April 7, 2014
This week has been a crazy one. I went to Lima for my visa and it was an adventure. From Huanuco to Lima it is about a 10 hour drive. The roads here are really windy and at high altitudes so a lot of the time people get sick on the trip. I was gone for 3 days with a bunch of other Gringos. My poor companion was left with our pensionista for 3 days. It was her first time being alone in an area… so she was freaking out, but she did great. Two of the elders were in my group at the CCM so it was a lot of fun to talk with them. Everything went fine with the drive up. Friday we were in the immigration place for most of the day. I got my visa !!! We also got to stop by the temple!! I was soooooooo excited and happy to go to the temple. It was the first time that I got to see the new temple video that came out, I loved it. Sometimes I don’t realize how much stress I am actually carrying around until after I go through the temple. I felt so much happiness and peace after being in the temple for a few short hours. It was definitely what I needed. I wish I could go more often.
The trip back to Huánuco was an adventure. We woke up around 4:30 and made our way to the bus stop. Our bus left at 9am and we made our way to Huánuco. Hermana Whitlock and Hermana Paisley convinced the drivers to put on the Joseph Smith video in the bus. It was awesome. Then there was a landslide and our bus couldn’t get through. After walking, finding another minivan, and driving home we made it safe and sound to Huánuco. I really feel like it was all because conference was going on and satan does not want us to watch it. haha I was able to watch the Sunday session... I watched it in Spanish… so it definitely wasn’t the same. I understood the jist of it. I am excited to read it when the Ensign comes out. Anyway, it was a crazy week but we are all safe and happy!
Our area is put on pause for now. We are going to work super hard this next week to get it up and running again! I get to see Hermana Vergaray and Hermana Chire every meeting we have with the stake. I love it. Hermana Chire told me this week that I taught her how to love. I cried. She is so awesome and I miss her lots.
I am soo happy to be here on a mission. I know that it is what the lord wants me to do. I know that the Lord answers prayers and that this is his work. I am working hard to be able to make more of a difference here in the little part of Peru. =) thank you so much for all your love and support. I miss you all TONS!
Te quiero mucho!!
Hermana Jones
April 14, 2014
This week has been a good one. To start off the week we climbed to the top of the mountain. There is a huge cross at the top. So our 2 zones went for P-day. The weather was bipolar and started out super-hot and ended up raining and hailing when we were almost to the top of the mountain. I was soaked haha. But the view was beautiful. The rest of the week my body was sore and tired but it was worth it.
We have been working a lot this week with Sarela & Raul, and Melita & Lister. (parents of Gladis, kevin and Victor) We are planning their wedding so that they can get married and baptized. It is a little hard because their birth certificates are in a different place that is far away from here. We are trying to find different ways to get the birth certificates. The hardest part has been keeping them excited about getting married.
We had a really good lesson with Freddy and his family. The only problem is that he hasn’t come to church yet. We taught a lesson yesterday about the Savior and the atonement. I started to tell him how the Lord loves him, and how sometimes I don’t know why we always come back to visit and to teach him because he doesn’t always do his part. I told him that it was because the Lord loves him and this is the time for him to act. We were all in tears. I got pretty choked up telling him. I really hope he comes to church this next week!
We have been gaining a lot more confidence in our Bishop and his family. This week there was a special sacrament meeting about the Book of Mormon and he asked us to speak. We definitely feel so blessed that they have so much confidence in us.
My companion is great. She is so focused and loves being a missionary. She is a perfectionist… so sometimes it is hard when things do not turn out. But I am the same way so we work out great together haha. I just love her.
I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! I miss you lots. Thank you for all that you do and your support. I am so blessed to have parents that have taught me and raised me in this gospel =) love you lots!!!
Hermana Jones
April 21, 2014
Things here have been going good! At the start of the week we went on divisions. I went to the other area and the sister leader (Hermana Rhoten) went to my area with my companion. It was so good for my companion to see that she is doing a great job. Sometimes we do not realize until we are with other people. I was a little sick with the cold, but I am better now. We had interviews with President Henderson. He is so awesome. I get along with him really well. We talked for a long time about my life and my companions. He is so nice and supportive. He told me that he considers me to be one of the pillars in the mission. It made me feel good.
Our investigators this week are doing pretty good. We have two young men that will be baptized pretty soon. Gianmarco and Juan. Gianmarco is 16. I have fun talking to him, I feel like he is like my little brothers. He wants to go on a mission too. I almost cried when he told me. Gladis also wants to go on a mission. I just have the best recent converts ever. I am going to miss them when I have to leave.
The wedding stuff has been going. We are working hard to keep them excited about getting married. It is just really hard because Raul works a lot and could not come to church these past two Sundays. But miracles happen! We are still waiting for their papers to come.
We have been eating every Sunday at the bishop’s house. It has been fun getting to know him and his family. They have been a really big help here.
My companion is doing great. We seem to be taking turns on who is sick. So right now she is kinda sick. She gets pretty stressed out when she is sick. But things are going good. We bought a whole box of chocolates to get through the week haha. Chocolate is the cure.
My pensionista is awesome. She calls me gringita and treats me like her daughter. We joke around a lot too. I told her that when you guys come to Peru that I will bring you guys to meet her =)
Hermana Jones
April 28, 2014
So it was really funny, these past few weeks I have been worried about my package. I would talk to my leaders about it, I was sure that it came because you put the name of President Henderson on it. Anyway today as I was reading your email about the part of my packages the elders walked in with my package.. they cleaned their apartment and found it in one of the boxes... SILLY ELDERS! So sometimes it isn’t Peru.. it is just the elders. haha
The bishop has been serving as bishop for 6 years or something like that. He has 3 little boys (the oldest is 12) and one on the way. They are awesome. We just sent off 2 YM on missions. It is super hard for them to leave. We have 2 others that have mission calls and will be leaving soon. My ward here has more youth than Watagua ward.. and the YSA here is more than the people who show up in the YSA at home. They are doing great.
Gianmarco and Juan are doing great! Their sister Claudia is also taking the lessons. We are working towards their baptism. They are really excited about it. I just love them. They accept basically everything we say. This Sunday Claudia shared in sunday school that she feels like God has sent two angels to help her. It was precious.
The weather is normally hot. Sometimes it gets cold at night. It is kind of bipolar. We will leave in the morning with jackets and then be super-hot during the day. But it is beautiful. I miss the changes in the seasons. I feel like it is the same here all year round. Almost all of the roads in my area are dirt. When it rains it is super muddy and hard to get around. But that is where my boots come in handy =)
This week has been pretty good. We have been working hard. There were changes in our district and zone so we have new district leaders. His name is Elder Alcalde. He is pretty awesome.
Lister and Raul are probably going to be moving. We are sad. So we probably won’t see them get married. Sad day. But it is okay… hopefully they will continue in the church where they move to.
I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! Thank you for all that you do for me! I miss you!
Love Hermana Jones