I am really blessed to be in this area.

This week I was in Lima for paperwork so I feel like I don't have much to write about because I didn't teach very much. It was still a great week. I learned a lot in my studies and from being able to be with and learn from other missionaries. I am really grateful that I shouldn't have to travel for awhile though.

The morning I was supposed to leave, we ended up leaving late because there had been an accident on the bus we were supposed to take. There are a lot of bus accidents I guess, it was decided recently that we aren't allowed to ride buses at night anymore to hopefully help with this. The drive from Huancayo is long and beautiful. We get up to a really high altitude so they give us a pill to help with the sickness that tastes awful but it really does help a lot. The one time I didn't take it I felt pretty awful. The drive is full of the hugest mountains, tunnels, waterfalls, cities, and llamas. It is a little scary because almost the entire drive is on a cliff and the roads are tiny and really windy. But we arrived safely both times without problems.

Immigrations is quite the process. We were there for about 8 hours waiting in lines. I was there longer because they lost my little white paper that you get at the airport that goes in my passport. I waited in a room for about two hours praying that they would somehow find my paper so I could finish all my paperwork that day and not have to return like they said I would have to if they couldn't find it. They ended up bringing in my paper at the very last second as they were closing and I was the last one they did for the day. I was so grateful and happy to leave. 

We often teach people about how there needs to be opposition in all things. If there wasn't sickness we wouldn't know health, if there wasn't sadness we wouldn't know joy etc. It's all part of Gods plan so we can learn and experience joy. With that being said I have never been so grateful for all the rice and potatoes and freezing cold showers as I was when I was in Lima. If it wasn't for that I wouldn't have had so much joy over McDonald's and a hot shower. It was my first hot shower I have had since I had been here in Peru and it was wonderful. It was like heaven that day, our reward for enduring all the immigrations paperwork. When I finally returned to Huancayo it felt like I was really home. I was so happy to be there and to be able to work again.

Random side notes from this week are that the dog that lives near our house had puppies this week. They are a week old now and are starting to get cute. I also tried two fruits that I have never seen before that were really good. Chimimoya and ganadias. Chimimoya has a green shell that you open up and then you eat the white fruity stuff in the middle with a spoon. It is really good, I don't know how I lived my whole life without trying it. I liked the other one but it had a lot of seeds. I learned you have to suck on them and spit or swallow the seeds instead of trying to chew them. 

We had another awesome Sunday yesterday with lots of people at church. Sundays are always really stressful trying to keep track of all the investigators when there are only two of us. David and America and their family were there again. They are so awesome. The bishop was a little bit too excited about them last week and he gave them every book the church has last week. Triple, Bible, Gospel Principles, Preach my Gospel, True to the Faith, etc, the whole works. He walked out with his arms filled up to his chin with books and he looked a little bit terrified because he thought he needed to read all of it. I laughed and told him he had his whole life to read all of that. When we taught him later in the week he said he had stayed up until four in the morning reading and that he had never been so curious about anything in all of his life. We are really excited for them.

We also got a bunch of great referrals this week of people that had gone to other wards. Lots of people that want to be baptized. Its so wonderful but sometimes its like slow down we have to teach you first! Haha. I am really blessed to be in this area. 

We also got to be angels for a few people this week. That seemed to be a theme in the lessons that we did teach was that they thanked God for sending angels to help them and their families in times of need. Its one way we know that we are following the spirit as we work. I love being a missionary and getting to serve people all day long. I know this is the work of God. 

Love you all! Have a great week!

Hermana Rhoten

 

Note from Miranda's mom: It takes 8 hours to travel to Lima then 8 hours to travel back.  Miranda had some awesome photos to share but the computer wouldn't upload them.  Hopefully we can see them next week.