HOLA,

Week Four!

HOLA,

No pictures this week sorry, but it was a great week, it has been so spiritual the last few days. We had an awesome lesson with Gisel Acosta (our teacher) and it went perfectly about the Word of Wisdom, we just didn’t let the language hold us back, we were so happy and after the lesson Hno. Valaquez was like in shock at how good we were and we were just like "well we decided to be more obedient and it paid off" not that we weren’t obedient before, we just would nap during personal study on accident, or show up a couple minutes late to something here or there. It really makes all the difference and he was so proud of us and said we were an example to him, and I basically almost cried it was so touching.

Later on in the week Hno. Valaquez was so proud of us he said Hna. Rush and I are the perfect examples of what the CCM does to people. He is seriously the sweetest guy, The other night we had ice cream and I´m like "I can’t I am lactose intolerant" and I thought he got it but the next day he was like "do you feel okay, is the food in the cafeteria okay", seriously, so sweet.

Our morning teacher is Dávalos, I don’t know if I have said much about him, but he is great too, we basically grew up in the same exact house hold, his parents converted when they were about 20, and his dad is a huge Pink Floyd fan (basically twin’s right). He is really helpful, he speaks fluent inglés and always helps me understand concepts, which is his job, but still it’s nice to have someone who knows what they are doing.

I don’t know if I told you that tour groups come through the CCM especially since it is like the middle of summer, (still not use to that). But we had a group come in and we talked with them a little about missions, it was a primary class of 10-11 year old boys. We thought they were like some Peruvian Boy Scout thing but the church here doesn’t do that, it’s like too expensive or something, but it was great. And the other day we had YW-YM groups come in and pretend to be investigators. That was fun.

We got to do real proselyting again on Saturday, and it was AMAZING. I was in the poorest part of Lima, and Hna. Durfee from my district was my companion, which we were worried about at first but were like, "we will do our best and see what happens" and seriously ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING. We talked with some less active teens and their families and it was a good confidence builder so we started street contacting and met some people, handed out some folletos. It was good, then we were buying water while we were planning more and a little girl came up to us and was like "Hablamos Inglés" and I´m like "sí" and she lit up, seriously the cutest thing, and she’s like "Good Afternoon" and it was seriously so cute. So I´m like "Esta Bien, Estudia inglés en la esquela" and she was like "sí- wait!- I mean- yes" So adorable and she asked us where we were from (in inglés) and were like Estados Unidos and her jaw dropped, just in complete shock and she told us she wants to live in Hollywood. It was seriously the cutest thing ever.

Then we had one last member to see and we knocked on a door for directions and it was this man and he ended up letting us in. He was catholic but not active and had just moved to Peru from Bolivia, and he was shy and sweet and we taught the Restoration, ALL OF IT, two norte americanos who know little to know Española taught a lesson, and he was just so moved, it was seriously unreal, he wanted to hear more, he wanted to read the Book of Mormon, he wanted to go to church. It was so amazing, and just so perfect, and I know Huancayo is going to be just as amazing and I seriously love it here, I never want to leave! 

I´m already a month done. This sucks, can I get an extension?

All the older districts are gone and we are the oldest district now, it’s weird, and I was never really close with anyone from the older district they always were kind of goofballs, but the past few days Elder Pond really stepped it up and I could really see the missionary in him, and it was really cool and right before he left he shook my hand and told me I was the strongest missionary he has ever met, and it really touched me, I don’t know what he has heard because I am honestly a huge cry baby, but it was really cool and I´m just like don’t say that, and our last-last goodbye he was like I meant every word I said, and it was just really cool. I´m going to miss that kid.

Anyway I think that’s it

Love

Hermana Peters

PS, Hna Fitzpatrick just told me you (mom) and her mom got in contact, I think that’s weird, love you though.

Oh yeah and weather.  It’s been like 70 and really really, really, sunny, and super-hot, I´m not a big fan but it is the middle of summer so what can you do?  It wasn't that humid up until like yesterday after it rained, and ever since then it has been pretty muggy, it’s rainy season in Huancayo though, so its seriously been like Oregon weather up there, I´m really excited.

There is a rumor that if we leave the day that the train runs we get to take it up to the mission (the documentary one) which is super exciting, if not then we take a chicken bus over the most dangerous roads in the world (basically anyway) which is also really exciting.

Last thing, sorry, could you get on Facebook and see if you could just message my roommates my email and tell them I love them and want to hear from them, and Add Hna. De Leon (my companion that went home) her first name starts with an E. and it’s like Hispanic sounding so that’s a thing.  That's it.

WUDDUP

Week Three!

WUDDUP

I had an interesting laundry experience this week. Hermana Rush and I washed our clothes on P Day and we had an issue with the dryers.  They got turned off before we even were able to get them partly dry, and they were SOAKING wet, like drenched.  So the next 3 days we had our entire room just covered in our clothes trying to dry them and they were still wet three day later when the new kids showed up.  It was horrible, they started to smell like mold.  So we got special permission to get the washers and dryers back on to wash them again.  It was horrible, they smelt so bad.  But all is well now.

There are some girls here struggling hard with homesickness and it sucks because I don’t know how to help them or what they want to hear because I don’t have that issue.  The only thing that I miss is my maxi skirts, (which are actually allowed, even the hi-low ones) I seriously wish I had them for days I just want to be lazy.

Our teacher Hermana Velazquez whipped out a video this week that really lifted my spirits from the previous week.  It was Elder Eyring talking about how hard missions are, and then it went to Elder Holland being boss like always talking how like, Yeah Missions are hard, you don’t know the language, your teaching strangers in a country you´ve never even seen before, but you know what was also hard, pleading to take upon yourself the sins of the world, being nailed to a cross to take on those sins, and it ended with Holland like saying Yeah, you can be spit on, you can be slapped, and you can be called all manner of names, but keep your head up because all this is happening because you took on the name of Christ, he had all that happen plus more, so feel proud the be among those ranks.

I forgot there was even a holiday this week.  A lot of the girls were wearing pink and I´m just like what is going on? Finally someone said and it all made sense, we celebrated by getting an extra dessert at lunch.

So the first week, Hermana Velazquez was like "oh, Hermana Pedros" because Spanish for Peter is Pedro, and it has been fun and cute thing running through my whole stay here.  Which I don’t mind at all I actually like it, but I just thought it was a fun thing, until one day we had a substitute this week and Elder Fankhauser called me Pedros and she was like "oh Pedros" and I´m just like, yeah, and she was like "you will be a great and strong missionary like the prophet pedro" (Peter-from the Bible) and it really sunk in deep and made me feel awesome, and kind of made me feel the need to be extra valiant because not only am I'm wearing the name Jesus Christ (which is the most important one I have) but I'm also wearing the name of his apostle, which is like, wow.

Then we were practicing lessons with the other norteamericano district and we were playing investigator and Hermana Rush and I were at first just like "oh yeah lets be Catholics and party a bit too hard" then somehow throughout the lesson, we became drug addicts, who don’t have parents, who are in a gang, and our drug lord gang leader is basically our parent... Things get crazy when you are this tired.

The CCM here gets tour groups most Saturdays, which we didn’t know until this week. It was funny because Hermana Rush and I were going to the restroom and I saw two girls walking out and saw the face and briefly a badge and was like "wow she looks really young to be a missionary" turns out it was a Young Woman’s group, and their badges were oversized and said "Soy Misoñaria" it was cute.

Did I mention how tired I am, just mentally exhausted, I fell asleep reading my scriptures while Hermana Rush was doing TALL (a language learning program) and we were the only ones in the room, and I woke up to keys jingling and shot straight up into a sitting position, thinking someone was going to kick us out, and I looked at the door and an Elder just started laughing at me, He and his companion peeked in the door and asked "tiene sueño?" I was seriously just like "sí" and ignored him.

I was really, really, frustrated last night when we were teaching a Latino district because we were really struggling with the language and then President Doty´s words from my setting apart just hit me like a ton of bricks like "be patient and the blessings you seek will come".  It was a very humbling experience, but don’t you just hate how the Spirit tells you exactly what you don’t want to hear?

I finished the book of Mormon again this week, I´ve already started again, this time reading like a verse at a time in Spanish and figuring it out in English, it takes FOREVER.  But anyway, in 3rd Nephi when Jesus comes and is teaching (I left my Book of Mormon in my room so I don’t remember the chapter), but there is a point when he tells his apostles to pray and he goes off and prays, just like in the bible, and he comes back and sees they didn’t fall asleep and he is just over joyed, so He’s like okay keep praying I´m going back now, and He does and he checks again and they are still awake and praying and he’s like okay, okay, keep praying last time I promise, and he like goes up and prays and finishes praying and comes back down and sees that they never feel asleep and he’s like "Never such faith have I seen in the Jews" and I´m just like wow, holy cow, que en el mundo, like the people are so faithful, and it’s just mind blowing, because His Apostles in the east who knew Him and loved Him so much fell asleep and these people he has only been teaching for like a day or two already are so valiant, it was just like wow, I get to teach these people, who just have such a pure love and it got me really excited.

Anyway,

Talk to you soon,

Hermana Peters

Dad, fun fact I can’t actually check my blog, so just make sure it looks nice, and try to fix my Spanglish.

Also, what’s up with everybody, is Will doing okay?

And it was Hard teaching because I really know nothing about the Spanish language.

I ALMOST FORGOT! I survived an earthquake, it was little but it was an earthquake, Dávalos is like "it was just a tremor calm down" but we’re all like, it was an earthquake.

Also, pictures.

The temple opened this week so we went on p day, it was tiny.

  

Hermana Rush and Hermana Peters