Week 60

It looks like grant went to the emergency room/hospital room..? ouch! I took pictures of everyone`s emails so that I can read everything later, so I`m not really sure what happened there. Oh I forgot to explain, the picture with all the colorful hearts on the window above my desk was a letter that hna. Martinez, she wrote me a letter among 100 hearts all scrambled with numbers on the other side to put together. So nice! Like the talk by Elder Richard G. Scott, it was so cool to read after putting it up on my window.

 

 

So not gonna lie, leaving Santiago de Chuco was really rough, I miss everything about it. Our restaurant pensoniesta, margarita who agreed to never serve us rice, the stars at night that were absolutely gorgeous, the fact that EVERYONE knits sweaters, people from the Chacra that rock their pants with skirts and huge hats that stare at me on the streets, the fact that everyone owns at least a chicken, pig, and 5 dogs, the ridiculously annoying Jaime Pena music for his political campaign…basically everything about the little pueblito. It was sooo chill, which I LOVED!! The people super humble and receptive, we were able to teach TONS!! Even the kinda weird things, like how everyone thought that Elder Boekweg and I (the Americans) were gonna steal the kid`s organs-yeah that’s another story in itself. Oh and one time a drunk followed us home and I slammed the door in his face. Eh whatever, harmless. Otuzco has a BUNCH of more daily drunks.

 

Crazy, right?!? Opening and closing and area. Didn`t have time to say goodbye to everyone, but the ones that we did visit were super sad and confused that we were leaving so fast. Yeah me too a bunch of them cried and our pensoniesta called us a couple of times to see how we`re doing. Aww man I miss them all so bad! Its ironic, we were only there for 3 weeks but I seriously just fell in love with the pueblo, people, and everything.

 

Otuzco is aight, but its really different from Santiago de Chuco. still the mountains, so still absolutely gorgeous. got sick and almost fainted/passed out, but feeling better now...Clark`s package came at the perfect time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! except I wasn`t feeling well enough to eat any chocolate. maybe today!!

 

Love you all very much and am thankful for all of your examples! gave a talk and lead the hymns

in the  branch yesterday

Week 59

Alright I really am going to tell you all about the Sierra this time! Quality email right here. Although this internet place is sloooow. Living my absoloute misión slash life dream here in the Andes mountains. For real, its absolutely gorgeous. I`ve never loved missionary work so much! My companion is awesome, 30 year-old argentinian who studied art for 8 years. Amazing teacher and we get along wonderfully. Everyone yells gringas at us cause she`s tall and looks White. Haha. Our room kinda reminds me of a log cabin..ya know, the kind that squeaks every time you walk. And the shower head hangs a few inches over the toilet. Classic. We`ve been holding sacrament meeting at a room in the home of violeta and profesor telmo. They`re not members, but their son is the stake president in Lima. The first week we had 18, 22 the second week and 28 people at sacrament meeting yesterday. 

The work that we`ve been doing feels like the pioneers, we`re the pioneers here in Santiago de Chuco! Its really hard work, but absolutely amazing!! Working so hard to share with others this restored gospel of Jesus Christ. The nights are hard to be received to teach cause it gets all cold and dark, so we`ve been having many activities. This week we had a big family home evening, did a Little intro about the Book of Mormon and played pictionary. Then on Thurs we watched the restoration with popcorn! I have so much respect for Joseph Smith,he suffered and went through so much. Except that night I had a terrible dream that Hunter waas in jail and I woke up wanting to cry, it was so awful.

Only have 2 hours of church: the first sacrament meeting of course where us 4 missionaries give talks and the elders bless the sacrament. And for the second hour, the elders teach góspel doctrine with everyone and my companion and I teach primary with the kiddies. Its pretty awesome! The first week, I talked about gratitude, the last week on profets and yesterday about adversity. And in primary, we taught them how to pray the 1st week, part of the plan of salvation last week and yesterday finished teaching. Had them use clay-type stuff to sculpt their bodies that Heavenly Father blessed us with and yesterday we surprised them all with a chocolate cake to celebrate everyone`s birthday all at once.

We went to Cachicadan to see if there was a river or something that we can use to baptize, but nothing. Traveled to Huamachuco for zone training, it was pretty good! I talked my companion and the elders to hike last pday and it was a total blast!!!

This week was full of miracles, but we got some super bad news from the President…..

They just had a mission president seminar with Elder Oaks and the area leaders over Peru. They said that we grow the church from centers of strength and right now Santiago de chuco isn`t a center of strength. Years past we could be ok with how we`re working here, but these are new guidelines. President didn`t know this beforehand and feels awful. Santiago de Chuco is such a special place with a special spirit!! Entonces, we`re headed out Thursday to OtuzcoL  its super sad to be leaving but I have the faith that one day we`ll have a branch here in Santiago. We`ve been writing down all of our work so that future missionaries can take care of the people that we`ve met and have come to love. there's so much potential here and people that have been prepared to receive this restored gospel. Super heartbroken, but just have to put my faith and trust in Heavenly Father and the direction he gives us through his apostles. 

hikeeee

dedicated to my best friend hunter booody

activities

mas peruana de la pappa

night in sierra paradise

Week 58

Sorry my email last week really wasn`t a letter home...haha tried to send lots of pics and get caught up on replying to old emails instead. alright I`m gonna try to do my best to tell you all about la Sierra!!! but phew. I don`t even know where to start...

Well just getting to Santiago de Chuco was a little crazy in itself. my companion, hna. gonzalez traveled to Trujillo, so that we could travel together to la sierra!! except our bus plans got messed up, so we didn`t actually arrive until Thursday afternoon. so I ended up having more time to say goodbye to everyone in my old area which was good. I was sure ready to peace out and start somewhere new and different. and la sierra, santiago de chuco certainly is quite new and different!! haha its the bestttt!!!

So...opening up a brand-new area..super tough, but so awesome!! we`ve been seeing the Lord`s hands in Santiago de Chuco and in these humble people`s lives! hashtag miracles. its incredible. We`ve got a total of 5 members here, 2 are less actives and 3 are recent converts. phew. we`ve got lots of work--thats for sure!!!

I promise to write more next week, sorry!! love you all tonnnnns:) 

Week 57

5 hour bus ride with the chickens on top. classica! took some gravicol so we wouldn´t throw up. 

Peruvian pajamas. with 2 thick frasadas. 

 

Adios monserrate and hola to la sierra!!

The azabache family surprised my companion and I with a tres leches cake!! my fave:) 

 

Activity in santiago de chuco and when my companion´s chair broke. Haha

 

 

 

We´re madrinas! 

 

Familia!! this is what President emailed me this week and it sums up santiago de chuco pretty well:

You are in for a treat Sis Boody. Only the strong ones get to go to the Sierra. Your companion has been there a time or two so knows the people and what we are about to do. The fact is we need to build a church. We need families and priesthood. So we will be teaching families and baptizing leaders so we have a start of something that will last. There are about 20 people who meet together when we are there so from them we will start. 
The Lord loves you and do too. Have a great trip up the mountiain. 
le amo
PM

 Colocacionde los cordones por sus buenas notas!

Week 56

So there´s probably about a million plus things that I want to tell you all about, but I should probably start with the most important and shocking...

Holy cow so I got a phone call last night from the office last night and I´m gonna be OPENING a new area in the mountains!! 5 hour bus ride from where I´m at right now. rains a lot, but they just entered into the dry season.  Church isn´t established, like at all. we´ll be starting from the ground up!! its the most isolated, furthest-away part of the mission in Peru!! no chapel, ward, or branch. its called Santiago de Chuco 2. my district leader will be 4 hrs. away from us, so I don´t know how we´ll have district meetings...there´s no baptismal font since there´s no church, so we´ll travel half an hour to a volcanic hot springs in order to baptize. ahhhh opening an area?!?!? CRAZY, right?!?!

We´ll be co-companions, no jr. or sr. comp cause we´ll be opening the area together!!! ahhhhhhh couldn´t get any sleep last night-I´m so stoked!!!

My companion is Hna. Gonzalez from Argentina, but I´m not quite sure which Hna. Gonzalez cause there´s 2 that are both from Argentina...oh also my zone leader is Elder Boekweg, whom I´ve been serving with for the past 6 transfers here in our ward of Monserrate. so at least I´ll know one of my new zone leaders!! thus far people have said to bring rain boots and a warm jacket and that the food´s not as delicious in the sierra. ahhhh until tomorrow, we´ll see!!! 

To see how beautiful the sierra is, check out the blog!!

check out how beautiful it is!! http://kurtandkathymarler.blogspot.com/2014/05/interviews-in-sierra.html

After 6 transfers, 3 companions, and one trained hermana-I´m saying goodbye to Monserrate, Trujillo!!! how crazy. lots of saying goodbyes and figuring out how I´m gonna fit everything in my 2 suitcases...always the problem-right? saying goodbye to the members, less-actives. investigators, and recent convert´s gonna be tough. especially Jose. I bought a mini PMG for him to use in his mission prep class at the institute. and gonna give him my scripture cases. 

Church yesterday was simply wonderful, hna. diana trujillo is leaving tomorrow for her mission in Bolivia and I could feel so strongly a spirit of this incredible work of salvation. I bore my testimony, well kind of a goodbye too cause I had a feeling that I´d be leaving the area. it was such a miracle, 2 less actives came to church for the 1st time in a looong time, we taught their family earlier in the week and I was so glad to see them there!! familia ramos cabanilla, super awesome family!!!  miracles all around, THATS for sure!!! 

Sonia´s doing really well, will be baptized on the 14th, same wk-end of stake conference. sad that I´ll miss it, but so happy for her progress and progress thus far for this big step and convenio con su padre celestial. 

The stake put on this awesome activity last night, ¨noche con presidente.¨except Prez. Marler couldn´t make it:( it was so awesome! all of the missionaries in my zone sang with the kids and it was so beautiful. they all got ¨futuro misionero¨name tags and it was legit!! eduardo looked so happy and his mom Susana and mamma transito of course were there too! it was absolutely wonderful!!! 

Oh man in was HILARIOUS...we taught a woman named Ana, that I met and talked to when we were printing pictures last week in centro. so we set the appt. and attempted to teach her. I say ATTEMPTED cause she seriously talked soooo much, we could BARELY get a word in. seriously. I was dyinngggg. my patience ran out after the 10 minute tyrant about her 2 sons, all about how she doesn´t want them to spend time with ¨personas de la calle.¨haha ¨people off the street¨. oh man. plus it was late and we wanted to have a few minutes to visit la familia malca. my companion and I were laughing our heads off after!!!!

HAPPY 16th BIRTHDAY REX!!!!!!!!!!!!

Clark, look out for a MTC survival kit package! I had a sweet hook-up here in Trujillo to send ya a little somthin´somthin´. 

looove you and will tell ya all about the beautiful Peruvian mountains next week!!!