Well this week went by really fast and really I feel like it was just a blur. lol. I think it was a normal week….lol. We are still working with many of the nuevos* that we found this past cambio* but unfortunately this week we had to leave some of them behind because they had made their decision or were not interested anymore. I know though that nothing that we teach or testify of is in vain and that it is all carried to the hearts of those who hear it. Maybe in that moment they are not willing to exercise their faith and accept it but I know that the Lord will give them many more opportunities to listen to this message and that when they are ready the spirit will bring to their remembrance everything that we have taught them.

On the bright side though we have another baptism this Saturday!!!! YAY!!! His name is Andres and he is just amazing! We met him one day tracting when all of our appointments fell through and you could just feel from the moment that he opened the door that he was someone special. He just has a really beautiful spirit and you can just feel that he is a genuinely good person! He invited us to come back and we have been teaching him now for about three weeks. He is still learning very much but has made the decision to be baptized none the less! Its interesting to note though that when we began teaching him we invited him to be baptized in our second lesson and he had said no that he wasnt sure and that he had been baptized in the Catholic church. We explained all of the doctrine as to why he should receive baptism again by someone who has the power and authority to perform the sacred ordinance but his answer was still, no, and that he wasnt sure. We invited then to read 10 mins everyday from the Book of Mormon from the beginning and promised him that if he did so he would feel the spirit and receive his answer. He said that he really wanted to know if these things were true and promised not only to read 10 mins but 15!! lol he is SO amazing! Our next appt with him we watched a short movie about the restoration and when we finished he said that he just felt something and that he didnt know what it was, that it just felt good. We then invited him to be baptized and he said, definitely yes! ha ha! He tells us that even though he doesnt understand or know everything that he just feels something good every time that he reads in the BOM, when hes with us learning, and that even though he doesnt understand exactly everything that he is doing he just feels like he is coming closer to God and that he knows that it is what he should do!! AHHHH I love the GOSPEL! I know that the Book of Mormon really helped him to feel the spirit because we had shared the restoration with him a couple of times and he still wasnt sure but when we shared it with him after he had been reading in the Book of Mormon he was able to feel the spirit and make this very important decision. We are both really excited for his baptism and for what the future will hold him. He is only 18 but he is teaching us so much about faith and I know that he will be a great instrument in the hands of the Lord.

We have a couple new investigators who are promising and we are really excited to work with them. One of them, Oscar, can speak pretty well in English and he lived in California for 3 mos. He is the Only peruvian that I have met that loves to snowboard so needless to say that he Hna* Bailey and I get along just great. He is very smart and really understood the apostasy….which is a first for me as well. At the end of the lesson he told us the thing that is very clear for me are the prophets and this period of Apostasy I just want to know what I have to do to follow the Prophet!—–ha ha yeah the Lord is blessing us with incredibly prepared people who are just so full of faith! Once again I am so humbled because really I have been there every step of the way with these people and I know that their conversion has basically nothing to do with what I am doing, the Lord is just working changes in their lives.

I know this Gospel is true and that it doesnt matter what kind of difficulties that we have or trials we face we can find the solution in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If we have an open and sincere heart and we seek him he will always be right there to guide us and bring us to a knowledge of the truth.

*Translations:
un otra semana de la fe – another week of faith
nuevos – new investigators
cambio – transfer
Hna/Hermana – Sister

Well it has been a couple of crazy weeks! We have been working so hard to continue teaching all of the nuevos* that have been falling from the sky, we havent had as much success as we would like but we will see if we cant do better this week. Today is cambios* and I am staying!!! HA HA! woo hoo!! The Lord really does know about our weaknesses because this will be my 6th cambio* in this zone!!! This will be Hna* Baileys last cambio* en la mision* and we have decided that we are going to work our tails off in the cause of Christ!!

Even though we didnt have as much success finding some of our nuevos* we had some pretty amazing miracles this week! I think I already wrote about one of the families that we found but we have been teaching Jeni for this past cambio* and husband for about a month now. He started reading the Book of Mormon that we left with his wife and hasnt been able to put it down since. We have met with him and his wife and taught the lessons and he has progressed very quickly. It has strengthened my testimony even more in the Book of Mormon because while he has been reading he has had deep inspired questions and we have watched his testimony and knowledge grow where as his wife who stopped reading has had questions like, why was it written on gold plates? I have no doubt in my mind that if any investigator is having troubles in gaining a testimony it can be attributed to one or more of three things church attendance, prayer, and reading in the Book of Mormon. If they are doing those three things and praying with real intent there is no doubt in my mind that they will receive an answer from God. And he has!!! We came and he told us hermanas* something happened in church. (we were a little scared) “I had asked God to help me know when I went to church and then we were singing the opening hymn and I just felt so good. I dont know I started crying and the man next to me was looking at me like I was crazy but I just felt so good. Then last night I prayed that I would know and I had a dream and I dont remember everything but I received an answer and I woke up excited!!!”
…we just about died. He says that he knows that it all is true and is going to be baptized this Sat!! His wife and family are supportive but really giving him a hard time and telling him that he is betraying the Catholic church and his wedding vows and though I can see that it hurts him to hear them say such things he is always calm and quiet and simply says I know that it is true and I know what I must do!! We left this lesson so happy that we ran home from the lesson laughing and screaming, I am sure it was a sight that Peru hasnt seen very often….well once before we did ha ha but 2 gringas* running home laughing at 9 at night. Uhh there is such a joy in this work that cannot be contained. There is so much pain and heartbreak when those you come to love turn away from the truth but there is such joy when even just one comes to know its true. It makes every tired, long, hot day, and every sore aching part of your body worth all the work.
We also had a miracle with Samara this week. She has been struggling almost this whole transfer to make that step and be baptized and this week she finally committed. She had an eating disorder we discovered and was struggling with Bulimia. When she finally opened up to us and shared this problem with us we were able to really help her. We shared scriptures and devoted the whole lesson to helping her understand how God sees her and just how important she is to him. She felt a lot better and when we came back later that week she said I am ready and I want to be baptized!!!! She felt so good after we left the lesson that she read in the Book of Mormon and prayed and she knew for certain that this was Gods church. It just helped me understand so much more that when we focus on the needs of people they will receive a testimony. We had planned to teach baptism again that night and we only touched on the subject that night but because we focused on her needs she felt the spirit. She too is going to be baptized this sat!!! I am so excited for her! Last night when we came she had made us chicken sandwiches because we had been telling her about subway and she wanted to do something for us. It was so cute! It definitely beat any subway sandwich!
I LOVE THIS WORK!!!!
So now we just have to be diligent and make this cambio* the best of our mission!!

* Translations:
6 cambios en la zona Las Palmeras – 6 transfers in the Las Palmeras zone
nuevos – new people (literally – “news”)
cambios – transfers
Hna/Hermana – Sister
en la mision – on her mission
gringas – ladies from the United States

Well it is just raining investigators here in Covida! Seriously I have never been so overwhelmed with people in my life! It´s a really good kind of overwhelmed though I am definitely not complaining that´s for sure! So far in this cambio* we have found 36 new investigators!!!! Oh my word my life is SO incredibly blessed you have no idea. I won´t lie though it is really hard because you have to really focus on the needs of each person and I just feel so emotionally drained at the end of this week with all of them. It´s been really hard as well just because you really do come to love these people almost instantly, it´s really strange, and with so many new investigators I have so many new loved ones and some of which have already turned away from the truth. That really is the hardest thing about the mission, AGENCY! I know that it is so important and that none of God´s plans for our salvation and progression would work with out our free will but I won´t lie that I often times find myself wishing that I could just make these people accept the truth! I know it´s terrible but it´s true. It is really helping me come to know and understand, if even just a little bit more, the love that our Heavenly Father has for us. I think about how broken my heart was this week as we lost a few of our investigators and I just cannot imagine what Heavenly Father must feel to see and know how all of his children in this life and after have and are using their agency. I just can´t imagine the pain he must feel and I find myself coming to love him that much more.

This week we had a little bit of both of these experiences. We have been teaching one investigator named Suli for a little over a month now and she is INCREDIBLE! Our first lesson she cried when we taught about the atonement of Jesus Christ and she has really been struggling to receive an answer…or more accept the answer we think she has received. She has had several fechas* but always pushes them back to we have given her a little time and moved on to teach other things so she wouldn´t feel so pressured. This week we taught her the plan of Salvation and she loved it! It was all making sense to her and she had really great questions. At the end we asked her how she felt about everything that we had taught her. She took the drawing that we have of the plan of salvation and was pouring over it! Just looking at it and staring at the steps of baptism and the celestial kingdom. She kept starting to talk and then stopping uhhh the spirit was so strong! So strong! I could feel it testifying to my heart and I just knew that she knew she just needed to say it. I looked at my companion and we both had the biggest smile on her face. Uh I wish that you all could feel what I felt then! It´s so indescribable! I seriously could have screamed or laughed I was so excited and felt so good. (don´t worry I have learned some self control on the mission and I kept the reverence!) Finally after five minutes (not even kidding) of her trying she finally said I would like to be baptized!!!!!
I started crying and my companion and I just laughed and congratulated her! She was beaming and we told her again about all of the blessing that she would be receiving and just how happy we were for her. It was the most spiritual lesson that I have had in the mission. Then we asked her when she would like to be baptized (she has already received all the lessons and attended church) so we suggested a date for the end of this month. She completely changed and said it was too soon. We did everything we could to help comfort her and answer her doubt but she just changed and said I don´t want to do this I don´t think I have an answer still I want to be absolutely sure.
The spirit was still so strong and I suggested that we all kneel and she could offer a prayer and ask. Really ask to know, to feel sure, and to have the desires to continue forward. We did and she offered the most sincere prayer I have heard. UHHH the spirit was so strong and I just could feel I knew she was receiving an answer. After she finished she stayed kneeling, with her eyes shut just listening and I just could hardly contain myself waiting. Then she opened her eyes and said I feel nothing inside of me……….
It was like the spirit just left the room. I felt like we just hit a brick wall. We finished the lesson and she agreed to meet with us again in 2 weeks. My companion and I know that she said 2 weeks because she is running from the baptismal date. Uh it was so hard I just love her so much and I know that she had to have felt the spirit. I know how happy she was when we were talking about the plan of salvation and how empty and sad she was as she looked us in the face and denied everything at the end.
But just as Heavenly Father never has given up hope on me I won´t lose hope on her. We have been praying and offered a fast for her and I really hope that after these couple weeks or if we can meet with her before that she will have come to find whatever security she is searching for, or better the faith to walk where God has indicated even though she doesn´t know where the path will lead….she just needs to have faith that she knows where it will end…eternal life in the presence of our heavenly father.

On the other hand I also know that as heart breaking as it is to have someone turn away from the Gospel there truly is no sweeter and more rewarding joy than to have someone listen and accept. It absolutely outweighs all the hard times and discouragement to watch even just one person come closer to their Savior.

We have a really great family that we are teaching and they seriously have become family to us. They are having trouble receiving answers and struggle with the idea of leaving the catholic church but I can see the spirit working in them. They have been such a strength for us this week and we always leave the lessons laughing and so happy. I AM SO HAPPY! I just love this work and I know there is nothing else I should be doing. It is so weird because I have never been so emotionally, physically, and spiritually pushed in my life. I have never been SO TIRED in my life. I am SO tired! ALL the time! ALL OF THE TIME! But I just am so happy and glad to get up and work. (okay maybe not those first initial moments after the clock goes off ha ha but not too long after!)

I am just so full of gratitude that the Lord in all his power and wisdom trusts someone as flawed and imperfect as I am to do this work. It really is not a sacrifice at all to serve…I am way too blessed and have received so much more than I have or can ever give.
I hope you are all well.

* Translations:
cambio – transfer
fechas – dates (baptismal dates)

Well sadly Samara was not baptized this weekend because she wanted more time. We tried everything but in the end we felt it better to give her a little more time. We helped her go on a camping trip with the youth and are hoping that when we visit her tonight she will have had a really great experience and that we can help her set another goal for her baptism.
PERO*!!!!::::
De Verdad* we have been so blessed this week!!!
We had one day where we didnt have a single appointment! NOT one! This has never happened to me in the mission I have always had one or two at least with a member. But this day we prayed hard we went out and preached the restoration and it was as though we were carried from person to person till we found those who were prepared. That day we ended up with 2 lessons with member 1 other lesson 3 menos activos* and 3 new investigators!!! I LOVE THE LORD! I have felt so low about my abilities as a missionary so many times but when it comes down to it I just need to forget my pride and remember who it is that is truly doing all the work. He really does qualify us in our weaknesses.
But the greatest experience was our supercargada! So every once in a while the missionaries in my zone (my area) have something called a supercargada. Usually what this means is we have one day where we get together early in the morning make really high goals for how many people we are going to talk to and how many lessons and then we go out and work like crazy and push really hard to make the goals. At the end of the day we all get together and present our numbers and share our experiences and celebrate a little bit. This week we decided to have one but to do it a little bit different. We decided that we would have a week long supercargada but this time the goal was not to reach a certain number but to focus all of our contacts and teaching on the Book of Mormon when possible and to have as many spiritual experiences as possible.
WOW we saw miracles! I always am a little bit afraid and reluctant to talk about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith right off the bat with people because they usually reject us then and dont have a chance to listen to any of the message. I know its bad but I will absolutely admit that this is a weakness that I have. I always have this idea in the back of the mind that if we can teach someone for a little bit and they can understand that we are Christians that we are not crazy polygamists that worship Joseph Smith and all the other crazy nonsense thats out there about the church and they can see that we are normal that they will then be more receptive to our message about the restoration….this is not the case!
You know what yeah; Im Mormon and I am proud of it! Yeah I believe in modern day prophets and in modern day revelation. I believe that the priesthood power of God is on the earth today and I have felt it work in my life. More importantly than believe I have come to KNOW that ALL of this is true through the power of the Holy Ghost. Our message may seem strange to some but it seems more strange to me to believe that there only were prophets, miracles, and the power of God on the Earth in ancient times that we came to a point where he just decided to stop guiding his children. I know that the message I carry is unique because it is the ONE true doctrine of God on the Earth and it is something that ALL need to hear and have in their lives. It is a message for ALL his children and I refuse to be timid about it anymore.
This week I got over it and I declared with happiness and power the good news of this Gospel. I may not have had all of the right words and I may just be some crazy gringa* talking about Christ on the streets of Peru to some but I know that the spirit worked and testified to the hearts of many this week. We had 29 appointments this week and we found 3 new families with a total of 14 new investigators…..that has never happened to me in my mission maybe 5 now and then but 14 really is a miracle! I know that God has blessed me for my willingness to follow the spirit and to have courage and love for those I am helping. Really this is what I need to remember; how much my Heavenly Father loves these people and how much I need to love them. If I focus on this love then it is as the scriptures say this love will cast out all fear my fears.

I hope that you all are doing well I love you all so much!

*Translations:

Las Bendiciones estan cayendo de los cielos – Blessings are falling from heaven
PERO – BUT
De Verdad – truly
menos activos – less actives
gringa – someone from the United States

Well we´re back!! Alma and Amulek are hitting the pavement..ha ha or in some cases the dirt of Covida once more! AHHHHH!!! It feels so incredibly good to be working hard again. This week was really hard to find our investigators but it didn´t even phase me! Seriously! That usually is a little bit disappointing and frustrating especially when it´s an entire week of rescheduling and appointments falling through. But Shoot or as they always say here in Perú Bueno P (bueno pay) I didn´t care I was just so stinking thrilled to be out of the house and continuing the hard work we started last week. We spent a lot of time contacting this week…a LOT! But it was a really great blessing because we ended up finding a couple of good investigators and we´re really excited to work with them this week!

This weekend was General Conference as well and it was sooo good! I won´t lie this was probably the most that I have missed being home since I left. I just kept thinking of how much I wanted my family to listen to some of these talks and of all of the wonderful missionaries, members, and MTC teachers who helped me to get here. It´s just amazing for me to think and it just fills me with such joy to know that even though I wasn´t near you all and I can´t talk to you I know that you all were listening and are firm in the faith. Ahhh! What joy the Gospel brings to our lives! I won´t lie I would have given anything to be out there with my fellow Temple Square missionaries this weekend as well! I wish I could have been there working my butt off for references again! UHHH!!! I miss the square! It was such an unexpected and at first a very unwanted blessing to be able to serve there! But I sure do miss the Spirit and the many amazing experiences that I had while serving there, it has really helped me as a missionary here in Perú. You were all in my prayers this week and I hope you made your goal and recieved many great references! Your referrals are in my prayers as well and I know you all are working so hard to move the work forward!

But conference was good here as well!..okay no it was AWESOME! We had a few recent converts come with us and one investigator as well. It was a little disappointing after all of the prayer and work that we put in to invite, re invite, re re invite and even go to their houses to recogerles* and todavía we only had one….but that´s the nature of the work. You give all that you have, do all you can, and in the end they have the choice. But just as the scriptures say when even just one comes unto the fold the joy is so much greater than any frustration or disappointment you will ever have in the mission.

And all of our work did pay off if even just in the life of this one person Samara loved conference and after the Sunday morning session she went home and talked to her mother in Spain and her dad and had a very good heart to heart with them about her desires to be baptized. We were passing by her house last night and her father stopped us and asked us when we would be visiting her again. We told him on Tuesday and he told us that he talked with Samara and he was pleased with her real intentions to be baptized and the changes that she is making in her life He told us that he would have her Permiso Bautismal* signed and waiting for us Tuesday and that he would do everything possible to be there for her baptism!!!!!!!!!! Tell me that joy is not insurmountably greater than any frustrations we had this week? Samara talked to us and said that this saturday is the day that she doesn´t want to wait till the 14th so as long as everything continues as planned..well nothing ever does better to say as long as we keep diligently working and praying in faith she will be baptized this Saturday at 7!! I LOVE THIS WORK!!!!

But conference was really good I actually really liked listening to conference in Spanish. It´s a lot harder to focus the whole time but I could understand it and it really made me feel good about my spanish…lol until I realized that really it´s the spirit helping me out! Ha ha but my spanish has gotten a lot better and even though I am with an American and I am sure that my Spanish isn´t improving as much as it could with a native but man the Lord is blessing us. Who would have thought that 2 gringas* would be together and having success. We were able to listen to conference in English for a few sessions when we didn´t have investigators and that as well was a blessing to be able to listen to the Prophets in my own language.

The thing that I really learned from this conference was just how much the Lord can really speak exactly to our needs through the prophets. I went to conference with specific questions that I had prayed about and I just felt like the entire conference I was receiving the answers to my prayers. Even when it was a talk that wasn´t specifically addressing my needs the spirit was still speaking to me and teaching me. I came away with so much direction and guidance and I have a lot of work to do to say the least. That´s okay though I realize that the only time that I am really frustrated and struggling is when I don´t feel like I am progressing and worse when I feel that way and I don´t know what to do to change that!

Well we had some issues with the buses this morning so I don´t have much time but I just want to Testify again that this church is true! It is the one and true living church of God on the Earth today. It is guided by the Lords chosen prophets and it hold the same priesthood power and authority that Christ had during his Earthly ministry. I know that Joseph Smith was called as a prophet and that he restored the church, the true church. I know that this message and that a knowledge of it´s truthfulness is the most important thing that we can obtain in our life. I invite everyone to listen to the missionaries to take the time to learn about the church and to study it´s message out in their minds and to ask God. I know he answers prayers and I know that he will answer the prayers of any honest seeking person.

I love you all and you are in my prayers.

* Translations:
recogerles – pick them up
todavía – still
Permiso Bautismal – Baptismal Permission Form
gringas – ladies from the United States

Well this week was SO STINKING GOOD!!! My companion is doing so much better and has had strong desires to work again! STRONG desires!! lol I am so tired I feel like we are trying to make up for all the time that she has been a little bit down and out of it and wow I think that we just about have made up for lost time. I can´t complain though like I said missionaries simply aren´t happy if they´re not working and I am thrilled that for the first time in a long time I found myself struggling to stay awake to finish my prayers. Man the work is good.

The Lord has blessed us in our efforts as well as we found nine new investigators this week!!! One of which was a complete miracle. His name is Victor and we started teaching his wife Gladys a few weeks ago….well we started trying to teach her a few weeks ago. He is an alcoholic though and he told us to leave and that he didn´t want us coming back to talk to his wife. We came back a few more times and met in her office because she said that he would just think that we were patients (she´s a psychologist). The real miracle though is that we have been praying so hard for him to have a change in his heart and she has been as well and the Lord heard our prayers!!

We were passing by their house on Saturday and he was outside so I said hello and he turned around and asked us to come over. We were a little hesitant but his wife came running out and saying that she was so glad that we were passing by that they both would like to talk to us. Confused we entered the house started with a prayer and then asked what is was that they would like to talk to us about. He told us that he had felt something the first time that we were in the house and since that day he had stopped drinking!!! The day before he had relapsed and was brought home drunk by a taxi with no knowledge of where he had been or even where his car was. He told us about all of the challenges he has had in his life (and really there have been many and he has been working since he was 12!) and told us that these things drive him to drink but he just wants to find an inner peace. He asked us how he could have it and we had such an amazing lesson with him. He was reading and applying the scriptures to himself without us even having to try and make him see the similarities and I don´t know he was just so amazing and teachable!! The spirit was so strong and we talked to him about baptism and he happily excepted, crying and saying that he was ready to change.

We don´t want to count our eggs before they hatch and know that we have a lot of hard work ahead of us before he can be baptized but wow it was such an amazing experience. It was such a testimony builder of the power of prayer because really we didn´t do anything to bring about this change in him. It was God. What a beautiful and humbling reminder to me that I may think that I am tired and working hard but really this work is not mine, it is the Lord and He is working in the hearts of these people in every moment. He truly does love us and even when we feel like we´re alone he is right there next to us carrying us through the hard times.

I am so excited to see what this next week is going to bring and excited to get to work with all of these nuevos*!! I hope that everyone is doing well you are all in my prayers!

* Translations:
nuevos – news – new investigators