Give Me Mountains to Climb!

 Dearly Beloved Weirdos Who I Call Family,

Well, as I think you have seen it has been a crazy week. Like, really crazy. For the record, the emergency transfer had absolutely nothing to do with me or anything that happened in my area, but I am going to start from the beginning :) breathe :)

So, Hermana Trejo has been very sick for basically two transfers now. It has been really affecting our work, our area, and her personally. She was sick again last week, and we scheduled another appointment with the doctor, but President told us that he wanted to meet with her after this one. While we were in the appointment, the doctor basically told her that all of her problems were being caused by all of the change and stress and over thinking that she is doing, but they are causing real problems. Well that night she went in for the interview with President and came out bawling. He called me in and told me that he had decided to send Hermana Trejo home. I didn't really know what to say to that, just that it really isn't possible to do missionary work when you are sick. He then started asking me questions about how long I had been in my area, how long it would take me to teach it to someone, how was my health, etc. I walked out feeling like I was going to stay in San Juan, at least until maybe the middle of the next transfer. 

The next day, we were having personal study and waiting for President to call us to follow up with  Hermana Trejo and just generally tell us now what. Well the phone rang and it was the zone leaders, and they told me that I had an emergency transfer to Ayacucho. I was in complete shock. But it gets weirder. My companion is Hermana Rush. I had a heart attack. It was like a lot of relief and joy compounded with terror and hilarity. On her end, apparently her companion has been equally as ill and they think her being in Ayacucho is making it worse. So this offered the opportunity to move her. She will be in San Juan with Hermana Trejo until tomorrow when she goes home, and then she will basically be starting over in San Juan. We had basically hit a brick wall anyway with the lack of work, so it should be ok.

I feel very humbled and also very... apprehensive because it is possible that Hermana Rush will have a change at the end of this week and I will be alone in this ginormous (literally. Huge.) area with no idea what I am doing. But in the same moment, we have spent a lot of hilarious moments just staring at each other in shock, at a complete loss. IT is very humbling, but also a huge tender mercy.

About Ayacucho, well we came here on the bus on Saturday night. First hilarious thing that happened with the two brand new gringas that are now companions is that we missed the bus we were supposed to take to Ayacucho.... We don't really know how. Anyway, luckily, there was another later bus, so we went on that one. Hilarious. Terrifying for a good half hour there, because we really did not want to have to call and say that we had already dropped this massive ball of trust and missed the bus. Then, we were on the bus for 8 hours. And it was horrifying. It is a really nice bus and everything, just that it is a ton of switchbacks,  a ton. I was a tad carsick, and it was hard to sleep. We got to Ayacucho (which is gorgeous and the complete opposite of Lima in every way) at like 7:30, grabbed my bags and went to the house (which is way cuter than the one in San Juan) and then we went to church, looking like crazy people after being on the bus forever.  I felt a really sweet spirit in sacrament meeting, and I am excited to be here. 

It was so dang hard to leave San Juan. I cried like a baby saying goodbye to everyone, and I thought a ton about how much I have changed and grown in that little area. I will never ever forget those people and those 4 months. It was even harder because it was an emergency transfer, so it was really unexpected. But I also sort of appreciated it, less time to think and cry. I love San Juan.  I love those people.

There is a song I have that says,  "give me mountains to climb, rivers to cross, give me something that is going to make me better than I was". Well  I certainly have a lot of mountains to climb.  Our area is a mountain. Laying in bed last night,  I  thought I was going to die. But oh well, I am sure I  will adjust.... eventually. Hahahaha

I feel very blessed, and terrified to be with Hermana Rush, even if only for this one week. We are both in a very similar spot on our missions because our companions were sick and we were in the same boat, so i think we are going to grow a ton. We shall see :) This week are the real cambios, so I don't know when I will email you, but it won't be Monday. I am sorry I don't have pictures, but it was a little crazy. And I guess you have the ones from facebook :)

Oh, I  love you so much. I know that this gospel is true, and that we are engaged in the most important work and battle in the world. I love you all with all my heart and am so incredibly proud of Judd and Wyatt. and Will :) and Mom and Dad too. Hahaha, but really, I  love you all so much. Thank you,  for absolutely everything.

Lauren