Hola Familia!
Casi un mes en Peru! :) This week has been crazy... As usual. No surprise haha we had a multizone conference in Tumbes Friday, which was great! It really gave me a new hope for my mission. We learned and practiced teaching a lot, but the lessons I learned came from a few Elders´ testimonies. They are all finishing their missions within three months. The ones that really helped me were those that had to learn Spanish. Every single one of them testified of how hard the first part of their mission was, but look at them now. They´re all amazing missionaries AND know Spanish! It IS possible! Haha but it was just good to know that every one of them feels the same way I do and that I can do this. All of the things taught at this conference were great.
One big lesson I learned was that WHEN is a bold word. We need to not say "if", but we need to testify and say "when." WHEN God answers our prayers, or WHEN we are forgiven of our sins. We need to be bold. That´s one thing I need to work on is not having fear of what people think or what people will say, and just testifying of what I know. Now add Spanish in the mix and I´ve got myself a challenge!
Good news! President Rowley talked with Hermana Maryuri and she´s getting baptized!! The 24th of August :) Hermano Adolfo.... Yeah... No. Haha, but I´m happy for Hermana Maryuri. We had many experiences with Hermana Maryuri this week.
Monday we went to her house and she told us she didn´t want to be baptized anymore. We were both sooo bummed! We walked out and Hermana Rios just burst into tears because Hermana Maryuri has been taught for so long and it was awful. So from this experience my own testimony was strengthened. Remember how I told you I´d send pictures later Monday? Well because of the lesson with Hermana Maryuri it was too late. Hermana Rios said I could send them on Tuesday though, so this was the plan. It´s something really small, but the thought, "Obedience brings blessings, EXACT obedience brings miracles" popped in my head. At this point, we needed a miracle. We needed Hermana Maryuri to know that baptism was the right decision. So as badly as I wanted to, I didn´t use the internet Tuesday haha. Sounds like a small thing right? Well it was hard for me lol. So Wednesday she wasn´t there and we decided we needed to fast. So we fasted Thursday for her. Well Thursday afternoon President Rowley calls and says he´s coming to La Cruz! This means he could talk to her! So he talks to her about all the doubts she has and we go back Thursday night and she is SO excited for her baptism. For us this truly was a miracle! It had been a rough week with her, but she´s finally in a good place and ready for this next step. We´re really excited for her!
This week also had it´s craziness. Oh funny story. So I´m still a freak around here... Nothin new. Every day, at least once, we pass a group of people and they´re like "Mira! Es la misioñera de los Estados Unidos!" (Look! A missionary from the United States!) So we´re walking yesterday and this smart A kid says, "Hellllllloooooo greeeenga" (Hellllooooo white girl) and I looked at him all confused and said, "Que es hellllloooooo? No sé Inglés. Soy de Perú?" Which is "What is hello? I don´t know English. I´m from Peru." and he looks at me with the most confused look I´ve ever seen! Oh wow it was great. Hermana Rios just started laughing. I´m having too much fun being the white girl here :)
There´s also The Spitting Man. This man is 99 years old. Yeah. OLD. And almost completely deaf. We´re in a lesson with his daughter and Hermana Rios says, "Vamos leer las escrituras" (we´re going to read the scriptures) and he straight up spits at our feet lol. It took all I had not to laugh! I almost got 99 year old man spit on my toesies! What the heck dude?
I also sat in pee this week. Fun, right? Yep. I felt something wet, smelled and yep. PEE. I must have looked off guard cause Hermana Maryuri is like, “What´s wrong?” and the quickest excuse I could say as to not offend her was "Bicho," which is bug. I told Hermana Rios the true story later and she couldn´t stop laughing. Ooooooh awesome. Along with pee at Hermana Maryuri´s, I also swept her dirt floor for thirty minutes this week. We decided she needed service, and that was my job. I swept dirt. What is happening to me?
Oooooh another great lesson. We´re in a lesson talking about the plan of salvation. So there’s this huge spider coming down from the ceiling and I clap my hands together and smash it. In the middle of a lesson. I obviously didn´t think before I did it alright? Well, they all look at me weird and this is what comes out... "Uhh….For example. That spider is now in the spirit world" lol. Awesome, right? Hahaha sheesh. They all just laughed... I was being serious though? ;)
Weird things about Peru for the week: They put aloe vera plants above the doors to keep out the bad spirits... Alrighty then... They also hang up Barbie’s for decoration. Literally boxed Barbie’s nailed to the dirt wall. Prettttyyyyyy. :)
My question for this week is why so many languages?! Lots of our investigators ask why there´s so many churches and only one God... Well we have an answer for them, but can someone please answer me why there´s so many languages?! Yesterday I was kinda bummed in Sunday school. The bishop had me read a section, so I did, and a lady next to me just kept correcting me. I said trabajo wrong and she was like "TRABAJO!" Okay sheeeesh sorry lol, I´m trying here! But I guess that´s all that matters is that I try my best :)
Each week gets better and better and I understand a little more. I´m thankful for this time to grow. It´s not in the easy times that we grow, but the difficult. This applies to Michael´s family as well. My heart hurt so much when I read your letter. This is a really hard time for them and my heart is so broken for the family, but this is something God knows they need right now. It will help them grow. Yes, it´s difficult, and sometimes we don´t see why things happen, but we just have to keep pushing day by day and someday we´ll see the entire picture and be grateful for the hard times. I´m definitely gaining a testimony of this right now! Let his family know I´m thinking of them.
Thank you for all the support and love :) I love you all SO much! Have a great week! :)
Love,
Herman Roper
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