The Courage of Barbie in Peru

Week Thirty-eight!

First, I would like to inform my Mom that I completely understand her distaste for the nickname Barbie but I feel a lot more annoyed with it when my name isn’t even Barbara but they say it all the time just because I am white.

But today I would like to talk a bit about Courage.  This email is a little late because yesterday we had a normal work day and interviews with the President of the Mission.  This interview was because I am about to hit the halfway mark of my mission.  Talking with him I found a word that has been kind of following me my whole time here.  People have used it to describe me.  That word is Courage.  The past month or so I really hated that word, because people always pinned it on me, like "Hermana Peters You have so much courage being out here" is something that my companions, the president and his wife and other people have said since I have been here.  I was mostly annoyed because I felt like everyone could see my struggles while I was out here.  I was embarrassed and frustrated and really hated the word.  Having Hermana Salinas as my companion she helped me learn that maybe that was why I am here, to be stronger in that aspect.  The time since she has been my companion feels like it has been so long but really it was a month ago.  That is what really stands out.  Before I had my two weeks alone, I was living off of my senior companion and hiding behind that word "courage" which is kind of ironic, but it makes sense.  Then I was alone and I couldn’t just hide behind it, I had to be it, and have it, and show it.  And now I am training, and I have to know everything, and have the courage to be the example.

you always get the most snacks
when you are fasting

It really stood out especially because it was something that was said in my setting apart blessing also, that I will have the courage necessary to do this work.  So it was something I talked with President a bit about during our interview, I asked what caused him to say that word specifically, and he basically confirmed my thoughts.  Like that the word came from the fact that he could see that maybe it was harder for me to be here than others, talking to the world, learning the language, and all of the fun stuff.  But that he has really seen that now I have a different kind of courage that I can really do it without the fear.  The next nine months I am really going to progress more than this first nine for that.

Other than that I have been pretty okay. I think I had food poisoning, but that I have had it so many times that it’s just annoying more than anything.

I love you

The New Life of Training

Week Thirty-seven!

Hermana Pfister

Well, I finally have a new companion, and by new, I mean really new, I’m officially a trainer.  It officially freaks me out because I literally have no idea what I am doing and I’m supposed to show someone else how to do it, what?  But she’s pretty cool.  Her name is Hna Pfister (The P is silent), she’s from Redlands, California.  Her mom was born in Guatemala, and her dad was born in Norway.  I don’t really know what else to say about her.  She’s really great, sometimes a little stubborn, but really I just have to explain that it’s the rules of the mission and she gets over it. 

This week we finally got to see General Conference, it was really fun running in between the English room and the Spanish room when people were speaking in their native languages.  I loved President Eyring’s talk, as always, and I loved that there was a focus on prophets and I feel like a lot of the talks about prophets can help the people that we are teaching and help all of the investigators around the world.

I don’t know if I have mentioned but there has been a big focus on working with less active members and we had a really powerful lesson with some less actives this week it was the Family Torres.  We have been teaching their son Estefano ever since I have gotten here but he hasn’t really been progressing because he doesn’t go to church because his family is less active.  So we finally got an appointment with his family except his dad "Jesus Torres, Ex Bishop" was out of town.  But I felt it was really powerful because we spoke with them and usually from ward gossip we find out really fast why someone doesn’t go to church. But with them the only thing we heard was "Jesus Torres is the best bishop this ward has ever seen" and I was really frustrated because I didn’t know how to help them.  So we sat down and told them that the church needed them, and exactly what we have heard, that the ward misses them and wants them back and while they were talking it just seems like they lost their faith internally they didn’t fight with anyone they didn’t get offended they just little by little stopped going to church and forgot the blessings in their life and so now we are working with their family to try and get them activated and I told them that we aren’t going to baptize Estefano until his dad can baptize him and they seemed really okay with it.  I really want to help them more than anything.

The Other Longest Week

Week Thirty-six!

This week was also hard.  This work is something hard to do alone and these two weeks have been an experience for me to grow a lot more.  I have gained a lot of respect for the rule to never be alone.  Sometimes it is hard to be around a person for 24/7 but they become your rock and it is a great blessing to learn to deal with different people.  I have a lot more love for the leaders I have been given in the mission every single one has been put in their position for me in this time and I know that having them as my leaders is the representation of God’s love for me.

And this week I was thinking a lot about loneliness because I was reading a lot from my setting a part blessing and it says that there while be times when I feel alone.  I was thinking before like maybe when I have a companion that I don’t get along with perfectly, or my first Latina companion is when that will come.  But I have had those both and it wasn't until I was physically alone that that feeling came.  But I pushed through and the companion of Hermana Salinas is ending her mission and she has been called back to be with me for these last days just until the real cambio but I am so grateful.

Other than that not a lot happened this week. Yes it was voting, so Conference was still postponed, thank you for the spoilers.  We will be watching conference this next weekend that is coming I don’t know yet if I will have it in English or not but I’m not too worried about it.

We will know who my permanent companion is tomorrow, I’m a little nervous because everyone has told me I’m going to train, which I’m okay with I guess, I really just want a companion.

(The Scriptures that have become my favorites in these last 8 Months)

D&C 58:2-4 

D&C 39:7-9

D&C 112:10

D&C 122:7

D&C 60:13

D&C 39:13-17 (We all know it actually says Peru)

Love

Hermana Peters

P.S.

There is a lady here and she can literally knit anything into a hat she makes animal hats she made a Shrek hat.  Naturto, she is the best knitter in the world.

The Longest Week

Week Thirty-five!

This week was really long but I have learned so much.

It all starts with the cambio.  Hermana Salinas went to Conception to take the place of another Hermana Lider.  I was talking to Hermana Henderson and she said that they could not find a mini missionary to go with me.  A mini missionary is someone preparing to go on a mission that play’s missionary with people like me.  But I didn’t have one.  So right now I am in a trio, while at the same time being alone.  When I don’t have someone to go with me I am with the girls from the ward El Tambo.  But I am in charge of my area alone and still need to keep the work moving forward there.

So because it was so short notice I didn’t really have a lot of members to go with me but this week should be a little more organized since I got to talk to the Relief Society about people going out with me so it should be better. This week I got to baptize Omar 2, Eva and Xamiel,

Eva is the grandma of Xamiel and they have the same birthday and we met them through a less active member.  Eva has so much faith, she has some debts but was willing to close her restaurant to go to church and was able to see the blessings immediately.  So when we taught tithing, she was like, I know I need to pay tithing so that I can get the blessings and she is so cute.  Xamiel is also so great, he is 9 years old, and loves primary so much he goes to all the church activities with us and they are so faithful.

I was able to see them all baptized this week and I know that their faith is so strong and they will endure through the end it was so beautiful

Other than that we spent a lot of time running between the areas and weren’t able to see a lot of people but I know it can only get better next week

Love 

Hermana Peters

Are you training others now?

No, it was an emergency cambio so someone went home and Hermana Salinas took their place, there are more girls in the mission than there are people coming in, so I might not get the chance to train.

How has the ward training plan been working?

Our ward mission leader took my idea and turned it into something that would never work, so we are taking the opportunity of Family Home Evenings and teaching the people these things in their homes.

Eva and Xamiel

Omar 2

BYU-Idaho

Cambios de Emergencia

Week Thirty-four!

This week there is some bad notices, last night we received a phone call from the Assistant to the President and Hna Salinas has received the sad end of an emergency cambio, so, she is leaving tonight to Conception and I get to stay in Huancayo for another cambio to show my new companion the ropes.  I still don’t know what will happen with me, I might be with El Tambo the next 2 weeks, or I might get a new companion for these two weeks the thing is they never really tell you what’s happening.

But that is just today.

This week has been really good.  We met with lots of less actives who we didn’t even know existed and some of them really just needed to hear that we needed them back.

Like right now we are working with Hno Carlos and his wife.  The first day we stopped by he said no I’m not interested, I have work come back later, so we went back 2 days later.  He had broken his hand and he was like I know the church is true because after you left I broke my hand.  Then he went to church this Sunday and it was really awesome.

Omar 2 is doing really good, and He wanted to be baptized this last Saturday but we only taught a few lessons so we put his baptism for this next Saturday we will see how that goes.

This week was ward conference, and every night in the church there was an activity.  It was something beautiful because everyone was there and worked together to make it work and it was really good.

There is no snow, it cooled down to like 50 degrees and started to rain.

Hermana Weixler, Hermana Collanque, Elder John, Elder Cook, Hermana Salinas and me.

 ñauinpucio

 ñauinpucio

P.S.

What was the place, in the photos, called? ñauinpucio

When you are looking across the valley is that looking back at Huancayo? Well kind-of, Huancayo was further out but in that direction, the part in the pictures were just peoples fields

What were the ruins? I have no idea, probably someones house

Who were the other missionaries? my district, Hermana Weixler, Hermana Collanque, Elder John, Elder Cook, and me and Hermana Salinas

Elder Uceda

Week Thirty-three!

This week we had a very special and very spiritual Multizona with the President of Northwest South America, Elder Uceda. He spoke a lot about the blessings of being obedient as a missionary and it was really inspiring and was a lot like how you feel after Jeffrey R Holland talks, like how you need to repent for only being the Better of the Good Better Best, and not being the best. 

It feels like he spoke so long ago so I don’t really remember what stands out to me, that and I have a little bit of a head cold so my mind is a little scattered. 

We met some white kids

But its September now which means that the August festivals of Santiago have ended and that the September ones begin. That means there will be a lot of people dressed like white people this month. So that is cool.

Omar 1 isn’t getting baptized this week we are waiting for a bit more time. They have upped the requirements for someone that needs to be baptized and we are so blessed to be serving in this time. Before people were baptizing just to baptize but that lead to a lot of less actives in the area. Now we have the privilege to baptize those who are truly ready to live the gospel and also we now have the challenge of rescuing those who have gone less active and this is such a blessing because there are so many members who live around here who are less active or inactive and helping them is the greatest blessing we have. It feels so good helping to remind people why they were baptized.

And now I get my bragging moment. This week 3 people have noticed the amount of weight I have lost since I have been in Mantaro. I haven’t had a recent count but the last time I checked I had lost 15 lbs. and that was 3 weeks ago, but this week I feel really good about it. Mostly because people are starting to notice. Especially one of our less actives named Martha, almost cried, and she’s like Hermana you’re skinnier every time I see you, you need to get fat again and that was funny.

I feel great this week, except the whole cold thing, but yeah.

Love you Hermana peters

WE DONT GET GERERAL CONFERENCE UNTIL THE WEEK AFTER.  IT HAS BEEN POSTPONED IN THE COUNTRY OF PERU FOR ELECTIONS.  Actually, we don’t know what will happen.  Because in Peru you have to vote by law and so I don’t think that we will be able to leave our room either.  But some members are like we will pull it up online for you guys to watch in our house while we go vote but I’m thinking that president will do something in the office or in his house for us.  But really we have no idea, we might just have to wait.

Laguna de Paca

A new week in Mantaro

Week Thirty-two!

This week has been pretty good.  We are working with a lot of new people this week and they are all really good.  But I have been thinking about my time here in Mantaro and really there are a few people that stand out.

First is Omar 1:

Because there are two and I think I have said a thing here or there about him.  He is an attorney his wife is a less active return missionary and they’re about 30 but he also studies a lot about science and philosophy and he has some belief in a God like being, but also has a lot of questions.  It is so fun to teach him because I get to share the way I think of things.  Like I’m not just sharing my testimony I get to share my process in gaining a testimony.  Like he was talking about the Big Bang theory and because of the Big Bang Theory he thinks that God is more of an energy and Hna Salinas is like wut!  I’m just like, okay, let’s think about it because in the church we believe in this energy it’s the priesthood but something or someone needs to control it because you can’t just have baking soda and vinegar sitting on a table and expect them to mix and when we have someone controlling it, That is God and when He is ready (snap) bang.  It is so much fun and he accepted to get baptized this October

The other is Omar 2:

Yep.  He is a 19 year old kid and he says that he is a hipster and it is so funny but he is just so ready to listen to the gospel and is so open to new Ideas, he’s pretty cool.

And last but not least is Maricio:

He is a little old man.  One day this week we contacted him and he was like yeah I love learning about religions, come by and we can talk, and were like, yeah okay.  We went in planning on talking about the restoration, but he was doing all the teaching.  Like he was talking about how it’s hard that we are away from home but that it is a great learning experience and he told me that I have a strong personality I don’t show it but from the inside it’s a strong one and just gave us a lot of grandpa advice and let us tie it into the gospel and it was so cool and he is a great guy.

That’s really all I have today.

Love you

hermana peters

Hermana Salinas

Roy heard we were coming over...so he made bread