there is nowhere better i could be

dadd!! thank you for your email. its exactly what i need. i love printing them off and pondering them,... sooooo we've got a few baptism dates set but they didn't come to church this sunday so we had to push it back. i cant believe i've been in this area for almost 6 months! i know it so well now, like the back of my hand! and everyone on the streets know us and i took lots of pics this week so ill put captions on each of them so you can put some on the blog.

        this week my comp got herpes!! its nuts! like one day she showed me her tummy and was like hmmm looks like i'm getting a little rash on my belly hey? and i was like oh yeah hmm. then day two it was bubbling and spreading! and i was like ya that's not normal. so we called the district leader and he called the zone leaders and the silly zone leaders were like "yeah its from the heat to put lots of water on it and shower 3 times a day" AHHAHA 3 times a day! i was so frustrated cause they didn't believe us about how bad these rashes were! and they were spreading FAST! soooo day three my comp was in a lot of pain and i explained that i didn't think that the store bought medicine would do any good for whatever it was that she had. and we were a little frustrated cause the zone leaders weren't taking this seriously sooo i called then and i was like "elder, her skin is bubbling and turning colors and it has spread to her back, what are we going to do to solution this?" and he started laughing. and i was like "elder please call the medical and make an appointment." so he did haha and then the sister leaders saw it and were so surprised! i felt so bad for her!! so yeah she went to the doc and got a ton of medicines and one of her herpes spots popped and is getting better. but yeah apparently its common to get here in the jungle.. hahaha JUNGLE LIFE! apparently i'm lucky cause i havn't been sick yet....

           all the missionaries here in iquitos went to this huge catholic school and we cleaned it and painted it and cultivated around it with machetes! it was super fun but they don't have lawn mowers here. now i can say i've cultivated grass with a huge machete lollll dad i drank coke.... its not a good taste but i was so thirsty and sometimes there's nothing else to drink hahah totally reminded me of you. at least i know i'll never be addicted to it cause i don't like it! lolll

      so a couple nights ago i woke up at 2:02am cause a flippin dog was barking SO loud. so i took out my earplugs and looked out the window to yell at it but nope it didn't stop. so i was thinking it would stop... half hour later i decided to get up and study Jesus the Christ. i read that for a few hours. i like the part where it talks about the people selling stuff in the temple and doing bad things and disrespecting heavenly father's home. i imagine what it would have been like to see jesus casting the people out. that book helps me imagine what he was like. my testimony on the atonement has increased a lot. 

      i have another assignment for you guys now that you've read alma 5. look up the video called something like "the atonement and missionary work" watch it. it doesn't only apply to missionaries. it applies to every member of the church with or without a calling. it's amazing. when i'm discouraged or feel like giving up i watch it and i feel soooo much better.

         i know that there is nowhere better i could be right now than on my mission. we are literally studying all day long. we talk of christ we worship christ and we preach of christ. i love it. its such a great way to help myself be a better person. thank you for supporting me through this year and a half.the best year and a half of my life!!

 

 

tacos!!!! and my zone

my comp's happy one year :)

 

 

this one's for you dad. don't worry i still think its gross

 

 

we went to Nanay and see in the distance the water that's redish?? that's the amazon river.. WOOT! now i can say i've seen it. all the flippin guys were trying to get us to go on their boat and we were like NO WE ARE NOT ALLOWED LEAVE US ALONE!!!

 

me and my comp at the amazon river!

 

 

this is where we went and where the houses float on water. the chaucheros work here too! its amazing the things they can carry on their backs! they are like ants! look up what a chauchero is. i bet their backs are wrecked. they work SO hard dad. i admire them for it. the elders brought us here and its super poor. we stood on the bridge and just talked and looked at the scenery and it made me appreciate canada so much. seriously i'm so grateful to have a home.

 

 

when the river rises the houses float cause they are built on huge logs

 

 

this house is lopsided cause that's how it happened to settle onto the ground when the river went down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

hahah rainy day. first time i ever wrapped myself in my sheets. its way to hot to EVER do  that! lol zoom up on the preach my gospel :)

 

carlos and españa :) this is a street that we commonly are proselyting on. all the streets basically look look like this. i  LOVE PERU!!! :)

 

 

the children that ALWAYS run to us and hug us when they see us!!! soo cute! they are always just playing on the street so when we pass they are always like " HERMANAS!!!" hahah love the jungle life :)

me and my favorite temple!! AHH ONE DAY! haha