Hola Familia. Marissa is leaving this week!

How crazy is that. I'm super excited for her. I have a few last words of advice/ hopes for her before she leaves but I'm going to write a little about my week first really quick.

frogs to eat...yummy

This week was a little crazy. We had cambios and Hermana Abbott left as we had expected. Hermana Whitlock and I are staying here together and I am going to finish off her training. After training new missionaries for three transfers in a row I am excited to finally be able to finish someones training. It was hard to say goodbye but I am sure she will do great in her new area in Huancayo in the cold. ;) We also got our keys stolen this week to our apartment. I left them in the door for all of one minute because I had stuff in my hands and they were stolen right out of the door. It was crazy because it was right before we had to take my companion to send her off to Huancayo. We changed out the lock, but i guess we must have moved into a pretty safe neighborhood.

All packed in with all their suitcase. Three of us were on each others laps.

We also had Sheyla's baptism this week. She was so very excited and very cute. She was ready plenty early and was there waiting for us when we went to get her. I know that she will be a faithful member of the church.

Sheyla baptism

She's pretty cute and was really excited.

I did a lot of Sister Training Leader stuff this week. We had to make an emergency run to the clinic to help out a sister who has been really sick and then fainted after walking in the street. We were there in the clinic really late and were really tired. I also was able to face my fear of the thing I have been not looking forward to doing since I was asked to be a Sister Training Leader. There was a new Sister that just arrived from the MTC that was crying and refused to leave her room. I never know what to do when girls cry, I'm just really awkward. What we ended up doing is going on divisions so that my companion and her companion could go to the zone meeting and they left me there with her. I brought chocolate and she came out of the bathroom and after talking for a long while she got ready and we left the house together. She ended up doing so well that day, and even recited the first vision in a lesson. For me that's about as big of a miracle as it gets. I am learning that God helps those who he calls. 

Other new and exciting discoveries:

We have families to eat. (We helped out in primary for what ended up being an hour and a half and that was an answer to the question why do we have families.)

You don't eat frogs only toads and they taste like chicken.

Primaria -They are the craziest kids ever.

Teaching lessons in dreams doesn't mean your investigators are any easier. I taught three full lessons in my dreams this week. 

Lucuma is gross in everything except ice cream. For those of you who don't know what that is it is a fruit that is greenish black on the outside and orange in the middle. Its not really good. Ive tried it in every form but its only good in ice cream.

If your stomach hurts you pee into your hand and rub it on your stomach and it will feel better (or so I have been told by a member in our ward giving advice to my companion). That's about all for this week.

Advice and Hopes for Marissa. 

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside an ocean of missionaries. Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens.

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance.

And when you get the choice to sit it out or share the gospel, I hope you share. 

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,

Or never settle for the path of least resistance.

A mission might mean taking chances but there worth taking.

Loving someone might be a mistake but its worth making.

Don't let some non believing heart leave you bitter. 

When you come close to selling out reconsider.

Give the Heavens above more than just a passing glance.

And when you get the choice to sit it out or share the gospel, I hope you share. :)

Also remember when it feels like everything in your existence is changing, focus on the things that are constant and will never change. God still exists and your family still loves you and will be with you forever. Where ever you are in the world you can drop to your knees and talk to your Heavenly Father. I know you will do great! I look forward to reading your emails.

Love you all and have a good week.

Hermana Rhoten

P.S If at any point in this letter you think I am quoting LeeAnn Womack I might be. My companions and I are really good at changing lyrics to songs.