11/28/16

Familia!

Don't worry, this is not the last time we'll be writing, next week I think I'll have a little bit of time as well.... This week was crazy. We are working hard and our area is progressing. We were able to have one baptism on Saturday (Camila) which was nice and we are still looking for new people and finding them! I think I wrote to you guys before about Ricardo and Lisbet a young couple that we're teaching. So this week, we went to teach them in our cita normal and we found Ricardo alone, and crying. It turns out that his wife the day before left with her son without saying anything. They assumed that she was just leaving really quick to buy something (she didn't take anything with her) but before he knows it, she had left with her son to Trujillo! She left him and went a little crazy and tried to denunciar her husband... it was sad. Our convert Luis's sister also died yesterday. It was interesting because just a few days ago we had a special training with President Godfrey about the difference between TEACHING and MINISTERING. Minister is more sincere, is to feel genuine love and teach according to the Spirit. In the training, we talked about when Christ raised Lazarus- although he fully knew of the power he had to raise him, he left immediately what he was doing and cried with Mary and Martha, because he loved them.  We were able to go and apply this and truly comfort Luis in his time of need and  "llorar con los que lloran". Although the hermana rejected us so many times when we tried to teach her, she was a very nice woman and we will miss her. We celebrated Dia de accion de gracias making homemade flan. There's not a lot you can do with a little plug in stove and a frying pan haha 

A little sunburned now....

Bishop Perez

Camila's Baptism

TRIO!

11/21/16

No group email today! 

Wearing our matching skirts and scarves (regalos)

Una noche hogar nos divertimos muchisimo (a very fun FHE!)

At the beautiful Lima Temple

Cake face smashing birthday tradition

Hermana Zapata Birthday!

With all of the senior missionaries (I have to translate everything into English for them, it's good practice!) 

Diligent In The Small Things

Familia,

This week was a good one! Not much is new with me- last P day we spent almost 80 soles in pizza and gaseosa (inca cola!) with us four sisters. We were also able to give away some old mattresses and make the day of a lot of members in our ward! We had a lot of doors slammed in our faces but also saw some cool miracles- one of which is a new investigator named Ana and her two kids. They look really great and as we were getting to know her a little bit, we could see that her experiences ultimamente have been preparing her to hear the gospel. We also had some crazies talk to us, an hermana with schitzophrenia almost attack us, having a sick companion.... so basically everything the same! This kind of stuff shouldn't happen as much as it does hahaha This week while listening to my conference talks, one titled "You can do it now" by Elder Uchtdorf got me thinking a lot (along with the hoja of goals that president sent us who are dying this transfer!) One of the quotes in this talk says

"One of the adversary’s methods to prevent us from progressing is to confuse us about who we really are and what we really desire. Satan’s purpose is to tempt us to exchange the priceless pearls of true happiness and eternal values for a fake plastic trinket that is merely an illusion and counterfeit of happiness and joy."

There are so many things in this world that God has prepared for our happiness, true happiness! I hope we can all understand the importance of setting worthy goals and avoid the ilusions of the enemigo by being diligent in the small things- Have a good week!

Hermana Stone

These argentinas have gotten me hooked on drinking mate and watching futbol. 

We wake up at 5:30 every day to be in the stake center at 6 am to play soccer.

Our Sunday lunch fell through and we can't buy anything... Good thing we had a cup noodles and half a loaf of bread ughhh

Viva Peru!

Just pictures today!

17 meses!

Almost all of my old companions reunited again!

TEMBLORES! (Earthquakes!)

Hello Family! 

This week was crazy! First of all, we had transfers. I am still here in Tahuantinsuyo (Hermana Llerena got transfered to my old area in San Felipe!) and am here with Hermana Zapata, from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED AN ARGENTINA COMPANION! haha It's so funny because everyone we visit always tells her that she's so tall and doesn't sound like argentine. Bueno.... that's what so many months in a different country does to you. She is almost 22 and is really fun and really tranquila. She makes me get up early on Saturdays to go play soccer with the elders but it's okay because she's as bad as I am. She did folklore dance and is kind of a hippie. We get along great. 

Also, we had 3 temblores (earthquakes) this week!! The scariest one was at 10:45 pm the other night. We had just gone to bed when all of the sudden we felt the ground move and what sounded like thunder. Zapata grabbed my hand and we ran down three flights of stairs to the outside of our building, barefoot and in pajamas! It was fine at the end but we were both a little anxious that we couldn't sleep for another hour. Someone also dumped a bucket of water on us from their roof and ran away laughing. I'm trying to get used to speaking all Spanish again now that my comp doesn't  speak English, and we're just still looking for God's chosen people! 

I had a great birthday. Yuri y Yoyi came and took us to breakfast (which was a miracle, because  our lunch fell through but we were still full) and at night, we had a Family Home Evening with two of our investigators and Graciela and Jair. Graciela bought me a cake and we sang happy  birthday and they even bought me some little gifts. I love her so much and she is like our mom here. Stefy also brought me Dunkin Donuts, gerber daisies and balloons. It was a good day and a good week. Sorry there's not much time! Hasta luego,

Hermana Stone

Weird stuff is going on here with the weather and these earthquakes!!

Thanks for the Flowers Mom :)

With Graciela and Jair (our converts) and Ricardo and Lisbet (our investigators) We did a FHE and they bought me a cake and little gifts!

My first companion that's taller than me!

Adventurous Week!

Familia!

Wow this week was something else. It was so crazy busy and full of adventure and spiritual experiences that it will be hard to put it all into a letter haha! So I guess I'll just give you the highlights. First of all this week we have been looking for a ton of new people because the people that we have right now just aren't progressing like we'd like them to. Looking for nuevos is always fun. You meet every kind of people. We talked to a family that was put in a mental hospital for the devils that possessed their bodies, my companion almost got smacked by a broom (style mulan) by an old woman acting out how she dealt with her son when he came home drunk. We also met a completely racist man who wouldn't even let us finish because he thinks that we're trying to take over the world or something. 

We also had some other interesting experiences. One of our sisters under our care got appendicitis and had to be operated. We visited her, found members to bring them food, to go on divisions for the night so her companion could come sleep at our house and to work with us. We also had a special capacitación with Elder Godoy from the Seventy. It was so so so special. He shared his personal conversion story and in one part (while describing the first missionary lessons he received) he recited the first vision in Portugese, his native tongue. I didn't understand a word of what he said, but with the Spirit, and also following along reciting it in my mind in Spanish, it was one of the strongest spiritual experiences I have ever had in my whole life. We also had a meeting afterwards with the zone leaders and hermana capacitadoras with him and Presidente. It was something I will never forget. Finally, this week my companion and I also went to the temple. We worked on Monday to be able to goon Friday. It was so beautiful and a good happy birthday and goodbye with Hermana Llerena :,) 

Finally, one of the funniest experiences I had was waiting outside of the door for an investigator to come out. We were standing there talking when all of the sudden we see a big ball of fur running down the stairs to trample us. Little did we know, IT WAS A SHEEP! It scared the crap out of me and we both died laughing. We've also been drinking boiled water all week because we finished all of our big bottles, it's like camping :-) It was a good week! I hope you guys have a good one too!! 

Love always,

Hermana Stone

con hermana salguero y hermana workman

10/17/16

Family! 

I am so glad to see that you made it through two birthdays and a wedding! Please tell Kenna that she looked BEAUTIFUL. This week has been really good! We were able to help build and paint part of a house, do some visits with the other sisters, learn how to cook lemon pie (in honor of Maddies birthday!) and teach the gospel! It was also funny to realize that my companion is the only one who understands my jokes and when a little  old lady (who was all dressed up in her catholic robe for the Señor de Los Milagros fiesta) told us that we walk a LOT and if we would accept "some help" for a new pair of shoes! It was so sweet and we just laughed and laughed- they might be ugly, but they're comfortable!! 

We were able to find some new people and we are still luchando for the people that we are teaching who are facing some oposition and trials. Something that we have really been trying to help them understand is how to overcome their trials and opposition themselves with the Lord's help- through prayer, scripture study and church activity. You wouldn't believe how simple but HOW IMPORTANT it is. Elder Nelson said: "We need to pray from our hearts. Polite recitations of past and upcoming activities, punctuated with some requests for blessings, cannot constitute the kind of communing with God that brings enduring power." Although it is important to talk with God, it is so important to seek  His power and his will. I hope we can all have His guidance this week as we earnestly pray and seek the answers through personal meditation and scripture study. Stay sweet!

Early morning hike this morning

This is why the lady wants to give us shoes haha

Enjoying american food and ccm memories

We bought matching pj's