Huancayo Week 2

Week Eight!

Well, I still don’t know Spanish, which is cool, but also really frustrating. 

Anyway, what happened this week?  

Well, last Monday was cool, our old pentionista took us out to get our hair done and it was at a Catholic Beauty school.  I was the first model to be picked because I am the whitest person here right now but the lady is actually married to a guy from Colorado, so that is cool.  After they finished our hair they’re like, okay everyone downstairs, and we were like okay bye everyone, but they like sat us on a bench and started a worship thing and we were like what is happening and so we went to leave and they were like you can’t leave and so we were held hostage by nuns for like 20 minutes it was weird, Hna. Witt and I just sat there holding our Books of Mormon and making our nametags shine, it was an experience.

Hna. Witt got a stomach infection this week, so Wednesday we just sat in our room most of the day but we got out for a few hours because she was sick of sitting in bed and we had a few appointments so we went to see this guy named Walter, I don’t know if I told you about him when we first met him he was wearing an Olympic track suit and his son Junior was there, but he wasn’t there, so Hna. Witt knocked on his neighbors door and I was like "what in the world are you doing" and she was kind of like "I don’t know I’m on drugs" so a lady answered the door and she was like, "oh yeah I’ve been asking which church is true" and it was like the exact embodiment of what you think a missionary lesson being, it was swell, but after we asked if we could visit again and she was like, ehhh I don’t know, maybe Sunday, and she had her little old mom sitting with her and she was just smiling and nodding the whole lesson.  So we go back on Sunday and she opens the door super excited and her mom runs out and is like so happy to see us, it was awesome.  So we taught them again and it was so awesome, we are going to see them again on Thursday.

The other awesome lesson was a reference from the Elders. This guy is a taxi driver and saw the Elders a lot of times and finally wanted to ask about a dream he has been having.  Basically, he sees Christ and he is saying follow me, and its super cool, sorry I am almost out of time, but we called and were like can we visit so we get there and his wife has had lessons before and she didn’t believe there were Sisters only Elders until she saw us.  She liked meeting with us a lot more because we are not so serious and she feels comfortable asking us questions.  It was awesome.  We are seeing them again on Wednesday I believe.

We also saw Maura again which was hard in itself, but she was so receptive while we were there, and she was so happy to see us, which is cool because we were about to give up on her, which is the wrong thing to do.

Then on Sunday, we saw Junior, Walter’s son, outside of church and a recent convert trying to get him inside, he didn’t make it for sacrament but we introduced him to some guys his age and he went to the last 2 hours, and we learned that he had been going to seminary ever since we met with him.

Anyway, people love seeing pictures of our families, so I’m always showing you guys off, the ladies always LOVE Jon, I’m pretty sure when they think cute white boy Jon is what they see, so when they see that actually exists they get really excited and fall in love with him.

We have a baptism, this little 10 year old girl was kind of just forgotten about in here family and never got baptized, so we met with her and because she is 10 she counts as our baptism, which is cool.

It’s hard to send photos it takes forever, I’m in a cyber café, and there are so many games that my camera won’t work.

YES I GOT THE PACKAGE.

But next time send it to David Y Henderson and put my name somewhere else so that I don’t have to spend my p-day at surpost

ps I HEARD JAMES WAS ON DWTS FROM GRANDMA LAST WEEK,I GUESS WE KNOW WHO LOVES ME.

Anyway,

Love you

Hermana Peters

Mision Peru Huancayo

Head over to the Mission Blog and see photos of me arriving at the mission office in Huancayo.

Mision Peru Huancayo - A Bunch of Brand New Missionaries!

Hey All, I totally forgot about pi Day!

Week Seven!

Hey All,

I totally forgot about pi Day! Bummer, our pentionista gave us cake for her son’s birthday yesterday though.  It was pretty good.

My new companion is Hermana Witt.  She’s awesome, she is from Utah but her mom is Mexican so she is fluent in Spanish and is really helping me learn more.  I wish I could speak this language but I just think of Nephi constantly, because he was slow of speech, and when he says "I may not know all things but I know that God loves his children" I think that’s the correct wording but yeah, I realize my calling isn't to learn Spanish, Its to let people know God loves them and if I focus on that the language will come.  Which is okay because the people here are so patient with me and are willing to listen and just appreciate that I was trying.  One moment that really stands out is we were getting cookies and Hrna. Witt is like invite her to church and the lady was just listening to me and smiling and she didn't come to church but she was so sweet.

WE GOT A LANDLINE!  The first few days we were dependent on the payphone at the store under our apartment, but we got a landline, so if you were wondering if we got iPhones and iPads too, we don’t, we got our brand new landline.

Oh yeah, my area, I’m in the city of Huancayo.  The documentary was wrong the apartments are nice, like your average studio apartment in America is what we have here and it’s nice.  We are close to the mission home, just keep sending packages there my whole mission but address them to David Y Henderson, or I will never get them I might these next few weeks because I’m in Huancayo but once I transfer somewhere else I will never get them because if they are in my name I have to be at the post office to get them.  So just make sure it’s addressed to David Y Henderson and my name is somewhere else.  

Anyway I don’t know what all these kids saying the first week is the hardest is all about.  I really had no idea what was happening but I just went with it and it’s all good.  Hna, Witt had no idea either because she’s new to the area too we are the first Hnas. in the Chicla 1st ward in like 20 years if I understood that correctly, which is cool.  But we have like no one to talk to but we found two investigators which is awesome

We are also between pentionistas right now, we technically have three so that’s cool.  I have no idea what’s happening but it’s all good.

Live Long and Prosper,

Love

Hermana Peters

Ps HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHEL

HEY, I made it to Huancayo alive...

Week Six!

HEY,

I made it to Huancayo alive, I was a little sick with the CCM thing but it was only a day or two.  I didn't take the train but I made sure everyone knew how badly I wanted to go on it.  We still went on a really awesome bus ride. I almost passed out but I fell asleep before that happened.  The elevation sickness isn't too bad, I have a bit of a headache but I’m just happy to be here.  Our mission president is swell and his wife makes really awesome cookies, they have given us like 3 meals and we have only been here like 5 hours.  I seriously didn't eat any of the third meal.

Anyway. I have to allow another missionary on.  I should be on the Huancayo blog tomorrow or Thursday.

 

Love you,

Hermana Peters

Tell Rachel I think I read part of the letter she sent in a dream I had at the CCM because I swear I responded with "have you not seen all the colors I wear? Literally wearing a neon yellow shirt right now." Which I am again, I swear there is something about this country and having dreams because the people have them all the time and now me?

Lima is nothing like Portland, and I have only been in the mission home of Huancayo and it hasn't rained quite yet, so I’ll let her know more on that next week.

Heyyy,

Week Five!

Heyyy,

Basically, nothing happened this week, except the whole CMM is sick there is like a stomach flu thing, and then a stomach bacteria thing and then a girl in our district has a worm.  (Isn't that fun?) As of what we know right now, I only have the stomach flu thing, and it was only a couple days which I am grateful for, and am hoping it doesn't escalate.

Something else that was fun, we were all walking down the hallway and our morning body guard guy was standing in the hallway and my district yelled "CHARGE" (in English of course) and he is like "Who is George?" and after dying of laughter we explained it to him and he kind of got it but then we were like "FOR NARNIA" and he’s like "oh I get it now" then we talked about Narnia for like 20 minutes.

Last fun thing and then I will share something spiritual I guess, Hno. Valaquez was telling us a story from his mission and Hna. Rush was the investigator Gisel and I was her friend who was a member, and he couldn't remember Gisel´s friends name so he’s like let’s just say Kirstin.  And for like 40 minutes he was calling me Kirstin and I like turn to Hna. Rush like "do you think he knows" and she just shook her head so after he finished the story I was like "you know why we were laughing the whole time right?" and he was just like "nope" so I´m like "Kirstin was my name before my mission" and He was just like "enserio?"  He seriously didn't believe me until I pulled out my scriptures and proved it to him it was so funny.

Anyway, I had a really cool thing happen this week, I don’t know if I told you last week but Hna. Rush and I were talking to a Maestro about our Spanish struggles and He was like "just read out loud and time yourself for 1 minute and get faster and faster".  Well that was last P Day.  Later that night we were watching a Joseph Smith movie (I think it was called The Golden Plates).  It was perfect and cheesy and anything you want a movie to be. ANYWAY, Hna. Rush had to use the restroom, and I was in the hallway and the same maestro came up and was like "HERMANA PETERS, what is the key to learning Spanish" and Hna. Rush walked out at that time, and we were like "timing ourselves while we read out loud" and he’s just like "no" "the most important thing to remember is to walk like angels, talk like angels and think like angels" and it was so cool not really what he said but the power behind what he said, it was like the power behind the promises apostles make it was just like wow.

Anyway, I got a Libro de Mormon in Qechua, its crazy, they only have like half the book (No Ether, sorry dad) but it is like the same size as an English book of Mormon, but the words are SO LONG its crazy.

Anyway, that’s it really, I may not be able to email next week because Tuesday is when we will be traveling to the mission home!  CRAZY RIGHT!  10% of my mission will be over next week, how sad is that? Can I get an extension?

Love

Hermana Peters

 Qechua

Mana kaypichu means not included; and Hunt´asqu means complete; and the rest are selected chapters

Also, if anyone else in the family wants to email me I’m okay with that, with Hermana De Leon she should have added me as a friend so it would have been in the requests.  It doesn’t matter that much. Love you

Oh yeah, I should be on the Mission home blog thing next week (between Tuesday and Friday, depending on when they post it,) but I should be on it soon.

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