Well at 10 am, we cleaned and organized the cuarto. Our cuarto gets a little disorganized. After, we went shopping and bought me some art/craft supplies (toy story stickers and Phines y Ferb stickers). Then we made recuardos for Elder Thompson and Elder Coons. They are pretty cool. Then we had lunch (rice, chicken, tomatoes y juice box). Then we headed to the house of Fiorella to make cinnamon roll dough, to bake for FHE tonight) It was so much fun. We laughed a lot and Elder Coons gave me a sass like always. At 4:20 pm, we left to go to internet and on our way over, we saw that the Catholic Church was open, so we went inside and looked around. It is so beautiful, but most of the statues kinda scare me, but is is bien bonito. Right after that, we headed to internet...turns out that while Hna Reid and I took our pit stop at the church, the Elders took our seats in our favorite internet! Little trouble makers! haha So we went to this crappy place, and well.....that turned out bad.. Then P-Day was over...so we headed out to teach. We went and taught Milagros and Kevin (9 yrs) and they were so great. Kevin really wants to get baptized and the best part is...we taught his mom last week and she is super interested and wants baptism, too. So they will most likely get baptized together!
Later, we stopped by our cuarto to grab sweaters because it is so stinkin' cold! haha Then we went to the house of Fiorella. We got there and the Elders were putting the cinnamon rolls in the oven and then we taught the lesson. (santificar el dia de reposo) Then we ate cinnamon rolls with cold milk! Best thing ever!! The rolls got a little burnt but they were good. We left and ate dinner (fruit in yogurt and tea). Then we went back to our cuarto, planned and got ready for bed.
P.S. All day today I was super nausious...so I literally was putting on a happy face...I hope I feel better in the morning.
Martes, 22 de Julio de 2014 Jayanca, Peru
We had meetings in Lambayeque this morning. (zona y districto) I got sick during the district meeting so Hna Reid y I went on a walk outside to get some fresh air. We then went to lunch (potatoes, spicy chicken mix y rice). After lunch I went with Hna Rivera (intercambios=splits) to Chiclayo to pick up my package from the post office. (P.S. I sent home a package) After we got it, we headed to Jayanca. We got there at 4:45 pm and got ready and went teaching. We taught the most amazing woman named Sabina. She has cancer in her abdomen, so her stomach is really swollen. When she first laid eyes on me, she didn't want anything to do with me, but during the lesson, I prayed to know the things to say to soften her heart. I bore my testimony of the afterlife and talked about her faith. By the end of the lesson, she was wanting me to come back tomorrow morning to visit again!
We also visited a family who lost a loved one 2 days ago, and by the end of the lesson, they asked me to stay in Jayanca.
Our last lesson of the night was with a member menos activo. He is 17 yrs old and is getting ready to go to the temple in Lima on 30 de Agosto, with everyone in the zone of Lambayeque. We taught him about the beautiful ordananzas that happen in the temple, especially focusing on baptisms for the dead. He is super excited to go and do the work for his Grandpa.
We went and ate dinner at 9:00 pm (a straight up fried fish- head, eyes and tail...bleh....with rice and avocados :) Then we headed back to the cuarto to plan for tomorrow and get ready for bed.
Today was a good day. The spirit of Hna Rivera is so beautiful. She touches so many lives, and I want to be just like her. I love this gospel and I love the work of missionaries. It is hard and emotionally trying, but it is such a beautiful blessing and work to be a part of. I love this church.
Miercoles, 23 de Julio de 2014 [HAPPY 14TH BIRTHDAY JENNA!]
Hna Rivera y I had deep conversations about some of our studies. I love working with her! At 12:30 pm, Hna Reid y Hna Bean came back to Jayanca to switch back companions. Once we got back to Motupe, we ate lunch and went and bought coconut flavored cookies to eat with PEANUT BUTTER! Que rico es...Then we went and taught 19 yr old Jessica. She told us all about her hard life. Her dad was arrested 2 1/2 years ago on charges of rape, but he was innocent, but it still caused big problems in their lives.
Then we went and taught Xiomara, and all the kids were there. They were crazy... they were touching our faces, so after the lesson, we rubbed hand sanitizer on our faces...;)
After that, we taught Anyela. She gave us cookies, soda y cheese sandwiches. Then we went to corelacion y consejo del Rama. During that time, I taught a young woman English. I hope I taught her correctly. English is getting harder and harder to speak and teach. :)
We left at 9:00 pm to eat dinner. (soup y popcorn). Then we left and went home. We planned and got ready for bed. I wore my new TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle) shirt. I am so obsessed with it. Basically now I have the best t-shirt in the whole Peru, Chiclayo Mission!! Thanks Miguel!
Jueves, 24 de Julio de 2014
Today started out sad and long. We first visited Filomena. We were going to tell her that we were done visiting her because she isn't making the steps she needs to...but when we got there we realized that she still needs us.
After that, we went to a menos activo named Franklin. (30 yrs) He is cool. He is an artist and is super chill...He told us that he has been sick and that the Elders gave him a blessing, and because of that, he wants to go back to church. He was also trying to guess our first names and ages. He thought I was 27 and Hna Reid was 18...haha...So funny!!
Then we went and taught Noeli and she told us she was watching a show about murders and heard something about a Mormon. Turns out, it was the Susan and John Powell story! How crazy is that!!??
Then we went and taught Clarita, and we brought Edita with us. We started out asking her how her prayers were, and she said, "God told me I need to be like Jesus." So we asked her what she thought that meant, and she said that it means that she needs to be baptized and preach the gospel, but she is hesitating to say yes to baptism still and at that moment, Edita shared her conversion story. At the end, Clarita said, "I feel different. Give me a day to pick for my baptism!" We left that lesson feeling so happy! We were losing hope that we would be able to help her get the gospel. But...it's happening!!! Edita is our miracle worker!!
After that, we went to teach Jesus Ramiro and his crew, but they weren't home, because they were a couple streets over. So we went to teach them, but is turns out they were practicing a dance for tomorrow morning's parade. So we rescheduled and went to dinner. When we went to the dance practice, so many kids came running at me yelling, "Hna Dodson!!" I love the kids here. And the best thing is their hugs!!! Today was so hard in the morning, but by the end of the day, it was great!!
Viernes, 25 de Julio de 2014 [HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!]
We did a visit of studies and planning in Olmos with Hna Tomlinson y Hna Lima. It was super fun and quite a learning experience. We talked in depth about the Bible. When we were waiting for the combi (bus) to take us back to Motupe, a young woman came running at us. We asked her if she was a member and she said, "No, but I would like to be. Come teach me." We took down her info and we are going to give it to the Hermanas in Olmos.
Then we taught Geraldine and her Grandma Violetta (they were the only ones home because the mom, Tana, was in Chiclayo having her baby) After we taught a lesson, we helped them cook dinner. We peeled and cut potatoes for french fries and then when we asked what else we could do, she told us to sit down and eat dinner with them when it was ready. We told her that we couldn't stay to eat because we had other citas (appts), so she told us that she is going to make us cake one day and then she gave us a huge avocado!
Then we headed on to another cita con Kevin y Milagros. When we got there, their dad, Paulo was there, so we taught them about the Sabbath Day. Their dad was really cool and told us if his kids choose to get baptized, he will help them keep their covenants! The entire lesson, Kevin and his 4 yr old brother, David, were playing with me. I love the kids here! They are so fun and accepting. I love Peru!
Oh one funny thing happened on the way to a cita today....we ran into the dad of Jordano (Gonzalo). Well he asked us our names again even though this is our 3rd time talking to him, and then he asked us what his name is. Well, Hna Reid guessed Gustaba...:) haha I knew I knew it, so I was dancing a bit, thinking and saying "No-no-no" to stop him from telling me, and he said, "Tan poco", which means, "It's not that either!" :) I started laughing really hard and so did he, but then I said, "I got it! It's Gonzalo!" He said, "Yes!" and he continued to laugh! It was so fun!!
Another thing that happened a couple days ago....we were walking to the pension from a cita and had to pass through a group of people with signs and ribbons for an election or something...well as we were getting closer to them, one man said "Clap for the beautiful misses!" So everyone started cheering for us. It was so awkward! We hurried through the group and into our cuarto.
For dinner tonight, we had popcorn and arroz con leche!! It was basically my birthday!! Today was a nice day full of the spirit!
Sabado, 26 de Julio de 2014
This morning, we decided that we need to change cuartos because we are the only girls in the entire building that we live in. Also someone on our floor is smoking marajuana and we don't have a whole lot of privacy, so we called our zone leaders and told them our situation and their exact words were, "ummm...that doesn't sound good...you should move." So during the morning, we went searching for a cuarto. No luck. But when we told Hna Crisalina at lunch that we needed help finding a cuarto, she insisted that we move in with their family. We politely told them that we would think about it...
Later, during a lesson with Brigitte (9 yrs old- we almost have her mom and dad's permiso for baptism), a ton of kids joined us and at the end, I handed out smiley face stickers. They loved it!!
After that, we taught Gonzalo and his son Jordano. Gonzalo is so funny. We laughed and joked for a while, but when we started to teach about eternal families and temples, the spirit became really strong and he started to tell us about his life as a member before he stopped going to church. He told us that he wanted to serve a mission but right before he could go, he lost the desire and just stopped going. When we finished, we asked him to say the closing prayer. It took time and a lot of encouragement to get him to, but he finally said yes. His prayer was so beautiful. Right before he ended his prayer, he said, "Bless my heart with peace." and at that moment, I knew that he knew that he was missing the gospel in his life. I really hope we can help him get back to church.
Then we went to pick up Fiorella to help us teach, but we had to wait for her husband to come home to watch the kids as we go out, so during that time, we danced and sang with her children, Luna (6) and Cesar (3) They are adorable kiddos. We played Ring Around the Rosy and hey loved it!!
Then we went to dinner. ( hot chocolate, panqueques con honey and an orange) We went home and put away our clean laundry, planned and got ready for bed. Today was such a good day! I love my mission!
Domingo, 27 de Julio de 2014
Well at church today, Gonzalo stopped by the church outside and we kept inviting him in, but he kept blaming his "clothes" as to why he couldn't enter...so I offered to switch clothes with him and he turned me down...I don't know why...haha...So before he left, I shook his hand and tried to pull him in. He thought that was hilarious. After church, we took Jordano home and talked with Gonzalo for a bit. He is so cool! I hope we can reactiviate him!
After church, we ate lunch. (soup with one hard boiled egg in it, 2 hard boiled eggs and salad) Then we went teaching. We first visited Filomena and she told us that she had been thinking about suicide, but after becoming friends with us and becoming closer to God, she doesn't want to die anymore.
Then we went and taught a mom and her 2 younger daughters. During the lesson, a drunk man interrupted us 3 times and he kept trying to hug me and hold my hand. The girls were giggling the entire time. Then we went to Salitral to visit Jhanina, Julio, Enrique and Xiomara because they were celebrating a birthday. So we partied with them and got a party bag full of candy!!! :)
We went to the upis after and while we were walking, a man named Xavier stopped us and asked us if we believed in a life after this life. We said, "Yes." and he said, "Good, because I'm done with this one!" and walked away. Well we weren't going to let it end like that, so we started talking to him and reading scriptures, and he started crying...because he feels abandoned by God. So we sang "Yo se que vive mi senor" and right after, he told us that he felt a lot better and wants us to visit him another day.
Right after helping Xavier, we ran into the Elders and told them about our day. And while we were talking, a drunk man started yelling to me and he started walking towards me and was saying that he wanted to talk to me, but the Elders jumped in between us and saved me! Right after talking to that drunk guy, the Elders turned to us and with hands outstretched and said, "Hand sanitizer please." haha
Then we went to visit a family who just had a new baby. We keep trying to tell her to name him Michael Espencer. She won't. haha
After that, we talked with the father and mother of Ashley and they said that she could get baptized. Yay! A lot has happened today and it was such a great day! I love missionary work!
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| our juice boxes :) |
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| Inside the Catholic Church |
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| Inside the Catholic Church "It is bien bonito." |
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| Me and Hna Rivera "The spirit of Hna Rivera is so beautiful." "She touches so many lives, and I want to be just like her." |
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| Hna Rivera, Hna Bean, Hna Reid, Hna Dodson in Jayanca, Peru  Hna Reid, Hna Dodson, Hna Lima, Hna Tomlinson "We did a visit of studies and planning in Olmos, Peru with Hna Lima y Hna Tomlinson." "It was super fun and quite a learning experience." |
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