Baptism, mail, kids, Cusco

There are two things that make missionaries happiest: baptisms and mail. Right after my emailing time was over last week, I read the email from mom about how Alex has decided to be baptized. I am telling you all right now that I didnt know true joy until that moment. It is through baptism that we covenant that we are willing to take upon ourselves the name of Christ and leave behind old habits that would keep us from Heavenly Father for the rest of our lives. In return, we are blessed with the gift of the Holy Ghost and a clean conscience every time we repent, strive to live the commandments, and serve others. The blessings that Heavenly Father gives to all those who follow the Savior are worth every sacrifice. I know this.

 

Right after reading Mom´s email, Hermana Hunter and I found out that we got real mail delivered to us. So we screamed and danced all through the courtyard up to our rooms. It was seriously the best day ever.

 

On another day, we had some visiters from Lima come in for tours. There is so much love for missionaries here in Peru! Groups of kids between the ages of five and eighteen visited in every classroom. But the best part was when my district of hermanas was able to greet all of the elementary aged kids in the courtyard. Lines upon lines of them ran up to us like we were Disney Princesses. I´m pretty sure we received enough kisses to last us for the next seventeen months! They and their parents kept calling us angels...The Peruvian people never cease to humble me with their love and humility...I am so grateful to be a missionary in this country!

 

This week also made me realize even more how great of a district I have. Each of the hermanas have amazing stories. I won´t go into detail for each of them, but let me just say that they´ve all known hard trials. They are the kind of women who don´t share it outright, but they know what it feels like to be at the breaking point, and just how powerful the Atonement is. They are just so strong, and they have powerful testimonies to share.

 

On another note, my whole district has been sick in one way or another. Not in serious ways, but just the normal adjustment stuff. I am lucky to say that it hasn´t affected me yet! But it´s coming...I know it. :,(

 

Also, this will be my last letter for the next two weeks. I´ll be traveling to Cusco next P-day!! Pray for our safety.

 

Bueno FE!

 

Hermana Arroyo

 

PS Janie C - holla at your girl!

 

 

Two semanas mas!

Hello Family!

Another week has come and gone. Days just blur together, and most of the time I don´t know what day it is! The CCM has become sort of like a prison at this point. Maybe the word ´prison´ is too strong of a word, but I completely relate to how Rapunzel felt in her tower.

"Look at the [mission field] so close! And I'm half way to it!" I am so ready to burst out of these walls and get to work. But the reality of it all is that there are still things to learn.

I have felt a fire lit under me since day one to stuff my brain with Spanish and learn how to teach the gospel, and now it is raging! All of the 100+ missionaries here at the CCM went out to proselyte in the Peru Lima North mission this past Saturday, and the experience showed me what I need to study heavily these last two weeks. All of the North Americans, with a few exceptions, were paired up with a Latino companion. Mine was Hermana Moreno. She is from Mexico, so we totally related from the start with our love of mariachi bands and how much we miss tortillas, chile, tacos, and Beyonce. (Heavenly Father knows us.)

 

We loaded up this last Saturday and took a thirty minute drive on buses to downtown Lima, where the people are really poor. I was surprised to learn that the higher people live on the mountains, the poorer they are. (totally opposite from the US) And the houses remind me of the ones from Aladin, all stacked up on each other. It was surreal to see how poor they are...It hurt a little because I wanted to help them. But they didn't seem to notice that they are living in poverty. That was the best part.

 

Anyway, we all gathered at a chapel with ward members and other missionaries. It was really cool to see so many members and missionaries working hard to reach out to the one. (Matt 18:12) The beginning of proselyting was kind of hard. I found myself getting a little frustrated when I couldn't understand or contribute to the conversational Spanish that Hermana Moreno was leading. It felt even worse when two women rejected our message that is meant to bring happiness. I was so grateful for my companion in those moments, though! If she was frustrated with me, she didn't show it. Instead, she chose to be understanding and caring. But even with someone as amazing as Hermana Moreno, I was bugged about feeling like I wasn't contributing or supporting her enough as a companion. So I said prayer for help to forget my fears and testify, and them sucked it up. (You have to do a lot of this on a mission.) After the two no's we received, we were happy to meet with two families. I'll tell you more about the first. We met an old man who happened to be a member, although his wife isn't. And his love for missionaries was evident from the moment we walked in. He immediately took out this nicely framed picture of the two Elders who taught him the gospel. This old man only had a few benches and stools as furniture in his home, but he had this picture of himself with the missionaries so promintently framed. I could tell that it was special to him. We cstarted our message by singing I am a Child of God, and invited the family to church. Our main message was about the blessings we receive as we keep the Sabbath holy, but we felt it super important to also tell them how much Heavenly Father loves them. The Spirit was so strong, and I felt this huge love as I testified to them with my amateur Spanish. It is always such a blessing to see the changes that take place in others as they accept gospel truths. This family committed to attending church this last Sunday.

 

The power and authority of my calling as a missionary never fails to teach me about Heavenly Father's love for us. I always felt His love and guidance before my mission, but it's only intesified as I've worked to help bring others closer to Christ. He has been true to the promise He made in Docrine and Covenants 100:5-8 while I've sought guidance in how to meet the needs of others. And more specially when Hms Hunter and I testify of the this Restored Gospel. We both feel a huge increase in spiritual power that only comes from heaven. These are testaments to me that this Church is true. I have prayed about it, and I feel it in the very depths of my being.

 

I challenge you all to ask Heavenly father how you can bring someone closer to Christ today. I promise that as you forget yourself for a moment, Heavenly Father will confirm to yoiu His love for you, and the amount of love he has for those you serve. This will make you more happy than you can imagine!

 

Thank you for all of your prayers. Spanish is getting better everyday. Sometimes I find myself thinking in Spanish, which is crazy. But it's all because of the Lord!

 

Here's a cool word in Spanish. Try to say it super fast!

 

parangaracutinimicuaro

 

And how about this traba lenguas:

 

Tres tristes tigres comen trigo en un plato del trigal

 

Have a fabulous week!

 

Hermana Arroyo

Just that missionary life

It´s a new week! Hurray! Sunday-Tuesday is the best because not only do we get to partake of the sacrament, but we get to spend P-day at the Lima temple. I always look forward to the rejuvenation that takes place, because the rest of the week can sometimes feel like an uphill battle depending on the challenges. And Hermana Hunter and I have reeeally needed some TLC after this last week.

 

First of all, I hope you all don´t get the impression that I´m having a horrible time. I tend to write more about the hard times more than the good because there is so much growth in trials. Just know that I am having the time of my life. In so many ways Heavenly Father is showing me how much my heart can hold.

 

The blessings of this week include committing two more investigators to baptism and experiencing the gift of tongues. Heavenly Father blesses his children with spiritual gifts for their own benifit, but more especially to serve others. The gift to preach the word of God in a foreign language is so important as a missionary! Even though Spanish is as easy as it get, dont be fooled. It´s been hard! Yet, I have been experiencing tremendous blessings. There was a day last week in class that my mind just seemed so on-point. Instead of just being able to keep up with 70-80 % of the lesson, I could understand 95%! It wasnt just a normal occurance, and I immediatly recognized the help of heaven in this. I know that it came about because I asked in prayer, and then gave my all in gospel and language study, otherwise I would have been left to myself. Hermana Hunter and I taught a lesson after that class, and the Spirit was undeniable strong...I have a testimony that Heavenly Father answers prayer, and that He works miracles everyday. We only need to be spiritually intune to recognize them.

 

 Hermana Hunter and I have been working as hard as we know how in order to have the Spirit with us and teach the lessons with power. We´ve had epic fails, though. After having our confidence boosted from one of our teachers, we experienced what had been the hardest day out in the MTC. That day we felt as inadequate as missionaries feel when they put so much into a lesson, and then get the feeling that they missed the mark. We feel that the adversary has been working hard to shake us, but luckily we have prayer. And priesthood blessing. And an awesome district of hermanas! We truly feel that Heavenly Father has brought us together for a reason more than to be friends for six weeks and then never see one another again. We often have validation-testimony meetings to build each other up. I am amazed at the life stories these hermanas have. Being a member of the Church doesnt mean that you wont have trials in your life. We need trials to grow and gain experience, but Heavenly Father has given us gospel truths and ordinances to strengthen us in order to meet difficulties. Although the world may be in chaos, we dont have to be. That is the promise that is given to us. (Quick! Someone find that scripture where the Savior promises peace to his disciples - and write it in a comment!)

 

Funnies of the week:

 

We had tacos for lunch one day this week! And there were real beans and this yummy avocado sauce. . . Can you tell that we are deprived of Mexican food at the CCM? My whole district literally stuffed their faces for a good couple of minutes, just relishing the goodness. The lunch made me miss Angela´s cooking and Costa Vida´s house dressing. Oh! And Pepe´s tacos. Pepe has some good tacos and hot sauce. Savor the goodness in the US while you can!

 

I was complimented on the fact that I dont speak Spanish with a gringo accent. (Yeeees.) And then was told that I speak it with a Mexican one. What does that even sound like?

 

Apparently my district is talented. Hermana Davis knows how to draw SUPER  aswesome pictures of people, and others know how to beat box. Love it.

 

Sorry this email is kind of lame. My thoughts are all scattered right now, and it probs wont get any better. :) But I love you all! Keep writing - and make sure you email me your addresses, please! Ive started writing several letters, but dont have the info to send them out. Get on it!

 

Bueno FE

Week Two

Buenos tardes familia!

 

I told myself that I would be more efficient at emailing this week, but being that a gazillion things happen everyday, we will see how this goes. Just know that if you are not getting an email that I am working on a letter. The only problem with that is when you will get it! :D

 

The challenge of this week has been about trusting in the grace of Christ´s Atonement. Spanish has gotten so much better, yet the first couple days of this week were really rough for me and Hermana Hunter. It is amazing how exhausting it is to exert so much mental energy from thinking in two languages 24/7. Hermana Hunter and I are both perfectionist, so it was super difficult at first to go into a lesson with an investigator, even though it is staged, and come out feeling ineffective. Tis the life of a missionary when you care so much, I suppose. One night we were thrown into a surprise lesson with latino Elders. We traded off as being the missionaries, but we felt like total failures when it came to trying to convey gospel doctrine in Spanish. We went to bed that day a little upset, but the next day was better. At a very low point in the day I decided to watch a short video on the Atonement. In the beginning President Eyring described how the Savior, when after He completed the Atonement, had every reason to say that He was too tired to keep working. But we know that He went to the spirits in prison to preach the gospel. It was a humbling moment for sure when I heard Eyring´s testimony, because I have wanted to stop and just rest at time. Elder Holland came up later in the video and tesified ´´missionary work is not easy, because salvation is not a cheap experience!´´ Then he added, ´´Salvation was never easy! Why would we think it would be easy for us when it was never easy for Him? How could we possibly bare any moving lasting testimony of the Atonement if we have never known or felt anything of such an experience?´´ Let his words sink in a bit.

 

I have come to realize that my experience here at the CCM is a testing ground for the mission field. In one of mine and Hnm Hunter´s lessons, we decided to put our faith in the Savior and believe that He would help us. We were at our braking point, but we knew that we couldn{t go into that lesson without the Spirit, and definitely without Christ. We had faith that through His Atonement we could experience divine help in saying the words that were in our hearts, even if we couldn{t exactly say them in Spanish. That lesson was a miracle! The Spirit bore witness of our words, and we came out crying. It is super hard to have your limits pushed, but I am so grateful for the challenges I have had, and will yet have, because of the opportunities they bring to grow in testimony. I have a testimony that trials are blessings, for the sole reason that they have brought me closer to my Savior.

 

A few days letter Hunter and I received feedback from our lessons, and our maestra complimented us on how much Spanish we know. Happy day! And just the other day our investigator Karen committed to baptism! Slowly, but surely we are learning the language. Not only Spanish, but the language of the Spirit. D&C 100:5-8 has been our constant hope as we{ve gone into each lesson. The promise is real, and Hna and I know it because we´ve tested it! That´s the only way to gain a tesimony about a gospel truth: try it for yourself.

 

Entonces, General Conference was an answer to so many prayers! It´s amazing how the Spirit will cater the words of living prophets to your current needs. I loved the talk that Elder Bednar gave with his anology about the truck load and traction. And Uchtdorf´s words about gratitude? Ah! Encontra. I have found so much happiness in my circumstances, even when life is hard. Knowing Christ makes it so much easier!

 

Also, I have a new love. It honestly rivals track...so it´s pretty serious. Me and all of the Elders and Hermanas in my zone love to play ultimate football every chance we get, and it is the beeessst! The highlight of each day is either ultimate football, helado, or singing. Every minute is a fiesta if we´re not studying or teaching. It´s fun!

 

Yesterday we said goodbye to the Advancarios. We weren{t allowed to sing ´´God be with you til we meet again´´, so we sang through this big wall that separates the elder and hermanas...oops.

 

Today while we were out shopping for p-day several people waved and said hello. It´s so cool to be on the other side of things have people get excited when they see you, because you´re a missionary. Mom and I wold always honk at them and say hello every chance we got...It´s truly humbling to be on the flip side now. And I want to be the missionary that is always seen doing good.

 

Funny moments of the week:

 

At every meal time the Elders step aside in the line to allow Hermanas go in front of them. Many of them do it to be respectful, others, I imagine are more reluctant. Well, the other day as mi compañera and I were headed to the cafeteria, we saw just as two Elders were booking it the get through the doors. So funny! We would do the same

 

Hermana Purse, a super funny and random Hermana in my district makes awesome comments daily that have us all laughing in tears. One day during personal study she asked, ´´Personal study? May I go personally study my pillow?´´ Good one, Purse.

 

Well, time is up! There is seriously twelve minutes left to reply to emails. Aaaaah! I love you all - your letters will come in a few weeks! haha.

 

Bueno fe

 

Hermana Arroyo

 

PS SYDNEY F. Send me your email. :D

Some more pictures

The first week

Pictures

I am going to Russia, say what!

Hola familia!

 

I´ll be honest. It is super stressful emailing you all today. There is so much that has happened! Each day seriously feels like a week, and the weeks go by like days. Sounds crazy? That´s exactly what it feels like.

 

Well, to start, the concept of driving in Peru is totally different from what we´re so used to in the US. I thought Ken was an aggressive driver! The road laws here are almost nonexistent. I couldn´t help but think of my mom through it all. She would have been hysterical! I just thought of the ride to the CCM (Missionary Training Center) as a free rollercoaster ride.

 

The first four days in the CCM challenged me emotionally and mentally, but for some reasons that you wouldn´t expect. Surprisingly I haven´t experienced any homesickness! (I am so grateful for priesthood blessings. They are inspired.) Spanish is also coming really well! But there already have been days where tears seemed inevitable. Thankfully, I have some great Hermanas in my district that offer a great support system. We feel the same growing pains, so we have become so close by overcoming them together. Some days we just laugh and laugh to forget about the exhaustion and sometimes stress that we feel. The way that we lift each other up reminds me a lot of XC and Track. I have taken away so many valuable life lessons about having fortitude in the face of challenges and reaching out to help others...I have relied so much on what I have learned from past experiences.

 

My companion is also pretty much amazing! She is from California - the same city that Uncle Nick lives in, actually! It´s amazing how similar we are to one another: we´re not sure who loves the temple more either! Something really cool about her is that she was a temple worker for five weeks before coming out to the field! It´s refreshing to hear her perspective on family and life...and we help one another when we miss special people from home. I wish you all could meet her!

 

A little bit about the missionary training center here in Peru is that the teachers know little to know English. (Can you imagine how that can get frustrating when there is a huge barrier in communication?) It is so cool, though! It can be tough when you don´t get the jist of things, but it´s amazing how much Spanish that I can understand now. I am so grateful that I studied as hard as I did before coming here! But I know that this blessing of learning Spanish so rapidly is because of God. Being close to the Spirit accelerates learning so crazy fast! Mealtimes with the latinos has become so much fun because of this. It used to be embarrassing and awkward to use our gringo Spanish in talking with them, but now we can communicate pretty solidly! For the most part, I mean...as far as an elementary kid can! Haha. But we have so much fun. It´s sort of a tease to become besties with the latina hermanas when they have been assigned to different missions in Peru and South America. Good thing latinas assigned to my mission will be coming in the week after next! I am beyond excited to meet them.

 

A cool missionary experience happened yesterday. My district drove to Imigracions in order to start our paperwork for resident visas. While we were there, a security guard came up to us and asked for some pamplets. He had visited with a different group of missionaries before and got one from them, so he came to us wanting to know more.You could imagine our disappointment when no one brought any in Spanish! But thankfully I had five tucked away in my bag for study. He took them all eagerly and talked with us about his testimony of prayer and his desire to change. Such a tender and pure look eminated from his eyes...it reminded me of Alex. :) We were there at Imigracions for several hours, so we were able to share a message. Hermana Hunter, my compañera, later discovered that she brought her Spanish scriptures, so we turned to 3 Nephi 11:10,12-14, which is where Christ visits the Americas after his crucifixion and allows the people to feel the print of the nails in his hands...That sweet old man´s eyes softened, and simply said: That makes so much sense. It just makes sense that Christ would visit and love his other children who are in different lands, not just in Jerusalem. That, family, is just the tip of the ice burg of the Restored Gospel. Go and read it for yourself! I have a testimony of the work I am doing, and it just grows more and more each day.

 

This morning we got up super early in order to go to the temple. The Lima Peru temple is small, but so beautiful. We all needed to go there and be rejuvenated after a big week. Afterward, we went shopping! The bus ride there and back was super fun. Just imagine fifty people crammed on a thirty passenger bus. You really get close to people when your face in in their armpit. I enjoyed every minute of it!

 

Included are some pictures from the week. I´m sad that my time writing is up, but know that I love you guys! Thank you for all of your support. It means a lot even if you do not choose to know what I believe in. I am grateful to have people to love, and those who love me back unconditionally. Thank you for your prayers! They have been felt so strongly...I´m still praying for you.

 

Hermana Arroyo

 

PS April fools about Russia!