Week 35

Happy New Year!! Crazy how time flieeeees. All the streets had yellow, red, and green decorations up. Yellow for luck, red for love, and green for money. We had to return to our room after dinner, cause the streets were CRAZY, but it was pretty fun. I treated my companion to a pedicure-used the nail polish from my package! her ankle may be still swollen, but at least her toenails are cute! we celebrated a little with our landlords and their family. Paneton and coca-cola! and I bought kernels to make some yummy popcorn. Their kids are really good singers, so they put on a little show for us:) were woken up at midnight by all the celebrating outside and saw some fireworks. 

 

 

Her ankle´s still not fully healed and its been almost 2 weeks since its happened. We saw President Marler on Thursday for interviews and he said to just take more taxis, so her ankle gets a little break. Reaaally hoping to get to the clinic for a x-ray. ahhhhh I miss running in the morning:( 

I finished reading the Book of Mormon this week, I started it my 1st full day at the MTC and its been absolutely  incredible to read it as a missionary and gain insights about this work of Salvation through all the chapters. Our mission´s reading it together, 5 pages a day that started on Christmas-so I started it again this week too. I KNOW that the Book of Mormon is true and the word of God, I always feel the spirit when I read it and enjoy coming to know and appreciate my Savior more everyday. Its so incredible. 

I earned my Young Women Bee!! But don´t actually have it yet, Hna. Marler is having her daughter send it from the states and it takes about 3 weeks for it to get here...but I´m excited! I´ll send pictures with it when it comes:)

 

It was kinda funny, on our way to our pensoniesta´s house for dinner, I saw an old lady carrying a bucket of cheese and offered to help. But she thought that I wanted to buy some, haha then I said that we could help her carry it. So we started walking with her, thinking that we´d be headed to her house or something to sell it. but no...she was en route to take it to a few different stores to sell it...haha and she was super nice and insisted that we took one of the wrapped rounds of cheese since we helped for a few minutes. 

 

We visited the YW president last night and she reminded me a lot of mom when she was talking about her son and all she´s done for so many years to make sure that he always had clean and ironed clothes and shoes to use for church. I´m thankful for all the may sacrifices that you´ve made all these years for us! Your an incredible mother with incredible faith:) 

and there was the cutest old little Peruvian lady in a hot pink blazer that gave such a pure testimony yesterday morning, she reminded me of Aunt Elizabeth. I love fast and testimony meeting! and the fact that the schedule changed so that now we have sacrament meeting at 10 instead of 8 has been beautiful.

Luis Galvez is doing really well!! His baptism is this Friday & his sister wants to make and bring tamales for after. haha. it was so perfect, we taught about keeping the sabbath day holy and he was saying that it would be really hard cause he needs to send his daughter money for school and is about 150 soles short, so it would be really hard to not work on Sundays. and yesterday, the lesson in priesthood was keeping the sabbath day too and helped answer some of the questions that he had when we had taught it, like why its Sunday and not Saturday. and right after the hour when he was getting in his taxi to go home, his taxi wouldn´t start. gotta be obedient to God´s commandments! Oh and it was HILARIOUS!! we were turning on the street where Luis lives and we saw about 4 groups of Jehovah´s witnesses knocking on his street and one group was at his door, talking to him. haha awkkkward...we visited Eduardo while we were waiting. too good! people confuse us all the time with their missionaries.

Jose and Eduardo are both doing really well, visiting ém and members have been great friends to each. Lots of less-actives have been returning to church and its amazing to see the fruits of our labors:) 

Something I´ve been thinking about for awhile is the concept of weak helping the weak. I don´t know a LOT about the gospel, but I know enough and with the Spirit, can teach others about the love that God has for them and how they can feel his love and protection in their lives. and others lift me up when I need a word of encouragement or hope. We´re all struggling, humble children of God that can be strengthened through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.