards in Trujillo and invited the missionaries. He is very spiritual and funny and it was an incredible meeting. He shared some pretty cool experiences and invited the members to be more involved in missionary work. He made all the missionaries stand up, and all the members had to go find their missionaries, tell us their schedules to accompany us to teach, and give references if they could. He’s pretty incredible, I’m sad I’ll have so little time with him as my president. 

Today we went to the Huaca de la Luna, it was way cooler than Chan Chan. and the first time that I’ve worn jeans in 17 months. Hahaha

Huaca de la Luna ("Temple of the Moon") is a large adobe brick structure built mainly by the Moche people of northern Peru. The Moche civilization flourished in northern Peru with its capital near present-day Moche, Trujillo, Peru from about 100 to 700 AD

Chan Chan, the largest city of the pre-Columbian era in South America, is now an archaeological site in La Libertad Region 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) west of Trujillo, Peru

Overall, it's been a great week!! This last week and a half I have found a much deeper love of Peru and the people here. I love being a missionary!!!! The church is true!!!! Tell everyone!

Huaca de la Luna

Also known as bad weeds.......

We’ve had a pretty good week here in Granados. We had a ward talent show, met and had interviews with President Calderon*, had 6 investigators at church, and Irving was confirmed and received the Aaronic Priesthood yesterday! 

*Anna’s mission president, President Marble, has been diagnosed with cancer. He and his wife returned to the U.S. last week in order for him to receive treatment. They plan to return to Peru to finish their mission in a few months. President Calderon is from Chimbote, Peru and is an Area Seventy. He will function as mission president until President Marble is able to return to the Trujillo, North mission.

This week while contacting, we knocked a door. An older lady answered and we presented ourselves as missionaries from the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as mormons. Then she said, "tambien conocidos como hierba mala." (also known as bad weeds...) we stood there for a sec, then laughed, then I talked about the Book of Mormon and how we can come to Christ and learn how to return to God's presence. Then she started off on a tirade about how Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon, that we are in error, and a whole lot of other stuff. I was sad inside, but I smiled, bore my testimony, we thanked her for her time, and left. Another guy yelled to us in the street so we went to talk to him and he only wanted to tell us how disappointed he is because lots of missionaries have contacted him but never visited him. We think he may have been drunk as well....lots of interesting things. 

Anyways, it really has been a good week. I love this ward and the members here, and I love Irving and Diego and all the other people we are teaching. There’s no time like the mission to see so many miracles in so short of a time, and to hear all sorts of weird funny things too. The church is true!!!

In the Botanical Garden

A tortoise - or is it a turtle?

Santos and Henry (investigators from Guadalupe) FINALLY GOT MARRIED.