Who'll be a Witness for My Lord?

Hello My Dearly Beloved Family!

How are all of you? Every time I sit down to email, my thoughts get super scattered and I can't remember anything that happened this week.  But  I will try my hardest :)

Well first off, we are still just plugging along, two gringas in a foreign country. It is actually really quite hilarious, and also very humbling. I am hit everyday with the testimony of how very much we are watched over and prayed for. And how blessed we are to have such a beautiful burden of trust and this opportunity to be instruments in this work. It really is a divine, tender mercy that takes on more and more meaning every day as  I reflect and think about it. Which me and Hermana Rush do A LOT. We just talk and talk and think about how blessed we are and how awesome our parents and families are and just generally think a lot. Which is really interesting. It makes me realize what I want in life and how blessed I have been in my life.  I am literally filled with gratitude everyday and just want to be so much better. I am learning who I want to be.

Mom, I got your package! I am actually wearing the outfit right now. I love it. Although this is going to sound super weird,  when I pulled it out one of your hairs was on the skirt and I started to cry a little bit but it is just because I love you and this skirt sort of smells like you and I am so happy. Don't judge that, I swear I am not a weirdo. Well, I am, but no more than usual. :)

Ok,  I am going to organize this email by days I think, just because my thoughts are all over. So Monday was pday obviously and it was the first one of the transfer. Well, this zone is full of gringas. There are 6 gringas and 2 latinas. Hermana Bond and Hermana Wilkins are also here now, along with me and Hermana Rush and Hermana Jameson and Hermana Quist. There are two companionships of gringas... weird. But it is because Ayacucho is really safe! Even though it is the corner of death! The only super devastating thing is that we really miss Bott. Like reallly bad.  But we actually called her on transfer night and talked to her for a long time. She is doing really good and is actually loving her area in Chorillos. We just wish she was here :) It is crazy how close I feel to all of the girls from my group. Terrifying really. But they are all just really great and I look up to them a ton!

On Tuesday we had district meeting (when I got mom's package) and we had to do a practice in front of our district about well I actually don't remember but I think it was on Moroni 10 and inviting people to follow the invitation to ask why these things AREN'T true.   (I imagine it is something like that.... in spanish it is "si no son verdaderas estas cosas") and it mostly was just gratifying because we didn't look like complete idiots.  We felt the spirit really strong and were really excited to apply the practice to our investigators.

I don't actually remember anything specifically amazing about Wednesday,  but we did receive a ton of references that day and all this week that makes us really excited for this week. We mostly just need more investigators, plain and simple. But even when it is hard, and we have days of walking up and down and up and down with not very many lessons, we know that the Lord is preparing people for us to find. We just have to have faith and be diligent in doing our part :) Even if that means walking up and down and up and down the mountain. I better get skinny from this. Although I think the rice and potatoes is interfering. Hahahaha, but really.

Thursday we did service at our pension's house. They are a really great family. His name is Miguel and he is a convert (well so is his wife) and her name is Raida. I don't know how to spell it. They are really fun and they really take care of us. We had the elders from our ward there too, Elder Flores and Elder Taysom.

On Friday we had a lesson with an investigator named Rocio whose mom recently died. We taught the plan of salvation for the first time together.  It actually went really well and I felt the spirit very strongly. I love teaching. It really sort of terrifies me, but there is nothing that makes me feel better about fulfilling my purpose as a missionary, even if it scares the crap out of me.

On Saturday in the morning, we took the edge of the earth bus ride again up to Yanama to teach a reference we got. That lesson went really well too and we made a couple of contacts up there. It was way out there and just a little pueblo, but we really feel it has potential. It is just kind of a charming little place. That day we also had a lesson with a 14 year old girl with a baptismal date named Jossy (like josie) and she is just awesome. She understands the scriptures SO WELL and it is like the most rewarding feeling in the world to have investigators who just grasp it. She receives the lessons with her older sister Diana who is the same way.  She just can't have a baptismal date because her boyfriend of many many many years who she has a child with (devil adorable child named Alvaro) won't get married. Ugh. Pray for them. Then we taught another investigator with a baptismal date named Fabiola who is 18 and has a lot of really weird questions, but she is great. That night we had one last lesson with an old investigator who didn't progress because she won't come to church. We sat outside her house on rocks and just asked her how she was doing. It was a cool experience because me and Hermana Rush both thought of the same scriptrue to share (Ether 12:4) and it was good. We aren't counting her as progressing, but sometimes it is just nice to help people have a little lift.

Sundays.... are dang stressful. Like this Sunday Jossy HAD to get to church before the sacrament or her date would move. Again.  But, no one understands time here. SO basically we ended up flying down the hill in a member's like van thing with 4 (Yayyyyyy 4!!!!!) investigators in the back. It was the most accurate description of missionary life I can think of. It was great because we had 5 investigators in the church and it felt really good :) I love the high pressure moments, when they are over.

This week has been really a good week. Missionary work isn't easy, but it is the best thing I have ever done. I miss you all dearly, but I just love you all so much. I am filled with gratitude for all of you everyday. Remember your pioneer heritage! Send me pictures of the rodeo!

I love Ayacucho. It kind of reminds me of Italy in a weird, South American, third world way. Hahahaa I just love it :) It is gorgeous.

I love you so so so so so much!

Lauren