Hola Familia! I had transfers!

In the caves

My little friend from Honduras.  She is so cute.

 Hey! I had transfers! So crazy I have so much to write about this week. I probably won't be able to finish it all. So I got the call Tuesday night and my zone leaders told me that I would be going to Huancayo in El Tambo. I asked them if they were joking because that's where I had served the first six months of my mission. They said they weren't joking but when they told me the area I got really excited. I'm in Concepcion which isn't actually Huancayo at all. It's a city just outside of Huancayo. It's far away from everything and my area is huge! It's actually the entire city of Concepcion with all the little pueblitos or little towns and villages outside of it. We spend a lot of time walking and traveling to other parts of our area. We go to a little city called San Jironimo a lot which is about 15 or 20 mins outside of Concepcion. Right now we are in a city called Jauja (pronounced howhuh) that's 45 minutes away it's our district leaders area. We rode here on a bus standing up the entire way, I call it bus surfing. I think we will hang out here for pday. We will be doing lots of traveling in this area because we go to Huancayo every week for district meetings and sometimes for internet on Monday too.

In Huanuco my old area in the caves for pday

My companion and I, so sad to leave her.

In the caves

I'm also training in a trio again! So crazy! Both of them came in at the same time and have six weeks in the mission. We get a long well and laugh a lot. One is from California and the other one is from Florida so the climate is a little freezing for them both. I hate the cold too so we all deal with it together. Neither of them speak much Spanish so it was a little tough this week since I was sick and had to do lots of talking.

My zone with our matching shirts. So funny.

I'm also going to be in charge of five other areas here as a sister leader. Four of them are in Huancayo which I am super excited about because I am in charge of my old area!!! I get to do divisions there and see how my old ward is doing. So fun. I'm also over an area in Huancavelica which is 3 hours away and it is supposed to be the poorest city in Peru. It will be an adventure for sure.

Other things about my area: Its been having very little success. It has had one baptism so far this year and they were used to teaching one lesson a day! They didn't have a single person with a baptism date this past cambio. That's such a big jump from my other area but we have lots of ideas to work smarter and do less traveling so we can have more lessons. One lesson a day would kill me I think. I like to be busy. Also my area doesn't have a church. We have what is called a casa capilla or a house church. Its pretty small and homey. It has a fireplace in the biggest part where we have sacrament meeting. If we need to baptize someone we can either baptize them in the river or we got to Huancayo. When I found our ward list I discovered that there are 260 people in this ward but only about 40 were there at church on Sunday. There is just so much work to do here especially with inactive members. 

I remember when I got set apart as a missionary, in my blessing it talked a lot about working with inactive members. I was told that the lord was preparing people for me that I would be able to touch there hearts and bring them back into full fellowship. It mentioned that in several parts and I had wondered my entire mission why. I had worked with them off an on as always but we mostly taught investigators. When I was sitting in the little church house I had a confirmation that this was where I was supposed to be and it was part of the plan all along. I was a little stressed out this week because it's a lot of responsibility. Every cambio I feel like things get a little bit harder but now I feel like I'm in missionary work level ten. Training two and being a sister leader is already lots of work but right now I also feel lots of pressure to help my area. I am grateful that it's the lords work and all I have to do is do the best I can and search for the spirit so that the lord can do the rest. I'm grateful that when I don't know how to do it all he does and will help me. I think it will be a great transfer and I am excited to see the changes and miracles that will happen.

I forgot to add....my area is really green and very beautiful. I do have my work cut out for me though. I don't know how I can handle it all. Like I said missionary work level ten. lol And that one of the guys I taught in Huanuco and then he ended up getting baptized in another ward... he is putting in his mission papers. He sent me a really nice note before he left saying thanks for all I taught him. He is so active. Goes to institute a few times a week even though it's the same class, and went to the temple to do baptisms for his grandpa a bit ago. He loves being a member of the church and is so happy. 

Hope you all have a great week!

Hermana Rhoten 1