Hola Familia! I won't even say this week was great or crazy because I always say that but it really was :)

We have cambios this week! I kinda doubt that we will be staying in a trio but you never know. I guess we will see what happens. 

This is most of my area the city of concepcion

I started out this week with consejo in Huancayo again. It was really good, and I learned a lot as always. I finally got up the courage to ask president how long it should be before I am worried about stomach problems because everyone here has them but even though it hasn't been bad it has been on and off for over a month. He asked me about symptoms and he said yep you have all the symptoms of a parasite! He asked me if I had lost any weight and from weighing myself at the mission home I had lost 10lbs since last month. I asked president if I could keep him and he just laughed and said absolutely not! So I had to do a parasite treatment and stay in the room all day Saturday. Goodbye to my little parasite friend. 

This is the virgin that overlooks the city. It's nine stories tall and we see it everyday.

from inside the virgin's head

A few cute moments of this week. So I think I have probably explained before but we greet all the women-girls here with a kiss on the cheek. Normally we would with boys too but it is forbidden as missionaries for obvious reasons. So yesterday at church these two little junior primary aged boys (having been trained by their mother that they can't give kisses to sister missionaries) held up their stuffed animals to our faces and had their stuffed animals give us kisses. So cute. Peruvian children are so cute. 

Another cute moment, we are teaching a mother of a young recent convert. Her mother is very pregnant right now, like due at any moment. We had a lesson with her last week about Joseph Smith, watched the movie and bore testimony to them about him. I guess it went well because this week we went to her house to share a message and just striking up conversation we asked her if she had thought of any baby names yet. She replied, I really like the name Joseph Smith. Haha. It was funny because she's not even a member yet. 

I also wanted to say hello or g´day mate to Silvia Gonzalez in Sydney Australia. I went to Huancavelica this week and visited your daughter. She told me that you always read my letters so I thought I would tell you that your daughter is doing great, she is obedient and her Spanish is coming along. (It's really cute hearing her speak Spanish with an australian accent.) 

 

the Huancavelica sisters and us,

About Huancavelica and our trip, its about 3 hours from Huancayo by car so I went with another hermana leader Thursday morning. My pension warned me how terrible the drive was but I didn't take it too seriously because all the roads here are so bad. It was really bad. I didn't get too sick just a headache but my companion stopped and threw up three times. It's so windy with such high altitude. The city itself is beautiful and a new area to sisters. I sent pictures of their casa capilla and their homemade font so cool!

the city of Huancavelica

This is Huancavelicas casa capilla and their homemade baptismal font.

And the Huancavelica sisters studying in the sun on their mantas. It's cold there too.

We got stopped by cows six times on the way back. haha.

I had been studying this week the theme of the relationship between faith-power- to deliverance in the Book of Mormon this week. It's just everywhere. I have at least ten examples written in my study journal, one of my favorite being Alma the younger's story. Right before the angel left him he told him to remember that when his ancestors were in bondage god freed them, and later in Alma 36 when he tells the story to his son he said he called out to Christ and he was freed. It is obvious that he Lord wants us to know that if we have faith in him, he will help free us. From any trial, weakness, sin, suffering, natural man he can free us. I know that is true and that he loves us.

Hope you have a great week!

Hermana Rhoten 1