Happy 4th of July!

Hello friends and family!!!  I am so grateful for all of you!! Thank you for being sooo supportive and amazing!  I miss you all so much and I hope your 4th of July was a great day!  I love you all!!!!!!

1.  My biggest challenge this week has been adjusting to my companion, calling and area.  We are almost done with the transfer but I am still adjusting to everything.  Being in the middle of Chiclayo is very weird to me.  I'm used to having small areas and being able to memorize all of the streets in 4 weeks or so.   Here it is completely different.  I will never live in a big city! My calling makes me very stressed.  I don't know how to be a leader of a bunch of girls.  I don't even like girls! haha  I'm very grateful for the trust God has in me but sometimes I feel like it may be ill placed.  And my companion....we are just very different.  I love her very much, but sometimes there's no winning with her.  OK, enough venting!

2.  My biggest concern has honestly been about the house.  I just want the best for our family.  Knowing that everyone is worried about it makes me worried too.

3.  My/our biggest success this week has probably been finding a great family, Carlos and Vanessa.  They have 2 little boys and they are very interested in learning.  We have been working very hard on finding new people and every night we are completely pooped!  It's a good tired though.  We feel good! 

4.  My favorite person has definitely been my Savior.  He has helped me get through some pretty dark days. There is no doubt in my heart that he knows me and he loves me.  

5.  My most significant tender mercy was when my companion and a family in our ward surprised me with a mini 4th of July celebration!  The pictures tell it all!  I really needed it that day!

6.  Something I've looked forward to is our leadership training tomorrow.  I get to see all of the sisters from my MTC district!  All but one.  I love getting to see them! 

7.  My big goal for this next week is to try really hard to be totally focused (mind, body and heart) in the work.  It'll be difficult, I've gotta do it!  

8.  Scripture of the week D&C 127:2

No matter what people think of us, all that matters is what our Father in Heaven thinks.  I know that he loves me and that he is proud of me.  

Trujillo Temple dedication

Familia!

This week was all over the place!  Like always, there were some really up times and some really down times but all in all, I'm doing fine here! 

Question/Answer time!

1.  My biggest challenge this week was probably my companionship.  I love Hna Gonzalez and I learn so much from her everyday, but it's always hard to get used to someone new!  The way she thinks is a lot different, and her customs kind of crash into mine at times.  I try my best to be patient and get used to it and hopefully, sooner rather than later, everything will just be tranquillo.

2.  My biggest concern this week was definitely one of the sisters in our zone.  She has really bad migraines and of course as sister leaders, we have to help her and be worried about getting her feeling better.  It's a lot harder to keep your area progressing when you have 6 girls to worry about on top of that.  

3.  I'm gonna change this one up.  Instead of biggest success, I'm going to tell you all about the dedication of the Trujillo Temple.  Oh my!   It was so amazing to be able to be here in Peru to witness this amazing blessing come to pass. 
Saturday night we were given permission to watch the cultural event and wow, that was cool! To see all of the different dances and clothes!  I'm so grateful to be in a country with such cool history!  
Then yesterday, we went to all three sessions of the dedications.  Elder Uchtdorf and Elder Bednar were there along with the Area 70 Presidency of the South American Northwest area.  They spoke and wow, I am so excited to get started on our family history work!  All they talked about was the importance of that.  I have ancestors waiting for me on the other side of the veil to do their work for them!  I will do it!  

4.  My favorite person....well my favorite familia is the Martinez family!  They consist of Rosa (mom) Jose (dad) and Ingrid (daughter).  They have more kids but they are all grown and live with their own families.  Ingrid is 19 and she goes to visit with us!  They are a recently rescued family and we just finished the lessons with Jose.  They are sealed and when Ingrid was 11, they stopped going to church.  When my companion and her last companion found them, they were very nice but needed a lot of work.  They have come a long way and now are some of the strongest members I know here in Peru.  They have a daughter in Clifford UT and always go to visit her.  We have made plans to meet up and go to the temple, ride horses, and just hang out when they go!  Rosa will be there when I get home and Ingrid will be going next July!  I have been so blessed to find amazing friends here and I know that these relationships will last into the eternities.

5.  My most significant tender mercy was when I found out that a couple from my ward in La Victoria moved into my ward here in Villareal!  I was so happy to see them!  The Lord really knows us and blesses us in so many ways!

6.  Something I'm looking forward to for this week is our companionship exchange on Wednesday.  I will be with Hna Pilling here in my area and I'm nervous!  I will have to report it all to President next Monday and use my "experience" to help her in any way.  I'm nervous but I know everything will be okay!  

7.  My goal for next week is to study about diligence! I need it!  Sometimes I get those lazy moments and I can't afford that with just a little over 3 months left!  I need to get my booty in gear! 

8.  Scripture:  Elder Bednar shared this part of D&C with us in the dedication.  It really hit me!
D&C 124:31-36 
31 But I command you, all ye my saints, to build a house unto me; and I grant unto you a sufficient time to build a house unto me; and during this time your baptisms shall be acceptable unto me.
32 But behold, at the end of this appointment your baptisms for your dead shall not be acceptable unto me; and if you do not these things at the end of the appointment ye shall be rejected as a church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God.
33 For verily I say unto you, that after you have had sufficient time to build a house to me, wherein the ordinance of baptizing for the dead belongeth, and for which the same was instituted from before the foundation of the world, your baptisms for your dead cannot be acceptable unto me;
34 For therein are the keys of the holy priesthood ordained, that you may receive honor and glory.
35 And after this time, your baptisms for the dead, by those who are scattered abroad, are not acceptable unto me, saith the Lord.
36 For it is ordained that in Zion, and in her stakes, and in Jerusalem, those places which I have appointed for refuge, shall be the places for your baptisms for your dead.

This work that I am doing right now is sooo important but the work for our dead is so important too! Notice that in the verses it says, "your dead" many times.  It doesn't say the dead but your dead.  We need to remember where we come from and give our ancestors a chance at salvation.  They're waiting for us! 

Back to Chiclayo!

Hermana Favero didn't send a long email this week but here are a few things she shared with me.  I got the pics from Google Earth.  

I'm back in Chiclayo in an area called Fredrico Villa Real in the Latina zone and I am a sister leader!!!!!!!

It's nothing like Jaen lol. It's almost the center of Chiclayo. We have Tottus (mall) in our area and it's all really nice and paved! Look it up on google earth. The chapel is on the corner of Garcilazo de la Vega and 7 de Enero. Or you can look up the big mall thing I told you about a few months back. We live like a street away from it haha. 

So we have zones,  like Jaen is a zone and La Victoria is a zone. Latina is the zone I'm in right now. The zones are named after the stakes.

My companion is Hna Gonzales!! Another Latina finally!!! She is from Bolivia!! 

Oh the trip was awful!! 6 hours of just sitting! They had movies playing and I had to force myself to not watch! And I can't sleep on buses haha my stomach hurt like none other too! The good thing was that we were in the really nice part of the bus and we had AC! haha and the view was amazing!

My comp has been out the same time as me!! we are gonna be going home together.

On our house, the cream part is where we go in to eat. It's our pensionista's house but we live on the corner on the third floor. The whole thing is her house though.

Chapel in Hermana Favero's new area 

shopping mall, apparently they sell everything here

Hermana Favero's new home.  Top floor 

Transfer Time!

Hermana Favero didn't have time to send an email because she is being transferred today.  She said she has a 6 hour bus ride ahead of her along with two other Elders.  She didn't have a chance to tell me where she is going but she sent lots of pics!

Hermana Tomlinson's visit

Some friends from the ward

Celebrating Hermana Kennedy's bday and saying goodbye to those being transferred. 

I'm pretty sure that's egg on their heads

Last time together as a district

Saying goodbye to Flor and her family

Helping decorate cupcakes

Flor's Baptism!!

Familia!
This week was so good!  So many feel-good moments for sure!

1.  My biggest challenge-um again...I don't think anything was more challenging than normal.  The mission is starting to just feel really good and accomplishing!

2.  My biggest concern this week was something that I think was not a concern for Hna Brogan.  I've been worried that once Flor was baptized the ward wouldn't step in like they should.  I haven't had the best of luck in the past with this and so I was kinda scared but in the end everything turned out great! 

3.  Biggest success....Hna Flor is a member!!!!  We made sure the baptismal service was as beautiful as possible for her with really good talks, a musical number by the missionaries and lots of members there.  She was so nervous and excited and we were by her side the whole time.  Her husband and his two girls were able to be there too, which helped!  When she came out of the water, she was all worried if she did it wrong or not.  So sweet! At the end, she shared her testimony and it was so powerful!  She didn't stand there and just thank everyone for being there but really bore a strong testimony about the church and The Book of Mormon.  She is now getting herself ready to go to the temple and be sealed to her husband. I'm so grateful I was able to see her all the way through the conversion process unto the waters of baptism.  This is why I'm out here!

4.  My favorite person this week was probably Hna Doris, our pensionista.  There's not really a specific reason, I just love her a lot!  She is one of the people I'll miss most when I leave this place!

5.  My most significant tender mercy was definitely after Flor's baptism.  Her husband turns to me and whispers, "You have one sin less today"  It's not doctrine but it made me feel super good inside.  It really helped me know that all I do makes a real difference. 

6.  Something I'm looking forward to this week is finding out if I'll be transferred or not.  Saturday they let us know and if I'll be leaving, I head out on Monday around 1 my time.  I love it here and I would be sad to leave a lot of people but I feel like it's time for another change.

7.  A goal of mine for this week is to take as many random pictures as I can, while staying focused on the work of course.  I want lots of pictures when I get home to share with everyone!

8.  Scripture with the biggest impact this week was probably Mosiah 18:8-9.  I was reminded a lot this week of the covenants I've made with God and I am so grateful I have! I'm so happy I have the knowledge I have! 

Flor

Jaen

Beautiful Jaen,  Beautiful Hna Favero

random pics

I knew in that very moment that God is pleased with me...

Familia!  This week was full of spiritual ups!  I love it when I have good things to tell you guys!  I'll explain it all in the questions/answers.

1.  My biggest challenge this week...hmmm this week wasn't really bad in that way.  Of course we had our hard days but all in all we had a really good week.

2.  My biggest concern this week was definitely if the sacrifice I've given so far in the mission has been acceptable to my Heavenly Father.  See #8

3.  My favorite people this week were Pres and Hna Williams.  They came up for a zone conference and we had interviews with both of them.  I'm so grateful that we have that time one on one with them.  With Pres Williams we talked about the family, how we are selling our house and just how far I've come.  I absolutely love my interviews with him.  I'm always so uplifted afterward. My interview with Hna Williams was very much needed!  She reminds me so much of mommy and when we talk we just talk about everything!  I told her about my hard times, my successes, my worries and everything in between.  Our 15 minute interview probably ended up being like 25 minutes.  She's the best! 

5.  My most significant tender mercy this week was when Hna Williams came with us to a lesson.  We were the last ones to have interviews with her and President went with the Elders to their lesson so Hna Williams tagged along with us.  Her Spanish is still shakey but she is so amazingly full of the Spirit that it doesn't even matter.  Our investigator really felt that what she was saying had meaning and it helped us with her a lot.  It also gave us some time to get to know her a little bit better.  She got mugged here in Jaen.  Don't worry....they didn't get away with anything.  She also went back to the hotel and told President all about our lesson and told him that we taught perfectly.  The next day, President congratulated us and made me feel very accomplished.  

6.  What I'm looking forward to this week is Hna Flor's baptism for sure!  She has come such a long way!  She will be such an amazing member of the church and I'm so grateful for the priviledge of being able to teach her!

7.  A goal I have for this week is to write down all the new words I learn throughout the day in my planner.  I've gotten to the point where I'm kinda boring with my vocab.  I need more words to use!

8.  The scripture with the biggest impact this week was the Book of Ruth.  I decided to read it cuz it had been a while since I had read the story.  I was reading with my concern (see #2) in mind.  When I got to chapter 2, I was definitely answered by God.

Ruth and Naomi, her mother in law, had lost their husbands so Naomi wanted Ruth to go back to her family where she is from to maybe start over and have a family.  Ruth, being a convert to the gospel and a daughter in law who loved her mother in law, refused to leave her side.  They went back to where Naomi was from and Ruth began working for a man named Boaz.  Her job was to glean ears of corn in his fields.  She worked very hard and was diligent in her reaping.  Boaz was very pleased with her hard work.  She was confused as to why he was so kind to her and treated her so well.  

In verse 11-12 I really felt a strong warmth about me.  It says...
I knew in that very moment that God is pleased with me.  He is so happy that I have left everything to work with his children among people I do not know. 

I also now have a stronger testimony of the scriptures!  They really do answer questions! 

5 More Months!

Hey you guys!!! So on Mother's Day, I'll be skyping around 5 Peru time so be ready!! I'm sooo excited to talk to you guys!!!!

So just to let you know, Ashlee going home affected me more than I thought it would as well! I'm not even there and it hit me hard! And now Austin is home!! Crazy!!  haha I just can't wait till its my turn!

 

I am soooo proud of Kaitlyn!!! I'm sooo happy you won!!!! You're gonna be an amazing pres!!!!

 

So this week was full of emotions! The mission is really hard sometimes but I've gotta keep pushing on to bring souls unto Christ!!!

Question time!

 1. My biggest challenge this week has probably been my own thoughts. Settling down to the last 5 months of my mission has really taken a tole on me. There are days when I'm super motivated and days when I just feel like I can't go anymore. The little things keep me going however. Like the really spirit filled lessons, mission night activities,and people who show up to church! I know that as I keep my head toward the eternal goal of our Heavenly Father, I can make it though! 

2. My biggest concern this week has been our numbers. When your comp is sick, you can't really do much. I know that numbers aren't everything but that's the way president knows if we are working hard or now. This week I'm planning on working my booty off to find more of God´s children to teach! 

3. our biggest success had to be getting through a lesson about the Sabbath Day with an Adventista family. Adventistas are some of the hardest people to teach in my opinion because they think similarly to us but very differently at the same time. They believe that the Sabbath Day is Saturday. They are stuck in the Old Testament times when it comes to that subject. The husband of the family asked about why we keep Sunday as the Sabbath Day. We taught them with the Bible a lot and they ended up just staying quiet and humble about what we said. We invited them to ponder and pray about it to know if it's true along side the restoration and they accepted the commitment. We see lots of potential in them!! 

4. My favorite person this week has got to be Flor! she is seriously an angel sent from heaven! She is such a blessing for Hna brogan and I. I can't wait to tell you guys about her more on Sunday!!

5. My mot significant tender mercy was probably being able to change rooms. Our last room was really not good for missionaries or the dignity of our calling like it says in the missionary handbook. There was mold growing everywhere on the walls and we had bugs like crazy every night.

6. Something I'm looking forward to for this next week is definitely talking to you all!!! Make sure you have lots of questions for me so we have lots to talk about!!! 

7. A goal I have for this next week and the rest of the mission is to really start getting my booty in shape to look and feel the best I can when I get home!! I cant wait for family pics!!! 

8. Scripture of the week...Alma 6:6 

We as a distrct decided it would be a good idea to fast for the people we have been teaching who have baptism dates. This fast Sunday was the hardest one for me. I know that Satan was tempting me so much because of the reason we were fasting. Now I know without a shadow of a doubt that when we fast, and we keep our eyes and hearts in the purpose of the fast, we will overcome the temptations of the evil one. Luke 4:1-12

 

I love you guys soooo much and I cannot wait to see you all on Sunday!! Pray it will work well so we can have a good time just talking!    

                                          Con mucho amor!!