Week 29

Happy Pday!! also thanksgiving, right? actually I have no clue when thanksgiving is or rather was...but I`m assuming it was this week cause its the last week of November!! ah man how crazy is THAT, that december is just around the corner. Time is FLYINGGGG and its freaky how fast the weeks have flown by. I feel like we just barely got in October and then BAM-end of November. I got a really nice xmas card from Liz & Drew Armbruster and its crazy that Christmas is coming up!! ahhhhh loco, simply loco.

Peruvians her have this awesome tradition of painting their houses every year around Christmastime and its so fun to see what random color combinations they`ve got goin`. 

So thankful that we were able to hear Elder Nelson and his wife this week!! it was incredible. all about how we can each prepare to enter the temple by making our homes a place in which we can grow and learn together, feel the spirit, and progress spiritually. Wow, it was simply incredible. and I`ve never seen so many peruvians headed to a chapel-haha. now if we could only get that turn-out every sunday at 8am!! for reaaaal tho..it was funny how chaotic everything was right before he came to speak. My companion and I squeezed out of the kitchen that we were crammed in, watching it off a tv, rushed to the bathroom-which we ended up using the men`s bathroom since there were far more women waiting than men, then rushed back to our seats. it felt like the women that rushed around trying to get oil for their lamps and who didn`t wanna miss seeing the bride and groom. except in this case, it was a herd of people with Elder Nelson that passed my the window in the room that we were waiting in. The messages were incredible and we`ve been sharing some of the messages with the less-active families that we`ve been visiting in the ward.

With some of the members of ward counsel, we prepared and delivered alfajors to 6 less-active families in the ward this week. it was a great turn-out!! just like the cookies are sweet, the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ are even sweeter! They were really grateful and it was perfect that the bishop could extend his great love and desire to help them with thigns that they are each struggling with. we`ve been visiting a lot and its incredible to see the blessings of these rescued souls!! La obra de salvacion es incredible, en serio! 

Yesterday, we had an incredible lesson with Jose!! With 3 ward members too, ahhh it was so boss-they each taught part of the lesson and gave such strong testimonies!!! He accepted and we are VERY excited for his baptism on Dec 7th!!!! wahhoooooo!!! 

Luis is doing well, building more of a trust with the members and even taught a part of gospel principles yesterday!! it was awesome. seriously LOVE Luis, esp. that he was willing to take Eduardo and MammaTransito to church yesterday in his taxi. so grateful. 

My dearest, dearest pensoniesta`s husband died this week:( He`s been sick with cancer for quite some time, but wow it was so awful to see her so sad. In the morning after she recieved word, I just hugged her and she just cried and cried as I held her. Please pray that Mamma Maria and her family will be comforted! She`s such an incredible woman and at least he`s not in pain anymore. How truly comforting the Plan of Salvation is, that we can see our friends and family again!! 

We`ve been room and job hunting for a woman that the other Hnas in our ward met the other week. She`s been abused by her husband for the past few years and recently got kicked out of the house, without anything. She has 4 kids, but only the one thats from a different man has been with her-the rest with the husband, Oh man it just broke my heart, she`s trying to find somewhere to stay and it needs to be close cause her son has colegio until decemberish. please pray for her!!! There`s a few members that we`ve been asking about a room, but as for the job...nothing yet. 

We`ve been grateful that more of/a variety of ward members have been accompanying us to our lessons. Except its always just a little funny to me when we ask for their cell number and they don`t have one, cause it just got robbed. people`s cell phones are getting robbed everyday!! and dogs too. kinda random, but a family in the ward`s little pup got jacked earlier this week. just goes to show how truly protected we are, no one`s tried to steal our movistar:)

I have been studying and reading in the Alma chapters in the Book of Mormon and am truly so grateful to be able to read from this specific word of God each morning. I only wish personal study was a few hours longer!! I know that Jesus Christ truly atoned for our sins and its only through Him that we can be cleansed of our sins and come to feel the genuine love, joy, and peace that God wants us to have in life. I`m so thankful for His perfect example to me and that I have the opportunity to improve each day.

Love you all so much!!!!

headeed to the beach today, wahoooo!!! 

and we have hot water again!!! ahhh life is good. 

Taxi to hear Elder Nelson

Fixin Shower!

Alfajors

 

The President joins the Elders for a day of teaching.

Every week President Marler hits the pavement (or dirt road) and joins the Elders in a day of teaching.

A moment of fun before a lesson

 Here Elder King and Mendoza teach a little girl about the Book of Mormon

Next time they meet with her mom too…terrific day

Last week he joined Elder Perez and Elder Kaelin in a day of teaching and serving… Look at those bags of recyclables

While teaching the Elders found that this family recycles for a living, the Elder's helped by loading of the goods and taking them to the recycling center.  Have wheelbarrow…will travel!

La Misión Trujillo - Annual Christmas Program

Getting ready for the Annual Christmas Program in the Plaza de Armas, Trujillo

It is a Christmas Tradition in Trujillo and you won't want to miss this…

December 20 and 21 at the Plaza de Armas 7:00pm (pre show)

230 missionaries will entertain you with the Spirit of Christmas

Sister Watkins, Grow, Giardo, and Palacio paint away

Elder Cruz and Elder Bravo paint the scenery

Hermana Flores & Hermana Calle

Hermana Carbone plays Silent Night on the guitar

Hermana Paiva, Estrada, Bedoya & Portillo

Teaching with love, Elder Smith and Elder Cachique

Elder Boekweg takes center stage

Practicing Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Elder Tway advising Sister Allred, Sister Evans and Elder Davis on how to play the violin

Elder Haacke, Sister Evans and Elder Davis join Sister Allred for a beautiful medley of Away in a Manger

Sister Carbone, President Marler accompany Sister Grow and Elder Cano in Silent Night

The talent is amazing…

Sister Carbone and the President

Not sure what peanut butter and Christmas have in common but Sister Palacio and Sister Watkins are very happy

Hermana Downs & Hermana Evans

Drum line at its finest…look at those drums!

Elder Hernandez & Elder 

Elder Bravo at the Ukulele… Chilean style

Missionaries painting the backdrop for the Christmas Program

Elder Hansen, Elder Castillo and Elder Bravo supervise the work

La Misión Trujillo Update

Elder Alfaro joins the Trujillo Mission

Bienvenidos, Elder Alfaro

Hugs all around...

Finally here ...."my visa came"

"We love our missionaries"

 

Zone Meeting with Laureles!!!

Laureles  Zone....thanks for the great day!

Strong in mind, body and spirit

The Sisters of Laureles

Sister Rojas and Sister Dahua

Week 28

I don`t know if you`ve be been keeping up to date with Peru, but right now all of south America`s here for the Olympics or something. Basically its just a tad bit crazier than normal and we have to be more careful and avoid large groups of crazy sport people. Pretty cool, right? Its called los juegos bolivianos. 

Luiz Galvez has been getting to know various other families and people in the ward and progressing pretty well! He`s awesome.

Maria Mendosa. Still learns a little slower and hard to know what she truly is understanding and comprehending. Gave a LDM this week with her mom, I know that when she reads it, she`ll receive a witness that its true!

Eduardo. Yesterday I felt like such a proud mamma, Eduardo was all decked out in nice church pants, button-down, nice shoes, and the tie we gave him. Ahh it was such a great sight. I was right about to take a picture, but we had ward council to go toL

 

Brillit and Dasly. 18 and 22. Met them this week and they`re awesome! Less-actives that came to church with us yesterday. In a relationship, but also want to both serve missions. She got all the info yesterday about how to earn her YW medallion with personal progress and is excited about that. He`s a little shy, so trying to get him some good friends in JAS. (YSA). He accompanied us this week and we`re trying to get him pumped about serving a mission, but he wants to wait until he can get done more school.

Adrian. Couldn`t come to church yesterday which was a bummer, but overall I think things are going well. Its just really tricky with his work scheduele and doesn`t have a cell, so we can`t easily just call and see if he`s home. Geanpiero, a YM has been awesome to accompany us and be a good friend to him.

Roger. Contacted and taught him this week. 50ish. I called yesterday morning to remind him about church, no answer, but then we saw him in the other ward`s sacrament mtng. Haha 8am`s a little rough on the Peruvians. But its funny cause showing up 2 hrs late to something is about normal for Peruvian time. 

Jose. It was awesome, we were on our way to a teaching appt. and I randomly started to talk to him. 

Why not, we we`re all walking in the same direction anyway. Taught him for the 1<sup>st</sup> time yesterday and he`s such a GOLDEN investigator!! Super receptive and we even invited him to a noche de hogar for tonight. Hna. Portillo and I were so thrilled after the lesson, literally jumping up and down in excitement cause it went to well and he`s so ready!!!!!!

We had a surprise visit from Hna. Marler and the AP`s at our district and zone mtng this week, which was wonderful. Aaand a surprise cleaning check/apt invasion to make sure everything`s working ok. Haha yeah…it would be nice to have non ice-cold water to shower in. I`ve developed a pretty good technique for it, I call it hokey-pokey showering. One arm, then the next, etc. Its worked out pretty well. Not yet courageous enough to just take the plunge and submerge in the ice berg. 

Man the adversary certainly works hard on those that are trying to come unto Christ. He knows our weaknesses and how to easily tempt us to sin. While tracting, we saw something that seriously just broke my heart. I can`t even remember the last time that I cried that hard. It just tore me apart and if I hadn`t have seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn`t have ever believed it. Stay true to the faith people!!

WE`ve been continuing to getting to know families in the ward and strengthening the less-actives. Its such a wonderful sight when they come to church and begin to truly feel the Holy Ghost again in their lives!! 

My left knee randomly got swollen and has been reddish for about a week. Kinda random and I`ve been a little hesitant to run on it, but it seems like its getting better. Our zone leader mentioned about going to the clinic, haha I can only imagine how sketchy that`s be. Some good old-fashioned ice and massaging the muscles has helped.

On Saturday, our sister training leader, hna. Allred came to my area and we had an awesome and successful day!!! She`s so wonderful. It was exactly what I needed, fresh energy and finding more people to teach. I actually know my area a lot better than I thought that I did, which is good since I`ll most likely be leading it the next transfer. Intercambios are so fun! Hna. Portillo and I both were on fire with ideas and suggestions of how we can improve our area and how to more effectively work with the ward when we switched back. 

Elder Russel M. Nelson is coming tomorrow evening, HERE in Trujillo!! We at first didn`t think we`d be able to go, since its out of our zone. Buuuut…got a phone call and we`re allowed!! Wahoo I`m so excited. It`ll be incredible. And perfect to pump up our ward and investigators.

Good week, loving the area more and more every week!

Had such delish apple pie this morning for breakfast, life`s good.

LOOOOVE YOU!!!!!!!