Week 59: President Williams looked at us with eyes wide open and asked, "You've got a cat?"

Lunes, 18 Mayo 2015
     This morning I read the General Conference talk by Elder Holland, where he spoke of Jesus saving us from falling "to our death" after sin.  I was meditating about how that applies to me as a missionary.  I got thinking and realized that we are the ones that grab the "falling" and give them desire to call upon Christ...and once they decide to receive him, Christ takes over and pulls these people up off the cliff side.  We, as members of the Church, have this responsibility.  We are to grab hold and help Christ.  We need to help give the desire and then let Christ do the healing and the saving...then we have the responsibility to "hold hands" with these people and keep them away from the edge.  We need to help them stay firm and steadfast.
     After study, we headed to Chiclayo.  As we were there in the Tottus, we ran into President and Hna Williams.  It was nice to see them, and as a joke, we went down the animal food aisle and put a giant bag in our cart.  President Williams asked us what the food was for and and we looked at him, and said, "For our cat." haha  He looked at us with eyes wide open and asked, "You've got a cat?" We laughed and said, "No." and put the food back.  They started laughing with us. :)
     We bought some needed things.  I got a new pair of shoes which cost only $6.00.  I love them, but I have a bad tan line going...I guess I'll give it a couple weeks and maybe I can get that fixed.
     We went home and ate lunch.  We had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!  We found peanut butter in Tottus!!  We had a great time eating our delicious lunch!
     After lunch, we went to internet.  I received a lot of uplifting emails from my mommy, which was nice.  After emailing, we went home, read some letters and talked.  Then I wrote some letters and pondered on some General Conference talks while my companion slept.
     At night, we went out to teach, but all of our appointments fell through.  Luckily we had Hna Bertha with us, and she helped us find some other people to visit.  After visiting, we went to dinner.

Martes, 19 Mayo 2015
     Today we did divisions.  I went with Hna Bertha and Hna McGinnis when with Katia. (wife of Bishop Iman)  I love Bertha so much.  She was giving me tons of references and we visited several of them.  One of the references was a woman named Luz.  She is an inactive.  She was really nice and when we talked with her, she said she felt good and asked that we come back another day to talk with her whole family.  She also said that she would come to church on Sunday. :)
     After teaching her, we went and visited her nephew.  He recently lost his wife and when we talked about the Plan of Salvation, he felt peace.  When it was time to leave, we asked him to offer the closing prayer. During his prayer he began to cry, and he asked God t help him do what he needed to do to see his wife again.  It was a beautiful experience.
     After that, we met up with Hna McGinnis and Katia to end the divisions.  We went back to the room because my companion didn't feel well.  Once she rested for a bit, we went back out to teach some more.
     We visited Victoria (less active) and Anaximando (investigator).  They are an older couple and I love visiting them.
     Later, we visited the familia Espinoza.  We taught them about the Ten Commandments.  They loved it.  We got laughing a lot with them.
     Then we went to dinner and then home.

Miercoles, 20 de Mayo 2015
     This morning we finished planning our class that we had to give at our district meeting at 11am. When we got to the chapel, all the missionaries in our district were waiting outside, because the door was locked and they were waiting for someone to come to open the doors.  This brought back some bad memories...baptism day with no water. :)
     As we were waiting, President and Hermana Williams pulled up in their car.  They had an older couple with them.  The older couple was the new missionary couple.  It was fun to meet them and get to know them a little.  They are from the States.  He took a picture of our district before they left. The zone leaders gave us all coconut flavored bodoques.
     We taught our class about contacts and references.  It went well.  After the meeting, we went to lunch and then home to study language.
     After language study, we went to San Antonio to teach.  We visited with a member named Noemi. We taught her about temples.  As we walked out of her house, we ran into the Elders, who were wandering hopelessly, trying to figure out the division lines we set up in San Antonio. :)
     After talking with them, we went and picked up Glenda.  Glenda told us that she had a feeling to visit a kid named William.  He is a member of the church, but hasn't been going for quite some time. We went and knocked on his door and he didn't answer at first, but then at the last minute, he opened it.  He let us in and we talked with him.  One thing lead to another, and we were talking with him about true repentance.  He was so interested.  The spirit was so strong as we talked about the promise that God makes, of forgetting our sins after we truly repent.  He said that he was going to start repenting right away.  We saw a beautiful change in his person when he decided to change.
     Later, we visited the familia Ysique Garcia, with Maria's sister, Magdalena.  We taught about prophets.  Pedro kept trying to teach with us, but the things that he would share kept confusing Magdalena, so I had to try to keep Pedro from talking. :)
     After that, we went home and had dinner.

Jueves, 21 Mayo 2015
     Here in Pomalca, one of the businesses hasn't been paying their workers, so all the workers are on strike, and today was an intense day, so all the missionaries in Pomalca had to stay in their cuartos all morning.  Our pensionista brought our lunch to us.  President Williams called and let us know that we had to stay in our cuarto for the rest of the day.  The conversation went like this...
     Pres. Williams: "You need to stay in your room...wow, it sounds like I'm grounding                                                         you....haha...You're grounded."
     Me: "We're grounded?"
     Pres. Williams: "Yep.  You are grounded, and tell Hna McGinnis that it's her fault." :)

So I am sure that was a first timer...to be "grounded" in the mission.  haha  So all day long, we just studied, talked, laughed and played chess.

Viernes, 22 Mayo 2015
     This morning we woke up sick.  We ended up being sick all day.  By the night, I felt a little better, but Hna McGinnis was still in bad shape.  We studied...talked....slept...studied...talked...nothing too thrilling happened.

Sabado, 23 Mayo 2015
     My companion was still sick, so as she rested, I studied a lot.  I found a cool talk by Elder Lynn G. Robbins called , "What manner of men ought ye to be?"  I love this talk.  It describes the differences and similarities of the "To Do" and the "To Be".  It is really interesting.
     We also asked random questions and then flipped open the scriptures for answers.  It was so funny.  We got laughing a lot.  You should try it.  haha  For example, one of the questions we asked was, "Why am I sick?" and the scripture that I opened up to was in the Old Testament and was talking about killing and blood.  haha  Then I opened to another scripture in Jeremiah 32:17. which was a much sweeter response to the question.  haha
     As we were eating lunch in our cuarto, we heard little pebbles hitting our window.  When we went over to the window, we saw the elders.  They told us that they needed to talk to us, so we went downstairs to talk to them.  Turns out that they got their cell phone stolen, so they needed to come and "steal" ours.  So now, we are phoneless....what a deal.
     The rest of the day, we rested and talked.  The elders came over to our pension to eat lasagna with us.  They let me know that I would be giving a talk in sacrament meeting tomorrow in church.  Why does it always happen like that?
     The elders also gave Hna McGinnis a blessing before they left.  It was very special.

Domingo, 24 Mayo 2015
     Well today at church, I felt like I was doing everything.  First I led the hymns in sacrament meeting, then I gave a talk in sacrament meeting...then I led the music in Sunday School and then in Relief Society I led the music and gave the prayer.  I'm sure everyone is sick of seeing and hearing from me.
     After church, we visited some references, and taught a contact on the road.  Then we went to lunch and headed to San Antonio to visit.
     After helping some people to feel peace in their hearts, we headed to the church for some meetings.  We ended up being at the church until 8pm, and since we don't have a cell phone anymore, we had to report our numbers to our district leaders from our pensionista's phone.
     After the meeting, we hurried to dinner and reported our numbers.  At 8:50pm, the zone leaders called to invite us to eat lunch with them tomorrow.  We accepted and then headed home to plan and get ready for bed.
     Today was a special day.  I felt the spirit so strong.  Hna McGinnis came to the conclusion that it was because me, elder Epperson and elder Brunis all spoke in sacrament meeting and that the spirit spoke through us.  I thought the elders did so good today.  They spoke with a lot of power.  I was very spiritually uplifted.  I learned a lot.  I love Sundays that are super uplifting.

                                                         Empty Linen  by Emily Harris

                                                The linen which once held Him is empty
                                                It lies there,
                                                Fresh and white and clean.
                                               The door stands opened.
                                               The stone is rolled away,
                                               And I can almost hear the angels singing His praises
                                               Linen cannot hold Him.
                                               Stone cannot hold Him.
                                               The words echo through the empty limestone chamber,
                                              "He is not here."
                                               The linen which once held Him is now empty.
                                               It lies there,
                                               Fresh and white and clean.
                                              And oh, hallelujah, it is empty.

Week 58: "How can we have a happy home?" "Kill the husband."

 Lunes 11 de Mayo del 2015
     We didn't do anything exciting today.  We did our normal P-Day rituals.  We bought needed items and then we went home and rested until lunch. (yogurt and cereal)
     After lunch, we went to internet and wrote home, and then went back to our cuarto to rest until P-Day ended.  At 6 pm, we headed out to teach.  As we were walking through town, one of the crazy guys found us and asked us to write his name in English on a pass along card that he had.  So we wrote Michael Angel Blonde and handed it to him. We said, "Goodbye Miguel." and he said, "No, yellow!"  What?!  Welcome to our English conversations we have here.  haha

Hna Dodson and Hna McGinnis

New shoes....old tan line :)

Martes, 12 Mayo 2015
     We had a  multi-zone conference in Chiclayo today.  We ended up going with the elders in a taxi. On the ride there, some cops were doing some random checks on the cars passing through, and our car got chosen as one of them.  The cops asked us for our IDs.  We all pulled out our passport copies. Luckily, one of the cops was a member of the church, so he didn't make us do the crazy background checks.  That was nice.
     Once we got to the office, we were talking with other missionaries that were there, and Elder Epperson told me that his family moved to Utah!  He promised that he would be at my homecoming!
     At 10 am, the meeting started.  McGinnis and I entered into the assembly hall to find some seats, and all we could see were Elders everywhere.  We looked and noticed that the sister missionaries were all on the other side...so....we sat down with all the elders. :)  When President Williams got up to talk, he noticed us and then teased all the other sisters for being afraid that the Elders have cooties! It was funny!
     We talked about the scriptures the entire time.  We talked about the power that comes from them. I learned so much and I just had a craving to study my scriptures.  The new mission focus is to use scripture mastery more.
     We ate McDonald's for lunch.  haha
     Then we got our mail from home.  I had a letter from Danielley and also one from my mom about the beautiful Payson Temple in Payson, Utah.
     After that, we headed home to go teaching.  We visited Clara and the lesson went well.  She wants to get baptized, but she has to come to church first. :)
     Then we visited a member named Ana.  She opened up a lot to us.  By the end, she expressed to us that we were angels sent from God to listen to her and bring her comfort in her time of need.
     Then we visited Judith and Santos.  We read 2 Nephi 31.  It is all about baptism.  They still don't want to be baptized....maybe one day.
     We ate dinner- banana bread! Then we went home and planned.

Miercoles, 13 Mayo 2015
     This morning while we were studying, there was a big riot, so we ended up staying indoors for safety's sake.
     Once it was calm, we went to lunch.  When we returned to our cuarto, I felt sick, so we stayed in for the rest of the night.  We studied scriptures and scripture masteries.
     Later, we went to dinner and went home and got ready for bed.

Jueves, 14 Mayo 2015
     This morning, on our way home from breakfast, there was an old woman with two large bags. She was trying to carry them into the mercado, so she could sell her things.   I had a feeling to go and help her, so we ran over to her.  She handed us her bags and then held onto my arm as we walked her into the mercado.  When we entered, a lady recognized her and told us that her table was on the other side of the mercado.  Apparently the older lady has memory problems and sometimes forgets where her table is, so we just started walking in the direction the lady pointed.  Thankfully, when we walked past the old woman's table, she recognized it.  We got her settled and then we asked for her name. She told us it is Natividad :) and then we told her to have a good day.  She asked us what she needed to pay us for our help, and we told her that we didn't want any money.  Her eyes filled up with tears and she hugged us and thanked us for loving her.
     We went home to study and then to lunch.  After lunch, we were getting ready to meet up with a member to go out visiting, but we got a call telling us that we needed to go to the mission office to sign some papers.  So we headed to Chiclayo.  I had to sign some papers because my ID here says that I live in Lima....so they had to change that.  As I was waiting for Elder Casas to give me the papers, I went and checked the mail, and there was a large envelope with the General Conference Ensign waiting for me from home.  Everyone in the office saw me reading it and they were all talking about how lucky I am to have my mom.  And then they were all trying to read it with me. haha
     Once we got back to Pomalca, we went to pick up Elena to go teaching with us.  One problem is that Elena lives in the area of the Elders, but we weren't going into the area to contact or teach, we just wanted to get Elena.  Well, the elders just happened to see us knocking on her door, and wondered what we were doing.  Unfortunately, Elena's family are mostly inactives, so we had to explain to the elders why we were there. :) We got Elena and then left.
     We had some great lessons.  One of my favorites was with Fany and Jade.  We taught them about tithing.  We gave Jade a tithing envelope, and she whips is open and asks, "Where is the money I'm going to pay?"  We all busted up laughing and told her that she needed to put her own money inside it. She smiled and said that she was excited to pay her tithing.
     After a few more lessons, we headed to the noche misional. (ward activity) The familia Ysique Garcia were there and I got talking with Royer.  Today, he went visiting with the Elders.  He told me that he was nervous to go, but he went anyhow.  He said that at one of the houses, they were visiting a less active member and her friend.  He said that he shared an entire page of scriptures from Mosiah 18 with them, which is about baptism.  He said that the friend began to cry, and said that she needs to change her life.  She told them that her mom had died and she knows that the only way that she will be able to see her mom again is if she becomes a better person and gets baptized.  Royer felt so proud and said that he felt a "hotness" in his chest, and that he wants to feel that more.  He told us that he is going to study the scriptures more so that he can share them with others. :)
     As Royer was telling me about his experience, the spirit was so strong and he was glowing.  I was so proud of him.

Viernes, 15 Mayo 2015
     This afternoon, we went to teach the familia Ysique Garcia.  Royer told us that he has an interview with the Bishop tomorrow about receiving the priesthood.  We ended up teaching about the priesthood.  Royer is so excited to receive the priesthood...he wanted it right then. :)
     Before we left their house, they asked us if they could invite us to a "little something" to eat. We agreed to it, and their "little something" ended up being a giant plate of rice with two pieces of meat. One meat was chicken and the other meat was duck.  Once we finished eating, we headed back to Pomalca.
     We visited with Diana Espinoza and then went to dinner.  We had cake for dinner, because they were celebrating the special occasion that Cecilia,our pensionista and her family, were going to the Trujillo Temple open house tomorrow. :)

Sabado, 16 Mayo 2015
     This morning we went visiting with a return missionary named Diana Liatas.  She told us stories about her mission.  I have never ever laughed so hard in my entire life!  I love missions because they are hard, spiritual, fun, and hilarious!  Anyways, later in the night, we went and visited Graciela and her daughter, Rosa.  We talked about families and how to have a happy home.  This is part of our conversation:
     Me: "How can we have a happy home?"
     Graciela: "Kill the husband."  We all laughed, but Graciela stayed really serious
     Rosa: "Mom, don't say that.  You are scaring the missionaries."
     Me:  "Ok then....I was thinking more along the lines of praying, reading scriptures, serving and loving one another....
I love lessons with Graciela! :)
     When we got home, we got a call from the zone leaders telling us that the sisters in Las Delicias are angry with us for teaching in their area.  We have not taught in that area, so we are really confused....

Domingo, 17 Mayo 2015
     Royer received the priesthood. :)
     I led the music again....and I ended up singing the sacrament hymn ALONE because none of the Peruvians knew the song...Awkward :)
     After church, we went to lunch early because we had a lot of citas and a meeting, so in order to get everything done, we had to start earlier.  We visited the familia Ysique Garcia.  Royer is different now.  He is more dedicated and serious about sharing the gospel, because he has the priesthood.
     Today, we followed the spirit and ended up being exactly where we were needed to be to help others. Our lessons weren't the best, but the people really needed us to be with them in their homes. It was a really special night.
     When we got home, we called the sister missionaries from Las Delicias to talk with them about why they think we are teaching in their area.  They said that some members in their ward told them that we were teaching in their area.  We explained that we weren't doing anything like that, and they chilled down a bit more.
     I don't like it when there is tension between missionaries.  We are all here for the same purpose....to represent Christ....and Christ was never like that with anyone.  I know that I have weaknesses and that I am not perfect, and sometimes I don't always represent Christ the way I should, but everyday I am trying harder.

                                                  Here are some of the pictures I wasn't able to send before.

May 9, 2015
Baptism of familia Ysique Garcia

Pedro

Baby Moises, Hna Dodson, Pedro (in front), Royer,
Maladiegue, Maria, Hna McGinnis

May 7, 2015
Zona Pomalca
Second Transfers

May 7, 2015
When we sang for the Mother's Day Party
Hna Dodson, Elder Epperson, Elder Brunis, Hna McGinnis

April 19, 2015
Elder Olsen, Elder Brunis, Teo (ward mission leader),
Hna Dodson, Hna McGinnis

April 19, 2015
Bertha and Silberio (ward missionaries and 
parents of Cecilia, our pensionista), Elder Olsen, 
Elder Brunis, Hna McGinnis, Hna Dodson

April 10, 2015
Zona Pomalca
at first transfers

Week 57: "When your wagon gets stuck in the mud....get out and push!"

Lunes, 4 Mayo 2015
     This morning we did some deep cleaning and our cuarto looks so good!  After cleaning and showering, we went to the mercado to buy bananas and eggs so we could make arroz a la cubana. :)
When we showed up at the pension to cook our lunch, we ended up crashing a party.  They were celebrating the birthday of Hna Coca who had served in this mission and was back visiting with her new husband.  We were invited to eat some cake with them. :) It was yummy.
     After lunch, we went and bought some repellent, light bulbs, and a pomegranate.  Then we went to internet.  I was giggling a lot!  I also got a really cool email from my daddy.  He talked about consecrated oil.  I loved it.  He sent me a part of a talk from Elder Russell M. Nelson, that was talking about the olive tree and the oil.

Olive trees are special in the Holy Land. The olive branch is universally regarded as a symbol of peace. This tree provides food, light, heat, lumber, ointments, and medicine. It is now, as it was then, crucial to life in Israel. It is not a deciduous tree, but everbearing—always green. Even if the tree is chopped down, life will spring from its roots, suggesting everlasting life. Jewish tradition often refers to the olive tree as the tree of life. To me it seems to prefigure the Resurrection.

Jesus came to the base of the Mount of Olives to effect the first component of the Atonement. This He did at the Garden of Gethsemane. The word Gethsemane comes from two Hebrew roots: gath, meaning “press,” and shemen, meaning “oil,” especially that of the olive.

There olives had been pressed under the weight of great stone wheels to squeeze precious oil from the olives. So the Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane was literally pressed under the weight of the sins of the world. He sweated great drops of blood—his life’s “oil”—which issued from every pore. (See Luke 22:44;D&C 19:18.)

Jesus was accorded titles of unique significance. One was the Messiah, which in Hebrew means “anointed.” The other was the Christ, which in the Greek language means “anointed” as well. In our day, as it was in His day, the ordinance of administration to the sick includes anointing with the consecrated oil of the olive. So the next time you witness consecrated oil being anointed on the head of one to be blessed, and these sacred words are said, “I anoint you with this consecrated oil,” remember what that original consecration cost. Remember what it meant to all who had ever lived and who ever would yet live. Remember the redemptive power of healing, soothing, and ministering to those in need. Remember, just as the body of the olive, which was pressed for the oil that gave light, so the Savior was pressed. From every pore oozed the lifeblood of our Redeemer. Throughout the joyous days of your mission, when your cup of gladness runs over, remember His cup of bitterness which made it possible. And when sore trials come upon you, remember Gethsemane.

I love it.  I now understand so much better and have a greater insight.  I wish I could have understood it a little bit earlier in my mission, when I was given millions of priesthood blessings.
     Once P-Day ended, we went to a cita with Judith, Santos, and Francis.  We read 2 Nephi 2 with them.  I know with the Book of Mormon and prayers, they will grow closer to baptism.
     Then we headed to the park to meet the familia Ysique Garcia so we could go to Family Home Evening together.  We ended up waiting a really long time, so we contacted people in the park.  As we were teaching some people, a woman called us over.  She is a member of the other ward.  She told us that it wasn't safe to contact people here, and that we should just stay in our cuarto.  We thanked her for her concern, but told her that it was our job to talk to people. :)
     The familia Ysique Garcia showed up, so we went to the house of our pensionista for FHE.  We played a game after the lesson, which had everyone giggling!
     At 8:50pm, we had masamora for dinner.  Then we headed home.  When we got to our cuarto, there was a bag waiting for us from our district leader.  It had papers, pamphlets and chocolate inside. He is the best leader!  haha

Martes, 5 Mayo 2015
     Well thanks to our buddies, Elder Brunis and Elder Epperson, we showed up to a leader's meeting late.  We were told that the meeting was at 9am for the sisters, and then another meeting for all the missionaries would follow at 10am.  Well, as we pulled up to the church at 8:45am, thinking that we were 15 minutes early, we received a phone call from President Williams.  After I answered the phone, he said, "We have something to say to you."  and then a room full of missionaries yelled, "BUENAS DIAS!!!"  Then President asked us where we were, because the meeting had already started.  When we walked into the meeting, President came up and shook our hands.  We said that we were sorry and that we received wrong info about the starting time, and President said that he could see that, because the elders weren't there yet either. haha
     Twenty minutes later, the elders showed up and came and sat with us at our table.  We joked with them about giving us "correct" information about the meeting time... and then we welcomed them.  The leader meeting was so great.  One of my favorite parts was when President Williams read part of a talk by Jeffrey R. Holland called "The Miracle of the Restoration" (Oct. 1994).  It was so powerful and spirit was so strong.
     At the end of the meeting, all the missionaries who were going home in June got up and bore their testimonies.  One of the missionaries was Elder Coons.  How crazy.  I can't believe that he is already going home.  I still remember starting my mission with him in Motupe....but it makes sense because I have 13 months in the mission!
     For lunch, we got to eat hamburgers from Chili's restaurant!
     After the meeting, I took a picture with the sisters leaders in my group, Hna Blackburn and Hna Kennedy.  It was nice to see them again.  I also got to see Hna Corona.  She is a sister leader, too, and I am so happy for her.  She will be so great!
     After we got done, we went home and headed to San Antonio to pick up the familia Ysique Garcia to go to the church for their interviews for baptism.  As they each took their turn, the zone leaders (Elder Brunis y Elder Epperson) showed up.  They were really nice, and apologized for making us late this morning.  Then we planned what we were going to do on Thursday night for a ward activity for Mother's Day.  The elders want us to sing, so we decided to sing a Mother's Day song in Spanish. Really creative....I know. :)
     Good news!  The familia Ysique Garcia all passed their interviews and are getting baptized on Saturday!!
     We got home late (9:30pm) and found a contact named Carlota pounding on our door.  She was bringing us homemade cake from her son, Jesus' birthday!  So we ate cake...:)

Miercoles, 6 Mayo 2015
     We did intercambios today.  I stayed in our area in Pomalca with Hna Mejia.  She is a cool girl. She is super funny...always making jokes and making others laugh.
     We ended up going to San Antonio to visit some people, but no one was home...but as we were walking down the road, we decided to contact a woman in her house.  She ended up being very interested and begged us to come back another day.  We made a cita to see her again on Friday. :)
Her name is Isabel.  I have a really good feeling about her.
     Our last cita was with the familia Ysique Garcia.  We read 1 Nephi 8, which is about the Tree of Life.  They really loved it.

Jueves, 7 Mayo 2015
     We ended intercambios at the zone meeting this morning.  Our zone leaders are so awesome.  I always learn so much from them.  I am so grateful we share an area with them.  We also taught at the meeting, because we are sister leaders.  I felt like it went well.
     After the meeting, we went home and rested because my comp didn't feel good. :(
     Later in the night, we went to the church for a women's activity and to practice singing our Mother's Day songs to the ladies.  As we waited for the activity to start, I played with Pedro and Maladiegue.  We laughed so much and we were making everyone else giggle that was around us.
     Right before the activity started, Elena showed up and she looked sad.  We took her to the side of the church building and talked with her.  She needed some love, so we gave her hugs and kind words, and she felt better. :)
     The activity started and we sang, "Mother, I Love You" and some other mom song.  It went okay I guess....everyone seemed to enjoy it....haha  Then we went home.

Viernes, 8 Mayo 2015     FELIZ 13 MESES!
     Today we visited in San Antonio.  We visited a couple named Raul and Darleen.  They are an awesome couple.  They are great member missionaries.
     We visited Isabel and she was waiting for us, and let us right in.  We talked about the church and she was really soaking it all in.
     After teaching her, we taught a few more investigators and all the lessons went well.  Our last visit in San Antonio was with the familia Ysique Garcia.  We focused on baptism.  They were nervous but excited for tomorrow.
     Our last cita of the night was with Judith, her mom Blanca and her dad Lorenzo.  We ended up reading the Book of Mormon with them.  We read Ether 12.  Lorenzo, who had never had visits from the missionaries, was really loving it.  We gave him a Book of Mormon before we left.  I love the power of the scriptures!
     Tomorrow is going to be a stressful day...wish me luck.....

Sabado, 9 Mayo 2015
     To start the day, the power went out.  My heart stopped, because we were supposed to be Skyping with our families later that afternoon.  A good minute later, and after praying our little hearts out, the power came back on! :)
     Once that small little trial of faith happened, we thought we were good for the rest of the day.....NOT.
     At 10 am, we stopped by the Bishop's house to get the keys to the church, so we could clean and fill the font.....well, when we got there, some people from the other ward were already cleaning. They light heartedly said, "There is no water.  You don't have a baptism today, do you?"  We answered, "Yes, we do have a baptism."  Panic appeared on their faces, and all the cell phones started making calls.  Our first solution was to call a water guy to come by and see if he could get the water working, but we weren't sure what time he would be able to come, so we decided that we better just get to work on our own.  We grabbed some buckets and started walking to find water.  We found a car wash place that had water!  The elders showed up with buckets, so we filled our buckets and walked back to the church.  When we tried to go inside, the church was locked....and our keys were in our bags which were inside the church.....
     Thankfully the elders had their cell phone, so they started calling for help.  There we were, four missionaries, 3 buckets of water, and stranded outside a locked church....15 minutes before we were supposed to Skype with our families.  About 3 minutes to noon, the stake president showed up on his bike, smiling at us. He let us in the church and we hurried and dumped our buckets of water, and it filled the font about 1/2 inch!  We started giggling and I shared a quote, "When our wagon gets stuck in the mud, God is much more likely to assist the man who gets out to push than the man who merely raises his voice in prayer."  I told them that I learned this from my mom.  My mom always just jumps right into the problem and starts working and every time, a miracle happens and everything works out.  So after giving this pep talk, the elders told us that they would continue to work while we go and Skype with our families.  We grabbed our stuff and ran to internet.
     It was a hectic morning, but it was fun to talk to my family!
     After Sykping, the elders called us and told us the water guy had showed up to fix the water, so they were eating lunch.  We decided to eat lunch, too.  After we all finished eating, we went back to the church to fill the font.  When we turned on the water, it only worked for a few seconds and then stopped again.  So we grabbed our buckets and were on our way to the car wash, when the water guy asked us where we were going.  When we told him the water wasn't working, he went back inside and wiggled a couple pipes and the water began to pour into the font!  What a miracle!!  We were able to then relax a little and get the font filled quickly.  Everything was prepared for the baptism!
     At 3:30pm, the familia Ysique Garcia showed up and we got them dressed in their white clothes. It was the most special witness to see the three of them dressed in white, walking hand in hand into the church building.  My heart was filled with so much love.
     The baptism didn't start until 4:30pm...this DRIVES ME CRAZY!  Anyhow, me and Hna McGinnis sang, I am a Child of God, and then it was time for the baptism.  When all three of them left the font, they were all glowing and said that they felt something special while they were in the water. :)
     After they all got changed, we went back into the church and they bore their testimonies.  When Maria got up, she began to cry and said, "I am so grateful to be part of this church." It was so powerful...we could feel her thankfulness.
     After testimonies, I got up and lead the last song, and as I was leading, I saw Pedro staring at me. When we finished singing, Pedro spoke really loudly to his dad, "I've decided that Hna Dodson is going to lead the music at my baptism, too!"  haha  When I went down and sat with him, he laid his head on my shoulder and told me that he loved me.  I love Pedro.
     After the baptism, my comp wasn't feeling good, so we headed home and rested.  We talked, planned and got ready for bed.

Domingo, 10 Mayo 2015      FELIZ DIA DE LA MADRE
     At church, Maria came up to me after she was confirmed and hugged me and said, "I am finally a real member!  Thank you so much!"  I love them so much!
     At 1:30pm, we ate lunch with them.  We ate arroz a la cubana! (my favorite!)  We all laughed and smiled as we ate our lunch around a little table.  It was so special.  They are going to be awesome members of the church.
     After doing some visits around town, we went to a meeting at the church.  The zone leaders were standing there with packages from home for me.  One was from my parents (Thanks for the puzzle!) one was from Lucile (Thanks for the hot chocolate!) and one was from the Young Women in my home ward! (Thanks for all the cards and candy!  I love it!)  The elders saw that one was full of candy, so they begged me for some candy.  I let elder Brunis try some candy for the first time.  My favorite was to watch him struggle as he tried eating a pixy stick!  haha
     After the meeting, we had ward council.  We were talking with some return missionaries and they taught us a new word: Latingo (Latino + Gringo)  haha  It's my new favorite word!
     Ward Council got heated, so that was fun....:p
     Then we went to dinner, went home, planned, reported our numbers and got ready for bed.
P.S. There were a lot of drunks around today, so we had to be super careful.  I can't imagine what Father's Day is going to be like, if it's like this on Mother's Day.

Trujillo, Peru temple
It is opening soon!

Week 56: "My banner will be clear."

Lunes, 27 Abril 2015
     After studies my comp slept.  As she rested, I cleaned up my area, wrote some cards and sang some hymns.  At 1pm, my comp woke up, so we headed to the mercado to buy the ingredients to make arroz a la cubana.  We realized why they call this "poor man's food", because the two bananas and two eggs it takes to make it only cost 2 soles...which is like $.75.  The best part is, that it is easy to make and it tastes so good!  We made arroz a la cubana for our lunch.  Then we went to internet. I found out that my home ward got a new bishopric!  Crazy.  I am excited for Bishop DougTerrill.  He is going to do a great job, and so will his counselors, Brother Jeff White and Brother Robert Edminster.
     After internet, we went home and talked about where we want to study and about our futures.
     Then we went teaching.  The only people that we found at home were Victoria and Anaximando. We tried teaching them about the Law of Chastity, but Anaximando had just taken some pills, so he kept falling asleep.  It was a hoot.
     Later, we went to dinner, and then home to plan and get ready for bed.  We made a plan to do divisions with some members here in Pomalca.  I hope we have more luck than last week...we tried to do three divisions, but all of them fell through.

Martes, 28 Abril 2015
     We had our district meeting today, and then we went to lunch.  After lunch, we went to pick up Elena (17 yrs) and Rosa to do divisions.  Elena could go, but Rosa had to bail out at the last minute. We had great lessons!  Elena is powerful!  Her testimony is so strong and the light of Christ just glows from her.  She helped every single person that we visited today in a special way.  I am so glad that she was able to do divisions with us, because she touched the hearts of everyone.
     In the night, we visited the familia Isique Garcia...and at the end of the visit, Maladiegue told me that their last name is spelled like Ysique instead of Isique.  haha oops....oh well.  They are struggling with a lot of temptations, and even though they have fallen a few times, they have gotten back up and are trudging forward.  They are great people.  Royer can't wait to receive the Priesthood after he gets baptized.  I am so excited for when he will be able to baptize Pedro!!  That will be an amazing experience.
     We headed home, ate dinner and said hello to Carlota.  She let us know that Hermes has bronchitis right now.  She also told us that they really miss us teaching them.  Then we went upstairs, planned, made some phone calls and then got ready for bed.

Miercoles, 29 Abril 2015
     This morning when we went out to teach, there were TONS of men working construction.  They always yell stuff at us in English...but we usually just ignore them....but today, Hna McGinnis looked at me and whispered "sign language" and then began moving her hands around in fake signing.  It was so great!  It reminded me of when my dad would try to speak sign language!  Anyhow, the men totally thought that we were deaf.  hahaha
      On the way to another cita, we walked past this guy with a huge tattoo of Jesus on his beer belly. He started asking us, "Are you looking for me?"  We shook our heads no and kept walking.  He called to us again all mobster like, "Are you looking for me!?"  We shook our heads no, and then knocked on the door of a family.  He realized that we were looking for Marleny, so he said, "You looking for Marleny? Because she not there....and then he made a slicing motion by his throat...she died yesterday."  Just as he finished telling us that, Marleny opened the door.  Turns out Marleny is a member!  We had a good visit.
     We had some good lessons today.  We read the Book of Mormon with a few families and the spirit was undeniable. :)

Jueves, 30 Abril 2015
      This morning was great.  I love finding out that I am an answer to people's prayers.  It happened twice this morning- one visit right after another.  Both had been praying for a sign that God loved them and then we came knocking on their door.  They are less active families that are going through some crazy problems.  By the time we left their homes, they were feeling a lot more relieved.
     Today we visited a lot of people.  One was Teodora.  We are re-teaching the lessons to her and after we were done explaining our messages, her son-in-law, Gaspar, went over and whispered something into her ear.  All of a sudden, Teodora becomes a social butterfly and just started talking and talking.  We realized that she was stalling and trying to keep us there....then Gaspar returned with a giant bottle of soda some crackers to share with us. :)
     After some more visits, we headed to the ward activity.  The bishopric was supposed to be in charge, but when we got there, no one from the bishopric was there.  The elders assigned me and Hna McGinnis to teach and run the activity.  :) We did it, and it turned out great.  Theo, the ward mission leader took over at the very end, so we could get home to bed.

Viernes, 1 Mayo 2015  Feliz dia de Trabajadores!  [Happy Worker's Day!]
     This morning we went out to find a lab so we could have some blood tests done, but today is a holiday to celebrate workers, so no one was open.  As we were walking around, I heard my name being called. When I looked up, I saw my sweet family from Motupe- Ana, Crisalina, Lucero and the rest of the family!  (She was my pensionista in Motupe).  We all got so excited to see each other again.  I ran over to them and gave them all huge hugs.  They say that everyone in Motupe still misses me and have been worried about my foot.  I told them that all is well with my foot.  I told them that I loved them and missed them, too. Then we said goodbye.
     We ended up staying in for the rest of the day because my comp wasn't feeling well.... :(
     By the end of the day, she was feeling better and so our pensionista called and let us know that she was bringing rosery chicken and fries to us for our dinner. :)

Sabado, 2 Mayo 2015
     We did our weekly planning this morning since Hna McGinnis was sick yesterday.  After we finished planning, we went out teaching.  We ended up helping an older man demolish some bricks that were outside of his house.  He was really grateful for our help. :)
     After that, we went and visited Marleny. (less active)  She was watching her grandson...when we heard a fart...and next thing, there was poo all over the floor!  All of us busted up laughing!
     Today we met a lot of new people who made us laugh so much.
     At the end of the night, we ran into the woman who speaks sign language.  I am pretty rusty, but I could understand everything that she was saying to me.  I am so grateful that I studied sign language in high school!  I could see the gratitude in her face, that someone other than her family could understand her.  She is a beautiful woman and I am so grateful that I have a chance to show her love and to be able to speak back to her.  I have had several experiences here in the mission with people who speak sign language, and I know that I was sent to meet these people to be able to add a little more light into their lives, and they into mine. :)
     When I get back home in the States, I am going to do more studying in sign language and Spanish, so that I can shine love and light to those I may come in contact with.
     I love the mission.  I love the little miracles that happen everyday.  I love my companion.  I love Pomalca.  I love God.

Domingo, 3 Mayo 2015
     I was a happy girl today at church, because we had put so much effort into getting people to church, and everyone was there!  I was super happy!
     After church, we did our studies.  I studied in Romans....that book is so intense....I love it!
     At 1pm, we went to lunch with a member.  We became buddies with her little 6 year old grand daughter.  She kept begging us to stay and hang out with her when we were trying to leave.  We couldn't stay, because we had some teaching to do.  We went to find a reference that the elders had given us.  We ended up getting called over by a woman and her daughter.  The woman's name was Rosa, and she is a Buddhist.  It was cool to talk to her about religion.  She had a lot to say, but she let us teach her about the Restoration.  She really liked it and she wants us to come back to teach her some more. :)  As we were leaving her house, a 13 year old girl came running up to us and asked us if we were Mormons.  When we told her that we were, she got excited and invited us to her house to teach her and her family.  We told her that we would go with her to see where she lived, but we had another cita, so we would have to come back a different time.
     We went to our cita with Teodora and Jose.  We taught them about the Plan of Salvation and it went so well.  Teodora understands the Plan well, and she can't wait to go to the temple to complete more of the Plan. :)
     After their visit, we went to Corelation.  We were told that Thursday, all the missionaries need to put on a skit for Mother's Day....haha...surprise! Hopefully we can think of something fun to do. :)
     Later, we ended up teaching some less actives on the side of the road.  They all appreciated us coming up and talking with them.
     When we got home, we planned and then listened to Christmas music, because we want it to be Christmas! :)

Quote that Hna McGinnis shared with me:

"I am a part of a fellowship of the unshamed.  The die has been cast.  I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made.  I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.  I won't look back, let up, slow down, or be still.  My past is redeemed.  My presence makes sense.  My future is secure.  I am finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed vision, worldly taking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals.  I no longer need pre-eminence, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity.  I don't have to be right, first, recognized, praised, rewarded or regarded.  I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with his patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power.  My face is set, my gate is fast, my goal is Heaven.  My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few.  My guide is reliable, my mission is clear.  I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided or delayed.  I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the mare mediocrity.  I won't give up, shut up, or let up, until I stayed up, stored up and paid up for the cause of Christ.  I must go until He comes.  Give until I drop.  Preach until all know.  And when He returns for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me.  My banner will be clear."

                                                                   Henry B. Eyring

Week 55: "I showed them pictures of my family, and like always, they asked me if my dad was a movie star."

Lunes, 20 Abril 2015
     We went on a doctor hunt this morning.  We went to so many clinics, and every time we showed up to one, the doctor wasn't seeing patients.  All I needed was for a doctor to look inside of my ear and see if the entire infection was gone.  My ear feels great!  We finally found a doctor and she was so nice. She told me that all was well and prescribed me some pills to help with my hurting stomach.
     After that, we went to the mission office to report about my health.  President Williams was there. It was great to see him.
     Then we went to the Tottus to buy some things and ended up buying some pizza for lunch.  It wasn't very good. :(  I miss American Pizza.  After lunch, we walked around for a bit and ended up running into Elder Brunis and Elder Olsen.  They were eating lunch, so we bought some cake and sat down and visited with them.  It was fun to talk with them.
     After eating our cake, we went to look for a watch to buy.  We ran into the Patriarch and he was so excited to show us his official paper license that states that he is a Patriarch.  He was really nice and helped us find a watch for Hna McGinnis.
     We found a taxi, with the help of some English speaking Peruvians, and headed home to Pomalca. When we got back, the entire city of Pomalca was without electricity.  We couldn't write home until the power came back on, so we were pretty late in writing.
     We did some visiting and then went to dinner.  On our way home, we found Hermes sitting outside enjoying some fresh air.  He told us that he and Carlota had a Family Home Evening together, just the two of them.  He said that they sang a hymn, read the scriptures and shared some thoughts. It brightened my spirit to hear that. :)  Then all I could do was picture me and my husband doing the same thing...at the beginning of our marriage and also at the end of our mortal lives.  I love it.

Martes, 21 Abril 2015
     In the morning, we headed to a part of Pomalca called El Chorro, to visit a less active family, the familia Soplapuco.  When we showed up, they said that just last night they were talking about how they were feeling like God was abandoning them...and then we showed up.  They told us that we were an answer to their prayers.  I love being a missionary, and following the spirit.  I also love that that all members can do the same...everyone can follow the spirit and be an answer to somebody's prayers.
     In the afternoon, we went to San Antonio.  We picked up Betsi, a return missionary, to go teaching with us.   She has been home for 3 weeks now.  We went and visited Eric, who is a friend of Juan Carlos (17 yrs).  It was a really good lesson, and Eric is so excited to be baptized.  Juan Carlos wants to be baptized, too, so we told him that we would have to teach his family first.  He agreed.  He told us that his family almost got baptized a few years ago, but then something happened, and they didn't get baptized.  Maybe now will be there time. :)
    Later in the night, we visited with the familia Isique Garcia.  We sang a hymn together by candle light.  Then Pedro told us a story about his dad.  He said, "My dad came home from work and his arms were full of things, when all of sudden, something exploded and wetness got all over us. It was beer.  My mom asked my dad why he had beer, and he told her that he was going to drink it.  Then my mom said, 'Well, God is showing you that you don't drink anymore- that is a sign.'" And then Pedro said, "I told my dad that when people invite him to drink, to not say yes.  Say NO, I DON'T DRINK...or just say you are busy."  haha  I love this family.

Miercoles, 22 Abril 2015
     This morning we were given homemade yogurt.  It was really good.  Nothing really special happened today, but there were a few funny things.
     We went and visited with the familia Espinoza.  It ended up only being Diana (mom) and Enrique (youngest son).  During our visit, Enrique covered my arm with stickers.  I looked like I had a tattoo sleeve on my arm.  It was quite the look. hahaha

     Then we went to visit with Graciela.  She is such a hoot.  We taught her about the Ten Commandments.  All was well until we reached #6, Thou shalt not kill.  She looked at us and said in a very serious voice, "That is so hard."  Hna McGinnis responded, "Well, it is super important that you don't kill, hermana."  I almost busted up laughing.  Then we got to #8, Thou shalt not steal, Graciela got all fired up and started ranting about how she can't believe that people could do such an awful thing, as stealing.  Killing doesn't matter, but stealing on the other hand....haha....she keeps things interesting here in Pomalca. :)

Jueves, 23 Abril 2015
     This morning in our district meeting, I was asked to teach one of the classes.  I taught about stress and how we can deal with it while we are in the mission.  We met the new district members, Elder Coca (from Bolivia) and Elder Epperson (Louisiana).  They are really cool!
     Today we visited with Fany and Jade.  We were talking about the importance of going to church. She started to tell us about some problems that she has with some of the members in the ward, so she won't go into classes if they are there.  It breaks my heart when people stop coming to church because of grudges and offenses.  The entire situation is ridiculous.  This is exactly what Satan wants....Don't give into it!!
     Our last cita of the night was with Judith, Blanca and Francis.  Francis sent in his mission papers! I was so happy to hear that!  We read Alma 22 with them, and the spirit was strong.  It was awesome. At the end, Francis begged us to come back as soon as we could, because he feels the spirit really strong when we explain the scriptures to him.
     We went to dinner and then to the ward mission night activity.  We watched two videos.  One was about agency and the other one was about the ten virgins.  They were really good.  After it was over, we helped serve the refreshments (soda y crackers).
     We went home and planned.  Then we talked about how sad it is that people hurt other people's feelings so much, that people quit coming to church over it.  People need to try harder to love one another and people need to stop being offended so easily.  If only we could all just be perfect! ;)

Viernes, 24 Abril 2015
     This morning, we had weekly planning.  As sister leaders, we have to schedule a work plan of when to do intercambios with the other hermanas.  So after lunch, we went to an internet place so we could print out a calendar of our work plan.  When we got to the internet place, the zone leaders, Elder Brunis y Elder Epperson, were there printing up their plans, too.  We talked and joked with them for a bit and then left.
     We went home, so we could get our things and to pick up Bertha (mother of our pensionista, Cecilia).  Bertha introduced us to her cousin named Elsa.  Elsa did most of the talking....
     Then we headed to San Antonio to visit a member.  Turns out that this member wants to start going to different church....awkward.....
     Then we went to visit Erick and his mom, Mary.  We had a great lesson with them and then started planning his baptism.  When we asked him if he had a favorite hymn, he said really strongly, "NO." We apologized for asking, and then he giggled and said that he thinks that all the hymns are nice, he just doesn't like to sing.  haha  We planned quite a bit of his baptism program before we had to leave.
     Then we went to visit with the familia Isique Garcia.  We ate dinner with them (bread and cheese) and then went to the Stake President's house for FHE, who is their next door neighbor.  We watched a video about Joseph Smith's experience and then talked about it.  Since it was getting late, we tried to excuse ourselves, when we were told that we couldn't leave until we helped serve the refreshments. We quickly handed out cups of Inca Kola and packages of crackers to everyone, and then hurried to catch a moto.
     We went to dinner (broccoli and corn),  and then went home to plan and got ready for bed.

Sabado, 25 Abril 2015
     We ran into Elsa this morning and she asked us if we could help walk her to her house. (she walks with a cane)  Once we got to her house, she invited us inside.  We talked and shared a message with her.  When it was time to go, she wouldn't stop hugging me, and she kept saying, "Please don't abandon me."  I told her that we loved her and would come back on Martes to visit again.
     Later, we visited with the familia Isique Garcia.  They told us that they had all been having really weird things happening in their lives, like strange dreams and strong temptations.  They were feeling a little down about it all.  We shared Helaman 5:12 with them.  By the time we left, they were all feeling better.
     We visited with Antero's family next.  Antero was in the hospital, so we just talked to his nieces and friends that were at this house.  The girls wanted us to sing to them.  We sang I am a Child of God in English and then in Spanish.  They loved it, and ended up putting it on YouTube.  After we sang, we taught them about the Plan of Salvation.  We had church music on in the background...it was just like in the movies. :)
     Then we went to visit the familia Espinoza.  Only Diana and Enrique were there.  We taught them about families and showed them pictures of our families.  Like always, they asked me if my dad was a movie star. :)
     After that, we visited a few more people and then went to visit Hermes and Carlota.  We talked about Alma 24- about burying your weapons of war.  Hna McGinnis shared about an activity that she participated in at a Youth Conference.  She said that they compared the weapons of war to sin.  They had every youth write down a sin that they needed to bury, and then they put the paper in a hole and buried it.  Hna McGinnis said it was a very powerful and motivating experience.  I want to do it. Maybe for a P-Day activity. :)
     We went home (upstairs) and planned for tomorrow.  We showered and got ready for bed.  We were so physically exhausted.  We have been working crazy hard this week.

P.S. We saw a huge pig today!  It took three men to get that porker into the moto and it just screamed and screamed!   Everyone was outside watching it happen.  hahahaha

Domingo, 26 Abril 2015
     At church when I left Sunday School class, Clara Leyton was waiting outside for me.  It was such a surprise!  She told me to tell my family hi! "Hi!"  :)
     After church, we went to lunch.  We were given a huge bowl of Chaufa (Chinese rice), a huge chunk of watermelon, an orange, a cup of jello and a huge glass of melon juice.  Whenever we eat with members, Hna McGinnis brings a plastic bag, so she can put some of the food into it....well she forgot it today...but the best part was that she had her backpack sitting on her lap, and the entire meal, she was eating some and then putting some into her backpack pocket.  I ate all of my food and I almost died!  I felt like death...but the image of Hna McGinnis scooping food into her backpack made me laugh and kept me alive!  It was hilarious.  Luckily the lady who fed us lunch didn't come in until we were done eating.
     Since I was feeling sick, we went back to our cuarto, so I could rest for a bit before our church meetings started.
     Ward Council was pretty intense this time.  Here in Pomalca, they have a problem with the members ward hopping between the two wards and our bishop is sick of it.  He got up and said, "We are going to start the process of getting people to attend their own wards....and to do that, we will not give callings to those who are attending the wrong ward, and  they will not be able to receive temple recommends either."  Holy Cow!  Well, our church is a church of order and when the members break the limits, they are not following the order of God.  We are probably going to see a lot of inactivity because of this, but they need to try and regain order again.
     We had a good week.  We visited tons of people and we are exhausted! In a good way :)
   

Week 54: FELIZ UN ANO!

Lunes, 13 Abril  2015
     After studies today we went out to buy some more cleaning supplies.  When we got home, we cleaned like mad.  After cleaning, we showered and went out to buy lunch.  We bought ourselves yogurt with cereal.  For dessert, and to help celebrate our one year mark in the mission, we bought milk and Oreo cookies. The milk here is different, so it tasted a little weird, but it was still good.

OREOS!

Once we finished eating, I felt a little sick, so I went and laid down on the couch.  After a bit, we went to internet.  I got to talk with my Mommy and it was so nice to talk with her!
     After internet, we headed to Chiclayo so I could see a doctor because my ear is still hurting. When we got there, we had to wait for awhile...and then when the doctor looked at my ear, he didn't believe me that my ear was hurting because he said that the infection is gone.  I told him that I wasn't able to sleep a blink last night because my ear was hurting so bad.  He said he would give me some more pills in hopes that it will help....then he offered to give me shot...and when I looked at my arm, he shook his head and motioned toward his behind...what?  A butt shot?  Yeah. No.  He saw the look of terror on my face and giggled and said, "Okay, just pills." haha
     We left and headed home.  As we were waiting for a moto taxi, I saw Noemi, from Motupe, riding in a combi.  We stared at each other for a second and then she started yelling, "Hermana!  Hermana!" I waved at her, and then the combi drove away.  It was fun to see her.
     Once we got back to Pomalca, we taught Carlota, Hermes and their son Jesus.  Jesus had been drinking, but he listened pretty well and even answered some questions.  After the lesson, we stayed to eat some food with them, and then Jesus started flirting with us.  We left, and decided that we better pass this family off to the Elders. :)  When we called the Elders about teaching them, they were so excited because Hermes wants to get baptized soon.  You're welcome Elders.  haha
     We planned, got ready for bed and got stuff ready for intercambios that we will be doing tomorrow with the sister missionaries in Las Delicias. (Hna Mejia and Hna Hernandes).  Las Delicias is in Pomalca, but in a different area and a different ward.

Martes, 14  Abril del 2015
     Right before lunch, we started intercambios with the hermanas in Las Delicias.  I went to Las Delicias with Hna Mejia.  She is a cool girl.  We had some hilarious visits.
     The first lady was a less active member.  When we got to her house, she was about to sit down and eat lunch, but she let us in and while we were sharing a message, we heard a noise by the kitchen table.  When we all turned to look towards the table, we saw a cat up on the table eating this lady's food.  The lady jumped up and scared the cat away.  We continued to teach, and then the cat came back out.  The lady pulled her flip flop off of her foot and began to chase after the cat.  Hna Mejia told her not to chase the cat, and the lady looked at her and said, "But I want to hit it!" hahaha
     Our last cita was with a woman named America.  She has 3 kids, two boys and one girl.  She told us about her pregnancies and doctor experiences.  She told us that when she was pregnant with her boys, the doctors told her that she was having a girl each time, and then when she was pregnant with her girl, they told her she was having a boy.  The way she told the story was so hilarious.  We busted up laughing so hard!
     After that lesson, my ear was hurting, so we headed back to the cuarto so I could take some pain pills, and to call Hna Williams. Hna Williams was worried about me and told me to come into Chiclayo right then and see a doctor.  So we headed into Chiclayo around 7:30pm.  When we got there, Elder Casas and Elder Allgaier helped us get into see Doctor Julio, who is a member. Unforturnatly, Dr. Julio doesn't know much about ears. He checked me out, but said he wasn't able to help me, so he set up a cita for me to see an ear doctor tomorrow.
     We went back to Pomalca and had dinner.  We ate pancakes and manjar. :)  Then we went back to the cuarto and talked until it was time for bed.

Miercoles, 15 Abril 2015
     We ended intercambios at 9:30am.  Then Hna McGinnis and I headed into Chiclayo for my doctor appointment.  We got to see the doctor at 11:30am, and apparently while the doctor was looking at my ear, I passed out.  The next thing I know, was that I was laying on a table with tons of people gathered around me.  They put me in a wheelchair and told me that I needed to rest for the rest of this day.  Dr. Julio gave us a ride to the mission office.  I was feeling really weak and sick, so President Williams wanted to give me a blessing.  The blessing was so beautiful, strong and powerful. I walked away from it feeling completely lifted spiritually.  I love President Williams and Hna Williams.  I know I couldn't have anyone better than them to help me.  Even though I left the office still feeling sick, I felt really happy, too.
     Once we got home, we rested for the rest of the day.  We ate lunch and dinner in our cuarto.  Hna McGinnis is the the best.  She has taken care of me through all of this.  She has loved me and made me feel special.  She is my best friend.  I am so blessed to have her with me through this trial of my faith. She has kept me strong and faithful.  She has kept me happy and uplifted.  She is amazing!

Jueves, 16 Abril 2015     FELIZ CUMPLEANOS GRANDMA PEARSON!
     Hna McGinnis told me about what happened Tuesday when I was gone.  She told me that Royer told them a story about a job he had been asked to do.  There is this house on top of a mountain that had a huge wasp nest.  Anytime any of the workers tried to get it down, they would always come back with hundreds of bites and stings, and still not get the nest knocked down.  Well, Royer was the next worker in line to try.  Before he climbed the ladder, he said that he said a prayer, that God would protect him and help him complete this job.  He went up the ladder and brought down the nest and didn't even have one little scratch on himself.  Everyone asked him how he did it.  He said, "I prayed...and it helps that I am changing my life to join His church."  The other workers asked him what church, and he said, "The Mormon church."  They started to tease him, and he said, "I am getting baptized on the 9th of May and it will be one of the best decisions of my life."  I love him.
     At 10:30am, we had a district meeting.  It went until 1:00pm.

Our district:
Back: Elder Hinostroza, Elder Lewis, Elder Brunis, Elder Olsen
Front:  Hna McGinnis, Hna Dodson, Hna Mejia, Hna Hernandez

"I laughed forever about this picture because the elders are so tall and so short!"

     Then we had lunch and rested because I wasn't feeling very good.  When I felt a little better, we went out and taught Eric.  He is going to get baptized on the 16th of Mayo.  He is 18 years old and has been listening to the missionaries for years.  He has always gone to church every Sunday, but never wanted to get baptized until recently.  As we were teaching him, he shared something very special with us.  He told us that earlier, he didn't want to get baptized when he was invited, because he had doubts, but now he doesn't have any doubts.  He said that it feels right.  He said, "If I could go back to those years and say yes to baptism when the Elders asked me, I would....so I could have had the blessings that I know I'm missing out on."  At the end of the lesson, he said, "I know that now is my time.  I am ready to be baptized."
     Then we went and visited with the familia Isique Garcia.  I asked Royer about his new job, and he told me that he works in construction.  I asked him if he has to work on Sundays, and he said, "Heavens no.  I told them, I don't work Sundays."  He is the greatest!
     Then we left.  Royer walked with us to find a moto.  After we found one, Royer paid for our ride. They hardly have enough for themselves.  He and his family are going to receive so many blessings for their sacrifices for us.

Viernes, 17 Abril 2015
     We had our weekly planning and by the end, we were both feeling really sick.  We decided to nap. We still felt gross when we woke up, so we just stayed in for the whole day.

Sabado, 18 Abril 2015
     This morning, Hna McGinnis was feeling really sick, so we were in the cuarto for a good portion of the day.  I was feeling pretty good until I ate lunch... then I started feeling sick again.  We just rested and studied.  I finished reading Mosiah.
     When we were both feeling a little better, we went to our citas.  We met up with Bishop Iman at Eric's house, but no one could listen to us.  Bishop Iman left to go visit some other families and said that he would meet up with us a little later to visit with the familia Isique Garcia.
     At 6:30pm, we met at the familia Isique Garcia's house.  I wasn't feeling very good at the beginning, but then I started to feel a little better.  We taught them about the Law of Chastity. It went really well.  Bishop Iman was such a great person to be with during that lesson.  He bore a strong testimony about the strength of family prayer and scripture reading, and that they work as weapons against the temptations from Satan.
     At the end of the lesson, Royer asked the Bishop if he could give baby Moises a blessing of health.  We hadn't taught Royer about blessings yet, so it was neat to know and feel that Royer believed that the Bishop had the power to bless his son.  I can't wait to teach Royer more about the power of the Priesthood, and that he will be receiving the Priesthood after he is baptized.  It will be such a beautiful day to see him and his sons as active Priesthood holders.  I love the familia Isique Garcia.

Domingo, 19 Abril 2015
     I led the music again today.  haha  I am always sitting down in the congregation, nice and cozy, when over the pulpit they thank me for my willingness to lead the music....that is how they ask people to do things here.  hahaha
     Unfortunately, none of our investigators came to church today.
     After church, we went home to fill out our paper work for ward council, and then we went to lunch. The members who fed us today own a huge restaurant with a pool in front.  It  kind of looks like a Cherry Hill water park, but it's in the middle of a sugar cane field.  :)
     After lunch, we went out teaching.  We didn't have much luck, but we found a lady named Roxanna and her daughter Fatima. (15 yrs)  Fatima is attending church in the other ward and really wants to be baptized, but she knows that she can't be baptized until she is 18 years old, or unless her parents gets baptized....and Roxanna told us that she won't get baptized...so Fatima will just have to wait. We talked to them for a while and they seemed to really enjoy it.  By the end, they said that they couldn't wait to hear more. :)
     We also visited Judith and Santos and their son, Francis.  Francis is preparing to serve a mission. Blanca (the mom of Judith) and Cruz (the sister of Judith) joined us for the lesson as well.  We read 3 Nephi 11, which is about the coming of Christ.  It was an amazing lesson.  The spirit was so strong and everyone was feeling it.
     Our plan with Judith and Santos is to just read the Book of Mormon with them, until they feel it in their hearts that it is true and know that they want to get baptized.  After tonight's lesson, we feel that they will feel it sooner than later. :)
     After several other visits we went home.  At 9:56pm, we got the call with the transfer information. Well....WE GET TO STAY TOGETHER!  We are very excited that we get to be together for another 6 weeks, but we are sad because Elder Olsen (zone leader) and Elder Lewis have transfers. :(

     Something that I really loved from this week, is the power of the scriptures.  The Book of Mormon is true and it is POWERFUL. Read it.  Pray about it everytime.