i couldn't imagine my life without it

hey whats up! this week was a good one. i enjoyed it a lot because a sister who is waiting for her family to arrive next week is staying with us and proselyting with us meanwhile and our trio is a smash! sooo fun! working hard and the spirit is strong in the lessons. today me miner and hna jimenez and our comp are going to eat spaghetti for our 14 month mark. it should be fun. and we are going to eat ice cream for 30 cents! hahaha freeeeek its so hot out right now! i'm dying here and i forgot my ponytail so you can imagine how huge and hot my hair is. lolll. hmm what can i tell you guys. everything is the same.... working hard hard hard hard and finding awesome people and studying and growing closer to the lord! it really is the best place to be. i often pray to the lord that my testimony won't fade away when i get home and that i can always read my BOM and stay strong in the gospel. i love this gospel so much i couldn't imagine my life without it. it really was a huge blessing to be born into the covenant.

    that is crazy that ethan got his mission call! isn't he like 14?!!! they grow up so fast. that is so great. i bet he will be an awesome missionary! who is next to go out? and where is he going

    so my comp got lice! woot! so we spent all night picking it out and found the queen and king lice and we killed them. she was soooo mad it was funny. she was like"i'm soo dirty!!! ewewewewewwwww!!" hahahaa she's a funny  one. everyone says they are surprised that i havn't gotten it yet cause you usually get it at least once on the mission. but i've suffered other things so i hope i don't ever get lice! hahaha well i love you all very much. dad i hope you don't starve without mom!! lol love you!!

i already knew what questions i had to ask her

what's up! this week was killer! wanna know why?? cause i started a purification.. its where you write down ALL the things you are doing or thinking that could take the spirit away and you write the things you want to accomplish for example i put  wanted to strengthen my faith and be more patient.. so then you write down the plan on how you will achieve that.. it was awesome. then you fast.. let my tell ya.. its HARD!! and every night you have to consult with the lord about your purification.. so that's what i've been doing. think i was able to cut out all 20 things on my list?? NOPE! but i sure feel a change in my life since i've started.. its awesome. we have been seeing miracles... i feel like i'm not so stressed... i feel the spirit more.. its soo great. i love it. i feel like i've been more patient with the elders... for example.. we can't go on the internet till our whole district is here and my beloved district leader is always soooo late. and by the time he gets here there are no machines left.. so i always call him in the morning to remind him and he still fails to get here early and then when he gets here i hand it to him... lol so this monday he was later than ever but i didn't say anything :) in fact i was extra nice to him.. and it was so easy to just not care... so yeah i feel like i have more control of myself! hahah so yesterday we went to the hospital to translate for the gringo doctors that came in.. sooo i was the only sister that was there out of the missionaries and guess what room they put me in... gynecology (i dunno how to spell it.. my mind is in spanish mode) so yeah we helped about 10 patients and you can just imagine the things i had to see and translate.. but it was soooo cool cause i learnt sooooo much about the woman's body!! i was sooo shocked at how much i learned when i left the hospital! it was sad to see some of the cases that the women here have. the gynecologist agreed that woman suffer a lot and have so many different pains. but i got to see an ultra sound too. so today i'm going in again to translate ;) with hna miner!! woot that means that after i'm done here at the internet i get to roll with her till 5pm! yay! love her.... we are going to pick up her packet in the offices and we know its going to be great cause her family always sends LOADS of munchies! so that will be great. haha but yeah the doctor was training another doctor.. and he has 20 years experience and he is the best! he was so patient with her and explained so clearly to her! he was SOOO great. he wanted a pic with us after and tried to put his arm around us and i was like woah!! ehhhhh sorry but as missionaries you basically can only shake our hand.. haha he was like OHH SORRY!! hahaha but it was cool cause he was treating me like i was a doctor in training too.. like when the peruvian woman would tell me her case i would explain to the doctor and i already knew what questions i had to ask her because of the previous patients.. and the doctor would ask.. "ok what do you think is causing her pains from what she is telling us?" and i would respond..." her back.. and one thing she needs to do is get physical therapy to strengthen her back muscles and that will help with her internal pain... she also need to go on birth control to regulate her insides because her miscarriage irregulated everything" and he says " EXCELLENT!" hahahahha it was soooo fun! so i'm excited to get back there today. i learnt a whole different vocabulary in spanish..(won't mention what words) but it was fun.  

translating for the docs

well i'm super stoked for this next week that's coming cause we will have more proselyting time! and we have found awesome investigators.. all this week i have been coordinating a huge family history activity that we had for all of iquitos.. lots of work but it was a success! the president and his family came and sat through while we taught and explained . and they called me after and said it was well done :) wellllll i'm glad dad that you still do things to please mom. a woman likes that and you get brownie points to. happy wife happy life. 

love you all soo much!!

 

forgot to say.. put the cd called "called to serve" and listen to in on a roadie to pg or something and listen to the words! and think of me and lana.. its amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i listen to it alll the time. its the closest to country music as its going to get for me haha.. but the words pump me up!  

 

always wanted a pic with a little peruvian child's hand in mine!

family history

 

when i saw sister child's family!! they were sooo happy! they just happened to go to my ward and still havn't seen hna child till later today! it was weird seeing an american. i was so happy to see them though cause i met them on skype during xmas and they are the kindest nicest family ever :)

 

pday photoshooot!!! haha yep calll me a poser dad... i know you're rolling your eyes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i'm back to the beginning again

hey dad!!  i remember the love you always gave us. the hugs the kisses the i love you's and the scripture studys and the heart to hearts. that's what shaped me into the person i am today! i remember how kind vicky always was to me, she always shared with me always laughed with me and even when i was mean to her she would never ever be mean back to me. that's what i love about her. she's such a great person.

    well this week has been alright. i think that sometimes satan makes us feel horrible. all this morning i had been asking myself if i have become a better person on the mission because sometimes i feel like i'm worse than before. but i know the lord is working with me and helping me become better. i've gotta put my part in too and be obedient and seek counsel from him all the time. i finished reading the book of mormon so i'm back to the beginning again. i love how the book of mormon starts out! nephi had so much faith and was so obedient. i like that even though things were hard at time and seemed impossible he always trusted that the lord would provide a way. and i sure as heck don't wanna be like laman and lemuel. even though they saw an angel they still murmured and said "how can god deliver laban into our hands.. he is sooo strong..." etc.. i remember that god is great. he is the creator of all things and anything is possible through him.

      family history has been busy too. yesterday we sent 7 names to the temple. its awesome how the spirit is felt so strong in that room. i love it. we have also been coordinating a HUGEEE activity that is going to be for all of iquitos. i'm in charge of it so its been stressful but fun! i hope that lots of investigators come! well i love you all. i am so happy to hear that your summer is going over well. next month will cool down and you will be going into fall then winter! crazy!! i forgot what winter even means. haha love you all!!! XOXOX

has he fallen off the face of the earth?

dad! thanks for that email. it made me feel ease because as the mission comes to an end i think all missionaries worry about what they are going to do with life when they get home. it hurts my head to think about it. sister miner is finishing with me and she always asks talks to me about how nervous she is to get home and what she is going to do to adjust. but i was on the internet in family history this week and i saw on lds.org that there is a new plan to help missionaries adjust to real life when they get home or something like that. it seems awesome. its like myplan.lds.org  

 that's awesome that vix is going to a concert! marianas trench has about 2 songs or 4 that i like. they are alright. i remember that tatiana was SOOOO OBSESSED with them! hahahah  but hey how's ten? i've written him a billion times and he promised he wouldn't go two weeks without writing but its been like 2 months now. has he fallen off the face of the earth? lol

   this week has been awesome. but its interesting dad that you mention things of the world in your last email. i think that you are right. its hard as a young adult or teenager to not care about the things of the world. its a feeling we have to control because it is true, it doesn't matter if we have the best house or car. half of my investigators don't even have enough money to buy food for every meal :( i always think about how clueless i was before my mission. i would buy something absolutely dumb and not even think about the people who are starving and suffering. there are so many children here who are sick and starving. it was interesting because at 2 pm me and my comp were doing language study and then at 3 i train her till 4. and the bishop's wife, jessica called us crying and i could hardly understand her but all i caught was "sisters COME TO MY HOUSE NOW!" so we run outside and realize its raining insanely hard and i look across the street and the house was flooding. so we run back to the room and change into our pants and boots and run over to her house to carry buckets of water outside. but everywhere was flooded. we didn't even hear the rain from our room because its way inside an apartment building. all the streets were absolutely flooded and everyones homes except a few. it was sad. at some parts of our area the water was up to our waists so we couldn't proselyte there for a while. but there were massive spiders rats and cockroaches and garbage floating around everywhere. it was sooo gross. i could just imagine the disease in that water and there were kids swimming in it. but it was sad. people's beds and tables and paperwork were drowned under the water. and they don't even have the luxury of insurance. but god knows why it happens. he knows everything! i trust him and know that everyday he is preparing people to listen to the restored gospel. i love this gospel. i love feeling the spirit. i love my mission. it is sooo special to me. it is the best gift you and mom have ever bought me. its the best gift that my heavenly father has ever given me besides my family. i love you all. take care and read your scriptures and pray everyday!

update me on tenny! 

forgot to mention that at paintball last monday i did better than i thought i would! the elders were calling me hermana blackops.. and we played sisters against sisters and i shot them all. HAHAHA and they were OUT!

my daughter.. she learns from me. :) we were waiting for an investigator to finish getting ready to go to church!!!!!

he said he would never get baptized

hey dad! well that's a bummer that the internet is down!! this week has been fun. we are enjoying our time together and seeing miracles and teaching and finding lots of awesome people. we are teaching a grandpa who never before received the missionaries. his family is all members but he never wanted to pick up a book of mormon, he said he would never take the sacrament and said he would never get baptized but the lord has really helped us. first he prepared the grandpa. he got a disease a while ago but now he is bettter but the result of the disease is that he is in a wheelchair and cannot walk. so we started teaching him and he is getting baptized on the 8th of august. he reads his book of mormon diligently and loves it. he goes to church and takes the sacrament and we see a huge change in him. there family is so happy. its awesome. makes us feel good. i'm glad that the lord can use us as instruments in his hands. 

    well i bet its hot up there eh? its hot here too. but i'm super used to the hot weather. 13 months of this everyday.... what am i going to do when i feel cold?? DIE. haha well i'm loving the mission. its interesting because the mission is something that i cannot describe in words. it is a gift from my heavenly father. it really is. well i love you all very much! today we are going to play paint ball and i am going to shoot everyone. hehehehe bye!!

they cook it in different ways

well how's it going!! i'm just chilling over here busy gathering israel...hehe i miss you all! can't believe its monday again! i'm having a lot of fun training. my daughter is awesome! she works hard and tries hard! she's fun as well and she's learnning the lessons really fast. its been a good week. i've learned that i still need to mejorar with my patience... its hard.. training and being the family history consultant of iquitos and having to monitor and handle everything. stressful but fun as well. i sometimes wonder if i will be the same bina when i get off the plane. that would be sad. i hope that i've changed for the better . the mission really is awesome. i've met so many kind wonderful people. sometimes when i'm walking i take a look around and can't believe i am where i am. its crazy that i live in the jungle. its been a really awesome experience and i'm so happy for it. it is awesome to be in tune with the spirit and see god do miracles. i hope that you are all choosing the right and enjoying summer cause it'll go by fast! time seems to fly by faster and faster and faster.... uh oh. i can't even remember when its like to eat north american food. all there is here is rice and chicken and they cook it in different ways but that's all. i'm used to it but its weird to think about pizza or spaghetti or arroz aguado or roast with gravy! hahah its weird to think about all the modern stores we have there too! because there are NONE here.i know it'll be a culture shock to see technology again. but i like it because those things aren't here to distract me. here, you never hear modern music.  its all weird peruvian music! hahah it really has a weird twang. but i want you all to know i love jesus with all my heart. i know he lives today. he is alive and directing his church. its important to follow the prophets and pay close attention to what the prophets say and obey them because god speaks through them. love you all!

Well I hope you’re all being obedient

Hello! Well wellll. that was a wonderful letter dad! thank you!! i love info like that!!!

wellll Hna arone went home and i was sooo sad! This was the fastest change in all my mission because we had so much fun!! So I got my pensinistas daughter to stay with me over night till they told me who my new comp was going to be. So I was sitting with kari in family history and she was like I gotta go to the bathroom… and books it out! And I was ALL ALONE! And I was like AHHH!!! So I ran out the hall and she wasn’t there and I went to the bathroom and I was like KARI YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME ALONE! And she was like oh right sorry,. Hahaha what's it going to be like when i'm home! THANK GOODNESS I'VE GOT LANA! She will be my companion for a while! So I talked to my president and he said it is possible so hook my flight up with lanas! At least in Vancouver!!!!! AH! So she just has to get permission to extend a week so she can fly the same day as me. Cool eh? So we will keep you posted on that.

 

 

   Sooo I'M A MOM! I'm training! Hahah its awesome! There were few sisters who came in this change but i'm happy I have this opportunity to train and do family history and have my area to work in! it’s awesome. So her name is Hermana Arteaga. She’s from Bolivia. I love people from Bolivia. They are SO kind and humble. So I love her very much. I protect her from everything and treat her the way I would want to be treated because I remember how hard it was for me when I was being trained for three months. She tells me she prayed hard to have a good trainer and says she is so grateful for me but i'm more grateful for her than anything. With her... I’ve realized the things I need to do better. It really is close to being a mom with a new baby! You want to be a perfect example for them and when you mess up you feel terrible! But she makes me feel good. Yesterday we walked out of a lesson and she goes “when you teach my jaw drops because I feel the spirit so strong” it made me feel so good I almost cried because sometimes I feel like I haven’t changed at all and that I have a LONG way to go before I become a good teacher but she made me realize that maybe I should give myself a little more credit. The goal is to become like Christ! I love the way Jesus taught. He uses inspired questions and good examples. (something dad does very well that I admire) but I like to study the teachings of Jesus to see how I can do better, or what I can add to my teachings that compared to him need lots of improvement.

 

   Well I hope you’re all being obedient and applying the gospel principles. Obedience is living proof of the faith we have because if we have faith we will obey and trust that god will bless us and help us on our journey back home to him.

 

Les amo mucho! Deseo el mejor por cada uno de ustedes. Espero que Brendan puede reflexionar su misión y recordar la significancia de siendo un representante de Jesucristo. No se olviden de leer las escrituras. Quiero que pueden leer 2 nefi 33 juntos como familia. Es el testimonio de nefi. Es EXCELENTE! Me encanta porque el es bien directo, y yo testifico de cada uno de sus palabras. Lée lo! Medítenlo y aplícalo! Y piensan en maneras que pueden ser mejores testigos de nuestro salvador del mundo.

Take care and i love you all!!